Kugan's Kitchen Part 6

I remember someone asking for spicy sundal sometime back.
This recipe is from a cookbook by Annapoorani Natarajan. Sry, the measurements are for a large qty. I've not tried this recipe but I'm sure K will try it and give her feedback once she is back from the break...;)

Spicy Mochai Sundal:

Roast the following in a tsp of oil and powder it :
Dry chillies-6
Asafoetida-sundakkai sized
Sombu-1 tsp
Pattai-1 inch piece
Clove-4
Cardamom-6
Bayleaf-1
Gasagasa- 2 tsp
Cashew nuts-40 gms

Soak mochai-4 alak overnight and cook along with salt till soft. Drain and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds n curry leaves. Let splutter.
add chopped onions-100 gms, green chilles slit-2 , ginger-minced-1 inch piece ,lil salt. Saute till onions turn transparent.
Add in the mochai, Shredded coconut and the powder. Mix well and cook for a min.
Switch off flame and add lemon juice-mix well.
Serve!!!

Kugan take care of your health. I hope you are enjoying your holidays.
Your recipes are all very super. your brinjal dish looks so appealing.
Dev, I am sure, Kugan will feel very happy that you setelled Madhu's query. Gulabjamun.

:)@gulabjamun...

Madhu, as for ur mw cooking n no-grind recipes- I've not cooked much using mw except for steaming vegs,making pappads, cakes,rice,tea etc... full fledged Indian cooking panninadhu illai... But I guess u can make all variety rice using mw... and also aval, upma, semiya stuffs...

If u can't use mixie, u can grate onions and tomatoes where onionn paste n tomato puree is called for... esp for North Indian recipes...I am not sure if u can use grater as U r still recovering from chikunguniya...

Use readymade masala powders/homemade kuzhambu milagai thool for making kuzhambu... aachi and sakthi masala is good... I use sakthi chicken masala to make many veg gravies...;)

U can use coconut milk that comes in packets...kara is a good brand and it's available in India now...

U can also use coconut powder mixed with water...I have used it once and it was good.

U can also use cashewnut powder, pottukadalai powder to thicken gravies... But I am not sure f u can get readymade ones...

Though the taste will not be the same like freshly ground curries, I guess healthwise it's always better than the eatouts...

you can also consider buying an electric stove or rice cooker if u don't have access to a stove...

Take good care of yourself, K.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Enjoy your holidays K ! :)

I tried this kondaikadalai kuzhambu from Solai aachi's blog and it turned out awesome... very easy to prepare aswell.... Thanks a lot aachi for the recipe...

Chettinattu Karuppu Kondai kadalai Kuzhambu (Chettinad Black Channa curry)

Ingredients
Soaked channa-1 cup
Potato-1 big
Big onion-1
Tomato-1
Garlic-4 to 5 pods
Chillie powder- 1 table spoon or ( Kuzhambu milagai thool-2 tablespoon)
Coriander powder-2 tablespoon

Tamarind-very little (2 sulai)


To season
Cinnamon-2 pieces
Clove-2
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Curry leaf-little

To grind (If you want a thick gravy grind the paste else use 1/2 cup of coconut milk)
Coconut-3 table spoon
Cashews-4
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon

Procedure
Keep the cooker in the stove. Pour 2 tablespoon of oil. Season with the items in’To season’
Sauté the big onion, tomatoes and the garlic pods .Add the cut potato pieces and channa. Mix well, add the chilli powder and the coriander powder. Pour 3 cups of water and the salt required. Close the cooker and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. After the pressure goes open the cooker and check for consistency. If it is going to be used for rice as gravy add the tamarind water and 1/2 cup of coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes. If the gravy is for idly ,chapathi,naan or paratta add the grinded masala and the tamarind water and cook for another 5 minutes.

Source: http://solaiachiskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/chettinattu-karuppu-kondai-kadalai.html

I used brinjal(cooked separately and then added to the curry) instead of potato... you can even skip that and make it with channa alone...

Y/day I went to one aunty's house.

She had prepared mango chutney. Sooooo simple and very tasty. namma fatafat samayalku romba poruthama irundhudhu. so I share it with you all.

Manga chutney (raw mango)

1 piece of manga
1 piece ginger
1 piece of coconut (small quantity)
1 Green chilly
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste and little asefotida.

Grind the above into a fine chutney and temper with mustard seeds.

