Karandi/Ladle Omelette

Karandi/Ladle Omelette

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. Oil – 2 tbsp
2. Eggs 6
3. Onion – 1 big
4. Green chilli – 2
5. Milk – 2 tbsp
6. Pepper – ½ tsp
7. Salt – as required

Method

Beat the eggs to fluffy with all the ingredients. 

Heat a paniyaram pan with drop of oil in each hole.

Using a ladle/karandi, pour the egg mixture into each hole. Cook the omelette in low to medium flame for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Tips

To make the omelette rich in taste you can also add tomato and curry leaves or coriander leaves.

When there is left over mutton or chicken gravy without meat pieces you can just make these omelettes and add it to the gravy and name it Karandi Omelette Gravy.

Carroty Sausages!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. Oil – 2 tbs
2. Onions – 2 big
3. Ginger paste – 1 tsp
4. Garlic paste – 1 tsp
5. Ketchup – 1 tsp (optional)
6. Pepper powder – ½ tsp
7. Carrots – 2 big
8. Sausages – 1 pack (12 pcs)
9. Green chillies – 2 pcs
10. Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
11. Salt – as per taste

Method

Cut the onions length wise and slice the carrots in desired shape. Boil the sausages and drain the water. Cut the sausages in desired length.

Heat a pan with oil. Now add the onions, green chillies and salt. Fry till onions are translucent, then add ginger and garlic paste. Fry till its raw smell goes off, then add the carrots, pepper powder, ketchup, and red chilli powder at once. Fry till carrots becomes soft. Finally, add the cut sausages.

Serve hot with breads.

Tips:

Boil the sausages with turmeric powder to remove bacteria (my mom’s tip)

Cheesy kids Pasta

Ingredients

1. Pasta (any kind) 250 gm
2. Cheese spreadable (Kraft) - 400 gm
3. Milk - 1 cup
4. Mozzarella shredded cheese - 150 gm
5. Pepper - 1/2 tsp
6. Butter - 1 tbs
7. Water - 1 lt
8. Salt a pinch

Method

Boil the pasta in the water with some salt. Drain and keep aside.

Heat a pan and the butter. Once melted add milk, let it boil for 5 min. Now add the cheese, pepper and salt. After 5 min add the pasta and simmer fro 5 min. Finally, add shredded cheese and turn off the stove.

Pizza like pasta is ready!

Tips

You can add boiled and cut sausages or chicken chunks to make it more delicious for the kids.

Easy Butter Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken - 500 gm
Onion 2 large
Tomato 1 big
Kashmiri chilli 4 nos
Cinamon - 1 inch
Clove - 2 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos
Bay leaf - 1 no
Ginger 1 inch
Garlic - 6 cloves
Tomato paste - 2 tbs
Fresh cream - 2 tbs
Cashewnut - 10 nos
Butter - 4 tbs
Dried methi leaves (optional)
Salt

For Marination:

Yoghurt - 2 tbs
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbs
a pinch of salt

 

Method

Marinate the chicken with the ingredients below marination for atleast 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius and grill the marinated chicken for 25 min.

 

In a hot pan add 2 tbs butter, after melting add cinamon, cloves and cardomom, fry for a minute. Add onions, salt and fry till translucent. Now add tomato, ginger, garlic and chilli and fry for 5 minutes. Turn off the stove and let it cool down. Then, grind it to a smooth paste along with cashewnuts. In the same pan, add 2 tbs butter, after melting add bay leaf and the ground mixture. After a minute add tomato paste. Fry till oil leaves the sides of the pan. Meantime cut the grilled chicken into medium pieces. Now add the cut chicken to the gravy and simmer for 5 minutes. Finally, add the dried methi leaves and fresh cream and turn off the stove.

   

Tips

Adding a tbs of honey would enrich the taste.
Consistency could be adjusted by adding 1/2 cup of water.
Using Kashmiri chillies gives the exact color of butter chicken.

Kara Adai

Ingredients:

• Idli rice - 1/4 kg
• Moong dal - 2 tbs
• Toor dal - 2 tbs
• Channa dal - 2 tbs 
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 2 tsp 
• Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
• Red chilly - 5 
• Pearl onions - 20 nos finely chopped
• Bottle guard - 1 medium size (optional) 
• Curry leaves

Preparation:

1. Soak rice and dal separately for 3 hours in warm water. 
2. First grind the rice coarsely.
3. Then grind rest of the ingredients except onions, curry leaves and 1/2 of bottle guard in a mixer grinder. Grind them coarsely (not into a fine paste).
4. Transfer into a bowl and add salt, finely chopped onions, curry leaves , and rest of the sliced bottle guard. 
5. Heat a tawa, pour a ladle of batter and spread it all over the tawa. Heat it on both the sides until it becomes golden brown.
6. Transfer into a plate and serve hot with coconut chutney or avial.

