Vendakkai masala / Ladies Finger Fry Chettinad Style

Chettinad Vendakkai Varuval

Ingredients
Ladies finger / Okra- 1/4 kg
Shallots / Small onions chopped- 10 nos
Tomato medium chopped- 2 no
Curry leaves- few
Garlic cloves crushed- 4 nos
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water required
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Sombu/ fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Oil- 2 tbsp

Vendakkai Masala

Method
Chop the ladies finger into 1" pieces.
Heat oil in a pan when hot add mustard seeds, sombu and urad dal, fry until urad dal turns golden brown. Add chopped onions and curry leaves saute for few mins. Add chopped tomatoes and fry for few more mins. Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt, saute for few mins. Now add the chopped ladies fingers and stir well, sprinkle few tbsp water to the ladies finger, mix well, cover pan with lid and cook on low heat until ladies finger is tender. Keep stirring occasionally so it doesn't get burnt. Fry the ladies finger until dry and oil separates on the sides of pan. Serve hot with
Carrot Sambar
Steamed Rice
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Ladies Finger Fry

Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu / Brinjal Kulambu

Oily brinjal curry has always been my comfort food. Baby brinjals when cooked in lots of oil and tamarind gravy becomes very tender and delicious in taste. This is an easiest method of making Ennai kathrikkai kulambu, there is no need to grind masalas and list of ingredients is very less. The main ingredient for this recipe is small purple brinjals ( pinchu kathrikkai )

Ennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu

Ingredients
Baby brinjal purple variety - 250 gms
Shallots / Chinna Vengayam - 10 nos
Small garlic cloves- 8 nos
Tomato country variety crushed - 1 no
Tamarind extract- 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 2 pinch
Curry leaves - few sprigs
Sesame oil / Gingely oil - 1/4 cup

Brinjal Curry

Method
Wash baby brinjals and make 4 slits on the top, keeping the stem intact. Make a paste with red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt with 1 tsp tamarind extract. Spread the prepared paste inside the slits of brinjals. Set aside for 5 mins. In a deep pan heat gingely oil, when hot add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add the shallots, curry leaves and garlic cloves saute for 2 mins. Add the prepared brinjals and saute well until the oil is well coated on brinjals and they turn color. Now add the crushed tomatoes and saute for few more mins. Add tamarind extract, a cup of water to the brinjals and bring the gravy to boil, once gravy starts boiling reduce heat, cover the pan and simmer gravy for 5 mins until brinjals are well cooked. Turn off the heat when gravy thickens and oil oozes on the sides of pan. Serve hot ennai kathrikkai kuzhambu
Steamed rice
Poriyal
Appalam

Kathirikkai Kulambu Recipe

Rava Dosa - Crispy Rava Dosai

Rava Dosa Recipe

Ingredients
Rava / Semolina- 2 cups
All purpose flour / maida- 1 cup
Rice flour- 1 cup
Black peppercorns- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
Green chillies thinly sliced- 2 or 3 nos
Coriander leaves chopped- 4 tbsp
Curry leaves chopped- 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water required
Oil required

Crispy Rava Dosa

Method
Coarsely grind cumin seeds and black peppercorns together.
In a large bowl combine rava, maida, rice flour, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, curry leaves, required salt and water. Mix well everything, the batter has to be slightly watery. Cover the bowl and rest batter for atleast 2 to 3 hours. After 3 hours the batter will be slightly thick because rava absorbs more water, again mix well the batter by adding little more water. Heat a tawa or griddle, when the tawa is smoking hot, take a ladle full of batter and start pouring the batter from the outside rim of tawa to inwards center of tawa. Smear 1 tsp oil around the dosa. Large holes will appear on rava dosa( do not fill the holes and gaps with extra batter this will make the rava dosa soggy and thick) rava dosa with large holes and gap will be light and crispy. Cook the rava dosa on both sides on medium heat until golden brown and crispy.
Serve hot rava dosa with
Coconut Chutney
Varamilagai Chutney
Vengaya Sambar.

