Mutta Dosa

Egg dosa or omlette dosa can be made in a jiffy if you have dosa batter at home. This tastes good as it is or can be had with onion-tomato chutney.

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter

2 Eggs beaten

4 tbsp chopped Onion

few curry leaves

1/2 tsp chopped coriander leaves

2 chopped green chillies

one pinch turmeric powder

salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix together the eggs,onion,green chillies, coriander leaves,curry leaves,turmeric powder and salt.

2. Pour the dosa batter onto a non stick pan and make dosa.

3. Pour the omlette mixture on top of the dosa. Flip the dosa and cook till done.

Malabar Biriyani

My friend Noora who is from Kozhikode makes excellent malabar biriyani. Following is the copy paste of the recipe she gave me. Though the preparation is time consuming the final results are very much worth the effort.

For marinating Chicken (full chicken cut into medium size pieces)

1. In a vessel add 3 sliced onions,3 chopped tomatoes, 1 sprig curry leaves,20 chopped green chillies,6 cloves of garlic chopped,3 cm ginger chopped, coriander leaves and mint leaves.Mix thoroughly with hand.

2. Add chicken,3 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.

3. Heat cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon in medium heat and grind. 2 tbsp of this powder is required.

4. Add 1 tbsp of the above spice powder, 3tbsp yogurt and 1 tbsp lemon juice.

5. Mix with hand thoroughly for 5 minutes – Keep it aside for 10minutes.

For Garnishing

6. Add ghee/oil in pan

7. Fry cashew nuts and raisins.Drain and keep aside

8. Deep fry 2 big onions sliced very thin in same oil, till it becomes brown (add a pinch of salt for taste).Drain and keep aside.

Cooking Chicken

9. Take a pan and add 3 tbsp oil.

10. Add the marinated chicken, close with lid and cook the chicken on low heat.DONOT add water.(This will take 30 to 45mts)

Preparing ghee rice

11. Add 5 tbsp ghee to a hot pan.

12. Add a pinch of jeera, a pinch spice powder from step 3,salt and 8 cups of water.

13. When the water boils add 4 cups of washed and drained basmati rice and cook till rice is done.

Final layering

14. Layer half of the chicken in a big vessel.

15. Add the cooked rice on top of chicken

16. Layer with fried onion and sprinkle spice powder from step 5.

17. Garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves, fried cashew nuts and raisins

18. Repeat from step 14 till the rice and chicken is over.

19. Cover it with aluminium foil and keep aside for 30minutes before serving.

Egg curry

My dad who never ate his food without fish curry has recently stopped eating fish and meat. He claims to have turned into an ovo vegetarian or eggetarian. He prepares a typical fish gravy and adds boiled eggs to it instead of fish. This curry he says has helped him in his transition from a strict non vegetarian to an eggetarian.

Ingredients:

5 boiled eggs

1 shallot + 1 inch ginger + 2 green chillies ground

1 tomato chopped

1 small raw mango cut into pieces

curry leaves

salt to taste

1/4 cup coconut milk

To Grind:

1 cup grated coconut

1 tbsp chilly powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 cup water

Method:

1.In a pan mix together the ginger/shallot/green chillies , tomato, curry leaves,mango and salt.Mash well with hand.

2.Add the ground coconut paste.And one cup of water.

3.Boil the mixture for 15 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Do a taste test and adjust salt if required.

4.Make stripes to the boiled eggs with knife and add them to the gravy.

5.Add the coconut milk and switch off the flame when the gravy comes to a boil.

6.Temper with fried shallots.

Stuffed Bun

Amma saw this recipe on surya tv taste time and tried it. It turned out to be a hit.

Ingredients:

For bun:-

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1 egg beaten

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup refined oil

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp warm water

For filling:-

1 lb Boneless chicken finely chopped

2 onions finely chopped

3 green chillies finely chopped

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilly powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Method:

Preparing dough

1. Soak 1 tbsp yeast,1/2 tbsp all purpose flour and 1/2 tbsp sugar in 2 tbsp warm water.Keep aside and let rise for 10 minutes.

2.In another bowl mix 1/2 cup milk,1/4 cup refined oil and 2 tbsp sugar.Mix well till the sugar dissolves completely.

3.Mix in one cup flour and one beaten egg.

