Chicken Fry

This is no doubt the most simplest, easiest and tastiest chicken recipe, considering the time and ingredients it takes to make it. I had this in my friend Preethi's home. Her mother was visiting them, and this dish was prepared by aunty. Everything on the table tasted awesome. But this dish, was new for us. It tasted so simple and of course, I didn't leave the place without the recipe :-) . Today, I was wondering what to cook for lunch, I had some boneless chicken thighs in the fridge and was in no mood for a detailed cooking because of a nasty cold that has been bothering me. I remembered this dish aunty had made, luckily aunty was still around , so I called her up got the recipe again just because I couldn't believe how something could taste so little ingredients, not kidding.... this recipe doesn't even need ginger or garlic, you can make it in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Chicken boneless thighs or breast  chopped
Chilli powder
Tumeric Powder
Coriander powder
Garam Masala
Salt


You can add the powders totally to suit your taste.

Curry leaves
Corriander leaves ( optional)
Lemon Juice ( optional)

Oil - 2-3 table spoons


Method

1) Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients.
2) In a skillet, heat oil, add the curry leaves and the marinated chicken.
3) Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.
4) Open the lid, keep cooking till you get the desired crispiness.

Enjoy it hot. Today we are having rice with this yummy crispy chicken , aviyal, white morr ( Beaten curd with ginger, green chillies, shallots) .  No doubt... its the best combination !

Creamy Caramel Flan Pudding

Wish I had a better pic of this awesome pudding. This is one of the most easiest desserts to make and anyone who loves the taste of caramel will love it . I like to make the caramel a little dark, because I enjoy the bitter taste. If you don't like it bitter, make sure not to darken the caramel while making it.


Here's what you need

Sugar 3/4 Cup
Egg - 4
Milk - 1 3/4 cup
Sweetened condensed milk  - 1 can
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch.


Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degree f.

To make the caramel:

1. Heat the saucepan at medium heat and add the sugar with 1 tablespoon water. While making the caramel, DO NOT stir with a spoon, only hold the handle of the sauce pan and swirl it around.
2. You can switch off when you get the desired color . Remember, the darker it is, the more bitter it taste, so keep that in mind.
3. Very carefully, after its take off the stove, pour 1/4 cup of cold water into the saucepan and swirl ( Keep your face away from the pan as you do it, to avoid accidents ). Pour the caramel into the baking dish .

• Beat the eggs, milk, condensed milk , vanilla extract and salt until it all blends well and pour over the baking dish with the caramel.
• Take a bigger baking tray, fill 1" water hot water and place this tray of pudding to be baked into the bigger tray,
• Bake at 350 degree F for 30-35 minutes. It may  slightly wobble when you take it out of the oven.
• Let it cool to room temperature and then keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. 

Rice Vermicelli with Chicken and bean sprouts

So, recent craze is trying out some Chinese / Cantonese style food. This is one I tried today, and it really is so easy to make and very tasty too. 

250 g dried rice vermicelli
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 onions
2-3 chicken breasts
2 small carrots
2 cups of bean sprouts ends trimmed
2-3 green onion cut lengthwise


Seasonings

1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 table spoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
white pepper ( used black)
1 teaspoon fish sauce ( optional)

Garnishing
1 large egg beater, cut length wise
1-2 dry red chili , deseeded and cut length wise.

Method

1. Soak the dried rice vermicelli in warm water to soften, about 15-120 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside. The packet will have instructions to cook it, just follow that else.
2. Bring together all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Heat the wok/skillet, add oil, make the egg omelet and slice it thinly and keep aside and use it later for garnishing.
4. In the same skillet or wok, add oil, add garlic, onion and stir fry , add the chicken stir fry till half cooked, add the carrot cut length wise and continue sir frying.
5. Add the rice vermicelli , seasoning ,  bean  sprouts, green onions and continue stir frying till they are cooked and well combined with the vermicelli.
6. Garnish the vermicelli with omelet strips, red chili strips and serve immediately.

Chocolate Banana Cake with Almonds and Chocolate sauce topping

Hmmmm..... this is soooooo good and melts in your mouth.

Here's the recipe. I found the recipe online, I made small changed to it as I like the topping with a smoother consistency. Also, I added milk chocolate with whole almonds to make the sauce just for an extra crunch.