For onion rava dosa
Mince 1 medium sized onion and slightly saute in hot oil until onions are transparent. Once rava dosa batter is poured on the tawa, sprinkle sauted onion on top of rava dosa and cook until golden brown.

Ravai Dosai

Arisi Upma - Rice Upma

Arisi Upma Chettinad style

This is my family's traditional recipe passed from my granny to my mom and to me. We make Arisi upma slightly indifferent method, usually we dry roast the rice for 3 to 5 mins and then grind it to coarse powder. And then we proceed to make upma with ground rice. By this method the rice will not become soggy and will be like rava upma.

Ingredients
Rice- 1 cup
Onion medium sliced- 1 no
Tomato medium chopped- 1 no
Green chilli slit- 4 nos
Ginger minced- 1" piece
Curry leaves- few
Grated coconut- 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water- 2 and 1/4 cups

For tempering
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Channa dal- 2 tsp
Oil- 3 tbsp

Arisi Upma Recipe

Method
Dry roast rice in a pan for 3 to 5 mins until rice turns slightly brown, allow to cool and grind rice to coarse powder.
Heat oil in a pan when hot add mustard seeds, when mustard crackles add urad dal, channa dal and fry till slightly browned.
Add sliced onions, green chilli, minced ginger, curry leaves and fry until onion turns pale.
Add chopped tomatoes to the pan and fry till tomatoes are cooked. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, required salt and water to the pan and bring mixture to boil. Now add the grated coconut and coarsely ground rice to the boiling mixture, stir well, cover pan with lid, reduce the heat and cook rice until tender. Mix well before serving and serve hot with
Hotel Sambar
Coconut chutney.

Chettinad Arisi Upma

Chettinad Thengai Thuvayal - Coconut Thogayal

Coconut Thuvayal recipe chettinad style

Ingredients
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Small onions / Shallots - 5 nos
Roasted channa dal - 1 tbsp
Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp
Dried red chillies - 5 to 6 nos
Curry leaves - few
Tamarind - tiny piece
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Hing / asafetida - pinch
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 + 1 tbsp

Thengai Thogayal

Method
Add 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add bengal gram dal, roasted channa dal, dry chillies, onion and tamarind.
Fry for 1 minute and set aside to cool.
Grind the fried ingredients along with grated coconut and required salt to coarse chutney adding 1 tsp water.
Again heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing and curry leaves, fry until urad dal turns golden brown.
Add this tempering to the coarse chutney and mix well.
Serve Thengai Thuvaiyal with
Steamed rice
Hot Idli
Dosai

Vatha Kuzhambu - Manathakkali Kulambu recipe

Vatha Kuzhambu Recipe

Ingredients
Manathakkali vathal - 1/4 cup Onion medium chopped - 2 no Tomato medium chopped - 2 no Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Kuzhambu powder - 2 heaped tbsp ( or Red chilli powder - 2 tsp and Coriander powder - 1 heaped tbsp) Tamarind paste - 1 tsp or tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Water - 3/4 cup

Tempering ingredients
Sesame oil / Gingely oil - 4 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Hing / Asafetida - few pinch

Kulambu recipe chettinad style

Method
Heat gingely oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and manathakkali vathal, sauté for few seconds.
Add chopped onion, curry leaves and hing, sauté for 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes and fry until tomatoes are cooked and tender. Lower the pan heat, add turmeric powder, kuzhambu powder and sauté for few seconds.
Now increase pan heat, add tamarind paste, water and salt, bring gravy to boil.
Cover pan with lid, reduce pan heat and simmer gravy for 5 minutes or until gravy slightly thickens and oil floats on the top.
Serve hot manathakkali Kuzhambu with
Steamed rice
Avarakkai Poriyal
Appalam

Vengaya Sambar - Onion Sambar

Vengaya Sambar

Ingredients
Toor dal / Thuvaram paruppu ( cooked) - 1/2 cup
Shallots / small onions halved - 18 to 20 nos
Tomato large chopped - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp or tamarind pulp - 1/4 cup
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Dried red chillies - 2 nos
Fenugreek / methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Hing / Asafetida - few pinch

