Avial

Avial is the most popular kerala dish prepared with lotz of vegetables & coconut oil which adds flavour to the dish.  Healthy way of adding vegetables in the daily routine.  Tangy & creamy taste perfect with vathakuzhambu & adai.

Ingredients :

1. Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
4. Curry leaves - 1 tbsp
5. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
6. Green chillies - 3 to 4 nos
7. Sour curd - 1/4 cup
8. Vegetables (Carrot, beans, yam, brinjal, cucumber, peas, pumpkin, drumstick, elephants foot, raw banana) - 1 cup
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Salt to taste

Direction to cook :

1.   Cook the vegetables & keep aside.

2.   Grind the grated coconut with green chillies & cumin seeds.  Keep aside.

3.   Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds & curry leaves.  Add the boiled vegetables & saute.

4.   Add the grounded paste, turmeric powder & sour curd.  Cover & cook over low flame.

Serve with rice or adai.

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Moong Dal Halwa for Diwali special

Wish you all Happy Diwali !!!

One of the popular North Indian Sweet served in most of their marriages & its my diwali sweet as well.  Rich & heavy sweet prepared with lotz of ghee & nuts, which are perfect for celebrating the special occasion & festival.  

Ingredients :

1. Moong dal - 1/2 cup
2. Ghee - 1/2 cup
3. Nuts (cashewnuts, almonds, raisins) - 1/4 cup
4. Sugar - 3/4 cup
5. Water - little more than 1/4 cup
6. Milk - 1/2 cup
7. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Few strands of saffron

Direction to cook :

1.   Soak the moong dal in the water for 3 to 4 hrs (preferably overnight).

2.   Drain the water & grind them coarsely.  

3.   Heat ghee in the pan, add the grounded dal paste.  Over the low flame, cook them till light brown & leaves a aroma.

4.   Meanwhile, prepare the one string sugar syrup using sugar & water.  Keep aside.

5.   Once, the dal is cooked add the sugar syrup & then milk.  keep stirring continuously.

6.   Finally, add the roasted nuts & saffron strands.



Serve warm.

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Ajwain Chicken curry

South Indian dishes is something hot & spicy.  Ajwain chicken curry is most exotic dish taste good with rice , rotis & naans as well.  When I want to try out some new chicken dishes, I blindly follow the sanjeev kapoor's recipe.  Flavour of ajwain brings unique taste to this dish & we just loved it with rice :)

Ingredients :

1. Chicken - 800 gms
2. Oil - 4 tbsp
3. Coconut, scrapped - 1 cup
4. Garlic - 4 to 6 pods
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Onion - 2 nos
7. Salt to taste
8. Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
9. Nutmeg grated - 1/4 tsp
10. Corriander leaves for garnishing

Dry Roast the below ingredients :

1. Red chillies - 4 nos
2. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Corriander seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp
4. Black peppercorns - 10 nos
5. Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
6. Ajwain - 1 tsp
7. Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp
8. Cloves - 6 nos
9. Cinnamon - 2 stick
10. Star anise - 4 nos

Direction to cook :

1.   Lightly brown the scrapped coconut & grind it along with the garlic pods and the roasted ingredients.

2.   Heat oil in the frying pan, add onions & saute till tender.  Add chicken pieces & saute.

3.   Add the grounded coconut paste, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp & cook till done.

4.   Finally, add nutmeg powder & finely chopped corriander leaves.

Serve warm with rice or rotis.

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