Authentic Recipes from the Kitchens of Shriya, Nithu & Arthi!

Egg adai kozhambu – Omelete curry

Posted by on Apr 23, 2010 in Best of ST, Egg Dishes, Featured | 15 comments

I have moved to Arkansas recently. I got some new friends and here is the chance to learn more new dishes. One of my friends here made this Egg adai kozhambu. Usually I will make the egg curry with eggs. When my friend made this, I feel it is very different and I asked her the recipe. It is very easy to make and I tried this. It came out very well and we can have it with rice or dosa. Preparation time: 20 minutes No of Servings: 2-3 Spice level 3 out of 5 Ingredients: Eggs-3 Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp Curry leaves-a few Onion-1/2(finely chopped) Turmeric-1/4 tsp Oil-1 tbsp Masala to grind: Cumin seeds-1 tsp Pepper-1/4 tsp Red chillies-3 to 4 Split roasted gram(Dalia)-2 tbsp Coconut-2/3 cup Method of preparation: Heat 1tsp oil in a pan and fry cumin...

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Egg Curry

Posted by on Mar 19, 2010 in Best of ST, Cooking Videos, Egg Dishes, Featured, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 26 comments

Egg is a versatile cooking ingredient. Many people who dont eat meat like eggs.  Eggs can be cooked in many ways.  This time I  have made Egg curry which goes well with chappathi or rice. Preparation time: 30 minutes No of Servings: 3 Spice level: 4 out of 5 Ingredients: Eggs : 4 Onion : 1(finely chopped) Tomatoes : 2(chopped) Ginger garlic paste : 2 tsp Cumin seeds : 1 tsp Red chilli powder : 2 tsp Coriander powder : 1 tsp Cumin powder : 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder : 1/2 tsp Chicken masala powder : 1/2 tsp(optional) Oil : 1 tbsp Salt : to taste Coriander leaves : 3 strings Method of Preparation Boil the eggs for 15 to 20 min. Peel the shells and cut them vertically into two halves. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin...

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Mutton Liver Fry

Posted by on Jan 13, 2010 in Breakfast Menu, Featured, Meat & Seafood Entrees, Mutton Dishes | 24 comments

First of all I want to  say sorry to all my readers for the late post. I am still on my India vacation and I couldn’t find time to post recipes but I promise when I come back I’ ll post variety of  mouthwatering recipes in ST. “Mutton Liver fry” or “Eeral varuval” is very popular dish in south india. And its one of my favorite too. My mom used to make this  every weekends in my chilhood days. She says it’s good for health.  And cooking mutton liver is little tricky. It should be soft and juicy. If you overcooked it  it will turn out into rubber-like texture. So its all with the trial cooking and practice. So do get the  right proportion adjust the water and cooking time. My mom usually  make this for breakfast, it goes very well with...

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Spicy Fish Kuzhambhu (Spicy Indian Fish Curry)

Posted by on Oct 14, 2009 in Best of ST, Featured, Fish Dishes, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 15 comments

I am going to be celebrating Diwali in India with my family after 4 years and I am so excited. Just getting used to the jetlag and I am happy to be spending time with my family. For those unfamiliar, Meen Kuzhanbu is the Tamil name for traditional South Indian Fish Curry. It is very rich in flavor, spicy and  tastes heavenly. And it is a common saying that it tastes better the day after you make it as the spices get deep into the fish as it sits around. I made this with Salmon filets but catfish tastes great as well. In South India, this is made with locally popular fish like Sankara, Vavval, etc. Ingredients: Sesame oil :  3 tbsp Vegetable oil : 2 tbsp Fenugree k Seeds : 1/4 tsp Vadagam: 11/2 tbsp (Optional) Fish :...

