suyyan (suzhian)

For the stuffing
channa dhal (kadalai paruppu)1cup
soaked in water for an hour
jaggery powder 1 cup
grated coconut 1cup
cardamom powder 1 tsp
a pinch of salt

For the outer batter:
1 cup maida or atta flour and 1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee

Oil to deep fry

Method:
For the stuffing, cook the channa dal in 3cups of water till the channa dal is just soft enough tobe crushed into a powder between your thumb and forefinger.Drain at once and cool it. Grind in the mixie jar one tablepoon at a time till all dhal is ground. Keep aside.  Heat the jaggery with 2 tbsp of water on slow heat till it dissolves and strain it through a fine tea strainer into a thick bottomed pan to remove any imputities. Now boil this with a pinch of salt and the grated coconut till it is thick liquid (not stringy). Take it off the heat. Add the powdered channa and cardamom and mix well. It can be made into small balls now and kept on a plate ready.
Now prepare the batter to coat the balls.

Mix the two flours with salt and rub in the ghee well. Then add 1 and  1/2 cup water slowly while stirring well to make a batter of dosa batter cosistency.
Heat oil in a deep kadai for deep frying to medium heat.
Dip the channa balls in the batter and coat  all around and slide into the oil gently. Put about 4-5 balls at a time. Fry till the batter is crisp and done to a golden colour.You can make out they are done when the oil stops gurgling. Keep only medium heat throughout except between the batches when heat should be turned up till oil is hot enough to receive the next batch. Then lower to medium heat and add the balls. Coat the batter without a gap otherwise channa stuffing will escape into oil and become black sticking onto the next batch. If this happens carefully pass the hot oil through a metal strainer to the next pan and reuse it.

Peach Custard Pie

For the Crust
1 cup and 2 tbsp Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup ghee

Filling
3 cup peeled and sliced peaches (about 5 fruits)
1 and 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tbsp Butter
3 tbsp flour
2 eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C or 375 F
In a bowl Mix the flour, ghee and 2 tbsp very cold water with a fork. When it starts binding together, knead with hand just enough time to make a ball(Don't overdo it as crust will become tough).
With rolling pin make a 10 inch round, dusting flour to make it without sticking. (Or roll it between two sheets of butter paper). Lightly place it on a 9 inch Pie plate (or any metal plate with a rim, greased with oil). Make the edges into even looking rim with your fingers.(Like somas edge).
Put in the fridge to cool till filling is ready.

Add the 1/4 cup sugar to the sliced peaches in a bowl, shake them to mix and keep aside. Blend the butter, egg, flour and 1 cup sugar in the blender and blend till smooth. Mix into the peaches bowl.

Take out the pie crust and pour the mix onto it.
Bake for 50 or 55 minutes till top of the filling is golden and the mix is set.
Cool it on wire rack and chill until serving, minimum for an hour.

Ridge Gourd Chutney

1 Ridge gourd (Peerkangai)
2 Green chillis
1 handful of curry leaves
1 Red chilli
4 pods of garlic
1 tbsp Urad dal
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp cumminseeds
Tamarind, marble size
Salt 1tsp
1 tbsp oil

Method:

Peel the ridge gourd scraping it, keeping a little of the under layer of the skin and chop into small pieces..
Heat 1btsp oil and put in the mustard and fry till it pops. Add the urad dal, cumminseeds, red chilli and fry till pink. Take these ingredients out with a long spoon and keep aside.
In the same oil, add the curry leaves, green chillis and fry.
Add the chopped garlic and ridgegourd. Stir now and then, covering with a lid to cook in its own juice.
Cool it.
In a mixer bowl put in the dry ingredients kept aside and grind for a minute till coarsely done.
Add the cooled vegetable and grind further till it is a coarse paste.
In a pan heat 1 tsp oil. Put in 1/2 tsp mustard. When it pops add a pinch of hing and a few curry leaves. Pour over the chutney.
Serve with plain rice and ghee to be mixed and eaten as a main course in place of sambar.
Or, serve with curd rice as a side dish.

Bittergourd Fry

1/4 kg bittergourd
Oil to deepfry
1 tsp Salt

For coating,  mix:

ground pepper 1tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Rice flour 1/2 cup
1 pinch asofoetida
1 tsp garam masala
1/2tsp salt

Method:
Cut the bittergourd lengthwise. Deseed it and cut into thin slices.
Mix with 1 tsp of salt and keep aside in a vessel kept slanting so that the bitter water in the vegetable drains in the lower level. Discard the water. You can skip this step if you don't mind some bitterness in the end product but this method guarantees that the fry tastes crisp and tasty with hardly any bitterness.

Mix the vegetable with the rice flour coating.
Deepfry in oil in batches till golden brown.
Drain on paper towels.
Sealed into an airtight container and keep in fridge for later use.
Serve with  sambar or any other rice in the place of pappads.

