MAIDHA PATHRI

There are so many varieties like muttai pathri, ghee pathri, adukku pathri, chatti pathri and rice pathri in Kerala. This I have learnt from a friend. This is one of the most favourite dishes in our house. Any kara chutney or tomato chutney is suitable for this.

மைதா பத்ரி


Ingredients:


Plain flour- 1 1/2 cup
Rice flour- 1 1/2 cup
Shredded coconut- half cup
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds- half sp
Warm water- 1 1/2 to 2 cups


Procedure:


Sieve the flours twice.
Add the cumin seeds, salt and shredded coconut to it.
Transfer them to a bowl and mix with warm water to make a smooth and fine dough.
Special care should be taken when mixing with the warm water.
The dough will be loosened if the quantity of water is more.
Keep it covered for half an hour.
Grease a piece of butter papper.
Take a small ball at a time, flatten it to the thickness of puri with the fingers, and drop it in hot oil.
It will puff like a puri on both sides.
Enjoy it with the chutney.

THIPPA ROTTI

This roti is a nutritious one. Some 25 years back I have learnt to cook this tasty roti from my friend. Usually this must be made with a thickness of 1 inch. It will be crisper outside and soft inside. But I have showed here a thinner version. It will be delicious to have this as a Tiffin item either for breakfast or night. Tomato kara chutney will be much suitable as a side dish.

திப்ப ரொட்டி

Ingredients:

Rice rawa- 3 cups
Black gram- 1 cup
Peppercorns- 1 tbsp
Curry leaves- 3 arcs
Fresh curd- 1 cup
Bengal gram- half cup
Salt to taste
Thinly sliced onion- 1 cup
Shredded coconut- half cup

Procedure:

Wash the rice rawa twice and drain the water completely.
Add the curd, peppercorns, curry leaves, Bengal grams and salt.
Mix well and let it soak for an hour.
Grind the black gram to a fluffy batter.
Add this to the rawa mixture.
Add the coconut and the onions.
Mix well.
The batter should be thick.
Heat a tawa and spread the batter in to half inch thickness.
Pour a little oil around it.
Cover it with a suitable lid.
Once the bottom side is cooked to golden brown, flip it to the other side and cook until the other side is well cooked and crisp.
Thippa roti is ready now!

YELLOW PUMPKIN APPAM

பரங்கி அப்பம்
This is a tasty appam. I have learnt this from my mother’s cookery book. It is very easy to prepare!

Ingredients:
Raw rice- half cup
Ghee- 2 tbsp
Shredded yellow pumpkin-half cup
Shredded coconut- half cup
Cashew nuts-8
Powdered jagerry- half cup
Cardamom powder- half sp
Enough oil to fry


Procedure:


Soak the raw rice in enough water for an hour.
Heat a pan and pour the ghee.
Add the shredded pumpkin and fry it on a slow fire until it turns in to soft.
Let it cool down for a few minutes.
Grind these with the other ingredients.
1 or 2 tbsp of water is enough to grind them to a thick paste.
Heat a pan and pour the oil.
Take a tbsp of the batter and pour it on the oil.
When one side is cooked in to golden brown colour, cook the other side.
Thus finish all the batter.
The delicious sweet pumpkin appam is ready!

GOOSEBERRY PICKLE

நீர் நெல்லிக்காய் ஊறுகாய்:

Pickles are always a temptation during a meal courase. Especially with curd rice, they are delicious to taste. Off all the pickles, this gooseberry pickle stands first due to its nutritious qualities. There are so many types of pickles using this gooseberry. But this type stays as the most favorite one in all the homes of Tamilnadu.


Ingredients:


Big sized gooseberry-20
Red chillies-8
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder- half sp
Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
Asafetida- a small piece
Gingelly oil- 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp


Procedure:


Wash and boil the gooseberries in water.
The gooseberries should be immersed in enough water.
Add the turmeric powder and salt.
Boil for 10 minutes.
Heat a pan and roast the fenugreek seeds and the red chillies to golden brown.
In a little oil, fry the asafoeida and powder it with the fenugreek seeds and the red chillies finely.
Add this powder to the gooseberries.
Again heat the same pan and pour the gingelly oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter pour the tempering to the pickle.
Let it soak in the spicy water for a week and then it is ready for use.

