chilli soya chunks

 

Ingredients: Soya Chunks - 1 cup Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp Garam masala - 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Corn flour - 1 tbsp Oil - 3 tbsp Salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil water in a pan, add the soya chunks into it and allow to cook with a closed lid for about 15 minutes.
2. Remove the chunks from water, squeeze the water and set the chunks aside.
3. In a bowl, add red chilly powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste, corn flour, salt and mix them together to make a paste.
4. Add the soya chunks to the paste and mix well so that the paste is well coated on the soya.
5. Allow to marinate for half an hour.
6. Heat oil in a pan, and add the soya chunks and stir fry them in a slow flame until the soya chunks are crisp and golden brown.

Cauliflower Cabbage Thoran

• 1 small cauliflower or about 1-1/2 cups of florets
• 1 small cabbage
• 1 cup green peas
• 1/4 tsp mustard
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 green chilly slit (increase the spice quotient by adding one more)
• 1/2 inch ginger chopped
• 1/4 tsp red chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• dash of sugar
• salt to taste
• oil for frying
• 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

1. Clean the cauliflower - separate the florets and soak in salt water for at least 20minutes. Rinse with fresh water and allow to drain.

2. In a wok or pan heat the oil and toss in the mustard, when they splutter add the curry leaves and give it a stir. Add the chopped onions, cabbage, green peas, green chilly and ginger and fry till the onions turn translucent.

3. Add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder, toss till the masala is fried but do not burn. Add some water and salt to taste and a dash of sugar. 

4. Add the cauliflower florets and mix it well along with the rest of the masala.  Cover and allow to cook till almost done (do not overcook the cauliflower - the florets should not begin to crumble but have a slightly crunchy bite)

5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Elepgant yam fry

 I use Elephant Yam to prepare masiyal and curry. But the spicy roast made out of it is enjoyed by all my family members. Some variety of yam slightly itches the skin while cleaning and to minimize this apply some oil on your hands. Sometimes cooked yam gives throat/tongue irritation while eating. Add little curd or lemon juice or tamarind juice when cooking yam to minimize this irritation.
When fresh green vegetables are in short supply, this yam finds a place in my menu. I bought a small whole piece of yam almost a week back for emergency use and it has started sprouting also. Here is  Elephant Yam (karunai Kizhangu/ Suran) Roast.
Elephant Yam is known as Karunai Kizhangu in Tamil and as Suran in Hindi.

Ingredients

• Peeled and cut yam pieces – 12 to 15 no
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon 
• Red chilli powder – 1 table spoon
• Black pepper powder – 1 tea spoon
• Turmeric powder – 1 tea spoon (use half to boil yam)
• Corn flour – 2 table spoon
• Lemon juice – 1 table spoon
• Roasted and powdered fennel seeds – 1 table spoon
• Salt – as per taste
• Oil – for roasting

• Method

  
  
• Peel and cut elephant yam into big slices, neither thin nor thick.
• Boil water with turmeric powder and salt; add yam slices, remove and drain water when half cooked.

• Mix all spices; add some water to make like a paste.

• Apply this on boiled yam slices on both sides and keep for 10 minutes; heat a skillet or tawa and sprinkle some oil; arrange yam pieces.

• Cook both sides till red or light brown in colour and crisp.
• Serve with rice.

Karunai Kizhangu Masiyal(Elephant Yam Dry Gravy)

Karunai kilangu is called as Yam Ordinary in English. While searching for the English name for the vegetable, I got so many confusing answers. Many of them have named it as elephant yam too ;).  Okay lets get back to the dish. I prepared it for lunch. We enjoyed it with curd rice. It was very tasty. The tangy taste from the tamarind was so nice. Both of us liked it very much.

 

Ingredients:
Karunai Kilangu / Elephant Yam -250gm
Onion-1
Tomato-2
Tamarind-goose berry sized ball
Sambar Powder-1tsp
Turmeric Powder-1/4tsp
Hing-1/4tsp
Mustard and Urad Dhal-1tsp
Salt-to taste
Oil-3tbs

Procedure:
1. Boil karunai kilangu in water until a knife inserted goes smoothly.
2. Remove from water and allow it to cool.
3. Peel the skin and mash it with a masher.
4. Heat oil and splutter mustard and urad dhal.
5. Add onion and saute till golden.
6. Add tomatoes and saute till it turns mushy.
7. Mean while, extract juice from soaked tamarind and add it to the mashed yam.
8. Add salt, turmeric and sambar powder.
9. Add the mixture to the sauteed onion and tomato.
10. Cook until the masiyal leaves oil.
11. Serve along with hot rice and carrot sambar.

