Fish cutlet

Ingredients:

1 tin of tuna fish

1 large onion, chopped

1/4 piece ginger, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 green chillies chopped

One small bunch cilantro, chopped

1 tsp garam masala & cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten well

1 large potato boiled and mashed

half a cup of cooked peas

Method:

Fry the fish in some oil, till slightly brown, with some salt and garam masala andkeep aside.

Fry the onions till brown.

Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a while.

Add the salt and garam masala andfry some more.

Then add the green chillies and cilantro and stir for a little while Add the onionmasala from step 5, peas and the mashed potato to the fish and mix well.

Shape into cutlets. Heat oil in a deep frying pan.

Take one cutlet at a time, dip inegg, then dip in the bread crumbs.You may repeat this step for crisper cutlets. Deep fry the cutletsDrain them on paper towels .

Serve hot with an onion salad and mint / tamarind.chutney.

Easter special

Angel Biscuit

Yeast in the dough makes this biscuit recipe lighter than most.

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast (about .25 ounce)
• 1/4 cup warm water, about 110° F.
• 2 cups warmed buttermilk, about 110° F.
• 5 to 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3/4 cup chilled shortening
• 4 tablespoons chilled butter
• melted butter

Preparation:

Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some small pea-size pieces of fat. Stir in yeast mixture and buttermilk, blending well. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead with floured hands just a few turns. Pat into a round about 1/2-inch thick. Cut with 2- to 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutters. Place cut out biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a dish cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Bake at 400° for about 15 to 20 minutes. Brush tops with the melted butter while still hot. Makes about 2 to 3 dozen angel biscuits, depending on size.

Chettinad Mutton Briyani

Chettinad Mutton Briyani

Most of our sunday's goes for special menu, today we guys are celebrating Mother's Day here, no doubt the day started very special today with a raspberry& oats smoothie prepared by my DH,bread toast with jam prepared by my princess as breakfast, both surprised me by waking me with these beautiful breakfast menu..No words to express how happy i am today, so i planned today to give an enormous treat to my sweet family by making out our favourite Chettinad Mutton Briyani, which i usually prepare in a kadai and finish by putting them in dum (in oven)..This time i wanted them to prepare in pressure cooker since they need very less time and the briyani will get ready in few minutes served along with cucumber and watermelon raita,this briyani tastes marvellous and we loved it..I went through Solai Aunty's Chettinad Mutton Briyani and i prepared exactly the same way she prepared her briyani..Thanks Aunty for this beautiful dish..



1/2kg Mutton pieces
1tbsp Chilly powder
1tsp Turmeric powder
1tsp Ginger garlic paste
Curry leaves
3cups Basmati rice
1cup Thick curd
2nos Onions(chopped finely)
3nos Tomatoes(chopped)
1tsp Fennel seeds
2nos Whole Spices (bay leaves, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamonstick)
Mint +Coriander leaves (chopped)

To Grind:
3nos Dry red chillies
4nos Green chillies
15nos Shallots
1tsp Fennel seeds
5nos Cloves
3no Cardamom
2nos Cinnamon stick
1inch Ginger pieces
15nos Garlic
1/2cup Mint leaves

Heat a tsp of oil in a pressure cooked, fry the ginger garlic paste for few minutes, add immediately the mutton pieces saute for few minutes, add the chilly powder and turmeric powder, mix well and add salt and enough water to the sauteed mutton pieces, pressure cook for three whistles..Wash thoroughly the basmati rice, drain the excess of water, heat a kadai with ghee, fry the basmati rice in simmer until the rice turns shiny..keep aside

Meanwhile grind all the ingredients given in the list 'to grind' as fine paste..keep aside..Once the pressure get released, strain the mutton pieces and keep the mutton cooked water aside..Now heat a big pressure cooked with enough oil+ghee, fry the whole spices,fennel seeds until brown, add immediately the chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, saute for few minutes, now add the grounded masala,salt and saute until the raw smells goes away..add the mutton pieces,chopped mint and coriander leaves and cook everything well in simmer..

Measure the already cooked mutton water along with thick curd to make 4+1/2cups..pour this cooked mutton water-curd mixture to the cooking masala, bring this to boil..add the already prepared rice now to the boiling masala..close the cooker, once the pressure comes put the weight, keep the stove in low flame and cook for 10minutes (dont wait for the whistle)..Switch of the stove..once the pressure get released, mix gently and garnish with coriander leaves..

Serve hot with any raitas!!

Chettinad Chicken Dum Biryani

Chettinad Chicken Dum Biryani

I always wanted to find some method to keep dum and make biryani and find the difference in taste. I was experimenting different methods to keep dum as we don’t get burning charcoal from the traditional wooden stove. That was why I did not try to give the recipe though many of my loving readers wanted it. Now I have found out a sure and easy method. I have heard many complaining that their biryani won’t turn out the same every day. This is a sure method. It won’t get burnt or overcooked. But you should have a good kadai and a dosa pan to make dum biryani.If you don’t have it then try the same recipe using pressure cooker sauce pan without lid or any big vessel. Mint leaf is a must item in the ingredients which makes much difference to the taste
Ingredients
Chicken medium size pieces (1/2 kg)
Big onion chopped-2
Tomato-1
Green chillies-2
Biryani rice or jeeraga samba rice-2 cups
Coconut milk-2 cups (milk taken out of ½ coconut (medium size)) +2 cups water
For marination
Red chili powder-1 table spoon
Coriander powder-1 ½ table spoon
Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste-1 teaspoon
Salt-1 table spoon
Thick curd-1/4 cup (50 ml)
For seasoning
Mint leaf-2 handfuls
Clove-2
Cardamom-2
Cinnamon-2 pieces
Bay leaf-2 small pieces
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Method
The main things to be done
1. Marinate the chicken pieces
2. Get the coconut milk ready
3. Soak the rice for 10 minutes and fry it

Cut the chicken pieces to the required size. Wash well, drain out the water and marinate with the items given in’ for marination’. Let it get marinated for 30 minutes. Mean time keep the coconut milk ready. Wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. Then drain the water completely. In a kadai in a teaspoon of butter or ghee fry the rice till it does not stick to the kadai in medium fire.
Now keep the kadai or the vessel in which you cook the biryani in the stove. Pour 1 table spoon ghee and 1 table spoon cooking oil and season with the items given in ‘to season’. Now add the onion, chilies and tomato pieces. Sauté for a while and then add the marinated chicken pieces. Sauté everything well in medium fire for 2 minutes. Now reduce the flame and close the vessel with a lid (If using cooker vessel, close it with a plate) and let the chicken get cooked for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes open the kadai and check whether there is excess water, if so increase the flame and stir for a minute. Now add the 2 cups of coconut milk along with two cups of water. Let the mixture come to a boil. Now add the salt needed for the rice along with the rice kept ready. Mix everything well. In this stage reduce the flame, close the kadai and cook for 7 to 8 minutes(cook till all the water gets absorbed)checking in between so that it doesn’t get burnt. In the next stove heat the dosa pan in medium fire. Open the lid after 7 minutes and mix everything well. Let the fire be very low now. Now close the kadai with the hot dosa tawa so that the top portion gets cooked by the heat of the tawa.The heat of the tawa will be there for 5 minutes. If you have another tawa, that can be used next heating side by side. If you don’t have one don’t worry, Heat this tawa itself and put on top one more time. By the second time the biryani will be rightly cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve along with raitha.
Thos who don’t have the tawa to put on top can keep the vessel on top of the tawa in low flame in that stage.If you cant do that even then add 1/2 cup more water in the beginning and cook.After the water gets absorbed cook for 5 minutes more in low fire stirring in between