Amla Rice

Ingredients:

Rice (Cooked ) - 3 cups

(A) To Grind:

1. Amla - 8 large 
2. Salt to taste
3. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
4. Gingely oil - 2 tbs
5. Green chilly - 3

(B) For Seasoning:

1. Oil - 2 tbs
2. Mustard Seeds -  1 tsp
3. Urad dal -  2 tsp
4. Channa Dal -  1 tbs
5. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
6. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp 
7. Curry leaves - 1 string
8. Ginger - 1/2 inch sliced (optional)

Preparation

1. Cut amla and grind along with (A) and keep aside. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Wait for it to pop.
3. Now add rest of (B) one after the other.
4. Finally add the ground mixture and stir for 2 to 3 min.
5. Remove from stove and add it to the cooked rice along with gingely oil.

Methi Chicken

Ingredients

• Chicken - 750 gm
• Fresh Methi leaves - one bunch
• Onion - 2 large
• Tomato - 1 large
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Ginger - 11/2 inch
• Green chilly - 2
• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Corriander powder - 1 tbs
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Yoghurt - 2 tbs
• Oil - 2 tbs

To grind

• Make a paste of ginger, garlic and chilly.
• Make tomato puree.

Method

1. Wash chicken with turmeric powder thoroughly and keep aside.
2. Mix salt with methi leaves and leave it for 15 min. Wash it 3-4 times in running water, squeeze the water and keep aside.
3. Heat 1tsp oil in a pan and add onion, fry till golden brown and transfer it to a plate.
4. Once cold grind it in a mixer along with yoghurt.
5. In the same pan, saute methi leaves for 3-4 min and keep aside.
6. Heat rest of the oil in the pan, add ginger, garlic chilly paste.
7. After raw smell goes off, add onion, yoghurt paste.
8. After 2 min add tomato puree. Keep stirring till oil leaves the sides.
9. Now add the chicken, cover and cook for 15 min, stirring often.
10. Finally add methi leaves, cook for 1 min.
11. Remove from stove.
12. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Tips:

I made it thick so did not add water. Add 1/4 cup water for liquid consistency.
Add cashew paste for enriched taste.

Puliyogare aka Puliyodharai

(A) Ingredients

• Tamarind - big lemon size
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Jaggery (optional)

(B) Roast and Grind

• Gingely oil - 2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 8 small pcs (tamarind seed size)
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander seeds - 3 tbs
• Red chilly - 8
• Bengal gram - 1 tsp

(C) Seasoning

• Gingely Oil - 1/2 cup
• Bengal gram dal - 2 tbs
• Cashew nuts
• Roasted Ground nuts (without skin)
• Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves - a bunch
• Red chilli - 8
• Oil - 3 teaspoon
• Salt as per taste

Preparation

1. Soak and prepare 2 tumblers of thick tamarind water.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add asafoetida. Heat till it gets roasted and transfer it to a plate.
3. Repeat the process for all the ingredients in (B) one by one in the same order.
4. Let it cool down.
5. Put them in a mixer grinder, add salt and grind them coarsely. Keep it aside.
6. Heat oil in the same pan, add mustard seeds and wait for it to pop.
7. Next add all the ingredients in (C) one after the other. Roast till color changes.
8. Add the tamarind water in the pan.
9. Add salt, turmeric powder, jaggery and mix them thoroughly.
10. After 10 min add the ground mixture.
11. Close the pan and Heat it in medium flame till 1 glass of Pulikkaaichal paste is formed (might take 30 min)

Final preparation

• Take required amount of cooked rice
• Add 2 tbs of gingely oil and spread them nicely.
• Add required amount of pulikaaichal
• Mix the rice thoroughly  

Tasty yummy kovil style puliyodharai is ready. Slurp it!

Asoka Halwa

Ingredients

• 1 cup Moong dal

• 2 tsp Wheat flour

• 1 and 1/2 cup Sugar

• A pinch Food colour (Red)

• 1 tsp Cardamom powder

• 10-15 Cashew nuts

• 1 cup Ghee 

Method

Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan. Roast the moong dal till raw smell goes.

• Add 1/4 cup water to 1 cup moong dal and cook in pressure cooker for three whistles (mash it)
• If it doesn’t cook well then give a grind in blender.

• In same kadai fry the cashews and wheat flour separately and keep aside.
• Now add the dal into the kadai and then add in the sugar.
• After adding the sugar, the mix will be like water.
• Now add the roasted wheat and cardamom powder,mix well.
• Add in the colour and mix it without lumps.
• Add the remaining ghee and keep stirring.
• Add in the cashew nuts and mix well.
• Stir well till it should become a non sticky paste but not too hard.
• At this stage remove the Kadai from the stove.  

