Channa (chick peas) Rice

Ingredients

• Channa (boiled) - 1 cup
• Cooked rice - 2 cups
• Mustard & urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
• Grated garlic - 1 tbsp
• Onion - 1 medium size (chopped lengthwise)
• Curry leaves - few
• Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (chopped)
• Tomato - 1 medium size (chopped)
• Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in kadai, on high medium flame.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal & curry leaves one by one.
• Add ginger-garlic & fry for few minutes.
• Add onions and fry well, till it becomes light brown in color.
• Add the chopped tomatoes & continue frying.(do not make the tomatoes mashy)
• Add the chick peas & fry for 1 minute.
• Now add sambhar powder, coriander powder & salt. Fry for 30 sec - 1 min.
• Add rice the & mix well.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Tips for the recipe - Cook the chick peas very softly for good taste. Preferably use thinly sliced red onion instead of white or yellow onion.

Channa (chick peas) Chat

Ingredients

• Channa (boiled) - 1 cup
• Grated carrot - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Grated mango (raw) - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Tomato - 1/2 (chopped)
• Mint - handful (chopped)
• Coriander leaves - handful (chopped)
• Red onion - 1/2 small size (chopped)
• Lemon - few drops
• Chilly powder - 2 pinches
• Chat masala - few pinches
• Salt to taste

Method

• Except the last 3 ingredients, mix all the other ingredients together.
• Then sprinkle some salt, chat masala & chilly powder.
• Healthy & tasty snack is ready to serve.

Tips for the recipe - Boil the channa till it becomes very soft. You can also add 1 or 2 spoons of chopped cucumber if you wish.

Gobi manchurian

Ingredients

• Cauliflower - 1 medium size (cut into medium size florets) 
• Vinegar - 1 tsp 
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp or to taste 
• Pepper - 1/4 tsp 
• Corn flour - 5 tbsp 
• All purpose flour or maida - 7 1/2 tbsp
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Garlic - 4 
• Handful of spring onions diagonally chopped for garnishing 
• 1 or 2 handful of thinly chopped purple cabbage for garnishing 
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying. 

For the sauce

• Ginger - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Garlic - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Green chillies - 2 (thin round slices)
• Onion - 1/2 (medium size chopped) 
• Tomato sause - 4 1/2 - 5 tbsp 
• Chilly sause- 4 tbsp 
• Soya sause -3 tbsp 
• Vinegar - 1 1/2 tbsp 
• Cornflour - 2 1/2 tsp
• Pepper - 1/4 tsp (adjust) 
• Water - 1/2 cup 

Method

• Make a paste of ginger & garlic.
• Mix ginger-garlic paste with the 1st 6 ingredients.
• Add salt & mix well till the florets gets nicely coated with the flour (sprinkle little water if necessary).
• Now deep fry the florets on medium flame, till it becomes crispy.
• Mix the corn flour in the water & keep it aside for the sauce.
• Now add 2 tbsp of oil to the pan on medium high flame.
• Fry ginger, garlic, green chillies & onions one by one.
• Do not fry the onions much. It should be crunchy. Pinch of salt can be added.
• Now add all the sauce & the vinegar.
• Mix well & now add the diluted corn flour.
• Reduce the flame to low medium & allow the sauce to get thick.
• Now add the fried florets & mix well till the sauce gets well coated to the florets.
• Sprinkle pepper & mix again.
• Add spring onions & cabbage. Give a quick mix & serve immediately. 

Tip for the recipe - There should not be much water in the florets when you add the flour.The water content should be very less in the florets. This will ensure that the batter will get coated well & the fried floret will be crispy.

Chicken Soup (Similar to Moroccan soup)

This is not true Moroccan soup. I have adopted it to South Indian taste.

Ingredients
Group I

• Chicken - 1/2 cup (chopped into small pieces)
• Basmathi rice - 1/2 cup (80 g)
• Chick peas (boiled) - 1/2 - 1 cup
• Water - 4 - 5 cup (160 ml each cup)
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust)
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1/2 medium size (chopped)
• Tomato - 1 medium size (chopped)
• Green chillies - 3 (slitted)
• Coriander leaves - handful (chopped)
• Mint leaves - handful (chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Oil as required

To powder
Group II

• Aniseeds - 1 1/2 tsp
• Cloves - 6

Method

• Powder the group II ingredients & keep it aside.
• Soak the rice for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan & add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry till the oil separates.
• Then add the aniseed powder, onions & fry until it becomes translucent. Add chillies & saute for a minute.
• Add the tomato & continue frying.
• Now add the coriander powder, chilly powder, garam masala powder & salt.
• Mix well & add the chicken pieces. Fry till it becomes white in color.
• Add the rice along with 4-5 cups of water. Also add the boiled chick peas.
• Mix well & check for salt. Reduce the flame to low.
• Stir occasionally. Add more water if necessary.
• Cover & cook till the rice is done. 
• Add mint leaves, coriander leaves & switch off the flame.

