Beef fry

Cooking a beef fry is very easy, but buying some good beef meat is very difficult in Indian cities. You never know whether the meat is fresh or genuine. My advice is to buy the meat only from trusted retailers.

Here we go with the ingredients for Beef fry:
Beef (cut into small pieces)- ¼ kg.
Turmeric powder- ¼ tea spoon.
Chilli powder- ¼ tea spoon.
Coconut oil-2 table spoon.
Curry leaves- 5-6 leaves.
Salt- ¼ tea spoon.


Wash beef well.
Mix the turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix the beef pieces to this mixture and marinate it. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.
Heat the frying pan, heat coconut oil in it and wait till it boils.
Add the curry leaves and beef pieces to the frying pan and stir well. Cover and let it cook well. Stir occasionally to avoid partial cooking.
Once the beef is cooked well (this may take 15-20 minutes), turn off the stove and drain out the oil and have your beef fry!

Tips:
Adding lengthy thin pieces of coconut meat along with curry leaves will give good taste to the fry.
Buy the beef only from trusted sellers. It will not be tasty nor good for health, if you don't buy good beef.

Ghee rice

Hmm.. yummy ghee rice. Lets see what is required to run a ship in your mouth!

Basmathi rice : 1½ cup (cup of 250 ml)
Cloves : 8
Cardamom : 6
Cinnamon : 2 lengthy sticks
Ghee : ¼ cup (cup of 250 ml)
Onion : 1 medium size
Salt : ¾ tablespoon.

Wash the rice well.
Chop onions finely.

Heat the ghee in a cooking pan, add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves to it. Stir till a pleasant smell comes from the spices.
Add the onion and stir till it becomes transparent.
Add 3 glasses of water and add the rice and salt to it.
Wait till water vanishes completely.
Turn off the stove and enjoy the ghee rice

Tips:
The ratio rice to water is 1:2
ratio for rice to salt is 2(cup):1(table spoon).
Adding cashew nuts will give a great taste to rice.

Mashed potato

An easy and tasty dish for break fast or evening snack! There is no complex steps involved in preparation of mashed potato. Here we go with the ingredients:

Sweet potato (madhura kizhangu) - ½ kg
Spring onion - 1 or 2
Ghee - 3 table spoon.
Milk - ½ cup.
Onion - 1 medium size.
Green chilli - 1 medium size
Garlic - 3-4 pieces.

Chop the onion and green chilli into small pieces.
Cut sweet potatos into 2 halves pressure cook it for 3 or 4 whistles
to soften the potato completely. Peel the potato, mash it and keep it
aside.
In a cooking pan, heat Ghee, add onions and garlic and stir till the onion becomes transparent.
Add spring onions, mashed potato and milk. Wait till milk is
completely absorbed by the potato.
Turn off and have your mashed potato.

Tips:
Adding 1/2 cup of fresh cream will give a great taste to the mash potato.
If sweet potato not available then parboil 3-4 garlic pieces along with the potatoes Salt and Pepper according to taste, to be added while cooking.

PS: A special thanks to my cousin Affan for helping me to learn and prepare this recipe and for this excellent collage!

Sooji (Uppumavu)

An excellent dish for the break fast and a very easy one. It wont take more than 15 minutes to prepare uppumavu. Lets go with the ingredients:

Sooji(rava) - ¼ kg
Onion - 1 medium size
Tomato - 1 really small size
Green chilli - 1 medium size.
Curry leaves - 4-5 leaves
Salt - 1 tea spoon.
Coconut oil - 2 table spoon.
mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon.

Cut the onion into 2 halves and make slices. Similarly cut the tomato. Cut the green chilli into small sizes.
Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard seeds.
When seeds stops spluttering, add onion and curry leaves and stir well till the onions become transparent.
Add tomato and stir it till the tomato gets partially dissolved with the onion.
Add 4 cups of water.
Wait till the water becomes warm, add salt to it.
Add rava to it. Wait for 1 minute for the water to be absorbed by sooji.
Turn of the stove and have your uppumavu.
Tips :
you may have to add more water to rava. It should look like a paste with no water visible directly (just after adding rava).
vegetables like carrot can be added with the onion to make the uppumavu taste better.
PS :A special thanks to my room mate and cousin Abdulla PP.

Chicken fry

I thought making a chicken fry is very difficult. But trust me, it is one of the easiest recipes you can ever have. All you need is the following ingredients:
Chicken - 8-10 pieces cut in medium size.
Red chilli powder - ½ tea spoon.
Turmeric powder - ½ tea spoon
Salt - ½ tea spoon.
Coconut oil - 2 table spoon
Wash the chicken well and then wash it in a salt water. Keep it aside to drain out the water.
Mix well the powders and salt without adding the water. Add the chicken pieces to it and mix it well again, so that the powders get stick to the chicken well. Keep it aside for15-20 minutes.
Turn on the stove, heat the frying pan and heat the oil in it.
Add the chicken pieces and mix it well in the oil.
Cover and let it cook well. Stir occasionally to ensure all pieces gets equal heat on every side.
Wait for 10 to 15 minutes and check if the chicken is cooked well. If yes, turn off the stove, drain out the oil from the chicken and have your chicken fry.

