chettinad to hindu goan cuisine

Kerala Chicken Roast

2011-03-27T14:25:00.006+01:00

Kerala Chicken Roast - As the name derives it's from Kerala but not a "Roast" dish as in the British cooking term. Here the word "Roast" means marinated diced Chicken cooked on a pan or a griddle.

(Like many others....)When I started my career as a professional chef this is the first dish which I was "allowed" to work/ marinate on my own. Only senior chef(s) add spices to any meat/ fish items & the trainees or newly joined commis mix it together.

It's a very simple dish still it will be a winner in any menu.

Diced Chicken thighs - 500 gms
Chilli powder - 20 gms
Coriander powder - 15 gms
Cumin powder - 10 gms
Turmeric powder - 2 gms
Curd - 10 ml
Garam masala powder (optional)- 5 gms
Coconut oil - 20 ml
Salt
Curry leaves - Few sprigs
Ginger- Garlic paste - 10 gms
Lemon - 1 No'

Marinate the chicken with half the amount of salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder & ginger-garlic paste. In a bowl add rest of the ingredients except the lemon.

Add the chicken to the marinade. Cover & leave it in a fridge for a minimum of 5-6 hours.

Heat a pan, add little amount of oil. Place the chicken & cook it on a medium heat for approximately 5-6 minutes.

Turn it around & repeat the process.

Make sure Chicken is cooked thorough.

Arrange it in a platter & squeeze fresh lemon juice just before serving.

Chef's tip :

1) Coconut oil can be substitued with any other cooking oil.

2) Curryleaves can be fried, crushed before adding to the marination. It will give a nice flavour.

3) Place the chicken in the oven & cook it around 170*C for 15 minutes. This is just to make your cooking easier ( No need to keep cleaning the pan every now & then)

Aappam- Hoppers

2011-02-20T12:00:00.007Z

Aappam (Hoppers) aka Aappum is a common food in Tamil nadu, Kerala & even in Srilankan cuisine.

It's often eaten as breakfast
Aappam is a delicacy made out of fermented rice batter. "kallu" (Toddy) is used to ferment the batter.

To make one understand I would like to relate Aappam as "Dosa's" cousin. Ofcourse the cooking techinque & the shape is different. Unlike Dosa it's not crispy but have a spongy center & crispy endges.It is made in a special pan / kadai known as "Aappa chatti". It takes the shape of this pan in which they are cooked in.

Aappam

Raw rice - 2 cups

Salt

Sugar - 10 gms

Water - To grind

Yeast (Substitute for Toddy)(optional) - 5 gms

Coconut milk - 50 ml

Wash & soak the rice over night. Grind it by adding some water. Add salt, sugar, yeast & leave it in room temperature for around 4-5 hours. If desired add coconut milk & mix well.

Heat the "Aappa chatti" & drizzle with some oil. Make sure the pan is hot & cleaned & "seasoned".

Rub oil evenly in the pan by using a clean / soft cloth.

Pour a laddle of the batter & rotate the pan in a circular motion . Place the pan on the stove &

cover it with the lid. Leave couple of minutes & check by using a wet tooth pick in the center of the Aappam. If the tooth pick comes out clean then consider it as cooked. If not leave it for couple of minutes more.

Use a thin spatula around the corner of the Aappam & slowly lift it out. By regular practice it will be easy & fun making Aappams.

Chef's tip :

Traditionally Aappams are made in cast iron pan. Recent years have been witnessing non-stick pans just to make the cooking more enjoyable & easy.
The word "seasoned" means : Cleaning & getting the pan ready. The best way to do it is by heating the pan, rubbing some oil saute some onions or break an egg in to the pan & quickly stir it off. Wipe it off with a clean cloth & again spread some oil evenly.
Variations can be made like Masala Egg Aappam, Chicken Kheema, Lamb Kheema, Fried Egg Aappam

It is a nice dish for the dinner menu aswell because it is very light & not on the heavier side.
Vegetable kuruma, Ishtew, Kadalai curry (Channa) or a meat gravy can be a good accompaniment. Freshly extracted "thengaai paal" (Coconut Milk) will also be an ideal accompaniment.

Kuzhi Paniyaaram

2010-11-27T15:18:00.013Z

Kuzhi Paniyaram, quiet popular breakfast/ snack item in South India, mainly in the Chettinad region. There are two varieties in this.
1)Kaara paniyaaram (Savoury/ Spiced )
2) Inippu paniyaaram (Sweet)
The batter for "kaara paniyaaram" is similar to Dosa / Idly.....what makes it different & special is the shape & the style it's been cooked.
Outside South India it's not as popular like Dosa/ Vada/ Idly ....but I can see quiet few small restaurants are coming up with this item in their menu.

