Chicken kuzhambu

This is my first Non-Veg recipe in my blog as everyone started asking me that whether I am vegetarian?   I would say this Chicken kuzhambu is in modern style as we saute all the ingredients step by step. This Kuzhambu suits for Rice, Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Puri. I usu ally prepare this kuzhambu in pressure cooker, so that Chicken will be cooked very nicely. Soon I will post authentic style kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Onion - 1 no. big in size

Tomato - 2 no's

Garlic pods - 5 no's
Green Chilly - 1 no.
Salt - required

Chilly Powder(curry) - 3 Table spoon
Chicken powder (Garam masala) - 1 Table spoon
Turmeric Powder - 2 Tea spoon
Tamarind - An Amla size
Coriander leaves - few

To Grind:

Onion Shallots  - 5 no's
Tomato - 1 no.
Garlic pods - 3 no's
Ginger - 3 pieces

Cumin seeds - 2 Table spoons
Pepper - 1 Table spoons
Grated Coconut - 3 Table spoons

To Temper:

Oil - 5 Table spoons

Fennel seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Bay leaf -  1 no.
Cinamon - Small piece

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1.Wash the chicken gently thrice with plain water, add Turmeric, mix it keep it aside. Turmeric acts as effective disinfectant, so its good to add with Chicken.

                 
Place a pan and add oil, good to have Gingelly oil for better taste, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one. 

3. Then add garlic. Once garlic turns golden brown, add onion.

4. Once onion turns to translucent color, add tomatoes with required salt and turmeric powder, close the lid to get cooked.

5. Tomatoes will be smashed, add Chicken, once its cooked, turns soft, add Chilly powder, it can be curry powder and add grounded paste.

6. Close the lid, wait for 2 whistles....Once the pressure is released add extracted tamarind water to the kuzhambu, add Chicken curry powder or Garam masala for flavor.

7. Once Kuzhambu get boiled, Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Tips:

1. Chicken curry powder added at the end to keep the flavor.
2. Fennel seeds and Fenugreek seeds in the "To Temper" list can be added as powder once its finely roasted, gives a better flavor.
3. For rich flavor, you can add Kasa Kasa and Cashews in "To grind" list
4. Either Country Chicken or Broiler Chicken suits this recipe, Country Chicken always taste great and good for kids.

Thengai Kanji

Thengai Kanji is delicious dish which has medicinal values. Very helpful to recover from cold and fever, stomach and mouth ulcer. It has medicinal values as it has ingredients like Fenugreek seeds, Garlic and Coconut milk. It's easy to swallow and as its not spicy, so kids love to have this dish, easy to intake while having mouth ulcer. My daughter love this dish and my mom prepare this dish for breakfast on Sunday after head bath to reduce body heat. Side dish can be Pickle/Milagai Vathal/Paruppu Thogaiyal.

Ingredients:

Raw rice/Sona Masoori rice - 1 cup
Garlic pod - full with all cloves

Fenugreek seeds - 5 Tea spoons
Coconut milk - Extracted

Salt - required

Method:

1. Soak the Rice with Fenugreek seeds for half an hour.

2. Boil 8 to 10 cups of water in a vessel for 1 cup of Rice.  Peel off the Garlic and add it as whole Garlic cloves to the boiling water with Fenugreek seeds, Rice once it's drained.

                                                    

3. Rice has to be cooked, reduce the flame till you get consistency to be well smashed.

4. Add required Salt and Coconut milk, usually I buy a can of Coconut milk, while extracting it add first and second extract of Coconut milk which will be more thicker.

5. Once u added Coconut milk texture become pure white and switch off the flame, don't cook it further, once Coconut milk is added, as it will change the flavor.

Tips:

1. Rice has to be cooked properly like Curd rice, Pongal consistency and Coconut milk should be thicker to get better taste.

Kosamalli

Kosamalli is authentic side dish in Chettinadu, suits very well with Hot Idli, Dosai, Idiyappam. This dish is made with cooked Eggplants. For better taste choose Eggplants with seeds. With this dish, I bet you, people have excess numbers on main course.

Enjoy your breakfast and dinner with this awesome Side dish...:-)

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 5 to 6 no. big in size

Tomato - 1 no

Onion - 1 no
Potato - 1 no

Green chilly - 3 to 4 no

Salt - required
Tamarind - Small Amla size

Coriander leaves - few

To Temper:

Oil - 5 Table spoons

Mustard - 1 Tea spoons

Urad dal - 2 Tea spoons
Red chili - 1 broken

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Cut the Eggplants, Potatoes into half, soak it in water, so that color will not change to dark. Pressure cook for two whistles on Eggplants and Potatoes, drain the excess water, allow it to cool to room temperature, don't change the temperature drastically by dropping them in cold water, this will spoil the taste and lose the nutrients of veggies. Chop the veggies required for this dish. Don't chop it finely, you can have straight cuts of Onions and Tomatoes, Slit the Green Chili's. so that it tastes good, they usually say, "Sendhapula irrukkum"

2. Soak the Tamarind in water, quick tip, if want to get soaked immediate, you can soak it in hot water for better results.

3. Peel the cooked Eggplants and Potatoes. Just smash it by mixing Tamarind extract, do filter tamarind extract before adding it.

