Chicken Korma/ kuruma

      Korma has it's roots in the mughlai cuisine, it's a dish with meat or vegetables braised in a liquid, it may be a creamy sauce or a stock. In this recipe, chicken is cooked in a spicy coconut sauce. Coconut can be substituted with cashew paste or yogurt. This dish is very popular in indian restaurants because of it's mild and creamy taste.

Ingredients:
3/4 kg/ 1.5 lb      chicken
1                         onion
1/2 tsp                ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp                turmeric powder
few                     curry leaves
1/2 tsp                lemon juice
1/2 tbs                oil 
 clean and cut the chicken and apply turmeric powder over it.
slice the onion
            

A. To dry roast and grind:
 2                        cloves
3                         cardamoms
1/2"                    cinnamon 
1/2 tsp                kasa kasa / poppy seed
1 tsp                   sombu / fennel seed
Roast the above ingredients in a pan and grind it to fine powder.

B. To grind:
1/2 cup              shredded coconut
*10 - 12               green chillies
* add or reduce green chillies according to individual preference.

Add some water and grind the above ingredients to a fine paste.

Method:
1. Fry the onions in oil till it becomes soft and brown. Reduce the heat and add the curry leaves, ginger and garlic paste and fry for few mins, add the ground spices (A).
2. Now add the chicken and stir fry till the spices are well coated over the chicken.
3. Add the coconut paste (B) and salt, add water as needed. Lower the heat to sim, cover the pan and cook till the chicken is fully cooked and the raw smell no longer remain.
4. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and garnish it with mint or coriander leaves.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.
                                           ENJOY:)

This will be tasty side dish for aapam, string hoppers (iddyappam),
iddly and dosa. 


  
                      

Potato Stuffing for Masala Dosa and Puri Kizangu.

   This dry potato curry can be used as the stuffing for poori kizangu and masala dosa. 

Ingredients:
1 cup             cooked and mashed potatoes

1 med            thinly sliced onion

2                    sliced green chillies

1/2"               crushed ginger

1/8 tsp           turmeric powder

2 tsp              chana dal/ kadalai parupu (soak in water for 1 hour)

1/2 tsp           chilli powder

1/2 tbs           oil  

1/4 cup         cooked peas and carrots (optional)
few sprigs     coriander leaves
few                curry leaves

salt to taste

Method:
   Fry the onions, green chillies and ginger in oil, add curry leaves, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and the soaked dal, stir for few mins. Lower the heat, sprinkle 2-3 spoons of water and let the dal become soft, add the cooked potato and cook for few more mins till the potato gets incorporated with the masala. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Poori recipe : 
       Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.
                                                                    ENJOY :)

Iddly

Iddly batter should be perfect to get soft and iddlies. Click here for a good iddly batter recipe. There are some links for nice side dishes that'll pair well with iddly in the end of this post.

Fluffy Iddlies

Ingredients:
2-3 cups             iddly batter 
few spoons         oil or ghee

Perfect!

Method:
1. Fill water in the iddly cooker. Apply oil or ghee to the iddly molds.

2. Fill the molds with iddly batter.
3. Stack the plates and keep it inside the cooker. 
4. Remove it when the steam comes out.
          Serve the iddlies with any indian chutneys or with sambar.

Side dishes for iddly:
    1.   Thakkali kootu / Tamatar ki sabzi 
    
    2.     Cucumber chutney / Vellarikai Chutney

    3.     Coconut - Roasted Gram Chutney

    4.    Watermelon Rind Chutney

    5.    Araichu vita sambar

    6.    Pudina Chutney / Mint Chutney

    7.    Chicken Kulambu with Coconut

    8.   Pepper Chicken Gravy

    9.  Chicken Kuruma / Korma
                                                          ENJOY :)

Perfect Iddly Batter

Perfect iddly batter!

Soft iddlies

3 cups      rice                       

1 cup        urud dal / ulundu     
1/2 tsp     fenugreek /methi / venthayam seed 

Method:

1. Wash the rice and soak it in water for 4 hrs.
2. Wash the urud dal and soak in water along with *fenugreek seeds for 4 hrs.
3. Wash the rice one more time , add some water with rice and grind till it's smooth-take the rice batter in between the fingers: it's texture should be between nice rava paste and cake batter. 

4. Take the rice batter out. Wash the urud dal with methi seeds, add some water and grind it to a fine paste-should be smooth like cake batter.

5. Mix the two batter, Add 2 tsp of salt with little water and mix it with hand.

6. Pour the batter in an airtight container.

urud dal and rice batter

7. The next day mix the raised batter well and check for salt, add water if needed.

* fenugreek should be added only with the urud dal.

To get a perfect batter in cold climates:

 1.  Make the batter before starting to cook for the day.
 2.  Keep it near the stove during cooking.

 3.  Keep the batter in an airtight container. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :) 
                                   ENJOY:) 

Masal dosai (masala dosa / potato stuffed dosa)

This dish is a meal in itself, good stuff-ing all wrapped in a delicately crispy rice crape/dosa.

Masal Dosai!!!

Dosa + coriander chutney + coconut chutney + potato masala = Masala Dosa.

