Chettinadu recipes are one of our favorites. Chettinadu recipes have a nice blend of spices which makes it unique and adds the taste and flavor to the dish.
Mutton takes longer time to cook without pressure cooker. With the pressure cooker 3-5 whistles cooks mutton well done. If the pressure cooker is not used, it has to be cooked for at least an hour.
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Star Anise / Annasi Poo
Kari Ayam / Malaysian Curry Chicken
When I went to meet my friend in Chicago, we had been to Penang Restaurant for dinner. I never have been to any Malaysian restaurant before but N does many times, since his parents lived in Malaysia for quite a long time.
They all suggested me Roti Canai with the Chicken curry. I very much fell in love with those after having them. Hence I added it to my priority recipes list to prepare at home. The roti canai tasted much like our Ceylon parota but very thin and the chicken curry is different from what we cook. It’s not too much loaded with spicy aroma though it had all the spices we use. I noticed they add coconut milk instead of ground coconut and also the curry gets rich yellow color coz of lot of turmeric.
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Mutton Biryani / Aatu Kari Biryani
Say Kongunadu style Mutton biryani. Well, not exactly but this is how all type of biriyani’s are cooked at my home since I remember. But the marination part has never been done, since I get tough meat here I started marinating. Meat tenderizer can also be added while marinating, but I skipped that step.
Hmm… Sunday with biriyani cooked at home for lunch, who would say no. I normally skip breakfast on Sundays and I start counting the minutes as soon as my mom starts preparing. The aroma spreads the house makes u to feel more hungry. When my mom says it’s done, yes that’s the moment I have been waiting for and I eat more than usual. I should say biryani with some non-veg gravy and raitha is the great combo I have ever had.
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Prawn Biryani / Shrimp Biryani
An easy Eral Biryani from Tamilnadu !!
- Fresh or Frozen Shrimp ( Medium Sized ) – 15 no
- Basmati Rice/ Jeera Samba Rice – 1 1/2 cup
- Oil – 2 tsp
- Bay Leaves – 3 no
- Cloves – 2 no
- Cinnamon – 1 inch
- Cardamom – 2 no
- Star Anise – 1 no
- Onion – 1 ( Medium )
- Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
- Tomatoes – 2 no
- Green Chili – 4 no
- Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
- Biriyani Masala Powder – 1 tsp ( optional )
- Coriander leaves – 3 tbsp
- Mint leaves – 3 tbsp
- Ghee – 1 tsp ( optional )
- Cashew – 5 no ( optional )
- Salt – to taste
- Water – 3 cup
- Yogurt – 3 tsp
- Coconut Milk – 1 cup ( optional )
- Soak rice for 30 min, wash it thoroughly and drain the water. Clean the shrimp, remove tails, head and devein, wash thoroughly. Chop Onion, tomato, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Slit open green chili. Grind ginger and garlic paste.
- In a pressure cooker add oil. When hot, add Bay Leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. Add the chopped Onion immediately and 1/4 tsp of salt. When the onion turns brown, add the ginger garlic pate. Fry this till raw smell leaves, approximately 3 min in medium flame. Stir often to avoid the burn. Add the green chili, mint & coriander leaves and fry for 1 min. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till it becomes gravy.
- Add the Shrimp and fry for until it’s cooked in the oil. Water released from the shrimp is good enough to cook it. Add the turmeric, biryani masala powder, yogurt, coconut milk and water. Add the rice and mix well for 2 min in Medium flame. Check for salt. Add ghee and mix well.
- Close the cooker lid and pressure cook for 2 whistles and reduce the flame to the lowest setting and allow it to stay for 30 min. Garnish with extra coriander leaves and add cashew nuts.
Nattu Kozhi Kulambu / Chicken Gravy
This is some what similar to the way we prepare chicken kuzhambu at kongunadu houses. We don’t add star anise, black stone flower. I added those to get the extra aroma which suites well for idili and dosa. Preparing this with the whole chicken gives an extra ordinary taste. Chicken thighs or breasts can also be substituted but will get the taste little closer to the original.