Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups Cooked sona masoori/Basmati rice

3/4 cup Finely grated fresh coconut

1/4 cup Boiled peanuts

6 Cashew nuts (Broken into small pieces)

1 tsp Mustard seed

1/2 tsp Urad dhal

1/2 tbsp Chana dhal

5 Dry red chillies (Broken into 2/3 pieces)

A pinch of hing

3 Strands of Curry leaves

1 tbsp Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat coconut oil in a wide pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Then add urad dhal, chana dhal, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for few mins till the dhals are well roasted.
• Then add a pinch of hing and cashew nuts.
• Now add grated coconut and salt. Fry on low heat till the coconut get roasted.
• Then add the boiled peanuts and cooked rice.
• Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
• Serve tasty coconut rice with the spicy Garlic Potato Masala.

Fish fry with Curry Leaves

Ingredients:

5 slices of Fish

6 strands of curry leaves

2 tbsp Kashmiri Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tbsp Whole Black pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

2 Cloves of garlic

3 Shallots

1 tsp lime juice

salt to taste

Oil to shallow fry

Method:

• Wash, clean the fish and pat it dry with kitchen towel. Keep aside.
• In a spice grinder, grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste except 2 stands of curry leaves.
• Rub the fish slices with the  grounded spice paste and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours .
• Heat enough oil in a pan to shallow fry the fish pieces. Once the fish is crispy and browned, flip it over and fry on the other side also.
• Fry the 2 strands of curry leaves also in the hot oil. Drain to a paper towel.
• Serve the spicy fish fry garnished with crispy fragrant curry leaves.

Thool Murukku

Ingredients:

1 cup Idiyappam rice flour

1/4 cup Urad dhal powder

1 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp Ajwain/Omam

1 tbsp Black sesame seeds

water

salt to taste

Oil to fry

Method:

• In a big wide bowl, add all the ingredients except water and oil and rub to mix well.  
• Now sprinkle water little by little and knead it well with hands till it comes like chapathi dough.
• Use the star shape disc with the murukku press. Grease the murukku presser with oil.
• Heat sufficient oil in a deep pan over medium high heat.
• Now fill the murukku presser with enough dough and squeeze into the hot oil. Do not overload the pan.
• Deep fry on both sides till golden brown and remove with a slotted spoon. Drain in kitchen towel or tissue.
• Repeat with the rest of the flour.
• Once murukku is cool, store in an air tight container and enjoy.

Karunai Kilangu Kulambu

Ingredients:

5 Karunai Kilangu

10 shallots (peeled and quartered)

10 cloves of Garlic (peeled and quartered)

2 Tomato (quartered)

3 Green chillies (Slit)

3 strands of curry leaves

1 small lime size tamarind ball

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seed

1/2 tsp Mustard seed

1/2 tsp Cumin seed

A pinch of hing

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

2 tbsp Sambar Powder

2 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp grated Jaggery

3 tbsp Freshly grated coconut

2 tbsp Gingerly oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash the karunai kilangu, boil it in water with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder till it is 3/4 cooked. 
• Cool and peel the outer cover and cut thick round pieces. Keep aside.
• Grind the grated coconut to fine paste.
• Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 15 mins, mash the pulp and strain the water.
• Heat the oil in a pan and splutter the mustard, cumin and fenugreek seeds. 
• Then add  garlic, shallots, curry leaves and green chillies. Stir fry for few mins.
• Then add the chilli powder, hing, sambar powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry  for 2 mins and add tomatoes and cook till the oil separates from the masala. Keep on low flame.
• Now add tamarind pulp and the grated Jaggery. Wait for the gravy to boil, then add the cooked karunai kilangu. Cook for 5 mins.
• Then add the grinded coconut paste and cook for few more mins on low flame till the oil separates and comes to the surface.
• Serve it with steamed rice, chow chow poriyal and rice vadagam.

Sweet Bonda

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Plain flour
1/4 cup Wheat flour
1 Egg

1/2 cup Grated Jaggery
1/2 tsp Cardamon powder
A pinch of baking soda
A pinch of salt
Few tbps of milk

Oil for deep frying

Method:

• In a big bowl, Combine all the ingredients for the bonda except oil.
• Beat everything together with a whisk till thick batter like consistency is reached and well combined.
• Cover and keep aside for about 1/2 hour.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.
• Using a round spoon, scoop a little batter and drop it carefully into the hot oil.
• Keep the stove on medium low flame as jaggery makes the bonda turn dark very easily. Bondas are ready when they float to the oil surface. 
• Drain on a kitchen towel.
• Serve the sweet bonda with a hot cup of filter coffee.

Spicy Chicken Roast

Ingredients:

1 kg Chicken (Cut into small pieces)

2 Onions (Chopped)

6 Shallots (Sliced)

10 Cloves of Garlic (Chopped)

1 small piece Ginger (Chopped)

6 Dry red chillies

1 Tomato (Chopped)

5 strands of curry leaves

2 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp Fennel seeds

1/2 seasoning chicken cube

1 tbsp Kashmiri Chilli powder

2 tbsp special masala (Chilli pwdr + Cumin Pwdr + Turmeric Pwdr)

2 whole Cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

1 Star anise

1 Bay leaf

3 cloves

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Salt to taste

Method:

• Clean and wash the chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Drain well.
• Take the chicken in a wide bowl. Add all the ingredients except ghee, oil, whole garam masala and fennel seeds.
• Mix well and make sure all the chicken pieces are well coated with the masala.
• Cover and marinade for atleast a couple of hours in refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a deep non stick pan and add the whole garam masala (Bay leaf, Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and Star anise) and the fennel seeds . Fry for a min.
• Now add the marinated chicken and stir everything together, cover the pan and cook for 10-15 mins under medium high flame.
• Stir fry  in between till the oil separates from the masala.
• When chicken is cooked, add ghee and let it slow roast on medium low flame for 5 mins. Give a final stir and switch off the stove.
• Serve it hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Dosa Batter

Ingredients:

3 cup Idli rice

1 cup Raw rice

1 cup Whole urad dhal

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste

Ghee/oil to make dosa 

Method:

• Wash and soak the rice with fenugreek seeds and urad dhal separately for 4-5 hours.
• Then drain the water and grind urad dhal first by adding water little by little till it has butter like consistency.
• Remove to a big wide bowl and add the soaked rice to the grinder and grind to a smooth paste.
• Now add salt, mix everything together using hands and allow to ferment overnight or atleast 12 hours.
• Next day, mix the batter well and make sure it is of pouring consistency, not too thick or too thin.
• Now heat a iron griddle, when it is hot, add a few drops of oil and wipe clean.
• Then pour a ladle of batter and move in circular motion to create thin crepe.
• Drizzle few drops of oil or ghee around the edges to get crispy dosa. Keep the stove on medium high through out the cooking.
• Serve it hot with any chutney or sambar.