Here's the recipe:

Dry Ingredients

1 3/4 cups of flour
3/4 cup of cocoa powder ( sift it)
2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Wet Ingredients

2 large eggs
1 cup ( 2 medium )brown bananas
1/2 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Beat the wet ingredients with a hand blender and with  whisk, whisk the dry ingredients together until mixed well.
Bring together the wet and dry ingredients and mix well.
The batter will be thin.
Pour it into your cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or a little more. You know its cooked when you insert a skewer in the centre of the cake and it comes out clean or when the edges start coming off from the side of the cake pan.


Chocolate sauce

Boil 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream or  a little more if you like a  more runny consistency.
Take it off from the stove. Add to it 8 oz of your favorite chocolate milk or dark and 1 table spoon of butter. ( I added 3 oz of chocolate with whole almonds and 5 oz of milk chocolate).
When the cake is cooled after about an hour, pour the chocolate sauce over it.

Enjoy this hot or cold, anytime of the day !!!

Crispy Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

I had some chicken wings in my freezer and I was wondering what to do with them. I have already posted here two excellent recipes with chicken wings, Classic Hot wings and Caramelized chicken wings, so I didn't want to try the same thing. I came across so many recipes, which asked for first frying the wings and then baking them with the sauce. I didn't want to do the frying part, because as it is, the wings are very fatty and frying them again in oil was a BIG NO for me. Thats when I came across this recipe which is totally oven baked and at the same time very crispy too. The skin is so crisply that its hard to believe that the wings aren't deep fried. This recipe also calls for tossing the wings in baking powder, which makes the skin crisp as the moisture is drawn to the surface of the skin. The recipe also asks us to bake the wings at low temperature first, which helps in melting the fat under the skin, which means less calories !!! Yes, thats exactly what I wanted , tasty food, less calories and easy to make.

Ingredients

10-15 wings
2 tablespoon baking powder
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste

To make the sauce

4 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup Frank's Original Red Hot sauce
1-2 tablespoon brown sugar.

1) Wash the wings and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
2) Preheat oven to 250 degree F / 120 degree C .
3) Toss them in a ziplock bag with the baking powder, salt and pepper.
4) Spread them in a layer on the baking tray sprayed with some oil. Bake them for 30 minutes on the lower rack of the oven.
5) Turn the oven temperature up to 425 degree F / 220 degree C. Bake them for 40-50 minutes on the higher rack, Rotate the tray halfway through, no need to turn the wings.
6) When they are golden brown and the skin is crispy, they are done. Take them out of the oven and toss the sauce over it. Enjoy it with some Blue Cheese Dip and celery !!!


Blue Cheese Dip

1 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
1 heaping cup blue cheese crumbles
5-6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Whisk together everything till you get a nice creamy consistency.


A picture of blue cheese dip can be seen in my Caramelized Chicken Wings recipe.

Aviyal

Ingredients

Cucumaber (Vellarikka) - 150 gm
Snake gourd ( Padavelenga)  - 150 gm
Runner Beans (Achenga Payar) - 4-5
Drumsticks (Muringakka ) - 2
Carrots - 2
Yam ( Chayna) - 100 gm
Chow Chow - 1
Potato - 1
Raw Banana - 2
Green Tomato - 1
Raw Mango - 1
Green Chillies  - 3
Curd - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves
Coconut oil - 3 - 4  table spoons
Tumeric - 1/2 teaspoon

To grind coarsely

1/2 -3/4 of a coconut grated
Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
Shallots  - 3-4



1. Boil all the vegetables ( including the green chillies ) except for drumstick in a pot. Add turmeric . Cook the drumstick separately. We cook the drumstick separately so that it doesnt get overcooked with the other vegetables
2. Add the needed salt. Bring all the vegetables together.( Add the cooked drumsticks to the other pot with the cooked vegetables.)
3. Add the ground coconut mixture to the cooked vegetables. Add the curd. Check salt.
4. Add the coconut oil and curry leaves.

Enjoy it with rice or chappathis !!!!

Simple Egg Drop Soup

There is no doubt that this is the best recipe for egg drop soup that you have come across. Its so simple. If you have the chicken stock ready, it takes hardly 5-7 minutes to make this soup.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 - 4  tablespoons of water.
1 3/4 - 2 cups of home made chicken stock
1 cup of water
1 tomato - small diced
Pepper - according to taste
Salt to taste
2 large eggs beaten


1. Mix the cornstarch with the water, make sure there are no lumps.
2. Bring the chicken broth and water to boil. Add the tomato, pepper and salt. Add the cornstarch mixture. Once it thickens switch off the heat.
3. Swirl the beaten eggs into the soup, stir three times with a fork and cover the pot with its lid for 2-3 minutes. The eggs should be cooked and will form silken threads ( look at the pic below).