Brinjal Gravy for rotis/chappathis

1/4 kg Brinjal
2 onions chopped finely
1 tsp pepper
1 clove
1 inch piece cinnamon
1tsp shahjeea
2tsp coriander seeds
2 red chilli
1tbsp grated coconut
marble size tamarind
3 tsp oil

Method:

Cut the brinjal into medium pieces and put in water to avoid darkening
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Put in the pepper, clove, cinnamon, shahjeera,coriander seeds and red chilli and fry for a minute.
Add the grated coconut and after two minutes of frying, add the onion and fry till it is transparent.
Add  the tamarind and saute for 1 minute.
Cool it and grind in the mixer to a fine paste.
Heat two tsp oil in the pan. Fry the rest of the onion till brown. Add the brinjal pieces without water and saute till soft.
Add the ground paste and 2 cups of water. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Makes a good accompaniment for chappathis/rotis

Chicken Coconut milk Korma

Chicken 1/2 kg (or mixed vegetables, chopped)
Onion 1/4 kg, chopped fine
1 tomato chopped fine
Green chillis 4 slit lengthwise
Dhania powder 3 tsp
turmeric 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic Paste 1 tsp
Thick coconut milk 1 cup
Salt to taste
oil 2 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
aniseeds 1tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig

Method:
Heat oil and put in the aniseeds and jeera. Add the curry leaves when they splutter.
Add the chopped onion and green chillis and saute till transparent.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Add the tomatoes and saute with a tsp of salt till mashed.
Add the masala powders.
Add 2 cups of water and when it starts boiling add the washed chicken pieces, along with the rest of the salt.
When it is done, add the thick coconut milk and simmer for a few minutes on low flame stirring well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Prawns Mango Coconut Curry

Prawns 1/2 kg
Oil 3 tsp
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
Onions 2, chopped finely
2 tomatoes, chopped finely
Green chillis, slit lengthwise 2
Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tsp
Chilli, Dhania Jeera powder 2 tsp (1tsp dhania+1/2 tsp jeera + Red chillis 2-dry roasted and ground to a powder)
1 medium mango cut into 4 or 8 pieces.
Coconut milk(Thick) 1 cup
2 tsp of sombu(aniseeds) dry roasted and powdered
Salt 2tsp or as per taste

Method:
Clean the prawns and wash in water well. Immerse in water mixed with 1tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt to get rid of the strong smell.

Heat 3 tsp oil. Put in 1/2 tsp of mustard and 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds. When they crackle add the curry leaves and green chillis.
Add the chopped onions and saute till golden. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute  for a minute.
Add the tomatoes and saute with a tsp of salt till it is mashed.
Add the masala powder and saute.
Add 2 cups of water. When it starts boiling add the mango pieces, with the remaining salt.
When half done, add the washed prawns and mix well.
When it is cooked (around 5 minutes, don't overcook), add the thick , thick)coconut milk and take it off heat when it just starts to simmer.
Sprinkle the sombu powder on top and serve with rice or rotis.

Vegetable curry

Potato 1, peeled and diced
Carrot 1, peeled and diced
Beans, 1 handful, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Cabbage, 1/2 cup, cut into small strips
Cauliflower, small, cut into florets
Green peas, peeled, 1/2 cup
Onion, chopped, 1 big
1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
1 inch piece of cinnamon
2 pieces of clove
1 tsp of aniseeds
1 cardomom.
1tsp of chilli powder
2 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 or 2 tsp of salt

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp oil and put in 1 inch piece of cinnamon, 2 pieces of clove, 1 tsp of aniseeds and 1 cardomom.
When they crackle add the chopped onion and saute till transparent.
Add the cut vegetables and saute well
Add 1tsp of chilli powder, 2 tsp of coriander powder and 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and about 1 or 2 tsp of salt according to your taste, along with 1 cup of water.
Pressurecook till done (about 5 minutes), not too mashed.
This can be used as a side dish for rotis or puris.
It can be used for making vegetable bondas or samosas or vegetable sandwiches. Use less water if it is used for these purposes.

Porivilangai urundai

Porivilangai Urundai

The name of the sweet ball means that the consumer may not know what it consists of. Usually it is very hard and needs to be broken using even a hammer sometimes! The traditional recipe has many nutritious ingredients.
Dry roast each of the following separately
Whole wheat : 200 gm
Parboiled rice: 200 gm
Channa Dal: 100 gm
Moong Dhal(Green Gram): 100 gm
Barley: 50 gm
Javvarisi(sabudhana): 50 gm

Add
Dry ginger: 1/2 inch piece

4 Cardamoms
Grind to a fine powder in the mill.
Cut small pieces of a coconut and roast it in a tablebspoon of ghee. Mix it in the powder.

Make thick syrup with 1 kg of Jaggery.

Method to make thick syrup

Heat grated jaggery with 2 tbsp of water. |When it melts strain it to remove dirt in it and heat in a thick bottomed pan again. When it starts boiling and gives off nice flavour and starts bubbling, put a drop in a small bowl of water to check if it is ready. If you are able to make a small ball out of the cooled drop, it means the syrup is ready.
Take it off the heat and mix in the powder while stirring continuously.
You should make balls of the dough, dipping your hand in cold water now and then to make the hot dough bearable for your skin.
Keep them on a plate to cool and store in airtight jars.

 Pottukadalai(Fried Gram) urundai:

As the fried gram is already fried you only need to add it to the thick syrup along with 1 tsp of cardamom powder and make balls out of it.

Kadalai (Groundnut) Urundai:

Dry roast groundnut and remove the skin. Make sweet balls with the thick syrup adding a tsp of cardamom powder for flavour.

Curd onion Raitha

Vengaya Thayir Pachadi:


1 cup thick curd
1 onion sliced thin
1/2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped fine
1 green chilli chopped fine (optional)
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all these well. It goes well with any type of biryani or Pulao as a side dish.