Muttai Kuzhipaniyaram Salna / Egg Appe Salna

Salna is one of the best combination to be served with Parotta or Chapathi. The basic gravy of salna is prepared using freshly ground coconut masala and spices. The spices, onion, tomato and coconut is sautéed and made into fine paste is further simmered to get a flavourful gravy. Though the plain gravy tastes delicious, the addition of veggies or meat or egg makes the salna more tastier. In few hotels, the beaten eggs are directly added to the simmering gravy. But in my today's recipe, I have used Appe pan to prepare muttai kuzhapaniyaram and added them to the gravy. I have used just eggs to prepare muttai kuzhamniyaram but to enhance the taste further, finely chopped onions along with coriander leaves and green chillies can also be included. This salna goes perfect with Parotta and also can be served with Idly, Dosa, Appam and Roti.

Ingredients :

5 Eggs 
2 Tbsp Oil 
1 Tsp Saunf 
2 Bay leaves
1 Onion, Finely chopped 
1 Tomato, Finely chopped 
3 Green chillies, slitted 
2 Tsp Ginger garlic paste
Few Curry leaves 
Salt to taste 

To Grind :

1 1/2 Tbsp Oil 
1/2 Tsp Saunf 
1 inch Cinnamon stick 
1 Elachi 
1 Tbsp Pepper corns 
2 Onions, chopped 
1 Tomato, chopped 
Few Mint leaves 
1/4 Cup Coconut, grated 
2 - 3 Tbsp Groundnuts / Peanuts
1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1 1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder 
2 Tsp Coriander powder 

Method :

Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in a pan and add saunf followed by cinnamon stick, pepper corns and elachi.

Add chopped onions and saute till it turns translucent.

Add chopped tomato followed by mint leaves, coconut, groundnuts, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder.

Saute it for couple of minutes and remove from the flame.

Cool and grind into fine paste by adding the required amount of water.

Now heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and add saunf followed by bay leaves, green chillies and curry leaves.

Add finely chopped onion and saute it.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of it goes off.

Now add tomato and cook until it turns soft.

Add 3- 4 tbsp water and cook it again until the tomato turns mushy.

Now add the ground masala paste followed by the required amount of salt and 11/2 - 2 cups of water.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook till the oil separates from the pan in a medium flame.

Meanwhile, beat eggs by adding salt and keep aside.

Heat Appe / Kuzhipaniyaram pan and grease the mould with a little oil.

Now pour the beaten egg in each mould and cook both the sides in a medium flame.

Once done, remove from the appe / paniyaram pan and keep aside.

Once salna gets prepared, remove from the flame and add the prepared muttai kuzhipaniyaram.

Keep it aside for few minutes to let the eggs gets soaked and then serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with Idly, Dosa, Parotta, Roti and Appam.

Sausage Pakoda Kurma

Pakoda Kurma is a popular dish in Tamil Nadu which is usually served with Rice, Idly and Dosa. Everyone has their unique way of preparing pakodas for kurma either using chana dal or besan flour. In my today's recipe, I have used chana dal and also for a twist, I have included grated sausage which gives a delicious flavour to the kurma. The shape of pakodas will be usually uneven but in my recipe, I have made it into a small equal sized balls. I have used pressure cooker method in this recipe to prepare kurma which can also be replaced with a regular pan. The consistency of the kurma should be little watery before adding pakodas as it absorbs the gravy. The soaked pakodas will be really tasty and personally I love it with Curd rice.

Ingredients :

For Pakoda :

4 Sausages, grated ( Small size ) 
1/2 Cup Chanda dal ( Kadalai parupu ) 
1 Onion, Finely chopped 
2 Tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped 
1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder 
Salt to taste

Coconut Paste :

1/4 Cup Coconut grated 
1/2 Tsp Khus Khus ( Soak in warm water for few minutes ) 

For Kurma :

1 Bay leaves 
2 Elachi 
1/2 Tsp Saunf 
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 
3 Green chillies, slitted 
Few Mint leaves 
1 Cup Onion paste
1/2 Cp Tomatoes, Finely chopped 
2 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
3/4 Tsp Red chilli powder 
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala powder 
Salt to taste 

Method :

Wash and soak chana dal for an hour.

