Mullangi sambar

Mullangi - Radish; Sambar - a dal based curry.

Radish is one of my favorite vegetables. Hubby loves this mullangi (radish) sambar very much. Though the red radish (that looks like potato) is common, this Indian white daikon radish is also easily available here. The daikon radish is more spicy and flavorful. So I buy this one for sambar. I use homemade sambar powder and canadian Toor dal (flat toor dal with sprouts, ilai paruppu) and that is the secret behind my flavorful sambar. We can use any Toor dal (red gram / pigeon pea lentil), but this ilai paruppu will give more flavor and thickness (according to my mom). Shakthi sambar powder also works fine, but nowadays I am making my own ingredients from scratch:)
I won't add onion in the radish sambar, but feel free to customize it for your taste buds:)
Here is my radish sambar recipe.

Sambar is an essential curry while serving South Indian rice meal.

Platter has Rice, chow chow dal, okra puli kulambu, avial, plain yogurt, sarkkarai pongal.

Picture of the day:)
Sometimes I try to prepare a simple platter of South Indian meal on weekends and sambar is an essential one for the main course. Typical South Indian meal should contain a bowl of rice, sambar, koottu (dal based side dish), aviyal (coconut based side dish), poriyal (stir fry) or varuval (deep fry), appalam, vadagam (chips), more milagai (fried yogurt dipped chilly), puli kulambu / vatral kulambu(tamarind based curry), more kulambu (curd based curry), rasam (soup like curry), payasam(dessert)and curd. One need not prepare a whole platter at a time, but it will be fun to make at least a few items in the list and it will definitely cheer up the house. These kind of spreads / platter brings me my mom's fond memories or festival touch :)

Ingredients:

To pressure cook:

Toor dhal/red gram lentil - 3/4 cup
water- 2 cups
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
asafoetida - 1 pinch
sesame oil- 1 drop
Wash and clean the lentil. Pressure cook the dhal with the above said ingredients for a whistle. Then reduce flame and cook for 10 minutes. Let it cool. Open the lid and add some fresh cumin seeds. Mash well using a spatula. Keep aside.
(we can cook the dhal in stove top also. But we may need to soak it first for 30 minutes or more and cook for 30 minutes. Overnight soaking can be done inside fridge too).

Other ingredients:

Radish - 1 (long)
Tamarind - amla (gooseberry / nellikkai) size ball
tomato - 1
coconut oil / ghee - 2 tbsp
(Try to use ghee, as it gives more taste to the sambar).
curry leaves- 1 sprig
cilantro/ coriander leaves (chopped)- 1 tbsp
jaggery (Indian brown sugar) - 1 tsp
mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
fenugreek -1/2 tsp
dry red chilly - 3
salt - to taste
homemade sambar powder  - 2 tsp
freshly shredded coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:

Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of hot water and extract the juice by squeezing.
Peel the skin of radish by rubbing it with a knife. Rinse and chop it into thin circles.
Put it in a separate vessel along with tamarind extract water, chopped tomato and cook till tender.

Add the sambar powder, cumin to the pressure cooked dal and mash. Pour it to the cooked radish.

In the same time heat oil or ghee in a separate wok. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and let the mustard splutter. Immediately add the curry leaves, chopped dry red chilly and saute for a few seconds. Pour this hot mixture over the dhal. Bring it to only one boil, add the chopped cilantro, shredded coconut, jaggery and switch off.
Mullangi sambar is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot over plain cooked rice.
The best side dish would be a spicy arbi fry.
Make some extra sambar, reserve for dinner and serve along with paper roast dosas.

Spicy Shrimp curry (Era thokku)

After publishing the Chettinadu chicken biriyani, I was getting many requests from friends for this Shrimp curry. Here I am narrating how I prepare this tongue tickling shrimp thokku. This recipe may seem more oily, but definitely lesser than a fried shrimp. I prepare this kind of spicy and oily non veg recipes along with ghee rice, coconut milk rice or curd rice. Changing the ingredients' proportion will not yield the authentic South Indian shrimp curry. So stick to the recipe.
My hubby is not a fan of any crustaceans like shrimp or crab. So I rarely prepare those items. I used to wait for friends and family who like these foods and prepare these for them and would enjoy the food along with them. Nowadays I too rarely prepare Xav's non-favorite foods , as it is not interesting for me and so I didn't have any recent photos for this dish:) Try this one and tell me how you love it:)

Shrimp spicy curry / Indian prawn poriyal / eral thokku:

Chettinadu chicken biryani served with era(Shrimp) thokku .

