CLUSTER BEANS PORIYAL:

This is a famous poriyal in the native place though there are some variations in the cooking. Fresh and tender cluster beans taste delicious when they are cooked as poriyal.

 
கொத்தவரங்காய் பொரியல்

Ingredients:

Cluster beans- 250 gm
Finely chopped onion-1
Finely chopped green chillies-2
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Black gram- 1 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 arc
Chopped coriander- 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Shredded coconut- half cup
Asafetida- half sp

Procedure:

Cut the cluster beans into fine small pieces.
Boil them with salt, turmeric powder and enough water until they are ¾th cooked.
Drain off the excessive water.
Heat a kadai and pour the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the black gram.
Fry it for a few seconds and add the onion with the green chillies, asafetida, curry leaves and the coriander.
Add a pinch of salt and cook for a few seconds.
Add the cooked cluster beans and fry them for a few seconds on a slow fire.
Lastly add the coconut, put off the fire and mix well.
Tasty cluster beans poriyal is ready now!!

TOMATO CHICKEN FRY:

This recipe is a very different version on chicken fry and tasty too! Even boned chicken pieces will have a more delicious taste !

கோழி தக்காளி வறுவல்

INGREDIENTS:

Boneless chicken pieces- 750 gms
Turmeric powder- half sp
Big onion-1
Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp
Red chillies-10
Cinnamon- 1” piece
Curry leaves- 3 arc
Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp
Poppy seeds- 1 tbsp
Cardamom- 5
Ripe tomato-2
Peppercorn- half sp
Small Garlic flakes- 15
Chopped coriander- half cup
Salt to taste
Oil- 3 + 1tbsp

Procedure:

Bake the onion with the skin on slow fire until the skin becomes black and nice aroma fills in the air.
Let it cool down.
Remove the skin, wash and cut it into big pieces.
Heat a pan and pour a tsp of oil.
Add the cardamom, fennel seeds, cinnamon, curry leaves, red chillies and the poppy seeds.
Fry them to golden brown.
Then add the coconut and fry for a few seconds.
Let them cool down.
Grind them to a paste along with the onion.
Mix this with the chicken pieces adding enough salt.
Let it stand for 15 minutes.
Mash the tomatoes coarsely with the garlic and the peppercorns.
Heat a pan and pour 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the tomato mixture with the turmeric powder and cook until the tomato becomes a paste and the oil oozes out.
Allow this to cool off.
Pour the remaining oil in a pan and heat it.
Add the chicken and cook until it is almost done.
Then add the tomato mixture and cook for a few minutes until every thing is mixed well and slighted roasted.
Add the coriander and mix well.
The delicious tomato chicken fry is ready now!
This is a nice sdie dish for sambar sadham, kurma, briyani varieties etc.

COCONUT MASALA CHUTNEY

There are so many varieties in coconut chutneys. This one is very different chutney using onion and tomato for the tempering.

தேங்காய் மசாலா சட்னி

Ingredients:

Shredded Cococnut-1
Tamarind- a small gooseberry size
Green chillies-6
Gram dal- 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Finely chopped small onions- half cup
Finely chopped tomato- one cup
Finely chopped coriander leaves- 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds- half sp
Gingelly oil- 3 tbsp

Procedure:

Grind the coconut with the green chillies, tamarind and gram dal with enough salt to a coarse paste.
Heat a pan and pour the oil.
Add the fennel seeds and when they splutter add the onion and fry well.
Add the tomatoes with the coriander leaves.
Fry them until the tomatoes become soft ands the oil floats on top.
Pour this on the coconut chutney and mix well.
Tasty coconut chutney is ready for the break fast now!

MANATHAKKAALI VATRAL KUZHAMBU

Vatral kuzhamvu can be prepared with either chili and coriander powder or sambar powder. In chetti nadu and Brahmin cooking, only sambar powder is used. But in most of the houses in south, chilli powder and coriander powders are used. In some places around Mayuram, Chidhambaram and Cuddalore area, they use ‘kuzhambu podi’ for all the kuzhambu varieties. It is prepared with red chillies, coriander seeds, thuar dal, Bengal gram and a little quantities of other spices like fennel seeds, cumin seeds etc. Here I am posting a simple version of vatral kuzhambu using sambar powder. It tastes divinely with hot rice and ghee!

மணத்தக்காளி வற்றல் குழம்பு

Ingredients:

Manathakkali vatral- quarter cup
Gingelly oil- 2 tbsp+ 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- half sp
Cumin seeds- half sp
Fenugreek seeds- half sp
Asafetida- half sp
Curry leaves- 1 arc
Bengal gram- 2 tbsp
Red chillies-5
Turmeric powder- half sp
Sambar powder- 11/2 tsp
Tamarind- a big lime size
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Soak the tamarind in warm water for half an hour and extract its juice.
Heat a pan and pour the 2 tbsp of gingelly oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds.
When they start to turn golden brown add the Bengal gram, red chillies and the manathakkali vatral along with the curry leaves and asafetida powder.
Fry them for a few minutes.
Add the tamarind juice with the sambar powder and salt.
Le it boil for a few minutes.
When the kuzhambu is thickened, pour the remaining oil.
Keep it on slow fire for 2 minutes.
Serve this with hot rice, melted ghee, pappads and chips!

