Swine Flu (H1N1) Kashayam

Being the most talkable disease of recent days, claiming lives and alarming each one to take precautionary measures, we need to guard ourselves from this vulnerable H1N1.

In Tamilnadu, raining has started and it causes spreading of the diseases more fastly. As a Chef, It is my duty to recommend some medicinally valued food or drink to the society. Following this interest I bring down new H1N1 Precaution Kashayam.

Kashayam is an extracted medicinal drink from different varieties of herbs and spices. Its medicinal properties are better to cure or prevent you from all illness. I was very careful in adding each ingredient to the Kashayam recipe and all the ingredients are mentioned in ayurvedic script for its H1N1 preventive nature. The new H1N1 Kashayam increases the immunity as well as protects you from the clutch of all rainy season’s illness.

Ingredients

Neem

Tulsi (Basil)

Small Onions (Shallots)

Betel leaves

Peppercorns

Garlic Cloves

Amla (Gooseberry)

Cloves

Dried Ginger

Palm Jaggery

Method of Preparation

1. Crush a little small onion, peppercorns, garlic, amla, dried ginger and gloves. Add little Neem leaves.

2. Add the crushed and the remaining ingredients except palm jaggery in cold water. Simmer till the water reduced to half.

3. Strain it, squeeze the residue well with ladle to extract the essence and add Palm Jaggery into the decoction.

This H1N1 Kashayam can act as an antiviral, antibacterial medicine or as an antidote. It strengthens the body, boosts immunity level and defence mechanism. It regulate body temperature, stabilize blood circulation and has fever reducing properties etc.,

Taking a cup per two week will be better to stay away from all diseases. Sure it will be bitter but good to sip in piping hot. Before ending, I would like to say a statement from ayurvedic scripts…..

“Langanam Parama Avusadham” means resting (fasting) is a best medicine. Periodical fasting is good, advisable and heightens your immunity level.

Have a good health with the H1N1 Kashayam.

CHICKEN SODHI

Chicken Sodhi is an another variation of the Sodhi, which is a special preparation in the Tirunelveli region. It is normally made for lunch, but it is awesome to serve with plain Idiyaapam. To increase its flavour and taste add lemon juice when it gets cool.

Ingredients

Chicken – 1kg
Coconut Oil – 50 ml
Mustard Seeds – a tsp
Onion – 100 g
Curry leaves – a few
Coconut Milk – 750 ml
Turmeric Powder - little
Slitted Green Chillies – 5 pieces
Potatoes – 100g
Salt – to taste

Ground Mixture

Ginger – 1 tbsp
Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

Method

Heat Coconut Oil, temper the mustard seeds and Curry leaves
Add the sliced onion and Chicken pieces, sauté it
Add turmeric powder, Potato cubes and salt.
Add thin coconut milk extraction. Add the ground mixture after 5 minutes.
Remember to cook all this in medium low flame.
Cook the Sodhi till the Chicken and Potatoes tender. Garnish with fried curryleaves.

True Face of Hospitality Studies

A Colourful life, can cruise, Career at luxury hotels, fly all over the world as Air Hostess, become entrepreneur, Profession at Corporate houses…… Options are plenty.

Visiting travelers and customers are expecting high in regard of the value to their payment. The service industry requires skilled employees to meet out their desires and to cater specialized services. This is the root cause for the establishment of the Hotel management training institutes all over the world.

Curriculum
Curriculum pattern changes as per the affiliation of the institute, but it is designed on the basis of the current requirements of the service industry. Everyone who enters in to the hospitality studies have a thought that it is all about cooking. Other than culinary arts the programme consists of four major operational subjects and few allied subjects. The four operational subjects are Food production, F&B Service, Accommodation and Front office. The duration of the course depends upon the board or university. Besides the theoretical papers the Operational subjects consists of practical papers in which the students will be trained in the laboratories by a professional trainer. Some universities include project works in the curriculum there by helping the students to get into the current happenings.

