Kathirikai Gothsu ( Pressure cooker method ) - Brinjal Gothsu side dish for Pongal.

Kathirikai Gothsu

Ingredients
Small purple brinjal chopped - 10 numbers
Onion small chopped - 1 number
Tomato small chopped - 1 number
Green chilly slit - 2 numbers
Garlic cloves sliced - 4 numbers
Tamarind - Gooseberry size
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Water - 1 cup + 1/4 cup

Gothsu

Method
1. Soak gooseberry size tamarind in 1/4 cup water for 10 mins. Extract tamarind pulp, filter and discard residue.
2. In a vessel add chopped brinjal, chopped onion, chopped tomato, sliced garlic, slit green chilli, tamarind pulp, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, required salt and 1 cup water. Mix well and place vessel inside pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles or 10 mins.
3. Heat oil in a pan when hot add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters add to the cooked brinjal gravy and stir well.
4. Bring Brinjal Gothsu to boil and remove from heat.
Serve with Venpongal, Idli or Dosa.

Brinjal Gothsu

Vengaya Pakoda / Garam Pakoda / Onion Pakoda

Vengaya Pakoda

This our all time favourite snacks with coffee, can also be served at lunch.

Ingredients

Onion medium thinly sliced - 4 numbers
Besan flour / Kadalai maavu - 1/4 cup
Rice flour / arisi maavu - 1 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Curry masala powder / garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Cooking soda - 2 generous pinch

Ginger chopped - 1" piece
Garlic cloves - 4 numbers
Green chilli chopped - 2 numbers
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Chettinad Pakoda

Method

1. Pound ginger, garlic, green chilli and curry leaves in a mortar and pestle until slightly chunky or run 2 times in a mixer under pulse mode.
2. In a large bowl combine sliced onion, pound chilli mixture, rice flour, besan flour, red chilli powder, curry masala powder, cooking soda and salt to taste. Mix well everything with fingers, slowly sprinkle water little by little and mix well until, when pakoda mixture is pressed firmly it holds together.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan,  when oil is smoking hot add the onion pakoda batter to oil by sprinkling the batter over hot oil. If you prefer chunky pakoda pieces then add pakoda batter by pinching to large pieces.
4. Once pakoda batter is added to hot oil, reduce the heat and cook pakodas on medium heat until the bubbles in the oil reduces and pakodas are golden brown in color.
5. Drain the pakodas, allow to slightly cool and enjoy.

Onion Pakoda

Chettinad Idli Milagai Podi Recipe / Idly Podi

Chettinad Idli Milagai Podi

Ingredients
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Chana dal - 2 tsp
Dried red chilli - 20 numbers
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 8 to 10 numbers
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Idly Podi

Method
1. Dry roast urad dal, chana dal, sesame seeds, curry leaves separately in a hot pan. Allow to cool.
2. Grind everything along with asafoetida and little salt to fine powder.
3. Store in airtight container.  Use Milagai Podi with Gingely oil as needed.

Idli Milagai Podi Recipe

Chef's tip
1. I like Idli podi very hot, if you feel 20 numbers of red chilli too high. Reduce the number of chilli according to your spice level.
2. It's optional to add chana dal if you don't prefer omit it.
3. Always use good quality asafoetida and sesame seeds it gives very good flavour and aroma.

Chettinad Cauliflower Chops / Cauliflower Kurma

Cauliflower Chops

Ingredients
Small cauliflower - 1 number (cut into florets)
Onion medium sliced - 1 number
Tomato medium chopped - 1 number
Curry leaves - few
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 1" inch
Fennel seeds - generous pinch
Water - 1 cup

For masala paste
Whole cashewnuts - 5 numbers
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Garlic cloves - 2 numbers
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp

Coriander leaves to garnish.

Method
1. Grind the ingredients given for masala paste to smooth paste adding little water.
2. Cook cauliflower florets in boiling water until 1/2 cooked, drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds,  cinnamon stick, sliced onions and curry leaves, sauté until onions are glossy. Now add the chopped tomatoe to the pan and cook until tomato is mashed. 
4. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ground masala paste, required salt and water to the pan, bring to boil.
5. When gravy starts boiling, add the half cooked cauliflower florets to the boiling gravy, reduce heat and simmer until gravy thickens. Garnish with chopped coriander.
Serve hot Cauliflower chops with appam, parotta, chapati etc.

Chettinad Konda Kadalai Karuvadu Kuzhambu / Dried Fish Chickpea Curry.

Chettinad Karuvadu Kuzhambu

Ingredients

Dried Chickpeas - 1/2 cup
Dried Seer Fish - 100 gms or 6 pieces
Onion medium sliced - 1 no
Tomato medium chopped - 1 no
Garlic thinly sliced - 2 nos
Tamarind extract - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tsp
Sombu / Fennel seeds - generous pinch.

