Nellikai Sadham / Gooseberry Rice / Amla rice

Gingelly oil  -   30ml

Mustard seeds - 1gm

Peppercorns -  1gm

Channa dhal - 1gm

Urad dhal - 1gm

Curry leaves- a few

Ginger, Chopped - 2gm

Groundnut – 1 tbsp

White rice, boiled- 750 gm

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Dry red chillies, broken – 2nrs
Asafoetida (Hing) - a pinch

Gooseberry, chopped & grated (any nellikai / amla) – 150gm

Lemon juice – 1tsp

Coriander leaves, chopped - a few

Method

1:Prepare tempering in hot oil with mustard seeds, pepper corns, urad dhal, channa dhal, ground nut, dry red chillies and curry leaves.

              2: Add gooseberry and ginger now, stir it for another half minute. Add                         turmeric powder,salt and hing. Fry it for few seconds. 

             3: Add lemon juice, mix with gooseberry mixture. Add the boiled rice now;                    gently mix with goose berry mixture. Finally put coriander leaves and Serve                   hot.

                Note: Use amla depends on the tanginess you really need for your rice.

Sirammrutham

Milk  -1 litre

Water – ½ litre

Raw rice  -250 g

Cardamam powder -1 tspn

Sugar  -500 g

Ghee  - 150 ml

Cashewnuts  -20 gram

Badam (skinned) - 20 g

Raisins  - 10 g

Saffron -1 pinch

Tender coconut water – 100ml

Method

1.Boil milk in a heavy bottomed vessel, add the rinsed raw rice once it starts roll boil.

2. Let the rice to mash well, once it forms the sarkarai Pongal stage add the sugar.

3. Mix it gently, now sugar melts and mix well with rice mixture.

4. Now drop the golden ghee fried cashewnuts, raisins and other ingredients into the sweet mixture. Stir all around.

5. Take it out from heat then add tender coconut water. Mix nicely and serve it as prasadham.

Makhni Gravy or Butter Masala

If you have Naan or Roti before your table, what would you suggest us an accompaniment? Your eyes would stroll to the menu card to find the creamy cashew gravy for your stuff. Yes it is your lovely Makhni gravy. 

There are few dishes in Indian food which are most popular and recognized worldwide and Makhni Gravy also has a special place for it. This is most favourite food of any Indian Food restaurant. The taste of Makhni is accepted both by the vegetarian and Non -vegetarian food lovers. Butter in Hindi means "Makhan", Makhni gravy is prepared by using butter generously. Often it is stylishly known as “Butter Masala.”

North Indian food tastes and flavours are mostly highlighted by the Makhni gravy which is widely used in other North Indian food preparation. One part of onion and two parts of tomato is the basic ratio in Makhni gravy preparation; these are pasted then cooked in butter which increases the taste.

Cashew paste, Cream, honey and butter are added to bring the Makhni gravy to creamy texture. The original fragrance and taste is excelled by bringing in Kasthuri Methi leaves. Sometime this is called as the National Dish of India by food enthusiasts. This has the bit spicy, sweet and tangy taste which is well balanced and that may be the reason for everyone to like the Makhni dishes. Makhni dish tastes good with Naan, Roti or Indian Breads, Pulao and Biriyani. Interestingly, due to its delectable taste and creamy texture, in some foreign countries the Makhni gravy is served as Sweet.

This shall be great for us to know the preparation of Makhni gravy in the food outlets. If you know the basic recipe, you could surprise your family with Makhni dish with restaurant taste and save your weekend budget. For that purpose I share with you the best Makhni Gravy recipe.

Preparation method of Makhni Gravy

Onion, sliced – 1 1/2 kg

Tomato paste - 2kg

Ginger and garlic paste – 3tbsp

Butter – 200gms

Refined oil – 150ml

Cinnamon – 2sticks

Cardamom – 4nrs

Cloves – 5nrs

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Biriyani Leaves – 1nr

Star anise – 1nr

Mace – 1 blade

Kalpasi – a little

Kashmiri Chilli powder – 3tbsp

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Coriander powder – 3tbsp

Cumin powder – 2tbsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Cashewnut paste – 250g

Salt to taste

Honey – 1 tbsp

Fresh cream – 100ml

Dry Kasoori Methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) – 1tsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai, sauté the onion till golden colour. Then take it out from kadai let it to be cool, after that grind it well.

2. Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed kadai, add the whole garam masala now. Once it splutter add tomato paste, fry it well in butter.

