Nattu kozhi Kuzhambu / Country Chicken Gravy - Easy Version

Naatukozhi / Country Chicken Gravy is a lengthier recipe which takes more time to prepare the dish, so thought of making country chicken gravy a bit faster than the normal gravy and tried it. It came out well. I got this recipe from an article which contains country chicken recipes. Its really easy and you can prepare the delicious dish in less time. 

This curry is delicious and has a lot of flavors in it, the chicken remains succulent and juicy. The spices used here makes the curry taste and smell so good. The only part that you have to concentrate is the cooking time of chicken, it takes a bit longer time to cook compared to normal chicken. Serves as a best combo with rice, fluffy idlis and crispy dosa. 

Health Benefits of Country Chicken compared to Normal Chicken:

Country chicken is the best when compared to broilers. Broilers are nowadays fed with some  hormonal feed or injected with growth hormones to become fat and full of meat in just a short period. This can be a hazard and there will be an imbalance in the hormone system to anyone who consumes chicken very often. But still there is an alternative for chicken lovers, its the country chicken which are not grown in farms nor fed with hormones. They are therefore safe and a protein rich meat, that provides lots of nutrition when consumed. Prepare this curry and make your platter healthier. 

Ingredients:

1. Country Chicken - 3/4 kg
2. Shallots / Small Onion - 20 nos
3. Sour Tomatoes - 2 nos
4. Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)
5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
6. Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbps
7. Coriander Powder - 1 and 1/2 tbsp
8. Jeera / Jeera Powder - 2 tsp
9. Pepper / Pepper Powder - 2 tsp
10. Fennel / Fennel Powder - 2 tsp
11. Garam masal Powder - 2 tsp
12. Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
13. Oil - 1 tbsp
14. Cinnamon Stick - 1/2 inch size
15. Cloves - 2 nos
16. Cardamom - 1 no
17. Green Chilli - 1 no
18. Big Onion - 1 medium size
19. Curry leaves and mustard for tempering
20. Coriander leaves for Garnishing
21. Salt as per taste

Cooking Method:

Take a heavy bottomed pan add oil and saute onion, tomatoes and then grated coconut. 
After it is saute nicely add all the spice powders except garam masala powder.
Add ginger garlic paste and mix well. let it cool down for some time. After it becomes cool grind it in a mixer grinder to a smooth paste. 

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1. Take a pressure Cooker add oil, cardamom, clove and cinnamon. A nice aroma comes, now you add Big Onions, green chilli, curry leaves and saute for a minute. 
2. Now add the grounded masala, garam masala and saute in oil for some time. 
3. Now add the chicken pieces and mix well with the masala. 
4. Add salt and required water and close the lid and leave for up to 7 to 8 whistles depending on the chicken.
5. After pressure leaves the cooker open the lid, if the water is more keep in medium flame and reduce the water. 
6. Check for salt. Temper mustard and Curry leaves, add in the Gravy and mix well. Finally Garnish with enough coriander leaves. 

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Delicious Country Chicken curry is now ready!! Serve with hot rice, dosa, idli or chapattis and enjoy!!

Notes :

You can follow this recipe for preparing normal chicken gravy. 

Coconut is purely optional. You can prepare the dish without using Coconut also.

If you choose the small/early stages of nattukozhi it will be quickly cooked within sometime.

Maavilakku / Vilakku Maavu / Rice Flour Lamp Recipe

            I am Feeling blessed and Grateful to share this Recipe to all my Readers !!!

The importance of Maavilakku:

Why is the Maavilakku so important for the Goddess Mariamman?
According to legend the Maavilakku was offered to Goddess Mariamman by her brother Lord Vishnu to appease her anger as she wanted to infest the world with pearls of small pox.
The Maavilakku is made out of ground white rice, honey, butter and elachi which is mixed together and molded into a lamp. In the center of the lamp ghee is poured with a cotton wool wick which is lit. 
The Maavilakku is carried around the temple 3 times and then offered at the feet of Mariamman.
Devotees who suffer from some disease of the eye, mouth, ears, stomach, hand, leg, etc will make a vow to offer a Maavilakku to Mariamman should they be cured.
Once cured the devotee fulfils their vow by offering the Maavilakku to Amma. 

Samayapuram Mariamman Temple:

In the famous Samayapuram Mariamman Temple in South India a very special ritual concerning the Maavilakku finds importance.
The cured person lies on his/her back in front of the Amma a leave is placed on the affected part of the person’s body.
The Maavilakku is placed on the leave and lit. After a while is taken off and offered as prasadam.