You may need:
A thick bottom kadai / wok
a tight lid
spatula

Ingredients: 
sea shrimp - 1 lb (1/2 kg)
sesame oil - 1/4 cup
shallot onion - 25 number (naattu vengayam)
curry leaf - 1 sprig
fennel seeds (sombu) - 1 tsp
mace (jathi pathiri) - tiny bit
fresh ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
tomato - 4
green chilly - 3
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
sea salt - as per need

To Fry and grind (masala powder):
coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
dry red chilly - 5
channa dal - 1 tbsp
black pepper - 1 tbsp
cumin - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1 inch
cardamom - 3
cloves - 6
fennel - 1/2 tsp
nutmeg(jathikkai ) - 1 tiny shaving

Method: 
Buy fresh small or medium size shrimp. (Larger variety prawn / shrimp may taste bland - my opinion only). Remove the shell and intestines (green stuff seen at back of shrimp). Rinse well. Keep aside.

Bring to boil 1/2  cup water. Cook the tomato, peel(remove skin) and grind to a fine paste in that cooked water. Keep aside.

Heat the wok with 1 tsp oil, fry the items (chana dal, chilly, coriander - one by one separately and the others together) mentioned for grinding and grind it to a fine powder.

Heat 1/4 cup sesame oil / coconut oil in the wok. Add fennel, mace and let the fennel get red. Then add chopped shallot and fry till it gets golden brown. Put curry leaves, freshly made ginger garlic paste (1 inch ginger + 6 cloves of garlic). Fry for few seconds or till raw smell vanishes. Add the pureed tomato and cook till oil shows up. Then add the cleaned shrimp, salt, turmeric powder, green chillies and cook covered for 10 minutes (medium flame). Then add the prepared masala powder and cook covered in low flame till oil separates (5 minutes).
Garnish with finely chopped cilantro (optional). Switch off! Shrimp thokku is ready!

Serving suggestions: 
Serve as side dish with biriyani, curd rice, sambar rice, rasam rice, chapati.

Chilly chicken

Chilly chicken is another popular Indian chicken recipe. We can taste Chilly chicken in most of the Indian restaurants anywhere. People often say that chilly chicken is an Indo-Chinese food. I don't know for sure about this fact, but I like the deep flavor of capsicum and spring onions in it. I have tried to make chilly chicken on my own many times (came out good though), but wanted to get a typical flavored recipe. So I referred Deepa's (Hamaree rasoi) chilly chicken and got the basic idea for this recipe. I like her recipe very much, as it is easy to understand and gives me the correct taste.  I have added black pepper and Ap flour instead of white pepper and corn starch, as I had that only at hand. Turmeric is one ingredient I always add compulsorily in most of my non veg foods. Other than that it is very same as Deepa's.
Some people call the same recipe as chicken manchurian. Whatever the name be, here is a totally irresistible chicken dish from my kitchen to yours:)

Chilly chicken

Step 1:
To marinate:
skinless boneless chicken thigh - 1 kg
All purpose flour / corn flour - 3 tbsp
soy sauce - 2 tbsp
vinegar - 2 tbsp
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
egg - 1
salt - to taste
turmeric - 1 tsp

Ginger - 3 inch
garlic - 6 cloves

Grind ginger garlic together. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Mix everything above in a mixing bowl along with ginger garlic paste. Add the chicken pieces and marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Step 2:
Oil - 200 ml.
Deep fry the chicken pieces in medium fire. Ensure that the pieces are cooked well and turns golden red.
Don't crowd the oil. It will take nearly 30 minutes, depending upon the wok size.
while frying, I chopped the other ingredients and made the chapati:)
Keep the fried chicken pieces in a paper towel and drain excess oil. Keep aside.

