Thinai Thayir saadam / Millet Curd Rice | Healthy recipes

I try to include something healthy in our diet atleast once a week. It might be in the form of adding wheat or oat bran to our daily bread or using whole grains to make pongal or some snack like kozhukattai. Last month when we went to Chicago to visit a few friends I visited the Whole Foods market with an interest to buy some whole grains. My first buy was a big bag of millet and I have been replacing most of our rice with millet these days. I made sweet pongal with it and it was a hit with the boys. My latest experiment is this thinai thayir saadam - a healthy and filling alternative to your regular rice.

~*What U Need*~ Millet - 1/2 cup Yogurt - 1/2 cup Milk - 1/4 cup Carrot - 2 tbsp, grated (optional) Ginger - 1/2 tsp, finely chopped Coriander - 2 tbsp, finely chopped Salt Oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Hing - a pinch Curry leaves - few How I Made it: Wash millet in running water using strainer. Take this in a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles or till done. Let it cool for sometime. In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter, add urad dal fry till golden brown and then add curry leaves, hing. Add this to the millet, add carrot, finely chopped ginger and cilantro and mix well. Add the yogurt, milk and bring to the desired consistency. Season with salt.

Serve with potato for a winning combo!!!

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Methi Murgh / Methi Chicken

Its not spring yet here. It was but not now. The temperature has been varying constantly for the past month. One day we cannot survive without the cooler on and the next day you need to pull out your socks and sweater. With inconsistent temperatures comes cold and flu and the cycle has started in our house with pappu being infected the most.
Methi is one green that we buy frequently these days. Its mostly methi theplas with spicy thakkali thokku for dinner but sometimes I try something different and this methi murgh has become a favorite. Packed with tons of flavor, its the perfect side dish for rotis or parathas or pulaos.

~*What U Need*~ Chicken - 1 lb, washed & cut into medium sized pieces Methi leaves - 1 cup cleaned and packed Onions - 1, chopped finely Green chilli - 1 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Tomato - 1, pureed Yogurt - 2 tbsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Red chilli pdr - 1/2 tsp Coriander pdr - 1 tsp Cumin pdr - 1/2 tsp Garam masala pdr - 1/4 tsp Salt - to taste Oil - 2 tbsp Cream - 1 tbsp How I Made it: In a bowl whisk the cream and yogurt and set aside. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai, add the methi leaves and saute for some time, remove and set aside. In a kadai, heat the oil, add the chilli and saute for a min. Add the onions and cook till brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves. Add the pureed tomato add saute till it forms a masala. Add the masala powders and saute for some time. Add the chicken pieces and combine well. Cook on medium high flame for 3-4 mts. Reduce flame, place lid and let the chicken cook till three fourth done. Add the garam masala, methi leaves and cook till the chicken is done and you get the consistency of your choice. Reduce the flame to low, add the cream mixture and mix well. Cook in low flame for 2-3 mins. Add chopped coriander leaves, remove from flame.

Serve hot with white rice, biryani, flavored rice or rotis.

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Tofu Masala

I am still not out of my slumber. I have an urge to blog but my laziness is way on top of that. And I still haven't got the hang of my dslr. And thats kinda depressing. Added to the fact that I hate to take pictures with my iphone now that I have a high-end dslr on hand. And then it is the whole story again. That put aside, it was a wonderful day today. The weather was at its best and I stepped out after what seems like decades in my spring clothes. It was rejuvenating. The weather is helping me and rekindling me back to form... Hope I will be on track soon.
Coming to today's recipe its a very simple one which I make often to go with our chapathis.

~*What U Need*~ Extra firm Tofu - 14 oz, drained and cut into cubes Greek yogurt - 1/2 cup Onion - 1 Tomatoes - 2 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Bay leaf -1 , clove - 3, cinnamon - 1, cumin seeds - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Green chilli - 1 Kasuri methi - 1 tsp Oil - 2 tsp Salt Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp How I Made it: Shallow fry the tofu in a skillet. Set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet. Add the onion and fry till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes, green chilli and fry till it forms a masala. Add the spice powders and fry for 3 mins. ONce done cool and grind to a smooth paste. Heat remaining oil. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, star masala and fry for 1 min. Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle. Add the ground paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Set the heat to low and add the yogurt stirring continuosly. Allow to boil. Add water to bring to the desired consistency. Allow to boil. Add Add Fried tofu and fenugreek leaves and mix well. Let it boil for another 3-5 mins. Remove from flame. Add coriander leaves.

