Mutton Thala kari Kuzhambu | Lamb Head Curry

Mutton / Aatu Thala Curry / Lamb Head Curry, is a delicious and authentic Tamilnadu Style recipe.

It’s such a flavorful recipe, people will get tempted while cooking itself…I prepared this recipe when I was in my Parents-In-Law home; they enjoyed this curry with hot steamed rice for lunch and with Tiffen for dinner too. I have added the chilly powder as per our taste, you can adjust it to your family taste.

This can be served with Rice, any Variety Rice, Kerala Parota, Chappathi / Roti or Idly/ Dosai.

Ingredients:

Mutton (Head Portion) – 1 Full Head (750 gms)

Gingelly Oil / Sesame Seed Oil – 2 tablespoon

Bay Leaf - 1

Cinnamon stick – 1

Clove – 2

Curry leaves – few

Shallots – 10 nos.

Mutton Masala – 4 teaspoon (Ready Made)

Coriander Powder – 4 teaspoon

Chilly Powder – 2 teaspoon

To Dry Roast and Grind:

Shallot – 20 Nos.

Ginger and Garlic – (finely chopped) 4 teaspoon

Dry Red Chilly – 3 Nos.

Coconut (grated) – Handful

Fennel Seeds – 2 teaspoon

Poppy Seeds – 2 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder – Generous Pinch

Method:

• Wash and Marinate Mutton pieces with turmeric powder and keep it aside.
• Chop 10 Shallots finely and keep it aside.

• Heat a pan and dry roast the ingredients given under “To Dry Roast and Grind”.

• Once the dry roasted ingredients reach room temperature, grind it in mixer and keep it aside.

• Heat a Pressure Pan or Pressure Cooker, Pour sesame seed oil and season it with bay leaf, cloves, cinnamons and curry leaves.
• Add finely chopped Shallots and sauté until it turns golden brown.

• Add Chilly Powder, Coriander Powder and Mutton Masala in the pan and sauté it till it mixes well.

• Add the Mutton, required water and mix well.
• Add the grinded masala, salt and mix it well.

• Cover and pressure cook till 6 whistles.
• Now the Mutton Thala Curry / Kuzhambu is ready to get served.

Vegetable Briyani

I love to make one pot recipe which is easy to make and time saving. This one is very simple Veg biryani with minimal ingredients.
When it comes to biryani or Pulao the main part is basmati rice, here for this recipe you can use any branded basmati rice, Jeeraga Samba rice or any long grain rice but in the case of long grain rice i found the flavor is bit missing.
And regarding vegetables you can use, Frozen Peas, Potatoes, Beans, Carrot

Here goes the recipe

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Oil - 1 table spoon
Bay leaf, Cardamon, Cinnamon, Cloves - each one
Ginger, Garlic Paste - 2 teaspoon
Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Mint leaves - 1 handful
Green Chilly - 1
Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Mixed Vegetables - 1 & 1/2 cups

Method:

1. Keep all the ingredients ready.
2. Grind ginger, garlic, fennel seeds and mint leaves and keep it aside
3. Slice onion and cube or julienne other vegetables as per your wish.

4. Heat a pressure pan with a tablespoon of oil and add the spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves.
5. Add the slit chilly and onion, saute for a minute and add the grinded ginger garlic masala.
6. Once the raw smell goes, add tomatoes, chilly powder, garam masala powder and salt.
7. Saute will till all the ingredients get mixed well

8. Add the Vegetables and saute for a minute.
9. Now add the washed rice and mix it with vegetables and masala.
10. Add 4 cups of water for 2 cups of rice.
11. Close and pressure cook for 2 whistle.
12. Once the pressure goes off, remove the lid and mix the Vegetable briyani smoothly.

Paneer Kofta Curry | Alu Paneer Kofta Gravy

I am missing my blogging now a days, some times personal life takes more priority than our passion.
I guess henceforth for sometime i will be blogging on and off.....
I am Pregnant,..Yeah the happiest news to share with you all. My little bundle of joy will arrive by the month of May 2015.

