Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Kitchen Virgin Survival Manual - South Indian

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook focuses on basic recipes you can cook up on the very first try., even is you have never entered a kitchen in your life. 3 Steps hold the key to South Indian cuisine.

Step 1 : Cooking rice and dal is the most important basic skill you need to master. With a pressure cooker / electric cooker, cooking rice and dal is a no brainer.  Just dump them in the cooker, add twice the water and pressure cook for 2 whistles – that’s it ! 

Step 2 : Understanding basic building blocks of south Indian curries is the second step. Once you have these building blocks ready ( Tamarind paste, coconut, yogurt and cooked dal), mixing and matching curries is real easy. 

Step 3 : Learning to cook tiffins is the third step. 

In less than an hour, you can easily start cooking basic dishes ! The following skills/ recipes are detailed in this cookbook. 

Rice:

Boiling rice

Cooking variety rice like mint rice, curd rice, lemon rice, coconut rice. 

Curries.
Paruppu Masiyal,Sambar, More Sambar, Paruppu Kootu, Masala Dal Fry, Dal butter fry, Podi, Paruppu Thogayal, Kulambu, Kootu, Aviyal, More kulambu, Thayir pachadi, Tambli,

 Tiffins: Avil Upma, Bread upma, Oatmeal porridge, Idli, Coconut chutney, Fried rice. 

Making coffee and tea

Making yogurt

Cooking vegetables & boiling milk.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

1001 Eggplant Dry Curries ( South Indian)

Click the image to view and print the cookbook. This cookbook lists variations of the following Eggplant curries. 

0.: Boiled eggplant curry

1.: Boiled and mashed eggplant curry

2.: Shallow Fried  eggplant curry

3.: Stir fried eggplant curry

4.: Stuffed eggplant curry

5.: Grilled & Mashed eggplant curry

6.: Baked eggplant curry

7.: Quartered  & fried eggplant curry

8.: Salted & fried  eggplant curry

Eggplant ( Brinjal/ Kathirikkai / Vankaya / Baingan / Badanekayi / Vazhuthananga) native to India, comes in many colours ( Deep purple, light purple, striped, green ), many shapes and sizes ( long and slender. tomato sized, lemon sized, coconut sized). All of them can be used in the above recipes.

 

Monday, May 25, 2009

1001 Masiyal ( Boiled & Mashed curries of Tamilnadu)

Click the image to view and print the cookbook. This cookbook lists variations of the following mashed curries.

0.: Peerkangai Masiyal  (Mashed ridge gourd curry ).
1.: Vendakkai Masiyal ( Mashed Okra curry)
2.: Keerai Masiyal ( Mashed Spnach curry)
3.: Paruppu Masiyal / Kollu Masiyal (Mashed lentil curry)
4.: Potato Masiyal (Mashed potato curry ).
5.: Sembu Masiyal ( Mashed Colocasia curry)
6.: Chenai Masiyal ( Mashed Yam curry)
7.:  Karunai Kilangu Masiyal
8.:  Eggplant / Capsicum (Kathirikai / Kuda Milagai Masiyal)

Roast and grind veggies/ lentils with tamarind and you get a Thogayal. Boil and mash them with lemon juice and you have a masiyal. Masiyals can be used as a curry, dip or a spread. They are very similar to North Indian Bharthas.  

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Ananda Vikatan > Express Cooking > Sambar

Part 3 of my Express Cooking series in Ananda Vikatan focusses on Sambar. 

The one page cookbook has been cruelly chopped up at point no 7,  as we ran out of space. So it does not list  1000 varieties from 000 to 999 , as other One page cookbooks - but I think the reader would get the idea and can easily cookup many varieties of this delicious stew.

Next issue would talk about Chicken.

1001 Dopyaza ( Mogul double onion curry)

Click the image to view and print the cookbook. This cookbook lists variations of the following Dopyazas.

