KOTHU CHILLI DOSA

by Deerga // July 2, 2014 // 2 Comments

Tired of having the same old idli and dosa? Worried about what chutney to make for dosa or idli? Worry not, kothu chilli dosa will save the day. Kothu chilli dosa is a variety of dosa made with regular dosa and masala.

I came across kothu chilli dosa recipe on the internet and was intrigued by it. Naturally, I tried it right away and it turned out to be awesome. Kothu chilli dosa is easy to make and most importantly does not require any sort of accompaniment, like chutney or sambar to it. Also, for health conscious folks out there, you can customize your masala with vegetables like broccoli or zucchini instead of potato.

Kothu chilli dosa can be made using regular dosa batter or a substitute that consists of gram flour. I personally prefer dosa batter and the recipe below uses the same. Having shredded kothu chilli dosa with onions sprinkled over is a taste that you should try at least once 🙂
And without further delay, here is the recipe for the wonderful kothu chilli dosa.

5.0 from 1 reviews

KOTHU CHILLI DOSA

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Dosas (preferably uthapam) – 5
Oil – 3 tbsp
Onion, chopped – 1 no , divided
Ginger- Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Tomato, medium size, chopped – 1 no
Green chilli, chopped – 2 nos
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Cilantro , chopped – 5 tbsp

Instructions

Shred the dosas to desired size pieces and keep it aside.
Heat a pan with oil and add onions. Sauté until they turn translucent - Add enough oil so that you don’t have to add water later on.
Add in ginger – garlic paste and sauté until the raw aroma disappears. Now add the chopped green chillies and cilantro. Give it a stir and add tomatoes.
Reduce the flame and cook the tomatoes well (without any chunks). Add all the powders and give a quick stir. Cook until the oil ooze out – Do not add water.
Finally add in the shredded dosa pieces to the tomato sauce and give it a stir. Switch off the flame when the dosas are well blended with the tomato sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Sprinkle few drops of lemon juice and onions on top and serve it hot. Enjoy!

Notes

1.Add enough oil in the beginning so that you don’t have to add water later on.
2.Having the kothu chilli dosa with onions adds more taste to this dish.

Coriander chutney

by Deerga // June 25, 2014 // No Comments

Coriander chutney or Kothamalli chutney (in my native language) is a simple and healthy recipe. It is mainly had with idli or dosa -popular south Indian breakfast items. Coriander chutney can also be had with puliyogare, whose recipe can be found here. Coriander has many health benefits like reducing skin inflammation, subside nausea etc.

Coriander chutney is the go-to recipe while traveling or when out for a picnic. In olden days, puliogare was always the food that was taken with while traveling because it can be retained for like 2 days or so. And coriander chutney was the common accompaniment, hence the apt recipe while traveling. I feel nostalgic while writing this because when I was a kid, whenever we visit our grandma, my mom used to prepare puliyogare and coriander chutney to eat while traveling.

There are two different recipes for making coriander chutney. I have posted one below and will publish the other soon. The recipe that I have given here is my mom’s and it tastes yummy. There is another variation of coriander chutney that is used in bread sandwich. That one just has coriander and green chilli.

Try this healthy and easy to make recipe along with puliyogare and let me know your comments.

Coriander chutney

Recipe type: Breakfast / Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Urad dal – 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds – ½ tbsp
Green chilli – 1
Tamarind – small gooseberry size
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Cilantro – a bunch (1 cup)
Salt as required

For the seasoning:

Oil – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 5 nos

Instructions

Dry roast urad dal and coriander seeds until they change color. Allow them to cool.
Grind them with all the above ingredients together adding little water.
Season with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.

MUSHROOM PEPPER FRY

by Deerga // June 23, 2014 // 2 Comments

Mushroom is a popular ingredient found in Asian cuisine, especially, Korean, Indian and Japanese. It is a popular item in up-scale vegetarian restaurants back home. Do you know that mushroom is actually a type of fungus?! Mushroom pepper fry is a relatively new dish in my cook book. I learned it from a recipe that I found online. Mushroom pepper fry is one of those recipes that goes well with almost all main dishes, namely, rice, chappati, dosa, poori etc.

