How to make Rasam ? -Part 2

Since the video is self explanatory, I am not giving the recipe here separately.

How to make Rasam ? -Part 1

This was my first cookery video and it may not be very professional. Readers kindly bare with me and I will be uploading better cookery videos soon.

Seeni Sambol

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This is a Srilankan delicacy and is used as a side dish for appam, roti, pol roti, bread, roast paan, string hoppers etc. This is a very easy recipe with less ingredients and less preparation cooking time. I found this very tasty with chapattis. The traditional recipe is made with dried Maldives fish ("Maasi"). Since I don't like the taste, I skip this step. Pounded Maasi is added to the recipe to enhance the flavour and taste. This is one of my favourite since it comes handy when you have not done your grocery shopping or feeling tired or bored to cook. In a jiffy you can make this and goes well with chapattis.

Ingredients:

Big Onion - 1 chopped julienne

Tomato - 1 chopped

Curry leaves - few

Cooking Oil - 2tbsp

Spices:

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp (as per taste)
Mustard seeds
Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add mustard and when it splutters, add curry leaves. Then add the onions and sauté till it becomes soft. Now add the tomatoes , sauté for few mins. Now add turmeric, salt, chilli powder and sauté for few mins. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 - 7 mins in low flame. Then open the lid and sauté in high flame for 3-4 mins till the raw smell goes and all ingredients mixed well.

That's it ! soooo easy and tasty tooo.



 

Coimbatore Anganan Style Mutton Biryani Recipe

I am very happy to share this recipe with you all. Biryani is the most delicious food in this world. I am sure many of you will agree with me. The aromatic rice combined with all spices, masalas and juicy meat....wow....sooo yummy !

My first experience with biryani started at home and till date it is the best. My mom is so talented in cooking and non-vegeterian food is her speciality. Well, this particular recipe is not my mom's recipe. But this is very special to my whole family especially my dad.

In the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, with regard to food - two places are very famous - Sree Annapoorna (for veg) & Angannan biryani hotel (for non-veg). After coming to Dubai I have been really missing my mom's cuisine and both these hotels. One day I was googling with not much hope for Angannan biryani recipe and Yes, I found only one site that shared the recipe. I am very thankful to jzzz for sharing this on her blog.

Ofcourse the very next day I tried it with chicken and it turned out so delicious as the original one. This weekend I tried with indian mutton and since K likes it very spicy, I have increased the amount of green chilli as against the original and it was so mouthwatering even if I look at the pictures now!

Today I am going to share the Coimbatore special Angannan biryani hotel recipe.

Though biryani making looks like a big procedure, it is very easy after you do it couple of times.

Recipe courtesy : jzzzeazzzy

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1/2 kg (cut into medium pieces)
Basmati Rice - 3 cups (you can also use jeerakasala rice)
Oil - 4-5 tbsp
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1'' piece
Cardomom - 2
Shallots - 5
Garlic pods - 5
Red Onion - 1 chopped julienne
Tomato - 1 medium size
Coriander leaves - roughly chopped one handful
Mint leaves - roughly chopped half the quantity of coriander leaves
Lemon juice - out of 1/2 medium size lemon

Rice : Water ratio - 1 : 2

Spices

Salt - as required
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

For Grinding:

Shallots - 15
Garlic pods - 7
Green chilli - 5 (if you want it more spicy, dont increase the chillis here, it will alter the original taste slightly )
Ginger - 1'' piece
Cloves - 4
CInnamon - 2'' piece
Cardamom - 4

Method:

Wash the rice nicely and drain the water and keep it aside.

Put all the ingredients to grind in the mixer and make a smooth paste. If required add only
1 or 2 tsp water. Keep it aside.

