I love eggs for breakfast. This is an Israeli breakfast dish with eggs poached in a tangy tomato sauce. Everyone loves Shakshuka at home. The name of this dish is very magical. Abracadabra. Shakshuka. Yehhhh… But people give me a blank look when I say Shakshuka. Shak what? What I love about this dish is that it can be put together in minutes and all it needs is some toasted bread to dunk in to. Here is the recipe. This recipe has been loosely inspired from Jerusalem born British Chef Yotam Ottolenghi.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped garlic. Fry for 30 seconds in medium flame. Add in the finely chopped onions and the finely chopped green bell pepper. Fry for a couple of minutes until the onions are soft.

Add in the juiced tomatoes. I had a can of Italian crushed tomatoes that I used today for this recipe. Refer to my pasta sauce recipe  for making peeled, de-seeded and juiced tomatoes at home. Add in the ground cumin powder, red chilli powder (or paprika) and the salt.

Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Crack the eggs into the tomato mixture. Make a small dent in the sauce for each egg. Cover and simmer for approximately 12-15 minutes or until the eggs are no longer translucent. If you want the eggs runny, you can cook a little less. We like our eggs fully cooked at home. So cook the eggs as you like it. Finally, garnish with finely chopped parsley and remove from heat.

Serve with slices of toasted bread.

Israeli Shakshuka Recipe

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Recipe for Middle Eastern Israeli Shakshuka Recipe. Breakfast Shakshuka.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves Garlic, chopped fine
• 1 Red Onion, chopped fine
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped fine
• 1 Cup (250 ml) Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (or paprika)
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped garlic. Fry for 30 seconds in medium flame. Add in the finely chopped onions and the finely chopped green bell pepper. Fry for a couple of minutes until the onions are soft.
2. Add in the juiced tomatoes. Add in the ground cumin powder, red chilli powder (or paprika) and the salt.
3. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Crack the eggs into the tomato mixture. Make a small dent in the sauce for each egg. Cover and simmer for approximately 12-15 minutes or until the eggs are no longer translucent. If you want the eggs runny, you can cook a little less. We like our eggs fully cooked at home. So cook the eggs as you like it. Finally, garnish with finely chopped parsley and remove from heat.
4. Serve with slices of toasted bread.

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The post Israeli Shakshuka Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

We love soups at home. My son keeps asking for soup dinners. Whenever he misses school due to illness, he looks forward to cooking soup with me. He would sit on the counter top and cut veggies. These days, I need to handover my big knife to him when he comes to cook. Thats the deal we made recently. My husband got these red bell peppers from the market and I finally made soup today. Roasting red bell peppers takes this dish one notch higher. Here is how to do a nice comforting asian inspired Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup.
“Of soup and love, the first is the best.”

Roast the bell pepper one by one on a gas stove until charred on all sides. Remove from fire and cover the charred pepper in a bowl and immediately cover with a cling wrap. Let it rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. The steam will help in removing the charred skin. Remove the skin by cleaning the peppers in water and place the peppers in a bowl. Discard the stems, skin, and the seeds.

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the garlic cloves, chopped onion, chopped carrot and the roughly chopped ginger. Fry for a minute. Add in the roughly chopped roasted red bell pepper. Add in a teaspoon each of Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.

Add in the salt, sugar and a few sprigs of basil. Add a cup of water. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame. Let the pressure in the cooker release naturally. Grind the mixture to a smooth puree.

Make a slurry with corn starch and water. Set aside.

Take a pan and add in the bell pepper puree, corn starch slurry and the coconut milk. Bring it to a slow simmer. Once the mixture comes to a boil, switch off the flame.

Serve the soup hot.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Vegan Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup recipe from scratch. Infused with ginger and coconut milk.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Continental

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 4 Red Bell Peppers
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
• 8 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion, roughly chopped
• 1 Carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 inch piece Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 5 Basil leaves
• 1 cup Coconut milk

For corn starch slurry

• 1 heaped teaspoon corn starch
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Roast the bell pepper on fire on a gas stove until charred on all sides. Remove from fire and cover the charred peppers in a bowl and immediately cover with a cling wrap. Let it rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. The steam will help in removing the charred skin. Remove the skin by cleaning the peppers in water and place the peppers in a bowl. Discard the stems, skin, and seeds.
2. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the garlic cloves, chopped onion, chopped carrot and the roughly chopped ginger. Fry for a minute. Add in the chopped roasted red bell pepper. Add in a teaspoon each of Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.
3. Add in the salt, sugar and few sprigs of basil. Add a cup of water. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame. Let the pressure in the cooker release naturally. Grind the mixture to a smooth puree.
4. Make a slurry with corn starch and water. Set aside.
5. Take a pan and add in the bell pepper puree, corn starch slurry and the coconut milk. Bring it to a slow simmer. Once the mixture comes to a boil, switch off the flame.
6. Serve the soup hot.

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The post Asian Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

These cookies are melt in your mouth eggless cookies. This is another bakery favorite just like Indian Tea shop Butter Biscuits. People who love cookies are the best people. Cookies are the best bite sized comfort food. So lets indulge in some yummy melt in your mouth eggless custard cookies. These resemble Karachi Bakery style cookies.

First things first. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

Then, we need to cream the butter. Its very important that the butter be absolutely at room temperature for this recipe. Beat the butter and vanilla with a wooden spatula until soft. The butter should be really really soft. Its the key for the texture of this recipe.

Take a bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients namely icing sugar, store bought plain vanilla custard powder and flour. Mix with wooden spatula until combined.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and mix well. Once its combined, add the rest and mix well.

Knead gently with hands to form a smooth dough.

Make uniform balls (about 1 inch balls) out of the dough. Line on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press the balls on top with a fork to mark those traditional lines.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Cool the cookies on the sheet. Store in an airtight container for upto 3 days.

Eggless Custard Cookies

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Recipe for Eggless Custard Powder Cookies. These are yummy Karachi bakery style biscuits.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Cookies

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 150 grams unsalted butter (*at room temperature)
• 150 grams All purpose flour (Maida)
• 75 grams icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 75 grams plain vanilla custard powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
2. Cream the butter and vanilla with a wooden spatula until soft.
3. Take a bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients namely icing sugar, store bought plain vanilla custard powder and flour. Mix with wooden spatula until combined.
4. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and mix well. Once its combined, add the rest and mix well.
5. Knead gently with hands to form a smooth dough.
6. Make uniform balls (about 1 inch balls) out of the dough. Line on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press the balls on top with a fork to mark lines.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
8. Cool the cookies on the sheet. Store in an airtight container for upto 3 days.

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The post Eggless Custard Cookies appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This Kerala style Alleppey fish curry inspired from Karavalli Restaurant in Bangalore is a delicious keeper. I like curries that are bright orange in colour. I some how fall heavily for the color of the curries. Chef Naren Thimmaiah has been behind Karavalli for over 25 years. Thats a really long time and that says about their food too. This is how the menu in Karavalli reads for Alleppey fish curry – “cubes of seer fish, simmered in a moderately spiced gravy of freshly ground coconut, ginger and raw mango.” The mango thing got me going. I have never had fish curry with mango before. The sourness for the fish curry usually comes from tamarind. But the mango works so well in this fish curry and its so mild and pleasant.

Here is Karavalli inspired Alleppey Fish Curry recipe.
You will need to clean, peel and dice one raw mango. Get rid of the seed inside. Slice shallots (small onions). Shallots is very important for this recipe. We will also need sliced ginger, chopped green chillies and lots of curry leaves. The other main ingredient in this curry is coconut milk. I used both the thin and thick homemade coconut milk for this recipe. You may look here to know how to make homemade coconut milk. Store bought works fine too.

Heat coconut oil in a pan until hot in medium flame. No other oil please. Coconut oil works so well in this recipe. Add in the sliced shallots (small onions), sliced ginger and green chillies. Fry till the shallots are soft, about two minutes. Reduce the flame to low and add in the raw mango, red chilli powder and the turmeric powder. If you want a bright red colour for the curry, add in Kashmiri red chilli powder. Fry for just 10 seconds. Frying for a long time will burn the spices. So eyes on the pan please!

We need to add 2 cups of liquid. If using Homemade coconut milk – Add in the thin coconut milk. Measure the milk and add water if necessary to make it two cups. If using store-bought canned coconut milk – Canned coconut milk is usually very thick. We will not add it at this stage. So just add two cups of water at this stage.
Let it come to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes on medium flame.
In the mean time make corn starch slurry by mixing one heaped teaspoon of corn flour in half a cup of water. Set aside. Once the curry has simmered for five minutes, add in the curry leaves (lots of curry leaves). Curry leaves and coconut milk are best friends. So be generous. Add in the corn starch slurry. Corn starch slurry creates an emulsion and keeps the coconut milk intact and not curdle. So do not skip this step. Add in the salt.

At this stage, If using Homemade coconut milk – Add in one cup of first pressed thick home made coconut milk and one a cup of water. If using store-bought canned coconut milk – Add in 2 cups of canned coconut milk. Add in the seer fish steaks. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer in low flame for 7-8 minutes. Simmering the curry in low flame is key to avoid the coconut milk from curdling.

