Tamil Home Recipes

Green chili Pickle

2011-03-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

· Green chili: 1 Kg

· Dry mango Powder: 10 gram

· Fennel (Sombu / Saunf): 10 gram

· White cumin seeds (Seerakam / Jeera): 10 gram

· Lime (lemon): 8

· Edible oil: 1 cup

· Salt: 50 gram

Method of preparation:

· Get juice from lime (lemon)

· Wash all chilies.

· Carefully cut the middle portion of chilies lengthwise without separating.

· Heat edible oil and add all the ingredients except chilies.

· Cook under low flame for about ten minutes.

· This will turn into masala.

· After cooling, fill some masala in each chili.

· Put all chilies and left over masala in a glass bottle or jar.

· This will become very good Green chili Pickle day by day.

Onion Ring

2011-02-22T06:25:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

· Onion: 1

· Gram flour (Kadalai maavu / Besan): 1 cup

· Buttermilk (Mor / Moru): ½ cup

· Baking powder: 1 tsp

· Edible oil: for frying

· Pepper to taste

· Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

· Peel the onion.

· Slice horizontally like disks of about ½ centimetre thickness.

· Separate these disks into rings.

· Soak the onion rings in buttermilk for about half an hour.

· Take gram flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. Add a little water and stir well.

· Heat oil in a wok (iruppu chatti, vanali, vaanali, kadai, karahi, or kadhai) over medium flame.

· Take a few onion rings from buttermilk, dip in the batter, put in oil and deep fry them.

· On frying, remove from wok and drain the excess oil.

· Repeat for the remaining rings.

Serve hot with any chutney or sauce.

Chettinad Masala Paniyaram

2011-01-26T05:06:00.000-08:00

Masala Paniyaram or Masala paniaaram is a tasty snack.

Ingredients:

· Raw rice - ½ cup

· Husked black gram / uluntham paruppu / urad dal - ¼ cup

· Onion - 1/4 cup chopped

· Curry leaves – a few

· Green chilies - 7

· Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

· Oil - for deep frying

· Salt - to taste

Method of Preparation:

· Soak rice and black gram together in water for about 2 hours.

· Grind it to a vada batter's consistency.

· In a pan, add 1 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds, chopped onion, green chilies, curry leaves and sauté till the onion is transparent.

· Now, add this and salt to the batter and mix.

· By using your hand or with the help of a spoon, put the batter in the form of balls into the oil.

· Fry them into golden colour and place on a tissue so that the excess oil is absorbed.

· Serve hot with or without any chutney, or during tea time.

Beetroot fry / Beetroot Poriyal

2011-01-24T05:11:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

· Beetroot- 250 gm

· Grated coconut- ¼ cup

· Fennel seeds- ½ tsp

· Poppy seeds (Khas khas) - ½ tsp

· Onion- ¼ cup

· Garlic -3

· Sugar- 2 tsp

· Edible oil- 3 tsp

· Chili powder-1tsp

· Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

· Peel the skin of beetroot and cut it into small cubes.

· Grind coconut, fennel seeds, and poppy seeds into a fine paste and further add onion and garlic and grind a little.

· Mix this ground masala with beetroot and add salt.

· Cook till beetroot becomes soft.

· Add sugar and oil.

· Fry till all the masala firmly coat on it.

Serve with cooked rice or chapati.

Vegetable khichdi

2011-01-24T04:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Rice – 2 cups
Carrot – 2
Beans – 10
Grated cabbage – 1 cup
Green gram – 1 cup
Peas – ½ cup
Cinnamon – a small piece
Cloves – 5
Green chili – 3
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 ½ tsp
Onions – 3
Turmeric - A pinch
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Edible oil – 1/3 cup
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

· Soak rice and green gram for about an hour.

· Grate onions, carrots and beans.

· Add some edible oil in a cooker and place the cooker on a stove.

· When oil gets heated, add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and fry.

· Add cinnamon, green chilies, ginger garlic paste, turmeric and stir.

· Add vegetables and peas and cook under low flame.

· Add rice and green gram and fry for some time.

· Add 4 cups of water.

· Add salt.

· Cook until the cooker sounds four whistles.

· Vegetable Khichdi is ready.

Serve hot with sambar or kurma.

Alternate names of khichdi are

khichdi, khichri, khichdee, khichadi, khichuri, khichari,khitchdee, kichchadi, khichadi, and so on.

Sago Pudding / Javvarasi Payasam

2011-01-23T05:54:00.000-08:00

It is an easy to prepare dessert, also called Sago Pudding or Sabudana Kheer.

Pearl sago is called Javvarisi in Tamil.

Ingredients:

· Javvarasi - ½ cup

· Sugar - 1 cup

· Milk - 1 cup

· Cardamom - 3 pods

· Cashew - 3

· Raisins - 6

· Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method of preparation:

· Fry the javvarasi in ghee until golden brown.

· Add ½ of cup water and stir continuously.

· When javvarasi is cooked, add sugar and stir till it melts.

· Remove from fire.

· Add boiled milk and powdered cardamom.

· Mix well.

· Fry cashews in the remaining ghee and add to the payasam.

Serve hot or cold.

Hotel Style Sambar

2011-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sambar, sambhar, Sambaaru, or Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

Arhar dal / Toor dal (Thuvaram paruppu) - ½ cup
Green chili - 3
Sambar Onion or Small onion - 10 (or a big onion)
Vegetables like drumstick, potato, eggplant, carrot, radish, beans- 2 cups.
Tomato - 1
Tamarind - a betel nut size
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Asafetida / perungayam /Hing - 2 pinches
Jaggery - ½ tsp
Red chilies - 4
Black gram / uluntham paruppu /Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeerakam - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds / malli / dhania - 1½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) - ½ tsp
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Grated coconut - 4 tsp
Edible oil: for frying and tampering
Salt - to taste

For tampering:

Mixture of mustard seeds and husked black gram (Urad dal) - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig

Method of preparation:

Take a pressure cooker. Add the dal with 1½ cups of water. Cook for about 3 whistles. Wait for some time. Release the pressure and slightly smash the cooked dal.

Soak tamarind in a little water for about 15 minutes. Squeeze and obtain its extract.

Cut onion, tomato and vegetables. Slit the green chilies length-wise.

Heat a little oil in a pan. Add red chilies, dal, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, grated coconut and fry till it turns light brown. Make a fine smooth paste of the fried ingredients with little water.

Heat oil in a pan. Add green chilies and onion, fry till onion turns brown.
Add all the cut vegetables and fry for about 2 minutes. Add tomato, asafetida and turmeric powder. Fry for a minute. Pour enough water so as to fully immerse the vegetables. Cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked.
When the vegetables are cooked, add tamarind extract, jaggery, salt and the ground paste. Cover with a lid and bring to boil.

Add the cooked dal and required water. Remove from heat when samabar starts boiling.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and husked black gram. While spluttering, add curry leaves, remove from heat and add this with sambar.

Tastes good with idli, dosai, ooththappam / oothappam / uthappam, vadai, pattanam pakoda, bonda, pongal and cooked rice.

Naattu Kozhi Soup

2011-01-19T04:34:00.000-08:00

A delicious medicinal soup from a native breed of chicken, prepared in Venthanpatti, Thekkur, Nerkuppai, Muraiyur, Surakkudi, Kozhikudippatti, Maruthippatti, Muthuchamypatti, Kalappur, Navinippatti areas, that cures common cold, cough, and fever. It is also called ‘Nattu koli rasam’.

It is a type of South Indian Desi Chicken soup. Hen or cock also becomes chicken after the preparation.

Ingredients:

· Chicken pieces with bone: 1 lb

· Ginger and garlic mashed: 3 tsp

· Onion: ½ finely chopped

· Tomato: ½ finely chopped

· Grated coconut: 5 tsp

· Coriander powder: 1 tsp

· Cumin powder: 1 tsp

· Edible oil

· Fennel & mustard seeds for seasoning

· Black Pepper powder to taste

· Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

· Clean and wash chicken pieces and cut them into cubes. Cut the bones into halves.

· Heat 4 tsp of oil in a pan.

· Add onions along with fennel, mustard seeds, salt and Sautee for few minutes until golden brown.

· Add the rest of the ingredients listed above and sauté for about 3 minutes in medium heat, until the chicken and all the curry powders are mixed and blended well.

· Add 3 cups of hot water and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes in low heat.

Serve hot with rice or simply drink hot.

Pattanam Pakoda

2011-01-19T00:35:00.000-08:00

It is also called Patnam Pakora. It is a very tasty, crispy outside and soft inside snack.