In the cooker add the washed mutton pieces, little turmeric, 1/4 tsp castor oil & required salt. Saute it nicely till mutton changes color and leaves some water. Then add water it mutton pieces are immersed in water and cook for 3 whistles. (i.e. cook only 3/4th )

Heat oil and ghee in the biryani pot. Then add all the whole garam masals (cinnamon, cloves & cardamom ) and fry till you get the aroma. Then add the shallots and garlic and saute for few mins. Now add the julienne onions and tomatoes and saute nicely. Then add the coriander and mint leaves and saute for few seconds. Now add the ground paste and saute nicely and simmer the gas and cover the lid for few mins. Oil will start leaving from sides. At this point add the mutton pieces and mix well. Keep in low flame and saute nicely by keeping the lid closed. This will help the mutton to nicely absorb the masala. Make sure to keep tossing it every now and then. Then add the required water, lemon juice and required salt for rice and let the water boil. Then add the rice and mix well. If you want it more spicy, you can add slit green chillis now and it gives a wonderful taste and aroma to the dish. Cook well like a dum biryani. (steps mentioned below)

I know to make dum biryanis only. I dont know the other versions and somehow I dont like the taste of pressure cooked biryanis.

How to cook dum biryani:

1. Take a heavy bottom vessel for making biryani preferably with a matching lid (need not be air tight)

2. Start the process of making biryani in the vessel itself

3. Finally after add rice and water, close the lid of the vessel and keep in high flame but use a small burner. Otherwise the rice at the bottom will get burnt.

4. Keep checking for water level. Usually within 5mins, Rice and water level will be equal. At this point, reduce the flame - keep it in maximum low (in the small burner). If you have a flat lid, keep quite a big bowl of water on top of the lid. You can also keep a big stone. Something heavy, so the that the lid is tightly closed and no steam should come out. Cook like this for 10mins.

5. Once cooked, switch off the gas and open the lid and give a nice stir.

(I dont have a flat lid. Mine is a glass lid with a knob. so in invert the lid and keep the bowl of water on top)

Enjoy the delicious, very aromatic and tasty biryani :)

 

Prawn Pasta with Tom-Chi Sauce

This is a very special recipe because it was made by K. He always gives me good tips to try out new recipes but very rarely he enters the kitchen. This was one such rare day and as usual the dish turned out very tasty. T was so thrilled to see his dad cook and he was quietly watching sitting on the kitchen table. I had a nice relaxing time with my favourite book.

Coming to the recipe, it is infact a very easy one, because he used a ready-made TOM-CHI sauce by Jamie Oliver. One of the finest ingredient used in Italian cuisine is Oregano. It gives such nice flavour to the dish. I generally don't keep stock of it. Instead I use "Omam" (in tamil ) or "Ajwain" (in hindi) which also gives almost the same flavour to the dish. It has got numerous medicinal values. Mainly it increases appetite and improves digestion.

Let see how he made it so easily and tasty too :)

Ingredients:

Pasta - 1 cup

Normal Prawns - 7 - 8 nos (cut into three pieces)

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Omam / Ajwain - 1/4 tsp

Yellow Capsicum - 1/4 julienne

Green Capsicum - 1/4 julienne

Cherry tomatoes - 5-6 cut into four halves

Red Onion - 1/2 Diced

Leeks - little

Basil - few

Mozzarella cheese grated - 2 tbsp

Tomato- Chilli Sauce - 2 -3 tbsp

Salt & Pepper  

Method :

Marinate the prawns with little chilli powder, salt and turmeric for 10 mins.

Boil pasta in water with required salt and little oil for 5mins. Drain the water and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a wide pan and add the Omam. In few secs it will give a nice aroma then add the capsicum, onion, leeks one by one. Saute for few mins and when the onions are soft, add the marinated prawns. Sprinkle salt and pepper and let it cook for few mins. Prawns gets cooked very fast. Then add the tomatoes and saute only few secs. Tomatoes should not get mashed. Immediately add the already boiled pasta and mix well. Now add the TOM-CHI sause and again mix well and cook for few mins. All this while keep the lid of pan open. Check for spices level and then finally add cheese and close the lid for few mins. This will allow the cheese to melt and mix well with the pasta.

Finally place little pasta on the serving plate and put cut basil on top.

Jamie Oliver sause is a simple sauce and it is doesnt have any strong flavours and it would definetly suit our indian taste buds.