 0.: Mushroom Dopiaza 

1.: Aloo DoPiaza 

2.: Paneer Dopiaza 

3.: Crab / Prawn DoPiaza

4.: Fish Dopiaza

5.: Egg Dopiaza

6.:  Chicken Dopiaza

7.: Kheema Dopiaza

8.: Lamb Dopiaza / Mutton Dopiaza

 Dopiaza/ Dopyaza  is a onion lovers curry. It literally means double onion curry. (Hindi Do: two, pyaz: Onion). The base of all dopiazas is onion paste. A variety of onions can be used (shallots, Spanish red onions, white onions etc).  These can be boiled, stir fried, fried or grilled and then blended to a paste. A second dose of chopped onions is added halfway during cooking. This Mogul curry is usually cooked with a variety of meats. But vegetarian versions are delicious too.. The spirit of this curry is that it is packed with onions, is rich, and is mildly spiced . In this broad framework, try out fusion Dopyazas using stir fried tofu  or with unusual flavourings like vanilla or with a variety of other meats / vegetables from across the world. Being a Mogul curry, it uses the choicest cuts of meat and expensive flavourings.

Friday, May 22, 2009

1001 Paruppu Masiyal ( Mashed South Indian Lentil curry)

Click the image to view and print the cookbook. This cookbook lists variations of the following mashed lentil curries.

 0.:  Tuvaram paruppu kadayal

1.:  Paasi paruppu Masiyal

2.:  Mysore paruppu masiyal

3.:  Sprouted mashed dal

4.:  Fresh Lentils

5.:  Paasi Payaru

6.:  Kollu Masiyal

7.:  Kadalai Paruppu masiyal

8.:  Ulundu Masiyal

 Paruppu Kadayal or mashed lentil curries are very popular in western Tamilnadu ( Kongunadu). In other parts of Tamilnadu, they are called as Paruppu Masiyal and are usually served as the first course in a traditional meal. Paruppu masiyal, kulambu and yogurt with rice would be a typical lunch in many Kongunadu households. Lentils cook fast and the above recipes are idiot proof.  An extra special recipe uses sprouted lentils, which do not require pre soaking and have a sweeter taste than dry lentils. A huge variety of fresh lentils are available in South India, and all can be cooked into Masiyals.

 Plain boiled lentils (usually tuvar dal & Split mung dal) are eaten across the south as Parippu in Kerala and Paruppu in Tamilnadu. These are eaten mixed with hot cooked rice and a bit of ghee, accompanied by a pickle. When flavoured by fried spices, they become the Dali thove of Karnataka, the Pappu of Andhra or the Dal fry of the North India. Urad dal and Rajma ( red kidney beans), not so commonly used in the south India,  are popular in  North India, and are cooked into the delicious Maa Ki Dal and Rajma. Red kidney beans are also a Mexican favourite, and are served as refried beans and Taco fillings. Almost any pea / bean / lentil can be boiled and pureed. In the west, The lentil puree is served mixed with butter / grated cheese accompanied by a salad. For a velvetty puree, mash the lentils and press them through a sieve.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

1001 Bharthas - Mashed Indian Curries

Click the image to view and print the cookbook. This cookbook explores variations of the following mashed curries. 

0.: Aloo Bhartha (mashed potato curry ).

1.: Bhindi Bharta ( Mashed Okra curry)

2.: Tomato Bhartha ( Mashed tomato curry)

3.: Makai Bharta (Mashed corn curry)

4.: Banana  ( Banana Podimas)

5.: Baingan Bhartha ( Grilled andmashed eggplant curry)

6.:  Mashed Arrow root/ Tapioca / Colocasia / Yam / Sweet Potato curry

7.: Mashed fish / crab / prawn curry

8.: Minced Meat curry (Keema Bhartha)

Bharthas (podimas in Tamil) are mashed curries. Baingan Bhartha, (Grilled and mashed eggplant) is by far India’s favourite mash. A variety of meats / seafood can also be minced / flaked and cooked into bharthas. Many Bharthas need no flavouring at all. Just mix the mashed vegetable with some chopped onion, tomato, chilies & lemon juice – and your Bhartha is ready.

Indian Bharthas can be used as dips, spreads or curries. They can be eaten mixed with rice, pasta or with a variety of flatbreads. They can be spread over toast, or used as a sandwich spread.

