Spicy Chicken Chettinad

Ingredients and method:

1 small chicken with bone - cut in to small pieces, wash thoroughly.
1 tab spn chilli powder
1 tbspn coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tbspn garam masala
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbspn tandoori masala or SRS masala powder
1 tspn pepper powder
Add these ingredients to the washed chicken and marinate for 2 to 3 hours

Add salt to taste .
1 big cup chopped  onion
Heat 4 to 5 tabspn oil in a kadai .
Add 1 big tbspn garlic, 1/2 tbspn ginger paste in the oil and fry till the raw smell goes away
Add chopped onion, 6 to 7 slit  green chillies ( or more if u want it to be spicy), 1 tbspoon curry leaves
Add 1/4 cup thinly slit red and green bell pepper .
Stir well till it is translucent .
Add the marinated chicken to this adding  little water(do not add toomuch water) to  cook it .
Stir and  toss frequently .
Cover it with a lid over a medium fire .
When chicken is done and is dry remove from fire. Garnish with chopped  coriander leaves. Optionally you can garnish with chopped spring onion or green and red bell peppers.

Mushroom and Cauliflower Curry | Konkani Bhuthi

Method and Ingredients: 

2 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups chopped mushrooms
Wash and keep aside
1 big cup chopped onion.

Masala:

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tbspn coriander seeds, few methi seeds roasted light brown in 1/2 tbspn oil.
1/2 tspn tamarind pulp.
1 tbspn chillipowder.
Grind the above ingredients in to paste.
Heat 2 to 3 tbspn oil in a kadai add the chopped onion and fry to light brown color.
Add the chopped cauliflower florets and chopped mushroom.
Add salt to taste.
Cook till it is done ( do not over cook )
Add the masala, mix and  stir thoroughly keeping on the medium flame
Cover with a lid. When it becomes sukha (dry) toss and stir frequently .
Remove from flame.
Serve with chapaties or rice as a side dish

Chicken Curry

Ingredients: 1 pound chicken wash cut in to small pieces 1 big onion chopped 2 medium tomatoes chopped 4 to 5 almonds or cashewnuts 1/4 cup grated coconut 1 tbspn chilli powder 4 green chillies 8 cloves 1 " cinnamon 2 tspn coriander powder 1 tspn cumin powder 3 cardamom 1/2" ginger 3 cloves garlic

Method: Heat little oil in a pan and fry all the above ingredients together for a while . Grind in to smooth paste . Heat oil in a vessel and add the masala , stir for a few minutes till the aroma comes out . Add the washed chicken pieces and chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste Simmer the masala with chicken for some time adding sufficient water till the chicken is done. squeeze lemon juice to add to ur taste .Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with hot roties or rice

Vegetable Hakka Noodles

INGREDIENTS & METHOD:

2 packets of Hakka noodles.

Boil 2 liters water in a large vessel.

Add little salt ,little oil while boiling the water.

when the water reaches boiling point add the noodles.

After the noodles r cooked, drain the water.

spread this in a plate.

Mix it with oil to avoid sticking and cool it.

Oil - preferably olive oil 6 to 7 tbspn.

chop carrot , beans , brocoli and cabbage (altogether 1 1/2 cupsof vegetables).

1 / 2 cup chopped spring onion.

1 / 4 cup sprouts.

1 large onion chopped length wise.

1 green or red capsicum chopped length wise.

1 tbspn ginger garlic paste.

Heat oil in a thick bottom flat kadai.

Add chopped onion + ginger garlic paste.

Fry till it becomes translucent.

Add chopped green capsicum or red capsicum (green pepper) + chopped spring onion.

stir for a while.

Add vegetables and stir and toss for a while till they are cooked.

Add salt to taste.

when vegetables r done add cooked noodles, 3 tbspn soya sauce +2 tbsp vinegar.

Add little chilli powder and pepper powder, mix.

Serve hot with veg gravy if needed or garnish with chopped green onions.

Cabbage Pancake | Konkani Sunna Polo

Ingredients:

1/2 or 3/4 cup small cup thuvar dhal.
1/2 or 3/4 cup rice.
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated coconut.
1 or 2 tbspn chillipowder.
1 small marble size tamarind.

Method:

Soak these ingredients in water for 3 to4 hours (except tamarind).wash and grind in to slightltly coarse paste .
Remove from the grinder and add salt to taste
Add 1 chopped onion
1 big cup chopped cabbage
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves and mix thoroughly .
Heat a tava , spread 1 tbspn oil .
Pour a fistfull of the mixture over this and flatten it with ur palm
Keep it on a medium flame .
Fry on both sides applying oil , till it is turned brown in color .
You can put three small dosas at a time and fry .
Serve hot .