Spicy Fish Fry

Ingredients

• King Fish - 500 gm
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Red chilly powder - 3 tbsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Fennel powder - 1/2 tbsp
• Coconut milk (thick) - 1/4 cup
• Pearl onions - 12 nos
• Tamarind - small lemon size
• Ginger/garlic paste (optional) - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 3/4 cup

To garnish

• Onion - 1/2
• Carrot - 1/2

Preparation:

1. Clean and wash the fish using turmeric powder and rock salt (if available) or fine salt.
2. Make a paste of pearl onions. Squeeze the juice of tamarind and add these and all the above ingredients to the fish. Marinate it for 2 hours.
3. Then heat 3 tbsp oil in a wide pan. Add the fish and fry it in a low to medium heat. Keep flipping to avoid burning. Keep adding oil at regular intervals.
4. Once done garnish with few onion rings and carrots.

Ceylon Egg Curry

Ingredients 

• Eggs - 5
• Onion -1 (finely chopped)
• Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 11/2 tbsp
• Green chilli - 2 (slitted) 

• Oil  -  2  tbsp
• Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch size
• Cardamom - 1
• Cloves - 2
• Kalpasi (black stone flower) - 2
• Curry Leaves - hand full

• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Red Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander / Dhaniya Powder - 3 tsp
• Coconut Milk - 1 cup 
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp (to garnish)

Method

To prepare steamed egg cake - In a large bowl beat the eggs along with the yolk till its quantity doubles. Transfer it to another bowl that is greased with ghee or oil. Now pressure cook it in a medium flame for 3 to 4 whistles with one cup of water by closing the bowl with a lid. Once the egg cake cools down cut them into squares.

Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, kalpasi, curry leaves. After few seconds add onion and salt and fry till golden brown, mean time add turmeric powder, green chilly and ginger garlic paste. Then add tomato and wait till it is mashy. Now add red chilly powder, coriander powder. After raw smell settles down add the egg cake and coconut milk and leave it to simmer for 5 to 8 min.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

* Cake could be cut in any shape as desired but the square gives it a paneer look and feel
* Adding salt after adding onion cooks the onion faster. I usually add salt in two halves once after adding onion and once after adding tomato so that it cooks faster.
* consistency could be varied depending on your main dish (roti/chapathi/rice) 

Mutton Dalcha

Ingredients:

• Mutton - 1 kg
• Toor dal - 1/2 cup
• Channa dal - 1/4 cup
• Onion - 2
• Curry leaves - a bunch
• Tomato - 2
• Potato - 2 
• Radish - 2 
• Carrot - 1
• Brinjal - 4 small
• Ginger/Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
• Green chilly - 2
• Tamarind - small lemon size
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Spices:

• Sambar/curry powder - 3 tbsp
• Corriander powder - 2 tbsp
• Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1 1/2 tsp

To season:

• Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1"
• Cloves - 3
• Cardamom - 1
• Bay leaf - 1

To Garnish:

• Mint leaves
• Coriander leaves

Preparation

1. Add toor dal, channa dal and 1 tsp turmeric powder in a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles and keep it aside (do not mash the dal). 
2. Pressure cook mutton separately with 1 tsp turmeric powder for 3 whistles. 
3. Soak tamarind in warm water.
4. Heat oil in a large pan, add "to season" once it splutters, add onion, curry leaves and salt, after few seconds add ginger/garlic paste, fry till it turns golden brown . 
5. Now add all the vegetables and green chilly,  tomatoes and give it a nice stir. 
6. Once the vegetables are half cooked add the mutton and 'spices'. After the vegetables are completely cooked, add tamarind juice and the cooked dal. Let it simmer for 10 min. 
7. Garnish with mint and coriander leaves.  

     

Hyderabadi Mutton Briyani

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice 500 gm
• Mutton 1000 gm
• Green chillies 4
• Salt
• Red chilli powder 2 tbs
• Coriander powder 2 tbs
• Cumin powder 1tbs
• Black cumin seeds 1tbs
• Crushed pepper 1tbs
• Ginger Garlic paste 2 tbs
• Whole garam masala (bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom green and black)
• Curd 21/2 cups
• *Chopped coriander and mint leaves 2 cups
• *Fried onions 2 cups (deep fried in olive oil)
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil 1 cup
• Saffron 1tsp (soaked in warm water)

