Better than take-out Chicken Fried Rice | Leftover recipes

We buy the fully cooked rotisserie chicken from walmart(read once a month) whenever we visit the place. I love it on my salads seasoned with some salt, pepper and garlic powder and then I love to make chicken salad with greek yogurt, pecans and cranberries which I have as it is or use it in sandwiches. This fried rice is my new favorite to use up the leftover chicken. Stir fried veggies, eggs, chicken and rice mildy flavored with soy sauce and loads of pepper ~ what more for a wholesome meal. I would recommend you to use sesame oil for the best results cos the nuttiness of the oil enhances the overall flavor of this dish.

Prep time: 20 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Rotisserie chicken - 1 cup, chopped Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Sesame oil - 2 tbsp Yellow onion - 1, small, chopped Carrots, beans - 1 cup, chopped Frozen peas - 1/4 cup Soy sauce - 2-3 tbsp Eggs - 2, lightly beaten Green onions - 1/8 cup, chopped Salt, pepper How I Made it: Heat sesame oil in a large pan or wok. Add onion and fry till translucent. Add the peas, beans and carrots and fry until tender. Move this to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables. Add the rice and chicken. Pour and gently combine. Add chopped green onions if desired.

Serve warm!!!

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Chicken Haleem

One thing that the huss enjoys to the core is anything and everything with chicken in it. Well, I am no less. We love our share of chicken anytime.

I was totally new to the word haleem then. While I was born and brought up in the Gulf, I was there only till my IInd standard. So its just a few memories that I carry around like how I always wore sockings when I was little or the little forest that I saw from our back window or the few words of Arabic that I learnt from my Arabic class or how I was the favorite of everyone in our apartment and finally George chetta from next door. Haleem and nombu kanji were often mentioned by appa and amma when we talked about life in Gulf. That was that.

After marriage, the huss used to mention this delicacy whenever the holy month of Eid sets in. And thats when I started browsing about haleem. Appa also explained the process to me on how the chicken is slow cook with wheat, barley and other dhal varieties. The huss was so adamant on getting his hands on haleem that he ordered himself a pack of haleem from Hyderabad which came by courier. He tasted it and he loved it. This was the story two years back. Fast forward now, far away from home country, he didn't have the option to online order and I knew that he was craving for the dish for sometime. Finally I gave in and started browsing for recipes and found a promising one at vahrehvah's site. I adapted the recipe to what I had in hand and it was a total hit. The huss loved it to the core.

~*What U Need*~ To Grind : Wheat rava - 1/2 cup Masoor dal - 1 tbsp Toor dhal - 1 tbsp Barley - 1/4 cup Urad dhal - 1 tbsp Channa dhal - 1 tbsp Peppercorns - 1 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Cloves - 4 Cinnamon stick - 1 inch Green cardamom - 2 Almonds - 5 Sesame seeds - 1 tsp For porridge: Chicken - 1 lb, with bone Chicken stock - 6 cup Onions - 2, finely sliced Green chillies - 2, finely chopped Mint leaves - 1/2 cup Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Curd - 2 tbsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Oil - 1/4 cup Juice of 1 lemon How I made it: Heat oil in a pan and fry sliced onions till it turns golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and split fried onions into two parts. Reserve one half for garnishing. Grind everything under “To Grind” to a coarse powder. Heat the same oil in a pressure cooker. Add ghee to it and once it melts, add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 2 mins. Add chicken and fry till seared. Add chicken stock and mix well. Add fried onion, curd, green chilies, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Mix everything and cook for a min. Add ground mixture and stir frequently to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pressure cook at high flame for 2 whistles. Switch to low flame and pressure cook it for 40 mins. Once the pressure goes, open the lid and mash everything. Sprinkle lemon juice.

Serve warm!!!

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Pulikachal | Puliyodarai /Puliyogare /Tamarind Rice Mix | How to make Tamarind Rice or Pulisaadham

Fond memories are associated with Puliyodarai for me. Picnics with cousins, school tour to amusement parks, ngo outings to tribal villages and so on... Whenever I tell amma that I will be going out for a day long outing, she generally makes me some puliyodarai or thayir saadam with a simple potato roast to take along. And after all that fun, laughter and some body pain, sitting together for a hearty lunch with your favorite food duo peeking out of your tiffin box ~ ah how I want to re-visit my childhood days.

I still remember the days when I traveled to my native village for our school holidays. My aunt makes puliyodarai, wrap it up in individual parcels in banana leaves {if not, its finally ends up in sibling war} and then uncle takes us with him to tend the goats in the greenlands. We play all day long while he takes care of the goats and when its time for lunch, we run to the good ol' neem tree's shade, sweating like anything and even that simple tamarind rice seemed like biryani for us...

Its been a long time since I made, rather say had tamarind rice and in fact I had no intention of making this. During my pregnancy I was advised to take as little amount of tamarind that I could and thats been continuing till date. This infact was made by my MIL for my sister-in-law. She's in her second trimster and still doesn't step into the kitchen and so MIL made some homemade thokkus for her. Again doctor's advise and so she left the pack of tamarind preserve and I grabbed it. It comes so much in handy on lazy days and am so asking her to make another batch.