This is the recipe which i clicked before few months. "Malai Kofta Curry" Yummy, Delicious and Rich recipe, we enjoyed it with Roti.

Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

Paneer - 1 cup gratted
Potatoes - 2 no.
Onion - 3 nos. big (Sliced)
Tomatoes - 2 nos.
Tandoori masala - 1 tsp
Chaat Masala - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 50 gm
Cashew - 50 gm
Curd - 2 tbsp. (Or Cream)
Salt to taste
Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic - 2 tsp chopped
Cinnamon, cardamom - 1 pieace each
Chilly powder.
Turmeric - few pinches for color.

Method:

Soak cashew in water for an hour.
Boil, peel the skin and mash the potatoes and keep it aside.
Add, mashed potatoes, tandoori masala, Paneer, chaat masal and salt together.
Mix well and make it as a Ball.
Heat a frying pan with oil and deep fry it.
Keep the fried kofta's aside.
Heat a Pan with 1 tbsp. butter and add Cinnamon, cardamom .
Add the sliced onion and sauté till it turns golden brown.
Allow it to cool to room temperature and grind it to paste along with cashew nuts.
Grind the tomatoes separately and keep it aside.
Take a curd and run single pulse in mixer, so that it will get blend to gravy easily.
Now heat a pan with butter add the Onion mix and sauté well.
Add chilly powder and bit of turmeric and sauté until the raw smell goes.
Add Tomato puree and curd one by one and mix well.
Allow to cook in slow fire, close with lid and cook.
Butter oozes out add methi leaves.
Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes and turn off.

While serving add the Paneer Kofta balls.

It tastes heavenly when served with any pulao or any variety roti.

Ragi / Kezhvaragu Puttu

  

          My Paternal grandparents lived in a village in between Cutralam and Elanji border, where their food culture has the influnce of some Kerala dishes....So we use to make Parotta, idiyappam, puttu at home often...Puttu we make it with White rice, Red rice and Ragi...

Puttu made by ragi along with powdered jaggery, a banana and gratted coconut tastes yummy, also the cardamon and Ragi flavour fills our home completely...

Even though we get all the flours now in shops, i love to prepare it at home...Yes, i bought the Ragi, washed it and sundried also again slightly roasted, once cooled gave it in mill for grinding...Now i can call it home made Ragi flour...Yeah!!!

Ingredients:

Ragi Flour - 1 Cup
Grated Coconut as required.
Cardamon Powder - 1/4 tsp
Water approximately  - 1/4 Cup
Salt to taste

Method:

In a Pan add the Flour, salt and Cardamon Powder.
Heat the Water and add it to the flour bowl little by little.
Consistency should be , when you take a handful of rice and press, it should hold its shape, but when you leave it should crumble.
Take a Puttu mould and add a handful of Rice and 1 tbsp coconut like wise repeat the process till the mould gets filled.
Fill the Puttu pot with Water or if you use cooker mould fill cooker with 2 cup of water.
Fix the Puttu Mould and Steam it.
Allow to cook in slow flame until the steam escapes from top of the Puttu Mould and the aroma comes.
Switch off and open the puttu mould lid.
Gently push the puttu from the back hole in mould with a lengthy steel stick or using back of ladle

Serve it with Sugar or Jagerry and Bananna

Or you can have it with Spicy kadala curry or with any Non Veg Gravies.

Sending this recipe for Come, Join us for Breakfast Event.

Andhra Spicy Chicken Roast

Today being Sunday want to try some spicy chicken, also some thing different from my usual style...then i remembered an Andhra style chicken roast from one of the blog i follow, so went and searched for the recipe and prepared it for our lunch.
Yeah its a hit, we loved it and the freshly dry roasted masala smells great and added a special touch to the recipe. henceforth this recipe will be going to be in my regular menu..

