Prawns varattiyathu/Prawns masala

Ingredients:

1. Fresh prawns(Large/medium)  - 350 gms

2. Chilly powder - 1 tsp

    Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

    Salt - 1 tsp

3. Sambar onion/Shallots - 10 to 12, peeled

   Ginger - 1 inch piece, peeled

   Garlic - 8 cloves,  peeled

   Green chilly - 1 or 2

4. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp (you may use any other oil too, but coconut oil adds a special flavour)

    Coconut cuts/thengakothu - 3 tbsp

    Curry leaves - 1 sprig

    Turmeric powder - a pinch

    Chilly powder - 1 tsp

    Coriander powder - 1 tsp

    Tomato - 1, chopped fine

    Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste

    Garam masala - 1/2 tsp or to taste(as taste of garam masalas vary from different brands)

Preparation:

1. Peel, de-vein and wash the prawns. Drain the prawns and marinate with ingredients listed as 2 for about 15-20 mins

2. Coarsely grind / crush together ingredients listed as 3 and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add the coconut cuts followed by curry leaves. When the coconut cuts turn light brown, add the ground/crushed ingredients and saute for a minute. Add turmeric, chilly and coriander powders and combine well. 

4. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add a few tbsp of water and mix well.

5. Add the prawns and cover and cook for 5-10 mins. Open the lid and sprinkle pepper powder and garam masala. Saute for a few minutes on a high flame till the gravy thickens. You may add a tsp of coconut oil at this stage  for more aroma.

Serve with hot rice. Enjoy !

Events:

The Kerala Kitchen - April 2012 hosted by me. Please rush in your entries

Mutton Masala - My father's recipe

My father cooks some of the best non-veg dishes and here is one such awesome recipe. I have been asking him to cooking this for me, but he kept postponing. Finally, he made it this weeked and it was simply delicious.The speciality is that this dish doesnot have much masalas in it, but it is still flavourful and yum.

Ingredients:

For Marination
Mutton: 500 gms
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Curd/youghurt -  3 tbsp
Salt to taste

For grinding
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Garlic - 7-8 cloves
Green chillies - 2 or 3

For masala

Oil - 2 tbsp
Coconut cuts/sliced (thengakothu) - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2 inch piece broken to pieces
Green cardamom - 2 or 3
Onion - 2 large, sliced finely
Coriander powder - 1.5 tbsp
Curry leaves - a sprig
Tomato - 2, chopped
Crushed pepper - as required
Chopped coriander leaves - to garnish

Preparation:

1. Wash and clean the mutton and add all the marination ingredients in the bowl. Mix well and marinate for half an hour or more.
2. Cook the mutton till tender. I usually cook it in a pressure cooker without adding water. After the first whistle, lower the heat and cook for 10-15 mins. Switch off and wait till pressure is released. Note that cooking time may vary depending on the tenderness of meat.
3. Grind together ginger, garlic and green chillies to  a smooth paste and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the coconut cuts/thengakothu till brown. Drain and keep aside.
5. In the same oil, add cumin seeds followed by cinnamon and cardamom.
6. Add onions and saute till soft. Add coriander powder and saute till you get the aroma. Add the ginger-garlic-chilly paste and curry leaves and saute well.
7. Add tomatoes and saute till mushy. Now add the cooked mutton and the fried coconut cuts.
8. Combine well and simmer for 10-15 mins.
9. Do a taste check and add crushed pepper if required.
10. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

The curry tastes best after a few hours. Best served with rice/ghee rice/roti/appam/porotta/pathiri etc.

Events:

Kerala Kitchen - Feb 2012 hosted by Roshan, a series of event started by Ria and Rose
 Hot & Spicy treats  hosted by Amy

Chettinad Chicken roast

Spicy and finger licking good chicken roast that leaves you craving for more. The aroma of freshly ground masalas is the speciality of this dish.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg, cut to medium pieces

For marination
Chilly powder - 1.5 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Salt as needed

For masala
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Onion - 1 large, chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tomatoes - 2, chopped

For tempering/seasoning
Oil - 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies - 2 or 3
Curry leaves - a sprig
Onion - 1 small, sliced very thin
Coarsely crushed pepper - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp (Use freshly made garam masala. Check here for the recipe)

Preparation:

1. Wash and drain the chicken. Combine all the marination ingredients in a bowl and add the chicken pieces and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
2. In a pan, heat oil and add fennel and cumin seeds. Add onions and saute till soft. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and saute till oil starts oozing. Add the marinated chicken and cover and cook till chicken is done. As this is a dry preparation, no need to add water as chicken gets cooked in its own juice.
3. In  another pan, heat oil and add red chillies, followed by curry leaves and onion. Fry till onion turns brown. Add crushed pepper and garam masala and saute till you get a nice aroma. Add this mix to the cooked chicken and combine well.