Switch off the flame and enjoy your meal with hot rice.

Alleppey Fish Curry

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Alleppey fish curry recipe. Light aromatic fish curry stewed in raw mango infused coconut milk. Inspired from Karavalli restaurant in Bangalore.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Curry

Cuisine: South Indian, Kerala

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
• 2 inch piece Ginger, sliced
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 10 shallots (small onions), sliced
• 1 Raw Mango, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 5 sprigs fresh Curry leaves
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• 500 grams Seer fish steaks

Corn starch slurry

• 1 heaped teaspoon corn flour
• ½ cup water

Coconut milk

• If using homemade (made from one medium coconut)
• 2 cups thin coconut milk
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• OR
• If using store bought
• 2 cups canned coconut milk

Instructions

1. Heat coconut oil in a pan until hot in medium flame. Add in the sliced shallots (small onions), sliced ginger and green chillies. Fry till the shallots are soft, about two minutes. Reduce the flame to low and add in the raw mango, red chilli powder and the turmeric powder. Fry for just 10 seconds.
2. We need to add 2 cups of liquid. If using Homemade coconut milk - Add in the thin coconut milk. Measure the milk and add water if necessary to make it two cups. If using store-bought canned coconut milk, - Canned coconut milk is usually very thick. We will not add it at this stage. So just add two cups of water at this stage.
3. Let it come to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes on medium flame. Once the curry has simmered for five minutes, add in the curry leaves.
4. Make corn starch slurry by mixing one heaped teaspoon of corn flour in half a cup of water. Add in the corn starch slurry. Add in the salt.
5. At this stage, If using Homemade coconut milk - Add in one cup of first pressed thick home made coconut milk and one a cup of water. If using store-bought canned coconut milk - Add in 2 cups of canned coconut milk.
6. Add in the seer fish steaks. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer in low flame for 7-8 minutes.
7. Switch off the flame and enjoy your meal with hot rice.

Notes

Instead of Seer Fish, you can use Salmon, Tilapia or Mahi Mahi.

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This recipe came into being during a contest conducted for Julia Child’s 100th birthday. And you all know who won. I did these buns for the contest and topped with Julia Child’s name printed in dough. After we moved back to India, I ran a baking and catering business for a couple of years and this recipe was the most ordered item for parties. I must have done countless batches of curry buns in my life. My husband and son love these stuffed buns. They used to sneak one or two from the catering order as I always baked more. Vinodh said that he misses these and I realized that its been quite a while since I baked these super delicious stuffed buns. So today my secret recipe is out for my dear readers of KC. Enjoy!

There are a few things that make a good stuffed bun. The bun needs to be super soft. The key to a good soft bun is a moist dough. Its no rocket science. If your dough is soft, your bread will be soft. If your dough is dry, your resultant bread will also be super dry. So the recipe will work well if you stick to the proportions mentioned. Yes its that simple. Just follow the recipe.

For the filling
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add in Italian herb seasoning, finely chopped onion and crushed garlic. Fry till the onions are soft.

Add in a finely chopped tomato, salt and red chilli powder. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and dry. Once the tomatoes are dry, add in the flour and sauté for a minute. Then add in the cream and cook for a minute more until all the cream is absorbed into the mixture.

Add in the small cubed paneer and mix well to combine. Switch off the flame and add in the coriander leaves and balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, add regular vinegar. Mix well to combine. Make 16 balls out of the mixture. Set aside.

For the BUN!
Take a big bowl and add in the luke warm water. Hot water will kill the yeast. So let the water be just warm to the touch. Add in the sugar and the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. Then, add in all the rest of the ingredients and start kneading. I kneaded in my kitchen aid in medium speed for a good 7 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for a good 12-13 minutes. The trick in kneading is to avoid the temptation of adding flour. Too much flour alters the moisture content and will result in a dry bun. If kneading by hand, don’t add all the flour at once while starting to knead. Save a cup of flour and use it while kneading. Its going to be a very sticky dough.

The dough should be soft, stretchy and a little sticky at the end of kneading. Its a very moist dough. Don’t worry if the dough is tacky.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rise until doubled in a warm draft free place. It should take about 2 hours. It might take more or less time depending on where you live. Once the dough has almost doubled, gently deflate the dough on a floured kitchen counter and divide the dough into 16 pieces. Dust flour on the work surface. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Set aside and let it rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten.

Dust the work surface with flour. Flatten each dough ball and keep the filling in the center. Press and seal the edges by crimping with your finger tips.

Gently flatten the bun and place the bun seam side down on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover the buns and let them rise for about half an hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C
Brush all the risen buns with egg white / egg wash. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top of each bun.

Bake the buns for 20 minutes until golden. Rotate the sheet pan in the oven after 10 minutes for even baking.

Remove the buns from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Paneer Stuffed Curry Bun

 

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Prep time

4 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

4 hours 20 mins

 

Bakery style Home made curry bun recipe from scratch with a creamy paneer filling. With step by step pictures. Stuffed Bun.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 16 buns

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning
• 1 Onion
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Tomato
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour (Maida)
• ½ cup Cream (I used Amul Cream)
• 200 grams Paneer
• 4 sprigs Coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

For the Bun

• 1 cup Lukewarm Water
• 2 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1 Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk
• 3¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour (Maida)
• 1 teaspoon Salt

For the Bun Topping

• 1 Egg White beaten well for Egg Wash
• 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

For the Filling

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add in Italian herb seasoning, finely chopped onion and crushed garlic. Fry till the onions are soft.
2. Add in a finely chopped tomato, salt and red chilli powder. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and dry. Once the tomatoes are dry, add in the flour and sauté for a minute. Then add in the cream and cook for a minute more until all the cream is absorbed into the mixture.
3. Add in the small cubed paneer and mix well to combine. Switch off the flame and add in the coriander leaves and balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, add regular vinegar. Mix well to combine. Make 16 balls out of the mixture. Set aside.

For the Bun

1. Take a big bowl and add in the luke warm water. Add in the sugar and the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. Then, add in all the rest of the ingredients and start kneading. I kneaded in my kitchen aid in medium speed for a good 7 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for a good 12-13 minutes.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rise until doubled in a warm draft free place. It should take about 2 hours. It might take more or less time depending on where you live. Once the dough has almost doubled, gently deflate the dough on the kitchen counter and divide the dough into 16 pieces. Dust flour on the work surface. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Set aside and let it rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten.
3. Dust the work surface with flour. Flatten each dough ball and keep the filling in the center. Press and seal the edges by crimping with your finger tips.
4. Gently flatten the bun and place the bun seam side down on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover the buns and let them rise for about half an hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

For the Bun Topping

1. Brush all the risen buns with egg white / egg wash. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top of each bun.
2. Bake the buns for 20 minutes until golden. Rotate the sheet pan in the oven after 10 minutes for even baking.
3. Remove the buns from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

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The post Paneer Stuffed Curry Bun appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

I get at least a couple of mails a month asking for Annapoorna sambar recipe as I am from Coimbatore. Everyone in Coimbatore loves the food from this iconic Annapoorna hotel. I am no different. Their Sambar is one of the best. I had tried different recipes but could not nail it. Then this happened. I was talking about my sambar quest to Prema akka (Vinodhs aunt) and she told she knows someone who can give us the recipe. She told me that one Mr. Palinisamy had worked as a cook in their house in the 80’s before moving to Annapoorna as a chef. She told me that she will definitely get hold of him for me. And she did. I met him at a function recently where he was in charge of the kitchen. Mr. Palanisamy is a dhoti clad chef with prominent brown eyes and a big mustache. His eyes are very unique. You will never forget him once you have met him. As soon as I met him, we started talking. He told that he started cooking at the age of 12. He worked at the hotel for 27 years. He now runs his own food and catering service at Coimbatore. His food rocks. If you are in Coimbatore and have a party at home, try Mr. Palanisamy’s food. You can reach him at Cell:9698488764, Office: 9344680106. So here is how to do the iconic Sambar at home.

A note on the quantity of vegetables to the dal.
We are going to use half a cup of toor dal for this recipe, which is 125 ml or roughly about 100 grams. We need to use 200 grams of drumstick for this recipe. About 2 drumsticks.

Wash and soak 1/2 a cup of toor dal in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Use the back of the tumbler to mash the dal. Set the dal aside to a bowl.

In the same cooker add in the drumsticks, diced onion, diced shallots (small onion) and tomatoes. Add one cup of water, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of turmeric. Cook for 4 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.

Now for the Sambar Masala
Get all the ingredients listed below ready before you proceed. We will need a dozen ingredients namely coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek seeds, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves, dry red chillies, asafoetida, coconut, jaggery and the tamarind.
A note on jaggery and tamarind.
The quantity of jaggery and tamarind has to be equal.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek seeds, chana dal and urad dal. Fry for a minute. Once the chana dal is brown, add in the curry leaves, dry red chillies, asafoetida, coconut, jaggery and the tamarind. Fry for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Grind the mixture with half a cup of water to a paste. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. Set aside.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in the ground masala and one cup of water. Let it come to a boil on medium flame. Once its boiling, add in the cooked vegetables along with the water used for cooking. Add in the salt. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Add in the cooked dal and let it continue to boil for 2-3 minutes.

