Ulli/Vendakai Theeyal

This is the most amazing and easiest way of doing theeyal, and it also tastes very good.. This is especially for all the busy people out there who juggle home/ work/ studies/ kids together and still want to cook something in a very easy way, which usually takes lot of time(Some of you might have already tried this!!!)

The dish is called Ulli(small onion) theeyal/Vendakai(Ladies finger) theeyal(depending on what you put in). This is my easiest recipe for same.

Ingredients:

Chutney powder

1) Black chutney powder(Chammanthi podi) -- This is the dry form of coconut chutney which you get in packets, I have seen this only Kerala, and got this last time when I went home.Take 2/3 of a bowl(normal soup bowl)
2) Ulli/Vendakkai --Ulli (2/3 of a bowl) my personal favorite is ulli, it tastes better
3) Curry leaves - 5-6
4) Green chilli - 2-3 (split in to 2 halves)
5) Mustard seeds -1/3 teaspoon
6) Salt -- according to your taste
7) Oil -- 11/2 teaspoon

Preparation:

1) Take a pan, when it gets heated,  add Oil

Vendakkai(bhindi) theeyal

2)  Add Mustard seeds, let it splutter
3)  Add Curry leaves and green chilli saute it for a minute,
4)  Then add chopped small onions(cut them in to 2 pieces or four depending on their size).Saute them for 3-4 minutes till they turn a little golden brown.

5) In another bowl mix chutney powder along with 2-3 cups of water(consistency should be that of a curry). When the small onion turns golden brown add this mixture of chutney powder and water.
6) Add salt as per taste.
7) Keep the mixture for 10-15 minutes (first 5 minutes in high flame and second 10-15 minutes in low flame)

Theeyal

Tips - 1) Try to add less oil while making tadka as the chutney powder might already have lot of oil  (Be healthy  :-))
2) Put small onion in water for some time, then it becomes easy to peel.

Coconut Chutney (Thenga Chammanthi - Dosa Special)

This chutney goes best with dosa.

Ingredients:

1) Grated Coconut 1/3 Cup
2) Curry leaves - 4
3) Coriander leaves - 1 tb
4) Green chilly - 3-4 medium size
5) Salt - as per taste
6) Oil - 1 tb
7) Mustard seeds - 1 pinch

Preparation:

1) Grind Ingredients 2-5 in mixer, and then add grated coconut along with water, grind it well.
2) In a heated pan, add oil and mustard seeds, let it splutter.
3) Add the mixed ingredients(step 1) in to the pan, and cook it for sometime (2 mins).
4) Serve hot with dosa (Especially Ghee Roast).

Matthanga Erisheri (Kerala Special)

Here comes my first post this year... Belated Happy New Year to all of you out there..Hope all of you
experience variety dishes and new tastes this year..

I thought of  publishing  Soya Masala recipe which was rich and which most of my friends liked, but to my dismay there is some issue with the image which I had taken, so it's put on hold as of now. So I will start with a Kerala dish which I tried out sometime back, under my aunt's guidance.It's a simple curry which any one can try out.Hope u people like it.

Ingredients:

1)Melon: 1/2 Cup
2)Grated Coconut 1/3 cup
3)Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
4) Red Chilly - 4 pc(medium size), if not 1/2 tsp
5) Garlic - 3-4
6) Cumin seeds - 1 pinch
7) Curry Leaves - 4-5
8) Mustard seeds - 1 pinch
9) Salt
10) Oil

Preparation :
 
1) Cut the melon in to small cubic size pieces(size of a normal sugar cube) .Cook melon pieces in a pressure cooker with salt(1 pinch)  water(1 whistle might be enough as the melon gets cooked fast.)
2) Grind Coconut along with  garlic, cumin seeds, turmeric and 2 pieces of red chilli.
3) When the melon gets cooked, transfer the melon in to a pan and smash them, and then add the grind-ed coconut mix(2nd step) along with the water in which the melon got cooked; mix the ingredients well.
4) In a heated pan, add oil, mustard seeds, and red chilli(2pc, cut in two halves) , when the mustard seeds splutter, add the mix(3rd step), and then add curry leaves in to the mix.Keep it for 5 minutes to get cooked.
5) In another heated pan , add some grated coconut and saute it until it turns brown, and then add it to the
mix(4 step)
6) Stir it for 1 sec, and serve it hot, the curry taste good with Kerala Rice.

Fish Curry Masala

Ingredients

1. Fish - 250 gm
2. Onion - 2 num
3. Tomato - 1 num
4. Green Chilli - 3 num
5. Garlic - 4-5 piece
6. Ginger - 1/2 tsp
7. Red chilli powder - 4-5 tsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Coriander powder - 2 n 1/2 tsp
10.Salt
11.Oil
12.Garam Masala - 1/3 tsp
13.Curry leaves - 5-6 


Preparation

1. Clean the fish and add little bit of Chilli powder,Turmeric and Salt.Keep it for some time.
2. Add oil in to a heated pan, and fry the fish(don't fry it for too long)
3. Keep aside the fried fish and add Onion in to the same pan, fry it until it turns brown.
4.Grind the fried onion and keep it aside.
5.Grind ingredients 4-6.
6.Make a paste with ingredients 7-9 by adding water.
7.Take a pan, add oil, heat it for sometime, and then add the sliced onion, fry it until the onion turns brown, add sliced tomato, and ingredients 4-5, Cook it for sometime.
8.Add masala paste(7-9) in to the same pan, add water(1/2 cup), and salt for taste.
9.Add grinded fried onion and fried fish in to the pan.
10.Cook the fish for some time (5-10 mins).
11. Add garam masala and curry leaves, and keep it for 5 mins, Hot Fish Curry Masala is ready to be served.