Now i am seriously thing to invite some guest just to make them taste all the new recipes which i learned recently...Yeah! all these things happened just because of my blog baby.
It gives me immense pleasure when some one appreciate me for my cooking :), as most of them says,
Yes, Cooking is like a meditation which brings down all my worries and makes me float in cloud.

Recipe Source: Nalini's kitchen

Ingredients: 

Chicken - 300 gms
Onion - 2 Nos. Medium size.
Tomato - 1 No. Medium size
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp (as required)
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp.

To temper:
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 tbsp

To Dry Roast and Grind to Powder:
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp

Method: 

Clean the chicken and add turmeric, salt and keep it aside.
As given above dry roast and grind the ingredients in third section ingredients.
Finely Chop Onions and tomatoes.
Heat a Pan, add oil and temper with Fennel seeds and curry leaves.
Add the Onions, saute well for few seconds.
Add Ginger garlic paste saute until the raw smell goes and add the tomatoes.
Once the tomato get cooked well and the chilly powder and coriander powder.
Saute for few seconds and add Chicken and required amount of water to get the chicken cooked.
Ensure not to add excess water just 1/2 glass is enough for 300 gms.
Close the lid and cook it in slow fire.
Once it got cooked add the dry roasted masala.
And allow the chicken to cook without lid so that the water gets evaporates.
Once it reaches the  required consistency, switch off and serve.

Note: Dry roasted powder is to be added as per your spice level, i have added 2 teaspoon.

It tastes great with rice and any tiffen item.

Chicken Butter Masala

Its a one of the Indian Non Veg Delight served as side dish and in North Murg Makhani is so famous.
I started to drool when ever i think of this butter chicken and Naan, Oh God it is Made for each other combination.
Again this is also i tried for one of our guest, and it turned a hit at our home...And i am sure that i will be going to prepare this regularly.
You can increase the quantity of Red chilly to get hot gravy or this will be Mild and loved by kids.
Usually i have seen some recipe call for sugar to get the sweet taste, here i have not added sugar because the Cashew nuts and homemade curd does the job of sugar.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 300gm
Onion - 3 nos. big (Sliced)
Tomatoes - 2 nos.
Tandoori masala - 1 tsp
Butter - 50 gm
Cashew - 50 gm
Curd - 2 tbsp. (Or Cream)
Salt to taste
Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic - 2 tsp chopped
Cinnamon, cardamom - 1 pieace each
Red Chilly - 3 nos.
Pepper corns - 1 tsp.
Turmeric - few pinches for color.
Oil for deep fry.

Method:

Soak cashew in water for an hour.
Coat Tandoori masala, salt, ginger garlic and bit of butter in Chicken  then deep fry it and keep it aside.
Heat a Pan with 1 tbsp. butter and add Cinnamon, cardamom .
Add the sliced onion, Red Chilly, Pepper and sauté till it turns golden brown.
Allow it to cool to room temperature and grind it to paste along with cashew nuts.
Grind the tomatoes separately and keep it aside.
Take a curd and run single pulse in mixer, so that it will get blend to gravy easily.
Now heat a pan with butter add the Tomato and sauté well till it turns bright in color.
Add the Onion mixtures and saute well
Add  bit of turmeric, Salt and sauté until the raw smell goes.
Add  curd  and mix well.
Allow to cook in slow fire, close with lid and cook.
Butter oozes out and now add the fried chicken pieaces and methi leaves.
Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes and turn off.

It tastes heavenly when served with any pulao or any variety roti.

Note: Adding cream is optional but tastes very rich if added.

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala is one of the famous recipe in Indian cuisine especially we call it a Punjabi specialty.
And its a top recipe in any hotel menu list and loved by kids. Also we can call it a perfect party recipe.
Its a rich creamy gravy made with onion, tomatoes, cashews, cream and Paneer.

Paneer is gluten-free, high is protein and calcium. Paneer is the most common type of cheese used in South Asian cuisines.