Tips:
Adding curry leaves to the oil before adding the chicken gives you a great taste.
Adding some lemon juice also gives a great taste.
PS: A special thanks to my room mate Athif Abdul Aziz.

Chicken curry

If you like patience in cooking, here is another recipe which tastes excellent. I am sure your patience will be paid by the taste! For preparing a chicken curry, you need the following ingredients.

Chicken - ½ kilo
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 3
Cinnamon - 2 lengthy sticks
Onion - 3 medium size
Tomato - 2 medium size
Green Chilli - 1 medium size
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
Redchilli powder - 1 tea spoon
Coriander powder - 3 tea spoon

Coconut grated - ½ cup.
Coconut oil - 3 table spoon.
Salt - 1 tea spoon
Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves
Coriander leaves - 5-6 leaves

Cut the chicken into small pieces and wash it thoroughly. Then wash it once in salt water and keep it in a bowl to drain out the water on it.
Make a thick milk from grated coconut and keep it aside.
Cut the onions into 2 halves and make slices on it. Cut tomato in similar way. Cut green chill into 2 vertically.

Heat the oil in cooking pan; add cloves, cardamom and cinnamon to it. Stir it occasionally till a nice fragrance comes from the pan.
Add onions and curry leaves to it. Stir it occasionally till it becomes transparent in colour.
Add tomato to it and stir it for 1 more minute.
Add green chilli, ginger garlic paste, powders and mix it well.
Add the chicken to it. Don’t add any water, it will start coming from the chicken after some time. Stir it occasionally so that it will not stick to the bottom of the pan.
When the chicken is almost cooked, add 1 or 2 glasses of water (depending upon what amount of curry you need) and salt to it. Cover the pan and let it cook fully.
Once the chicken is fully cooked, add the coconut milk to it, stir it and let it boil for 2 more minutes.
Add the coriander leaves to the top of the curry, cover the pan and turn off the stove. Wait for 5 minutes and then have your chicken curry!!

Tips:
Initially you find it difficult to find out the correct amount of water to be added to the curry. For the first try, add 1½ glass of water and see the result and then adjust it in your next try.
As always, varying the amount of spice powders tastes the curry differently. Here you have to make sure that amount of coriander powder is more compared to the other two.

Chicken neettiya curry

This is the simplest recipe with chicken that I know so far. By the way, do you know why the name is so? Because you can add more water to this curry when there is a guest after you have finished cooking! Add more water, boil it and can still retain the same taste to it. Hence it is named as neettiya (extended) curry! See the ingredients required :

Chicken - ½ kilo

Potato - 2 medium size
Onion - 1 medium size
Green chilli - 1 medium size.
Tomato - 1 small size
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tea spoon

Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
Red chilli powder - ¾ tea spoon
Coriander powder - 3 tea spoon
Pepper - ½ teaspoon

Cocunut grated - ½ cup

Coriander leaves - 5-6
Curry leaves - 5-6

Salt - 1 tea spoon.

Cut the chicken into small pieces and wash it thoroughly. Then wash it once in salt water and keep it in a bowl to drain out the water.

Cut the onions into 2 halves and make slices of it. Similarly cut tomatoes and potatoes too. Cut the green chilli into small pieces.

Add all the ingredients except coconut and coriander leaves into a pressure cooker, add 1 glass of water and cook it for 1 whistle in medium flame. Then let it cool down naturally.

Open the pressure cooker and turn on the stove again. Add coconut to it and cook it till chicken is cooked well. Add coriander leaves cover the pan and turn of the stove and have your chicken curry.

Tips:
Remember, some water will come out of the chicken when it boils. So don't add too much of water, thinking that water will get evaporated!
If the gravy is very little add ¼ or ½ cup of water to it after adding the coconut and boil it.

Cabbage thoran

A very good healthy side dish for rice. The simplicity of this dish will force you to have it every time with rice. These are the ingredients required:

Cabbage : ¼ of a medium sized one.
Red chilli powder : ½ teaspoon
Turmeric powder : ½ teaspoon
Coconut oil : 2 table spoon
Mustard seeds : ½ teaspoon
Salt : ½ teaspoon

Cut the cabbage into small pieces
Add turmeric and red chilli powder into a bowl. Mix them and then mix the cabbage to it so that the powders get stick to the cabbage well.
Mix the salt in a very little of water and pour it to the cabbage and mix it again.
Turn on the stove and heat a pan. Add coconut oil to it and after sometime add mustard seeds to it. When it stops spluttering, add the cabbage to it. Stir it well initially and then stir it occasionally. When the cabbage colour changes to a semi transparent, turn of the stove and have your cabbage thoran.

TIPS: varying the amount of spice powders will change the taste of the thoran. Try different quantities and find out your own taste!

Curd salad

A highly recommended side dish for your rice and this is specially useful during summer. It won’t take more than 2 minutes to prepare a curd salad! All you need is the following ingredients:
Curd - 200ml
Onion - 1 small piece.
Green chilli - 1 medium size.
Salt - ½ tea spoon.

