Seeyam

Ingredients:

• Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
• Oil - To Fry
• Sugar - 4 - 5 tspn (as per the taste_
• Water - Little over1/3 cup
• Baking soda - few pinches

Procedure:

• Put wheat flour, baking soda, water in a bowl and mix it well
• Keep it covered for around 10 minutes
• Heat oil in a kadai
• Make small round balls and fry it 
• If Seeyam is not coming out puffy, you could add few pinches of baking soda to it
• Once fried, remove and serve hot or this can be eaten the next day as well

pottu kadalai urundai

Ingredients:

• Pottu kadalai (Split Chick Peas/ Dalia Channa)- 1 1/2 cups
• Jaggery - 1 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1 tspn

Procedure:

• Heat a pan and add water
• Once the water starts boiling, add the jaggery and cardamom and let it boil
• Stir this jaggery water continuosly until it reaches right consistency (syrup should not dissolve when a drop is added to plain water)
• Add the pottu kadalai to this, mix it and make the balls before the jaggery becomes hard.
• Store it in a tight container

kadalai urundai

Ingredients:

• Roasted peanuts without skin- 1 cup
• Karupatti (Jaggery)  - 1/2 cup (depends on your taste choice)

Procedure: 

• Crush the karupatti (Jaggery) into small piecess and urud dal
• Transfer this to the mixer jar, add the roasted peanuts
• Grind it coursely (not like a powder)
• Add jaggery if the it is not enough
• Transfer this mix to a plate and make it as small balls
• Store it in a tight container

pasi paruppu sambar (moong dal sambar)

Ingredients:

• Onion - 1/4 cup
• Salt - As required
• Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tspn
• Oil - 4 tspn
• Tomato - 1 medium size
• Egg plan (Kathirikkai) - 2 medium size
• Mustard seeds, urud dal - little
• Yellow split Moong dal (pasi paruppu) - 1/3 cup

Procedure:

• Cook the split moong dal seperately . Moong dal should be half cooked.
• Heat oil in a cooker and add mustard seeds and urud dal
• Add onion to it once the mustard seeds start sputtering
• Now add the cooked moong dal
• Add sambar powder, cut tomato, cut egg plant and required salt
• Add little water to this and cook for a whistle in the cooker
• Once done, remove from the stove and serve with rice, chapatti, dosa.

Vazhakkai kadalaparuppu kuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Channa dal - 1/3 cup
• Onion - 1/3 cup
• Salt - As required
• Sambhar powder - 2 tspn
• Mustard seeds , urud dal - Little
• Shredded Coconut - 1/3 cup
• Green Plantain - 1 1/2

Procedure:

• Cook channa dal seperately with enough water
• Add oil in a cooker and add the mustard seeds and urud dal
• Once the mustard seeds spatters, add onion and fry till golden brown
• Now, cut the green plantain (vaazhakai) into small pieces and add it to the onion and fry for a minute
• Add cooked channa dal to this
• Add the sambhar powder
• Meantime, grind the coconut nicely and add it to this. Coconut can be added more if you like more thick gravy
• Add salt and cook for a whistle and remove from the stove
• Serve with White rice, chapatti

kathirikai murungakai Puli Kuzhambu (Drumsticks kulambu)

Ingredients:

• Oil - 6 tspsn
• Onion - 1/3 cup
• Salt - As required
• Sambar powder -2 tspn
• Shredded Coconut - Little more than 1/3 cup
• Egg plant (Kathirikkai) - 3
• Drumsticks - 5
• Tamarind - little

Procedure:

• Heat the oil in cooker , add mustard seeds and urud dal.
• Add the onion and fry till golden brown
• Add the egg plant and drumsticks
• Grind the coconut nicely and add it to the pan
• Add sambar powder, salt
• Now add the tamarind water and mix it well
• Add little more water to make it right consistency
• Close the cooker and cook it till the vegetables are cooked
• Serve with rice, chappathi, dosa

Tips: You can add garlic to this if you wish to ..