When the dal is cooking, we will do the tempering for the sambar. Heat oil in a kadai and add in the mustard seeds when the oil is hot. Add in the curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder and immediately pour it on the sambar. The red chilli powder might burn if kept in the oil for too long. So have an eye on the kadai. Add in the coriander leaves and a tablespoon of ghee. Switch off the flame.

Coimbatore Annapoorna Style Hotel Tiffin Sambar is ready!

Coimbatore Annapoorna Hotel Sambar Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Recipe for Coimbatore Hotel Annapoorna Sambar. Recipe as told by a cook who worked in the hotel for 27 years.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Measurments Used - 1 Cup = 250 ml

For Dal

• ½ cup Toor Dal
• 2 Cups Water

For Veggies

• 2 Drumsticks
• 1 onion, diced
• 10 shallots (small onions), diced
• 1 Tomato, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup water

For Sambar Masala

• 2 teaspoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5 black pepper corn
• 5 fenugreek seeds
• 2 tablespoon chana dal
• 1 tablespoon urad dal
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 3 dry red chillies (gundu variety)
• ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
• 3 tablespoon coconut
• 1½ teaspoon jaggery
• gooseberry size tamarind

Other ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 stalks coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ghee

For Tempering

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder

Instructions

For Dal

1. Wash and soak ½ a cup of toor dal in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.

For Veggies

1. In the same cooker add in the drumsticks, diced onion, diced shallots (small onion) and tomatoes. Add one cup of water, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of turmeric. Cook for 4 whistles. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.

For Sambar Masala

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek seeds, chana dal, urad dal. Fry for a minute. Once the chana dal is brown, add in the curry leaves, dry red chillies, asafoetida, coconut, jaggery and the tamarind. Fry for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
2. Grind the mixture with half a cup of water to a paste. Let the paste be very slightly coarse. Set aside.

For the Sambar

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add in the ground masala and one cup of water. Let it come to a boil on medium flame. Once its boiling, add in the cooked vegetables along with the water used for cooking. Add in the salt. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium flame. Add in the cooked dal and let it continue to boil for 2-3 minutes.

For Tempering

1. Heat oil in a kadai and add in the mustard seeds when the oil is hot. Add in the curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add in ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder and immediately pour it on the sambar. The red chilli powder might burn if kept in the oil for too long. So have an eye on the kadai. Add in the coriander leaves and a tablespoon of ghee. Switch off the flame.

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The post Coimbatore Annapoorna Hotel Style Sambar Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

My moms family is big. Super big. She has 6 sisters and 4 brothers. The last of the lot is my aunt Prema Sithi. She was the one who would take all the children for shopping in her Fiat car and would buy big boxes of ice cream on the way back home. Usually, when our aunts and uncles visited home, they would bring sweets and snacks. But Prema Sithi would get us toys. Not just any toys but super cool toys and board games. So Prema Sithi was the favorite aunt among the kids. She still is. This is her signature vadai recipe. Here is a picture of Prema Sithi, my baby and paati.

Soak the chana dal for 2 hours. Do not soak longer than that or the vadai will consume a lot of oil while frying. Drain the dal after 2 hours. Grind the dal with the red chillies, asafoetida and salt. My aunt says rock salt tastes well for this recipe. Use about 2-3 tablespoon of water while grinding. You should grind the batter to a coarse paste. The coarse texture is very important.

To the ground batter, add in lots of finely chopped onions, chopped curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped green chillies and cumin seeds. My aunt says that adding lots of onions and coriander leaves adds flavour to the vadai. So be generous with the veggies.

Mix well and check for seasoning. Add extra salt if necessary. Form the vadai. Take a small lime size batter in hand and make a ball. Make small balls. Remember that smaller balls makes for crispier vadai’s. Gently flatten it on the hands. Gather the edges to smoothen. The more you flatten, the more crispier the vadais.

Gently lower the vadais in hot oil and cook the vadai on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Serve hot in a big bowl with your family.

Tamilnadu Style Paruppu Vadai

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

 

Recipe for south indian Tamilnadu style paruppu vadai recipe. Made with chana dal.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 20

Ingredients

For Grinding

• 1 cup (250 ml) Chana Dal
• 1 teaspoon rock salt
• 2 dried red chillies
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida

Other Ingredients

• 2 onions, finely choppes
• 10 stalks coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

For frying

• 500 ml Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Soak the chana dal for 2 hours. Drain the dal after 2 hours. Grind the dal with the red chillies, asafoetida and salt. Use about 2-3 tablespoon of water while grinding. Grind the batter to a coarse paste.
2. To the ground batter, add in lots of finely chopped onions, chopped curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped green chillies and cumin seeds.
3. Mix well and check for seasoning. Form the vadai. Take a small lime size batter in hand and make a ball. Gently flatten it on the hands. Gather the edges to smoothen.
4. Gently lower the vadais in hot oil and cook the vadai on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
5. Serve hot!

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The post Tamilnadu Style Paruppu Vadai appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

I am an appetizer girl at parties. I get full with appetizers that I skip main course. Appetizers are comfort food. This recipe for corn cutlets makes it perfect for parties. It can be made ahead and kept in the fridge till its fried. It freezes well too. This recipe is especially a hit among the children. I use an air fryer to make this corn cutlet at home so its healthy, and I prefer to shallow fry during parties for children. Whatever you do, its one great recipe to have in your repertoire. Here is how to do corn and potato cutlets.

Boil the potatoes till fork tender. Mash the potatoes and mix it with boiled corn kernels. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add in the chopped onions. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the crushed garlic and saute for a minute. Next, add in the chopped curry leaves, finely chopped green chilies and salt. Make sure to chop the green chilies finely else the children will have their mouth on fire. Set aside.

Add in this mixture to the potato corn mixture along with finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Check for seasoning. Mix well to combine. Make small patties and keep it in a plate.

Now lets make an assembly line.
#Have all the patties in a plate ready
#Beat one egg and have it in a bowl
#Have bread crumbs ready in a bowl

Take the patties and dip it in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside. Repeat till all the patties are coated in egg and bread crumbs. Set aside.

#Shallow Fry Method
Heat oil in a pan until hot. Place the patties and shallow fry on both sides until golden. Remove the cutlets and drain on paper towels.

#Air fryer Method.
Place the patties inside the air fryer. Set the timer for 10 minutes and fry the patties in 200 degrees Celsius temperature. Fry in batches. Do not over crowd the air fryer.

Serve the cutlets hot with Ketchup and Mayo.

Click here to buy Havells air fryer.

Make your parties stress free with make ahead recipes like these.

Corn Cutlet

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Easy recipe for corn cutlet. Perfect for parties. One of the great make ahead Party recipes. Freezes well too.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 15

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 4 potatoes, boiled
• 1 cup corn, boiled
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 sprig curry leaves, finely chopped
• 3 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 stalks coriander leaves, finely chopped

For the Coating

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs

For Frying

• 1 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes till fork tender. Mash the potatoes and mix it with boiled corn kernels. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the chopped onions. Fry till the onions are soft. Add in the crushed garlic and saute for a minute. Next, add in the chopped curry leaves, finely chopped green chilies and salt. Set aside.
3. Add in this mixture to the potato corn mixture along with finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. Check for seasoning. Mix well to combine. Make small patties and keep it in a plate.
4. Take the patties and dip it in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside. Repeat till all the patties are coated in egg and bread crumbs. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Place the patties and shallow fry on both sides until golden. Remove the cutlets and drain on paper towels.

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The post Corn Cutlet appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Coconut milk is one of the basic ingredients used in a lot of South Indian curries. Canned coconut milk is gaining popularity in the south Indian kitchens, but the flavour of the fresh pressed coconut milk is divine. With a good heavy duty blender, home made coconut milk can be made within 10 minutes. Here is how to do home made fresh pressed coconut milk from scratch.

First Pressed Coconut Milk – Thick Milk
Take one whole coconut and remove the coconut meat and set aside. Grind it with 1.5 cups of water in a blender for 2 minutes to a smooth paste. Pass the ground coconut paste through a colander/strainer and squeeze all the liquid. The liquid you get is the first thick milk. Set aside separately. First pressed milk is generally not heated as its very delicate and may curdle easily. Its added to the curries at the end of cooking.

Second Pressed Coconut Milk
Add another 1.5 cups of water to the coconut dregs and run it again in the heavy duty blender for 2 minutes. Pass the ground mixture again through a colander/strainer and squeeze all the liquid. The liquid you get is the second light milk. Set aside separately.

Third Pressed Coconut Milk – Final Milk 
Add another 1 cup of water to the coconut dregs and run it again in the heavy duty blender for 2 minutes. Pass the ground mixture again through a colander/strainer and squeeze all the liquid. The liquid you get is the third light milk. Set aside separately. Discard the coconut dregs after extracting the third milk.

