Seppakkilangu Fry

This is a nice alternative to French Fry. Seppakkilangu (Colocasia) is a sticky cousin of potato. Important point to note is that colocasia has to be aged for atleast 3 weeks before cooking. So buy today and cook after 3 weeks.

Ingredients:
1. Colocasia (Seppakkilangu) - 12
2. Sunflower oil
3. Salt
4. Chilly powder (optional)

Recipe:
1. Wash the tubers well

2. Pour 2 cups of water and little salt and pressure cook it. Just one whistle and switch it off.

3. Let it cool down and peel the skin.

4. Cut them long like French fries. Sprinkle some salt and mix it well.

5. Shallow fry in kadai till slight golden color.

6. Serve hot. Sprinkle chilly powder if you like.

Goes well as a side dish to Dhein ounty (Mor Kuzhambu). 

Vegetable Fried Rice

A Chinese invasion that is so welcome in Indian houses. I think Fried rice is the second favorite chinese food after the noodles in Indian household. Here is how I make it.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice - 1 cup
2. Carrot - 1/2 cup (long cut)
3. Capsicum - 1/2 cup (long cut)
4. String Beans - 1/2 cup (long cut)
5. Mushroom - 1/2 cup (small cut)
6. salt 
7. pepper
8. soya sauce - 2 tablespoon
9. olive oil


Recipe:

There are two parallel activities and a final mix.

I. Basmati rice preparation

1. Soak Basmati rice for 15-20 minutes.
2. Then add salt to it and cook in an uncovered pan.
3. When rice is evenly tender, drain the excess water and rinse in cold water and keep the rice aside.


II. Vegetable Fry

1. In a fry pan, pour olive oil, and add carrot and tenderize it.
2. Then add beans and keep frying.
3. After beans becomes tender add capsicum and fry.
4. Finally add mushroom. Add salt in pinches throughout the vegetable frying process.


Final Mix

1. After both processes are over, mix the rice in the frying pan and add pepper and salt with medium heat. Stir well. If you are dexterous, toss the rice.
2. Add soya sauce and stir well.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup and potato chips!
 

Vegetable Biryani

JB brand of masala is a relatively unknown and new one in Madurai area. I just got a sample of it and prepared Veg Briyani. It was good.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 big (long cut)
3. Tomato - 1 big (medium cut)
4. Green Chilly - 3 (long cut)
5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
6. Curd - 1 tablespoon
7. Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
8. Vegetables (carrot, cauliflower, beans, potato) - small cubes
9. Oil
10. Salt
11. JB Biriyani Masala - 2 tablespoon
12. Coriander and mint leaves

Recipe:

1. Soak the rice for 15 minutes.
2. In a kadai, pour oil, fry onions till light brown.
3. Put green chillies, ginger garlic paste and saute.
4. Add tomato and a pinch of salt and soften.
5. Put all the vegetables, the masala powder and salt and stir well.
6. Add the coriander and mint leaves and curd and keep stirring for 2 mins.
7. Add 2 cups of water.
8. In an electric rice cooker, transfer the contents of the kadai.
9. Drain the water from the rice and add drop the rice in the cooker.
10. Stir well and add the lemon juice and close the lid and let the cooker do its job.

Serve hot with raita or gravy.

Kallaa Sambaar [Paavakkaa Saambaar] {BitterGourd Lentil Stew}

Arun's bachelor Saturdays many a time ended with bittergourd sambar and potato fry. Man has a liking for bittergourd in any form of dish. Well, let me please him once in a while.