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Cashew Pepper Chicken Curry

Posted by on Apr 6, 2009 in Best of ST, Chicken dishes, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 12 comments

You’ve heard me mention and share some excellent recipes from my beloved sister Suja. Now it is my pleasure to share her recipe and pictures straight from her Kitchen. The speciality about this recipe is that all the ingredients are available in any Indian pantry. It is a simple recipe you can make it in 30 minutes. It tastes best with chapathi, rice and parota. Try this recipe and share your comments for Suja. Ingredients: Chicken : 500gms Onion : 1 (medium) Tomato : 1(medium) Ginger and garlic paste : 2 tbsp Turmeric Powder : 2 tsp Peppercorns: 10 Green chilies : 2 Red chili powder : 1 tsp Cashew : 5-8 Badam : 3 (optional) Curry Leaves : 4-5 Method Of Preparation : Heat oil in a pan add onions and fry them till it becomes translucent. Now...

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Crab Curry

Posted by on Mar 15, 2009 in Best of ST, Featured, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 10 comments

 Crab is one of my most favorite non vegetarian dishes. Growing up in a town close to the Bay of Bengal, we had no shortage of fresh seafood. In fact, my mom used to make crab atleast once in every 2 weeks.Crab can be made into delightful dishes in various forms and recipes. Crab Curry has to rank amongst the top contenders there. And this is another one of my sister’s (Suja) recipe and as usual it turned out to be a mind blowing entree. If you have a love for crab meat, I welcome you to try this recipe and let me know how it turned out. If you made your own modifications to it, also share it with me. After all cooking is part experimentation + part personalization (kai pakkuvam in Tamil). Ingredients: Crab : 2...

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Spicy Mutton Chukka

Posted by on Feb 13, 2009 in Best of ST, Featured, Meat & Seafood Entrees, Mutton Dishes | 32 comments

I am sure you have one of these obscure things in the vast array of food that we consume, that just hits the spot with certain dishes. Mutton chukka is one of those dishes for me. Being a southie, it tastes heavenly with rice dishes like Sambar rice, Rasam rice & even Briyani. If you make it a little not-so-dry you can even have it paratha or rotis. Ingredients: Oil : 1/4 cup Mutton : 1/2 kg (cut into small pieces) Onion :  2 cups Tomato : 1/2 cup Chili Powder : 2 tbsp Green chilies : 2 to 3 Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp Ginger : 2 tbsp garlic : 3 Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds : 1/2 tsp Cloves: 3 Bay leaves : 2 Cinnamon : 1/4 “ Curry leaves : 8 to 10 Method...

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Chicken Quesadilla

Posted by on Dec 20, 2008 in Chicken dishes, Mexican | 10 comments

It’s been a very long time I’ve posted any recipes. I am really sorry about my sparse posting. My new year resolution is to be more active here and bring you lot more recipes from my kitchen. When I first came to U.S one of my first  favorite Mexican dish was Quesadilla. We just bought this quesadilla maker in the Thanksgiving shopping. Before that I used to bake this in a conventional oven but Quesadilla maker has made my life easier.  Try this easy Quesadilla recipe and let me know how it turned out. Ingredients: Vegetable Oil : 2 tbsp Onion: 1 Red Bell Pepper : 1 Green Bell Pepper: 1 Mushroom : 1 cup (Optional) Chicken : 1 cup (Grilled or Cooked) Salsa: 1 cup Sour Cream : 3 tbsp (optional) Cheddar or Mozarella Cheese : 2 cups...

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South Indian Masala Fish Fry

Posted by on Sep 8, 2008 in Featured, Fish Dishes, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 25 comments

Growing up relatively close to a coastal town in India – Pondicherry, we had plenty of access to fresh seafood. One of the main items in a complete South Indian seafood meal is fish fry. It has to be one of the easiest yet can made be made in different varieties. This particular recipe is from my mother-in-law and is very close to my tongue.. er.. heart. 😉 It goes great with Chicken/Mutton Briyani and Fish Curry. Ingredients: Fish : 4 slices (you can use any fish, but in this recipe I have used Cat fish) Oil : 1/2 cup Onion: 1 (medium) Tomatoes : 2 Ginger : 1″ Garlic : 3 Tamarind : 1/4 cup (Extract From a lemon sized ball of tamarind) Red chili powder : 2 tbsp (according to your spice level) Salt : required to...

