PULI AVAL


I always like this delicious snack. This is an ideal dish for the breakfast and a different one. For this, we have to use hand made rice flakes, not the machine made one. There are so many dishes like aval upma, aval pongal, aval apayasam, aval pulav we can prepare with rice flakes. But I think this is the tastiest of all!

புளி அவல்

Ingredients:

Rice flakes-4 cups
Tamarind- a big lemon size
Gingelly oil- 4 tbsp
Ghee- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Black gram- 1 tsp
Red chillies-6
Bengal gram- 2 tbsp
Groundnuts- 2 tbsp [optional]
Shredded coconut- half cup
Curry leaves- 2 arc
Chopped coriander- 3 tbsp
Fried cashew nuts- 3 tbsp
Asafetida- half sp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Wash the rice flakes and drain all the water thoroughly.
Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water for half an hour in warm water and then extract its juice.
Heat a big pan and pour the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the grams, asafetida, curry leaves, ground nuts and red chillies.
Fry them on slow fire until they turns to light golden brown.
Add the curry leaves with the turmeric powder and fry for a minute.
Then add the tamarind juice and allow it to boil.
When the gravy thickens add the salt.
When the gravy thickens almost to a paste and the oil floats on top add the drained rice flakes with enough salt.
Mix well on slow fire for a few minutes until the rice flakes are coated well with the tamarind paste.
Add the ghee and a tsp of gingelly oil and cook for a few seconds.
Lastly add the fried cashew nuts and the coconut.
Mix well for once and now the tasty puli aval is ready!

TOMATO BRIYANI

It will be very tasty if we make this briyani with ripe red tomatoes. Everybody has a different method to make this briyani. But I add a little lime juice in the process to enhance its taste.

தக்காளி பிரியாணி

Ingredients:

Tomatoes [medium size]-4
Basmati rice- 2 1/2 cups
Onion-2
Slit green chillies-6
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Mint leaves- a handful
Chopped coriander- half cup
Lime juice- 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil-4 tbsp
Ghee-3 tbsp
Turmeric powder- half sp

Powder the following coarsely:

Fennel seeds- half sp, cardamom-3, cinnamon-1 inch piece, cloves-2

Procedure:

Wash and soak the rice in enough water.
Heat a vessel and pour the oil and a tbsp of ghee.
Slice the onions thinly and add them to the oil and fry to golden brown.
Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry them for a few minutes on slow fire.
Then add the chopped tomato with the greens and fry them until the tomatoes are mashed and the oil floats on top.
Lastly add the powder and fry for a few seconds.
Pour 5 cups of water and add the rice.
When the rice is half cooked, add the lime juice and salt.
When the water is evaporated and the rice is cooked to 3/4th, cover it with a lid and keep it in ‘ dhum ’ in the gas oven to 160 degree C for 20 minutes.
Mix once in interval and pour the remaining ghee around the corners.
The delicious tomato briyani is ready now!

SPINACH SALAD

There are so many salad varieties we are serving as a side dish for the briyani and pulao varieties. But this salad is a rich one compared to others by its sheer colorfulness as well as its delicious taste! Mulaikeerai and ponnangkanni keerai can also be used instead of spinach [palak] keerai!

கீரை சாலட்:

Ingredients:

Spinach- a small bunch
Finely chopped green chillies-2
Finely chopped ripe tomato-a small one
Finely chopped Sambar onions-15
Finely chopped ginger- half sp
Cumin seeds- half tsp
Asafetida- half sp
Gingelly oil- 2 tbsp
Finely chopped coriander- 1 tbsp
Enough curd
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Wash the spinach leaves and chop them finely.
Heat a kadai and pour the oil.
Add the cumin seeds and when they splutter add the chopped onion with the ginger and the green chillies.
Fry them finely.
Add the finely chopped tomato with the asafetida and fry them nicely until the tomato is finely mashed and the oil floats on top.
Add the finely chopped spinach along with the coriander.
Cook on medium fire.
In the half way add one or two pinches of salt according to the taste and the quantity of the spinach.
Put off the fire when the spinach is cooked well and still in the green colour.
When cooled mix with a liberal quantity of fresh curd.
Enjoy with a hot pulao!

RADISH KURMA

There are so many side dishes are cooked for chappathi. Kurma varieties, curry varieties and dal curries are there to enhance the taste of chapathies. Up course, there are non-veg dishes too. This radish curry is a mouth-watering recipe which goes well with parottas and chappathies. This I have learned recently from my friend. Until that minute, I never believed that radish can be cooked so deliciously as a kurma variety.

முள்ளங்கி குருமா

Ingredients:

Big tomatoes-3
Oil- 3 tbsp
Cinnamon- 1
Cloves-2
Cardamom-2
Finely chopped small onions- 1 cup
Small garlic flakes-15
Chopped coriander- half cup
Medium sized radish-2
Chilli powder- half sp
Coriander powder- half sp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste

Grind the following ingredients to a paste:

Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp
Fennel seeds- half sp
Poppy seeds- half sp

Procedure:

Put the tomatoes in full of hot water for some minutes and then remove the outer skins.
Grind the tomatoes in to a paste.
Heat a kadai and pour the oil.
Add the cinnamon, cloves and the cardamom and fry for a few seconds.
Add the sambar onions with the coriander and the garlic flakes.
Fry for a few minutes.
Then cut the radishes in to small cubes and add to the frying mixture.
Fry for a few seconds.
Add the powders with the tomato paste.
Pressure cook this mixture for 1 whistle.
When cooled, again pour the radish gravy in the same pan and add the ground paste with enough salt.
Cook for a few minutes.
The delicious radish curry is ready to serve now!