You can store the coconut milk in the fridge for upto a day.

Homemade Coconut Milk From Scratch

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Recipe for homemade coconut milk from scratch. A basic essential ingredient used in a lot of Indian curries.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Basics

Cuisine: South Indian

Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 1 whole Coconut
• 4 cups water

Instructions

First Pressed Coconut Milk – Thick Milk

1. Take one whole coconut and remove the coconut meat and set aside. Grind it with 1.5 cups of water in a blender for 2 minutes to a smooth paste. Pass the ground coconut paste through a colander/strainer and squeeze all the liquid. The liquid you get is the first thick milk. Set aside separately. First pressed milk is generally not heated as its very delicate and may curdle easily. Its added to the curries at the end of cooking.

Second Pressed Coconut Milk

1. Add another 1.5 cups of water to the coconut dregs and run it again in the heavy duty blender for 2 minutes. Pass the ground mixture again through a colander/strainer and squeeze all the liquid. The liquid you get is the second light milk. Set aside separately.

Third Pressed Coconut Milk – Final Milk

1. Add another 1 cup of water to the coconut dregs and run it again in the heavy duty blender for 2 minutes. Pass the ground mixture again through a colander/strainer and squeeze all the liquid. The liquid you get is the third light milk. Set aside separately. Discard the coconut dregs after extracting the third milk.

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The post Homemade Coconut Milk From Scratch appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Kandasamy Abba is my Paati’s (dad’s mom) elder brother’s son. Kandasamy Abba and my Thaatha (mom’s dad) were the best of friends and he was the one instrumental in getting my mom and dad married. He is my dad’s hero. He will not do anything without asking him. Sadly, he passed away a few years back. Kamalam Athama is Kandasamy Abba’s wife. We fondly call her Perur Athama as Perur is her hometown. She is very soft spoken and has a lot of attention to detail. I have always seen her only in one place. The kitchen. Everything is perfect when she is around. Athama’s dishes are legendary. I have eaten countless number of meals from her kitchen and this curry is my all time favourite. The spices are so mild and makes for a delicious curry to dunk in with Indian breads. Below is the picture of Perur Athama clad in an orange saree with her family. Her daughter in law Renu Akka is the one who painstakingly writes and sends recipes to perfection. Thank you akka for everything.

Here is how to do Perur Athama’s Mutton Kuzhambu.

Heat oil in a pan and saute shallots (small onions and curry leaves) for 3-4 minutes until the shallots are pink and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now we need to make our very own home made mutton masala powder.

Dry roast all the ingredients listed under mutton masala powder except turmeric and poppy seeds (khuskhus) until fragrant. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixie / spice grinder. Add in the turmeric and raw poppy seeds. If you cannot get poppy seeds in a country where you live, just skip it. But poppy seeds does add a lot of flavour to the curry. Grind the mixture to a very fine powder.

To the ground powder, add in the fried shallot mixture and add half a cup of water. Grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Keep a pressure pan on heat and add in the washed, cleaned and drained mutton pieces. Add a teaspoon of castor oil to the mutton. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes until all the juices that come from the mutton has evaporated and its completely dry. Grind the ginger and garlic with quarter cup of water to a fine paste. Add the paste to the mutton. Note that we are using more Ginger than garlic for this recipe.
A Note on Castor Oil
Perur Athama uses a teaspoon of Castor Oil while making this curry and she believes that the mutton cooks to tender with the addition of castor oil. Also Castor oil will help in digestion after a heavy non-veg meal. It has cooling properties too. So go ahead and get a little castor oil going in the curry. Don’t add too much though. If you don’t have castor oil, add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil and proceed with the recipe.

Fry till the ginger garlic paste is covered on mutton and is almost dry. Add in the mutton masala paste and the second and third pressed coconut milk. I prefer homemade coconut milk for this recipe. Here is how to make homemade coconut milk at home.

Cover the pan and let it cook for 12 whistles on medium flame. Remove from heat after all the whistles are over and wait for the pressure to release from the cooker naturally. Open the cooker and add a heaping teaspoon of rock salt. Combine well. Set aside.

Tempering
Heat oil in a pan and add in the cardamom, mustard seeds and urad dal. Let it splutter. Add it to the mutton curry.

Add in the first pressed coconut milk (do not heat after adding first milk ) and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well to combine.

Serve the curry as a side dish for Biryani, Appam, Idiyappam or idli.

Perur Athama's Mutton Kuzhambu (Curry)

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Recipe for authentic South Indian Tamilnadu Style Mutton Kuzhambu. Perfect side dish for Idli, Idiyappam, Appam and Biryani.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, South Indian

Serves: 5 people

Ingredients

For frying Shallots

• 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 cup shallots (approx 20-25) (small onions)

For Mutton Masala Powder

• 6 dried red chillies
• 1 cinnamon
• 1 clove
• 1½ tablespoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• 1½ teaspoon poppy seeds (khus khus)

Other Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon castor oil
• 500 grams Mutton with bone
• 1 heaping teaspoon rock salt
• 4 stalks coriander leaves, finely chopped

For Ginger Garlic paste

• 6 cloves garlic
• 2½ inch piece ginger

For Home made Coconut Milk

• 1 small Coconut
• Click here for coconut milk recipe

For Tempering

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3 cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon urad dal

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan and sauté shallots (small onions and curry leaves) for 3-4 minutes until the shallots are pink and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Dry roast all the ingredients listed under mutton masala powder except turmeric and poppy seeds (khuskhus) until fragrant. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixie / spice grinder. Add in the turmeric and raw poppy seeds. Grind the mixture to a very fine powder.
3. To the ground powder add in the fried shallot mixture and add half a cup of water. Grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
4. Keep a pressure pan on heat and add in the washed, cleaned and drained mutton pieces. Add a teaspoon of castor oil to the mutton. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes until all the juices that come from the mutton has evaporated and its completely dry. Grind the ginger and garlic with quarter cup of water to a fine paste.
5. Fry till the ginger garlic paste is covered on mutton and is almost dry. Add in the mutton masala paste and the second and third pressed coconut milk.
6. Cover the pan and let it cook for 12 whistles on medium flame. Remove from heat after all the whistles are over and wait for the pressure to release from the cooker naturally. Open the cooker and add a heaping teaspoon of rock salt. Combine well. Set aside.
7. For tempering : Heat oil in a pan and add in the cardamom, mustard seeds and urad dal. Let it splutter. Add it to the mutton curry.
8. Add in the first pressed coconut milk and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well to combine.

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The post Perur Athama’s Coimbatore Style Mutton Kuzhambu (Curry) appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Its holiday time here in Bangalore for Dussehra. I still remember the sundal hopping that me and my mom used to do when I was young in Coimbatore for Navarathri. I would just sit next to all the dolls and see them in such awe. The sundal hopping has sure come down to a couple of homes after we moved here to Bangalore.

I am a big fan of dry curries. I love days when I make dry curries and dal for lunch. My baby, well not so much a baby anymore loves peas. This makes for a simple yet very very satisfying lunch. This curry goes very well with variety rice or chapati / roti too. Here is how to make Chettinad style Urulai Pattani Roast / Dry potato peas curry.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the fennel seeds. Let it splutter. Then add in the finely chopped onions, curry leaves and fry well till its brown.

Crush the green chillies, garlic and ginger in a mortar and pestle. You want it in bits and pieces. Do not grind to a smooth paste. The flavour of the crushed ginger and garlic is different from paste. So take your time and crush it in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, pulse it twice or thrice in your mixie / blender until coarse. Do not add any water while grinding. Add it to the onion mixture and saute for a minute. Run two tomatoes in a mixie / blender to form puree. Add in the tomato puree.

Add half a cup of water (I use water left over from boiling vegetables), salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. fry till all the mixture is dry and streaks of oil starts to appear on top.

Then add in the boiled potatoes and peas. Add in the pepper powder. Mix well to combine. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add in the chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat.

Chettinad urulai pattani roast is ready. Serve with variety rice or chapati / roti.

Chettinad Urulai Pattani Roast - Potato Peas Curry

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Recipe for Chettinad style Urulai pattani roast. Dry Potato peas Curry. Spicy side dish for variety rice or chapatti / roti.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side dish

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (sombu)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 green chillies
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 4 potatoes, boiled
• 1 cup peas, boiled
• 3 sprigs coriander leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the fennel seeds. Let it splutter. Then add in the finely chopped onions, curry leaves and fry well till its brown.
2. Crush the green chillies, garlic and ginger in a mortar and pestle. Add it to the onion mixture and saute for a minute. Run two tomatoes in a mixie / blender to form puree. Add in the tomato puree.
3. Add half a cup of water (I use water left over from boiling vegetables), salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. fry till all the mixture is dry and streaks of oil starts to appear on top.
4. Then add in the boiled potatoes and peas. Add in the pepper powder. Mix well to combine. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add in the chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat.
5. Serve with variety rice or chapati / roti.