Training
“Observation = Application” is the mantra of training. Hands on Training are the discerned fact of hospitality studies. Industrial Exposure Training (IET) is also the part of curriculum. The students can be trainees at various leading star hotels under different departments. The IET period varies from 3 months to 6 months, based on the curriculum or the skill based requirements of the student.

During this period, students will receive the culinary knowledge from the Training Kitchen of the college. The students attain different serving styles, menu compiling, mixing, selling techniques by thorough practical activities at Training Restaurant and Mock Bar.

Campus Placement
Placement service is the heart throb of the hospitality education. Revised wage packages in the hotel industry show interest among the students to join the industry. Group discussion, Product Knowledge test, Personal interview are conducted in the campus interview. In Kitchen the selected candidates are asked for the Food trial at the concerned hotel. As per the test result, their salary and position will be fixed by the Organisation. In F&B Service, the candidates have to do menu planning and lay the cover on table as per the planned menu. As per the quality of the candidates the organisation will decide their position, Entry level, Management Trainee, Hotel Operational Trainee, Executive Assistant etc., .

Guidance for choosing hotel schools
Check the college have any affiliation with Universities, National Bodies etc.,
Check who is running and managing the institution
Faculty Profiles
Infrastructure
Students beneficiaries activities done by the hotel management school
Check the worthiness of the institution for your valuable payment
Analyze the family strength (money) and your potential
Norms of the college
Placement Services

My golden words for one who wishes to opt for the hospitality courses,
Hundreds of training institutes in India, among only 5 - 8% are decent to good.

Needs lot of patience, competence, eagerness to learn, application of knowledge, hard work…..

These are the secrets to succeed in the hospitality arena.
All the very best for choosing hospitality studies / hotel schools…. Touch with me on any queries.

Murukku – A Sentimental Snack …..

Murukku is a common snack preferred by all ages in all seasons and it being as a gifted bite in South India. Murukku adorned all festive seasons in Tamilnadu and it is a sentimental savoury of here. Some use their hands to prepare the Murukku, which one called Suthu (twisted) Murukku. (Twist the dough around the pebble). Murukkus are available in many varieties and name...... manapparai murukku, achu murukku, kaara murukku and more…

The mixing of ingredients is one of the prime factors in all cooking, Use 500g raw rice flour to 100g urad dal, recent day’s good quality readymade Murukku flours are available in different brand names.

You would know the preparation of this unique savoury but I just reveal you my experienced instructions to prepare the tastiest Murukku.

Instructions

A tsp of soda bi carbonate gives natural taste, colour and flavour to the Murukku. As more, the soda and fresh oil together incorporates new taste to it.

In one word crispiness alone makes the murukku tastier, to get crisp form add little dalda (vanaspati) into the dough mixture, assure you for the better texture and crispiness. Adding the correct quantity of urad dal also gives the crispiness. Crispiness longer the shelf life.

Fry the murukku in well heated oil as much possible use the fresh oil. you include masalas (redchilli powder) and colour for the spicy murukku.

Drain the murukku well and store it in air tight container

Just try my quantity

Branded murukku flour – 500g
Urad dal – 100g
Vanaspati – 50g
Jeera seeds – 1/2 tsp
Black sesame seeds – a little
Saunf – a little
Basil – a little
Salt – as required and water

Use the above basic murukku quantity to prepare the variety of murukku at your home. (karukku murukku) Hearing the biting sound … continue… hey because of karukku murukku noise it so called murukku.... ????? ssssssss hhaha...

Happy eating and cooking…

MUTTAI KARANDI KULAMBHU

This is the new recipe which I was tasted recently at Chekkuyraani in Madurai. Typically the omelette is cooked in the brass round ladle over the charcoal ember. This omelette emanates the smoky flavour instill the same to the gravy. Adding the crushed garlic in the final stage spruced the taste of the dish.

