Karnakizhangu/ Yam Fry

Ingredients

Yam 1/4 kg (cut into pieces)
Onion 1
Tomato 1
Garlic 6-7 crushed
Tamarind 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Salt

Directions - How to make

Cook the yam pieces in boiling water along with turmeric powder and salt in it. Take off when the vegetable is semicooked.

Heat some oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry onion, garlic and then tomato. Add required salt, coriander powder and chilli powder to it. Make a thick paste and add tamarind water to it. When it starts to boil add the yam pieces and fry well. Serve hot with rice.

Coconut Dessert

Ingredients

Freshly grated coconut  2 cups                         

Powdered sugar 1 cup

Powdered cardamom 2

Milk 1 cup

Nuts (Cashews or almonds)

Butter or ghee

Directions- How to make

Fry the grated coconut in little ghee till it turns light brown and the moisture goes away. Keep aside.

Boil the milk in a wok. Then add the grated coconut and powdered sugar and cardamom to it. Keep stirring till it thickens. Transfer it to a tray and let it cool. Cut it into desired shapes and decorate with nuts. Store it in a container and refrigerate.

Masoor Dal

Ingredients

Moong dal- 1 cup
Onion -1 ,finely chopped
Tomato - 1
Garlic-5 pods
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Mustard-1 tsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Garam masala- a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tsp


Directions - How to make

Pressure cook moong dhal with enough water along with tomatoes. Remove from cooker and mash the tomatoes and dhal roughly.

In a pan heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds. Once they start spluttering, add curry leaves. Add minced garlic and onion and saute till they turn light pink. Add the dal mixture and mix along chilli powder and salt. Add a pinch of garam masala and water if it is too thick. Simmer for few minutes and remove from heat. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapattis and sliced onions.

Cabbage Kootu

Ingredients

1/4 chopped cabbage

1 cup channa dal/ kadala parupu

1 Onion chopped

1 Tomato chopped

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp

Grated coconut 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves

Salt

Oil

Directions - How to make

Pressure cook the channa dal for 3 whistles. Keep it aside.

 

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add onions, ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Saute well. Add chopped cabbage and little salt . Fry for a minute and add  water sufficient enough to cook the cabbage well. Add  turmeric powder, chilli powder and the coriander powder at this stage. Once the water evaporates, add the channa dal and later grated coconut. Garnish with coriander leaves.

 

 



Spicy Chicken Curry (Kerala Style)

Ingredients

Chicken legs 5-6 ( 500 gms)           
Curd 3 tbsp
Onions 3 (sliced)

Tomatoes 2 (chopped)

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Green chillies 2 (slit)

Fennel powder 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder 2 tsp

Coriander powder 3 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Pepper 1 tsp
Coriander leaves (chopped)
Curry leaves Cloves 2

Cinnamon 1 inch

Cardamom 1
Salt
Oil

Directions - How to make

Marinate the chicken pieces with chilli powder,salt, turmeric powder and curd. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile heat oil in a wok. Add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Next add  curry leaves, green chillies, sliced onions, and ginger garlic paste. Saute well. Add the remaining spices (chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper and fennel powder) and stir well for a minute before adding the tomatoes. Mix  and crush well to form a thick paste adding little salt to it. Close the pan and cook for 5 minutes in a low flame.

After  a while, add the chcicken pieces and add required amount of water to cook the chicken pieces. Close and cook for 10 minutes. Keep stirring. Check for salt. Once the chicken is cooked, add garam masala, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Let it boil till it reduces to a thick gravy. Enjoy the chicken curry either with rice or chapattis.

Potato Fry 2

Ingredients

2 big potatoes (steamed, peeled and cut into small cubes)

1 onion (chopped)

1/2 tomato

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Garlic 4 (crushed)

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Garam masala 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves

Lemon juice (a drop)

Salt

Oil

Directions- How to make

Steam 2 potatoes for 10 minutes. Peel and cut into small cubes.

Heat oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds, garlic, curry leaves and chopped onions. Saute well. Add tomatoes. Crush and form a thick paste. Add the potatoes, salt, chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Fry well. Make sure all the spices blends well with the potatoes. Finally add little lemon juice before taking off.

