Egg Burji

Ingredients:

Eggs-2 nos

Big Onion- 2nos

Tomato-1no

green chilly-1 small

garlic-2cloves

turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

chilly powder- 1/2 tsp

jeera- 1tsp

oil-2tsp

salt to taste.

curry leaves- few sprigs

milk-1/8th cup(Gives a soft texture to the scramble)

Method:

1.Chop the onion,tomato,green chill,garlic into fine pieces and keep seperately.

2.Heat oil fry the jeera seeds add the chopped onions and salt and fry till slightly starts turning golden brown,add the curry leaves,tomato and garlic and green chilli and fry well till mushy and cooked well add the red chilli powder and turmeric and stir well so that it will not get burnt.

3.Break the eggs one by one and add and stir and scramble it.when it gets cooked sprinkle the milk and allow to cook till all the moisture is gone and dry..

4.Serve with hot rotis as a sidedish or any rice .

WItch finger cookies

WITCH FINGER COOKIES

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter-1cup

Flour-2 3/4 cup

Salt-1/4 pinch

Baking Powder-1tsp

Vanilla extract-1tsp

Food colouring of your choice-i've used green and some made plain

Whole blanced almonds-(soak in water for 30 minutes and peel and split into two halves)-30 nos

Sugar-powdered-1 cup

egg-1no

Sift the baking powder,salt  and flour so they are evenly distributed.

Peel and split the almonds and keep it ready.

Method:

1.Take the butter in a wide bowl add the powdered sugar and beat till creamed well.

2.Add in the egg and beat well,inbetween add the essence and mix well.
3.Add the flour little by little and mix well
4.It will be a sticky dough keep mixing till all the ingredients are incorporated well.
5.I divided the dough into two parts and added 2 drops of green liquid food colour to one part.
6.take the dough on a parchment paper just roll and cover it and keep refrigerated for 30 mins,this helps in moulding the dough as it will be sticky.
7.After 30mins minimum take the dough pinch 1tsp or a small marble sized piece and shape into fingers by first rolling inbetween your hands like a rope..roll it really thin as it'l expand when you bake(my fingers are fat).
8.Then make knuckle impressions with a fork.Press a almond piece for the nails and carefully transfer to a greased baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 mins at 160 degrees..the above measure yielded 45 cookies..

Adhirasam

This sweet recipe calls for simple ingredients though but one of the trickiest I have tried...it must have been some 15 occasions (before my wedding) I've tried this and wasted all the flour and jaggery...but only once I've got it right and the day Raks kitchen posted this recipe on her blog for Diwali I was waiting to try and was so nervous..wanted to take step by step pictures but was too stressed up till I tested it was not separating in oil.

                    

Just followed the recipe blindly thanku tonnes as this was the first time I understood the jaggery consistency and got the results the last one time I got it rite I think it was all luck..
I am so happy and just patting myself now I got it rite and my hubby loves this sweet..so I can try the same quantity and this yielded some 18(though some were big and some were small) so this will be on my list for Christmas...
So I am tagging you and passing on my wishes for a very happy Diwali to you and your family Raji!

Ingredients:

Raw rice( ask for maavu pacharisi)- 1  1/2 cups
Paagu vellam- 1 cup( grated/crushed)
Sukku(powdered dry ginger)- 1/4 tsp
Sesame seeds(white )- 1 tbsp
Cardamom- 2nos
Oil- to fry
Oil/ ghee-2tsp
Milk- 2-3 tbsp( to make the dough pliable so to shape into balls and pat as the next day my dough
was dry and so just added milk &oil and made it soft )


Method:

