Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken

Many of us would order Tandoori Chicken for Appetizer, when visiting hotel. Preparing Tandoori chicken is quite easy. It just involves two steps. Marinating the chicken and cooking it.Then for what are you waiting for.. Here is the recipe..

Ingredients:

Chicken ( cut into big pieces)             - 1 kg
Curd                                                    - 200gm
Ginger Garlic Paste                             - 2 tbsp
Chilli Powder                                      - 3 tsp
Cumin Powder                                    - 2 tsp
Coriander Powder                               - 3 tsp
Turmeric Powder                                - a pinch
Garam Masala Powder                       - 2 tsp
Pepper Powder                                   - 1 tsp
Chat Masala                                       - 1 tsp
kasthuri Methi                                    - 2 tsp
Oil                                                      - 1 tbsp
lemon juice                                        - 1 tsp
Salt                                                     - As required

Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients and keep the chicken marinated in Freezer for at-least 24 hrs.
2. Take out the chicken 2 hrs before you are going to start cooking.
3. Preheat the oven to 220 degree Celsius.
4. Place the marinated chicken in preheated oven for 30 - 45 minutes.
5. Keep on checking in- between
6. Serve it with Curd mixed with Green Chutney

Thakkali Rava Uppuma (Tomato Rava Uppuma)

Looking for an alternative for rava uppuma?? This Tomato rava uppuma will help you. Tanginess of tomato enhances uppuma taste. The recipe follows..

Recipe For :2

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Rava                        - 1 cup

Big Onion               - 1 

Tomato                   - 1

Chopped Ginger   - 2 tsp

Green Chili             - 1

Curry Leaves          - few

Mustard Seeds       - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dal                  - 1/4 tsp

Channa Dal             - 1/4 tsp

Cashew Nuts           - 4-6 (optional)

Salt                           - As required

Turmeric Powder    - a pinch

Oil                              - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

• Dry roast rava till it leaves nice aroma. Take it out in a plate. Chop Big Onion and tomato finely. Slit Green chili. Make sure Ginger is finely chopped.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds , Urad dal and channa dal. If you wish you can also add Cashew nuts. 
• After they splutter add chopped onion, Ginger , Green chili and curry leaves to it.
• When the onions turn translucent, add chopped tomatoes. After both onions and tomatoes are cooked well add 2.5 cups of water to it.
• Add also salt and Turmeric powder.
• When the water boils, add roasted rava in small instances. Keep on stirring in between to avoid the lumps.
• Cook for 3- 5 minutes till rava has absorbed all its water. Serve it hot... Tastes good with Coconut Chutney.. You can also add vegetables like carrot, peas to make the recipe much more healthier.

Oats Veg Uppuma

Today's recipe is a tasty alternative to oats porridge.  Oats Veg uppuma.. Similar to Rava and Semiya we can also prepare uppuma using Oats. I have also added vegetables to make the dish much more healthier. Give this recipe a try, for a change... The recipe follows..

Recipe For : 2

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Oats                        - 1 cup
Carrot                      - 1 (medium size)
Fresh Peas            - Handful
 Big Onion              - 1
Green Chillies        - 2
Chopped Ginger    - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder   - a pinch
Salt                          - As required
Mustard seeds       - 1/4 tsp
Channa dal            - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal                  - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves         - few
Oil                            - 1 tbsp
Water                       - 2. cups

Procedure:

1. Dry roast oats till it leaves a beautiful aroma. See to that you don't burn it. After that take it out in a plate. Chop Big onion lengthwise. Slit Green Chilies. Chop carrot into little bigger pieces. Boil carrot and peas. Finely chop Ginger.
2. Heat oil in  a pan.
3. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal.
4. When they splutter, add chopped onions,Ginger, slit green chilies and curry leaves.
5. After the onions turn translucent, add cooked carrot and peas.
6. Add all the water, turmeric powder and salt.
7. When the water boils , reduce the flame and add oats in small instances so that no lumps are formed.
8. wait till the water evaporates and serve with sambar and Chutney Of your Choice.oats 

Instant Oats - Moong Dal Dosai

Instant Oats Moong Dal Dosai

Oats Porridge for dinner tonight??  Spend another ten minutes and prepare this instant oats dosai. This is another alternative to boring Oats porridge.. This dosai is very soft and tasty. You can prepare it instantly.. No need to ferment the batter.. It can be made easily and quickly.. Give this recipe a try!!

