2009/12/30

MUTTON CHOPS


INGREDIENTS:

Mutton- 1/2 kg 
Curry leaves 
Turmeric powder -- 1 tsp
 
To grind :

Poppy Seeds -- 2 tsp 
Fennel Seeds -- 1 tsp 
Garlic Cloves -- 5 D
Red Chillies -- 20
Coconut -- 7 pieces


Marinate the mutton with turmeric powder and salt for an hour.






METHOD OF PREPARATION : 

 1) Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Once hot, add Add the grinded masala, turmeric powder, little water and salt. Saute till the raw smell leaves.



2) Add in the mutton. Pressure cook for 10 to 15 whistles. Allow the steam to leave. Again, cook in slow flame till the oil separates . 



 Serve hot with Rice/Idli. 

Sending this to Radika's Think Spice : Think Poppy seeds event started by Sunitha and Srilekha's EFM : Mutton Series

2009/12/29

CHRISTMAS FEAST IN MY HOME



Hope you all enjoyed Christmas .

My Christmas menu included :

Mutton Chops
Mutton Potato Curry
Fish Fry
Mutton liver fry
Appy Fizz

Enjoy and have more fun .

This goes to My Christmas Food Festival and Priyanka's Jingle--all the way event.

2009/12/21

CHRISTMAS PARTY - 09 AT EASY2COOKRECIPES ; WINNER OF EFM : VARITEY RICE SERIES ;

Hai Friends

Hope you are getting ready for Christmas. Yet another event from me : CHRISTMAS PARTY - 09 .


Photo : free 4u wallpaper

All you have to do this is :

1) Post your christmas / New year party food in your blog and link it back to the event .Feel free to use the logo. Your food can be your dinner special or christmas special lunch . You can send non-veg or veg special food.
2) Send your entry to shamanagscrafts@gmail.com .
3) Last date : January 5 , 2010.
4) Previous entries are accepted.


Please do participate and enjoy christmas with us .

Cheers,
Shama Nags



SRILEKHA has awarded me with this cute award for winning the EFM : Variety Rice Series .


2009/12/18

MY 250 TH POST..........



Hai Friends

I am really happy to post my 250th one . It couldn't have happened without my beloved blogger friends . I was inspired by my best friend RAMYA BALA to start this blog . My heartfelt thanks to her who have shown me such a new wonderful world of blogging and wonderful loving friends .

Thank you very much dearies for visiting my blog and encouraged me to develop my blog.

A small gift for all my blogger friends,



Cheers,
Shama

2009/12/14

CHICKEN BIRIYANI - Ambur



INGREDIENTS:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Rice - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Lemon - 1
Curry leaves , Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 1/4 tsp
Curd - 1/2 tsp
Biriyani leaves - 2
Cinnamon, cloves, phool, annasi poo

TO GRIND :

Split green chillies - 6
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Cinnamon - 2
Cloves - 1
Fennel seeds-- 1 tsp

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Marinate chicken with little of ginger-garlic paste,chilli powder , garam masala powder , salt,turmeric powder and curd for 30 minutes.
2) Soak rice for 20 minutes.
3) Heat oil or ghee in pressure cooker . Once hot, add biriyani leaves, phool, cinnamon, cloves, annasi poo.


4) Add the grinded masala, chilli powder, salt, biriyani and garam masala powder.



5) Add marinated chicken and saute for 10 minutes .


6) Finally add rice and stir well with chicken. Add 1 cup of water. 



8) Pressure cook for 2 whisltes. Allow the steam to leave and serve hot.

CHICKEN GRAVY :

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken --- 250 gms
Onion --- 2 big
Tomato -- 2 big
Ginger-garlic paste -- 1 tsp
Curry and Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Chilli powder -- 2 tsps
Turmeric powder -- 1 tsp
Garam masala -- 1 tsp
Chillly garlic sauce -- 1 tsp
Soya sauce -- 1 tsp

NOTE :

Marinate chicken with little of ginger-garlic paste,chilli powder , garam masala powder , salt,turmeric powder and curd for 30 minutes.