Pineapple Dessert

Ingredients

1 Pineapple (crushed and seived)
5-6 Custard cream biscuits ( any cream biscuits can be used)
1/4 cup milk
Custard powder 1 tbsp
Butter 1 tbsp
Egg 2
Sugar 1 cup

Directions - How to make

Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 190 C.

Grease the baking tray with butter and layer it with crushed cream biscuits mixed with butter. In a separate bowl whip the eggs well. Add sugar, custard powder diluted in cold milk and crushed pineapple. Pour this mixture over the biscuit layer. Place the baking tray inside the oven and let it stay for 20-30 minutes. As soon as the sides brown, insert a fork and check if it comes out clean. If the fork comes out clean, it means it is baked. Let it cool and refrigerate. Decorate the dessert with small pineapple pieces and serve.

Spicy Potato Fry

Ingredients


2 Big potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes)
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Ginger 1 tsp (grated)
Garlic 2-3 (peeled and crushed)
Fennel powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Pepper 3/4 tsp
2-3 green chillies slit
Coriander leaves (chopped)

Salt

Oil

Directions - How to make

Boil water in a pan and add the potato cubes along with little salt and turmeric powder. Make sure  the potatoes are not overcooked. Remove and keep aside as soon as they are semicooked.

In a wok, heat little oil. Add cumin seeds, ginger and garlic. As the ginger and garlic turns light brown, add fennel powder, coriander powder and pepper and mix well. Mix the potatoes, green chillies and salt one by one. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes becomes crisp ( if necessary add little oil) and is coated well with the spices. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Fruit Custard

Ingredients

Milk 1/2 litre
Sugar 4-5 tbsp
Custard powder (Vanilla flavour) 2 tbsp
Banana 1 (sliced)
Apple 1/2 ( cut into small pieces)
Strawberries 1-2 (cut into pieces)
(Add the fruits of your choice)


Directions - How to make

Boil the milk. As soon the milk starts boiling, add custard powder diluted in little cold milk. Add slowly to the boiling milk and keep stirring to ensure no lumps are formed. Add sugar now. Once the custard thickens, take off and transfer it to a bowl. Refrigerate for a while and the fresh fruits to it and enjoy the fruit custard on a hot summer day.

Rajma Masala

Ingredients

1 cup rajma/ kidney beans                                             
1 big onion finely chopped
3 small tomatoes chopped
4 Garlic chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
2 green chillies chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder (adjusted according to the spice level)
Salt
Coriander leaves chopped

Directions -How to make

Soak the rajma in water overnight or for 5 hours. Pressure cook the rajma with little turmeric powder and salt for 6 whistles.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Add the onions once the ginger garlic turns brown. Saute well.  Add little salt and then tomatoes  Crush them well to form a thick paste. Add little water to help form a paste.

Now add the rajma. Mix well.  Add garam masala, coriander powder and chilli powder. Pour the pressure cooked rajma water over it. Cover and cook for a while. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapattis or white rice along with sliced onions.

ChoCho Poriyal

Ingredients

ChoCho/ Chayote 1

Chopped onion 1

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Urad dal 1 tsp

Channa Dal 1 tbsp

Dry red chillies 2

Curry leaves

Asafoetida (a pinch)

Turmeric powder (a pinch)

Grated Coconut 1 tbsp

Salt

Directions - How to make

Peel the outer skin and remove the seed from the vegetable. Cut into small cubes. Pressure cook them for a whistle. Do not overcook.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, dry chillies, curry leaves and then onions. Saute well. Add salt, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Finally add the chocho and stir for a while. Sprinkle the grated coconut and take off.

Potato Fry- 1

Ingredients

2 Big potatoes
Fennel seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Curry leaves 1 Sprig
Salt



Directions- How to make

Wash and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Boil the potato pieces with turmeric powder and salt dissolved in little water. Cook covered for a few minutes while stirring. As soon as the water evaporates, pour oil in the center. Add fennel seeds and curry leaves. Then add the coriander powder, chilli powder and garam masala and mix well. Keep stirring while frying. Add oil to the sides if necessary.

Note: Be careful while boiling the potatoes as adding too much water might overcook the potatoes. Potatoes should only be semicooked in water i.e. before adding oil to get a good fry. Can even add little rice powder to make the fry crispy.