"KUZHI" means hole. The pan in which it's made contains lots of "kuzhis" not exactly a hole but it's something like a Muffin mould.
Kara Paniyaaram
Dosa batter - 250 gms
Chopped onions - 10 gms
Green chillies - 2 No's
Mustard seeds - 5 gms
Curry leaves - few (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves- few (finely chopped)
Ginger- chopped - 5 gms
Cumin Seeds - 5 gms
Hing - 2 gms
Turmeric - 2 gms (optional)
Oil - 20 ml
Heat oil, add mustard seeds & ginger, chillies, curry leaves, onion & hing. Add the tempering to the batter. Grease the paniyaaram mould. Make it hot.

Pour a spoon of batter in each hole. Cover it with a lid. Turn it around & cook it for few more minutes & take it off from the pan.
It goes well with coconut chutney.

Chef's tip : Non- stick paniyaaram pans are available in the market. It's easy to use, clean & it consumes less of oil.

I personally like to use the traditional iron pan. Care should be taken before making paniyarams. Such as making sure the pan is not rust. Clean it properly, wipe it with a dry cloth & apply little bit of oil , wipe it again & then store. If the paniyaaram doesn't comes out off the pan then heat the pan , add some chopped onion; allow them to cook for a while. Alternatively beat an egg & pour it in the mould along with oil & wipe it off clean & then restart the process.
Your choice of finely diced vegetables can be added to the batter (cabbage, peas,carrots,beans,etc...)
Apply the coconut chutney on top of the paniyaram & place another one top & hold them together with a tooth pick & name it as "paniyaaram sandwich)
It can be used in cocktail parties as a snack.

Aaharam – MEAL

2010-06-13T09:13:00.003+01:00

Aaharam - A Tamil word which means MEAL used by the Brahmin community.

"Aaharam Aacha " means " Have you had your meal" ?

As the word is from Tamil ; let's see few interesting details about Tamil (Brahmin) cuisine.
Tamil Nadu (To be pronounced as Tamizh Nadu) is one of the 28th states of India. It lies in the southern part of India. It was known as 'Madras Presidency' till 1968. It's the eleventh largest state in India by area. The region has been the home for Tamil civilization since atleast 1500BC. The state's classical language Tamil has been in use & contributed in literature for the past 2500 years.
Like any other Indian state Tamil Nadu is also well known for it's hospitality & it's deep belief that " Serving food to others is a service to humanity
Tamil cuisine is basically South Indian cuisine , where Rice & Rice derived dishes from the major portion a diet. There are regional sub varieties namely Chettinad, Kongunadu, Madurai, Tirunelveli , etc.... Traditionally food is served on a banana leaf instead of a plate & eaten with right hand. The Chettinad region is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian delicacies , while Ambur, Dindugal and Sankarankovil are known for their Biriyani.

A common person from the Tamil community starts his/ her day after bathing, praying god & then have their breakfast. There are still families who do not enter kitchen before bathing & they only allow family members inside the kitchen. This is just to make sure that the kitchen is hygiene & safe.

Breakfast normally consists of Idly, Dosai, Pongal, Poori, Vadai, Puttu, Paniyaram, Aappam, Idiappam, uppuma, etc... with an accompaniment of Chutneys, Sambhar, Spiced powder (called as Milagaai podi- Chilli powder; made with dried red chillies & lentils). As Rice is the staple diet most of the dishes are based on Rice.

Lunch At home ; consists of following items: Rice with Sambhar (with or with out Ghee) followed by Rasam & then curd or buttermilk with an accompaniment of a vegetable (dry preparation called 'Porial'), vegetable (a semi gravy item called 'Kootu'), Pickle ( known as 'oorukai')& Appalam (Pappadums)
Non Vegetarian meal consits of the above menitoned items with an addition of Chicken or Fish or Mutton or Egg (can be made of a dry or a gravy preparation)
Majority of the people don't eat Beef or Pork dishes due to religious reasons.

Dinner will be similar to Lunch or Breakfast items

Tamil wedding feast Traditional Tamil wedding meal is always a table service; where friends & families sit in a row & the waiters serve the food in order. Any request of second service will be happily served.
The wedding lunch is served on a Banana leaf & the elaborated menu items are served in the following order.
Sweet (as Payasam), Thair pachadi, Pickle, Salt, Lentil salad, Vadai, Sweet pachadi, Appalam, couple of vegetable dishes, Boiled rice with Ghee. Sambhar, Mohr Kuzhambhu, Rasam are the traditional gravy items which accompanies the rice followed by curd / buttermilk to cool the appetite. This delicious meal compliments the appetite with mouth watering sweet dishes sucha as Payasam/ Badam Kheer or Mysore pak. The items may vary depending on the financial background of the families.
After the meal is over , there'll be a tray of Betel leaf/ nuts which aids in digestion.