Ingredients:

· Rice flour: 1Cup

· Bengal gram flour: 1 Cup

· Ghee: 6 tsp

· Cooking soda: a pinch

· Finely cut Onions: ¼ cup

· Finely cut curry leaves: little

· Finely cut cashew nuts: 1 Tbsp

· Green chilies: 2 (cut finely)

· Finely cut ginger: 1 tsp (optional)

· Red Chili Powder: ½ tsp.

· Edible oil: To deep fry

· Salt: to taste

Method of preparation:

· Rub ghee with a pinch of soda on a flat plate until frothy.

· Mix both the flours with that evenly.

· Add salt, chili powder and mix well.

· Mix finely cut onions, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cashew nuts with that.

· Sprinkle very little water until it holds. (Like bondas batter)

· Prepare balls and deep fry in hot oil until crisp.

Serve hot with chutney.

Kavuni Arisi

2011-01-17T06:57:00.000-08:00

It is a special dessert prepared in chettinad area.

Glutinous rice is popularly called kao hnyin in Myanmar (Burma).This kao hnyin has become kavuni in chettinad area of Tamilnadu. Arisi means rice. Glutinous rice is also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice. It is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked.

Ingredients:

· Kavuni Arisi (Glutinous rice): 1 cup

· Sugar: ½ cup

· Ghee-1 table spoon

· Grated coconut: 2 tablespoon

· Cardamom: 5

Method of preparation:

· Soak the rice in water for about 4 hours.

· Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook in medium flame for about 12 to 15 minutes. The idea for prolonged pressure cooking is to obtain soft cooked rice.

· Smash the hot, softly cooked rice with a ladle and drain out the excess water if any.

· Add sugar.

· Prepare cardamom Powder (using mixer- grinder) by adding some amount of sugar.

· Add this powder and ghee with the rice and mix well.

The sweet item ‘kavuni arisi’ is ready for serving.

Corn Dosa

2010-12-16T23:00:00.000-08:00

It is also called Manjal sola Dosai, Chola maavu thosai, Makki dosai, Makka Chola Dosai, etc.

Ingredients:

· Raw Rice: 1 cup

· Corn Kernels: 2 cups

· Green Chilies: 3 to 5

· Ginger piece: 1 inch

· Salt and Edible oil

Method:

· Wash the rice.

· Soak it for about five hours.

· Grind it to batter.

· Grind also the corn kernels with green chilies and ginger into a smooth paste.

· Mix the rice batter and corn paste.

· Add required salt and water and prepare dosa batter.

· Heat a pan.

· Apply oil (greasing).

· Pour a ladle of batter on the hot pan and spread evenly with the same ladle.

· Pour a little oil around if needed.

· Cook both the sides under medium flame.

Serve hot with any chutney.

Fried Idli

2010-12-16T22:29:00.000-08:00

It is also called Idli fry, Idly fry, or Fried idly. It is simply a yummy, crispy, delicious, crunchy and very tempting snack, which can be prepared easily and eaten at any time.

Ingredients:

Idli (fresh or leftover): 5
Chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Edible oil for deep frying

Method :

· Cut Idlies into required shapes (rectangle, diamond, square, etc.).

· Heat oil for deep frying.

· Deep fry the pieces.

· Remove from oil.

· Sprinkle Chili powder on them.

Serve hot with chutney, Sambar, Idli podi (Dosai podi), Ketchup, or anything you like.

Diwali Snacks - Vegetable Pakoda (Veg Pakora)

2010-10-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Vegetable Bajji or Pakkoda

Ingredients:

· Onion-2

· Greenchili-2

· Potato-1

· Carrot-1

· Curry leaves- a few

· Chickpea flour (Gram flour, Bengal gram flour, or Besan)

· Cumin seeds-a pinch

· Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

· Turmeric powder-a pinch

· Edible oil for deep frying

· Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

· Grate onion, potato, green chili, and carrot thin.

· Make a thick mixture of Chickpea flour and water.

· Add chili powder, salt turmeric and crushed cumin seeds (crushed).

· Stir well.

· Add the grated vegetables with curry leaves and stir.

· Heat oil in a thick pan for deep frying.

· Put a small portion of the mixture in hot oil in different surface areas (not together) in small quantities for deep frying until light brown. Remove from oil, and drain by placing on a tissue paper.

· Repeat deep frying till all the mixture is used.

· Serve hot with chutney, thuvaiyal, thokku, sambar, pickle, sauce, or ketchup.

Gram flour Barfi / Burfi for Deepavali

2010-10-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Diwali Sweet

Kadalai maavu Barfi

Besan ki Barfi

Chickpea Fudge

Ingredients:

· Bengal gram flour (Kadalai maavu / Besan): 1 kg

· Sugar: 1 kg

· Ghee: 1 kg

· Cardamom powder: one pinch

For garnishing:

· Dry fruits such as Pista (pistachio), Walnut (Akroot), Almond (Badam or baadaam), Cashew nut, etc.

Method of preparation:

· Fry gram flour in ghee on low flame till the ghee separates (The raw smell disappears at this point).

· Prepare syrup by dissolving sugar with 500 ml of water, boiling this to a consistency thick enough to coat a spoon.

· Mix both with some cardamom powder and stir well.

· Grease an inverted tray or plate and transfer the content evenly.

· Wait for a while for cooling and to become firm.

· Cut into pieces of required shapes.

· Garnish with broken small pieces of dry fruits.

The English name of Pista is Pistachio. Its kernels are generally eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and salted. It is used in many varieties of preparation such as ice cream, confections like baklava or biscotti, cold cuts like mortadella, pistachio pudding, cool whip, canned fruit, cottage cheese, marshmallows, etc.

Almond is called Vaadumai paruppu in Tamil. Cashew nut is Munthiri paruppu, Pistachio is Pistha.

Ragi Murukku

2010-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Deepavali Snack

Kezhvaragu murukku / Keppai maavu murukku

Ingredients:

· Ragi flour (Keppai maavu) - 1 cup

· Gram flour (kadalai maavu, Bengal gram flour, chickpea flour, garbanzo flour, chana dal flour, or besan) - 1 cup

· Rice flour (arisi maavu)- 1/4 cup

· Cumin seeds (seerakam, jeerakam, Jira, Jeera , Zira) - 1 tsp

· Pepper powder (milaku thool) – a little

· Chili powder (milakai podi) – a little

· Edible oil for deep frying

· Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

· Mix all the ingredients (except oil) in a bowl.

· Add water and knead to get dough.

· Heat oil in a pan.

· Fill the murukku mold (a machine for making murukku) with a part of the dough.

· Press the dough in the machine so as to be squeezed over the hot oil.

· While getting fried, we can see air bubbles emerge out from oil.

· When the bubbles stop coming out of murukku being fried, remove from oil and collect them oil free on an oil absorbing paper.

Preserve in an airtight container and enjoy eating this delicious crispy snack everyday.

Deepavali Wheat Halwa

2010-10-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

Diwali Sweet

Godhumai Halwa / Godumai Hulva

Ingredients:

Wheat: 1 cup
Sugar: 2 cups
Cardamom: 4 (Make this into powder)
Ghee: 4 tablespoons
Saffron as a colour: 1 pinch
A mixture of dry fruits: 1/2 cup

Method of preparation:

Wash and soak wheat for about ten hours.

Add a cup of water and grind.

Strain with the help of a sieve and obtain wheat milk.

Grind the residue again with a cup of water and strain.

You will get thin wheat milk now.

Pour both the thick and thin milk into a thick, round bottomed pan (wok) called iruppuchchatti in Tamil or kadai in Hindi.

Add sugar and cook on a low flame with constant stirring.

The halwa (Halva / hulva / hulwa) will form now.

Add ghee when halwa appears to be thick.

Mix cardamom powder and saffron.

Keep cooking.

Take a small amount and test weather you can make a small ball with your fingers.

If yes, stop cooking.

Chop the dry fruits such as cashew nut, almond (badam), pista, akroot, etc, and fry in ghee.

Mix these dry fruits with hulwa.

Spread on a greased plate.

Let it cool.

Cut into pieces.

Tea varieties

2010-10-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Green tea:

It is made from unfermented tea leaves which are dried immediately after picking. This prevents oxidation, leaving the chemical properties of the tea intact.

White tea:

This tea is also unfermented like green tea. It is not steam dried. This type of tea is dried in the sun.

Black tea:

It consists of tea leaves that have been rolled and then fully dried and fermented, giving them a very dark color. This type is more popular in the west than in Asia and is often used in cooking dishes.

