Garlic Naan

Ingredients
All-purpose flour – 4 cups
Fresh Curd  or milk – 1 to 2 cups
Melted ghee – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Yeast mixture:
In a small cup, take 2 tablespoons of warm water add pinch of sugar
Stir in 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Mix and wait for it to rise.
To top:
Minced garlic

Method
In a large bowl, sift flour, stir in salt, sugar and ghee. Add the yeast water. Mix by gradually adding the yogurt. Add and mix until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl and comes together in solid lump.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands and knead it for 5 minutes. Keep it covered overnight or for at least two hours. (I usually leave the dough covered for overnight.)

When you are ready to make the naan, take the dough out, knead for another 5 minutes. Divide the dough into lemon sized rounds. On a board or countertop, dust a little bit of flour, and roll out each ball into a big round with 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.

Prepare all the rounds like this and grill them on a iron tava till they cooked on both sides and brow spots appear all over. Brush with butter and minced garlic and wrap and keep a clean towel

Cabbage Kofta

Koftas
Cabbage – 500 gms
Carrot – 1 Shredded
Besan Flour – 3/4 cup
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Gravy
Tomato – 4
Coriander Seeds – 2 tbsp
Cimun Seeds – 2 tbsp
Sombu/Saunf – 1/2 tsp
Grated Ginger – 2 tbsp
Green Chillies – 2 medium sized
Red Chillies – 3
Coriander Leaves – 1 cup
Onion  -  1 medium
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves – 5 minced

Method
Grind all the ingredients for the gravy together into a fine paste, adding about 2 cups of water. Sauté the gravy with 2 tbsp. butter letting it thicken. Bring this to a boil, seasoning with salt.

Mince the cabbage. Add salt and leave it for a few minutes. Squeeze as much of the water out of the cabbage as possible.

Add the besan to the cabbage, along with the rest of the kofta ingredients, and knead it together. Form this mixture into small balls, and fry them in hot oil until brown.

Add the balls to the gravy, and let it soak for about half an hour.

Ingredients:
Chicken Boneless(Breast) – 1/2 kg
Chilli Powder – 1 Spoon
Bell Pepper ( Green / Red ) – 1 each Diced
Onion Big – 1 Diced
Coriander Powder – 1/4 Spoon
Garam Masala – 1/4 Spoon
Pepper Powder – 1 Spoon
Curd – 2 Spoons
Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 Spoons
Red Color – 2 Pinch
Lime Juice – 4 Spoons
Salt to taste
Bamboo Skewers – 6(Soak this in water before using to avoid the sticks getting burnt)
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 Spoon

Method
Cut Boneless chicken into square pieces and then wash with running water and turmeric powder. Add Ginger Garlic Paste, Curd and Lime juice to this.

In a bowl Mix Coriander Powder, Chilli Powder , Garam Masala , Turmeric Powder, Pepper Powder , Red Color and salt.

Add the mix prepared to the chicken content prepared in the above step. Let this get marinated for an hour.

Use the Bamboo skewers and make an assortment in the fashion which you like along with the chicken as shown in the pic.

Preheat the Oven to 250 C. Keep the chicken in one side for 10 minutes and in other side for 10 minutes. Change the temperature to Broil and let it be on one side for 5 minutes and on another side for 4 minutes. Spicy Chicken Tikka is ready.

I was fascinated by baking from a very young age, but nobody used to bake in our house. So last year got myself an OTG (oven, toaster, grill) and tried simple things like bread chilli toast and a plain cake. This is the first time i am baking a cake and icing it too, and it came out reallly well band we had ours with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients
Eggs – 5
Flour – 250 gm
Sugar – 240 gm
Butter – 240 gm
Cocoa Powder – 2 tbsp
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Baking Powder – 1 tsp

Method
Sift flour, cocoa powder & baking powder together. In a bowl cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy
whisk eggs and fold in alternatively with flour

Line a cake tin with butter paper. Grease the tine with butter and dust with flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, leaving a slight depression in the centre. Bake at 180 degrees C in a preheated oven for 45 mins.

When done remove onto a cooling rack and apply icing once it has cooled.

Icing
Butter – 50 gm
Cocoa Powder – 50 gm
Icing Sugar – 70 gms (increase it for sweetness)
Melted Cadbury Chocolate – 50 gm
Grated Chocolate -  50 gms

Mix together all the icing ingredients except grated chocolate to a smooth consistency.pour over the cake and fill the sides too. top it with grated chocolate.

Egg kurma forms the staple Sunday breakfast menu in our house. I like it with whole eggs whereas my husband likes it with bulls eyes all around

Ingredients
Eggs – 4
Onion – 2 chopped finely
Tomato – 1 chopped finely
Bay Leaf – 1
Cumin Seeds – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnishing

To grind to a semi thick liquid
Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
Cashews – 2
Pottukadalai  – 1 tsp
Water as u need

To grind to a thick paste
Green chilli small – 2
Clove – 1
Cardamom – 1
Cinnamon stick small – 1
Sombu (Fennel seeds) – 1/4 tsp
Garlic – 3 cloves
Ginger – 1 inch

Method
Hard boil the eggs, peel and skin and keep aside. Now heat ghee and oil in a pan, add bay leaf, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let this sizzle for some time and add the ground chili paste and fry over low flame till the raw smell goes away.