INGREDIENTS

1. oil – 50 ml
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. Green chillies – 2 Nos
4. Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
5. Onion – 100g
6. Ginger paste – 1 tsp
7. Tomato Puree – 150 ml
8. Red Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
9. Crushed Garlic – 2nos
10. Crushed Peppercorns – ½ tsp
11. Salt – as required
12. Coriander leaves – to garnish

Grounded Masala

13. Coconut Gratings – 50g
14. Jeera Seeds – ½ tsp
15. Saunf – ½ tsp
16. Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Preparation Method

1. Beat well the eggs, Crushed peppercorns, chopped onion and salt.

2. Pour the egg mixture in the greased round ladle and keep it over little flame

3. When it cooks the egg mixture in the round ladle will puff like paniyaram and turn it to other side.

4. Keep the prepared Karandi Muttai separately

5. Dry roast the jeera seeds, Saunf and coriander seeds, finely ground that along with the coconut gratings

6. Heat the oil, Pop mustard seeds, add slitted green chillies and curry leaves

7. Add the chopped onion till it turns soft, add the masala powder, ginger paste and grounded masala mixture. Stir it well

8. Add the Tomato puree, cook it for a minute

9. Then add the required amount of water, let it to boil for few minutes

10. Finish the curry with Karandi omelette and crushed garlic pods. Garnish with fine chopped coriander leaves

This thick curry is the perfect match for the Indian breads,Idiyaapam. Use a tbsp of vanaspathi to finish the curry, it gives delicate flavour and taste to the curry. Believe you are fuss at your kitchen after reading this new recipe, try it out, feels your kitchen fills with the country flavour.

Soon I get in touch with you on the topic of MURUKKU, enjoy the taste. Keep cooking new recipes.

atlast all fine

There was the ill up and down in my last two months of life journey, many frustration.  Atlast I have routed up in to the correct path by joining the catering department at the Mary Matha college, Periyakulam. With lots of hope and energetic members I have started the Laughing Curry restaurant Consultancy services proceeding for the new projects. In near days you will be the one to sitting at my restaurant at your city.

Meet you again with the fabulous topic.

Can you cook ?

dear my valuable readers,
Here I am not mean you to cook rather challenging you to cook right proportionate diet. Speaking on diet every one have own views, of course diet can be plan as per ones nature, structure of the body and more importantly what kind of shape one wants at the end. Periodically give some relaxation if you are following very strict diet which one helps to avoid skipping the diet in the middle or getting aversion on your diet.

Keep it up in mind always be conscious on fat free items, especially the deep frying stuffs. Whenever you do cooking food follow basic guidelines to ensure the prepared food as nutritious one. Making the nutritious food is really a challenging for every chef, so that top notch hotels back to the health concept flavours and serving that to the customers.

How many of us adding the seasonal available ingredients in our diet? Go with the seasonal availability which keeps the body fresh, balance internals as per the weather and faster the brain activity.

However you can follow any kind of diet, but you can get the definite shape only through the workout..

thennnn in my side, recently I cooked up the week long wonderful food festival KIRAMATHU SAMAYAL at Hotel Madurai Fortune Pandiyan... nice cook it up over there…

Asafoetida – a name enough !!!!!

In South Indian and Indian Cooking, it is being as a common flavouring agent. What so ever no agents can beat the flavour of this asafoetida, a pinch totally changes the taste and make the cooking as noble.

Asafoetida or hing, releases onion – garlic flavour, have anti- biotic properties which check the growth of microbes, therefore used as a preservative. In my cooking, I use this cupboard item often to make my cooking divine. Experimented, asafoetida tweaks the tastes and recommend you to be add for the following items whatever preparation styles followed,

Tamarind base curry, hot curries, Variety rice, Dal Varieties, leafy base curries, even your lovely biriyani too.

The elder peoples in village says asafoetida have excellent aphrodisiac characters, I tell you the preparation now. Keep a copper bowl over heat to add few grams of hing in pure cow ghee, slightly stir it. After it cooled, mix that one with pure honey and fresh latex of banyan tree. Shape as little shot and dry it. Take it once daily for 40 days before sunrise helps treat impotency and has a good effect on spermatogenesis and premature ejaculation.

Anyway the couples can try out, this divine property have more and more health benefits that all are described in ayurveda scripts.