Ingredients:

1. Toor dal - 1/4 cup
2. Bittergourd - 1 (round cut, peeled)
3. Tomatoes - 1 big (6 pieces)
4. Mustard
5. Cumin seeds
6. Fenugreek seeds
7. Turmeric
8. Sambar bhurko - 2 tea spoon
9. Green chilly - 2
10. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
11. Coriander leaves
12. Oil
13. Salt

Recipe:

1. In  a pressure cooker, boil the toor dal with enough water and allow for 2 whistles.
2. In a kadai, heat some oil and then add mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, green chilly and saute.
3. Add tomatoes with a pinch of salt and soften it.
4. Now add the bittergourd, turmeric and salt and fry for a minute.
4. Add the sambar bhurko and add half cup of water and keep aside.
5. Pour this mix to the dal and add enough water/salt as you like.
6. Close the lid and wait for one whistle.
7. After the pressure is gone, remove the lid and add the asafoetida and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice and ghee!!

Kudi Ounty [Kozhi Kuzhambu] {South Indian Chicken Stew}

This is the traditional Sourashtrian Kudi Ounty made from authentic Ounty Bhurko. Third day of most Sourashtrian marriages is the day of the meat feast. Kudi Ounty is a must number in the feast!

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Bone-in  - 500 gram  (small cut)
2. Onion - 1 big (small cut)
3. Tomatoes - 3 small (medium cut)
4. Ounty Bhurko / Kuzhambu podi - 2 table spoon
5. Salt
6. Black Pepper  (ground)
7. Cumin seeds (ground)
8. Oil
9. Garlic - 1 clove


Recipe:

1. In a cooker, heat some oil and fry onion and garlic till light brown.
2. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt and saute
3. Add the Ounty Bhurko, Chicken pieces and salt; mix well.
4. Pour 1 1/4 cups of water and close the lid.
5. Pressure cook till 3 whistles and switch it off.
6. After pressure is released, open the lid and add ground pepper and ground cumin seeds.
7. Boil for 4-5 minutes in simmer mode.

Serve it hot with white rice and sometimes even with Idly/Dosa.

Soya 65

Vegetarian's chicken.... Non-vegetarian's solace during the month of Purattasi... Protein rich food....  That is our Soya 65. Soya chunks have been usually included in pulao, gravies.. but the fried version is tops I say!

Ingredients:

1. Nutrela Soya meal maker - 250 gram
2. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
3. Chicken masala - 1/2 sachet
4. Salt
5. Oil

Recipe:

1. In a draining pan, fill 3/4ths water and drop the soya chunks in it. Add salt. Boil till the chunks become tender.

2. Drain the hot water and rinse the soya 2-3 times with cold water.
3. Squeeze the chunks with hand and drain all the water content.

4. In a bowl, mix chicken masala, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Then add the soya chunks to it and give a nice coating.

5. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
6. Heat some oil in a kadai, and fry the chunks in as many instalments as the size of the kadai permits.
7. Take out the fried Soya 65 and put it on kitchen tissue so that the excess oil is absorbed.

This is a good side for Sambar rice, rasam rice. Good for a snack as well.

Chicken Chops

This is my first ever attempt at non-veg gravy. Success!! Thanks to MIL and her years of experience with non-veg.

Ingredients:
1. Chicken (bone-in) - 2 pounds (small cut)
2. Onion - 2 (medium size)
3. Tomato - 2 (medium size)
4. Ambat Bhurko Or Chicken Curry masala - 3 spoon
5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 spoon
6. Karunanidhi Curry Masala (Optional) - 1/2 spoon
7. Unground extra masala (Cardamom sticks, Cloves, Fennel seeds) - 1 tea spoon
8. Oil
9. Salt

Recipe:

1. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and fry the Unground masala.
2. Add finely chopped onion and fry till it is light brown.
3. Add Ginger garlic paste and keep frying.
4. Add finely chopped tomato and little salt. Fry till it becomes pulpy.
5. Add Ambat Bhurko, salt and chicken. Pour a cup of water.
6. Let the pressure cooker whistle at you 3 times. :). Ensure chicken has become tender. Else let it whistle once more.
7. Remove the lid and add karunanidhi curry masala and boil for 5 mins.

Serve hot with Idly, chappathi or variety rice.