BEANS PORIYAL:

பீன்ஸ் பொரியல்.

This is Mrs.Asiya Omar’s recipe. This recipe fascinated me very much as it has different ingredients and a different method. I was tempted to try it and had wonderful and very tasty result!
Though this recipe seems a very simple one, the taste is wonderful!
Thank you Asiya!
I have slightly changed the ground paste-added 1 arc curry leaves to grind instead of using it for tempering as she had written.


Ingredients:


Beans- 250 gm
Very thinly sliced Onion- half cup
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Black gram- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander-2 tbsp


Grind coarsely the following ingredients:
Big garlic flake-1, shredded coconut-3 tbsp, curry leaves- 1 arc, red chillies-2, cumin seeds- half sp
First powder the red chillies and the cumin seeds. Then add the remaining ingredients and grind coarsely for a second.


Procedure:


Heat a pan and pour the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the black gram and fry for a second.
Add the onions and fry them to golden brown.
Add the beans which are slit and cut in to 1 cm length with turmeric powder.
Sprinkle little water and salt and cook on medium fire.
When they are 3/4th done, add the ground paste and mix well.
Cook until the vegetables are done.
Sprinkle coriander and mix well.

RAW MANGO SWEET PACHADI

மாங்காய் வெல்லப் பச்சடி

I love this sweet pachadi very much. To prepare this, the raw mango should be very firm and slightly ripe. Especially ‘ottu maangai’ is the most suitable one. It is also called as ‘Kili mookku maangai’ or ‘ kallaamani mangai’. From May to September, we can get this type of raw mangoes everywhere in Tamilnadu. This sweet pachadi is specially made for the festival of ‘chithirai thirunal’ that is the Tamil New year on April 14th every year! The achu vellam gives a very delicious taste to this pachadi.



Ingredients:


Big firm [slightly ripe] raw mango- 1
Achu vellam [jaggery blocks]-2 to 3
Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Ghee- 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Split black gram- half sp
Small onion finely chopped- 3 tbsp
Green chilli finely chopped-1
Coriander finely chopped-1 tbsp
Salt- a pinch


Procedure:


wash and remove the skin of the raw mango.
Cut the mango in to slightly thickened slices.
Cook them with a little water, the powders and salt.
When the mango is cooked and the gravy is thickened, add the powdered jagerry and cook till it is blended well with the mango. Heat a small pan and pour the ghee.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the black gram and cook for a few seconds.
Then add the onion with the green chilli and the coriander.
Fry for a few seconds.
Add this to the mango.
Add the shredded coconut and mix well.

CAPSICUM CHILLI CHIKCEN

Recently my son asked me to invent a new chicken recipe using Capsicum as all the usual chicken recipes seem boring to him. So I created this dish and got praising words from my family. And this dish turned out as one of the favourite dish for my family. The capsicum creates that magical touch!

குடமிளகாய் சில்லி சிக்கன்

Ingredients:
Finely sliced onion-3
Boneless chicken pieces-750 gms
Turmeric powder- half sp
Shredded ginger- 1 tsp
Small garlic flakes- 6
Curd- 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder- halt sp
Ajinomoto- half sp
Gram flour- 1 tsp
Chilli powder- 2 1/2 tsp
Capsicum juliennes- half cup
Oil- 4 tbsp


Grind these to a coarse paste:


Small tomato-1, peppercorns- 1 tsp, fennel seeds- half sp, and coriander leaves- half cup


Procedure:


Soak the chicken pieces with the garam masala pr, chilli powder, turmeric powder, gram flour and ajinomoto with enough salt for half an hour.
Heat a pan and pour the oil.
Add the sliced onion and fry them to golden brown.
Then add the ginger and the garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add the curds with the chicken.
Cook on medium fire until it is half done.
Add the capsicum and cook for a few seconds.
Then add the coarse paste and cook until the chicken pieces are fully cooked and the gravy is thickened finely.