Chutneys and potato masala

coriander chutney:

1 med              onion

1 bunch          coriander leaves/cilantro 

2                     dry red chilli

1 tbs               shredded coconut

1/2 tsp            lemon juice 

1 tsp               oil

salt to taste

Spread the coriander chutney

Heat the oil in a pan, fry the onion when it turns brown, add the  red chillies and shredded coconut stir it for few mins. Add the coriander leaves, salt and lemon juice. Remove from heat when coriander leaves start to wilt. Grind the ingredients together to a fine paste.

Spread the coconut chutney...

coconut chutney:

1/2 cup             shredded coconut

1 tbs                 roasted grams/ kadalai

1                      dry red chilli 
1/2 tsp              lemon juice    

salt to taste

Wet grind all the above ingredients.

2 tsp of potato masala...

Potato masala:

1 cup             cooked and mashed potatoes

1 med            thinly sliced onion

2                    sliced green chillies

1/2"               crushed ginger

1/8 tsp           turmeric powder

2 tsp              chana dal/ kadalai parupu (soak in water for 1 hour)

1/2 tsp           chilli powder

1/2 tbs           oil  

1/4 cup         cooked peas and carrots (optional)

salt to taste

        Fry the onions, green chilli and ginger in oil, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and the soaked dal, stir for few mins. Lower the heat, sprinkle 2-3 spoons of water and let the dal become soft, add the cooked potato and cook for few more mins till the potato gets incorporated with the masala.

Dosa/ Dosai

Dosa/Dosai:

4 cups dosa batter

oil or ghee as needed 

            If the batter is thick add some water.  Heat the dosa pan, apply oil/ ghee to its suface, spread 1 ladle of  batter  and spread it around with the back of the spoon. Turn it over when the dosa becomes brown on the pan side. Remove it from the pan immediately.

Masala dosai:

  Spread 2 tsp of chutneys over the dosa. Keep 2 tsp of potato masala in the middle and fold it.  

Ready to eat!

          Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.                                        
                                        ENJOY :)

     

Paneer/goat cheese and bell pepper Grilled Sandwich

         Our good friend and neighbor gave 2 nice loaves of bread and some red capsicums, i made this veg.sandwich based on a sandwich we had in a coffee shop, that had grilled capsicum/bell pepper, grilled cheese, chicken and pesto in it. I used mint spread, grilled capsicum and grilled paneer/ goat cheese.

Ingredients:

1 loaf         bread

4 ounce     paneer

1 medium  onion 

2                green chilli 

1/2 bunch  mint leaves

1 tsp          oil 

1 big          red bell pepper

1/4 tsp       lemon juice

salt            to taste   

Chop the onion and green chilli pepper

Mint chutney:

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion, green chilli and mint-till the raw smell no longer remain. 

2. Grind it into a fine paste.

3. Add salt and lemon juice and keep it aside.

Pepper:

1. Quarter the red bell pepper, take off the seeds and rub oil on both sides.

2. Heat a non stick pan (med/high), place the red pepper pieces on it, turn it over after it gets brown (or grill it wrapped in a foil)

3. Remove it from the pan when it gets soft yet firm.

4. Remove the peel and keep it aside.

Bread:                                

5. Cut the bread into half, spread half the mint chutney to the cut side of the bread.

6. Toast both half of the bread in a pan or in an oven.

paneer:

7. Cut the paneer/ goat cheese into 4 slices, 

8. Place the paneer slices on the bread slice and grill it till the paneer becomes soft.

fix the sandwich: 

10. Arrange the grilled bell peppers over the bread spread it with the mint chutney, place the grilled cheese over it, spread the remaining mint chutney over paneer/ cheese. We can add cream cheese to the mint spread.

11. Cut the sandwich into 4 equal parts.

  Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, please comment on it. I like to hear how it came out.                                        
                                 ENJOY :)

                               
                               

Pottu Kadalai / Roasted Gram Pepper Chicken

   This pepper chicken gravy is a spicy dish with coarse pepper and roasted gram (kadalai) added to the chicken. This pairs well with mild flavored rice, white rice indian flat breads and raita. 

Spicy and Tasty! 

Ingredients:
1kg/2 lb  chicken
1 med     onion
2 tbs       oil
1/2 tsp    ground pepper (powder) 
5            green chillies 
1 tsp       ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup   shredded coconut 
2 tbs       fried gram/kadalai  
few         curry leaves
few sprigs of coriander leaves to garnish. 

Pepper Chicken Gravy!

Prepare:
clean and cut the chicken and apply turmeric powder to it.
chop the onions and cut the chillies lengthwise. 
To grind # 1
1             star anise
2             cardamoms
3             cloves
1/2"        cinnamon
1/4 cup   shredded coconut 
Toast the spices in a pan, add some water and grind it with coconut to a fine smooth paste.
To grind # 2
1 tbs     black pepper corns
2 tbs     roasted gram/ kadalai/ Bhuna Chana
 Grind the pepper corns and fried gram/ kadalai coarsely and keep it aside.

Cook the chicken in the coconut masala...

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan, add the onion and green chillies,  fry till the onion turns brown. Lower the heat and add the curry leaves, ground pepper, turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste.

 2. Add the chicken and salt, stir it for a few min's on high, now add the (to grind # 1) ground coconut, lower the flame and cook till the chicken is almost done.  
3. Add the (to grind # 2) ground pepper and gram. Mix the chicken nicely with the masala, add the coriander leaves, cover the pan and continue to cook till the chicken is done and the raw smell no longer remains.
4. Remove from heat and transfer it to a serving bowl.

Ready!!! 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :)