White kuruma (vegetarian)

White kuruma is a different variety of kuruma cherished by coconut lovers.
Even though the cooking process won't allow a perfect white color to the kuruma , we call it by the name. My kuruma got a yellow tint from the carrots:) So we can avoid using carrots here to get a more white color.
The coconut and green chillies along with the poppy seeds gives a gorgeous creamy touch to the normal vegetable kuruma. This can be a perfect treat for any person who loves a lesser spicy side dish.

Vellai Kuruma / vegetarian white kuruma:



Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 100 gms (1/4 flower)
Beans - 50 gms (10 number)
carrot - 1
potato - 2 (medium size)
Red onion - 2 (medium size)
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few
curd - 1/2 cup
bay leaf - 1
salt - to taste
olive oil - 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

paste 1:
ginger - 1 inch
garlic - 4 pods

paste 2:
shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
green chillies - 6
cashew nut - 5
poppy seed - 1 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
cardamom - 3
cloves - 5
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1 inch

Method:
Grind ginger and garlic together.

Dry roast the poppy seeds till they make a popping sound.
Grind everything given under paste 2 and keep aside.

Wash peel and cut the vegetables into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan. fry some fennel seeds and bay leaf.
Add the chopped onion, curry leaves, cilantro and mint leaves. After the onion turns golden brown , add ginger garlic paste and saute well.
Now add all the vegetables and mix well.
Add 2 cups of water, salt and cook covered till the vegetables become soft.

Then add the paste 2 , curd and mix well.Boil it for one minute and Switch off immediately.
Vellai kuruma is ready!


Serving suggestions:
serve hot with parathas / roti / naan / rice/ pulav .

The 'potluck - chicken ' event .. Round up !!! (links only)

As soon as I published the 'Potluck - chicken' event round up, I found that the slide show I posted on the other day could not be seen from places with lesser internet speed. Moreover I wanted to classify all the dishes in a browser compatible manner. So I am reposting it with the links classified into many groups like, starter, soup, kuruma, curry, fry, rice etc. So if you are looking for the post with slide show ...
click here.

Here I am reposting the links for the Chicken event round up only.

I am very glad to release the roundup for my first event in the Potluck series , the 'chicken' .

When I started blogging nearly an year ago, I hardly had a clue if I would be able to host an event. Still remember how anxious I was , to see my recipe in an event which I took part for the first time. You know what friends, I clicked that blog nearly for 50 times to see my recipe in the round up:)
First time hosting too panicked me enough but the eagerness to collect and try so many chicken recipes pushed me to choose the theme as 'CHICKEN'.
Actually the way you all supported it encouraged me a lot.
My sincere thanks to all for sending their kitchen treasures to the event.
I clubbed the entries in a possible alphabetic manner. Please excuse and point me out if I can do anything better.
Mostly I mentioned the blog name for the bloggers who have not given the name in their own blog profile (just to protect their privacy even though they happily sent me their names).
Thanks to all the participants for sending their lovely entries. I have tried my best to check and publish all the entries. But my apologies if something got missed. Do drop a comment and I will do the needful.
(event mail id: vikiskitchen@gmail.com)

I am dedicating this event to all the foodies out there.
We got recipes ranging from Kashmir to kanyakumari , Bombay to Calcutta and even beyond the borders.
What's more important for a true chicken lover than trying them at their home?
So here is the round up with all those adorable pictures and recipes.
Enjoy the round up and Happy cooking !

Starter:
Chicken cutlet From Akal's Saapadu.
Oven-fried chicken strips. from Gita Jaishankar of Gita's kitchen.
Chicken bonda from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Chicken Pakoda from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.

Soup / Rasam:
Country Chicken Soup from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Kozhi Rasam from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.

