Samayal

DINDUKKAL BIRYANI

Wash 1/2 kg. of JEERAKA SAMBA rice and soak for 30mins. Clean 1/2 kg. mutton pieces.
Finely slice 1/4kg. of onions and chop 1/4 kg. of tomatoes. Heat 100gm. cooking oil / can also use some ghee , about 50gm.
in addition to the oil] in a heavy vessel, and splutter 2 sticks cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 cardamom,
1 bay leaf, 1 stone algae [ kadal paasi in tamil ] and one maraati moggu.
Then add onions and saute till brown. Then add paste of 6 garlic and 50gm. ginger, and the tomatoes and cook till raw smell goes.
Then add washed mutton, 4 chopped green chillies , 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder, 2 tsp. chilli powder,
3 tsp. dhania powder, 1/2 a bundle of mint leaves, chopped,
1/2 cup thick curds, and cook till oil floats on top.
Then add water twice the amount of rice , add required salt and cook the mutton.
When the mutton is 3/4th. done, add the drained rice, mix, cover and cook.
Do not disturb till you see small pits forming on top of the biryani.
Then add little red [kesari] food colour dissolved in little water, mix well but lightly, and cook on 'dum' for half an hour.
Serve hot with regular pachadi [made with onion, Cucumber,coriander leaves, tomatoes in curd].


AAMBUR BIRYANI

BASMATHI rice - 500 gms. No kadalpasi, maratti moggu in this recipe.
The rest of the ingredients required and their quantity is the same as the above recipe. But method of cooking is different.
Method: Take 1 1/2 litres of water in a heavy pan. Add half the spices [clove,cardamom etc.]
and boil the water. Add washed rice, salt and cook till 3/4th. done and drain the water.
Set the rice aside. Meanwhile, clean the mutton. Mix it with curd, chopped tomatoes, mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger garlic paste,
turmeric powder and slit green chillies. Mix well and marinate for at least 30 mins.
Heat the oil/ghee in a heavy pan, splutter the remaining whole spices,
and fry the onions till brown. Then add muttons and cook till oil floats on top.
Then add coriander powder and chilli powder, salt, and sufficient water to cook the meat.
Once the mutton is cooked, and the mixture thickens,
add the cooked rice, mix well and cook the biryani on 'dum' for 30mins.
Serve hot with regular Curd pachadi [made with onion,Cucumber, coriander leaves, tomatoes in curd
PONGAL - VADAICURRY

Pongal :
Wash 1 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup mung dal. Add 2 1/2 cups water, salt, a pinch of cumin seeds and cook in pressure cooker for 1 whistle.
Then reduce flame & cook for a further 10mins. Remove from stove, add 1/2 tsp. asafoetida powder, mix well and set aside.
Heat 1 tsp. oil and 2 tsp. ghee in a pan, and splutter 1tsp. cumin seeds, 2 tsp. pepper corns,
1 small piece of giner [finely grated], 5 cashewnuts broken and a few curry leaves.
Add this seasoning to the cooked rice, mix well and serve hot.

Vadaicurry:
Grind together 1 small piece ginger, 8 garlic, 1tsp. fennel seeds, 3 red chilly, 1 piece cinnamon, 1 clove and 1 cardamom to make a thick paste.
Soak 1 cup chana dal for 1 hour and grind to a coarse paste, adding as little water as possible.
To this dal paste, add 1 Tbsp. of the ground masala paste, required salt and mix well.
Make small vadais and fry in hot oil. Keep aside. In a pan, heat some oil and saute 2 chopped onions till brown.
Then add 2 chopped tomatoes, the ground masala paste, 1tsp.each of chilli powder & coriander powder, 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder and saute well.
Then add 1 cup of coconut milk and bring to a boil. Break up the fried vadais into bite-size pieces,
add to the gravy, mix well & taste for salt. Add little water if gravy is too thick, bring back to the boil , switch off stove. Serve hot with pongal
KEERAI VADAI

