Natham Mutta (Egg) Curry

Natham Mutta (Egg) Curry, this recipe I learnt from a television show. Natham is a place in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. Dindigul cuisine is vast - you can taste one of the fine biriyani from Dindigul. Our usual egg curry will be either boiled egg curry or break the egg in boiling curry. This recipe is entirely different, you need a lot of patience for making this wonderful recipe. 

This is recipe goes well with plain rice, dosai or idly.  Takes a lot of efforts from your side to make this recipe. If you really crazy about cooking unique recipes, put effort and spend some time. End result will be amazing.

Ingredients

For Paste 

• Small onion - 4 nos  
• Garlic - 2 nos 
• Red dry chilli - 4 nos 
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp 
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp 
• Toor dal - 1 tsp 
• Urad dal - 1 tsp 

For curry 

• Egg - 2 nos 
• Finely chopped tomato - 2 nos 
• Sliced green chilly - 3 nos 
• Sliced small onion - 3 nos 
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp 
• Coconut paste - 1 cup 
• Tamarind juice - 1/2 cup 
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp 
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp 
• Curry leaves - As required 
• Salt - For taste 
• Oil - 2 tsp 

To make egg cakes 

1. In a mixer, add all the ingredients given for paste grind into a fine paste (Add only a little water)
2. To the paste, break 2 eggs and salt, and mix well 
3. In an idly steamer, place a plate or a cake mold which is coated with oil
4. Pour in the egg mixture to the mold and steam 
5. It takes around 10-15 minutes for the egg mixture to cook
6. After the egg cake cools down, cut into small pieces

To make curry 

1. Heat a pan, pour oil, add cumin seeds, Fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves 
2. Add the slit chillies and small onions and fry till brown
3. Add the tomato and cook for 10 min in low flame 
   
4. While the  tomato is cooking, to the tamarind juice mix the coconut paste, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder  and Chilli powder. Mix this into a paste. 
5. After the tomato cooks nicely, add the tamarind mixture and mix well 
6. Add required salt.  (Add salt only for the curry) 
7. Add the egg pieces to the curry. 
8. Don't mix the curry after you drop the egg pieces, cook in low flame 

Serve hot with dosa or idly. 

Chilli chicken with ginger & coriander - Gordon Ramsay recipe

Recreating a recipe of Gordon Ramsay, the great head chef is a nightmare. I love to watch his shows and cooking style, hotter than a chilli :) Perfectionist and his dedication level towards cooking, is ultimate. Not only cooking, the way he cuts vegetables and meat will make you fall in love with cooking.

Chilli chicken with ginger & coriander, this recipe is from his British cookery television series, Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course, under the episode - Stress-Free Cooking. Wait a minute, Stress-Free cooking ?? no way when I hear the name Gordon Ramsay, how come ill be cool ? so much pressure on this recipe to cook well. This recipe has no modification, just in Ramsay's style :) Enjoy this wonderful recipe.

I should tell you when I cooked this recipe and tasted for salt - OMG I was not able to stop licking my fingers, the taste of the lemon and curd to the tender chicken is heaven :) so let's start cooking.

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 500 gms 
  
• Chopped garlic - 3 nos 
• Chopped ginger - 2 tsp 
• Finely chopped chilli - 1 no 
• Lemon juice - 3 tsp 
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Tumeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Yogurt - 150g
• Finely chopped onion - 1 no 
• Coriander powder - 2 tsp 
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Tomato puree - 2 tsp 
• Butter - 25g
• Small bunch of coriander leaves chopped
• Salt - For taste 

For Marination 

1. Clean the chicken thoroughly, add half of chopped garlic, chopped ginger,  and lemon juice,
2. Add chopped chillies, turmeric powder, and yogurt mix well. 
3. Add salt to the chicken and mix
   
4. In a pan, dry roast coriander seeds and cumin seeds to release the flavours. Grind them and add to the chicken
5. Leave this marinated chicken covered for 2 hours or overnight in a refrigerator (I have kept marination for 2 hours). 

For the Sauce

1. Heat the pan, add oil and saute chopped onion.
2. Add the remaining chopped garlic and ginger and mix well for 2 minutes 
   
3. Add coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder
4. After the powder cooks well, add tomato puree and butter 
   
5. Add the marinated chicken and cook till tender
6. Finally, add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. 

This recipe goes well with hot rice, chapati or plain naan :) Simple and delicious. 

Dal Fry - Punjabi style

Dal Fry, popular recipe from Punjabi, India, which goes well with jeera rice, phulka or just plain rice. You can make this recipe with Toor dal/arhar dal/pigeon pea lentils or half-half of tuvar dal and masoor dal.