Serve with rotis or rice of choice!!!

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Chettinad Chicken Curry

Something about frozen chicken doesn't spell and taste chicken to me. It lacks taste and texture. I have even switched to organic farm fresh chicken but still its not the same. Bottom line is that whatever you do you just cant pull the flavors that you need to come out of it. Unless you make a spice laden flavor packed chicken curry like this chettinadu version. All that spices that you throw into the curry is what flavors the chicken and makes it succulent. As for this chettinad chicken curry, I wouldn't say that it is authentic and perfect but it tastes good with a whiff of that authentic taste. To achieve that perfection use small onions instead of regular onions.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, finely chopped Tomato - 1, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Chicken - 1 lb, cleaned, bone-in Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped Mint leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped To roast and grind: Coconut - 4 tbsp Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Red chilli - 1 To grind to a smooth paste: Onion - 1/4 cup Green chilli - 1 Yogurt - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp To Temper Oil - 1-2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp 2 cloves, 1" cinnamon, 2 cardamon, 1 bayleaf Curry leaves - 1 sprig How I Made it: Clean the chicken thoroughly and set aside. You can marinate this in yogurt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and ginger garlic paste for 30 mins. Grind the ingredients under smooth paste. Roast and grind the coconut, cashew nuts, fennel seeds and chilli. Heat oil in a kadai, temper with fennel seeds, spices and curry leaves. Add the onions and saute well till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and cook till becomes soft. Add the curry leaves, ground onion paste and saute for 2 mins. Add the roast coconut paste and cook for another 4-5 mins till the mixture becomes thick. Add the chicken, mix well and cook till the chicken leaves water. Add 1/2 cup water and cook til the chicken is completely cooked. Simmer till you get the desired consistency and the mixture leaves oil. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves and season with salt. Remove from flame.

Serve hot with rice /idli/dosa!!!

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Chettinad Chicken Masala

Belated Diwali wishes to all my readers. I am really sorry for not sharing any sweets or savories for this Diwali. I was a bit held up last week but in a good way. I was asked to bake the birthday cake for a lil one. The theme was Cars and the cake that the birthday boy chose was Lightning mcqueen. He wanted a 3D version of the cake and since it was my first time I was skeptical to take up the task. But then the huss encouraged me all the way and yeah I made it. A two tiered Lightning mcqueen cake covered with fondant and decorated with fondant accents. The cake was a big hit and everyone ~ of all the kids totally loved the cake.

Coming to this recipe, Diwali is never complete without a biryani and chicken side dish for us. And so I thought of sharing this delicious and spicy chettinad chicken masala for the day. Chettinad cuisine mostly use pearl onions in the cooking and thats what gives this dish its signature taste. I have used both pearl onions or regular onions to make this dish and both taste awesome but the former always triumphs. And here's the recipe.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, large, finely chopped/small onions - 10-12 Tomato - 1, chopped Garlic - 3, chopped To marinate the chicken: Chicken - 1 lb Red chilli powder - 1 tso Chicken curry powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Yogurt - 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp To Grind: Onion - 1, medium, chopped/small onions - 10 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp To grind: Coconut - 3 tbsp Cashews - 2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp For tempering: Oil - 3 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp Cloves - 2 Cinnamon - 1 inch Cardamom - 2 Bay leaf - 1 small Curry leaves - 1 sprig Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped - to garnish How I Made it: Wash the chicken and mix it with all the ingredients under to marinate. Set aside for 30 mins. Grind the ingredients under to grind separately. Heat oil in a pan, when it gets heated add the ingredients under tempering and fry it. Ad chopped onions, garlic and saute until onion turn light golden brown. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute till soft and mushy. Add the ground onion paste and saute for 2-3 mins. Add marinated chicken and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Cook till 3/4 th done. Season with salt. Add the ground coconut paste and saute till the raw smell goes off and the chicken is cooked. Add the coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with rice/dosa!!!