Chutney was really super. (even the colour...yellow+green mixed colour)

Kugan, thanks for all your nice recipes.
Please enjoy your holidays.
Dev, nice curry recipe, pity kugan is not around, or she will at once cook and post the picture.Rose75

Sudhaka, mango chutney tiffin items kuda saapidalama or wth rice?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rose75

Kugan, thanks for all your nice recipes.
Please enjoy your holidays.
Dev, nice curry recipe, pity kugan is not around, or she will at once cook and post the picture.Rose75

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exactly...:(

This is a very easy n tasty kuzhambu made in kongu region... Goes very well with idli,dosai and even rice...

Kongunadu tomata curry/thakkali kuzhambu

Saute A and B separately in lil oil in the following order and grind A and B together to a smooth paste:

A:
Kadalai paruppu(split channa dal) - 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds-1 1/2 tbsp
jeera-1/2 tbsp
dry red chillies -2 or to taste
peppercorns-15 or -20
fennugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
B:
garlic- 2 L
tomato- 2 M
Asafoetida-1/4 tsp
shredded coconut-from 1/2 a M.coconut
Turmeric-1/2 tsp
salt-about 1 1/2 tsp or to taste

needn't saute coconut much. Just give a good mix and switch off flame.

Heat oil. Splutter mustard,curry leaves, 2 dry chillies.
Add 1 onion cut into strips. Saute till transparent.
Add 1 tomato cut into medium strips.Saute till raw smell goes off(just abt a min or 2). It should still retain the shape.
Add in the paste and saute for a minute.
Add required water and cook for 5-7 minutes or till nice and flavorful. The curry should neither thick nor too watery.
Take off flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with idli/dosai. :)

Note:

You can add pottu kadalai aka pori kadalai aka chutnney kadalai instead of kadalai paruppu. In that case, add the dhal along with onions.
You can also use a mix of both dhals.

Heylo!! .I'm obvsly a novice in cooking/baking/etc but I had a coupla doubts:

Not sure which thread to ask them in so posted here!

1)Whts the purpose of egg/oil/milk in a cake? That is what am I to expect if I add too much/less eggs/oil/milk in a cake batter.

2)Sometimes cakes rise up and break on top. How to prevent the cake from cracking?

3) Some times the cake is not baked in the middle. Should I bake it more or leave it to cool, then it ll cook in the cake heat itself?
I remember once when the cake was runny inside, I baked it more and the whole cake was a big slab of stone. Another time I just let it cool and it set into a moist cake.

4) What is cream of tartar?! It sounds like something they use to make roads!

5) What does almond extract do to a cake? How different is it from almond essence?

Has anyone tried Icing with just egg whites? I haven't yet and was wondering if it'll taste too raw-eggy? :S

Like this one -

"3 oz. of egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add confectioners' sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired.
This will make you about 3 1/2 cups of icing."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by suvai

Vegetable Biriyani another version ( nov )


Here is another version of Vegetarian Biriyani from Nov ngov.....I have not tried it....but the proportions looks good & I will try it soon.....neengalum try pannunga.....cant upload the picture but it looks really good too.

Assorted vegetables-2 cups
Onion-3 big
Ginger-Garlic-2 tspn
Tomatoes-2 small
Garam masala- 1 tspn
Turmeric powder-1/2 tspn
Chilly powder-1/2 tspn
Coriander powder-1-1 1/4 tspn
Green chillies-5-8 (as hot as you like it)
Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Cashew nuts soaked in water-4-6
Curd-1/2 cup
Mint leaves-1/4 cup
Coriander leaves-1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Basmati Rice- 2 cups


In a mixer,fine grind coconut and cashew nuts.
Heat oil in a pan and add cut onions.When they turn golden brown,add ginger-garlic (crushed or paste).Saute for few minutes until the raw smell is gone or until they start turning brown.Now add split green chillies.Add vegetables.Add coconut -cashew paste and saute for few minutes until the gravy thickens and the raw smell of coconut is gone.Now add all spices-garam masala,turmeric powder,chilly powder,coriander powder.Saute again for 2-3minutes.Now add diced tomatoes,curd,coriander leaves and mint leaves.Keep stirring carefully.Add salt according to taste.Add 3 1/2 cups of water.When it comes to boil,add washed basmati rice and cook on low heat.Add little ghee and serve hot with curd salad and Pappad..mmm…Pickle too is unavoidable..

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Tried this with slight mods- sans the mint leaves and sautéed some jeera as well.

Dev,

Thanks for the kadalai kulambu recipe.thanks for the link too.

Thanks for the thakkali kulambu recipe too.

can we have this kulambu chappatti dev?

Aarthii,

You can have the kadalai kuzhambu with chapathi. It suits appam and I guess idiyappam too. But for rice, not that great. I guess adding coconut milk instead of coconut paste will make it more suitable for rice.