Paruppu urundai kulambu

Ingredients:

• Oil - 6 tspsn
• Onion - 1/3 cup
• Salt - As required
• Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tspn
• Sombu (Fennel seeds) -1 tspsn
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
• Shredded Coconut - 1/3 cup

Procedure:

• Refer the link in my blog dal vada (paruppu vada) to make the paruppu vada.
• Instead of making flat vada, make it as small balls and fry it till golden color
• Heat the oil in kadai 
• Add the onion and fry till golden brown
• Add the garam masala powder to it
• Grind the coconut and sombu (Fennel seeds) nicely
• Add it to the frying onion
• Now add salt, sambar powder and add little water
• Boil this for few minutes
• Add the vadas prepared as above to the boiling gravy
• Remove from stove after 5 minutes
• Serve hot with rice, chapatti, dosa

Bread Bhaji

Ingredients:

• Bread -6
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
• Oil - To Fry
• Salt - As required
• Asafoetida (perungayam) - 2 pinches
• Besan flour (kadala maavu) -  3/4 cups
• Rice Flour - 1/4 + 1 tbspn 
• Water - Little
• Baking soda (aappa soda) - 2 pinches
• Food color - 1 pinch (optional)

Procedure:

• Heat the oil in kadai 
• Once the oil is hot, put the stove on Sim.
• Mix besan flour rice flour, chilli powder,  Asafoetida, baking soda, salt
• Add water little by little making the mix not too watery and not too thick
• Cut the bread into different sizes that you would like
• Add these slices to the batter and mix it well
• Take out and fry it in the hot oil till it is cooked well
• Serve hot with tomato ketchup or Coconut chutney

Vazhakkai Bhajji (plantain bhajji)

Ingredients:

• Vazhakkai (plantain) -2
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
• Oil - To Fry
• Salt - As required
• Asafoetida (perungayam) - 2 pinches
• Besan flour (kadala maavu) -  3/4 cups
• Rice Flour - 1/4 + 1 tbspn 
• Water - Little
• Baking soda (aappa soda) - 2 pinches
• Food color - 1 pinch (optional)

Procedure:

• Heat the oil in kadai 
• Once the oil is hot, put the stove on Sim.
• Mix besan flour rice flour, chilli powder,  Asafoetida, baking soda, salt
• Add water little by little making the mix not too watery and not too thick
• Peel the skin from plaintain
• Slice the plaintains to thin pieces using a shredder/cutter length wise
• Add these slices to the batter and mix it well
• Take out and fry it in the hot oil till it is cooked well
• Serve hot with Coconut chutney

Vazhakkai chips (Plantain Chips)

Ingredients:

• Vazhakkai (plantain) - 2
• Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
• Oil - To Fry
• Salt - As required

Procedure:

• Heat the oil in kadai
• Peel plantain's skin .
• Using the chips maker (shredder) make round chips
• Add this to oil immediately (or directly slice the plantains to the oil)
• Fry till the chips look crispy
• Strain the oil, transfer it to a bowl
• Now add the salt and chilli powder and mix it gently
• Chips can be stored in a container for having it later.

VenPongal

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Yellow Moong dal - 1 cup
• Water -5 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 4 tspn
• Oil - 4 tspn
• Grated Ginger - 1 tspn
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tspn 
•  Peppercorns - 1 tspn
• Broken Cashew - 2tspsn
• Salt - as required

Procedure:

• Heat the pressure cooker
• Add the oil and 2 tpsn ghee to the cooker
• Add cumin seeds, peppercorns, ginger and cashews
• Fry until cashew turns light brown
• Rinse the rice and moong dal and add it to the cooker
• Mix it with the ingredients for a minute
• Add 5 1/2 cups water (if you want the rice not to be watery, you can add less water)
• Add salt and close the pressure cooker and cook 
• Once cooked, add remaining ghee on top of it
• Serve hot with sambhar, coconut chutney

Pattani Sundal (Thenga Manga pattani sundal)

Ingredients:

• Pattani - 1/3 cup
• Onion - 1/4 cup
• Red Chilly -1
• Oil - 4 tspn
• Coriander leaves - little
• Sambar Masala - 1/2 tspn 
• Salt - as required 
• mustard seeds and urud dal - little 
•  grated coconut - 3 tspn
• Cut green mango - 3 - 4 tspn (optional)

Procedure:

• Soak the pattani overnight (for around 8 hours)
• Cook the pattani in the cooker for a whistle
• Heat oil in the pan
• Add mustard seeds and urud dal
• Add the onion and red chillies.
• Add the masala powders and salt
• Fry till the onion is golden brown
• Add the cooked pattani with only little water (do not add more water here)
• Add the grated coconut and coriander leaves to garnish 
• Mix and turn off the stove
• Serve Hot with sambar rice,curd rice, venpongal or as a snack

Tip: You could add the cut mangoes towards the end while adding the coconut and coriander leaves

Muttai Poriyal

Ingredients:

• Egg - 3
• Onion - 1/4 cup
• Green Chillies -2 (medium size)
• Oil - 3 tspn
• Coriander leaves - little
• Sambar Masala - 1/2 tspn or chilli powder + coriander powder+ turmeric powder - 1/2 tspsn
• ground pepper - 1/2 tspn

Procedure:

• Heat oil in the pan
• Add the onion and green chillies.
• Add the masala powders and salt
• Fry till the onion is golden brown
• Break the egg and add it directly to the frying onion
• Stir it and cook well till the eggs are cooked well
• Add coriander leaves to garnish
• Serve with Sambar rice, curd rice, chapatti

Nethili Karuvadu (kuchi Karvudu) kuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Kuchi Karuvadu - 3/4 cup
• Onion - 1/2 cup
• Green Chillies -2
• Garlic Pods - 6 (optional)
• Oil - 5 tspn
• Tamarind - little
• Sambar Masala - 1 tspn

Procedure:

• Soak the karuvadu in water for 10 minutes
• Heat oil in the pan
• Add the onion and green chillies, garlic pods (optional)
• Fry till the onion is golden brown
• Add tamarind water and the karuvadu
• Add the sambar masala and little salt
• Add little water and boil it till it becomes thick and oil oozes out 
• This goes well with Rice, dosa, chappati

Carrot Poriyal

Ingredients:

• Carrot - 3 medium size
• Onion - Very little
• mustard seeds and urud dal mix - 1/2 spoon
• Green Chillies -2
• Oil - 3 tspn
• Shredded Coconut - 4 ts[n

Procedure:

• Heat oil in the pan
• Add urud dal, mustard seeds
  
• Add onion and cut green chillies and saute it for a minute
• Shred the carrot using the shredder
• Add the carrot to the pan
• Add little water (around 1/4 cup) and add required salt to it
• Let it cook for few minutes
• After the carrot is cooked, add the shredded coconut
• Take it out of the stove
• Serve with sambar, rasam

Muttai Kuzhambu (Egg Curry)

Ingredients:

• Boiled Egg -3
• Onion - 1/2
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
• Red Chillies - 6
• Oil - 6 tspn
• Coconut - Little less than 1/4 cup

Procedure:

• Heat oil in the pan
• Cut onion into small pieces, Add the onion to the oil and fry
  
• Grind the red chillies, cumin seeds, coconut nicely
• Add the ground mix to the frying onion
• Add salt and bring it to boil adding little water
• remove the hard shell of the eggs and add it to the gravy mix
• Keep the burner low and cook it for few minutes till the oil oozes out of the gravy
• Serve hot with rice or chapatti

Chettinad Chicken Kuruma (kuzhambu)

Ingredients:

• Chicken-1/2 kg
• Onion - 1 (big)
• Tomatoes-2 (small size)
• Garlic-5 pods
• Ginger garlic paste- 2 teaspoons
• Chili powder-1 table spoon
• Coriander powder-2 to 3 table spoons
• lemon juice-2 teaspoons

Marination

• Curd-2 table spoons
• Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
• Chili powder-2 teaspoons
• Salt-2 teaspoons
• Ginger garlic paste-1 teaspoon 

Seasoning

• Cardomom-2
• Cinnamon-2 small pieces
• Clove-2
• Birinji leaf-small piece
• Star anise-a small piece
• Mint leaf-little
• Curry leaf little
• Fennel seed-1 teaspoon