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The post Chettinad Urulai Pattani Roast – Potato Peas Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

I have spent a good time of my life in Bangalore but cannot talk for 2 minutes in Kannada. I really want to be able to talk the language but I am so so bad at it. My maid Rani is from here and talks Kannada and we had an agreement in the beginning that I will talk to her in Kannada only so I will be able to pick up the language. Rani has stayed with me for a long time now and she now speaks very good Tamil. You now know who learnt from whom. She says I am the worst Kannada speaker ever and has asked me a lot of times to give up on my idea of me talking in Kannada. I have not given up yet. But I feel a little better and hopeful when I cook Karnataka dishes. At least I started somewhere. It brings a little bit of real Karnataka to my home. Today, we are going to make Kori Gassi – Kori is Chicken and Gassi is curry. This curry is from the coastal region of Mangalore. Its a coconut and red chilli based curry that is so delicious. This recipe has been inspired from Chef Sriram Aylur of the famed Michelin rated restaurant Quilon in London. Its the only South Indian restaurant in the world to have a Michelin star. Kori Gassi is one of the most popular recipes in his kitchen and in an article, he says, “One thing that taught me, that change can’t be forced is when I decided to remove Mangalore Chicken curry, which we have had for the last 11 years. In a few months people started complaining and I had to put it back on the menu. In the mature gourmet market, people come back to the same dish in a restaurant.” So this recipe is that good. I am sure you will come back for more. Come with me. Lets ride the gravy train.

There is one ingredient that is important for the fiery orange color and the flavor of Kori Gassi. Its the Karnataka Byadagi chillies. BAY-DIG-GAY as its pronounced, Byadagi Chillies come from the Haveri district in Karnataka. The chilli is long and wrinkled and deeply red. Its not very hot but imparts a dark color and aroma. Its not a very spicy variety of chilli. So if you can get Byadagi chillies, its good. Else you can use Kashmiri chillies.

Heat coconut oil in a pan and saute shallots (small onions) and garlic for 3-4 minutes on medium flame until the shallots are pink and soft. Remove from pan and set aside. Add in the Byadagi chillies in the same pan and roast for 30 seconds. I added 5 chillies. This variety of chilli is not hot. So add up to 12 chillies if you want a spicy curry. I added less as my little son loves coconut milk based curries and I want to see him enjoying the food rather than running for water. I am working on his spice levels one chilli at a time. So add chillies according to your taste. Once the chilli is roasted, set aside. In the same pan, add a teaspoon of ghee and add in the dry spices namely fenugreek seeds ( don’t add too much, else the curry will become bitter), cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper corns. Roast for a minute until fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Grind the onion mixture, chillies and the roasted spices with a cup of water to a very very VERY smooth paste. This is a very silky curry. So you want to make sure that the masala paste is ground to a very smooth texture. Set aside.

Take a pressure pan and add in the chicken pieces. Add in the rock salt, the ground masala paste and the turmeric.

Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze between your fingers to make tamarind pulp. Discard the seeds and hard bits from the pulp. Add in the tamarind pulp and the second pressed coconut milk. Here is my recipe for homemade coconut milk. Mix everything well to combine.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 whistles, approximately 10 minutes on low medium flame. While cooking, a little bit of curry might ooze from the cooker whistle nozzle and that’s perfectly normal. Once all the whistles are done, switch off the flame and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally.

Now lets do the tempering. Heat ghee in a small pan and add in the cinnamon, cloves and the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves splutter. Add it to the curry.

Keep the cooker back on heat and let it come to a boil on low flame. Check for seasoning. Add salt if necessary. In the mean time make a corn starch slurry with 2 tablespoon of corn flour and half a cup of water. Add it to the curry. This will instantly thicken the curry and give a very luscious texture to the gravy. This is optional. But I really like to do this procedure as its worth it. Stir well and let the curry thicken up. It will take a minute. Add in the first pressed coconut milk and switch off the flame. Do not cook for long after adding the first pressed coconut milk.

Homemade Kori Gassi – Mangalorean style chicken curry is ready. Its traditionally served with Kori Rotti or Neer Dosa. But it goes well with Aapam, Idiyappam and Idli.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Kori Gassi - Mangalorean Chicken Curry

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Recipe for Kori Gassi - Mangalorean Chicken Curry. Succulent pieces of chicken cooked in finely ground fresh coconut with spices.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Karnataka, Mangalore

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For Kori Gassi Masala Paste

• 1 teaspoon Coconut oil
• 20 Shallots (small onions)
• 8 cloves Garlic
• 12 Byadagi Chillies ***
• 1 teaspoon Ghee
• ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
• ¾ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Black pepper corn
• 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds

For the curry

• 750 grams Chicken with bone
• 2 teaspoon Rock salt
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• 10 grams Tamarind soaked in ½ cup of hot water

Coconut Milk Recipe for home made coconut milk

• 1 Cup First pressed milk (Thick coconut milk)
• 2 Cups Second pressed milk

Tempering

• 1 teaspoon Ghee
• 2 stick Cinnamon
• 2 Cloves
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves

Corn Starch Slurry

• 2 tablespoon Corn flour
• ½ cup water

Instructions

For Kori Gassi Masala Paste

1. Heat coconut oil in a pan and saute shallots (small onions) and garlic for 3-4 minutes on medium flame until the shallots are pink and soft. Remove from pan and set aside. Add in the Byadagi chillies in the same pan and roast for 30 seconds. Once the chilli is roasted, set aside. In the same pan, add a teaspoon of ghee and add in the dry spices namely fenugreek seeds ( don’t add too much, else the curry will become bitter), cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper corns. Roast for a minute until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
2. Grind the onion mixture, chillies and the roasted spices with a cup of water to a very smooth paste.

For the curry

1. Take a pressure pan and add in the chicken pieces. Add in the rock salt, the ground masala paste and the turmeric.
2. Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze between your fingers to make tamarind pulp. Discard the seeds and hard bits from the pulp. Add in the tamarind pulp and the second pressed coconut milk.
3. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 whistles, approximately 10 minutes on low medium flame. Once all the whistles are done, switch off the flame and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally.

Tempering

1. Heat ghee in a small pan and add in the cinnamon, cloves and the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves splutter. Add it to the curry.
2. Keep the cooker back on heat and let it come to a boil on low flame. Check for seasoning. Add salt if necessary. In the mean time make a corn starch slurry with 2 tablespoon of corn flour and half a cup of water. Add it to the curry. Stir well and let the curry thicken up. Add in the first pressed coconut milk and switch off the flame.

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The post Kori Gassi – Mangalorean Chicken Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

This happened when we lived in San Jose, CA. Every time we went to an Asian or Indian restaurant, they would ask us to rate our comfortable spice level as a number from 1 to 10 while placing the order. We usually chose the number 7. But one day Vinodh told that he was craving for spicy food and went on and bravely uttered the word 10. The person taking the order reconfirmed if 10 was the number we really wanted. We said a bold yes. After all, we were from India. Vinodh was really hungry and so was I. The food came and the first bite was good. After about 4 bites, his nose was pink and he started sweating. His bold 10 was taking a beating. He would not accept his defeat. But somehow we managed to finish the food with 2 gallons of water. From then on, we have never gone back to a 10 ever again. We still laugh at each other on the 10. I like spicy food. Especially spicy biryani. Its really easy to make non vegetarian biryani as meat flavors the rice well and even if you goof up, you end up with a decent meal. But vegetarian biryani is a different game. The spices, masala’s etc are very important to get it to taste great. We had this spicy mushroom biryani at a wedding and it tasted so great that I straight went into the kitchen to get the recipe from the chef himself. I can really surprise everyone like that. He was surprised and happy to see me back in the big industrial kitchen. He was really happy to share. Many times we never realize how a small little appreciation of the food that we eat can bring so much happiness to the person that made them. So next time you eat good food, say it loud. Here is the recipe for an awesome spicy mushroom biryani.

Prep Work
Measurments Used – 1 Cup = 250 ml
We are going to use Seeraga Samba rice for Chettinad Biryani. Seeraga Samba rice is also sold in shops as Jeera rice. One can also use Basmati rice if you cannot find Jeera Rice. Wash and soak 1.5 cups of Seeraga Samba rice in water for 30 minutes. The quantity of water used for cooking remains the same for both jeera rice as well as basmati rice.

Next, we need to make a spice powder. Dry roast 15 grams 7-8 two inch cinnamon sticks (thats a lot of cinnamon), 3 cardamom and 3 cloves together until fragrant. Remove from heat and let it to cool. Grind to a very fine powder. Its important to get the spice powder as fine as possible. Set aside.

Grind the shallots (small onions), garlic and ginger to a smooth paste. Do not add any water while grinding. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the onions and cashew nuts. Fry till the onions are soft. About 3 minutes on medium flame.

Finely chop the coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chillies. Its important to chop the herbs. So take time to chop the leaves. Add it to the pan and fry for 2 minutes.

