Thengai thuvaiyal

A thick coconut chutney without tempering. Every Indian house may have one version for this coconut chutney. This one is my mom's version and I do exactly like her.  I serve with idly, dosai as an alternative for my usual coconut chutney. Though a rare combo, I like it with chapati also.

Ingredients:
Fresh shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Puffed channa dhal (pori kadalai / pottu kadalai)- 2 tbsp.
green chillies - 4.
garlic - 1 clove
cumin - 1/4 tsp
curry leaf - 1 sprig
tamarind - 1 inch bit.
sea salt- 1/2 tsp.


Method:
Put all the items given for grind in a small jar of the mixer. Grind without adding water. Then after a few pulses,  add few tsp water and grind the chutney in to a thick paste.
That's it. Flavorful coconut chutney is ready.

Serving suggestions:
This chutney tastes fresh. So make it in small batches.
It can be served as a side dish  for Dosa, Idly, kichidi, chapati etc.
A dollop of sesame oil over this chutney will make a perfect combo for idly.
Tastes very good with rasam rice and curd rice.
Instead of pori kadalai, we can use roasted groundnut too.

Blueberry pancake

I absolutely love pancake and always crave for a fluffy pancake drenched in maple syrup:) Sometimes I make myself one or two small pancakes whenever I need a little pampering:)  This one is a 'blueberry pancake with buttermilk and wheat flour' . Try with and without wheat and enjoy both versions.

The Tuesday before Lent days is called 'National pancake day'. Honoring the tradition, here is my most favorite blueberry pancake from my kitchen to you all!

Blueberry wheat pancake

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
egg - 2
salt - 1/2 tsp
baking soda - 3/4 tsp
baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
sugar - 3 tsp
buttermilk - 2 cup
butter - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp
blueberry - 1/2 cup

Method:
Mix wheat flour, AP flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt by sifting and put in a mixing bowl.
Pour buttermilk, eggs, 2 tbsp molten butter and blueberries.
Mix slightly (don't mix too much). If needed add some milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Heat a dosa tawa / griddle or frying pan.
Slightly rub butter.
Using a 1/4 cup measure pour small pancakes, let it get golden color, flip once and take out.
Likewise do for the remaining batter.
Blueberry wheat pancake is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve with  maple syrup or any pancake syrup.
Makes a breakfast / lunch / dinner. I love it any time:)

Note:
1 cup Buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1/2 lemon juice
1 cup Buttermilk = 1/2 cup plain yogurt + 1/2 cup water
Makes 10 - 12 pancakes.
I have tried this without AP flour, but it comes out denser. So adding AP flour is better.
Pure AP flour pancakes tastes very delicious.
Prepare all the pancakes immediately to get the best results.
Pancakes can be kept frozen till use.
If trying to use leftover batter later, then keep refrigerated, add 1/2 tsp baking soda before pouring on pan.
Instead of the dry ingredients I have mentioned, we can just use self rising flour - 1 1/2 cup.

Spicy Egg curry

Some months ago, I got this recipe from my neighbor and I like it very much. My egg curry is a coconut based one, while her's is a very spicy curry and it is a popular dish in North Indian restaurants.

Ingredients:
Egg - 4
corn oil - 1/4 cup
red onion - 1 (big)
tomato puree - 2 tbsp
cilantro - handful
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1 inch
cloves - 2 (crushed)
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 3 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
salt - to taste

Method:
Keep the eggs in enough water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce to low and cook in low flame for 10 minutes. Discard hot water immediately, add cold water, peel. Boiled eggs are ready now. Make 3 slits (without cutting the eggs totally) and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add crushed cloves, cinnamon stick and fry for 10 seconds. Immediately add finely chopped onion and fry till it gets soft and brown. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell vanishes (less than a minute). Add the tomato puree and cook till oil separates. Then add the chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and fry for a few seconds. Then add 1/4 cup water, salt and cook covered in low flame. Then add the boiled egg, stir well. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Spicy egg curry is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve with chapati or rice.