Dry Fish Curry

Method
1. Soak overnight dried chickpeas in water. Next day boil chickpeas with pinch of cooking soda for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain cooked chickpea and set aside.
2. Wash dried Seer fish pieces until water runs clear, coat dried fish pieces with little turmeric.
3. Heat oil in a pan, when hot add fennel seeds, sliced onion, sliced garlic and curry leaves, sauté until onion is glossy.
4. Add chopped tomatoes to pan and cook until tomatoes are soft.
5. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, tamarind extract, little salt and 1 cup water. Bring mixture to boil, once gravy starts boiling add the cooked chickpeas and dried fish.
6. Cover pan with lid and simmer gravy for 5 mins until gravy thickens and oil floats on top.

Chef's tip
1. You can also use canned chickpeas instead of dried ones. Canned chickpeas need not be boiled, drain the water and add chickpeas to boiling gravy.
2. You can also use any kind of dried beans like dried peanuts( Verkadalai) or dried lobia (Karamani).
3. You can also add chopped brinjal for extra taste.

Konda Kadalai Karuvadu Kuzhambu

Mangai Oorukai / Instant Mango Pickle

Chettinad Mangai Oorukai

Ingredients

Green mango - 1
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Asafoetida - generous pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Instant Mango Pickle

Method
1. Cut mango remove it's seed and chop mango to fine pieces.
2. Add chopped mango, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt in a bowl. Toss until spices are coated on mango.
3. Heat oil in pan, when hot add mustard seeds and asafoetida,  when mustard seeds splutter add this tempering to mango in bowl and mix well.

Ven Pongal / Ghee Pongal

Ven Pongal

Ingredients
Raw rice - 1 cup
Moongdal / Pasiparuppu - 1/4 cup
Water - 3 cups
Ginger ( finely chopped) - 1/2" piece
Salt to taste
Ghee - 2 tbsp + Oil - 4 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 10 numbers
Whole black pepper - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Chettinad Pongal

Method
1. Wash dal and rice together and pressure cook along with chopped ginger, 3 cups water and required salt for 12 mins. Once pressure is released, mash cooked dal and rice with back of a ladle. 
2. In a small pan add both ghee and oil, fry cashewnuts in hot oil until golden brown and set aside. In the same oil temper cumin seeds, pepper corns and curry leaves. Add this tempering to the mashed rice in the cooker and mix well.
Serve hot Ven Pongal with
Sambar
Coconut chutney

Ghee Pongal

Chef's tip
1. Always use this proportion for 1 cup rice it's 1/4 cup moongdal follow this golden rule. Don't use more Moongdal as the pongal will become sticky or don't use more rice then pongal will taste like steamed white rice.
2. The next rule is don't use more water, when you cook rice and dal in excess water either excess water will stay below the cooker or pongal will be tasteless like porridge water( Kanji Thanni). So always follow 1:2 ratio( for one cup rice+dal, 2 cups water) plus 1/2 cup more.
3. Pongal consumes lot of oil, don't be stringent using oil, 6 tbsp ( ghee + oil) might look more but when added to cooked mashed rice, it will be well absorbed and soft pongal texture will be achieved this is a restaurant secret.

Chettinad Sura Meen Kuzhambu / Shark Fish Curry

Chettinad Sura Meen Kuzhambu

Shark fish is great in taste and it's believed to be good for breastfeeding mums as it increases milk supply for the new born. But shark fish also increase body temperature( heat), so one has to consume in little quantity. 
My mom says there are two varieties of shark fish one is Paal Sura( Young fish), which is soft and tender and cooks in 10 mins. The other variety is Kombu Sura( Matured fish) this variety of fish is rough and flesh is chewy and will take long to cook. So its always wise to choose small sized shark fish.

Ingredients
Shark fish( with skin on bone, cut into cubes) - 250 gms
Shallots / small onions chopped - 10 numbers
Garlic cloves sliced - 5 to 6 numbers
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Fennel powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Gingely oil - 4 tsp
Fennel seeds - generous pinch
Water - 1.5 cup
Tamarind water - 1/4 cup

Chettinad Fish Curry

Method 
1. Clean, wash the fish pieces and marinate with 1/2 tsp turmeric until used for cooking. 
2. Heat gingely oil in a pan, when oil is hot add fennel seeds, chopped onions and sliced garlic cloves. Sauté until onions are transparent. 
3. Mix red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and fennel powder to the tamarind water, mix until smooth and add this to the pan. Add a 1.5 cups of water to the pan, season with salt, stir well and bring gravy to boil.
4. When gravy starts boiling, cover pan with lid and simmer gravy for 5 mins.
5. Now add the shark fish pieces to gravy, check the seasoning, stir gently and cook for another 7 to 8 mins or until fish pieces are tender and oil floats on top of gravy. Depending on gravy thickness adjust with water.
Serve hot Shark Fish Curry with
Steamed Rice
Fish Fry or Prawn Fry