Add in the ground shallot-ginger-garlic paste and chopped tomatoes. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and little streaks of oil appear on top. It will take about 3 minutes on medium flame.

Add in the ground cinnamon-clove-cardamom powder, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add in the rock salt. Fry for 10 seconds.

Add in two tablespoons of water and the diced mushrooms. The little water will help in preventing the masalas from burning. Fry on low flame for 3-4 minutes.

In the mean time, bring a pot of water to boil. Add 3 cups of boiling hot water to the pan. Add in the soaked and drained rice to the pan. Its important to add boiling water as the flavor of the masalas stays intact. We have used 2 cups of water for every one cup of rice. Check for seasoning and add salt if necessary.

Cover the pan and cook for exactly 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure from the cooker release naturally.

Serve hot with raita.

Chettinad Style Spicy Mushroom Biryani - Pressure Cooker Method

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Recipe for restaurant style spicy chettinad mushroom biryani. Made in pressure cooker. Very good biryani for a big gathering / parties. Served with raita.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Biryani

Cuisine: Chettinad, South Indian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Spice Powder

• 15 grams 7-8 two inch cinnamon sticks
• 3 cardamom
• 3 cloves

For masala paste

• 20 shallots
• 10 cloves garlic
• 2 inch piece ginger

Other Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 10 cashew nuts, broken
• 10 stalks coriander leaves, chopped
• 10 stalks mint leaves, chopped
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 1 big tomato, chopped
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1½ teaspoon rock salt
• 200 grams button mushrooms, diced
• 1½ cups Jeera Rice (seeraga samba)
• 3 cups boiling hot water
• Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250ml

Instructions

1. Wash and soak 1.5 cups of Seeraga Samba rice in water for 30 minutes.

For the Spice Powder

1. Dry roast cinnamon sticks, cardamom and cloves together until fragrant. Remove from heat and let it to cool. Grind to a very fine powder.

For masala paste

1. Grind the shallots (small onions), garlic and ginger to a smooth paste. Do not add any water while grinding. Set aside.

Procedure

1. Heat oil in a pan and add in the onions and cashew nuts. Fry till the onions are soft. About 3 minutes on medium flame.
2. Finely chop the coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chillies. Its important to chop the herbs. So take time to chop the leaves. Add it to the pan and fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add in the ground shallot-ginger-garlic paste and chopped tomatoes. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and little streaks of oil appear on top. It will take about 3 minutes on medium flame.
4. Add in the ground cinnamon-clove-cardamom powder, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add in the rock salt. Fry for 10 seconds.
5. Add in two tablespoons of water and the diced mushrooms. The little water will help in preventing the masalas from burning. Fry on low flame for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add 3 cups of boiling hot water to the pan. Add in the soaked and drained rice to the pan.
7. Cover the pan and cook for exactly 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure from the cooker release naturally.
8. Serve hot with raita.

3.4.3177

The post Chettinad Style Spicy Mushroom Biryani – Pressure Cooker Method appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

White Pomfret Fish Fry or Vavval Meen Varuval Recipe – How to make South Indian Tamilnadu style Pomfret Fish Fry or Vavval Meen Varuval.
Fish fry is my ultimate comfort food. A simple Rasam and fish fry is the kind of food that will warm your heart. These are the simple pleasures of everyday food. My son loves seafood. So when I am frying fish at home, I just apply a little less masala for his fish and we overload ours with spice. So both son and dad are happy. My husband loves Pomfret. Its buttery and melts in your mouth. Here is how to do an awesome White Pomfret Fish Fry or Vavval Meen Varuval.

We will be making our own fish masala for the Pomfret fish fry. Get in all the ingredients ready on a plate. I like to use Byadagi Chillies as they give a bright red colour to the fish fry.

Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste in a small mixie adding half a cup of water. Make a really smooth paste. Set aside.

Wash and clean the Pomfret fish (Vavval Meen) and make gashes on both sides of the skin. Apply the masala paste on the fish making sure to push the masala inside the gashes. Take time and stuff the masala paste. Apply the masala on both sides. Let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat vegetable oil in a non stick pan until really hot. The masalas wont separate if fried in really hot oil. When the oil is hot, gently place the Pomfret and fry for 2 minutes on one side. Do not disturb or move the fish. After 2 minutes, carefully flip the fish and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. This fish will cook fast.

Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Squeeze some lemon juice on the fish and serve hot with some sliced onions.
Discard the leftover oil used for frying.

Pomfret Fish Fry or Vavval Meen Varuval Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Tamilnadu style Recipe for White Pomfret Fish Fry or Vavval Meen Varuval with homemade masala. With step by step pictures.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 500 grams White Pomfret Fish ( About 3 Pieces)
• ½ cup Vegetable Oil for shallow frying

For the Masala

• 6 Byadagi Chillies
• 1 teaspoon black pepper corn
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon fried gram (pottu kadalai)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon rock salt
• 1 sprig curry leaves

For Garnish

• Juice of a lemon
• Onion Slices

Instructions

1. Grind all the ingredients listed under masala to a smooth paste in a small mixie adding half a cup of water. Make a really smooth paste. Set aside.
2. Wash and clean the Pomfret fish (Vavval Meen) and make gashes on both sides of the skin. Apply the masala paste on the fish making sure to push the masala inside the gashes. Let it marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a non stick pan until really hot. When the oil is hot, gently place the Pomfret and fry for 2 minutes on one side. After 2 minutes, carefully flip the fish and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes.
4. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Squeeze some lemon juice on the fish and serve hot with some sliced onions.

3.4.3177

The post Pomfret Fish Fry or Vavval Meen Varuval Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Beginners Recipe! Easy to do 4 ingredient Coconut Burfi recipe. Coconut Barfi made with milk. Indian desserts can be daunting and difficult. But this one is such a winner. I had this Coconut Burfi back home at Vinodh’s place this time when we had gone for his sisters wedding. His elder sister Padma akka had brought these wonderful burfi’s. It was the soft and fudgy oooey gooey kind. She always brings some little nibbles for the family all the time. She is a great cook. I had these and I loved it so much. First, I had one, then another and then some. It was irresistible. It was so good that the big box of burfi which was supposed to have been our big family’s dessert was over even before we started lunch. Her recipes are a huge hit among us. She loves to entertain and I have seen her cooking for 20-30 people with such ease, it feels that she is cooking only for four. A very high energy person who is always on the move doing something. She describes this burfi as one pot burfi. Its really hard to mess up as this recipe is very forgiving. Here is an awesome Coconut Burfi recipe.

Things to keep in mind while making this Burfi
If the mixture is furiously bubbling up while cooking, reduce the flame to low and cook on low flame.
The timing may not be exact as each and every stove is different. Its only an approximate gauge. Look for the texture as mentioned in the picture at each stage.
Be Patient! Remember, Indian Sweets are a labor of love.

Note on Fresh Shredded Coconut: Please shred only the white part of the coconut meat being careful not to scrape out the brown outer skin. The brown part is hard and does not give a smooth mouth feel for the burfi. So spend time to get rid of the brown skin. Shred the coconut and set aside. We will need 3 cups. I used about 1.5 big coconut for this recipe.

The Recipe
Take a wide pan and add in the milk, sugar and fresh shredded coconut. Keep the pan on stove and start stirring on medium flame. If the milk boils over, try to reduce the flame to low for a couple of minutes and increase the flame again. Keep stirring.

It will start to bubble up after 15 minutes. The mixture will be watery at this moment. If at any point of time, the milk boils over, try to reduce the flame to low for a couple of minutes and increase the flame again.

After 30 minutes, add in the ghee and continue to stir. The mixture will slowly start to thicken up. Lot of patience. Lot of patience. Remember, good things take time.

After 45 minutes, the mixture would start drying up. It will be gooey at this stage.

After one hour, the mixture would have dried considerably and there would not be any liquid left. It will be like the consistency of wet sand. Switch off the flame.

Apply ghee to a quarter sheet pan and dump the hot coconut burfi mixture on the sheet pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Allow it to cool for one hour.

Mark with a knife and gently remove each piece to a serving plate or a storage container.

The burfi will keep in the refrigerator for up-to a week. Serve cold or at room temperature. You can sprinkle finely shredded pistachios as a garnish.
Happy Cooking!

Easy Coconut Burfi or Thenga Burfi, Soft and Fudgy Burfi Recipe

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Easy to do Coconut Burfi recipe. Thengai burfi as its called in Tamilnadu, this is a delicious never fail dessert sweet. Burfi made with milk.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Sweets, Desserts

Cuisine: South Indian

Serves: 35-40 small burfis

Ingredients

• Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250ml
• 4 cups (1 liter) Milk
• 3 Cups Fresh shredded Coconut (white part only)
• 2½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons ghee
• 1 tablespoon ghee for sheet pan
• Shredded Pistachio for garnish

Instructions

1. Take a wide pan and add in the milk, sugar and fresh shredded coconut. Keep the pan on stove and start stirring on medium flame. If the milk boils over, try to reduce the flame to low for a couple of minutes and increase the flame again. Keep stirring.
2. It will start to bubble up after 15 minutes. The mixture will be watery at this moment. If at any point of time, the milk boils over, try to reduce the flame to low for a couple of minutes and increase the flame again.
3. After 30 minutes, add in the ghee and continue to stir. The mixture will slowly start to thicken up. Lot of patience. Lot of patience. Remember, good things take time.
4. After 45 minutes, the mixture would start drying up. It will be gooey at this stage.
5. After one hour, the mixture would have dried considerably and there would not be any liquid left. It will be like the consistency of wet sand. Switch off the flame.
6. Apply ghee to a quarter sheet pan and dump the hot coconut burfi mixture on the sheet pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Allow it to cool for one hour.
7. Mark with a knife and gently remove each piece to a serving plate or a storage container.
8. The burfi will keep in the refrigerator for up-to a week. Serve cold or at room temperature. You can sprinkle finely shredded pistachios as a garnish.