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Saute onion and tomato till tender in a spoon of oil in a pressure cooker .
2) Then add curry leaves and cleaned ,washed , marinated chicken . Add turmeric powder,garam masala powder,chilli powder and ginger-garlic paste . Saute till chicken leaves water in a slow flame .
3) Then add a cup of water and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles till chicken becomes soft .
4 ) Then open the lid , cook till the gravy becomes thick .
5) Finally mix sauce to it and mix them well . Cook till the oil separates out.

Serve hot with rice or roti .

2009/12/10

DAL MAKHANI


I learnt this yummy recipe from my bengali friend .

INGREDIENTS :

Black whole urat dal -- 1 cup
Black rajma - 1 cup

TO GRIND :

Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 2big
Green Chillies - 3
Fresh cream -- 1/4 cup
Whole garam masala - 2 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder -- 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Cashews - -2
Kuskus - - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste -- 1 tsp

Soak dal and rajma overnight .

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Pressure cook dal and rajma for 4 whistles. Strain the stock and keep aside . Use this for grinding masala.
2) Heat oil in a kadai . Add chopped onion and saute till tender.
3) Add all the grinded masala and little water . Once it starts boling add the cooked dal . Cover with the lid till the oil separates .

Add unsalted butter to it while serving .

2009/12/09

VAZHAIKKAI KOOTU / RAW BANANA CURRY


INGREDIENTS :
 

Vazhaikkai - 2 big 
Channa dal - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste 
Onion -- 1 big 
Turmeric powder - -1 tsp
Mustard and Jeera - -1 tsp each 
Red chillies - 2 

 TO GRIND : 

Coconut -- 6 big pieces 
Ginger - a small piece 
Garlic -- 3 cloves 
Red chillies -- 6 
Channa dal -- 1 tsp 



METHOD OF PREPARATION: 

 1) Peel the skin and chopped the banana and boil them separately.




2) Meanwhile , heat oil in a kadai . Add mustard , Jeera and Red Chillies . Add curry leaves and chopped onion and saute till tender .


3) Add the boiled banana and grinded masala with 1/2 cup of water . Add all the powders and salt . 


4) Add the grinded masala and turmeric powder and salt.


5) Add the boiled channa dal. Cover with a lid and cook till the oil separates.



 Serve hot with rice .

2009/12/08

KEERAI THANDU PORIYAL / GREENS STEM CURRY

I learnt this recipe from my bengali friend . The taste was different and it had a yummy flavour.


INGREDIENTS :

Greens stem -- 5 bunch (Use the stems which are advisable to eat only) i used thotta kura stems.
Onion -- 1
Tomato -- 1
Kasa kasa -- 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Mustard , Jeera - 1 tsp
Green chillies -- 3

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Heat oil . Add mustard , jeera and kasa kasa . When it splutters , add chopped onion , 1 slit chilli and tomato . Saute till tender .
2) Add chopped stems ,2 chillies paste and sprinkle some water . Cover with a lid .
3) Once it gets cooked , add salt .

Serve hot with rice .This goes to Radika's Think Spice : Think Poppy seeds event started by Sunitha .
Other Recipe for this event :

Potato apple curry

2009/12/07

LADY'S FINGER PEANUT STIR FRY / VENDAIKKAI VERKADALAI PORIYAL


INGREDIENTS : 

 Ladies Finger / Vendaikkai -- 250 gms 
Onion -- 1/2 cup chopped 
Mustard and Urat dal -- 1 tsp each 
Peanuts -- 3 tbsps ( Roasted) 
Chilli powder -- 2 tsps 
Turmeric powder -- 1 tsp 
Salt to taste. 

  METHOD OF PREPARATION : 

 1) Heat oil in a kadai.Add mustard,urat dal , and chopped onion and saute till tender. 


2) Add chopped lady's finger and fry for 5 minutes.



3) Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix them well and cook them in slow flame .


4) Cook till veggie is cooked well , add roasted peanuts to it and mix it well.



Serve hot with rice . 