Variation: In place of chopped cabbage u can add mashed tender bamboo shoots . and it is named as bambooshoot sunna polo or pancake

Chili Shrimp with Baby Spinach

Ingredients and Method:

1 pound shrimp peel , devain and wash .
6 green chillies slit lengthwise .
2 cups  onions chopped
1 cup chopped spinach (if it is baby spinach , no need of chopping )
Few curry leaves

Masala:

1  cup  chopped onion
6 cloves
1'cinnamon
1/2 tbspn garlic paste
1 tspn ginger paste
5 black pepper
2 tbspn chillipowder
1/2tspn tamarind pulp.
Grind together to a smooth paste adding little water.

Marinate the shrimp  with 1 tbspn yogurt,1 tbspn coriander powder, 1/2 tbspn cuminseed (jeera) powder and for 15 minutes.
Heat 4 tbspn oil  in a pan .
Add remaining cup chopped onion, slit green chillies, few curry leaves and fry until translucent.
Add spinach and stir till it is cooked .
Add the masala and stir for a while until it is dry. If needed, add 2 to 3 cocums before stirring the masala to make it more tasty.
Add marinated shrimp with very little water and cover with a lid on a medium flame.
When the shrimps are done, add salt to taste and stir until the masala  is dry  again.
Sprinkle lemon juice if needed and serve hot .

Mutton Biryani

Ingredients and Method:

2 pounds mutton, wash 4 to 5 times and keep aside.
3 small cups Basumati rice wash and cook with 5 cups of water, adding few bay leaves and salt to taste, 3 tbspn oil.
Rice should be cooked 85% and should  not  be over cooked. Do not drain water from the rice .
Spread the cooked rice in a big thali and keepaside.

Chop 1 big onion length wise and fry it in some oil till it is brownish black in color and keep aside.
Keep aside finely chopped coriander leaves.

                  
Masala:

2 onions chopped in to big pieces.
2 smalltomatoes chopped.
3 strings of coriander leaves.
3 tbspn chillipowder (more or less according to your taste)
OR in place of chillipowder 8 to 10 green chillies can be added (the biriyani will look green if green chillies are used)
3 small cardamom
8 cloves
1" cinnamon
1" ginger
Few mint leaves
Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste adding little water to blend it .
                  
Mix the the above  masala (optional - you can add 2 tbspn Shan masala powder) with  the mutton and cook in the cooker with  few whistles till it is done .
If water remains in the cooked mutton keep on the fire stirring it till it becomes dry masala.
Add salt to taste before u dry the masala .
Heat 5 to 8 tbspn oil + 2 tbspn ghee in a thick flat  bottom pan.
Add one layer of cooked rice and above this one layer of  masala mutton alternately.
In between  the layers spread some chopped coriander leaves  and  fried  onions.
Top layer should be garnished with fried onion .
Keep this on medium gas for  3 to 4 minutes.

If u want the biriyani colorful ,soak 1 tspn kesar in 1/2 cup milk   for some time  and sprinkle over the top layer and in between the layers .

The picture of my biriyani is not impressive as I have not added kesar or color.

Madagane | Konkani

Ingredients:

1 cup chana dhal (Bengalgram dhal)soak in water for 4 hours .
3/4 cup jaggery powder depending on   the sweetness of the jaggery .
2 cups coconut milk
1 tab spn rice flour .
5 to 6 powdered cardomom .
1 tabspn Raisins
2 tabspn cashew nuts
1 pinch salt

Method:

Wash and cook dhal in the pressure cooker for a few minutes (with 2 whistles approximately  till the dhal gets little over cooked)
Add  jaggery powder and stir well keeping on the medium flame. Add coconut milk and cardomom powder, cashew nuts, raisins, stirring well on a medium flame for a few secs.
Mix the rice flour in  little water and add to  it , stirring for a few secs till the madagane becomes thick .

Serve hot or cold keeping it in the refrigerator.

Mussel Coconut Curry

Refer the recipe of coconut shrimp curry ---
steam the Mussels with shells in a steamer till the shells open .
 when they r cooled remove the mussels from the shells
 Remove the dirt from its belly and wash the mussels 3 to 4 times .
 add the cooked mussels in the coconut masala ( similar masala of shrimp coconut curry mentioned in the blog )

Serve hot with Rice ---Yum yum ----

Banana Walnut Cake

By Samika Shenoy

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
1 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces

Directions:

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

Idlis

Idli Batter

Batter in idli mold

Steaming for 10 min

Steamed ildis

Fluffy idlis ready to eat with chutney!


Ingredients:
1cup black gram dhal
1cup idli rava (preferably boiled rice rava. Use 2 cups if using electric stone grinder)

Method:
Soak in water in the morning for at least 6 hours. Wash and grind it either in the electric grinder  for  45 to 1 hours  time  adding water  as needed to a smooth paste. Add idli rava to this batter and mix it well.

Keep it overnight for fermentation in a warm place for 8 to 12 hours. In cold places, you can keep this in a slightly warmed oven (heat oven to 100 degrees, shut it off and then keep the batter  in the oven). 