Serve hot with rice, appam, parotta, roti etc...

Sending this over to Hot & Spicy treats

Pepper Chicken with gravy

I have already posted a Pepper chicken recipe which is a dry preparation and can be used as a starter. Today's version has a thick gravy and is best paired with some fried rice, pulav, roti or naan. Check the other recipe HERE

Ingredients:

For marination

Chicken - 1 kg, cut to small pieces

Whole Pepper corns - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 3 or 4

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Onion - 2 large, sliced thin

Freshly ground ginger garlic paste - 1 to 2 tbsp

Tomato - 1, pureed

Bellpepper/Capsicum - 1, seeded and diced

Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Corn flour - 1 tsp mixed in 1/4 cup water

Pepper powder - as needed to adjust the spice level

Oil - 2 + 1 tbsp

Preparation:

1.Grind together pepper corns and green chillies. Marinate the chicken with this ground mix, turmeric powder and salt for half an hour.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and saute the onions till they start browning. Add ginger garlic paste and tomato puree and combine well. Add the marinated chicken and mix well. Cover and cook till chicken is done. Add water if you need more gravy.

3. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and saute the bell pepper and soy sauce for 2-3 minutes. Add this to the cooked chicken and combine well. Add the corn flour mix and bring to boil. Check and add more pepper powder if required. 

Curry tastes best after a few hours. Best enjoyed on cold winter days :-)

Sending this over to Hot & Spicy treats

Chicken Sukka

Chicken Sukka is my favourite dish along with Neer Dosa. This is a delicious combination in Mangalorean Cuisine. When we were in Bangalore, we used to have it from the restaurants there. After coming to UK, I started missing this a lot and was hunting for an authentic recipe. One morning I was pleasantly surprised when Shireen posted it at her blog Ruchik Randhap. Her blog has a collection of authentic Mangalore dishes and the pictures make me drool always. Yesterday I made Chicken Sukka and Neer dosa for dinner and it was fantastic. My husband said that it is the most authentic one he ever had. I had followed every bit of her recipe, except for the 2 varieties of chillies she used. I get only one type of dry chilly here which is kind of mildly spicy and this made my curry look brownish. 

Coming to the recipe...The preparation is a little time consuming, but the final dish is worth all the effort.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg cut to medium pieces

Onion - 1, chopped

Salt to taste

For the roasted masala

Poppy seeds / khus-khus - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Cloves - 3 or 4

Onion - 1 medium size, finely sliced

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Crushed garlic with skin - 3 cloves

Dry red chillies - 15 to 18 (adjust based on spiciness)

Coriander seeds - 1.5 tbsp

Whole black peppercorns - 10

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp 

Cumin seeds/jeera - a pinch

Tamarind - marble sized or Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

For garnishing

Grated coconut - 1 cup 

Garlic with skin - 3 cloves

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp 

For the seasoning/tadka

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Onion - 1 medium size finely sliced

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan and dry roast the poppy seeds, cinnamon, cloves, sliced onion, garlic and turmeric powder. I added a little oil as the turmeric was about to get burnt. Saute till the onions turn pale. Add dry red chillies, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, peppercorns and tamarind one by one and saute. Let it cool and then grind to a fine paste.
2. Wash and drain the chicken peices. In a pan, add the chicken, chopped onion, salt and 3/4th portion of the ground masala. Reserve the remaining 1/4th to be added in next step. Cook without adding any water as  this is a kind of dry preparation and chicken cooks in its own juices.
3. In the same pan used for the first roasting, dry roast the coconut, 3 cloves of garlic and cumin on a slow flame for about 2-3 minutes till you get a nice aroma of roasted coconut. No need to wait till coconut turns brown. Let it cool and grind it along with the masala that was reserved previously(the 1/4th portion) to a coarse consistency. When the chicken is almost cooked, add this ground mix and combine well and cook for few more minutes till chicken is done.
4. Heat a tadka/seasoning pan and add ghee followed by onion. Saute till onion turns golder brown, add cinnamon now and pour this seasoning to the cooked chicken. This seasoning gives a great taste to the Sukka.

