Curd rice

Ingredients:

Oil -3 tbsp
Rice -1 cup
Water -2 1/2 cups
Yogurt- 1 cup
Curry leaves- 5-6
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Green chilies -2nos
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation:

Wash the rice well and put in a pressure cooker with the water. Cook till done
Cook first on a high flame till you hear the first whistle, then simmer and allow 1 more whistle, then switch off the stove and Keep aside.
Mix the yogurt in the rice and add salt to taste.
Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies.
Add this mix to the rice and stir well.
Serve with a pickle.

Tamarind rice

Ingredients:

Rice -3 cups
Tamarind- 1 cup
Channa dal(soaked)-1/4 cup
Urad dal(soaked)- 1tsp
Groundnuts-1/2 cup
Turmeric-2tsp
Mustard seeds-1tbsp
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Asafoetida-1tsp
Curry leaves- 1 bunch (small)
Red chillies-5
Oil-1/2 cup
Salt to taste


Method:

Soak tamarind in water and extract thick juice out of it.

Cook rice, add salt and add little oil and mix it well. Keep it aside.

Now in a pan, take tamarind extract add salt, turmeric, cook until it thickness.

Add cooked tamarind extract (according to taste) into the rice and mix it well.

Heat oil in a pan, add channa dal, urad dal, red chilies, curry leaves, mustard, cumin seeds, groundnuts and asafoetida fry for few minutes.

As the ingredients turns brown and the mustard starts to splutter, mix all these to the above prepared rice.

Tamarind rice is ready to serve.

Sweet Lassi

Ingredients:

Plain yoghurt- 1 cup 
Sugar- 2 tablespoons 
Ice Cubes- 4

Method:

Blend all the ingredients in an electric blender. Serve cold.

Idli Batter

Ingredients:

· Par boiled Rice - 4 cups

· Urad dal - 1 cup

· Salt to taste

Method:

· Soak rice in water for 2-3 hours.

· Soak urad dal in water for 45 minutes.

· Grind them separately and mix them with salt and water, if required.

· Ferment it for 8 hours, so that it will be perfect in the morning.

Milk Chocolate

Ingredients: Milk - 1 litre Sugar - 350 gm Cocoa powder - 25 gm Refined flour - 15 gm Cardamom - 5 nos Ghee - 1 tsp

Method : Remove the covering of the cardamom and grind the seeds in it.  Boil 1litre milk in a vessel till it reduces to  1/2 the quantity. Sieve sugar, cocoa powder and flour together.  Add this into the milk slowly and stir continuously. Keep boiling the mixture till bubbles come on top and becomes thick. Add 1/3 of ghee and stir well. Then slowly add rest of the ghee and keep stirring.  When the mixture leaves the sides of the vessel, remove from fire.  Add cardamom powder and immediately transfer the content to a greased vessel and keep for setting. When it cools, cut into desired shapes.

Pista Lassi

Ingredients :
Chilled Fresh Curds	-	2cups
Sugar	-	1tbs
Cardamom Powder	-	1/2tsp
Pistas	-	2-3nos
Pista Essence	-	2drops
Crushed Ice	-	1/2cup
Hot Milk	-	1tsp

Method of Preparation:

Coarsely grind pista. Dissolve sugar in curd.

Mix all the ingredients together. Blend well in an electric blender. Chill the lassi and serve.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups raw rice, wash, cook such that each grain is separate

10-12 fresh curry leaves

1 cup grated fresh coconut

Salt to taste

For seasoning:

1 tbsp coconut oil or 1/2 tbsp oil+ 1/2 tbsp ghee

1 tbsp channa dal

1 tsp urad dal

1 1/2 tbsps broken cashew nuts

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida

3-4 green chillis slit lengthwise

1 dry red chilli

7-8 fresh curry leaves

Method:

Þ    Spread the cooked rice on a wide plate and allows cooling. Season with salt and add fresh curry leaves. Keep aside.

Þ    Heat coconut oil (or) oil + ghee in a vessel, add mustard seeds and as they jump around, add the urad dal, channa dal and cashew nuts allow them to turn red.

Þ    Add the red chilli, green chillis, curry leaves and asafoetida and roast for a few seconds.

Þ    Add grated coconut and combine and sauté for 2-3 minutes on low flame. Turn off heat.

Þ    Add the seasoning to the rice and combine well.

Þ    Serve hot with pickle and papad.