Baingan Ka Bharta (Roast Brinjal)

Ingredients

Large sized Brinjal/ Eggplant 1

Green chillies 2

Onion 1

Tomato 1
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Chilli powder 1 1/2 tsp

Salt

Directions- How to make

Roast the brinjal either on the stove on medium flame or place it on the grill. Keep turning till all the sides gets roasted and the inner flesh gets really soft. Once its roasted, cool the brinjal and peel off the outer blackened skin. Now mash the brinjal well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok. Add slit green chillies and onions. Fry well. Then add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, salt chilli powder and coriander powder. Mix well. Add the mashed brinjal. Fry for a while. Serve hot with chapattis.

Vazhakkai Fry

Ingredients

Vazhakkai/ Plantain 1 Big ( Round thin slices)

Onion 1/2 (finely chopped)

Tomato 1/4 (To give a tangy taste)

Saunf 1 tsp

Asafoetida (a pinch)

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder 1 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves 1 sprig

Rice powder (Optional)

Salt

Directions- How to make

Soak the vazhakkai slices in salted warm water and keep aside or ten minutes.

Heat oil in a non-stick wok. Add saunf, curry leaves, onion, salt, asafoetida and tomato. Saute well. Add the vazhakkai slices. Add chilli powder and stir well. Cook covered for 2 minutes. Make sure that the vazhakkai does not burn at the bottom. Keep stirring, add oil if necessary. One can also add little rice powder for making the fry crispy. It goes well with sambar rice.

Pavakkai Kuzhambu

Ingredients

Bittergourd/ pavakkai 1 medium sized

Onion 1 (finely chopped)

Garlic 5 if big

Tomato 1
Tamarind (lemon sized)
Saunf /Fennel seeds 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Kuzhambu podi 2 tsp
Pure chilli powder 1/2 tsp (if you want it spicy)
Jaggery -small piece 
Curry leaves
Salt

Directions- How to make

Soak the tamarind in 3 cups of water and add salt, 1/2 tomato, turmeric powder, coriander powder, kuzhambu podi, chilli powder and curry leaves. Smash the tomato and mix well.

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard, fennel and fenugreek seeds. Then add the curry leaves, garlic, onions. Add little salt so that the onions fries well. Add 1/2 tomato and pavakkai pieces (cut into small squares or rings). Fry the pavakkai well in oil to remove the bitterness. Now add the tamarind water to it. Let it boil till it becomes thick and reduces to 1/3 quantity. Finally add a small piece of jaggery. Serve the hot and sour Chettinad style pavakkai kuzhambu with rice.

Note: It would taste even great if the kuzhambu is made using shallot onions

Egg Masala

Ingredients

3-4 boiled eggs (cut into pieces)                    
Onion 1/2
Saunf/ fennel seeds 1 tsp
Saunf powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut 1 tbsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig


Directions- How to make

Method 1

Marinate the eggs with saunf powder, turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder and grated coconut. Let it stay for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Add saunf, curry leaves and then finely chopped onion. Saute well. Add the marinated egg pieces. Stir for 2 minutes and turn off.

Method 2

Heat oil in a wok. Add fennel seeds, 2 crushed garlic pieces, 1 big onion (finely chopped). Saute well. Now add 1 big tomato finely chopped. Crush well to form a thick paste by adding very little water.

Add little turmeric powder ( a pinch), salt and chilli powder (1 tsp). Once the powders are fried, add 3-4 boiled eggs cut into pieces. Mix well. Cook for a minute over low flame. Turn off.

Sorakkai Sambar

This is one of my favourite sambar. I am sure everyone have their own style of making sambar. My mother makes in a different way and I finally learnt to make a better sambar. It really took time to make a thick tasty sambar. Every vegetable has its own unique taste which gives the sambar a different flavour. I make all the sambar the same way. Different types of sambar one cane make are: Moolangi/Raddish Sambar, Murangkai/Drumstick Sambar, Vendakkai/Ladyfinger Sambar, Kathirikai/Brinjal Sambar and the list goes on.

Ingredients

Toor Dal/ yellow lentils 1 cup

Bottleguard/ Sorakkai/ Lauki 1/4

Onion 1

Tomato 1/2

Green chilli slit 1

Tamarind (grape sized)

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Urad dal 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Chilli powder 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Asafoetida powder (pinch)

Sambar powder 2 tsp

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves

Salt

Oil

Directions - How to make

Soak the toor dal for 15 minutes in water. Pressure cook the dal for 5-6 whistles with little turmeric powder and asafoetida. 

