Kerala varuthu arachu kozhi (chicken) curry

 This recipe is adapted from Recipes are Simple blog. Note that the recipe has about an hour of active cooking time, mostly hands off, so plan accordingly. The prep work for the next steps can be done while the previous step is in progress.

Ingredients

For Coconut paste

• 1 cup fresh or frozen shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1.5 tsp red chili powder
• 2.5 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

For making the curry

• 1 kg naatu kozhi (country chicken) with bone, chopped into bite size pieces.
• 5 medium red onions sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped.
• Ginger garlic paste made with 2tbsp ginger and 10 garlic cloves.
• 4 green chilis, slit
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1.5 tsp garam masala powder (kerala style preferred)
• Coconut oil - 3 tbsp
• Salt
• Curry leaves

Whole Spices (lightly crush in a mortar-pestle)

• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 clove
• 2 green cardamom
• 2 small pieces cinnamon

Method

1. Use 1 tsp kosher salt to salt the chicken, set aside.
2. In a pan, dry toast the coconut on medium heat for 15 minutes till the coconut turns golden brown. Do this on medium heat and with frequent stirring to avoid burning the coconut.
3. Add in the spice powders (kashmiri chili, red chili, coriander and turmeric powders) and stir fry for about 2 mins till the raw powder goes away.
4. Cool the mixture and grind to a fine paste with only as much water needed for grinding (the paste should be thick).
5. Marinate the chicken with the ground coconut paste and set aside while you work on the rest of the ingredients.
6. Add the coconut oil in a pan and add in the onions + salt.
7. Fry till the onion start to change color (about 4 mins) and then add in the ginger-garlic paste.
8. Fry the onion mixture on med-low heat for 8 more mins till the mixture begins to look like a paste.
9. Add in the green chilis, marinated chicken and crushed curry leaves (crush with your hands). Mix well till the chicken begins to change color.
10. Add 1.5 cups water, cover and bring to a boil.
11. Add in the crushed whole spices, garam masala and tomatoes, mix well.
12. Lower heat and cover and cook for 30 mins. Stir in between to avoid burning at the bottom.
13. Open the lid, add the black pepper, some more crushed curry leaves and continue to cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
14. Serve hot with rice or parotta.

Easy naatu kozhi chicken soup

 Another tasty recipe from cookdtv.

Ingredients

• 250g chicken (country chicken/naatu kozhi is a great choice) with bones 
• 1 tsp whole black pepper
• 1 tsp whole black jeera
• 20 small shallots, chopped
• 1 tomato
• 6 cloves peeled garlic
• 1/2 inch piece peeled ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 3 cups water
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup cilantro for garnish.
• 6 curry leaves
• 1 tsp oil

Method

1. Dry toast the jeera and pepper. Pound into a somewhat fine powder in a mortar-pestle and set aside.
2. Crush ginger and garlic in a mortar and pestle and set aside.
3. Add oil in a pressure cooker. Add in shallots and stir fry till onion starts to change color (about 3 mins).
4. Add the crushed ginger-garlic and stir fry for 2 mins.
5. Add chopped tomato and salt. Stir fry till the tomato starts to disintegrate.
6. Add turmeric and crushed jeera-pepper and stir fry for a min.
7. Add the chicken and curry leaves and mix well.
8. Add 3 cups of water, close the cooker and pressure cook for 12 mins on medium flame.
9. When the pressure releases naturally, garnish with chopped cilantro.
10. Serve hot as is or with a dollop of butter (if you find too spicy) or with more pepper (if you do not find it spicy enough).

Dhaba Chicken Curry

 This scrumptious chicken curry recipe comes from cook'd whom I follow on instagram (handle: cookdtv). The recipe is slightly adapted.

Ingredients

• Chicken with bone - 500g
• Oil - 2.5 tbsp
• Cinnamon - 2 inch piece
• Cloves - 3
• Black cardamom - 1
• Green cardamom - 5 (no need to split open before adding, just crush lightly)
• Red onions, sliced - 1.5 cups
• Green chilli - 1
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Tomato - 1 cup, grind into fine paste.
• Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1tbsp
• Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tbsp (adjust to taste)
• 2 cups water
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
• Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp

Final tempering

• Ghee - 1.5 tsp
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• Chopped ginger - 1 tsp

Method

1. Heat up oil and add whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, green and black cardamom).
2. Add sliced onions and stir till they are golden brown.
3. Add gg paste, green chili, all spice powders and salt. Sauté for 20 seconds.
4. Add tomato puree, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add chicken pieces and sauté for 2 minutes
6. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Then cover with a lid and cook on low flame for 20 minutes or till chicken is cooked.
7. Adjust for salt.
8. Add in chopped coriander leaves and crushed methi leaves, mix well and remove from heat.
9. For the final tempering, heat ghee in a small pan and add the chopped ginger. Once the ginger changes color, add in the red chili powder and turn off the flame.
10. Add tempering to the chicken curry and mix well.

Perfect Rava Upma

Very basic upma recipe but which gets it right. 

 Ingredients 

• 1 cup fine semolina (rava) 
• 3/4 tsp regular salt 
• 1 medium size onion, chopped 
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas 
• 2.5 cups water

 For tempering 

• 1 tsp channa dal 
• 1 tsp urad dal 
• 1 tsp mustard seeds 
• 1 sprig curry leaves 
• 1 pinch asafoetida 
• 1 tsp chopped ginger (optional) 
• 2 slit green chilies 
• 2 tbsp oil + 1 tsp oil 

 Method 

1. Add 1 tsp oil to a saute pan and toast fine semolina in it till the raw smell disappears. Remove from heat and set aside before the semolina starts turning brown. 
2. Add 2 tbsp oil and add the tempering ingredients in the following order: channa dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, ginger (if using) and asafoetida. 
3. Add chopped onions, salt and saute till it is translucent.
4. Add green peas. 
5. Add 2.5 cups of water and bring to a rolling boil. 
6. Lower heat, add the roasted semolina to the pan with one hand while stirring the mixture with the other. 
7. When all the liquid has been absorbed, cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes. 
8. Turn of heat, remove lid and give the contents a stir. Serve hot.

Chicken Shawarma

 This recipe makes super tasty chicken shawarma. The list of of marinating ingredients is long but there is absolute minimal work involved in cooking. This is slightly adapted from the book Sababa by Adena Sussman.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 464g skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1lb)

Method

1. Marinate the chicken using all the ingredients listed above. Make sure to rub the pieces well so that the marinade penetrates.

2. Chicken should be marinated for at least 30 minutes or overnight in refrigerator.

3. Bring chicken to room temperature if too chill.

4. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat till hot.

5. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer on the pan. Cook for 7 minutes without disturbing (do not cover the pan, you can use a splatter guard if needed).

6. Flip chicken and continue to cook for 7 more minutes.

7. Remove chicken to a cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes and then sliced into medium-think pieces.

8. Serve in warm pitas with lettuce and dressing (tahini or any middle eastern style creamy dressing). You can even added grilled veggies or picked onions etc.

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.