Then add chopped onions to this fry for another 5 minutes to brown them. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook till soft. Add the turmeric powder, red chili

powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry this masala for 3 minutes or till the oil leaves the sides. Add the coconut cashew paste along with little water (adjust water accordingly) and boiled eggs. Simmer for 4 minutes and garnish with coriander leaves. Goes well with idlis, dosais, chappatis or rather with any kind of tiffin.

I like anything made with kathirikkai, I saw this recipe on spiceindiaonline  and wanted to try right away…I followed the method to the T and the result was yummmmmyyyy

Ingredients 1
Sesame Seeds – 3 tbsp
Peanuts – 2 tsp
Cinnamon Stick – 1 no
Cloves – 1 no
Red Chilli – 3
Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Black Peppercorns – 1 tsp

Ingredients 2
Brinjal – 6
Mustard – ½ tsp
Black peppercorns – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Tamarind ( marble size) – 1 nos
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Coriander/dhania powder – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Gingely oil – ¼ cup
1 pinch Asafoetida powder

Method
Dry roast sesame seeds and peanuts separately until they release aroma and turn slightly golden. Lightly toast cumin, black peppercorn and dry red chillies and grind them with sesame seeds, peanuts, cinnamon and cloves to make a coarse powder. Soak tamarind in warm water to make a thick tamarind paste. Wash the brinjals, cut off the stem, cut criss-cross on the opposite side of the stem and stuff them with little of the ground powder.

Meanwhile heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard, black peppercorns and curry leaves. Add the stuffed brinjals and fry until they turn tender. Now add, asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, ground masala powder along with tamarind pulp and salt. Fry everything for few minutes then add little water and cook with closed lid for 5 to 6 minutes on low flame. When the masala thicken add some more curry leaves and serve hot with biryani.

Ingredients:
Mutton – 1/2 kg
Thinly sized onion – 1 large
Tomato cubed – 1 large
green chillies slit lengthwise – 2
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Potato cubed – 1 large
Mint – 2 tbsp
lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Water
oil
salt to taste
Coriander to garnish

Roast (dry ingredients) and grind into smooth paste:
1″ stick of cinnamon
2 cloves
2-3 big cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
2 dried red chillies
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 tomato, coarsely chopped
2-3 green chillies
salt

Method:
Clean the cubed mutton twice under running tap water and marinate with red chilli powder, salt and lemon juice, cover it and keep aside for 1 hr.

Grind the wet masala paste. Meanwhile saute some onions and green chillies in 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pressure cooker. Saute till the onions turn pink, then add the tomatoes and the prepared masala paste. Cook on high till the raw aroma is gone for about a min.

Add the mutton pieces, turmeric, mint, grated potato and salt. Mix well so that the mutton pieces are evenly coated with the gravy, add little water, cover the lid and put on the whistle. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

Once the pressure is off, open the cooker and check if the meat is cooked through. If you feel the curry is too watery, then cook on high for about 10 mins till the excess water evaporates. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with biryani, pulav, plain rice or rotis.

My mom makes the best Sura Puttu  in town… well! atleast according to me. We went to marina beach this morning to drown ganesha. Once that was done we went to the nearby kuppam near light house to get a fresh catch of fish. We got a nice white shark(paal sura). First i thought shark kuzhambhu would do but ultimately due to popular choice puttu was the outcome.

Ingredients 
Shark Pieces – 1 kg
Onions – 5 medium sized chopped finely
Green chilli – 5 slit open
Garlic – 15 to 20 whole cloves
Turmeric  – ¼ tsp (for boiling)
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander /dhania powder – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves – 3 sprigs
Oil
Coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Instructions
Clean the fish and keep aside. Take a pan, bring 1/2 cup of water to boiling stage, add turmeric, shark fillets and salt . Let it cook over medium flame until its cooked fully.  When the flesh turns white completely, drain and discard the stock. Peel the skin and discard.

Let the fish cool and then take each chunky shark piece , squeeze out the water and scramble (this step ensures that the puttu doesn’t come out soggy). Add turmeric, red chili powder and coriander powder, Chopped onions, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and salt to the scramble and mix well.

Now heat around 4 tbsp of oil in a kadai and add this mixture. Fry for 5 mins on high flame and reduce to medium and keep frying till the puttu turns dry and not soggy anymore. Garnish with coriander and remove.

Serve hot with rice and ghee.

I wanted to try this for a long time after seeing it on Tastypallettes. Isn’t Vinayaga chaturthi the best occasion to try it out?!!! and needless to say the result was awesome

Ingredients
Raw rice – 1 cup
Milk – 1 cup
Coconut milk – 1 cup or to taste
Jaggery – 1 cup
Ground Cardamom – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 pinch
Oil – 1 tsp

Method
Soak rice overnight and grind it to a smooth batter. Boil a cup of water with a pinch of salt and a tsp of oil. Keep the flame low and add the rice batter to this and keep stirring until it becomes well cooked. The mixture will turn from bright white to dull white colour. After the mixture cools down, knead it well and make pea-sized balls (We were in a hurry to do the puja by 12 noon, so mine came out goli gundu size)

Once all the balls are done, mix milk with ½ cup of water and bring it to boil. Cook the rice balls in batches, by adding them to the milk + water mixture. The rice balls will float after they have been cooked. After all the rice balls have been cooked, set them aside. Add 1/4 cup of water to jaggery in a separate pan and let it dissolve and filter the impurities. Then add the jaggery to the left-over milk + water mixture.

Add the cooked rice balls to the jaggery-milk mixture, and allow to boil for 5 minutes in low flame. Add the coconut milk and just heat it. Do not boil after the coconut milk has been added. Finally add ground cardamom.