3. Add the ground onion paste and ginger, garlic paste. Stir continuously then add masala powders one by one. Sauté it up to the oil separates from masala.

4. Once it is sautéed enough, add the boiled cashew paste. Mix and cook for another 10 minutes in slow flame.

5. End with fresh cream, fenugreek leaves, honey and butter. Mix and take it out from fire.

6. Garnish with swirl of fresh cream. Serve hot with Pulao and Indian Breads

Note: This is only the preparation method of Makhni gravy, you would add your choice of fundamental ingredient with the same.

Now you tell me Makhni gravy or Butter Masala?

Photo courtsey: Mareena Jerrish - www.mareenasrecipecollections.com

Passiparuppu Neivedhiyam (Moong Dal Prasadham)

Moong dal, boiled – 500g

Honey – 100ml

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Sugar – 50g

Cashewnuts – 15g

Method

       1.Boil the moong dal and mash it without water. After mash moong dal keep it to          dry well (minimum 2hours).

       2. Once it dries, add honey, cardamom powder, cashew bits. Mix all thoroughly.

      3. Again let it for dry for another half hour. Give the shape of balls to the mixture           and roll it over the sugar grains.

      4. Serve it as Neivedhiyam.

Kollu Adai

Kollu (Horse gram)– 500g

Dry redchilli paste – 1tbsp

Small onion, chopped – 50g

Ginger, chopped – 4g

Black Sesame seeds – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Asafoetida powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander leaves, chopped

Gingelly oil


Method

1. Soak the kollu (horse gram) overnight and boil it well to mash with your hands. Carefully mash the kollu first then add the remaining ingredients.

2. Ensure the mixture should not over mash that should be easy to pat the mixture in your palm.

3. Cook it in non-stick pan with gingelly oil as medium.

Laughing curry - South Indian Food & Beverage Solutions

Laughing curry is my premier food and beverage consultancy team which expertise in providing complete restaurant solutions to people who desire to establish South Indian and Indian food retail concepts. Our laughing curry services are best in considering the value of your budget. Our young dedicated team is keen and flexible for the quality services that best suits for your profitable restaurant business. Our services are not concluded as simply food and beverages solution provider, we guarantee for the bond of your stable business growth and future bridge.

Our research team has made research collections on various cuisines and different foods in South India. We are professional in providing ethnic and authentic cuisine development as to the demand of the contemporary market potential of your place.

Why the name Laughing Curry? Joyous laughing environment brings in energy and prosperity in work beyond our expectations. I believe and like the great laughing background. I don’t want my team name to be let down from laughing – so my passionate team is named as Laughing Curry.

Our broad scope of services meets the need of every client                                              

Manpower

Training

Menu Engineering

Competition Judging

Demonstrations

Manpower

We supply the professionals for your restaurant business at demand basis in all levels of your operation. We provide the man power as team to your establishment as this team shall be trained suitably to the need of your restaurant concept. Our great team will be more dedicated to flourish your business and be a great initiative for the growth and success. Over these years we have placed our team in different successful concepts and they directly involve for the increase of profits. 

We offer our professional manpower in following specializations

Food Production

Customer Service

Restaurant Management

Training

Training is the foundation for the business to have control over your concept and set up long lasting process to your valuable business. The training transforms the staff to your business environment thereby enriching the work efficiency among the staff. The training identifies thrust areas and thus helps to minimise the errors. Training produces better communication channel, provides current technical knowledge and subordinates to understand the responsibility thereby providing the quality service up to the customer satisfaction.

Our Experts Training areas includes

Chef Training

Product training

Chef Motivation

Identifying the right raw materials 

Food Product development

Kitchen Management system

Restaurant Management System

Menu Engineering

The success of the restaurant business heavily relies on the product we offer in our menu.” Customer is our boss” is the foremost term for us before we conceptualize the menu for your business. So the menu shall be pivoted to the customer’s wish, that’s the reason our customer oriented menu is always receives huge response and generates great foot fall. Our team is continuously in research and development to develop the South Indian earthy cuisines to bring it commercial.

We are experts in developing the menu in traditional South Indian and North Indian Food cuisines and also masters in concept development of our research cuisine Thalavai Nadu. We prepare the menu in innovative, fusion South Indian food to the need of quick service restaurant with contemporary touch.

Recipe is the embryo of the Menu; the recipe is standardized through stages of training. The standardization in recipe brings quality in product, Food cost management, staffing, Store management, yield, Portion size & Control, Systemized kitchen operation and cuts down the raw materials wastages.