2009/12/05

KARTHIGAI DEEPAM CELEBRATION AND AWARDS

In TamilNadu , Karthigai Deepam is celebrated as a festival of lights in the month of Karthigai . In Thiruvannamalai , it is popularly known as Annamalai Deepam . Once the deepam is lit in this temple , all the other temples in the whole state will lit the deepams . Lord Muruga is worshipped on this day . The festival starts with cleaning the house , decorating the house with new diyas , wearing new dresses , special dishes and finally bursting crackers . This year celebration in my home . Decoration in the hall , entrance of the rooms, Pooja table , In the balconies , In the front gate , Mrs.Menaga has passed these two beautiful awards .Thank you dear......they are my treasures. I would like to pass these awards to Raks , Happy Cook , Sandhya and Vij .

2009/12/03

SNAKEGOURD CHANNA DAL CURRY



INGREDIENTS :

Snake gourd -- 1/2 of 1 medium size
Channa dal -- 1 cup
Red chillies - -2
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder --1 tsp
Jeera powder -- 1 tsp
Coriander powder - -1 tsp
Pepper powder -- 1 tsp
Chilli powder - -1 1/2 tsp
Tomato - 1
Garlic cloves - -5
Onion - 1
Mustard , Jeera -- 1 tsp each
Asafoetida - a pinch

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Soak channa overnight and leave it in refrigerator .
2) Pressure cook dal with chopped gourd , Garlic , tomato,turmeric powder and 2 tsps of oil for 6 whistles and keep aside for the steam to leave.
3) Heat oil in a pan ,add mustard and jeera . Add onion and saute till tender .
4) Then add red chillies and curry leaves . Transfer dal mixture to it and add all the remaining powders . Cook in a slow flame till the oil separates out .

Serve hot with rice or roti .

2009/11/30

CAULIFLOWER FRY



INGREDIENTS :

Cauliflower -- 1 small
Onion -- 1
Tomato -- 1
Mustard and Jeera -- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Ginger-garlic paste -- 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Wash cauliflower florets in water with a pinch of salt and turmeric . Separately cook then in fresh water , strain the water and keep aside.
2) Heat oil in a kadai . Add mustard and jeera . When it splutters,add chopped onion and saute till tender.
3)Then add tomato and saute till it forms thick gravy.
4) Add Ginger -garlic paste and all other powders.
5) Finally , add the cooked florets to it and mix them well .Remove from flame once it gets well mixed with the gravy.
5) Then add florets to it amd mix them well.

2009/11/27

COOKING TIPS

Dear Friends ,

I had a blog separately for giving tips . While developing that blog , i ended in some technical problem , so i closed that blog and decided to give them in this page itself . Will soon post all my posts in that blog .

As a first step , i post my cooking tips for you . Few of these tips will be the familiar ones . Some of these are from my friends , relatives, neighbour , google and some magazines .

COOKING TIPS :

1) While cooking Toor dal or Moong dal in a pressure cooker , add 2 tsps of oil and a pinch of turmeric powder . Dal will be cooked fast and soft .

2) I follow this measurement for making Dosa/Idly . 6 cups of rice , 1 cup of Urad dal and 1 tsp of Methi seeds for saoking . While grinding add 2 handful of beaten rice /Poha for crispy dosa.

3) While making the batter , first grind dal and then rice . Once transferred to the bowl , add salt and mix them well with your hand before fermenting . Proper mixing of dal and rice batter will give you perfect Idly and Dosa .

4) Store them in 2 separate containers , use only 1 at a time . Once you started using batter with ladle , in due course the batter will have sour smell . Once the small container is done , we can refill them .

5) Have a new scotch brite separately for cleaning Carrots , Radish and sometimes less muddy potatoes instead of a pealer .

6) When your curry or gravy have more tamarind taste , add more karam to it . The gravy will be perfect .

7) When your curry turns to be too spicy , finally smash a tomato to it .

8) While cleaning non-vegetarian foods , wash them thrice with little of turmeric to it . This will help to remove their raw smell .

9) While preparing chicken,mariante it with powders and a spoon of curd to it. They will become soft.