Serve with Neer Dosa/Rice/Roti.

Thanks again Shireen for this delicious recipe..

Chicken Jalfrezi

Chicken Jalfrezi is Britain's favourite Indian curry now. Recently it replaced the Chicken Tikka Masala  which was the most popular Indian curry says Times of India. I had this dish a couple of times after coming to UK, and this is our favourite now. The Indian restaurants here serve mildly spicy curries and so we always order it to be extra spicy. Extra spicy as per their standards is the normal spice level that we use at home. 

Coming to the recipe, I spotted it at 1 MB from Meena's Kitchen. The picture of her dish looked so attractive and delicious and I decided to try it. This is a very yummy dish with a different flavour and a lovely light brown colour. But in this photo, it looks very yellow as my kitchen lights are yellowish. I made it for dinner and missed the opportunity to take the picture in day light.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken breast - 2, cut to bite sized pieces

Yoghurt/Curd - 3 tbsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

2. For cooking the chicken

Oil - 2 tbsp

Green chillies - 2, chopped fine

Garlic - 4 large cloves

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Chilly powder - 1.5 tsp

Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp

Salt to taste

3. For second saute

Oil - 1 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 large, thinly sliced

Green Bell Pepper - 1, diced

Garam masala - 1/2 to 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients in item 1 and marinate for 10 mins.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add green chillies followed by garlic and saute well. Add tomatoes and saute well till mushy.

3. Add chilly, coriander and pepper powders and salt and combine well.

4. Add the marinated chicken and cover and cook till chicken is done. As this is a dry side dish, no need to add water. 

5. In another pan heat oil and add jeera. Add onions and saute till they are golden brown. Add the diced bell peppers and saute for a minute. Add garam masala and mix well. Add the contents of this pan to the cooked chicken and combine well. Chicken Jalfrezi is ready. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves(optional).

Serve with roti, paratha, naan or fried rice.

Linking this to Iftar Nights

Oven roasted Chicken

It was the first time I roasted a chicken breast and it was finger licking good. As a trial I used only 1 fillet, which I regret. Both of us were literally attacking it with our knives. It is a very easy recipe and requires minimal ingredients. I am going to make this again very soon.

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken breast fillet - 1
Paprika - 1 tsp (You may use regula chilly powder, but Paprika gives a nice red colour)
Pepper powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Onion - 1, sliced fine
Lemon juice - a few drops
Oil - to grease the tray and for basting

You also need...

Roasting tray preferably glass
Spatula for turning the chicken
A pair of oven gloves

Note: You may also try this with fish like Salmon fillet or Kingfish slices. Fish takes lesser time to cook.

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mix together paprika, pepper powder,salt and garlic paste. Coat the chicken pieces with this paste and rub well. Keep aside for half an hour or more.
2. Preheat oven to 200 C. Grease the roasting tray with a little  oil. Place the marinated breast fillet and brush the top with a little oil. Rub the sliced onion with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Spread this onion on top of the chicken and in the tray.
3. Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 mins and then turn it over. Bake again for 10-15 mins. Total baking time will be around 25-35 mins. It may vary in different ovens. Do not overcook as the chicken will lose the juices and get hard.

You may either serve it as it is or cut to pieces and use in wraps, pizza, sandwiches, salads or pasta.

This goes to Anyone Can Cook, Joy from Fasting to Feasting - IV, Iftar Nights and What's on your Kebab Platter

I am also sending Chicken Tikka for What's on your Kebab Platter

Red Hot Fish Curry

A spicy red fish curry that will bowl you over. The recipe was sent by our friend Nadeem who is from Goa. I have made a few changes to suit our taste. It is the simplest fish curry I've ever made and tastes great.

