Kerala Kadala curry / Kadala curry

There are a few dishes which are etched in my mind mainly because those dishes frequented our dinner tables quite often when I was a kid. We are not from Kerala but the influence of Kerala is a bit more in my place. We cook a lot with coconut oil and kappa puzhukku with meen kuzhambu is still my favorite. And then there is kadala curry and puttu, an all time favorite. Though I don't make the duo a lot, I make kadala curry often to go with our chapathis.

~*What U Need*~ Black chenna/Chickpeas - 3/4 cup, soaked overnight For grinding: Coconut - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup to grind to a smooth paste For the masala: Onions - 1, medium chopped Tomato - 1/2 medium, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Green chilli - 1 Curry leaves - 1 sprig Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Corinder powder - 1 tsp Coconut oil - 2 tbsp Water, salt How I Made it: Grind the coconut to a smooth paste and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds and half the amount of curry leaves. Add the chilli and saute for a min. Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves. Add the tomatoes and saute till soft. Add the soaked chenna, enough water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles or till soft. Once done. Add the spice powders and mix and cook for 3-4 mins. Add the ground coconut paste. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes on a low flame. Add enough water to bring to the desired consistency. Season with salt. Let the curry come to a boil and you see oil separate from the curry. Add the curry leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve kadala curry hot with puttu or appam or steamed rice or rotis.
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Asparagus Stir Fry

The past one week was chaos in our house. I could even go back and say the past on month has been chaos. It first started with the kid, he got the flu, passed it over to me and then the huss took it from there. And then the second cycle started with the kid ofcourse. This time his temperatures started soaring. His birthday has come and gone with no big deal. We kept it simple with a funfetti cake and his favorite t-rex dino fondant topper. He's starting to recover and we are still not into routine. I am keeping it simple for lunch with rasam saadam for the kid and a simple asparagus or broccoli stir fry for me and the night leftovers packed for the huss's lunchbox.

~*What U Need*~ Asparagus - 1 bunch, cleaned and pat dry Olive oil - 1/2 tbsp Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp Garlic - 3 cloves, sliced Salt to season How I made it: Clean the asparagus and pat dry. Break the stem till the part of the asparagus that is tender. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and saute till golden brown. Add the red chilli flakes and saute for 20 seconds. Add the asparagus and saute in high heat till it has brown spots and slightly tender but still crisp.

Serve with a salad.

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Baked Lahori Chargha | Easy Chicken Recipes

There are days when all I need is a flavor packed piece of chicken with a side salad or some baked sweet potato fries. While I am okay with that kind of food, the huss is totally opposite. He needs dosas or idlis or biryanis to keep him and his tummy happy. But one thing that we both agree on is tandoori chicken. We love it to the core and with a side dip of mint yogurt it is just the best dinner in the whole world. I follow this food group in FB and I saw this recipe there. Was totally hooked up with the flavor profile and added my own twist by baking it. This my friend is a bomb and you should definitely give this a try.

~*What U Need*~ Chicken legs - 4-5, 1 lb, with skin Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp Mint leaves - 1/4 cup, packed Chilli flakes - 1 tsp Lemon juice - 1/2 of a lemon Salt Eggs - 1 How I Made it Grind everything in a mixie from coriander seeds to chilli flakes. Marinate this with the chicken, lemon juice, salt and egg with 2 tbsp oil. Marinate for atleast 2 hrs - overnight. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake in a foil lined pan for 30 mins. Turn over and bake for another 20 mins. Broil for few mints till you get the crust on the chicken.

Serve with mint chutney.

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Chicken Puffs

I mostly sip on some loaded green smoothie for my lunch and so by the time the huss returns from work, I become extremely hungry and start rampaging the kitchen snack cabinet. I try my level best to stick to fruits but sometimes I give in and make some hot hot bhajis or chicken puffs for our tea time. Thanks to the readymade puff pastries available here, making puffs at home is a breeze and more economical than the Indian store bought-ones. The filling is a breeze to make and highly customizable, you can skip the chicken if you are a vegetarian or you could replace the chicken with gobi. The sky is your limit here, my friend.

~*What U Need*~ Chicken - 1 cup, cooked and shredded Oil - 1 tbsp Onion - 1 cup, finely sliced Tomato - 1, chopped Coriander - a handful, chopped Curry leaves - 1 sprig Green chilli - 1, sliced Beans - 4-5, chopped Carrot - 1, chopped Ginger garlic paste -1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Cumin powder - 1/8 tsp Salt Puff pastry sheets - 1 full sheet, thawed and cut into squares. How I Made it: Heat oil in a nonstick pan, add chilli and saute for a min. Add onions and stir-fry till cooked down and brown. Add ginger–garlic paste, and curry leaves and cook for 1 minute. Add and cook the tomatoes until soft and mushy. Add carrot and bean and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the spice powders and a splash of water and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the cooked meat and stir everything and cook for 3-4 mins. Remove from heat, add the coriander leaves. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll the puff pastry to flatten it a bit. Spoon 1 tbsp of filling in the middle. Close the puff pastry using water to stick it. Egg wash it once and bake for 15 to 20 mins till golden brown and puffy. Serve warm with some ketchup!!!