Oolong tea:

It is made from larger tea leaves which are partially fermented so that full oxidation doesn't take place. After drying in the sun, the leaves are heated to stop the oxidation process which gives them a greenish-black color. Flavors can vary since fermentation can be stopped at any point.

Scented tea:

Scented teas are made by taking any one of the base tea, black, green, or oolong, and adding petals of flowers or blossoms, herbs, or sliced fruit or fruit peel during the fermentation process.

Jasmine tea, Chrysanthemum tea and Earl Grey tea are popular.

Tea with the flavours of lemon, chocolate mint, caramel, etc. are also sold.

One can find many different varieties of tea in

India

Some are:

Kala chai, dooth ka chai, good ka chai / goor kachai, lemon tea, masala tea / masala chai, kadunj chai, vara tea, tea in kullad / kullar (kullad waali chai, the tea served in earthen cups), dabara set tea, tea with more sugar, tea with less sugar, tea without sugar, and so on. In Calcutta (Kolkatha), you will find salted tea. In Ayurveda one can find herbal tea without any tea leaves. Generally in

India

, tea time means break time. I’m planning to produce a Tamil film shortly with the name”Vaanga tea saappidalaam”.

Ponnamaravathi Dhanalakshmi Puli Thuvaiyal

2010-10-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

It’s a very simple, easy to prepare, old generation, Tamil home chutney, which doesn’t require much time or any fire. Taking even a small pinch of this gives much result to consume a large amount of food. It is better to grind this thuvaiyal by using an ammikkal (ammi – kuzhavi combination), a manual grinding stone to obtain a smooth paste.

Method of preparation:

Grind smooth qty 4 red chilies
Add lemon sized tamarind and grind smooth
Add a few curry leaves and grind
Add a pinch of salt and grind
Remove from Aattukkallu (Ammikkallu or simply ammi).

Grind all together if you use a mixer-grinder.

This thuvaiyal can be had with any food like rice, chapatti, puri (poori), pongal, purotta (parantha). It enhances the intake of food item.

Pazhaiya soru / pazhang kanji / palaiya sadam / pahala bath, keppai kanji, kambang kanji, varagang kanji etc were being eaten with this amma thuvaiyal or mamiyar thuvaiyal satisfactorily in the recent past.

Thirumathi N. Dhanalakshmi, an old lady, aged about 72 is the wife of 82 years old Thiru M. Natarajan Achari, a famous and reputed tinsmith of Pudupatti (PON. Puduppatti, Ponnamaravathi / Ponnamaravathy, Pudukkottai district of Tamilnadu, India) .His workmanship is always highly appreciated. At present this very old couple could not work hard and live in this world with struggle due to their old age problems.

Cashew Fried Rice

2010-10-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Cooked Basmati Rice : 2 cups
Cashews roasted in ghee and split: 10
Spring onions (scallion, salad onion, onion sticks, green shallots or green onion): 2 strings (finely chopped)
Green chili: 1 (finely chopped)
Ghee/Edible oil: 2 tsp
Cinnamon: 1 stick
Cloves: 1
Bay leaves: 2
Crushed Black pepper: 2 tsp

Salt: to taste

Method of preparation:

Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan, wok, iruppuch chatti,or kadai.

Splutter cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves.

Add spring onions, green chili

Sauté for about two minutes.
Add the cashews and the cooked rice, required salt, pepper and mix well.

Serve hot with or without any desired gravy, curry, raitha, or kuzhambu.

(While purchasing spring onions, look for a bunch with crisp, green, firm leaves, and crisp, hard bulbs.)

Paruppu urundai kuzhambu

2010-10-05T01:51:00.000-07:00

Paruppu urundai kulampoo

Gravy of balls of lentil (Red Gram / Pigeon pea)

Ingredients:

Arhar dal (Thuvaram paruppu / Toor Dal): 1 cup
Onion- 1 small, minced
Asafetida (Perungayam / Hing): 1/4 tsp
Red chilies: 4
Tamarind: About the size of a lemon.
Grated coconut: 1/4 cup
Sambar powder- 1 heaped tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: a few
Edible oil – as required
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Soak the dal for more than an hour.
Chop the onion into very small pieces.
Prepare two cups of tamarind extract by squeezing the tamarind in water and filter it.
Grind the coconut turnings into a paste.
Boil tamarind extract with turmeric and salt in a heavy-bottomed pan.
Add asafetida, sambar powder (sambhar podi) and coconut paste.
Boil this under low flame condition.
Grind the soaked arhar dal with red chilies, asafetida, and salt, without adding water.
Add and mix minced onions.
Make lemon-sized balls with it.
Add these balls one by one, slowly, into the boiling sauce.
Wait till the balls (Paruppu urundaikal) get cooked in the gravy (Kuzhambu).
Temper mustard seeds in edible oil, add curry leaves and transfer to the boiling kuzhambu.
Remove from flame and serve hot.

Suitable to enjoy with rice, biriyani, kushka, idli, dosai, oothappam, rava dosa, pani puri, purotta, parantha, roti, chappati, poori, puri, upma, uppuma, pongal, bread, cake, or anything.

This tasty gravy is commonly prepared in places like Tirumayam, Nattarasan kottai, Arangal, Vadakadu, Konnaiyur, Koppanapatti, Thachampatti, Mallangudi, Peraiyur, Tiruppattur, Veguppatti, Pulankurichi, Sevvur, Ulagampatti, Urathuppatti, Moolangudi, Mallangudi, Peraiyur, Thachchankadu, Thenimalai, Kumaramalai, Manapparai, Usilampatti, Bank colony, Officers' town, Mudakkathan, Sellur, Iyer Bungalow, Narayanapuram, Nerkuppai, Mahibalanpatti, Ponnamaravathi, Venthanpatti, Melai sivapuri, paganeri, pudukkottai, puduppatti, sambanthar alankulam, devakottai, madurai, trichi, and Kanadukathan.

You can also prepare this delicious kulambu and enjoy.

One day, my sister invited me for a lunch at puduvalavu, PON.Puduppatti of Pudukkottai district, Tamilnadu. I was served with Paruppu urundai kulampoo. I pressed one urundai (ball). It slipped from my grip and started spinning like a top (Pambaram). I can’t forget that funny incidence till now.

Thattai

2010-09-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Thattai is a flat disc shaped attractively delicious and crispy snack, liked by all. It is also called Ellu vadai, Elladai, Thattu vadai, Thattachchu, or thattachu.

Ingredients:

Rice flour (Arisi maavu) -2 Cup

Fried gram flour (Chutney dal flour / Pottukkadalai flour / Odachakadalai flour) -1/2 Cup

Fried Gram -2 tsp

Red chili powder -1 tsp

Asafetida (Perungayam / Hing) -1/4 tsp

Sesame seed (Gingelly seed / Ellu / Til)-2 tsp

Curry Leaves (Kariveppilai / karipaththaa) – a few

Butter -1 tsp

Edible oil -For frying

Salt -To taste

Method of preparation:

Put all the ingredients except oil in a pan, sprinkle water and mix well.

Make thick dough.

Make small balls out of the dough.

Flatten the balls one by one on an oily plastic paper with your oily fingers.

Heat edible oil in a thick and heavy bottomed pan.

Transfer a flattened ball (Disc / Uncooked Thattai) from the paper to your palm and then slowly slide it into hot oil.

Similarly repeat this for all thattais.

Turn the floating thattais upside down so as to be cooked evenly brown.

Remove them from oil, put them on a paper kept in a basket, let them cool and store them in an air tight container.

Serve on any occasion, any season with or without tea, coffee or meal.

Quick Onion Pakoda

2010-08-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Onion Fritter, Vengaaya Bajji, Pyaaz pakora, piyaz pakoras, vengaya pakkoda

Ingredients:

Onions: 2

Rice flour: 2 tbsp

Corn flour (chola maavu): 1tsp

Gram flour (kadalai maavu, chickpea flour, garbanzo flour, or besan): 1tsp

Chili powder: 1tsp

Curry leaves: a few

Edible oil for deep frying

Salt to taste

(Use 2 tsp of gram flour if not using corn flour)

Method of preparation:

Slice the onions thin.

Take a bowl, mix onions and salt.

After sometime add chili powder and curry leaves.

Mix well.

Add gram flour, corn flour and rice flour and mix them well without adding water. (If water is added a little, we get non-crispy pakoda)

Heat the edible oil in a pan, wok, iruppuch chatti, vaanali or kadai.

Sprinkle the prepared mixture over hot oil.

Fry till they become brown.

Serve this delicious and crispy Onion Pakoda hot with or without chutney (Thuvaiyal).

