Sunday, February 17, 2008

Jeera Rice

Ingredients

Rice (small kolam or basmati) - 3 cups
Jeera (cumin seed) - 1 tablespoon
Cardamom - 2-3
Cloves - 2-3
Cinnamon - 2-3 small sticks
Saffron - 1 small pinch
Boiled water - 4 1/2 cups
Ghee - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Salt for taste

Method

Clean, wash and drain the rice. Heat Ghee in a thick bottomed pressure cooker and put jeera and splutter add all other masalas and add the drained rice and fry well. After 2-3 minutes slow the flame and pour the boiled water and salt. Mix well and pressure cook till 2 whistles. Put off the flame and keep till all the pressure reduce. Serve hot along with Tharavu mappas or chicken curry.

Tharavu (Duck) Mappas

Ingredients to marinate

Duck pieces - 1Kg
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger Garlic paste 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt for taste

Other ingredients

Onion Sliced - 3 Medium size
Green chillies slit - 3
Tomatoes cut - 2 medium size
Curry leaves - 2 strands
Fresh Coconut scraped - 3 cups
*Coriander, saunf paste - 3 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt for taste

Method

Clean the duck and apply ginger garlic paste, pepper powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and marinate for 1/2 an hour. In a pressure cooker cook the marinated duck till 5-6 whistle. Remove the pieces and keep the stock for use.

Extract fresh (first) milk and second milk from the coconut scrapping and keep separately.

Heat an earthen pot (chatti) and pour coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Add grated garlic and ginger and fry for a minute. Add sliced onions and fry. Add green chillies and curry leaves. When onions become light brown add tomatoes and fry. Fry till the tomatoes become soft. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander paste and garam masala and fry. Add the cooked duck and stock. Close lid and cook for 5-6 minutes. Now add second extract coconut milk and cook. Finally add the first extract coconut milk and keep on slow flame. Put little fresh coconut oil and serve hot with steamed rice, jeera rice or chappatti

* to make coriander saunf paste, wash and soak whole coriander and saunf in luke warm wate for around 2 hours and grind in grinder.

Konchu Muringaka Theeyal

Ingredients

Konchu (prawns) - 250 gms (cleaned)
Drumstick split and cut - 2 Nos
Shallots (Kochulli) whole - 15-20
Green chilli slit - 2-3
Ginger cut small - 1 teaspoon
Garlic cloves whole - 5-6
Tomatoes thinly sliced - 1
Tomatoes cut lengthwise -1
Curry leaves - 2
Coconut oil - 2 1/2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Coconut paste (fried golden colour and ground) - 4 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Meenpuli (Cocum) - 3-4 pieces (Washed and socked in water)

Method

Heat an earthen pot (chatti), pour 1 1/2 table spoon coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds and add fenugreek seeds. When the fenugreek seeds become little brown colour add ginger and garlic and fry. Now add shallots, green chillies and saute. Add turmeric, chilli powder and coriander powder and fry. Add thinly sliced tomatoes and cook. When it become soft, add the prawns, drumstick and cook. Now add the coconut paste. Add meen puli and cook till the gravy thickens. Finally add the tomatoes cut long, curry leaves and 1 tabelspoon fresh coconut oil and serve hot with steamed rice.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Easy Tomato Curry

Ingredients

Ripe Tomatoes (thinly sliced)- 1/2 Kg
Onion (Thinly sliced) - 1/4 Kg
Green Chillies (Tender) - 3 Nos
Red chilly powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Mustards Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 stalks
Coconut Oil - 2 tablespoon
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Salt for taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds. Put onion, curry leaves and green chiliies and saute till the onions become transparent. Add salt and red chilly powder. Now add tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes. Cover and cook on medium flame for 5 minutes. Remove lid and add water and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame for 8 - 10 minutes or till the gravy becomes thick. Serve hot with chapattis.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

Spinach - 2 bunch
Tomato - 3
Paneer -200gms
Onion (grated) - 2
Garlic (grated) - 2 tbsp
Ginger (grated) - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2/3 cups
Ghee - 2tbs
Butter - 10 gms
Salt - to taste

Method:

Wash and boil spinach. Grind spinach when it is cool. Cut paneer in to pieces and fry little in ghee and keep aside. Heat the ghee in a pan, saute onion till it becomes brown, add ginger, garlic and fry. Add chilli powder, tomatoes, turmeric, salt and cook for a few minutes. Add spinach, water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Now add paneer paneer and garam masala. Simmer for a few more minutes till it is done. Add butter before serving. Serve hot with chappatti.

Simple Potato Curry

Ingredients

Potatoes - 4 medium
Onions - 2 medium
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Green chilly- 2 cut
Garlics cut small - 2 big
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tspn
Red chillies broken - 2
Milk -1/2 cup
Salt for taste
Oil - 1 tbspn

Methods

Peel and cut potatoes and wash well. Onions peel and cut. Tomatoes cut small. In a pressure cooker mix potatoes, onions, tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt. Pressure cook till 3 whistles. Remove from fire and let is cool. Open the cooker and mash lightly the vegetables. Now add the milk and bring to boil. In a pan heat oil add cumin seeds, broken chillies and curry leave and fry. Add to potato curry and mix well. Serve with chappatti.

Ladies finger fry

Ingredients

Ladies finger - 1/2 Kg
Garlics - 4-5 big cloves
Green chilly - 3
Tomatoes cut small - 2 medium
Coriander leaves cut - 1 bunch
Refined oil - for frying
Cocum -3-4 piece
Salt for taste

Method

Wash and wipe ladies finger with towel. Slice all ladies fingers. Crush garlics, green chillies, and coriander leaves and keep aside. Heat 1 1/2 tbspn oil in a nonstick pan and fry the vegetable along with cocum. When the ladies finger will become dry and not sticky remove from fire and transfer to a vessel. Remove the cocum piece. In the same pan heat 1 1/2 tablespoon oil and fry the crushed garlics chilly mix till the aroma comes. Add tomatoes, salt and fry. Add the ladies finger and fry for 2-3 minutes. Serve with chappaties.