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Curried Shrimp Skewers

Posted by on Jul 18, 2008 in Best of ST, Featured, Meat & Seafood Entrees, Shrimp Dishes | 13 comments

Our good friends, Romie & Peter had invited us over for dinner. Romie had made several delicious dishes for us. She is an excellent cook and every time we go over to her place, I am looking forward to a new dish she would have made. And this time was no different. She had made multiple mouth watering dishes and I really loved perai (Kerala dish) and Curried Shrimp Skewers. I couldn’t resist to take pictures of them and share it with you all. And I am posting the Curried Shrimp Recipe here on behalf of her. I will be posting the Perai (kerala dish) recipe very soon. The first thing that struck me, probably you too, is the presentation. Doesn’t it look so inviting? Here is an awesome recipe and pictures from Romie’s kitchen. Ingredients: Raw Shrimp :...

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Tandoori Chicken

Posted by on Jul 9, 2008 in Chicken dishes, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 38 comments

Tandoori Chicken is another staple item in any Indian restaurant menu and is one of the best liked items as well. Tandoori Chicken is a chicken dish that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Chicken is marinated in yogurt and seasoned with tandoori masala. It has a lot of history behind it going back to the Mughal age. From Wikipedia, Tandoor cooked chicken actually dates back to the Mughal peroid. A man named Kundan Lal Gujral ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawar before the partition of India. Trying out new recipes to keep his patrons interested, Gujral tried cooking chicken in tandoors (clay ovens) used by locals until then to cook naans (bread). The tandoors are bell-shaped ovens, set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal reaching temperatures of about 900 degrees....

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Seafood Paella (Traditional Spanish Recipe) and an Award

Posted by on Jun 24, 2008 in Best of ST, Featured, Meat & Seafood Entrees, Rice dishes, Shrimp Dishes | 19 comments

Paella is a traditional Spanish dish. But it tastes almost like Indian Biryani. The speciality of paella is its used to cook in a special paella pan which is a large, shallow, flat pan. From Wikipedia, Paella is a typical Valencian rice dish from Spain. The origin of the name paella is in the Valencian for frying pan. This word in turn derives from Latin patella and is akin to French poêle, Italian padella, Old Spanish padilla and New Mexican Spanish Paella. Paella is usually garnished with vegetables and meat or seafood. The three key ingredients are rice , saffron, and olive oil. An important part of the flavor comes from the addition of saffron and the sofrito, or the combination of tomatoes, and garlic (and sometimes peppers). if you are a vegan one can  substitute vegetables instead of...

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Spicy Mutton Curry

Posted by on Jun 17, 2008 in Meat & Seafood Entrees, Mutton Dishes, Recipe Videos | 143 comments

Our first ever Recipe contest went great and we really appreciate everybody for participating in it. We are now back to regular programming with this excellent Mutton Gravy recipe from my mother-in-law’s Kitchen. If you like spicy gravies with chapathis or parathas, then you have come to the right spot. This spicy mouth watering mutton dish will make a perfect companion to different dishes like chapathis, parathas, briyani or even dosas. The trick to getting this right is in the pressure cooking process where the mutton becomes really tender and juicy. Ingredients: Mutton:500gm Onion : 2 Tomatoes : 2 Ginger& Garlic Paste : 3 tbsp Oil : 5 tbsp Cinnamon stick : 1 inch Cloves : 3 Bay leaves : 2 Fennel seeds : 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder: 1tsp Curry leaves : 6 to 8 Red Chili Powder :...