Serve it hot !

Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup

You will fall in love with this soup. This recipe is definitely a winner !

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 table spoons water

6 oz ground chicken

1 3/4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock

1 1/2 cup water

1 can creamy sweet corn

white pepper ( according to taste)

salt to taste

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Coriander leaves to garnish

1. Mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Stir well to blend.

2. Bring the chicken broth and water to boil, Lower the heat to medium and  add the ground chicken.

3. Add the creamy sweet corn, pepper, salt and thicken the soup with cornstarch mixture. Turn off the heat.

4. Swirl the beaten eggs into the soup and immediately stir three times with a fork. Cover the pot of soup with its lid for 2 minutes. The eggs should be cooked and will form into silken threads.

Serve Hot !

To make creamy sweet corn at home:

1) Take a sauce pan, drop the frozen corn into it, with a cup of half and half or milk, stir well, it becomes thick. Take 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix it with 3 tablespoons of cold water and stir till it blends well. 

2) Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan in which the corn is cooking. Stir well , switch off.

How to make homemade chicken stock:

1 cornish hen or a 1 kg regular chicken

2.25 litres of water

2" piece of ginger ( crushed on pester mortar)

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

1) If you are using a slow cooker, cook it on high for 4-5 hours. you can do it in a pressure cooker or a stock pot.

2) When its done, let it cool, drain the chicken stock with a strainer. 

Mushroom Thoren

This recipe and picture is from Jolly Sunny.

Ingredients

Mushrooms - 350 gms, washed and cleaned, cut with knife or shred with hands into smaller pieces keep aside

Coarsely grind the following in a processor

Grated coconut - 3/4 cup

Shallots 3

Garlic - 1 big clove

Green Chillie 2-3

Tumeric powder  - 1/2 teaspoon

For tempering

Oil -  2table spoons

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry Red Chilli - 3-4 ( Optional)

Shallot- 2 sliced

Curry leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai

Add mustard seeds, let it splutter, add sliced shallots, dry red chillies and curry leaves and sauté.

Add the mushrooms and the coconut mixture . Add needed salt.

Cook well, till the water evaporates. 

Enjoy it with some hot rice. Yummmmm!!!

 

Beef macroni and parmesan

All I know is that before you know it, it gets over. I made it last week and my kids & their friends just loved it. They kept asking for more. That made a happy mommy more happy !!!

Here's how you make it...

Minced Beef
Onion - 1 (chooped)
Ginger garlic - 1 teaspoon (chopped)
Green Chillies - 3-4 (adjust according to your taste )
Pepper Powder - 1 teaspoon
Pasta sauce
Pamesaon cheese grated 1 cup
Macroni - Cooked and drained ( reserve a little of the pasta water, so that it doesn't get too dry)

1. Boil water in a pot, cook macron, drain and keep aside, reserve some water.
2. In a skillet, add onions, cook them till translucent, add ginger garlic, green chillies, cook well.
3. Add the pasta sauce.
4. In a separate pan, add the minced beef and fry till brown, drain off the excess fat to save you from visits to the cardiologist.
5. Add the browned beef to the pasta sauce thats cooking. Add salt.
6. Add the beef, pasta sauce mixture to the cooked macroni and top it off with the grated parmesan and some oregano (optional)
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Kesari

Kesari !!! I love anything sweet ! I finished most of it by myself. Luckily my husband doesn't have a sweet tooth and my kiddos don't care much for anything sweet other than cakes and chocolates. So, that made it just me and kesari ...

This is one of the most simplest indian sweets to make. you cannot go wrong.


Rava ( Sooji) -  1 cup
Milk  - 3 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Melted Ghee  - 2 table spoon
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Saffrom  -3-4 strands
Cashew nuts/Almonds - 10 ( if its cashew nuts add them whole and fry in ghee, if its almonds, grate them and add)
Raisins - 10

1. Heat Ghee in a skillet. Fry the cashew nuts, raisins and move aside. In the same pan. Fry the rava, keep stirring, till its slowly starts getting crispy.
2. In a deep pan, boil the milk, add the sugar and saffron.
3. As it starts to boil, add the rava slowly into it, siring very well.
4. Switch off.
5. Add the Cashews, raisins . I added almond shavings and raisins. Don't compromise on the ghee as it is the ghee that gives it a real good taste.