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Butter Chicken | Side dishes for Parottas/Rotis

As everyone out there is blogging about sweets and savories for Diwali, I donot have even one in my kitty and I am in no mood to make one. That doesn't mean that I will not be preparing anything for the festival, I have some ideas but I am gonna get into it next week only. Diwali is never complete for us without a non-veg three course meal but this Diwali I am planning something new and this Butter Chicken is definitely in the menu. Its rich, creamy and totally addictive and pairs perfectly with parottas and naans.

~*What U Need*~ For the chicken: Chicken - 1/4 lb, with bone Yogurt - 1/4 cup Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Salt, pepper For the sauce: Onion - 1, finely chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Tomato puree - 3/4 cup Water - 1/4 cup Cream - 1/8 cup Ghee - 1 tbsp Butter- 2 tbsp Salt and Pepper to taste Kasurimethi leaves - 1/4 tsp Cilantro - 1 tbsp How I Made it: In a bowl, mix together the chicken with the marination ingredients and set aside for 30 mins or overnight. Preheat oven to 475 degrees, place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil paper and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes, turn the broiler on high and broil till the chicken is charred and then remove from the oven. In a large pan, heat the oil and butter and allow the butter to melt. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to cook for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook till soft, add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes off. Add tomato puree and cook for 3-5 mins. Add the garam masala, coriander powder and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken, add some water and cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and fenugreek leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste, add in the cilantro and reduce the heat to low and allow to cook gently for a few minutes.

Serve over some jeera rice or parottas or rotis!!!

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Amrakhand / Aam Shrikhand / Mango Shrikhand

Well, pappu starts school tomorrow and we are a tad bit busy buying school supplies, lunch totes and fall jackets. Right now we are in search of a dinosaur face painted lunch tote which is really hard to find and which is driving us crazy. The little dino is so particular on that. With everything that is happening in our lives, I thought that it was time to celebrate life with something sweet. I had some canned kesar mango pulp on hand and this thick and luscious shrikhand is what happened.

~*What U Need*~ Hung Curd - 1/2 cup Fresh mango - 1 / mango pulp - 1 cup Sugar - 4 tbsp Chiroli nuts/nuts of choice - 1 tbsp How I Made it: Cut the mango to slices and blend till smooth along with sugar without adding water. Hang the curd in a muslin cloth overnight and discard the whey water(..or if you are like me you can use this water to knead chapathi dough). Alternatively if you have access to greek yogurt use the same. Take the yogurt in a bowl. Whisk till smooth and light. Stir in the mango pulp till blended.

Chill and serve topped with nuts of choice. Tastes best when cool.

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Eggless Skinny Banana blueberry muffins

As much as I love baking cakes and cupcakes, I always love to add a touch of health factor to my bakes like making it whole wheat or butter-free or adding fruits and vegetables. It would be either some ultra-ripe bananas or some chopped apples or some shredded carrots or when zucchini are in season some shredded zucchini but when blueberries or in that case any berries are in season it has to be berry muffins for my pappu. A warm muffin with a dollop of melty melty butter is his favorite breakfast. Here is my go to recipe for muffins when I have some ripe bananas and blueberries on hand.

~*What U Need*~ Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp Honey - 2 tbsp Light brown sugar - 1/4 cup Ripe banana - 1/2 cup, mashed Vanilla yogurt - 4 tbsp Milk - 6 tbsp Blueberries - 3/4 cup How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. In another bowl, mix the honey and brown sugar together. Add the mashed banana and yogurt. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the milk slowly and continue to fold. Dust the blueberries with some flour. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Fill all the way to the top. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely.

Serve with milk!!!

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Ambur Chicken Biryani | Ambur Style Chicken Biryani