1. Wash the rice and soak in water for 2-3 hours.
2. Take the soaked rice in a colander and spread on clean cotton towel/ cloth for 30 minutes.
3. Powder the rice though it is bit damp in the mixie in two batches along with the cardamom.
4. Sieve it if you feel it's grainy..don't run the mixer for long as it will heat up the flour and the dampness will be lost.take the powdered flour in a vessel with the powdered ginger,sesame seeds and keep aside.
5. Nowtake the jaggery in a vessel and add water just to immerse it and boil to it's dissolved and filter to remove any impurities.
6. Then keep the filtered jaggery on a medium flame and keep a small vessel near the stove to check the syrup consistency from time to time.
7. Boil and keep checking in 2 minutes first it will dissolve and then u'l get a thin streak in the water that dissolves on touching .further boiling the syrup gets thick and u'l reach soft ball when a little syrup is poured in the water it forms a ball on the bottom and can be taken in hand it will form a soft ball then this is the consistency..switch off the stove,remove from heat.
8. Now add the flour little by little to the jaggery and keep mixing as u add and till all the flour is added and you get a smooth soft dough now mix well evenly and transfer to a airtight vessel and keep ,at least for a day before making adhirasams.
9. Next day take the dough and add few spoons of milk+oil and knead till you get a soft pliable dough
 And divide into balls and take a greased ziplock and pat each ball into adhirasams of your desired size and shape.
10. Heat oil in a kadai and when hot slip the prepared adhirasams and it will puff like poori then flip over and cook over medium flame and when cooked press it in between two slotted ladles to remove excess oil and put on a kitchen paper as you fry one by one.
11. My adhirasams were crisp as soon as I made and got soft later..the critics (hubby and daughter)at home reviewed it as the best for a first success after so many failures.. Am so thankful to raks for the crystal clear instructions and step by step pictures...

SIMPLE FISH FRY

 INGREDIENTS:

FISH- 500GM(ANY VARIETY FISH SLICED)

Chilli powder-4tsp(according to your taste)

Jeera powder-1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste-1tsp

Turmeric-1/2 tsp

Salt-1 1/2 tsp

Oil-3tbsp(to shallow fry)

Method:

1.Clean and wash the fish with salt and drain water completely.

2.Mix all the masala ingredients and make a paste,apply to the fish pieces and keep this marination in the fridge until you fry the pieces before serving.

3.Marinate atleast for 2hours so that the salt and chilly are absorbed.

4.Heat a non-stick pan/tawa with oil,when hot add the fish pieces and cook turning sides carefully till the pieces are cooked and roasted on both the side.Care should be taken not to char the pieces.

5.Serve hot with a slice of lime and some sliced onions as accomapaniment/as it is..

6.Enjoy...

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Though this might be a very simple post these paniyaram are a real change from the daily idly dosa, poori, pongal menu...though the base is the same as for idly and dosa.The combo we make at home is tomato-mint chutney(will update in the coming days).Hope you guys enjoy these fluffy paniyaram recipe.

Ingredients
Idly/dosa batter- 10 ladles.
Salt-1/4tsp

Seasoning:
Oil-3tsp
Big onion-3nos(chopped finely)
Green chilly-6nos(finely chopped)
Curry leaves-3sprigs(torn to smaller pieces)
Coriander leaves-1handful(clean,wash and cut finely)
Mustard-1tsp
Urad dhal-3tsp
Channa dal-2tsp
Hing-1/4 tsp

Note:

-I prefer batter which is 2 or 3 days old when it's fermented.
-You may even add grated carrot and fine cut beans to the onion mixture,saute and add to the batter.

1. Heat oil in a kadai,splutter mustard seeds, add the urad and channa dal and fry on low flame till slightly brown add the cut onions and curry leaves and green chillies and saute for 2-3 minutes till onion changes colour ie next stage to the raw stage and add salt and hing and coriander leaves and give a stir..

2.Add the above to the batter and give a stir till evenly mixed and then check the consistency it should not be too water/too thick -but thicker than dosa and thinner than idly batter consistency.

3.Heat a paniyaram pan,we use non-stick pan and i feel it consumes lesser oil than the traditional kuzhi paniyaram pan.

4.Add little oil in each of the kuzhi and add a spoon of batter till it get's filled and keep the flame on medium high and turn once it get's cooked and allow to get crisp and check inside are cooked with a tooth pick inserted in the paniyaram-if it doesnt stick then remove and serve hot with chutney of your choice/as it is.

5.Enjoy..i served it with mint-tomato chutney.

AVARAIKAI MUTTON THOKKU /MUTTON WITH HYACINTH BEANS

INGREDIENTS:

MUTTON-500gms
small onion-1cup
tomato-2nos.
Hyacinth beans-15nos(each cut into 2 or 3 pieces)

Seasoning-
cloves-5nos
cinnamon-2inch piece
aniseeds-1/2tsp
curry leaves-1 handful

For cooking mutton:
Pressure cook cleaned and washed mutton with turmeric powder and add the whole spices and 1.4 cup water for 5minutes or 2whistles-depending on the quality of meat you get in your place.

To grind:
poppy seeds- 1tsp
pepper-1 1/2 tsp
jeera-1/2tsp


Method:

1.Grind the ingredients to grind into a fine paste.