10) If you use chicken with bones , add less oil while cooking .Their skin and bones will leave some oil and your recipe will be too tasty.

11) If your pantry have half rippen fruits or veggies , you can leave them in your cello hot box . They will rippen soon . Otherwise,you can leave fruits like Custard Apple , Mango in rice .

12) To avoid ripening of bananas very soon , you can hang your banana to a thick thread tied in a comfortable place for you .

13) Remove the stem of curry leaves , pudina and greens before storing them . They will be fresh for a long time .

14) Remove the cap of chillies while storing it .

15) When you make homemade sambar powders , store them in a airtight container . If you have prepared in large quantities , have a small container for daily use . Can refill them,once finished.

16) While making greens , just sprinkle little water . They by themselves will leave some water and the colur of the greens will not be changed . Once you overcooked them , they will have bitter taste .

17) While making kootu using channa dal , we can soakovernight but leave it in refrigerator.Dal will be soft after cooking with the same freshness.

18) When we cook non-veg foods , our kadai or pan will sometimes be too oily or have the masala smell . So , while we clean those vessels we can use form cleaner and hot water .

19 ) We can cover our gas stove with aluminium foil .Cut them for each burner . This will help you to clean the stove easily . We can just remove the foil and through them ,when we drop milk or any burnt food fall it it. We can maintain our stove as newly as possible.

20) While making Paruppu usli , we must stir the dal mixture continuously in the pan.This will consume long time and give pain to your hands . Insted we can steam cook them in Idli pan .

Enjoy and have more fun.

2009/11/26

TOOR DAL CHUTNEY / THUVARAM PARUPPU THOVAYAL




INGREDIENTS :

Toor Dal -- 1 small cup
Coconut --- 7 pieces
Curry leaves -- 1 handful
Garlic cloves -- 9
Salt to taste
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Red Chillies -- 5

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Heat a spoon of oil in a kadai . Then add red chillies , curryleaves , garlic and tamarind . Saute till the aroma smells out .
2) Remove it to a plate . Then add dal to the kadai and roast it till the smell comes out .
3) Remove from the flame and allow it to cool .
4) Then grind them in a mixer with coconut and salt .

Serve with Pongal / Dosa / Idli / Chapathi /Rasm Rice .

2009/11/24

MUTTON BONE SOUP / ELUMBU SOUP


Mutton Bone soup has more health benefits. It helps strengthen bones and effective remedy for cold , cough and severe congestion. It boosts the immune system and help children of underweight to gain weight and the necessary nutrients for their growth. This soup can be given to toddlers from 1 year.

INGREDIENTS :
 

  • Mutton bone : 200 gms
  • Tomato -- 1 big  
  • Pepper- Jeera powder -- - 6 tsps 
  • Salt to taste
  •  Curry leaves
  •  Turmeric powder -- 3 tsps 

For Masala : 
  • Pearl onions -- 1/4 cup 
  • Garlic --- 5 cloves
  • Ginger - a small piece

 METHOD OF PREPARATION : 

 1) Wash bones and keep aside . 
2) Heat 4 tbps of oil in a pressure cooker and once hot , add bones and saute for 3 minutes.



3) Then , add grinded masala to it. Saute till the raw smell leaves. Add 2 cups of water.




4) Smash a tomato to it and add curry leaves , turmeric powder, and a cup of water. AddC pepper jeera powder , cook for 6 whistles .




 Serve hot.

This soup goes to Sudeshna's Think Spice : Think Turmeric event ,event started by Sunitha. Other Recipes for the event are : AVIYAL POORI MASALA MASALA DOSAI

2009/11/18

OATS RAVAI IDLI




INGREDIENTS:


Oats -- 1 cup
Rava -- 1 cup
Fresh curd - - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Water - -2 cups



METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Powder oats and rava in a blender .
2) Then mix it with curd,water and salt . Leave the batter for 15-20 minutes.
3) Then pour the batter in idly pan and steam cook for 10 minutes.



Serve hot with sambar or chutney.Sending this to Sara's Oats Feast Event .



Other Oats Recipes are :



KOLLU IDLI (Horse gram Idli)