To the huss weekends are never complete without a plate of chicken biryani. So if I don't make biryanis in the weekend I make it a point to make some by middle of the week. This biryani happened like that. We are not spice lovers, well we like it but we generally prefer mild spices in our food. The ambur version of biryani never fits our bill. Its super spicy and the color of the biryani screams spiciness when you even look at it. This is my version of the ambur biryani cos I have used my own strategies to reduce the spice level. But if you are in for the game then skip the cashew paste in the recipe, reduce the yogurt to 1/4 cup and add more chillies as per your spice level.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cooking time: 40 mins; Serves - 3-4 ~*What U Need*~ Chicken - 1 lb, with bone Oil - 2 tbsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Onions - 1, large, sliced Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Coriander Leaves - a handful, chopped Mint Leaves - a handful, chopped Tomatoes - 1 large, chopped Thick yogurt - 1/2 cup Biryani rice - 1 1/2 cups Water - 2 cups To grind: Cashews - 5-6, whole To grind separately: Red chillies - 2, seeds removed For biryani masala: Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1" Cardamom - 2 Star anise - 1/2 Cloves - 2 How I Made it: Wash and soak the rice. Soak the red chillies in hot water for 5 mins. Drain and make it into a smooth puree. Set aside. Grind the cashews and set aside. Heat oil in a kadai. Add 1 bay leaf and fry for a min. Add the onions and saute well. Once golden brown, add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and fry well. Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves and saute for a min. Add the fresh biryani powder and saute well. Add the cleaned chicken pieces and mix well. Now add the chilli paste and fry till the chicken is half cooked. Add the cashew paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the yogurt and mix well. Add water and the drained rice. Add 2tbsp ghee, give it a stir and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Open the lid and fluff the rice.

Serve with some raitha!!!

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Rye Bread | Bread Recipes

Rye flour has got its own health benefits. Rye is a good source of fiber, promotes weight loss, lowers diabetic risk, promotes gastrointestinal health and has many more benefits. The taste of rye bread is something you hate totally or love with all your heart. Adding rye flour to your bread dough gives it a a sourdough kinda taste in the end product, a taste which you will fall for or you will run away from. Luckily, the huss and me and even pappu have taken a liking for the bread right from first bite. The first time I made rye bread, I didn't know what went wrong but the bread was dense, and hard, there was no significant oven spring and the bread was a total disaster. I have been experimenting ever since and this recipe from King Arthur bread is a keeper. Perfect crust, fluffy crumb and not an overpowering rye flavor. Since this was a trial, I halved the recipe but feel free to try the original recipe, you can never go wrong.

~*What U Need*~ Warm water - 1/2cup Rye flour - 1/2 cup Sugar - 2 tsp Instant yeast - 1 1/8 tsp Yogurt - 1/4 cup Salt - 3/4 tsp Unbleached all purpose four - 1 cup + 6 tbsp Vital wheat gluten - 1 1/2 tbsp How I Made it: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the water, sugar, rye flour and yeast, mixing to form a soft batter. Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, mix and knead the dough until smooth. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise for 45-60 mins. Gently deflate the dough, knead it briefly, and shape it into an oval loaf. Place them on a lightly greased parchment-lined baking sheet. Let rise until puffy for 45 mins. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slash with a knife. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven, and transfer them to a rack. While still warm, brush with melted butter, if desired.

Serve with spread of choice!!!

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Mughalai Chicken Biryani

By now, you should have known about our love for biryanis. When I say its biryani for lunch or dinner, the boys keep chanting the term till they get some on their plates... I love trying new biryani varieties when the mood sets in and it happened again last week.
It was a weekday and pappu was sound asleep taking his afternoon nap... I felt like doing something and reading a book didn't help... The kitchen seemed to be the destination and biryani the solution... I was going through my biryani booklet when I came upon this mughalai biryani.. The richness called my name and I didn't waste another minute resting on my couch...

~*What U Need*~ Chicken - 500 gm, cleaned Onion - 1, large, sliced Tomato - 1, large, sliced Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup Mint leaves - 1/4 cup Oil/ Ghee - 2 tbsp Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups To grind to a paste: Cashew - 1/4 cup Almonds - 1/4 cup Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp Yogurt - 1 tbsp For Briyani Masala Powder: Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1" Cardamom - 2 Star anise - 1/2 Cloves - 2 How I Made it: Dry roast the ingredients under biryani masala and grind in a coffee grinder. Soak the rice in enough water. Grind cashews, almonds, poppy seeds and yogurt to a smooth paste. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and fry the green chilli. Add the onions and saute till brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and fry till oil separates. Add the spice powders and biryani masala powder. Add the chopped coriander and mint leaves followed by the chicken. Once the chicken is half cooked and leaves water add the ground cashew paste and mix well. Add the soaked rice and water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Serve hot!!!

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