Notes

Note on Fresh Shredded Coconut: Please shred only the white part of the coconut meat being careful not to scrape out the brown outer skin. The brown part is hard and does not give a smooth mouth feel for the burfi. So spend time to get rid of the brown skin.

3.4.3177

The post Easy Coconut Burfi or Thenga Burfi, Soft and Fudgy Burfi Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

I have already posted an easy Deepavali murukku recipe here. I have adapted the recipe to be made in an air fryer. With a little adjustment, the murukkus turn out crispy and crunchy. Its healthy too as they are fried in an air fryer and not deep fried. Apart from the 4 tablespoon of oil that we use in the dough, there is absolutely no other oil or fat used in the recipe.

Here is how to do it:
Wash and soak half cup of urad dal in 1.5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Then pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure in the cooker release naturally. Open the cooker and mash the dal with the back of the spoon. It should mash easily. If the dal is not fully cooked, add 1/4 cup more water and cook for 2 more whistles again. The dal should be fully cooked to a fine paste. Mash the dal with a back of a spoon. Set aside.

For every 1 portion of dal used, we will use 5 portion of rice flour. We have used half a cup of urad dal. So measure 2.5 cups of rice flour and place it in a bowl. Add salt, Ajwain seeds (Omam seeds), Sesame seeds (ellu) and 4 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add in the cooked urad dal. Mix everything well and add water little by little to form a smooth ball. The dough should be smooth and there should not be any cracks in the dough. Add little water at a time. I added one cup of water. But each and every time, the water quantity might change depending upon the age of the rice flour. So the 1 cup water is only an approximate amount. You need to be your own judge. We are aiming for a smooth pliable dough without any cracks. Once the dough has reached that level, knead briefly for 30 seconds. Set aside. Note we did not add any kaaram (spice or chilli) to this recipe. This recipe has no kaaram.

Form small logs and fill in the murukku press. I used the three hole mould for this murukku.

Press the murukku dough from murukku press onto the bowl of the air fryer. Fry in 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Consume the murukkus within 2 days.

   Havells Prolife 1230-Watt Air Fryer (Black)

Healthy Ulundu Murukku, Airfryer Murukku Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

 

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Serves: 30 murukkus

Ingredients

• Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250 ml
• ½ cup Urad dal
• 2.5 cups rice flour (store bought)
• ¼ teaspoon Ajwain seeds (Omam Seeds)
• ½ teaspoon Black Sesame Seeds ( Ellu )
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 2 to 3 cups of water

Instructions

1. Wash and soak half cup of urad dal in 1.5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Then pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure in the cooker release naturally. Open the cooker and mash the dal with the back of the spoon. Set aside.
2. Add rice flour, salt, Ajwain seeds (Omam seeds), Sesame seeds (ellu) and vegetable oil.
3. Mix everything well and add water little by little to form a smooth ball. The dough should be smooth and there should not be any cracks in the dough.
4. Form small logs and fill in the murukku press.
5. Press the murukku dough from murukku press onto the bowl of the air fryer. Fry in 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
6. Consume the murukkus within 2 days.

3.4.3177

The post Healthy Ulundu Murukku, Airfryer Murukku Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

Easy Ulundu Murukku, Urad Dal Murukku Recipe, Deepavali Murukku Recipe. Easy beginners recipe.
Click here for ulundu murukku made in air fryer.
I learnt this easy Ulundu Murukku Recipe from Perur Athama. Long time back, I was talking to her from US during Deepavali time and I was really homesick. There was no sign of Deepavali around for me. Winters can get cold and lonely in America. I dint have much tools with me and I was not ready for murukku adventure with an infant around. She convinced me that I could pull off this recipe and I did. Ever since, I have been making it all the time. It is one of the easiest recipes ever. This recipe makes for such tasty murukkus. Never tell anyone how easy this is to make. This recipe is perfect for a beginner and the ingredients are super easy. The surprising thing about this murukku is that the urad dal is boiled and added. I have never seen such a recipe. But trust me, its one of my best kept murukku secrets.

Here is how to do it:
Wash and soak half cup of urad dal in 1.5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Then pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure in the cooker release naturally. Open the cooker and mash the dal with the back of the spoon. It should mash easily. If the dal is not fully cooked, add 1/4 cup more water and cook for 2 more whistles again. The dal should be fully cooked to a fine paste. Mash the dal with a back of a spoon. Set aside.

For every 1 portion of dal used, we will use 5 portions of rice flour. We have used half a cup of urad dal. So measure 2.5 cups of rice flour and place it in a bowl. Add salt, Ajwain seeds (Omam seeds), Sesame seeds (ellu) and a table spoon of butter. Don’t add too much butter or the murukku will become very soft while frying. Add in the cooked urad dal. Mix everything well and add water little by little to form a smooth ball. The dough should be smooth and there should not be any cracks in the dough. Add little water at a time. I added one cup of water. But each and every time, the water quantity might change depending upon the age of the rice flour. So the 1 cup water is only an approximate amount. You need to be your own judge. We are aiming for a smooth pliable dough without any cracks. Once the dough has reached that level, knead briefly for 30 seconds. Set aside. Note we did not add any kaaram (spice or chilli) to this recipe. This recipe has no kaaram.

Form small logs and fill in the murukku press. I used the three hole mould for this murukku.

Heat oil until hot. Press the murukku dough from murukku press on a ladle and use the ladle to gently drop the murukku in hot oil. Remove the murukkus from oil once the bubbles in the oil settles down. Store the murukkus in an air tight container for up-to 2 weeks.

Awesome murukkus are ready in no time.

2.0 from 1 reviews

Easy Ulundu Murukku, Urad Dal Murukku Recipe, Deepavali Murukku Recipe

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Easy Ulundu Murukku, Urad Dal Murukku Recipe. A very easy to do recipe. Popular Deepavali snack recipe.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Snacks

Cuisine: Tamilnadu, South Indian

Serves: 30 murukkus

Ingredients

• Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250 ml
• ½ cup Urad dal
• 2.5 cups rice flour (store bought)
• ¼ teaspoon Ajwain seeds (Omam Seeds)
• ½ teaspoon Black Sesame Seeds ( Ellu )
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 to 3 cups of water
• 750 ml Vegetable Oil / Refined Peanut Oil for deep frying

Instructions

1. Wash and soak half cup of urad dal in 1.5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Then pressure cook the dal with the water for 6 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure in the cooker release naturally. Open the cooker and mash the dal with the back of the spoon. Set aside.
2. Add rice flour, salt, Ajwain seeds (Omam seeds), Sesame seeds (ellu) and butter.
3. Mix everything well and add water little by little to form a smooth ball. The dough should be smooth and there should not be any cracks in the dough.
4. Form small logs and fill in the murukku press.
5. Heat oil until hot. Press the murukku dough from murukku press on a ladle and use the ladle to gently drop the murukku in hot oil. Remove the murukkus from oil once the bubbles in the oil settles down. Store murukkus in an air tight container for up-to 2 weeks.

3.4.3177

The post Easy Ulundu Murukku, Urad Dal Murukku Recipe appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

My husband Vinodh is a fan of country vegetables. Avarakkai / broad beans is one of his favorites. This Avarakkai Kuzhambu (pronounced Ku-lam-boo) is very hearty and comforting. Vinodh also likes red rice. But I am choosy with red rice. I will eat red rice provided there is a hearty curry like this one.  This is an everyday curry or side dish and all you need is some ghee for the meal. Here is our house favorite Avarakkai Paruppu Curry.

Soak the Avarakkai in lots of water for 10 minutes to get rid of the fine dirt. Wash the beans and set aside. Now we need to de-string the beans. This is an important step as the strings are very fibrous and not pleasant to eat. Snap off the tip of one end of the bean with a paring knife and pull the string like below. Snap and pull other end of the bean too. Discard the snapped-off ends and strings. Note that the tender young bean might not have strings. So just snap off the ends alone.

Cut the beans into 2 inch pieces. Boil the beans in 2 cups of water until tender. Set aside. ( I pressure cooked the beans with water for two whistles.) Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry in low flame until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, salt and turmeric. We use green chillies for this curry and not red chillies. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. About 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Add in the shredded coconut and fry for a minute more. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste with one cup of water. Set aside.