Potato Podimas

2010-06-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

It is also known as urulai kizhangu varuval / urulaik kilangu podimaas / potato fry.

Ingredients:

Potatoes (Urulaikizhangu / aloo / aaloo): 2
Onion (Vengayam / biyaaj): 1
Ginger (Inji / adarak): A small piece.
Curry leaves (Kariveppilai / karipatha): 5
Edible oil: 2 tsp
Mustard (kadugu / Rai): 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Asafetida (Perungaayam / Hing): a pinch of its powder
Turmeric powder (Manjal podi / Haldi): 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Boil the potatoes. Peel them. Mash them into small pieces.

Finely chop the onions.
Finely chop the ginger.
Heat oil in a non-stick wok / kadai / iruppu chatti
Add mustard.
When mustard splutters, add curry leaves, asafetida, turmeric powder and ginger.
Add onion, salt and sauté for a few minutes.
When onion turns slightly brown, add the potatoes and allow it to roast on a low flame.
Turn the contents with care to have even cooking of the contents.

Tastes good with all rice preparations, chapatti, roti, parotta, puri, adai, vadai, bajji, bonda, pakoda, biriyani, Pulav, etc.

Broken Wheat Upma (Godhumai kurunai Uppuma)

2010-06-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Broken Wheat (Dhalia / Godhumai ravai / Godumai rava): 1 Cup
Tomato: 1
Green chilies: 4
Curry leaves: A few
Black gram (Uluntham Paruppu / Urad dal): 1 1/2 tsp
Mustard (Kaduku / Rai): 1 tsp
Asafetida (Perungaayam / Hing): A pinch
Salt as required
Oil
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method of preparation:

Take a Wok (A metal pan having a rounded bottom, used especially for frying and steaming in Asian cooking.) (kadai (Iruppuch chatti / Vaanali) with a little oil and season with mustard, Black Gram and Asafetida.
When the mustard splutters, add chopped green chilies, curry leaves and chopped tomatoes.
Stir fry the tomatoes.
Add broken wheat and roast with the seasonings.
Add salt and 2 cups of hot water over the roasted and fried broken wheat.
Close the lid.
Let it get cooked.
Open the lid.
With a spatula, stir the Uppuma.
Mix for 5 minutes by adding a few dollops of ghee.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with pickle or chutney.

Egg curry

2010-06-10T03:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Eggs: 5
Oil: 2 tbsp
Onion: 1
Tomatoes: 3
Green chilies: 2
Ginger root (grated): 1 inch
Cumin seed: 1 tsp
Bay leaf: 1
Cumin powder: 1tsp
Garam masala: 1tsp
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnishing.

Method of preparation:

Hard boil the eggs.
Grind onions, tomatoes and ginger to fine paste.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add the cumin and bay leaf.
When the cumin stops spluttering add the slit green chilies.
Add onion/tomato paste.
Roast to a light brown color till the paste thicken and leaves oil.
Add garam masala, jeera/cumin powder, salt, red chili powder and turmeric.
Stir well and let it cook on medium flame for about five minutes.
Peal the hardboiled eggs, cut them and add them with the gravy.
Reduce flame till the gravy thickens and coats all the eggs.
Garnish with cilantro.

Banana Shake

2010-04-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

It is an easy to prepare delicious beverage suitable to enjoy during summer.

Ingredients:

Ripe Banana: 1
Milk: 1 ½ tumblers /glasses
Ice cream: 3 scoops
Almonds: 5
Cashew nuts: 5
Sugar: as required

Method of preparation:

Peel and slice the banana.
Chill the milk.
Crush the almonds.
Crush the cashew nuts.
Blend all the ingredients except almonds and cashew nuts until smooth.
Pour into glasses and garnish with almonds and cashew nuts.
Serve chilled.

Seeyam

2010-04-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

Seeyam is a famous and delicious Chettinadu variety of easy to prepare sweet dish.

Ingredients:

Split green gram (pasipparuppu / moong dal wash): 1/2 cup (cooked)
All purpose flour (maida): 1/4 cup
Cashew nut (broken into small pieces) / munthiri / mundhiri / mundiri / gaaju: 3 tsp
Coconut (thengai / narial / nariyal): 1
Brown sugar (jaggery / vellam / gur / gud): as required
Sugar (seeni / cheeni / seemai sarkarai): 2tsp
Cardamoms (elakkai / elaichi): a few
Ghee: 3 tsp
Oil for frying

Method of preparation:

Coarsely dry grind the split green gram.
Grate the coconut and roast in ghee till light brown.
Add jaggery and fry.
Add the pieces of cashew nut.
Add cardamom.
Remove from flame.
Add half quantity of cooked split green gram.
Mix well.
Make small balls.
To make batter, mix sugar, maida, remaining cooked split green gram and water.
Dip the already prepared balls into the batter.
Heat oil and deep fry the balls till golden brown.
Serve hot or cold.

Badam kheer

2010-04-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Almond (Badam / vadhumai): 1/2 cup
Milk: 2 cups
Sugar: 3 tbsp
Cardamoms (yelaichi / yelakkai): 5
Saffron (Kesar / kungumappoo): a pinch

Method of preparation:

Mix saffron in warm milk.
Crush the cardamoms.
Boil 500 ml of water in a sauce pan.
Add the almonds and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove from flame and drain.
Remove the skin of the almonds and grind to a fine paste.
Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan.
Add the almond paste and sugar.
Cook for 5 minutes under low flame with constant stirring.
Remove from flame.
Add the saffron in milk and the crushed cardamoms.
Allow to cool.
Serve chilled.

Tamarind rice (Puliodarai)

2010-03-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

This delicious rice variety is also called Pulihora, puliyogare or Puliogare. Tamarind extract or tamarind sauce is mixed with cooked rice for the easy preparation of this special variety. It can be taken as a picnic, packed food while on travel, or at work.
It is also eaten as a snack. It is also prepared during special occasions.

Method of preparation:

Soak a lemon size ball of tamarind in four cups of water till the tamarind softens.
With the help of your fingers, prepare tamarind extract by crushing, squeezing, separating the seeds if any and filtering. (Tamarind extract is also called tamarind sauce, pulikkaichal, pulikkaichchal, or pulikkaraisal.
Dry roast 1 tsp of fenugreek (venthayam / vendhayam / vendayam / methi).
Fry two red chilies in a little edible oil. Powder this fenugreek and red chilies with ½ tsp of salt.
Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of edible oil.
Add 1 tsp of mustard (rai / kaduku), a pinch of asafetida (hing / perungayam), 1 tbsp of Bengal gram (chana dal / kadalaipparuppu) and 1 tbsp of black gram (urad dal / uluntham paruppu).
Fry for about a minute and add 2 tbsp of peanuts (ground nuts / nilakkadalai / verkadalai / manila kottai / mallaattai / kadalai paruppu / moong phali).
When the peanuts start browning, add the tamarind sauce, the chili-fenugreek powder, about ½ tsp of turmeric powder and check seasoning.
Add more salt if needed.
Let the tamarind sauce be reduced to thick consistency under low flame.
(This can be preserved airtight for long time and can be used as and when required.)

The mixing:

Heat 1 tsp of edible oil and crackle1 tsp of mustard in it.
Add 1 sprig of curry leaves and 1 tbsp of peanuts.
Fry until the peanuts turn brown.Transfer this on 2 cups of cooked rice.
Add required amount of tamarind sauce (about 3 tbsp).
Mix thoroughly.
Tamarind rice is ready.

Serve hot or cold.

Pudur pudupatti Poli

2010-03-14T05:33:00.000-07:00

Poli or poly is a very delicious sweet dish liked by all. It’s nice to take it during tea time.

Ingredients:

Coconut: 1
Jaggery: 300gm
Bengal gram: 200 gm
Cardamom: 5
All purpose flour (Maida): 300 gm
Ghee: 100 gm
Rice flour: 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

Grate the coconut.

Soak Bengal gram in water and cook it partially.

Drain the water from half cooked Bengal gram.

Grind it with jaggery, grated coconut and cardamom. Add rice flour.

Heat the ghee in a frying pan.

Add the ground item and stir well.

Remove from flame.

Prepare dough with all purpose flour.

Make small balls of the dough and press evenly so as to obtain round chappati like soft discs.

Sandwich with the ground paste (the paste is spread in between two soft, round chappaties and sealed by closing the ends properly).

Cook under low flame on a flat pan by adding a little ghee around it.

