Chicken Balls / Chicken Kola Urundai

Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 25 min
Serves: 2.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 250gm
2. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
3. Salt to taste
4. Potato - 1 medium sized
5. Cashew nuts - 10 pieces
6. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
7. Chili powder - 1 tsp
8. Garam masala - 1 tsp
9. Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Procedure:

 

1.   Clean the chicken pieces and pressure cook for one whistle along with turmeric powder and salt. Chicken will be almost cooked.

2.   Mince the cooked chicken using hands. Easy way is to grind them for 3 sec. Do not grind them for more than 5 sec. Do not add water. It should be in form of shredded coconut.

3.   Cut a medium sized potato into two halves. Pressure cook it for 2 whistles or until it is completely cooked. Allow it to cool naturally and peel the skin of potato. Mash the potatoes into smooth paste.

4.   Take few cashew nuts in the blender and make into a paste by adding water. Added turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, cashew nut paste and salt

5.   Add the mashed potato to the chicken mixture and make it into a dough like form

6.   Take a spoon of corn flour and all purpose flour mixture and add water. This batter should be very thin. Coat chicken balls with very little of this batter. Coating chicken balls with batter helps to bind them. Potato itself will help in binding. So coating balls with batter is optional.

7.   Heat oil in a kadai. Fry chicken balls and serve.

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Chicken Varuval (Fry)

Chicken varuval is an authentic chettinad dish. Its tastier than regular chicken 65 dry recipe. Its one of the all time favorite food among people of Madurai and South Tamilnadu.

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

To marinate:

• Chicken - boneless pieces - Cleaned and cut into pieces - 300 gm
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
• Red chili powder  - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - ½ tbsp
• Pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Curd - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

 
To fry:

• Oil - as required

 
Procedure:

1. Take the clean and cut chicken pieces in a mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients in “to marinate” section and mix them well. Let it marinate for 20 min.
   
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Fry the marinated chicken pieces and place it in the tissue to dry extra oil.
   
3. Garnish with cilantro, sprinkle lemon juice over it and serve with onion rings
   
    

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American Chopsuey

American chopsuey is a dish that i had in restaurants. I still remember the first day I had this American chopsuey. My sister bought me and i liked that very much. Today i thought of preparing this for my dinner and i never expected that it would taste so great and look very much like that i have in restaurants. I did not take the step photos but still want to post my final output and the recipe. The preparation was really easy and taste was awesome.

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Serves : 2

Ingredients:

• Noodles - 2 pack 
• Egg (optional) - Half-boiled
• Oil - to fry

For preparing sauce:

• Onion -1 medium sized- finely chopped
• Carrot -2 or 3 - finely chopped
• Tomato paste or tomato puree - 1 medium sized
• Salt to taste
• Pepper powder - 1 pinch
• Soya sauce - 1 pinch
• hot chili sauce - 3 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Noodles masala - 2 pack

Procedure:

1. Take a medium sized pan and boil water. As it boils, break the noodles into four quarters and add to the boiling water. Reduce the flame and cook for 3 min or until the noodles is completely cooked. I used maggi noodles.
2. When noodles is cooked, filter the excess water. Then wash with cold water and keep aside.
3. Heat a flat pan and add oil to fry the noodles. When the oil is hot, add cooked noodles little by little and spread them evenly so that it gets fried uniformly. Fry them until it becomes crispy and starts turning golden brown.
4. As it becomes crispy, place it on paper towel to remove excess oil. Then arrange it on a plate.
5. In meanwhile, heat a pan with little oil or you can use the same oil used for frying by removing the excess oil.
6. Add onion and carrot. Saute them for a min. then add tomato puree. If you do not have tomato puree, you can also grind one ripe tomato in a mixer to get tomato paste. Let it cook for 2 min in medium flame.
7. Then add hot tomato chili sauce, soya sauce, salt, noodles masala, pepper powder and mix them well. As this gravy gets thickened, switch off the stove.
8. Spread the gravy over the fried noodles. Place a half- boiled egg over the top and serve. Adding egg is optional. Vegetarians can eat without adding egg.

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Chicken Manchurian - Gravy

Indian Chinese Recipe

Chicken manchurian gravy is an easy and famous dish. Chicken manchurian dry is served as appetizer. Adding just the chicken broth gives a gravy form of chicken manchurian. Its a perfect side for fried rice.