Rava Pongal

Ingredients
» Rava 1 cup 
» Moong Dal 1/2 cup 
» Cashew Nuts 10 no
» Ghee 4 tbs 
» Curry Leaves 
» Chopped Ginger 1 tsp 
» Black peppercorn 1 tsp 
» Cumin Seeds 1 tsp 
» Salt to taste 

Method
1. Fry the rava without any oil till raw smell goes off. 
2. Fry the black pepper and cumin seeds in a teaspoon of ghee and make a coarse powder of them. 
3. Fry the cashewnuts, curryleaves, chopped ginger and keep aside. 
4. Pressure cook the moong dal with 1 cup of water. 
5. After the pressure subsides transfer the cooked dal to a heavy bottomed pan and add a cup of water. 
6. Add the required salt. 
7. Allow this to boil well. 
8. Add the fried rava to the above boiling (cooked) moong dhal in small measures and stir continuously till the rava is cooked completely. 
9. While the rava is being cooked add the ghee little by little. 
10. Finally, add the coarsely powdered pepper and jeera and the fried cashew nuts, curry leaves and chopped ginger. 
11. This goes well with coconut chutney.

Sweet kuzhi paniyaram

Ingredients:

· Para boiled rice-1tumbler
· Fenugreek seed-2tbsp
· Grated Coconut-1cup
· Jaggery-2nos
· Salt-little bit (to enhance the sweetness)
· Cardamom-4-6 no’s

Method:

· Soak Para boiled Rice, Fenugreek with sufficient water for 2 hours.
· Grind Para boiled Rice, Fenugreek in a Grinder.Making sure not to add much water.
· Grind cardamom also.
· Make a sauce of Jaggery by boiling Jaggery and a cup of water for 20 minutes.
· Mix jaggery Sauce with the batter to make it to a thin consistency (similar to dosa batter) and grated coconut, cardamom powder & salt.
· Heat the Paniyaram pan. Sprinkle some oil in the holes.
· Now pour the batter in the holes of the pan.
· When it’s done. Turn it over.
· When it`s come to dark brown remove from pan and Serve hot.

Tips

To peel garlic flakes easily, wash and soak them in cold water for about an hour.

Green peas will retain their original colour, if you add a pinch of sugar while boiling.

To save your sugar from ants put some cloves in the jar.

To adjust salt in curries add roasted rice powder.

A bay leaf added to the flour container will keep the flour free from moisture.

Semiya Payasam

Ingredients:

• 1 cup: Vermicelli
• 1 cup: Milk
• 1 cup: Sugar
• A handful: Cashew nuts
• A handful: Raisins
• 1 pinch: Saffron
• 2-3 pods: Cardamom
• ¾ cup: Water

Method:

1. Heat the ghee and fry the vermicelli till light brown.
2. In the meanwhile, boil the water.
3. Add the vermicelli to the boiling water and cover it. Keep stirring occasionally.
4. Once the vermicelli becomes soft, add the sugar and continue to stir.
5. Put the saffron in the milk and dissolve it, add this milk to the vermicelli.
6. Powder the cardamom and add it to the mixture.
7. Then fry the cashew nuts and almonds in ghee and add these.
8. Mix well and boil for about two minutes.
9. Your payasam is ready and can be served hot or cold

Rice Payasam

Ingredients:

·         Broken rice - 1 cup

·         Jaggery - ½ cup, grated

·         Coconut milk - 2½ cup, thin

·         Coconut milk -1 cup, thick

·         Cardamoms - 1 teaspoon, ground

·         Cashews and raisins - a little

Method:

• Wash the broken rice and cook it in the thin coconut milk till it is soft and tender.
• Add the jaggery and stir till it dissolves.
• Add the thick coconut milk and cook on low flame for sometime.
• Remove from fire and garnish with ground green cardamom powder and fried cashews and raisins.

Badam Payasam

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Badam
2 cups Milk 
3 tbsp Sugar 
5 crushed Cardamoms
a pinch of Saffron, soaked in lukewarm milk

Method:

Þ      Boil half a litre of water in a sauce pan.

Þ      Add the almonds when the water is boiling and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the flame and drain. 

Þ     
Remove the skin of the almonds and grind to a fine paste. 
Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan.

Þ      When the milk begins to boil adds the almond paste and the sugar and cook for 5 minutes over a low flame stirring continuously. 

Þ     
Remove from the flame. Add the dissolved saffron and the crushed cardamoms. 

