Chicken biriyani and Peanut chicken

Biriyani is my all time favourite dish... Weekends are incomplete without Biriyani.. Its such a important part of my cooking. I try out different recipes, though my favourite is biriyani made my mother... This recipe is from Vah chef from YouTube..It looked colourful and tasted very good...




Ingredients:

Gravy:
whole garam masala ( 3 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1" cinnamon stick)
1 onion
salt
1 tbsp g&g paste
1 lb chicken
2 tbsp biriyani masala
3 green chillies
3/4 cup mint leaves and coriander leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup yogurt
2 tbsp oil

Rice:
2 Cups RICE
Shahi Jeera
OIL
salt

Garnish:
Food colour
1/4 mint leave and coriander leaves
cashew nuts
fried onion

Preparation:

Gravy:

Heat oil in a pan. Add whole garam masala and Sliced onions. Saute till golden brown. Add salt and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 5 more mins. Add chicken pieces, chopped green chillies and Biriyani masala. Chicken will start oozing out water, at this stage add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook till chicken is tender.

Rice:

In the meanwhile, Boil 6 cups of water. Add salt, oil and shahi jeera to the water. Soak basmati rice for 45 mts. Add the soaked rice to the boiling water. Cook till 75% done. Remove from heat and strain the remaining water.

Assembly:

First layer should be gravy. Add rice on top of it. Add 1/4 cup mint leaves and coriander leaves and fried onion. Again, add the remaining gravy and rice on top of it. Finally, sprinkle the food color water, remaining gravy( if any), cashew nuts and fried onion. Place this back on the stove at low heat. Cook for 30 - 45 mts. Make sure it is on low heat...Remove from heat. Mix slightly without breaking the rice...Serve hot!!!




Peanut chicken fry:

This recipe was adapted from Chef. Damodaran's TV show... New combo of peanut and chicken was different yet tasty!!!!



Ingredients:
1lb boneless chicken
1/2 onion
1/4 cup peanut paste ( one handful peanuts, roasted and ground to paste)
2 tsp redchilli powder
3 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp pepper powder
2 green chillies
few curry and mint leaves
1 tsp tamarind paste

Preparation:

Marinate chicken with peanut paste, tamarind paste,redchilli, turmeric, coriander and pepper powder, salt and chopped onion. Leave for 30 mts. Heat oil in pan, add curry leaves and mint leaves. Add marinated chicken and cook till tender. It should be a dry fry. Once the oil oozes out and water is evaporated. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot!!!

Vazhakai poriyal/ Plantain fry and An award!!!

Vazhakai is nothing but raw banana. It is mostly used to make bajji. Most dont prefer plantain coz of the belief that it causes gas trouble. I am not sure if thats true.... I love this particular poriyal made with it. My mom says, the ingredients used in this recipe suppress the effect of plantain. I just adore this poriyal...

Ingredients:

1 plantain (cut into small round slices)

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Paste:

1 small onion

7 garlic flakes

1" ginger

1 tbsp pepper or more

Preparation:

Grind the ingredients given to a fine paste adding little water.

Heat oil in a pan. Do the usual seasoning. Add plantain pieces. Saute for 5 minutes. Add ground paste and 1/2 cup water. Adjust salt. Cover and cook for 10 -15 mts. The plantain should have soft texture, don't over cook it. All the masala will coated to the plantain (dry consistency). Remove from heat..

Serve hot with sambar or rasam!!!

Let me talk abt my award... I am so excited to receive this award.. especially after long time.. Thanks Aysha and Sri lakshmi for passing me this wonderful award.. I appreciate it!!!

The award comes with certain rules!!!

1. You must mention the person who has given you the award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

Facts:

1. I am a staunch believer in God. My mo to in life is " whatever happens, Happens for good".

2. I love to be alone. Only my closest will know the real me!!!.

3. My first passion is dance and my second is cooking ( u all know that by now :D)

4. I love Kamal haasan and sharukh khan (my hubby hates him). Kamal haasan has been my childhood hero which never changed till now.. I absolutely adore him.

5. My favourite color is Red and Black, the most attractive combo...

6. I am a movie addict.. Love to watch tamil and hindi movies... The only genre i hate is horror.. I cannot stand those horror movies...

7. I love shopping.. who wouldn't???... I buy things which are absolutely necessary...I love to do shopping alone though!!!

Thats few fact abt me... this is just an tip of a ice berg!!!!

I would like to pass this award to,

Pooja of Myexperience with cooking

Parita of Parita's world

Poornima Nair of Tasty treats

a2Z Vegetarian of A2z vegetarian cuisine

chitra of Ratatouille

Ann of Delighted Foodie

Padma of Padma's recipes

Cauliflower 65

Cauliflower 65 would be every one's favourite..handsdown..Its easy to make and taste so good. One of the favourite party foods as well as kids pleaser.

Ingredients:

1 whole Cauliflower floret

1 tbsp red chili powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

1 tbsp g& g paste

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp corn flour

1 tsp rice flour

1 tsp besan

1 tbsp Chicken 65 powder ( optional)

food color

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Separate cauliflower florets and clean. Marinate it with corn flour, besan, rice flour, red chilli powder, lemon juice, g& g paste, garam masala , food color and egg. Leave it for 30mts to 1hr.

Heat oil for deep frying. Once hot, add cauliflower one by one. Fry till golden brown. Remove from heat. Remove excess oil with paper towel. Serve hot!!!!

Potato Masala and Keerai kozhumbu/ Spinach dal curry

Potato masala and keerai kozhumbu from my MIL's kitchen... Its such a simple recipe but tastes out of the world. As i already mentioned, I luv spinach and my hubby doesn't object it... it has permanent place in week day menu. This is another way of cooking spinach curry. Potato masala looks colorful, am sure would be a kids pleaser.

Potato Masala:

Ingredients:

2 potatoes

1/2 onion chopped

1 tbsp g& g paste

1 tbsp fennel seeds powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Preparation:

Cut the potatoes into 4 pieces and cook them till they are almost soft(3/4 done). Peel the skin and cur into small pieces. Marinate it with salt, turmeric and rec chilli powder for 30 mts. Heat oil in a pan, do the seasoning with mustard seeds and fennel seeds powder. Add onion an Fry till translucent. Add g&g paste. saute for 5 mts. Finally add the marinated potatoes and fry till golden brown Add oil if necessary. Potatoes will be crispy if u add more oil. Remove from heat.. Ready to serve....

Keerai kozhumbu/ Spinach curry

Ingredients:

1 bunch spinach

1/2 cup toor dal

1/2 onion

3 tomatoes

1 tbsp sambar powder

3 tbsp shredded coconut

salt to taste

Preparation:

Cook toor dal separately and mash it.. Grind coconut to a fine paste. Add sliced onions, tomatoes and salt to mashed dal and cook for 10 mts/ or till the onions and tomatoes are cooked. Add sambar powder, chopped spinach and ground coconut to the dhal gravy and cook till the spinach wilts and the masala should be cooked by 10 mts. Remove from heat. Do the seasoning separately and add to spinach dal mixture. Spinach gravy is ready!!!!

Baby Potatoes Tandoori

I luv baby potatoes..perfect round shaped beauties. My mom used to make potato fry and I still luv it. When I go to supermarket, I will look for those wee ones...never got those perfect small ones. Finally, I found those perfect babies in walmart..Hurray.. I wanted to try my mom's recipe but ended up trying Tandoori Aloo by Shilpa of Aayis recipes.

This recipe was quite new to me..tasted very good..My hubby loved it..we finished all in one sitting. Its such a simple recipe but yields a great taste....

Shilpa: Ur recipe is Tried, Tasted &Certified:Excellent..

(Recipe source)

Ingredients:

7-8 baby potatoes peeled

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp thick curd/yogurt

1-2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp lemon juice

Oil

Salt to taste

Preparation:

I didn't do any change to the recipe..just followed the steps mentioned by shilpa..

Prick with a fork or put some deep slit marks with a knife on all the potatoes.Grind onions(preferably without water) to a smooth paste. Add onion paste and all other ingredients, except oil to the potatoes and mix well so that the potatoes get a thick coating of potatoes all over. The yogurt should be very thick so that the mixture remains thick.Leave the potatoes for around 1hr. Heat oil in a non stick pan and add the potatoes with the masala. Close the lid and let it cook on a low flame for around 15mins.

Preheat the oven at 350F for around 5mins. Take the potatoes in a greased bake ware and broil at 350F for around 10-15mins(till the coating has turned brownish).Serve hot with lemon juice.

Garnish with coriander leaves..

Okra Fry with Poppy seeds

I prefer ladies finger to be fried. I don't like it in gravies coz of its stickiness. I already blogged about my favourite Verision. I was looking for something new to try..Found a wonderful recipe from Indira's website..Actually Mahanandi is like google for recipes.. Tried this one..absolutely fantastic..Me and my hubby finished the whole lot fry in one sitting...

Recipe source!!!

Ingredients:

20 okra

3 tablespoons poppy seeds (kus kus)

3 dried red chillies

Salt and turmeric - to taste

Seasoning: 1 tablespoon oil,Pinch each - cumin, mustard seeds and 6 curry leaves

Preparation:

I might have changed the quantities a little bit..just followed the original recipe..

1 Trim the ends and cut the okra to quarter to half inch wide rounds.

2 Roast poppy seeds in a dry, hot iron skillet for about 3 minutes, until they just start to color and release their aromas. Add dried red chillies and a pinch of salt and pound or blend all the ingredients together. Keep working until a nice, moist paste is formed.

3 In a wide skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add and toast the seasoning ingredients first and then add the okra pieces. Mix once and fry the pieces, very rarely stirring, until they are free from moisture. A well seasoned cast-iron skillet charms the okra to a beautiful crispiness. If you have one, use it for this recipe.

"When okra pieces transform from clinging kids to leave me alone type teenagers,
it’s time to introduce the adulthood delights with spices."

This is my favourite quote, I love Indira's way of connecting with real life..Indira please don't mind me for highlighting these lines from ur post...

Add the poppy seed powder, turmeric and salt. Mix gently and saute for few more minutes.

Serve hot with any curry!!!

Cabbage Poriyal

Cabbage is a high source of vitamin K and Vitamin C. Health benefits include,

• Optimize Your Cells' Detoxification / Cleansing Ability


• Promote Gastrointestinal Health


• Promotes women's health by reducing cancer producing cells

There are many more benefits of cabbage..They are always a part of our dinner menu. This is another simple poriyal with limited ingredients and can be done in minutes..

Ingredients
1 cabbage shredded
1 onion
1 tomato
3 green chilies
1" ginger juliennes
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tsp cumin seed and mustard seed
Oil

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan, do the seasoning with mustard and cumin seeds. Add juliennes fry for a minute. Add onion, green chilies and shredded cabbage. Fry for 10 mts in medium heat. Add tomato and fry till mushy. Add turmeric powder.Sprinkle water, cover and cook till cabbage is soft. Remove from heat..
Serve hot with chappathi or side dish for any curry!!!

Potato Appalam Poriyal

Potato appalam poriyal is one of our household recipe...I donno if this recipe is followed anywhere else. My mother used do it all the time coz this is one of my favourite..Uralakizhango appalam (Tamil Version) is a good combo with rasam and curd rice...When I went to India for my marriage, I learnt this recipe and I wanna share this with everyone!!!!

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes Boiled

1 cup Channa dhal

1 onion

1 tomato

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

5 fried appalams

salt to taste

Seasoning: Oil, Mustard seeds, Curry leaves, Hing (perungayam)

Preparation:

As usual start with seasoning...Add the ingredients in order specified.. Add onions fry till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry couple of minutes. Add chopped tomato and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook till they become mushy...Add turmeric, red chilli and curry powder.

In the meanwhile, boil channa dhal with 3 cups of water. Boil till the dhal becomes soft.. Strain the water and keep aside. Fry appalam and keep aside.

To the fried mixture add boiled, chopped potato and strained channa dhal. Adjust salt. Cover and cook for 10 mts...After the flavours are mixed together. Smash the appalam over the potato chana dhal mixture and remove from heat.

Serve hot with Rasam!!!!

This is my contribution to LENTILS MELA...

Poori Masala

I guess potato would be favourite vegetable for everyone...when i was doing my masters in Aberdeen, i was surprised to see people just eat boiled potatoes and cheese or mashed potatoes for lunch... Thats their whole meal..I like potatoes cooked our Indian way.. I wonder how they eat whole boiled potato without any seasoning.. Meanwhile we Indians add so many spices and seasoning in our food...

Coming back to our masala, I am not gonna give the recipe for poori. Poori is a famous south Indian breakfast and its other half is potato masala . Many restaurants prepare differently.. but my hubby's favourite restaurant Annapoorna prepares it in a way that U will find more onions than potatoes....Awsome combination.

Ingredients:

1 Large potato boiled

2 large onions chopped

2" ginger chopped

3 green chillies

1 tbsp besan

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp channa and urad dhal

1 tsp cumin seeds

curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

salt tot taste

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes and mash them to small visible pieces. Heat oil in a pan, do the seasoning. Add ginger (grated or chopped) and fry for a minute. Add onion(chopped) and green chillies and fry till the onion becomes translucent. Onions should be more than potato pieces. Add turmeric powder and fry till the raw smell vanishes. Add the potato piece and 1 cup water. Allow to cook for few minutes, don't break the potatoes. Finally add besan paste(mix 2tbsp of water with besan to make paste), cover and cook for few minutes, if its too thick add water. Masala should be thin consistency.Once the raw smell vanishes, add coriander leaves and remove from heat.

Serve hot with poori...

This is my contribution to FIC-YELLOW hosted by Sunshinemom of TONGUETICKLERS.

Bitter Gourd (Pavakai ) Fry

Bitter gourd or pavakai (Tamil) fry is my favourite. I will eat bitter gourd when its deep fried. In my school day, i will throw the bitter gourd poriyal from my lunch box and lie to my mom. I hated this veggie because its bitter no other flavour....Yikes.... My mother used to boil the bitter gourd strain its water, add little bit of salt... next is the interesting part. She will just drink the bitter gourd water. She used to say its very good for health, kills any worms in the tummy and so on,.. I have never tried that... Now i started cooking different dishes in bitter gourd..

Ingredients:

4 fresh bitter gourd/ pavakai

3 tbsp rice flour

1 tbsp besan

1 tbsp redchilli powder

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

Preparation::

Cut bitter gourd into small round pieces. Mix all the ingredients except oil. sprinkle water to make thick paste. Add bitter gourd pieces and mix well. Leave for 30 min to 1 hr. heat oil for deep frying. Add bitter gourd pieces one by one. Fry till golden brown. Remove from heat and strain oil with tissue paper. Rice flour makes it crispy and yummy...

Serve it with rice,sambar or any other curry...

Dosa & Thakkali (Tomato) Thokku

Crispy Dosa/ Paper roast will be all time favourite for anyone from south-India. I can eat dosa any time of the day.. Its so light melts in ur mouth and so delicious. The ideal combination for dosa will coconut chutney, Thakkali thokku or milgai podi.

Ingredients

2 cup Rice ( parboiled ponni rice or Idli rice)
1/2 cup urad dhal
2 tsp methi seeds
salt to taste
1 hand full of poffed rice/poha (optional)
1/4 tsp Baking powder (optional)

Preparation

Soak the rice, poha and urad dhal separately for 12 hours before grinding. Add methi seeds to urad dhal. Drain water completely.In a rice grider or mixer grinder, grind rice and poha in thick batter consistency. Don't add too much water. sprinkle water occationally. Take the rice batter and leave it in a container. Grind soaked urad dhal, sprinkle water occationally. Dont add too much water, the batter has to be slightly thinner than the Idli batter. Mix the rice batter and urad dhal batter together using ur hand coz if u mix it in spatula the batter wont ferment!!!. Add salt and baking powder( optional), mix well cover and leave it for overnight or 6 hours. Next morning the batter would have fermented and the volume will be doubled.

Take a flat non-stick pan and heat it. Sprinkle little of water.. If water makes cracking sound disappears the tava is ready... Now pour one spoonfull of dosa batter and spread out thin quickly. If u want u can make thick dosa too. Add oil/ghee on the side of the dosa. After few minutes u can see the dosa will automatically seperate from the tava. It might be difficult for first one or two dosa. Once the heat is perfect u can see the dosa lifting up by itself (magic huh). Turn the dosa to other side for even cooking. Remove from pan ans serve...

Thakkali (Tomato) thokku:



Ingredients:


1 onion chopped
3 tomatoes chopped
2 green chillies
1 tbsp redchilli powder
3 garlic pods chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup water



Preparation:


Heat oil and do the seasoning with mustard seeds, urad and channa dhal, cumin seeds and curry leave. Add chopped onion , green chillies and garlic. Fry till the onion becomes translucent. Add tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes becomes mushy. Add little bit of water if the mixture sticks to the pan. Add redchilli and turmeric powder. Finally add salt and water. Allow to boil for 10 mts stirring occasionally. The thokku should not be watery. If u see the oil separation in the corner that's when u have to remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro!!!

Ideal for chappathi, dosa, poori etc..

Shrimp/Prawn Masala

Shrimp/prawn doesn't make any difference to me. In Chennai we used to buy prawns all the time. I never know anything about shrimp!!!! Till date I couldn't find out the difference between prawn and shrimp. Who cares whether its a shrimp or prawn.. I absolutely love it..

Ingredients:

1 Packet peeled and cooked prawn/shrimp

1 onion finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp fennel seeds

salt to taste

Oil for seasoning

Preparation:

Clean the prawn and marinate with turmeric powder. Leave it aside. Heat oil in the pan and add fennel seeds.. once the aroma comes out add onion. Fry onion till they became translucent. Add Ginger garlic paste. stir for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes and fry till tomatoes become mushy. Now add all the powders and fry till the raw smell evaporates. If this sticks to bottom, U can sprinkle water. Add soy sauce & salt and saute for 2 mts. Add marinated prawn. The prawns are already cooked so it will take about 10 mts to absorbs the gravy. Mix well. It should be dry side dish... Garnish with coriander leaves...

Serve Hot with Chappathi, Biriyani or Sambar!!!

Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is one of the must haves in Non-vegetarian items.. My Hubby could finish even 3lbs of chicken 65 at a stretch.... Big appetite huh... But it tastes so good and u will never know how much u ate!!! Kids will Love'em!!! Its a great party food...

Ingredients:

1lbs Boneless Chicken cut into small pieces

1/4 cup yogurt

1 egg

1 tbsp rechilli powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp Garam Masala or 2 tbsp Shakthi Chicken 65 powder

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Marinate chicken with above ingredients... except oil.. we all know ... Egg is used to bind all the ingredients to chicken. Sometimes while deep frying the mixture will be separated from chicken and doesn't taste good. I usually use chicken 65 powder to enhance the flavour. If u don't find it u can skip it .. no worries.. Cover the marinated chicken with thin foil and store in the refrigerator for 3 hours (minimum). Remove from refrigerator 15 mts before frying. U Will see water over the chicken which u can filter it or squeeze out of the chicken.


Heat oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot (not pipping hot) add the chicken pieces and fry for 15 mts. This is the tricky part... Chicken usually takes 10 - 15 mts to cook. If u over cook it, will be hard. U have to take when its slightly soft but cooked perfectly. U get this by practice. If u press the chicken it will be soft and u cut it u can see white color throughout which indicates perfectly cooked chicken.The chicken turns to golden brown.. Remove from oil.

Serve hot with piece of Lime and onion!!!

Beetroot Poriyal

Beetroot is a colorful root vegetable. I have a dislike for beetroot!!! In my school days, i use to segregate vegetables from rice and just throw them away!!!. I cant believe i did that.. anyways after coming abroad I realized the values of these veggies. Now i am always looking for new recipes to try on these Veggies..

Beetroot is very good for health. It has minerals and proteins..scientific facts says beetroot juice can help lowering blood pressure..I found this recipe from Aval Vikatan-30 varities of poriyal..We use to make the same recipe without the coconut masala powder.I also found similar recipe from Mahandi's blog. I just gave it a short and came out very well....

Ingredients:

2 Beetroot chopped

3 tbsp channa dhal (soaked for 30 mts )

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste



Coconut Masala Powder:


1 cup dried coconut (i used dry crushed coconut powder)

1/4 cup urad dhal

1/4 cup channa dhal

10 redchillies

curry leaves


Seasoning:

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds



Preparation:

Fry the ingredients in medium heat. Once the aroma starts coming from redchillies, remove from heat. Let it cool down. Grind the ingredients to a coarse powder.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add seasoning items one by one. Fry till mustard splutters.Add soaked channa dhal and beetroot, fry for few minutes. Sprinkle little bit of water cover and cook for 10 mts stirring occasionally. Maintain medium heat. Once the beetroot becomes tender, add turmeric powder, coconut masala and salt. Keep stirring for couple of minutes. Remove from heat!!!

Serve hot with chappathi , rice .. even Bread!!!

Chicken Chukka Fry

There are so many dishes in chicken in all cuisine!!!! After coming abroad ,my all time favourite is chicken coz I don't eat red meat... Mutton is so expensive and we buy it for few special occasions. Anytime, anywhere Chicken is my motto!!!. My hubby wanted to have chicken fry for dinner, so i was thinking about making simple chicken chukka to go with Rasam rice.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken Breast Boneless

1 onion chopped

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Paste:

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 bunch coriander

2 tbsp pepper corns

3 cloves

3 Cinnamon sticks

1 cardamom

1/2 onion chopped

4 garlic cloves

1" ginger

4 greenchillies

Preparation:

Grind the ingredients mentioned in paste with 2 tbsp of water. Grind to smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan, add onion and fry till translucent. Add chicken pieces, salt and ground paste. Cover and cook for 10mts. If the chicken is too dry add 1/2 cup water. Once chicken becomes tender, open the lid and let the gravy thicken. All the water should be evaporated and chicken would change to slight brown color. Chicken should be dry without any gravy!!! Remove from heat..

Serve hot with Rice and Rasam.

Note: Adjust greenchillies and peppers according to ur taste.

Okra (lady's Finger) Fry

Okra also known as Lady's Finger, Bhindi, Vendakai (tamil)...etc. I like okra when it is fried, if u add to gravy it will be sticky!!!. It is one of popular south indian vegetable. It mostly used mor kozhumbu, sambar etc.. I like this particular recipe coz it doesn't have any spices but taste very good with rasam and yogurt.

Ingredients:

2 lbs okra or lady's finger

2 tsp redchilli powder

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash and Cut okra into small pieces. My mom use to spread the cut okra in a newspaper to remove the stickiness in okra. u can leave it for 10 mts.

Heat a non-stick pan, add chopped okra and fry on medium heat. Don't add oil. Stir occasionally, fry till the stickiness in the vegetable reduces.... It might take upto 20 mts. Add 1 tsp oil and fry for few minutes. Add rechilli powder and salt. Fry for another 10 mts. Add remaining oil. Fry for 15 mts in slow heat. Remove from heat!!!

