Palak Paneer

Ingredients

Spinach - chopped
1 big onion - chopped
1 big tomato - chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
3 or 4 green chillies
1 cup paneer - cubed and sautéed until brown
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup milk

Method

1. Pour oil in a pan and sauté the chopped spinach until soft. If you are using frozen spinach it's important you use the chopped variety.
2. Fry the onions and tomatoes till tender.
3. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, paprika, green chillies and ginger garlic paste and sauté until well blended.
4. Cool and make a paste of this sautéed mixture.
5. Add oil in a pan and cook this paste till the raw smell disappears.
6. Transfer the sauteed spinach, add salt and milk and let it boil.
7. You can add water if you feel the gravy is thick.
8. Add the paneer pieces and mix well.
9. Serve with chapati or rice.


Courtesy: Original recipe source

Hyderabadi Biriyani

Marinate

Chicken
Yogurt
Green Chillies cut
Mint Leaves
Ginger Paste
Garlic Paste
Coriander Leaves
Black Pepper Corn
Black/White Cumin Seeds
Chili Powder
Turmeric Powder
Salt
Cumin Powder
Coriander Powder
Bay Leaf
Mace
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Black Cardamom
Fried Onion
Oil

Method

Soak Basmati Rice 30 minutes
Boil Water
Add oil and salt to boiling water
Add soaked rice to boiling water
Let water to boil
Cook rice till it is half-cooked

Heat a cooking pot
Add marinated chicken
Add half-cooked rice
Add coriander leaves
Add fried onion
Add saffron water
Close with a tight lid

Cook for 30 minutes
5 minutes high heat
15 minutes medium heat
10 minutes low heat

Mix and serve.

Gobi Manchurian (Cauliflower )

1. Maida - 100gms
2. Cornflour - 50gms
3. Salt
4. Water

1. Mix all above 4 ingredients.
It should be of dosai mavu
consistency.
2. Put the cauliflower pieces
into the paste, dip nicely
and take that in deep fry
that in oil(i.e in vadachatti).
3. Keep this aside.

INGREDIENTS :

1. Onion(big) - 1 finely chopped
2. Green chilli - 2
3. Garlic paste - 1/2 sp
4. Ginger paste - 1/2 sp
5. Salt
6. Sugar - 1 sp
7. Soya sauce - 3 sp
8. Pepper powder - 2 sp
8. oil - 3 sp

1. Now, keep the vadachatti & pour
3 sp oil.
2. Add the finely chopped onion,
green chilli,ginger,garlic and
fry them nicely.
3. then add salt,sugar, little
water, soya sauce, pepper powder
3. Now add the fried cauliflower
to this & fry.
4. Add little more soya sauce,
pepper powder.
5. If necessary add little water.

For gravy add little more soya sauce,
cornflour.

NOTE:
1. Boiled water'ill salt serthu athil
cauliflower pieces'i 5 mts pottu
vaikavum. This for killing all germs.
After doing this only u have u use the
cauliflower.

Cutlet

1. Potato - 1/4 kg
2. Onion - 2 finely chopped
3. Green chilli - 4 "
4. Egg - 1
5. Bread crumps - 1 cup ( Take the white part of bread and add in the mixie)
6. Salt
7. Oil

1. Boil the potatoes and peel off the skin.
2. Mash the potatoes and to it add the chopped onion, chili, salt and mix them well and make it into small round balls.
3. Pour the egg in a cup & beat it nicely.
4. Dip the potato balls in egg.
5. Take the balls & roll that in the bread crumps.
6. Make the round balls in flat round shape and bake it in a dosa tawa. with some oil.

Pani puri Bhel puri masala - South Indian style

Soak 100g Yellow/White peas overnight.

Cook potatoes separately and peel the skin.

Cook the soaked peas.

Add the following to the cooking peas:

Garam Masala powder
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Corriander powder
Ginger and Garlic paste 1 spoon
Salt

Add the cooked potatoes (lightly mashed) in the end and mix well.

Garnish with little corriander leaves and little Vellam(Sugar)
Add lemon if required for taste.

Serve with puris(gol gappa).
Garnish with finely chopped onions and coriander leaves.