 Unlike Indian cuisine which boasts of a huge variety of mashed curries, only mashed potatoes are popular in other cuisines. Potatoes are either boiled or baked before being mashed with milk / cream/ butter, salt and pepper. Mashed potatoes served with sausages as Bangers and Mash or served with minced beef pie as ‘ Pie and Mash are very popular working class dishes in London. Called ‘Champ / Poundies’, mashed potatoes with spring onions, butter and milk are eaten in Ireland. Mix chopped kale / cabage into poundies and you get another Irish dish, the Colcannon. Mashed potato served with stir fried minced beef as ‘Mince and tatties is a famous Scottish dish.   In France, melted cheese is mixed in with mashed potatoes to make Aligot.

In west and central Africa, starchy goodies like cassava, yam, maize, plantains etc are boiled and pounded into a mash called ‘Fufu. Fufu is eaten dipped into a soup to make a complete meal.

 Pressurecooking Tubers: Tubers can be easily pressure cooked. Peel Chop and add them to a pressure cooker, cover with water and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Potato / colocasia/ sweet potato/ tapioca need not even be peeled as they can be easily peeled after cooking.

Boiling Veggies: Boil two cups of water. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for five minutes.
Grilling / Baking: Cut the vegetables into thick slices. Brush with oil and grill or bake till done.
Microwaving. Take a cup of chopped veggies. Sprinkle water, and microwave loosely covered for 3 -5 minutes.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Simple South Indian Chicken Curries

Chicken is versatile, protein rich, low in fat and calories. It goes well with a huge variety of bases. Researchers say Chicken was first domesticated in India 4000 years back. But   is only with the introduction of the ‘Broiler’ variety that large scale chicken farming became feasible and chicken became affordable. But purists still swear by free range chicken ( Nattu kozhi), which they claim has a much more flavourful meat.
Cooking Chicken: When chicken is cooked first and then added to the curry, it gets cooked very fast. Boneless / minced chicken can be stir fried in 5 – 10 minutes. Bite sized chicken pieces cook extremely fast in a pressure cooker. Just add the chicken pieces (no water needed), close the cooker and cook for two whistles. That’s it!. Marinating before cooking makes chicken more flavourful. Marinated chicken can be pressure cooked exactly the same way.  Mince balls can first be shallow fried or be dropped into the curry straight. They cook in less than 10 minutes. Chicken can also be deep fried and added to curries. In fact instead of chicken you can use mutton / turkey / fish in all the recipes above. Turkey is cooked exactly the same way as chicken. Mutton can be pressure cooked fast but unlike chicken, you need to add a little water and pressure cook mutton for three whistles. Fish slices / crab meat / prawns need no precooking and can be dropped straight into the simmering gravy where they cook in less than 10 minutes.

Baking chicken is not common in south India, though very common in North where marinated chicken is baked into the Tandoori chicken.

Chicken can be cooked as a dry curry or with gravy. The common gravies cooked in Tamilnadu are listed in Column 2. Varutha Kari # 1 is a dry curry with no gravy. Kulambu made from tamarind, Masala made from blended onion-tomato-garlic, Thengapal kulambu from coconut milk, Salna from peanuts and coconut and Kuruma from cashew nuts and coconut paste are commonly cooked. The gravy changes from place to place reflecting local availability and local tastes. In Britain, gravy made from tomato sauce and cream is used to cook chopped tandoori chicken into Chicken tikka masala, Britain’s national dish.  Garlic and vinegar are used to cook up Goa’s chicken vindaloo. Yogurt and mustard oil is used for Bengal’s Chicken Rezala. Malabar’s Nadan Kozhi kari is cooked with coconut milk. Coconut and cumin paste is used as the base for Mangalore chicken Curry, Tamarind is used for Andhra’s koodi pulusu, Cream & nut paste is used in Kashmiri chicken, Pureed spinach is used for chicken saag wala, pureed onions for chicken do pyaza and lentil tamarind curry for the Sindhi curry Chicken Dhansak.  A variety of Readymade chicken masala is now available and all can be easily used to flavour chicken curries. Other flavouring techniques are listed in column 3. Interestingly, even soya sauce is used as a flavouring agent, along with Indian garam masala to cook up Chicken Manchurian. Use the table above to cook dozens of South Indian chicken recipes. Remember, any base above can be paired with any chicken type and any flavouring agent. So choose your combinations and roll out your own recipes!