Kuruma / Kulambu:
Shahi Chicken Kurma from Akal's Saapadu.
Chicken kuruma from Ammu of Nature kitchen.
Chicken Korma from Aquadaze of Served with Love.
Chicken Kurma from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Kozhi Kulambu from Kayal of Kayal's Kitchen
Murgh Khorma from Lubna Karim of Yummy Food.
Chicken Kola Urundai Kuzhambu from Padma srinivasagam of Padma's recipes.
Chicken Kurma from Padma Rekha of Plantain leaf.
Nilgiri chicken Kuruma from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Country chicken Kuzhambu from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Pepper Chicken Kuzhambu from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Kerala chicken stew from Sangeeta khanna's another blog , Banaras khana.
Chicken Salna for Parotta from Viki of Viki's Kitchen.
Nilgiri Chicken kuruma from Viki of Viki's Kitchen.
Chicken Sambhar from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.

Gravy / curry :
Cashew Chicken from Ashwini of Nanna Adige .
Chicken curry from Ammu of Nature kitchen.
Chicken Vindaloo from South recipes of AnuRadha.
Chettinad Pepper Chicken from Dharani Jagadeesh of Dharani's kitchen.
Easy Breezy Chicken Curry from Dolon Das of Doloncookbook.
Chicken Curry from Happy Cook of My kitchen treasures.
Quick Chicken Gravy from Hemamalini Thiyagarajan of salt2taste.
Chicken in poppy seed gravy from indosungod of Daily Musings.
Chicken Keema from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Chicken Malaidar from notyet100 of Asankhana.
Tomato Chicken Thokku from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Cornish Hen curry from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Country chicken Tomato curry from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Achaar Chicken curry from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Spicy Pepper Chicken Curry from Lavanya Sivavijayakumar of Spice India.
Coriander Chicken from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
Chicken Manchurian. from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
murgh methi malai from Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi.
Low fat butter chicken from Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi.
chicken kali mirch from Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi
Classic Chicken curry from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
Chicken Spicy curry from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
Kashmiri Chicken from SGD of cookadoodledo.
Chicken curry from Valarmathi of Simple and Yummy recipes.
Chicken kheema from Vineela Siva.
Bachelor's chicken Thokku from Viki of Viki's Kitchen.
Butter Chicken from Viki of Viki's Kitchen.
Chettinad chicken curry from Viki of Viki's Kitchen.
Country style Chicken curry from Viki of Viki's Kitchen.
Indian Chicken curry in Oven from Viki of Viki's Kitchen.
Chicken curry In coconut milk from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa
Butter Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa

Dry side dish:
Chicken 65 from Aysha Dileen.
Pepper Chicken from Rupali of Chakhlere.
Chilli Chicken from Dharani Jagadeesh of Dharani's kitchen.
Chilli Chicken from Hemamalini Thiyagarajan of salt2taste.
Chicken Tikka Masala from Jasmine Subashini of Sugary Spicez.
Sweet and Sour Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Garlic Chilli Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Pepper Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Easy Baked Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Ginger Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Murg Kaali Mirch Kabab from Lena Rashmin Raj of cooking with Lena.
Hadi wala chicken from Oriya Foodie of Oriya food.
Chicken 65 from Padma srinivasagam of Padma's recipes.
Pepper Chicken Fry from Padma srinivasagam of Padma's recipes.
Andhra Chicken fry from Padma Rekha of Plantain leaf.
Tandoor Chicken from Pinky of Esho-bosho-aahare.
Crunchy Fried Chicken from Akal's Saapadu.
Tandoori Chicken from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Ginger Chicken from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Cornish Hen Manchurian from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Country Chicken Fry from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Chicken 65 from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Nei Kozhi from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Hot cornish Hen from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Chicken fry/Tandoori chicken from Pooja of Pooja's Kitchen.
Chicken Ularthu(Roast)-Kerala Style from Pooja of My experience with cooking.
Lemon Pepper Chicken from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
Chicken Tikka from Preeti Nilesh of Khaugiri.
Chicken Seek Kebab from Preeti Singh of Shail.
Chili Chicken from Preeti Singh of Shail.
Chilly Chicken from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chicken Jalfrezi from Lavanya Sivavijayakumar of Spice India.
Chilly Chicken from Lavanya Sivavijayakumar of Spice India.
Spicy and Crispy Chicken from Lavanya Sivavijayakumar of Spice India.
low fat chilly chickenfrom Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi.
Classic chicken roast from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
Ginger chicken from Saritha of My kitchen aroma.
Spicy Chicken with Green Chillies from Sujatha of spicy khazana.
Chicken Cacciatore from SuperChef of So I married a meataholic.
Kolchick from Usha Nandhini of Usha Nandhini's recipes.
Chicken 65 from Sowjanya of Mommy's cuisine.
chili chicken from Sree of Taste spell.
Mint Harissa Chicken from Yasmeen of Health Nut.
Pepper chicken From Viki of Viki's kitchen.
Chicken 65 From Viki of Viki's kitchen.
Indian style deep fried Chicken From Viki of Viki's kitchen.
Kozhi varutha kari from Lissie of Salt and spice.
Jeera Chicken Roast from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chettinad Karuveppillai Chicken from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chicken Masala from Ramya Vijaykumar of Memory archieved.
Chicken karahi from Rina of Rina's recipes.
Quick chicken roast from Rina of Rina's recipes.
Kerala Chicken fry from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Kerala chicken roast from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Chilli chicken fry from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Chilly Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa
Oven Roasted Mint Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa
Kerala Fried Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa

Full chicken:
Chicken in Oyster Sauce from Aquadaze of Served with Love.
Grilled whole chicken from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.

With a bread / roll:
Chicken roll from Oriya Foodie of Oriya food.
Shredded Chicken in a braid from Phanitha of Phanitha's kitchenette.
Chicken Tikka Kathi Kabab from Lavanya Sivavijayakumar of Spice India.

Chicken Biryani / Rice:
Chicken Biryani from Divya Vikram of Dil Se..
Bombay Biryani from Dolon Das of Doloncookbook.
Chicken Briyani from Hemamalini Thiyagarajan of salt2taste.
Chicken Rice from Jasmine Subashini of Sugary Spicez.
Chicken Dum Biryani from Kalyani of Kalyani's kitchen.
Arcot chicken biryani from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Grilled chicken biryani from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Chicken Biryani from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
chicken Biryani from Prasu of Prasu's kitchen
My style Chicken Briyani from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
TamilNadu Muslim's wedding special Biryani From Viki of Viki's kitchen.
Mughal Biryani from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Malabar chicken biryani from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Saffron Chicken pilaf from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Kushka From Viki of Viki's kitchen.
Chicken Biriyani from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa.


Specialty chicken dishes:
Slow Roast Chicken with Red Wine Sauce from Aquadaze of Served with Love.
Jerk Chicken from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Chicken Pickle from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.
Kung Pao Chicken from Pooja of My experience with cooking.
Barbeque chicken from Priyameena of Madurai style.
Pasta, Chicken N Bellpepper Salad from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Potatoes N Chicken Sausage Gratin from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chicken keema noodles from Vineela siva.
Chicken tikka pizza from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.


Have you missed to send your recipe?
If you have some incredible chicken recipe and want to include it in this event, just post the URL in the comment space for this post.
I will be more than happy to include them.

Enjoy blogging!

The 'potluck - chicken ' event .. Round up !!!

I am very glad to release the roundup for my first event in the Potluck series , the 'chicken' .

Event scheduled : May 11 - June 20
Number of entries: 127

When I started blogging nearly an year ago, I hardly had a clue if I would be able to host an event. Still remember how anxious I was , to see my recipe in an event which I took part for the first time. You know what friends, I clicked that blog nearly for 50 times to see my recipe in the round up:)
First time hosting too panicked me enough but the eagerness to collect and try so many chicken recipes pushed me to choose the theme as 'CHICKEN'.
Actually the way you all supported it encouraged me a lot.
My sincere thanks to all for sending their kitchen treasures to the event.
I clubbed the entries in a possible alphabetic manner. Please excuse and point me out if I can do anything better.
Mostly I mentioned the blog name for the bloggers who have not given the name in their own blog profile (just to protect their privacy even though they happily sent me their names).
Thanks to all the participants for sending their lovely entries. I have tried my best to check and publish all the entries. But my apologies if something got missed. Do drop a comment and I will do the needful.
(event mail id: vikiskitchen@gmail.com)

I am dedicating this event to all the foodies out there.
We got recipes ranging from Kashmir to kanyakumari , Bombay to Calcutta and even beyond the borders.
What's more important for a true chicken lover than trying them at their home?
So here is the round up with all those adorable pictures and recipes.
Enjoy the round up and Happy cooking !

