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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Rava Paniyaram

Ingredients:

• Rava or sooji - 1 cup
• Maida - 1/2 cup
• Coconut milk - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3 tablespoon
• Oil

Procedure:

1. Mix rava in coconut milk and allow it to soak for 45 min
2. Then add maida, sugar to get a thick paste
3. Sugar can be adjusted to your taste
4. Heat oil in a kadai to fry
5. Take one scoop of maavu and pour into the oil
6. Fry them well

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Soya Pepper Curry

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

•  Soya chunks - 1 cup
•  Onion - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
•  Tomato - ½ medium sized - finely chopped

To grind:

•   Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
•   Red chili - 6 (reduce the count to have less spicy curry)
•   Garlic - 3 pieces
•   Black pepper - 2 tsp
•   Tomato - ½ medium sized

Procedure:

1. In a vessel or pan, heat water and add the dry soya chunks. Allow it to boil in low flame for 15 min or until the soya gets doubled in size. Filter the soya water and wash with cold water. Squeeze the soya to remove the excess water and set aside.

2. Put all the ingredients in “to grind” in a mixie and grind it into a paste. No need to add water as the tomato itself will give the paste consistency. 

3. Heat a medium sized pan, add oil. Then saute onion until it starts turning golden brown. 5.   To this add chopped tomato, mixie paste, salt and one cup of water.

4. Finally add soya chunks and keep in low flame for 5 min or gravy gets thickened to desired consistency.

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Semiya / Vermicelli Pulav

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Serves: 2
  

Ingredients:

• Semiya / Vermicelli - 2 cup
• Water - 5 cup
• Onion - 1 medium sized - cut lengthwise
• Carrot - ¼ cup - cut lengthwise
• Capsicum - ¼ cup - cut into pieces
  (Vegetables of your choice - beans, green peas, cabbage)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Soya sauce - 2-3 drops
• Chili powder - 1 tsp
• Vinegar - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cilantro - ¼ cup
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.   Roast the vermicelli until it becomes golden brown or roasted vermicelli that is available in store can be used. I used roasted vermicelli. 

2.   In a pan, pour water and bring it to boil. Add the roasted vermicelli and allow it to cook in medium flame. It takes around 3 min.
3.   Filter the excess water when vermicelli is cooked well. Pour oil over the filtered vermicelli. Stir it well and set aside

4.   Heat a large pan and add oil. When its heat, add onion and sauté till it becomes soft.
5.   Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till its raw smell leaves. Then add all the vegetables with little salt.
6.   Sauté until all the vegetables are cooked. Then add chili powder, vinegar and stir well.

7.   Now add the cooked vermicelli and mix well.
8.   Add salt and few drops of soya sauce. Stir well.
9.   Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot

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Vanilla Roll Cake (Eggless)

Preparation time : 5 min

Cooking time : 45 min

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

1. Curd - 1 cup
2. Sugar - ¾ cup
3. Baking soda - ½ tsp
4. Baking powder - 1¼ tsp
5. Maida / All-purpose flour - 1½ cup
6. Oil - 1 cup
7. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

For cream:

1. Heavy cream - 20 oz / 600ml
2. Sugar - 6 tbsp
3. Vanilla essence - ¼ tsp

Procedure:

1. Take a large mixing bowl, add curd and mix well until its soft
2. Add sugar to the beaten curd and beat it with a whisk. The sugar gets completely dissolved in the curd
3. Now add baking soda and baking powder. Stir slowly and leave it for 2-3 min. It will become a frothy 
4. Add vanilla essence and oil. Stir it slowly so that the froth remains.
5. Sieve maida separately to avoid lumps. Now add maida little by little into the mixture stirring very slowly. 
6. When all the maida is mixed well, it comes to a batter consistency
7. Grease the baking tray with oil and sprinkle maida. Pour the batter into a thin sheet in the tray.
8. Preheat the oven for 10 min to 400 deg F / 200 deg C and then place the baking tray in it and bake it at 350 deg F / 175 deg C for 5 min. Once it is baked, take out the tray and allow it to cool for 20-30 min.
9. In a large bowl, mix heavy cream, sugar and vanilla essence. Beat them with the whisk until it form peaks.
10. Now spread the cream over the cake and roll it using a foil. Keep it refrigerated for 5-6 hrs. 
11. Take out the cake and cut it into slices and serve

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Chou Chou Carrot Kuruma

Ingredients:

• Chou-Chou/Chayote - 1 cut into cubes
• Carrot - 3 cut into cubes
• Coconut - 1 cup
• Kuruma podi - 1 tbsp
• Green chili - 2
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon powder/stick - 1 pinch/ ¼ inch piece 
• Salt to taste

To Temper:

• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Urad dhal - 1 tsp
• Curry leaf - 1 sprig

Procedure:

1. Grind coconut, green chili, kuruma podi into a smooth paste by adding little water.
2. Place a pressure cooker on the stove and heat it with little oil. Add cinnamon sticks or cinnamon powder. I used cinnamon powder. Then add little turmeric powder and the coconut paste, saute for 1 min.                                    
3. Now add the cut vegetables and add salt and 1 cup of water. Close the lid and cook for one whistle. Allow it to cool naturally and temper with items given in "to temper" section.  

This easy kuruma taste great with chappathi

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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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Pattani Gravy / பட்டாணி குழம்பு

Preparation time: 20 min

Cooking time : 25 min

Servings : 2

Ingredients:

• உலர்ந்த பச்சை பட்டாணி / Dry green peas - 1 cup
• வெங்காயம் / Onion - 1 medium sized - finely chopped
• தக்காளி / tomato - 2 medium sized - finely chopped
• இஞ்சி பூண்டு விழுது  / Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• மஞ்சள் தூள் / turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
• மிளகாய் தூள் / red chili powder - ½ tsp
• கொத்தமல்லி தூள் / coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• மிளகு தூள் / pepper powder - ½ tsp
• சீரக தூள் / Cumin powder - ½ tbsp
• உப்பு / Salt - to taste

To seasoning:

• கடுகு / mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
• சீரகம் / cumin seeds - ¼ tsp
• உளுந்த பருப்பு / urad dhal - ¼ tsp
• கருவேப்பிலை / curry leaves - 1 sprig
• எண்ணெய் / Oil - ½ tbsp

Preparation:

Soak dry green peas over night

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook the soaked peas for 2 whistles with little salt, filter excess water and set aside
2. Heat a medium sized pan and pour oil
3. When it heats, add onion and saute until it becomes soft
4. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute til the raw smell leaves
5. To this add turmeric powder, chili powder, pepper powder and salt
6. Then add tomatoes and allow it to cook well. 
7. When it becomes soft and mushy, add coriander powder, cumin powder and mix well
8. Water is added to get the gravy in desired consistency. I added ½ cup of water.
9. Finally add the cooked peas and close the lid
10. Leave it in simmer flame for 5 minutes or until gravy gets to desired consistency

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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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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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