Ingredients:

Oats                   - 1.5 cups

Moong Dal        - 1 cup   (Pasi Parupu)

Pepper               - 2 tsp

Big Onion         - 1

Green Chilli      - 1

Salt                    - As required

Curry Leaves     - few

Gingely Oil       - for dosai

Procedure:

• Dry roast oats in  a pan, until it leaves a nice aroma. Let it cool and powder the oats.
• Dry roast Moong Dal and pepper in  a pan.let it cool.. Then grind moong dal and pepper coarsely, adding enough water. Take out in a pan.
• Add powdered oats to that of moon dal paste. Add salt  and mix well. Add enough water to get dosa batter consistency. Let the batter sit idle for 15 minutes.
• Finely chop onions, green chilli and curry leaves. Add it to the batter and start preparing Dosai..
• Serve it with Chutney Of your choice...
• I am serving it with Onion-Coconut Chutney..

Sooji Dhokla (Rava Dhokla)

This Dhokla recipe uses Rava for variation. I used to prepare this for dinner. It tastes so good with spicy chutneys. We had it with Garlic Chutney. Give a try to this Rava Dhokla once,when you are about to prepare Rava Idli...Both uses more or less same ingredients only..

The recipe follows..

Recipe For : 2

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Sooji                     - 1 cup (Rava)
Yogurt                  - 1 cup (Curd)
Water                    - 1 cup
Chopped Ginger   - 1 tsp
Baking Soda         - 1 tsp
Salt                       - As required

For Tampering Dhoklas:

Mustard Seeds    - 1/4 tsp
Green Chili         - 2
Lemon                 - 1/2
Coriander Leaves- few
Curry Leaves       - few
Sugar                    - a pinch
Salt                       - As required
Water                   - 1/4 cup
Oil                        - 2 tsp

Procedure:

• Take a bowl, Add Rava, yogurt and water to it. Add also Baking soda, chopped Ginger, enough salt and mix everything well. Set it aside for 30 minutes. You can also use Eno salt instead of Baking soda. It is added to make Dhoklas fluff.
• Take another bowl. Add water,lemon juice, salt,sugar , coriander leaves and curry leaves to it. Saute Mustard seeds and Green chili in oil and add it to the bowl .Now tampering for our Dhokla is ready.
• After 30 minutes, take a deep pan. I used cake pan for this. Place Banana leaf in the pan and add batter to it. steam it for about 20 minutes. You can also use Baking Paper instead or you can grease the pan very well with Oil. You can check whether its cooked  by inserting a tooth pick in the Dhokla. Steam Dhoklas in high flame for first 5 minutes and then steam it in medium flame for remaining time.
• After Dhokla is cooked, cut into shape you wish. Add the seasoning water over Dhokla.
• Enjoy Dhoklas hot!!!

Samba Rava Bath

Samba Rava Bath

A very healthy dish which is very tasty too.. Ideal breakfast for Diabetic patients. Procedure is much similar to normal white rava. I have added only carrot and Peas. Can add Boiled potato, French beans, tomato too..  Garam Masala lovers can start the tempering with whole Garam Masal ( Cloves, Cinnamon, Aniseeds etc).