I tried it for one of our special guest and it turned out so delicious...I always avoid food color so this butter masala looks yellowish without food color and with a goodness of healthy Ingredients.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 1 cup cubed
Onion - 3 nos. big (Sliced)
Tomatoes - 2 nos.
Tandoori masala - 1 tsp
Butter - 50 gm
Cashew - 50 gm
Curd - 2 tbsp. (Or Cream)
Salt to taste
Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Ginger garlic - 2 tsp chopped
Cinnamon, cardamom - 1 pieace each
Chilly powder.
Turmeric - few pinches for color.

Method:

Soak cashew in water for an hour.
Coat Tandoori masala, salt and bit of butter in Paneer and keep it aside.
Heat a Pan with 1 tbsp. butter and add Cinnamon, cardamom .
Add the sliced onion and sauté till it turns golden brown.
Allow it to cool to room temperature and grind it to paste along with cashew nuts.
Grind the tomatoes separately and keep it aside.
Take a curd and run single pulse in mixer, so that it will get blend to gravy easily.
Now heat a pan with butter add the Onion mix and sauté well.
Add chilly powder and bit of turmeric and sauté until the raw smell goes.
Add Tomato puree and curd one by one and mix well.
Allow to cook in slow fire, close with lid and cook.
Butter oozes out and now add the paneer cubes and methi leaves.
Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes and turn off.

It tastes heavenly when served with any pulao or any variety roti.

Aappam - Traditional breakfast

Aappam is a traditional recipe of Gods own land, Kerala and Tamilnadu being the neighbouring state, it quite common to see people making aapam in home regularly and also here we get it in many hotels but the thing is getting aapam with good quality of coconut milk in very rare, If we get it then we have to pay high price.

Aappam being hit recipe in my home i make it often at least once in two weeks and my cousins use to ask me for batter to get packed to their home, as the un fermented batter can be kept in fridge for at least 10 days.

It is a very light breakfast that too substituting Eno instead of Soda salt will make it more healthiest recipe.

Here goes the recipe....































Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 2 cup
Boiled Rice - 2 cup (Puzhungarisi in tamil)
Fenugreek - 1 tsp
Urud Dal - 1/2 cup
Soda Salt or Eno (Fruit salt)
Salt to taste.

Method:

Soak it for minimum 4 hours
And grind the batter as of for Dosa.
Add Salt and mix it with hand and allow to ferment for 15 hours.
While making Aappam.
Take out the required amount of batter, dissolve it with water.
It should be thinner than Dosai batter consistency.
Add 1/4 tsp Soda Salt or Eno for 1 litre batter.
Mix well and use the batter after 10 mins.
Pour the batter in aappam pan and rotate it slowly so that the batter gets spreads to the pan completely.
Center portion of pan should have some batter left, which will come soft and fluffy and the outer portion
will be crispy.
Close the pan and cook untill done.
Serve it with coconut milk and sugar or with spicy curry...

Chana Chicken Curry

I know very well that my blogging has taken back seat for past couple of months due to unavoidable circumstance...still managing to click whenever possible to make my blog live....
Waiting to come up full swing soon...

This is the Chicken and Kabuli Channa combination...Goes well with any variety rice, Idly, Dosa, Roti and especially with Poori....Today we enjoyed it with cripsy dosai for breakfast...

Here goes the recipe details:

Ingredients:

Kabuli Chana/ chickpea - 1/2 cup
Chicken - 300 gm
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil to temper
Curry  leaves - few

To grind each separately:

Shallot - 1 cup (Grind)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Coconut - 1/2 cup (Grind)

Method:

Soak Chana overnight and pressure cook for 2 whistle.
Heat a pressure pan with 1 tbsp oil and add ginger garlic paste.
Saute well and add grinded shallot.
Once it turns golden color add chicken, salt and turmeric and saute well
Add Chilly, coriander and garam masala powder.
Add Coconut paste.
Saute for 5 mints in low flame and add Channa and required water.
Close the lid and allow to cook for 3 whistle.
Once the pressure is gone, open and serve it.