Drain the water completely and grind it coarsely.

Transfer it to a bowl and add grated sausages followed by onion, coriander leaves, red chilli powder and salt.

Mix well and make small balls out of it.

Deep fry them in batches and keep aside.

Grind coconut and Khus Khus into a fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a cooker and add bay leaves followed by elachi, saunf cinnamon stick and green chillies.

Fry and add mint leaves followed by onion paste and ginger garlic paste.

Saute till the raw smell goes off.

Add the chopped tomatoes followed by turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and coconut paste.

Add one cup of water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

Once the pressure gets released, boil it again for a minute and add the fried pakodas. ( Add water and boil if the kurma is very thick ).

Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with plain Rice, Idly, Dosa or Roti.

Mixed Vegetable Kurma ( Pressure cooker method )

Vegetable Kurma is a creamy and tasty curry prepared using mixed vegetables, spices and coconut paste. This is a perfect side dish for Roti, Phulka, Idly and Dosa. The addition of coconut paste gives a creamy texture and the addition of besan - roasted gram gives a thickness to the gravy. The pressure cooker method saves the time and also gives a perfect gravy texture to the curry.

Ingredients :

2 tbsp Oil 
1 Bay leaf 
1 Star anise
2 Elachi 
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 
2 Onions ( 1 Onion Finely Chopped and 1 onion for paste ) 
1 Tomato, chopped 
1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 
2 Carrot, Cut into small pieces 
2 Potatoes, Cut in small pieces
1/2 Cup Fresh green peas
10 Green beans, Finely chopped 
1/2 Cup Fresh groundnuts ( optional ) 
2 Green chillies, sliced 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1/2 - 3/4 Tsp Red chilli powder ( add according to taste bud )
1/2 Tsp Cumin / Jeera powder 
Coriander leaves for garnishing 
Salt to taste 

To grind :

1/4 Cup Coconut, grated
2 Tbsp Roasted chana dal / Pottukadalai 
1 Tsp Saunf / Perunjeeragam 
1 Tbsp Besan flour 

Method :

Grind all the ingredients given in "To grind" to a fine paste by adding little water and keep aside.

Grind one onion and tomato into fine paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a cooker and add bay leaf followed by star anise, cinnamon and elachi.

Add finely chopped onion followed by ginger garlic paste.

Saute till the raw smell of ginger - garlic paste goes off.

Add the onion - tomato paste and saute till the colour of gravy changes to light brown colour.

Add turmeric powder followed by red chilli powder and cumin powder.

Now add the ground paste along with little water and cook it for couple of minutes in a medium flame.

Add the chopped vegetables followed by the required amount of salt and 1 - 11/2 cups of water.

Cover it with the lid and pressure cook it for 1 - 2 whistles in a medium flame.

Once done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Idly, Dosa or Roti.

Basa Fish in Coconut Milk Curry

Flavorful and delicious curry prepared using coconut milk and basa fish fillets. Onions are sauteed along with ginger - garlic paste and tomato is further made into smooth paste to enhance the flavor of the curry. Simple recipe with finger licking taste goes well with hot rice. This can also be served with Idly, Dosa or Appam.

Ingredients :

2 Tbsp Oil
1 Basa Fish Fillet, Cut into pieces
2 Big Onions, chopped
2 Tsp Ginger - Garlic paste
1 Big Tomato, Chopped
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk ( Thick )
1 Cup Water ( Adjust accordingly )
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
1 Tsp Red chilli powder
1 Tsp Coriander powder
2 Springs of Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method :

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and add the chopped onions.

Saute till it turns translucent and add the ginger - garlic paste followed by the chopped tomato.

Saute till the tomato turns soft and remove from the flame.

Cool and grind into smooth paste by adding little water.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add curry leaves followed by the ground paste.

Fry it for couple of minutes and add turmeric powder followed by chilli and coriander powder.

Saute till the raw smell goes off and add half cup of water along with the required amount of salt.

Cook it for 5 minutes in a medium flame or till the oil separates from curry.

Add coconut milk along with the remaining water and fish pieces.

Simmer the flame and cook till the fish gets cooked. ( max. 5 minutes ).

Once done, remove from the flame and serve hot. 

Serving Options :

Serve with hot rice, Idly, Dosa or Appam.

Healthy Chicken Kurma ( No Coconut ) / Diet Friendly Recipe - 42 / #100dietrecipes

Do you miss your favorite chicken kurma during dieting days because of the addition of coconut paste ? No worries, this is my version of healthy chicken kurma in which I have used only less quantity of boneless chicken and substituted coconut with melon seeds to get the richness of the gravy. The addition of capsicum along with tomatoes is to increase the flavor of the kurma and also, to include one veggie indirectly in our diet. This creamy and flavorful kurma goes well without any guilt with phulka, plain brown rice, brown rice kuska, idly or dosa.

Ingredients :

200 Gms Chicken, Boneless, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive oil 
2 Bay leaves
2 Elachi 
1 inch Cinnamon 
1 Star anise
2 Tsp Ginger garlic paste
1 Cup Onions, chopped
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Capsicum / Bell pepper, chopped
1 Tsp Chilli powder
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
3/4 Tsp Cumin / Jeera powder 
1 Tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 Cups Water  
Few Mint leaves, for garnishing
1 Tsp Lemon Juice

To grind :

1 Tbsp Watermelon seeds
1 Tbsp Muskmelon seeds
2 Tsp khus - khus / Poppy seeds
2 Tbsp Roasted gram / Pottukadalai 

Method :

Soak all the ingredients in the "To grind" list except Roasted gram / Pottukadalai  before starting the cooking process.

Grind tomatoes and capsicum into smooth paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a cooker and add bay leaves followed by elachi, cinnamon and star anise.

Add the chopped onions and saute for a minute.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.

Add the ground tomato - capsicum paste and saute for couple of minutes in a low flame.

Now add all masalas ( Turmeric, chilli and coriander ), mix well and add the boneless chicken pieces.

Mix well, add salt and cook for couple of minutes.

Add 1 Cup of water and pressure cook it for 3 - 4 whistles.
 
Once done, switch off the flame and keep aside.

Meanwhile, grind all the soaked ingredients along with Roasted gram to fine paste by adding little water.

Once the pressure gets released in the cooker, remove the lid and add the remaining water along with the ground paste.

Boil it for 5 minutes and switch off the flame.

Add lemon juice followed by mint leaves and mix well.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Phulka, Idly, Dosa or Brown rice kuska.

Vegetable - Chickpeas Kurma / Diet Friendly Recipes - 11 / #100dietrecipes

Everyone must be wondering, how kurma falls under diet friendly category... Yes! It is coconut free kurma and apart from that , I have included veggies,watermelon seeds and muskmelon seeds to make healthier and diet friendly. The veggies are ground into fine paste and added to onion mixture to get a flavorful and healthy gravy which is further pressure cooked along with soaked chickpeas. Instead of coconut paste, I have used the paste of melon seeds and roasted gram along with few cooked chickpeas to get the creamy texture. This yummy kurma goes delicious with Roti and can also be served with Idly and Dosa. This is also considered to be a kids friendly recipe, as it includes veggies in an indirect form. So, if you are looking for a recipe to make your kid eat veggies, then try this. Here is the recipe of creamy and flavorful kurma....

Ingredients :

1 1/2 Cups Chickpeas
1 Tbsp Olive oil / any cooking oil 
2 Bay leaves
1 inch Cinnamon 
1 Tsp Saunf 
1 Elachi 
1 Cup Onion, Finely chopped
1 Tbsp Ginger - Garlic paste Few Mint leaves + for garnishing
1 Big Green chilli, chopped 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1 Tsp Chilli powder 
1 Tsp Jeera / Cumin powder 
1 Tsp Coriander powder 
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste 
Water, as needed

To grind 1 :

2 Tomatoes, chopped
2 Medium sized Carrot, chopped
1 Capsicum, chopped

To grind 2 :

2 Tsp Watermelon seeds
2 Tsp Muskmelon seeds
3 Tbsp Roasted bengal gram / Potukadalai 
1/2 Tsp Saunf 

Method :

Wash and soak the chickpeas overnight.

