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South Indian Paneer 65

Oil – for deep frying

Paneer, Big cubes – 500g

Batter Ingredients as follows

Ginger paste – 2tbsp

Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

65 Masala (readymade) – as needed

Salt to taste

Maida – 1 tbsp

Cornflour – 2tbsp

Lime juice – 2

MSG (Ajinomotto, optional) – a pinch

Food colour, as required

Method

1.Prepare thick batter with the batter ingredients. Add the paneer cubes in the batter, mix nicely.

2.Allow the paneer in batter for another 15 minutes. Heat the oil in meantime, deep fry the paneer cubes.

3.Once it is fried, take out and strain well. Serve with onion rings and tangy chutney.

Degree Coffee - Kumbokonam Degree Coffee

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Too much drinking of coffee is a peril to brain, is one of the contradict voice about coffee. Coffee prevents from Cancer, it improves the immunity power and sweetens the intercourse, is another prospective word. Is coffee a boon or crush? Till now there is no answer for this controversial question. It is so difficult to say, the present world may not be function without coffee. Coffee makes greater impact to energize our routine life & work.

The contradict stories are there about the origin of coffee. Before the birth of Jesus Christ, Ghaffa is a part in Ethiopia (country), Africa, there Kalpha was a man who were grazing his goats. He was surprised to notice that few of his goats were moving so fresh with unusual enthusiasm. He found that his goats were eaten the red fruit which grown in the plant was the reason for the stimulation. Next day, he also tasted the same fruit and sensed the countless stimulation. This is how the coffee plant was found out, is one of the hear-say story.   

History has registered that Ethioppians were powdered the coffee pods and it was combined with meat fat. They prepared the food with this mix and were eaten. Initially the coffee was considered as intoxicated drink in Arab countries, so there was high objection to use coffee. Also that time it was banned to use. After 15^th Century it was slowly introduced to other countries. Babupudaan, a pilgrim who travelled through Meccah, Yeman brought the coffee seeds to India. He first planted the coffee seeds in Chandragiri Hills in Karnataka.

Later the British people who came India made that the coffee is not only mingled with the life of Indians but also with our land. Goat grazer introduced coffee, now became one of the world’s highest consuming drink.

What is DEGREE in Coffee?

Degree is an indication to the quality of Milk. It is freshly taken milk without water, i.e., the thickness of the milk is identified by lactometer. The milk quality has to reach certain degree in lactometer that milk is good and used for making brilliant degree coffee. Boil the water in bronze filter, in that add the chicory free coffee powder and sugar into it then close the filter. Half amount of boiling milk and half quantity of brewed coffee decoction are blended forcefully in daberra cup. Surfacing bubbles and vapour emanates from daberra stimulate the veins of our body. While coffee touches your tongue, the World is dawned with zeal.

Applause coffee…. !!!!

Dosai Bhaji Masala

Potato, boiled & Mashed – 500g

Onion, sliced – 2nrs

Green chilli, slitted – 4nrs

Curryleaves, a few

Coriander leaves, a few

Oil – 3tbsp

Mustard seeds – a few

Channa dal – a few

Urad dal – a few

Cumin seeds – a few

Asafoetida- a pinch

Tamarind extraction, thick – 4 tbsp

Sambhar powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation

1.Heat oil in a pan, splutter the Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal, urad dal and curryleaves.

2.Add onion, fry it for few minutes till it soft. Then add green chillies, fry together.

3.Add turmeric powder, stir all around. Add the water now and bring it into boil.

4.Add salt then add potato and mix well. Let it to simmer for 2 minutes and add sambhar powder.

5.After 5 minutes of cooking, add the tamarind extraction. Simmer the mixture for another 3minutes.

6.Add asafoetida and coriander leaves. Cook it for further one minute time.

7.Serve this new bhaji masala with Dosai and enjoy.

Sadhamudhu

                 Tomato - 2nrs 

                 Salt - to taste

                Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

                Coriander leaves, chopped - a few

                Tempering

                Ghee – 2 tbsp

                Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp 

               Sadhamudhu Masala Powder

                                        Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp

                                        Peppercorns – 1 tbsp

                                        Toor dal – 1 tbsp

                                        Channa Dal – 1 tbsp

   Method of preparation

1.Dry roast the Sathamudhu masala powder items in pan, if you like you could use little ghee to roast. Powder the dry roast items. 