Standardizing the recipe helps to strengthen the menu thus creates durability in our establishment.

Recipe development

Recipe Standardization

Preparing recipe document

Recipe Assemble

Trial Test

Demonstrations

Our Chef Raj Mohan is easy – going chef so his interactive hands on cooking demonstration / workshop brings the clients to brush up the ideas to prepare new dishes in relaxed and social environment. Chef Raj Mohan is expertise in new product launch demonstration thus involves the client to use the product conveniently. His elaborate talk on theme and comprehensible step by step cooking methods creates appeal to audiences.

He is regularly invited by the catering schools for interactive cooking demonstration to train the young aspirant chefs (students).

For  any press, cookery events and brand work enquries, Please Contact laughingcurry@gmail.com

Sambar – Icon of Indian Cuisine

Sambar is considered as our India's National dish due to its global familiarity. It is special because the statement in ancient literature judged sambar as the ancient food. The type of dal used in sambar differentiates its taste, variety and colour. Sometimes Sambar varieties also gets the name of dal what we use it in the preparation. Do you believe that more than 25 varieties of sambar is available throughout India? So Sambar is being the symbol of our Indian food culture. What is the special aspect of Sambar? It is the dish we could prepare and serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Originally sambar was a mix of dal and vegetables. After the influence of Persian rulers in India, sambar was taken into a new version of adding meat, different dals and vegetables. This gave a new taste and was available in different names.

Eventhough sambar is a popular food of India, this unique dish originated from Tamilnadu. In olden days, sambhar was called as “SAMBHARAM” which meant ‘Reduced’ or ‘Ground.’ The Tamil inscriptions of 1530 CE prove that sambar is the home dish of Tamilians. Literatures also mentioned that sambar is tempered with clarified butter. This information is the evidence to the contradiction of saying that sambar was introduced by the Marathi rulers in Tamilnadu who started ruling Tamilnadu after 1675. In those days sambar was made and served like KOOTU or KALAVAI.

Sambar powder is an enhancer of Sambar’s taste and flavour which can be prepared in different forms but try out our recommended recipe for your home style sambar.

Turmeric Powder – 20g

Dry redchillies – 1kg

Coriander seeds – 1 kg

Peppercorns – 15g

Channa dal – 1 kg

Toor dal – ¾ kg

Urad dal – 100g

Jeera seeds – 100g

Curry leaves – 150g

Asafoetida – 30g

Fenugreek seeds – 20g

Dry roast the above ingredients and then fine powder it. Later sieve and store it in air tight container.

Use this sambar powder to make best sambar and your neighbours wish to join in your meals.

Have a best sambar in your meals,,, lets enjoy with icon....

Free culinary education - The Hindu

Free culinary education - The Hindu

A Centre for Indian Culinary and Higher Hospitality was established at Mary Matha College in Periyakulam near here on Friday to provide free culinary education to school dropouts.

While inaugurating centre, R. Suresha Kumar, Executive Chef, Heritage Madurai, said that such measure would generate employment opportunity for poor youths and help them develop entrepreneurship skills in their minds.

Deserving dropout youths aged between 18 and 23 years will be identified in and around Periakulam for this training, said centre’s chef Raj Mohan.

The college had tie-up with star hotels in Madurai to extend high quality training to the chosen one. The centre had plans to offer stipend to trainees from the next academic year. An opportunity will be created for trainees to meet experts in hospitality and professionals in culinary during training programme.

Besides, it planned to offer hands on training for homemakers on one Sunday of every month, he added.

Kozhukattai – honour of festivals

Kozhukkatai (dumplings) is a godly prasadham to decorate all our beautiful and auspicious moments. We can prepare multiple varieties from few food items but the prepared varieties should be accepted by the people i.e., includes Kozhukattai also.                

                      

It is easier to prepare many tastier varieties out of very few ingredients. We know that there are few nuances in preparing the kozhukattai dough, the taste which you are giving to kozhukattai lies in the dough stability. The dough stability provides extraordinary whitish colour and perfect shape without drift. At present times Kozhukattai is an uncomplicated dish to prepare at home but currently it is fading in the modernism.

Happy to provide the simple Kozhukattai dough preparation and also the basic kozhukattai recipe through this write up. Try to dish out this as Vinayagar Chathurthi special or any auspicious occasion at your home and receive god’s blessings.

