Breakfast SIDE DISHES

Cherupayar Thoran

Ingredients

• Cherupayar (whole moong beans/green gram) – ¾ cup  [ soak  this in 3 cups  water overnight ]
• Water – 2.5 cups
• Coconut – ½ cup
• Small onion/shallots – 3,sliced
• Chopped garlic – ½ tsp
• Green chilli – 3, chopped
• Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
• Cumin (jeera) – a pinch (optional)
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
• Curry leaves
• Salt
• Oil – I used coconut oil

Instructions

1. drain the water in which the gram soaked. cook in a pressure cooker with 2.5 cups water.  I cooked it for 4 whistles on high flame . Switch off the flame and keep it closed till the pressure drops, 10-15 mins. Open the cooker and drain the excess water.
2. Combine coconut, sliced small onion, chopped garlic and green chilli, pepper powder, cumin (if using), turmeric powder, curry leaves and salt in a bowl. Mix it well using your finger tips .
3. Heat oil in a wide pan and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the coconut mixture and cook for 2-3 mins. Add cooked cherupayar and mix well. You can add 2 tbsp hot water, just to make sure the payar and coconut mixture is well combined. Cover and cook for 2-3 mins on low flame. Switch off the gas and serve hot with Rice or Kanji.

Chicken Kurma

Ingredients

Chicken – 1 Kg
Onion, finely sliced – 3
Garlic-ginger paste – 3 table spoon
Green chilly – 5
Cinnamon – 1 piece
Clove – 4
Cardamom – 5
Black Pepper powder – 2 table spoon
Coriander powder – 2 table spoon
Potato – 2 (cut into pieces)
Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
Cashew nut – 20 (soaked and ground)
Curds – 2 table spoon
Oil – 2 Table spoon
Salt, coriander leaves, curry leaves – enough

Method

Pour oil in pressure cooker and fry cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Then add ginger-garlic paste and crushed green chilly. Add onion and after it is fried. add coriander powder, pepper powder and salt. Add curry leaves. Add chicken and potato. Close the lid and cook. Wait for three whistle and put out the fire. After it is cooked well, add the curd, cashew paste and coconut milk and bring to boil. Add coriander leaves.

Dry Red Chili Chutney — Mulaku Chammanthi

Ingredients

10 dry red chilies

5 small shallots

½ - ¾ teaspoon tamarind soaked in2-3 tablespoon water

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoon oil, preferably coconut, plus a bit more for roasting

Directions

Wipe a small nonstick frying pan with a bit of oil and roast chilies for 2-3 minutes until crispy, dark brown and fragrant. Take care not to burn chilies. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. 

Using an electric spice or coffee grinder, grind roasted chilies and shallots to a coarse paste, without adding water. Scrape the ground mixture into a bowl and mix well with tamarindpulp,  and oil. Season to taste. Allow to stand for 10 minutes for the flavors to set in. Adjust seasoning, if needed.

Serve it as a relish with steamed rice and curd. This chutney also goes well with traditional combinations like boiled tapioca (kappa), as well as rice gruel (kanji).

Red Chilli Chutney Recipe 

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

8-10 Whole Dry Red Chillies

1/2 inch Ginger, chopped

8 Garlic Cloves

1½ teaspoons Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon Cumin-Coriander Powder

2 tablespoons Oil

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Directions:

1. Deseed and soak dry red chillies in water for 20 minutes and drain them.
2. Take drained red chillies, ginger, garlic, cumin-coriander powder and salt in a small chutney jar of a food processor or grinder. Grind them with 1 tablespoon water until smooth paste.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium size pan and add prepared paste.
4. Sauté it for 2-3 minutes over low flame. Turn off the flame and let it cool at room temperature and mix lemon juice.
5. Transfer red chilli garlic chutney to serving bowl. Use it to make delicious chaats like bhel puri, sev puri or pav bhaji, etc. and give it a spicy touch.

Tips and Variations:

• For even better taste and texture, use mortar and pestle to make this chutney. It will give a coarse texture like no other.
• Use more oil if you like to have an oily chutney. It improves the taste and texture a lot.

Taste: Very hot and spicy

Serving Ideas: There are simply many ways in which red chilli chutney can be used to transform any dull food into titillating spicy food. E.g. use it as spicy condiment for dosa, idli or as a dip for samosa, kachori and various Indian snacks or as a spread to make sandwiches and rolls.

spicy baby potatoes with garlic

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients:

12-14 Baby Potatoes (boiled)

12-15 cloves Garlic (lasun)

1 small Onion (finely chopped)

1-inch Ginger, chopped

3 Dry Kashmiri Red Chillies

1 medium Tomato, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Coriander Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1/2 teaspoon Dry red Chilli Powder

1/8 teaspoon Turmeric Powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon Chaat masala

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

Salt

1 tablespoon + 4 tablespoons Oil

Coriander Leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Soak dry red chillies in 2-tablespoons water for 10 minutes.
2. Boil baby potatoes until tender and peel its skin. (Consider adding salt while boiling potatoes, this will enhance its flavor.)
3. Grind garlic, ginger, soaked dry red chilli, tomato, coriander powder, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and salt together in a grinder and make a smooth tomato-garlic paste.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan. Shallow fry boiled potatoes for 2 minutes over medium flame.
5. Sprinkle chaat masala and garam masala over it and fry for 1 more minute. Turn off flame and transfer potatoes in a bowl.
6. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a same pan. Add finely chopped onion and sauté until light brown.
7. Add tomato-garlic paste and sauté on low flame until oil starts to separate or for approx. 4-5 minutes.
8. Add dry red chilli powder and mix well. Add shallow fried potatoes, stir and cook for 3 minutes.
9. Turn off flame and transfer prepared baby potatoes in a serving bowl. Lasaniya batata is ready. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tips and Variations:

• Adjust garlic and dry red chilli quantity according to your palate’s capacity to handle spiciness. However, we believe that it should be enjoyed for its spiciness and its hotness should not be reduced.
• If you do not have baby potatoes, then take large normal potatoes, boil and cut them into small 1-inch cubes.
• Use Kashmiri red chillies to get nice red-hot color with less spiciness.
• Use more oil (6 tablespoons) if you are not worried about consuming too much fat while enjoying lasaniya aloo. It really improves the taste and texture.

Taste: Hot and spicy

Red Coconut Chutney Recipe

This Kerala style coconut chutney does not get its inviting red color only from red chillies but also from tomatoes, and this is what sets it apart from other south Indian chutneys as tomato provides a tempting tangy touch to its otherwise spicy taste.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 minutes

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

For Chutney

1/2 cup grated or shredded Fresh Coconut

1-2 Garlic Cloves

3 Dry Red Chillies

1 tablespoon Roasted  parippu/Chana Dal

1 small Tomato, chopped

Salt

For Tempering

1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1/2 teaspoon Urad Dal (split black gram)

4-5 Curry Leaves

2 teaspoons Oil

Directions:

1. Take grated coconut, garlic, dry red chillies, roasted chana dal, chopped tomato and salt in a grinder or food processor.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons water and grind until medium coarse paste. Taste for salt and add more if required. Add and mix water as needed to make it diluted to desired level. Transfer to a serving bowl.
3. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves (add dal and curry leaves when mustard seeds start to splutter). Sauté until dal turns golden brown.
4. Remove pan from flame and immediately pour tempering over chutney. Mix if desired. Kerala style red tomato coconut chutney is ready; serve it with idli, set dosa, appam, etc.

Tips and Variations:

• Consume it fresh or you can store it in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Taste: Mild tangy and spicy

Serving Ideas: Serve this kerala coconut chutney with upma, uttapam and medu vada along with sambhar. 

