Chicken Gravy

You will need the following to prepare this chicken gravy:

Chicken (with bone) - 1/2 kg (1 lb)
salt - to taste / 2 tsp
water - 2 cups
oil - 2 tbsp
Fennel seed (sombu) - 1 tsp

To chop separately:
Red onion - 2
Roma tomato / vine tomato - 100 gms
curry leaves - 1 brig
cilantro - 1 handful
mint leaves - 1 handful

Masala 1:
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
Shallot onion - 5
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Masala 2:
Ginger - 2 inch
garlic - 4 pearls

curry masala powder:
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
cardamom - 2
cloves - 2
cinnamon - 1 inch
Black pepper - 1 tsp



Powders :
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Wash and clean the chicken pieces in running water.Apply some turmeric powder and keep aside.Dry grind the items given in curry masala powder.
Grind shredded coconut , cumin seeds, onion and keep aside.
Grind ginger garlic paste and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a deep pan and add 1 tsp fennel seeds (sombu).
After it turns red , add the chopped onion and fry till it becomes golden brown.
(If you are using yellow onion , then fry till it becomes tender ,as it can never get a good color.)
Add the ginger garlic paste and stir it well for 30 seconds.
Then add the chopped tomato, green chilli, cilantro , mint leaves, curry leaves and cook till they becomes mushy.
Now introduce the chicken pieces and stir it for 2 minutes along with the powders and dry masala.
Add some salt and a cup of water and close the lid for 5 minutes.
Then cook the chicken till it becomes tender (simply in a tightly closed vessel).
After it gets cooked , add the coconut masala and cook till the raw smell changes.
Check for salt and the tenderness of chicken and put off fire.
The gravy should not be too thick or too liquid .

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot as side dish with Naan , paratha ,chapathi ,steamed rice or white bread.
Serves 6 people.

French toast

Whenever i feel a bit lazy to prepare my hubby's lunch pack, i prefer doing this toast for him.Even today i remember my school days ,when my mom used to pack this delicious toast for my lunch.We call it as vanishing French toast because the toast will attract every one around you and you may end up with an empty box as soon as you open it.  
Ingredients:
Bread - 8 slices
Milk- 1 cup egg - 1
sugar- 3 tbsp
butter - 1 tbsp  
Method: Beat together egg, milk and sugar to a batter. Heat a pan or dosa tawa and spread a little butter. Dip a slice of bread in the egg+milk mixture. Don't soak the bread more than a second.(otherwise the toast becomes soggy) Fry till golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle some maple sauce and serve hot as breakfast. It can be packed as lunch too.
Approx. calories: (3 slices)
White bread 3 = 70 x 3 = 210
Sugar 3 tsp = 15 x 3 = 45 zero calorie sweetener - 1 pack = 0
egg (brown medium size) 1 = 70
butter 1/2 tsp = 18 (1 tbsp = 3 tsp = 100)
oil 1/2 tsp = 20 (1 tbsp = 120)
2 % milk 50 ml = 37 (1 ml = 0.729)  
TOTAL = 400 cal

Ennai Kathirikkai kulambu (fried eggplant curry)

This kulambu is my mom's favorite dish.


Ingredients:
Small brinjal- 6
Tamarind- 1 gooseberry size
onion (chopped)- 1 cup
chilli powder - 1tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
feugreek (methi seed)-1 tsp
mustard seeds- 1tsp
curry leaves - 1 brig
sesame oil - 1 tbsp
sambar powder - 1 tbsp

Brinjal fry:
Remove the stem and bracts of brinjal.Wash it thoroughly in running water.
slit half way the brinjals from the stem portion.Do four cuts like this.
Mix 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1 tsp salt with little water.
stuff the brinjals with this curry paste.
Fry them in 4 tbsp sesame oil, till the skin of brinjal turns a bit brown color.
Keep the fried brinjals aside.

curry preparation:
Extract the juice from tamarind.
Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric powder to the tamarind extract.
use the same oil in the frying pan.Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
After the mustard gets cracked add curry leaves and half of the chopped onion.
saute them till the onion turns golden brown.
Then add the tamarind extract mixture.
Let it boil for 10 minutes.
Grind the coconut , cumin seeds and remaining onion into a fine paste.
Put this paste into the boiling tamarind extract.
After the raw smell of coconut-onion mixture is gone, add the fried brinjals.
Check for salt and put off fire immediately after the curry starts boiling.