Cleaning Tips: 1. Wash well and drain chicken before using. 2. Fresh chicken is more tender than frozen. In India, skin is almost always removed while cooking. 3. Removing skin reduces two thirds of fat content. 4. Clean with soap everything that comes into contact with raw meat. Storing: Never leave cooked chicken at outside for over two hours. Refrigerate and eat within two days.

Monday, May 18, 2009

1001 Thayir Pachadi in Tamil

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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Cook Once Eat for a month - South Indian Recipes

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook explains how you can cook just once a month and eat for a month . All recipes in the following menu are listed in this cookbook. 

Breakfast Menu

Mon. Idli Upma

Tue.  Rice +  Vendiya Kulambu

Wed. Kothu parota

Thu.  Lemon Rice

Fri.   Bread Upma

Sat.  Avil Upma

Sun. Tamarind rice

 

Lunch Menu

Mon. Kulambu + Rice +  yogurt

Tue.  Peanut thogayal + Pulikaichal + Rice +  yogurt + Kosambari

Wed. Thenga Milagai Podi + Rice +  More kulambu + Yogurt + Sundal

Thu. Vatral Kulambu + Rice + Paruppu Podi + Thayir pachadi

Fri  Vatral + Pulikaichal+ Kosambari+ Rice + Sundal

Sat.  Vendaiya Kulambu + Rice + Kollu Podi + Yogurt
 Sun.  Vella pachadi + Appala Puli Kulambu +  Rice + Yogurt.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Podis - Express Cooking Series in Ananda Vikatan


The first of One page cookbooks appears in this issue of Ananda Vikatan. It is nice to know that a few hundred thousand people would now discover the secret to cooking an endless variety of Podis.

If you like the recipes, email editor@vikatan.com or snailmail Editor, Ananda Vikatan, 757, Mount Road, Chennai 600002.

Would love to have your feedback.

1001 Rolls

To watch One page cookbooks in action, come over to Street Foodz, a mini restaurant I opened recently. The goal is to bring a wide array of Street Foods served across the world under One roof.

Right now, we have started off with a variety of rolls, Vada pav, milkshakes and Lassis. 

You'll see that it is fairly simple to serve a mouth watering array of dishes, without elaborate equipment, with very few people.

The menu would expand to include 1001 Chaats, 1001 Milkshakes, 1001 Lassis and so on.

See you soon !

Monday, May 11, 2009

1001 North Indian Dry Potato Curries


Click the image to view and print the cookbook.  This cookbook lists 1001 North Indian dry Potato Curries ( Sukhi Subji). Dry potato curries are  usually eaten with flatbreads, mainly chapatti and poori..

 Potato: A Primer .
Potatoes are native to South America. Spanish explorers brought them to Europe 500 years back. 100 years later, Portuguese introduced them to India. It quickly became popular and is now the largest non grain food crop in the world. China grows nearly a quarter of the world's potatoes, followed by Russia and India. Potato is rich in carbohydrates (16%), Vitamin C, Potassium, Calcium, dietary fiber, iron, protein (2%) and contrary to popular belief, is very low in fat (0.1%). One average potato has around 100calories.Over 5000 varieties of potatoes are known, 3000 of which are found in the Andes mountains ( South America).

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Half Page Cookbook - Podi ( Spiced powders)

Click the image to view and print this cookbook.

This half page cookbook is an attempt to see what is the minimum space required to cover the recipes for thousands of Podis. 

The kicker in in point no 4, which lets you choose any combination of the above. So, with this palm sized table, you can create a different podi for every single day of your life !

For those with a math aptitude, you can easily see there are 5! x 5! x 5!  combinations possible . You need not worry about running out of recipes :)

1001 Potato Poriyals

Click the image to view and print the cookbook.  This cookbook lists 1001 Potato Poriyals.  Poriyals (Dry vegetable curries) are an integral part of South Indian cuisine. Potato poriyals are popular in all four southern states.

 Potato: A Primer .
Potatoes are native to South America. Spanish explorers brought them to Europe 500 years back. 100 years later, Portuguese introduced them to India. It quickly became popular and is now the largest non grain food crop in the world. China grows nearly a quarter of the world's potatoes, followed by Russia and India. Potato is rich in carbohydrates (16%), Vitamin C, Potassium, Calcium, dietary fiber, iron, protein (2%) and contrary to popular belief, is very low in fat (0.1%). One average potato has around 100 calories.  