Kozhukkatai Dough

Kozhukkatai Rice flour – 2 cup

Salt – ¼ tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Tepid water – 1 cup

Sweet stuffing

Jaggery, broken – 100g

Cardamom – ¼ tsp

Coconut, grated – 100g

Channa dal, boiled - 50g

Method

1.Sprinkle water and prepare tough kozhukattai dough. Apply oil and reserve it for sometime.

2.Mix all stuffing ingredients gently. In the meantime, prepare even balls from dough.

3.Apply little oil in your palms and just press the dough. Keep the stuffing in the  pressed dough and cover the balls neatly.

4.Keep the balls in the Idli steamer and steam it for the next 10minutes.

5.Serve the delicious sweet kozhukattai now.

Urulaikilangu Roast - Potato Roast in Tamil Nadu Style

Diced Potato, deep fried – 150gms

Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp

Whole urad dal – ¼ tsp

Dry Redchillies – 2 nrs

Vegetable oil

Curryleaves – a few

Chillipowder – 1tbsp

Coriander powder – 1tbsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Cumin Powder – ½ tsp

Onion,chopped – 100gms

Tomato, Chopped – 50gms

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves, chopped

Salt

Method

1. Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, Urad dal, dry redchillies and Curryleaves.

2. Add onion, just fry then add tomatoes. Stir both for somemore minutes

3. Put masala powder one by one, but chilli powder is first. Add salt and sauté the mixtrure. Just sprinkle water.

4. Now add fried potatoes, mix well with masala. Finally end with cumin powder and ghee.

5. Garnish with little coriander leaves

Bring Food Education

My straight away quote on “Bring Food Education” may make you understand that the food education is important at present.  We show interest to teach many forms of education from childhood but many of us skip on Food Education. Now we are in the position to teach “Food and health knowledge” in school for our generation.  The Food Education in primary schools brings the dietary eating habits knowledge among children from young age.

We know about the good food ingredients and cooking methods from our ancestors but we do not bring it into use often as the food culture is changing day to day. The years go on like this, our traditional food culture will become extinct.

At this time of our dying food culture, giving basic food education helps the school children for their better eating and healthy long life. Through food education curriculum, we shall teach the knowledge of food ingredients and food products, how the processed foods are prepared and teach basic cooking skills. The aim of the food education is not only to make the children to be talented and skilled in food, but also to involve them to learn healthy eating habits. This brings the own interest in children to plan the food.

Food ignorance brings nutrition deficiency and health decline of children, so the involvement and inspiration of food in childhood helps to prevent food ignorance. Through the food education parents would address the food needs of the children. We often are glad and think that our children are healthy if they are chubby, so we offer choice of processed foods for their wish. Even though we aware of processing food’s harm, we go for the children’s choice. But this results in becoming fat or obese, or week. The healthiest and nutritious food feed for the children till 10 years of age is the fundamental supplement that leads to the later healthy life.

In secondary schools, many vocational education are offered to the students. We say that the offering Vocational Education are skill oriented programmes that offer high possibilities of placement. But there is no culinary art / Hospitality education in schools which has the top opportunity and guaranteed jobs by ever growing Hospitality Industry.  By introducing culinary education curriculum in secondary schools we engage and train the young people for the careers in the food Industry. In schools we lay foundation through basic skills in food education further proficiency they will obtain in higher education, so ultimately they become industry oriented people.

“Rather than saying Education will help us, we ensure that learning period of the education itself will help us” RAJ MOHAN

After thinking over all, Introducing Culinary Education curriculum in Schools is timely need now. Everyone join together and try ahead.

Huge love

Chef.Raj Mohan M.S

Aadi Special Recipe - Saravana Payasam

Saravana Payasam is very tastiest payasam which specially served in the Tamil month of Aadi. This seems like alwa which melts in your mouth. This is best to try the saravana Payasam in Aadi Karthigai and get the blessings of Lord Muruga.

Ghee – 100ml

Vanaspati – 50g

Rawrice  - 1kg

Moong dal – 50g

Jaggery – ½ kg

Cashewnuts – 50g

Raisins – 50g

Banana, ripened – 4nrs

Tender coconut water – 200ml

Cardamom powder – 1 tbsp

Dry ginger – 1 tbsp

Method

1. Heat ghee and vanaspati in a vessel; add rinsed raw rice and moong dal. Fry in ghee.

2. Add enough water to bring the rice and moong dal to cook well. Once both cooks well, add jaggery syrup now. Stir continuously to combine the jaggery in the payasam mixture.