Serving suggestions:
Serves for 4 to 5 people.
Serve hot with rice after dhal rice and before Rasam rice.

Lemon Rasam

Ingredients:
Lemon - 1
water- 4 cups
salt- 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
asafoetida- 1 pinch
Black pepper- 1 tsp
cumin seed- 1 tsp
garlic - 4 pearls
coriander seeds- 1 tsp
oil- 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
curry leaves- 1 brig
cilantro- a handful
red chilli- 2


Method:
First dry roast the pepper,cumin seeds, coriander seeds till we get a nice aroma.
Then grind them with garlic to a coarse mixture.
Extract juice from lemon .Add salt and water and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai.Crackle the mustard seeds and add fenugreek seeds.
Then goes the red chillies and curry leaves.
Immdiately add the pepper garlic mixture and saute a little.
Sprinkle some asafoetida and turmeric powder.
Then add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute them till the tomatoes are half cooked.
Now switch off the stove and add the lemon juice.
Do not heat the rasam after adding lemon juice, because heating gives a bitter taste to rasam.

Picnic Tomato chutney:

To grind:
Tomato - 1 lb
red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
tamarind - 1 small gooseberry size
dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric - 1 pinch
asafoetida - 1 pinch
salt - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tbsp

To Temper:
Garlic - 10 pearls
mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
asafoetida - 1 pinch
curry leaves- 2 brigs
Red chilli(small bulky-Andhra chilli)- 3
sesame oil / cooking oil - 3 tbsp

Method:
Grind all the given items and make puree.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
Crackle the mustard , add fenugreek, asafoetida, red chillies.
Then goes the garlic and curry leaves.
After sauting the garlic for a while , carefully add the tomato puree.
Reduce flame after 5 minutes and let the puree becomes a thick gravy in low fire.
Put off flame after oil oozes out of the chutney.
cool it and store in refrigerator for a month.

Serving suggestions:
Great combo for chapathi, dosa, curd rice, dhal rice, Idly, Adai .
It can be made for a picnic lunch pack and lasts for atleast 3 days without cooler.

Horse gram chutney / Kollu thovaiyal

Horse gram is always used in Indian cooking to increase the fibre content in the food.
It is believed that horse gram acts as a vital element in reducing body fat.

cabbage rice with kollu chutney and sweet potato chips  (updated in 2017Aug)

Ingredients:
Horse gram/ Kollu - 1/4 cup
red chillies - 2
shredded coconut- 1 tbsp
tamarind - 1 inch piece
salt - 1/4 tsp (to taste)
curry leaves - 1 sprig
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
garlic - 1 pearl.

Method:
Spread the kollu in a large plate and carefully look through (sort out) to remove any impurities like stone or husk. (I prefer doing this in free time in day light and will save it in a bottle).
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry Kollu (in low heat) to golden brown color. It may pop, so be careful.
Then in the same pan roast the red chillies and coconut separately to almost crispy state.
After they get cool, grind every thing in Indian mixer or any blender without water for 20 seconds.
Then add very little water and grind coarsely to get a thick chutney.

serving suggestions:
Goes fine with Rasam saadham (Rice mixed with Rasam),tamarind rice, lemon rice, urid dhal rice and coconut rice.
Tastes good for 24 hours at room temperature (travel food) without refrigerator.

Maida Burfi

Ingredients:
2 cup maida (all purpose flour)
3 cups sugar
3 tbsp ghee
2 drops of rose essence
5 drops of red food color

Method:
Heat a pan and dry roast maida till it looses all the moisture and smells good.Do not make it brown.
Make a sugar syrup with 1 cup water to one thread consistency.
Put off fire .Add maida, essence, ghee and food color.Heat and stir well continuously till it starts leaving the sides of the vessel.
Transfer to a greased tray and cut into required size.

Serving suggestions:
Can be served as a dessert.
Makes 2 lb burfi .(nearly 40 pieces).