Chicken Masala curry

(This curry is really spicy , adjust spices as per your tolerance level.)

Ingredients:-

Chicken - 1/2 kg

Onion chopped - 2

Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp

Green chilies slit - 2 (optional)

Red chili powder - 1 table spoon

coriander powder - 2 tea spoon 

turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Garam masala - 1 tea spoon

Crushed Peppercorns - 1/2 tea spoon

bay leaves - 1

cloves - 2

Salt

Curry leaves

Mint leaves

Oil

Method:-

Clean and cut the chicken into medium pieces. Make a paste with red chili powder, coriander powder , turmeric powder, crushed peppercorns , salt and ginger garlic paste.

Apply this paste to the chicken and keep it for 30 minutes. In a cooking vessel or Pressure cooker , heat oil and add bay leaves , curry leaves and cloves and Saute chopped onions. When it is done, add the marinated chicken pieces , 1/2 cup water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles. Open the cooker when it is cooled , and add Garam masala and simmer it for 5 minutes.Serve Warm,garnished with Mint leaves

Cheers!!!!

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Mushroom Pulav

Ingredients:-
Basmati Rice - 2 cup
Mushroom - 250 gm
Onion chopped - 2 
Ginger and garlic crushed - 2 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1/4 tsp
garam masala - 1/2 tsp(optional)
Water - 4 cups
Cardamom pods - 3
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1 
Bay leaves - 1
Mint leaves 
Salt to taste
Butter/Oil/Ghee


How to make mushroom pulav


Soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes and drain.
Heat butter or oil in a cooking vessel, and add whole cardamom, cloves , cinnamon stick and bay leaves.Toss it for 30 seconds and add chopped onions.Saute till the onions are soft and have a flavour. Add crushed ginger and garlic and stir fry till their raw smell disappears. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and sute for 4-5 minutes( dice it into chunks since it gets small while sauteing.) Add turmeric powder, chili powder and garam masala and mix it well. Add the soaked rice and fry it for a minute or two.Add 4 cups of water and cook it covered on medium flame,for 8-10 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed.(add more water if needed, mine came out just perfect with 4 cups of water). Switch off the flame and let it stand covered for 10 minutes before serving.
Garnish with mint leaves and Serve Warm with Cucumber Raita:-
For Cucumber raita
Cucumber diced - 1 cup
Yogurt - 2 cup
Onion sliced - 1
Green chiles
Salt to taste
Chili powder
Whisk yogurt in a bowl with little water.Add salt and mix well.
Add diced cucmber, Onion and green chiles and combine well. Sprinkle chili powder and chill sometime before serving.
Cheers!!!!

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Poori Masala with Foodie Blogroll Rewards & a Gift!!!!!

Hey ..Hope you all had a great weekend. My weekend was made  even  greater by Foodie Blogroll!!!!!
Yes I won Sanjeev kapoors party cooking book  contest ....Hurray!!!! That was the very first time i was making a comment on the foodie blogroll...and i dint even know that it was posted..
This is the second time I am getting lucky with Sanjeev kapoor ji ..(The first one was in the knol contest last year).. I am so happy and excited and obviously waiting for the cook book to hit my shelf!!!!!!!!!


Thanks a bunch to all those who asked me about my lethargy...Things at home is making me really busy...and Plus i dropped my Laptop last week and made it a total loss. So had a gap of more than a week before i got the new one...I know i am gonna be really busy these days..So I expect me to be languid  with Vazhayila more often...I wonder whether i would be falling to a no cooking phase..Sigh!!!!
( i lost so many recipe pics from my old laptop..Still wasnt able to recover ..So bad..)
Now coming on to todays recipe....

Ingredients:-
For poori
Wheat Flour - 2 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Warm water - 1/2 cup
Oil -  2 tbsp
Oil for frying


For Masala
Potatoes - 2 
Onion chopped - 1 small
Green chiles chopped - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Oil
A pinch of asafetida


How to Make Poori Masala


In a large bowl combine all the ingredients for Poori except the oil for frying.
Knead for 6-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes
Divide the dough into small balls. Roll out each ball into a thin circular pancakes
Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry the pooris very quickly, turning them over once, until deep golden in color.Drain on paper towels and Serve warm with Masala
To make masala:- Peel, dice and boil the potato until well cooked. Mash them well with the back of a spoon or a masher. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. when they pop up add Curry leaves, chopped onions and green chiles.when they are soft add salt and turmeric powder 
Stir in the mashed potatoes and mix it well with the masala. Simmer it for 4-5 minutes, stirring well, so that it wont stick to the bottom.Remove from heat and serve warm with Pooris


Cheers!!!!!

