Set Parotta

Virudhunagar is a well known town in tamilnadu where our former chief minister Karmaveerar Kamarajar was born. Virudhunagar is also famous for its parotta. A lots of variety in making parottas in the cooking world. But their oil parotta is the hit over the town and set parotta is the one which everyone loves to have in the town. Whenever i go to my native town, i would love to have it. Few months back, we went to dindigul velu biriyani hotel in pallavaram,by that time I have seen this available in the menu and make and done a quick order of that and completed my dinner that day. Here is the easy recipe for this.

Ingredients

• Parotta - 3
• Mutton or chicken curry - 1 cup(curry should be little watery consistency)

Making steps

1. Crush the parotta and make very small pieces on it.
2. Add the curry and mix well.
3. Let the parotta soak for 15 mins in the curry and serve hot.

Chenna kunni/Sennang kunni karuvadu curry or Dried baby shrimps curry

Dried fish curry is one of my favourite dish that i can have with rice at anytime. My mom makes the best version of any dried fish curry. I m just getting trained on it. I would often try this sennang kunni in my home on sundays and my hubby loves my version very much. This will go well with even curd rice.

Ingredients

• Sennang kunni  - 1/2 cup
• Onion(shallots) - 8 to 10
• Tomato - 1 (medium)
• Green chilli - 1
• Drumstick - 1 (small)
• Brinjal - 2 (small)
• Tamarind - 1/2 of lemon size.
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin/jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Oil - to temper (Gingelly oil preferred)
• Mustard seeds - to temper
• Curry leaves - few
• Coriander leaves - few

Cooking steps

• Soak sennang kunni in hot water for 15 mins to remove the stains and mud on it. Wash it well for 3 times and dry it and keep aside.
• Soak tamarind in water and extract a cup of tamarind juice.
• Cut onion, tomato, chilli, drumsticks and brinjal.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• In a pan, pour a tsp of oil and shallow fry drumsticks and brinjal seperately (This step is optional only. I did it because the shallow fried vegetables will have a nice aroma on the curry).
  
• In the same pan, add a tsp of oil and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• Add onions and stir & cook till the onion becomes transparent. Then add tomato and cook till its mushy.
• Now add drumsticks and cook till its half done. Then add brinjal and cook till brinjal is half done.(brinjal will cooks faster in 2 minutes).
• Add the tamarind juice and then add chilli powder,turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
  
• Mix the spices well with the cooked curry. The add sennang kunni to this and cook till the curry becomes thick.
  
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice. 
  

My 2 cents

• You can use the fresh sennang kunni fish also. But the dried verion adds more taste.
• You can even powder this sennang kunni. That tastes too good.
• Adding vegetables are purely optional.

Chilli chicken

This is a quite common chicken dish that can be easily and quickly made. It is just only the combination of chicken and chilli as the main ingredient. Chicken is the only thing that goes with any form of marination on it. The result will always be good anytime. Here is the simple recipe for a delicious chilli chicken recipe

Ingredients

• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp ( Its more spicy)
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Chicken - 500gm (I used chicken legs)
• Onion - 1 (small)
• Tomato - 1 (small)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp(optional)
• Coriander leaves - Few to garnish

Cooking steps

• Wash the chicken well and prick it using a fork or knife and keep aside. Cut onion and tomaoto and keep aside. squeeze the lemon and extract a tbsp of lemon juice.

• In a preheated tawa/pan, add oil. Once oil is hot, add ginger garlic paste, onion and tomato and saute well till the tomato turn mushy.
• Now add chicken and give a quick stir.

• Now add chilli, salt and a tbsp of lemon juice.

• Add and adjust the level of water so that the chicken immerse fully. 

• Cook this mixer on medium to high flame till the chicken absorbs chilli water well and the water is drained to little in the tawa. Once almost all the water is drained off, add a tbsp of oil on the sides of the pan and saute it till the chicken is cooked well.

• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

My 2 cents

• Once water is drained off, simmer the stove and start adding oils.
• If you need more crispier chilli chicken, add more oil and saute till its crisp.

Adai Dosai

Adai dosai is my favourite. This is a whole protein and a delicious food. I enjoy preparing this and this my family's favourite food too. Easy to make breakfast. Usuallay in hotels, they would serve with avial. But a simple coconut chutney and brown sugar(naatu sarkarai) makes a great combo for this. Here is the recipe

Ingredients 

• Raw rice - 1/2 cup
• Boiled rice or idly rice - 1/2 cup
• Urad dhal - 2 tbsp
• Moong dhal - 1/4 cup
• Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
• Bengal gram - 1/4 cup
• Onion(shallots) - 8 to 10
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Green chilli - 2
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Hing - a pinch
• Ginger - a small bite
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Curry leaves - few
• Coriander leaves - few

Cooking steps

• In a large bowl, Mix raw rice, boiled rice, urad dhal, toor dhal, bengal gram, moong dhal and soak them for 2 to 3 hours.

• Cut onions, chilli, ginger and garlic and keep aside.

• Rinse the dhal mixer twice and grind this mixer to a fine paste. 
• Add onion, salt, turmeric, hing, fennel seeds, chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander and curry leaves in the laste stage of grinding( just 2 minutes before you stop grinding process) and keep the batter ready. 