Shallots Sambar

Method
Heat oil in a deep pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies and fry until urad dal turns golden brown. Add curry leaves, hing, chopped onion to the pan and fry for 2 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes, fry for 2 more minutes.
Lower the pan heat add turmeric powder and sambar powder, sauté for few seconds.
Now increase the pan heat to high, add tamarind paste, salt and water, mix well and bring mixture to boil. Cover pan with lid and simmer gravy for 5 mins.
Add the cooked toor dal, mix well until the sambar slightly thickens. Garnish sambar with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with
Steamed rice
Idli
Dosa

Onion Sambar

Carrot Sambar

Carrot Sambar

Ingredients
Toor dal / Thuvaram paruppu ( cooked) - 1/2 cup
Carrot small sized (sliced into thick rounds) - 3 nos
Shallots / small onions halved - 6 nos
Tomato small chopped - 1 no Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp or tamarind pulp - 1/4 cup
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek / methi seeds - 1/4 tsp Hing / Asafetida - few pinch

Carrot Sambar Recipe

Method
Heat oil in a deep pan, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, allow to crackle.
Add curry leaves, hing, chopped onion to the pan and fry for 1 minute.
Add sliced carrots and chopped tomatoes, fry for 2 more minutes. Lower the pan heat add turmeric powder and sambar powder, sauté for few seconds.
Now increase the pan heat to high, add tamarind paste, salt and water, mix well and bring mixture to boil. Cover pan with lid and simmer gravy for 3 mins or until raw taste of tamarind leaves.
Add the cooked toor dal, mix well until the sambar slightly thickens. Garnish sambar with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with
Steamed rice
Potato fry
Rasam

Chettinad carrot sambar

Soya chunks curry - Meal maker kurma

Soya Chunks Curry Chettinad style

Ingredients
Soya chunks / meal maker - 15 nos Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder / Kuzhambu thool - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Bay leaf - 1 no
Sombu / fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 and 1/2 cups

Masala paste ingredients
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 4 nos
Ginger - 2" piece
Cashew nuts - 6 nos
Roasted channa dal - 1 tbsp Roasted Kuskus - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Sombu / fennel seeds - 1 tsp Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
( grind above ingredients to smooth paste adding few tbsp water)

Chettinad meal maker kurma recipe

Method
Soak soya chunks in salted boiling water for 2 mins, drain and squeeze excess water from soya chunks. Heat oil in sauce pan, add bay leaf and fennel seeds fry for a few secs. Add chopped onion, tomato and curry leaves, sauté for few more mins.
Add the ground masala paste, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and fry on low heat until oil separates on the sides of the pan. Add water, soy chunks and required salt to the pan, mix well. Bring gravy to boil and simmer on low heat for 5 min until kurma slightly thickens.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with
Idiyappam
Chapati
Idli
Dosai

Meal maker curry

Coconut Chutney - Thengai Chutney

Thengai Chutney

Ingredients
Grated fresh coconut - 1 cup
Roasted Channa dal - 2 tsp
Green Chilli medium - 4 nos
Tamarind - very small bit
Salt to taste
Water required

Ingredients for tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tsp

Coconut Chutney Recipe

Method
Grind coconut, roasted chickpeas, green chilli, tamarind, salt and little water to smooth and fine paste.
Transfer the ground chutney to a bowl.
In a small kadai heat oil, when hot add mustard seeds and urad dal, when urad dal starts to crackle add curry leaves and turn off the heat.
Add this mustard tempering to the chutney mix well.
Serve coconut chutney with
Idli
Dosa
Adai etc.