Indian crab curry

Dear readers,
I am reposting this recipe as there was some access issue to this earlier post.
Thanks for reading,
Love,
Viki
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Crab meat can be called the exotic choice for a sea food lover. TamilNadu style crab kulambu is prepared with a hot spicy pepper curry as base. I got these unusual small size crabs (Indian crab) in an Asian market near my house and immediately grabbed some:)

Interesting info on Crab:

*Buy crab around full moon, as it is believed that the crab becomes more succulent with moon and meatless during new moon (amavasai) . Click to see more info.
* If you don't know to clean the crab, then ask your friends or elders.
*Prefer small size crabs over the long legged one for Indian curries.Eg., One kilogram should yield 4-5 small crabs.
*Crab curry helps us to get rid of body aches, cold, sinus, calcium loss etc.
*Just like 'Japanese's sushi' , some villagers in Tamilnadu drink the extract from raw crab (crushed along with shell and strained) along with ginger and brandy to relieve body aches and to get more strong. I don't know the exact procedure, so consult a professional Indian medicine practitioner before trying.
*Eating crab is an art and you may need some care / skill to remove the shells.
*The crab meat has some character to increase body heat. So it is safer to have it during cold / rainy season.

Here is some memory behind this crab curry in my family.

This is my Father-in-law's favorite too and I prepared it to get his appreciation. you can read more here:)

While in Madras , we used to invite Xav's younger brother M to join us for some weekends. Even though M is his brother he resembles much of my dad's family in the preference for non-veg dishes. I have a strong craving for crab at that time and hubby totally hates it(but loves to buy them for me). Anyway I felt very lazy to prepare them for me alone . So could not enjoy my fancy crab meat for a very long time till I knew thambi's (M) taste for crab. From then on most of our weekends would start with a heavy sea food flavor which will make the whole street hungry:)Can you imagine our plates filled with crab or non-veg as main course and rice as side dish and hubby sitting near me admiring my crab eating style...LOL:)
One day when they were talking of his marriage and preferences , we were kidding him about his first question to his future wife. He told us that he would ask her if she can make Nandu (crab) curry and we we all laughed like anything. Some years passed we moved out of India but still he kept his promise by popping this question when he met the right girl. Luckily my co-sister is also an ardent fan of sea food .Anyway he kept his childish promise but we feel very guilty as we couldn't attend his wedding because of hubby's work nature. I ask myself , can I stand this guilt if I attend my own brothers marriage? Time only can answer this.
Even now when I make this curry , myself and hubby start talking of him.

Uncooked Nandu:

Nandu kulambu:

Ingredients:

Crab (Nandu in Tamil)- 1 kg
Sesame oil (any cooking oil ) - 2 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Turmeric - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
curry leaf - 1 sprig
fennel seed - 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

To grind:

Shallot Onion (nattu vengayam) - 10 (50 gms)
Tomato - 3 (150 to 200 gms)
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
cumin seed - 1 tsp


Saute the onion in a tsp of oil . keep aside. Then saute the tomato, till it wilts and grind everything to a fine paste.

Method

Wash and clean the crab. Remove the front shell that covers the digestive system and remove the digestive tract, but keep the meat inside. Wash again and clean it.
Don't remove the legs. If they are very long , then gently break them into half.


Heat oil in a wok or mud pot. Add fennel seeds and let them get red.
Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute.

Now put the crab along with the powders, salt, masala paste , curry leaf and 1 cup of water.

Cook covered for 15 - 20 minutes. Add water or 1/2 cup coconut milk if we need to dilute it. Otherwise serve as a thick curry.

As soon as we start smelling the pleasant crab curry smell, switch off.

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with white rice.
Keep some curd as side , as we may need it to quench the heat of pepper:)

Corn and black bean salad

Corn and bean salad is another popular salad. This is a salad I often see in food network shows. There may be many variations but I customized it according to my taste and calorie need. Though the recipe is simple, I wanted to note down the way I prepare my own 'home made salad dressing'.  Here I have used the black bean. Black bean tastes similar to whole black gram (urad dhal). It can be substituted by red bean , rajma (kidney beans) or any bean of our choice.

