Sunday, November 24, 2013

Pepper Chicken Roast-Dry

I added pepper chicken masala a few days back. This is prepared with the same masala except the chicken is roasted here. This is a new version of chicken roast with pepper masala :) .

Preparation Time:10 min
Cooking time:40 min
To marinate:30 min
Ingredients:

Chicken 3/4 kg
Big Onion 1 (big, chopped lengthwise)
Green chilly 3 (medium, chopped)
Oil to deep fry+3 tbl spoon
Pepper Powder 1 tspoon
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tspoon
Saltto taste
Curry leaves1 sprig
Cashew nuts 12

To roast and grind:

Coriander Seed 2 tbl spoon
Aniseed 1 tspoon
Cumin seed 1 tspoon
Dry red chilly 4
Cinnamon 2 inch
Cloves 4
Cardamom 3
Whole Black Pepper 2 tbl spoon

To marinate:

Ground Powder(roasted and grinned)
Ginger garlic paste 1 tspoon
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tspoon
Salt to taste
Lemon Juice 1 tbl spoon
Oil 3 tbl spoon
Pepper Powder 1 tspoon

Preparation:

(1) Heat a pan and add the ingredients shown under "to roast and grind". In low to medium flame saute the ingredients till the color of coriander seeds and red chilly changes lightly say for about 5 to 7 minutes. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool. Grind the ingredients in a mixer and make a fine powder. Keep it aside.
(2) Clean the chicken and chop into medium pieces. Add the ingredients shown under "to marinate" heading (use half of the ground powder here and keep the remaining half aside). Mix well using hand. Allow it to marinate for about 1/2 an hour in refrigerator (if you are not in a hurry you can keep it for few more hours).

(3) Mean while soak cashew nuts in half cup of water . Grind it into a fine paste in the mixer along  with the water in it. Keep it aside.

(4) Now heat oil (deep fry) in a bottomed pan. Add marinated chicken pieces to it. Deep fry till chicken turns soft. Don't make it too crispy. Keep it aside.

(5) Mean while heat oil in another pan and add chopped onion slices. Add turmeric powder and little salt to it. To this add chopped green chilly and curry leaves. Saute till onion turns light brown. To this add chopped tomato. Saute till it turns mushy. Now add remaining half of the ground powder to it. 

(6) Mix once and add cashew nut paste. Mix well. You can make a salt test here.Now add the fried chicken pieces to it and mix well. 

(7) In the final stage close the vessel with a lid and allow it to heat for the remaining 10 minutes. Your pepper chicken roast is now ready.

Garnish with coriander leaves and have it with chapati/appam/porotta/rice…

Tips and variations:

  • It is a dry item, but if you want as a gravy you can add half cup of water to it in the final stage (the taste will differ).
  • Addition of pepper and green chilly depends on your tolerance level.
  • If you under cook the chicken pieces (while frying) it will ooze its water in the final stage and if you have over cooked, it will lost its softness.
  • Addition of lemon juice helps in marination.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Fried Coconut Chutney/Varutharacha Thenga Chammanthi

Already i added DRIED CHUTNEY in this blog where coconut is directly used. This is a different version where coconut is fried and this goes well with dosa/idly/appam/rice...

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut 1 cup
Small Onion/Shallots 8 (skin peeled)
Dry red chilly 8
Coriander Powder1 tspoon
Asafoetida powder 1/2 tspoon
Tamarind 1 lemon size
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Garlic4 cloves
Salt to taste
Water(for grinding) 2 tspoon

Preparation Time:4 min
Cooking time:7 min

Preparation:

(1) Heat a pan and add grated coconut, shallots, dry red chilly, garlic and curry leaves. Saute continuously till the color of  coconut changes lightly say for some 5 to 8 minutes in medium flame (As per my mom's recipe, in low to medium flame you have to saute the ingredients till color of coconut changes dark brown-take care not to burn the ingredients. It may take some 15 minutes. This will be more tasty and goes good with kanji/rice). Switch off the flame and add coriander powder and asafoetida powder. Give a quick stir and remove the pan from the stove. Allow it to cool.

(2) Now grind the tamarind and salt in a mixer. To this add the cooled ingredients and grind again with 2 tspoon of water (Grinding in two steps helps to grind the tamarind smoothly). Make a salt test in between. Grind smoothly. Your dried chutney is ready.
(3) Form a ball shape using hand.

Have it with your dosa/idly/appam/kappa puzhunghiyathu…..

Tips and Variation:

  • You can also add ginger (2 inch piece) while grinding along with tamarind.
  • Adding 2 leaf of lemon(naraka ela) while grinding will add an extra flavor.
  • If you want more spiciness add green chilly while grinding.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Rasa Vada

Soaking VADA in rasam will give you rasa vada :) .This was my childhood favorite which i used to have along with breakfast.YUmmy!!!



You have to make Rasam and Parippu Vada/Masala Vada vada for this.
Click on the links for the respective ones:

Vada:

Masala Vada/Parippu Vada

Types of Rasam:

Tomato Rasam

Pepper Rasam

Easy Rasam Recipe

Preparation:

(1) I prepared tomato rasam for this. You can have any of your favorite rasam.

(2) Now dip vadas one by one to the rasam.

(3) Let it soak a minimum of three hours or keep it over night. Now you can see vada absorbs half of rasam within it. Your rasa vada is now ready.