Serve hot with Rasam and Rice

Carrot Beans Poriyal

Carrot and Beans poriyal is a simple side dish which can be made within 10 mts. This will great side dish for rasam or sambar. U can even have it for chappati along with yogurt.

Ingredients:

2 carrots

1 lbs beans

2 green chillies

4 red chillies

1 tsp channa dhal

1 tsp urad dhal

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 cup grated coconut

1 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Preparation:

Chop carrots and beans into small pieces. Heat oil in wide mouth pan. Put mustard, once it starts spluttering, add channa and urad dhal. Don't fry them too long, just for 2- 3 mts. Add redchillies and green chillies to the seasoning. Add the chopped vegetables. Cover and cook for 10 mts. Add salt to the vegetables, sprinkle little bit of water. Cover and cook for another 10 mts stirring occasionally. Finally add shredded coconut and saute for 3 mts in low heat. Carrot beans poriyal is ready!!!!!

Spicy Potato Fry

Potato fry is one of my favourite side dish. In south Indian meals, it is good companion for sambar.This dish is made all over India. Most of the hotels serve potato fry with their meal plan coz potato is easily available vegetable and cheaper compared to other vegetables. When u fry potatoes, it has a crispness in them which makes it favourite dish for kids!!!!. Last sunday I made this fry with cabbage kootu. My hubby helped me, by cutting the potatoes into smaller pieces( see photo).

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes chopped

2 tbsp redchilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

4 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Preparation:

Clean potatoes and chop them into small pieces. Heat oil in frying pan, add chopped potatoes. Fry for few minute until the oil gets coated on potato. Cover and cook in medium heat for 10 mts. Remove cover add 1 tbsp oil and saute for few mts. Add red chilli, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt. Don't add water coz it will make potatoes mushy. cover and Fry for another 10 mts. Remove cover, add oil stir occasionally for another 15 mts. The potatoes will shrink and get brown color once it is fully done!!!. Add remaining oil and fry for 5 mts.

Serve with rice or chappathi!!!!

Cauliflower Poriyal

Ingredients:

cauliflower 1 Grated

1 onion(medium size)

6 green chillies

¼ tsp turmeric powder

2 egg¼ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp ginger garlic paste

2 dry red chillies

salt to taste

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp Garam masala

1tsp redchilli power ( to taste)

Preparation:Grate cauliflower. chop onions and green chillies finely. In a pan pour oil and season it with mustard seeds and cumin. Add the redchillies, ginger garlic paste, turmeric greenchillies and onion saute' for few minutes. Add the grated cauliflower and saute for few mts. Add salt, garam masala and red chili powder, sprinkle little bit of water so that it doesnot stick to the pan. Close the pan and cook for 10 mts until the raw smell vanishes. Finally add the egg and mix well. Leave for 5 mts until egg burji consistency is reached.

Garnish with cilantro(optional) and serve hot with rice!!!!

Thanks to Viji's online diary, got the recipe from viji's website and modified according to my taste and came out very well!!!. Hope u enjoy it.

Chow-chow (Bangalore Kathrikai) Poriyal

Chow-chow or chayote is also known as bangalore kathrikai in some parts of south India. It is a pear shaped vegetable with bland taste. Chow-chow is rich in amino acids and vitamin c. Chow-chow can be used to make sambar, kootu and poriyal.

Ingredients

2 chow-chow chopped into small pieces

6 tbsps Grated coconut

1 tsp mustard seeds

8 redchillies

2 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Boil the chopped chow-chow in microwave for 10 mts, if u choose traditional way of boiling it in a pan until the vegetable is cooked.

In a frying pan, add oil and mustard wait until the mustard splutters. Add redchillies and fry for some time. Now add the chow-chow and cook for 5 mts. Add grated coconut in medium heat and leave for 5 mts.

Serve hot with Chapatti or Rice.

P.S Don't let the coconut burn or leave for too long in the heat, it will spoil the taste of the dish.