KAPPA ULARTHIYATHU

Ingredients  1 Kg Tapioca(Kappa) 1 cup Shallots, sliced thinly 4-6 Green Chillies, slit  1 -2 tsp turmeric powder1 tsp Mustard seeds  4 Dry Red Chillies,  2 sprigs Curry Leaves 2 tbsp Coconut oil  Salt to taste Method Clean and cut kappa into 1/2 " cubes and wash well.  Boil kappa in salt water until it becomes soft . Strain in colander and keep aside. Heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds , let it splutter..  Add dry chili, curry leaves.  Add shallots and green chillies and fry till brown. Add boiled kappa and mix well. Serve with fish curry or chicken curry.

KADALA CURRY

Ingredients

1 cup Black Chana

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 large Onion sliced and chopped

3 nos Green chillies  slit

1 tsp Red chilly powder

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2  Dry red chillies

Coconut oil – As required

Salt as per taste
few Curry leaves

To roast and grind to a paste

1/4 cup Grated coconut

2 tbsp Coriander powder

Whole spices – (Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp, cardamom – 2, cloves – 3, Cinnamon stick – 1, Whole pepper corns – ½ tsp, star anise (thakolam) – 1 petal)

Method

Soak the kadala overnight and cook in a pressure cooker till soft alongwith salt. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 more whistles. Keep it closed for 20 mins. Drain the water and save it for making gravy.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the coriander seeds & whole spices. Saute for a few seconds and add the sliced pearl onions. Saute for a minute and add the grated coconut. Roast until it turns reddish brown. Switch off and leave aside. Grind it to a paste when it cools down.
In a deep pan heat some coconut oil and splutter mustard and brown the dry red chillies.
Now add the sliced coconut pieces. Saute until they turn brown.
Add the sliced onion, pearl onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute until they turn light brown. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder, saute for a few seconds and add the reserved water from the cooked kadala. Bring to a boil and add the ground coconut paste and cooked kadala.
Mix well and cook until the gravy achieves your desired consistency.  Switch off and serve hot with puttu.

Notes

N.P. -The gravy tends to thicken a bit after sometime, so adjust the gravy accordingly. If you are using coriander powder instead of coriander seeds, add it along with chilly powder & turmeric powder while making the gravy. Add around 2-3 tsp of coriander powder. I added a little salt while making the gravy too. Do a taste test after adding the cooked kadala to the gravy and add salt, if required

RAGDA PATTIES

For The Ragda Filling

1 cup dried white peas

1 big onion finely chopped2 tsp ginger garlic paste

2-4 green chili finely chopped1-2 tsp rasam powder

1 -2 tsp coriander -cumin seed powder

1-2 large tomatoes chopped
salt  to taste

For The Tempering (for The Ragda)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds
6 curry leaves 
a pinch of asafoetida
2 tbsp oil

For The Patties

1 kg potatoes
1 tbsp Ginger-greenchili paste
1 -2 tsp cumin seed powder

1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt  to taste

Other Ingredients

oil for deep-frying
coriander chutney
tamarind chutney
1 cup sev  
1 cup onions  , chopped

Method 

For the ragda

Soak the dried peas overnight.
Drain, add approximately 3 to 4 cups of fresh water and pressure cook for 4 whistles or until the peas are soft.
Prepare the tempering by heating the oil, adding the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle.
Add chopped onions, green chili, saute. Add tomatoes , saute till mushy. 

Add coriander-cumin seed powder, rasam powder and saute.

Now add boiled peas and add more  water if required. Mix well mashing the peas slightly so that the gravy becomes thicker.

Add chopped coriander leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes and keep aside.

For the patties
Boil,  the potatoes and mash it well.
Add Ginger- green chili paste, salt , cumin seed power, lemon juice , coriander leaves . Mix well.

Pour little oil in your hands and make patties .
Divide into 12 equal portions and keep aside.
Repeat to make the remaining 11 patties.
Shallow fry on a non-stick pan till the patties are golden brown and crisp.

How to proceedFor serving, place 2 patties on a plate and pour the ragda over.
Top with all the chutneys. Sprinkle the sev and onions on top.
Serve immediately.

CRISPY CHICKEN FRY

This is my Mom's chicken recipe, my son loves this dish .

Ingredients

9-10 chicken Drumstick pieces, skin removed
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp chili powder
2-4 tsp fennel seed powder
2-5 tsp pepper powder (here pepper powder plays an important role than chili powder)
salt as per taste
2-3 tbsp curd
cornflour for coating
oil to deep fry

Method

Pat dry all chicken drumstick pieces .
Mix  gingergarlic paste, curd, chili powder, fennel powder , pepper powder and salt in  a big bowl
Make slits on chicken pieces so that the masala gets into it.
Marinate the chicken with the mixture and set it aside for 24 hours. (the more you keep it long it will taste better)
Take a kadai and pour oil.
Meanwhile take out the marinated chicken drumstick pieces from fridge .
Take cornflour and salt in a big plate and try to roll the chicken pieces one by one into this mixture and keep aside.
Once oil becomes hot, put the chicken pieces one by one in the kadai. and fry on low flame so that the chicken gets cooked very well.
Keep on turning the pieces to evenly fry it.
Take care that the chicken should be fried on very low flame.
Once it is fried , remove it and drain the oil .
Crispy drumsticks are ready to eat.
YUMM!!!!!!!

N.P. -  The quantity of spices entirely depends on your taste buds. It is spicy ......