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Chicken Chettinad

Posted by on Apr 8, 2008 in Chicken dishes, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 28 comments

Chicken Chettinad is another authentic south Indian dish. Chettinad is a very special and popular style of cooking in Tamilnadu. They are known for a variety of dishes and Chettinad Chicken has to be the king of them. You’ll find this listed in almost every South Indian restaurant menu . The chicken is cooked with some distinct ingredients such as poppy seeds , fennel seeds, coriander seeds that give a very special aroma to the curry. Chettinad is known for its culinary delicacies. Chettinad food, now is one of the many reasons why people get to know Chettinad. Ingredients: Chicken :800gm (with bone) onion: 1 1/2 (medium) (finely chopped) Tomatoes : 2 (finely chopped) Oil : 2 tbps Salt : required to tatse water : 1 1/2 cups Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp Curry leaves : 4 to 6...

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Dry Chicken Curry

Posted by on Feb 20, 2008 in Chicken dishes, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 10 comments

This is yet another chicken dish . That will make a great side dish for Briyani or when you eat it with rice and chicken gravy . The spices and the curry leaves give it a great aroma and its very simple to make . It tastes excellent. I actually made this as a side dish when I made the Spicy chicken Kuzhambhu but am just finding some time to post this recipe . Hope you enjoy it. Preparation Time: 55 minutes No of servings: 4-5 Spice Level: 4 out of 5 Ingredients: Chicken : 500gms Onion : 1 (big) Oil : 3 tbsp Bay leaves : 2 Cinnamon : 1 “ Cloves : 2 Black pepper powder : 2tsp Ginger and garlic paste : 11/2 tbsp Curry leaves : 5 Red chili powder : 1 tbsp Salt :...

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Spicy Chicken Kuzhambhu / Spicy Chicken Curry

Posted by on Feb 18, 2008 in Chicken dishes, Meat & Seafood Entrees | 23 comments

Spicy Chicken Kuzhambu (curry) is another gem from my mom’s kitchen and one that takes me back to the days when I was a kid. My mom would make this for me if I had a cold or wasn’t feeling well. She seems to have that magic touch always and this morning I called her up to find out how she made it. Now, I am sharing it with you here. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Preparation Time: 40 minutes No of servings: 4-5 Spice Level: 4 out of 5 Ingredients: Chicken: 2 lb Oil : 3 tbsp Bay leaves : 2 Cinnamon : 1″ Cloves : 3 Onion : 1/2(medium) Tomato : 2 Cumin seeds : 11/2 tsp Fennel seeds : 1 tsp Green chilies : 4 Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp Black Pepper...

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Spicy Shrimp Spaghetti

Posted by on Feb 8, 2008 in Meat & Seafood Entrees, Shrimp Dishes | 15 comments

I am a big fan of Rachel Ray and love her 30 Minute Meals show a lot. She shows simple ways to make complex-looking entrees that too in 30 minutes. I love her cooking shows very much . If you have a very short time to make something nice, this Shrimp Spaghetti recipe will be an excellent choice for you. I have adapted this from Rachel Ray’s recipe and have a made it taste a little different and a bit more spicy. Trust me, it tastes really good! Preparation Time: 30 minutes No of servings: 3-4 Spice Level: 2 out of 5 Ingredients: Shrimp : 1 lb (Raw Shrimp – peeled ) Spaghetti : 1/2 lb (cooked) Garlic : 5 to 6 (finely chopped) Red pepper flakes : 1tbsp onion : 1 (medium) (finely chopped) Tomatoes : 3 (finely...

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Shredded Fish curry – Fish Puttu Kuzhambhu

Posted by on Jan 31, 2008 in Meat & Seafood Entrees | 14 comments

  We usually see fish made as a curry and meen (fish in English) kuzhambu is a favorite of many south Indians. I learnt this unique seafood recipe from my mom’s Kitchen and she tells me it’s a Chettinad specialty. It is made with shredded fish instead of whole fish and it tastes excellent. It is well known that fish kuzhumbu usually tastes the best next day with all the spices and gravy soaking in. With the fish in shredded form, the spices soak in faster and it tastes great right from day 1. Do I need to say it is one of my favorites? Preparation Time: 40 minutes No of servings: 4-5 Spice Level: 3 out of 5 Ingredients: Fish : 2 lb(King Fish or Tilapia) Coconut oil : 2 tbsp Pearl onions : 1/2 cup Tomato :...

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