Few Tamil culinary terminology absorbed in English
* The word "Curry" is an anglicization of the Tamil word "Kari"
* The Tamil phrase "Milagu Thaneer" (Pepper soup), literally Pepper water , been
adapted in English as "Mulligatawny"
* The word "Mango" is derived from the Tamil word " Maangai"
* The word "Rice" may have ultimately derived from the Tamil word "Arisi"

Essence of South Indian Cuisine

2009-03-15T11:35:00.001Z

Indian cuisine
Like any other large country in the world, Indian cuisine is also divided among its regions. But unfortunately, Indian cuisine outside India refers as only the North Indian cuisine. There are dishes which are more delicious in other parts of India, but are hardly noticed. Thanks to the globalisation, people around the world have started acquiring knowledge about the flavours & the diversities in Indian cuisine. It’s really amazing to know that the taste/ flavours of the food changes in every 50-70 kilo meters along with the accent of the local people.
The same simple ‘Dal’ varies from every house hold & leaves one in dilemma if asked to choose the best one among all!
Let’s see some interesting facts about the South Indian cuisine.
What is South Indian Cuisine?
South Indian Cuisine is a term which refers to the cuisines found in the four states of Southern India, mainly Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Unlike the North Indian cuisine, there is a limited use of garam masala and other dried spices except for cardamom, black pepper and turmeric.
Differences between South Indian & North Indian Cuisine
South Indian food is slightly spicier than North Indian food.
To acquire the sour taste of food, South Indians make use of tamarind, tomatoes, kokum, and yoghurt. Some of which are not normally used in the North Indian cuisine they only make use of tomatoes and yoghurt to do so.Coconut milk is used in almost all the South Indian curries. Tomatoes are used in vegetable dishes while tamarind enhances the taste of fish & meat dishes.
Another specialty of this cuisine is the use of ‘Banana leaves which are not eaten but are used as ‘plates’. Perhaps the world’s first hygienic use and throw system might have started from here.North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the extensive use of dairy products like milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt (yogurt) which form the common ingredients as compared to that of southern India, where the milk products, though consumed in large quantities are usually used unaltered.
North Indian gravies are generally dairy-based and employ thickening agents such as cashew or poppy seed paste unlike the South Indian cuisine where coconut plays the vital role of a thickening agent.The staple food of most of North India is a variety of lentils, vegetables, and roti (wheat based bread). The varieties used and the method of preparation can vary from place to place. Some common North Indian foods such as the different types of kebabs and most of the meat dishes originated with Mughals who advent into the country.South Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the liberal use of coconut and curry leaves particularly coconut oil, gingelly oil and the ubiquity of sambar and rasam (also called saaru) in the meals.South Indian cooking is much more vegetarian-friendly compared to the north Indian cooking. Garam masala is generally avoided in South Indian cuisine. Andhra, Chettinad, Hyderabadi Nawabi, Mangalorean, and Kerala each cuisines have distinct tastes and methods of cooking. In fact each of the South Indian states has a different way of preparing sambar (A lentil based broth kind of preparation). A connoisseur of South Indian food will easily tell the difference between the sambar from Kerala and that from Tamilnadu or from Karnataka.

Ingredients mainly used in South Indian cuisine:

Peppercorns, Mustard seeds, curry leaves, coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel seeds and tamarind.

Andhra Pradesh
Mainly known for its ‘spicy food’; the red chillies from GUNTUR are very famous for it’s hot. Interestingly Andhra Pradesh is the second largest rice producers in India. Many of its local dishes are made of rice.
Hyderabad is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh; interestingly it got its own cuisine which is mainly dominated of mughal flavours & this cuisine matches to Lucknowi & Awadh cuisine both are in the centre region of India.

Karnataka
Described as the mildest (in terms of spice content) of these four states' cuisines, there is a generous use of palm sugar or brown sugar and sparingly used chili powder. Since the percentage of vegetarians in Karnataka is very high compared to the other states, vegetarian food is enjoyed by almost everyone for all meals of the day.
Udupi cuisine forms an integral part of Karnataka cuisine. Udupi restaurants are typical Vegetarian restaurants & popular in all among the major Indian cities. The origin of UDUPI restaurant is from the famous Lord Krishna Mutt temple in Udupi city, Karnataka. The practice of naivedya, or ritual offerings, to Lord Krishna at the Krishna Mutt temple in Udupi, Karnataka, has led to the Udupi style of vegetarian cooking. The variety of dishes which must be offered to Krishna forced the cooks of the temple to innovate. Traditional cooking in Udupi Ashtamatha is characterized by the use of local seasonal ingredients

TamilNadu
Normally when it comes to Tamilnadu cuisine; it’s very well known for ‘Chettinad food’.
Chettinad is located in southern district of Tamilnadu & is known as homeland for ‘Chettiars’; normally a banking & business community.
Their food can be anything from chicken – mutton – fish – prawns & vegetarian delicacies. They don’t eat Pork or Meat.