Mushroom pepper fry is what I call the vegetarian equivalent of mutton fry and trust me, it does taste similar. It is easy to cook and can be recycled to some type of gravy as well.

Do try this recipe in your home and let me know of your thoughts, including any new variations that you had tried or any suggestions!

5.0 from 1 reviews

MUSHROOM PEPPER FRY

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Oil – 2 tbsp
Whole spices – 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 “ cinnamon stick
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp, divided
Onion, chopped – 1 no
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – a sprig
Green chilli, chopped – 2 nos
Tomato, chopped – 1 no
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Mushroom – 150 grams
Salt as required
Cilantro – to ganish
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

To crush

Black pepper – 1 tsp
Garlic – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

For the seasoning

Butter – ½ tbsp
Crushed items
Coriander powder – ½ tbsp
Cumin power – ½ tbsp
Red chilli powder - ½ tbsp
Cilantro – ½ tbsp

Instructions

Heat oil in a wide open pan and add the whole spices. Add in half a tsp of cumin seeds, followed by chopped onion. When they turn translucent, add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste.
When the raw aroma disappears add curry leaves. Add green chillies followed by tomatoes. Sauté well and simmer. Meanwhile wash and cut the mushrooms.
After the tomatoes are well cooked add the mushrooms and sauté well. Add in half a cup of water. Cover and cook for couple of minutes.
While the mushrooms are getting cooked, heat a seasoning ladle (or a small pan), add butter and season with crushed garlic, pepper and cumin seeds. Also, add all the powders and cilantro to the seasoning. Give a quick stir and add to the mushroom gravy. Add salt. Cook until all the water is evaporated and you get the nice and dry mushroom fry (or make it as a semi gravy according to your choice)

KOTHU PAROTTA | EGG KOTHU PAROTTA | CHICKEN KOTHU PAROTTA

by Deerga // June 7, 2014 // No Comments

Kothu parotta is a tasty dish from my state, Tamilnadu. It is wildly popular in south Tamilnadu (Madurai, Virudhunagar districts). It is basically a dish made from minced parottas, eggs and meat (usually chicken).
Kothu parotta is a special dish for me since it is the very first recipe that I tried in my life 🙂 I learned to prepare this dish from my mom. Back in my native, you can hear the distinct sound of mincing parottas on large open iron skillets (does not have handle and is set on top of an iron cauldron of fire) using spatulas in the evenings. I miss that sound badly 🙁 There are different varieties to make kothu parotta and there is one variety where you add gravy, called as chalna, to the minced parottas which tastes delicious – kothu parotta in restaurants are made this way and the chalna used is chicken based (yummy!
I personally like parotta more than chappati or poori and kothu parotta is my favorite. The Chalna used in kothu parotta, again has different varieties. I have tried different recipes and I believe I have narrowed it down to one particular recipe. I will post the recipe of soon. There are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian kothu parotta. I personally prefer the non-vegetarian one (for obvious reasons! – egg and chicken)

Here is the recipe for the tasty and filling kothu parotta. Enjoy!

KOTHU PAROTTA | EGG KOTHU PAROTTA | CHICKEN KOTHU PAROTTA

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Oil – 1 !/2 tbsp
Onion (Finely chopped) – 1
Curry leaves – a sprig , divided
Tomato (Finely chopped,divided) – 1
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbs
Green Chili (slits) – 3
Eggs – 2
Parotta – 4
Chalna – ½ cup
Salt as required
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp

Instructions

Shred the parottas into very small pieces with the help of your hand.
Heat a wok or a heavy bottomed kadai with oil, add chopped onion and curry leaves. sauté until the onion turns light brown/translucent.
Add in ginger-garlic paste. Stir fry till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic disappears.
Add chopped tomato and green chillies and sauté until the tomatoes are half cooked.
Add in the minced parottas and mix well and move the parotta pieces to one side of the pan.
Now add the beaten eggs along with salt on the side of the same pan and sauté (without mixing with the parottas) until the eggs are well cooked.
Mix well the eggs and the parottas.
Now comes the interesting part. Sprinkle chalna on top and mix well.
When the chalna is well combined with the parotta pieces, sprinkle black pepper ,curry leaves and remaining ¼ tomato pieces on top. Sauté for a minute and switch off the flame.