** Adding little oil while boiling pasta makes them not to stick to each other.

** Basil is optional. I like the taste, so I added it.

** You can also use Red / orange capsicum.

** Instead of prawns you can also use pre-cooked boneless chicken or paneer or any other vegetable.

  

Appam With Fish Curry

Appam and fish curry is a great combo and its my most favorite dish. The fish curry is very spicy and tangy - a typical south indian flavour. I dont like to use much of tamarind in my cooking. I use a 500gm of tamarind of 2-3 years ! So instead I use 'Indian Lime' in most of my fish curry. Lime is more healthy and the taste is not a lot of difference. You can use this curry for Rice and Idlis also. Hot idlis and left over curry ..yummm...is a best combination. In the pictures you will egg appam - a typical southern dish and it is more famous in Srilankan cuisine. Its called " Bitharaappa" - thats again my fav !

Talking about fish curry, it is very important to choose the right fish for the gravy. Some fishes are good for frying only. We need to bring out the best taste of fish by cooking it the right way - either frying or curry. For eg: I dont like mackreal curry, they taste best when fried.

For Curries you can try these:
Sherri, King Fish, Sardines, Sultan Ibrahim, Sherri Shikali, Naser

For Frying:
Sea Bass, Sea Bream, King Fish, Sardines, Small Mackreal, Red Snapper
 

Ingredients:

For APPAM:
Appam Mix - I used the store bought ( As I m yet to learn how to make it)
Egg - 1
Salt & Pepper

Method:

I use a non-stick appa kadai which is easier to use than the traditional one. Taste mostly depends on the Appam Mix. Pour one spatula (Dosai Karandi) of Appam mix on to the hot appa kadai. Lift the kadai slightly and holding the two side handles ( be careful not to burn you fingers), twirl it clockwise so that the batter spreads on the sides and forms a circle. The center will be thick and the sides are thin and crispy. Since this recipe is for egg appam, reduce the flame and break open an egg on to the centre of the appam, sprinkle little salt and close the lid. This will take few longer mins to cook than the plain appam. When you open the lid, egg will look very white and watery but it would have been cooked. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper on it. It just slides of the kadai smoothly ( a good advantage of the non-stick kadai)

 

 

For FISH CURRY:

Sherri Big - 1 approx 500gm ( cleaned and cut into medium pieces, 5-6 pieces)
Onion - 1 chopped
(Shallots a handful can also be used)
Tomato - 1 big chopped
Garlic pods - 6-7 ( For better taste and good for digestion) sliced
Green Chillies - 3 slit
Fresh Lime - 1
Curry leaves - few
Spices :
Chilli Powder - 1/2 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp

For Grinding:

Grated Coconut - 4 Tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Heat some oil in a pan and let the mustard splutter. Then add chopped onions and saute till soft. Then add garlic followed by curry leaves and saute for 1 min. Now added the chopped tomatoes and saute for 1min. Then add all the spices, little salt and saute for 2mins. Now add the slit green chilli and saute nicely and then cover the lid and cook for 5mins. Tomatoes will get mashed nicely along with the spices. Add 2 cups of water and when it boils add the fish pieces and cover and cook for 7 mins. Meanwhile grind the coconut and fennel to a smooth paste in a mixer. Once the fish is cooked, open the lid and add the ground coconut paste and add water if required and let it boil for few mins with lid open. Turn off the stove and squeeze 3/4 lime on the top ( be careful not to drop seeds in). Give it one quick stir carefully without breaking fish pieces.

** The curry tastes good if eaten after few hours.

** Chilli powder can be adjusted according to taste

** Adding green chillies after the tomatoes gives a different flavor, try it.

  

 

Crispy Bread Balls

I know bread balls is a very simple and a back-dated recipe, however, when it comes to making easy snacks, this is amongst the top 10. I preferred to share it mainly because of the reason why I made this. Last weekend K bought a loaf of bread for breakfast and he is poor in grocery shopping, I must say. So the multi grain bread that he bought was not good for breakfast with butter / jam.


Instead of wasting the whole loaf, I came up with a brilliant thought of making a bread cutlet for his evening snacks and OMG, it was sooooo tasty !

Ingredients:

Bread - 3-4 slices
Potato - 1 (boiled and mashed)
Fresh Peas - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1
Green chilli - 2
Coriander leaves - little
Bread crumbs - 5-6 Tbsp
Vermicelli - 1/4 cup (Slightly crush them with your hands)
Corn Flour - 2 Tbsp

Spices:

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt

Method:

Heat little oil in a pan and add onions and sauté till soft. Add green chillies and sauté for few secs. Add the boiled and mashed potato followed by the fresh peas and mix everything nicely. Now add all the spices and mix well. Cook with lid closed for 5-10 mins till the peas gets cooked and all the spices and the vegs are mixed nicely. Open the lid and cook for few more mins and turn off the gas. Let the mixture cool for 10 mins.