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Brown rice Adai

I am sorry that I have been MIA for some time. It was nothing big this time. Only that I was lazy, so lazy to phrase and publish a post. Well, I don't blame me, the weather is so depressing. Its gloomy all day and the suns sets as early as 4.00 pm and then it is dark. Finally I am out of the slumber and here I am with a heart healthy adai recipe. I have replaced the regular white rice with brown rice making this more healthy when compared to the regular ones.

~*What U Need*~ Brown Rice - 3/4 cup Idli rice - 1/4 cup Thoor Dal - 1/3 cup Channa dhal - 1/4 cup Urad dhal - 2 tbsp Moong dhal - 1/4 cup Dried red chilli - 1 or 2 Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Garlic - 1 fat clove Salt - to taste To mix: Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped Cilantro - 1/4 cup, finely chopped Hing - a pinch Oil How I Made it: Wash all the dals and rice well. Soak the dal and rice separately for 3-4 hours. In a blender, grind the rice first for 3-4 mins, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend it to a little coarse batter using enough water. The batter consistency should be thick like idli batter. Transfer the ground batter to the bowl, add the mix-ins. Either use it right away or allow to sit for 1-2 hrs. Heat a tawa, smear it with little oil pour a ladle full of batter. Spread like dosa but thick. Drizzle oil and cook it in medium heat for 2-3 mins. After brown, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve adai with desired chutney or avial.

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Ragi Ammini Kozhukattai

At times I become a health freak like roasting cauliflower in the oven for tea time or baking sweet potato fries for that hunger pangs or steaming some dumplings for snack. Ragi is not my favorite cereal but I know that its healthy and I need to include it in my diet atleast once a week. And I do that consciously. Mostly in the form of ragi puttu or ragi malt but at times I like to experiment like adding a cup of ragi flour when making chapathis or adai and sometimes something that is totally different like this. These are healthy, tastes yum and kids will totally love popping 'em into their mouth.

~*What U Need*~ For Dough (makes 20-22 small balls): Sprouted ragi flour - 3/4 cup Water - to knead Salt - to taste Gingely oil - 1 tsp For Tempering: Urad dhal - 1 tbsp Channa dal - 1 tbsp Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Red chilli - 1 Asofoetida - a pinch Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig How I Made it: Take ragi flour in a wide bowl. Boil water, salt and oil in a pan, start with 1/4 cup. Add it to ragi flour and mix with the help of a wooden spoon. Make sure there are no lumps. Close and set aside for 5 mins. Grease your hands with oil and make small balls. Steam cook for 10 mins on medium flame. Remove and set aside. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai and temper mustard seeds. Add urad dal, channa dal, broken red chilies and curry leaves. Saute for 2 mins, add grated coconut. Add asofoetida, cooked kozhukattai and salt to taste.

Serve hot.

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Kale Thoran

I never make thorans at home because of the amount of coconut that goes into the making. But this kale thoran is an exceptional... The coconut goes so well with the kale that they seem like a match made... Whenever I go grocery shopping I always grab everything and anything that is fresh... Like this kale bunch that I bought a week back. It was screaming freshness and I had to pick it up... And the thoran happened again...

~*What U Need*~ Kale - 1 bunch Oil - 2 tsp Urad dhal - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Dried red chilli - 1 Garlic pods - 5, chopped Curry leaves - 1 sprig Small/pearl onions - 10-12 Grated coconut - 1/2 cup How I Made it: In a non stick pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Add the curry leaves and urad dhal. When the urad dhal is browned, add the red chilli. Next goes in the garlic and saute till lightly browned. Add the sliced onions and saute. Add the chopped kale and some turmeric powder. Cover with lid and cook for 7-9 mins. Once done, add the grated coconut, mix well and cook for another 2-3 mins. Season with salt and remove from flame.

Serve warm!!!

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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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Spaghetti Aglio E Olio | Aglio E Olio | Pasta recipes

Pasta is not a regular at home these days mainly because the huss is not a big fan of pastas except for the Chicken Tortilleni Alfredo from Panera. He loves it totally and it is always part of his order whenever we visit our local Panera. I like Pasta not love but like because I like to take a break from dosas and idlis with homemade pizzas or pastas. Coming to today's recipe, I made this for my lunch when this sudden craving of pasta hit me. I didn't want anything fancy and this simple aglio e olio was just right for the day.