Ingredients:

Fish pieces - 500 gms
Fish Tamarind/Kodampuli - 2
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a sprig(optional)

For the paste
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly powder or Paprika (Optional. I added it for the colour)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Methi/Fenugreek powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Preparation
1. Grind all the ingredients for the paste with a little water in a mixer.
2. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions. When they start browning, add the ground paste and add enough water and salt for the gravy. Bring to boil and simmer for few minutes.
3. Add the fish pieces and curry leaves and cover and cook till fish is done.

Serve with rice or neer dosa or kappa(tapioca).

Linking to Anyone Can Cook: Series 30

Also to Iftar Nights

Sweetcorn Chicken Soup

Hot Soups are a comfort food on cold evenings. Though it is summer here, last few days have been rainy and cold. This is one of the easiest soup and I made it specially for my daughter who loves sweet corn and chicken. This soup is very healthy too as I have not added even a drop of oil, but it still tastes yummy.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken pieces - 1 to 1.5 cups(4-5 medium pieces).
    Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves finely chopped
    Pepper powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
    Water - 2 cups
    Salt to taste

2. Sweet corn - 1 can of 200 gms
    Corn flour/Corn starch - 1 tsp
 
Preparation:

1. Add the ingredients listed as item 1 to a saucepan and cook till chicken is done. I do it in a pressure cooker  to make it easier.  Drain the chicken pieces from the stock and keep aside.
2. Take 3/4 of the sweetcorns from the can and blend  in a food processor/mixer till smooth. Add this to the chicken stock along with the remaining 1/4th portion of sweetcorns and bring it to boil. If you are using creamed corn, there is no need to blend.
3. Meanwhile chop the chicken pieces. If you are using chicken with bones, remove and discard the bones.
4. Add chopped chicken to the stock and simmer for few minutes.
5. Add corn starch to a few tablespoons of water and mix well. Pour this to the boiling soup. The soup starts thickening. Do a taste check and add salt if required.

Serve hot.

Sending this to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen

This also goes to Iftar Nights at Jabeen's Corner

Also goes to Anyone Can Cook:Series 30

Tomato and Garlic Chicken

I tasted this dish at my friend Mridula's home on her daughter's birthday party and I just loved it. She has a lot of yummy recipes in her Facebook Page - Mila's Kitchen. Do check it out...

If you like tangy and saucy chicken, you are sure to love this recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken - 500 gms cut to bite size pieces

    Chilly powder - 2 tsp

    Soy sauce - 2 tsp

    Finely chopped  garlic - 1 tsp

    Salt

2. Corn flour - 3 tbsp

     Oil for shallow frying chicken

3.  Finely chopped Garlic - 1 tbsp

     Green chillies - 3, finely chopped

     Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

     Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp

     Tomatoes - 2

      Chilly powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp

      Spring onions - to garnish

Preparation:

1. Marinate the ingredients in item 1 for about 1-2 hrs.

2. Add some water and pressure cook the marinated chicken for 1 whistle. When the pressure is released, drain the chicken peices from the stock and coat it with corn flour. Reserve the chicken stock for the gravy.

3. Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry the chicken. Fry till the chicken is cooked, but still soft. Drain and keep aside.

4. In the same pan and oil, add  garlic and saute till you get the aroma. Add green chillies, soy sauce and tomato sauce and combine well. 

5. Blend the tomatoes in a food processor or mixer and  add it to the pan along with chicken stock. Add a little chilly powder. Bring to a boil.

6. Add the left over cornflour used for coating the chicken. Add the chicken pieces and simmer for few minutes. Do a taste check and adjust salt and spiciness and the gravy consistency. Garnish with spring onions.

Tastes great with Fried rice, paratha and naan.

Sending this to Anyone Can Cook: Series 29 

Also sending to Iftar Nights

Linking to Joy from Fasting to Feasting-IV at Yummy Food

Kheema Spaghetti

Kheema Spaghetti is a fusion of the Italian origin Spaghetti and our desi Kheema. Vegetarians may use soya chunks minced instead of kheema. I wanted something quick and easy for dinner and this recipe was just perfect.