TOMATO THOKKU

There are always so many side dishes for 'pepper pongal'. Coconut chutney, brinjal kothsu, and green gram sambar are very famous combinations for milagu pongal. But this one is a delicious and tastiest side dish for the 'milagu pongal'. It seems simple to prepare. But the result will be fantastic!!

தக்காளி தொக்கு

Ingredients:

medium sized tomatoes-5
turmeric powder- half sp
chilli powder- half sp
fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
asafoetida- a pea-sized piece
gingelly oil- 1/4 cup
mustard seeds- 1 tsp
salt to taste

Procedure:

soak the ripe tomatoes in hot water for half an hour.
Then remove the skins.
Mash the tomatoes in a mixi.
Fry the fenugreek seeds and the asafoetida in a tsp of oil to golden brown.
When cooled powder them finely.
heat a pan and pour the oil.
When they splutter add the tomato with the turmeric powder.
let it cook on medium fire.
When the tomato mixture in thickened add the powders with enough salt.
Let the tomato thokku cook for a few more minutes.
The tasty tomato thokku is ready now!!

PANEER CHICKEPEAS CURRY

This is one of the delicious side dishes for chapathi. Other than white chickpeas, brown small chickpeas are more suitable for this gravy. Chickpeas must be soaked overnight in lots of water. In the morning the water must be drained, washed again twice in lots of water and pressure cooked with enough water before cooking.

பனீர் கொத்துக்கடலை மசாலா

Ingredients:

Paneer- 250 gm
Small brown chickpeas- 1 cup
Cumin seeds- half sp
Curry leaves- 1 arc
Chopped coriander-half cup
Turmeric powder- half sp
Sliced onion-2
Chopped tomato- 2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil- 4 tbsp

Grind the following ingredients in to a fine paste:

Small garlic flakes-5
Shredded coconut- 1 cup
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Shredded ginger- half sp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp

Procedure:

Soak the paneer pieces in warm water for 20 minutes and then drain the water.
Soak the chickpeas overnight, discard the water in the morning, pour fresh water and pressure cook them.
Heat a kadai and pour the oil.
Add the cumin seeds and when they start to splutter add the onions with the turmeric powder and the tomatoes.
Cook well until they are mashed and the oil floats on surface.
Add the greens and cook for a few seconds.
Add the chickpeas with enough salt and 2 cups of water.
When the chickpeas are absorbed in the gravy pour the ground paste with the paneer pieces.
Let the gravy boil for some minutes until it is thickened to desired consistency.
Hot paneer chickpeas curry is ready for chappathies as well as parottas.

CHETTINADU CHICKEN FRY:

This chicken preparation is special in a way as it has not much ground spices. With aromatic spices, it gives out a delicious taste.
Boneless chicken pieces are more suitable than the chicken with bones.

செட்டிநாடு கோழி வறுவல்

Ingredients:

Ghee- 1 tbsp
Oil- 1 tbsp
Broken cashew nuts-3 tbsp
Fennel seeds- half sp
Cinnamon- 2 pieces
Black gram- 1 tsp
Red chillies-5
Chopped small onions-2 cups
Finely chopped tomatoes- half cup
Turmeric powder- half sp
Small garlic flakes- quarter cup
Ginger and garlic paste- 2 tsp
Lime juice- 1 sp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Chilli sauce- 1 sp
Curry leaves- 3 arcs
Boneless chicken pieces- 750 gms
Salt to taste
Coarse pepper powder- 1 sp
Coarse fennel powder- 1 tsp

Procedure:

Heat a big kadai and pour the oil and the ghee. Add all the spices and fry well with the cashew nuts.
When they turn to golden brown add the chopped onion with the ginger-garlic paste and fry well.
Then add the tomatoes and the garlic flakes with the turmeric powder and cook well until the tomatoes are mashed and the oil floats on the surface.
Add the lime juice along with the chicken pieces, chilli powder and the curry leaves. Add enough salt.
Cook well on medium fire.
When the chicken pieces are cooked well, sprinkle the coarse powders and mix well.
Cook the chicken on slow fire for 5 minutes.
Delicious Chettinadu chicken fry is ready to serve!

SAMBAR PODI

In this also there are so many versions and measurements. But I am following this measurement only for the past 25 years and I simply love this! I never prefer any other version. This sambar podi and the samabr using this powder has yearned me so many appreciations among my friends, viewers and relatives!

சாம்பார்ப்பொடி


Ingredients:

Red chillies [ long and fully red one]- a handful
Coriander seeds-2 tbsp
Bengal gram- 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- half sp
Peppercorn-10
Cumin seeds- a pinch
Black gram-half sp

Procedure:

Dry roast all the ingredients on slow fire until an aroma floats on air.
There is no necessity to fry these in oil or to golden brown.
If possible, after frying these, keep them under the heat of the sun for a day to get better results.
Then powder them finely.