Þ     
Allow to cool and serve chilled.

kothamalli thokku

Ingreidents:

1. Coriander leaves-2bunch
2. Red chili -20nos
3. Black gram-200gm
4. Salt-Required quantity
5. Take lemon size of tamarind


Method:

Wash the coriander thoroughly.
Heat the heavy bottmed pan with oil add chilies in that, roasts the red chilies for while and keep it aside.
Then add black gram and tamarind in the pan and roast it for 10 minutes, till it`s turn to brown colour.
Then nicely grind the Coriander into coarse level,.
Then grind red chilies, black gram and salt into coarse.
Finally grind everything once again.
Serve it with dosa, idly, curd rice or mix it with hot rice

Chicken gravy

Ingredients:

· Chicken-1 kg
· Ginger-1 inch
· Garlic-2 pods
· Onion-2
· Pepper- Required quantity
· Tomato-4
· Fennel(perunjeeragam)- Required quantity
· Cumin seeds-little
· Oil- Required quantity
· Turmeric powder
· Coriander seeds-1tbsp
· Chili powder-1tbsp
· Coriander leaves
· Water- Required quantity


Method:

· Take ginger, garlic, onion, fennel, pepper, cumin seeds and 3 tomatoes grind everything together into a paste.
· Then keep the vessel in the stove and put oil and onion, 1 tomato and fry till it turns to brown.
· Then put the paste after adding the paste leave it for few minutes to fry .
· Then add chicken, salt, turmeric powder, coriander seeds, chili powder and add water to cook for 15 minutes.
· Finally add pieces of coriander leaves.

Paruppu Podi

Ingredients:

1 Cup Toor Dhal,
1 Tbspn each of Channa & Urud Dhal
Salt to taste,
Asafoetida a big pinch,
Dry Chillies 12-15.

Methods:

1. Broil the above Dhal's, Chillies & Asafoetida nicely till the Dhal are golden brown & crisp.

2. Dry grind this mixture to a fine Rava texture & keep aside add salt to taste.

3. This can be used for Rice along with oil. 

Kollu Chutney

Ingredients:

Kollu (soaked overnight) - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Salt 
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Black gram dal - 1/2 tsp
Few curry leaves
Asafoetida - a pinch
Red chillies - 2
Tamarind soaked in water - A small piece

Method:

Grind the horsegram, coconut, salt, red chillies and tamarind to a coarse paste. 
Add some water to get chutney consistency.
Heat oil; add mustard, black gram dal. 
When it splutters, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and pour it over the chutney.

Carrot juice

Ingredients

· 4 large carrots
· Sugar-(as per taste)
· Milk-1cup

How to Make

· Wash carrots using water and Peel to remove any dirt.
· Trim off the ends and slice the carrots to fit your juicer.
· Add sugar when you grind carrots. Add milk finally.
· Juice is ready. Enjoy.

Badam Milk Shake

Ingredients:

• 4 cup Milk 
• 1/4 cup Badam (Almond) 
• 1 cup Sugar 
• 5 Cardamoms (crushed) 
• Saffron Strands for garnishing 

How to make:

• Boil the almonds in a pan for 5 minutes. Remove and drain.
• Peel the skin of the almonds and grind in a blender with sugar to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
• Now heat milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and bring it to a boil.
• Add crushed cardamom, almond-sugar paste, stir and continue to boil for 2 minutes more.
• Remove from the heat, garnish with saffron and serve hot or chilled.

Apple juice

Ingredients

· Apple-2
· Milk-1cup
· Sugar –( as per taste)


Method

· Peel the apple
· Cut into pieces
· Grind in mixer with apple pieces and sugar
· Finally add milk .
· That’s it. Apple juice is ready
· Serve over ice cubes in old-fashioned glasses.

Egg bajji

Ingredients

Hard boiled eggs -3

For the batter

Gram flour - 1 cup , Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp , Pepper – ½ tbsp,
Rice flour – ½ cup , Oil - Enough to deep fry , Water , Salt(as per taste)

Method


1. Boil eggs, remove shells and slice into half.
2. Mix the gram flour, rice flour, chili powder, pepper and salt with required quantity of water. Little by little.
3. Heat oil in a pan at medium heat only and dip the eggs in the batter
4. Deep fry on both sides till they turn into beautiful golden yellow.
5. Remove from heat and drain the oil.
6. Yummy Egg Bajji is ready to serve.
7. Serve hot with ketchup.