 2.Cut the onions and tomato to fine pieces.

3.Cook the meat and keep it aside.

4.Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai add the chopped onions and curry leaves and fry till golden brown and add the tomatoes and fry till cooked.

5.Add the ground paste and continue stirring till oil seperates.

6.Add the water(soup from the mutton) to the kadai,toss in the beans and give a good stir adding salt and boil till oil seperates and the beans are 3/4th cooked.

7.Add the mutton pieces and continue stirring till the masala coats the pieces and oil oozes..Serve hot as accompaniment with curd rice/rasam rice.

MEEN KULAMBU / FISH CURRY

INGREDIENTS:

Fish-1/2kg(i used fresh water fish)-any variety can be used.
small onion-10 nos
Garlic pods-10 nos
Green chilli-3nos
tomato(preferrably country variety)-2nos
curry leaves-3 sprigs
tamarind-lemon sized

To grind:

Coconut-1/4cup
coriander powder-3tsp
chilly powder-1tsp
peppercorns-10
curry leaves-5 leaves
jeera-1/2 tsp
Saunf-1/4tsp

Seasoning:
Mustard-1tsp
fenugreek-1tsp
vadagam-1tsp
oil-(mix these 3oil's and use)
coconut oil-2tsp
gingelly oil-2tsp
castor oil-2tsp


METHOD:

1.Heat oil splutter mustard,add fenugreek and be careful not to burn this as it'l turn the curry bitter.

2.Add vadagam and then finely chopped small onions and garlic and green chillies and saute till golden brown,add tomato and saute well till cooked.

3.Grind the ingredients under the to grind column to a paste with little water.

4.Soak tamarind in 1cup water for 10 minutes.

5.Add the ground paste to the kadai and saute well till oil sepera(takes 10-15minutes) and add the tamarind extract and bring to boil adding 1cup water till oil seperates.

6.Add the washed fish pieces and boil for 5minutes.

7.Serve with hot rice and fish fry..

CAULIFLOWER 65(GOBI 65)

Ingredients:

Cornflour-2tbsp
Maida-1tsp
Gram flour(besan/kadala maavu)-2tbsp
Red chilli powder-2tsp
Curry leaves-Wash and dry completely
Ginger-garlic paste- 1tsp
baking soda-half a pinch
Salt to taste
Turmeric-1/2tsp

Method:

1.Clean (u might find small worms hiding inbetween the stalks-clean properly)and cut the cauliflower into small florets.
2.Wash in water and boil water with salt and turmeric soak the florets in the water for 10minutes
3.Then drain the florets,then cook these cleaned florets in boiling water till it's 1/2 cooked.
4.Drain florets completely,make a paste mixing the maida,cornflour,kadalai maavu,red chilli powder and ginger garlic paste and baking soda and salt with little water like bajji batter consistency.
5.Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai for deep frying.
6.Dip each floret in the batter and drop in hot oil carefully and cook till done.

7.Fry some curry leaves for garnish and serve hot with rice as accompaniment/as a snack
8.Enjoy...

BOTTLEGOURD(SORAKKAI)  ADAI

Ingredients:


Raw rice- 1cup
Idly rice-1cup
Dhal=(horse gram,channa dal,tuvar dal,urad dal,green gram dhal)-mix all these to make 1cup
Bottlegourd-1medium size
Red chilly-10nos
Jeera-2tsp
Hing-2tsp
Curry leaves-1 cup
Big onion- 3nos
Coriander leaves- 1/2 cup

Method;

1. Wash rice and soak raw rice,par boiled rice together.
2. Wash the dal and soak seperately.
3. Soak the rice and dal atleast for 2hours.
4. Pick,clean and wash the coriander and curry leaves and chop it fine.
5. Peel the onions and chop it very fine.
6. Peel the bottle gourd and cut it into chunks and keep aside.
7. Grind the bottle gourd and red chilly  and transfer to a vessel, Drain the dal and grind it and add to the vegetable mixture.
8. Drain the rice and grind it a bit coarse not too smooth and add salt and mix everything together.
9.Now add jeera,coriander,curry leaves,hing and onion and mix well.
10.Grease a dosa tawa when hot and make adai's thick/ thin as u wish and serve hot crisp adai's with chutneys of your choice.
11.We like these with coriander and tomato chutney.
12.Enjoy.

