A request for AFAM

Hi Friends,

I have a request regarding AFAM, I lost the list of future hosts while playing around with the new template.Please be kind enough to let me know who will be the future hosts of AFAM So i can put it in the blog.I am also requesting others who are interested in hosting the event, to send the email.

Thanks
Maheswari

Paruppu Usili

Ingredients

Channa dal - 1/4 up
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - 6
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Beans - 2 cups (fresh,chopped)
Curry leaves - as needed
Salt - as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoedita - a pinch

Method

Soak both Channa and toor dals along with red chillies for about 30 minutes.Chop the green beans and cook them in the microwave with little salt.Now grind the dal mixture with jeera,salt,asafoetida very coarsely.In a pan, heat oil and fry mustard seeds,urad dal and curry leaves.Now add the grounded dal mixture and let it cook untilit becomes small crumbles.Now add cooked beans to this and let it cook until everything comes together and cooked through.Serve this with rice.




I made Beetroot usili the same way.Below is the picture.

Poori - Kizhangu

Poori

Ingredients

Atta/Wheat flour - 4 cups
Salt - as needed
Water - as needed (warm)
Sooji/Rava - 3 tbsp
Oil - for deep frying

Method

Mix and knead all the ingredients very well.Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.Roll into small pooris and fry it in hot oil.Serve hot with potato masala.



Poori kizhangu

Ingredients

Potato - 4 (medium sized, boiled and slightly mashed by hand)
Onion - 2 (sliced)
Green chillies - 4 (slit lengthwise)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoedita/Perngayam - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 3 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds/Perunjeeragam - 1 tsp (slightly crushed)
Ginger - 1/2 tsp (grated)(optional)


Method

Boil potatoes and mash slightly with hands.In a pan, heat oil and fry mustard,urad,fennel seeds,curry leaves and then add green chillies,grated ginger (optional)onion until onion is slightly gold brown.Now add turmeric powder and mix very well.Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup water and salt and let it come to a boil.Then add boiled potato and pinch of asafoetida and let the gravy boil and switch off when the gravy is thick enough.Serve hot with poories.

Chicken Kootu

This yummy dish uses chicken and sambhar powder.Yeap..i know totally different.We loved the taste and aroma of this dish.This was the first dish i cooked in our new kitchen..:).

Ingredients

Chicken - 2 lbs(cut into small pieces)
Onion - 2 (medium sized,finely chopped)
Small onion - 10 (sliced,optional)
Tomato - 1 (large, finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Sambhar powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - as needed
Vendhyam/fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few springs
Oil - as needed
Salt - as needed
Chopped redonion - for garnish


Method

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and fry mustard seeds,urad dal,fenugreek,curry leaves.Now add chopped small onion and big onion and fry until they are golden brown.Now add chopped tomato and then add gg paste and fry until raw smell goes away.Now add all the spice powders and fry until every comes together in to a thick gravy.Now add cut chicken pieces and mix well.Add salt and let it cook.Add very little water if necessary.This dish should be thick and garnish it wiith chopped red onion just before serving.

Potato Curry

This dish goes well with chappathi,poori and idiyappam.I like this one particularly when paired with road side shop's "kutti" dosai.

Ingredients

Potato-3 medium sized , peeled and chopped in quaters.
Onion-1 finely sliced
Green chillies-3 (slit)
Chilly powder-1tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp ( or you can use whole garam masalas)
Oil-2tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal- 12/tsp,
curry leaves - a few
Salt - as needed

Method

Heat oil in the pressure cooker and fry mustard seeds,urad dal, curry leaves,green chillies.Add sliced onions.Fry till onions are golden brown.Now add potatoes and add turmeric powder,chilly powder and salt.Pour little water and Pressure cook for about 1 whistle.After 1 whistle, open the cooker and add garam masala powder and let it boil for few minutes.Serve hot chappathi,poori or idiyappam.

Muttai/Egg Kootu

Before writing the recipe, i have to tell you about my dear friend S, who i known for about 3 years.We speak to each other almost everyday over the phone and our main topic will either kids or food.If i don't get to speak her a day, the day will a dull one, i must say.She is a fantastic cook and i get my inspiration from her.We don't meet that often, may be once or twice in a month.But whenever i meet her, i make sure she cooks her authentic south indian dishes for me..:D.This recipe is from her, actually from her mom's maid back in india.My son was licking the plate even after he finished eating...:)

Ingredients

Egg - 4 (hard boiled,halved)
Onion - 1 (chopped fine)
Tomato - 1 - 2 (medium sized, chopped fine)
Ginger Garlic paste - 2tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Tumeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Green chillies - 3 (chopped fine)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Curry leaves, coriander leaves - as needed
Salt

Method

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and fry mustard seeds,urad dal,fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.Now add chopped onion and green chillies.Fry till they are almost golden brown.Then add tomato and saute till ii is almost well cooked.Now add ginger garlic paste and 3 tsp of coriander powder and fry till raw smell completely gone.In the mean time mix red chilli powder and turmeric powder in 1 tbsp of water.After masala is almost cooked , add this red chilli-tumeric paste and cook till raw smell is gone and everything comes together.Finally add hard boiled egg and mix carefully.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Serve hot with roti or rice.

Vendaikkai Puzhicurry/Fried Okra in Coconut-tamarind based curry

Hey all,
I'm back after long time and hoping to blog regularly from here onwards. Finally got some ideas to keep my toddler girl busy while i am experimenting over the kitchen.It took almost 1 year for me and rest of the family to adjust to her routine..:D.Everything revolves around her, her nap time, her play time, her tantrums etc.Anyways got idea of few things she like to make her super busy , if i need some time for cooking.

Vendaikkai Puzhi curry is a favourite dish of my dear S.His mom makes this every week with different vegetables.This dish is made with fried vendaikkai/okra and coconut-tamarind gravy.You can subsitute okra with drumsticks,brinjals,cucumber,or all veggies together.


Ingredient

Vendaikkai/okra - 10 no.s (cut into half)
Coconut - 1/2 cup (shredded)
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1 small pod
Whole red chillies - 8-10 no.s
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 lemon size ( soak it in 1 1/2cups of water and extract the juice)
Salt - as needed
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/24tsp
Curry leaves - a few

For frying Okra

Okra - as mentioned above
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - 2 pinches
Red chilli powder - 1/4tsp
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches

Method

Grind coconut,garlic,jeera,red chillies and turmeric powder into a fine paste.In pan heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry vendaikkai/okra.Add salt,turmeric and red chilli powder and fry till they are somewhat crispy.In another pan, heat tamarind extract with grinded coconut paste and salt.*At this point, add little water if you want).Let this boil till raw smell goes and gravy thickens.Now add fried okra into this and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.Finally for tadka, heat 1 tbsp of oil, fry mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,curry leaves and pour this into the gravy.Serve it hot with rice.




Vendaikkai Puzhi Curry



Rice served with Cucumber/Vellarikkai Puzhi Curry and Vazhakkai Thoran