Coconut chutney

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut, grated

2 small green chillies, chopped

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

Salt to taste

For the tempering:

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon split gram

2 to 3 curry leaves

2 teaspoon oil

Method:

1. Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep aside.

2. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, split gram and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle. Pour this tempering over the chutney add salt and mix well.

Thakkali Thokku

Ingredients:

                    Tomato – 5 nos

                    Small onion - 50grams

                    Garlic – 5 pods

                    Ginger – 1 small piece

                    Cinnamon – 2 nos

                    Poppy seeds – 1tsp

                    Green chilli – 1 slit

                    Red chilli powder – 1tsp

                    Oil – required quantity

                    Salt – required quantity

                    Water – required quantity

Method:

              Heat the oil in pan and add cinnamon, poppy seeds and green chilli

              After that add ginger garlic paste.

              Then add tomato and onion sauté for a while

              And add red chilli powder, salt & water.

              Stir continuously until it reaches gravy consistency.

                    

Oats Pongal

Ingredients:

Rolled oats - 2 cups 
Moong dal - 1 cup 
Cumin Seeds - 2 tbsp 
Pepper - 1 tbsp 
Ginger finely chopped - 1 tbsp 
Cashew nuts - 10 
Curry leaves - 1 spring 
Oil/ghee - 3 tbsps 

Method:

Þ    In a pressure cooker, add the oil/ghee and let it heat for a minute.

Þ    Then add cumin seeds, pepper and cashew nut.

Þ    When it is slightly browns add oats, rinsed and drained moongdal, chopped ginger, curry leaves, salt and 6 cups water.

Þ    Pressure cook it until one whistle in a medium heat.

Þ    Serve it with sambhar and/or coconut chutney. 

Chettinad Chicken

Ingredients:

·         1 kg: Chicken

·         1 1/2 cup: Onion

·         1 cup: Tomato

·         20 cloves: Garlic

·         1 big piece: Ginger

·         2 tsp: Pepper

·         2 tsp: Cumin seeds

·         2 tsp: Fennel (Jeera)

·         ¼ cup: Coriander Powder

·         ½ small cup: Chilli Powder

·         Cloves (lavangam) as required

·         Tamarind as required

·         Salt to taste

·         5 tsp: Oil

Method:

1.      Wash the chicken and cut to pieces.

2.       Mince garlic and ginger.

3.       Powder pepper, cumin seeds and fennel together.

4.       Fry the powders lightly and keep aside.

5.       Season cloves in oil in a frying pan, add onion and tomato.

6.       Sauté well adding minced garlic and ginger.

7.       Add chicken with little turmeric powder and cook for 10 minutes.

8.       Add chilli /coriander powders, salt and mix well.

9.       Pour 4 cups of water and boil.

10.    When chicken is half boiled, add the half fried pepper, cumin seed and fennel powder and mix well.

11.    When the gravy thickens to a paste, remove from fire.

12.    Serve hot.

 

Coconut ginger chutney

Ingredients

Grated coconut -1/4 cup
Ginger -1 inch (chopped)
Red chilly -5
Onion -1(big size)
Salt
Mustard
Asafoetida powder- a pinch
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves

Method

Grind together grated coconut, chopped ginger, red chilies, and salt.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds,chopped onion,asafoetida powder, when they fume add coriander leaves, curry leaves.
Then add the chutney paste, and stir, remove from Stove.
Serve with idly or snacks

Easy chicken

Ingredients:

                         Chicken – 1/2kg

                         Onion – 50grms

                         Tomato – 2

                         Chilli powder – 2tbsp

                         Pepper powder – 1/2tsp

                         Aniseed powder – 1tsp

                         Coconut – ½ cup

                         Roasted cumin seeds powder – 1tsp

                         Ginger – 1ps

                         Garlic 10nos

                         Cinnamon - 2

                         Cloves – 2

                         Turmeric powder – 1tsp

                         Salt – required quantity

                         Oil – required quantity

Method:

              Wash and cut the chicken in to small pieces.

              Heat the oil in pan; add cinnamon, cloves, aniseed.

              Let the spices get crackle, add the chopped onions.

              Brown the onions and add ginger garlic paste

              Sauté it and put the tomatoes.

              Once the tomatoes softens add the chicken pieces

              Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, aniseed powder, cumin powder and pepper powder.

              Then add little amount of coconut milk and sauté it nicely till the chicken gets cooked.

               Finally check for seasoning, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.