The famous dish from this region is ‘Chicken Pepper fry’ & ‘Chicken Chettinad’
In Chettinad food, the most important spices are marathi mokku (dried flower pods), anasipoo (star aniseed) and kalpasi (dried bark). In addition, tamarind, whole red chillies and saunf (Fennel seeds) are also used along with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorn, cumin seeds and fenugreek.
As rice is the staple food; many of the South Indian food are based on ‘Rice’.
Its not just Basmati rice is used in India.
Following are the few varieties of rice used in South India.
ADT (R) 46 , ADT-37 Rice ADT-38 Rice ADT-39 Rice Amrut Rice Annapurna-28 Rice Chengalpattu Sirumani Rice Improved White Ponni Rice Jagannath Rice Kadaikazhuthan Rice Kaliyan Samba Rice Kallimadaiyan Rice Kallundai Rice Kappa Samba Rice Karnataka Hill Paddy-5 Rice Kattu Kuthalam Rice Kaum Rice Kothmala-Golukulu Rice Krishna Anjana Rice Kudaivazhai Rice Kullakkar Rice Kuzhiyadichan Rice Lakshmi Kajal Rice Nagarjuna Rice Neelan Samba Rice Phalguna Rice Pitchavari Rice Prakash Rice Pusa-44 Rice Ravi Rice Rohini Rice Sabari Rice Sadakar Rice Samba Mahsuri Rice Samba Mosanam Rice Samba Rice Seeraga Samba Rice Sivappu kuruvikar Rice Sona Masuri Rice Thangam Samba Rice Thooyamallee Rice.
Religion & Food, Wedding & Food are always interlinked in India.
Famous temples like Tirupathi (Andhra Pradesh), Udupi (Karnatka) offer free food for the 1000’s of devotees on a daily basis.
In a traditional wedding even the size of ‘Pappadum’ make a big difference & also the variety of food served in the wedding shows how wealthy the family is.

DOSA(i) with Sambhar & Coconut Chutney

2009-03-04T08:39:00.008Z

Dosai- No need to give much introduction to Dosai (Dosa - outside Tamilnadu) with in India.
There is no single restaurants(udupi/darshini/sagar/bhavan) with out Dosai in their menu!.
It looks very simple & taste delicious. All you need is a laddle of batter & a 'tawa' (pan).
But, just having the batter/ tawa/ laddle is good enough to get the right one?? The answer will be NO.
At home if you are having a Dosai, it should not be made in advance. It's been told that if a person is eating a Dosai, that time the secone one should be on the tawa! Hot box/ food warmer wont be able to keep them crispy & fresh.
Why the Dosai's we have in the restaurants are crispy & nice brown in colour than the one we normally make at home!!What is the trick that the chefs are doing in any restaurants to get the Dosai crispy, nice brown colour !
1) Experience
2) Understanding the temperature of the Tawa/ Pan
3) Getting the right ingredients

Dosai
Parboiled rice - 2.5 cups
Raw rice - 1.5 cups
Urid dal/black gram dal - 1 cup
Methi/ Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil/ Ghee - for making Dosai's

Soak the two kinds of rice together in water.Soak the lentil & fenugreek together in a different bowl for a minimum of 5-6 hours.
Grind the washed lentil in a wet grinder or blender . The mixture needs to be light & smooth. (Do not add too much water).
Grind the rice to a smooth paste ( but not as smooth as the lentil. Once its done mix the rice mixture along with the lentil mixture & pour it in to a large vessel ,cover& leave it aside for 6-8 hours. ( or overnight)
Mix the mixture thoroughly & add water (only if needed) . The batter should NOT be runny,but on the thicker side.
Heat an iron tawa & smear oil on it, with a small piece of rolled cloth or half onion.
No need of doing this if you are using a Non- stick pan.
Pour a laddle of batter to the centre of the pan. Spread the batter with the back side of the laddle in circular movements till it forms a large thin round shape. Pour one/two teaspoons of oil/ ghee around the corner. Maintain medium heat till the ''Dosai's" gets a nice even brown colour. If the "Dosai" is thin enough ; no need to turn it around.
By using a thin spatula, lift the Dosai from the corner & serve it hot along with Sambhar & Coconut Chutney.
For sambhar & Coconut Chutney recipes.
http://dakshinspices.blogspot.com/2008/08/sambhar.html

http://dakshinspices.blogspot.com/2008/08/masala-vada-coconut-chutney.html

Chef's Tip:
1) If the Dosai's are not crispy enough, add a spoon or two of rice flour in water & add to the batter.
2) If the Dosai's are getting sticked to the pan, dissolve a spoon or two of plain flour/ Maida & add it to the batter. Alternatively, beat an egg & pour it over the pan,rub it well. Later discard the egg & wipe the pan with a clean cloth.

Paratha

2008-09-06T15:29:00.011+01:00

Making Paratha is very simple; if one get the right ingredients(flour). Stuffed Parathas are always special than the normal ones. Again, individual choices are different!

While i'm not busy in kitchen; i cook for my chefs & encourage them to make something.Well, the fact is such things makes the team more stronger & break the shyness of the chefs to try out sumthing new. It can be a rice dish, plain dal, sandwich, snacks. It's fun!

So, here we go with "Paneer Paratha". I just gave a little twist to this recipe by adding mustad seeds & turmeric powder.