Step 3:
For garnish:
green capsicum - 1 large
(bell pepper / kudai milagai)
scallion (spring onion) - 1 small bunch
white onion - 1 large
black / white pepper powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
remaining marinade
tomato sauce - 2 tbsp
corn starch - 1 tbsp
soy sauce - 1 tsp
garlic - 6 cloves
green chilly - 4

Mince garlic and green chilly finely. Chop the scallion to 1/2 inch pieces.
Cut the capsicum and onion into 1 inch squares.
After frying the marinated chicken pieces, drain the oil in paper towels.
Discard excess oil from the frying pan and retain only 2 to 3 tbsp oil.
Put the chopped onion and capsicum, fry for a few seconds.  Add the minced garlic, green chilly.
Add little salt (as we have already added salt before frying the chicken), soy sauce, dissolved corn starch, tomato ketchup, pepper powder and mix well.
Add 1/4 cup water to the left over marinade and add to the wok.
Cook for a few minutes. Before switching off, add the fried chicken mix well.
Garnish with chopped scallion.
Chilly chicken is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve hot as side dish with any fried rice or chapati or noodle.
Serves 6 - 8 people

Time taken:
Marination - 2 hours
preparation - 30 minutes
frying - 30 minutes
garnish - 15 minutes
This may seem a time consuming process, but worth the effort.

Ragi puttu

Finger millet - Ragi, keppai, kezhvaragu.
Puttu - steamed cake with loose texture.

Millets and Tamil cuisine are always intertwined. Including this wonder grain (at least 1 tbsp) in the diet on alternate days will definitely enrich the quality of anyone's everyday meal. There are many ways to cook ragi, while puttu is an outstanding one.  Here is another fiber rich breakfast recipe from my kitchen to yours.

Ragi puttu

Ingredients:
Ragi - 1  cup
water - less than 1/4 cup
salt - 1/8 tsp
cardamom powder - a pinch
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp

Method:
Dry roast the ragi flour till it smells nice and a mild red.
Mix salt and shredded coconut to the flour.
Sprinkle water and loosely mix well.
Add water and mix till the flour is little wet (not dry).
We should be able to hold a handful of wet flour to make a ball, but if let down , it should crumble.
This is the best consistency for puttu.

Steam cook it in puttu maker or idly stand or tied inside a thin cloth.
Click to see my rice puttu for detailed method.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with little brown sugar, freshly shredded coconut and banana (optional).

Makes a healthy breakfast.

Tips:
This can be made the previous night and stored in airtight container - refrigerated - microwaved / reheated in pressure cooker and served as breakfast. May be good as post workout food or as a quick meal.

Pumpkin karamani curry

This is a curry / side dish I make with pumpkin and red beans (karamani / thattampayaru). Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A and fiber, while red beans are high in protein, iron, antioxidants and fiber. Totally this curry will boast up one's immunity, reduce fat, brightens the skin and good for eyes. Just like the wise people say, 'fitness starts in kitchen', these kinds of simple foods will make us feel satisfied and healthy.  So try this power packed side dish with whole wheat chapati (Indian bread) and stay happy about the diet :)

Ingredients:
Pumpkin - 1/4 kg (250 gm)
red beans (karamani) - 1/2 cup
coconut oil - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 1 sprig
dry red chilly - 1

To grind:
coconut (shredded) - 2 tbsp
shallot onion - 3
cumin - 1/2 tsp
dry red chilly - 3
coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Method: 
Soak the red beans overnight or for 5 hours and pressure cook till tender. (add enough water just to cover the beans.Heat the pressure cooker till one whistle, reduce the flame to low and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off. Red beans will be cooked now. We can cook it in stove top too). 

Dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin, dry red chillies and grind together with shallot and coconut. Keep aside.

Rinse the pumpkin, remove the skin and seeds. (Dry roasted seeds tastes very yummy). Cut the pumpkin into small cubes. Cook it in a vessel with 1 cup water and required salt. After the pumpkin is almost soft (in 5 minutes), add the prepared masala, cooked red beans and cook covered in low heat. As soon as the curry starts getting thick, switch off.

Now heat oil in a separate pan, put mustard. As it starts crackling, add the curry leaves, dry red chilly and pour over the curry. Mix well. Check for salt and sweetness from pumpkin. If needed add a tsp of sugar to enhance the pumpkin's flavor. Pumpkin karamani curry is ready!

Serving suggestions: 
Serve as side dish with rice, roti / chapati.

