Urulai Kozhi Kulambu /Chicken Curry with Potatoes

What you will need
Chicken - 1 whole chicken ( small pieces)
Potatoes - 3-4 ( cut in small pieces)
Onion  - 1 large
Small onions -  10 ( grind it into a paste)
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
Green chillies - 2-3 (slit lengthwise)
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tbsp ( I use coarse paste)
Chilli powder - 2tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp( optional)
Dania/Coriander powder - 1 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp ( You can use either powder or whole , I prefer powder)
Curry leaves -  as needed
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt -  to taste
How you will make
Heat oil in a pan and add  onions and fry for few minutes.Now add onion paste ,ginger garlic  paste and fry until raw smell is gone.Add curry leaves, green chillies to this and saute.Now add choppe dtomatoes and cook until tomatoes are well cooked and soften.Add all spice powders at this point and saute well until raw smell is gone.Add chicken pieces and salt and saute on high flame for 3-4 minutes.Now reduce the heat to medium and add chopped potatoes.Mix everything well at this point.
Add pepper powder and just enough water and cook this covered for next 7-10 minutes.Once chicken and potatoes are well cooked, remove the cover and let the gravy boil a little until everything comes together.Serve is hot with rice or roti.
Recipe Source : Recipe  adapted from a cooking show .

Kathirikkai (podi ) varuval

Kathirikkai/Brinjal , one of my most fav vegetable after Vendaikkai.I usually tend to stick with traditional recipes when I have them.So my usual Kathirikkai poriyal will have spices like red chiili powder , turmeric powder only.So wanted to try something different yet doesn't taste much different from what I usually make.Came up with this one.Podi gives this dish that special aroma n taste that the normal kathirikkai poriyal won't have!
Planning to use this spice powder for other vegetable dishes as well in the future.

You will need
Brinjal/Kathirikkai - 2 cups ( cubed)
Curry Leaves - as needed
Oil - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Water - to sprinkle
Salt - as needed
For Podi
Oil - 2 tsp
Channa dal - 2tsp
Dania - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 5 to 6
Coconut - 2 tbsp (shredded) (optional)
Curry leaves - few

How you will make it

In pan, add 2 tsp of oil and fry ingredients listed under 'For Podi' until golden brown and let it cool.
Then grind it into a coarse powder. Now heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.Now add brijal pieces to this and saute on medium low flame.Add turmeric and salt to this and cook until they almost cooked.Sprinkle water in between if necessary.Finally add the powdered mixture and mix them all together carefully.Careful not to over cook them and mush the brinjal pieces.Serve them along with Rice and Dal.

Fish Roast - recreated!

I have been looking to recreate a fish roast I had during my last trip to Kerala.We had taken a backwaters trip and they had a floating small "thattu kada" style in the middle of the lake.Our guide and boat driver were raving about this restuarent and I was getting more n more excited as we got closer.I am looking everywhere and didn't find any "big" restuarent fgloating near by.Finally the driver pointed out to a small shack . The ambience was so bad , I was relunctant at first.But we had no choice to order something then there otherwise we would be starving  for the next 1 hour.Finally we decided to order, the owner came to our boat with a basket of fresh fish.I ordered Fish Masala roast from the menu while rest of family ordered different things from the menu.
This Fish roast was so good that my parents left their ordered stuff untouched and ordered 3 more plates of Fish roast.As my father quoted " I have never been a fan of fish until I had this dish.I can't believe I missed this nearby place for so long" .
So to cut the story short, I have been looking to recreate that dish and was looking around in the blogosphere.Finally got somewhat similar one here .Though this is not a exact replica, it came very close when it comes to taste.The main difference being, the original dish never had fried fish in it.
Give it a try...May be this will be that perfect fish dish that you have been looking for.

Vendaikkai vatha kulambu

You will need
Vendaikkai/Lady finger - 10 ( cut into 1 inch pieces)
Small onions - 5-6 ( chopped lengthwise)
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
Tamarind - 1 big lemon sized ball
Sambhar powder - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Oil - 3 tbsp
Red chillies -  3-4
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Vendhayam/Fenu greek seeds - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves -   few springs
Salt - as needed
Water - as needed
Rice flour - 2 tsp ( optional)
Sarkkarai/Jaggery - 1 tsp (optional)

How you will make it
In a pan heat 2 tbsp of oil and saute vendaikkai pieces for a few minutes.This is to avoid curry becoming sticky.Saute the vendaikkai well, but make sure the color is not chnaged.Take them out and keep in a paper towel, let the oil drain. In the sam epan, add 1 tsp of oil and heat.Add mustard seeds, channa dal, vendhayam and fry until channa dal is golden brown.Now add curry leaves and red chillies.Saute for a few seconds and add sliced onions, garlic and saute until those are soft.Add fried vendaikkai and add sambhar powder , fry for 1 minute.Add tamarind pulp, needed water and salt.Let this boil until vendaikkai is fully cooked and sauce gets thicker.Now add a pinch of asafoedita and cook for few more minutes.Once you feel you got the correct consistency for the sauce, switch off the heat.Serve hot with rice.
Note : If you have trouble getting the right consistency, mix 2 tsp of rice flour in to 1/4 cup of hot water and add this into the boiling mixture.
Adding sarkkarai at the end of the cooking, gives that extra authentic taste.

