Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:

• Raw rice / Pacharisi - 1 cup
• Vellam / Jaggery - 2 cup
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
• Dried grapes - 1 tbsp
• Water

Procedure:

1. Clean the rice and pour the water into a vessel. Bring it to boil.
2. Add rice to it and allow it to cook for 20 min. Break the jaggery into small pieces. When rice is cooked well, add the jaggery to the cooked rice.
3. Mix well and finally add ghee, cashew nuts and dried grapes.

Stir well and serve hot

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Gulab Jamon

Ingredients:

Gulab Jamon mix
water
Oil - to fry

For jeera / Syrup:

Mix equal measure of sugar and water, allow it to boil

Procedure:

1. Sift the jamon flour using a sieve to remove all the lumps
2. Then make it to a soft dough by adding water little by little
3. Close the  lid and allow it to rest for 15 min
4. After 15 min, roll the dough into small balls giving little pressure so that the surface of jamon is smooth
5. Heat oil in a kadai. Keep in medium flame. Add the jamon balls one by one and fry until its golden brown. Keep stirring the jamon balls so that the surface gets brown uniformly 
6. Before adding each set of jamon balls add 1 tbsp of oil. This avoids cracking of the jamon surface
7. Add the fried jamon balls to the jeera and allow it to soak for 3-5 hrs

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Mushroom Curry (Kalan)

Ingredients:

To marinate:

• Mushroom - 200 gm
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• Chili powder - 2 tsp 
• Curd - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

To Roast and grind:

• Onion - 1 medium sized
• Tomato - 2 medium sized
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - 7-10 piece
• Curry leaf - 1 sprig
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Cumin powder - ½ tbsp
• Oil - 3 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Clean all mushroom in running water and pat dry. Cut them into pieces. Mix all the ingredients given in “to marinate” and set aside for 20 min.
2. Meanwhile, heat a pan with oil and add cinnamon cloves cardamom powder. When nice aroma comes out, cashew nuts and curry leaf. As it turns brown , add onion and saute till onion becomes soft. 
3. To this combine ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, tomato,  salt and saute. Then cool this mixture and grind into a smooth paste.
4. Heat the pan with oil, add the marinated mushrooms and cook for 3-4 min stirring occasionally. Add the masala paste and add little water if desired and close the lid until gravy gets thickened.

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Ven Pongal

Ingredients:

• Raw rice / pacharisi - 1 cup
• Paasi paruppu / moong dhal - 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Water - 4 cups
• Cilantro - 1 tbsp finely chopped

To temper:

• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Urad dhal - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Cashew nuts - 2 tsp
• Black Pepper - 1 tsp
• Curry leaf - 1 sprig
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 2 tsp (if required)

Procedure:

1. Mix and clean raw rice and moong dhal
2. Add water and salt
3. Allow it to cook until its mushy. I cooked it for 5 whistles.
4. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add the ingredients given in "to temper" one by one and roast well
5. Add it to cooked pongal
6. Garnish with cilantro
7. Very traditional ven pongal can be served with ulundu vadai, sambhar and coconut chutney

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Channa Masala

Ingredients:

Channa/ White chickpea/vellai kondakadalai - 1 cup
Onion - ½ medium sized - cut into cubes
Onion - ½ medium sized - cut lengthwise
Tomato - 2 medium sized 
Red chili - 4
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cinnamon , cardamom, cloves powder - 1 pinch
or
Cinnamon stick - ¼ inch piece
Cardamom  - 1 piece
Cloves - 2 or 3

Preparation:

-  Soak Channa/ White chickpea/ vellai kondakadalai for 8-10 hrs or over night

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook soaked channa with salt for 3 whistles. Allow it to cool naturally.
2. In a pan, heat oil and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom (as pieces or in powder form). As nice flavor comes out add the onions cut in cubes, ginger garlic paste. Saute until it becomes soft and gives nice flavor.

3. Then add tomato, salt, turmeric powder and red chili, saute until it becomes mushy. Cool this gravy for some time and grind it into smooth paste.

4. Again heat the pan with oil, and add onion that are cut length wise. Saute them until it becomes soft. Then add the paste, cooked chickpea, coriander powder, cumin powder and one cup of water. 

5. Close the lid and keep it in low flame for 3 min or gravy comes to desired consistency. It taste great with poori.

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Chicken Egg kothu Parotta

Ingredients:

Multilayered parotta - 6
Egg- 3
Chicken salna - 1½  cup
Onion - 1 cup finely chopped
Tomato - 1 cup finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - ½ tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon , cardamom, cloves powder - 1 pinch
or
Cinnamon stick - ¼ inch piece
Cardamom  - 1 piece
Cloves - 2 or 3

Procedure:

1.       Cut the multilayered parotta into small pieces.
2.       In a bowl, break and pour the eggs. Add salt and pepper, mix well.
3.       Heat oil in a pan, pour the beaten egg and make it into scramble and set aside.
4.       Again heat oil in the pan, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom powder.
5.       When nice aroma comes out, add onion and saute until it becomes soft.
6.       Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 min.
7.       To this add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and mix well.
8.       Now add the tomatoes and saute until it turns mushy.
9.       Egg scramble, cut parottas, chicken salna are added one by one and mixed well.
10.   Mouth watering chicken egg kothu parotta are garnished with cilantro and ready to serve.

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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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Onion Paratha

Ingredients:

Paratha:

• Wheat flour / Godumai maavu - 3 cup
• Salt to taste
• Water
• Oil - few drops

Stuffing:

• Onion - 2 medium sized
• Cilantro - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder 1 pinch
• Chili powder - 1 pinch
• Garam masala - 1 pinch
• Coriander powder - 1 pinch
• Cumin powder -1 pinch
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

Stuffing:

• In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients given in " stuffing " and mix well

Paratha:

1. Take the flour in a large bowl and add salt
2. Pour water slowly and mix evenly to get a soft dough
3. Apply few drops of oil over the outer surface of the dough and allow it to rest for 20 min
4. Make big dough balls and make it to a thick flat roti
5. Place a scoop of stuffing in the middle and seal from all side to make a ball
6. Then roll again softly so that stuffing doesn't ooze out
7. Now heat the pan and grease it with little oil
8. Put the paratha in the hot pan
9. Apply oil to the other side and then flip the paratha to cook on both sides
10. Tasty paratha are ready to serve

Note: you can also sauté the stuffing for 2 min with little oil and cool it before using for stuffing the paratha

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Kara Paniyaram

Ingredients:

• Paniyaram maavu - 3 cup
• Onion - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
• Green Chili - 4 - finely chopped
• Curry leaf - 10 - finely chopped
• Ginger - small piece - Finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Oil - as required

Procedure:

1. To the paniyaram batter, add salt, onion, green chili, curry leaf and ginger.   
   
2. Heat paniyaram pan. I used non-stick pan. Grease it with cooking oil. Pour a scoop of batter into the paniyaram pan pit. As the batter gets cooked it will become fluffy. So make sure that the batter does not overwhelm from the pits. 
   
3. Keep in medium flame. When paniyaram gets fluffy and cooked on one side, turn to other side and cook. Poke paniyaram with the fork or a toothpick. If its completely cooked, batter will not get to the fork or toothpick.
   

Paniyaram goes great with coriander chutney, coconut chutney, spicy tomato chutney.

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