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, onion. Saute well. Add 1/2 tsp salt and turmeric powder. Add the chopped tomato. Fry well and then add the vegetable pieces. Fry for a minute and then add 2 cups of water. Add 1 tsp salt, coriander powder and chilli powder. Cover and cook. Add the tamarind water in a while. Let it boil for 20 minutes. Finally add the mashed dal into it. Cover and cook for another 10-15 miutes. Add the seasoned mustard, urad dal and curry leaves into the sambar. Finally add the sambar powder. Let it stay for a minute and turn off. Add chopped coriander leaves to the sambar. Serve hot with rice and ghee.

Stuffed Karela Fry

I learnt this amazingly tasty dish from Vahchef Sanjay . A big thanks to him, I learnt a lot of dishes from him. Actually this particular dish I had eaten at my cousin's friend's house in Andhra Pradesh when I was a kid. I liked it so much but I never insisted my mother to make it as she did not know and she never had the privilige of using Internet those days. Now that I can cook, I thought why not give it a try. I bet even the people who hate bittergourd/ Karela would love it.

Ingredients   Serves 4

Bittergourd/ Karela (4 small sized)

Bittergourd's seeds (finely chopped)

Mustard 1tsp

Fennel 1/2 tsp

1 big onion (finely chopped)

Asafoetida powder  (a pinch)

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Mango powder/ Amchoor 1 tsp

Gram Flour 1 tsp

Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Salt 1 tsp

Oil

Directions - How to make

Peel off the karela's rough skin so that it becomes even on all sides. Cut a slit in between and remove all the seeds from inside. Cut the seeds into small pieces and keep aside.

Now heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. Wait till it splutters and then add fennel seeds, onion. Add a tsp of salt, asafoetida powder and saute the onions till it turns brown. Now add  turmeric powder and then gram flour. Fry till the gram flour releases nice aroma. Then add ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder and the chopped karela seeds. Fry well till it is roasted. Add the mango powder and stir on a low flame. Finally add the coriander leaves and little sugar to it. Mix well and take off. Wait till it cools down.

Finally add the stuffing inside the karelas and tie them with a string so that the stuffing stays intact while frying. Place the karela on the hot pan with enough oil. Cover with a lid. Cook over medium or low flame as it might happen that they are burnt from outside but not really cooked. Keep turning them in between so as to ensure the karela's are cooked evenly. Serve hot along with sambar rice or ghee rice.

Note: One can even sprinkle little salt and sugar while frying the karelas

Fish Curry

Ingredients

 

Fish  6-8 pieces

Onion 1 (finely chopped)

Tomato 1

Garlic 5

Fennel seeds 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Chilli powder 3 tsp
Tamarind  (big lemon sized)
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Coconut milk 1/2 cup
Vadagam (Optional)
Salt
Oil

Directions- How to make

Marinate the fish pieces with salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp chilli powder and keep aside.

Soak tamaraind in a cup of warm water for ten minutes. Extract all the juice from the tamarind and add half tomato, 3 crushed garlic and curry leaves.

Now heat the wok. Add 2 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the fenugreek seeds, 2 minced garlic and curry leaves. Then add the onion, tomato and salt. Saute well to form a thick paste. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 2 tsp chilli powder. Once the powders raw smell goes add the tamarind water and required water. Add the coconut milk now. Add the fish pieces once it comes to a boil and cover for 15-20 minutes. As the curry thickens add the vadagam and curry leaves seasoned in oil in a separate pan. Even if you do not add vadagam, it comes out tasty. Take off and serve with fish fry and rice.

Note: Vadagam can either be added at the start or at the end, does not make much difference

Godumai Dosai

One of the easiest and quickest way of making dosas is the godumai dosai. When I am out of stock of the rice-lentils batter I usually make this as it is ready within minutes.

Ingredients

Wheat flour 1 cup

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Cumin powder 1 tsp

Green chillies 1

Onion finely chopped (Optional)

Curry leaves 1 sprig

Rice powder 1 tbsp

Salt

Water ( Sufficient to make the batter thin but not very watery)

Directions- How to make

Mix all the above ingredients to make a smooth thin batter. Heat the tawa/ pan well. Grease the pan well and spread with a sliced onion over the tawa to spread the oil evenly.