2.Heat the pan, pour water and bring it into boil. Add the tomato, turmeric powder, coriander leaves and salt in boiling water. Stir all.

3.Once it boils well and reduced slightly, add the masala powder. Mix it and now you could see the mixture reaching consistency.

4. Make tempering with ghee and mustard seeds, pour the same over the Sathamudhu.

5. Serve with rice and it is a thokku in different taste.

Note: If you are not wish to go with the hot of peppercorns, instead of this you could use the dry redchilli.

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Barbecue Chicken Tikkah

Chicken pieces – 2 Kg

Redchilli powder – 3tbsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1tbsp

Thick Curd – 200ml

Salt – as needed

Ginger, Garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Garam masala powder – 1tbsp

Cumin powder – 1tsp

Black salt –as needed

Fried onion paste – 50g

Dry Kasthuri Methi leaves – a pinch

Red colour powder (colouring) –as needed

Method of Preparation

1.Prepare thick tikkah masala with curd, fried onion paste, salt, black salt, masala powders, dry methi leaves, colour powder, ginger & garlic paste. Combine the added ingredients and marinate the chicken pieces in the tikkah masala for about two hours while keep the marinated chicken in refrigerator.

2. After three hours of marination, take out the marinated chicken from refrigerator. Allow the marinated chicken to back normal stage. Insert the chicken chunks in the skewers.

3. Keep the chicken chunks over the barbecue or open live charcoal, cook it till the chicken cooks. Regularly baste the chicken chunks with melted butter. If you have tandoor, you can cook the chicken in it.

4. Serve with Indian tangy salad.

Uzhunthamparuppu Kootu / Urad Dal Kootu

Oil – 2tbsp

Uzhunthamparuppu / Urad dal – 100gms

Dry redchillies – 2nrs

Cumin seeds- ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder – as required

Salt – as required

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Curryleaves – 4nrs

Method of Preparation

1.Add the rinsed urad dal into the boiling water, cook till it half mashed. Put the salt and turmeric powder now.

2. Grind the dry redchillies and cumin seeds finely, add the ground item into the simmering urad dal mixture.

3. Do not mash it, make the urad dal to half mashed and cooked properly until it reaches Kootu stage. Prepare the usual tadka and pour it to Kootu.

4. Mix and Serve with Rasam sadham is a best combination.

Kallidaikurichi Appalam – Taste of South Indian Feast

A feast without Appalam is known as half feast. Appalam is being that much important in our food. In village side, still rice gruel and fire roasted appalam is the important food for the morning time workers. Long years before, if we had purchased appalam in any place of Tamilnadu, that prepared appalam’s dough would have been pestled (Ulaka) only from the mortar of Kallidaikurichi. So this means that each house in kallidaikurichi is involved in the production of Appalam as cottage business. At present the trend is so changed that the big machines in cities are preparing a day’s total appalam production of Kallidaikurichi within an hour.

Kallidaikurichi is a beautiful small town, located in the banks of Tamirabarani river. Kallidaikurichi consists of 18 Aghragharams. Here the people are living a traditional life. This Appalam production was started as a pastime by the aghragharam women who were wedlock in the young age. The matchless combination of serene Tamirabarani water taste and the cooking skills of aghragharam women introduced the appalam to the other cities. The high response to Kallidaikurichi appalam involved all the people to start this appalam business.

The other reason for the fame of Kallidaikurichi Appalam is the traditional preparation methods and the local cultivated urad dal used for making appalam. Whole urad dal is broken in the hand intruder and is prepared as flour then. Many varieties like Uzhundu Appalam, Arisi Appalam, Milagu Appalam, Jeeragam Appalam are made here but Dual Appalam (Errattai Appalam) is Kallidaikurichi’s special.

Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Asafoetida and water is mixed with urad dal and then it is kneaded to the consistency of chappathi dough. Then the dough is pounded in the stone mortar (Kal Ural) for half an hour. The pounding helps the dough to become soft. Then cumin seeds are added, it is spread like poori dough and then dried. Perfection is needed to dry the appalam. At first it is dried in shadow then it is taken to sun light and again to shadow. Once it is dried well, it goes for packing.