• The batter should not be too runny or thick like idly batter.It should be in medium consistency of both.

• Using a laddle, pour the batter in a preheated skillet, make round shaped thin or thick dosas as per your taste.Usually our concentional dosa pan(which is little curved inside) will be good for making adai dosas.

• Add 1/2tsp of oil on the sides of dosa and also in the middle.

• When the corner of dosa turns brown, flip it to the other side and cook well.

• Server it with coconut chutney and brown sugar.

My 2 cents

• Always have powdered roasted chick peas (pottu kadalai) a little (some 2 tsp) to adjust the taste or batter consistency for adai dosai
• You can substitute red chilli powder for green chilli.

Kuli paniyaram using wheat flour

My Kid loves kuli paniyaram more and he used to tell it as 'round and round' paniyaram. Most of the time I prepare kuli paniyaram using rice flour batter only. For making instant paniyaram, I opt for wheat flour only. A quick snack too and an easy to make breakfast and my kid never say NO to paniyaram. We can use the same method for making with maida paniyaram
also.

Ingredients

• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1/4 cup 
• Cardamom - 2
• Banana - 1 (I used morris type)
• Coconut grated - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1/4 spoon
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Baking soda - a pinch

Cooking steps

• Mash banana and powder cardomom and add with banana. 

• Add wheat flour, grated coconut, baking soda, salt and sugar and mix them well.

• Slowly add 1/2 cup of water and let the sugar dissolve completely in this mixture.

• Heat paniyaram pan in medium flame and pour 2 drops of oil on each paniyaram hole.
• Pour a laddle of batter on each hole (say 3/4th of each hole).

• Keep the paniyaram pan closed for 2 mins, just open and touch the sides of each paniyaram. This is to ensure the paniyaram is cooking well on the sides.

• You can see some small holes appearing on the top on each paniyaram. Now its time to flip on the other side and close the lid and let it cook completely.

• Serve with coconut chutney or mint chutney

My 2 cents

• Sometimes I add a tbsp of cooked rice also. Grind rice in mixie by adding little water. If you add rice, then there is no need to add baking soda as the cooked rice has the natural yeast on it. The paniyaram will be very puffy when you add rice.
• You can substitute jaggery for sugar.
• Adjust sugar level according to your taste.

Vegetable Pulao/Pulav

Vegetable pulao is the easiest one for me to prepare at busy days. This tastes good and even my kid loves it as it is not spicy at all.

Ingredients

• Rice - 1 cup (Basmati preferred)
• Vegetables - 1/2 cup (carrot, beans, corn etc... of choice)
• Onion - 1 medium sized
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp(minimum)
• Mint - few
• Coriander - few
• Chilli - 1
• Cloves - 2
• Bay leaf - 1
• Star anise - 1
• Cinnamon - 1 small stick
• Water - 1 and 1/2 cup

Cooking Steps

• Cut onions and vegetables and keep aside. 
• Soak basmati rice for 20 mins and keep aside.  

• Add oil in a pressure cooker and add cloves, bayleaf, star anise, cinnamon to temper. 
• Add ginger garlic paste and onions together and fry till onions turn transparent. 
• Add vegetables and give a quick stir.

• Add 1.5 cups of water and bring it to boil till rolling. 
• Add Rice and salt and close the lid of pressure cooker and cook for a whistle. 

• Once the presure leaves out and cools down, Open the lid and fluff with a fork(just to get rice seperated) and add ghee to the rice. 
• Garnish with coriander and mint leaves and stir it.

My 2 cents

• You can substitute coconut milk for water which will be too good.
• You can use sona masoori rice instead of basmati. But add 2 cups of water/coconut milk and no presoaking is required for sona masoori rice.

Seppankilangu Roast (Roasted Colocasia/Tara Root)

Seppankilangu Fry

This is one of my favourite fries which i used to have with south indian curry. This recipe was adopted from my MIL and I changed a bit. My amma would prepare different curry with this and the curry version of seppankilangu will be little sticky as the property of this kilangu is sticky only. When I had this for the first time, I just marked a "great like" to this dish. The fried version before adding masala is too awesome. We can have that as such. It is very crisp and tasty. But to make a side dish version, tha masala combination would be the best to have with. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• Seppankilangu - 3 (bigger ones)
• Onion - 4 to 6 (shallot)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Tomato - 1/4 of medium sized
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/4 tsp

Cooking Tips

• In a pressure cooker, add a cup of water, seppankilangu and little salt and bring it to boil for 1 whistle. Let them cool down. Peel off the skin and cut seppankilangu lengthwise. 

• In a small pan, add enough oil to fry and let it be medium hot. Add the sliced seppankilangu and fry till its crispy and the corners turn brown. Drain oil and let it cool down and keep aside.

• Mix onions, fennel seeds, tomato, ginger garlic paste, chilli  powder by adding little water and grind it to a coarse paste. Mix this masala paste with the fried seppankilangu.

• In a small pan, add oil, then temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add this seppangilangu mixture and fry till the raw smell of masala leaves out completely.

My 2 cents

• Do not bring the kilangu to boil more than a whistle, it will be very sticky to fry.  Instead of frying them in hot oil, you can grill them too. This version is also good.