Take a ladleful od the batter and spread it over the tawa in a spiral shape. Add little oil around the sides of the dosai and inside the pores. Cover for a minute. Once the dosai starts turning light brown and crispy turn over the dosai. Let it stay for a minute and then serve hot with chutney or idli podi.

Mushroom Cheese Toast

Ingredients

4 Bread Slices

2 big Mushrooms (sliced)

Capsicum (cut into small pieces)

Onion (finely chopped)

Pepper (1/2 tsp)
Salt (1/2 tsp)
Butter 1 tbsp
Grated cheese
Tomato sauce

Directions - How to make

Heat a pan and melt butter on it. Now add the onions, capsicum and mushrooms one by one. Saute well. Add pepper and salt. Take off and mix them well with sufficient amount of grated cheese. Layer it on top of the bread slice and grill it for 15 minutes or toast them over the pan on medium heat. Serve the toast with tomato sauce.

Strawberry Ice-cream

Ingredients

1 cup sweet and juicy Strawberries (cut into pieces)
4 Strawberries for the topping
1 cup Sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup cream

Directions - How to make

Blend well the strawberries, milk, sugar and cream. Pour it in a bowl and keep it in the freezer. Blend it again after 30 minutes. Repeat the process around 4 times. It will make the ice-cream smooth.

Keep it for 2 hours and serve with fresh strawberries on top.

Note: Keeping in the freezer for long will make the ice-cream icy and hard as we are not adding gelatin and other ingredients normally used in the ice-creams. Also, the temperature needs to be taken care of which might not be possible when prepared at home.

Karuvattu Kuzhambu

Ingredients

200 gms Dry Fish/ dryAnchovies
Vadagam or (garlic, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds)

4 garlic cloves
1 finely chopped Onion
1 big tomato
Tamarind (big lemon sized)
2-3 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder  
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt
Oil
Curry leaves

Directions - How to make

Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water. After a while, extract the tamarind juice separately. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, curry leaves, half tomato and little salt to the tamarind water. Mix all the ingredients well and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok. Add garlic, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and onion. Saute well. Add the remaining half tomato. Add salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder Saute well to form a thick paste. Now add the tamarind extract. Add required water.Let it boil for a while. As soon as it starts thickening add the dry fish. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Take off and serve with rice.

Note: Be careful while adding salt as the dry fish might already contain salt.

Kathirikai Varuval

Ingredients

1 big Brinjal (cut into 1 inch cubes)

1 tsp saunf ( fennel seeds)

Curry leaves

2 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
100 ml water
1 tsp salt
Oil

Directions - How to make

Boil brinjal cubes in a nin stick wok. Add salt and turmeric powder. Keep stiring. Crush the brinjals well. Once the water evaporates and brinjals are cooked, pour little oil. Add saunf and curry leaves. Further add chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix them well. Keep stirring while adding little oil over the brinjals. Mash well and take off once the raw smell goes and the brinjals are cooked. Serve hot with sambar rice.

Spinach Cheese Toast

Ingredients  (Makes 4 Sandwiches)

2 cup finely chopped Spinach

2 Cheese slices (cut into halves)
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 Green chilli, finely chopped 
1  tsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
4 Bread slices (cut into halves)

Directions - How to make

1) Heat butter into a pan. Add green chilli and garlic. Saute well. Now add the spinach and little salt.  
2) Cook for a while until all the water evaporates from the spinach.
3) Spread the spinach stuffing over the bread slice. Layer a slice of cheese over it and cover it with another bread slice.
4) Repeat the same for remaining bread slices.
5) Toast the bread in a grill or a pan with little butter applied on the surface. Roast over medium flame. 
6) Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

This is the first time I tried something really challenging, Hainanese Chicken rice, a well known Chinese dish. Hainanese Chicken rice is a Singaporean dish which my husband used to often have during his bachelor days. He told me that it is one of his favourite cuisine and asked me if I could try it at home. I tried it yesterday for the dinner which came out really well, only that the soup was little salty because I wanted the chicken to absorb enough salt when its boiling in the soup. To make this buy either a free range or an organic chicken as it would be tastier. Whole chicken is traditionally used to make it, but I have used chicken thighs for convenience as cutting the whole chicken would be a real hurdle.

