Podi Kathirikai Varuval / Kathirikai Podi Curry / Chettinad Stuffed Brinjal

Kathrikai Podi Curry

Ingredients
Small brinjals light purple in color - 8 nos
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal / Bengal gram dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tbsp

Podi masala ingredients
Chana dal / Bengal gram dal - 3 tbsp
Coriander seeds/ Dhaniya - 1 tbsp
Black sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Red dry chilli - 7 nos
Peppercorns - 6 nos
Tamarind- very small piece
Chopped coconut - 1/4 cup
Peanut - 1 tbsp ( optional )

Podi Kathirikai Varuval

Method
1. Roast the Podi masala ingredients in a tsp oil each ingredients seprately and grind together to a coarse powder with less than 1/4 tsp salt.
2. Wash and trim the Brinjal stems and make four slits on the top of Brinjal without detaching the base. 3. Pat dry the brinjals and stuff the coarsely ground Podi masala powder inside each brinjal, keep the excess Podi masala powder aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan when hot add mustard seeds and allow to crackle, add urad dal, chana dal and fry until browned. 
5. Now add the curry leaves, stuffed brinjals and 1 tsp salt to the pan, fry until the brinjal turns color. 6. Sprinkle some water on brinjal and cover with lid, simmer for 5 mins and cook until brinjals are done. 
7. Once brinjals are done add the rest of Podi masala powder and stir fry until the Brinjal are dry and crisp. Serve with
Steamed rice
Sambar
Rasam. 

Chettinad Stuffed Brinjal

Chettinad Paal Paniyaram Recipe / Authentic Chettinad Paal Paniyaram

Chettinad Paal Paniyaram

Serves - 6 Persons

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 1 cup

Urad dal – ¾ cup

Milk( full fat) – 750 ml

Coconut Milk – 250 ml

Sugar – 1 and 1/4 cup ( +/- according to taste)

Cardamom Powder – less than ¼ tsp

Oil to deep fry

Authentic Chettinad Paal Paniyaram

Method

1.      Soak raw rice and urad dal for atleast 4 hours.

2.      Boil milk and allow it to cool, add coconut milk, sugar and cardamom powder to the cool milk and stir well. Set aside the prepared milk.

3.      Grind the soaked rice and urad dal together to a smooth and thick batter by adding very little water.

4.      Do not let the ground batter to ferment, it needs to be immediately fried.

5.      Heat oil in a deep pan on a medium heat. Add very small dollops of batter to the hot oil by using teaspoon or fingers. Fry the paniyarams on medium heat for 2 mins.( the fried paniyaram needs to be white in color, not golden brown).

6.      Keep a large bowl of hot water by the side. Drain the fried paniyaram from the oil and add it to the water in the bowl. Let paniyaram soak in water for few seconds and drain paniyaram from water and add it to the prepared milk.

7.      Serve the Chettinad Paal paniyaram warm or cold as preferred.

Paal Paniyaram Recipe

Chefs tips:

1. Traditionally Paniyaram batter is dropped into oil using coconut shell. A hole is put inside a fully scrapped coconut shell, paniyarm batter is filled inside coconut shell and gently shaken above the hot oil, so small dollops of batter are dropped into hot oil. Since its hard process these days, a very small amount of batter is taken in hand or tsp and tiny dollops of batter is dropped in hot oil.

2. Paal Paniyaram is a simple comfort sweet dish of chettinad. Traditionally no nuts or saffron are added to this recipe but I find many such unauthentic recipes on internet, just to make clear paal paniyaram doesn't require any fancy toppings.

Chettinad Milagu Sambar / Spicy Pepper Sambar

This is another unique recipe from my granny's chettinad kitchen. In this recipe mustard, pepper and other ingredients are fried in oil and then ground to powder which is used in making sambar, thus it has derived its name. This sambar is peppery and no tamarind is used.

Chettinad Milagu Sambar

Ingredients
Drumstick - 2 nos
Brinjal - 4 nos
Cooked Toordal - 1 cup
Onion small chopped - 1 no
Tomato small chopped - 1 no
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 and 1/2 cup

For masala powder
Urad dal( Ullutham parrupu) - 2 tsp
Whole Black pepper - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chilly - 3 nos

Tempering
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafetida - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp

Spicy Pepper Sambar

Method
1. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a kadai, add ingredients given under masala powder, fry on low heat until mustard spluttlers and dal turns golden. Remove from heat, allow to cool and grind to fine powder.
2. Mix the masala powder with 2 tsp water to make smooth paste and set aside. If you add masala powder without mixing water directly to the sambar it will form into lumps.
3. In a deep vessel add vegetable, chopped onions and tomatoes, add 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Cook covered for 7 mins until vegetables are done. Add cooked toordal to the above vegetable and mix well.
4. Add the ground masala paste to the vegetable toordal mixture.
5. Add turmeric powder, salt and 1 cup water to the sambar.
6. Bring the mixture to boil, keep stirring sambar and simmer on low heat for 2 mins.
7. In a small  pan heat 2 tbsp of oil, when hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. When crackles, add this tempering to the boiling sambar.
Serve hot with 
Steamed rice
Poriyal

Chettinad Prawn Fry / Eral Varuval

This is a basic prawn fry recipe perfect for bachelor cooking and those who had started cooking.