 As a result of fermentation, the batter should increase to twice its original volume.                               

Add salt to taste and beat well just before steaming. To steam, you need an idli mold and, an idle cooker (or regular food steamer). Apply little oil on the idli molds and spoon batter into the mold. Steam it for 10 minutes. Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar.

Variation:
You can also use idli rice instead of idli rava. Soak 1 cup of idli rice (for grinding in the mixer)
( for grinding in the grinder 2 cups of rice ) for  6 hours. Grind it into a coarse batter (consistency of rava) and add it to the urad batter. The rest is same as above.      

Potato Pova |( Beaten rice )

Method
     2 medium size potatoes boil , peel and cut in to smallcubes
1 pav thick beaten rice(pova) or 2 pav medium thin beaten rice .
For thick beaten rice wash and soak in water till it becomes soft . squeeze and drain all the water ,
 For thin b rice ,wash and drain the water immediately without soaking.
Heat   4 tabspn oil  in a  flat bottomed kadai  .
 splutter 1 tspn mustard 1 tspn black  gram dhal (urad dhal) curry leaves , 4 chopped green chillies.
 Add 1 cup chopped onion and fry till it is translucent
 Add  1 t spn haldi powderand  stir
 Add cooked potatoe cubes, salt to taste and 1 tab spn sugar   and stir well .
Add the drained beaten rice to this   and 1/2 cup coconut gratings and stir well .
Keep on the medium flame stirring frequently for few secs . squeezeand mixx  lemon juice according to ur taste .
 Serve hot for B. Fast   with crispy Sev  . Yami !!

Pova Chutney | Konkani(thin beaten rice chutney)

Method no 2
 unlike in the previous recipe . Add 2 tabspoon sambar powder +chopped green chillies+ 2 tab spn sugar +salt to taste to the coconut gratings.
 Season this mixture with mustard and curry leaves

 Mix this with beaten rice and kneed a little before serving .

Rava Wheat Flour Bhakri

                                                                                  

Method

1 big cup wheat flour
3/4 cup Rava (samolina)
3/4 cup coconut gratings
 4or 5 chopped  green chillies
1 " ginger mashed
3 tab spn sugar
salt to taste
 1 medium onion chopped
mix all these ingredients above adding water to prepare a firm dough
  take a fist full of dough and transfer on a heated greased tava .
 and applying little water on the palm flatten it on the tava with ur fingers in to a 1/4 " thick round

Fry both sides nicely  on medium flame applying oil  from time to time till it is done. it should be done fully and should not be kacha .

dough

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Chicken Fajitas | Mexican



  













Ingredients

 sliced garlic  in the heated oil

chicken pieces

chicken pieces over the flame 

finished  Fajita

Tortilla rolled up with Fajita Mixture

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

1 big red bell pepper, sliced

1 big green bell pepper, sliced

1 big white onion, sliced

2-3 garlic pods, sliced

2-3 green chillies, sliced (optional, if you want it spicy)

1-2 tomatoes, sliced

1/4 cup cilantro chopped

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/4 cup olive or canola oil

Tortillas

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash chicken and marinate with all the dry spices (salt, oregano, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder) with a little oil. Keep aside for at least 1/2 hour.  

Heat oil in a skillet. Add garlic, then add chicken. Stir fry till chicken turns opaque (1-2 mins). Remove from heat and 

keep aside. Now in the same oil (add more oil if needed) stir fry onions, peppers., chillies (1-2 mins) Add salt to taste. Now add the chicken back into skillet, add cilantro and tomatoes. Toss together . Viola, the dish is ready to enjoy! 

Alternative, all these can be grilled on a griddle.

To Serve:

Just before serving,  heat tortillas on a griddle with a little butter. Assemble a spoon of chicken mixture, salsa and guacamole and sour cream on the tortilla. Roll and eat.

Radish Curry

 Method
2 long white radish(mullangior mooli )
cut in to square cubles
 chop a few leaves of the radish and soak it in the water for some time
 1 fistfull thuvar dhal or chana dhal soak in the water for 2 hours
 2  chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
4 to spicy slit green chillies ( according to ur spice tolerence)
 1 tab spoon garlic paste or 5 cloves of  garlic mashed
2 medium tomatoes chopped
 heat oil in a kadai add chopped onion + garlic paste and saute tillbrown
add chopped tamatoes saute till it melts
add 1 tab spn coriander powder +1tabspn garam masala powder 1 t spn jeera powder+1 tspn haldi powder  and stir for a few secs
 wash and drain  the water from the soaked dhal and add to this . add little water to half cook it
add the chopped leaves of radish  and cook
Finally add the radish  cubes , salt to taste and cook for a few minutes till it is done
 serve with chapaties or jowar roties with pickle or chatni powder .