Paruppu Masiyal / Dal Fry

Chettinad Dal Recipes

Ingredients
Toor dal / Thuvaram paruppu - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 and 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves crushed - 2 nos
Curry leaves - few
Red chilli broken - 2 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafetida - pinch
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Paruppu Masiyal

Method
1. Wash the toor dal, pressure cook with 1 cup water and turmeric until tender for 12 mins.
2. When the dal is cooked mash it with dal masher or potato masher, add required salt and if required dilute with some more water.
3. Heat ghee in a small pan, add mustard seeds and allow to crackle.
4. Next add crushed garlic, broken red chill, curry leaves and asafetida to the pan.
5. Immediately transfer this tempering to the mashed dal, mix well.
Serve hot with
Potato fry
Kuzhambu etc.

Chettinad Meal maker Puttu / Soya chunks Puttu

My granny makes this Puttu with minced mutton( goat meat). I prepare the same recipe with soya chunks( meal maker) so we could relish this sidedish during fasting days or the days when we don't eat non-veg.

Meal maker Puttu

Ingredients
Soya chunks / Meal maker chunks - 20 nos
Onion medium chopped - 1 no
Curry leaves chopped - few
Green chilli broken into half - 2 nos
Oil - 4 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Masala to grind
Grated coconut - 4 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1"
Cardamom - 1 no
Cloves - 2 nos
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Ginger and Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Soya Chunks Puttu

Method
1. Soak soya chunks in boiling salted water and let it stand for 2 mins.
2. Drain soya chunks, squeeze excess water. Mince soya chunks finely with knife or run it once in mixer grinder( do not grind more than 2 seconds as they may become paste).
3. Grind the masala given under "masala to grind" to smooth paste adding a tsp water.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, chopped onion, green chilli and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.
5. Add ground masala paste, required salt to the pan and stir fry on low heat for few mins.
6. Add minced soya chunks to the pan and stir fry well until the masala is well mixed to soya mince.
7. Keep stirring constantly so it doesn't burn and fry until dry.
Serve hot with
Steamed rice
Vengaya sambar
Rasam etc.

Chefs tips
1. If soya granules are available use instead of soya chunks.
2. If preferred add 2 beaten eggs whisked with salt and pepper at the end when the soya chunks is dry n cooked and stir fry until eggs are scrambled.

Muttaikose Poriyal / Cabbage Poriyal

Muttaikose Poriyal

Ingredients
Cabbage chopped - 500 gms
Onion small chopped - 1 no( optional)
Green chilli broken into half - 2 to 3 nos
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Water required
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp

Cabbage Poriyal

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan when hot add mustard seeds, when splutters add urad dal and fry till browned.
2. Add chopped onion, cabbage, green chilli and curry leaves to the pan, stir fry for a minute.
3. Add 1/4 cup water and required salt to the cabbage. Sauté for min.
4. Cover the pan, simmer on low heat and cook cabbage until tender.
5. Once cabbage is cooked, remove pan lid, add grated coconut to cabbage and stir fry until dry.
Serve hot with
Steamed rice
Vatha Kuzhambu etc

Eral Kuzhambu / Chettinad Prawn Tamarind Curry

Chettinad Eral Kuzhambu

Ingredients
Prawn - 250 gms
Shallots - 20 nos or Onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1 no
Garlic cloves - 4 no
Curry leaves - few
Red chilly powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Gingely oil - 4 tbsp
Tamarind extract - 1/4 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt to taste

Prawn Kuzhambu

Method
1. Peel the prawns, devein and clean.
2. Coarsely chop shallots, garlic, curry leaves and tomatoes.
3. Heat oil in kadai, add chopped onion, curry leaves and garlic, sauté for 2 mins.
4. Add cleaned prawns to the kadai and stir fry for a minute.
5. Add chopped tomatoes, red chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and pepper powder to the kadai and stir fry on low heat until tomatoes are cooked.
6. Next add tamarind extract, required salt and cup of water to kadai.
7. Bring the gravy to boil and simmer covered for 5 to 6 mins until the gravy thickens and oil floats on top of curry.
Serve hot Eral Kuzhambu with
Steamed rice
Fish fry etc.

Chettinad Prawn Curry

Chettinad Kosumalli - Brinjal gravy sidedish for Idli or Dosa.

Chettinad Kosumalli

Chettinad Kosumalli is a light watery Brinjal based sidedish for Idli, Dosa. It's very similar to Chidambaram Gothsu.

Ingredients
Small purple Brinjal - 8 nos
Potato - 1 no( optional)
Onion small sized( sliced) - 1 no
Tomato small sized( chopped)- 1 no
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped - handful
Water required
Salt to taste

For tempering
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chilli - 2 nos
Green chilli - 2 nos
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 3 tbsp

Chettinad Brinjal Gravy

Method
1. Peel potato and chop it, remove brinjal stem and chop it finely.
2. In a pressure pan or cooker, add chopped potato, chopped Brinjal, sliced onion, chopped tomato, tamarind paste and 1/2 cup water.
3. Pressure cook for 10 mins until brinjal and potato mixture becomes mushy.
4. Heat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dal, green chilli, red chilli and curry leaves, fry for minute and add this to the brinjal mixture.
5. Loosen the brinjal mixture by adding required water and season with salt.
6. Bring the gravy to boil and remove from heat.
7. Finally add coriander leaves, stir well and serve with Idli and Dosa.