Nethili meen curry

You will need

Nethili meen ( anchovies) - about 20 

Coocnut milk - 1/2 can of

Onion -2 medium sized, chopped 

Tomoato - 3 ( grinded)

Green chillies - 2 (slit lengthwise)

Redchilli powder - 2tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Ginger Garlic paster - 2tsp

Mustard seeds- 1tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1tsp

Fennel seeds - 1tsp

Tamarind - 1 lemon sized

Oil - 3-4 tbsp

Salt - as needed

Curry leaves - few springs

How you will make

In a pan heat oil on medium high heat and splutter mustard seeds.Now add fennel, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and green chillies.Fry for a few seconds and add chopped onions.Fry until onions are 3/4 cooked, Now add turmeric powder,red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste.Saute until raw smell is gone and add grounded tomato to this.Cook until all comes together and then add the tamarind pulp & salt to this mix.Boil the gravy until raw smell is gone and all ingredients starting to come together.

Now reduce the heat to medium,  add diluted coconut milk to this gravy.Boil for another 3-4 minutes.

Now add the fish pieces and cook them without disturbing the gravy.It won't take much time to cook small fish like anchovies.So keep the gravy on medium heat and cook for another 10 minutes and switch off.Serve hot with

Note : Adding coconut milk to this gravy is optional.I added it for traditional taste.Add coconut oil instead of vegetable oil to have that extra kick.

Uzhundan Choru (Urad dal Rice)

This is one of Sunday Staple at Mom's.I just adore this dish and now my kids love it.
Made with Black Urad dal and Rice and very few ingredients to kick it up a notch.

You will need

Rice  - 3/4 cup
Black Urad dal - 1/4 cup ( You need black urad dal.Don't substitute this with any other urad dal)
Salt - as needed
Garlic - 1 clove ( finely chopped)
Fenugreek seeds ( Vendhyam) - 1/4 tsp
Coconut - 2 tbsp (shredded) (optional)
Water - 2 cups

How you will make :
Wash rice and urad dal and keep in aside.In a pressure cooker (or rice cooker) , add rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, garlic, coconut, salt and add 2 cups of water.Adding water depending the type of white rice you are using, so add it it accordingly.Cook the rice mixture like the same way you cook white rice.(pressure cooker - 3 whistles).That's it, it is ready to serve.
We serve 'uzhundan choru' with cocnut or coriander chutney, theeyal or with egg curry as seen in the picture below.

Savory/Kara Kozhukattai

One of my most favourite snack (well..I can eat this as breakfast.lunch /dinner etc) and hoping it is Ganesh's too..

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi

You need
Rice flour - 2cups(dry roasted)
Boiled water-as needed
Coconut-1/2 cup(optional)
For tadka
Oil-2 tspn
Mutatrd,curry leaves(chopped),red chillies(break into small pieces),urad dal

How you will make
In a pan,heat oil and fry the tadka ingredients and keep aside.After dry roasting the rice flour, add salt and boiled water.Slowly mix the water and make a dough.(just like u do for Idiyappam).Mix the tadka with the dough and make into small bitesize balls.Spray the cooking spray in the idly pan and wipe it off with a paper towel.(for avoiding sticking)Place this balls into the idly pan and steam cook it for about 7-10 min.s.If you like you can serve it as it is or mix it with fresh shredded coconut. To make it more spicy, you can mix idly podi into steamed kozhukattai.

More Kazhi Urundai

A traditional snack/breakfast item , been there for ages. You might have or should have come across this at some point in you life.If not, it's high time to try this one.

You will need

Rice Flour - 1 cup (I used Sambha rice flour thus the color)

Yogurt - 3 tbsp (make sure it is fresh)

Mustard seeds -  1/4 tsp

Dry Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 2

Oil -  2 - 3 tbsp

Salt - as needed

Water - to sprinkle

Idli Podi - to serve

How you will make

Heat oil in the pan on medium heat and splutter mustard seeds.Once that's done, add red chillies, curry leaves.Fry for few seconds and add rice flour and saute them.Add salt as needed now.Once everything is mixed well, switch off the heat and add 3tbsp yougurt to this rice mixture.Mix well and start making small balls out of it. Note: sprinkle just enough water if flour mix looks too dry to make balls. Once urundai (balls) are made steam cook them for about 10 minutes.Serve them hot with idli podi. In my experience these are best served right away  as these tend to get a harder layer if kept for too long.

Note :I had chopped curry leaves as well, so that it is hard to throw away and kids will eat it hidden inside the urundai.