Soak tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind to release the juice and discard any hard bits. Set aside the tamarind water. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind water and let the tamarind water come to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add in the ground masala paste and a small piece of jaggery. I have already said in many of my posts that wherever tamarind goes, a small piece of jaggery also goes. Jaggery helps to enhance the taste of the final dish. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame.

Add in the cooked toor dal and the boiled broad beans. Add in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat. Serve the curry hot with rice.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Recipe for Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry. Perfect South Indian Tamilnadu style lunch side dish for rice.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamilnadu

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 250 grams Avarakkai / Broad Beans
• ½ cup fully cooked Toor Dal
• 1 inch piece tamarind (gooseberry size)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon Jaggery
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 stalks coriander leaves, chopped

For the Masala

• 1 tablespoon sesame / gingely oil
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Green Chillies
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup fresh shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Boil the cut beans in 2 cups of water until tender. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the black pepper, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry in low flame until fragrant. Add in the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, salt and turmeric. Fry till the tomatoes are soft. About 3-4 minutes on medium flame. Add in the shredded coconut and fry for a minute more. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste with one cup of water. Set aside.
3. Soak tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with hands and discard any hard bits. Set aside the tamarind water. Heat oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in the tamarind water and let the tamarind water come to a boil. Once the mixture boils, add in the ground masala paste and a small piece of jaggery. Cook for 2 minutes on low flame.
4. Add in the cooked toor dal and the boiled broad beans. Add in the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat. Serve the curry hot with rice.

3.4.3177

The post Avarakkai Kuzhambu, Avarakkai Paruppu Curry, Broad Beans Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

I am a fan of the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I used to DVR it and watch the same episode several times and take notes during our years in California. This recipe for Cajun Chicken Alfredo was featured in host Guy Fieri’s own restaurant Johny Garlics in Santa Rosa, California. Guy, in his show tells that he developed this recipe during his college days at University of Nevada. I was so excited that I did this recipe the very next day it was aired. This recipe is a regular now at my place. Its simple and very flavorful. I have modified the recipe very little to suit my family’s taste.

The very important ingredient in Cajun Chicken Alfredo is blackening spice mix. I use store bought blackening spice mix. Its sold as Cajun spice mix in India. If you are in the US, it will be sold as blackening spice. It has a lot of flavorful ingredients like salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, Italian seasoning etc….
Buy Cajun Spice Powder Online in India

We will be using 2 boneless chicken breasts for today’s Cajun Chicken Alfredo . Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Rub the chicken well with 3 tablespoons of Cajun Spice powder. Be generous with the spice mix!!! It has a lot of flavor. Make sure the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the spice powder. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan until hot on medium flame. Add in the chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes on each side. It should nicely brown and some bits on the chicken would turn black. Don’t worry. Its just that the spice coating is blackening. It is not burning. You are on the right track.

Once the chicken is cooked, add in the finely chopped garlic and saute for a minute. Add in the milk and the cream. The original recipe uses all cream. But I make it as a lighter version with milk and cream. The original recipe uses sun dried tomatoes too. But I don’t add sun dried tomatoes as I don’t get them here. If you have sun dried tomatoes, add a couple of tablespoons of chopped sun dried tomatoes now.

Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add salt and taste for seasoning. The Cajun spice mixture already has salt in it. So go easy on the salt. Look at the beautiful color it becomes after adding cream. Add in the boiled Spaghetti and Parmesan cheese. Mix well for a minute to let the sauce coat the pasta. Switch off the flame and garnish with spring onions.

Not super complicated, easy, flavorful Cajun Chicken Alfredo pasta is ready!! Serve hot. This recipe has to be had as soon as its made else the pasta tends to dry out.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo - Spaghetti in Cajun spiced Alfredo Sauce

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Recipe for Cajun Chicken Alfredo - Spaghetti Pasta in Cajun spiced Alfredo Sauce. Inspired from Guy Fieri's Diners, Dive-ins and dives episode of Johny Garlics restaurant.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian American

Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the Marination

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless
• 3 tablespoon blackening spice powder / Cajun spice powder

Other ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup Milk
• ½ cup cream
• 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes (optional)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 250 grams spaghetti, cooked
• 3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoon chopped spring onion (4 stalks)

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Rub the chicken well with 3 tablespoons of Cajun Spice powder. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan until hot on medium flame. Add in the chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, add in the finely chopped garlic and saute for a minute. Add in the milk and the cream.
4. Optional - Add a couple of tablespoons of chopped sun dried tomatoes.
5. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add salt to taste.
6. Add in the boiled Spaghetti and parmesan cheese. Mix well for a minute to let the sauce coat the pasta. Switch off the flame and garnish with spring onions.

Notes

I used Amul cream for this recipe as that's what is easily available in India.
You can substitute more cream instead of milk if you want a rich sauce.

3.4.3177

The post Cajun Chicken Alfredo – Spaghetti in Cajun spiced Alfredo Sauce appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.

I love seafood. We never cooked seafood at home when I was young as both my parents are vegetarians. My parents used to cook chicken for us but never fish. The smell of fish is something they cannot appreciate. I have this fond memory of my dad getting us fried fish on his way back from work. He is a civil engineer and he had a job that involved a lot of travelling. My dad was involved in a huge project in the 90’s for his company in a place called Thalavady near Sathyamangalam in Tamilnadu. He used to go there at-least twice a week. On his way back, he would stop at Bavani (famous for Bavanisagar dam). He would get us fried fish from Bavani. He used to tell that the fish was so freshly caught, I knew you guys would love it. So for almost 5-6 years till the project was over, we had fried fish dinners at-least once a week. The fish was fried along with curry leaves and came as a double wrapped parcel. Once with the banana leaf and then with a news paper. It was loosely tied with a white twine. It smelled oh so good! My dad has taken me and my brother many times to Thalavady during our holidays for wild animal sighting. He would be busy with his meetings and me and my brother would be with the care taker of the land Mr.Channappa. Channappa Uncle would take us into the forest to pick goose berries. He would scare us not to leave him and stay close to the jeep as he knew that the area was frequented by Sandalwood Bandit Veerappan at that time. We were really excited and super scared at the same time. Every trip was so thrilling. Wonderful days. This recipe has been inspired from Thalavady days!

I have tried and re-tried many recipes before arriving at this one. The fried fish from Bavani always had a battered coating. So I used egg for binding the ingredients. That little oil in the marinade helps to emulsify the masala so the masala is smooth. I doubt if the original recipe used corn flour but I have used very little in this recipe for binding the Masala well and to coat the fish evenly. Here is what you will need. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for detailed measurements.

Grind all the Masala ingredients to a fine paste. Don’t add water while grinding. The liquid in the egg and the oil will suffice. Pulse it several times until you get a fine paste. Rub the paste on the fish steak on both sides and let it marinate for 30 minutes. I used seer fish today.

Heat sunflower oil in a pan until really hot. Add in the fish steaks and just place a sprig of curry leaf on each of the steak. After 1.5 to 2 minutes, turn the fish to the other side. Turn with the curry leaf along. It might very slightly splutter. Be cautious. Cook the other side for 1.5 to 2 minutes and remove from oil. Drain on paper towel.

Serve hot. I like to squeeze a little lime juice on the fried fish just before serving. Yummy Spicy Fish fry just for ya!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Spicy Fish Fry - Masala Fish Fry Tamilnadu Village Style

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Spicy Fish Fry - Masala Fish Fry Tamilnadu Village Style. The masala coats the fish perfectly in this recipe. A very easy recipe perfect for beginners.

Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Serves: 12 pieces

Ingredients

Masala Ingredients For Marinade

• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
• 1 Egg
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 heaping teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (use more if you want really spicy)
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
• 1 tablespoon Corn Flour
• 2 iinch piece Ginger
• 5 Garlic Cloves
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 sprig Curry Leaves

Other Ingredients

• 500 grams fish steaks
• ½ cup Sunflower Oil / Vegetable Oil
• 10 sprigs curry leaves for deep frying
• 5 Lime / Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

1. Grind all the Masala ingredients to a fine paste. Don’t add water while grinding. Pulse it several times until you get a fine paste. Rub the paste on the fish steak on both sides and let it marinate for 30 minutes. I used seer fish today.
2. Heat sunflower oil in a pan until really hot. Add in the fish steaks and just place a sprig of curry leaf on each one of them. After 1.5 to 2 minutes, turn the other side. Turn the curry leaf along. It might very slightly splutter. Be cautious. Cook the other side for 1.5 to 2 minutes and remove from oil. Drain on paper towel.
3. Serve hot. Squeeze a little lime juice on the fried fish just before serving.

Notes

#Don't let the fish to marinate for more than 30 minutes. I have noticed that the texture of the fish becoming hard if marinated for too long.
#You can omit the curry leaves if you do not like them.
#Always cook fish in really hot oil. That's the trick to getting crisp and juicy fish.
#Fish cooks faster than you think. So eyes on the hot pan. If you cook fish for too long, it might become really dry.

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