Akki Roti( Rice Flour Patties)

Ingredients

Rice flour-1cup

Onion big chopped-1

Tomato big chopped-1

Green chilly slit-3

Ginger minced-1tsp

Coconut shredded-2tbsp

Salt and oil required

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Curry leaves-few

Method

In a large kadai, heat enough oil. 

Add mustard seeds, when crackles add the chopped onions , green chilly and minced ginger, stir fry for few mins.

Now add the tomatoes, coconut ,required water and season with salt. 

Bring the mixture to boil and add the rice flour, stir constantly so no lumps are formed, cover with lid and cook mixture till done. 

Once rice flour is cooked, allow the mixture cool.  

Divide the rice flour mixture into equal balls. 

Flatten the balls into thin discs like chapati with fingers. 

Heat a griddle, cook the Akki Rotis( rice flour discs) on both sides until brown and crisp (smear oil around the akki rotis if required). 

Serve Akki rotis hot with Coconut or Tomato chutney.

Rava Khichdi( Semolina Savoury Pudding)

Ingredients

Rava/Sooji/Semolina( roasted)-2cups

Peas-1/4cup

Carrot( finely chopped)-1/4cup

Onion medium( finely sliced)-1

Tomato small( finely chopped)-1

Garlic clove( finely sliced)-2

Green chilly( slit)-3

Turmeric powder-1/2tsp

Salt to taste

Oil required

Cloves-3

Cardamom-1

Cinnamon-1/2"

Fried Cashews-10 to 12

Method

Heat required oil in a pan add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Fry until the aroma rises, now add the onions, green chilly and garlic, fry till the onions turns pink. Add the chopped carrot and peas, stir fry for few more mins. Add about 4 1/2cups of water, turmeric and required salt. Bring the mixture to boil. When the mixture is boiling add the roasted rava and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Simmer and cover with lid until the rava is cooked. When khichdi is done add the fried cashews and mix well. Serve hot with Raita or Chutney.

Badami Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken pieces-500gms

Almonds-20( blanched, de-skinned and ground to paste)

Onion big-2( ground to paste)

Tomato small chopped-1

Green chilly paste-1 tsp

Ginger and Garlic paste-2 tsp

Curd/yoghurt-1/2 cup

Pepper powder-2 to 3 tsp

Salt to taste

Cinnamon stick-2"

Cardamom-2

Cloves-4

Shahi jeera-1tsp

Ghee or Oil required

Method

Heat ghee in a pan add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and shahi jeera. When the aroma rises add the chicken pieces and stir fry until chicken is 3/4th done. Now add the onion paste, green chilly paste and ginger and garlic paste. Fry until oil seprates from the onion paste and chicken. Now add the chopped tomato, curd, pepper and salt and stir fry for a min. Add water and cover the pan with lid and cook until chicken is fully done. When chicken is done, add the ground almond paste and remove from flame. Mix well and serve hot with roti or basmati rice.

Milagu Kara Sambar/ Spicy Pepper Sambar

Ingredients

Murungaikai( Drumstick)-2 or Kathrikai (Eggplant)-4 or Keerai Thandu(  Stems of Amaranth leaves)-1 bunch

Toordal( cooked and mashed)-1cup

Onion small chopped-1

Tomato small chopped-1

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Salt to taste

Dry roast and grind the following ingredients to fine powder

Urad dal( Ullutham parrupu)-2tsp

Whole Black pepper( Milagu)-2tsp

Mustard seeds( Kadugu)-1tsp

Dry red chilly( Varamilagai)-4

Tempering

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Asafetida-pinch

Curry leaves-few

Oil required

P.S-Any one of the above vegetables can be used to make this sambar or you can combine both drumstick and eggplant.

Only use the stems of the amaranth leaves, donot use the leaves.

Method

In a deep vessel add vegetable( i had used drumstick here), onions and tomatoes, add enough water and bring to boil. Cook till the vegetable are tender. When vegetable is done, add cooked toordal to the above vegetable and mix well. In a small bowl add the ground masala, 1tsp of water and mix well. Add this mixture to the vegetable toordal mixture.( If the ground masala is directly added to toordal mixture, masala powder will form into lumps and will not mix thoroughly).

Add turmeric powder and enough salt to the sambar( add water according to the thickness of sambar). Bring the mixture to boil, simmer for 2mins and keep stirring sambar.