Have it with your idly/dosa:

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Vendakka Sambar/Okra Sambar-Tamilnadu Style

I happened to see the making of this sambar in a cookery show. I tried it and now its my hubby's favorite. I feel the taste of tamilnadu hotel sambar whenever i have it with rice, yummy!!! and also shared the recipe with my mom too. Great ryt :) ???

Preparation Time:5 minutes

Cooking Time:25 minutes

Ingredients:

Lady's Finger/Okra 10 to 15
Toor dal 1/2 cup
Big onion 1(medium)
Tomato 1(medium)
Green chilly 4(medium)
Ghee1 tbl spoon + 1/2 tspoon
Sesame oil 2 tbl spoon
Mustard 1 tspoon
Dry red chilly 3
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Chilly Powder 1 tspoon
Coriander Powder 1 tspoon
Home made sambar powder 1 tspoon
Asafoetida Powder 1/2 tspoon
Fenugreek Powder 1/2 tspoon
Salt to taste
Tamarind1 lemon size

Preparation:

(1) Wash toor dal and add it in a pressure cooker. Add 1&1/4 cup of water with little salt to it. Pressure cook for 5 whistles. Once the pressure is released mash the dal well with the back of a spatula. Keep it aside.


(2) Mean while cut the ends off from okra and chop it into 1 inch pieces. Also chop onion and tomato into small cube shapes. Chop green chillies into small round shapes. Keep it aside. Soak tamarind in 2 to 3 tbl spoon of hot water and extract the juice. Add the juice to 2&1/2 cup of water. Add little salt to it. Mix once and keep this tamarind water aside.

(3) Heat oil in a kadai. Add chopped okra to it. To remove the slime saute occasionally till dark black spots appear on its side(say for some 5 minutes). Keep it aside.

(4) In the same kadai add ghee and allow the mustard seed to splutter. After that add dry red chilly and curry leaves. Now add chopped onion cubes and salt to it. Saute till onion turns transparent.

(5) After that add tomato cubes to it. Also add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and saute for another two minutes.

(6) To this pour prepared tamarind water and brings to boil. Add okra pieces to it. Mix once.

(7) Now add mashed dal. Mix well. To this add asafoetida powder and fenugreek powder. Make a salt test here. If you want you can add 1 sprig of curry leaves too. Close the vessel with a lid. Allow to boil for another 10 minutes in low to medium flame. At the last stage add ghee and switch off the flame. Close the vessel with a lid so that the flavor sets well.

(8) Your vendakka sambar is ready.

Serve it hot with rice…

Tips:

  • Don't add too much of tamarind juice to this sambar.
  • Addition of ghee gives an extra flavor. You can replace it with oil too.
  • Sesame oil helps in removing slime from okras.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Pepper Chicken Masala

Pepper chicken masala is for those who like spiciness a lot. It goes well with appam, chapathi, naan or rice...

Preparation time:10 min
Cooking Time:35 min
To marinate:30 min
Ingredients:

Chicken 1.5 kg
Big Onion 1 (big, chopped)
Green chilly 3 (medium, chopped)
Oil 3 tbl spoon
Pepper Powder 2 tspoon
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tspoon
Coriander Powder1 tspoon
Saltto taste
Mustard1 tspoon
Curry leaves1 sprig

To roast and grind:

Coriander Seed 2 tbl spoon
Aniseed 1 tspoon
Cumin seed 1 tspoon
Dry red chilly 4
Cinnamon 2 inch
Cloves 4
Cardamom 5
Whole Black Pepper 2 tbl spoon

To marinate:

Ground Powder(roasted and grinned)
Ginger garlic paste 1&1/2 tspoon
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tspoon
Salt to taste

Preparation:

(1) Heat a pan and add the ingredients shown under "to roast and grind". In low to medium flame saute the ingredients till the color of coriander seeds and red chilly changes lightly say for about 5 to 7 minutes. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool. Grind the ingredients in a mixer and make a fine powder. Keep it aside.

(2) Clean the chicken and chop into medium pieces. Add the ingredients shown under "to marinate" heading. Mix well using hand. Allow it to marinate for about 1/2 an hour in refrigerator (if you are not in a hurry you can keep it for few more hours).

(3) Now heat a vessel and add the marinated chicken pieces to it. Close the vessel with a lid and cook till it is half cooked say for around 7 to 10 minutes. No need to add water because chicken will oozes its own water. Drain the water and separate the half cooked chicken and water (You can use the drained water later). Keep both aside.

(4) Mean while heat oil in a wide bottomed pan. Add mustard. Once it splutters add chopped onion, green chilly and curry leaves with turmeric powder and salt. Saute till onion turns brownish. Add chilly powder and coriander powder. Saute till the raw smell goes off.

(5) Now add the half cooked chicken to it along with half of drained water. Mix well. Make a salt test here. Allow to cook for another 15 minutes. Saute in between.

(6) Saute till the curry gets dried and masala gets coated well. Your pepper chicken masala is now ready.
Serve it with appam/chappathi/rice/naan etc

Tips and variation:

  • The curry will be more spicy. So adjust the amount of pepper powder or green chilly according to your tolerance level.
  • It is a dry item. If you want it as gravy add more water or directly add marinated chicken to the onion gravy without cooking it separately. 
  • You can also use tomato along with onion.
  • Cooking time of chicken varies depending on its variety.
  • You can use store bought pepper chicken masala powder instead of "to roast and grind" items.