Kilangan Fish Fry/ Kizhanga Meen Varuval

Meen Varuval Kizhanga

This is an basic South Indian fish fry recipe. With very few ingredients traditional home style fish fry is ready in minutes.

Ingredients

Kizhangan Fish( or any small sized fish)- 500gms

Red Chilli powder- 2tsp

Coriander powder- 3tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2tsp

Salt- 1tsp

Water few tbsp

Oil to shallow fry fishes

Tamilnadu Fish Fry

Method

Cut, clean the fishes and set aside.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and 1 tbsp water to a bowl, mix well to make smooth chilli paste.( if the prepared chilli paste is too thick and little more water). Add the cleaned fishes to the chilli paste and marinate well. Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry the fish pieces, when oil is hot add fish pieces and fry on medium heat until fish pieces are cooked and golden browned on both sides. Serve hot Kilangan Fish Fry with steamed rice, home style fish curry--Click for recipe or with sambar.

Home Style Fish Fry

Kilangan( Kizhanga) Meen Kuzhambu/ Tamilnadu Tamarind Fish Curry

This is simple and basic home style fish curry. With very few ingredients traditional South Indian fish curry is ready in minutes.

Meen Kuzhambu

Ingredients

Kilangan fish( or any small sized fish)- 500gms

Shallots( small onions)- 15nos

Garlic cloves- 6 to 8nos

Curry leaves few

Tomato( country tomatoes) medium- 1no

Tamarind lemon sized( soaked in water pulp extracted)- 1cup

Red Chilli powder- 1 1/2 to 2tsp

Coriander powder- 3 to 4tbsp

Gingelly oil( sesame oil)- 5tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1tsp

Salt to taste

Water- 1cup

Tamarind Fish Curry

Method

Cut, clean the fishes into pieces and set aside. In a bowl combine tamarind extract, red chilli powder, coriander powder, required salt and water. Mix well to make thin gravy. Peel and finely chop onions and garlic cloves. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and curry leaves. Heat gingelly oil in a pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, when they crackle add the chopped onion, garlic, curry leaves and tomatoes. Saute everything for few mins and add the prepared tamarind gravy to the pan. Bring the curry to boil and simmer curry for 3 mins until curry slightly thickens. Reduce the flame and add the cleaned fish pieces to the curry. let the fish pieces cook in curry for 2 mins. Remove fish curry from heat. Serve hot Kizhangan fish curry with steamed rice and simple home style fish fry--Click for recipe.

Tamilnadu Fish Curry

Plain Salna/ Tomato Salna/ Chalna/ Tomato Gravy for Parota

Plain Salna

Mostly in restaurants and hotels Parotas are served along with Chicken Salna( kurma, gravy) or Vegetable Korma( Salna). But if you noticed in street side fast foods or fast food kind of hotels parotas were always served with Plain Salna, meaning that the gravy served along with parota will not have any chicken pieces or vegetables.

These plain gravies are made only with tomatoes so they are called as thakkali salna. Though no veggie or meat is used there is no need to compromise in its taste, it will be as good as Chicken Chalna or Vegetarian Chalna.

If you are looking for Vegetable Salna click here.

If you are looking for Chicken Salna click here.

Here goes recipe for tomato chalna

Ingredients

Onion large sized chopped- 1 no

Tomato( Banglore or Apple variety) large sized chopped- 3 nos

Green chilly broken- 2 nos

Curry leaves and Coriander leaves- few

Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp( +/-)

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil required

Coconut Masala paste( grind to fine paste)

Fresh coconut grated- 1/4 cup

Cumin powder- 1 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tbsp

Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

Fennel/ Sombu powder- 2 tsp

Mint leaves- few sprigs

For tempering

Cinnamon stick- 1" piece

Cloves- 4 nos

Cardamom- 4 nos

Bay leaf- 1 no

Tomato Salna

Method

Heat oil in a pan, when hot add tempering ingredients and fry till the aroma of the whole spices rise. Now add the chopped onion and curry leaves and fry for few mins until onion turns transparent. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves. Next add the tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are mashed. Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to the cooking tomatoes. Add enough water to the pan and bring the mixture to boil. When gravy boils add the ground coconut masala paste. Reduce the heat and cook the chalna on low heat until the gravy slightly thickens and oil floats on top. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot Tomato Salna with Biryani or Parotta.