Chicken cutlet From Akal's Saapadu.
Shahi Chicken Kurma from Akal's Saapadu.
Crunchy Fried Chicken from Akal's Saapadu.
Cashew Chicken from Ashwini of Nanna Adige .
Chicken curry from Ammu of Nature kitchen.
Chicken kuruma from Ammu of Nature kitchen.
Chicken Vindaloo from South recipes of AnuRadha.
Chicken Korma from Aquadaze of Served with Love.
Chicken in Oyster Sauce from Aquadaze of Served with Love.
Slow Roast Chicken with Red Wine Sauce from Aquadaze of Served with Love.

Chicken 65 from Aysha Dileen.
Pepper Chicken from Rupali of Chakhlere.
Chilli Chicken from Dharani Jagadeesh of Dharani's kitchen.
Chettinad Pepper Chicken from Dharani Jagadeesh of Dharani's kitchen.
Chicken Biryani from Divya Vikram of Dil Se..
Bombay Biryani from Dolon Das of Doloncookbook.
Easy Breezy Chicken Curry from Dolon Das of Doloncookbook.
Oven-fried chicken strips. from Gita Jaishankar of Gita's kitchen.
Chicken Curry from Happy Cook of My kitchen treasures.
Chicken Briyani from Hemamalini Thiyagarajan of salt2taste.
Chilli Chicken from Hemamalini Thiyagarajan of salt2taste.
Quick Chicken Gravy from Hemamalini Thiyagarajan of salt2taste.

Chicken in poppy seed gravy from IndoSunGod of Daily Musings.
Chicken Rice from Jasmine Subashini of Sugary Spicez.
Chicken Tikka Masala from Jasmine Subashini of Sugary Spicez.
Chicken Dum Biryani from Kalyani of Kalyani's kitchen.
Chicken Kurma from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Sweet and Sour Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Garlic Chilli Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Pepper Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Easy Baked Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Ginger Chicken from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Chicken Keema from Kavitha of kavitha vin kaivannam.
Kozhi Kulambu from Kayal of Kayal's Kitchen

Murgh Khorma from Lubna Karim of Yummy Food.
Murg Kaali Mirch Kabab from Lena Rashmin Raj of cooking with Lena.
Chicken Malaidar from notyet100 of Asankhana.
Chicken roll from Oriya Foodie of Oriya food.
Hadi wala chicken from Oriya Foodie of Oriya food.
Chicken Kola Urundai Kuzhambu from Padma srinivasagam of Padma's recipes.
Chicken 65 from Padma srinivasagam of Padma's recipes.
Pepper Chicken Fry from Padma srinivasagam of Padma's recipes.
Chicken Kurma from Padma Rekha of Plantain leaf.
Andhra Chicken fry from Padma Rekha of Plantain leaf.
Shredded Chicken in a braid from Phanitha of Phanitha's kitchenette.
Tandoor Chicken from Pinky of Esho-bosho-aahare.

The following entries are from Malar Gandhi of Kitchen Tantra.

Tandoori Chicken
Grilled chicken biryani
Grilled whole chicken
Chicken bonda
Ginger Chicken
Arcot chicken biryani
Saffron Chicken pilaf
Jerk Chicken
Cornish Hen curry
Cornish Hen Manchurian
Country chicken Tomato curry
Chicken Pickle
Country Chicken Soup
Country Chicken Fry
Tomato Chicken Thokku
Nilgiri chicken Kuruma
Country chicken Kuzhambu
Pepper Chicken Kuzhambu
Chicken 65
Kozhi Rasam
Nei Kozhi
Hot cornish Hen
Achaar Chicken curry

The below entries are from Lavanya Sivavijayakumar of Spice India.
Chicken Tikka Kathi Kabab
Chciken Jalfrezi
Chilly Chicken
Spicy and Crispy Chicken
Spicy Pepper Chicken Curry

Chicken fry/Tandoori chicken from Pooja of Pooja's Kitchen.
Chicken Ularthu(Roast)-Kerala Style from Pooja of My experience with cooking.
Kung Pao Chicken from Pooja of My experience with cooking.
Coriander Chicken from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
Chicken Biryani from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
Lemon Pepper Chicken from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
Chicken Manchurian. from Poornima of Poornima's tasty treats.
chicken Biryani from Prasu of Prasu's kitchen
Chicken Tikka from Preeti Nilesh of Khaugiri.
Chicken Seek Kebab from Preeti Singh of Shail.
Chili Chicken from Preeti Singh of Shail.

