Camarones Rancheros (ranch-style shrimp)

 We ordered  Camarones Racheros from a Mexican restaurant last week. The shrimp dish tasted lip-smackingly good. I thought there would be a long ingredient list and complex cooking behind the delicious taste but was amazed to find simple recipes when I searched for recipes with this title.

I had my own doubts about the taste when I adapted from this and this recipe to make the dish - it just seemed too simple to yield great taste. Boy - was  I wrong! What a great big bang for the buck. This recipe comes together in a very short while and is very flavorful. Use the freshest shrimp you can find for the best taste.

Ingredients

• About 1lb shrimp - deveined and cleaned.
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive or any other vegetable oil
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped (retain seeds from one half only, you can add more seeds if needed later)
• 1 tsp chicken bouillion
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste.
• 2 handfuls of chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)

Method

1. Heat a saute pan over the stove and add in butter and oil.
2. Add in onions and saute till translucent.
3. Add in jalapeno and saute for 3 minutes.
4. Add in the garlic and chicken boullion and give it a stir.
5. Add in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for 3 mins.
6. Cover with a lid and simmer for 12 minutes.
7. Add in the shrimp and cook uncovered till shrimp is no longer pink. You will need to flip around the shrimp mid way through to ensure even cooking. This should take from 4-10 mins depending upon how big your shrimp are
8. Turn off heat, Add in the chopped cilantro and stir well.
9. Serve hot with rice.

Chicken Thanni Kuzhambu

This recipe is adapted from Jinoo's kitchen's thanni kuzhambu recipe. This is a great recipe and tastes especially great with dosai.

Note: I typically make the thanni kuzhambu powder in bulk and store in freezer. See the recipe for the thanni kuzhambu powder at the end.

Ingredients

• 2 cups shallots
• 1/3 cup coconut 
• 2 + 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 kg chicken
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 heaped tbsp thanni kulambu podi
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1+ 1 cup water.
• 2 sprigs coriander leaves.

Method

1. Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in a pressure cooker. Add and fry shallots and 2 sprigs curry leaves for 2 mins.

2. Add coconut and fry for a minute more.

3. Transfer to a mixie, add 2 tbsp of the thanni kuzhambu podi and grind to a fine paste.

4. In the same pressure cooker, add in chicken, turmeric powder and gg paste. Saute for a few mins.

5. Add 1 cup of water and salt. Cover and cook for 10 mins (for broiler chicken) or 20 mins (for nattu chicken) till 3/4th done.

6. Add in the remaining curry leaves, salt and the thanni kuzhambu paste and 1 cup of water. Pressure cook for 10 mins.

7. Once pressure comes down, add a couple sprigs chopped coriander leaves as garnish.

Thanni Kuzhambu podi

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coriander seeds
• 12-15 red chillis
• 2 tbsp each of cumin seeds, pepper corns and fennel seeds
• 3 2 inch cinnamon sticks
• 5 cloves
• 2 tbsp rice

Method

1. Dry roast coriander seeds and chillis till toasted. Set aside.

2. Dry roast the rest of the ingredients together till the rice starts puffing up.

3. Grind everything to a smooth powder.

Oven roasted channa dal

This is an addictive and healthy snack. Recipe is adapted from here: https://loveisinmytummy.com/2016/06/oven-roasted-chana-dal.html

Ingredients

Channa dal (split) - 1 cup, dry.

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red chili powder

About 1 tbsp olive (or other vegetable) oil

Method.

1. Soak channa dal for an hour.

2.  Pressure cook with 1 tsp of salt and 3 cups of water for exactly 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. An Instant Pot works great here as you can soak the channa dal and use the delay function to start the cooking after an hour.

3. Drain the boiled channa and lay to dry on a towel for at least an hour.

4. Pre-heat oven to 400F. 

5. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil with a thin layer of cooking spray.

6. In a bowl, toss the channa dal, garlic powder and oil. Spread the mixture on the lined baking sheet.

7. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes.

8. Take out the tray, stir the channa dal a bit and put it back in for another 10  minutes.

9. Check for doneness. If the channa is still soft, stir again and then bake for another 5-15 minutes (best to check at 5 minute intervals to avoid burning. Stir the channa dal each time you pull the tray out to ensure even roasting). Channa dal should be golden brown and crisp (but not hard) when it is done.

10. Transfer the channa dal to a heat proof dish and toss with the chili powder when the dal is still warm. Add more salt as needed. Use a couple drops of oil while tossing if it seems like the chili powder is not sticking to the dal.

11. Let it cool down completely and then transfer to an air-tight container.

Mutton Vellai Kurma

 A mild, light mutton kurma from Parvathy's kitchen on YouTube. This is run by my friend's mom and she has some very authentic recipes which are well explained and have great results. I have transcribed it  just to make it easier to follow while cooking.

Ingredients

• 500g Mutton
• 200g shallots
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 potato
• 4 heaped tsp coriander powder
• 6 slit green chillies
• 2 sprig curry leaves
• 4 tbsp coconut oil

To grind to a fine paste

• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 10 cashews

For tempering (round 1)

• 1 brinji leaves
• 2 pieces cinnamon
• 2 cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 start anise
• Big pinch kalpasi

For tempering (round 2)

• 10 broken cashews
• 1 tsp sombu
• Curry leaves
• 1 tsp ghee

Method

1. In a pressure cooker, add the coconut oil. When it heats up, add all tempering ingredients in round 1.
2. Add shallots and fry till it gets soft.
3. Add green chillies and curry leaves and chopped garlic.
4. Saute for 3 minutes.
5. Add coriander powder.
6. Add mutton and saute till mutton gets heated up.
7. Add the salt and the whole unpeeled potato.
8. Close cooker lid and pressure cook for 20 minutes after first whistle.
9. For the final tempering, add 1 tsp ghee to a pan and add sombu, cashew and curry leaves. Add tempering to cooked mutton.
10. Mash the potato and add it back to the mutton.
11. Once mixture starts boiling, add the cocount paste.
12. Bring it to a boil and allow to boil for 2 mins. Switch off heat.

Karamani Sundal

From Gita Iyer (Agraharam YouTube videos)

Ingredients
Black eyed peas (karamani) - 1 cup, soaked for a few hours and pressure cooked with salt for 5 mins.
Red chillis - 6
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Dhania seeds - 1 tbsp
Uncooked rice - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Tempering:
Oil
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaves- a few
Red chillis - 1

Method

1. Dry roast the following ingredients together in the same order: channa dal, red chillis, dhania seeds, raw rice, curry leaves, hing. Grind to rava-like consistency in the mixie.
2. Temper with tempering ingredients and add in the cooked karamani. Stir fry till all water has evaporated.
3. Sprinkle ground powder per  taste and adjust for salt. 
4. Store any remaining powder in air-tight container for future use.

Ellu sadham

From Gita Iyer (Agraharam YouTube videos)

Ingredients
Black sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
Urad dal - 1/8 cup
Red chillis - 4 long
Curry leaves  - 10
Salt
Rice (sona masoori, ponni etc) - 1 cup uncooked - cook it like you regularly would.

Tempering:
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Method

1. Dry roast the urad and the red chillis and curry leaves till urad turns red/brown. Set aside
2. Toast sesame seeds till it pops/becomes crunchy. 
3. Cool both urad and sesame seeds into a slightly coarse mixture. Use short pulses else sesame seeds will exude oil and the mixture will turn into a big glop.
4. Add tempering ingredients into a pan and when mustard pops, add the ground powder.
5. Mix the ellu podi with rice as required and serve.

Peerkangai Kootu

From Gita Iyer (Agraharam YouTube videos)

Ingredients
Peerkangai (ridge gourd) - 2 medium size
Green chilli - 1 
Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Milk 1-2 tbsp
Pottu kadalai - 1 tbsp
Moong + tur dal - 1/3 cup (pressure cook with turmeric, salt and 1/2 tsp jeera)

Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Coconut oil

Method

1. Cook chopped peerkangai with turmeric and salt till done.
2. Microwave coconut with a few tbsp of milk for a minute.
3. Grind poppy seeds + coconut + green chilli + pottu kadalai.
4. Add the boiled dal to the cooked peerkangai and bring to a boil for 10 mins
5. Add the coconut paste and bring to a boil and switch of heat.
6. Temper with the tempering ingredients.