Chinese Cabbage Stir Fry

This cabbage side dish is great to have in your arsenal, because it comes together in 5 minutes flat, and makes a big and flavorful addition to an Indian meal. I break out some variation of it when I’m making a curry, rice and raita and feel the need for one more dish to round out the meal.
Everything in the cabbage family (brassica) goes great with mustard, so mustard seeds are the primary flavoring. If you happen to have mustard oil, you can use that instead of the vegetable oil and reduce the seeds by half. Be sure and have all of chopping done and your spices measured in advance, because once the mustard seeds hit the oil, you have to move quickly.

• 1/2 head chinese cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4″ wide ribbons
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter), or mustard oil, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• optional: garlic, ginger, unsweetened shredded coconut, fresh chilis or dried chili flakes, garam masala
• optional garnish: cilantro, lemon juice

1. Heat a large skillet or wok over a medium-high flame. Add the oil, wait 10 seconds, and immediately add the mustard seeds.
2. As soon as they start to pop, add the rest of the spices and any optional ingredients and stir-fry for 10 more seconds. Move quickly here so you infuse the flavor in the oil but don’t burn them.
3. Add the cabbage and salt, and stir-fry until crisp-tender or tender, your preference. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Garnish with cilantro and/or lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil (canola)
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons urad dal (white lentils)
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 crushed red chilies (my addition)
• 1 green chili minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 to 3 cups chopped cabbage (I used Napa cabbage)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil and add in the mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle.
2. Add in the cumin seeds and the urad dal and cook until the lentils are lightly browned.
3. Add in the curry leaves and the onion and cook until the onion softens.
4. Add in the red and green chilies with the ginger.
5. Add in the cabbage and the salt and mix well.
6. Cover and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes until the cabbage is tender crisp.
7. Serve immediately!

- See more at: http://www.spicechronicles.com/cabbage-poriyal-healthy-south-indian-cooking/#sthash.H9cJMFdj.dpuf

Chena / Senaikizhangu Varuval -Taro Fry

Chena / Senaikizhangu (Taro) - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Tamarind - 1 small gooseberry size.
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil as needed.

To roast and grind:
Red chili - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Chop the taro into bite size squares and wash well. Boil the taro with enough water in a bowl with turmeric and tamarind until soft yet crunchy. Don't over cook it or else it will turn mushy. Strain it and discard the tamarind and set aside to cool.

2. In a pan dry all the ingredients on low flame till a nice aroma comes. Take care not to  burnt it. Cool down, coarse grind and keep it aside.

3. Mix the cooked taro with this grounded mixture along with chili, garam masala and coriander powder and marinate it for 10 -15 mins.

  Fry until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with sambar and hot rice. Also goes well with curd rice.I did Sorrel Leaves dal. It was delicious. .

Red Cabbage Poriyal

The red cabbage is rich in vitamin E it improves the immune system and they have more anti cancer,anti aging properties
They are used for treating ulcers and good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C

 Ingredients

Sliced red cabbage -2 cups
Chopped onion -1/2 cup
Green chilly -2
Mustard -1/2 teaspoon
Jeera -1/2 teaspoon
Urad dal -1 teaspoon
Salt -1/4 teaspoon
Oil -1 teaspoon
Shredded coconut -to garnish

Method
Heat the pan and add oil
Add mustard,after it pops add jeera and urad dal
After 10 sec add onion and chilly,cook for 1 min
Add the Thin sliced cabbage and stir well
After 5 min sprinkle hand full of water and cover with a lid
Cook for10 min and add salt
 Mix well and add shredded coconut
After cooking they turn in to blue color

Brinjal Poriyal(Fry)

 I know most of them like to use violet colour brinjal and my family really loves the green brinjal.This green is little crunchy and I like that fact.Violet are  very soft but both taste so good.Here I have made violet and green brinjal fry.I seem to have added more coconut paste, so do less them.I was in a mood to eat lots of coconut so I just added them without thinking,but do reduce the consistency.You will defenetely like the combination of grinding them in a blender instead of adding the powder.Do try it out and let me know how you liked it.