Notes

1. Here I have given the restaurant touch by dividing the tomatoes. But it can also be added altogether.
2. Avoid adding more chalna to the parattos as it might turn soggy.
3. In case if you have added more chalna, sauté until the parottas comes to the desired consistency.
4. Adding black pepper at last is my mom’s touch. It adds taste and takes egg smell.
5. Vegetarians can add green peas and potato instead of eggs.

CHALNA |SALNA

by Deerga // June 7, 2014 // 2 Comments

Chalna is a popular Tamilian dish that is had mainly with parotta (again, a tamilian take on north Indian paratha). It is also known as saervai in Chennai. Chalna is also used as an ingredient for kothu parotta in restaurants. It is mainly added to compensate the dryness of parotta.
Back in my home state, Chalna served in restaurants is watery but mine is a little bit thick. I personally like to have it with dosa as well. Chalna poured over shredded parotta is a common sight in restaurants back home and having it like that tastes so good 🙂 There are different varieties of Chalna; plain, vegetarian, non-vegetarian etc. The recipe I had given here is plain. In vegetarian Chalna, potato is added and in non-vegetarian version, meat (chicken or mutton – mainly bones) is added.
The Chalna recipe that I had given here is the end product of numerous trials and errors and is the best version to date, guaranteed! So, do try this wonderful recipe in your kitchen and let me know your experiences.

CHALNA |SALNA

Recipe type: Breakfast / Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the powder:

Oil - 2 drops
Coriander seeds - 1 ½ tbsp
Cumin seeds -3/4 tbsp
Red chillies – 4 nos
Whole green chilli – 2nos (don’t cut)
Curry leaves- 6 to 7 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1 “
Fennel seeds- ½ tsp

For the Paste:

Oil - ½ tbsp
Big onion - 1
Shallots - 2 nos
Ginger - a small piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
Cashews – 3 nos
Green chillies – the same above sautéed ones.
Ripen tomato – 1 (roughly chopped)
Grated coconut – 1 ½ tbsp

Other ingredients:

Gingelly oil – 2 tbsp
Cinnamon – 1”
Clove -1
Fennel seeds – 2 pinch
curry leaves – 6 nos
turmeric powder – ½ tsp
salt as required
Chicken – ¼ kg
Water – 1 to 1 ½ cup
Chopped cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

Step 1:

Heat oil in a pan and add in coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, whole green chillies and curry leaves one by one. Sauté for 40 seconds. Add in cinnamon and fennel seeds. Give a quick stir and switch off the flame.
Remove the green chillies and keep aside. Allow the above mixture to cool and make a powder.

Step 2:

Heat oil in a pan and add in roughly chopped onion, shallots, ginger and garlic. Sauté for few seconds. Add in poppy seeds and cashews and green chillies (the same above sautéed ones). Give a stir and add roughly chopped tomato. Sauté for few seconds and switch off the flame. Allow it to cool and make a paste.

Step 3:

Grind coconut separately to a fine paste.

Step 4:

Heat oil in a small pressure cooker and add in cinnamon, clove and fennel seeds. When they start to sizzle add in curry leaves and give a stir.
Now add in the ground onion paste and sauté for few seconds. Add the ground masala powder along with turmeric powder and salt and sauté until the color changes and oil separates.
Add in the chicken pieces and stir well until the paste is well blended. Add water and mix well. cover the lid and cook for a whistle. When done add in the coconut paste and bring it to a boil – at this stage you will start to notice oil in the rim. Check salt and switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve hot with plain parotta or roti or kothu parotta or idli or dosa. Enjoy!

Notes

Vegetarians can add vegetables instead of chicken or simply make plain chalna. I tried both and it tasted heavenly.