Please remember that this Maavilakku does not have to only be made in the month of Aadhi but it can be made at any time and offered to Amma. 

Festive Season:

Every year at the time of festival for Mariamman we carry these Rice Flour lamps along with family members and worship the Goddess to get her blessings. So I wish to include this maavilakku recipe in my recipe list. Eventhough it is traditionally made for long years and everybody knows it very well, I would like to share this recipe for newly married women which will be very useful for them to prepare this recipe from scratch. Let's see how to prepare.

Ingredients:

Raw white Rice / Pacharisi - 1 Cup equals 250 gms
Uraundai Vellam / Powdered Jaggery - 1 Cup
Cardamom Powder - 2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp

Directions to Make Mavillaku:

First wash the rice thoroughly and soak it for about 1 hour and drain it completely. Then dry it in a white cloth under the fan for about 1 hour. Do not dry it in Hot sun.


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After 1 hour slightly the moisture still remains in the rice. Add it to the mixer and grind it to a fine powder. After that Sieve it for separating solid particles from the fine powder. 

Powder the jaggery to a fine powder. Add the grounded rice powder and the powdered jaggery again to a mixer grinder and grind it once for the rice and jaggery to mix together nicely. Grind it for just few seconds. 

1. Transfer it to a wide big plate or any wide Vessel of your choice for conveniently making the maavilakku. 
2. Now the rice and jaggery has mixed well and you can shape it just with your hands. 
3. If your rice mix powder is too dry you can sprinkle some hot water and make shape out of it shown in the below pictures.
4. After you get some shape add ghee and knead the rice flour mix like a chappathi batter. 
5. Add some ghee to get a moulded shape of vilakku or lamp. 
6. Roll it with your hands to get the desired shape.
7. Finally place a small glass on it and give a slight pressure to make a dent on the Maavilakku for pouring the ghee. Ensure you are not breaking the maavilakku mould while making the dent. 

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Finally place the Maavilakku in a Banana Leaf spreading some ghee on the leaf before you are placing. Even you are placing in a plate or vessel spread some ghee to the exact place of maavilakku and keep on it. (If you are placing without ghee, the maavilakku will stick to the surface and there is a chance of breaking it). Pour Ghee on the dent and lit the lamp.

This Maavilakku holds good in refrigerator for about 1 week and in room temperature for 2 days. You can have it along with coconut pieces, it tastes Yummy!

Now our devotional Maavilakku is ready to carry for Mariamman Temple along with the other Pooja items for Worshipping. I feel delighted to Post this Recipe to Everyone :). 

Notes:

• Adjust the Jagerry according to your Sweetness. 
• Maavilakku can also be made by preparing jaggery syrup and kneading the Batter to get the desired shape. 
• As it is a raw rice recipe, it must be taken in limited quantity. Cosumption of more quantity may cause stomach aches.

Capsicum Launji / Capsicum in Sweet and Sour Mix

Quick and simple pickled Capsicum Dish !!

Launji is nothing but sweet and sour combination of spices. It can be literally made with any ingredient with these exact spices list. As we all know most of us eat capsicum on regular basis. So thought of making launji with these Bell Peppers. It can be served as side dish for Paratha or can be simply taken as sweet and sour pickle of your choice. It is not expressed in words ... This launji is really delicious with the spice combination and gives utmost flavour. I liked it very much and now sharing with you all.

Ingredients:

1. Capsicum / Bell Peppers - 1
2. Kalonji seeds / Karunjeerakam - 1 tsp
3. Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
4. Red Chilli Powder - 2 to 3 tsp
5. Corainder Powder - 1 tsp
6. Dry Mango Powder / Amchur Powder - 1 tsp
7. Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Sugar - 1 tbsp
9. Oil - 1 tbsp
10. Salt as per taste

Kalonji seeds / Karunjeeragam have lots of Health Benefits and Medicinal Values. For more information refer in Google.

Cooking Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan add oil fennel and kalonji seeds. Wait till aroma comes. Now add the capsicum saute for a minute and add the spice powders mentioned above.
2. Saute nicely till all the spice powders well coated with the capsicum.
3. Add 1/2 cup water and let it cook for few minutes. Do not let it for mushy stage. It should be little crunchy. 
4. After the capsicum is cooked add sugar and salt and saute it well. It takes few minutes to combine with sugar. It releases some water.
5. Now you can switch of the stove in bit diluted launji or let it cooked until semi dry stage. 
6. Make sure the launji is not runny, so pls do not add anymore water than needed. It is not a complete dry recipe but not even a gravy, somewhere in between.