Prep Time : 5 minutes
Cook Time : 15 minutes
Yield : 2
Ingredients

Green Brinjals - 4
Violet Brinjals - 4
Salt to taste
Asofaetida(hing) - a pinch
Blend in mixie:
Grated cocont - 1/4 cup
Garlic - 2
Dry red chillies - 3
Jeera - 1 tsp
For Seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal(ulandham paruppu) - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - as per requirement

Instructions


1.Chop the  brinjal to required pieces and leave them in water for 5 mins.

2.In a blender mix coconut,jeera,red chillies and garlic and blend them in pulse mode till they are nicely done.

3.In a kadai/pan add some oil and do the seasoning then add the green brinjals and fry them for 2 mins.Then sprinkle some water and close the lid and let it cook in steam.Keep stirring occasionally.


4.When brinjal is well cooked add the grounded masala and stir it well.Remove from fire and keep the lid closed.Serve this with any main dish like sambar,rasam,mochai kulambhu.

Beetroot Poriyal(Fry)

I was not very fond of Beetroot for a long time. But after getting married, my mother-in-law made this easy and yummy Beetroot stirfry and after that I got hooked on to it. It’s very easy to make and healthy too. It goes well with white rice and chapathi. Just mix it with white rice, voila! you have Beetroot rice ready for lunch with some crisp papad or potato curry.
Ingredients:

• Beetroot : 2 cups (grated)
• Onion : 1 (finely chopped)
• Oil : 2 tbsp
• Green chilies : 4-5 (according to your spice level)
• Mustard seeds : 2 tsp
• Urad dal : 2 tsp
• Curry leaves : 4-5
• Shredded coconut : 1/4 cup

Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds and urad dal after it sputters add onion.
2. Fry them till it becomes translucent and add green chilies  and curry leaves.
3. Fry them all together for 3-4 minutes and finally add beetroot.
4. Add a 1/4 cup of water and close the lid.
5. Cook till beetroot becomes soft and fully cooked.
6. Finally add coconut and mix it all together.
7. Garnish it with coriander leaves.
8. Serve hot with chapathi or rice.

Spinach Fry / Keerai Fry

Keerai poriyal is a side dish from Tamil Nadu , a dry fry item made with any leafy vegetable, often served with rice and kuzhambu. This recipe is made with spinach. (Spinach Fry / Keerai Fry )

Ingredients
1 bunch	Spinach leaves(palak)
1 no	Onion (diced)
2 clove	Garlic (crushed)
3 tbsp	Green gram
1 no	Dry red chilli
¼ tsp	Mustard
¼ tsp	Cumin seeds
¼ tsp	Split black gram
4 nos	Curry leaves
2 pinch	Asafoetida powder
2 pinch	Turmeric powder
3 tbsp	Fresh grated coconut
3 tsp	Oil
¼ tsp	Salt (or to taste)

Instructions

Spinach Fry / Keerai Fry

Wash and finely chop spinach leaves and keep them aside. Wash and soak green gram(moong dal) for 30 minutes. Cook it in 1/2 cup water until slightly soft, do not over cook, it should be just soft enough to be visible in the fry. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard, cumin seeds, split black gram, dry red chilli and curry leaves. Sprinkle the asafoetida and add chopped onions and garlic. Saute for a while and then add the spinach leaves with turmeric and salt.  Fry until the spinach turns tender. Now add the cooked green gram and grated coconut. Mix well to combine and serve.

