Thalaserry Biriyani

Thalassery Dum Biriyani is one of the topmost rice recipes of Kerala. This is the most famous biriyani in northern Kerala. Simple but delicious recipe is there for you...

Ingredients

Basmati rice 3 1/2 cups

Ghee 2 tbsp

Rosewater 2 drops

Cinnamon 1" sticks

Cloves 3-4

Peppercorn 5

bay leaves (optional)

salt

water 6 cups

Chicken 2 KGs

Onion 1.5 sliced

Tomato 1.5 chopped

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Green chili- 10 nos (Crush it, don't grind it)

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves 5 sprigs

mint leaves 2 sprigs

yogurt/curd 2tbsp

oil 2 tbsp

salt

To garnish

onion 1 sliced

cashews 1/5 cup

raisins  1/5 cup

Coriander leaves 2 sprigs chopped

Mint leaves 1 sprig chopped

Ghee 1 tsp

How to make

• Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15-20 minutes
• Heat Ghee in a Kadai 
• Add in the cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorn.
•  Add rice and Saute the rice for 5 minutes till its coated.
• Heat water in a vessel and add salt to it. Let the water come to boil.
• Add the boiling water mix into it.
• Add one or two teaspoons of lime juice into the water so that the rice won't get sticky.
• Place the heat on medium flame and cover it with a lid. Let it cook till the water dries up.
• Wash and clean the chicken, cut into medium-sized pieces. Drain the water and marinate with chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt for a minimum half an hour or overnight too.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces
• Saute onions till translucent and add ginger garlic paste,  and crushed green chillis stir till the raw smell disappears.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and the spice powders.
• Add in the chicken. Mix and cover, cook till 15 minutes.(Don't add water)
• Open the  lid and cook for another 10 minutes till the gravy thickens,
• Add the yogurt and cook till the chicken is done.
• Layer the rice and chicken.
• Add Ghee and roasted onion, cashew, and raisins.
• Steam it for another ten minutes.
• Mix the layers just before serving and Serve hot with raitha!!!

Naadan Chicken Varuthathu ( Chicken fry)

Chicken is one of my favourite dish... I usually try to make different dishes with chicken as the main ingredient. This special dish is made with shallow frying chicken and so not too much oil is required in this preparation...Let's start

Ingredients


*  Chicken pieces - 1 Kg

*  Salt - as you need

*  Chicken masala powder - 1, 1/2 teaspoon.

*  Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons.

*  Chilli powder - 4 heaped teaspoons.

*  Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon.

*  Coconut oil - 1/4 cup.

* Curry leaves-4 sprigs.

*  Lemon juice -2 tablespoons

*  Ginger garlic paste -1 tablespoon.

*  Onion sliced - 1 medium sized.


Directions

*  First cut and clean the chicken pieces and keep it aside.

*  Mix together all the ingredients except the coconut oil and onion slices in a bowl.

*  Marinate the chicken pieces in the above mixture.

*  Add two teaspoons of oil if needed.

*  Keep it aside for about 30 minutes.

*  Add the chicken pieces into the pressure cooker and cook it closed.(without whistle)

*  Let the steam comes out for about 2 minutes so that chicken will be well cooked.

*  Please note that all the left over water (Chicken stalk) should be dried by opening the lid and putting the pressure cooker in the flame.

*  Add oil into a pan.

*  When the oil becomes hot, add the curry leaves into the oil and let it fry for a minute or two.

*  Then add the chicken pieces into the oil and shallow fry it.

*  When one side of the chicken pieces turns crisp and brown, turn on the other side and fry the other side.

* At this stage, add the sliced onion and sauté it well with the chicken.

*  When both sides are done, remove it from oil and drain the excess oil in a kitchen tissue.

* Chicken fry is now ready to serve.

Unakka Chemeen varuthathu ( Dry prawns fry)

It is a simple but very easy and taste dish that can be made within minutes as a side dish for lunch or dinner. It can also be a good starter. Lets go into its prepartion.

Ingredients


*  Dry prawn -1/2 cup

*  Chilli powder-1 teaspoon

*  Salt-as you need

*  Curry leaves-2

* Small onion, chopped - 10 nos.


Directions 

*  First remove the head, tail and legs of dry prawns and wash it clean.

*  Heat the pan and add the washed prawns into the pan.

*  Allow the water in the washed, dry prawns to get evaporated.

*  When the water gets evaporated fully, add oil into it.

*  Add half of the chopped onion, and curry leaves.

*  Saute it until the onion turns a golden brown color.

*  At this stage, add the rest of the chopped onion and salt.

*  Fry till the first set of onions and prawns are crispy.

*  The second set of onions should be at a stage that it just starts turning brown that is actually what makes this dish tastier.

*  Add the chilli powder just before you turn off the flame.

*  Make sure that the raw taste of chilli powder is gone, but chilli powder should not get a burnt taste.

*  Unakka chemeen varuthathu is now ready to serve.

