Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:

Sherreded Coconut - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup or 1 cup according to your sweet tooth
Cardamon powder - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 3 teaspoons
Cashews - 8 (optional)
Yellow food color - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Water - 3/4 cup
Method:

• Cashews or optional but I like the added flavor it gives to the burfi.
• Grind the coconut and cashews to a coarse powder. Do not make it as fine powder the burfi should have the bite to it.
• In a heavy bottom or non-stick pan add the sugar and water and prepare the sugar syrup.
• If you take the syrup in between your fingers and slowly separate your fingers a thread like consistency should come then the sugar syrup is ready.
• Now add the grinded coconut, yellow color and cardamon and keep stirring.
• When all the water is absorbed add 2 teaspoons of ghee and stir it until the mixture gets a folding consistency.
• Grease a flat plate with ghee and transfer the mixture to the plate and spread it evenly.
• Cut into preferred size and shape pieces.
  

Tips:

Consistency is very important if you cook for more time the burfi will become very dry and hard. When the mixture starts getting the folding consistency immediately remove from heat.

Coriander Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Cinnamon - 2 medium sized sticks
Cloves - 4
Bay Leaves - 2
Onions - 2
Tomato - 1
Ghee - 50 gm
Cashews - 10
Green Chillies - 2

To Grind:

• Coriander Leaves - 2 bunches
• Sherreded Coconut - half cup
• Garlic - 4 pods
• Split Channa Dhal - 1 teaspoons
• Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 4

Ingredients:

• Cook the basmati rice and allow it to cool.
  
• Wash the coriander leaves and cut into small pieces, avoid using big stems.
• In a frying pan add 2 teaspoons of oil and fry the split channa dhal, coconut, garlic, green chillies and fennel seeds.
• When the coconut gets light brown in color remove from heat and grind all the fried ingredients to powder.
• In the same pan fry the coriander leaves for 2 mins and grind it along with the coconut mixture adding little water.
• In a frying pan add ghee, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves and cashews and fry for a minute.
• Cut the onions and 2 green chillies lengthwise and fry it to light brown in color and add the tomato.
  
• After the tomato is cooked add the grinded coriander paste and fry until the raw smell oozes out and ghee separates. The gravy should be thick.
  
• Add the cooked basmati rice and mix well.
• Serve Coriander Rice hot with riata and pappad
  

Channa Masala

Ingredients:

Channa (Kondai Kadalai) - 2 cups
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Coriander Powder - 3 teaspoons
Cumin powder - half teaspoon
Chili powder - 1 teaspoon
Amchur powder (or lemon juice) - 1 teaspoon
Ginger - small piece
Green Chillies - 2 or 3
Coriander leaves

To Grind:
Cinnamon - 2 medium sized sticks
Cardamon -2
Cloves - 6
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Kasa Kasa (Poppy Seeds) - 1 teaspoon


Method:

• Soak channa for 8 hours and cook it in pressure cooker.
• Soak the poppy seeds for half an hour and grind it along with cinnamon, cardamon, cloves and fennel seeds and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until brown in color add the green chillies, ginger, tomatoes and fry till oil separates.
• Now add the Chili powder, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Amchur powder and grinded masala powder and fry until raw smell oozes out.
  
• Now add the boiled Channa and little bit water, cover and cook in medium heat for 5 mins.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve Channa masala with chapatti or poori.
  

Cauliflower Briyani

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Cauliflower - 2 cups
• Yogurt - 2 spoons
• Onions - 2
• Tomatoes - 2
  
• Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
• Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder - half teaspoon
  
• Green Chillies - 4
• ginger garlic (finely diced) - 2 teaspoons
• lemon juice - 2 spoons
  
• Cinnamon - 2 sticks
• Cardamon - 2
• Cloves - 6
• Bay leaves - 2
  
• Coriander leaves, Curry leaves and Mint leaves
• Ghee - 3 tablespoons

Method:

• Wash and soak basmati rice in 4 cups of water.
• Dice the cauliflower and put in salted warm water and keep it aside.
• Heat a pan and add ghee, cardamon, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and fry for 30 seconds and add the onions and fry until light brown in color.
  
• Add green chillies, finely diced ginger and garlic and fry until the raw smell oozes out.
• Add tomatoes and curry leaves and fry for 2 mins.
• Add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and fry for a minute.
• Add the cauliflower, lemon juice and curd and cook for 3-4 mins until the cauliflower is coated well in the masala.
• Add finely chopped coriander and Mint leaves and mix into the gravy.
  