Chicken Kuzhambu

by Deerga // June 3, 2014 // 1 Comment

There are certain recipes that always remain our favorites and we can never be tired of cooking them over and over again. One such recipe that I cook often, and of course, enjoyed by my family and friends, is the Chicken kuzhambu, south Tamilnadu style. It’s better than any restaurant recipe, guaranteed!
Chicken gravy was the first non-vegetarian dish that I cooked and it turned out well the very first time!:). If you had been a regular visitor to my site, I had mentioned earlier about my Mom’s cookbook diary that she had given me after my marriage. This chicken kuzhambu recipe is from that. It is a simple yet tasty dish that is cooked at least once in two months in my kitchen and is my HB’s favorite as well.
You can have chicken kuzhambu with biriyani, white rice, chappati or dosa! It goes well with almost every main course item…Many of my friends, after trying my chicken kuzhambu had mentioned that the sambar powder that I use makes the difference!
Try this recipe in your home and let me know your thoughts!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chicken Kuzhambu

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

To marinate:

Chicken – ½ kg (with bones)
Sambar powder or veettu milagai podi (Homemade) – 2 tbs
Ginger & Garlic paste – ½ tbs
Salt – 1 tsp

To grind:

Grated coconut – 1½ tbs
Shallot – 1

Other ingredients:

Biriyani powder – 1 tbs
Onion (big) – 1
Tomato (medium) – 1½
Green chilli – 2 (slits)
Ginger & Garlic paste – ½ tbs
Coriander leaves – for garnishing

Instructions

Wash the chicken pieces in running water and marinate it with given ingredients.
Grind the above given ingredients to a paste and keep it aside.
Heat a thick bottomed pan with a tbs of oil. Add biriyani powder and chopped onions. Sauté until onions turn translucent.
Add ginger & garlic paste. Stir fry till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic disappears.
Add chopped tomato and slit green chilli. Sauté until the tomatoes are mushy.
Add in the marinated chicken pieces and give it a stir.
Add the ground coconut paste with required salt, mix well (you could add water now according to your preference. I usually don’t add water as the chicken itself ooze out lots of water). Close the lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes stirring in between or until oil oozes out.
When the chicken is well cooked, switch off the flame and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot chicken gravy with biriyani or white rice and any chicken / mutton fry of your choice.

Notes

1.I use homemade biriyani powder (blend of whole spices) for this recipe. Please follow the above link for its recipe.
2.If u don't have sambar powder, you can use regular red chilli powder as well. But the homemade sambar powder makes the difference.

CARROT CHUTNEY

by Deerga // May 27, 2014 // No Comments

Carrot chutney is a side dish made entirely from carrots. I did not know you can make chutney from carrots until recently. It is a healthy alternative to other side dishes that you have for dosa and idli, like, coconut chutney, kadalai paruppu chutney etc.
Carrot, as you know, is a very good source of Vitamin A. So what better way to have it other than as chutney for breakfast and start your day on a healthy note :). Carrot chutney is one of my HB’s favorite side dish for dosa and idli especially because it being a healthier option.

Carrot chutney is very good for kids who normally sulk over eating vegetables since having it with idli or dosas is easier than having them eat it raw. One other interesting thing to notice is that how well carrot tastes along with ginger, a root known for its medicinal values (home remedy for indigestion, nausea etc).

Do try this recipe in your home and let me know your experiences.

Recipe type: Breakfast/Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Oil – 2 tablespoons
Bengal gram dal – 1 tablespoon
Urad dal – 1 tablespoon
Red chillies – 4 nos
Tomato, roughly chopped – 1 no
Fresh ginger, chopped – a small piece (1”)
Carrot , peeled, chopped– 1 no
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Salt as required

For the seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1 /2 tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 6 nos

Instructions

Heat oil in a pan and add bengal gram and urad dals and fry till it turns light brown.
Add in red chillies and fry.
Then add ginger along with tomato. Sauté for few seconds.
Finally add carrot pieces and sauté for two to three seconds. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool. Then add fresh coconut and salt to it. Grind all together to a fine paste.
Season it with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.
Enjoy it with hot idli or dosa!

