DEVAKOTTAI SAMAYAL ARAI

Along the south coast of India, coconut trees grow in abundance. Inspired by this, I’m naming this dish South Coast Chicken Curry , as it is made with rich, thick coconut milk. You can prepare this curry using coconut oil for an authentic coastal flavor, or ghee (clarified butter) if you prefer a deeper, more aromatic taste. Ingredients needed : Chicken - 1 lb, cut into pieces Onion - 2 medium sized or half a pound, finely chopped Ginger - 1 inch piece, peel the skin and finely chopped (roughly 1 1/2 tsp minced) Garlic -  2 medium sized cloves, finely chopped (roughly 1 1/2 tsp minced) Green chillies - 4, slit and deseeded Coconut milk - 1 cup thick milk and and 1/2 cup 2nd milk Potatoes - 1 small, peeled and diced Curry leaves - 1 sprig Ghee - 2 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp ( homemade masala powder ) Salt - as per taste Cumin Seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp Preparation Method: In a thick-bottomed pan, heat the ghee. Add the onions and fry until they turn light ...

Badam Halwa.....:) yummm When I think about weddings, the first thing that comes to my mind is the badam halwa served at lunch on the day of the wedding.   When I close my eyes, I can still feel the coarse texture and the melt-in-the-mouth consistency of the halwa. It was a delicacy in those days, eagerly awaited whenever we attended a wedding—along with my other favorite, cassatta ice cream. Now, let’s learn how to make that nostalgic Badam Halwa. You will need a few simple ingredients {cooking time - 12 minutes} Almond flour - 2 cups Sweetened condensed milk - 1 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup [This is mildly sweet; add up to ¾ cup more if you prefer extra sweetness] Saffron strands - a few soaked in 1 tbsp of warm milk Clarified butter / Ghee - 4 tbsp Method In a thick-bottomed wide pan, add 1 tablespoon of ghee and lightly roast the almond flour over a low flame. Add the sugar, condensed milk, and saffron milk to the roasted almond flour. The mixture will thicken very quickly, as w...

A steaming bowl of soup provides immediate warmth and a deep sense of nourishment that perfectly complements a cold night. I am here today with the perfect soup recipe! Recipe Card (serves 3 people) Fennel Bulb- 1 medium sized bulb ( washed and roughly cut into cubes) ( save the delicate dill-like fronds(grassy part) for garnishing ) Small red potatoes - 4 nos (peeled and cubed) Garlic pods - 3 large cloves (peeled ) Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp Salt 1 tsp Crushed peppercorns- 1 1/2 tsp Now we will make this soup in 4 easy steps 😊 Step 1: Heat a saucepan, and add in the butter. After the butter melts, add the garlic and the fennel bulb cubes and sauté for 2 minutes.  Step 2: Add the potatoes, salt and pepper along with 2 cups of water and cook until the anise cubes are tender.  Step 3: With the help of an immersion blender , blend to get as creamy texture. Please note that I have not added any broth.  Step 4: Garnish with the saved fronds and serve hot with a slice of sourd...

Holiday season is here and everyone will be baking cookies for parties or get-togethers. I baked these cookies that have a light and crunchy texture. I experienced a warm feeling when I had a bite of these freshly baked cookies. I want to share this recipe with all of you.  Recipe Card: (Makes 30 cookies) Whole Wheat Flour - 1 and 1/4th cup Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt a pinch (to enhance the taste) Melted butter - 1/2 cup Milk - 3 tbsp *Pre-heat the oven to 310 ° F.  *In a large bowl, add the powdered sugar and the melted butter and mix well. Then sift the flour, baking powder, cardamom powder, salt and add this to the wet mix. *Now form dough by adding the milk and gently mixing it. Do not overmix. *Roll the dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper with the help of the rolling pin. Using a flower shaped cookie cutter, cut out 1/4 inch thick cookies.  *Lay them one inch apart on the baking sheet lined with parchment ...