Ingredients:
cooked sweet corn kernels- 1 cup
cooked black bean - 1 cup
tomato - 2
red bell pepper - 1
cucumber -1
white onion - 1/2
cilantro - handful

dressing:
Extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp
vinegar - 1 tsp
lemon juice - 1/2 fruit
salt - to taste
red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
sugar - 1 tbsp
garlic powder - 1/4 tsp
dried Italian seasoning herbs - 1 tsp

Preparation:
Soak 1/2  cup black bean in water overnight. Wash and  remove the water.
Add enough water to just immerse the soaked bean. Pressure cook for 3 whistles or cook in stove top till it is soft.
(or) Buy a can of cooked black bean. Wash well to remove excess salt.

Method:
Mix all the items given for dressing, shake well. Keep refrigerated until we need. we can keep this for 1 week (I have not tested more than that).
Cut the onion, cucumber, pepper, tomato into 1 inch size cubes.
Finely chop the cilantro.
Put them in a large bowl and add the cooked beans , corn.
Mix well. Add the required salad dressing , toss and serve.

Serving suggestion:
Makes a starter food or healthy snack.

Strawberry jam

Recently I started making our own jams / preserves, as DIY projects impresses me a lot. This recipe can yield a 3/4 of a jar of this jam. (If using 3 tbsp pectin and more sugar, we will get 2 jars of jam, but I made a small batch). Store bought pectin can be replaced by 1 apple. After tasting the chunks of  fruits in this jam, I realized the importance of making them at home:)  The Strawberry jam is a quick one and I enjoyed preparing this very much. Hope my readers love this version too!

Ingredients:
Strawberry - 15 number
sugar - 1 1/2 cup
water - 1/4 cup
pectin - 1 tbsp (or) apple - 1

Method: 
Remove the stem and leaves from the fruits. Wash well and slice them into small pieces. (If not using pectin, then peel, core, shred an apple and add it the sliced strawberry). Cook the strawberry and apple in 1/4 cup water. After 5 minutes, add the sugar and cook till a candy thermometer reads 220 F. (If apple is not added, then add the pectin and check the temperature). (or) Take cold water in a bowl, put a drop of jam and see if it stays without dissolving. That is the stage we need. Switch off. Let cool completely and store in fridge or do the canning. Stays good in fridge up to 2 months, if handled with care.
(Time taken - 20 minutes).

Serving suggestions:
Serve with bread toast, cake / ice cream topping.

Spicy Shrimp roast

I learned this recipe from my cousin Madhu, when she visited us recently. On that day I wanted to make something special for both of us after giving hubby his lunch box. After talking some family stories, we both rushed to the kitchen exactly at the lunch time and then I wanted some quick side dish for our chicken briyani:) Then I asked her for a simple and quick recipe for shrimp. She shared with me her mom's (my Susila athai's) eral varuval recipe and I absolutely love it. I could make that spicy shrimp fry within 20 minutes and we both had a delicious lunch with this fry and chicken briyani:)
Thanks Madhu, now I know 'how to make a quick delicious shrimp fry' !

Recipe source: I got this recipe from my cousin Madhumitha. This is her beautiful amma Susila athai's recipe. 

Era varuval / roasted prawn.

Ingredients:
Large Raw shrimp - 15
oil - 2 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 3 tbsp
curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste

Method:
Peel and devein the shrimp.
Mix all the powders and salts mentioned above. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok. Add the marinated shrimp. Stir well. Cook covered with a tbsp of water for 10 minutes.
Shrimp roast is ready!

Note:
Serve as side dish with any rice or chapati.
Sometimes I add lemon juice also while marinating.
Curry leaves and fennel seeds (sombu) can also be added while frying the shrimp.