Bendakai vepudu/Vendakkai / Okra Poriyal

Vendakkai / Okra Poriyal

Bendakai vepudu/Vendakkai / Okra Poriyal

Ingredients: 
Vendakkai / okra - 1 lb ( cut into

small round pieces )
Onion - 1 ( chopped )
Green chillies - 3 ( split )
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste.
Method: 

• Wash and wipe the vendaikai with a kitchen towel.
• Cut it into small rounds.
• In a kadai put the oil and when it is hot add mustard.
• When the spluttering stops add urad dhal and fry till it turns light brown.
• Add chopped onion,Green chillies and curry leaves. Fry till the onion turns brown.
• Add vendaikai pieces and stir fry on low flame till its stickiness disappears.
• Add sambar powder, turmeric and salt and stir well.
• Keep it on low flame for 5 minutes.
• Remove once well done and serve it with steamed rice.
•  
•  

Add caption

Yam Fry /Senai Kizhangu / Karnai kizhangu varuval

Senai Kizhangu / Karnai kizhangu/ elephant foot yam , it goes on . Huby and my daughter loves this yam which ever way it is prepared.  There are many ways to prepare this yam,. This is used in most of the Kerala recipes like Avial, Masiyal and many more.

                 Cleaning is a must in this vegetable. I actually clean it  four to five times in water. the outer skin is hard and irritable. so remove it first with a bigger knife. It cause some itching sensation in the hands. Many people are allergic to this veggie, so allergic people do not try this recipe. Many people love this veggie like me. I Know two types of varuval in  yam. I learn one type from my mom and other from my mom in law. Now im posting my mom in laws recipe. This recipe source is my MIL.  This is shallow fried in the heavy bottom  tawa.  The main taste maker in this yam fry is tamarind juice. Here we go top the recipe.

 

Ingredients: 

 

Yam Fry /Senai Kizhangu / Karnai kizhangu varuval

250 grams Yam

1 tspn Chilli Powder

1/2 teaspoon Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Garlic 3 flakes -chopped

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Garam masala

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

 

Method :

 

     1.Remove the outer skin of the yam and wash it

     2.Cut yam in medium square pieces -thick 1/2 inch.

     3.Heat enough water with 1tspn coconut oil and salt..Add
      the sliced yam and parboil (Half cook). Drain the water.

     4.Spread the boiled yam in a plate and add the other
      ingredients except oil and mix until the Yam is
      coated well

     5. We can add crushed garlic along when you mix the
      powders.

     6.In a frying pan pour 2 tbsp oil and fry this yam pieces
      till golden brown colour.

     7.Simmer and allow the cubes to cook for 10 minutes or
      until they become crispy.

     8.Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

     9.Mix some coriander leaves or fried curry leaves.

Green Chicken Drumsticks

So, the other day when my LO got some chicken legs from Saray market(a turkish shop), I thought of making some grilled chicken legs as an accompaniment to a glass of lemonade. Instead of making plain tandoori chicken I thought of giving the chicken a coriander flavor.. It took longer than I expected to cook- but once cooked, the chicken was soft and delicious. We were out of lemon, but I’m sure some lemon juice on top would have made an excellent appetizer. And the glass of chilled lemonade well it was the icing on the cake!

P.S: This post was written more than a week back, but due to no internet connection for the past few days and the fact that I had been travelling I have not been able to post it till today. Not that anybody cares, or do they???Hmmmm……

Green Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients

• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
• 6 tbsp yogurt
• 6 tbsp oil
• Juice of a lemon ( I used 1 tsp chilli vinegar instead)
• 4 green chillies
• 1 bunch coriander/cilantro 
• 1 bunch Mint
• 9-10 strands of Curry leaves
• 6 chicken legs

Directions

Green Chicken Drumsticks

1. Grind together the cloves, ginger, cumin seeds and green chillies into a paste.
2. Mix the paste and the rest of the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl.
3. Add the chicken legs and marinate. .For better results marinate at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
4. Heat oil in skillet,place the chicken slowly into it. .Wait for another ten minutes till the chicken turned brown. While turning on to the other side, I basted the chicken with marinade once again. ..
5. Serve with onions and lemon wedges.

250th recipe-Chettinad Chicken Masala

Chettinad is a small region in Tamil Nadu famous widely known for its delicious cuisine which very well reflects the authentic flavors of South India. People from almost all around the world have become fond of all the Chettinad recipes specially the non-vegetarian dishes. Kara kulambu, a spicy and tangy tasting vegetarian curry is another specialty of this cuisine. Luckily my neighbor is from that region and I have learnt some basic recipes from her which I'll be sharing with you later. I gotta post my beetroot coconut masala/beetroot pirattal recipe, it was one special recipe that she taught me. But today's recipe is from my Mom who learnt it from a recipe book she had. I love this preparation not only because it is chicken, but also because of the flavors. This Chettinad chicken masala is a dry version and has awesome flavors due to the addition of fennel seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorns. The masala powder made from these spices makes it too good and dry roasting these spices before grinding helps bring out the aroma and flavors very well. Goes well as sides with variety rice like pulao, biryani, fried rice, dal rice, sambar rice and also with chapatis and rotis. Lets see how to make this hot chicken masala. Try it out and let me know how you liked it. And thanks Mom for this wonderful recipe, which is going to be my 250th recipe. .