MOCHAI KUZHAMBU

by Deerga // May 21, 2014 // No Comments

Mochai is a type of bean also known as field beans in English. You will find this as Val beans in Indian grocery stores across the US. Mochai Kuzhambu is a gravy dish made with Mochai beans. The search for these beans in the US must have been the longest one that I have ever undertaken to find a food item (ingredient or cooked dish).
Mochai Kuzhambu tastes somewhat similar to Puzhi Kuzhambu only that it has Mochai beans in it. An interesting fact about Mochai is that every part of the plant is edible, i.e., can be cooked and eaten. However, Indian recipes are predominantly made using the beans only. Also, Mochai is used to make Tofu and Tempeh (attention vegan lovers!).
Mochai Kuzhambu is one of the easiest dishes to make. It goes well with hot white rice and normally you don’t need a side dish since the Mochai beans serves as one. Mochai Kuzhambu also tastes good when had with Chappati or Dosa.
Here is the recipe to Mochai Kuzhambu. Do try it in your home and let me know your thoughts.

MOCHAI KUZHAMBU

Recipe type: lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Mochai (Field Beans) - ¾ cup
Tamarind – a big gooseberry sized ball (when diluted comes to ¼ cup)
Small Onion – 8 nos
Tomato - ½
Garlic - 4 cloves
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

To saute and grind:

Oil - 1 tsp
Shallots - 6 to 7 nos
Tomato – 1 no
Garlic - 4 cloves
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds - ¼ tsp
Hing - a generous pinch
Curry leaves – a sprig

Instructions

Soak the beans in water overnight or at least 8 hours and pressure cook for 6 whistles.
Soak the tamarind in water for 15 minutes and extract the juice.
Sauté and grind the ingredients mentioned above to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the items given under tempering. When they start to sizzle, add in chopped shallots. Sauté until they turn translucent.
Now add in garlic cloves and sauté until the raw smell leaves. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté till they become mushy.
Add in the cooked beans along with tamarind juice and water and bring it to boil- it should take couple of minutes.
Now add in the ground paste followed by red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well and bring it to boil- add water if needed.
Simmer it in a low flame for 10 minutes until the gravy thickens.
Switch off the flame and close the lid. Serve it after 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

You could also dry roast the Mochai or field beans before soaking in water.
Always try adding coconut just while blending, without roasting it. As coconut has high cholesterol when roasted.
Whenever you make any type of beans gravy, try to serve it at least after 15 minutes so that the beans absorb the masalas from the gravy.

VEN PONGAL

by Deerga // May 19, 2014 // No Comments

Ven Pongal literally means white Pongal (Ven – white). It is a Tamilian dish very popular in my home state in India. Ven Pongal is a rice dish that is always served as a breakfast item (and occasionally for lunch). It is the opposite to Chakara Pongal (sweet Pongal) and is common in the sense that it is served on all days unlike Chakara Pongal which is mainly served on holidays and during festivals. Ven Pongal is one of my Mom’s and HB’s favorite dishes. He really gets excited when it is prepared at our home. Ven Pongal with Sambar (another south Indian dish), coconut chutney and Medu Vadai makes an awesome combination and the taste is to die for! In our family, we also refer Ven Pongal as sleeping dose 🙂 since it fills your appetite quickly and makes you feels lazy and drowsy, in a good way. I would suggest Ven Pongal as a weekend breakfast dish. Back in my home, my Mom always makes Chakara Pongal and Ven Pongal during Pongal festival. Pongal is a Tamil festival that is celebrated during the month on January in honor of farming and cows. I do miss those days where we celebrate this festival wearing new dress and having lip smacking servings of Pongal and sugarcane (called as Karumbu in Tamil). Here is the recipe for Ven Pongal, a popular dish from my beloved state. Do try it in your home and experience the same pleasure that I have every time when I make this dish 🙂

VEN PONGAL

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

Ven Pongal literally means white Pongal (Ven - white). It is a Tamilian dish very popular in my home state in India. Ven Pongal is a rice dish that is always served as a breakfast item