4. Heat the Pan, add Oil, add one by one in the "To Temper" list. Saute the Green Chilly, Onion, Tomato one by one by adding Salt.
5. Add the Tamarind/smashed Eggplants&Potatoes extract to it, add required Water & Salt, allow it to cook by closing the lid of the pan for 10 minutes.

6. Add a bit of  Idli/Dosa batter to give better consistency, but its totally optional, this step can be skipped if you are adding potatoes smashed that it helps to give consistency.
7. Once Kosamalli gets its proper consistency, switch off the flame, add chopped Coriander leaves and serve it to the dish.

Tips:

1. Add water depends on the main course, if its for Idiyappam, Dosa, consistency can be thicker than for Idli.
2. Use seeded Eggplants for better taste....Usually I buy bigger ones.

3. Don't change the temperature drastically by dropping cooked eggplants, potatoes in cold water, to peel them, this will spoil the taste and lose the nutrients of veggies.

Enjoy your breakfast and dinner with this awesome Side dish...:-)

Uppu Kozhukattai

Uppu Kozhukattai is a traditional and healthy snack in Chettinadu, authentic name is "Aati Kindi Kuzhakattai". My Mother-in-law says that they usually prepare this kozhukattai while watching Sunday cinema in Doordharshan, serve to neighbors as well who come and watch movie in their house. It's a good idea to prepare this Kozhukattai while grinding Idli batter, if you add one more cup Idli Rice extra, u can use that to make Uppu Kozhukattai for evening snack. Kids will love it and healthy too as it is steamed item. Its too good for older generation too and easy for digestion.

Ingredients:

Idli Rice  - 1 cup
Salt - required

To Temper:

Cooking oil - 2 Table spoons

Mustard - 1 Tea spoon
Urad dhal - 1 Tea spoon
Red chilly - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Grind a cup of Idli rice in Grinder or you can take some quantity of flour which u have finished grinding already for Idli batter (Rice alone) as I said before, in Idli batter consistency and add Salt to it.
2. Heat a Non-stick pan, add one by one in the "to temper" list. Before adding Coconut add the batter, mix it well, batter should get thick consistency, add the shredded Coconut, switch off the flame.

3. Make medium size kozhukattai's in round shape and steam it in Idli vessel for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Check the Kozhukattai with fork that it is cooked properly.
5. Serve hot, enjoy the healthy Kozhukattai's.

Tips:

1. It's a good idea to prepare this Kozhukattai while grinding Idli batter, if you add one more cup Idli Rice extra, u can use that to make Uppu Kozhukattai for evening snack.

Karuveppilai Kuzhambu

Karuvepilai Kuzhambu suits for Rice, Idli, Dosa, Chapathi, Puri. With Rice Vathal this kuzhambu will be a feast for lunch. This can be redefined as Marundhu Kuzhambu as it as healthy ingredients like Curry leaves, Gingelly oil, Garlic, Peppercorns, Cumin seeds, Onion Shallots, Turmeric powder, Fenugreek seeds all has medical values.

About Karuvepilai:

   Its really good for hair growth and for eyes, five items very good for health, 1. Mint, 2. Curry leaves,  3. Cumin seeds, 4. Coriander leaves 5. Fenugreek seeds. Among this curry leaves is the queen and mandatory to take it, just remembered my mom says to chew curry leaves along with the food instead of wasting it. In US, curry leaves is highly demanded product, whenever I get a lot, I don't waste it, rather I make a chutney or kuzhambu. Like Tulasi plant, if we have Karuvepilai plant at home, it's a authentic plant, it's really good....

Ingredients:

Onion Shallots - 7 to 8 no's

Tomato (small) - 1 no

Garlic pods - 10 no's
Salt - required

Turmeric Powder - 2 Tea spoon
Tamarind - An Amla size

To Grind:

Curry leaves - 2 cup
Peppercorns  - 1 Table spoon

Cumin seeds - 2 Tea spoons

Red Chilli - 3 no's
Grated Coconut - 2 Table spoon

To Temper:

Gingelly/Sesame Oil - 5 Table spoons

Fennel seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 Tea spoon
Cumin seeds - 1 Tea Spoon

Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind with less water till the tamarind got soaked. Tamarind extract should be thick. Chop the veggies required for this dish. Add Garlic bit more, as it gives nice flavor, Grind the items which is given in "To Grind" list.

Tip: Onions and Garlic as to be chopped as lengthier ones, so it will be crunchy while tasting it.
2. Place a pan and add oil, Gingelly oil tastes good for Pulli Kuzhambu, once oil is hot, add the ingredients mentioned in "To Temper" list, one by one. Fennel and Fenugreek seeds if u dry roast, powder, try by adding it while temper, it gives nice aroma.

3. Then add garlic. Once garlic turns golden brown, add onion.

4. Once onion turns to translucent color, add tomatoes with required salt and turmeric powder, close the lid to get cooked.

5. Tomatoes will be smashed, add grounded paste, just saute it nicely, once the raw smell is gone, squeeze the tamarind, extract the juice add it with required water, have a taste check for salt and spicy and close the lid.

6. Once the kuzhambu gets its consistency, oil will get ooze out. Switch off the fire.

Tips:

1. Kara Kuzhambu should not be cooked in high flame after adding tamarind, keep it in medium fire and Tamarind extract has to be thick. Rather in our native they say "Kuzhambu Kaduthu Poidum"