Recipe source : An anonymous pani puri maker in north coimbatore

Pani for Pani - Bhel puri

Corriander(Kothumalli) leaves
Mint(Pudina) leaves
Green chillies
Tamarind paste (little)
Salt

Blend the above ingredients in a mixer/blender.
Add little water and boil.
At the end add litle lemon juice and little Vellam(Sugar)

Recipe source : An anonymous pani puri maker in north coimbatore

Sri Lankan Fish Curry

Fry mustard seeds, Fenugreek and Aniseed(Saunf)
Add slit green chilies 2 and fry for 2 minutes
Add sliced ginger and fry for few seconds
Add onion (preferably small red onions) and fry
Add curry leaves and fry
add and fry 2 tomatoes
Add chilli powder(or fish curry masala powder), dhania powder( i tbsp),
salt and tumeric and fry
Add tamarind juice ( or the water in which tamarid is soaked)
Add coconut milk
After it starts to boil add fish
Close and cook for 3 minutes
Then turn the fish and close and cook for another 3 minutes.

You can use trout or catfish. They are good.

(Courtesy : My chithi, Houston)

How to keep chapati, roti, puri dough fresh?

I have found a perfect way to preserve the dough (maavu) prepared for chappati, roti, puri etc. If you would like to prepare a lot of dough and store it for few days, this is what you have to do.

1. Prepare the dough as usual.
2. Then take aluminum foil (required size)
3. Spray oil on the foil (Oohh... that rhymes good) little bit,
4. Keep the dough in the foil and wrap it completely, close and tight.

You can keep this in the refrigerator(not freezer) and any time you want to make some chapatti, roti or puri, you can use the dough immediately. It will remain soft and fresh.

Onion Chutney

Ingredients:
1. Big onion - 2 (sliced)
2. Tomato - 2 (")
3. Tamarind paste - 1/2 spoon
4. Salt - 1 spoon
5. Karivepillai/Curry leaves -5 leaves.

1. Keep the kadai & add 2 spoon oil in it.
2. Add onion, tomato, curry leaves & fry them for some time
3. Allow it to cool for some time
4. Then put in the mixie add tamarind,salt and grind it (without adding water) If necessary then only you add water.

Coconut Chutney

1. Coconut - 1 handful
2. Pottu kadalai - " (Buna channa/Roasted gram)
3. Green Chilli or red chilli - 2 no
4. Tamarind paste- 1/8 spoon
5. Ginger paste - 1/8 spoon
6. Salt - 1 spoon
7. Karivepillai/Curry leaves - 4 leaves.
8. kothumalli/Corriander leaves

Put all these in the mixie , & add 1/2 tumbler water
and grind it nicely. If necessary add more water.

Fried Rice

Ingredients:
Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
Cabbage - 1/4 cup (small pieces)
Carrot - 1/4 cup (small pieces)
Capsicum - 1 no (small pieces)
Beans - 1/4 cup (small pieces)
Green Peas - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 (Sliced)
Puthina(mint leaves), kothumalli (corriander) leaves (small qty)
Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 2 tea spoon
Salt needful
Ginger, Garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Soak the rice for 1/4 hr and drain the water.
Add 1-1/4 cups water and add rice,salt (1 sp) and cook till its half cooked.
Then in pressure cooker add ghee (or oil) onion, puthina(mint), kothumalli (corriander) leaves, ginger, garlic paste and saute them. Then add vegetables, capsicum, 1 sp salt and sautee them.
After 5 mts , add the half cooked rice,pepper powder, ghee (1 sp) and cook for 5 mts and mix them well.

Pongal

1. Rice - 1 cup
(soaked for 1/2 hr)
2. Pepper - 1 spoon
3. Geeragam(Cumin seeds) - 1/2 sp
4. Karuvepillai (Curry leaves)
5. Salt - 2 sp
6. Cashewnut - 10(sauteed in ghee)
7. Sugar - 1/2 cup
8. Milk - 1 tumbler
9. Ghee - 4 sp

METHOD :

1. Mix 2 cups water + 1 cup milk and add rice and salt and cook in electric cooker.

SWEET PONGAL (Sakkarai Pongal)

1. Take 1 cup cooked rice and add sugar 1/2 cup, cashewnut 5,ghee 2 sp and mix them well when its hot.

VENN PONGAL

1. Saute 2 sp oil , pepper, cumin seeds, karuvepillai(curry leaves), cashewnut 5 and add it to the cooked rice and add 2 sp ghee. Add salt if needed.

NOTE :
Coconut chutney and sambhar goes well with Venn pongal.