The dish taste best with Rice, Appam, Chapathi :-)

Drumstick(Muringakka) thoran

Ingredients:

1. Drumsticks           - 4 num
2. Coconut               - half cup
3.Garlic                    - 4-5 piece
4. Red Chilli              - 4-5 piece
5. Cumin Seeds         - 3/4 tsp
6. Turmeric powder   - 1/3 tsp
7. Salt                       - 1/2 tb


Preparation

1. Cut the drumsticks in to small pieces(each piece should be of finger size) and  remove the outer green layer.
2. Grind the ingredients 3-6 really well.
3. Add Coconut along with ingredients(Don't grind it for too long, just a sec is enough)
4. Add 1cup water and grinded contents in to a pan,add salt, and add clean drumsticks in to the pan.
4. Cook it until the water get dried up.
5. Tasty drumsticks thoran is ready to be served with rice :-)

Nadan Chatty Meen Curry(Fish Curry)

Nadan Chatty Meen Curry(Fish Curry -- Kerala) Preparation

Ingredients

1.Fish -- Neimeen/Thedu (Seer Fish/Cat fish) -- Freshly cut in to pieces -- 8--10
2.Red chilli powder -- 3 tablespoon
3.Coriander powder --2 tablespoon
3.Turmeruic powder -- 1 teaspoon
4.Green chili  -- 2 num
5.Tomato --  1 num
6.Kudam-puli (Gamboge/Garcinia Cambogia)-- 1
7.Musturd seeds -- 1/2 teaspoon
8.Small Onion -- 1/2 teaspon
9.Oil -- 1 tablespoon
10.Garlic -- 6-7 num
11.Ginger -- 3/4 teaspoon
12.Curry Leaves -- 6-7
13.Water -- 3 glass
14.Salt -- Add according to taste.


Preparation

1.Mix 3 tb red chilli + 2 tb corriander + 1 tsp turmeric powder well and heat it for 1or 1/2 min in a pan in low flame until it turns brown.Don't cook this mix for a long time as it destroys the taste. 
2.Mix freshly sliced fish pieces along with half portion of above cooked mix, salt and keep it for some time.
3.Mix the other half portion of above cooked mix, salt and 3 glass of water and pour in to Meen Chatty/ Earthern Pot and heat it until it boils.
4.Pour a litle bit of oil in to a frying pan and cook the fish in it for sometime(5-6 mins).Don't deep fry the fish.Just fry both sides of the fish.
5. Add sliced Ginger/Garlic/Kudampuli(Gamboge) in to the mix in Earthen pot.
6.Add the lightly cooked fish in to the Earthen pot, when the mixture in pot boils.
7. Add sliced tomato,Green chili, Curry leaves.
8.Add salt if needed.
8. Keep it for sometime until the it gets cooked.
9.Heat 1- tb of oil in a pan.Fry Sliced Small Onion.Add mustard seeds,let it splutter
10.Pour the mixture(9th) over the Fish Curry.

And Serve Hot,You can garnish the curry with big onion and tomato :-)

Tip : Do not stir with a spoon while cooking fish, as there is the likelihood of breaking the fish. Hold the Chatty/Earthen pot with both hands tilt it to mix the curry.

The curry tastes best with Kerala Rice and Cooked Tapioca :-)

Cooking Experiments -- Black Pepper Chicken Dry (Recipe)

Black Pepper Chicken Dry --- Recipe

Ingredients

1.Chicken -- sliced in to small pieces -- 1/2 kg
2.Onion -- 2(small)
3.Tomato -- 1
4.Ginger garlic paste -- 1 tb
5.Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tsp
6.Chicken masala /Garam masala --1/2 tsp
7.Red chilli powder -- 1+1tsp
8.Cumin seeds -- 1tsp
9.Turmeric powder --1/2+1/2 tsp
10.Freshly ground black pepper-- 2-3 tsp
11.Coriander powder 1-2 tsp
12.Fresh coriander leaves -- finely chopped
13.Fresh curry leaves-- 6-7 leaves
14.Salt -- According to taste
15.Oil-- for frying

Preparation

Mix freshly sliced chicken pieces along with1/2 tsp of red chilli, turmeric, coriander, garam masala ,salt and keep it for some time.


1.Heat 4-5- tb of oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds,let it splutter.
2.Add ginger garlic paste + chopped onions in to oil.Saute it till it become golden brown in colour.
3.Add chicken,garam masala/chicken masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt.Mix the ingredients well and cook this for 15 minutes.
4.Add cumin seeds,coriander powder,freshly ground black pepper, fresh curry leaves and mix well.Keep it for 10-15 minutes closing the lid.
5.Add coriander leaves,tomato and mix well.Keep it for sometime(5-10 minutes).
6.If the preparation needs to be less oily, add water in between and reduce the amount of oil,but make sure the preparation becomes dry at the end of 5th step. 

Hot and spicy Black Pepper Chicken Dry is ready to be served.Garnish it with Tomato,Green chilli,Curry leaves,Onion :-)