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Beans-Carrot thoran - Kerala style

Beans and carrot thoran is an excellent side dish with rice , moru curry and fish fry and I totally love thsi combo.

back home in Kerala , my mom usually makes this to finish off the left over beans and carrots after making a sambar  or avial, but somehow I ended up loving this combo than any conventional thorans

There is nothing fancy going on with the recipe here. I just blindly followed my usual recipe for thoran. Its so eye candy to look at them right? I assure you it tastes even better

Recipe for Kerala style Beans - carrot thoran ( stir fry with coconut)

Ingredients:-

Bowl 1

Beans chopped - 2 cup

Carrot grated - 1.5 to 2 cup

Shallots finely chopped - 3-4 ( or use half of a small onion)

Turmeric powder - a large pinch

Green chilies chopped - 2 -3

Ginger minced - a small piece ( optional)

Salt to taste

Bowl 2

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder 

Cumin - a pinch(optional)

Mustard seeds 

Curry leaves 

Oil

Method:-

Combine all ingredients in Bowl 1 and mix well with your hands.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.When they pop up add curry leaves and the mix in Bowl 1

Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of water , keep everything to the center and cook it covered for 5 minutes or until they are cooked and the raw smell disappears.

Lightly crush grated coconut , turmeric and a pinch of cumin either in a blender or simply with your hands.

Uncover the pan , add this coconut mix and saute the vegetables until they are dry and done, for like 4-5 minutes.

Serve warm

Good day

Sarah

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Pacha Manga curry/Green Mango curry

Ingredients:-
Bowl 1
Raw/Green Mango - 1
Green chilli half slit -3-4 
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
Bowl 2
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green chili - 1 ( optional)
Garlic - 1 clove( optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder - a pinch
Tempering
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
Shallots chopped -1
Dried red chilies - 2
Curry leaves

Method :-
Clean and cut the raw mango into medium pieces discarding the skin.
Cook it with just enough water and all the ingredients in Bowl 1
Grind all the ingredients in Bowl 2 to a fine paste, adding very little water
Add the coconut paste to cooked mango and bring to simmer for a couple of minutes.
Prepare the Tempering and pour this over curry.Serve warm...

Happy Cooking ...

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An Awesome Feast for the tummy

The question is to all those away from  their home land .....Havent you ever ate your heart out for the kind of  food your granny or momy makes??Havent you  ever wished for a place near by or at a drivable distance which has everything you crave for?Havent you ever wished for someone else to cook everything you like, in its very authentic manner???I did, I have, and I do.....a million times

I live in a place where you have Indian restaurants every nook and corner, But i m highly critical about the kind of food they offer, especially because of the fact that i dont usually get what i crave for. We had actually drove 1.5 hours to get a kerala lunch buffet , twice last year..All my regular readers out there, i believe might know by this time that  I always go for truly authentic ( not dfntly just by name) Indian food. Last week  I got an invitation(thanx to Vazhayila) from Mr Prabath Kumar, one of the men who runs AROMA PALACE- a restaurant in montclair which is famous for "true to its root" Indian cuisine...We decided to go for a Sunday Lunch buffet, which has both North indian and South Indian dishes on the menu.

My DH and I had a HUGE,INCREDIBLY  DELICIOUS lunch buffet, for a very reasonable price.The number of dishes of the lunch buffet was off the charts Awesome!!!!Starting with Uzhunnu vada, Appam, Puri, kappa, Porotta, Chicken tikka masala, chicken roast, chilli chicken, chicken 65, Pork fry,beef curry, Egg roast, palak paneer, kerala fish curry, avial , erissery, moru curry, kheer, payasam..the list goes on.....Everything was so Flavorful and cooked to perfection with the perfect blend of spices...They have three great chefs mastered in both North Indian and south Indian cuisines.Hats off to them

Temme When was the last time you had such a feast that filled 

both your heart and tummy????

