Tindora Fry / Kovaikai Fry

Tindora Fry / Kovaikai Fry

Ingredients
Kovaikai/tindora 100 gms
onion - 1 chopped
garlic 3 cloves - minced
chilli powder - 1 tbsp
cumin powder - 1 tsp
salt to taste

For seasoning
oil 2 tbsp
cumin - 1 tsp

Preparation


Wash and cut the edges of the tindora and slit into four halves.Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, onions and garlic. Saute till the  onions turn golden brown in sim flame.

Then add tindora/kovai kai, to this add cumin powder, chilly powder and salt and saute in sim flame.

When the tindora is cooked and turns brownish, switch off the stove. Serve as side dish with rice.

Indo-Chinese Style Pasta

Indo-Chinese Style Pasta

Ingredients
2 cups of pasta
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of butter/shredded cheese
3 chillies sliced
2 tbsp ginger garlic minced
1 tbsp chilly powder
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce

Preparation

Boil 4 cups of water.

When water reaches boiling point add salt and pasta cook on open till the pasta is cooked. Ocassionaly stir the pasta.

Take a pasta and press it to see whether it is cooked.

ONce pasta is done, strain it and wash it under tap water.

Heat pan and add olive oil

Add chillies and saute

Now add ginger and garlic

Add onion

Add tomatoes

Add little salt

Saute it for few seconds. Add chilly powder.

Also add soy sauce

And tomatoe sauce and mix it well

Now add the cooked pasta and mix it well.

Check for salt and add if needed.Atlast add cheese or butter and put off the fire.

Garnish with corriander and serve hot.

Pavaikai Puli Kulambu / Bitter Guord Puli Kulambu

Pavaikai Puli Kulambu / Bitter Guord Puli Kulambu

Ingredients
Bitter guord - 2 pieces
Tomato - 1
Onion - 1
Tamarind - lemon sized
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning
Fennel seeds- 1tsp
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Corriander powder - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
1 strand of curry leaves

Preparation
Cut bitter guord, wash, add salt and soak it in water/butter milk for 10 minutes.This is to remove excess bitterness from the vegetable.

Dice tomatoes and onions.

Heat pan and add oil and season with fennel,asafoetida and fenugreek seeds.

Add onions and curry leaves, saute for few minutes.

Drain the water from bitter guord. Add the vegetable and turmeric powder and saute for few minutes.

Add chilly powder, corriander powder, salt.

Add tomatoes and tamarind pulp to the pan and boil it till the gravy thickens.

Serve with hot rice. This kulambu gives tangy and slight bittery taste.

Chettinad Chicken Dry Curry

Chettinad Chicken (dry)

Ingredients
500gms boneless chicken
1 medium sized onion
2 tomatoes
6 garlic flakes chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of water

Masala powder:
2 tbsp chilly powder
1 tbsp corriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp fennel powder
1 tbsp crushed black pepper powder


For seasoning:
3 tbsp oil
garam masala items


Marinate:

chicken pieces
1/2 a lemon (juice) or yogurt
1 tbsp chilly powder
salt to taste

Preparation
Marinate the chicken for atleast 30 minutes

Heat pan on medium fire and add oil and season with garam masala items, ginger and garlic and curry leaves

Add onions and cook till transparent

Now add tomatoes and salt.Cook till tomatoes mashes.

Now add masala powders except black pepper and then add coconut milks,salt to taste. Saute well.

Now add chicken and saute it with the masala for few minutes.

Add water to the chicken and allow it to boil with a lid on,

When chicken is cooked, open the lid and simmer the fire and allow to cook on open.
Now add black pepper powder and allow the gravy to thicken.

Once the gravy thickens, put off the fire and garnish with corriander leaves.

Serve with hot chapatis or plain rice.

Murungaikai and Mangai sambar/ drumstick and raw mango sambar

Murungaikai and Mangai sambar/ Drumstick and Raw mango sambar

Ingredients
2 drumsticks cut into 2 inch pieces
100 gms of raw mango cut into cubes
1 ½ tbsp sambar powder
Small lemon sized tamarind/ 1 tbsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste

For Dal:
1 medium sized Onion
1 medium sized Tomato
1 green chilly
4 garlic flakes crushed
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 strand of curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 cup of water


For seasoning:
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp Sombu
1 red chilli
½ tsp asafetida
1 strand of curry leaves
Small bunch  of coriander for garnishing

Preparation

 Prepare dal. For this take dal in a bowl, wash it once and add 1 cup of water. To this add turmeric powder, cumin seeds, crushed garlic, and half a portion of onion, tomatoes, green chilly, ¼ tsp asafetida and 1 strand of curry leaves. Pressure cook for 5 whistles.

                          

                                          
 Now heat a pan and add the cooked dal and boil it, till the dal becomes thick consistency. Keep stiring the dal and try to smash it with ladle.

 Now add vegetables to the gravy followed by sambar powder, salt and 1 ½ cup of water. Stir it well and allow it to boil for 7 to 8 minutes with lid closed.

Then add tamarind paste/ water to the boiling sambar. Let it boil for another 2 minutes and put off the fire.

 Heat oil in another pan and add mustard, sombu (Fennel Seeds), fenugreek, asafoetida,red chilly and curry leaves.

Add this content to the boiled sambar and add chopped corriander leaves and cover the sambar with a lid for a while, so that the aroma gets incorporated with sambar.

 Serve with plain rice, idli or dosa.