Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu - Tamil Recipe

Ingredients

Small Brinjals - 6

Tamarind Extract - 1.5 cups ( lemon sized tamarind )

Sambar Powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Spice powder for stuffing :

Coriander Seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Chana Dal - 1/2 tbsp

Toor Dal - 1/2 tbsp

Dry Red Chilly - 1

Sesame Seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Coconut - i tbsp (grated)

To Temper

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Small Onion - 10

Garlic - 1 pod

Hing - a generous pinch

Method

Dry roast the ingredients listed under to roast and grind for the spice powder till golden brown. Then grind it to a semi fine powder, set aside.

Choose baby brinjals, rinse them once. Put a plus mark in each brinjal then stuff the spice powder into the plus marks. Repeat this for all the brinjals. Reserve the remaining spice powder for the curry.

In a pan heat oil, splutter mustard seeds then add small onions, curry leaves, garlic and hing. Then add stuffed brinjals and saute till it shrinks. Then add the tamarind extract, required salt and allow it to boil for 5 minutes.

Add the spice powder, turmeric and sambar powder. Add more water if it becomes thick. Allow it to boil for 5-8 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency and oil separates.

Fish Biryani Recipe - Malabar Style

Ingredients

For rice :

Basmati rice : 2 cups

Water : 4 cups

Ghee : 2 tbsp

Cloves : 4 nos

Cardamom pods : 3 nos

Cinnamon stick : 2 (1" pieces)

Bay leaves : 2 no

Onion : 1 big (finely sliced)

Salt to taste

For Marinating Fish :

King fish fillets : 1/2 kg

Red chilly powder : 1 tsp

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp

Salt to taste 

For Fish Masala :

Onion : 4 (medium, thinly sliced)

Tomato : 2 (medium chopped)

Green chillies : 10-12 nos

Ginger crushed : 1 1/2 tbsp

Garlic crushed : 1 1/2 tbsp

Yogurt : 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder : 2 tsp

Pepper powder : 1/4 tsp

Garam masala : 1 tsp

Mint leaves : 1/4 cup chopped

Cilantro / Coriander leaves : 1/4 cup chopped

Lime juice : 1 tsp

Ghee + Oil : 3 tbsp

For dum (layering) :

Cashew Nuts : Handful

Raisins : Handful

Onion : 1/2 cup (thinly sliced)

Coriander & Mint leaves : Handful

Garam masala : 1 tsp

Pure ghee : 1 tbsp

                                     Preparing Garam Masala

                                             

                                                      

                                      

Method  
   
                                      

Cooking the Rice : 

Wash and drain the rice and keep it aside. Heat ghee in the pot, first we can fry the sliced onion followed by cashew nuts and raisins for layering (mentioned for dum). Keep it aside. In the same ghee we can prepare rice. Add all spices, onion and saute for few mins; now add the drained rice and fry for some time. At the same time boil required water and add to the rice. Cook the rice till done.

Preparing Fish Masala :

1. Clean the fish and make a wet marinate with above mentioned marinate ingredients; apply it on  fish and keep it for sometime.
2. Heat ghee+oil in the biryani pot and shallow fry the fish flipping both the sides; drain the excess oil in the paper towel and keep it aside.
3. In the same pot, add sliced onion to left over oil and saute until it is transculent, add salt at this time. This makes onion cook fast. Add the ginger,garlic, green chilly paste and saute until the raw smell goes. Then add turmeric,coriander,pepper and garam masala powders into it and saute for few seconds. Then add tomatoes, chopped mint and coriander leaves, lime juice and churned yogurt mix well.
4. Add fried fish and cook about 5 minutes.

Layering :

Spread 1/3 part of rice above the fish masala. Add few drops of lime uice. Springle some garam masala and pure ghee followed by   Fried onion and cashew raisin mixture and chopped coriander 

and mint leaves. Repeat this process with left over rice.

Close with tight fitting heat resistant lid or close it with aluminium foil and bake for 10 minutes. If you are doing this on stove top, then heat a skillet or tawa and place it on the top and cook in low flame for 10 minutes. 

Left it rest un opened until serving.

Naan with Amritsari Chole

Amritsari Chole, a famous Punjabi dish.It taste great with Naan and Bhatura.

Recipe for Amritsari Chole:-

Ingredients

For cooking the chick peas :-

Chick Peas / Kabuli Chana : 2 cups (soaked overnight in enough water)

Cinnamon Sticks : 2 inch

Black Cardamom : 4-5

Bay Leaves : 2 medium

Ginger Paste : 1 tsp

Tea bags : 3

Baking Soda : 1/4 tsp (optional)

Salt as required

For the masala gravy:-

Onion : 1 large chopped

Tomato : 3 chopped

Ginger : 1 tsp chopped

Green chilly : 4 slitted

Cumin powder : 2 tsp

Coriander powder : 2 tsp

Fennel powder : 1 tsp

Amchur powder/dry mango powder : 2 tsp (optional)

Red chilli powder : 1tsp

Garam masala powder / chana masala powder : 1 tsp

Oil : 3-4 tbsp

Julienned ginger and coriander leaves for garnishing ( optional )

Method

Pressure cook soaked chick peas  with all the ingredients mentioned under 'for cooking chick peas'. Cook upto 3 whistles or till the chickpeas are completely cooked.

Strain the chickpeas and reserve the stock along with the whole spices. Discard the tea bags.

In a large kadai, heat oil. Add chopped onions, fry till golden brown.

Add slit green chillies and fry for a minute, add chopped tomatoes and chopped ginger and saute until tomatoes become soft and mushy.

Add the cooked chickpeas and saute for 5-6 minutes.

Add all the spice powders, stir and saute for a minute.

Now add the strained stock, keep simmer till the curry thickens.

Add some julienned ginger and stir.

Serve Amritsari Chole hot garnished with coriander leaves along with Naan.

Recipe for Naan:-

An easy Naan recipe without yeast on stove top. I used whole wheat flour and all purpose flour in 2:1
proportion in this recipe

Ingredients

Flour : 3 cups ( 2cups whole wheat flour+1 cup all purpose flour or maida )

Baking Powder : 1 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda : a pinch

Salt as required

Yogurt : 3 tbsp

Milk : 2 tbsp

Sugar : 2 tsp

Water as required

Oil : 3 tbsp for kneading the dough
Calonji : 1 tbsp (optional)

Method
Sieve the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Mix milk and yogurt and stir in sugar. Add water enough to knead.

Mix the flour with the milk and yogurt mixture.

Knead to make a smooth dough.

If the dough looks dry then add some water and knead again. The dough should be smooth and soft.

Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add oil and knead the dough again.

Cover with the wet cloth and keep aside for 2 hours, till the dough leavens and rises.

Make medium sized balls of the dough.

Roll into a four or five inches round circle. Sprinkle calonji while rolling.

If you want you can stretch the dough to one side to give a tear shape to the naan.

On a hot tava or griddle, place the naan and partly cook both sides. Then place the naan direct on fire with the help of a tong. Cook both sides till they puff.

Note:- 

You can cook the naan in a tandoor or bake them. Place the naan on a greased hot tray and bake in a preheated oven at highest temperature.