Muyal varuval or Rabbit fry

2010-03-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

It’s a very delicious non vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

Rabbit meat: 500 gram (cut into small pieces)
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Black pepper powder: 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste: 2 tbsp
Salt: As required
Curry leaves: A few leaves
Edible oil for frying

Method of Preparation:

Marinate the pieces of rabbit meat with all the above ingredients except curry leaves for about half an hour.

Fry the marinated rabbit meat pieces in oil.

Garnish with the sautéed curry leaves.

Serve hot with anything like cooked rice, chapatti, parantha, purotta, bread, idli, dosai (dosa), vadai (vada), puri (poori), samosa, biriyani, kushka. Also taken with drinks.

Egg bonda or Muttai bonda

2010-03-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

It is a very easy to prepare side dish cum snack. Required number of eggs depends upon how many bondas you need.

Ingredients:

Eggs: As required
Bengal gram flour (Besan / Kadalai mavu)
Chili powder
Salt
Edible oil for deep frying

Method of Preparation:

Hard boil the eggs, remove the shell from each egg and cut each egg into two.
Make a batter with gram flour, chili powder, salt and water.
Heat edible oil in a sauce pot / wok (kadhai / kadai / Iruppuchchatti.
Dip the egg in the batter and deep fry in oil till golden brown.
Serve hot with or without chutney / thuvaiyal / pickle / podi / thokku.

Any edible flour can be made into a batter, into which a variety of bondas, bajjis, pakodas / pakoras, tempuras, hush puppies, bhajias, kakiage, beignets, fritters etc. can be deep fried. This may be experimented in the leisure time using small quantity. Different flours will make different bondas with different flavours (flavors) and textures.

Egg curry / Muttai kuzhampu

2010-02-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

It is a delicious gravy, served with rice, puri, chappati, purotta, etc.

Prepared well in Tiruppattur, Piranmalai, singampunari, Melur, Kalaiyar kovil, Kallal areas.

Ingredients:

Egg: 4 to 6
Small onion: 200gm
Ginger: A small piece
Garlic: 4 to 5
Tomato: 1
Mustard (kaduku/rai) + husked black gram (uluntham paruppu/Urad dal): 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: a few
Chili powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
Chicken masala: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Edible oil: as required
Salt: as required

Method of preparation:

Boil the eggs.
Slightly make a long narrow cut on each hard boiled egg.
Remove the shells.
Peel and coarse grind small onions.
Grind ginger and garlic to make paste.
Cut tomatoes into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add mustard and black gram. Let them splutter.
Add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and fry for a while.
Add onions and fry till light brown.
Add tomatoes and fry till soft.
Add chili powder, coriander powder, chicken masala and turmeric powder and fry till the raw smell goes off.
Add salt and required water.
Add the eggs.
Allow for boiling and remove from flame.
Serve hot.

Onion Rava Dosa

2010-01-24T02:09:00.000-08:00

It is a delicious, crispy, easy to prepare, thin pancake called Vengaya ravai thosai in Tamil.
Ravai, rava, rawa, ravva, sooji, ravey or ravam is made from wheat. It is called semolina in English. Husk removed wheat is grinned to form rava. Wheat is ground in a flour mill. Then it is passed through a fine mesh. Finally the flour and rava are separated.

Ingredients:

Roasted semolina: 1/2 cup
Rice flour: 1/2 cup
Maida: ¼ cup (optional)
Salt to taste

For seasoning:
Finely chopped onion: 2 tbsp
Chopped green chili: 3 or 4 as desired
Mustard(kaduku /rai)
Cumin (jeera / jeeragam)
Curry leaves (karipatha / karuveppilai)
Coriander leaves (dhania patha / kothamalli ilai)
Edible oil: I tbsp

Method of preparation:

Mix rava, rice flour, maida, salt and water to make a thin batter.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add cumin seed, curry leaves, green chili, and onion one after the other.
Sauté thoroughly.
Add to the batter.
Heat griddle / tawa / dosaikkal.
Spray about ½ tsp of oil.
Stir the batter and pour a ladleful (ladle is karandi) of it on the hot griddle.
Tilt the griddle to make the batter flow around.
Cook on medium flame till crisp on one side.
Turn the thin pancake upside down with the help of a flat turning device called dosa spatula or dosai karandi.
Both the sides will become crisp and brown.
Remove from griddle.
Repeat for making similar onion dosas from the remaining batter.

Serve hot with chutney, sambar, kuruma / kurma, thuvaiyal and / or potato masala.

Chettinadu pepper chicken

2010-01-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

It is a special type of tasty chicken curry. It is also called Chetti nattu milaku kozhi varuval. It helps reducing the common cold. It is Prepared nicely with wonderful taste of slight variation in areas like karaikkudi, Nerkuppai, Tiruppattur, Tirumayam, Pulankurichi, Sevvur, Rangiyam etc.
Ingredients:

Chicken: 1/2 kg
Bellary onion (Periya vengayam): 2
Tomato (Thakkali): 2
Ginger garlic paste (Inji poondu vizhuthu): 2 teaspoons
Chili powder (Vara milakai thool / Lal mirchi) : 1 table spoon
Turmeric powder (Manjal podi): 1tea spoon
Coriander powder (Malli podi/ Dhania thool): 1 table spoon
Black pepper( Milaku / Kali mirchi / Kala mirch): 2 table spoons
Lemon juice (elumichchai saaru / Yelumicham palam chaaru): 1 table spoon
Oil and salt: as required

For seasoning:

Cinnamon stick (Pattai / Dal chini): 3
Cardamom (Elakkai / Yelakkai / elaichi): 3
Cloves (Lavangam/Kirambu): 3
Bay leaves (Punnai ilai /Tej Patha / Tej petta /Tejpatta / Karuvaela / Masala Aku /Biryani aaku): a little
Fennel (Perunjeeragam / sonf): 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves (Kariveppilai / Kari patha): a little

Method of preparation:

Mince nicely the onions.
Cut tomatoes into very small pieces.
Crush the black peppers.
Cut chicken into pieces.
Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes with a little salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and 1tsp of ginger garlic paste.
Heat 2 table spoon of edible oil in a sauce pot / wok (kadhai / kadai / Iruppuchchatti).
Add Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Bay leaves, Fennel, Curry leaves one after the other.
Add onion and sauté till oil separates.
Add ginger garlic paste.
Add turmeric powder.
Stir well.
Add tomatoes and stir.
Add coriander powder and stir.
What we got now is the ‘masala’.
Add about ¼ cup of water with this masala.
Close the wok.
Reduce the flame.
After about five minutes, oil can be seen on top of the masala.
Now add the marinated chicken.
Sauté for some time so as to allow water comes out from the chicken.
Add required salt.
Close the saucepot / wok and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Add pepper and mix.
Remove from flame.
Add lemon juice.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with great love and affection.

Coconut milk kuruma / Thengai paal kuruma: Sivagangai style

2010-01-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

Coconut milk kuruma / Thengai paal kuruma / kurma / kurmaa / korma / kormaa / khorma / khormaa is a very delicious easy to prepare side dish, taken with idli / idly, dosai / dosa, chapati / chapatti / chappaathi, purotta / parantha / barotta / poori / puri or any other suitable food.

Ingredients:

Coconut milk: 2cups
Potato: 2
Small onion / Sambar onions / Sambhar onions / Shallots / Baby Onions / chinna vengaayam): 10
Carrot (gajar /gajjar): 2
Tomato (thakkali / tamatar): 2
Coconut turnings (Shredded Coconut / Tenkai thuruval): 2 tsp
Roasted gram (Buna channa / Chutney dhal / pottuk katalai / pori kadalai): ¼ cup
Cashew nut (munthiri paruppu / mundhiri paruppu / kaju / khaju): 10
Green chilies (Hari mirch, pachchai milagai) : 2
Poppy Seeds (khuskhus, kasakasa): 1 tsp
Cinnamon (dalchini / lavanga pattai): a little
Cloves (lavang / kirambu): a little
Aniseed (saunf / sombu): a little
Edible oil: For frying
Salt: as required

Method of preparation:

Boil potatoes, remove skin and cut into small pieces.
Remove skin of small onions.
Cut carrots and tomatoes into small pieces.
Grind smooth shredded coconut, roasted gram, cashew nuts, green chilies and poppy seeds.
Heat edible oil in a sauce pot (kadhai / Iruppuchchatti) and fry cinnamon, cloves and aniseed.
Add and sauté the onions.
Add potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, salt and sauté well.
Add the well grinded paste of shredded coconut, roasted gram, cashew nuts, green chilies and poppy seeds.
Add ¼ cup of water and bring to boil.
At last add coconut milk and remove from flame just after boiling.

