Chicken soup - south Indian style

This soup tastes so lovely in cold climate especially when we are down with cold.
I am giving a recipe for 3 people.
Ingredients
Chicken -100gas
Onion- 2 medium sized
Tomato- 2 small size
Garlic-3 to 4 pods
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder-pinch
Chilly powder- 1/4 tea spoon
Cumin powder-1/2 tea spoon
Pepper powder- 1/4 spoon
Oil- 1 tsp
Coriander leaves
Small piece of cinnamon
Cloves-2
Saunf-1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure
Heat oil .add Clove, cinnamon and Saunf. After it splutters, add finely chopped onion and saute till it becomes soft. add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till becomes soft. Add garlic pods, chicken, chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera powder and salt. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves and you smell a nice aroma.

 Add around 3 to 4 glasses of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles and 5 minutes. Once the pressure goes , add pepper powder and cook it in slow flame for 5 minutes.  you add little water if needed.Garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves and serve

Chicken Chettinad- semi dry

I learnt the basic recipe from my mother in law and my sister in law and made some modifications. I am sure the vessel will be emptied by the dear family members rather than when cooked as a gravy

Ingredients

Chicken- 1/2 kg

Oil- 1 tbs

Onion-2

Tomato-2

Potato- 2 medium sized 

Chilli powder-1tsp

Jeera powder-1/2tsp

Pepper powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander powder-2 tsp

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves

Ginger garlic paste-1tbs

Cinnamon- a small piece

Saunf-1/2tsp

Cloves -3

Cardamom-1

Procedure

Heat oil in a Kadai. Add the spices. once it splutters add finely chopped onion and cook  till it becomes golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes. Then cook the tomatoes till it becomes nice and soft.Add the curry leaves.

Add the chicken and saute for few minutes.  Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, Coriander powder, Jeera powder, saute for 2 minutes. Add water till covers the chicken.Add the potatoes , salt and curry leaves. cook covered in medium flame for around 15 to 20 minutes. 

Make sure the chicken and potato are cooked and tender. Then increase the flame of the stove and cook till the preparation becomes semi dry. Frequent stirring and constant watching is required at this stage. when it is almost dry, add the pepper powder and mix thoroughly. Cook for 2 minutes if necessary in slow flame. Garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves. Serve with rice, Chappathi, roti etc.. 

Mutton chops

My mother in law cooks this dish excellently and I have adopted her recipe with minor modifications.
Ingredients
Mutton chest bone chops -1/4 kg
Onion-2
Tomato-2
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbs
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 2tsp
Turmeric powder- pinch
Jeera powder- 1/4 tsp
Clove-2 pieces
Cinnamon-a very small piece
For grinding
Coconut strips from one fourth of a coconut
Khus khus- 1/4tsp
Saunf-1/4 tsp
Pepper-5 to 6 pods
Dry roast all of them and grind into a smooth paste
Procedure
Heat oil in a cooker , add Clove, cinnamon and then add the onion. saute till it becomes golden brown..add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes. add the tomatoes , cook till it becomes soft and tender. add the Mutton chops, saute it. add chilli powder, turmeric powder, Coriander and jeera powder and mix nicely. add the required quantity of water and pressure cook for 3 to 5  whistles and keep it for 5 minutes. Add the ground paste to this and cook till the raw smell goes and oil separates .

Mutton Cutlet

This is one of the signature dishes of my mom and our favourite too . The measures mentioned in the recipe will yield around 15 pieces .
Ingredients
Minced Mutton: 1/4 kilo
Potatoes - 1/4 kilo
Onion medium sized- 4 onions
Green chillies- 5 no
Finely chopped Garlic-5 pods
Finely chopped Ginger- 2 small pieces
Finely chopped fresh Coriander leaves- half handful
Soya sauce- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Bread crumbs
One egg
Pinch of Pepper
Oil for frying
To boil with Mutton
Pinch of turmeric
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Procedure
Boil the potatoes, peel the skin, mash it and keep aside.
Cook the Minced meat with Turmeric powder, Chilli powder , ginger garlic paste and salt in a pressure cooker and adding little water just to cover the meat. Pressure cook till 3 whistles and in slow flame for 5 minutes. If the cooked meat has water, keep it in low flame till the remaining water reduces.

Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan , saute finely chopped ginger and garlic for a minute, then add onions, chillies  and saute till soft , add Coriander leaves,mashed potato, soya sauce, ground minced meat, salt to taste and mix thoroughly. Remove the vessel from the stove and allow it to cool.

