Spinach Thoren

Ingredients

3 cups Chopped Spinach
1 cup Grated coconut
3 Garlic cloves
3 Green chillies
3 shallots
1 Red chilli
5 Curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
Salt (As per taste)
Oil


Method

Grind together the garlic, 2 onions and coconut to a fine paste. Slice the remaining shallot into roundels. Steam the spinach with little salt and ½ cup water. When done, add the ground paste and green chillies and steam again for 5 minutes. Cook uncovered till almost dry.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add onion roundels and saute for a few minutes. Add curry leaves and red chilli and fry till the chilli changes colour. Add the cooked spinach. Stir gently till the thoren is completely dry. Serve hot.

Mutton Thoren

Ingredients

1 lb Minced goat meat
2 cups Grated coconut
5 Green chillies
4 Garlic cloves
2 teaspoons Cumin seeds
4 teaspoons Coconut oil
3 Red chillies
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
2 teaspoons Curry leaves
1/2 cup shallots
2 teaspoons Chopped coriander leaves
2 teaspoons Chopped mint leaves
Salt (As per taste)

Method
Cook the meat with half quantity of salt till tender and dry. Grind the coconut, green chillies, garlic, cumin seeds and the remaining quantity of salt to a fine dry paste.

Heat oil and saute mustard seeds, red chillies broken into bits, curry leaves, sliced shallots and the ground paste for two minutes. Add the cooked meat, mix the contents well and cook for another two minutes. Transfer the contents to a serving dish.

Garnish it with chopped coriander and the mint leaves. If desired spoon 2-3 tsp fresh coconut oil over.

Shrimp Thoran

Ingredients

500 grams Prawns
1 cup Grated coconut
5 Chopped green chillies
1 inch Chopped ginger
6 Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
6 teaspoons Coconut oil
2 teaspoons Curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
2 teaspoons Chopped coriander leaves
Salt (As per taste)

Method

Wash, Shell and de-vein the shrimps. Cook the shrimps with salt and enough quantity of water till tender and dry.

Heat 4 tsp oil and saute the curry leaves,mustard seeds and chopped ingredients for a minute. Add the cooked prawns, chilli powder, turmeric powder and the grated coconut. Mix the contents well and cook for five minutes. Remove it from fire and transfer the contents to a serving dish.

Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and spoon hot coconut oil over it.

Kadukka/Mussels Curry

Ingredients

2 lb Mussels
5 small Onions
2 medium Tomatoes
2-3 Green chillies
1 teaspoon Chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
3 teaspoons Coriander powder
1 teaspoon Garam masala
5-6 Curry leaves
2-3 tablespoons Oil
Salt (As per taste)

Method

Finely slice the onions. Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan, add onions and fry till they are golden brown in colour. Add chopped tomatoes, slit green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and fry till oil leaves the sides of the pan. Add all the powders and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the mussels, salt and little water. Cover and cook on a low flame till the mussels are cooked.

Roasted Chicken

This is a simple method to roast the chicken.

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon salt.
1/4 teaspoon pepper.
1/4 teaspoon chili powder.
1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste.
1 lime (extract all the Juice and keep aside).
1 3-pound whole broiler-fryer chicken.
2 teaspoons butter(encourages browning).

Method
For the Rub, Combine lime juice,chili powder, ginger garlic paste,salt and pepper.

Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Loosen skin on chicken breast. Using your fingers, carefully spread half of the rub under the skin. Skewer neck skin to back; tie legs to tail. Twist wings under back. Take rest of the rub and spread it inside the cavity. Let it marinate for atleast an hour(or overnight).

Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack(V-shape works better) in a shallow roasting pan. Rub with butter on the skin. If desired, insert a meat thermometer into center of an inside thigh muscle. Roast, uncovered, in a 375 degree F preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Take the chicken out cover with an aluminium foil and place back in oven. Roast about 45 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink, juices run clear (the meat thermometer, if using, should register 180 degrees F).

Notes:-

(1) Chicken skin contains a great deal of fat, and many people are in the habit of removing it in order to avoid the extra calories. Crispy, fragrant roast chicken skin is absolutely delicious, and, many people insist, the best part of the roast chicken. If you choose to pass up the temptation, though, you still need to leave the skin on the chicken during roasting. Roasting a skinless bird is an exercise in futility. The skin holds in moisture and juiciness. If you skin the chicken before you roast it, the meat will become bone-dry long before it's cooked through. You can carve the chicken then remove the skin from your portion as you see fit. Don't worry-there is no significant difference in calories between removing the skin before or after cooking!

(2)you can add vegatables(eg:-Onion,potatos,carrots etc..) on botton of the roasting pan.(I've found that when setting the chicken on a flat rack or directly in the roasting pan, the juices that collect around the chicken never have the chance to reduce.)

(3)A blasting heat crisps the skin and gives the chicken a great roasty flavor, but I recommend just an initial 20 to 25 minutes at 450°F, followed by a more moderate 375°F for the remaining cooking time(until chicken is no longer pink, juices run clear (the meat thermometer, if using, should register 180 degrees F)).

(4)put other flavor additions into the cavity --like herbs, lemons,Oranges, cloves of garlic -- which help flavor the meat and especially the pan juices as they flow from the bird into the roasting pan.

(5)Checking doneness:- Tests for doneness start with color. The skin should be dark golden, and the juices that come from the thigh when you prick it (and also from the cavity when you tilt the whole bird) should be clear, not rosy or pink. The drumsticks usually wiggle easily in their sockets, though it's sometimes hard to get a good grip on a hot bird. The ultimate test you should use until you're really experienced is to stick a thermometer into the middle of the thigh meat, not too close to the bone nor too close to the skin.

(6) The chicken will be much better if you let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. This lets the juices redistribute themselves.

Peanut Chicken

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size strips
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon greated piece ginger.
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

Method

In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. In a medium bowl toss chicken with curry powder,ginger and jalapeno. Add to skillet; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Carefully add 3/4 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl stir together coconut milk, peanut butter, and soy sauce. Add to the skillet. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro.

Dried Shrimp Chutney ( Unakka Chemmeen Chammanthi)

Ingredients

1/4 cup Dried Shrimps
1 cup Grated Coconut
4 Small Onion
4-5 pieces Dry Red Chilly
5nos Curry Leaves

Method


Heat a pan and fry dried shrimps over medium fire, add red chilliies and small onions and sauté until its colour varies. Then grind or crush well the coconut, curry leaves, salt, with this mixture. Your mouthwatering chutney is ready.

Tamarind Rice

Ingredients

1 oz Tamarind
11/2 cups Rice
4 Dry chillies
1 dsp Gingely oil
2 dsp Ghee
11/2 tsp Black gram dal
11/2 tsp Bengal gram dal
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek
16nos Cashewnuts
a pinch Asafoetida powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method

Soak the tamarind in one cup of water for 15 minutes and draw the pulp and strain(or use tamarind pulp). Cook the rice in boiled water and drain it. Fry and powder, black gram dal and fenugreek and mix them with turmeric powder and asafoetida.

Season mustard, pieces of dry chillies, bengal gram and cashew nuts in gingely oil, add tamarind water, the powdered turmeric and asafoetida and boil till thick. Add enough salt and mix in the rice and the ghee.