Easy - Spicy Potato Fry

Who in this world....from a kid to an adut.... will say "NO" to potatoes ??? And that too...when it is easy to make & spicy to eat.....which mom will say 'NO' to prepare ???

Ingredients

Potato - 1 (large)
Oil - 2 sp
Mustard - 1/4 sp
Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Curry leaves - 5 Nos. (optional)
Sambhar powder - 1/2 sp
Salt - To taste

Method

1. Boil the potatoes, peel the skin (optional) and cut into cubes.
2. In a pan, add oil.
3. When hot, add the mustard, urad dhal and curry leaves.
4. When these splutter, add the potato cubes.
5. Add the sambhar powder and salt.
6. Fry for 2 - 3 min till the sambhar powder is coated uniformly.
7. Serve as an appetizer or as a side.

Beetroot Kuruma

Ingredients

Beetroot - 1 (small)

Coconut - 1/8 th of a whole coconut

Green chillies - 3

Fennel (perunjeeragam) - 1/2 sp

Ginger - 1 (1" piece)

Garlic - 5 pods

Oil - 3 sp

Mustard + Urad dhal - 1/4 sp

Curry leaves - 5

Coriander leaves - few (chopped)

Onion - 1/2 (finely chopped)

Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)

Coriander powder - 1/2 sp

Red chilli powder - 1/4 sp

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - To taste

Method

1. Chop the beetroot into small cubes and pressure cook them for one whistle with little water and salt.
2. In a mixie / blender, grind the coconut, green chillies, fennel, ginger and garlic to a fine paste adding very little water.
3. In a frying pan, add oil.
4. When the oil is hot, add the mustard, urad dhal, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Let them splutter.
5. Now, add the chopped onion and fry till they become transparent.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they become mushy.
7. Add in the grind masala, cooked beetroot (along with the water), all the masala powders and salt.
8. Add required water and allow it simmer till the required consistency is reached.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves (optional)
10. Serve with chappathis, parathas, parotta, dosa and idli.

Note

1. Beetroots are normally sweet in nature. So adjust the amount of green chillies and red chilli powder as required.

Tapioca Fry

Ingredients

Tapioca - 1 (large)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 sp
Salt - To taste
Water - To cook
Oil - 2 sp
Mustard - 1/4 sp
Urad dhal - 1/4 sp
Curry leaves - 5
Whole Red Chillies - 2
Coconut grating - 1/4 cup

Method

1. Remove the skin of tapioca with a knife. I don't think a peeler will work for this. (This is little difficult... but worth it)
2. Cut the tapioca into 1" cubes.
3. In a pressure cooker, add the tapioca cubes, turmeric powder, salt and required amount of water (just to cover the cut cubes) to cook it.
4. Cook for about 2 whistles in medium - high heat. Do not overcook. The tapioca cubes will turn mushy.
5. In a pan, add oil.
6. When hot, add the mustard, urad dhal, curry leaves and red chillies. Let these splutter.
7. Drain the water from the  cooked tapioca and add the tapioca cubes to the pan. (may be with very little water)
8. Add salt if needed.
9. Gently and carefully, fry the tapioca cubes (not turning them mushy) till all the water is evaporated.
10. Now add the grated coconut, and fry for another 2 min.
11. Serve as a side or eat simply!!!

Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken Drumsticks - 10 Nos.
Red Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Garlic - 10 pods
Lemon - 1/2
Thick Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 3 tbsp





Method

1. Wash the chicken well with cold water.
2. With a sharp knife, make slits in the flesh portion of the chicken.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp salt and the 1 tbsp lemon juice.
4. Rub this mixture into the slits made in the chicken pieces.
5. In a mixie / blender, grind the ginger and garlic into a fine paste.
6. In a wide bowl, add the ginger garlic paste, lemon juice of 1/2 lemon, yogurt, all the masala powders & salt.
7. Mix them together.
8. Now, add the chicken pieces & mix them with all the masalas. Make sure the masala is coated all around the chicken.
9. Now add oil and mix one more time.
10. This marinated chicken can be cooked immediately or later after refrigerating / freezing.

How to make tandoori chicken in oven?





Grilling tray & baking tray

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Take a baking tray and line it with aluminium foil sheet. (This is to collect the liquid dripping from the chicken)
3. Place the grilling tray on the baking tray.
4. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces on the grilling tray.
5. Place in the lowest rack of the oven.
6. Cook for 30 min.
7. Now, turn the chicken pieces, so that the other side also gets cooked. Let this cook for another 30 min.
8. Set the oven to broil mode and roast the chicken for another 20 min, 10 min for each side or until crispy.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves, sliced onions, thin sliced tomatoes, spring onions, lemon slices (optional)
10. Serve hot as an appetizer or as a side.

How to make tandoori chicken on a Barbeque grill?

1. Line the top of the BBQ grill with aluminium foil sheet.
2. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces on the grill.
3. Cook all sides, turning often till the chicken becomes slightly crisp & turns nice reddish - brown color.
4. The chicken gets cooked faster than in a conventional oven.
5. If cooked in flame, the chicken gets cooked in minutes.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves, sliced onions, thin sliced tomatoes, spring onions, lemon slices (optional)
7. Serve hot as an appetizer or as a side.

Note

1. In conventional oven, the chicken can be arranged directly on the baking tray (without the grilling tray). But the water that drips out of the chicken will stay in the tray while cooking, but evaporates and dries out while broiling.