Serve with great pleasure.

Banana Halwa (Vazhaip pazha Halva / Vaalai Halwa / Waalai Hulva)

2009-12-25T00:50:00.000-08:00

It is a very delicious, energetic, and easy to prepare dessert.

Ingredients:

Ripe banana: 4
Jathikkai / Jaiphal (Nutmeg): 4
Cardamom (elakkai / elaichi): 2
Ghee (clarified butter): 1 tablespoon
Sugar: 1 cup

Method of preparation:

Peel and mash the banana.
Make powder from nutmeg and cardamom.
Make powder from sugar.
Heat ghee in a heavy pan.
Add bananas and cook under low flame with constant stirring for about ten minutes.
Add more ghee if it starts sticking.
Add sugar and stir till dissolving.
Add nutmeg and cardamom and remove from flame.
Spread evenly on a plate.
Cut into pieces after cooling.
Serve with a smile.

Aval payasam

2009-12-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

It is an easy to prepare, easy to digest, delicious dessert.

It is also called Awal paayaasam, rice flake pudding, pressed rice pudding or beaten rice pudding.

Aval is also called attukulu, atukulu, avval, avvalaki, avalakki , poha or rice flake.

Payasam is also called payas.

Ingredients:

Rice flakes: ¼ cup
Milk – 2 cups
Sugar: ¾ cup
Cashew nuts: 5 to 10
Raisin (Kismis / ular drakshai): 5 to 10
Almond (Badam): 4 to 6 (optional)
Pista: 4 to 6 (optional)
Cardamom powder: A pinch
Ghee (nei / clarified butter): for frying
Saffron: A few strands (optional)

Method of preparation:

Fry badam, pista, kismis and cashew nuts in ghee.
Break them into small pieces.
Boil milk under low flame.
Roast a little the rice flakes (with a very little ghee) till golden brown.
Add the rice flakes with boiling milk and stir.
Add sugar and stir. Add pista, badam, kismis, cashew nuts and cardamom powder.
Remove from heat.
Garnish with saffron.

Serve hot or cold with great pleasure.

Valaikkai Bajji / Plantain bajji

2009-11-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

It is a very tasty snack, prepared from unripe banana fruit called plantain, liked by everyone at all time. It is also called vazhaikkai bajji. Kela ka pakora and kele ka pakoda are the names in Hindi.

Ingredients:

Gram flour: 1 cup
Rice flour: 1/4 cup
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Cooking soda: 1 Pinch
Plantain (Raw banana): 1 or 2 according to size
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Make a thick batter of gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and cooking soda.
Peel the skin of raw bananas with the help of a knife and make thin slices lengthwise.
Dip the slices one by one in the gram flour batter and deep fry them in hot oil till the appearance of brown color.
Serve hot with or without chutney, pickle or thokku.

Black pepper Kuzhampu

2009-10-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

It is a very delicious and tasty sambar like liquid preparation, taken and enjoyed with rice, puri, chappathi, bread, paratha, idli, dosai, oothappam, etc.

Cut 200 gm sambar onion (small onion) and a tomato.
Dissolve lemon sized tamarind in water.
Fry one tsp each of black pepper (kali mirch / milagu), cumin seed (jeera- jeeragam), black gram (uluttham paruppu /urad dal), Bengal gram (kadalai paruppu / channa dal), ¼ tsp of fenugreek (methi / vendhayam), a piece of dry ginger (sukku / shoont) and 4 red chilies. Garlic (lasoon / poondu) can be added with this as optional.
Add a little water and grind well into paste.
Heat a pan and fry in oil the seasonings consist of mustard (kaduku / rai), black gram, fenugreek and cumin seed.
Add onion, tomato, tamarind extract, salt, the well grinded paste and curry leaves.
Add some water if required.
Remove from flame after boiling.

Tasty tomato pickle

2009-08-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

This is a very delicious and tasty pickle, suitable to enjoy with purotta, paratha, parantha, puri, chappati, chappathi, idli / idly, dosai / dosa, curd rice, biriyani / briyani.
It is called ‘Suvaiyana thakkali oorukai’ in Tamil.

Ingredients:

Tomato: 1 Kg
Garlic: 150 gm
Turmeric powder: As required
Chili powder: As required
Fenugreek powder (Methi): 1 tbsp
Asafetida (Hing): a little
Gingelly oil (sesame oil / edible oil / til ka tel): for sauté
Mustard (Sarson / Rai): for sauté
Salt: As required

Method of preparation:

Wash tomatoes and dry them.
Remove skin from garlic.
Grind them together in a mixer.
Add salt and mix.
Pour this on a wide plate and keep under hot direct sunlight so as to get it dry like jam.
Heat and stir this in a sauce pan (Kadhai).
After some time add turmeric powder, chili powder, fenugreek powder (methi powder) and asafetida (hing).
Stir and turn the stove off.
Use another sauce pan for sauté and mix well.

To view this recipe both in English and in Tamil, Visit

http://dailycookingtips.blogspot.com/2009/08/tasty-tomato-pickle.html

Godhumai Mavu Halwa

2009-07-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

It is also called Wheat Halwa / Wheat Flour Halva, Atta ki hulva, a very tasty and delicious sweet dish.

It is an easy to prepare dessert. It can be had at any time.

Wheat flour is called Godhumai mavu / Gothumai maavu / Godumai mavu in Tamil language.

It is also called Atta in Hindi.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour: 1 cup
Sugar: ¾ cup
Ghee: 3 tbsp
Cardamom powder (yelakkai podi): 1 tsp
Roasted Almond or peanut / ground nut: 20
Fried Raisins (Poriththa kismis): 20

Saffron / Kesari powder / food color: A pinch (optional)

Method of preparation:

Heat ghee.
Add the wheat flour.
Roast till pleasant aroma with a change in color.
Add 3 cups of boiling water.
Stir well avoiding formation of lumps.
Add cardamom powder, color and sugar.
Continue stirring to get thick halwa.
Some more ghee may be added according to your choice.
Garnish with roasted nuts and fried raisins.

Red Chili Chutney / Varamilagai Thuvaiyal

2009-06-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

It is an easy to prepare Tamil home recipe, also called Milakai / Chilli / Lal mirchi / Lal mirch / tuvaial / thohaiyal / thovaiyal / thovial / thovaial.

Ingredients:

Red chili (Varamilakai): 7
Tomato (Thakkali): 2
Onion (Vengayam): 1
Tamarind (Puli / imli): A little (A small lemon sized ball)
Curry leaves (Karuveppilai / kari veppilai / kari patha): About 10
Mustard (Kadugu / Rai / Sarson): ½ tsp
Black gram (Uluntham paruppu / uluththam paruppu / Urad dhal / dal): ¼ tsp
Split chick peas (kadalai paruppu / Channa dal): 1 tsp
Oil for frying: 1 table spoon
Salt: As required

Method of preparation:

Cut the onion.
Cut the tomatoes.
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok (iruppu chatti / tawa).
Add split chick peas, curry leaves and red chilies.
Wait for spluttering and add onion.
Sauté well.
Add the tomatoes.
Continue sauté for a while.
Add the tamarind ball and stir.
Remove from flame.
After cooling, finely grind all the ingredients with salt.
Heat again 2 tsp of oil in a wok.
Add mustard followed by black gram.
Allow to splutter.
Mix this with the chutney and transfer to a serving dish.

Tastes good with hot idli / idly, dosai / dosa, Puri, purotta / barotta / parantha, vellai paniyaram, kulipaniyaram, etc.

Wheat Laddoo (Godhumai mavurundai / Atta laddu)

2009-06-07T01:18:00.000-07:00

It is an easy to prepare energetic dessert. It is enjoyable to have during tea time along with snacks. It is also called kodhumai maavu urundai.

Method of preparation:

Roast 250 grams of wheat flour (Atta / Godhumai mavu).
Mix 200 grams of grated jaggery (Gud / Vellam) with the roasted flour.
Add 30 grams of ghee (clarified butter / makkan / vennai).
Mix well.
With the help of your palm, prepare ball shaped laddus of your preferred size.
Serve with or without snacks and tea or coffee.

Vellai Paniyaram

2009-04-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

It is a very popular, tasty, easy to prepare Chettinadu dish, white in colour and soft to touch.
Vendanpatti, Veguppatti, Velangudi, Vairavankoil and Pillaiyarpatti special.