Thakkali Chalna

Medhu Vada/ Ulundhu Vadai

Medhu Vadai

Ingredients

Urad dal/ Ulunthu paruppu-1 cup

Rice Flour-4 tbsp

Onion medium sized sliced-1 no

Green chilly chopped-2 nos

Curry leaves chopped- few tbsp

Salt to taste

Baking soda/ Cooking soda- few pinch

Oil to deep fry

Ulundhu Vadai

Method

Soak urad dal for 1 hour and grind it into smooth paste without adding water( if required add about 2 to 3 tsp of water while grinding). The ground urad dal batter should be of butter consistency and should not stick to your wet fingers. Add rice flour, onions, green chilles, curry leaves, pinch of cooking soda and required salt to the urad dal batter and mix well with fingers. Heat enough oil in a kadai to deep fry the vadas. Take a plastic sheet and oil well the sheet. Take lemon sized batter and shape it into ball. Place the ball in the center of the sheet and slightly flatten with the fingers and make a small hole in the center. Carefully remove the flattened batter from the sheet to your fingers and slide it into the hot oil. Be careful while sliding vadas into the oil. You can add upto 5 vadas depending on the size of kadai. Turn the vadas and cook on both side until golden brown and crisp. Once the vadas are done, drain from the oil and place on the paper towel. Serve hot with Coconut Chutney and Hotel Sambar. 

Medhu Vada

Spicy Egg Masala/ Kodi Guddu Vepudu

  

Spicy Egg Masala

This a very spicy and tasty Andhra Egg Masala, goes well with steamed rice, chapati or Biryani.

Ingredients

Eggs-5 nos

Onion medium sized( chopped)-2 nos

Tomato small sized( chopped)-1 no

Green chilly( sliced)-1 no

Ginger and Garlic paste-1 tsp

Red chilly powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Everest brand Chicken masala powder-2 tsp

Curry leaves-few tbsp

Coriander leaves( chopped)-few tbsp

Oil-3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Egg Masala

Method

Boil the eggs in water for 20 mins or until hard boiled. Shell the cooked eggs and set side. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, when hot add the shelled eggs, red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Fry for few mins till the eggs are slightly browned on outside. Remove the fried eggs and set aside. In the same pan heat 2 tbsp oil, when oil is hot add the chopped onions, green chilli, chopped tomato and chopped curry leaves. Saute for few secs until onion turns pale, add the ginger and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves. Now add the rest of turmeric powder, Everest chicken masala powder and salt. Add few tbsp water and boiled eggs to the pan, stir everything well and cook on medium heat for 5 mins or until the masala slightly thickness. Finally garnish the egg masala with chopped coriander leaves. Serve Spicy egg masala/ Kodi Guddu Vepudu with roti or steamed rice.

Kodi Guddu Vepudu

Sakkarai Pongal/ Chakkara Pongal/ Sweet Pongal/ Pongal Recipes

Sakkarai Pongal

Ingredients

Raw rice-1 1/2cups

Moong dal-1/2cup

Jaggery-200gms

Cashew nuts-25gms

Green Cardamom-4 nos

Nutmeg/ Jathikkai powder-pinch

Ghee/Clarified butter-100gms

Sweet Pongal

Method

Pressure cook both dal and rice together. Dilute the jaggery in 1/2cup water and bring to boil, allow the jaggery to boil on high heat for 5 mins. Cool and strain the jaggery water and set aside. Mash well the pressure cooked rice and dal mixture, add the jaggery water to the mashed rice and mix well. In a small tadka pan heat ghee, add the nutmeg powder, cardamom and cashewnuts. When the cashewnuts turn golden brown add the cashewnuts to the prepared rice along with the ghee. Once again mix well and serve hot.

Pongal Recipes

Mysore Bonda/ Ulundhu Bonda/ Medu Bonda

Mysore Bonda

Ingredients

Urad dal/ Ulundhu paruppu- 1 and 1/2 cup

Rice flour- 1/4 cup

Coconut pieces finely chopped- 4 tbsp

Curry leaves chopped- 2 tbsp

Black peppercorns- 2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 2 tsp

Green chilli chopped- 1 no( optional)

Ginger minced- 1 tsp( optional)

Cooking/ Baking soda- few pinches

Salt- 3/4 to 1 tsp

Oil to deep fry

Mysore Bonda

Method

Soak urad dal in water for 2 hours. Drain the dal and grind to smooth paste adding very little water( a well ground urad dal batter will look like butter and should not stick to your wet finger). To the urad dal batter add salt, cooking soda, curry leaves, pepper corns, cumin seeds and mix well. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, when oil is hot, wet you fingers with bowl of water, take a good amount of urad dal batter and shape it into small lemon sized ball. Drop the ball into hot oil carefully and continue with rest of the batter. Once required amount of bondas are dropped into hot oil, reduce the heat and cook the bondas on low heat for 4 to 5 mins turning them all sides. Fry the bondas until golden brown in color and make sure inside is cooked well. Drain the bondas on a paper towel. Serve hot Bonda with Coconut chutney and Sambar.