3. Add banana pieces, cardamom powder and dry ginger. Mix then add tender coconut water.  Keep the flame in simmer and go for careful mixing.

4. After that take it out from fire and finish with golden fried cashewnuts and raisins

Aadi Special Recipe - Kapparisi Sadham

Kapparisi Sadham is oblate to goddess Devi in the auspicious day of a Tamil Month, especially Tuesday and Friday of the Aadi Month of Tamil. Try the Kapparisi Sadham and receive the blessings of Devi Durga.

KAPPARISI SADHAM

Raw Rice

Fried Bengal Gram

Coconut, grated

Cashewnuts

Ghee

Cardamom Powder

Jaggery

Method

1 1.   Boil the rawrice. Heat ghee in a non stick pan, add fried Bengal gram and cashewnuts

2 2. Then add boiled raw rice, mix all well. Add thick jaggery syrup and stir.

3 3. Now add coconut and cardamom powder. Combine and atlast finish with little ghee.

Tasty Chicken Gravy in your Meal

Cooking with chicken meat doesn’t need craftsmanship like other meat though the prepared is taste able even if you prepared it in any style. Just think of the outcome if you prepare the same chicken dish with simple and neat procedure – hope you are now feeling to enjoy it, if so then you lets come with me.

Chicken shall be wash thoroughly, it is not at all new but you are doing that – Chicken gives good taste and fresh look in gravy by the way it is cleaned. Now mix the cleaned chicken pieces with turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt lets reserve it for few minutes.  In the same vessel, pour little water and cook the chicken in simmer after few minutes marination.

Take a good bottomed vessel, pour equal amount of coconut oil and refined oil. Allow kalpasi, saunf, Cinnamon to pop in hot oil. Now add small onions, sliced onion, slitted green chillies, sliced tomato, mint leaves and Poppy seeds (khus khus) at a time. Fry all now well till it becomes soggy – take your masalas i.e., chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder, stir all gently. Pour enough water which is needed for your gravy. After starts roll boil, add already boiled chicken pieces and finely grinded coconut paste.

Allow the mixture to cook until it becomes your expected gravy consistency. Put garam masala powder, coriander and mint leaves (stir and simmer for a minute time) before take it away from fire.

Wow!! Observe your dining hall is filled with wonderful flavour of the gravy, now without your call there shall be guests in your house.

Try and enjoy the simple chicken gravy. Happy cooking and eating.

Biriyani – a delicious food gift

Lots of questions are remaining in us to ask about Biriyani. Preparing handsome biriyani needs meticulous attention that is apart from whatever we say in cooking. The juicy savor with blended flavour is most wanted one for good tasty Biriyani lovers.

When we ask about how we are reaching this beautiful flavour in Biriyani, the answer lies in careful stir fry of flavouring ingredients. Instead of sauté the biriyani ingredients in oil, those ingredients has to fry good in oil medium (mix of coconut oil, refined oil and ghee). As same the tomato, green chillies and ginger garlic paste should be added after other biriyani ingredients fried well in oil. Another sought thing is add whole green chillies rather than it is slitted, so the spiciness in green chilly goes into biriyani and sometime the slitting may cause sour taste to biriyani.

The ginger and garlic paste are the secret behind the flavouring enhancement. The proportion of ginger paste is slight more than garlic. Masala powder has to be mix with tomato, onion, green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger and garlic paste. Frying these ingredients cooked up the masala also this combination pulls the neighbours into your kitchen. Spices are also powdered separately and this shall be added with the ingredients while frying to improve the biriyani flavour.

Come to rice point, the rice is rinsed and drained honestly so that there should not be any sign of dampness in the rice. The drained rice must be resembles like dried rice. If you use rice in this form the prepared biriyani absorbed masala and rice granules are juicy.

Biriyani is also existed in ancient era; in earlier biriyani is a flavourful rice preparation. In ancient period, the habit of cooking meat and rice together was there in practice thus called as “Oonsoru or Ottukha” – just we say a forerunner of modern day biriyani. But over the periods the biriyani is prepared with little spicy / masala to the taste needs of South Indians.

Before going for the Biriyani dum, confirm the rice grains must have bit of watery condition thereby you cover the vessel with correct heavy size lid and top done with ember.  End up with another beautiful message, Ramba leaf, which smells like biriyani rice (seeraga samba rice) this leaf is used in the some biriyani preparation to enrich flavour and taste in biriyani.

“Indeed – Biriyani is a delicious food gift” you shall know after finishing this article….