Arisi Appalam preparation is a different one. Four parts of rice flour, one part of Sago flour (Javvarisi Mavu) and salt is mixed and prepared as dough. Prepare small balls and cook it in the Idli steamer. Cook it well and add the required amount of green chili paste. It is pounded in the stone mortar (Kal Ural) then made as balls, spread and dried.

It is a pleasure to know about the most famous (morru morru) “Kallidaikurichi Appalam.” Start making the sense of crispy taste in your feast with our Appalam.

Have an Appalam day…

Kozhi Chops Masala

Coconut oil – 50ml

Refined oil – 50ml

Cinnamon- 2 nrs

Cloves – 5nrs

Saunf- ¼ tsp

Cardamom- 4

Pepper corns, whole – 1 tsp

Star anise - 2

Mace – a few

Kalpasi – a few

Vanaspati – 100ml

Curryleaves- a few

Green chillies, slitted – 5nrs

Shallots – 50g

Onion, chopped – 500g

Tomato – 600g

Ginger,garlic paste – 4 tbsp

Turmeric powder – ¾ tsp

Coriander powder – 2tbsp

Cumin powder – 1 tbsp

Chilli powder – 4tbsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tbsp

Chicken – 2 Kg

Poppy seeds, paste – 3 tbsp

Curd – 50ml

Mint leaves – a few

Coriander leaves – a few

Method of Preparation

1.Heat coconut oil, refined oil and Vanaspati. Season the whole garam masala ingredients including the peppercorns. Add the ginger, garlic paste. Fry it till the flavour comes out nicely.

2. Add shallots, onion, tomato, curry leaves and greenchillies. Saute it in oil. Add the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Once the onion gets golden colour, add the masala powder one by one.

3. Add the chicken pieces, mix it with masala. Add salt now. Stir the chicken continuously; make the masala to bind with the chicken pieces.

4. Add the poppy seeds paste. Fry it with the chops masala. Add the curd. Stir for a minute and pour the water which is enough for chicken to cook.

5. Close the vessel. Once the chicken cooked and the chops masala reach the consistency, Sprinkle the ground garam masala which you have it in your cupboard.

Egg Curry

Vegetable oil – 2tbsp

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Urad dal – ¼ tsp

Dry redchillies – 2nrs

Curry leaves – a few

Tamarind – 30g

Egg, boiled – 4nrs

Coconut, grated – ½

Poppy seeds – ½ tsp

Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp

Shallots – 60g

Tomato –  50g

Cinnamon – small piece

Cardamom – 2

Kalpasi – 2

Cloves – 1

Star anise – ½

Method of Preparation

1.Fry the shallots and tomato in oil. Once it has fried enough, keep aside.

2. Fine ground the grated coconut, poppy seeds, saunf, cinnamon, cardamom, kalpasi, cloves, star anise, fried shallots and tomato (without water).

3. Add the ground masala in the thin tamarind extraction; also add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder in it.

4. Heat the tamarind mixture till the flavour emanates. Add the boiled egg, once it attains the curry stage.

5. Prepare seasonings out of mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and dry red chillies. Put the seasonings over the Egg Curry and serve.

Paav Bhaji Masala - Mumbai Bhaav Bhaji Masala

Oil – 4tbsp

Onion, chopped – 2nrs

Ginger, garlic paste – 1tbsp

Green chillies, chopped – 1tsp

Tomato, chopped – 4nrs

Bhav Bhaji Masala – 2tbsp

Chilli powder – 1tbsp

Turmeric powder Powder – a pinch

Green peas, boiled and slightly mashed – 50g

Cauliflower, grated – 50g

Potato, boiled and slightly mashed – 60g

Tomato puree – 3tbsp

Salt

Green capsicum, chopped – 1nr

Water as required for the consistency

Coriander leaves - afew

Butter – 4tbsp

Lemon juice - 1

Bhav Bun - 2

Preparation Method

1.Heat oil, add the chopped onion.fry till the onion become translucent. Add the ginger, garlic paste.

2. Add the green chillies. Add the tomato, sauté till the onion and tomato mash well.

3. Add the salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and Bhav Bhaji masala. Mix all around. Add the green peas, cauliflower and potato one by one now, stir constantly.