Preparation time: 5 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Manchurian dry
2. Chicken stock - 1/4 cup - If you do not have chicken broth, it can be substituted with water.
3. Corn flour - if needed
4. Cilantro

Procedure:

1. For gravy, add chicken stock and bring it to boil
2. Little corn flour can be added to get a thicker gravy if needed
3. Garnish with cilantro

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Pancakes

Continental Breakfast

Pancakes are American's oothappam ;-) small round fluffy dosa. They are really yummy. Usually people have pancakes with honey and butter. You can try with your favorite sauces too. They are tasty and very simple to prepare.

As a variation, you can add fruit slices (Banana, Blueberry, Strawberry etc.) or essence (Vanilla, Strawberry etc.) to the batter to make it more delicious and healthy.

For Vegetarians, Egg-less Pancakes coming soon in my cuisine..... :-)

Preparation time : 10 min

Cooking time : 5 min

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour / maida - 1 cup
2. Egg - 2
3. Milk - 1 1/2 cup
4. Vinegar - 2tbsp
5. Butter - 1 tbsp
6. Sugar - 4 tbsp
7. Salt - 1/2 tsp
8. Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
9. Baking powder - 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. In a bowl pour milk and add vinegar. Keep it for 3-4 min. Milk will turn sour. In another mixing bowl, add all purpose flour sugar salt baking soda and baking powder. Mix them well and set aside.
   
2. Melt the butter. I kept the butter in microwave for 30 sec.
   
3. In a mixer, break and pour the raw eggs. Add melted butter to the mixer. Run the mixer for few sec.
   
4. Add sour milk to the mixer. Blend them again for 3-5 sec.
   
5. Finally add all purpose flour mix into the mixer and blend them for 5-7 sec till it becomes soft batter.
   
6. Heat dosa pan or griddle and grease it will cooking oil. Keep the stove in medium flame. Take a scoop of batter and pour them in the pan like little oothappam. When one side is cooked well, turn to the other side. These pancake tastes great when hot, with butter. You can have it with honey too.
   

Note:

• Alternatively, the mixing of all can be done manually using a whisk.
• I used mixer as it will be very easy and can be done quickly.

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Mutton Chukka

Ingredients:

• Mutton - 500 g - Cleaned and cut into pieces
• Onion - 2 medium sized - Finely chopped
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
• Chili powder - 1 tbsp
• Cumin powder - ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp

 Procedure:

1.   Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pressure pan, add onion and saute until it starts turning golden brown.

2.   Add ginger garlic paste and mutton pieces and stir well. The mutton pieces will start turning pale. At this time, add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and mix well.

3.   Mutton pieces will itself leave some water, so add ½ cup of water if needed. Pressure cook for one whistle. Then reduce the flame and keep it for 10 min. Switch off the stove and wait until the steam is released completely.

4.   Open the lid and check if the mutton pieces are cooked well. Use a knife or fork to cut the mutton pieces. It should be soft. Then again switch on the stove and keep in medium flame until the gravy gets thickened to desired consistency.

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Chicken Salna

Preparation time: 25 min

Cooking time: 20 min

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 500 g - Cleaned and cut into small pieces
• Onion - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
• Tomato - 2 medium sized - finely chopped
• Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
• Chili powder - 1 tsp
• Pepper powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon , cardamom, cloves powder, star anise - 1 pinch
  or
  Cinnamon stick - ¼ inch piece
  Cardamom  - 1 piece
  Cloves - 2 or 3
  Star anise - small piece
• Salt to taste

To grind:

• Kuruma podi - 1 tbsp
• Green chili - 1
• Coconut - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

1. Grind the items in "to grind" into a smooth paste by adding little water.

2. In a small pressure cooker, heat oil and add cardamom cinnamon cloves star anise powder. These can be added as such also. I used powder. Then add onion and saute until it becomes translucent and then add ginger garlic paste and saute til it raw smell leaves.

3. To this add turmeric powder, chili powder and pepper powder. Tomatoes are also added to this and saute until it becomes mushy.

4. When its cooked well, add coriander, cumin powder and the mixie paste. Add 2 cups of water and finally salt and the fresh chicken pieces. Give a stir and pressure cook it for one whistle.