Chicken ulathiyathu (Roasted Chicken)

As today is Sunday, I think the most appropriate post for non vegetarians should be based on Chicken. So today I am going to share with you a recipe of chicken ulathiyathu or chicken roast. I usually experiment on preparations and this is my own recipe  of Chicken ulathiyathu. When I first treid it out, I got a great appreciation from my family.So now its for you...

Ingredients

* One kg of Chicken pieces

* 4 or 5 nos of medium sized onion chopped

* 4 Green chillies chopped

* 5 tablespoons of Oil.

* 4 tablespoons of Chilli powder

* 3 tablespoons of Coriander powder

* 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric powder

* 3 Teaspoons of Chicken Masala powder

* 1 tablespoon of Ginger-garlic paste

*1 teaspoon of pepper powder

*1 sprig of curry leaves

* 1 cup of water

* 1 medium sized tomato chopped

* Salt as you need

* Oil for deep frying


Now lets start the cooking

*Wash and clean the chicken pieces.

* Mariante it with one tablespoon of chilli powder, one teaspoon of masala powder, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder and salt.

* Keep it aside for one hour.

* Deep fry the marinated chicken in oil.

* In another frying pan, take 5 tablespoon of oil and saute the ginger garlic paster for 2 minutes or till its raw flavour is gone.

*Add the chopped onion, curry leaves and green chilli to it and saute it well.

*When the onion turns golden brown, add the remaing chilli powder, coriander powder, masala powder and pepper powder to it and chop it till its raw flavour is gone.

* Add the chopped tomatoes into it and saute it well.

*Add enough water into it and also add the fried chicken into the gravy.

*Cook it in medium flame for about 15 minutes with the lid covered.

*After 15 minutes, open the lid and allow the extra water to get evaporated.

*Please look for the salt now. If needed please add the required salt now.

*The curry should be of thick consistency.

*When it is done, remove it from flame and serve hot with rice, chappathi etc...

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!

Muringa ila- mutta omlette (Drumstick leaves -Egg Omlette)

When thinking about combining healthy and tasty dishes for my baby, the first thing that comes to my mind is Muringayila mutta omlette. It has all the goodness of drumstick leaves as well as the egg.  Drumstick leaves are the most nutritional parts of the plant. It is a rich source of  Vitamin B, Vitamin C and many other proteins. Lets look at its preparation.

Ingredients

* 2 eggs.

* One teaspoon of chopped green chilli.

* One tablespoon of drumstick leaves.

* One tablespoon of chopped onion.

* Salt as you need.

* One teaspoon of oil.

* 1/2 teaspoon of pepper powder (Optional)




Everything  ready, lets start...

* Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl expect oil.

* Greasse a frying pan with oil.

* Pour the above mixture into the pan when the pan is hot.

* Spread it round and out.

* When one side is done, flip on the other side and cook it.

* Serve hot as it is or as a side dish...........

Enjoy.........

Koondal Varuthathu (SquidFry)

Last day my brother brought a big bag full of squid or koondal which he got it from his friend who is working in an exporing firm. Koondal is actually a fish which is not easily available to us. Not only that it is very costly too........But the taste..Oh! Its outstanding . Now look at its preparation.....

Ingredients


* 500 grams of cleaned squid

* 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric poweder

* 2 heaped teaspoons of chilli powder

* 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala.

* One  large sized chopped onion

* One sprig of curry leaves

* Salt as you need

* Two tablespoon of oil

* Two green chillies

* One teaspoon of gingergarlic paste

* 5-6 slices of coconut



Lets begin..........

*First cook the squid,with a little water, salt, turmeric powder and garam masala in the pressure cooker until you hear 5 whistles.

*Then add oil into a frying pan .

*Saute the onion, curryleaves, green chillies along with ginger garlic paste and the coconut pieces in the oil.

*When it is half done, add the already cooked squid into it and fry it.

Tasty squid fry is ready to serve...........

Chemmeen Ulathiyathu (Roasted Prawns)

Chemmen Ulathiyathu is  one of the traditional dish of Kerala. It has the perfect blend of sweetness and spiciness which makes the dish stand out. The method of preparation is very simple and needs few ingredients.

Ingredients

* One cup of cleaned prawns

* One tablespoon of red chilly powder

* One sprig of curryleaves

* Salt as you need

* A pinch of Turmeric powder

* Two Table spoon of Oil

* One medium sized onion, chopped.

* Half cup of Sliced coconut



Lets start.........
* First heat oil in a pan.

* Saute the onion, curry leaves, sliced coconut and salt in a the oil.

* When the onion turns light brown, add the chilli powder and turmeric powder to it and saute till the     raw taste of onion is gone.

* Then add the already cleaned prawns into it and saute it for a minute or two.

* Add the water into it and cook it covered.

* When it is cooked well, remove  the lid and allow the extra water to get evaporated.

* When the gravy reaches a thick consistency, remove it from flame and serve hot...........