CHICKEN ALFAM

Ingredients needed:

Whole chicken with skin : 4 nos

Onion : 3 medium sized

Ginger : 1 inch piece

Garlic : 8 cloves

Green Chillies : 4 nos

Tomato : 4 nos

Curd : 1/2 liter

Lemon extract : 2 lemons

Salt , Pepper : As needed

Olive oil : 2 tsp

Arabic Masala : 2 tsp

For Arabic Masala preparation

1 cup cumin seeds (whole)

1 cup fennel seeds (whole)

1 cup cinnamon sticks

1 cup coriander seeds (whole)

1/2 cup pepper corns (whole)

1/4 cup dried red chillies (whole)

1/2 cup turmeric powder

Instruction:

1. Divide each chicken lengthwise into two pieces.
2. Blend the ingredients Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Green chillies, and tomato into a fine paste.
3. Mix the curd, lemon extract,  Arabic masala, salt, pepper powder and olive oil and add the #2 paste to this.
4. Spread this paste over the chicken pieces thorughly and keep it for 2-4 hours.
5. Grill it and serve alfaham hot with Khuboos , roti , idli etc..

ONION PAKODA

                     

Ingredients needed:

Onion - 1/4 cup sliced lengthwise
Gram flour -1/3 cup + 1 tsp
Rice flour -2 1/2 tbsp
Chilli powder -3/4 tsp
Hot oil - 1 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt as needed

Oil for deep frying pakoras

Instruction:

Cut onion thinly lengthwise and keep it aside.

In a bowl, mix together onion, salt, gram flour, rice flour, chilli powder, 1 tsp hot oil and hing. Add approximately 4 tsp of water and mix well. After mixing, it will be as shown in the picture below. 

Heat oil in a kadai. To check if the oil is hot enough to fry the pakodas, drop a little batter into the oil, if the batter raises to the surface immediately, the oil is ready for frying the pakodas.

Reduce the heat to medium, take a little prepared pakoda batter and drop it into the oil as shown in the picture below. Do not make balls or shape it, this pakoda should be shapeless.

Fry until golden brown, stirring in between. Remove it from the oil and drain excess oil on a colander or paper towel.

Serve onion pokoda with a hot cup of tea or coffee

MASALA DOSA

   Ingredients needed for Masala Dosa Batter:

   Par boiled Rice -1 1/2 cup (Idli pulungal arisi)

   Raw rice - 1/2 cup

   Whole urad dal (without skin) -1/2 cup

   Fenugreek seeds -1/2 tsp

   Channa dal/bengal gram/kadalai paruppu - 2 tbsp

   Tur dal - 1 1/2 tbsp

   Salt needed

   Ingredients needed  for the potato filling for Masala dosa:

   Potatoes - 500 gms /2 cups heaped boiled and mashed

   Onion -2 or 1 cup thinly sliced

   Ginger - 1 inch piece

   Green chilli - 2-3 (finely chopped)

   Tomato -1 small (optional)

    Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

   Curry leaves - few tender ones

   Salt needed

   For the seasoning

   Oil -2 tbsp

   Mustard - 1 tsp

   Urad dal -3/4 tsp

   Bengal gram/channa dal - 3/4 tsp

   Hing/Asafoetida - a pinch

   Oil for making dosa -(sesame seed oil preferable)

instructions:

Soak par boiled rice, raw rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, bengal gram, tur dal in enough water for 4-5 hours.

Wash and grind everything together to a smooth texture adding water, little at a time. I used the wet grinder for grinding. Add needed salt and leave it overnight to ferment. The fermenting time differs according to the climatic conditions.

Before making dosa, add a tsp of sugar, little water and mix well to get the dosa batter consistency. The batter is ready to make masala dosa. Now we will see how to make filling for masala dosa (potato filling or potato bhaji)


Preparation for masala dosa filling

Wash and cut potatoes into half and pressure cook  for 3 whistles. After it cools, peel the skin and mash it well.( not to a fine paste) Keep it aside.

Cut onions lengthwise, finely chop green chillies and ginger.

Method

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing, urad dal and channa dal.

When dal turns golden brown, add thinly sliced onions, green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. Saute for a few minutes until onion turns pink. (do not brown the onions)

Add turmeric powder, chopped tomatoes and salt needed.

Add 1/2- 3/4 cup of hot water, when water starts boiling, add the mashed potatoes. Mix well and cook for few minutes (around 5-6 mins) until everything gets blended well. Do not add too much water, then the dosa will become soggy.

Switch off the flame. Our filling for the masala dosa is ready.

Making of masala dosa

Now we will prepare the masala dosa. Heat a non stick or iron tawa, add a drop of oil and rub half an onion on it. Once the tawa is heated, bring the flame to medium and pour a ladle of batter in the center.

Using the back of the ladle, spread the batter in a circular motion as seen in the picture below. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa and close it with a lid. (masala dosa should not be thick)

Once the edges starts browning and the dosa is cooked, reduce the heat, add 2-3 tbsp of potato masala, a little butter (optional ) and fold the dosa. Remove from tawa and serve hot. Note - Since we are closing it with a lid, there is not need to cook the other side.