Serves 4 people)

1. Chicken - 500 grams (chopped into big cubes)
2. Shallots / Pearl onions - 75 grams (5 onions)
3. Ginger - 1 inch long piece 
4. Garlic pods - 1 
5. Dry red chillies - 6 to 8 
6. Cumin seeds - 3/4 spoon 
7. Coriander seeds - 1 spoon 
8. Fennel seeds - 1 spoon 
9. Peppercorns - 1/4 spoon 
10. Salt - As per taste
11. Oil - 5 spoon (Gingelly oil preferred)
12. Coriander leaves & Curry leaves - Few for garnishing (Optional)

PREPARATION METHOD

• Wash chicken pieces well in water and keep them aside.
• Heat a pan or wok and dry roast the following ingredients very slightly until you get a pleasant aroma. Take care not to over roast them or burn them. 

(For Masala Powder)
1. Dry red chillies - 6 to 8

2. Cumin seeds - 3/4 spoon

3. Coriander seeds - 1 spoon 

4. Fennel seeds - 1 spoon

5. Peppercorns - 1/4 spoon 

• After the dry roasted ingredients cools down and reaches room temperature, add them to a blender make a fine masala powder out of them and set aside. This is the authentic Chettinad chicken masala powder. You will get nearly 2.5 spoons of this masala powder.
• Peel onions put them in a blender and make a coarse paste out of it and set aside. 
• Also make ginger-garlic paste and set aside.
• Now heat a pan, add oil and after it heats up add the coarsely ground onions and saute until the raw smell goes. 
• Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes. 
• Now add the chicken pieces and saute well for 5 minutes. 
• Now add the prepared masala powder and stir well.
• After 2 minutes pour 1 cup of water, required salt and stir well. Cook on low flame.
• Close the pan with a lid and cook until the chicken gets cooked well. Sprinkle water if necessary and stir occasionally so that the chicken does not get burnt. Please cook on low flame. 
• When water evaporates and chicken seems well cooked remove from flame and serve. 
• Garnish with coriander and curry leaves if you wish.

Bendakai iguru/ bhindi(okra) masala/ ladiesfinger dry gravy/ vendakai thoku

          Bendakaya iguru is One of my favorite dish. It is not a stir fry. We can eat with rice and rotis. It will be more tastier with Mamidikaya pappu,which i will be posting next week. .

Bendakai iguru/ bhindi(okra) masala/ ladiesfinger dry gravy/ vendakai thoku

Ingredients:

Bendakayalu (Lady fingers) - 500 grams
Onion - 1 big size
Green chilly - 5 to 6
Red chilly - 2 to 3
Garlic cloves - 5 to 6
Curry Leaves
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 to 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Method:

Bendakai iguru/ bhindi(okra) masala/ ladiesfinger dry gravy/ vendakai thoku

• Soak them into water with 2 tbsp of salt about 10 mins.
• Wash them with fresh water and wipe with a clean cotton cloth.

• After they become dry Cut them into small pieces.
• Take onions and green chillis and cut them.
• Take a wide pan add 2 tbsp oil.
• Add mustard seeds, chana dal and jeera, red chilly and curry leaves.
• Add pieces of garlic cloves also.
• After they popped nicely add onions and green chillis.

• Cook till the onions become soft.
• Add Bendakaya pieces into the vessel.
• Mix well and close the lid about 2 to 3 mins.
• In between just mix with spoon.
• Add Turmeric and Red chilly powder.

• Mix well and lastly add salt.
• Take care when adding salt, because when lady fingers loosing all its moisture they will shrink a lot.
• Its better to add some salt while cooking and add some salt at last of preparation.

• Serve with hot rice or rotis.