Ulundhu Bonda

Brinji Rice recipe with Kurma

This is an Hotel style Brinji Kurma recipe.

Brinji Rice with Kurma

Ingredients

Basmati rice- 2 cups

Onion medium sliced- 1 no

Tomato medium chopped- 1 no

Green chilli broken- 3 nos

Ginger and garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts- 20 nos

Salt to taste

Oil- 2 tbsp

Water- 2 cups

Whole spices for tempering

Cinnamon stick- 1" piece

Cloves- 4 nos

Green cardamom- 4 nos

Bay leaf- 2 nos

Star anise/ Annachi poo- 1 no

Mace/ Jathipathri- 1 nos

Marathi moggu/ Kapok buds- 2 nos

Brinji

Method

Wash and soak basmati rice in 2 cups water. Heat oil in a pan when hot fry the cashew nuts until golden brown, drain the fried cashew nuts and set aside. In the same oil add whole spices and fry till aroma rises. Add the onions and green chilli to the pan and saute for few seconds. Now add the ginger and garlic paste and saute for few secs. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan, do not over cook the tomatoes as they will turn color of the rice, let the tomatoes be chunky. Now add the soaked basmati rice along with the water to the pan, season rice with required salt and stir well on high heat. When the rice starts absorbing the water, cover pan with tight lid and reduce the heat. Cook the rice on low heat for 10 mins or until the rice is soft and tender. Garnish Brinji rice with fried cashew nuts and its traditional to serve along with Vegetable Kurma.

Click here for Hotel Vegetable Kurma recipe

Tips and notes.

Brinji rice can also be made with jeera samba rice or with ordinary raw rice. 

Its optional to add tomato to brinji.

If preferred bread croutons( deep fried bread cubes) can be added to brinji rice.

Its optional to add coconut milk to the rice it doesn't make a big difference, if doing so replace 1 cup water with 1 cup thick coconut milk.

Brinji Kurma

Hotel Vegetable Kurma/ Mixed Veg Korma.

How to make Tamilnadu hotel style vegetable kurma.

Hotel Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients

Potato medium peeled and diced- 1 no

Green beans finely chopped- 6 nos

Carrot medium finely diced- 1 no

Green peas- 1/4 cup

Onion small finely chopped- 1 no

Tomato medium chopped- 1 no

Red chilli powder- 1 and 1/2 tsp

Sombu thool/ Fennel powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Sombu/ fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Masala paste ingredients

Poppy seeds/ Kuskus- 1 tbsp

Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Garlic cloves peeled- 3 nos

Vegetable Kurma

Method

Dry roast the kuskus in a pan until golden brown and set aside.

Grind roasted kuskus, grated coconut and garlic cloves together  to a smooth and fine paste by adding little water. Heat oil in a pan when hot add fennel seeds and allow to crackle. Add the chopped onion and fry for few secs. Add the rest of vegetables and tomatoes to the frying onion and saute well. Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and fennel powder to the pan and stir well. Reduce the heat and add the ground masala paste to the pan. Fry the masala paste and veggie on low heat for 2 mins. Add a cup of water to the pan, stir well, increase heat and bring the gravy to boil. When kurma starts boiling add required salt to the kurma stir well. Reduce the heat again, cover pan with tight lid and cook the kurma on low heat for 7 mins or until the vegetables are soft and tender. The thickness of the kurma depends on the consistency you prefer. Serve hot kurma with chapathi, parota, idly, dosa or with brinji, ghee rice.

Tips and notes

Adding onions to this kurma is optional.

You can also use finely chopped radish or brinjal to this kurma.

Adding curry leaves, coriander leaves or mint leaves to this kurma is optional.

Tomato Ginger Chutney

Tomato and Ginger Chutney

This is my Hubby's favorite chutney, this chutney is his family recipe also called as Mixture Chutney in Sourashtra. The flavour of ginger and tanginess of tomatoes compliments each other and it is very easy to prepare.

Ingredients

Tomato big( chopped)- 1 no

Ginger piece( chopped)- 1"

Whole dry red chilli- 4 nos

Coconut shredded- 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Oil- 1/2 tsp

for tempering

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Urad dal- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- few

Oil-1 tsp

Tomato Ginger Chutney

Method

Saute chopped tomatoes, ginger and dry red chilli in 1/2 tsp oil for few secs, remove from heat and allow to cool. Grind the sauteed ingredients to smooth paste with coconut, required salt and water. Heat 1 tsp oil in a tadka/ small pan when hot add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle add urad dal and curry leaves, fry until urad dal turns golden brown. Add this tempering to the ground chutney and mix well. Serve Tomato Ginger Chutney with idli or dosa.