Coconut Chutney Recipe 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 minutes

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup roughly chopped Fresh Coconut

1 teaspoon grated Ginger

2 Green Chillies, chopped

1 tablespoon Roasted  Parippu/ Chana Dal (daliya)

1 tablespoon Curd

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice or Tamarind Paste

1/2 cup Water

Salt

For Tempering

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1/4 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

4-5 Curry Leaves

1 Dry Red Chilli

1 teaspoon Oil

Directions:

1. Take chopped coconut in a small chutney jar of food processor or grinder.
2. Grind it to make a medium coarse paste and transfer to a plate.
3. Add green chillies, roasted chana dal and ginger in same chutney jar.
4. Grind them to a smooth powder.
5. Add crushed coconut, curd, lemon juice, salt and 1/2 cup water.
6. Grind them to make a medium coarse paste. If required, add more water to get desired consistency of chutney and grind again. Transfer it to a bowl.
7. Heat oil in a small tempering pan. Add mustard seeds. When seeds begin to crackle, add cumin seeds, dry red chilli and curry leaves and sauté for 10 seconds.
8. Take away pan from flame and immediately pour tempering over the prepared coconut paste and mix well. Coconut chutney for idli and dosa is ready; enjoy it with your favorite type of dosa.

Tips and Variations:

• Adjust quantity of water according to make it thick or diluted.
• Avoid addition of green chilles while making coconut paste and avoid dry red chillies in tempering to make white coconut chutney
• Consume fresh idli-dosa chutney immediately or refrigerate it and use it for up to 3 days.

Peanut Chutney Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Roasted Peanuts, skin removed

3 Garlic Cloves

1/4 teaspoon Tamarind Paste

4 Dry Red Chillies

1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

4-5 Curry Leaves

2 teaspoons Oil

1/2 cup Water

Salt

Directions:

1. Take roasted peanuts, garlic, 3 dry red chillies, tamarind paste and salt in a chutney jar of grinder.
2. Grind them together to make a medium coarse powder.
3. Add 1/2 cup water and grind again until smooth paste. Transfer paste to a serving bowl and proceed to prepare tempering.
4. Heat oil in a small pan. Break 1 dry red chilli into two pieces. Add mustard seeds; when they start to crackle, add curry leaves and remaining 1 dry red chilli. Sauté for 10 seconds and turn off flame.
5. Pour tempering over chutney paste. Chutney is now ready to be served with steamed idli and dosa.

Tips and Variations:

• If roasted peanuts are not available, then you can dry roast them over low flame in a heavy based pan for 7-8 minutes. Let them cool for 3-4 minutes and remove the skin.
• Increase or decrease the amount of red chillies to make more or less spicy respectively. Adding more chillies will in fact make it Andhra style spicy peanut chutney.
• You can avoid topping it up with mustard seeds tempering if you are going use it only for making dosa.

Easy egg curry with coconut milk recipe

Ingredients

• Boiled eggs - 3
• Onion 1 - cut into small cubes
• Carrot sliced - 1
• Boiled potato - 1 cut into small cubes
• Green Chilli - 4 nos cut into half
• Curry leaves - 5 nos
• Pepper powder - 1/4 tbsp
• Garam Masala - 3 pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp
• Coconut milk - 1 cup
• Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp

Method

Step 1

Sauté onion in vegetable oil and add carrots.

Step 2

Once carrots are cooked add boiled potato, green chilli, curry leaves, pepper powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and sauté for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Then add coconut milk and slide eggs to curry. Do not allow the curry to boil. Once hot switch of the flame and serve hot.

Chicken in Dry Roasted Spicy Coconut Paste – Varutharacha Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• Chicken - 500g (cut into small pieces)
• Onion (chopped) - 2 nos
• Tomato (chopped) - 1
• Green Chilli - 4
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Grated Coconut - !/2 Cup
• Cardamom - 2
• Cloves - 3
• Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
• Shallots - 5
• Coconut Oil - 4 tbsp
• Curry Leaves - 2 twings
• Salt to taste

Method

Step 1

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the grated coconut till it becomes brown.

Step 2

Then add Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon and 2 Shallots. When the mixture is brown in colour remove from heat and grind it to a smooth paste.

Step 3

Heat a pan add some oil. Add chopped Onion, Ginger Garlic Paste, Green chilies and Tomato. Cook this for 2 minutes.

Step 4

Now add the Chicken, grinded Coconut paste and salt. Cook on a medium flame till the chicken is soft. This will take around 5 minutes.