Thakkali kuzhambu- I have not tried it with chapathi. But I guess it should be just abt ok. Best for idli,dosai only.

Chevy, I'll tell u whatever I know. I might be wrong as I too am nnot an expert inn baking.

1)Whts the purpose of egg/oil/milk in a cake? That is what am I to expect if I add too much/less eggs/oil/milk in a cake batter.

Egg- for fluffiness. If u add too much eggs, the cake might smell eggy but I don't see any other issue. Ex:Chiffon cakes are made with lots a eggs.

Oil- to keep the egg moist. f u add too lil oil, the cake will feel very dry while u eat it. too much oil will make the cake too oily.:P

Mlk- I am not sure

2)Sometimes cakes rise up and break on top. How to prevent the cake from cracking?

You should adjust the qty of baking pwd/baking soda. that helps.

3) Some times the cake is not baked in the middle. Should I bake it more or leave it to cool, then it ll cook in the cake heat itself?
I remember once when the cake was runny inside, I baked it more and the whole cake was a big slab of stone. Another time I just let it cool and it set into a moist cake.

You should try baking at a slightly lower temperature for longer time. It varies from oven to oven. Try reducing the temp by 10 deg and increase baking time by about 10 mins or so.

4) What is cream of tartar?! It sounds like something they use to make roads!

No idea

5) What does almond extract do to a cake? How different is it from almond essence?

No idea

As for Icing with just egg whites, it won't smell eggy. Though I have not tried making it myself, I've had cakes with egg white icing. But I don't prefer this icing coz of raw eggs. The few times I had I din't knw it was raw egg whites... had I known, I wouldn't have touched it. :wink:

Nice to see so many recipes. I am sure kugan will feel very happy to see the thread.
I am not an expert in cooking. I will post the recipe that we cook in our house.


CHICKEN WHITE KURMA

Ingredients:

Chicken ½ kilo
Onions sliced 100 grms
Tomato sliced 100 grms
Slit green chillies 4
Curds 1 cup
Coconut 1 cup
Kasakasa 2 tsp
Cashew nuts 4
Ginger about ½ inch
Garlic 4 pallu
Oil 2 tbs
Cinnamon stick 2
Cloves 2
Salt to taste

Method:
Cut and clean the chicken pieces.
Grind the coconut, kasakasa, cashew nuts, ginger, and garlic.

Heat a kadai with oil, add in the cinnamon and cloves.
Then add in the onions, tomatoes and green chillies.
Kindu nicely.

Now add in the chicken, curds, salt and 1 cup of water.
Mix nicely, also add in the ground masala.

Cook till the raw smell goes, and the chicken cooked.
Remove when the kurma thickens.

This is what I know of cream of tartar.

Cream of tartar is is the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking
Cream of tartar is best known in our kitchens for helping stabilize and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder. It is also used to produce a creamier texture in sugary desserts such as candy and frosting. It is used commercially in some soft drinks, candies, bakery products, gelatin desserts, and photography products. Cream of tartar can also be used to clean brass and copper cookware.

Icing made with egg whites is called royal icing.
Cream of tartar is added to give volume to beaten eggs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dev

Chevy, I'll tell u whatever I know. I might be wrong as I too am nnot an expert inn baking.

1)Whts the purpose of egg/oil/milk in a cake? That is what am I to expect if I add too much/less eggs/oil/milk in a cake batter.

Egg- for fluffiness. If u add too much eggs, the cake might smell eggy but I don't see any other issue. Ex:Chiffon cakes are made with lots a eggs.

Oil- to keep the egg moist. f u add too lil oil, the cake will feel very dry while u eat it. too much oil will make the cake too oily.:P

Mlk- I am not sure

2)Sometimes cakes rise up and break on top. How to prevent the cake from cracking?

You should adjust the qty of baking pwd/baking soda. that helps.

3) Some times the cake is not baked in the middle. Should I bake it more or leave it to cool, then it ll cook in the cake heat itself?
I remember once when the cake was runny inside, I baked it more and the whole cake was a big slab of stone. Another time I just let it cool and it set into a moist cake.

You should try baking at a slightly lower temperature for longer time. It varies from oven to oven. Try reducing the temp by 10 deg and increase baking time by about 10 mins or so.

4) What is cream of tartar?! It sounds like something they use to make roads!

No idea

5) What does almond extract do to a cake? How different is it from almond essence?