Masala dosa is ready to be served. You can fold it into half or as shown above or into a triangle. Repeat the process for the rest of the batter. Serve with chutney and sambar of your choice.

FISH PULIMUNCHI (SOUTH INDIAN DISH)

             

Ingredients

• 
  
• Fish Cleaned & made into medium size pieces - 1/2 kg
• 
  
• Dry long red chillies - 10 
• 
  
• Tamarind - A big lemon size ball
• 
  
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
• 
  
• Fenugreek  Methi seeds - 1/3 tea spoon
• 
  
• Coriander seeds - 2 tea spoon full
• 
  
• whole black pepper seeds - 1 tea spoon
• 
  
•  Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
• 
  
• Green chillies - 2 tp 3 chopped
• 
  
• Ginger - 1/2 inch chopped
• 
  
• onion - 1 finely chopped
• 
  
• Onion - 1 big sliced
• 
  
• garlic - 5 cloves crushed
• 
  
• curry leaves
• 
  
• coconut oil - 4 table spoon
• 
  
• salt to taste

Directions

• 
  
• First roast red chillies, coriander seeds, methi seeds & black pepper.
• 
  
• Grind the roasted spices along with turmeric, tamarind, coconut and a little water as 
• 
  
• required to make a fine thick paste
• 
  
• In a pan pour oil, add chopped onions & crushed garlic.
• 
  
• when the garlic & onions are slightly brown add curry leaves, masala paste, green chillies, sliced onions & ginger.
• 
  
• stir for 30 sec , now add salt to taste & water as required for making a thick curry.
• 
  
• let the curry boil for five min.
• 
  
• After five min add fish & cover the pan lid.put your flame in simmer.
• 
  
• Cook for 8 to 10 min or until the fish is cooked
• 
  
• Fish pulimunchi is ready
• 
  
• serve with hot rice or dosa 

CUCUMBER PUDDING

Ingredients:

Cucumber pieces (Vallarikka, Kakdi) - about 2 cups 

Sago (Javarisi, Sabushana, Chowwary) - 1/4 cup 

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/4 cup 

Water - 2 cups 

Milk - 1 cup 

Sugar - 1/4 cup (or to taste) 

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp 

Ghee - 2-3 tbsp 

Cashews - 2-3 tbsp (or use other nuts like pistachios, chiroli or almonds) 

Raisins - 2 tbsp (optional) 

Instructions:

Soak the sago in water for about half an hour. 

In the mean while, chop the cucumber into thin pieces. 

Take the soaked sago in a heavy bottomed pan. Fill it with sufficient water and cook it. 

When it is half cooked add the cucumber pieces and continue to cook till both the sago and cucumber pieces become soft. 

Now add the sugar and let it melt. Next add the condensed milk and milk. 

Simmer it for about 5 minutes or till you are satisfied with the consistency. 

Add the cardamom powder and switch off. 

Heat the ghee in another pan and fry the nuts and raisins. Add it to the payasam and cover with a lid until you are ready to serve. 

KHEEMA KABAB

Ingredients:

1 lb - keema  (boneless meat chopped very closely)

1 - Onion

1 - Egg

1/2 slice - bread

2 - hot Green chillies (optional) Salt to taste

1 tsp - red pepper

1 tsp each - whole jeera, powdered jeera, whole coriander and powdered coriander

1/2 cup - Coriander leaves

1 inch sliced Ginger 6-7 Cloves - Garlic or 1 tbsp - minced bottled Garlic

1 tsp - Garam Masala

1/2 tsp - freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

In the food processor, coarsely chop onion, garlic and ginger.

Add the keema and all the other ingredients and process till the mixture is coarse but not lumpy.

Empty in a bowl and with oiled hands and form sheesh kebabs (in the shape of a sausage), put on to
bamboo skewers and shape them so that all the kebabs look smooth.

Put them on a foil lined cookie or baking sheets.

Pre-heat broiler and when hot, put the baking sheets under the broiler and let it broil for about 5-10

minutes till brown on sides.

Remove sheets from the broiler and quickly change over sides with tongs and broil till brown and done.

Serve on a platter of onions and quartered lemons with a bowl of coriander chutney or ketchup.

PAV BHAJI

Ingredients:

12 Pav buns

2 Onions
3 tsp Dhania Powder
5 Tomatoes
2 tsp Jeera Powder
3 Potatoes
2 tsp Chilli powder
1 cup Peas
4 tsp Pav Bhajji masala
1/2 cup Carrot
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Beans
1/2 cup Coriander for garnish
1/2 cup Cabbage
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 cup Capsicum
1 cup Cauliflower
1' piece Ginger
Garlic optional
2 Green chillies finely chopped

Instructions:

• Heat a pan with oil & add the onions. Fry till translucent. Add tomatoes,salt,add all the powders and fry till the oil floats on top.
• Steam all the other vegetables seperately & add them to the onion mixture.
• Add a cup of water & let it cook to boiling consistency. Then With the help of a potato masher keep mashing the mixture till it cooks nicely.
• When all the vegetables are cooked thoroughly garnish with coriander & lemon juice and serve with Pav.
• For the pavs:
• Slit open the pavs from the middle. Apply butter in the inside & place them on a pre-heated frying pan.When they get golden brown from the inside take them off.
• Serve hot with bhajji.