Make the mixture into small balls and flatten them to a circle shape. This should not be loose. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Spread the bread crumps in a plate. ( I usually powder rusk in a mixie and use it) keep it ready for coating.  Dip the circle meat roll in the egg , making sure to cover all the sides . Similarly roll it in the bread crumbs.

Heat 1 table spoon of oil in Tawa, once hot, add the Mutton rolls. Cook in slow flame with frequent careful turning to the other side till golden brown .

Your Mutton cutlet is ready.. Enjoy as a snack, starter, side dish..

Chicken Briyani- Home style

My mother in law cooks very tasty Briyani.  I learnt this recipe from her and gave minor changes to that.
Ingredients
Chicken - 1 Kg
Basmathi rice-1 Kg
Medium size onion- 6
Medium size tomato- 5
Ginger garlic paste - 3  table spoon
Green chillies - 7 to 8
Mint leaves- one hand ful
Coriander leaves- one and a half handful
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder- 2 tsp
Lemon-1
Ghee - 1 tbs
Cooking oil- 2 test
Spices
Clove-3 to 4
Cardamom- 3 to 4
Saunf- 1 tsp
Aniseeds- 3 to 4
Bay leaf- 2
Cinnamon- 2 small pieces
Procedure
Chop onion into long slender pieces, chop the tomatoes into medium sized cubes, wash the mint and Coriander leaves and chop them.  Measure the rice using a glass or cup in your house and note the measurement. This is very important.
 Wash the rice taking care not to break it and soak it water when you start preparing the masala ( the next step). Heat the oil and Ghee in a pan, add the spices , let it splutter, then add the onions, cook till golden brown, add the ginger garlic paste, stir frequently till raw smell goes, then add the tomatoes and chilli , cook till it becomes soft, add the Coriander and mint leaves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken, turmeric and chilli powder , saute it and cook it for 5 minutes adding  a cover to the vessel. Mean while strain the water from rice and keep it aside.

Measurement of water for making Briyani is for every measure/cup of rice, we need to use one and a half measure / cup of water. For example if we are using 6 glasses of rice, then the water used  should be 9 glasses.

Add the water in the cooker,  add the masala with chicken and let it boil, once the water starts boiling add the rice, lemon juice and cover it. Check the salt and add if needed at this stage. You cannot add later as it won't blend nicely.
If we are using the pressure cooker, put the lid and wait till pressure escapes. Put the whistle cook till 3 whistle comes and switch of the stove.
If you are cooking in rice cooker, please mix two times in between so that it gets cooked equally in all sides. Allow it to be in the warm mode for some time, so that it gets cooked uniformly.  I find cooking Briyani in rice cooker very easy .

Briyani is ready ..

Mabel Tea cake

While I was trying to name the cake debating Mom's teacake , I thought more appropriate and justified will be Mabel Tea cake. Mabel aunty as well call her, my mom's colleague and neighbour learnt this recipe and showed us and my mom. It was almost 30 years ago. Then it was no stopping for us ( Caroline, Billy and me) . Every Harvest festival in the Church and during Christmas time, we will be helping her mix the cake ( those days we had to use wooden mathu and which I was using till few years back) and wait to lick the left over mix from the vessel. ( It's so yum)  I used to help my mom also. So the recipe and the procedure became so familiar  to me.
Mabel aunty is the who taught me not to wait till the day of harvest festival to raise funds.  She takes prior orders and supplied them. Now I am following that .  Even after so many years, my cakes are never closer to hers in taste and look.

Ingredients
All purpose flour- 250 gas
Eggs- 6
Sugar-250 gms
Unsalted butter-250gms
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Baking powder- 1 tbsp
Cake seeds- 2 to 3 pinches
Nuts of your choice- Cashew, walnuts, dry grapes etc
Procedure
Powder the sugar in a mixer Jar. Add the butter and blend nicely.

 Collect the white of the eggs in a separate vessel and add the yolk to the above mixture. Blend it . Whisk the white of the eggs till frothy. Add it to the rest of the mixture. Add the baking powder and mix.. add the flour  and mix nicely .. add the essence and cake seeds ( cake seeds may be avoided if not available. It gives excellent flavour to the cake .I don't find it in Chennai. I used to bring it from home town).

Use butter paper in the cake vessel. Pre heat  the oven for 10 minutes. Keep the cake mixture in the oven and let it cook for 50 minutes to one hour with frequent checks  ( I use a very basic eletrical oven for this cake ). You can use the usual setting for cake in the latest ovens.

Enjoy the yummiest cake you would have ever tasted.

Cleaning of crab

Video of cleaning of crab

Cleaned crab 

Cooking in progress