Ingredients:

1. Minced chicken/Kheema - 250 gms
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Meat masala / Garam masala - 1 tsp (adjust to suit your taste)
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Salt

2. Onion - 1, diced
Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1/2 of a medium size, cubed
Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp (adjust to suit your taste)
Oil

3. Spaghetti - 200 gms
Salt
Water
Oil

Preparation:

1. Cook the ingredients listed as item 1 till the kheema is cooked well.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and saute onions and bell pepper for a few minutes. Add the cooked kheema and tomato ketchup to this and combine well.The kheema mix is now ready.
3. Boil water in a large pan and add a little salt. Add spaghetti and 1 tsp of oil and cook for 10-15 mins. For the cooking guidelines, follow the instructions on the spaghetti pack. When spaghetti is cooked, transfer to a colander to drain the water.
4. Mix the spaghetti and kheema just before serving.

Serve hot. The above quantity serves 2-3 people as a main dish.

You may use any other pasta of your choice instead of spaghetti and follow the same recipe.

Linking to Anyone can cook - Series 26

Mussels thoran

കടുക്ക തോരന്‍ 

Mussels, known as Kadukka or Kallumakkai in Malayalam is a popular seafood in Malabar region of Kerala. This is something that makes me really home sick. The mussels that we get in Calicut(my home town) are the best and I miss all the yummy dishes my mother makes with it. Mussels can be fried, curried, pickled, stuffed, or you could even make biriyani.  I am glad that I could find some mussels here in UK, but they are smaller in size.

It is preferable to buy uncooked mussel with the shell from markets. One tip that my father gives is that the you should buy only those mussels with the shells tightly shut. To clean the mussel, the shell needs to be srcubbed to remove dirt and then boiled/steamed. When the shell opens up after boiling, you need to remove the mussel flesh and clean them thoroughly. It requires lot of patience especially if the mussels are small. I could get only cooked and de-shelled ones here, so I had to do a little bit of cleaning and the mussels are ready to be prepared.

This is a delicious thoran recipe, which is best made with small size mussels. 

Ingredients:

Cleaned and de-shelled mussels - 300 gms

Shallots - 6 to 8

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 4 to 5

Green chilly - 3

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Shredded coconut - 3 to 4 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Curry leaves - a sprig

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt

Oil - 1 tbsp. I used coconut oil as this is a kerala style recipe.

Prepartion:

1. Clean and rinse the mussels thoroughly. Roughly chop them and keep aside.

2. Crush shallot, ginger,garlic and green chillies together. I just did a pulse in the mixer.

3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add the crushed ingredients and curry leaves and saute till you get a nice aroma.

4. Add turmeric and coriander powders and saute well. Add the mussels and salt and stir fry for a few minutes. As the mussels are pre-cooked it wont need much time.

5. Take jeera and coconut in a bowl and mix it well with your fingers. Add this to the mussels along with pepper powder and stir well to combine.

Serve with hot rice. It tasted great with Red rice(Matta rice) and Kachiya moru.

Linking this to Kerala Kitchen July 2011 hosted by Magpie.

Lemon Chicken

Lemon chicken is a tangy dish that can be served as a starter like chilly chicken. The only flavours in this are of lemon and green chillies. If you have never tried this before, I recommend that you do it soon. The first time I had this was at a restaurant(hmm..I forgot the name) in Bangalore. It was an indo-chinese style dish and that was the first time I tasted a tangy version of chicken.  I couldn't get the exact recipe from any cooking blog: most of them were the chinese version, but I was looking for an indo-chinese one. I have adapted this recipe from the many recipes I have gone through and modified it to suit the indian taste buds :-)

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken - 500 gms

For marination
Plain Flour - 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Green chilly sauce - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt

Onion - 1,diced
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Green chilly sauce - 1 to 2 tsp (adjust as per spice level)
Lemon juice - 2 to 3 tbsp (adjust to suit your taste)
Spring onions  chopped - for garnishing (I didn't have it then, so used coriander leaves)
Salt
Oil

Preparation:


1. Clean and cut the chicken into strips or bite size pieces. Mix the marination ingredients with the chicken and keep for half an  hour.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated chicken till it is cooked and gets a golden colour. Drain and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok or iron skillet and saute onions till soft. Add the soy, green chilly sauce, lemon juice and salt and mix well.
4. Add the fried chicken and combine well. Keep stir frying on high flame, till chicken gets dry.
5. Garnish with spring onions.

Note: Serve hot. It may become a little soggy when it gets cold.