Basic for any bread dish is "Good quality of Atta/ Flour". If you have the right one; consider then half your work is done.

PANEER PARATHA

Whole wheat flour - 200 gms

Paneer - 100 gms.

Green Chillies - 4 no's

Coriander Leaves - Few

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn

Mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Salt

oil- 2 tbspn

Ghee -To cook parathas.

Make a dough with flour, salt, water & oil. Leave it aside for around 20-30 minutes by covering it with a wet cloth.

Grate the Paneer. In a pan heat oil; add mustard seeds; while it crackles add green chillies followed by turmeric & then paneer. DO NOT ADD SALT. Add chopped corainder after the mixture cools down.

Divide the dough in to equal portions. Slightly press the portioned dough in between your palms. Slowly press the edges of the dough; so that it form in to a bowl shape.Now, add salt to the paneer mixture fill the required amount of paneer mixture in to it & then seal it. Follow the same process to all the portioned dough.

Slightly dust some flour on the table or on the rolling surface. Place the dough & gently press it & then start rolling it out. DO NOT PRESS IT HARD; as the stuffing will come out.

Heat a pan/ tawa wipe it clean; gently rub it with ghee; place the paratha to the hot pan. Turn it over finish it with ghee. Serve the paratha hot with curd / pickle or raitha.
CHEF'S TIP: The secret for adding water to the dough is very simple. Always keep the ratio as 1 cup of flour ; 35% (of the same cup) of water; then add more if needed. Also, the quality of the atta plays a major role in this.Never add salt to the stuffing in advance as it leaves water & it will be difficult to roll the parathas. The first few attempts may not be successful in rolling the parathas but never give up! Always think you are trying something new at home & it will be fun! (Not applicable to professional chefs during the busy service period :D)

Talking to the media.

2008-08-31T01:34:00.005+01:00

Cooking for 500 people is really easier than talking in front of a camera. During my last visit to Teneriffe for the Gastronomic tour of Indian Cuisine; i was interviewed by the local TV channel. While talking on the television; i learned something which is "One must know when to stop". Its quiet natural for any chef to talk a lot about their food but it should not bore the viewers or the person who is taking the interview. Just stick to the point & dont complicate things.

Idly was a big hit in this year's menu!

Fusion food

2008-08-23T09:17:00.006+01:00

Personally am not a big fan of fusion food. I do call it as "confusion food" but i did realise if a chef got the understanding of the ingredients then it cannot go wrong. When i started my career back home in India i have come acroos dishes like "spinach & paneer cannelloni with makhni sauce". Now i am laughing when i think of those days. So, basically if a chef doesnt understand the ingredients & proceeds with fusion cooking then it may become a disaster.

I do like to try fusion things but none of those dishes come to the guests table till i get satisfied. I do call many of colleagues & ask them to taste & criticize it & then will come to an conclusion.

Fusion cooking may attract customers but not for a long time. Many professional chefs may differ from this.

One of such fusion dish which i tried for a canape party.

SMOKED SALMON KOSHIMBIR

(Koshimbir is a Marathi word which means 'salad')

Smoked Salmon - 100gms

(it can be purchased from any good supermarkets/ fishmonger)

Cucumber - 15 gms

Orange Juice -From 1/2 No'

Mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Chillies - 2 No's

Lemon rind - few

Coriander Leaves - Few.

Mini Pappadum - Few

Oil- 1 tspn

Fry the pappadums in hot oil & drain the oil. Thinly shred(strips) the salmon & keep it aside.

Remove te seeds from the cucumber & cut it as same like the salmon. In a bowl mix the orange juice, coriander leaves & chopped chillies Heat oil & add the mustard seeds; add the mustard to the bowl & leave it aside for few minutes. Now, gently add the salmon to the ornage juice mixture & cover & leave it in the fridge for a while.

Arrange the pappadums in a plate & place the salmon koshimbir on top of it. Scatter the lemon rind on top.

CHEF'S TIP : If you dont like smoked salmon then use normal salmon. it can be cooked in oven or poached or panfried. Also the same item can be replaced with shrimps, beetroot(vegetarian). DO NOT ADD SALT FOR SMOKED SALMON.

If you use poached fish; a dash of freshly grated coconut will be more delicious

Chettinad

2008-08-11T23:24:00.008+01:00

Thanks to the globalisation; the world has become well familiar with many cuisine. Japanese, Thai, Korean, Indian,Tapas (spanish), Italian are few to name.

When people outside India talk about Indian cuisine they talk about Naan, Kebabs, Tandoori dishes, Pilaf rice,Mango chutney , chicken tikka masala only.Sadly, the diversity in Indian cuisine was not much famous outside India.
Recently, people are becoming more experimental & ready to try new cuisine. Many hotels & restaurants import the right ingredient to get the authentic taste of the dish.
I personally know Chefs in UK who imports Red chillies, Black pepper, cardamom,etc... from India. I import few ingredients from Maharashtra, Tamilnadu for my food festivals in Spain.