You know in abroad it is known as Devil's dung… Hey hey see how is it get different..

Examination Menu for the Hotel Management and Catering Students

It is the perfect time for me to write this much awaited topic, the reason is that every year in the month of March and April the students of Hotel Management & Catering studies are running around to compile the menu for their practical examinations.

Even the high scoring students too sometimes may not have the required base in menu planning (F & B Service Practical), even though if they are in their final year of studies.

Each Staff members in catering colleges have their own scripts in matching food & wine. This type of shuffling lecture highly disturbs the students in compiling menu, at the time of they leave the college also he / she goes without knowing anything or confused in menu compiling .

Below are the given guidelines on matching food & wine and the cover laying tips which may facilitate the students for further course of action in this menu compiling,

1. If the menu is for minimum Five course Food and wine, lay the cover for first three courses.
2. Give the description for food and wine
3. Do not pile the cutlery, flatware and glassware on the cover
4. Explain very clearly about the cover lay and menu to the Examiner
5. Try to add the new dishes for each course. Avoid sticking yourself with same dish which you are using  throughout your graduation period
6. Choose the cutlery and crockery as per cover needs, based on the food in menu, these alone lifts the style of the service.
7. Keep the wine glasses in 160 degree angle, around the water glass. First wine glass is next to water glass and the next wine glass follows
8. There is no base for suggesting wine for all courses. Start with light bodied wine, medium, heavy and finally end up with light bodied one
9. Ensure the cover should not be overcrowded.
10. Don't be confuse with the internet sources in the beginning time, stick with the basic ideas what you have received in your classroom.
11. Read the menu carefully and understand the nature of the food what you have listed in the menu card. Pronounce the name of the dish correctly.
12. Always try to be strong enough in the basics. Every time you try to add new dishes and wines for your knowledge enrichment.
13. Think that it is your time to professionalize  your trade so stay comfort from exam fear.

Hoping that these guidelines are very little for me to tell you now. The Hotel Management and Catering students should do the menu planning as one of their hobby thereby they could understand the essence of vastness and deepness in their subject.

Register my instructions. Throw the confusions and say menu planning is damn easy. Get back with your honest reply.

All the best for your Examinations, Score Big Marks

Making of Best Crispy Vadas

Vadai – that name is very common, familiar one in the far and wide of Tamilnadu. It’s a custom of accommodate the houses on all the auspicious days.

Venpongal, sambhar, chutnies and Vadai are the god blessing breakfast in Tamilnadu, the best breakfast not end up with the vadai here. Go anywhere on the Tamilnadu roadside, your eyes never missed this nicely stacked Vadais in the tea stall.

Tea and Vadai are the good friends in combination. Throughout the India, one can taste vadai in different taste, texture also that prepare with different ingredients.

Paruppu Vadai called Aamma Vadai, Urundai Vadai and mouthwatering, melting Ulunthuvadai called Methu vadai. Different recipes, tips are airing for the making of vadai; I am very splendid to give my following best simple ideas of making a secret of best vadas,

Soaking time of dal shouldn’t go above 20minutes at any cost. If you soak it for long time, the vadai will not raise. Sprinkle little water at the time of grinding the mixture for Methuvada, the consistency should be like halwa, wouldn’t stick it in your hand and very soft.

You got the medu vada mixture in right consistency, there is no need of adding soda salt and Rice flour and if you like you can add little rice flour for crispiness. Don’t add water while grinding for paruppu vadai, it ooze out the water at the time of grinding how much it absorbed during the time of soaking. You can grind it little coarsely. This mixture is lack of consistency you can add little Bengal gram to correct the stability.

Keep away little quantity of Bengal gram dal after soak it out, add that later to the grinded mixture, it gives better texture and taste to the Aamaa Vadai. To make Urundai vadai use the same tips as like paruppu vadai, but no need to keep the Bengal gram, especially you can grind the mixture finely for this preparation. Give much attention on the temperature of the hot oil.

Asafoetida, Greenchillies, Coriander leaves, Curryleaves, Jeera, Bellari Onion, Peppercorns, Saunf are the common ingredients using for each vadais, that adds nourishing and special taste.