Vegetable Curry

Again, this is a recipe from Indu aunty. It goes well with Appam, Chappathi, Puri.

Here's how we make it.

Vegetables

Potatoes - 2
Carrots -2
Green Peas - frozen thawed ( 3/4 cup)
Cauliflower ( Cut the florets part and put them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes and drain)


Spices
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves -3-4
Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Onion - 1  ( raw paste, so grind)
Tomato - 2 ( paste, so grind )

Ginger, garlic paste - 1 teaspoon ( not more, else it will over power the entire curry)
Sambhar powder - 1 teaspoon
Coconut milk ( 1 can)

Oil - 2 table spoons
Salt
Curry leaves


How to make it...

1) Heat Oil, add the spices, add the onion paste, let it cook really well, till all the raw smell goes, (be patient here) .
2) Add the ginger garlic paste, let the raw smell go.
3) Add the tomato paste, let it cook till oil clears on top.
4) Add the vegetables, sambhar powder, curry leaves, salt and let it cook well.
5) Add the coconut milk. When it starts to boil, switch off.

Enjoy it hot with some Chappathi, Appam or Puri, you will love it !

Vegetable Biriyani

This again is another recipe from Indu aunty. When it comes to biriyani, mutton Biriyani is the favorite in our home, followed by fish biriyani and chicken biriyani. But this vegetable biriyani has found its place in our home and hearts recently. This biriyani has excellent flavor and taste. Best part is, its really simple to make. I generally don't add chili powder for any of my Biriyani, but in Indu aunty's recipe, she adds chili powder and green chillies too, so its slightly on the spicy side. So, if you think you can't handle too spicy food, leave out the chili powder part. You can either make it in the pressure cooker or the evaporation method in any tight lid container. There is no oven baking involved here. So, I wouldn't prefer the layering method for this biriyani.

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 3 cups
Ginger garlic paste - 2-3 tablespoons ( adjust according to your taste, biriyani tastes better with a little more but not too over powering, so adjust accordingly)
Green Chillies- 2-3
Chilli powder - 1 table spoon
Tumeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Tomatoes - 2-3 ( 2 large or 3 medium)
Onion - 1 large.
Mint leaves -  a hand full
Coriander leaves  -  a nice bunch
Salt - to taste
Curd 2 -3 table spoons
Raw Spices -  Cinnamon -  1 stick
                       Star anise -2
                       Elachi 4-5
                       Cloves 3-4
                       Bay leaves -8-10
                       Fennel Seeds - a teaspoon

Vegetables -  Carrot 2 - Chopped length wise
                      Beans - 10 - 15 lengthwise cut
                      Frozen Peas - thawed , 3/4 cup
                      Paneer- optional
                      Potatoes - 2 medium chopped not too small

Fried Onions - 1 cup
( I fry onions in large batches and store extra in freezer and use it whenever i make biriyani, tried rice, ghee rice, this way it saves you the trouble of frying every time you make biriyani)
Ghee/ Oil/ Dalda - Enough to sauté ( Add according to your health and taste, you can keep it low, you don't want it to be too greasy, let it be healthy, so adding 2-3 tablespoons would be enough )



1) Soak rice not more than 10 minutes.
2) Add Ghee/ dada /Oil , once its hot add the raw spice.
3) Add half the onion and sauté well.  ( The other half, grind it into a paste with the mint leaves and keep aside)
4) Add ginger garlic paste and sauté well till all the raw smell goes.
5) Add the powders and the onion mint leaves paste , sauté well, then tomatoes and green chillies, let it cook well.
6) Add the vegetables and sauté well. Let it cook 1/2 way through. Add 1/2 of the coriander leaves.
7) Add salt.

Pressure cooker method

For every 1 cup of rice, take 1.5 cups of water and cook till you hear one whistle, switch off.

Evaporation method.

For every one cup of rice take 1.5 cups of water, and a 1/2 cup more . Add the Rice and the vegetable masala , give a quick stir, check the salt, Cook on high flame, open till it boils well. When it starts boiling, close it with a tight lid and cook for another 20 minutes on medium. Switch off.  I spread it on to a tray immediately so that it won't get mushed.

Enjoy this tasty biriyani with Raita , pickle and some papadom.

Nadan Chicken Roast

Yummmmm !!!!! This is so good. I enjoyed tis one with the Ghee Rice I posted recently. This Ghee Rice,  Nadan Chicken roast, Narenga achar , some raita and pappodom is such a perfect combination.