Paruppu usili

Again, from Gita Iyer (Agraharam recipes YouTube)

I usually make the whole amount of the steamed usili mixture specified below and split it into two and freeze one of the halves. It de-freezes beautifully (take out of the freezer the previous night and put it into the regular refrigerator section) to make another batch of paruppu usili. If you do that, reduce the beans amount by half.

Ingredients
Tur dal 1/2 cup (soak for 2 hours)
Channa dal 1/2 cup (soak for 2 hours)
Red chillis - 6
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 10
Salt
Green beans - About 40 (chopped)

Tempering:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method
1. Grind the soaked dals with red chilis, turmeric, hing, curry leaves and salt. No extra water should be added and it should be ground a little coarsely.
2. Put the ground dal mixture into a pan making little depressions here and there and pressure cook this for 12 minutes.
3. When the usili is cooled down, crumble it with your fingers.
4. Add a generous amount of oil to a pan and pop the mustard seeds.
5. Add the chopped beans with a little water and cook till beans are soft (should not be mushy)
6. Add the usili mixture, mix well and roast till you can see brown spots here and there.

Thani kuzhambu with pumpkin

Another one from Gita Iyer (Agraharam recipes YouTube)

Ingredients
Red chilles 5
Channa dal 1 tbsp
Dhania seed 1 tbsp
Urad dal 1 tbsp
Shredded coconut - 3 tbsp
Tamarind extract 1/2-1tsp (depending on how sour you want it)
Jaggery - 1 small piece
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 10
Pumpkin about 1/4 kg - cut into pieces and cooked with salt and turmeric

To temper
Channa dal - 2 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Coconut oil

Method

1. Roast red chillies, channa dal, dhania seeds and urad dal till it begins to change color. Then add the coconut and continue roasting it till coconut turns light brown. Add the curry leaves. Grind this roasted mixture into a fine paste.
2. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add all tempering ingredients. When mustard begins to pop, add the tamarind extract mixture (mix concentrate with water if using concentrate) and the jaggery.
3. When above mixture comes to a boil, add salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric and boil.
4. Add the pumpkin and let the flavors blend in
5. Add the ground coconut paste and bring to a boil and switch off heat.

Vaazhakkai kootu kuzhambu

Another winner from Gita Iyer (Agraharam YouTube videos)

Ingredients
Tur dal - 1/4 cup (pressure cook with a little turmeric)
Black eyed beans - 3 tbsp cooked with salt
Raw banana - 1 medium size, chopped into bite size pieces
Coconut 1/4 cup
Urad dal 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
Tamarind extract (1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate)
Salt

To temper
Coconut oil
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Method

1. Fry 1/2 tsp urad + 1/4 cup coconute + 1 sprig curry leaves. Urad dal should be roasted but coconut should not brown.
2. Mix chopped raw banana, sambhar powder, tamarind extract, cooked black beans (there should hardly be any water in this mixsture) and salt. Pressure cook for 1 whistle (turn off stove after first whistle.
3. Boil the pressure cooked raw banana mixture on the stove with a little water till the raw smell goes off.
4. Add the cooked tur dal to the above mixture and let it boil for 10 mins.
5. Add the ground coconut paste the boiled mixture and bring to a boil. Adjust for salt and turn off heat.
6. Season with all the tempering ingredients.

Keerai Poricha Kootu

I have a bunch of delicious recipes from the fabulous Gita Iyer of Agraharam (YouTube) fame. I am noting them all down for my own reference.

Ingredients
Whole green moong dal - 1 cup
Urad dal - 2tsp
Red chilles (dry) 2
Black whole pepper 1/4 tsp
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Spinach - 1 big bunch
Curry leaves - a few
Salt
Coconut oil

For tempering
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Coconut oil

Method:
1. Cook whole green moong dal for 15 minutes in pressure cooker.
2. Roast 2tsp urad dal and curry leaves in coconut oil till urad dal is well roasted (red/brown color).
3. Grind urad dal + curry leaves from above with raw coconut.
4. Cook spinach with a couple tablespoons of water and salt till it is wilted and cooked.
5. Add the cooked green moong dal to the cooked spinach and let it boil for 10 minutes.
6. Add the ground coconut mixture to the cooked spinach-moong dal and let it come to boil and switch off heat immediately. Adjust for salt if needed.
7. Temper with mustard and urad dal (no hing or curry leaves).