Tips:

• When we are buying the lady fingers, make sure they are tender and good.
• For knowing they are tender, bend the tail end of the lady finger and if it breaks easily then they are tender, if they doesn't break they are not tender.
• And when we are cutting those lady fingers if they are getting crunchy sound, they are also not tender, better to avoid them into curry.
• It is better to make curry at the same day or next day when we are buying them.
• Don't cover the lid over while cooking.
• Cover for 2 to 3 mins and remove the lid and fry them and again close the lid about 2 mins and remove the lid and fry them again, so just don't cover the lid continually.
• If we cover more time then the curry will be gooey( gummy).
• Here i just make curry only, if we need fry then we need to take more oil, so for calorie conscious, i am not advising that. 

Aloo Shimla Mirch

INGREDIENTS

Capsicums - 6
Potatoes - 2
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Split Cashewnuts - 2 tsp
Peanuts - 2 tsp
Tamarind Juice - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp
Oil - 100 ml
Salt to taste
Roast and Grind to a paste:
Chana Dal - 2 tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 2 tbsp,
Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Red Chillies - 5

METHOD
1. Heat 4 tbsp oil.
2. Fry capsicums and potatoes.
3. Add the asafoetida, cashewnuts and peanuts.
4. Fry for 5 minutes.
5. Add the ground masala, tamarind juice and jaggery.
6. Cook on a slow fire till done.
7. Add salt and simmer.
8. Add water if needed.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves.
10. Serve with chapatti.

Chettinad Style Potato Fry (Urulai Chettinad)

Chettinad Style Potato Fry (Urulai Chettinad)

Baby Potatoes have a special place in my kitchen. They can be cooked in a variety of ways. The most common and often prepared dish is of course Dum Alu . I have also prepared spicy curry with these cuties using red chilli powder and salt . Yet another favourite of mine is tossing the boiled potatoes with butter, salt and pepper powder and serving them with Soup. 
But this recipe of cooking them in chettinadu style with  shallots and  coated with a spicy roasted masala appealed a lot. Sanjeev Kapur's recipe was altered a little and the curry was a super hit!

Ingredients:-

• Baby Potatoes -250gms
• Shallots - 12
• Curry Leaves - few
• Mustard - 1tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp

Chettinad Style Potato Fry (Urulai Chettinad)

For Dry Roast and Powder:_

• Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
• Red Chillis - 2 to 3
• Black Pepper Corn - 1 tbsp

Method:-
The quantity for the roasted masala can be altered to suit your taste buds. Generally Chettinad style recipes are a little higher on the spicy side. You can grind this powder and store for use in other gravies/curries .
Peel the boiled potatoes and with a toothpick, prick a few holes in each one of them and set aside. This is to ensure that the spices are fully absorbeds by the potatoes.
Dry roast  the ingredients for the masala. 

Cool and pound to a coarse powder.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, shallots and sauté till they turn translucent. 

Add potatoes, stir and add salt. Add the masala powder and mix. Cook over low heat till they turn a delightful golden brown . 

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Chicken Vindaloo

Chicken Vindaloo

The Chicken Vindaloo with Flat Bread photo on the calendar in my kitchen wall keeps calling out to me..

Nevertheless, the Chicken Vindaloo is so delicious that I must feature it here. I think Vindaloo is one of the most popular Indian dishes in the world, you can find Vindaloo in any Indian restaurants. You might notice that the Chicken Vindaloos served in restaurants have potatoes in them. After some research, I found that potatoes are not really an essential ingredient. A traditional Vindaloo just has meat, garlic, wine or vinegar and lots of chilies in it.
Even though I’m used to fiery hot dishes, this dish is still too fiery hot for my taste bud. Vindaloo masala is a chili based preparation and that is where it gets all its flavors. You can tweak the amount of spices and heat according to your taste. The spices all go so well together. I know if I have a good flatbread, I will have an awesome finger licking meal.