Preparing the bread:

Take the bread slice and cut off the sides neatly with a knife. Dip this bread slice in a bowl of water for few secs and take it out immediately and squeeze out all of the water by pressing it between the two palms.

Now take a small ball of the vegetable mix and place in the centre of the slice. Close it tightly with the corners of the bread.

Mix little water with the corn flour and make a thin paste on a flat plate. Slightly dip the bread ball with the stuffing in this paste and roll it lightly on the bread crumbs and then on the vermicelli.

Repeat the process till you finish all the bread slices and the veg mix.

In a deep wok heat oil, and drop these balls one by one and fry them till they are golden brown.

Now your spicy bread balls are ready to eaten with a tangy tomato sauce.

Mushroom Sandwich

 

'Little froggy went to school.... sitting on his mushroom stool '

 

Its said ' Necessity is the mother of invention'. As the saying goes, K is very fond of eating light snacks after coming back from work. I used to break my head on what to make until I saw this nice Sandwich maker in Emax. I started making my own inventive sandwiches and he enjoyed eating them. This one is a mushroom sandwich and yes it turned out very juicy inside and crunchy on the outside. These are simple recipes and there is no hard and fast rules to be followed and can be replaced with any veg/meat of your choice.



 

Ingredients:

White Bread - 4 slices (If preferred, brown bread can also be used)
Mushroom - 5 pieces chopped (please avoid the stem for sandwich)
Onion - 1/2 chopped
Lettuce - 2 or 3

Sauces:

Mayonnaise - little (if you don't have you can use a cheese slice)
Tomato Ketchup - little
Butter - for brushing the bread slices

Spices:
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt


Method:

Heat little oil in a pan. Fry the onions till soft. Then add the mushrooms and sauté for a while. Then add all the spices and little water and cover and cook for 10-15 mins. Open the lid and sauté nicely till all water evaporates and the mushroom nicely blends with the spices. Turn off the gas and let it cool for few mins.

Meanwhile slightly brush the outer side of 2 bread slices with little butter. Then layer the bread first with a lettuce leaf, then spread the mushroom mixture and top it up with mayo and ketchup. Cover this with another slice of bread. Place the sandwiches in the sandwich maker and close the lid completely till it is locked. Wait for few mins and its ready already.

Yummy Juicy and Crunchy sandwich is ready to eat. If you want you can cut them into two and its easy to eat.

Salad Roll up

' Fish, fish in a brook...Daddy will catch them with a hook '......

My 2-year-old is so fond of fish like his dad. K keeps inspiring me to try out new recipes with fish. His latest craze is tinned fish. I was planning to make rotis for dinner; however, ended up making this chapatti roll ups. This is a very easy to cook dish and most importantly you can hardly go wrong with this recipe. The taste was so yummy that I got an 'eyebrow-lift' appreciation from K (which is usually a rare scene).

Ingredients:

For 1 Rollup

Wheat flour - 5 to 6 tbsp 
Onion Chopped - 1/2
Tomato Chopped - 1/2
Green chilli - 1 (finely chopped)
Tinned Tuna - 3/4 (break them into chunks)
Lettuce - little roughly chopped
Basil leaves - 2 or 3

Sauce
Mayonnaise - as per taste
Tomato ketchup- as per taste
Mustard sauce - as per taste ( I dint use it)

Spices:

Salt & Pepper (little)


Method:

Mix little water with wheat flour and make a soft dough. Then roll it out and cook on the tawa
like a normal chapatti. (Using oil is optional)

Let the chapatti cool down for 2 mins. Then place the chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, tuna chunks, lettuce and basil leaves lengthwise near one end. If you keep the ingredients in the middle, it is difficult to roll it up. Then sprinkle salt and little freshly ground pepper on top. Then squeeze all the sauces one by one. I added very little mayo and ketchup. Now roll the chapatti along with the ingredients tightly and secure the end with a toothpick. Cut the roll in the middle and it looks very cute and appetizing.


Happy Cooking..............