Barbeque chicken from Priyameena of Madurai style.
Jeera Chicken Roast from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chicken Pakoda from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chettinad Karuveppillai Chicken from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Pasta, Chicken N Bellpepper Salad from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Potatoes N Chicken Sausage Gratin from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chicken Sambhar from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chilly Chicken from Priya Suresh of Priya's easy n tasty recipes.
Chicken Masala from Ramya Vijaykumar of Memory archieved.

murgh methi malai from Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi.
Kerala chicken stew from Sangeeta khanna's another blog , Banaras khana.
low fat chilly chickenfrom Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi.
Low fat butter chicken from Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi.
chicken kali mirch from Sangeeta khanna of healthfooddesivideshi
My style Chicken Briyani from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
Classic Chicken curry from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
Classic chicken roast from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
Chicken Spicy curry from Sanghi of Sanghi's Food Delights.
Ginger chicken from Saritha of My kitchen aroma.

Kashmiri Chicken from SGD of cookadoodledo.
Chicken 65 from Sowjanya of Mommy's cuisine.
chili chicken from Sree of Taste spell.
Spicy Chicken with Green Chillies from Sujatha of spicy khazana.
Chicken Cacciatore from SuperChef of So I married a meataholic.
Kolchick from Usha Nandhini of Usha Nandhini's recipes.
Chicken curry from Valarmathi of Simple and Yummy recipes.
Chicken kheema from Vineela Siva.
Chicken keema noodles from Vineela siva.
Chicken Tikka masala from Vrindha of Sankeerthanam.
Mint Harissa Chicken from Yasmeen of Health Nut.

The below are from Viki of Viki's kitchen.
Bachelor's chicken Thokku
Butter Chicken
Chettinad chicken curry
Chicken Salna for Parotta
Country style Chicken curry
Kushka
Indian Chicken curry in Oven
Pepper chicken
Chicken 65
Nilgiri Chicken kuruma
Indian style deep fried Chicken
TamilNadu Muslim's wedding special Biryani

Enjoy blogging!

Have you missed to send your recipe?
If you have some incredible chicken recipe and want to include it in this event, just post the URL in the comment space for this post.
I will be more than happy to include them. (I will try to make a slide after reaching some number).

Lateral entries:
Kozhi varutha kari from Lissie of Salt and spice.
Chicken karahi from Rina of Rina's recipes.
Quick chicken roast from Rina of Rina's recipes.
Chicken tikka pizza from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Mughal Biryani from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Kerala Chicken fry from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Kerala chicken roast from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Chilli chicken fry from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Malabar chicken biryani from Varsha vipins of Will-o'-the-wisp.
Chicken Biriyani from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa.
Chicken curry In coconut milk from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa
Butter Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa
Chilly Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa
Oven Roasted Mint Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa
Kerala Fried Chicken from Sarah Naveen of Vazhayilaa

------------------------
Whole roasted chicken in Indian masala by Viki's kitchen

A cheerful reminder and some reposts

I welcome and remind every chicken lover to participate in the event 'Potluck - Chicken' event hosted by me.
The Last date to send your recipes is June 20 (Sat) , 2009.
Please see the link to read more.

Re-posting few of my recipes for the event.Hope to publish the round-up within a week.Don't miss it :)


Kushka


Chicken 65



Pepper chicken


Country style Chicken curry



Nilgiri Chicken kuruma



Indian style deep fried Chicken


Chettinad chicken curry

Pattani kadalai Kuruma

It is also called kaanja pattani kuruma in Tamil (Dry peas kuruma).