Soak together 1/2 cup whole urad and 1 cup chana dal for 2 hour.
Drain, grind to a coarse thick paste, without adding any water.
Finely chop 1/2 cup small onions, 3 green chillies and 1/2 a bundle of arai keerai or siru keerai [or a combination of both].
Add these to the ground dal alongwith required salt & 1tsp. cumin seeds.
Add finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves, mix very well. Heat oil for frying in the pan.
Take a small ball of the vadai dough, place it on the palm, flatten to make thin vadais,
press center with a finger and slowly drop the vadais in the oil. Fry on a medium flame till done.
Don't overcrowd the pan, only add as many vadais as the pan will hold.
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MUTTON CHUKKA

Clean 250gm. boneless mutton & chop into small pieces. Heat 1 ladle of oil in a pan & splutter 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds.
Then add 100gms. chopped small onions and saute till brown. Then add 1/2tsp. ginger garlic paste , and when it's raw smell goes, add 50 gms. of chopped tomatoes.
Then add 2 tsp. chilli powder, 3 tsp. coriander powder & 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder & cook on medium flame till oil separates from the masala.
Then add cleaned mutton , required salt, mix well. Cook , sprinkling little hot water from time to time. Once mutton is well cooked and all moisture is evaporated,
remove and serve garnished with chopped coriander or curry leaves as desired.

AKKARA VADISAL

Boil 1litre of milk, add 1 cup water , 1 cup raw rice, 1/4 cup mung dal &
1/4 cup chana dal. Mix well & cook them on a medium steady flame till cooked very soft and fine.
Meanwhile, place 2 1/2 cups of powdered jaggery in a pan, add 1/4 cup water and heat.
Once it boils, remove from stove , strain & set aside. Once the rice/dal mixture is cooked very well,
add this jaggery syrup and mix & cook well till moisture completely reduces. Heat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of ghee in a pan,
add 10 broken cashews and roast them till light brown. Then add 1tsp. cardamom powder, mix &
add this tempering to the jaggery & rice mixture. Mix thoroughly, leave covered for 20mins. Then serve hot.


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RAMANATHAPURAM AINDHARISI PANIYARAM

Wash & soak together 1/2 cup each of pacharisi,
puzhungal arisi, javvarisi [sago], whole urad & mung dal for 2 hrs.
Grind to a smooth batter adding 2 Tbsp. of grated coconut.
Powder 2 1/2 cups of jaggery, place in a pan and add water just to cover the jaggery.
Heat until the jaggery melts, then strain to remove the dirt & add this jaggery syrup to the ground batter.
Add 2tsp. of powdered cardamom, mix well and make paniyarams in a small kadai , as mentioned in previous recipes.



KANCHIPURAM IDLY

Clean & soak together 1/2 cup boiled rice, 1/2 cup raw rice & 1cup whole urad for 1 hour,
grind to coarse rava consistency. Add salt & set aside to ferment for 5hrs. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil and pour 1 spoon oil into the fermented batter,
mix well. In the remaining hot oil, splutter 1tsp. each of mustard, urad dal, crushed cumin, crushed pepper, 2tsp. chana dal,
1small piece ginger grated, 5 - 6 cashews broken and 3 dry red chillies split into bits. Add this seasoning to the batter.
Also add 2Tbsp. grated coconut , mix the batter thoroughly but lightly. Grease small steel tumblers and pour batter upto just 1/2 the tumbler.
Steam idlies on medium flame as usual, for 10mins. [ Can check if they are done by piercing centre of idlies with a sharp wooden skewer/stick ].
Serve hot with chutney / sambar.


KARI [MUTTON] KOZHAMBU

Clean 1/2 kg. mutton & chop into pieces. Grind together 2Tbsp. grated coconut,
2 tsp. of khasakhasa [poppy seeds] & 5 cashews to a fine paste. Heat 2Tbsp. oil in a pan, and splutter 1tsp.
of fennel and 2 nos. each of cloves, cardamom & cinnamon. Add 100gms. of small onions, finely chopped and fry till light brown.
Then add mutton, 4 tomatoes chopped, 3tsp. chilli powder, 2 tsp. ginger garlic paste, 1 1/2tsp. coriander powder, 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder, stir well.
Cook till raw smell goes. Then add 3 cups water, reduce heat, cover the pan & cook the mutton well. Then add salt, boil for 5 more mins.
Add ground paste and after a further 5 minutes, remove from the stove. Garnish with curry leaves, serve hot.