KEERAI VADAI

KEERAI VADAI

INGREDIENTS:

Channa dal- 1cup
Whole greengram dhal-3tsp
Toordal-3tsp
Ginger-2inch piece
Hing/asaefoetida- 2pinches
Small onion-20  nos or1cup
Red chilly-10nos
Saunf-2 tsp
Curry leaves-10 nos
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

METHOD:

1.Soak the dal's together for 2hours.
2.Meanwhile chop the onion finely,pick the greens-removing the leaves and discarding the stalks and wash thrice until all the dirt are removed and drain of excess water in a colander and cut it fine.
3.Drain the dals and keep a 1/4 cup of these dals in a big mixing bowl and take the rest in the mixie and grind coarse-just pulse some once or twice and transfer to the mixing bowl.
4.In a dry jar grind redchillies and ginger and add to the mixing bowl,mix in the greens,onions,curry leaves,saunf and salt and mix well.
5.Take small marbles of the mixture and make vadai by flattening and keep it ready..
6.Heat oil in a kadai and drop the vadai in batches and fry on medium flame turning them in between until well cooked and serve hot with coconut chutney/just as it is with piping hot filter coffee..

7.ENJOY!

MUTTON BIRIYANI

This is a repost....

Though many of you might be familiar with biryani recipes....each biriyani  recipe wud taste different and am happy to share my recipe for the ROYAL FEAST BIRIYANI @ KARASAARAM  .....
Hope u enjoy this recipe.

Mutton Biryani and Elumbu thalicha

Mutton Biryani


Ingredients:


Basmathi Rice- 500 gms(2.5 cups)
Mutton-500 gms
Ginger- 50 gms
Garlic-50gms
Big Onion- 375 gm ie for 1kg rice Bigonions- 750 gms
Tomato-250 gms
Pudina-1/2 tumbler(leaves alone)
Coriander-1/2 tumbler(leaves alone)
Green Chilli- 10 nos(according to taste)
Red Chilli powder- 4tsp(according to ur taste-this is very hot u can reduce accordingly)
Lime-2 nos
Ghee- 5tsp
Oil-5tsp


Whole Spices-
Cinnamon- 5 pieces(3inches each)
Cardamon-4 nos
Cloves-6nos


Food colour-2 pinches(U may even use saffron mixed in milk for a healthier option)
Milk-1/2 cup

Cooked meat,spices,coriander,mint

ginger-garlic,chopped onion,tomato,rice,ghee,green chillies,lemon

ginger-garlic paste, food colour mixed with milk

Method:


1.First clean the mutton and wash it and drain the water..
2.Pressure cook the mutton in a vessel adding 2tsp of Red chilli powder and mixing without adding any water,until it get's 3/4th cooked
3.Grind the Ginger-Garlic paste,mix the food colour with milk and keep it ready.
4.Boil rice in a big vessel with lots of water and 1/2 tsp salt and cook till 3/4th done and strain the water in another vessel and keep the rice ready..
4.Heat a wide vessel and add the ghee and oil when piping hot add the spices and allow to splutter.,add the chopped onions and green chilli with salt measured( i use 1tsp for 1cup rice) and fry well over medium flame taking care not to burn until onions turn nice golden brown.
5.Now add the ground ginger-garlic paste and fry well until raw smell disappears,add the chopped tomatoes and fry till cooked and then the red chilli powder,followed by the mint and coriander leaves and cooked mutton and saute till oil seperates...this might take around 10minutes on high flame provided u keep stirring taking care not to burn the mixture...
6.Now squeeze the lime over this gravy and saute for 2mins.
7.Check for the salt and spiceyness and then add half cup of water if there is very less liquid in the gravy,coz the mutton collects some water (souplike ) when pressure cooked...this water helps in the cooking of the rice in the dhum process..
8.Now u can use the strained water used to cook the basmati rice to put dhum on a gas stove..
9.Now add the rice to the mutton mixture and give a good stir taking care not to break the rice...
10.Add the milk mixed in colour just pour it like a circle over the biriyani and proceed for the dhum process quickly.
11.Then keep the vessel over a stand we use in the kitchen. over the stove and keep the vessel on top of this on a very low flame and close with a tight lid making sure no steam escapes through the sides..
12.Place the vessel with the boiling water strained from cooking the rice earlier over the biriyani vessel.
13.This arrangement is left for 15-20 mins and meanwhile nice aroma fills the entire house and then switchoff and open the lid after another 20mins and serve hot biryani with raitha ,or dalicha of your choice..

Biryani in the vessel.

Stands used to
 mount the
vessel over the stove
for dhum

 

Served