4.Pour in the yeast and mix well.

5.Add one more cup of flour and 1/2 tsp salt.Knead well for around 10 minutes.

6.Keep aside and let the dough rise to double the size.

Preparing filling

1.Heat 2 tbsp oil in pan and add 2 tsp ginger garlic paste.

2.Throw in the chopped onions and green chillies.Saute till the onions turn light brown in color.

3.Add chicken and salt.Let cook for 10 minutes.

4.Add coriander powder,chilly powder and garam masala.

5.Cook for 5 more minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and the mixture is dry.

Baking:-

1.Make 15 equal portions out of the dough.

2.Flatten the dough and spoon some filling into it. Shape the dough into balls with filling inside.

3.Keep the filled dough balls on baking tray and let rest for 15 minutes.

4.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the buns for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Vishu Katta

Vishu katta brings back childhood memories of vishu celebrations. The night before vishu will be filled with the excitement of playing with crackers and fireworks. After seeing the 'vishu kani' early in the morning the next wonderful thing to do is to burst another round of crackers and fireworks. 'Vishu kaineetams' and new dresses will be gifted to everyone in the morning. Vishu katta will be served as breakfast. Vishu katta is usually eaten with jaggery syrup or maanga curry. As a child i used to love to eat it with jaggery syrup. After having breakfast run around and play for another two hours and soon it will be time to have the grand vishu sadhya. Fireworks + Vishu kani + Kai neetam + New dress + good food - No wonder i loved vishu more than onam :)

Ingredients:

2 cups raw rice (unakkallari)

4 cups thin coconut milk

1 cup thick coconut milk

1/2 tsp dried ginger powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

salt to tatse

Method:

1.Boil the rice in 3 cups of thin coconut milk.Add thin coconut milk slowly until the rice is cooked and thickens.

2.Mix the dried ginger and cumin seeds in thick coconut milk.

3.Add the thick coconut milk to rice.Mix well and Switch off the flame when vishu katta is thick enough.

4.While the mixture is still hot spread it on banana leaf. Even it out and let it cool.

5.Cut into diamond shapes and serve with jaggery syrup.

Jaggery syrup:

1.Prepare a spice mix by mixing dried ginger,cumin seeds and cardamom.Keep aside.

2.Heat 1/4 cup water and add 100 gm jaggery.When jaggery melts add 1 tsp of spice mix.

Paniyaram

Paniyaram is a popular tiffin item of Tamil Nadu. Paniyaram can either be sweet or savory. The recipe that follows is of savory paniyaram that goes well with chutney. Paniyaram can be made in a jiffy if you have the 'unniappa chatti'  and some dosa batter in hand.

Ingredients: 

For Batter:

1/4 cup urad dal

1/2 cup white rice

1/4 cup boiled rice

salt to taste

For tempering:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal

1 onion chopped

4 green chillies chopped

1 sprig curry leaves

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

Oil for frying paniyarams

Method:

1. Soak the ingredients for batter for more than 4 hours. 

2. Prepare dosa batter by grinding the ingredients and adding salt to taste.

3.Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds. Let it splutter.

4.Add urad dal. Add onion,green chillies and curry leaves.Saute for 5 minutes.

5.Add asafoetida powder.Switch off the flame and let it cool.

6.Add the mixture to the batter once it is reaches room temperature.

7.Heat oil in kuzhiyappa chatti. Pour the batter into it and cook till done.Serve hot with chutney.

Brinjal Curry

This particular brinjal curry goes well with rice. 

Ingredients:

250 gm brinjal cut into cubes

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped

1 tsp ginger chopped

2 green chillies slit

1 sprig curry leaves

1/2 tsp chily powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 pinch turmeric powder

2 tsp tamarind paste

1 cup thin coconut milk

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

salt to taste

Method:

1.Soak the brinjal cubes in some turmeric water for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse and wipe dry.

2.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Let it splutter.

3.Add onion,ginger,green chillies and curry leaves. Saute well for 5 minutes.

4.Add the brinjal cubes. Cover and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.

5.Add turmeric powder,chilly powder and coriander powder.Saute well for 1 minute.

6.Add tomato and salt.

7.Add tamarind paste. Mix well and add the thin coconut milk. Cook for 3 minutes.

8.Add the thick coconut milk.Switch off the flame. Serve with rice.