Onion Rava Dosa

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

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

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.