• Transfer the rice and cauliflower gravy into rice cooker and add required salt and cook.
• Serve Cauliflower Briyani with raita and pappad.
  

Ullunthu Vadai

Ingredients:

• Urad Dhal - 200 gms
• Pachaarusi( Raw White rice) - 50 gms
• Onion - 1 large
• Green Chillies - 3
• Curry Leaves and Coriander as required

Method:

• Soak Urad Dhal and Pachaarusi in water for hal an hour
• Grind the Urad Dhal, Pachaarusi, Green Chillies and salt to a smooth paste. Don't add more water to grind as the Vadai will absorb more oil when frying
• Finely chop the onions, curry leaves and coriander leaves mix into the dough.
• Make small balls of the dough and deep fry in oil in a medium heat.
• When Vadai turns brown in color remove from oil and serve hot with coconut chutney.

Sweet Panniyaram

Ingredients:

• Idly rice - 400 gms
• Raw White Rice (Pachaarusi) - 400 gms
• Urad Dhal - 100 gms
• Fenugreek seeds - half teaspoon
• Cane Sugar (Vellam) cubes - 500 gms

Method:

• You need to prepare the dough a day before cooking.
• Soak Idly Rice, Raw White Rice, Urad Dhal and Fenugreek in water for 1 hour
• Grind the soaked mixture to a smooth paste. Dont add too much water the dough should be bit hard.
  
• Leave the dough to ferment all night.
• In the morning, melt the Vellam in hot water and filter it.
• Add the melted Vellam into the dough and mix well.
• Pour the dough in panniyaram pan and cook on both sides with oil.

Panniyaram

Ingredients:

• Idly rice - 400 gms
• Raw White Rice (Pachaarusi) - 400 gms
• Urad Dhal - 100 gms
• Fenugreek seeds - half teaspoon
• Small Onions or Shallots - 15
• Sherreded Coconut - 1 cup
• Green Chillies - 4
• Salt as required

Method:

• You need to prepare the dough a day before cooking.
• Soak Idly Rice, Raw White Rice, Urad Dhal and Fenugreek in water for 1 hour
• Grind the soaked mixture to a smooth paste adding salt as required.
• Leave the dough to ferment all night.
• In the morning , heat 2 spoons of oil and add mustard seeds.
• When mustard pops add finely diced onions, green chillies and fry until onion is light brown in color
• Add the sherreded coconut give it a stir and remove from heat and add the mixture to dough and mix well.
• Pour the dough in panniyaram pan and cook on both sides with oil.

Coconut chutney and tomato chutney can be served with Panniyaram

Kuttu

Ingredients:

• Split Yellow Dhal(Split Channa Dhal)- 1 cup
• Onion - 1 large
• Tomato - 1
• Coconut - 4 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 2
• Red Chili Powder - half teaspoon
• Cabbage cooked (optional) - 1 cup

Method:

• Cook the dhal in pressure cooker or in a closed pan. Make sure the dhal is cooked exactly not too cooked.
• Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies to a smooth paste and keep it aside.
• In a pan add 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the onions, when the onions turn light brown add tomatoes and fry until oil separates.
• Add the chili powder and fry for half minute, then add the cooked Cabbage, dhal and grinded coconut paste.
• Add salt to taste and little water. Cover and cook for 2-3 mins.

My mom cooks this dish with cabbage and my mom's sister without cabbage I like both the variations :-)

Kuttu is a traditional side dish that can be had with rice. Sometimes even I have it with chapati for dinner when there is excess left from lunch.

Rasam rice, pappad and kuttu excellent combination :-)

Vegetable Briyani

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups (Carrots, Peas, Beans, Cauliflower, Potato)
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Onions (Cut lengthwise) - 2 medium sized
Tomatoes - 1 large
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinanmon - 2 sticks
Cloves - 3
Elachi - 2
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Ghee - half cup
Salt to taste

To Grind:

• Coriander Leaves - half bunch
• Mint Leaves - half bunch
• Ginger - small piece
• Garlic - 5 pods
• Cinnamon - 2 sticks
• Cloves - 5
• Green Chillies - 3

Method:

• Wash the basmati rice and soak in 3 1/2 cups of water
  
• Grind the "To Grind" ingredients to a smooth paste.
• Cut the vegetables into medium sized pieces
• Use a frying pan if you are going to cook the Briyani in Rice cooker or you can do the following procedure in pressure cooker.
• Add the ghee, Cinnamon, Cloves, Elachi and Bay leaves and fry for a minute
  
• Add the onions and fry until they turn light brown in color and add the tomatoes.
• When ghee separates out of the tomatoes add the grinded paste and fry until the raw smell oozes out.
• Add Coriander powder, Chili powder and turmeric powder and mix well.
• Now add the vegetables, fry for a minute so that the spices blend well with the vegetables.
• Add the coconut milk and salt as required. When the mixture comes to a boil add it to the rice(along with the soaked water) and switch on the rice cooker.
• If doing in a pressure cooker add the rice and soaked water and put the lid on. After 3 whistles, reduce the heat and put the pressure cooker over a Dosa Tava or pan. This prevents rice getting burnt.

Tip:

• Fry some diced bread pieces in ghee and decorate the briyani.
• Raita is the best side dish for briyani.
• Chili Gobi will also go along well. Refer to my chili chicken recipe in which chicken can be substituted with Cauliflower.

Moor Kolambu

Ingredients:

• Butter Milk or Curd - 1 cup ( 1/4 lt)
• Shredded Coconut - 100 gms
• Dry Red Chillies - 5-6
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Hing - little
• Raw white rice - 1 spoon
• Toor Dhal - 1 spoon
• Turmeric powder - half teaspoon
  
• Curry Leaves - 2 sticks
• Onion - 2 medium sized
• Chow Chow or Turnip or White Pumpkin - 150 gms

Method:

• Soak the Toor Dhal and Rice in water for 10 mins
• Add the soaked dhal and rice in a blender with coconut, red chillies, hing, 1 stick curry leaves, half onion, Turmeric and Cumin seeds.
• Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste.
• Add the curd or Butter Milk and just give a slight blend just to mix it with the grinded paste.
• Add 2 spoons oil in a pan and fry the onions and remaining one stick curry leaves, add the vegetable and cook until the vegetable is 3/4 done.
  
• Add the grinded mixture and salt to taste.
• When the gravy comes to a boil remove from heat and serve it with steamed rice.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

• Palak or Spinach - 2 bunch
• Paneer(Indian Cheese)- 200 gms
• Onions - 2
• Tomatoes - 2
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 teaspoon
  
• Thick Cream - 100 ml
• Cumin Powder - half teaspoon
• Chili Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder - half teaspoon
• Oil and Salt as required

Method:

1. Wash the spinach cut into pieces and cook the spinach in boiling water or microwave for 9 minutes.
2. Blend the spinach to smooth puree and keep it aside.
3. In a pan add 4 spoons of oil and fry finely chopped onions, when onions are light brown in color add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell oozes out.
4. Add the tomatoes and fry until you get a paste like texture and oil separates out. Onion or Tomato chunks should not be seen.
5. Add the palak or spinach paste to the onion, tomato mixture and blend everything together.
6. Add all the masala powders Chili, Turmeric, Garam Masala, Cumin, Coriander powders and mix well.
7. Add salt to taste, cover and cook for 3-4 mins.
8. Meanwhile cut the paneer into small cubes and shallow fry the paneer cubes in 2 spoons of oil.
9. When paneer turns light brown in color on all sides remove paneer from heat and drain any excess oil by using tissues.
10. Add thicken cream to the gravy and bring it to boil.
    
11. Add the fried paneer and give a stir. After adding paneer stir the gravy very slowly otherwise the paneer breaks. Decorate with thicken cream.
    
12. Serve paneer with Roti, Chapathi, Kulcha, Naan or Steamed Basmatic Rice.
    

Chicken Fry

Ingredients:

Chicken (Boneless) - half kg
Small Onions or Shallots - 100 gms
Tomato big sized - 1
Garlic - 10 pods
Pepper Corns - 2 teaspoons
Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Chilli Powder - 2 teaspoons (adjust as per required)
Tumeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger small piece
Salt as required
Fennel and Cumin seeds(to fry) - half teaspoon each
Oil

Method:

• Wash chicken and cut into medium sized pieces.
• Fry pepper corns and cumin seeds in a dry pan, add ginger and garlic and grind to a smooth paste.
• Heat 2 spoons of oil in a pan and fry onions to light brown in color.
• Add tomato, curry leaves, turmeric powder and fry for a minute.
• Add the chicken pieces and fry until all the water is aborsned.
• Add chilli powder and grinded paste and fry until raw smell of ginger and garlic oozes out.
• Add salt and half tumbler of water, cover and cook in low flame until chicken is done and coated with the masala (or oil separates out)

Chicken fry is very good to enjoy in a winter weather. With little bit mare water you can prepare chicken chops for chapati or poori. When cooked dry can be had as starter.