Chettinad Prawn Fry

Ingredients
Prawn medium sized - 500 gms
Onions large chopped - 4 nos

Crushed ginger and garlic – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water less than 1/4 cup

Fennel seeds- ½ tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp

Eral Varuval

Method
1. Peel, devein and clean the prawns.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, onions and ginger&garlic, sauté until onions turns pale and transparent.
3. Add prawns to pan and sauté for a minute.
4. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and sprinkle water to the pan.
5. Stir well, cover pan with lid and cook on low heat until onions disappear into slight gravy.
6. Cook on high heat until semi-dry.
Serve with
Steamed rice

Sambar
Rasam.

Eral Kaikari Kuzhambu / Prawn Vegetable Curry

Prawn is the only versatile seafood which goes well with any vegetable dish. This is a very comforting gravy and quick to make, the vegetables absorbs prawn juice and tastes absolutely delicious.

Eral Kaikari Kuzhambu

Ingredients
Prawns small sized - 250 gms
Shallots - 10 or Onion small - 1 no
Tomato medium - 1 no
Brinjal - 2 nos
Raw banana - 1/2 no
Potato - 1 no
Drumstick - 1 no
Red chilly powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 to 4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Water - 1 and 1/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp

Prawn Vegetable Curry

Method
1. Cut potato, raw banana and brinjal into lengthwise pieces.
2. Chop shallots, curry leaves and tomato.
3. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when splutters add chopped onion, curry leaves and all the vegetables. Stir well the vegetables in oil for a minute.
4. Now add prawns to the kadai and stir fry for few seconds.
5. Next add the tomatoes, spice powders, salt and water. Stir well.
6. Cover pan with lid and cook vegetables on low heat for 7 mins.
7. When veggies are cooked, remove pan lid, increase heat and cook curry until slightly thickened.
Serve hot with
Steamed rice
Boiled egg.

Poori Kizhangu Recipe / Poori Masala Recipe / Potato Masala for Poori

For me happiness is, eating Poori Urulaikizhangu Masala.
The poori masala I prepare is very similar to hotel style. Imagine hot fluffy Puri served along with colorful potato curry, yum isn't it...

Poori Kizhangu Recipe

Ingredients
Potato large - 4 nos
Onion large sliced - 3 nos
Ginger minced - 2" piece
Curry leaves chopped - few
Green chilli broken - 3 to 4 nos
Small carrot finely chopped - 1 no
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Cashewnuts broken - 8 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Channa dal - 1/4 tsp
Asafetida - less than 1/4 tsp

Potato Masala for Poori

Method
1. Cut each potato into four pieces, pressure cook for 10 to 12 mins. When potatoes are cooked, allow to cool. Peel the potatoes skin and slightly mash potatoes with finger.
2. Heat oil in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds, asafetida, urad dal and channa dal. Once mustard crackles add the sliced onions, curry leaves, green chillies and minced ginger. Stir fry until onions are soft. Add the chopped carrot and peas, strife fry for 1 minute.
3. Add 1/4 cup water, turmeric powder and salt to the pan. Let the onion mixture cook for 3 mins, keep the pan covered.
4. Once onion mixture is slightly thick, check the seasoning and add mashed potatoes and broken cashew nuts to the pan, mix well until everything is combined well and remove pan from heat.
Serve along with hot fluffy

Gothumai Poori

Maida Poori

Chapati

Poori Masala Recipe

Maida Poori Recipe / White flour Poori.

Maida Poori

I love making pooris with maida flour, maida poori has different taste than atta poori and has chewy texture. Since these maida poori doesn't stay crisp for longtime, my granny adds vanaspati to the dough while kneading, this vanaspati make poori crisp.

Ingredients
Maida  / White flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cooking soda - 1 generous pinch
Water - 3/4 cup
Vanaspati ( Dalda) - 2 tbsp
Oil to deep fry

Method
1. Mix together maida, salt, cooking soda, vanaspati and water in a bowl.
2. Knead mixture into a smooth and tight dough, set aside the dough covered for 30 mins.
3. Heat oil in a pot to deep fry the pooris.
4. Divide the dough into eaqual portion and shape into small balls. The poori dough balls should be smaller than chapati balls.
5. Roll out each ball into thin circles and deep fry the circles in hot oil one at a time until puffed and golden brown in color.

