Madurai chicken kuzhambu

Preparation time:10 mins
Makes 2 servings
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Shallots- 1 cup
Red chilly - 2
Green chilly - 4
Tomato- 2
Ginger Garlic  paste- 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- few
Salt
Oil

To Grind:

Red chilly- 8
Coriander seeds- 11/2 tsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Cashewnuts - 10
Grated Cocunut - 1/2 cup


Procedure:
1.Heat oil in a pressure cooker or pan and add curry leaves, red chilly and finely chopped onion.
2.Saute till onions are translucent., then add ginger-garlic paste and tomato.
3.Saute for few minutes , now add chicken pieces, turmeric powder and green chilly.
4.Add enough water, salt and the grinded paste.
5.Allow it to cook for 4 whistles if used a pressure cooker.

Serve hot with plain rice, biryani or idli / dosa.

Chicken Biriyani

Preparation time: 30 mins
Makes 2 servings
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces - 1/2 kg
Biryani rice - 1 cup
Ginger- garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup
Bay leaf- 2
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
Cloves- 4
Cardamom - 3
Cocunut milk - 1/2 cup
Lemon - 1
Salt
Ghee

To grind :
Green chilly - 10
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic- 3 pods

To marinate:
Curd - 4 tsp
Garam masala- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt


Procedure:

1. Marniate the chicken for half an hour.
2. Soak rice for half an hour.
3. Heat ghee in a pan, add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
4. Fry until a nice aroma comes.
5. Now add onions and fry until translucent.
6. Now add the grinded paste and saute for some time.
7. Add the chicken pieces along with marinated mixture.
8. When the chicken is half done, add tomato, cilantro and mint leaves.Mix well.
9. Now add the rice, cocunut milk and water.
10. Adjust the salt and add lemon juice.Cook till its done.

Serve hot with Onion raitha and Chicken Curry.

Note:
1.If you are using an electric cooker, Follow the procedure till step 8, (Allow the chicken to cook fully)and then transfer the contents of pan to cooker and follow the other steps.
2.You can also grind the chilly and ginger-garlic paste seperately, so that you need not grind it once again for marination.
3.The rice used in this recipe is seeraga sambha .You can also use basmathi rice, if the mentioned variety is not available.
4.If you are using a pressure cooker, don't wait for the chicken to cook, keep it for 4 whistles and simmer for 10 mins.

Chicken kuzhambu

Preparation time:20 mins
Makes 3 servings
Cooking time: 20 mins


Ingredients:

To grind:


Shallots- 1 cup
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch
Garlic - 5 pods
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon- 1 inch
Pepper - 1 tsp
Red chilly - 6
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Coconut - 1/2 cup grated

To fry:
Onion - 1
Tomato- 1
Green chilly- 2
Chicken - 1/2 kg
Chilly powder- 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Salt
Oil

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan and roast the ingredients under "to grind".
2. Allow it to cool.Grind to paste.(Water can be added.)
3. Heat oil in pressure cooker, add onions, tomato and green chilly.Saute well.
4. Add the paste, chilly powder, coriander powder  and salt.
5. Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add chicken pieces.
7. Cook for 5 mins. Close the lid and leave it for 4 whistles.
8. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with idli or poori.

Fish fry

Preparation time: 20 mins
Makes 2 pieces
Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredient:

Green chilly - 3 (finely chopped)
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder- 2 tsp
Curry leaves- 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Cilantro - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Lemon juice - 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Salt
Oil
Fish - 2 pieces

Procedure:

1.Preapre marination using the ingredients except fish.
2.Wash the fish pieces in lemon juice.
3.Wipe and remove the moisture.
4.Apply the marination and  keep in refrigrator atleast for 4 hours.
5.Shallow fry in a pan.Few drops of oil can be added.
Serve hot

Note: If you don't have enough time,marinate for atleast 15 minutes.

Chettinadu Chicken Gravy

Preparation time: 10 mins
Makes 2 servings
Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredient:

Chicken - 400 gm
Onion -  2 medium sized
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 pods
Green chilly - 3
Cocunut milk- 1 cup (no dilution)
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Cilantro- 1/2 cup
Salt
Oil

Masala:

Pepper- 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds-1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 2
Red chilly- 9
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
Curry leaves - Handful
Fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp

Procedure:

1.Grind the following into a paste: ginger, garlic and green chilly.
2.Heat oil in a pan, roast the ingredients under "Masala" and grind to powder.
3.Heat oil in a pan, add onions, curry leaves and grinded paste and saute for sometime.
4.Now add chicken pieces, turmeric powder, tomato and salt.Fry for 5 minutes.
5.Add cocunut milk and let it cook until the chicken is almost done.
6.Now add the grinded powder and adjust seasoning.
7.Garnish with cilantro.

Note: Cocunut milk can be added according to consistancy of the gravy required.