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 Powder	1 tspoon
Asafoetida powder	1/2 tspoon
Tamarind	1 lemon size
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Garlic	4 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.

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:

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)
Ghee	1 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
Tamarind	1 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.

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 Powder	1 tspoon
Salt	to taste
Mustard	1 tspoon
Curry leaves	1 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. 

Tomato Curry

Though i'm not a big fan of this curry, i used to make it when i feel so lazy. Many of you may know this but i want to add it. Those who are searching for easy recipes, this may help you. It is meant to have with rice but also goes good with dosa/idly/appam too.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves:4

Ingredients:

Tomato	3 (medium)
Green chilly	4 (medium)
Turmeric Powder	1/2 tspoon
Salt	to taste

For grinding:

Grated coconut	1/4 cup
Garlic	3 cloves
Ginger	2 inch piece
Green chilly	1

To temper/Kaduvarukkal:

Oil	1 tspoon
Dry red chilly	2
Small Onion	2 (finely chopped)
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Curry leaves	1 tspoon

Preparation:

(1) Wash and chop tomato, green chilly into small pieces. Add it to the cooking vessel along with turmeric powder, salt and 1/2 cup of water. Allow it to boil. In 10 to 15 minutes tomato will be cooked completely and will turn juicy.

(2) Meanwhile grind the ingredients shown under "for grinding" heading in a mixer by adding little water. Make a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

(3) Now pour the ground paste into the curry. Also add 1/4 cup of water(adjust gravy level accordingly). Make a salt test. Mix well and allow it to heat in low flame.

(4) Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and temper with the ingredients shown under "to temper" heading. Add it to the curry. Mix once and close the vessel with a lid. Switch off the flame. Let the flavor sets well. Your tomato curry is ready.

Have it with your rice/dosa/idly..

Tomato Onion Sambar-Easy Recipe

This is an easy sambar recipe which i used to make along with  dosa/idly. You can have it with rice too.  I love when my mom prepares it and will have extra dosas, slurppppp :) 

Ingredients:

Tomato	3 (medium)
Small Onion(shallots)	1 cup
Toor dal	1/2 cup
Chilly Powder	1&1/2 tspoon
Coriander Powder	1 tspoon
Fenugreek Powder	1/4 tspoon
Salt	to taste
Tamarind	1 small gooseberry size(soak in water and extract the juice)
Asafoetida Powder	1/4 tspoon
Sambar Powder (optional)	1 tspoon

To temper/Kaduvarukkal:

Oil	1 tspoon
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Dry red chilly	2
Curry leaves	1 sprig

Preparation:

(1) Peel the skin of onion and chop tomato into small pieces. Take toor dal, tomato pieces and onion in pressure cooker with 1&1/4 cup of water. Add turmeric powder and salt to it. Pressure cook for 5 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release.

(2) Meanwhile heat a pan and add chilly powder, coriander powder and sambar powder. In low flame saute for some 10 to 15 seconds so that the raw smell of powders will goes off completely. You can skip this step too ( add directly).

(3) Once the pressure is released open the cooker and mash the dal with the back of a spatula. Here onion and tomato will be mixed with the dal. Finely mash the dal. Now add needed salt and tamarind juice. Now add 2 cups of water to it. Mix once and make a salt test. To this add roasted spice powders. Mix well. Let it boil for another 5 minutes. Add asafoetida powder and fenugreek powder in between.

(4) Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and temper with ingredients shown under "to temper" heading. Add it to the sambar. Mix once and immediately close the vessel with a lid so that the flavor sets well. Now switch off the flame. Your tomato-onion sambar is now ready.

Have it with your rice/dosa/idly..

Tips and variations:

• Add less tamarind juice to this sambar.
• If you want onion as whole saute it separately in little oil and add it after mashing the dal. 

Chicken Fry-Oil Less

Chicken cooked in less oil and in low flame will yields more taste but you have to spend more time than deep frying. But its okay ryt :)...Try to make small pieces to ensure even cooking.  I want to add it long time back yet it remained in my draft. I love this dish and yeah the recipe is from my MIL.

Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:1 hour
Serves:3

Ingredients:

Chicken	1 kg
Oil	1/4 cup

To marinate:

Chilly Powder	5 tspoon
Turmeric Powder	1 tspoon
Coriander Powder	3 tspoon
Ginger-Garlic paste	1&1/2 tspoon
Garam masala powder	1&1/2 tspoon
Salt	to taste

Preparation:

(1) Wash and clean the chicken. Chop into small pieces. To this add the ingredients shown under "to marinate" heading. Mix well. Keep in refrigerator for about 30 minutes (You can fry it without marination too).

(2) Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan. Add less amount of oil say it should form only one thin layer at the bottom of the pan. Now add the marinated chicken pieces into it. Close the pan with a lid for about 15 minutes and allow to cook in medium heat.

(3) Open the lid. Now you can see chicken oozes its water and it will mix with oil. Check the below picture. Again allow it to cook for another 15 minutes. No need to close the pan with a lid.

(4) After 15 minutes it will become dry and only less amount of oil retains in vessel. Check the picture. The chicken will be cooked now. The next step is to roast it.

(5) In low to medium flame allow it cook for another 20 minutes. Here you have to keep an eye on it. Saute the pieces for every 2 to 3 minutes and take care not to burn the pieces. You can close the pan with a lid in between. After 15 to 20 minutes everything will become dry and chicken might have roasted well. Check the pictures to know the changes.

(6) Finally no more oil retains and color of chicken will become dark brown. Your chicken fry is ready.

Enjoy with your favorite dish...

Tips:

• Try to use wide pan. Add oil just enough to form a thin layer at the bottom.
• It is better to use boneless pieces so that it can be easily chopped into small pieces. I used chicken with bones as i prefer it.
• Keep the flame in low to medium.
• Addition of chilly powder depends on your tolerance level.