Ammachi's Authentic Mutton Curry

Ingredients

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Turmeric Pwd - 1/4 ts
Coriander Leaves for garnish
Salt for taste

Roast and Grind

Oil - 1 ts
Cardamon - 3
KasKas/Poppy seeds - 1 ts
Fennel Seeds - 1 ts
Peeled Pearl Onion/Shallots - 30 nos or chopped Big onion - 1 no
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 10 pods
Curry Leaves - 1 twig
Red Chilli Pwd - 1 ts
Coriander powder - 3 ts
Almond - 15 nos or Coconut - 4 ts
Hot water - 1/4 cup for soaking the almonds
Salt - 1/4 ts

Tempering

Oil - 1 ts
Fennel seeds - 1/2 ts
Curry Leaves - 2 twig
Red Chilli - 2 nos
Onion - 1 Small finely Chopped

Method

1. First soak the almond in hot water for 5mins and peel the skin off.

2. Chop the pearl onion,garlic,ginger and in a pan add a ts of oil and roast the items sequentially as given in the ROAST AND GRIND LIST, once it is cooled grind to a fine paste.

3. Apply the turmeric pwd to the mutton and in a thick bottomed vessel add little oil and saute the mutton for 4 to 5 mins.

4. Add the masala paste to the mutton and add a cup of hotwater and close the lid, let the mutton cook in medium flame, check in between till the mutton is fully cooked. It might take nearly 40 to 50 mins to fully cook.

5. Once it is cooked in a separate pan add a ts of oil and add the tempering items as per the order given above. Add to the mutton curry and garnish with more coriander leaves.

Enjoy with white rice or chapati

2in1 Smelt Fish Gravy - Fry in a Claypot /2in1 Smelt Fish Curry - Fry in a Claypot/2in1 Nethili Meen kuzhlambu - Varuval Claypot/ 2in1 Anchovy Fish Curry - Fry Claypot

Fish is my all time favorite food from childhood and i always love to cook Fish kuzhlambu in different ways,when i started cooking i love a lot to cook in claypot, my chennai ammachi(My moms mom) she used to cook Greens/Keerai in claypot and it taste superbbb, Hmmmm about claypot when my husband asked me to prepare a packing list for US after our marriage, Claypot was the first thing i noted in the List , he made fun of me by seeing the list later when i prepared the fish kuzhlambu for him (in the claypot) he really loved the taste and the next time when we visited India he asked to purchase one more claypot. Today also i have prepared the fish curry in my moms style using the Claypot. About my mom she is a fast cook she doesnt like to spend much time in kitchen so her cooking always involves easy steps like grinding most of the ingredients and finish cooking in couple of mins. I have made some changes in this recipe and used few of the items for sauteing since it gave me extra flavor. Hope you all like this version of fish curry.

Ingredients

Smelt Fish - 1/2 lb
Pearl Onion - 15 nos or Big onion - 1/2 small size
Garlic - 4 pods
Roma Tomato - 1 small
Coriander Leaves - 2 strands
Tamarind Juice - 2 ts
2% Reduced Fat Milk - 4 ts or Coconut Milk - 2 ts
Salt for taste
Gingelly Oil - 2 ts


To Grind

Big Onion - 2 nos medium size
Clustered Tomato - 1 no medium size
Garlic - 5 pods
Curry Leaves - 2 twig
Coriander Leaves - 2 strands
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 ts
Red chili pwd - 1 1/2 ts
Coriander pwd - 1 ts
Fennel pwd - 1/4 ts

Tempering

Vadaga Thalippu - 1 ts

(or)

Mustard - 1/4 ts
Cumin Seeds - 2 pinch
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Asfoetida/Hing - a pinch
Curry Leaves - 1 twig

Method

1. Wash the fish with a ts of vinegar,1/4 ts of turmeric pwd and a pinch of salt, then marinate the fish with a pinch of turmeric,1/4 ts of red chili pwd and 1/4 ts of salt and keep aside.

2. Finely chop the Pearl Onion,Garlic,tomatoes for cooking and for grinding chop the Big onion,tomatoes,curry leaves,coriander leaves in medium size.

3. Coarsely grind the items under the TO GRIND list and keep aside, wash the mixer with 1 cup of water and save the water for the kuzhlambu.

4. In a medium heat place a cooking clay pot, add 2 ts of Oil(Preferred Gingelly oil) and add the tempering items as per the order, then add the Chopped Garlic fry for 10 sec then add the chopped pearl onions and fry till it turns to golden brown color with a pinch of salt.

5. Now add the grounded masala and fry till the raw smell goes off, then add the chopped tomatoes and saute it for 2mins, then add the tamarind juice along with the masala water,adjust the seasoning, stir it occasionally and wait till the oil comes out and the curry is reduced to half.

6. Add the milk to it and stir it nicely, add the chopped coriander leaves and stir it , now put the fish one by one slowly and ensure the fish is fully covered with the kuzhlambu and close the lid and turn the flame to low.