Click the Image and zoom you will get clear enlarged stepwise pictures

It can be stored in refrigerator and used by warming it when needed. It can easily stay up in fridge for 2 to 3 weeks.

Capsicum Launji in semi gravy stage. It can be served with either Roti / Paratha.

Capsicum Launji in semi dry stage. I like this type of eating launji as such.

Instant Buttermilk without using Curd / Yogurt / Dahi

 Instant Buttermilk without Yogurt or Dahi ... Wow Amazing Recipe !!

  

Everybody knows buttermilk is made through Curd or Dahi. But here I am giving you the different way of buttermilk preparation that you haven't been imagined all through these days. Its quite simple method of preparing buttermilk, as we don't need any dairy products. Even at the time of winter season u can very well intake this buttermilk without any fear for cold, if you wish to drink buttermilk in that season. But how it is made ...??? Revealing the secrets .... Here is the Recipe ...

Health Benefits of having Coconut Milk:

Coconut Milk helps to reduce Body Heat and weight. Also good for heart by lowering blood pressure and Cholesterol. 

 Ingredients: 

1.  Grated Coconut -  1 cup equals 200 ml
2.  Grated Ginger - 1 tbsp
3.  Lemon Extract - 1 tbsp or medium size lemon
4.  Salt as per taste
5.  Curry leaves few finely chopped 
6.  Coriander leaves few finely chopped  

The above said recipe measurements yields up to nearly 500 ml of Buttermilk.

Method:

Add the grated coconut, ginger, water and salt to a blender and blend nicely to a smooth paste. Extract milk from it using a Juice Filter. Do not throw the grounded coconut away. Use it to extract the thin coconut milk. Once again add the grounded coconut to a blender add some more water and take the second thin coconut milk. Add the thin coconut milk to the already taken coconut milk and stir well.   

Click the Image and zoom you will get clear enlarged stepwise pictures

Squeeze the lemon over the coconut milk add finely chopped curry and coriander leaves. Check for salt and if u need add some more water also.

Now the Instant Coconut Buttermilk is ready with a nice flavour of ginger and lemon. You can add some ice cubes and enjoy the buttermilk Instantly. You cannot find even a single difference in this coconut buttermilk with that of the Curd Buttermilk. Both are similar in appearance and flavour. Give a try for this and test with your friends or family members. I tested it with my Parents. They couldn't identify it is Coconut buttermilk :).

Notes:

Increase the amount of ginger and lemon according to your flavour.

Flavourful Lemon Sharbath Recipe

Lemon Sharbath is really easy and quick to make from scratch. The trick is to make a big batch of simple syrup and keep it stashed in the refrigerator and Enjoying the fresh Cool drink Whenever needed. 

 

There's nothing more refreshing than a glass of cool lemon juice on a warm day with freshness of the fruit instantly without any preservatives. If you'd like to avoid preservatives and flavor enhancers, then there's nothing easier than making your own. It's really not that hard, and if you keep a supply of simple syrup in the refrigerator, it's actually quite fast. Moreover it is more useful for you whenever your friends or relatives visit your home. Suddenly you can pick the Lemon sharbath stored in fridge, mix with cool water and serve them instantly,quickly and with real freshness. Its really a handy and flavourful Lemon sharbath recipe on these Hot Summers. I think it will be very useful recipe for all the women who take care of their lovely family. Here is our classic lemon sharbath recipe. 

Ingredients:

1. Lemon Extract - 1 cup without adding water
2. Sugar - 2 cups
3. Water - 1 and 1/2 cups
4. Cardamom - 2 tsp

Directions to Make Lemon Sharbath :

In a heavy bottomed pan add water and sugar and bring it to boil. Wait till it becomes thick and sticky. (Do not boil for 1 string consistency). Just the sugar syrup should be thick.


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Meanwhile squeeze the lemon and extract juice from it. Filter the juice completely and remove the seeds. 

Now the sugar syrup has become less in quantity and its now thick enough for the sharbath. Add Cardamom powder, stir well and switch off the burner. let the sugar syrup becomes cool for sometime. 

Filter the sugar syrup using juice filter. In a medium heat add the filtered lemon extract and stir well. (Do not let the sugar syrup to cool down completely. In a medium heat we have to add the lemon extract). 
Now the Sharbath is ready, after it becomes cool you can transfer it to a bottle or any container and store in refrigerator. You can keep it in good condition for about a month.

For making Lemon Juice add 2 tbsp (or more according to your taste) of Lemon Sharbath and stir in Cool water add ice cubes, serve and enjoy Instantly with cardamom flavour and utmost Freshness.