Even in India many Chefs thinks that Chicken Chettinad is the only dish from Chettinad Cuisine.
Normally when it comes to Tamilnadu cuisine; it’s very well known for ‘Chettinad food’.
Chettinad is located in southern district of Tamilnadu & is known as homeland for ‘Chettiars’; normally a banking & business community.
Their food can be anything from chicken – mutton – fish – prawns & vegetarian delicacies. They don’t eat Pork or Meat.
The famous dishes from this region are ‘Chicken Pepper fry’ & ‘Chicken Chettinad’
In Chettinad food, the most important spices are marathi mokku (dried flower pods), anasipoo (star aniseed) and kalpasi (dried bark). In addition, tamarind, whole red chillies and saunf (Fennel seeds) are also used along with Cinnamon stick, cloves, bayleaf, Peppercorn, Cumin seeds and Fenugreek.

CHICKEN CHETTINAD
Chicken - 1Kg
Shallots- 25 gms
Tomatoes- 3 No's
Ginger - 2No'
Garlic - 1 pod
Turmeric - 1 tspn
Red chilli powder - 1 tspn
Cumin Powder - - 1/2 tblspn
Coriander Powder- 1tblspn

Salt - To Taste

Cardamom - 3 No's

Cinnamon - a small piece

Bay leaf - 2 No's

Kalpaasi - a small amount

Curry Leaves - A sprig
TO GRIND

Dry Red Chillies - 6(or)7 No's

Coriander Seeds - 1 tblspn

Fennel Seeds - 1 tspn

Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn

Ginger - 1 small piece

Garlic - Few No's

Black Pepper corns- 1 tspn

Grated Coconut - 1/2 No'

Poppy seeds (khus khus)-2 tspns

Oil - To fry these masala.

Cut the chicken in to small pieces by removing the skin. Wash it; add little amount of salt & turmeric. Keep it aside

Heat oil in a pan. Add the above given ingredients for grinding & stir carefully. Once you start getting the aroma of all the spices. Transfer this in a blender & grind it to a paste by adding little amount of water.

Heat oil in a vessel. Add the whole spices; saute it for a minute then add curry leaves. Add shallots & cook the onions till turns nice brown in colour. Add tomatoes followed by ginger garlic paste. Add all the dry powders. Cook till the masala leaves oil on the side. Add the ground masala paste & cook well.

Now the gravy is ready.
In a seperate pan; fry the chicken with very little amount of oil & add it to the above finished gravy. Cook well. Check for seasoning.

CHEF'S TIP Any curry /stew items tastes much better with bones. Poppy seeds in this recipe can be optional. The same gravy can be used for Lamb aswell. Alternatively, the chicken can be added directly to the gravy rather than pan

frying it seperately. The amount of chillies can be altered depending on your spice level. At any stage if you find the gravy too spicy; add more tomato paste or coconut milk.

Rice

2008-08-10T00:26:00.007+01:00

Rice..
We Tamils are addicted to rice. You name a meal period there will be a rice dish. Obviously rice being the staple food we use it starting from our breakfast till dinner & even in our snacks & desserts.
A research says there are more than 4000 varieties of rice grown in India only.
Before the recipe... i would like to share few intersting facts about rice.
1) I guess in most of Asian languages; the word Rice & Food are identical.
2) In Tamil / Indian wedding rice plays a major part. Its thrown on the couple as a symbol of Luck, Wealth & Fertility.
3)Rice is an excellent source of carbohydrates & its gluten free.
4)Low fat, Low salt & No cholestrol.
5) India alone got the potential to export one million tons of Basmati rice.

LEMON RICE

Rice (cooked) - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbspn
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tspn
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Channa dal - 1/4 tspn
Ginger (chopped) - 1 small piece
Green Chillies - 1 No'
Peanuts - 1 tbspn
Cashewnuts - 1/2 spoon
Lemon Juice - 2- 3 tbspn
Salt - To Taste
Coriander Leaves - 1 sprig
Heat oil; add mustard seeds; Once the seeds started crackle then add channadal, currleaves, & the rest of the ingredients. Add this mixture to the cooked rice & toss it with Lemon juice.
Add salt & chopped coriander leaves.

CHEF'S TIP : Its a very simple dish & can be made in advance & stored. I personally like to boil the rice for this dish. As the rice will be nice & seperated.
Left over rice can be used; but if you cook rice just to make this dish then make sure the rice is cooled down to room temperature; otherwise the heat from the rice will get rid of the souring taste of the lemon.
People who works & doesnt have time to cook every day can make this mixture earlier & store it in fridge in an air tight container & when needed just add rice.
This rice tastes well on its own & can have it in room temperature.

Chutney(s)

2008-08-05T00:47:00.007+01:00

Dhania Murgh Tikka with Strawberry Chutney

An Indian meal will be incomplete with out Chutney in any of its meal period.