"Spaghetti aglio e olio ("spaghetti with garlic and oil" in Italian) is a traditional Italian pasta dish, coming from Napoli, as it is a variant of the original one: Spaghetti alle Vongole. The dish is made by lightly sauteeing minced or pressed garlic in olive oil, sometimes with the addition of dried red chili flakes, and tossing with spaghetti. Finely chopped parsley can also be added as a garnish, along with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, although according to some traditional recipes, cheese should not be added."

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 5 mins; Serves - 2 ~*What U Need*~ Spaghetti - 1/2 a box Extra virgin olive oil - 3-4 tbsp Garlic - 1 fat clove, minced Dry red chilli flakes - 1 tsp Salt, Water Parsley - 1 tbsp(optional) Parmesan cheese - 1 tbsp How I Made it: Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the garlic and chilli flakes. Once the garlic is golden remove the pan from flame and toss the pasta in the oil. Serve warm topped with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Serve with some wine!!!

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Chicken Kheema Biryani

Biryani is what Sundays are for us. It might be something as simple as my easy peasy pressure cooker biryani or when amma comes by then it might be something as rich and exotic as the dum biryani, but it has to be biryani Sunday. We take a break once in a while and keep it simple with some whole wheat naan and pepper chicken but you get the thing right, we need chicken on Sundays. This kheema biryani happened, yes happened just like that when the huss was asking for something spicy for a weeknight dinner and all I had was a pack of ground chicken in the freezer.

When he says spicy he needs something really hot and I can quench that thirst only with a plate of piping 'hot' biryani and some onion raitha. I took my base biryani recipe and replaced the chicken chunks with ground chicken. Infact the ground chicken blended well with the spices and added more flavor and texture to the rice. I served it with plain raitha and the huss was totally impressed with the flavors. That impressed that he asked me to repeat it for that Sunday. This time I served it up with some Chicken roast.

~*What U Need*~ Basmatic rice - 1 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups, scant Chicken kheema - 1 lb or 1/2 kg Onions - 1 cup, sliced Tomatoes - 3/4 cup, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Biryani masala powder - 1 tsp or more Ghee - 3-4 tbsp Salt To temper: Cinnamon - 1" stick Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 2, crushed Bay leaf - 1 To grind Coconut - 1/4 cup Cashews - 3-4 Green chilli - 1, or to taste Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Mint leaves - 1/2 cup How I Made it: Soak the rice in water for 20 mins. Take all the ingredients under 'to grind' and grind to a paste. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pressure cook and when hot add the tempering items. When fried, add the onions and fry till soft and brown. Add ginger garlic paste once done. Add the tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add the spice powders and after 2 mins of cooking add the ground chicken. Once the chicken is half cooked, add the ground paste and cook for another 2 mins. Add water and the soaked drained rice and then top with chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and the remaining ghee. Cook for 2 whistles. Once the pressure is released fluff with fork.

Serve warm with raitha or side dish of choice.

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(Amma Cooks) Vendakkai Morkuzhambhu / Spiced Buttermilk gravy with Lady Fingers

Amma generally makes this instant morkulambhu with a simple potato fry to go with it. It makes a simple yet comforting Saturday lunch for us. I love the ease with which one can make amma's morkulambhu. Its just like whisking the curd and seasoning it with the tempering. And then there is this besan flour which she adds to the gravy which makes the gravy thicker and which gives it a unique taste. And the potato fry, it just completes lunch.

The other day when I was talking to her, she kept coming back to this vendakkai morkuzhambu that the neighbor aunty had shared with her and that made me interested too. I asked her to get the recipe, try it out at home and share the pic and recipe details so that I can share it here. I am gonna try this soon too.

~*What U Need*~ Thick curd - 2 cups Lady fingers - 10 nos Coconut oil - 2 tsp Vegetable oil - 1 tsp Hing - a pinch Turmeric powder - a pinch Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig To grind Thuvaram paruppu / toor dhal - 1 tbsp Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Green chilli - 2 Cumin seeds - 1 tsp How I Made it: Cut the lady fingers into bite sized pieces and fry it till golden brown in a non stick kadai, using 1 tsp vegetable oil. Remove and keep it aside. Soak toor dal for 15 mins. Beat the curd nicely using a whisk till smooth, add 1/2 cup water and bring it to buttermilk consistency. Add salt, turmeric powder and hing and mix well. Grind the soaked toordhal, cumin seeds, green chilli and coconut into a smooth paste. Add the paste to the buttermilk and mix well. Heat coconut oil in the kadai. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the buttermilk mixture to it. Stir in medium low till it starts boiling. Remove from heat. Add the lady fingers and serve. ** My Notes: ** Use homemade curd for best results. ** While grinding the coconut paste, don't use water. Instead use the buttermilk we have kept aside. ** Always add the lady fingers before serving.

Serve hot with white rice and potato roast. It makes a heavenly combo.

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