Kambu Koozh / Pearl Millet / Bajra Porridge

Kambu Koozh is one of the favourite dishes in my lunch Menu. Sometimes I feel not to have a heavy meal, that time I'll just cook this kambu koozh and enjoy with variety of side dishes. Kambu has the health benefit of cooling our body, so whenever summer season starts I'll Cook Kambu regularly and instead of curd rice I'll take kambu koozh. I wanna everybody to take it regularly since pearl millet have numerous health benefits.

Ingredients:

1. Broken kambu/Bajra/Pearl Millet - 1 cup
2. Curd / Buttermilk - 1 cup
3. Big Onion - 1 small size
4. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
5. Coriander leaves
6. Crushed Ginger - 2 tsp
7. Green Chilli - 2 nos
8. Salt as per taste

Cooking Method:

First wash the broken kambu and remove the outer skin which is floating in water. Then Soak it for 1/2 an hour.

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Take a heavy bottomed pan and transfer the kambu along with 3 tumblers of water. It will start cooking. Close the lid with half closed. Do not close fully, as the bubbles will come up while cooking. Stir often as it may form lumps.

It will take atleast 20 minutes to cook completely. Add water while cooking if it is needed. Now the kambu has cooked, but even more water is remaining. Keep the stove in simmer and stir continuously. The water will be reduced, now close the lid for half an hour, open and see the all the water has been absorbed and it thickens. Transfer it to a bowl.

Directions to make Butter Milk and Kambu Koozh:

Take Curd in a bowl and blend it using a hand blender until smooth. Add salt, crushed ginger, green chilly, curry leaves, coriander leaves, water and mix well. Add this butter milk to cooked kambu along with chopped onion. Mix everything to form a Porridge consistency or you may add enough buttermilk to dilute it to get the Kambu Koozh and drink in liquid form.

Have this Kambu Koozh with the variety of side dishes and enjoy the Healthy Porridge. 

Health Tips:

You can even cook Bajra in Mud Pot like our traditional method or if you are lazy like me, take a small quantity of cooked Kambu in a mud pot add enough water close it with a plate and keep refrigerated overnight or you can keep outside also for 8 hours. This method is lil better compared to drink Bajra water simply kept in Vessels. Morning strain only the Bajra water to a glass add salt and drink as it is. This water is having a very high nutritional value and cool your body in this Hot summer if you have this regularly. 

Dindigul Special Spicy Pepper Mutton

As we all know Dindigul is famous for Non-Veg Cuisine. One of my best friend is from Dindigul. She is well-versed in cooking Dindigul restaurant style dishes. Usually we both share recipes. This is one of the recipes I got from her while sharing Non-Veg dishes. I tried it and in the very first attempt itself it came out well. It was really good with utmost spiciness. My hubby liked this spicy pepper mutton very much. This spicy Pepper Mutton goes well with Paratha, White Rice and Pulao.

Ingredients:

1. Mutton - 250 gms
2. Big Onion - 1 large
3. Tomato - 1 medium size
4. Black Pepper powder - 1 tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1tsp
6. Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
7. Coriander Powder - 1tsp
8. Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
9. Clove - 1 no
10. Cinnamon - 1/4 inch stick
11. Cardamom - 1 no
12. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
13. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
14. Coriander leaves for garnishing
15. Cooking Oil - 2 tbsp

For Grinding:

1. Whole Black Pepper - 2 tbsp
2. Jeera - 1 tsp
3. Fennel - 1 tsp
4. Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Clove -1 no
6. Cardamom - 1 no

Cooking Method:

Wash the mutton pieces thoroughly and add turmeric and salt for a while. Again clean nicely and add in the pressure cooker along with turmeric, salt, ginger garlic paste, ground pepper powder and close the lid and cook for about 5 to 7 whistles depending upon your mutton.


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In a frying pan add black pepper corns, jeera, fennel, clove and cardamom and fry in a medium flame until u smell a nice aroma. Grind these spices as a coarse powder. keep it aside.

• In a heavy bottomed pan add oil, cinnamon, ginger garlic paste and then add onions. fry till it turns golden brown. add tomato and curry leaves. saute till tomatoes are mushy.
• Now add Chilly powder, turmeric, coriander, garam masala powders and add the cooked mutton pieces along with the water in it. Close the lid slightly and let it cook with all the spice powders.
• Once the water has reduced add the already ground spice powder(pepper, poppy, cardamom, fennel, clove) to it and keep in medium flame. 
• Now the water has completely reduced and the mutton becomes dry. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.