7. Let it boil for 1 mins then switch off the gas and dont open the lid, after 2mins open the lid and garnish with some more coriander leaves. If you are cooking in the clay pot then dont transfer the kuzhlambu/curry to the other vessel let it be in the claypot, the claypot cooking always gives extra flavor to the cooking.

Kuzhlambu Fish Fry - Varuval

1. Take the Fish from the curry and in a separate pan add a ts of oil and fry it. Always the Curry/Kuzhlambu fish tastes excellent when you fry it.

Tips

> Fresh Fish and tomatoes gives a awesome taste to the curry.

> If you are going to make Fish curry then make it during the eve or night and eat on the next day so that you can enjoy the real fish flavor.

> Never overcook the fish, some fish doesn't require the 2mins time also, Vanjaram or king fish will be cooked in 2mins, and Sankara/Red snapper in 1 min.

Indian style Pepper Chicken Gravy

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg
Onion - 5 nos medium size
Tomato - 3 nos medium size
Ginger - Garlic paste - 3 tbs
Oil - 4 ts
Mint Leaves - 20 nos
Coriander leaves - 20 strands
Salt for taste
Crushed Pepper - 1 ts
Lemon Juice - 1 ts

Marination

Yogurt/Curd - 4 ts
Red chilli pwd - 2 ts
Coriander/Dhaniya pwd - 4 ts
Cumin pwd - 1 ts
Fennel pwd - 1 ts
Cinnamon pwd - 1/2 ts
Salt - 1/2 ts
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 ts
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 ts


Tempering

Cloves - 4 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos
Fennel seeds - 1 ts
Cumin seeds - 1 ts
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch


Method

1. Remove the skin and cut the chicken into medium pieces.

2. Apply little curd/vinegar,turmeric and salt on chicken pieces and wash nicely.

3. Pat dry the chicken with some paper towel.

4. In a mixing bowl, put all the spice powder mentioned in the marination list. Make it a paste and coat on the chicken pieces, let it marinate for 30mins or to get extra flavor you can even refrigerate the marination for whole night.

5. Finely chop the onion,tomatoes,coriander leaves.

6. For cooking, in a thick bottomed pan add 2 ts of oil and put the items in the given order as per the tempering list.

7. Add curry leaves,mint leaves and saute for 1min, then add Minced Onion and saute for 3 mins with a pinch of salt.

8. Add the remaining ts Ginger garlic paste and saute it, when you see the onion are turned to light golden brown color then add the chopped tomatoes and saute nicely for about 5 mins.

9. Now add the marinated chicken mixture and stir it nicely so that the gravy is fully coated on the chicken pieces.

10. No need to add water as the chicken will leave some water, adjust the seasoning,Sprinkle a ts of coriander leaves and cover the lid,let the chicken cook in medium heat for 20 mins. Stir it occasionally for every 5mins.

11. Once the chicken is fully cooked add the pepper powder and saute till becomes to a gravy consistency and switch off the gas.

12. Add the lemon juice and garnish with more coriander leaves.

This gravy goes well with curd rice, and a tasty medicine for cold.

Simple Chicken Curry

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg
Onion - 5 nos medium size
Tomato - 3 nos medium size
Ginger - Garlic paste - 3 tbs
Oil - 4 ts
Mint Leaves - 20 nos
Coriander leaves - 20 strands
Salt for taste
Hot water - 1 cup

Marination

Yogurt/Curd - 4 ts
Red chilli pwd - 2 ts
Coriander/Dhaniya pwd - 4 ts
Cumin pwd - 1 ts
Fennel pwd - 1 ts
Cinnamon pwd - 1/2 ts
Salt - 1/2 ts
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 ts
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 ts


Tempering

Cloves - 4 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos
Fennel seeds - 1 ts
Cumin seeds - 1 ts
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch


Method

1. Remove the skin and cut the chicken into medium pieces.

2. Apply little curd/vinegar,turmeric and salt on chicken pieces and wash nicely.

3. Pat dry the chicken with some paper towel.

4. In a mixing bowl, put all the spice powder mentioned in the marination list. Make it a paste and coat on the chicken pieces, let it marinate for 30mins or to get extra flavor you can even refrigerate the marination for whole night.

5. Finely chop the onion,tomatoes,coriander leaves.

6. For cooking, in a thick bottomed pan add 2 ts of oil and put the items in the given order as per the tempering list.

7. Add curry leaves,mint leaves and saute for 1min, then add Minced Onion and saute for 3 mins with a pinch of salt.

8. Add the remaining ts Ginger garlic paste and saute it, when you see the onion are turned to light golden brown color then add the chopped tomatoes and saute nicely for about 5 mins.

9. Now add the marinated chicken mixture and stir it nicely so that the gravy is fully coated on the chicken pieces.

10. Add 1 cup of hot water and adjust the seasoning,Sprinkle a ts of coriander leaves and cover the lid,let the chicken cook in medium heat for 20 mins. Stir it occasionally for every 5mins.

11. Turn off the gas when you feel the chicken is fully cooked and garnish with more coriander leaves.

I would have used many steps to illustrate the method but the preparation time is too simple n easy, this Curry goes well with rice,briyani and chapati.