Tiffin Sambhar

Ingredients:

• Toor Dhal - 100 gms
• Dry Red Chilli - 4
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Green Chillies - 2
• Tamarind - half lemon size
• Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Sherreded Coconut - 4 teaspoons
  
• Salt as required
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Spited Urad Dhal - 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek - half teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Hing - little bit
• Curry Leaves and Coriander

Method:

• Soak tamarind in warm water, after 5 mins filter the tamarind water by mashing the tamarind and taking out the pulp.
• Cook Toor Dhal, mash it, add water to make the dhal bit watery.
• Grind the coconut, red chillies and fennel seeds to a coarse powder.
• Heat up a frying pan and add 2 spoons of oil.
• Add Mustard Seeds, Spilted Urad Dhal, Cumin seeds, Fenugreek and Hing fry till the frangances ooze out.
• Add onions, tomatoes, green chillies and curry leaves fry until onions and tomatoes are cooked.
• Add tamarind water and bring it to boil.
• Add dhal, grinded powder and salt to taste.
• When the mixture thickens add coriander and remove from heat.

Note: Tiffin Ssambhar should be little watery for better taste. Dhal should be mashed well so gives added taste.

Tiffin Sambhar will be good with Idly and Dosa.

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

• Shredded Carrot - 5 medium sized
• Sugar - 150 gms
• Milk - 250 ml
• Elachi or Cardamon - 5
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - 100 ml
• Almond or Badam - 8 or 10
• Cashews - 8 or 10
• Sultana's - 2 teaspoons
• Ghee or Butter - 100 gms

Method:

Heat a non-stick pan which has wide mouth and melt the ghee. Cut the Almond and Cashews into 2 pieces and add to the ghee and fry for a minute. Add the sultana's and fry until the sultana's popup. Add the shredded carrot and fry for a minute. Add the milk, reduce the flame and keep stirring. When all the milk is absorbed and the carrot is cooked add cardamon powder and sugar. Keep stirring for 2 minutes and add the condensed milk. Fold in the condense milk and cook in low flame for 5 mins. Carrot Halwa is ready to serve warm. I like warm carrot halwa and vanilla icecream.

Tips:

Sugar quantity can be adjusted as required, if you use sweetened condense milk sugar can be used as mentioned above.

If you dont like condense milk or it is not available, boil full cream milk in a non stick pan until it is reduced to half and you can add the reduced milk as alternate to condensed milk. In this case you might need to add more sugar.

Onion Pakora

Ingredients:

• Onion - 2
• Wheat Flour - 200 gms
• Fennel Seeds - half teaspoon
• Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 4 Sticks
• Coriander Leaves - Small half bunch
• Garlic - 3 pods

Method:

Slice the onions lengthwise, chop coriander and curry leaves and add to the onions. Cut garlic to small pieces and add to the mixture along with chili powder, salt as required and fennel seeds. Combine all the ingredients together, sprinkle with very little water(if you add more water the pakora will absorb more oil and will be soggy as opposed to crispy) . Onion pakora can be had with tomato ketchup or Yogurt Mint sauce.

Kagchayam

Ingredients

• Plain Flour or Maida - 1 cup or 200 gms
• Banana - 1 (if small add 2)
• Elachi or Cardamon - 4
• Sugar - 5-6 teaspoons(adjust as required)
• Baking soda a pinch

Method:

Peel the skin off cardamon and grind to powder along with sugar. Mash the banana in a bowl, add Plain Flour, sugar and cardamon powder, baking soda and combine all the ingredients together. Add very little water to bind the ingredients together. Make small balls of the mixture and deep fry in oil. Sweet Kagchayam is my childhood favorite.