Spicy Chicken Masala

This is a version of chicken masala for which I haven't used any readymade chicken/meat masala, garam masala etc. The coriander powder and the whole spices gives a special touch to this recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg, cut into pieces
Onion - 3 to 4 finely sliced
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - a 2 inch piece broken to pieces
Cloves - 4
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1.5 tsp or more
Coriander powder - 2 to 3 tbsp as you like
Tomato - 2, chopped
Curry leaves - a sprig
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt
Oil

Preparation:

1. Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute the onions. The taste of this curry depends on how well the onions are sauted. The onions should turn dark brown, but not burnt. Let it cool. Grind to a smooth paste without adding water. Keep it aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add fennel, cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a minute.
3. Add the ground onion paste and ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes.
4. Add turmeric, chilly and coriander powder and saute for a minute.
5. Add tomatoes and saute well till oil starts appearing.
6. Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Cover and cook for about 5 mins.
7. Add 2 to 3 cups of water, curry leaves and salt and cover and cook till chicken is done.
8. You may add pepper powder at the last stage and mix well.

Garnish with coriander leaves

This masala is much tastier after a few hours when the gravy thickens. Best served with roti, naan, paratha and rice.

Mutton Roast

This is my 23rd recipe and I'm wondering why I didn't post any mutton recipes so far. So, here I'm with a traditional kerala style mutton roast. Other mutton dishes I like are mutton fry and mutton stew that my father makes. There is something very special in the way he cooks,  as I couldn't recreate the same taste even after following his exact recipe...A dad's special touch, may be...

Coming back to my mutton roast, here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

For stage 1, cooking the mutton
Mutton - 1/2 kg, cut into small pieces
Onion - 2, chopped
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt

For stage 2, roasting
Oil - If you like coconut oil, I would recommend that
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Curry leaves - a sprig
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp (Check cooking tips for the recipe)
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp or more

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients listed under stage 1 in a pressure cooker and cook till the mutton is done.    The number of whistles vary with the tenderness of the meat. I did not add any water to cook, but if you feel that it would stick to the bottom of the cooker, you may add just 1-2 tbsp of water.
2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter fennel seeds. Fry the onion till they are brown, take care not to burn the onions. Add curry leaves.
3. Add the cooked mutton masala from the cooker and mix well. Keep roasting till the water evaporates, add the garam masala and pepper powder when it is almost done. Mix well and roast till it gets a dark brown colour.

Serve hot along with red/brown rice. My personal preference is to have it with rice and moru curry.

Fish Curry

This is a kerala style fish curry made with coconut oil. The curry leaves sauted in coconut oil  gives a distinct aroma to this curry. If you dont like/dont use coconut oil, you may use sunflower oil/any oil of your choice. I like this curry to be spicy, please adjust the green chilly and chilly powder as per your taste.

Ingredients:
Fish pieces - 500 gms
Onion  - 1 chopped
Chopped ginger -1 tsp
Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 2 slit lengthwise
Curry leaves - a sprig or more
Tomato - 1 chopped
Tamarind - 1 inch square piece
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp or more
Coriander powder - 2-3 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil
Salt

Preparation:
1. Soak tamarind in hot water and make a pulp. Strain and add the spice powders(turmeric, chilly and coriander) to this. Keep this aside.
2. Heat coconut oil in a pan and splutter mustard and fenugreek seeds.
3. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chilly and saute for a few seconds.
4. Add onions,curry leaves and salt and saute till onions are soft.
5. Add the tomatoes and saute till oil starts appearing.
6. Now add the tamarind pulp and bring it to a boil. Add water as required.
7. Lower the flame and cook till the gravy starts getting thick.
8. Add the fish pieces and cover and cook till the fish is done.

Serve hot with rice. Tastes great with red/brown/kerala rice. This curry is much more tastier the next day :-)

Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces - 1 kg

For marination
Ginger - 4-5cm piece
Garlic - 4-6 nos (adjust as per size)
Green chillies - 6-8 nos (adjust as per spice level and size)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt

For masala
Onion sliced - 2 big
Tomato chopped - 2
Biriyani Masala or home made garam masala - 1-2 tbsp. I use Eastern Biriyani masala most of the times. To make home made masala, check this link.
Ghee/Oil - 2 tbsp. If you want to reduce the amount of ghee in the biriyani, you may use sunflower oil while making the masala. Use Ghee only for the rice.