I am guarantee that’s the best and shortest tips for making a great vadai, follow that go ahead with your new tasty vadai attempt.

“Hats off for the South Indian vadas…..” anyone heard about the Sutta vadai, its available in our resto…..

I Love you, dear “Kesari”……

“I haven't tasted the Kesari like before” this word dropped from my mouth, after I have experienced to taste the typical Kesari at a tea stall. This is not like a regular Kesari but what I have enjoyed on that stall makes my feelings doubles on Kesari….. I Love you, dear…

Unlike others, Kesari not includes costly ingredients, no complicated secrets behind the preparation, at last its very easiest one to prepare by anyone. That’s the reason it’s available in all good seasons, it is indispensable from the kitchens of Tamilnadu.

Kesari is an only sweet dish, being a perfect match taken with South Indian breakfast and also tastes with a  in the evening time. Sure all the sweet needs much care on the quantity, consistency, preparation and much more. But Kesari doesn’t want any peculiar attention like glossy sweets.

Amount of adding vanaspati or desi ghee gives very fine texture, combo of semolina, sugar and vanaspati induces the taste. Fried Cashewnuts, raisins, heavenly treated cardamom, winking tutti frutti and each added ingredients in Kesari brings it gorgeous. In Tamilnadu, I believe Brahmin's hands are extraordinarily good in the Kesari preparation.

Reduced quantity of Vanaspati or ghee makes the Kesari to cut into pieces. But if we added adequate amount of vanaspati from half of the quantity of Semolina, that we can scoop it off. 100 percent of my voice goes to the scooping consistency Kesari, that only taster much better than other.

How you get this scooping consistency, by adding more water? NO… then ???

Try out my ratio one part of semolina and two parts of water and sugar.

Turn your stove, blissing……. Simple and Sweet. Share me your post preparation views.

Food As Medicine

Very sorry and be patient to read this lengthy posting.

But I felt it’s necessary for everyone, how the food act as medicine….

Food….!!!! That’s all the handsome needs of human. Without food, nothing. Our body is constructed by the food. At the age of new born baby we are 3 kg, now we are 70 kg. How this much enormous growth has happened? All by the food…. am I right …. ?

Food is a state to cure all the diseases, as same it is an important one for all sickness. While taking food the time, quantity, quality, nature, type has been considered to help for the quick assimilation. Digestion is strength, indigestion is a weakness (reason for all diseases-health disturbances) for our body. Digestion will be different from food to food, that mean gastric juice secretion gets differ, that’s the enzyme responsible for the digestion, alternately if we takes different food items that required more time to digest, results problem in digestion.

Taste is not in the food, its all about our tongue. Food are categorized into two, living food and non-living food.

Living food means cooking the food without destroying its nutritional values. In this category natural foods like vegetables, fruits, sprouts etc., are the best. All the food substances contain the sugar, but not these natural foods. Living foods are the best dietary food stuffs, it must be present in the diet menu those wants to burn their calories.

At the time of sprouting pulses the amount of protein, vitamins and minerals level gets increased, the sugar and fat level get reduced. Steaming is an excellent cooking method; it is not much disturbing the nutritional values. It exposes the ingredients added in that one and makes the digestion as easier.

Non – living food means a food hasn’t any nutritional value, totally a flat food. We can say all the deep fried food substances (potato chips, French fries), it’s all the venomous for our body.

Heart attack and Blood pressure are the most popular threatening malady of India. High intake of the fat and sodium both are responsible for these diseases. We all like the fat very much, we didn’t eat a food without oil floating on the top of any dishes, that much fond we are, with fat. is n't it ???? Alas...
Hormones are treated to butchery meat & poultry making a growth as faster than normal. It’s called as Hormone treated food, Example a meat weighs 2kg means, 1 kg is meat and another Kg is absolutely a hidden fat, which one marbled between the meat fibers.

We got happy if give away some ice-cream, chocolate like preservative food items to our children’s, how many of you know the hidden dangerous presents in that food?