Soak watermelon seeds and muskmelon seeds in a water, before starting the cooking process.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add bay leaves followed by saunf, cinnamon and elachi.

Add mint leaves followed by chopped green chillies.

Now add the chopped onions and saute for a minute.

Add ginger - garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.

Meanwhile, grind the ingredients given in "To grind 1" to a fine paste by adding little water.

Add the ground paste to the sauteed onion and mix well.

Add turmeric powder followed by chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt.

Mix well and cook for 5 minutes in a medium flame till the raw smell goes off and it gets the gravy consistency.

Drain water from the soaked chickpeas and add it to the masala.

Add required amount of water ( approx 3/4 cup ) and pressure cook it for 5 - 6 whistles.

Switch off the flame and keep aside to cool.

Once the pressure gets released, remove 10 chickpeas from the cooker and keep aside.

Drain the water from the soaked watermelon seeds and musk melon seeds.

Add both the seeds along with the reserved chickpeas, roasted gram and saunf to a fine paste by adding little water.

Now add this ground paste to the kurma and cook it for 3 -5 minutes in a medium flame.

Garnish with mint leaves and switch off the flame.

Serve.

Serving Options :

Serve with Roti, Idly or Dosa.

Crab Kurma / Crab Korma

We love crabs but the availability part is very difficult in the place where we stay. We have to travel 10 kms to get fresh seafood so alternative Sunday mornings will be our seafood hunting travel. It is tiring to get little early in the Sundays but the Aroma while cooking and the flavor while eating will take off all the pain of getting up early. Do you agree friends ? :)

Though the flesh part is less compared to other seafood, every bite tastes very delicious and tasty. Crab Kurma is a flavorful curry in which crab is cooked along with spices and finally simmered with coconut paste to give rich flavor. This goes perfect with hot rice and sometimes, I prefer this with Dosa and Idli. 

Ingredients :

• 1/2 Kg Crab
• 250 gms Onions, Finely chopped
• 150 gms Tomatoes, Finely chopped
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 - 1 1/2 Tsp Chilli powder
• 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 Tsp Salt or according to taste
• 1 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Coconut and Saunf paste

Method :

• Clean , wash and cut the crabs into half and keep aside.

• Take finely chopped onions and tomatoes in a pan. 

• Add crabs followed by Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, Coriander powder and Salt.

• Pour the measured water and cook for 15-20 minutes in a medium flame or till the color of the crab changes to pink/pinkish red.

• Now add the coconut paste and mix well. ( Add water if the gravy is very thick )

• Cook for 2-3 minutes and garnish with curry leaves.

• Switch off the flame and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with hot rice, Idli or Dosa.

Goan Chicken Curry

Ingrediants :

350 gm chicken pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste

Paste:

 1/4 cup grated coconut

7 dry red chillies
1 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 tbsp tamarind, soaked
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste

Preparation:

Mix chicken with 1 tbsp oil and grill for 10 minutes. Later cool and shred some pieces and keep aside.
Grind coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, turmeric powder, tamarind, ginger garlic paste....and keep this paste aside.
Add oil in non stick pan and add onion. Saute nicely and then add tomato.
Later add prepared coconut paste and saute nicely for 10 mins or until coriander flavour goes.
Add coconut milk and stir it properly.Cook for 5 min and then add chicken.....
Add some more water for consistency....Then cook for 10 mins and finely garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

Soya Chunks and Potato Kurma

Ingredients:-
2 Potato,chopped in cubes(big size)
1 onion,finely chopped
1 tomato
2 green chillies
10 soyachunks,soaked in hot salted water for 5 mins
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp chilli coriander powder
2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
2 tsp masala powder
1/2 cup coconut paste
3 tbsp oil
Salt for taste
Curry leaves for garnishing
Preparations:-
Pour oil in cooker and add masala powder,ginger garlic paste,onion and saute it for 2 mins,then add potatoes and soya chunks.Mean while, make paste of tomato and green chillies.Add tomato chilli paste in cooker and saute for 3 mins.Add salt,Turmeric powder,Chilli and coriander powder and little water.Leave for 4-5 whistle.Later add coconut paste and boil for 5 min.Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot with chapati or poori.