~*What U Need*~ Tamarind/Puli - 1 lemon sized ball Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Hing or Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp Jaggery - 1 small marble sized piece Curry leaves - 1 sprig Peanuts - 1 handful To Temper: Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp Red chillies - 5-6 Urad dhal - 4 tbsp Channa Dhal - 3 tbsp Hing or Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - 2 sprig Sesame oil - 5 tbsp To Roast and grind: Channa dhal - 2 tbsp Red chillies - 4 Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam - 3/4 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Peppercorns - 1 tsp

How I Made it:
Soak tamarind in half cup warm water for half an hour and extract juice. Set aside. Roast all ingredients give under 'to roast' to golden brown and powder it, set aside. In a kadai, heat oil and temper with the given ingredients. Then add tamarind extract, turmeric, salt, curry leaves and hing. Add enough water, the mixture be of rasam consistency. Boil for 15-20 mins, till it reduces to half. Add the jaggery and the ground masala powder. Boil till you get a thick paste and the oil separates. Roast the peanuts in more oil and add this to tamarind mixture. Remove from flame. Cool down and store in a clean container.

To make puliyodarai, cook desired amount of rice. In a kadai, add 2 tsps of sesame oil. Add the desired amount of pulikachal and fry for few seconds. Add the cooked rice and mix gently till the rice grains are evenly coated. Add salt if only needed.

** My Notes:
** The pulikaichal can be stored for 20-30 days in the fridge. But always use a clean dry spoon.
** Sesame oil is the best to use when making tamarind rice but if you want u can use vegetable oil too.
** If you are carrying the rice for a train journey or a long day trip, then cool the rice completely before mixing.

So thats it Folks...
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Sesame Laddoo / Ellu urundai | Vinayagar Chathurthi Recipes

... Vinayagar Chathurthi wishes to all my wonderful readers...

"Ganapathi Bapa Morya"

Hope everyone had a great time celebrating the day with loads of happiness and ofcourse kozhukattais... As I am writing down this post, I am stuffing my mouth with some yummy peanut filled kozhukattais... Wanna know wat I made for the day... It was peanut kozhukattais, ellu urundai, semiya payasam and sundal. You would wonder how I had time to make all these with the junior. Thanks to 'A', he took care of the kid. Oh yeah, he had his own reasons...(would get all the prasads to eat na).
Today am sharing the most easiest of the lot that I made "Sesame laddoos". They are easy to put together and it can be made in a matter of minutes.

~*What U Need*~ Black Sesame - 1 cup Karupatti / Palm Jaggery - 3/4 cup Cardomom powder - a pinch (optional) Ghee - 1 tsp (optional)

How I Made it:
Dry roast the sesame till a nice nutty aroma comes. Cool it down and then grind it in a mixer to a coarse powder. Add karupatti and run the mixie once or twice again.

Add cardamom powder and ghee and give a whiz. Roll them into balls and store it in an airtight container.

Healthy sesame laddoos ready!!!

So thats it Folks...
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Poha & Groundnut Laddoo / Aval Verkadalai Urundai | Poha Recipes

Poha a.k.a flattened rice is one of my favorite breakfast. A cereal or upma with a simple tadka ~ it makes a healthy breakfast option.
The beaten rice that the huss purchased this time from the market was of the thicker variety which I find not ideal for the above said recipes. It was lying untouched in the pantry and I didn't want to waste it. So come up with this easy laddoo variety. The laddoo vanished the same day itself ~ thanks to the huss who loved it (that goes without any doubt 'cos I could find him sneaking around the kitchen to pop one into his mouth whenever he felt hungry).

I have added ghee to bind the laddoo together. I would recommend you to do the same. A few tsps of ghee are essential for the body. But if you are so calorie conscious then increase the jaggery cos that makes the mixture sticky and will help in forming laddoos.

~*What U Need*~ Aval(thick variety) - 1 cup White sesame seeds - 1/4 cup Roasted groundnut - 1/2 cup Jaggery - 1/2 cup Ghee - 2-3 tbsps Cardamom powder - a big pinch

How I made it:
Dry roast the poha till you get a nice aroma. Dry roast the groundnuts for 1 or 2 mins. You can remove the skin from the groundnuts but if you are lazy like me you will leave it as such. Dry roast the sesame seeds and set aside. Blend the groundnuts and poha till you get a coarse powder.

Add jaggery, ghee and cardamom powder and give it a whiz just to blend and bring it together.

Tip into a mixing bowl, add the sesame seeds and mix well. Form lemon sized balls out of this.

Healthy kid friendly laddoos. How I love making easy to make and simple to put laddoos like these!!!