Method of preparation

Wash and soak 1 cup of raw rice ( Pachcharisi / Kachcha Chawal) and 1/6 cup of Black gram (Uluntham paruppu / Urad dal) in water for about an hour.
Drain the water.
Finely grind to obtain batter.
Add water little by little while grinding to get Dosai batter consistency.
Add salt as per requirement at the last stage of grinding.
Transfer the batter to a vessel.
Heat three cups of oil in a deep pan (Iruppu chatti / Wok / Tawa)
Pour the batter in the hot oil using a ladle (Soup Spoon).
The batter will become flat and float on the oil.
Turn to the other side so as to be cooked well equally on both the side.
Remove this Vellai Paniyaram from the pan, drain the oil and keep it on a plate.
Continue making Vellai Paniyarams and add them to plate.
Serve hot with tomato chutney (Thakkali thuvaiyal).

Kalkandu Vadai

2009-03-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

It is a delicious Chettinadu sweet, karkandu vada, tastes good hot or cold.

Ingredients (for Qty 20):

Raw rice (colam rice / pachcharisi / kachcha chawal): ¼ cup
Husked black gram (Urad dal / Uluntham paruppu): 1 cup
Sugar candy (Kalkandu): 1 cup Sugar: 1 ¼ cup
Oil for deep frying: 3 cups
(If sugar candy is not available, 1 ¼ cup sugar can be used)

Method:

Wash and soak the raw rice and black gram together in water for an hour.
Drain the water well.
Grind this using a grinder by adding sugar gradually, without adding water for about 20 minutes.
Transfer the batter to a vessel.
Turn upside down a small flat bottomed vessel, wet with a little water and place a plastic sheet on top of it.
Wet your palms with water.
Take a small scoop of batter.
Keep it on the plastic sheet and gently flatten it.
Make a hole in the centre.
Carefully remove from the plastic sheet and deep fry in oil under medium flame.
When both sides turn golden brown, drain the oil well and keep it on a plate.
Serve hot or cold.

Tip: In the U.S., one cup (8 fluid ounces) is equal to 237 milliliters, In the U.K., one cup is 227 millilitres and in Australia, one cup is 250 milliliters.

Kummayam

2009-03-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

It is an excellent, easy to prepare, delicious chettinadu / chettinad sweet dish or dessert.

Ingredients:

Raw rice (pacharisi / colam rice / kachcha chawal): ¼ azhakku (approx 60 ml)
Black gram (uluttham paruppu / urad dal): ½ azhakku (approx 125 ml)
Split green gram (pasipparuppu / moong dal wash): 2 azhakku (approx 500 ml)
Jaggery (vellam / gud): 500 gm
Ghee (nei): 200 gm

Method:

Roast the rice, black gram and green gram separately.
Mix them together and grind to fine flour.
Sift with the help of a sieve and keep aside.
Take the jaggery in a vessel.
Add a little water.
Heat a little till the jaggery dissolves and filter.
Mix this with the flour.
Make up the consistency like that of dosai batter.
Now, heat it slowly by adding ghee gradually.
Cook till the appearance of shiny colour.
Serve hot or cold.

Suitable to prepare during festivals and special family functions.

Ragi idli / Finger millet idli / Kezhvaragu idli

2009-03-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Ragi (finger millet) is rich in protein and calcium. It is easily digestible and good for all ages. It is also called as ragee, African millet, coracan, corakan, kurakkan, eleusine coracana and keppai.

Ingredients:

Ragi: 200 gm
Rice: 100 gm
Black gram (Urad dal / Ulundham paruppu): 100 gm
Fenugreek (Methi / Vendhayam): 2 tsp
Curd (yogurt): 50 gm
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Clean ragi thoroughly and soak overnight.
Also soak the black gram, rice and fenugreek overnight.
Grind them separately and mix them together.
Add salt, curd and keep for 5 to 6 hours for fermentation.
Grease (apply edible oil) idli plates and pour the ragi batter.
Cook in pressure cooker without using whistle or cook in idli cooker.
Remove idlies using a spoon. (Same as making common idli).
Serve hot with coconut chutney, Kuruma, puli kuzhambu or Kaara kuzhambu .

Thengai Mangai Pattani Sundal

2009-03-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

It is a tasty evening snack, also called chundal, rich in protein.

Ingredients:
Dry green peas (pattani): 2 cups
Raw mango (mangai / kachcha aam): 1
Coriander seeds( malli / dhania) : 4 tsp
Coconut (thengai / nariyal): 1/4 cup
Mustard (kadugu / rai / sarson): 1/4 tsp
Red chili (vara milakai / lal mirchi): 8
Asafetida (Perungayam / Hing): one pinch
Husked black gram (Ulundham paruppu / Urad dal): 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp
Method:

Soak peas overnight in four cups of water, pressure cook in medium flame for two whistles, strain the excess water and keep it aside.
Grind coriander seeds, coconut, and red chilies.
Fry mustard, black gram and asafetida in oil and add the ground masala.
Keep frying until a pleasant flavor comes out.
Now add peas and salt.
Cook for a few minutes.
Remove from flame.
Garnish with chopped mangoes.
Serve hot or cold.

Suitable to serve during festivals like Navarathri and Ayudha puja / Saraswathi puja. During non season of mangoes, mango powder can be used effectively.

Ellurundai / ellu urundai / Til ke Laddoo

2009-01-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

Sesame seed sweet ball (Winter laddu). It is a suitable dessert that warms up our body during winter season. Narimedu (Madurai special)

Ingredients:

White Sesame seeds : 1 cup
Jaggery (gud) : 1 cup
Grated dry coconut : 1/2 cup (Optional)
Peanuts (groundnuts) : 1/2 cup
Cardamom Powder : 1 tsp
Ghee : 1 tbsp

Procedure:

Roast the sesame seeds till golden brown.
Roast the grated coconut.
Roast the groundnuts and coarsely powder them.
Melt jaggery in a heavy bottomed pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee and stir.
On boiling, add all other ingredients and stir.
Remove from flame.
Grease your hands with a little ghee and make laddoos when the mixture is of bearable warmth. You can heat again a little, if mixture becomes cold.
Laddus can be stored for 10 to15 days in an air-tight container.

Sarkarai Pongal / Sakkarai Pongal / Chakkara Pongal / Jaggery Rice, a sweet dish

2008-12-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

Take a pressure cooker.
Add 2 cups of washed raw rice, ½ cup of slightly roasted split green gram and 4 cups of water.
Pressure cook till the contents become soft.
Remove the lid.
Add ½ cup of ghee, 5 cups of grated jaggery and 100 ml of milk.
Stir and cook under low flame so as to get the contents thick.
Add a tsp of cardamom powder, 10 each of fried cashew nuts and fried raisins.
Mix well and serve hot or cold.

Glossary:
Raw rice – Colam rice / Pacharisi / Kachcha chaval
Split green gram – Pasipparuppu / Moong dal wash
Jaggery – Vellam / Gud
Cardamom – Elakkai / Elaichi
Cashew nut / Mundhiri paruppu / Khaju
Raisin - Kismis / Ular dhrakshai

Kesari (A type of halwa like dessert: Kulipirai, Sivagangai, Devakottai special)

2008-12-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Rava (Sooji) - 1 cup
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 2 cups
Saffron or Kesari powder – 1 pinch
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5
Raisins (Kismis) - 5
Water - 2 cups

Method of preparation:

Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan.
Fry cashew nuts.
Remove the fried cashew nuts and keep separately.
Now in the same pan roast rava, till golden brown.
Add boiling water.
Keep the flame low till the rava is cooked.
Add 2 tbsp of ghee, sugar and stir it continuously till it becomes thick.
Add saffron or kesari powder, cardamom powder, raisins and fried cashew nuts.
Stir a little.
Serve hot.

Mutton curry / Attukkari kuzhambu / Attu kulambu (Pudukkottai special)

2008-11-20T03:35:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Mutton (small pieces with bone) -500 gm
Onion (finely chopped) - 1
Tomato (chopped) -1
Ginger garlic paste -2 tbsp
Cardamom -2
Cinnamon- a small piece
Cloves -4
Bay leaves -2
Turmeric powder -1 tsp
Coriander powder -2 tbsp
Chili powder -1 tbsp
Oil for frying
Coconut paste - 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

Fry all spices in oil in a pressure cooker.
Under low flame, add onion and stir.
Add ginger garlic paste and sauté.
Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder and salt.
Fry further thoroughly.
Add washed mutton pieces and stir.
Add tomatoes and sauté for some time.
Add coconut paste and pour a cup of water.
Pressure cook for about 8 whistles.
Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
Tastes best with biriyani, rice, idli, dosai, paratha, or chapathi.