On the occasion of Vinayaga Chathurthi, I wanted to share the recipe for making Poorana Kozhukkattai with three different fillings, 2 sweet and 1 savory. Let's get started. For the outer layer: Rice flour - 1 cup Boiling water - 1 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups Salt - 1/2 tsp Ghee - 1 tsp Ingredients for Filling # 1 - Chana dal Sweet filling  Chana Dal - 1/2 cup (soaked for 2 hours in 1 cup of water and pressure cook until soft) Jaggery powder - 1/4 cup (You can add little more jaggery if you wish) Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp Water - 1 tsp Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp broken pieces Ghee - 1 tbsp Ingredients for  Filling #2- Moong Dal Savoury filling Yellow moong dal - 1/4 cup, soaked for 10 minutes and pressure cooked  Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Green chillies - 2 medium finely chopped Cumin seeds Mustard seeds curry leaves a few Oil - 1 tsp Asafoetida - 1 pinch salt as per taste Ingredients for  Filling #3 - Moong Dal Sweet filling  Yellow Moong Dal - 1/4 cup, soaked for 10 minutes...

Today I am here with a yummy cookie recipe. You can try this recipe while your kids are at home during this summer vacation. This is a perfect tea time snack or a travel snack.  Recipe Card (Makes about 40 cookies) All purpose flour - 1 cup Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup Ghee - 1/2 cup melted Baking powder, one pinch Note 1. Add 1/3 cup sugar to a blender and powder it or use half cup powdered sugar 2. Ghee substitute - 1/4 cup Melted butter + 1 tablespoon milk + 3 teaspoon milk if needed (I used this substitute for this recipe) 3. If you add just the ghee, the cookies will be soft. But if you add milk, it will become hard.  In a bowl add the ghee and the powdered sugar and cream it well until you get peaks like in the picture below.                                                   Now add the flour and make a dough. If it is hard to form the dough, add ...

I made this dish for dinner tonight and thought of sharing the recipe with you.  First let's make the pesto sauce I used - (serves 2 people) Fresh Basil leaves - 1/2 cup Pecans - 1/4 cup Peppercorns - 7 to 8 nos. Garlic cloves - 3 small (peeled and crashed) Salt - 1/4 tsp Olive Oil - 2 tbsp In a blender, add the pecans, peppercorns and salt and powder them using pulse mode. Then add the basil leaves, garlic and the olive oil and grind to a coarse paste. Keep it aside. Ingredients for the main dish: Serves 2 people Uncooked pasta (any type) - 2 cups Shrimp - 10 nos. (shelled and deveined) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Chilli powder 1/2 tsp Salt - as needed Cherry Tomatoes - 10 nos. cut into halves *Cook the pasta to 'al dente', by adding a tsp of olive oil and salt as needed.  *In a pan, heat a tsp of cooking oil and the shrimp, salt, turmeric powder and the chilli powder and saute the shrimp and cover and cook for 5 minutes.  *Add the ground pesto sauce and saute for 2 minute...

Fathers Day Special Mini Cake!!! Do you want to celebrate Father's Day and you haven't baked a cake yet?? Then you are at the right place, because I am going to share a recipe of an easy to bake mini cake with just the ingredients you might have ready at home.  I have used two 10 oz ramekins to bake these mini cakes, but you can use any baking dish of your choice.  Gather the following ingredients ( makes 2 mini cakes) (Prep time 5 minutes, Bake time 12 minutes) All purpose flour - 1/3 cup Light brown sugar - 3 tbsp Banana - 1 ripe mashed Pecans - 8 halves, chop 6 halves and save the remaining 2 for topping Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp, melted Yogurt - 2 tbsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp Preheat oven to 350 F, I have used air fryer option in the oven. Prepare the baking bowls or the ramekins with cooking spray, dust with some all purpose flour and keep aside.  In a bowl, add the mashed banana, yogurt, brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract and mix...

I am back with a recipe to make healthy laddoo without adding sugar or jaggery. Dear ones who are diabetic, can also eat this laddoo without any guilt. Yes! Yes!! You need (makes 12 laddoos) Almonds - 1/2 cup Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup Walnuts / Pecans - 1/4 cup ( I used Pecans about 17 halves) Lotus seeds - 1/2 cup  White Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp Dates - 1/2 cup or 10 to 12 pieces depending on the size, deseeded and roughly chopped  Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Ghee - 1 tbsp In a pan, dry roast each nut and lotus seed seperately, because each nut has a different roasting time. Allow them to cool down. In a food processor, add all the roasted ingredients except the dates and ghee. Grind into a moderately fine powder. Then add the chopped dates and grind it until well blended with the nut mixture.  Transfer this mixture into a bowl and mix well. Grease your hands with a little ghee and start making balls.  The nutritious bites / laddoos are ready to serve. Consume 1 laddoo per d...