Ask any South Indian; especially Tamils about chutneys ; they will tell you how Chutneys are closely associated in their daily meal (Idly with coconut chutney; dosa with Chutney; Pongal with Chutney; even i will say the "Milagaai Podi" is a kind of dry Chutney.) Malli Chutney (Coriander Chutney), Curry Leaf Chutney........it goes on & on.

I like to try few different Chutneys in my menu. One among them is STRAWBERRY CHUTNEY;which was well recieved by clients & the food critics aswell. There is a English version of this particular one which is normally used along with Cheese platters; but this one is to meet the 'desi' palate

STRAWBERRY CHUTNEY

Fresh Strawberries - 1 Bowl

Green chillies - 2 No's

Sugar - 2 Tblspn

Lemon Juice (optional)- 1 Tspn.

Mint Leaves - Few

Wash & clean the strawberries & blend it along with rest of the ingredients. Don not over grind it as it will become too thin. Add chopped mint leaves just before serving

CHEF'S TIP : The amount of sugar may vary according to the sweetness of the strawberries. If it's too sweet; then there may be no need of sugar. Same applies with Lemon juice. Occasionally, you may get sour ones. So, care to be taken while adding these two ingredients.

well, please note that this chutney will not suit as an accompaniment with normal tiffin items like Idly/ dosa. It will match very well with Chicken Malai Tikka, Aloo tikki & some less non spicy & pan fried items. It will grab the attention in any kitty parties ; where you have friends who likes to experiment new things in food.

Few more chutneys to follow..........

Chilled Carrot & Coriander Soup with Yoghurt.

2008-08-03T10:31:00.004+01:00

Chilled Carrot & Coriander Soup with Yoghurt

This one is a helathy & refreshing one during summer. This soup is made with Indian spices but the taste can be improved with few western vegetables too.

Carrots - 200 gms

Cumin seeds - 1 tspn

Coriander leaves - few

Ginger - One small piece

Hing - 1/2 tspn

Oil - 2 tbspn

Celery - 1/2 stick

Black salt - 1/4th tspn

Orange -1/2 No'

Yoghurt - 1 cup.

Wash, Peel & cut the carrots, celery. Heat oil in a vessel (You can use olive oil instead of veg oil)

Add cumin seeds & ginger then add celery. Stir it for a while; then add carrots & add some water.Cook the carrots

NOTE: DO NOT OVER COOK THE CARROTS; AS IT LOOSES THE COLOUR.

By using a mixer/ blender; make it in to a fine paste & then strain it. Chill it down. Add black salt, orange juice & finely chopped coriander.Adding ornage juice will give the slight sweeter taste & more refreshing.

Pour it in small glass/ cup with a spoon of yoghurt on top. Serve chilled.

CHEF'S TIP : Use chat masala if you dont have black salt.

BEETROOT HALWA

2008-08-03T09:54:00.004+01:00

BEETROOT HALWA :

When i included this halwa in one of the menu; Many of my friends (chefs) came out with a big smile. They all found this dish as an interesting one. Normally beetroot is known for its salad use.

I decided to use beetroot for dessert by thinking it may give a twist to the clients. It did come out as a huge hit!. The colour was awesome ! Even kids were enjoying it.

Many of us must have heard this from our childhood that beetroot has been considered beneficial to the blood. There are few other beneficials too which am not going to discuss much deeper in this post.

BEETROOT HALWA :

Beetroot - 500 gms

Ghee - 5 tbspn

Sugar - 350 gms.

Cardamom - 4/5 No's

Milk - 75 ml.

Cashewnut - Few No's

Wash, Peel & grate beetroot. In a heavy bottomed vessel/ pan ; pour ghee & start cooking the beetroot till it becomes almost dry. Add sugar at this stage; all of a sudden you may notice that it has become bit thin. Dont worry but keep stirring it. In a short time it starts getting thicker. This happens because sugar at this stage is in 'soft ball consistency'. Add the milk at this stage. Keep stirring for a while more.

When it becomes bit thicker; add the melted ghee & keep stirring. Slightly roast the cardamom & powder it in a pestle along with little bit of sugar & sprinkle over the halwa at the end & mix it once.

[NOTE : Care to be taken while adding sugar/ milk/ ghee as the 'halwa' may start boiling at this stage & watch out your hands.]

Once the halwa starts leaving the pan; then transfer it to a greased tray or any other container.

Fry the cashewnut in little amount of ghee & sprinkle on top.

CHEF'S TIP : 1)The amount of sugar may slightly vary due to the sweetness of the beetroot.

2) If you want to use condensed milk instead of milk; it may become too rich but make sure to reduce the amount of sugar.

3) Almonds, Pistachio nuts can be used aswell.

Masala Vada & Coconut Chutney

2008-08-02T11:26:00.003+01:00

Masala Vada- My all time favourite; especially on a rainy day or a best 'companion' when you dont feel like going out but want to watch a DVD at home with your friends & family.