Tips for the recipe - Do not over cook the rice. Boil the chick peas until soft.(This should be presoaked). I like more chick peas in my soup, so I have added 1 cup. You can adjust it to your taste.

Chicken Lolli Pop (Chilly flavoured)

Ingredients

• Chicken wing drumettes - 16 (with skin or without skin)
• Rice flour - 3/4 tsp
• All pupose flour - 4 tbsp
• Cornflour - 2 tbsp
• Egg white beaten - 1
• Chilly powder - to taste
• Salt to taste
• Pepper (sprinkle little)
• Green chillies - 10 - 15 (slit the chillies by keeping the bottom in tact)
• Oil for deep frying

To grind

• Garlic - 8
• Green chillies - 3
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Vinegar - 1 1/2 tbsp

Method

• Wash & clean the chicken. Drain the water completely.

• Hold the thin end of the chicken & the cut the skin surrounding all around the bone. 

• After cutting the skin, you can use a knife & slightly scrap the meat towards the other end & then use your fingers or directly use your fingers to push the meat all the way down.

• Grind all the group II ingredients together to a smooth paste & mix it with the1st eight ingredients in group I.
• After mixing it well, cover & refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
• Then deep fry the chicken pieces on medium high flame.
• After adding the chicken pieces in the oil, add few slitted chillies in the same oil.
• Let the chillies get fried with the chicken.
• Remove the chicken from the oil when it is done.(It is not necessary to remove the green chillies from the oil, when you remove the chicken).
• Start frying the next batch of chicken. Remove the green chillies when it is completely fried.
• Now add the second batch of green chillies.(doest matter whether you remove the chicken pieces or not)
• Repeat the process till you finish frying all the chicken pieces.(by doing this oil is completely flavored by green chillies. So the chicken which gets fried in this flavored oil will taste good with nice flavor at the same time less spicy).
• Drain the excess oil & serve hot with lemon, fried green chillies, cucumbers & onions.

Tips for the recipe - After frying the green chillies are less spicy. You can try having  1 or 2 chillies along with the cucumbers & chicken. Take care, too much intake of green chillies may produce burning sensation. You can also marinate the chicken pieces over night. You can use the chicken with skin or skin out. The chicken shown in the above picture is with skin but normally I use skin out chicken for this recipe. 

Tomato Masala kootu

Ingredients
Group I

• Tomato - 3 medium size
• Boiled Eggs (optional) - 4
• Onion - 1 medium size
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Mustard & urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - handful
• Oil - 2 tbsp

To Grind
Group II

• Coconut - 2 tbsp
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
• Aniseed - 1 tsp
• Cardamon - 2
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Garlic - 3

Method

• Heat oil in kadai, on high medium flame.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal & curry leaves.
• Add onions and fry well, till it becomes brown in color.
• Now add the chilly powder & salt. Fry for 1 minute.
• Add the ground masala & fry well.
• Add some water & cover it with the lid.
• Cook it on medium flame till it becomes little thick & no raw smell in the masala.
• Add the chopped tomatoes & mix well.
• Cover & continue to cook for few minutes till there is no raw smell in the tomato.
• Do not make the tomatoes completely mashy.
• Add the boiled eggs & garnish it with coriander leaves.
• Serve it with roti.

Tips for the recipe - Use fresh ripe tomatoes for good taste.

Bitter gourd Masala Fry

Ingredient

• Bitter gourd - 2 (long variety)
• Onion  - 1 big (chopped)
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Tomatoes - 2 medium size (chopped)
• Green chillies - 4 (slitted)
• Sambhar powder - 1 - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Hing - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard & urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Gingerly oil - 1 tbsp
• Refined oil - as required
• Salt to taste

Method

• Chop the bitter gourd lengthwise (or small cubes) & add some   salt to it.
• Keep it under hot sun for 30 minutes or this can be done overnight.
• Heat a tbsp of refined oil in kadai, on high medium flame.
• Add the bitter gourd in the oil & fry well for 5 - 10 minutes.
• Now remove it from the kadai & keep it aside.
• Add some more oil in the same kadai.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal, curry leaves, green chillies & hing one by one.
• Add garlic, onions and fry well, till it becomes brown in color.
• Add the chopped tomatoes & continue frying till it becomes mashy.
• Add the bitter gourd & fry well.
• Now add sambhar powder, turmeric powder & salt. Fry for 1 minute.
• Add the bitter gourd & fry well.
• Cook it on low medium flame till it is done. 
• Add a spoon of gingerly oil & switch off the stove.
• Serve hot with rice.