At home, we prepare dal by just pressure cook it and temper or add coconut paste to the boiled dal and temper. For a change try this style, you'll surely like this recipe and like to have this in your everyday menu. In my recipe, I have used Toor dal.

Ingredients

• Toor dal  - 1/4 cup 
• Finely chopped onion - 1 no 
• Finely chopped tomato - 2 nos 
• Ghee - 3-4 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 
• Green chillies finely chopped - 2 nos 
• Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp 
• Cinnamon- 1 piece
• Cloves - 2 pieces
• Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Garlic finely chopped - 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• salt to taste
• Dry red chilly - 2 no 
• Curry leaves - As required 

For Dal

Wash the lentils thoroughly. Soak them for half an hour in 1 and half cup water. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles.

For Dal Fry

1. Heat about 1 & 1/2 tbsp of ghee in a pan.
2. Add the seasoning ingredients- cumin seeds, cloves and the cinnamon stick. 
3. Add curry leaves ( i personally like to have curry leaves more in my cooking) 
4. Add the onions and green chillies, and saute until translucent but make sure that they do not turn brown in colour (If you over cook the onions, in your recipes it starts to float and spoil your recipe).
5. Add the tomatoes,turmeric powder and red chilli powder and let the ingredients cook until the tomatoes are soft
6. Pour in the boiled dal and mix well. Add water if required. 
7. Add salt and let it boil for about 5 - 6 minutes.

For tempering

1. Heat the remaining ghee in a small pan. 
2. Add dry red chilli and let it cook, 
3. Add 1/4 tsp asafoetida, chopped garlic and curry leaves. 
4. Stir and pour it all over the dal.

Kerala Toddy Shop Fish Curry

Toddy shop - Kallu shop which is nothing but a drinking establishment in Kerala, India, where they serve palm toddy, a mildly alcoholic beverage made from the sap of palm trees, is served along with food. I have heard people saying the food served at toddy shop is very spicy and hot with chilies. The main dish is tapioca with red fish curry (Kappa with meen curry)

This recipe is not personally taste by me :) but i learnt from people from Kerala. I planned to taste kappa with meen curry from a toddy shop when i go to Kerala. I wanted the first non-vegetarian recipe in my blog to be toddy shop fish curry prepared in a clay pot (Mann chatti /  Meen chatti). Cooking in clay pot is traditional way of cooking fish curry, the heat circulates evenly and taste of the recipes enhances

Ingredients

• Cleaned and sliced Pomfret fish - 1 no 
  
• Sliced Onion - 1 no
• Sliced tomatao - 1/4  no (Optional )
• Finely chopped ginger  - 3 tsp 
• Green chillies chopped - 5 nos 
• Kodmapuli (Cambodge, malabar tamarind) - 3 nos
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp 
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp 
• Salt - For taste 
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp 
• Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - as required 

Fish selection is completely your choice and tomato usage in this curry is optional. In this recipe, i avoided usage of tomato but in some versions they use tomato. Kodampuli (Cambodge, malabar tamarind) is a type of tamarind, you can do this curry with normal tamarind juice, but to get authentic Kerala fish curry try to use Kodampuli. 

1. Rinse Kodampuli briefly to dislodge any grit, then soak it in hot water for a few minutes before adding it to curry 
2. Marinate fish, with little salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder and keep aside for about 20 minutes 
3. Heat oil (coconut oil is better option) in a manchatti (clay pot). Add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and let it splutter.
4. Next add half of the curry leaves and saute for few seconds.
5. Add ginger, and green chilies. Saute until raw smell leaves. Now reduce flame to low and add sliced onion and cook till golden brown. 
6. This stage if you want to add tomato, means add 1/4 of finely chopped tomato and cook.
7. Add chilli powder,coriander powder and turmeric powder and saute for 5 minutes at low flame.
8. Add water and salt to taste. Mix well and bring it to a boil. Now add the soaked kodampuli and cook for 3 minutes 
9. When the curry starts to boil and turns thick, add the fish and cook at low flame.
10. Oil will start to float over the curry and turn off the heat 
11. Final touch of Kerala cooking, add the remaining curry leaves and a 1/2 tsp of coconut oil.

This curry goes well with hot rice and boiled tapioca (Kappa) 

Health benefits 

Kodmapuli (Cambodge, malabar tamarind) - is a natural anti-oxidant and an effective catalyst for weight loss. It is also helps for stomach upsets, digestion and used against arthritis, uterine diseases, and cure ulcers.

Baingan bhartar

Punjabi Baingan (Eggplant) bharta, my personal favorite to have with Phulkas. The best part of this recipe is the eggplant grilled over charcoal or direct fire. Smoky flavour in this a vegetarian recipe will reminds you tandoori starters. You can have this recipe with Phulkas, roti or paratha and also served with rice. 

