Motta Thoran (Scrambled Eggs With Coconut)

Ingredients

• Eggs – 5 (refer notes)
• Onion – I medium, chopped
• Green chilli – 2-3, chopped
• Coconut – ½ cup
• Cumin (jeera) – a pinch
• Turmeric powder – ¼ – ½ tsp
• Crushed pepper – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves
• Salt
• Oil (I used coconut oil)

Instructions

1. Beat the eggs well and keep it aside. Combine coconut and cumin, using your hands. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion and green chilli.
2. When onions become soft (no need to brown), add turmeric powder, salt and curry leaves. Mix well. Add beaten eggs and scramble them.
3. When the eggs are half cooked add coconut and jeera. Mix well. Cook for 3-4 mins on low flame. Add ½ tsp crushed pepper and mix well. Serve hot with rice, toast, chapathi etc;

Notes

I used 2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites. You can make it only with egg whites also. The qty of coconut can be adjusted to suit your taste.

 Restaurant Style Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• Chicken – 950 gms, after cleaning, cut into small-medium size pieces
• Onion – 3 medium-large, finely sliced
• Crushed/grated ginger and garlic – 1 – 1.5 tbsp, each
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 2.5 tsp
• Garam masala – ½ tsp
• Fennel powder (perumjeerakam) – ½ tsp
• Pepper powder – ½ tsp
• Tomato – 1 big, chopped
• Medium thick coconut milk – 1.5 cups
• Thick coconut milk – ½ cup
• Salt
• Oil

To temper

• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Small/Pearl onion – 6, sliced
• Curry leaves
• Ghee/oil

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a deep pan. Add finely sliced onions and cook till it turns golden brown. Add crushed/grated ginger garlic and cook for 2-3 mins or till the raw smell goes.
2. Add turmeric, chilli, coriander, fennel, pepper powder and garam masala. Mix well. Cook till the oil appears, around 2-3 mins. Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Mix well. Cook till the tomatoes becomes soft. Let it cool for sometime.Grind the masala to a smooth paste by adding 1-2 tbsp of water.
3. In the same pan, add some more oil and add cleaned chicken pieces. Mix well. Cook till the chicken pieces start changing colour. Add the ground masala. Mix well and make sure the chicken pieces are coated well with the masala and cook for 3-4 mins.
4. Add medium thick coconut milk and give a stir. Cover and cook till the chicken is done. Add thick coconut milk and stir. Cook for 5-7 mins. Remove from fire.
5. In another pan heat oil/ghee and splutter mustard seeds. Add sliced small onion and curry leaves. Cook till the onions turn golden brown. Add this to the chicken curry and serve hot.

Notes

I used coconut oil, but you can use ghee or refined oil also. The gravy tends to thicken as the curry rests, so adjust the consistency of the curry accordingly. It pairs well with ghee rice/pulao/roti/appam etc; You can also add cashew paste to make it more creamier. Soak 1-2 tbsp of chopped cashews in 2 tbsp hot water for 10-15 mins. Grind it to a smooth paste. Mix the cashew paste with thick coconut milk and add it to the curry.

 

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients

Basmati rice	3 cups
Chicken	1 kg
Curds	½ cup
Chilli powder	½ tsp
Ginger  garlic paste	2 tsp
Green chilli	4-6 no.s
Onions sliced	5 no.s
Mint leaves	2 tbsp cut small
Coriander leaves	2 tbsp cut small
Ghee	6 tbsp
Cardamon	5 nos
Cloves	5 nos
Cinnamon	3 nos
Poppy seeds (Khas khas)	2tsp
Water	6 cups
Salt to taste

Method

Mix chicken pieces with curds, one teaspoon salt, chilli powder and ginger-garlic paste. Soak for two hours. Heat ghee in a vessel and fry onions till brown and crisp. Add chicken with curds to it and stir. Fry till the liquid is absorbed. Powder cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and poppy seeds and add it to the chicken. Add mint and coriander leaves. Fry  till chicken is ¾th cooked. Clean rice and add it to the chicken. Add water. Mix well and cook till the water is almost absorbed and dried. Mix gently and serve. Garnish with boiled eggs and fried nuts. If it is in a pressure cooker, cook it one whistle is out and open the lid only after the steam has completely gone.

Spicy Mutton Curry

Ingredients

• Mutton – ½ kg, cut into medium size pieces

To roast and grind

• Coconut – ¾ cup
• Whole coriander (kothamalli)- 1 tbsp
• Dry red chilli – 4
• Whole black pepper – 1¼ tsp
• Fennel seeds (perumjeerakam) – ½ tsp
• Cloves – 3
• Cinnamon – a small piece
• Pearl/Small onion – 3, sliced
• Curry leaves – 6

For masala

• Onion – 3 medium-big, sliced
• Crushed/grated ginger and garlic – 1½ tsp each
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Tomato – 1 medium -big, sliced
• Salt
• Oil – I used coconut oil

To temper

• Pearl/small onion – 4, sliced
• Curry leaves
• Pepper powder – ½ tsp (refer notes)
• Chopped coriander leaves – 1 tbsp

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan and add coconut, whole coriander, dry red chilli, whole black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, pearl onion, fennel seeds, curry leaves. Fry till the coconut turns golden brown. Remove from fire and let it cool. Grind the same without adding water. Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add sliced onions. When it turns golden brown, add ginger and garlic. Cook till the raw smell goes, around 2-4 mins. Add chilli powder and cook for 2-3 mins. Add sliced tomato and cook till it turns soft. Add cleaned mutton pieces and mix well. Add 2 cups of hot water and pressure cook till the mutton is done. Refer notes to see on pressure cooking time.
3. Add ¼ – ½ cup of hot water to the ground masala. Mix well. Add it to the cooked mutton and cook on low flame for 5-10 mins. Remove from fire.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add sliced pearl/small onion and curry leaves. Fry till the onions turn golden brown. Switch off the gas and add pepper powder and coriander leaves. Add this to the curry and mix well.
5. Serve hot with rice/chapthi/pathiri etc;

Notes

This is a spicy recipe, so adjust the qty of spices to suit your taste. I didnt add the pepper powder in the tempering stage, since the curry was already spicy for our preference. Pressure cooking the mutton – After the first whistle, I reduced the flame to low-medium and cooked for 12-15 whistles. Keep it closed for another 15 mins or till the pressure drops. The colour of the curry tends to darken as it rests..