It is one of the signature dishes of my mom.
Like many in India mom lived in a joint family system where we need to cook for everyone's need. But she was a happy little lady with great loving Inlaws:) who pampered her with lot of affection.
Those days reminds me of some beautiful picture portrayed in canvas.
Nevertheless to say She had to cope up with so many patch up works in the kitchen when she was not having the Fridge. One such thing is the back up plan with dry peas.
She used to do it often along with rice for lunch and the rest would be saved for the chapathi for the dinner.
Having a pack of dry peas in the pantry can save your day often:) A little soaking and some curry powder can be enough to cater a surprise guest.
We can buy the whole dry peas in any Indian Store. The peas can come in yellow and green color. Both do good but the yellow one tastes great.
Here is the recipe for the simple pattani kuruma.




Ingredients:
Dry peas (whole with skin) - 3/4 cup
tomato - 1
Red onion - 2 (medium size)
green chillies - 4
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few
shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - a pinch
coriander powder - 3 tsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
olive oil - 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
bay leaf - 1

Method:
Soak the whole dry peas in cold water overnight or in hot water for 5 hours.
Put it in a pressure cooker vessel and add enough water to immerse it (not above the peas). If the water level is above then we our peas will become mushy.
If the peas is under-soaked, then add water enough to cover the peas and it should stand 1 inch above the peas level. 

Pressure cook till we get one whistle reduce flame and keep in minimum for 5 minutes. Then switch off flame and open the lid after 10 minutes .The peas have the tendency to get over cooked if gone beyond one whistle.

Grind ginger and garlic together. Keep aside.
Then grind shredded coconut , cumin seeds and 1 onion together. keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Fry some fennel seeds and bay leaf.
Add the chopped onion, green chillies ,curry leaves, cilantro and mint leaves. After the onion turns golden brown , add ginger garlic paste and saute well.
Now add chopped tomatoes and saute till oil separates.

Add 2 cups of water, chilli powder, turmeric powder , curry masal powder , salt and stir well. Boil till the raw smell vanishes.

Add the coconut masala and let it come to a boil.

Then add the cooked peas along with the water.
Mix well , check for salt and let it boil for two minutes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Pattani kuruma is ready!


Serving suggestions:
serve hot with rice ,chapathi or naan .
Makes 4 cups of pattani kuruma .

Indian Chicken curry in Oven

Last week my friend Gita and myself were discussing about some healthy dishes. Here I should mention her creativity . She is very innovative at making many healthy and oil-less dishes. she asked me if I have any Indian version of chicken curries that can be made in a more healthy way. That was a brain storming question for me as my poor soul always craves for more grease:)
By the time something sparked me of my oven baked curry.
Actually I started making a curry like this whenever I get to make a batch of chicken for more people and if I run out of such a big wok and time:)
Moreover making a reddish curry in a wok may need a lot of oil and time. So I just told her about my version of making the Indian chicken curry in a conventional Oven and also admitted how kiddish is it to post it as a recipe.
But she encouraged me to post it.
So here is an Indian chicken curry made in oven .

Event:
Including this 'Indian chicken curry made in oven' to the event The potluck - chicken ' hosted by me.


Main Ingredient:
Chicken (with bones) - 2 lb

To temper:
olive oil - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 (big)
curry leaf - 1 brig
cilantro , mint leaf - a handful
tomato - 2
fennel seeds - 1 tsp

To grind :
Paste 1.
fresh / dry Ginger - 2 inch
garlic - 4 pods

Paste 2.
curd - 1 cup
poppy seeds - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
cinnamon - 1 inch
cardamom - 2
cloves - 4
fennel seeds - 1 tsp
black pepper - 1 tsp

others:
chilly powder - 1tsp
coriander powder - 2 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp




Method:
Step 1:
Wash and clean the chicken. Chop it into big chunks.
Dry roast all the ingredients given in paste 2 except yogurt (curd) and grind them together with curd. (Other wise mix 2 tsp Shakthi garam masala powder with curd to get paste 2).
Add 1tbsp salt , turmeric powder,paste 2, chilly powder and coriander powder.
Keep refrigerated overnight, so that the pieces get well marinated.

Step 2:
Next day:
Remove the skin of ginger and garlic and grind them to a fine paste.
Chop the onion, tomato separately and keep aside.

Step 3:
Heat oil in a wok. Add fennel seeds. After it becomes red, add the chopped onion and fry well till it becomes golden brown.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till it becomes mushy.
Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry well.
Then add the marinated chicken pieces .