Serve Poori with

Urulai Kizhangu Masala

Peas Kurma

Kadalai Maavu Chutney

Poori Recipe / Gothumai Poori

Gothumai Poori Recipe

Ingredients

Atta / Gothumai maavu / Wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cooking soda - 1 generous pinch
Water - 3/4 cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Oil to deep fry

Poori Recipe

Method
1. Mix together atta, salt, cooking soda, 2 tsp oil and water in a bowl.
2. Knead the mixture into a smooth and tight dough, set aside the dough covered for 30 mins.
3. Heat oil in a pot to deep fry the pooris.
4. Divide the dough into eaqual portion and shape into small balls. The poori dough balls should be smaller than chapati balls.
5. Roll out each ball into thin circles and deep fry the circles in hot oil one at a time until puffed and golden brown in color.

Serve hot poori with

Urulaikizhangu Masala

Peas Kurma
Besan Chutney

Chettinad Nandu Rasam / Crab Soup.

Chettinad Crab Soup

This is Authentic Chettinad Nandu Rasam recipe followed in our family. Crab Rasam is good home remedy for common colds. In general, eating crab increases body heat( temperature). My granny says, the juice of crabs removes cold mucus from chest and relieves from cold.
Not only crab rasam is prepared for treating colds it is very delicious in taste and can be prepared any day. 

*Please read the chefs tips given below, to know how this rasam can be prepared in two ways.

Ingredients
Carbs - 1 kg ( medium whole crabs - 4 nos)
Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Curryleaves chopped - few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Vadagam or fennel seeds for tempering - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

Rasam masala to grind
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 3
Fennel seeds ( sombu) - 1 tsp
Onion chopped - 1/2 no
Garlic cloves - 4 nos

Chettinad Nandu Rasam

Method
1. Clean and wash crabs set aside.
2. Dry roast the ingredients given under rasam masala( except onions and garlic) for few mins on medium heat until aromatic. Grind the roasted ingredients to smooth paste along with onions and garlic, by adding a tsp of water if required.
3. Heat oil in a wide and deep pot or pan, add vadagam or fennel seeds to the pan, followed by adding chopped onion, curry leaves and tomatoes. Saute for few seconds.
4. Reduce pot heat, add the ground masala to the pot, stir well the masala and cook for a minute.
5. Add turmeric and 2 and 1/4 cups of water to the pot, season with salt and mix well. Increase the pot heat, cover with lid and let rasam boil for 7 to 8 mins.
6. Add the washed crabs to boiling rasam, stir well and simmer for 5 mins and until crabs turn orange-red in color.
7. Serve hot crab rasam as soup or along with steamed rice.

Chefs tips

1. If you don't have time to grind fresh masala, you can substitute it with 2 tsp readymade rasam powder, but taste will be different.
2. If crab rasam is not prepared for treating colds, then add 1/2 cup of coconut milk to the rasam at final stage and remove rasam from heat. This is because coconut milk cools down the body temperature, it will reduce the body heat generated by crab consumption. If the rasam is prepared for treating cold, do not add coconut milk, as the coconut milk will make the cold severe.

How to clean crabs.

Its so easy to clean the crabs, though it looks freaking scary. Pull the top crab shell from side, gently insert a knife on the side of crab and give a lift. The shell comes out smoothly. There will be some liquid and eggs in female crabs, discard those dirt. Trim the end of the legs and wash the crabs whole couple of times. If your crabs are too big you can halve them.

Nandu Rasam

Chettinad Vadagam Recipe / Thalippu Vadagam

Chettinad Vadagam Recipe

Thalippu Vadagam also known as Vengaya Vadagam is an authentic and aromatic spice of Chettinad, made by combining several ingredients like shallots, garlic and whole spices and drying it in direct sunlight. This an aromatic tempering used in many of South Indian and Chettinad dishes like Sambar, Kuzhambu and Kootu. This is my granny's recipe, which is passed on to my mother and to me. You can prepare this in large batches, store them in airtight container for an year and use as required while tempering dishes.

Ingredients

Chinna Vengayam/ Shallots( Small onions)-1 kg

Ulli Poondu/ Small garlic-1/2 kg

Green chilles-1/4 kg

Mustard seeds-50 gms

Split Urad dal/ Split black gram dal- 250 gms

Jeera/ Cumin seeds- 50gms

Fenugreek/ Methi seeds- 20gms

Curry leaves- 8 sprigs

Nallennai/ Gingelly oil- 50gm

Velakennai/ Castor oil- 50gm

Turmeric powder- 4tsp

Method

1.  Peel onion and garlic skins.

2.  Mince onion, garlic and green chilles in a mixer grinder( should be rough and coarse).

3.  To the onion mixture, add rest of the above said ingredients. Mix in both the oils to the mixture and make medium sized balls. Keep these balls in direct sunlight for 10 days. When these balls are fully dried, store it in airtight jars. You can store these vadagam balls for a year. 

Tips to prepare

1. Take 2 balls of vadagam, crush them and store it in small container.

2. For using as tempering, to the medium hot oil add 1tsp of crushed vadagam and allow it to turn golden brown, then add the rest of the ingredients.( Do not burn the vadagam as they may turn bitter).