Chef's tips
1. I had given more easier and simpler version of making Kosumalli, my granny used to pressure cook potato and brinjal, remove its skin and then mash both and add it to gravy, you can follow this traditional method if you have time and patience.
2. Kosumalli is usually watery, I make it slightly thick so It doesn't run in the plate.
3. In Chettinad cooking shallots( small onion aka pearl onion) are used instead of onions, if shallots are available please use shallots as it has it's own distinctive flavor.

*As the natural lighting was poor couldn't take better picture, will update soon...

Karunai Kizhangu Kuzhambu / Tamarind Yam Curry

Karunai Kizhangu Kuzhambu

Ingredients
Yam / Karunai Kizhangu - 150 gms
Shallots - 20 nos or Onion - 1 no
Garlic cloves - 4 nos
Tomato - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Tamarind - small lemon or gooseberry sized
Red chilly powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1/4 cup + 3/4 cup
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds / vendhayam - pinch
Gingely oil / Nalennai - 3 tbsp

Yam Curry

Method
1. Mince onion, garlic and curry leaves together, chop tomato and set aside.
2. Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup water and extract pulp.
3. Peel yam skin, wash and dice into large cubes, pressure cook cubed yams in cooker for 2 or 3 whistles, allow to cool.
4. Heat gingely oil in a deep kadai, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
5. When mustard seeds splutter add minced onion, garlic and curry leaves, saute for a minute.
6. Add chopped tomatoes and stir fry for a minute. Now add tamarind extract to the kadai.
7. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and a 3/4 cup of water.
8. Bring the gravy to boil, add cooked yam to gravy, simmer gravy on low heat for 10 to 12 mins or until yam curry has thickened and oil floats on top.
Serve with hot
Steamed rice
Cabbage Poriyal

Chefs tip
1. You can use 1 and 1/2 tsp tamarind paste instead of tamarind.
Dilute tamarind paste in 1/4 cup water and use in the recipe.
2. I like yam to be very soft and mushy in the curry, if you want yam to be tender pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Chettinad Kulambu

Rava Fish Fry / Meen Varuval

Ravai Meen Varuval

Ingredients
Fish any variety - 500 gms( I used basa fish fillet boneless n skinless)
Rava / Semolina - 4 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 tsp
Oil to shallow fry fish pieces.

Rava Fish Fry

Method
1. In a bowl mix together red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, lemon juice, salt and water, make a smooth paste.
2. Add fish pieces to the bowl and coat gently with masala paste, set aside for at least 15 mins.
3. Before frying sprinkle rava on marinated fish pieces and coat well.
4.  Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish pieces in the oil until golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot rava fish fry with
Steamed rice
Fish curry
Rasam.

Chettinad Crispy Fish Fry

Vazhakkai Varuval / Raw Banana Fry

Raw Banana Fry

This is not a usual vazhakkai varuval, this is a chettinad style recipe with a twist.

Ingredients
Raw banana - 1 no
Red chilly powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder - 1 tsp
Besan flour / Kadalai maavu - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Water - 2 tbsp
Oil - 4 tbsp

Vazhakkai Fry

Method
1. Peel the raw banana, cut into thick slices and soak it in water.
2. In a bowl add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder, besan flour, required salt and 2 tbsp water, mix well to get smooth masala paste.
3. Drain the raw banana slices from water and squeeze gently to remove excess water. Add it to the bowl and coat with masala paste. Set aside for 5 mins.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add the marinated raw banana slices and curry leaves to the pan, stir fry until oil is coated on raw banana slices.
5. Sprinkle some water and cook covered raw banana slices until tender on medium heat.
6. Once raw banana slices are cooked, increase heat and fry until both sides of raw banana slices are golden in color and crisp.
Serve hot with
Steamed rice
Vengaya sambar
Rasam

Chefs tips
1. You can either cut raw banana into slices or chop it into cubes.
2. You can either shallow fry raw banana as per above method or deep fry in the oil.

Happy Deepavali 2013

Diwali Sweets and Snacks

Recipe links

Diwali snacks
Besan Murukku - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/kadalai-maavu-murukku-besan-chakli.html
Nylon Thenkuzhal -http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/arisi-maavu-thenkuzhal-murukku-nylon.html
Ribbon Pakoda - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/ribbon-pakoda-ribbon-murukku-diwali.html

Diwali Sweets
Soan ladoo - http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/soan-ladoo-recipe-chana-dal-laddu-recipe.html
Maida cake -http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/maida-cakemaida-burfi.html
7 cup Burfi -http://myerecipecorner.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/7-cup-burfi-seven-cup-sweet.html