Chicken Kuzhambu / Chicken curry (Madurai, Trichy and Ponnamaravathi Special)

2008-11-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

Marinate 500 gm of small pieces of chicken with bone with a little salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, chicken masala and lemon juice.
Roast ½ tsp each of poppy seeds (kasa kasa), black pepper, fennel and qty four red chili.
Grind to powder in a mixer-grinder.
Fry a chopped onion, a chopped tomato, three green chili and four cloves of garlic and a small piece of ginger in a tbsp of oil.
Add this with the powder in mixer-grinder and grind well.
Add 3 tbsp of grated coconut and grind further.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a cooker. Add a cinnamon stick and 3 cardamoms for seasoning.
Add the grinded mixture and fry for about 5 minutes with occasional stirring.
Add the marinated chicken, required salt and stir.
Add water as required.
Pressure cook for about 4 or 5 whistles.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice, biriyani, idly, dosa or paratha.

Medu Vadai (Ulundha Vadai / Urad dal Vada)

2008-11-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

A good appetizer cum soft, healthy, energetic, cheap, easy to prepare and tasty snack.

Ingredients:

Black gram (Uluttham paruppu / Urad dal) - 2 cups

Onion - 1
Green chilies - 3 or 4
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Coriander leaves – a few
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method of preparation:

Wash and soak Black gram for about 1 hour.
Finely chop the onion and green chilies.
Grind all smooth without adding water.
Roughly chop the curry leaves and coriander leaves and mix with the batter.
Add broken black pepper, Cumin seed and salt and mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in a deep pan.
Make your hands wet.
Take a lemon size of batter.
Flatten with your palms and make a hole in the middle.
Deep fry at a time about six, until golden brown color, uniformly both the sides.

Drain excess oil and serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

Athirasam / adhirasam: a sweet dish as a dessert or snack

2008-10-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

A suitable sweet to enjoy eating especially during festivals like Deepavali.

Ingredients

Raw Rice (colam rice) - ½ kg
Jaggery - 1/4 kg
Edible oil for deep frying – As required
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Dry ginger powder – 1 tsp

Method of preparation

Soak rice in water for about 3 hours.
Decant the water and partially dry the rice.
Grind into powder using mixer-grinder, sieve and get fine powder.
Prepare syrup (pagu) by boiling jaggery with required water.
Filter the syrup and continue boiling and stirring to wire like consistency (kambi padham).
Mix cardamom powder and dry ginger powder with the jaggery syrup.
Let it cool very well and thoroughly mix it with the powdered rice so as to make dough. The dough will become thicker on further cooling preferably over night.
Pat the dough into discs and deep fry in oil till brown.
Serve hot or cold.

Kara chevu (Kara sev, a diwali / deepavali snack)

2008-10-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Bengal gram flour (Kadalai maavu, Channa dal flour) - 2 cups
Rice flour - 2tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Black pepper - 1tbsp
Cumin seed (Jeera- Jeeragam) – 1 tsp
Ajowan (Carom, Bishop’s Weed, Ajwan, Omam) – 1 tsp
Asafetida (Perungayam, Hing) - as required
Edible oil for deep frying - as required
Salt- as required

Method of preparation

Grind garlic, black pepper, cumin seed, ajowan and asafetida into a coarse paste.
Mix Bengal gram flour, rice flour, red chili powder, salt and the ground paste.
Make a thick dough using water.
Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
Fill the dough in a murukku press.
Press to slide the dough into the hot oil.
Take out when become golden brown and drain the oil.
Break into pieces of desired length.

A tasty, crispy, special snack especially prepared home during festivals like Deepavali.

Lemon rice (Elumichai sadam / Elumicham saadam)

2008-10-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

Cook1 cup of raw rice (colam rice), spread evenly and sprinkle ½ tsp of turmeric powder.
Fry the seasonings consist of ½ tsp of mustard seeds, 1 tsp of black gram, 1 tsp of Bengal gram, 2 tsp of ground nut (peanut), Qty 2 red chilies (broken into pieces), one by one.
Add with rice.
Add required salt, lemon juice squeezed from 2 lemons, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger and 1 tsp asafetida and mix well.
Garnish with curry leaves.
Serve cold.
Suitable to carry packed and have it while traveling, packed lunch, etc.

Glossary

English ----- Tamil --------- Hindi

Raw rice -----Pacharisi -------------Kachcha chawal
Turmeric ---- Manjal ------------------- Haldi
Mustard ----- kadugu -------------------- Rai / Sarson
Black gram -- Uluttham paruppu -------Urad dal
Bengal gram -- Kadalai paruppu ---------- Channa dal
Ground nut -- Nilakkadalai / Ver kadalai -- Moong phali
Red chili -- Vara milakai / milakai vatral ---- Lal mirchi
Lemon / Lime-- elumicham pazham --- Nimbu
Ginger ------- Inji / Injiver -------------- Adharak
Asafetida / -- Perungayam ----- Hing
Curry leaves - Kary veppilai --------- Kary patha

Simple Pepper Rasam with pleasant aroma

2008-09-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

Take 3 cups of tamarind extract (prepared out of a lemon sized ball of tamarind and water) in a vessel.
Add 2 tsp of pepper powder, 2 tsp of cumin seed powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 4 cloves of smashed garlic and salt to it.
Squeeze a tomato and mix with the liquid.
Add a cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves and keep aside.
Keep a sauce pot on the stove and add 2 tsp of oil.
Heat it under medium flame.
Add 1 tsp of mustard, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 red chilly, a pinch of asafetida, and a few curry leaves one by one.
When the mustard starts popping, add the tamarind extract mixture.
Reduce the flame to low.
At the initial stage of boiling, and appearance of foam, switch off the stove and cover the sause pot using a lid.
Serve hot this tasty rasam having great aroma with cooked rice.

Glossary
Tamarind - Imli / Imly / Puli
Pepper – Kali mirch / Milagu
Cumin seed - Jeera / Jeeragam
Turmeric – Haldi / Manjal
Garlic – Lasoon / Poondu
Coriander leaves – Dhania pattha / Kotthu malli thazhai
Mustard – Rai / Kadugu
Asafetida – hing / PerungayamCurry leaves – Kary patha / Kariveppilai
Sauce pot - kadhai / Iruppuchchatti

Sambar powder / Sambhar podi / Kuzhambu (Kulambu) thool

2008-09-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

Roast the following separately and evenly under low flame.

Red chili / Red chilli (Vara milakai / Lal mirchi)-250 gm
Coriander seeds (Malli / Dhania)-250 gm
Split gram (Tuvaram paruppu / Toor dal / Arhar dal)-100gm
Bengal gram (Kadalai paruppu / Channa dal)-100gm
Husked black gram (Ulundham paruppu / Urad dal)-25gm
Cumin Seeds (jeeragam / Jeera)-75gm
Black Pepper (Milagu / Kali Mirch)-50gm
Mustard (Kadugu / Rai / Sarson)-25gm
Rice- 50 gm
Turmeric (Manjal / Haldi)-40 gm
Fenugreek (Vendhayam / Methi)-40gm
Asafoetida / Asafetida (Perungayam / Hing) - 2 tsp

Mix, spread and allow them to cool.

Grind to powder, allow it to cool and store airtight.

Vathakkulambu / Vattha kuzhambu / Vatral kuzhamboo ; a vegetarian gravy for rice, (Vatha kulambu or vatthal kolambu)

2008-09-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

Prepare about 2 cups of tamarind extract from a lemon sized ball of tamarind.
Roast 1 tsp each of coriander seeds, Bengal gram, Split gram, and fenugreek seeds until golden color and grind fine to powder (masala).
Prepare rice milk by mixing 1 tbsp of rice flour and a little water.
Cut 2 eggplants (brinjal) and fry soft in oil.
Fry 1 tsp each of mustard seed and Split Black gram in oil until brown. Add a few curry leaves, followed by a red chili, about 5 cloves of garlic, and a chopped onion. Continue frying until the garlic becomes soft. Add 1 tbsp of chili powder and fry.
Add the tamarind extract and fried eggplant and boil.
Add powdered masala and salt to taste.
Add rice milk and ½ to 1 cup of water.
Continue boiling under low flame for about 15 minutes.
Serve hot with rice, papad (appalam), and mango pickle.

Glossary:
Bengal gram is Kadalai paruppu in Tamil and Channa dal in Hindi.
Split gram or Pigeon peas is Tuvaram paruppu in Tamil and Tuwar dal or Arhar dal in Hindi.
Split Black gram is Uluttham paruppu in Tamil and Urad dal in Hindi.