Here's how we do it.

1. 1-1.5 kg chicken washed and kept aside
2. Onions- 2 medium sliced
3. Tomatoes 1-2 depends on ur taste
4. Ginger garlic -( crushed on pester mortar )2 table spoons
5. Perum jeeragam ( fennel seed powder ) - 1 teaspoon
6. Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon
7. Red Chilli powder -  2 table spoons
8. Corriander powder 2-3 table spoon
9. Tumeric powder - 1 teaspoon
10. Curry leaves - fresh- a handful
11. Asafetida - a pinch
12. Salt - to taste

1 onion - sliced keep aside to use while frying in the end.



1) Take the washed chicken. Add all the above ingredients from 1-12 and mix well with your hand so that you massage the chicken well with the ingredients.
2) Add 1/2 cup water and cover and cook for 15 minutes.
 The open the lid and let cook till all the water is evaporated.
3) Heat oil in a skillet. Add the sliced onion ( last ingredient in the list) , some more curry leaves and add the chicken, Keep frying till its roasted well. I do it in medium flame .

Simple Ghee Rice

This recipe is so simple and so tasty. Here is how we make it.

Rice - 1 cup , cook and keep aside

cloves 1-2

Cardomom - 2

Cinnamon -  1 -1.5 " stick 

Ghee 2-3 table spoon 

Shallots - 2 -3 sliced

Dry red Chillies - 2-3

Curry leaves - fresh a handful

Salt

1) Cook rice with little salt and keep aside.

2) Heat the kadai, pour ghee, add the spices, shallot slices, curry leaves, dry red chillies and sauté well. ( this gives a beautiful aroma )

3) Add the cooked rice, stir well, let it coat well with the ghee and spices flavor. Check salt. 

4) Add some fried onions ( optional)

Chinese Chicken Fried Rice

You don't have to run to the Chinese restaurant every time you have a craving for some Chinese food. This a good recipe that I found online some time back. Its a simple one and almost better than the Chinese takeaway.

2-3 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 cups of cooked rice, cooled
2-3 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 small white onion chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots ( thawed)
2-3 tablespoon soy sauce ( adjust to taste)
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped green chillies

1) Cook the chicken breast with some pepper and salt. Shred it.
2) Preheat the wok or skillet.Pour sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add onion, peas, carrots and fry until tender.
3) Slide these to the side and pour the beaten eggs and scramble.
4) Mix the veggies and the eggs.
5) Add the cooled rice and chicken to the wok, pour the soy sauce and stir fry till its heated through. Switch off and garnish with some green onions.

If your Indian taste buds demands some spicy flavor , then you may want to add some Chilli sauce to the fried rice and some pepper too. Another way to make it a little more spicy would be to add some dry red chillies slit lengthwise and added to the sesame oil in the beginning.

This can be eaten with or without any sides. I have a nice recipe for sesame chicken, you can have it with that too .

Maanga Pachadi ( Mango Pachadi)

If you like Pachidi, raise your hands ! I raise both my hands. I love all kinds of pachadi. Let me list a few here....
Carrot Pachadi
Beetroot Pachadi
Vendekka Pachadi
Pavekka Pachadi
Thakkali Pachadi
Pineapple Pachadi.... anything else? I can't remember any more....

I was trying this for the first time last weekend. I absolutely loved it. I had some frozen mango slices and wanted to make something with it. When I called my amma, she told me about this pachidi. Tried it and it was simply superb !!!

Boil mango slices with a little water, 1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger, green chillies ( sliced round) and salt. ( We don't need too much water else our pachadi will be too runny . Keep some boiled water ready, so incase if you need some more water to cook the mangoes well, you can keep adding a little .

Then once its cooked. Switch off and keep aside.

Give a quick stir to the thick curd and keep aside. Add salt.

Add the cooled mango mixture into this curd and give a quick stir.
In a Kadai, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, then add curry leaves, 2-3 dry red chilies, shallots 203 sliced round and sauté. Add a pinch of asafetida .

When its cooled add this to the pachadi . Add a teaspoon of mustard powder to this pachadi .

Your mango Pachadi is ready !!!!

Morr Curry

Who needs the recipe of moor curry, this is one of the first things that anyone learns when they are new to cooking. I love this moor curry with a nice thoren, meen curry or chicken curry and some mezhukkuvaratty. I like it thick and not the super runny consistency .