Step 5

Take a pan add some oil add 2 chopped shallots and curry leaves. Pour this seasoning to the curry. Tasty Chicken curry is ready to be served.

INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN MASALA RECIPE

Preparation time: 20 minutes 
Cooking time: 20 minutes 
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 250 gm of boneless chicken, cubed
• 2 onions, minced
• 1 tomato, pureed
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste or sauce
• 1 tbsp of butter, ghee, or oil
• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 1 tsp of minced ginger
• 2 tsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp of chilli powder (use Kashmiri chilli powder for better results)
• 1 tsp of garam masala or chicken masala
• 1 large pinch of kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 cup of milk
• 3 tbsp of cream or pureed cashew paste (soak and grind cashew nuts)
• 1-2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves / cilantro, for ganish

How to Make Butter Chicken:

• Heat the butter in a pan and add the minced onions. Fry until golden brown
• Add the ginger, garlic, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, and salt. Fry for a minute until fragrant
• Add the pureed tomato and tomato paste and cook for 3-4 mins until the mixture bubbles uniformly
• Thrown in the kasuri methi, milk, and the cubed chicken. Cook covered for 8-10 mins until the chicken is soft. The chicken will let out more water, just check once or twice in between and give the curry a stir. Keep the flame on sim
• When the chicken is cooked soft, open the lid and cook for a further minute or two. If the gravy is too thick, add some water at this stage
• When done, add the garam masala or chicken masala and the cream or cashew paste. Give it a good stir, but don't boil
• Adjust salt, garnish with the coriander leaves, and remove from fire

Beef dry fry In salt and pepper

Ingredients

• Beef - 500gm
• Onion - 1 (chopped)
• Shallots - 5 nos (chopped)
• Kashmiri red chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger paste -1/2 tsp
• Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Vinegar - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Pepper powder - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves - 2 string
• Coconut oil - 4 tsp
• Water - 2 cup
• Green chilies - 3 nos (chopped)

Method

Step 1

Clean and cut the beef into small pieces.

Step 2

Marinate the beef with ginger garlic paste, pepper powder, garam masala, salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilly powder, chopped shallots and vinegar for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Pressure cook the marinated beef with 2 cup of water for 5 minutes or until the first whistle. When all the steam has escaped open the cooker lid. If there is excess water cook until the water is fully absorbed.

Step 4

Heat coconut oil in a pan and saute the chopped onion till it becomes golden brown.

Step 5

Add chopped greed chillies, curry leaves and cooked beef. Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala at this stage. Stir over a low flame. Spicy Beef dry is ready to serve.

Hot And Spicy Beef Curry

Ingredients

• Beef - 500 g
• Dry red chillies - 2 nos
• Black Pepper - 1 tsp
• Shallots(small onion) - 1 cup
• Ginger garlic paste - 3 tsp
• Onions - 1 no (chopped)
• Cumin seeds (perumjeerakam) - 1 tsp
• Tomatoes - 2 nos
• Green chillies - 3 nos
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• coriander powder-2 tbsp
• garam masala powder- 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Coconut oil - 6 tbsp
• Curry leaves - 2 stem
• Kashmiri red chilly powder - 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - 1 stem
• Water - 2 cup

Method

Step 1

Clean the beef and cut into small pieces.

Step 2

Heat 3 tsp coconut oil in a pan add the dry red chillies and fry for 3 minutes.

Step 3

Fry  red chilly powder,turmeric powder,corianderpowder , black pepper,  together and set aside.

Step 4

In the same pan add shallots, ginger garlic paste and stir fry this till they turn brown. Blend all these fried ingredients in a mixer grinder.

Step 5

Pressure cook chopped beef with turmeric powder, salt, water and the blended mixture for 8 minutes.

Step 6

Take a pan add 3 tsp of coconut oil add chopped onion. Stir fry onions it turns brown add green chillies and chopped tomatoes. Saute for 3 minutes. Add cooked beef, curry leaves to this and mix well. add GARAM MASALA.  

Step 7

When the curry turns brown, turn off the flame. Garnish roasted beef with curry leaves, coriander leaves.

Step 8

Roasted beef is ready to be served with porotta or chapathi or rice .