Ingredients

White raw rice – ¾ cup (I used sona masoori)
Moong dal – ¼ cup
Ghee – 3 tbs
Asafoetida – a pinch
Ginger, minced – 1 “ (optional)
Salt as required
Water – 3 (for 1 cup of rice add 3 cups of water)
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Crushed pepper – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a sprig
Cashews – 1 tbsp

Instructions

Wash the rice and dal thoroughly in water and drain it completely.
Heat a tbsp of ghee in a pressure cooker, add the rice and moong dal and stir for a minute until the aroma spreads. Add asafoetida, salt, ginger and water. Mix well and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. When the pressure is down, mash the rice well adding a tbsp of ghee.
Heat a tbsp of ghee in a small kadai and temper with cumin seeds, crushed pepper, curry leaves and cashews. Add the tempering to the mashed rice and mix well.
Serve hot with sambar, coconut chutney and medu vada. Enjoy!

MUNIYANDI VILAS CHICKEN KUZHAMBU

by Deerga // May 16, 2014 // 2 Comments

Muniyandi Vilas chicken kuzhambu, as the name suggests, is a variety of chicken kuzhambu that is served in Muniyandi Vilas restaurants in Tamilnadu. It has a unique flavor and is spicy as well. Muniyandi Vilas chicken kuzhambu when served with hot rice and some chicken or mutton side dish will surely fill your appetite (it sure does mine!)
Muniyandi Vilas is a very popular restaurant name in Tamilnadu. There are numerous non vegetarian restaurants with this name, in fact you can find at least one restaurant with this name in all major towns and cities in Tamilnadu. To my knowledge there is no Muniyandi Vilas chain of restaurants (but I might wrong; though I haven’t heard about one) but surprisingly the chicken kuzhambu served in restaurants named Muniyandi Vilas tend to have a similarity in their taste 🙂 So, when I say Muniyandi Vilas chicken kuzhambu, it is that generalized version that I am talking about.
Muniyandi Vilas chicken kuzhambu is easy to make and is a dish with a variety of spices serving as ingredients. This kuzhambu goes well with chapatti, dosa and idli as well (along with rice which I had mentioned in the first paragraph). So try this authentic tamil recipe at your home and let me know your thoughts 🙂

5.0 from 1 reviews

MUNIYANDI VILAS CHICKEN KUZHAMBU

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

To dry roast and grind:

Red chillies – 6 nos
Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp
Raw rice – 1 tsp
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
Poppy seeds –1 tsp
Split roasted gram – 1 tsp
Cinnamon sticks – 1”
Cloves – 2 nos
Cardamom – 1
Grated coconut - 1 tsp

Other ingredients:

Big onion, finely chopped – 1 no
Tomato, chopped – 1 no
Green chillies, finely chopped – 1 no
Ginger, crushed – 1”
Garlic, crushed – 3 to 4 cloves
Chicken – ½ kg or 1 pound
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Fresh ground coconut paste or coconut milk – 1 tbsp
Bay leaf – 2 nos
Dry red chilli – 2 nos
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Sesame oil – 3 tbsp
Salt as required
Cilantro, chopped – for garnishing
Curry leaves – a sprig

Instructions

Cut the chicken to desired sizes and wash it thoroughly in running water.
Heat a pan and dry roast the above ingredients until slightly brown. Let it cool and make a powder.
Heat sesame oil in a pan and season with bay leaves, mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. When they start to sizzle add chopped onions and green chillies. Sauté until the onions are translucent.
Now add in crushed ginger and garlic. Sauté until the raw smell disappears.
Add in the chopped tomatoes and sauté until they turn mushy.
Add the chicken pieces, give it a stir and cook for about 3 minutes covered.
When the chicken pieces turn white add turmeric powder,salt and ground masala paste. Sauté until the masalas are well combined with the chicken and leaves oil.
Now add the ground coconut paste along with a cup of water. Cover and cook the gravy in a low flame for about 10 minutes or until the oil separates.
Garnish with cilantro.
Enjoy with hot rice or biriyani or go traditional with parathas.