Vegetable Pulao or Veg. Pulav

Ingredients
Basmathi Rice - 400 gms
Potato - 1 (cut into small cubes)
Carrot - 2 (cut into small cubes)
Beans - 10 (cut into small pieces)
Peas - a small cup
Sweetcorn - a small cup
Cauliflower - few florets
Green Chilli - 2 (small cut in the front)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander Powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 800 ml

Fried Onions
Oil - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 (large, cut lengthwise)
Corn Flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - very little

To Season 1
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Cloves - 4 or 5
Green Cardamom - 2
Black Cardamom - 1
Bay Leaf - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

To Season 2
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashews - 10
Raisins - 15

Preparation

Soak the rice for 15 to 20 minutes. Wash the soaked rice and drain the water.

In a bowl add corn flour and little salt. Coat the cut onions and deep fry it in hot oil till it turns dark brown.
Place it on a tissue paper and keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a pan and add items given in "To Season 1" one-by-one.

Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies, salt and saute for a minute.
Now add all the cut vegaetables, all the dry powders and saute it for 5 to 10 minutes.

Give a ghee coating in the rice cooker bowl. To the ghee coated bowl, add the water, soaked rice and cooked vegetables.

Put the rice cooker in cooking mode and when it turns to Keeping Warm mode, give it a standing time of 3 minutes.

Heat Ghee in a small pan or kadai. Add the cashews, raisins and saute for 2 minutes. Add the fried onions to this mixture and turn off the stove.

Add the fried onions - dry fruits mixture to the cooked pulao. Mix it gently and transfer the Pulao to a serving dish.

Punjabi Chicken Masala

"Punjabi Chicken Masala" is a traditional dish from Punjabi Rasoi. Garam masala and Chat masala gives a real authentic flavor.

Ingredients
Boneless Chicken - 250 gms
Onion - 1
Tomatoes - 2
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chat Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew Paste - 2 tsp
Fresh Cream - 2 tsp
Salt - for the gravy

To Marinate
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Yoghurt - 1 tbsp
Salt - half of it

To Season
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 1

Preparation

Marinate the Chicken with items given in "To Marinate" section.

Grind Onion and Tomatoes to a fine paste.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and add the items given in "To Season" section. Add the grinded paste and cook till you find the oil separating out.

Add all the dry powders and salt. Cook till the raw smell is off.

Now add the marinated chicken and cook it covered in a medium flame.

Add the cashew paste and open cook in a low flame for another few minutes.

Add fresh cream and serve it hot with your Indian breads.

Dry Nethili Fry

Nethili fry is a very good non-veg starter served in most of the chennai restaurants. It can be even served along with rice especially curd rice.

Ingredients
Nethili - 75 gms
Oil - 3 tbsp

To Marinate
Turmeric Powder - 3/4 tsp
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder - 2 1/2 tsp
Home made Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 20 to 30 leaves
Salt - very little

Preparation

Remove the head and black part of the Anchovies and wash it twice or thrice. Drain out the water from it.

To the washed anchovies, add all the items given in the "To Marinate" section and leave it for 15 min.

Heat Oil in a small kadai. Deep fry the nethili's and curry leaves in batches.

Arrange them in a serving plate. Now your Nethili fries are ready to be served hot.

Chicken Pepper Masala

"Chicken Pepper Masala" is an authentic spicy dish from Chettinad kitchen.

The speciality of this dish is that the usage of crushed Pepper. Pepper plays a major role to get out that hot and spicy taste..Crushed pepper at the end gives out a good flavor and taste.

Dried ground pepper has been used since antiquity for both its flavor and as a medicine. Pepper cures cold, so this curry will be a blessing for those suffering from cold. It is one of the most common spices added to European cuisine and its descendants. It may be found on nearly every dinner table in some parts of the world, often alongside table salt.

Ingredients
Chicken - 250 gms
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper Powder - 2 tsp
Corriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp

To Grind
Peppercorns - 10
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 1
Fennel seeds - little

To Season
Bay Leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1 (a small piece)
Cloves - 2

Preparation

Grind the items given in "To Grind" section.

To the washed chicken, add the ginger garlic paste, half of the salt and the grounded powder.

Heat Oil in a non-stick kadai. Add the items given in "To Season" section. Now add the chopped onions, curry leaves and saute till onion turns light brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till you find the oil separating out.

Now add the marinated Chicken and the remaining salt. Cook it covered in a medium flame till the chicken is 3/4th done.

Add the freshly ground pepper powder and curry leaves. Cook it in a low flame till you find the oil oozing out.

Transfer the Chicken Pepper Masala to a serving plate and serve it with hot plain rice.

Pakoda Morkuzhambu or Dahi Besan Kadi

Morkuzhambu is a traditional Indian curry made out of Buttermilk and few spices. We have many varieties of this curry (Using Ladiesfinger, White Pumpkin etc..)

Ingredients
Buttermilk - 500 ml
Turmeric Powder - less than 1/4 tsp
Salt - for Kadi alone

For the Pakoras
Channa Dhal Flour - 150 gms
Rice Flour - 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - less than 1/4 tsp
Chopped Onions - 1
Chopped Curry Leaves - 1 tbsp
Chopped Green Chilli - 1 (finely chopped)
Salt - only for the Pakodas

For the Kadi
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Green Chillies - 4
Ginger - a small piece
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Channa Dhal Flour - 1 tbsp
Rice Flour - 1 tsp

For Seasoning
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 10 numbers
Split Urad Dhal - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Split Dry Red Chilli - 1
Curry Leaves - few

Preparation

In a bowl, add all the items given in "For the Pakoras" and add some water to it. Mix it well to have a thick batter.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and fry the Pakoras in batches till it turns little brown.

Grind the items given in "For the Kadi" and add it to the Buttermilk with little Turmeric Powder and salt.

Heat Oil in a pan and add all the items given in "For Seasoning" one-by-one. Pour the Buttermilk mixture to the above one and allow it to boil in a medium flame.

When you find it boiling, add the fried Pakoras.

Transfer the Kadi to a serving dish and serve it hot with your plain rice.