Once you go through this recipe completely, you can realise this is very much similar to Kathrika (Eggplant) Kothsu recipe which is prepared in Tamil Nadu, India. I have made this Baingan bharta with phulkas.

Ingredients

For Baingan bhartar

• Eggplant - 1 no
• Finely Chopped Onions - 2 nos  
• Finely Chopped Tomato - 1 no
• Green Chillies Chopped  - 2 nos 
• Ginger chopped - 1 tsp 
• Garlic chopped - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - As needed 
• Oil - 2 tsp 
• Boiled Green Peas - 1/2 Cup 
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Garam Masala -1/2 tsp 
• Coriander and cumin seed powder - 1 tsp
• Salt -  to taste
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp 

1. Make slits in the eggplant and on medium flame, put the eggplant on the stove directly and roast it. 
2. Brush little oil over the eggplant, and keep turning it slowly till everything is nicely roasted, and cooked.
3. Once its cooked, put the eggplant in a bowl and allow it cool down. 
   
4. Remove the burnt skin from eggplant and mash it well, if you like burnt smell leave a little of the burnt skin in the eggplant
5. In a pan, put oil, add cumin seeds and let it crackle
6. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute. 
7. Add onions and saute it till its cooked.  
8. Add tomatoes and mix everything well. After 2-3 minutes, add asafoetida, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander and cumin seed powder, red chilly powder, salt and mix everything well.
   
9. Add the mashed egglant to the mixture 
10. Add the boiled green peas and coriander leaves and mix everything well. Cook for 5 minutes in low flame 
11. Add 1/2 cup water and salt so that everything cooks well. 
    

For Phulkas

• Wheat flour - 1 cup 
• Salt - 1/2 tsp 
• Lukewarm water - as required

1. Mix salt in the lukewarm water, to this add the flour and make the dough. (If needed apply oil in your hands to avoid stickiness) 
2. Set the dough aside to rest covered for 15 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into thin rotis (don't use oil for rolling the rotis, add flour and remove excess flour by flipping over your hand. 

There are two options to cook Phulkas : 

1. Directly place the phulkas on the stove, in low flame and after you see the bubbles, turn the flame to high. Cook well till the phulka puff up, and flip the other side and cook similarly.
2. Other method is, cook the phulkas in pan as we do for roti or chapati in low flame, then place the phulka on the stove, till it puff up

Kuzhi paniyaram with Madurai Kara Chutney

 Kuzhi paniyaram with Madurai Kara Chutney, most famous combo of South-Indian Recipe. This can be taken as a light tiffin along with a cup of tea :) Paniyaram, is made in a special mold called the paniyarakkal. Madurai Kara chutney is a spicy side dish, goes well with idly, dosa and paniyaram.

Madurai, Tamil Nadu, is often referred as Temple city and  Thoonga Nagaram i.e. a city that never sleeps, which means in midnight you can have steaming idlis, egg dosas, kari dosas, kothu parotta, parottas and world famous Jigarthanda juice. I personally like Madurai because of the Meenakshi Amman temple (Meenakshi, my given name, we have a custom to keep our ancestors name for the grandchild, I'm lucky enough to get my aachi's (grand mother) name), and the second thing i love about Madurai is Madurai food :)

 Ingredients

For Paniyaram

• Idly Batter - 1 cup 
• Chopped Onion - 1 
• Green chilly - 3 nos 
• Curry leaves - As needed  
• Urad Dal - For tempering 
• Cumin seeds - For tempering
• Mustard - For tempering 
• Salt - As needed 
• Oil - For tempering
• Asafoetida - A pinch

1. Heat the pan, add 1 tsp of oil and start to add asafoetida, cumin seeds, urad dal and mustard. Add curry leaves
2. Add the finely chopped Green chillies and onion, fry for about 2-3 minutes till the onions get cooked 
3. Add this fried onion mixture to the idly batter and mix well. 
4. Heat the paniyarakkal and grease it with oil 
5. Pour the batter in each hollow and cook in medium low flame
6. Turn the paniyaram and cook for another 2 minutes or till golden brown

For Madurai Kara Chutney

• Finely chopped Onion  - 1 no 
  
• Sliced Onion - 1 no
• Finely chopped tomato - 1 no 
• Red dry chilly - 4 nos 
• Curry leaves - for tempering 
• Urad dal - 1 tsp 
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp 
• Salt - As needed 
• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp 
• Turmeric powder -  1/4 tsp 
• Asafoetida - A pinch
• Oil - 2 tsp 