Thiruvathirai kaLi

Thiruvathirai is an auspicious day for Hindus (South India), which comes on Margazhi month (winter). A sweet porridge by the name 'Tiruvathirai kali' along with a spicy mixed vegetable curry called 'thalagam' are made on that day. I got this recipe from 'Mangayar malar' magazine. Mangayar malar has been my most favorite magazine since my teens. It is a magazine especially for women like me, who need some 'light reading' before sleep:)  I love it very much for keeping up the authentic touch, traditional values, a mind calming style and authentic recipes....thanks to the online editions, still I am able to read the books:)  Almost all the recipes I got from that will be on my 'success list':) As expected, this kali too tastes excellent and hubby dear like it very much. There are many versions for this dish but I am narrating the recipe I got and love.

Ingredients: 
raw Rice - 1 cup
moong dal (green gram lentil) - 2 tbsp
Jaggery (Indian brown sugar) - 1 cup
cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp
ghee (clarified butter) - 2 tbsp
cahsew nut - few.

Method: 
Dry roast the rice and dhal together till it turns very mild red (not brown) and aromatic. Add water and rinse thrice. Drain all the water and let it dry for some time (30 minutes) in a plate.(we can do the rinsing first and then the roasting too). Powder the rice and dal in a mixie (blender). Keep aside.
Add 2 cups of water to jaggery and heat till it dissolves. Filter and remove any sediments. Bring it to a boil, add the powdered rice+dal. Reduce flame and cook covered. Wait till all the water is absorbed and the rice gets cooked. Fry the cashews in ghee and pour over the cooked kali. Finally add cardamom powder, mix well and switch off.
Thiruvathirai kali is ready!

Serving suggestions: 
Serve as breakfast or dessert.

Sheet cake decoration, tips (carrot cake for Thanksgiving)

Here is the 1/4 sheet cake I prepared for the Thanksgiving dinner hosted by our friends Mr&Mrs. Raynor. That's a very pleasant and happy thanksgiving celebration for us to be with their family on that day. We enjoyed many delicious dishes like whole turkey, bean rice, jerk chicken, homemade jerk sauce, Jamaican curried chicken, potato salad, Mac n cheese and Regi's prayer.  I made poori (fried whole wheat bread), South Indian chicken curry with coconut and cashew masala and carrot cake. We had a happy dinner together and enjoyed shopping till midnight:) Here I am giving out the recipes for the moist carrot cake, cream cheese icing, butter cream icing for this sheet cake. (Sugar proportions are varied for this particular cake for decorative purpose....this works for me). Also I have given some basic tips on making a large size sheet cake, soaking,  transporting the cake etc.

All praise goes to GOD.

Orange rose icing.

Flour, sugar, my recipe notebook, toasted walnut, orange peel.....ready for baking.

Ingredients:
Carrot - 4
Apple (small) - 1
All purpose flour - 2 1/4 cup
large egg - 4
sugar - 2 cup
butter - 1 1/4 cup
shredded coconut (dry / fresh) - 3 tbsp
vanilla extract - 2 tsp
orange peel - 1 tbsp
orange juice - 3 tbsp
cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
baking soda - 2 tsp
baking powder - 2 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
walnut - 1 cup (toasted)
raisin - 1/4 cup

Ginger powder - 1 /2 tsp

Method:
Shred the carrot. Core, peel and shred the apple. (Pineapple can also be used instead of apple, but sometimes that makes the cake soggy. So I use apple for controlled moisture) . Preheat oven to 350 deg (175 deg C) for at least 30 minutes before we start baking. Grease and flour the cake tin. Keep aside. Beat the eggs in a mixer or using a fork till fluffy. Then add vanilla essence,orange juice, sugar, butter and beat till its fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt TWICE. Put it in a mixing bowl and add the liquids from mixer. Mix well. Add the shredded carrot,apple, coconut, orange peel, cinnamon, coarsely chopped walnut, raisin and mix slightly. The batter should be approximately of 7 cups. Now the batter is ready! Pour into greased cake tin. Bake at 350 deg F for 45 minutes or till an inserted skewer comes clean.

Cream cheese frosting:
Ingredients:
Cream cheese - 8 oz (1 pack)
unsalted butter - 8 tbsp (1 stick)
confectioner's sugar - 4 cup
vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by leaving them in counter top(not any means ...this is important). Mash together the cheese and butter. Sift the sugar and add it along with vanilla essence. Mix well. Enough to frost 2 to 3 dozen cupcakes (1 tbsp icing per cake) or 9x13 sheet cake. Makes one tub (US) frosting.