Ingredients:

Samba Rava ( Godhumai Rava)        - 1 cup
Chopped and Boiled carrot                - 1
Boiled Peas                                        - Handful
 Big Onion ( Chopped Lengthwise)   - 1
Slitted Green Chillies                         - 1
Finely Chopped Ginger                      - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder                                - a pinch
Salt                                                     - As required
Oil                                                      - As required
Water                                                 - 2.5 cups

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds
Channa dhalUrad dhal
Curry Leaves

Procedure:

1. Dry roast samba rava till it leaves a beautiful aroma. See to that you don't burn rava.
2. Heat oil in  a pan.
3. Add the things mentioned under tempering
4. Add Onion, ginger and Green chillies
5. Add little water so that onion gets cooked softly.
6. Add boiled peas and carrot.
7. Add all the water, turmeric powder and salt.
8. When the water boils , reduce the flame and add rava in small instances so that no lumps are formed.
9. wait till the water evaporates and serve with Coconut Chutney

Ulundu Bonda (Urad Dal Bonda)

Ulundu Bonda (Urad Dal Bonda)

Ulundu Bonda is the best alternative for regular Ulundu Vadais. And the best thing is instead of deep frying it in oil, you can also use paniyaram pan for preparing this Bonda.. I always prefer paniyaram style of preparing this Bonda.. By that, you can enjoy the original taste in a low calorie way.. Left side is the  Paniyaram style Bonda and in the right side, its the deep fried one.

Here is the recipe..

Ingredients: (Makes around 15 small vadais)

Urad Dal               - 1 cup  (Uluntham Parupu)

Whole Pepper       - 1 tsp

Green Chilli          - 1

Chopped Ginger   - 1 tbsp

Chopped Coconut - 2 tbsp

Asafoetida             - a pinch (Perungayam)

Coriander Leaves  - few

Curry Leaves         - few

Salt                        - As required

Oil                         - For Deep Frying

Procedure:

• Soak Urad dal in enough water for 1.5-2 hrs. After that grind it into a smooth batter along with Ginger and Green chillies.
• Add whole pepper, assafoetida, chopped coconut,coriander leaves, curry leaves and enough salt to the batter.
• Make sure coconut is chopped very fine.
• If you are going to use paniyaram pan, add little oil to the pan. When the pan is hot add little batter to the pan. When the paniyaram is cooked on one side, slightly flip to the other side. Take the bonda out, when both sides are cooked.
• If you are going to deep fry in oil, take a little batter with hands and fry in oil.
• Serve Bonda hot, with coconut chutney.

Thinai Arisi - Agathikeerai Kuzhi Paniyaram (Foxtail Millet - August tree leaves Kuzhi Paniyaram)

Today's recipe is an innovative kuzhi paniyaram prepared with Thinai arisi (foxtail millet) and Agathikeerai (August tree leaves).

Thinai arisi is one of the best millets for diabetics since it slowly releases sugar into blood stream. It is rich in phytic acid which reduces cholesterol level and it is also rich in phytate which reduces cancer risks. To add the goodness i have added agathi keerai to it which is rich in calcium and Iron and hence its essential for bone strength.

This recipe is the best and tastiest way to include both millet and keerai in our diet. The recipe follows..

Yields : Around 25 Kuzhipaniyaram

Preparation Time : 10 minutes + Time for Grinding and Fermentation

 Ingredients:  

Thinai Arisi                                   - 1 cup (Foxtail millet)

Agathi Keerai                               - 3 handful (August Tree leaves)
Urad dal                                       - 1/4 cup
vendhayam ( fenugreek seeds)   - 1/4 tsp
Salt                                               - very little 

Mustard Seeds                             - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dal                                       - 1/4 tsp

Channa Dal                                  - 1/4 tsp

Big onion                                       -1

Chopped Green Chilies                - Few

Chopped Ginger                            - Few

Procedure: 

• Soak everything Thinai Arisi, Urad dal, vendhayam for at-least 5 hours. Then grind it. Let the batter ferment for the whole night.
• Wash well agathi keerai. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal to it. When they turn golden brown add chopped onions, chopped green chili, chopped ginger to it. After the onions turn translucent, add agathi keerai to it saute for 3 minutes and then add everything to the batter. Add also enough salt. 
• Heat a paniyaram pan.. Add Gingely oil to it.
• When its hot, add batter.. When the paniyaram is cooked on one side, slightly flip it to the other side.
• Remove from heat when its cooked on both sides and enjoy!!!
• I am serving it with Tomato Garlic Chutney.