Plus they had made something especially for us...one of their specialities...Appam and Fish mappas(a fav of many celebrities )...OOOH  Jeez..It melts in your mouth and it was too good to be true. That too was a huge portion and i Took more than half of it home....the pic is my lunch  today..hhehehe)

Can you guess the price of this huge lunch we ate???? its just $9.95 , which makes under $20 for two on weekends( sunday buffet menu has both North and south indian cuisines) and $7.95 on weekdays.(mainly north indian)Where else will you get all these for this price?????I have been to manyindian buffets in many states in US and; but nothing has captured my tatse buds as this one....SO those who  are in NJ/NY or visiting NJ/NY , when you plan your next dine out , do go to aroma palace and experience the incredible food...and those who crave for a lunch with lot of kerala dishes , the perfect one is sunday lunch buffet....This place has just about every component of a good meal that you crave for; fabulous food, comfy place, and respectful treatment.Without any doubt Aroma Palace is a great place to fill your mind and tummy , without forking out a lot of money.....

Check out their website for more info

 http://www.aromapalace.net/

Aroma palace

379 Bloomfield Ave

Montclair, Nj

Cheers!!!!!  
Sarah Naveen

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Nadan Egg Roast

Spicy Egg Roast

Ingredients:-


Hard boiled egg - 3
Onion chopped - 2 medium
Ginger chopped - a small piece
Garlic crushed  - 3-4 small cloves
Tomato chopped - 1( optional)
Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 2 tea spoons to 1 table spoons ( use as per your spice level)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Crushed peppercorns - 1/2 tea spoon
Garam masala - 1/2  to 1 tea spoon
Mint leaves
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Oil


How to make Nadan egg roast
Remove the shells of the hard boiled eggs. Make  4 half slits in egg vertically
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and shallow fry the whole eggs turning it frequently for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to turn brown(this step is optional...).Set aside
Heat oil in a pan and chopped onions and fry till they turn golden brown. now add the chopped garlic and ginger and toss it well for a minute.
Add the chopped tomato pieces and fry it on a low flame.Add chili powder, turmeric powder,  crushed pepper corns, Garam masala and combine it well.Add 1/4 cup water and cook it till the gravy is thick.
Now add the fried egg pieces( or you can add it without frying) and combine it well
let it stand on a low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally .
Remove from heat and serve warm, garnish with mint leaves.
Cheers!!!!

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100th post and Happy Birthday To Vazhayila

It was on a lazy winter afternoon , this same day a year back , i gave birth ( ofcourse without much pains) to this Space of mine  in the blogging world... Vazhayila!!!!! 

I cant believe its been an year!

I was such a lazy gal , and my progression with the number of recipes has been very limited

But its only aftr August 2009  I made this real serious, and i m sure i have been regular after that. I am really grateful to all those readers of my blog, for their encouragements through comments and mails. I am so happy that I could make real good friends with so many people out there. I wonder how  would I have  known you all without this???? To be honest, I am always amused and amazed by the kind of recipes you all come up with..I knew nothing about taking god pics of the dishes I make , but you all taught me that.Each one of you has encouraged and motivated me in one way or another. I know it sounds as a cliché but  " Vazhayila wouldnt have come so far without the love and support of all you guys... Thank You so much!!!!!!!!! "

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Kudampuliyitta Chemmeen Olarthiyathu - Kerala Prawns Roast

Recipe for Kerala Style Kudampuliyitta Chemmeen olathiyathu
Serves - 4
Total cooking time - 30 minutes marination + 30 minutes cooking
Recipe Source - Vanitha
Ingredients:-
Prawns/chemmeen - 1/2 kg
Kokum/Fish tamarind/Kudampuli - 3-4 pieces
Bowl 1

Kashmiri red chili  powder - 1 table spoon

Coriander powder - 1/2 table spoon

Turemeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Crushed peppercorns - 1/2 tea spoon

Ginger crushed - an inch piece

Garlic crushed - 5-6 cloves

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Oil

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Coconut cuts- 1/2 cup
Onion chopped - 2 medium

Method :-

Wash and devein the prawns if you are using fresh prawns

Soak the Kokum/Kudampuli in 1 cup water and set aside

Mix all the ingredients in Bowl 1 and mariante the prawns and keep aside for 30 minutes.

In a cooking vessel,(Clay pan or pot is the best) combine the marinated prawns and the kokum/fish tamarind with soaked water and cook it on a medium flame until the prawn is done and dry.( Be sure not to overcook it)

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.When they pop up add coconut cuts and fry it for 2 minutes, then add chopped onion, curry leaves and sauté till they turn golden brown.Stir in the cooked prawns and toss it wellLet it fry on a medium heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring continuously.

Remove from heat and serve warm

Happy Cooking !

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