Arbi Roast / Seppankizhangu Varuval / Taro root fry

Arbi Roast

Ingredients
Seppankizhangu / Arbi - 10 to 12 nos
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp ( optional)
Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp ( optional to use more oil to get

the roast crispy)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few

Seppankizhangu Varuval

Method
1. Wash the arbi and pressure cook with 1/4 cup water for 5 to 6 mins.
2. Peel-off the cooked arbi skins and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
3. Make a paste out of red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt and tsp water, apply this paste to sliced arbi pieces and set aside for 5 mins.
4. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter, then add urad dal and curry leaves, fry until urad dal is golden, add the prepared arbi slices to the pan and gently stir well to coat with oil. Roast the arbi on low heat until arbi pieces are crisp and golden in color.

Taro Root Fry

Chettinad Vegetable Pasta / Masala Pasta / Pasta Chettinad

Pasta Chettinad Style

I know this recipe has nothing to do with authentic Chettinad but worth to try it. This is my hubby's favorite pasta dish, if your family is fond of pasta and wants to try a South Indian style pasta just give it a try and let me know your feed back:-)

Ingredients
Any kind of pasta( macaroni, shells etc) - 1.5 cups
Mixed vegetables( cut into bite size pieces) - 1 cup
Paneer ( cut into bite size pieces) - 1/2 cup ( optional)
Onion medium ( chopped) - 1 no
Tomato medium ( chopped) - 1 no
Curry leaves and coriander leaves - required
Oil - 2 tbsp ( +/-)
Salt to taste
Water - 1/4 cup

Chettinad masala paste ingredients
Ginger and garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel / Sombu powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( +/-)
Turmeric power - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 4 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 4 nos
Cinnamon stick - 1" piece

Chettinad Vegetable Pasta

Method
1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water for 7 mins, drain and rinse in cold water couple of times. Drain the pasta well, mix and toss pasta with 1 tsp oil, set aside.
2. Grind the ingredients given under Chettinad masala paste in a mixer grinder / blender to smooth paste adding few tsp of water.
3.Heat oil in a pan or kadai, when hot add onions and curry leaves, sauté until onions are transparent.
4. Reduce pan heat, add the ground masala paste to the pan and cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 mins stirring occasionally( so that masala doesn't stick to pan and get burned).
5. Once the masala is well cooked, add the chopped vegetables to the pan and sauté well for 2 mins until the vegetables are coated with masala.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes to pan and cook until tomatoes are soft.
7. Add water to the pan, increase pan heat and bring the gravy to boil.( if adding paneer pieces add  them once the gravy is boiling).
8. Season the gravy with required salt, cover pan with lid, cook until vegetables are slightly cooked and semi thick gravy is formed.
9. Turn of pan heat and add pasta to the gravy and mix( toss) well.
10. Garnish Chettinad vegetable pasta with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Chef's tips
1. Do not cook pasta very soft and mushy. Pasta needs to be cooked until aldent.
2. Once gravy is cooked remove from heat and then toss in the pasta to the gravy, if the pasta is added to gravy on heat, pasta will start cooking again and will become soft and mushy.
3. Make sure the veggies retain their crunchiness.
4. You can replace vegetables with chicken cut into bite size pieces( in that case add more water and cook chicken for 10 to 15 mins until fully cooked).

Vegetable Masala Pasta

Chettiand Chicken Roast / Nattu Kozhi Roast

Chettinad Chicken Roast

Ingredients
Chicken drumsticks - 6 pieces ( or chicken pieces with bone 3/4 kg)
Ginger and garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp (+/-)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel / Sombu powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves - few
Water - 1/2 cup

Chicken Roast

Method
1. Marinade chicken drumsticks with ginger and garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and fennel powder for at least 10 mins.
2. Heat oil in a pan add chicken pieces and curry leaves, fry for 2 mins until chicken pieces turn brown.
3. Now add 1/2 cup water and required salt to the chicken in the pan, stir and mix well.
4. Cover the pan with tight lid, reduce pan heat and simmer chicken for 15 mins or until chicken is fully cooked and tender.
5. Once chicken is cooked, remove lid, increase pan heat and fry until chicken is dry and roasted.
Serve hot with
Chettinad chicken biryani
Or with Steamed rice and
Onion sambar

Nattu Kozhi Roast

Thengai Sambar / Coconut Sambar

Thengai Sambar

This is my granny very special sambar recipe, for this sambar the coconut has to be fresh and grated very finely. This sambar is ideal when no vegetable or sambar powder is available in you pantry. It's optional to add veggies, believe me no sambar powder is required . I have used horse radish in this sambar you can also use carrot, chow chow or brinjal to make this delicious sambar( but avoid okra, drumstick or broad beans).