For the Biriyani Rice
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Green cardamom -4
Cloves -4
Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
Star anise - 1 small broken to pieces
Onion sliced finely - 1 small
Basmati Rice - 3 cups
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Salt.

For garnishing
Coriander and mint leaves - a handful
Cashew nuts and raisins - as you like :-)

Preparation

1. Grind the ingredients listed under 'For marination' into a smooth paste with a little water.
2. Marinate the chicken pieces in this paste.
3. Heat Ghee/Oil in a large pan.
4. Saute the onions till they are soft.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
6. Now add the marinated chicken to this. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the biriyani masala/ home made garam masala and mix well.
8. Add 1/2 cup water and cover and cook till the chicken is done. The gravy should be thick. Now the masala is ready, keep it aside
7. Heat Ghee in a vessel and add the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Saute for a minute and add the onions. Saute for few minutes.
8. Add the basmati rice and mix well. When the rice starts crackling, add 6 cups of hot water, lemon juice and salt. You may add a pinch of turmeric powder if you want. Note that the salt is only for the rice. We have used salt separately for the masala.
9. Cook till rice is done and the water is dried up.

Layering the Biriyani:
1. Grease the bottom of a non stick/thick bottom vessel with some ghee.
2. Make a layer of biriyani rice. After that make a layer of chicken masala. Repeat this process till the rice and masala is layered completely. The top layer must be of rice.You may sprinkle some ghee in between layers.
4. Fry the cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and spread it on top of the masala.
5. Also add the chopped coriander and mint leaves.
6. Place the vessel on top of stove and lower the flame. Keep it for 10-15 mins.
7. You may also place a pan of boiling water on top of the biriyani vessel so that the heat is from both the sides.

Serve hot with raitha, papad and pickle

Chettinad chicken

Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state. Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India.

and is famous for its use of a variety of spices used in preparing mainly non-vegetarian food.

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces - 1 kg

For the masala

Shredded coconut - 1 cup

Whole Dry red chilies - 6-8

Poppy seeds / Khus Khus - 2 tsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds – 1-2 tsp

Cinnamon stick – 1 medium size piece

Cardamom – 4

Clove – 4

Star anise – 1/2

Whole pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Ginger & garlic- 1/2 tbsp each

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Chili powder – 1 tsp

Onion- 2

Tomato – 3 medium

Lemon – 1

Curry leaves

Salt

Oil

Preparation:

1. Fry the ingredients listed under 'For the masala' in oil, till it turn golden brown. Let it cool.

2. Grind this with ginger and garlic. Do not add water while grinding. Add 1/2 – 3/4 cup of water to the ground coconut mix and make it a thick paste.

3. Heat oil in a bottom heavy pan and add sliced onions and fry it till it becomes golden brown.

4. Add coconut mixture and curry leaves and stir it continuously for a few minutes.

5. Add tomato and turmeric and chili powder and mix well. Once the powders are fried well add chicken pieces & salt, combine well and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Add lemon juice and 2 cups water and cover and cook till the chicken is done. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Recipe source: Maria's Menu

Pepper Chicken

It was a cold Saturday evening and I was craving for something spicy to pep up my taste buds. I found boneless chicken in the fridge and was wondering what to prepare. I searched the internet for more than half an hour, but couldn't find what I was looking for. I got some ideas from here and there but was not completely happy with any particular recipe. Finally I decided to try something on my own and it came out very good.

Ingredients

1. Boneless chicken (bite size pieces) - 300g

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

2. Whole pepper corns - 2 tsp

Shallots(Small onion) - 3 nos

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic cloves - 2-3

3. Sunflower oil

Onion - 1 big finely chopped

Curry leaf - A sprig

Water - to cook the chicken

Method of Preparation

* Crush together the ingredients given under item 2. Mix this with chicken, turmeric powder and salt and marinate for half an hour.

* Heat oil in a pan and saute onions. Add curry leaves. Add the marinated chicken and stir well. Add water just enough to cook the chicken. Cook till the chicken is fully done.

* If there is any water left, keep on high flame till the water evaporates. Do a taste check and add a little Pepper powder if required. Keep frying it till the chicken gets dry and gets a dark colour.