No idea

As for Icing with just egg whites, it won't smell eggy. Though I have not tried making it myself, I've had cakes with egg white icing. But I don't prefer this icing coz of raw eggs. The few times I had I din't knw it was raw egg whites... had I known, I wouldn't have touched it. :wink:

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Thank ya! My last cake was with the following recipe- (or so i think....)

1) 4 small eggs
2) 3 cups flour
3) 350 gms margarine
4) 2 1/2 cups milk
5) 1 tsp salt, 1tsp baking powder
6) 2 cups cocoa unsweetened
7) 2 cups sugar....

The output was less sweeter less moist than expected but the cake was too dry. Maybe coz I replaced margarine instead of oil that I would have used normally or too less baking powder.

Whats d diff between baking powder / baking soda?
Don't both have sodium bi carbs?

Also while whipping fresh cream- should you do it by hand or by an electric beater. Wont the cream get too runny ...My success rate with icing is most often low....Sometimes I just have to use it like a dip with the cake. LOL.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gulabjamun

This is what I know of cream of tartar.

Cream of tartar is is the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking
Cream of tartar is best known in our kitchens for helping stabilize and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder. It is also used to produce a creamier texture in sugary desserts such as candy and frosting. It is used commercially in some soft drinks, candies, bakery products, gelatin desserts, and photography products. Cream of tartar can also be used to clean brass and copper cookware.

Icing made with egg whites is called royal icing.
Cream of tartar is added to give volume to beaten eggs.

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Thank you. I wish I cud see it sometime so I get it better.

Btw, your hub ID makes me hungry!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dev

As for Icing with just egg whites, it won't smell eggy. Though I have not tried making it myself, I've had cakes with egg white icing. But I don't prefer this icing coz of raw eggs. The few times I had I din't knw it was raw egg whites... had I known, I wouldn't have touched it. :wink:

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yeah me 2... I m supposedly pure vegetarian though I make an exception for eggs at times, still raw egg whites worries me...won't it smell of raw eggs??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dev

Sudhaka, mango chutney tiffin items kuda saapidalama or wth rice?

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With tiffen items. But a good side dish for rice too

The royal icing will not smell of raw eggs.
As dev tells, you will not know that egg white is added.
I am sure Kugan will come and post the picture of cream of tartar. Gulabjamun.

Yeh, my Id is very sweet :lol:

chevy, you can try some cake recipes posted by kugan... Margarine isn't good fr health...u can use any refined veg oil if u don't want to use butter...
I'm not sure abt the diff betw bk pwd and bk soda...
As for whipping fresh cream- electric beater is best unless u have lot of muscle power...:P ig ur icing turns out like a dip, I guess u need to beat more until peaks form...

and as GJ says, egg icing doesn't have egg smell...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sudha india

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dev

Sudhaka, mango chutney tiffin items kuda saapidalama or wth rice?

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With tiffen items. But a good side dish for rice too

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thanks Sudhaka...:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dev

chevy, you can try some cake recipes posted by kugan... Margarine isn't good fr health...u can use any refined veg oil if u don't want to use butter...
I'm not sure abt the diff betw bk pwd and bk soda...
As for whipping fresh cream- electric beater is best unless u have lot of muscle power...:P ig ur icing turns out like a dip, I guess u need to beat more until peaks form...

and as GJ says, egg icing doesn't have egg smell...

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Whipped fresh cream and i did seem quite runny and bet it for quite some time, it just seemed to get more like a smooth dip. It tasted well after chilling but left outside, it thaws and runs down.

Margarine bad for health? - Sometime ago there was this news about butter being fat and margarine being less fat and all that so I suppose I had the misconception that it was a good alternative to butter. So much that sometimes i even sauté jeera/mustard in it instead of butter for pilafs/curry.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kugan98

Thanks Roshan for the nice feedback.
I felt very proud of you, when I read about your profession.

Roshan, while I was in US, I used to string the curry leaves, wash them, dry them well. I used a moist muslin cloth, well wrung of water. line a airtight tupperware with the cloth and put the leaves in, close tightly and put it in the fridge.
It lasted fresh for about 3 weeks for me. It worked for me :huh:
My children are taught only to leave behind, chillies in their plate :lol:

Roshan do you get ridge gourd in your place.
If yes try out this recipe. Thanks, Kugan98

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what is it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wibha

my mom used to do egg curry by directly breaking the eggs. But when I did them they turned out to be scrambled eggs :roll:

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Egg curry by directly breaking the eggs? I thot thts wat is scrambled eggs

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wibha

my mom used to do egg curry by directly breaking the eggs. But when I did them they turned out to be scrambled eggs :roll:

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Egg curry by directly breaking the eggs? I thot thts wat is scrambled eggs

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kugan98

This is my egg salad. Of course from the old file.

