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

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)

• 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)

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.