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Egg / Muttai Masala

Ingredients:

1. Egg - 2
2. Onion - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
3. Tomato - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
4. Ginger garlic paste - 1tbsp
5. Pepper - 1 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
9. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
10. Garam masala - 1 tsp
11. Curry leaf - 1 sprig
12. Salt to taste
13. Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Boil egg in water with little salt for 15 min or pressure cook for one whistle
2. Cool the cooked egg and remove its shell. Cut them into two halves
3. In a pan, heat oil and add onion, saute until it turns golden brown
4. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until it raw smell leaves
5. Then add turmeric powder, chili powder, pepper powder and mix well
6. Add tomatoes and saute for 3 min until it becomes soft and mushy
7. To this add coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, salt to taste
8. If gravy is too thick, add water to adjust its consistency
9. Close the lid and leave it in simmer flame for 5 min and oil gets separated
10. Finally add the boiled eggs and mix slowly
11. Switch off the stove and transfer to a bowl
12. Heat little oil in a small pan and add curry leaves. When they get roasted well, add them to egg masala

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Chicken Pulav

Ingredients:

• Basmathi rice - 2 cups
• Onion - 1 medium sized - chopped lengthwise
• Tomato - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
• Green Chili - 2
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Star anise, bay leaf powder/ garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaf - 5-6 leaves
• Mint leaf - 7 -8 leaves
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

To marinate:

• Chicken - 200 g
• Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
• Chili powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaf - 2 tbsp
• Mint leaf - 5-6 leaves
• Curry leaf - 5-6 leaves
• Curd - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients given in "to marinate" in bowl and allow it to rest for 15-20 min in refrigerator
2. Place the pressure cooker in the stove and heat it with oil
3. Add garam masala, onion, green chili and saute for 2- 3 min
4. When the onion become soft add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 min
5. Add tomato and saute for 2 min
6. Now add the marinated chicken pieces and mix for 3 min
7. When the mixture is in gravy consistency, add 3 tumblers of water and add salt accordingly
8. Finally add basmathi rice and allow it to boil
9. As the rice become half cooked and is in semisolid state, add coriander leaves and mint leaves
10. Close the pressure cooker lid and allow it to cook for one whistle

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Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 500 g - cleaned and cut
• Onion - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
• Green chili - 2 
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Pepper powder - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tsp

 

To roast and grind:

• Cardamom - 1
• Cinnamon - 1/4 inch stick
• Cloves - 2
• Star anise - 1/4
• Small onion - 2
• Coconut flakes - 1 tbsp
• Kuruma podi - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. In a pressure cooker heat oil, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom powder
2. Then add onion and green chili   
3. Saute for 2-3 min or until they become soft
4. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 min
5. Now add salt, turmeric powder and pepper powder and mix well
6. Add the chicken pieces and mix well 
7. Close the pressure cooker and allow it to cook for one whistle
8. In meanwhile, heat a pan with oil and add the ingredients given in "to roast and grind" 
9. Allow it to cool and grind it into smooth paste by adding little water
10. Add the paste to the cooked chicken in the pressure cooker 
11. Mix them well and allow it in low flame for 5 min or until the gravy gets thickened
12. Pepper chicken tastes great with rice, chappathi, pulav.

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Egg Paniyaram

Ingredients

• Paniyaram maavu
• Egg - 2

Procedure

1. Break the eggs and pour it into a bowl
2. Whisk them well and add it to the paniyaram batter
3. Heat the paniyaram pan and pour the batter
4. When one side of paniyaram is cooked, turn to other side and cook

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Meen Kolambu / Fish Curry

Ingredients:

• Fish - ½ kg
• Tamarind - lemon size
• Chilli powder - 2 teaspoon
• Coriander powder - 2 tablespoon
• Cumin powder - 1 tablespoon
• Small onion - 5 
• Coconut - 2 tablespoon

To temper:

• Oil
• Mustard
• Green chilli - 3
• Curry leaf

Procedure:

1. Clean the fish and cut them into pieces of required size
2. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract 1½ cup juice from it
3. Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil is heat, add mustard and allow it to sputter. Then add green chilli and curry leaf
4. When they crackle add turmeric powder, chilli powder, tamarind juice, coriander powder and cumin powder
5. Add coconut and small onion in a mixie and grind it into a smooth paste
6. Extract juice from the paste if kolambu is required in small quantity or add the paste as such if kolambu is required in large quantity 
7. When kolambu begins to boil and oil gets separated,  add the fish pieces and close the lid in a low flame for 2 min
8. Meen kolambu is ready to serve

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Fish Fingers

Fish fingers is a tasty and an easy appetizer. I usually have in restaurants and i like that lot. Wow...!! And now i prepare them in home. Try this once..!! and you will never go to restaurants again ;-)

Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
 
To marinate:

• Fish- cleaned and cut - 1/2 kg
• Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder - 2 teaspoon
• Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder - 2 tablespoon
• Cumin powder - 1 tablespoon
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
• Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
• Salt - to taste

To fry:

• Gram flour
• Bread crumbs
• Oil - to fry

Procedure:

1. Put all ingredients given in "to marinate" in a large mixing bowl. Mix them well and keep aside allowing it to marinate for 30 min.
2. In a plate, mix gram flour and bread crumbs in equal proportion. Roll the marinated fish pieces in the bread crumbs, gram flour mix.
3. Heat oil in a kadai for frying. Fry the rolled fish pieces. Fish gets cooked faster. So fry in medium-high flame for 3-4 min to have a soft fish fingers.

Note: Roll the fish piece gently on the bread crumbs to make a layer. Hold the piece in hands and keep pressing for seconds to get the crumbs coat well on the fish pieces, roll them in hands to remove the extra crumbs. this note helps to avoid oil becoming black while frying.

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Egg Puff

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Serves: 6

I always like these puffs and now I make them in home. Crispy puffs looks yummy. Hot Crispy Puffs are always a perfect evening snack. Before preparing, keep the puff pastry sheet at room temperature for 30-45 min. Sprinkle all-purpose flour while separating puff pastry sheets into layers.


Ingredients:

1. Puff pastry sheets - 3 sheets
2. Boiled Egg - 3
3. Onion - 2 medium sized 
4. Tomato - 1 medium sized
5. Turmeric powder
6. Chilli powder
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil

Preparation:
Keep the puff pastry sheets at room temperature for 30 min

Procedure:

1. In a pan, heat a teaspoon of oil
2. When the oil is heat, add onion and saute for 3 min
3. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder
4. When onion become soft, add tomato and saute for 4 min
5. As the gravy gets thicker and leaves out oil, switch off the stove 
6. Boil 3 eggs with little salt in a pan for 20 min or pressure cook the egg with salt in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle
7. When the egg cools down peel off its shell and cut it into two half 
8. The stuffing for the puffs is ready
9. Now cut open the puff pastry sheets and cut them to the desired size based on the shape (rectangle,triangle) 
10. Then keep the stuffing along with a half slice of egg and fold the sheets diagonally for a triangle shape or horizontally for a rectangle shape
11. Close the edges with the fork or apply few drops of water along the inner edges of the sheets and stick them
12. Arrange the puffs in a oven tray
13. Preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit for 10 min and then place the tray and bake them for 15-20 min
14. Once the puffs get ready, take out the tray and allow it to cool for 10 min
15. Delicious egg puffs are ready for snack

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Chicken Manchurian - Dry

Indian Chinese Recipe

Chicken Manchurian is a delicious starter or appetizer and its also perfect side for fried rice. Its loved by all. I prepared this chicken manchurian - dry as a lunch with egg fried rice and chicken manchurian gravy.... It is easy to prepare and a very tasty, attractive dish.

Preparation time: 45 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Marinate:

1. Chicken - 500gm
2. Egg - 1
3. Pepper - 1 tsp
4. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
5. Corn flour - 1 tbsp
6. All-purpose flour - 1 tbsp
7. Salt to taste

for dry:

1. Chopped ginger  - 1 tsp
2. Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
3. Onion - 1 medium sized - Finely chopped 
4. Hot & sweet tomato sauce - 3 tbsp
5. Chilli sauce - 2 tsp
6. Soya sauce - 1 pinch
7. Pepper - 1 pinch
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil - to fry

Procedure:
1.   In a mixing bowl, add egg, pepper, ginger garlic paste, salt and whisk for a min. Add clean and cut chicken pieces to the mixture.

2.   To this add corn flour and all-purpose flour. Mix them well so that no lumps are formed and allow it to marinate for 30 min.

3. Place a heavy bottomed kadai in the stove and add oil to fry the marinated chicken. Then deep fry the chicken pieces and keep aside.

4. In a pan, add oil. I used the same oil that i used for frying marinated chicken pieces. When the oil is heat, add chopped ginger and garlic. As nice aroma comes out add onion and saute for 5 min.

5.   Then add hot and sweet tomato sauce, chilli sauce, soya sauce. Add pepper powder and salt to taste. When the gravy get thickened, add fried chicken and mix well.

6.  Garnish with cilantro. "Dry chicken manchurian" is ready to serve.

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