Grinding

• Cocunut-2 table spoons
• Cashewnut-5
• Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Marinate the washed chicken pieces with the items provided above for marination for 1 hour.
• Grind the items in “For Grinding" list to a smooth paste
• Add 1 table spoon of oil in pressure cooker and fry  the items in ‘for Seasoning’ list for a minute
• Cut the onion, tomatoes, garlic and Saute  one by one nicely and add ginger garlic paste
• Add the marinated chicken and saute for 3 minutes
• Add the chilli and coriander powder and 2 to 3 cups of water.
• Add required salt and mix , Close the cooker and cook for a whistle.
• Once it is done,add the ground paste and let the gravy boil for 5 minutes
  
• Once everything is well mixed and the gravy looks right consistency, Switch off the stove
• Add the lemon juice and mix well and Your chettinad chicken gravy is ready
• This dish goes well with White rice
  

Spicy Mutton Masala

Ingredients:

• Mutton-1lb
• coriander seeds-3tsp
• Pepper-2tsp
• Whole Red chillies-7to8(Adjust according to your spice level)
• cumin seeds-1tsp
• Cinnamon-1inch
• Cardamon-2nos
• Cloves-2nos
• Yogurt-1/2cup
• Onions sliced-1medium
• Tomato-1(optional)
• Oil-2tbsp

Procedure:

• Heat a pan and dry roast all the spices,Pepper,coriander seeds,red chillies,cumin,cardamon,Cinnamon,cloves & grind it to a paste with ginger garlic paste.
• Heat Oil in the pan & fry onions till they turn golden brown color
• Add the chopped tomatoes, ground paste,& saute for a couple of minutes
• hen add the yogurt, mutton, salt and little water
• Mix well, cover & cook till the meat is tender or well cooked.
• At this stage check the taste and fry it well till you get the desired consistency.
• This dish goes well with Rice.

Chettinad Mushroom Biryani(kaalan biryani)

Ingredients:

• Mushroom - 200 grams
• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 2
  
• Coriander leaves - Little
• Mint leaves - Little
• Bay leaf - a small leaf
• Lemon extract - 3 to 4 drops
  
• Ghee and Oil - 4 to 5 spoons
• Salt - to taste
• Coconut milk - 1 to 2 cups (Optional)

Grind below ingredients as paste:

• Fennel seeds - 1/2 tspn
• Cinnamon - 2 inch stick
• Cloves - 4
• Green chilies - 4 to 5
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 spoon

Procedure:

• Slice Onion into length-wise. Chop Tomatoes finely. Cut Mushroom into pieces.
• Grind and make a paste of the above mentioned ingredients. Soak Basmati rice for 10 minutes.
  
• Heat Ghee and Oil in the pressure cooker.
• Add Bay leaf and fry for a minute. Add Onion and fry till it turns into golden brown in color.
  
• Add ground paste and fry till raw smell goes off.
• Add Chopped Tomatoes and fry till it becomes soft. Add little salt which makes the tomatoes soft .
  
• Add Mushroom pieces and fry till it becomes little soft.
• Add Coriander and Mint leaves and fry till it becomes wilted.
• Then add soaked Basmati rice and fry for 2 minutes.
• Now add 3 cups of water(either Coconut milk+water or water), Salt and Lemon extract.
• Cover and cook for 1 whistle (depends on cooker - same as cooking rice)
• Serve with thayir vengayam.
  

Prawn Curry (Yera kozhambu)

Ingredients:

• Prawns/Shrimps - 2 cups
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice  - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Grated Coconut - 5 tbsp
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Garlic - 3 cloves of garlic
• Cinnamon - 2 small pieces
• Greenchillies - 3
• Onion -1, finely chopped
• Tomatoes - 3, finely chopped
• Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Oil - 2 tsp

Procedure:

• Marinate the prawns (shrimps) with turmeric powder, chilli powder, lemon juice/and salt for about an hr. Frozen shrimps can be used too. Marinating for an hour helps to the shrimps to thaw and also absorb the flavors.
• Grind the following together - coconut, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, clove and greenchillies to a fine paste, using some water.
• Heat oil in a saucepan and add some fennel seeds. 
• Add finely chopped onions and saute well till the onions turn slightly brown. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are done.
• Add the prawns now and saute for some time and then add the ground paste from Step 2 and stir well.
• Add about 2 cups of water and cover the sauce pan and let it simmer.
• Garnish with a few coriander leaves and it goes well with rice, idli/dosa, chapatti