Peas Kurma - Side dish for Chapati

Peas Kurma aka Pattani Kurma is my family's all time favorite side dish for chapati. Also suitable for poori, idiyappam etc.

Peas Kurma

Ingredients
Fresh peas - 1 cup
Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Ginger & Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Fennel powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Grated fresh coconut - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves and coriander leaves - few

Chettinad Peas Kurma

Method
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, when hot add cinnamon stick and chopped onions, saute for few secs.
2. Add ginger & garlic paste to the pan, saute till raw smell leaves.
3. Next add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, coriander powder, fennel powder and turmeric powder, saute on low heat until tomatoes are cooked.
4. Remove pan from heat, allow onion & tomato mixture to cool and grind to fine paste along with grated coconut.
5. Wipe the same pan and return pan to heat, add 1 tbsp oil and fresh peas to the pan, saute peas for few mins.
6. Now add the ground gravy paste to the peas, add 1/4 cup water and required salt.
7. Stir well everything and bring gravy to boil, simmer gravy on low heat until slightly thickens.
8. Garnish with coriander, curry leaves.
Serve hot with
Chapati
Poori
idiyappam

Pattani Kurma

Chef's tips
1. You can also use dried green peas instead of fresh peas. Soak dried peas overnight in water. Boil peas along with few pinch of cooking soda until tender. Drain peas from water and add to the recipe.
2. You can also use Coconut milk instead of fresh coconut.

Tomato Chutney / Thakkali Chutney - Bachelor Recipes

Thakkali Chutney

A very easy recipe to make tomato chutney with few ingredients. This chutney can be stored outside at normal room temperature for 4 to 5 days, perfect to take during travels and picnics. If the chutney is refrigerated can be stored upto 2 months.

Ingredients
Tomato medium sized - 1/2 kg or 7 nos
Onion medium sized - 1/4 kg or 2 to 3 nos
Garlic cloves peeled - 6 to 8 nos
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 and 1/4 tsp or as required
Oil - 1/4 cup

Tomato Chutney

Method
1. Chop tomatoes, onions and garlic cloves coarsely.
2. In a large mixi jar first grind chopped onions and garlic cloves to a paste, then add tomatoes, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to jar and grind along with onion mixture.
3. Take a heavy bottomed pan with tight lid( I prefer to use pressure pan with lid), heat 1/4 cup oil in the pan, carefully add the ground tomato onion purée to the pan. Stir well.
4. Reduce heat and cover pan with lid ( otherwise the tomato purée will splutter outside and whole kitchen will become messy), stir the tomato chutney occasionally.
5. The whole cooking process of tomato chutney will take about 15 mins, when the tomato chutney is cooked for about 10 mins, add salt to the tomato chutney and stir well.
6. Cook until chutney is thickened and oil oozes on the sides of pan( chutney should have turned deep red in color).
7. Cool the tomato chutney at room temperature and store in clean jar or box.
Serve with
Idli
Dosa
Chapati etc

Tomato Chutney- Bachelor Recipes

Chef's tip
1. If you want tomato chutney to be chunky avoid grinding tomatoes, onions and garlic and chop them finely. ( this method of finely chopping also helps chutney from spluttering outside pan).
2. Do not reduce amount of oil, lots of oil acts as preservative and keep chutney fresh for long.
3. While stored in jar, oil will float above chutney before consumption stir well the chutney and use.

Kathirikai Sadam / Brinjal Rice

Chettinad Kathirikai Sadam

Ingredients
Small purple brinjals - 8 nos
Raw rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
Onion medium sliced - 1 no or Shallots - 10 nos
Tomato small chopped - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - 2" piece
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp( preferably Gingely oil)
Water - 3 cups

Masala powder to grind
Coconut grated - 4 tbsp
Channa dal - 2 tbsp
Whole dry chilli - 3 to 4 nos
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - pinch
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Kathirikai Sadam

Method
1. Wash rice and soak it in water for half an hour.
2. Dry roast ingredients given under masala powder separately in a pan and grind it along with coconut until finely ground.
3. Chop brinjal into thick slices, mix sliced brinjals and ground masala powder in a bowl.
4. Heat oil in a deep pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds and cinnamon stick, allow mustard seeds to splutter.
5. Add sliced onions and curry leaves to the pan, sauté for few mins.
6. Now Add brinjals along with masala powder to the pan, sauté well until oil is well coated on brinjals and it turns color.
7. Next add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, required salt and few tbsp water to the pan, stir the brinjals gently until a slight gravy is formed.
8. Cover pan with lid, reduce heat and cook brinjals until 3/4th cooked.
9. Add 3 cups water to the pan, increase heat and bring gravy to boil.
10. When gravy starts boiling add drained rice, stir gently so brinjals doesn't break, cover pan again with lid, reduce heat and cook rice for 10 to 12 mins until tender.
Serve hot with
Curd Pachadi
Potato Roast
Applam etc

Brinjal Rice Recipe

Kadalai maavu chutney - Sidedish for Idli Dosa Poori

Kadala Maavu Chutney

Kadalamavu chutney aka Bombay chutney is a very easy chutney which can be prepared very quickly, it requires no vegetables and best sidedish for chapati, poori, idli and dosa.

Ingredients
Kadalai maavu / Chickpea flour / Besan - 1/4 cup
Onion medium sized sliced - 1 no
Ginger minced - 1" piece
Green chilli broken into half - 3 nos
Tomato small sized chopped - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds / Sombu - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal / Gramdal - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Water - 1 cup
Salt to taste

Besan Chutney

Method
1. Mix Kadalai maavu, red chilli powder and turmeric powder with 1/4 cup water, mix well everything until smooth and lump free.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and fennel seeds, when mustard splutters add urad dal and channa dal, sauté until dals are golden brown.
3. Add chopped onions, minced ginger, green chilli, curry leaves and tomatoes to the pan, sauté for few mins.
4. Now add 3/4 cup water to the pan, add required salt and bring to boil.
5. Next add the Kadalai maavu mixture to the boiling gravy, stir well continuously, until chutney is blended well.
6. Reduce heat and cook chutney for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
7. When chutney is cooked and slightly thickened, add coriander leaves and stir well.
Serve hot with
Idli
Dosa
Poori etc

Ennai Urulai Kizhangu Varuval / Crispy Potato Roast

Urulaikizhangu Roast

Ingredients
Potatoes medium sized peeled and cubed - 4 no
Garlic cloves crushed - 2 nos ( optional)
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Fennel powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Asafetida - few pinch
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 to 6 tbsp
Salt to taste

Ennai Urulaikihangu

Method
1. Place cubed potatoes in a large pan fill with water and boil on high heat until tender( should not be over-cooked).
2. Drain the potatoes and add to a bowl. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, fennel powder, asafetida and required salt to the potatoes and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, when mustard splutters add masala coated potatoes and curry leaves to the pan.
4. Fry the potatoes on medium heat until golden brown and crisp.
Serve with
Rice
Sambar
Rasam etc

Chettinad Potato Roast

Chef's tip
1. This authentic method of preparing ennai urulaikizhangu Varuval, if you prefer try adding garam masala powder while coating potatoes with spices.
2. To cook potatoes quickly, place cubed potatoes in a microwave safe bowl fill half way with water and microwave for 3 mins, then gently stir potatoes and cook for another 3 mins so they are evenly cooked.