4. Once the masala, mix with the vegetables, add the water. Boil the masala.

5. Add the tomato puree, green capsicum. Stir now. Add the coriander leaves and butter, mix then close the vessel for 2 minutes in simmer.

6.Heat little butter in pan, half way cut the bhav. Just heat both the sides of Bhav over the pan.

7. Squeeze lemon juice in bhav bhaji masala, mix and simmer for another two minutes.

8. Serve Bhav Bhaji masala with hot Bhav.

Vada Curry

Vegetable oil – 60ml

Cinnamon – 1g

Cardamon - 2

Cloves - 4

Saunf – a pinch

Onion, chopped – 100g

Tomato, chopped – 150g

Ginger & Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp

Greenchillies, chopped - 3

Curryleaves – a few

Coriander leaves – a few

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Chillipowder – 2tbsp

Coriander powder – 1tbsp

Garam masala powder – 1tsp

Salt

For making pakoda

Gram flour – 500g

Vanaspati – 100g

Oil for deep frying

Salt

Water

Saunf

Method of Preparation

 1.Mix the pakoda ingredients. Take pakoda mixture in the hand and drop it slowly in hot oil and deep fry.

2. Heat oil, splutter cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and saunf. Add the green chillies and curryleaves.

3. Add the onion, fry the onion and add the tomato. Add the mintleaves. Add the masala powder.

4. Stir the masala till it mix together well. Pour the enough water, boil it.

5.Add the salt and coriander leaves. Add the deepfried pakodas, mix and add the garam masala. Simmer till the pakoda flavour emanates from the vada curry.

             

6. Serve with Idli, Dosa, Chappathi and Parotta.

Note: Other than garam masala powder, you could grind and use the spices. (cinnamon, cloves, kalpasi, staranise, cumin seeds, saunf)

We would also use Channa dal/ kadalaiparuppu to prepare the vadai for the curry. Soak the channa dal for 45 minutes, drain and then coarse grind the dal. Add chopped green chillies, saunf and salt. Combine and deep fry the vadai in hot oil.

Kai Suthu Murukku – Hand Spun Murukku

Murukku is being prominent among the foods which are associated with our culture. The crispy Murukku is the age old one which is liked by all people without any age discrimination. Murukku means ”twisted” in Tamil language and it is a traditional treat of festivals.

In ancient days, the bowl was prepared by wood and it had different shapes of holes where Murukku dough was intruded by the force of another wood slot. It was intruded in different artistic shapes on the rocks; later the murukku was dried and eaten.

In most of the places in Tamilnadu, the Murukku intruder is a must in the bride’s offerings list. With the help of intruder, Thenkulal, Kattaimurukku, Mul Murukku, Butter murukku and many more varieties are prepared. The different shapes of murukku are given by the sheet plates in the intruder.

Kaisuthal Murukku (Hand spun Murukku) is the most popular Murukku variety in Tamilnadu. Women just use their hands to swirl the dough mixture around pebble stone, to get the spiral roll shape, without the intruder or mould. The spiral murukku which appears tough, melts in seconds in mouth. Its mild hotness, asafoetida flavours with taste overtakes other murukkus. 

Take one kg of rice flour (pulungal arisi) and 400g of urad flour. Add cumin seeds, black sesame seeds, basil, dry redchillies paste, asafoetida and necessary salt with the flour mixture. ¾ tumbler of oil is added and the dough is kneaded strong. Spread a clean cloth, take the dough in hand. Start swirling the murukku dough with fingers around the pebble stone which you have already kept on the cloth. Once the twisted murukku dough slightly gets dried, deep fry the swirls in hot vegetable oil and your Kai Suthu murukku is ready.

You can eat it for months together if stored carefully.

Vellaachi Roti

Vanaspathi – 250g

Drumstick leaves or Spinach, finely chopped– 2 leaves

Multi grain Atta – 750g

Ragi flour – 250g

Aata Flour – 150g

Water

Salt

Method

         1.Soft the vanaspathi with salt then mix the drumstick leaves. Add the flour             one by one, mix it with the vanaspati.

         2. Sprinkle required amount of water, knead it into tough dough. Proof the               dough for half an hour.

         3. Make it into even sized balls, spread the balls with roller.

         4. Cook it over heat tawa and serve it with chutnies.