POTATO 65

Potato can be roasted, fried and made as a gravy in so many ways! Every one likes to have this always as a side dish with the food! Especially the children always love to eat this! This is a very grand and delicious recipe to serve in a feast! The hung curd makes this potato 65 very special and tasty!

உருளைக்கிழங்கு 65

Ingredients:

Big potatoes-4
Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
Gram flour- 1 tbsp
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Enough oil to fry
Salt to taste
Onion-4
Slit green chillies-6
Fresh curd- 1 cup
Ajinomoto- 2 pinches
Garam masala powder- half sp
Curry leaves- a handful

Procedure:

Pour the curd on a thin white cloth and tie it tightly with a rubber band.
Hand it on the tap of the sink.
The water will drip in the sink and all the water will be drained out and we can get the fresh hung curd within half an hour.
Slice the onions finely.
Cut the potatoes in medium cubes and mix them with the powders and enough salt except the garam masala and ajinomoto.
Cook them in a micro oven in high for only 10 minutes.
Deep fry them in batches to golden brown.
Drain them in a kitchen paper towel.
Heat a kadai and pour 2 tbsp of oil.
Add the onions with the green chilles and curry leaves and fry them to golden brown.
Add the hung curd and fry it mixing well.
Sprinkle the garam masala and ajinomoto and mix well.
Add the cooked potato and cook them on medium fire for 10 minutes mixing in intervals.
Or it can be cooked again in the micro oven in High for 10 minutes.
The delicious potato 65 is now ready with its richness!

CHICKEN BALLS GRAVY

This is a rare and delicious recipe. This is an ideal side dish for pulav varieties as well as parottas, chappathies etc. I always prepare this with jeera pulao and vegetable curd salad.

கோழி உருண்டைக்குழம்பு

Ingredients for the balls:

Boneless chicken pieces-750gms
Shredded coconut-2 tbsp
Shredded ginger- 1 tsp
Small garlic flakes-15
Chopped small onion- 10
Turmeric powder- half sp
Chilli powder- half sp
Coriander powder- half sp
Cinnamon powder- a pinch
Cloves powder-a pinch
Fennel powder- half sp
Green chillies-2
Curry leaves- a handful
Chopped coriander- half cup

Procedure:

Grind all the ingredients with salt except the greens.

Then add the greens, mix well and make small lime-sized balls.

Keep aside.

Ingredients for the gravy:

Coarse cardamom, cloves and cinnamon powder- 1 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 arc
Chopped coriander- half cup
Finely chopped big tomatoes-2
Finely sliced onion-1
Ginger-garlic paste- 1tsp
Medium sized potato cubes- 1 cup
Salt to taste
Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Oil- 4 tbsp
Grind the following to a fine paste:

Small onions-10, garlic flakes-8, green chilli- 2
Shredded coconut- 4 tbsp
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp

Procedure for the gravy:

Heat a big kadai and pour the oil.
Add the coarse ground powder with the sliced onion and fry for a few minutes on slow fire.
Then add the chopped tomatoes with the turmeric powder, the greens and the ginger garlic paste. Fry them until they are mashed well and the oil floats on top.
Add the potato cubes with 2 cups of water and let the gravy boil well..
When the potatoes are cooked, add the ground paste with enough water, powders and salt.
Let the gravy boil for some minutes.
Now add the chicken balls two at a time.
When the chicken balls are cooked and rise to the top, add another batch of chicken balls.
Thus finish all the balls.
Now the delicious chicken balls gravy is ready!

FRUIT KESARI

This kesari is a very special sweet as it has pieces of delicious fruits in it. This is a very fine dessert to serve the guests after a grand meal.

பழ கேசரி

Ingredients:

Semolina- 2 cups
Sugar- 4 cups
Warm water – 4 cups
Cardamom powder- half tsp
Saffron- a pinch
Warm milk- 3 tbsp
Apple-1
Ripe banana-1
Mango-1
Pineapple slices-4
Dates-10
Cashew nuts-20
Raisins-3 tbsp
Rose essence- a few drops
Ghee- half cup

Procedure:

Cut all the fruits in to tiny bits.
Soak the saffron in the milk.
Heat a kadai and pour the half of the ghee.
On medium fire fry the cashew nuts and raisins at first to golden brown.
Then remove them away keep aside.
Fry the semolina in the same ghee until the aroma floats on air.
In a big kadai pour the warm water.
When it starts boiling add the semolina and cook it until all the water is evaporated.
Add the sugar and cook on slow fire mixing continuously and pouring the remaining ghee in intervals.
Pour the saffron milk and sprinkle the cardamom powder.
Mix well.
When the kesari is cooked well, add all the fruits and fried nuts and raisins with the essence.
Mix well on slow fire for 5 minutes.
Pour a tsp of ghee on top and put off the fire.

MASAL VADAI

This is one of my most favourite snacks. This is also called as ‘ aamai vadai ’. Still I do not know the reason for it. With simple ingredients, this has a divine taste!

மசால் வடை

Ingredients:

Bengal gram- 2 cups
Finely chopped green chillies-2 tsp
Finely sliced onion-3
Curry leaves- 2 arc
Finely chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
asafoetida powder- half tsp
Salt to taste
Enough oil to fry

Procedure

Wash and soak the Bengal gram for an hour.
Then drain the water thoroughly.
Grind the dal with enough salt to a coarse texture.
Add all the ingredients to it and mix well.
Heat the oil.
The fire should be medium.
Take a small amount of the ground Bengal gram, make a small ball and flatten them to a vadai.
Toss it in the oil and fry it to golden brown.
Thus finish all the ground mixture.
The hot and tasty vadais are ready now!!