Butter cream frosting:
Ingredients:
Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick)
confectioner's sugar - 4 cups
milk - 1 tbsp
vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
salt - a pinch
food color - if needed

Bring butter to room temperature by leaving it in counter top. First beat the butter to fluffy. (I did manually using a fork, but a mixer is good for this).Mix other ingredients logically to get a smooth flowing but stiff icing.
Butter cream icing is ready!

Tips for moist cake finish / Soaking before icing:
Sugar syrup :
brown / white sugar - 3 tbsp
water - 1/2 cup
Microwave sugar and water for 2 minutes or heat in stove top till it gets slightly thick. switch off and let cool. After baking the cake, cool it completely in wire rack. Then transfer it to the base. If the cake needs to be transported, then stick the cake to the base with few tsp of icing. This steps prevents sliding of cake while carrying it. Then using a skewer randomly pierce all over the cake and brush the sugar syrup on top of cake. This keeps the cake very moist and delicious while refrigeration / storage. Then do the icing. Keep refrigerated. Keep in room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.

Tips on transporting a sheet cake without much equipments.
Transporting the perfectly iced cake to the party location is equally as much challenging as preparing it. Here are some tips and tricks I use to transport the cakes without buying any special cake carriers.


USA cake sizes (standard / commercial)
Serving sizes may differ. It is always nice to make some extra servings while planning a party. Here is an approximate calculation for number of servings of cake in a very generous serving (2 to 3 inch pieces). One may increase the servings by reducing the portion, but I prefer to stick to the generous serving for my guests:)

Number of people vs size of cake (ref 1, ref 2)
8 inch cake =  8 to 10 people
Quarter (1/4) sheet cake (9x13 inch) = 18 to 20 people (28 formal / small servings)
Half sheet cake (11x15) = 30 to 40 people
Full sheet cake (18x24) = 70 to 80 people (110 formal small servings)

How to cut a 9x13 inch cake while serving:
9x13 is the normal homemade sheet cake size needed for a birthday party.
see how to slice the cake for 18/21/28 plates.


How to carry a sheet cake for a home party?
1.Buy a cake carrier / container. (or)
Use a cookie sheet as an inexpensive / reusable cake carrier as strong base (may be it wont have a lid or get creative to make a lid at home using a heavy duty aluminum foil) . I always keep a sturdy wooden board under the cookie sheet for extra strength, as many cakes may come up to 3 kg and the cookie sheets may wobble. This set up is good enough to transport within 1 hour drive if we have someone to hold the cake.
2. Glue the cake to cake base cardboard / cookie sheet by using some icing / frosting. By this way, cake won't slide while driving.
3. Have a responsible friend to hold your cake carefully. Plan the route, drive smoothly.
4. If the cake is larger and if we can't find a lid, then get creative and make a cake lid at home. This time I used a maruchen noodle box I got (free) from local grocery store as 'home made cake cover/ lid'. Just cut two sides and slide the lid to the cookie sheet without touching the cake....stays neat.
4. Don't transport cupcakes after icing. Do the icing in the party premises. Cupcakes are hard / expensive to transport if you are not commercial. So stick with sheet / round cakes:)

Time taken to bake a 9x13 inch cake:
40 - 50 minutes.

Always choose a very good quality cake tin. I prefer wiltons cake tins or glass pans for large cakes. They are quick to bake, even finish and results without browning the cakes.
Cool completely for 4 hours or overnight.

Planning:
Plan the size of cake (as mentioned above) and buy ingredients earlier.
(1/4 sheet cake need 7 cups of cake batter).
Prepare the icings earlier and keep refrigerated. The sugar in the icing acts as a natural preservative and hence the icing can stay longer in fridge. I prepared the icings 3 days before thanksgiving day.
Cake should be baked on the day or two before icing. Keep it refrigerated with a cling wrap cover.
Icing can be done one earlier and kept refrigerated. Keep the cake in room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving  (melts the icing slightly and gives a soft texture).

Poori and chicken curry I made for thanksgiving dinner party.

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Update Feb 21, 2014
Birthday carrot cake with pink roses and yellow flowers for Em