Ingredients
Radish ( sliced) - 2 nos
Shallots ( chopped) - 7 nos or Onion medium ( chopped) - 1/2 no
Tomato small ( chopped) - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp mixed with 1/4 cup water
Toor dal cooked - 1/2 cup
Fresh coconut finely grated - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 3/4 to 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 t
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - pinch
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 cup

Coconut Sambar

Method
1. Heat oil in a deep pan, when hot add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds, when they starts splutter add chopped onion and curry leaves, sauté until onions are transparent.
2. Add sliced radish to the pan and sauté for a minute.
3. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook until tomatoes are soft.
4. Next add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and tamarind water to the pan, mix well and add 1 cup water to the pan.
5. Bring to boil and season with required salt, cover the pan with lid and boil until radish is cooked.
6. Now add the cooked toor dal to the pan and stir well, check consistency of sambar.
7. Add the grated coconut to sambar, mix well and let it boil for a minute or two minutes.
Serve hot Coconut Sambar with
Steamed rice
Arbi roast
Rasam

Chettinad Fish Curry / Meen Kurma / Coconut Fish Curry

Meen Kurma

Ingredients
Seer fish / Vanjaram Meen - 1/2 kg
Onion medium ( chopped) - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Tomato medium ( chopped) - 1 no
Ginger and Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp ( +/-)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup to 1.5 cups

Coconut masala paste
Freshly grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Roasted poppy seeds( kuskus) - 1 tsp ( optional)
Fennel seeds or powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1"
Cardamom - 1 or 2 nos

Garnish
Coriander leaves

Chettinad Fish Curry

Method
1. Clean, wash and marinade fish pieces with 1/4 tsp red chilli powder, turmeric and pinch of salt.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a tawa and roast the fish pieces until 1/2 cooked( by this way fish will not break into pieces while boiling in gravy).
4. Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai, add chopped onions and curry leaves, sauté until onions are transparent.
5. Add ginger & garlic paste to the pan and sauté until raw smell leaves.
6. Next add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and sauté for a minute until tomatoes are soft.
7. Now add the ground masala paste to the pan and stir well on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Add water to the pan, season with required salt and bring gravy to boil. Let the gravy boil on medium heat for 3 mins.
9. Add the roasted fish pieces to the gravy, stir well, cover and cook for 7 mins.
10. Check the consistency of the kurma and seasoning.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with
Idli, Dosa, Chapati or Steamed rice.

Chef's tips
1. Any fish like promfret( vavva), sheela which has less bones is preferred for this korma.
2. You can also substitute prawns instead of fish.

Prawn Biryani

Prawn Biryani

This is not Chettinad style prawn biryani but easy to cook prawn biryani which can be prepared quick.
Keeping checking on my blog I will post Chettinad Prawn Biryani recipe soon.

Ingredients
Prawn / Eral - 1/2 kg
Biryani rice ( basmati or jeeraga samba ) - 2 cups
Onion medium chopped - 2 nos
Tomatoes medium chopped - 2 nos
Ginger and garlic paste - 2 tsp
Green chilli broken - 2 nos
Mint / Pudina leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Coriander / Kothamalli leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala or Biryani masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp
Cinnamon - 2" stick
Cloves - 6 nos
Cardamom - 2 to 4 nos
Brinji leaf / Bay leaf - 1 no
Orange red food color - pinch ( optional)