So thats it Folks...
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Kathrikkai Thirattal / Brinjal in a Spicy Nutty Gravy

Brinjals were always in my hate list from my school days and lasted till quite some time after my marriage. When amma added brinjals to aviyal, I would be picking them out carefully from my serving, no matter how small she cuts it. She would get frustrated at times cos the best part is that I gorge in fried brinjals and when I pick out itsy-bitsy bits of brinjal out of the aviyal, she just gets mad. After marriage, I started taking a liking to this vegetable mainly because of the huss and since then tried experimenting with this veggie. Ever since I saw this recipe, I wanted to try it out but with brinjals and the outcome was a perfect spicy side dish for dosas and chapathis. U can use this as a gravy or as a side dish, perfect both ways.

~*What U Need*~
Brinjals - 200 gms
Tomatoes(medium, pureed) - 1
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - as needed
Chopped Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

For the masala
Oil - 1 tsp
Roasted and skinless peanuts - a handful
White sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Pearl onions - 5
Onion(medium) - 1
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

How I Made it:
In a non-stick pan, saute the masala ingredients till golden brown. Grind it into a smooth paste adding water after it cools down.

In the same kadai, heat oil, add the pureed tomato paste and fry till half done. Next add the ground paste and cook on low flame. Add water if the mixture dries up. Add the cubed brinjals and mix well.

Cook till the brinjals are done (soft and mushy). Simmer till you get the required consistency. Add coriander leaves and serve.

Serve as side dish for dosas / chapathis.

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Chettinadu style Potato fry

Hubby and me are potato-holics. Anything with potato make us go yum!!! I love trying new potato recipes and if it becomes the huss's favorite then it is a definite keeper. This recipe is one like that.
The crunchiness of the dhal compliments the softness of the potatoes very well. This recipe makes a yummy side dish for tomato / lemon / tamarind rice.

~*What U Need*~
For masala
Urad dal - 4tsp
Channa dal - 2tsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Whole peppercorns - 1/2 tsp

For frying
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Onion - 1
Potatoes - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt

How I Made it:
Dry roast urad dal, channa dal, sesame seeds, red chillies and pepper corns till they change color. Cool this and grind to a coarse powder.
Boil the potatoes and cut them into chunks of desired size. Chop the onion.
Heat oil in a kadai and when hot add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Next add the onions and saute till done.
Add the boiled potatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Fry till golden brown.
Next add the ground masala. Mix well and fry for another 10 minutes and turn the stove off.

Serve hot with any rice.

So thats it Folks...
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My Vinayagar Chathurthi 2011 & Kozhukattais - 3 ways

I know that this post is too late, should have been due on the day of festival or atleast the next day morning. All friends have put up their recipes and have done blogging on how they celebrated the day showcasing their beautiful decorations and vinayagars.

The day of Vinayagar chathurthi was a very bad one for me - I was not feeling well (that does not include my laziness). I was feeling a bit dizzy and I didn't have the strength to drag myself into the kitchen. I was lolling the whole day and I had decided to make only sugar-coconut stuffed kozhukattais but then changed my mind. I wanted to make more for my second favorite god. Hubby dear had got up early morning, cleaned the house, bought the Mann-pillayar and made breakfast for me when I got up only at 8 am. Waking up, I was just sitting in the sofa, thinking this is just not me. I have to make something for the day but whenever I stood up with full energy I could just feel my head spinning around and then I would go plop on the sofa.

So after lots of persistence n self-boosting, had some glucose water, took a bath n then took off to the kitchen. After preparing our lunch, I started making preparations for the day's pooja.So made kozhukattais with 3 pooranams and Channa sundal for the Neivedyam. So moving down you will find recipes for all the three kozhukattais...

The weekend saw our 2nd wedding anniversary and hence the whole weekend was spent on celebrations, roaming, shopping, eating out and returning home dead-tired. Sunday was spent taking rest, me sleeping for 10 hrs straight into the morning and then 3 hrs in the noon. Doesn't that sound like a perfect weekend... So now that I am done with my justification on why this post comes out so late :), lets go on to the recipes.

~*What U Need*~
For the outer covering
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - few drops + to grease hands

For the stuffing/Pooranam:

How I Made it:
Lets make the pooranams first.

For the outer coating/shell, boil water till it bubbles profusely. To this add oil and salt. Off the flame, add the flour little by little and keep stirring without forming any lumps. Immediately close this with a lid. After the mixture comes to room temperature, bring it together using your hand. Add some oil and make it into a smooth dough.

Paruppu pooranam stuffed and steamed kozhukattai...

Ellu pooranam stuffed and steamed kozhukattai...

Sarkarai pooranam stuffed and steamed kozhukattai...

Now grease your hands, form cups out of the dough, spoon in some stuffing as u need and close the kozhukattais. Steam these in a steamer / idli paathiram till the outer coating becomes glossy, non-sticky and done...

Remove, cool down and serve as neivediyam.










I have heard of friends who had extra maavu and hence used that to make ammini kozhukattai / paal kozhukattai but you know wat I was left with -- the paruppu and ellu pooranam. Has anyone of you been in this situation? Do wait for my next post to know what I did with the leftovers...

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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