In a small tadka pan heat 2 tbsp of oil, when hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. When crackles, add this tempering to the boiling sambar.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Meen Bajji/ Fish Bajji( Crispy Fish Fritters)

Ingredients

Any kind of small fish( Nethli meen, Kizhangan meen etc)-500gms

For marinating

Red chilly powder-1tbsp

Turmeric powder-1tsp

Garam masala powder-1tsp
Curry leaves( chopped)-2 tbsp

Lemon juice-1tbsp

Salt to taste

Bajji batter/ Fritters batter ingredients

Bengal gram flour/ Kadalamavu/ Chickpea flour-1/2cup

Rice flour-1/4cup

Maida/ All purpose flour-1/2cup

Red chilly powder-2tsp

Turmeric powder-1tsp
Red food color- pinch

Asafetida-pinch

Baking soda-pinch

Salt to taste

Water required

Method

Clean and wash the fish pieces and pat dry. In a bowl add the marinade ingredients and mix well, add the fish pieces to marinade. Marinaded the fish pieces for an hour. Next in a deep bowl add the bajji batter ingredients, add required water and mix well to make a smooth and slightly thick batter. Heat enough oil in a pan for deep frying. Dip the marinaded fish slices in the bajji batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. Place the Meen bajjis on a paper towel and allow the excess oil to drain. Serve hot as snack with mint chutney or serve along with meal. 

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients

Basmati rice-2cups

Mixed vegetables-1 1/2 cups( potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, carrot, peas, mushroom etc)

Onion big chopped-1

Tomatoes medium chopped-2

Coriander and Mint leaves chopped-2cups

Ghee or Butter-4 to 5 tbsp

Salt to taste

Roasted Cashewnuts-20

Saffron strings soaked in milk-6

For tempering

Bay leaf-1

Jeera-1tsp

Roast and grind the following to smooth paste

Whole dry Kashmiri chilli-5 to 6

Coriander seeds-1tbsp

Garlic cloves-6

Ginger-1/2"

Cinnamon-1"

Cardamom-2

Fennel seeds-1tbsp

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Method

In a large pan heat 2 tbsp of ghee or butter, add the bay leaf and cumin seeds. When crackles add 2 cups of water and season with salt.  

Bring the water to boil and add the washed basmati rice. Cover with lid, simmer and cook until 3/4th done ( keep stirring occasionaly so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of pan). When the rice is 3/4th done, spread the rice on large plate and allow to cool. 

In another pan heat rest of the ghee or butter, add the chopped onion and sauté till onions turn pink. Add the chopped mixed vegetables, sauté for few mins. Add the ground masala and fry until raw smell of  masala leaves. Now add the tomatoes, coriander and mint leaves, curd and required salt. Add little water and cook until the vegetables are tender. 

Divide basmati rice equally. Take an oven safe deep vessel, spread half basmati rice below and add the vegetable gravy above the rice. Now again spread rest of the basmati rice above the gravy. 

Finally add roasted cashews and sprinkle the saffron along with milk above the rice. Cover the vessel with a lid and put the vessel into the oven and bake for 5 mins. Before serving mix the rice well( mix gently so that long grains does not break). Serve hot with Raita.

Chettinad Mutton Masala( Chettinad Lamb Curry)

Hello all, two days back i got settled in my new home. I love the neighborhood. Since its heavily snowing here i am not able to get out frequently. Still my kitchen is half set and i am preparing simple meals. 
For now i am posting my drafted recipes. And once my kitchen is fully done i will start posting full fledged recipes.

Ingredients for Mutton Masala

Mutton pieces-3/4kg

Onions big (finely chopped)-3

Tomatoes big (finely chopped)-2

Ginger and Garlic paste-2tbsp

Kashmiri Red chilli paste or chilly powder-1tbsp

Pepper powder-2tbsp

Turmeric powder-1/2tsp

Coriander powder-2tbsp

Sombu/ Fennel powder-1tbsp

Salt and oil as required

Coriander and mint leaves-1cup

For tempering

Cardamon-2

Cloves-4

Cinnamon-2"

Star anise-1

Bay leaf-1

Grind following to smooth paste

Cashew nuts-10

Coconut shredded-4tbsp

Poppy seeds-1tbsp

Method

Pressure cook the mutton with 1/4tsp turmeric and 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste until tender. In a large wok heat enough oil and add the tempering ingredients. When the aroma rises and the chopped onions and rest of ginger and garlic paste. Saute until the raw smell of ginger and garlic leaves. Now add the chopped tomatoes, red chilli paste, pepper powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and fennel powder. Stir fry until the tomatoes and masala powders are cooked. Add the ground coconut paste and cooked mutton (along with its juice). Season with enough salt. Since juice of mutton is added the mixture will be thin, rise the flame and cook the meat until semi dry. Finally add the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot with Roti or Ghee rice.