Prep time 10 mins

Cook time 15 mins

Total time 25 mins

 

Chicken Vindaloo, one of the most popular Indian dishes, with spices, vinegar and lots of chilies

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 4

Chicken Vindaloo

Ingredients

• 800g Chicken Thigh (cut into small pieces)
• 3 sprigs of Curry Leaves
• 10 Dried Chili (reduced half if prefer mild hot)
• 10 Shallots
• 6 Garlic cloves
• 1 inch Ginger
• 1 inch Tumeric (or replace with 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder)
• 1 big onion – cut half and sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 10ml water
• 2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar (add more if you like)
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Grind dried chili, ginger, turmeric, shallots and garlic in a food processor into paste.
2. Heat oil in a deep pot on medium heat. Add coriander seeds and cumin and stir until coriander seeds and cumin starts to crackle.
3. Add in onion slices and cook until onion is light golden brown.
4. Add in blended chili and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add in chicken pieces and curry leaves, stir to cook chicken pieces for 1-2 minutes. Add water and cover to simmer on low heat for about 8-10 minutes until chicken is done. Add a little more water if the sauce dries up.
6. Add vinegar and salt to taste.
7. Serve Chicken Vindaloo with flat bread (naan or chapatti) or rice.
   

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Beans Peanut Fry

Beans Peanut Fry

 When the outdoors is rather uninviting, and nothing is perceived as of especial importance, one can't go wrong by focusing energy on good nourishment. Truly it is a sweet luxury to spend an afternoon in the kitchen. Poriyals are dry vegetable curries served with traditional South Indian meals. This preparation, adapted from Dakshin, was particularly appealing to me because it included not only the vegetable component of the meal, but the gritty goodness of toor dal too. Legumes are an essential element to a healthy vegetarian diet. Yellow split peas or chana dal can be substituted if you please.

Beans Peanut Fry

1 cup of Peanuts(fried) and Coconut(Shredded/dry Powder)
5 dried red chilies
3 cups of water
1 - 2 tablespoons of dried methi leaves (fenugreek)
1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 pound of green beans, cut into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
a wee bit of water
1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted

For the tempering:

2 tablespoons of oil
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of chana dal, rinsed
1 teaspoon of urad dal, rinsed
2 dried red chilies, halved
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
small handful of dried curry leaves

Soak the red chilies in 3 cups of water for at least 3 hours. Drain and transfer to a food processor along with the salt, asafoetida powder, Peanuts, Coconut and methi leaves. Process until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a large wok, heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped beans and tomatoes to the pan and cook, adding a bit of water if necessary, until the beans are just tender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil or ghee over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chilies, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to turn grey and pop, add the chana dal paste. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to brown a bit and turns crisp. Add the green beans and the peas and cook for another few minutes.

Serves 6.

Healthy Snack Recipe: Spicy Baked Plantain Chips

Spicy, salty, crispy, crunchy. Plantain chips are just what we want in a snack, and this baked version is one we could happily munch on practically every day. The key to the perfect crunch? It's all about picking the right plantains.
Our first attempts at plantain chips were somewhat disastrous. Most of them burned and no amount of oil could keep them from sticking to the pan and falling apart when we tried to pry them off. Turns out, we were using the wrong plantains.
We're used to reaching for the riper yellow versions with plenty of black spots on the peel. These are great for grilling in a pan or frying. But sweet and juicy is not what you need in a plantain for chips. The less-ripe green fruit are much firmer. They can hold up to the heat even in a thin slice and provide the perfect crunch in chip form.
Start by removing the peel with a knife. Yellow plantains are pretty easy to peel by hand, but green ones are much tougher. With a knife, you may not get perfectly round slices, but you also won't end up with uncomfortable bits of peel jammed under your fingernails. Trust us on this one.
It's important to make the slices as uniform as possible, so use a mandoline if you have one. The slicing wheel of a food processor would probably work too.
Feel free to play around with the flavorings. This blend is pretty spicy, but you could easily tone it down or try other combinations. We experimented with minced garlic and grated ginger but found that they burned well before the chips were cooked, so we'd recommend sticking with dry flavorings. Another use for garlic powder, perhaps?

Spicy Baked Plantain Chips

Yields 2 to 3 cups

2 green plantains
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Remove plantain peel with a knife. Thinly slice using a mandoline, if possible.
In a bowl, toss plantain slices with olive oil, spices and salt. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, turning slices after about 8 minutes. Watch closely after turning - they can burn quickly. Remove from oven and serve.
Chips are best eaten immediately, but they'll keep for about a day.