O.K, I used to make egg curry, using fried eggs, boiled eggs, poached eggs.
Make egg sambal, egg salad, egg achar, spicy egg prettal.
Egg vindaloo, egg omelette, and the list can go on.
Now no eggs in the house :lol: Kugan98

HTML Code:

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<img src="
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/4871/eggsalad.jpg">

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Omg....haha..my grannie will kick me for it, but i quite like eggs and ur egg salad pic looks very inviting!

Aiyoh, aiyoh, so many posts and recipes.
Enaku onum theriyavillai post panna. :oops:
What will Kugan think of me.
I will try and post a simple recipe tomorrow.
Rose75

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chevy

Margarine bad for health? - Sometime ago there was this news about butter being fat and margarine being less fat and all that so I suppose I had the misconception that it was a good alternative to butter. So much that sometimes i even sauté jeera/mustard in it instead of butter for pilafs/curry.

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From what I read, I believe it's not good for u!!!...I generally prefer minimally proceesed food and best is food in its original form... that is one reason I rarely use soya chunks... I also try to avoid white sugar(coz of bleaching or whatever they call that whitening process) but it does find a place in my everyday diet (w/ tea)... :( It is highly processed and god knows what goes into it in the processing stages...maragarine also falls into the category of hghly processed food...so I avoid it...now they say there are diff varieties of margarine available and some are healthier... But Isomehow I don't find it convincing... I would better eat butter in moderation than eat some mock stuff...

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp..._margarine.htm
http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/margarine.html[/tscii]

Dev,thanks for the ideas.
will try and give u the feedback soon.

Dev,i wanted to know the recipe for making Green Moong dal kuruma?
Can u plz post it for me,if u know the recipe.

Sudhaka,mango chutney,ippo thaan puthusa kelvi padaren.
Likes mango very much.
Thansk for the recipe sudhaka.

Gulabjamun,
Thanks for the chicken white kuruma recipe.
My husband loves chicken kuruma very much.Will try ur style soon:)

Ah!, thank you aarthii, you gave me an idea to what to post. This is how my mom cooks.
Kugan, come and post the picture of this kurma :D

MOONG DAL WHITE KURMA

Ingredients:
Moong dal ¼ cup
Potato 2
Tomato 1 chopped
Big onion sliced 2
Garlic crushed 3 pods
Green chillies 3 slit

Coconut ¼ cup
Green chillie 1
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Kuskus 1 tsp
Water ¾ cup

Cinnamon stick 1 piece
Cloves 3
Bay leaf 1
Curry leaves 1 stalk

Ghee or oil 2 tbs
Salt to taste
Little coriander leaves
Lime juice to taste

Method:
Cook the moong dal and mash it a bit
Boil the potatoes and mash it to small pieces.
Grind the coconut, green chillie, coriander powder and kuskus,
with the water.

Heat the ghee in a pot, add in the cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves and curry leaves.
Add in the crushed garlic, onions. Fry till the onions turn a bit brown.
Add in the green chillies and fry well.
Add in the tomatoes and cook till soft.

Now add in the coconut paste and cook till raw smell goes.
Add in the moong dal , salt and potato.
Mix well, add water if needed. Let it come to a boil.
The gravy should be like thick kurma.

Remove, add in the lime juice and sprinkle with the coriander leaves.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dev

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chevy

Margarine bad for health? - Sometime ago there was this news about butter being fat and margarine being less fat and all that so I suppose I had the misconception that it was a good alternative to butter. So much that sometimes i even sauté jeera/mustard in it instead of butter for pilafs/curry.

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From what I read, I believe it's not good for u!!!...I generally prefer minimally proceesed food and best is food in its original form... that is one reason I rarely use soya chunks... I also try to avoid white sugar(coz of bleaching or whatever they call that whitening process) but it does find a place in my everyday diet (w/ tea)... :( It is highly processed and god knows what goes into it in the processing stages...maragarine also falls into the category of hghly processed food...so I avoid it...now they say there are diff varieties of margarine available and some are healthier... But Isomehow I don't find it convincing... I would better eat butter in moderation than eat some mock stuff...

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp..._margarine.htm
http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/margarine.html[/tscii]

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I c....din kno!

Aarthii, moong dhal kurma is new to me!!!...I make kurma with white channa...recipe is same as normal veg kurma...maybe u can try the same with moong sprouts... rose's kurma recipe sounds interesting...Do try that as well... :)

Dev

http://mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?t=14952&start=15