Chutney base mixture 

1. Heat the pan, add 1 tsp of oil, add 1/2 of urad dal and fry till golden brown 
2. Add the red dry chillies and fry for 1 min in medium flame 
3. Add the sliced onion and fry till the raw smell of onion vanishes 
4. Add tomato and cook for 5 min in low flame 
5. Once the mixture cools down, grind them all into a smooth paste without adding water. 
6. Keep this chutney base aside 
   

Kara Chutney 

1. Heat the pan, add 1 tsp of oil and add Asafoetida and the remaining urad dal, fry till golden brown. 
2. Add mustard and curry leaves 
3. Add the finely chopped onion and cook till the onions turn golden brown in low flame 
4. Add the turmeric powder and after 1 min add the chilly powder and cook 
5. Once the onion is cooked well, add the chutney base and saute well
6. Add little water as per your need and cook in low flame 
7. Transfer to the bowl and serve hot   

Poosanikai Pachadi (Yellow Pumpkin Pachadi)

Poosanikai Pachadi, the recipes varies from place to place, but the one I'm sharing with you is famous recipe among the people of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. For those who hate pumpkin because of its sweetness can try this recipe. This pachadi goes well with any South-Indian meals.

Ingredients

•  Yellow Pumpkin - 1 cup cut in cubes 

• Green Chilly      - 8 nos 

• Tamarind juice - 2 tsp 

• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup

• Garlic - 1 no 

• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 

• Mustard - As needed 

• Cumin seeds - As needed 

• Salt - For taste 

• Curry Leaves - As needed 

• Oil - As needed 

To grind 

In a mixer, grind Coconut, 6 chillies, garlic, cumin seeds and turmeric powder into a smooth paste. This paste should be a bit watery. 

For Pachadi 

1. In a pan, add 1/2 cup of water and when it starts to boil add pumpkin which is cut into cubes in almost equal size and 2 chilly cut into small pieces 
2. After 5 minutes add, a bit of salt for pumpkin.
3. When the pumpkin is cooked well, add 2 tsp of tamarind juice and allow it to cook for another 2 minutes
4. Add the coconut mixture to the cooked pumpkin
5. Check for salt and add the required salt
6. Once the pachadi is thick and all the raw smell of coconut mixture goes well, turn off the stove.

For tempering 

In a pan, add 1 tsp of oil, (I personal prefer coconut oil as it enhances the taste), add mustard and curry leaves

Health Benefits : 

Good for heart and eyes, reduces risk of stroke, protect against loss of muscle mass, promote fertility, preserve bone mineral density and reduce formation of kidney stones.

Thattil Kutti Dosa & Garlic chutney

Thattil Kutti dosa & Garlic Chutney, Kerala recipe, literally means " the small dosa made in a pan". This recipe is made more famous after the Malayalam movie, "Salt and Pepper". After watching the movie, I wanted to know why this recipe is so famous. Only when you take a bite of hot dosa with spicy chutney can understand the real reason. Here comes the recipe make a note and start preparing :) 

Ingredients 

For Dosa Batter 

• Idly rice ( Parboiled rice) - 2 cups 
• Urad Dal                          - 1/2 cup 
• Fenugreek seeds              - 1 tsp 

1. Soak washed rice in water for about 6-7 hours.
2. Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together for 1-2 hours.
3. Grind rice and urad dal to a smooth batter 
4. Add salt (as per taste) and mix well 
5. Keep this batter aside for minimum of 5-6 hours for fermentation to get soft dosas 
6. After 6 hours, the batter would have raised by itself and ready to make dosa 
7. Heat the tawa, and make small dosa (3-4 small dosas at a time in the tawa) 
8. Sprinkle oil and cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat. Turn other side and cook till golden colour. 

For Garlic Chutney :

• Garlic (small)    - 15 - 20 flakes 
• Dry red chilli     - 8 nos 
• Grated coconut  - 1/4 cup 
• Urad dal            - 2 tsp  
• Tamarind          - a pinch 
• Asafoetida        - a pinch 
• Salt                   - as needed 
• Mustard            - as needed 
• Curry leaves     - as needed 
• Oil (Coconut oil) - 2 tsp 

1.  In few drops of oil, roast half of urad dal (1 tsp) and red chilli until deep red medium heat, then add garlic until it turns golden colour 
2. Add coconut until dry 
3. Allow this to cool down
4. In a mixer, grind the cooled down mixture to a fine paste. Add salt, tamarind and little water and grind to a smooth paste.

Tempering 

In a pan, add 1 tsp of oil temper with asafoetida, mustard, curry leaves and remaining urad dal. Mix the chutney and boil for 2 minutes in low flame. 

Health Benefits : 

Garlic helps in lowering blood cholesterol, enhance digestion and increases the energy level of the body. Its is good against cold, cough and helps to overcome respiratory problems