Preservative foods are the dangerous one for our health, have high level of sodium content. On present day’s obesity is a common among the children’s and elders. As we eat more preservative foods, the chemical properties added in that will goes to our stomach, arrest the chemical reactions happening in our digestion time. It will not convert the fat to fatty acids and carbs to glucose. It will gift us the serious diseases like cancer, high blood pressure and more.

Any way you may observe my points, it’s a wonderful discourse recently I listened, share your views on it. Have right, proportionate food know your body before choosing the food.

Keep in mind choose the food items as per your work nature; minimize the quantity of food in the night time.

Eat healthy food, live long healthly…..

The Story of Tirunelveli Halwa

Tirunelveli is famous for delicious sweet halwa….. as you all know. It’s a great culinary creation and the visiting card to the inhabitant of Tirunelveli. Tirunelveli halwa is golden brown, has a jelly-like texture and contains a ghee, which gives its distinctively greasy appearance.Because of its divine taste, this sweet dish name spreaded all over. The Tirunelveli peoples are the relatives of alwa, they wouldn’t leave a day without tasting this elixir, even taken with Idli and Dosa.

But this three centuries old halwa have the interesting backdrop !!!!!

At first in Tirunelveli, halwa was introduced by the rajputraa peoples of Rajasthan who came to chokampatti (Tirunelveli province) for serving Jamindhars. Those cooks created and presented the wonderful alwa to chokampatti Jamindhar. Early days, the halwa was sold in streets by walk.

By the year 1882, Mr.Jegan Singh, a father of Halwa opened the first halwa shop in Tirunelveli named “Tirunelveli halwa”.

Ok it’s all the history……. We back….

Originally the word “Halwa” derived from the Arabian root means Sweet. The Tirunelveli Halwa is primarily made from wheat, sugar and Ghee. The right proportion of mixing the ingredients and the special recipe of this region are said to its parents.

“Invasion of ingredients, many varieties of alwa’s are available around us, Our Tirunelveli alwa is best among all”

Correct fermentation of wheat milk awarded crumbleness, tiny holes and sharp taste, authentically prepared halwa will last more than 15 days. The combination of ghee, cashewnuts and nutmeg emanates celestial flavour to the alwa. The Thamirabarani river water is the husband for Tirunelveli alwa, the copper content in this water embraced and giving heavenly taste to the sweet dish.

After its we all know why the halwa has become synonymous with the city, enjoy the taste while visiting to halwa city …....

Disappointment – A measuring device

Disappointment = Failure, how do you par both the words????

A disappointment is the only obsession makes our lovable work (aim) to hate. It’s true…

I say, this all turns out because of the minute slipups and the overconfidence/ overexpectations of our side. Being the food consultant, I know - how the critic from the gourmets, talented chefs that arises the good number of times, taken that as part of my development and my team consistency. Funny is, sometimes the food critics developed without knowing the authenticity of the dishes. Whatsoever as my surface I am considering that as a measuring device to scale my weakness and strengthness…..

A noble friend of mine, shared the good will thought of what he enjoyed on the TV Channel recently, once a great scientist Thomas Alva Edison’s,18 years old laboratory was gutted by fire, but no troubleness on his face. Instead of worrying, he said calmly, my 18 years of mistakes are gutted by fire.

Ssssshhhhh ‘’’’’ However, its clear, corrective measures from the disappointment will lead to success path…

Match for coffee

Coffee Paniyaram

I developed this paniyaram recipe, something different for the evening snack with the coffee. Just try it out in your house !!!!!!

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 200g
Urad dal – 50g
Coffee decoction – 75ml
Milk – 250ml
Sugar- 100g
Soda bi Carbonate – a Pinch

Method

1.Soak the raw rice and urad dal separately for one hour
2.Grind the both for separately and let it for leavening for about 5hrs.
3.Add the sugar, the coffee decoction and milk.
4.Make it as a pouring consistency. Cook it as like above Kara paniyaram.
5.But be careful, the paniyaram should not burn and the heat of the oil.