Cut the onion into small pieces and cut the green chilli into 2-3 pieces. Put every thing into a bowl, add salt and stir well. Have your curd salad.

Tips:
Always prepare curd salad for your rice especially if you are trying a new curry for the rice. You can peacefully enjoy your rice in case you have made a mess out of your new "curry"!

Velleri curry (cucumber curry)

Hmm.. Another easy stuff and a worry free preparation. Takes only 15 to minutes for preparation. My first attempt itself was a grand success and I see vellari, am tempted to buy it. and don’t blame me if you find this preparation is very similar to my previous curries. It is all like that! haa.. Before going too much of toppings, lets go with the ingredients:


Vellari ½ of a medium size (See the picture for velleri. Don’t confuse it with normal cucumber)

Onion 1 medium size
Tomato 1 medium size
Green chilli 1 medium size
Turmeric powder 1 table spoon
Red chilli powder ½ table spoon
Curry leaves 5-6
Mustard seeds 1 tea spoon
Coconut oil 2 table spoon
Grated coconut ½ cup.
Salt 1 tea spoon.

Cut the onions into 2 half and make slices. In the same way cut the tomato. Cut the green chilli into 2 vertically. Cut the vellari into small cubes of about 1 cm sides.

Add all these pieces into a pressure cooker, add 1 glass of water, spices and salt. Pressure cook for one whistle in medium flame and then let it cool down naturally.

In a separate pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds to it. Wait till it stops spluttering. Add the curry leaves and the pressure cooked contents to it.

Once the cucumber is cooked well, add the grated coconut and stir it to dissolve fully. Cover the pan and wait for 2 minutes. Turn off the stove, wait for 5 minutes and have your vellari curry.

Tips:
When you pressure cook the cucumber, some water will come out of it. So add minimal water to the cooker. Otherwise it will become a water curry.
Cucumber will get cooked very fast. So while cooking it in the pressure cooker, don’t go beyond 1 whistle. If you find it is not cooked well, then you have to cook in the pan for longer time, that is it.

Green Gram curry (Payaru curry)

Another vegetarian curry that is very tasty along with rice. This was another favourite curry for me because of the easiness to prepare and the taste of it. Here we go with the ingredients:

Green gram daal ½ cup. (cup of 250ml).

Onion 1 medium size
Tomato 1 medium size
Green chilli 1 medium size
Potato 1 small size
Turmeric powder ½ table spoon
Chilli powder ¼ table spoon
Coriander powder 1 table spoon.
Salt ½ tea spoon.
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Coconut oil 2 table spoon
Curry leaves 5-6
Coriander leave 5-6

Cut the onion into 2 half and then make slices. Similarly cut the tomato and potato. Cut the green chilli into 2 parts vertically.
Wash the daal well and transfer it to the pressure cooker. Add tomato, onion, potato and spices to the cooker and add 2 glasses of water and add salt to it. Pressure cook the contents for about 5-7 minutes or till 3 whistle in a medium flame. Then turn off the stove and wait till the pressure goes off naturally.
Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. Wait till it stops spluttering. Add the curry leaves to it and the pressure cooked contents. Wait till the daal is completely cooked and you have a thick gravy in the pan.
Add the coriander leaves on top of the curry, cover it, switch off the stove and wait for 5 minutes. Have your delicious green gram curry.

Tips:
While cooking in the pan, don't cover it if you find the water in excess after the pressure cook. On the other hand, close the pan if you find the daal is not cooked well. If you find the water is less and daal is not cooked well then add ½ cup of water and cook it covered.

Daal curry

Daal curry was my favourite during the early days of my cooking career because it was the easiest curry to make and you dont have to worry any thing about the outcome. Still it will be satisfactory! So here we go...
ingredients:
1/2 cup of toor dhaal.
1 medium size onion.
1 medium size potato. (optional)
1 medium size tomato. (optional)
1 green chilli.
1/2 table spoon of turmeric powder.
1/2 table spoon of redchilli powder.
2 table spoon of coriander powder.
5-6 curry leaves and coriander leaves. (optional)
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds.
2-3 table spoon of coconut oil.
Salt to taste.

wash the toor daal well. cut the onion into 2 halfs and make slices.
Cut tomato and potato in a similiar way. Cut the green chilli into 2 pieces vertically. Add all these ingredients to a pressure cooker and add 1½ cup of water to it. Add all the spices and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into it. Pressure cook it for 2 whistle in medium flame and wait till it cools down.

After it cooled down, take another pan and heat the coconut oil in it. Lower the heat and add the mustard seeds and wait till it stops spluttering. Add the curry leaves to it and then add the pressure cooked contents to this oil pan and wait till dhaal gets cooked well.

Add the coriander leave on top of the curry, cover the pan and turn off the stove. wait for 5 minutes and have your dhaal curry.

TIPS:
1)Be sure you have toor daal with you. Other daals will take different time for cooking and will taste differently.
2)varying the spices will change the taste. Try out different quantities and find out your own taste.