Masala Idli

Masala Idli

This is my kid's favorite recipe... When ever i prepare Idli for Breakfast, will  cook 2 more Idlis together.  Will prepare this Masala Idli with those Idlis  for dinner. My kid just loves this idli. You can easily prepare this dish with the left-over idlis. 

Idli is such a healthy Breakfast. You can try giving this dish to those who don't even like idli also.. The masalas and vegetables added, enhance the taste of this idli.

Here is the recipe..

Ingredients: (Recipe For 1)

Idli                            - 3

Big Onion                 - 1

Carrot                        - 1 (small)

Chopped Cabbage     - a handful

Green Peas                 - a handful

Capsicum                   - 1/2

Tomato                       - 1

Ginger-Garlic Paste   - 1 tbsp

Salt                             - As required

Turmeric Powder       - a pinch

Chilli Powder             - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala            - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves              - few

Procedure:

• Boil Green Peas. Chop Big onion, Carrot and capsicum finely.
• Cut idli into chunks.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and curry leaves.
• After the onions are translucent, add Ginger-Garlic paste.
• Saute till raw flavor goes off. After that add all the chopped vegetables except tomato.
• After some time, add chopped tomatoes.
• Add salt, turmeric and chilli powder to the pan.
• Mix well the masala with the vegetables and add Idli chunks.
• Mix everything well together  and cook for another 15 minutes.
• Add Garam Masala  Powder and serve immediately.
• Serve with Chutney Of Your Choice.

Oats Kuzhipaniyaram (Step - wise pictures)

Oats kuzhipaniyaram ( Step - Wise Pictures)

Its one of the best alternatives to usual oats porridge. Adding dals to oats make the dish tasty. I bet who don't like the taste of oats will also like this dish. All you need is a Kuzhipaniyaram pan.

Ingredients:

Oats                                                - 2 cups

Toor Dal ( Thuvaram Parupu)       - 1/4 cup

Channa Dal (Kadalai Parupu)        - 1/4 cup

Red Chilli                                       - 1

For Seasoning:

Big onion                                        -1

Chopped Green Chillies                 - Few

Chopped Coriander                        - Few

Chopped Curry Leaves                  - Few

Chopped Ginger                             - Few

picture 1

  

picture 2

picture 3

Procedure:

1. Soak both dals at-least for three hours.
2. Grind it along with red chilli, Once dals get broken add oats. (picture 1).
3. Add everything under seasoning (picture 2).
4. Heat the kuzhi paniyaram chatti. Add oil.. Pour batter.. Carefully turn the paniyaram once its done with one side.
5. Serve it with any chutney or Ketchup..

Chola Kuzhi Paniyaram (Jowar Kuzhi Paniyaram)

When compared to Rice and Wheat, Cholam (Jowar) has more calcium , Iron , Protein and Fiber. It also helps to reduce Cholesterol levels. Cholam is very good for heart.  Here is the easy, exciting and healthy Chola Paniyaram.

Here is the recipe..

Yields : 50 Kuzhipaniyaram

Preparation Time : 10 minutes + Time for Grinding and Fermentation

 Ingredients: 

For Batter: 

Cholam                                        - 1 cup
Urad dhal                                     - 1/4 cup
vendhayam ( fenugreek seeds)   - 1/4 tsp
Salt                                              - very little 

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds                              - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dal                                        - 1/4 tsp

Channa Dal                                   - 1/4 tsp

Big onion                                        -1

Chopped Green Chillies                 - Few

Chopped Coriander                        - Few

Chopped Curry Leaves                  - Few

Chopped Ginger                             - Few

Procedure: 

• Soak everything under 'For Batter' for at-least 5 hours. Then grind it. Let the batter ferment for the whole night.
• Do the seasoning, and add it to the batter.
• Heat a paniyaram pan.. Add Gingely oil to it.
• When its hot, add batter.. When the paniyaram is cooked on one side, slightly flip it to the other side.
• Remove from heat when its cooked on both sides and enjoy!!!
• I am serving it with Garlic Chutney.