The recipe which am posting here is again not from any of the cookery books or websites...but learned from great chefs back home in Madurai /Kodaikanal where i started my career.

MASALA VADA

Channa dal - 100 gms

Madras shallots (sambhar onions) - 20 gms

Ginger - 1 small piece

Green chillies - 2No's

Saunf (fennel seeds/ sombhu) - 1 tspn

Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1/2 tspn

Salt

Coriander Leaves - few

Curry Leaves - few sprigs

Oil - for frying

Chef's Tip : If u have the taste bud for that 'chat pata' then i will suggest you to add a tiny drop of Tamarind Pulp. Also, the amount of chillies can be adjusted according to your spice level. If Madras shallots are not available; then red onions can be a good substitue.

1)Soak the dal for 3- 4 hours & grind it to coarse pasteby adding little water at a time ( Here i must tell that grinding dal for masala vada is like an art. If its ground too fine then there wouldnt be much fun)

2)Chop rest of the given ingredients. Add it to the lentil paste. Mix well. Check for seasoning.

3) Make it in to small shape & start frying it in hot oil.

4) Drain it & serve hot.

To have the best result... never fry the vadas in advance.. try to have it as early as possible.

Chef's TIP : If you find the vada is not crispy enough; probably its due to the addition of more water to the dal while grinding. Adding little bit of rice flour may help you...but watch out adding more rice flour will make the vada hard & while frying it may turn black too.

Coconut Chutney

Freshly grated cocnut _ 1/2 No'

Green chillies - 2 No's

Salt

Garlic - 1 clove

Lemon Juice / Tamarind Pulp - 1/2 No' or 1 tspn

For tempering (tarka / thaalipu)

Mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Curry leaves - few sprigs

Urid dal - 1/2 tspn

Oil - 1 Tblspn

In a blender ; grind the ingredients given for coconut chutney by adding little amount of water.

Add the lemon juice/ tamaring Pulp at the end.

In a small pan ; heat oil add mustard seeds. When it crackles add urid dal & curry leaves. Then add it to the chutney.

Chef's Tip : A small amount of coriander leaves can be added to the chutney while you grind it. As it gives a nice green colour & a twist to it.

Indian Food Festival at Gran Canarias 2007

2008-08-01T23:29:00.002+01:00

Beetroot Halwa

Masala Vada

Indian Food Festival at Gran Canarias 2006

2008-08-01T14:45:00.014+01:00

East Indian Prawns with bottle masala & Raw Mango

Almond Halwa

Smoked Salmon Koshimbir on Pappadum

Sambhar

2008-08-01T13:44:00.005+01:00

(Madras Onions/Shallots/Sambhar Onion)

Hey All,

I'm just trying to share my interests & little knowledge of food what i have learnt in all these years through my experience.

Being a madarasi/ south Indian i would like to come up with few south indian dishes/ recipes & try to add some interesting notes about these items.

Lets begin with sambhar...... Typical one to get people's attention & an all time favourite. No more need for those ready made packet masalas...

Happy cooking.
Also, i would like to remind the visitors that these recipes are not from any books but from my own experience which i learned from few great chefs in India.

SAMBHAR
Hmmm.... how to simply explain Sambhar to Non-indians??
shall i name it as a lentil based broth or chowder?? I think the word chowder closely resembles to it.
RECIPE
Toovardal (Also known as Arhar dal/ Split gram/yellow lentils)- 100 grams
Moong dal (split green gram)- 25 grams
Coconut (optional) - 10 grams
Coriander seeds- 15 grams
Dry red chilles (Kashmiri variety)- 3 or 4 no's
Fenugreek (methi )- 1/2 tspn
Garlic - 2 cloves
Rice - 1 tspn
Channa dal (bengal gram)-1/2 tspn
Asafoetida (Hing) - 1 tspn
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few sprigs
Jaggery - 3/4 tspn
Tomatoes -3 no's
Pumpkin (yellow)- handful diced.
Shallots
Salt
Coriander leaves (chopped)- few sprigs
Tamarind - 10 grams
Mustard seeds - 5 grams
Cooking oil - 15 ml

Boil water approx 650 - 750ml. Add turmeric powder & 5 ml of water.
Add pre washed toovar dal & cook for 20 minutes & then add moongdal. Donot over cook the lentil. Mean while in a pan add the ingredients which are in bold letters & roast it for a while.
By using a blender;make a dry powder or make a wet paste if you adding coconut.
Add the peeled shallots & diced tomatoes to the cooked lentil along with the pumpkin. Add salt & then add the tamarind

CHEF'S TIP : NEVER ADD ANY SOURING AGENT TO THE LENTILS; TILL IT GETS COOKED. AS IT DELAYS THE COOKING PROCESS.

In a small pan; heat oil & then add mustard seeds. Once its cracked then add one dry redchilly, curry leaves & hing then add this tempering (tarka in hindi) to the sambhar.
Finish it with chopped coriander. It can accompany with Idly/ dosa & steamed rice.