Preparation

First boil the water, add oil, salt and cook rice (half cooked – 1st filter the rice when it is 30% done 2nd drain the water when the rice is 70% done)
Next marinating mutton, in pan take mutton, add all the spices, paste, curd, fried onion (1/2), leaves (1/2)
Now in a thick bottomed pan add little oil, add the marinated mutton in the bottom and top it off with 30% cooked rice, add half of the remaining mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onions and a pinch of saffron water. Repeat the same process twice with the 70% cooked rice. Cook for 30 to 40min

*serve hot with raita

Sakkarai Pongal(Sweet Pongal) - Kovil style

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice – ½ kg
• Moong dhal --2tbsp
• Jaggery – ¾ kg (according to taste)
• Milk – 1ltr
• Water -- 1ltr
• Salt (optional)
• Crushed cardamoms  
• A pinch of Pacha karpooram (edible camphor) and crushed Jadhika  
• Ghee – 400gm

Seasoning

• Cashews -- a handful
• Raisins -- a handful
• Ghee -- 1 tbsp 

Method of Preparation

1. Wash and soak rice and mong dal for 30 minutes
2. Add the salt, water + milk in the vessel. Allow it to boil.
3. Once boiled, add the rice and dhal.
4. Separately melt the jaggery adding little water (1/2 cup). Filter the syrup once it completely dissolves for any impurities. 
5. Now slowly add this syrup and ghee, when the rice is almost done. Mix well to avoid any lumps.
6. Now take a pan and add the ghee given in for garnishing and fry the cashews and raisins. Mix the cashews, raisins, cardamom powder, pacha karpooram, jadhika with the pongal.
7. Am sure you must be seeing the exact Kovil Pongal boiling at your home with the exact aroma and taste 

Tips

1. I have used dark brown round jaggery to get the exact Kovil Pongal colour
2. Sprinkle ghee before serving
3. Adding more milk will enrich the taste so I have mentioned equal proportion but it is actually optional.  

Spicy Shrimp Curry

 Spicy Shrimp Curry: Wowslurp.blogspot.com

Ingredients

•   750gm Prawns (Medium)
• Oil as required
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 cloves
• 1 cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• String of curry leaves
• 10 – 15 small onions (1 cup)
• 1 tbs ginger garlic paste
• 1 large tomato
• 1 tbs curd
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 200 ml fresh coconut milk
• Salt as required

Dry Roast and Grind

• 1 tbs black pepper
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 1 tbs cumin seeds

Method

1. Wash Prawns thoroughly and marinate them for at least an hour with curd turmeric powder and pinch of salt along with 1 tsp of ground masala.
2. Heat Oil in a pan add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves after a while add curry leaves. Let them stop spluttering, and then add chopped onions fry them till it becomes golden brown. (see tips)
3. Now add the ginger & garlic paste, fry them for few more minutes till the raw smell goes off.
4. Now add the chopped tomatoes, fry them for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the Prawns and a pinch of turmeric powder. Close the lid let them cook for 5 mins.
6.  Now add curd, chilli powder, and ground masala. Close the lid again for 5 mins.
7.  Finally add the coconut milk and allow it to cook by closing the lid for about 15 to 20 mins in low to medium heat with constant stirring.
8.  Once reaches the right consistency, garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

      Wash prawns with salt turmeric powder and curd to take of the unpleasant smell

      In step 2 add salt so that onions will cook faster.

C3 - Chettinad Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• Chicken :800gm (with bone)
• onion: 1 1/2 (medium) (finely chopped)
• Tomatoes : 2 (finely chopped)
• Oil : 2 tbps
• Salt : required to taste
• water : 1 1/2 cups
• Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves : 4 to 6
• Lemon juice : 1tsp

For Masala Paste:

• Coriander seeds: 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds : 1tsp
• Fennel seeds : 1tsp
• Poppy seeds : 1 1/2 tsp
• Whole red chilies : 6 to 8
• Coconut : 4 tbsp (grated)
• Cinnamon : 1″
• Cloves and cardamom : 2 each
• Ginger and garlic : 2 tsp (finely chopped)

Method of Preparation :

1. Roast all the ingredients in a little oil except ginger and garlic. Let it cool for few seconds.
2. Grind them all together with ginger and garlic. Grind it in to a smooth paste.
3. Heat oil in a vessel and add bay leaves and onions fry them till onions turn in to golden brown.
4. After that add the ground masala paste, curry leaves, turmeric powder and fry them for like 5 minutes and then add the chicken in to it.
5. Mix it all together so the masala blend with chicken and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes in medium heat.
6. Now add the tomatoes and required salt.
7. Close the lid and let it cook for 3 minutes in medium heat.
8. After that add 1 1/2 cups of water into it and close the lid .
9. Boil the gravy for like 8 minutes in medium heat or till the oil separates in      the top.
10. Finally add the lemon juice on top of it and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with roti or rice.