Shark Fish Curry

Chef's tips
1. While making shark fish curry I always leave the skin on fish. The texture of shark fish skin is rubbery and when cooked will come out like fine sand and dirt. If you don't feel leaving the skin on, you can boil the shark fish cubes in water for 7 mins or until fish is tender( like doing for Shark Puttu), remove fish pieces from boiled water, discard water and allow fish pieces to cool, remove the skin and use flesh while making curry. But in this method the shark fish taste and nutrients will be lost in boiled water which is discarded. So if you are preparing for new mother or do not want to compromise on taste leave the fish skin on.
2. Since Shark fish increases body temperature when consumed it tends to create lots of gas in tummy, so in order to treat that, shark fish is always cooked with lots of garlic. 
3. If shallots are not available then substitute with 1 medium sized onion.
4. Take gooseberry sized tamarind, soak in 1/4 cup water for 5 mins, extract the pulp and discard the residue, keep aside tamarind water until used in cooking.
5. Another important tip is any kind of tamarind based fish curry tastes great on the next day as the sourness and spiciness gets soaked in fish, so always make big batch of curry and reserve for next day too.

Uppu Kozhukattai / Kara Pidi Kozhukattai / Chettinad Kozhukattai

Chettinad Kozhukattai

Ingredients
Raw rice - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1.5 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Dry Red chilly - 4 nos
Curry leaves - few
Hing - generous pinch
Water - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tsp

Uppu Kozhukattai

Method
1. Grind raw rice to coarse powder. 
2. Heat oil in deep kadai, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chilly, curry leaves and hing. Fry till dals are brown.
3. Add 2 cups water and 1/4 grated coconut to the pan, season water with salt and bring to boil. 
4. Add ground rice powder to boiling water and keep stirring on low heat until water is absorbed by rice, remove from heat allow to cool. 
5. Make balls or dumplings out of rice mixture and steam it in Idli plates for 20 to 25 mins. 
6. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Kara Pidi Kozhukattai

Chettinad Puliyodharai / Puli Sadam / Tamarind rice

Chettinad Puliyodharai

Ingredients
Raw Rice - 1.5 cups
Tamarind - Gooseberry size / Nellikai size
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Gingely oil - 4 -5 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Dried red chillies - 4 number
Curry leaves - few
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - generous pinch

Masala powder ingredients
Coriander seeds - 4 tbsp
Dried red chillies - 6 numbers
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - generous pinch

Chettinad Tamarind Rice

Method
1. Dry roast each ingredient given under masala powder, allow to cool and grind together to fine powder.
2.  Cook 1.5 cups rice with 3 cups water until rice is tender and cool the cooked rice.
3. Soak gooseberry sized tamarind in 1/2 cup water and extract the pulp.
4. Heat gingely oil in a pan, fry peanuts in oil until golden, drain and set aside.
5. In the same hot oil add mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal and asafoetida. Fry till mustard seeds splutter and dals turn golden.
6. Add tamarind extract, turmeric powder, ground masala powder and salt to the pan, bring to boil and simmer on low flame until raw smell of tamarind extract leaves and oil separates on sides of pan.
7. Remove pan from heat, add cooled rice and peanuts, mix well and leave it for at least 15 mins.
Serve Puli sadam with Vadam,  potato fry etc.

Puli Sadam

Vanjaram Meen Varuval / Vanjaram Fish Fry / Chettinad Fish Fry Recipe

Vanjaram Meen Varuval

Ingredients
Vanjaram Meen / Spanish mackerel / Seer fish - 500 gms
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil as required

Chettinad Fish Fry

Method
1. Clean and cut Vanjaram meen into thin slices.
2. Make a paste out of red chilli powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt, lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Marinate the fish slices in this masala paste for at least 15 minutes. 
3. Heat oil in pan when hot fry the fish slices on both sides until golden brown and cooked.
4. Serve hot Vanjaram Fish Fry with Steamed rice, Fish curry or Sambar.

Vanjaram Fish Fry

Paal Halwa / Doodh Halwa / Milk Halwa

Paal Halwa

Ingredients
Milk- 5 liters
Sugar - 500 gms
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped nuts- as needed
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Citric acid - 1/4 tsp mixed with 1/2 cup water. ( or juice of 1 lemon but will make slightly sour).

Milk Halwa

Method

1. Boil milk in heavy bottom non-stick pot until reduced to 2.5 litres ( that's half quantity and milk color will slightly brown). Keep stirring so milk doesn't stick to pot.

2. Add citric acid mixed with water to milk, milk will start curdling to lumps and allow this to simmer until water reduces, keep stirring.
3. Add sugar, cardamom powder and ghee to milk curdles, stir well and simmer until semi dry.
Garnish with chopped nuts and serve.