Ingredients

Chicken:                 

2 Chicken thighs (Boneless and skinless)                  

2 Spring Onions

5 Ginger pieces sliced

3-4 crushed Garlic cloves

Coriander leaves (handful) 

1 tsp Salt

Dark Soya sauce

20 Ice cubes

Rice:

1 1/4 cup rice  ( Serves 2) Soaked for 15 minutes

2 tsp Cooking oil (Vegetable oil/ Sunflower oil)

1 tsp Sesame oil

1 inch ginger minced

2-3 garlic cloves minced

2 cup chicken stock

salt

Chilli Sauce:

8 Red chillies ( deseeded)

1 inch ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp Sugar

Salt

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chicken stock

Blend all the ingredients to make the hot chilli sauce. Add chillies according to how hot you want it to be.

Ginger Sauce:

2 inch ginger

6 garlic cloves

2 tbsp chicken stock

Salt

Blend all the ingredients to make the ginger sauce. Add water or chicken stock accordingly.

Directions - How to make

Clean the chicken thighs and remove any fat attached to it. Rub the skin with little salt to remove any dead skin. Wash it in running water and keep aside. Meanwhile boil water in a vessel  along with  ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and spring onions. Add little salt. Once the water comes to a boil add the chicken thighs to it. Make sure the chicken is immersed well in the water. Cook it covered for 20 minutes. Insert a knife into the flesh, if the juice runs out clear it means its cooked. Take off and quickly put it in a vessel full of  cold water. Add the ice cubes. Adding the chicken to the cold water makes the flesh tender. After 30 minutes remove the chicken and cut it into strips carefully.

Do not throw away the chicken water. That is the chicken stock that is used throughout and is also the soup which is served along with the rice.

For the rice, place the cooker on the stove. Heat the oil. Add the minced ginger and garlic. Do not let it brown. Add a tsp of sesame oil. Add the soaked rice immdiately. Mix them well. Add two cups of chicken stock to it. Once it starts boiling close the lid. Cook the rice for two whistles.

Prepare the chilli sauce and the ginger sauce with the chicken stock. The remaining stock can be reheated to make the hot soup by adding fresh spring onions to it.

Serve the Hainanese chicken rice with chilli sauce, ginger sauce and dark soy sauce. Garnish with sliced cucumber and tomatoes. Have this along with the delicious soup.

Aloo Paratha

Ingredients

For theStuffing:   
2 boiled potatoes (Grated) 

2 green chillies finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp Cumin powder

1/4 Onion finely chopped (medium sized)

1 tsp Chaat masala

1 tsp salt

1 drop lemon juice

For the dough:

Wheat flour - 6 handful (makes 6 parathas)

Warm water

Salt 1 tsp

Oil 1 tsp

Directions - How to make

Knead the dough with little salt and warm water. Knead well to make a smooth dough. Add a tsp of oil to it while kneading. Keep it covered for around 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the stuffing for the paratha. Cut the potatoes into halves. To avoid the potatoes getting soggy, always steam the potatoes in a cooker without adding water in the vessel. Only the cooker should contain water. Steam for 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are boiled, peel off the skin and grate them well.

Next step is to heat the wok. Add a tsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the finely chopped onions, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, grated potatoes, cumin powder, chaat masala, chopped coriander leaves and salt. Mix them well. Finally add a drop of lemon juice and mix well. Make six equal sized balls of the mixture.

Heat the non stick pan. Meanwhile prepare the paratha. Cut the dough into six equal parts and make 6 balls of dough. Now flatten the dough leaving the centre thick. Place the potato stuffing at the centre. Lift the sides and close it in top.Tighten it as if it is a screw. Cut off the top part of the dough.

Press the ball at the centre with your fingers. Just flatten the dough with your hand and then use the rolling pin. Dont make it very thin as the stuffing would spread then. Leave it a little thick as it tastes better. Now put it over the tawa. Turn it after a minute. Melt little butter on top of the paratha. Once the paratha starts puffing, the paratha is done. Repeat the same for the rest of your parathas.

 

                  Serve hot with curd and pickles.