Ingredients

Oil 3-4 tablespoon
Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Jeeragam  - 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger - sliced ( 1 table spoon)
Garlic sliced - ( 1 tablespoon)
Curry leaves a nice fresh sprig
Dry Red Chillies 3-4
Fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon
Asafetida - a pinch and a little more
Shallots 2-3
Green Chillies - (optional 2 slit)
Tumeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt
Curd -1 Cup ( Beat well with a little water in the blender)


Heat Oil, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
Saute everything except the curd ( of course) well in oil. And when it has cooled add it on top of the beaten morr. While beating the morr add the needed salt. Let the moor cook then on medium flame and keep stirring . When you see the steam coming up slowly. You can switch off. Keep stirring for a couple more minutes even after switching off or it may curdle.

Potato Fry

This potato fry is the one that you have with lemon rice and tomato rice, or even rasam rice and this potato fry is so so so so so so so so good !!! Believe me ... it really is good. This recipe is from Indu aunty, from Chennai. I get all the Tamil Nadu recipes from her. She is an excellent cook... Will be posting her Sambhar Powder recipe soon. That one is the star of the entire show. This recipe uses Sambhar powder and its Indu aunty's special Sambhar powder that I use here.

Take Potatoes (4-5) , wash them well and boil them with skin on.
When its almost cooked . Drain off the water and Peel off the skin.
Chop the potatoes into bite size portions.
Mariante them with 1 tablespoon Sambhar powder, curry leaves, salt and minced garlic (3-4 pods). Keep aside for at least 30 minutes.
Shallow Fry them in oil. Keep tossing in between.
Once this is done. You can enjoy them with rice if there is anything remaining. Usually the person frying the potatoes and the people passing by the kitchen while this is being fried, finishes them all and nothing will remain to go with lunch. Trust me ! For this recipe, its absolutely true !!!

Pulli Inji Curry

This is one of my favorite curries among vegetarian Nadan oonnu....That erivu and pulli (spicy & tangy) of the curry makes it almost any Malayalees favorite.

This is how we make it.

I can give only approximate measurements here... Its more like a personal taste of how tangy or spicy one would like.

Inji (ginger) - chopped fine (1 cup). ( Optional to Mix 1/2 teaspoon of rice flour to this)
Heat oil in a kadai.
Fry the ginger in oil till its brown and when it cools grind it.
In the same pan, add oil and when the oil is hot enough, add mustard seeds, let it splutter, 3-4 shallots sliced, green chillies, dry red chillies, curry leaves and sauté well.
Add turmeric ( 1/2 teaspoon), Red chili powder - according to your taste ( i would add at least 2-2 1/2  tablespoons). Add the ground ginger.
Tamarind - size of a lemon soak in  1/2 cup water and add it to the above and let it boil.
Jaggery - 1 teaspoon
Salt. Check the taste. Let it boil and reduce to the required consistency.

Enjoy this with some hot rice or kanji...

Cherrupayar Thoren

Vanpayar Thoren

Mango Lassi

On a hot day or a cold day or any day... who can say no to Mango Lassi. Hmmm... it can win any heart...

Mango Pulp from a big can.
1/2 -3/4 cup curd
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar ( according to your taste)
Some Elachi powder.

Throw this all into the blender and attack it before it gets over.

S'mores

S'mores.........Kids love this( and adults love it even more ;)  )

So this is usually done during camp fire... we did it on our BBQ grill last weekend... Wish I could keep eating 'em without thinking about health and weight.... they are so good.

Just arrange 'em on the foil tray and place over the BBQ grill till the Marshmallows and chocolate start melting. Once it melts... don't waste time, just keep throwing them into your mouth before the kids get 'em all.

Looking at the pics you will understand neither me nor the kiddos had any patience to wait for the marshmallow to melt...

Chicken tikka with Pitta Bread and Hummus

Such a quick, tasty and easy lunch / dinner.

Clean the cut chicken pieces well. Pat them dry and marinate them with the following.

Chicken pieces 10-12 pieces ( look at pic below)
Chilli Powder - 1 table spoon
Coriander Powder - 1 table spoon
Tumeric Powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder - 1 teaspoon
Pepper Powder - 1/2 -1 teaspoon
Lemon Juice - Juice of  l lemon
Yogurt - 3-4 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Mariante and keep aside at least for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Bake for 1 hour or more until cooked.
Half way through , drain the oil off and turn the pieces and continue baking.

Enjoy this hot with some Pitta bread and Hummus dipping . Its really Yummm!