Eral Sadam

Method
1. Clean prawns, wash and marinade with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp ginger & garlic paste.
2. Wash the basmati rice and soak in 2 and 3/4 cup water.( if using jeeraga samba rice soak in 3.5 cup water).
3. Take deep heavy bottomed pan with tight lid, heat oil in pan, when hot add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
4. When the aroma of the whole spices arise, add chopped onions and green chilli, sauté until onions are soft.
5. Add ginger and garlic paste to the pan and sauté until raw smell leaves.
6. Now reduce the pan heat to medium, add chopped Pudina, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder, sauté for 1 to 2 mins.
7. Next add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and sauté till tomatoes are soft and mushy.
9. Add the marinaded prawns to the pan and still gently until prawns turn pale in color.
10. Increase pan heat to high, drain water from rice and add to pan. Bring to boil and season with salt.
11. When water starts boiling add the drained rice to the pan, gently keep stirring until 1/4 water is
absorbed by rice.
12. Cover pan with tight lid, again reduce heat and simmer rice on medium heat for 10 to 12 mins or until rice is cooked and tender.
( You could have seen in some hotel biryani will have some red colored rice here and there, if you prefer to do so, mix a pinch of food color to 2 tbsp water, in the previous step where 1/4th water is absorbed by rice, sprinkle( do not pour) this colored water on the top layer of rice, do not mix the rice and cover pan with lid).
13. Finally garnish prawn biryani with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Chef's tips
1. Since prawns are not filling like meat, I have suggested 1/2 kg prawns for 2 cups rice. You can reduce the prawn quantity if you prefer.
2. Prawns goes well with sour tomatoes but not with sour curd, so never use curd in prawn biryani.

Eral Biryani

Vendhaya Jeeragam Sambar / Cumin Methi Sambar

Vendhaya Jeeraga Sambar

This is an easy sambar recipe that requires no sambar powder, you can add any veggies you prefer or you can omit veggies too.

Ingredients
Any vegetable - 1 cup
Toor dal cooked - 1/2 cup
Onion small chopped - 1 no
Tomato small chopped - 1 no
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Tamarind extract - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 and 1/2 cups
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Dry roast and grind together
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 2 pinches

Cumin and Methi Sambar

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add the chopped onions and curry leaves to pan, sauté until onions are soft.
2. Add chopped vegetable to pan( if preferred) and sauté for a minute.
3. Add chopped tomatoes to pan and sauté until soft and mushy.
4. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, tamarind extract and required salt, fry for a minute.
5. Add water to pan and bring to boil, cover pan with lid and cook on medium heat until vegetables are tender and raw taste of tamarind is gone.
6. Add cooked toor dal to the pan, mix well and add water if required.
7. Again bring the sambar to boil and add the roasted and ground cumin, fenugreek powder, mix well.
8. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Chettinad Sambar

Karupatti Coffee / Palm sugar coffee

Karuppati Coffee

This a typical village style coffee, usually served in black( without milk). But I always prefer to have with milk.

Coffee decoction - 3/4 cup
Boiling milk - 1/2 cup (+/-)
Palm sugar ( karupatti) - 4 tsp (+/-)
Hot water - 1/4 cup

Method
1. Dilute palm sugar in hot water and strain through strainer to remove impurities.
2. Mix coffee decoction, boiling milk and palm sugar water in a pan.
3. Warm the coffee and serve hot.

Karupatti Adai

Karupatti Adai

Ingredients
Finely ground rice flour - 1 cup
Palm sugar ( karupatti ) - 1 and 1/2 cups
Water - 1 and 1/4 cup
Ghee or oil - required
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Dry ginger powder - 1/4 tsp ( optional)

Method
1. Boil water in thick bottomed pan, crush the palm sugar to powder and add to boiling water.
2. Stir well until palm sugar is dissolved in water and water turns slightly sticky, strain the palm sugar water through a strainer to remove scums.
3. Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder to the strained palm sugar water, mix well.
4. Add this prepared palm sugar water to rice flour and knead to soft dough( add water if required)
5. Divide dough to equal portions and flatten dough on greased plastic sheet with fingers.
6. Heat ghee on a tawa or pan and place the flattened adai dough on tawa and cook until both sides are golden brown on low heat.
Serve hot

Chefs tips
It's optional to add chopped coconut pieces, cashew nuts etc to the dough.

Keerai Kootu / Chettinad Dal and Spinach

Keerai Kootu

Ingredients
Any greens ( keerai ) varieties - 1 bunch ( I used mullai keerai)
Cooked toor dal - 1/2 cup
Onion small chopped - 1 no
Tomato small chopped - 1 no
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tsp

To temper
Vadagam / Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Dried red chillies - 2 nos

Chettinad Keerai Kootu

Method
1. Add washed and chopped greens, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric
powder, salt and water to a pan.
2. Place pan on heat and bring to boil, simmer and cook greens until tender on medium heat for about 7 to 8 mins.
3. When the greens are cooked and tender add the cooked toor dal to the greens and mix well.
4. Heat oil in another pan, when hot add vadagam and dried chillies, fry for 10 seconds or less, add this tempering to the greens in the pan and mix well.
Serve hot with
Steamed rice
Vatha Kulambu

Chefs tips
Vadagam or thallippu vadagam is a special Chettinad tempering ingredient very common in all Chettinad and tamilians home. Since it is little time consuming to prepare, some people have adapted using mustard seeds instead of vadagam. But vadagam is more aromatic and flavorful than mustard tempering. Here is the recipe to prepare vadagam at home.