Preheat the oven to 425 deg C.

Step 4:
Heat the wok for less than 5 minutes.
Now taste the masala and adjust the salt.

Step 5:
Now arrange the chicken pieces with masala on a baking foil / bake ware.
Cook it in 425 deg for 45 minutes. Stir it every 15 minutes.
After that keep the oven in broil mode and cook for 5 minutes.
Switch off and leave the chicken there for another 5 minutes.

Oven baked Indian chicken curry is ready!


Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with roti, chapathi or cooked rice.

Note:
This version doesn't require a big wok or more oil or care.
You can cook it side by side while making biryani or arranging the table.
All you need is just an hour. Enjoy!

Azhagar Kovil Dosai

About Alagar Temple / Azhagar kovil: Azhagar means charming person. Here it represents a beautiful God Krishna. Azhagar Kovil (Alagar temple),is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu (aka., Lord Krishna) situated 21 km from the city of Madurai, which lies in the Tamil Nadu state of India.It is situated on a very beautiful hill with lush herbal forest. Specialities: Dosa: As Panchamirtham in Palani and Laddu in Tirupathi, in the Kallazhagar temple, Dosa is very famous. The grains donated to the temple are ground and made to dosas and offered to the visitors as prasadham (divine food) here. Noopura Ganga or Silambaru: This is a perennial river flowing from the feet of Rakkayee Amman from a cave in the temple. The theerthamn (holy water) from a spring inside the Temple is believed to run through so many rare herbs. So it is considered as a healing water for so many uncurable diseases. The lamp in the temple is kept burning for ever. Azhagar Kovil dosai: In the madapalli (the vegetarian kitchen to prepare offering for God), they prepare a crispy and unique dosa for offering to God and then distribute it to visitors. Actually they deep fry the dosai batter in ghee. But I have modified the preparation technique to suit our life style. I tasted this in my childhood while my chithappa (Gandhi chithi) worked there as temple EO.  Ingredients: Whole black gram (with skin) – 1 cup Raw rice (pacharisi/ unboiled rice) – 2 1/4 cups Fenugreek seeds – 1 tbsp Salt – 2 tsp whole Black pepper - 2 tbsp cumin seed - 1tsp curry leaf - 2 brig asafoetida - 1/8 tsp mixture of ghee 1 tsp + sesame oil 1 tbsp Batter preparation: Wash and soak rice separately for 8 hours or overnight. In another vessel wash and soak the urid dhal and fenugreek seeds together for about 8 hours. Grind dhal to coarse texture. Rice should be ground separately and finely. Don't add lot of water. The batter should be thick like softened butter. Add salt and mix the ground urad dhal with the rice mixture . Store this in a large vessel so that there is enough space for batter to rise. Grinding and storing of batter should be done the previous day, preferably in the night so that the batter would be ready the next day. The batter should be allowed to ferment for about 15 – 18 hours. I usually keep it inside the oven to get warmth. Home made Azhagar koil dosai: Grind the black pepper, cumin seed, curry leaf to a coarse powder.Just before we start preparing the dosa mix the asafoetida powder and the ground powder and mix well with the batter. Heat a dosa tawa (non stick or iron).Drizzle 2 drops of sesame oil+ghee over the pan. Using a clean cloth or wooden spatula rub the oil uniformly over the tawa. Take a ladle of batter and pour it gently over the tawa and do not spread it or press it.Reduce the flame to medium heat. Generously pour a 1/2 tsp oil+ghee around the dosa. You can add more ghee for kids:) Turn over the dosa when it starts getting mild red. cook both sides and take out the dosa . Again increase the flame, apply oil and repeat the above process to make more. Serving suggestions: This Azhagar koil dosai won't even need any side dish. But we can serve it with idly podi or butter or coconut chutney or idly sambar. Event: Sending these Azhagar kovil dosas to Divya Vikram's Show me your breakfast event. Note: Water should not be added the next day after it ferments. Dhal should be ground preferably in a grinder for at least 20 minutes and rice for 30 minutes. The batter can also be made using an "Indian Mixer". keep the remaining batter refrigerated.