Sweet Kolukattai

Ingredients

• White Raw Rice or Pachaarusi - 800 gms
• Moong Dhal(Paasi Paruppu)- 200 gms
• Cane Sugar(Vellam) - 600 gms
• Sherreded Coconut - 1 cup
• Ghee - 50 gms

Method:

Wash rice and dhal and spread on to a cloth and allow it to dry under sunlight. After all the water has drained grind the rice and dhal coarsely. Fry the grinded mixture in a dry pan to light brown color. Melt the Cane sugar in 10 tumlers of water. When cane sugar is melted and comes to slight boil add the grinded rice and dhal mixture and keep stirring without forming lumps. Add ghee little by little. Once the mixture is cooked remove it from heat and sherrded coconut and mix it. Make small balls of the mixture and steam cook for 5-8 mins. Sweet Kollukatai is ready.

Vellai Appam

Ingredients:

• White Raw Rice or Pachaarusi - 200 gms
• Urad Dhal - 200 gms
• Green Chillies - 2
• Pepper Corns - 2 teaspoon
• Ghee - 1 teaspoon
• Cashew - 10
• Ginger small piece
• Curry Leaves, Coriander Leaves and Salt as required

Method:

Soak rice and urad dhal for half an hour. Grind the soaked dhal and rice along with green chillies and salt to taste. Make sure you dont add more water for grinding. Add ghee in a pan and fry finely chopped ginger, cashews, curryleaves and coriander leaves. Add it to the grinded dough. Make small balls of the dough and deep fry in oil.

Vellai Appam can be accompanied with cocnut chutney or kara chutney.

Picnic Parata

Ingredients

For Parata:

• Maida or Plain Flour - 1 cup
• Butter - 1 teaspoon
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Salt as required

For Filling:

• Potato - 1
• Onion -1
• Green Chillies - 2
• Ginger - small piece
• Garam Masala - half teaspoon
• Coriander leaves
  

Method:

Mix all the "For Parata" ingredients to make a smooth dough. Boil the potato, peel the skin off
and mash roughly. In a frying pan add oil and fry the onion, green chilli and ginger. When onion turns light brown add the mashed potato, garam masala and salt to taste. Add chopped coriander, mix well and leave the stuffing to cool. Make small balls of the dough and make round shaped parata's. Fry the paratas in a pan just to half cooked on both sides, spread the potato filling and fold the parata so that the filling does not comeout. Fry the parata again in the pan with ghee on both sides. Parata can be had as such or accompanied with any chutney. Plain yoghurt and mango pickle is a best combination for stuffed parata's.

Vegetable Pokora

Ingredients

Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup ( Carrot, Beans, Cauliflower, Peas) or Your Choice
Onions - 1 big
Garlic - 3 Pods
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 bunch
Mint Leaves - 1/4 bunch
Fennel Seeds - half teaspoon
Besan Flower- 2 Spoons
Red Chilli powder - half teaspooon or as required
salt as required
Oil to fry

Method:

Boil the mixed vegetables and smash it coarsely(don't make it like a potato mash). Finely slice the onion, coriander and mint leaves add it to the vegetable smash. Add shredded garlic, chilli powder, fennel seeds, salt and besan flower to the vegetable smash and bind everything together. The water in the boiled vegetables is sufficient to bind all the ingredients together adjust besam flower accordingly. Make small balls with the prepared vegetable mix and deep fry it in oil. Avoid using more water and Besan flower as more water will absorb more oil and more besan flower the pokara will become soggy as opposed to crisp. Serve with yoghurt, mint sauce.

Egg Curry

Ingredients:

To Grind

• Big Onions - 2
• Cinamon -2 sticks
• Cardomon - 3
• Cloves - 4
• Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
• Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Tumeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chicken Masala or any Curry powder - 1 teaspoon
• Ginger small piece
• Garlic - 3 pods
  

Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Cinamon - 1 stick
Cloves - 2
Egg - 4 or 5
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Oil and salt as required

Method

Boil the eggs, remove the shell and keep it aside.

To Grind

Cut Onions into medium sized pieces and fry in 2 spoons of oil. When onion turns little brown in color add Ginger, Garlic, Cinamon, Cardomon, Cloves, Fennel seeds and Cumin seeds and fry till the aroma comes out. Add Coriander, Tumeric, Chilli and Chicken masala powder and fry for a minute and grind to a smooth paste.

Cut 2 onions length-wise and dice the tomatoes. In a frying pan add oil and put Cinamon and Cloves, then add onions. When onions are tansculant add tomatoes and fry until oil separates. Add the grinded masala paste, Coconut milk and salt to taste. When curry comes to a oil cut the eggs into half and added to the curry. Cover and cook for 2 mins decorate with coriander leaves.

Egg curry will be good with Paratha and Jeera Rice.