Kovakkai Poriyal / Tindora stir fry

Kovakkai Poriyal

Ingredients
Kovakkai / Tindora - 250 gms
Onion small chopped - 1/2 no
Green chilli slit - 2 nos
Salt to taste
Water required
Oil - 2 tsp
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Whole dry chillies - 2 nos
Urad dal whole - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Chettinad Tindora Fry

Method
1. Chop the tindora as desired.
2. Heat oil in a pan, when oil is hot add mustard seeds and drier red chilles, allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add urad dal and curry leaves, sauté until urad dal is golden brown.
3. Add chopped onion and green chilles to pan, sauté until onions are soft.
4. Add the chopped tindora to the pan and sauté well for a minute.
5. Season with salt and sprinkle required water to pan.
6. Stir well, cover pan with tight lid and simmer until tindora is cooked.
7. When the water is fully absorbed by the vegetable and semi dry, sprinkle fresh coconut to the tindora and give good toss.
Serve hot kovakkai poriyal with
Steamed rice
Vatha Kuzhambu
Rasam

Maida Dosai / All purpose flour or White flour Dosa

Maida Dosai

Ingredients
Maida Maavu / Plain white flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Water - 1 and 1/2 cup ( +/-)
Onion medium sliced - 1 no
Green chilli chopped - 2 nos
Curry leaves chopped - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Oil to cook Dosa
Salt to taste

Maida Dosa

Method
1. Heat oil in pan, when hot add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add sliced onion, chopped green chilles and curry leaves to the pan, sauté until onions are soft. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
2. In a deep bowl combine maida flour, rice flour, sautéed onion mixture, salt and water. Mix well until smooth and lump free Dosa batter is formed.
3. Heat tawa or pan, make Dosas with the prepared maida batter, cook on both sides until golden brown
and crisp.
Serve hot Maida Dosai with
Coconut chutney
Sambar etc.

More Kuzhambu

More Kuzhambu

While making more kuzhambu few essential things to keep in mind are first to use fresh coconut and curd. Second use any vegetable which has good water content like pumpkin, chow chow, ladies finger etc. Third is more kuzhambu should not be watery it will spoil the taste.

Ingredients
Ladies Finger - 250 gms
Curd - 1/2 cup
Raw rice - 1 tbsp
Toor dal - 1 and 1/2 tbsp
Ginger chopped - 1.5" piece
Green chillies - 2 nos (+/-)
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Water - 3/4 cup

To temper
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli broken - 1 no
Curry leaves - few

Chettinad More Kuzhambu

Method
1. Soak raw rice and toor dal together in 1/4 cup hot water for 15 to 20 mins.
2. Bring 3/4 cup water to boil in a pan, when water starts to boil add chopped ladies finger pieces and turmeric to the water. Mix well, cover pan with lid and cook ladies finger until cooked and tender.
3. Meanwhile, grind soaked and drained raw rice & toor dal, chopped ginger, green chillies and grated coconut to soft and smooth paste.
4. When the water in which ladies finger is cooked is almost absorbed, add the ground paste and curd to the ladies finger in the pan.
5. Season with salt and add some more water if you wish to loosen the gravy.
6. Heat oil a small pan, when hot add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add red chilli and curry leaves to pan and sauté for few seconds.
7. Add this tempering to boiling gravy and stir well, let gravy boil for 2 mins and switch off the heat.
Serve hot More Kuzhambu with
Arbi fry
Brinjal fry
Steamed rice

Vendakkai More Kuzhambu

Neer More / Spiced Buttermilk

You will feel blessed to drink neer more during hot summer days. We also eat steamed rice mixed with more at the end of meal to improve digestion, when we don't feel to have more rice, my granny asks us to at least drink neer more at end of meal.

Fresh curd - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Coriander leaves chopped - required
Ginger minced - 1 tsp
Rock salt or normal salt - as required

1. Whisk curd, water, coriander leaves, ginger and salt together in a deep vessel until frothy.
2. Serve cold in glasses.