Coconut Chutney Chettinad Style

Adai recipe

Adai Dosa

Ingredients to grind.
Toordal - 1/4 cup
Bengal gramdal - 1/4 cup
Moongdal - 1/4 cup
Uraddal - 1/4 cup
Idly Rice or Raw Rice - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds / Sombu - 1 tsp
Whole red chilli - 5 nos

Other ingredients to mix with Adai batter.
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Thinly sliced onion - 1/4 cup
Chopped coriander and curry leaves - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafetida / Hing - little
Salt to taste
Water required
Oil required to smear around adais

Adai recipe

Method
Wash and soak urad dal, gram dal, moong dal, toor dal and rice together in water for 4 hours.
Grind the soaked dals and rice, along with cumin seeds, fennel seed, whole red chilli together until smooth like dosa batter.
To the ground adai batter add grated coconut, sliced onion, chopped curry leaves, chopped coriander leaves, turmeric powder, asafetida, salt and little water.
Mix well the batter, the batter should not be too thick or too thin, should be like dosa batter. Set aside the adai batter to rest for atleast 30 mins.
Heat a dosa tawa, add a ladle full of adai batter to the center of tawa and start spreading the batter from center in circular motion like making dosa. Adai has to be lightly thick.
Smear 1 tsp oil around adai and cook adai on medium heat until both sides of adai are golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot adai with
Sambar
Coconut chutney.

Chettinad Adai Recipe

Idli recipe - Malligai poo idly

Idli Recipe

Ingredients
Par-boiled rice / Idli rice - 3 cups
Whole Urad dal (white) - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1 and 1/2 tsp (+/- to taste)

Soft Idly Recipe

Method
Wash and soak urad dal and rice separately in water for 4 hours.
Grind urad dal separately in wet grinder until smooth, adding 1/2 cup water to make grinding easy.
Remove ground urad dal batter to a deep bowl.
Grind rice until smooth, adding about 1 cup of water to make grinding easy.
Remove ground rice batter to same deep bowl in which urad dal batter is kept.
Wash wet grinder with 1/2 cup water, so that rice batter sticking to the wet grinder vessel is also removed.
Add this water to the same deep bowl in which both batter is kept.
Add salt to the batter, mix well with hand, cover the batter and allowthe batter to ferment overnight.

To make piping hot idlis
Next day the fermented batter would be doubled in size and fluffy.
Use a ladle mix batter well until air escapes and batter slightly reduces in size.
The batter should not be too thick or watery.
Place Idli cooker or pressure cooker on heat.
Grease the moulds in Idli plates, pour Idli batter in each mould.
Place the Idli plates stand poured with Idli batter inside Idli cooker.
Cover Idli cooker with lid and steam Idli for 10 mins.
Remove cooked Idlis using flat spoon.
Serve hot idlis with
Vengaya Sambar
Coconut Chutney
Varamilagai Chutney

Malligai Poo Idly

Kavuni Arisi Chettinad Special Sweet

Kavuni Arisi Sweet Recipe

Ingredients
Kavuni Arisi / Black Rice- 1 cup
Water- 3 cups
Sugar- 1 and 1/4 cups
Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut- 1/2 cup
Ghee- 4 tbsp

Method
Wash and soak the Kavuni Arisi in water for 4 to 5 hours. After 5 hours the water will turn into dark red color, discard the water and add Kavuni Arisi to pressure pan with 3 of water. Pressure cook kavuni arisi for 20 mins on medium heat. Once the pressure of the pan is released and rice is still hot, open the pan lid and smash the rice with ladle or dal masher. Add powdered cardamom, sugar, grated coconut and ghee to the hot rice and mix well. Serve hot Kavuni Arisi Sweet.

Innipu Kavuni Arisi

Tips
Kavuni arisi cannot be prepared instantly, it required to be soaked for hours and pressure cooked for atleast 1 hour.
Sugar and amount of ghee needs to be adjusted according to taste.
You can add fried cashewnuts to this dish its optional.
For those who are living in Chennai Kavuni Arisi is available at Nilgiris Supermarket, Alwarpet.
1/2 kg Kavuni Arisi is priced at Rs 90 as on March '2013.

Kavuni Arisi