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.

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

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

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

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

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

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