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Once a week cooking - South indian Recipes


Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook explains how you can cook just once a week and get a load of piping hot, fresh recipes on the table, in minutes flat, throughout the week. All recipes in the following menu are listed in this cookbook. 

The key is to get the building blocks ready. South Indian cuisine is built on rice, dal, coconut, tamarind and yogurt. Once these are ready a huge variety of recipes can be created very fast.

Breakfast / Dinner Menu

Mon. Rava Upma+ Chutney

Tue   Pongal + Chutney

Wed. Avil Upma + Thayir Pachadi

Thu.  Variety Rice

Fri.    Bread Upma

Sat.   Rava Dosa + Chutney

Sun.  Khichidi + Chutney


Lunch Menu

Mon. Kulambu + Rice + Kootu + yogurt

Tue.  Thenga Thogayal + Rasam + Rice + Yogurt

Wed. Rice + Paruppu masiyal + More kulambu + Yogurt

Thu. Paruppu Kootu + Rice + Sambar + Thayir pachadi

Fri. More Sambar +  Rice + Kulambu

Sat. Aviyal + Kulambu + Rice + Coconut Thogayal + Yogurt

Sun. Sambar +  Kootu +  Rice + Yogurt.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Cook once, Eat for a week - North Indian Recipes

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook explains how you can cook just once a week and get a load of piping hot, fresh recipes on the table, in minutes flat, throughout the week. All recipes in the following menu are listed in this cookbook. The key is to get the building blocks prepared and refrigerated. The full menu below can be built from the following building blocks

Cooked Dal,

Chappati Dough

Onion – Tomato paste

Boiled potatoes

Paneer

Yogurt

Once these are prepared,  all recipes below are minutes away 


Breakfast / Dinner Menu

Mon. Chappati + Dal Butter Fry + Lassi

Tue. Lachcha Paratha + Kadi

Wed. Paneer paratha + Raita

Thu. Poha varieties + Matta 

Fri. Bread Khichidi + Lassi

Sat. Aloo Paratha + Raita + Pickles

Sun.  Chappati Noodles + Raita


Lunch Menu

Mon. Masala Poha + Aloo Korma + Lassi

Tue. Lacha Paratha + Pickle + Matta

Wed. Chappati + Paneer Burji+ Shrikhand

Thu. Jeera Pulao+ Kadi + Dal fry.

Fri. Chappati +  Paneer Korma + Matta  

Sat. Nimbu Poha + Raita

Sun. Paneer paratha +  Raita


Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Cook Once - Eat for a week recipes

Click the image on the left to see the cookbook. This cookbook explains how you can cook just once a week and get a load of piping hot, fresh recipes on the table, in minutes flat, throughout the week. All recipes in the following menu are listed in this cookbook.

 The key is to get the building blocks prepared and refrigerated. The full menu below can be built from the following building blocks

Cooked Dal,

Cooked rice,

Coconut – cumin- chili paste

Chappati dough and  

Yogurt.  Once these are done, all recipes below are minutes away !

 

Sample Breakfast / Dinner Menu

Mon. Chappati + Dal Butter Fry

Tue.  Lachcha Paratha + Masala Dal Fry

Wed. Dal parathas + Raita

Thu.   Variety Rice (Lemon Rice, Coconut Rice, Mint rice, Curd rice)

Fri.     Bread Upma

Sat. Malabar Paratha + Paruppu Masiyal

Sun. Oatmeal Porridge

 Sample Lunch Menu

Mon. Kulambu + Rice + Kootu + yogurt

Tue.  Peanut thogayal + Tambli + Rice +  yogurt

Wed. Rice + Paruppu masiyal + More kulambu + Yogurt

Thu. Paruppu Kootu + Rice + Podi + Thayir pachadi

Fri. More Sambar +  Rice + Kulambu

Sat. Aviyal + Kulambu + Rice + Coconut Thogayal + Yogurt

Sun. Sambar +  Kootu +  Rice + Yogurt

Food Consultancy / Licensing / Crash Courses

Contact siramki@gmail.com for complete Food consultancy from concept to completion.

Customised one page cookbooks now available for pressure cooker / microwave / mixie / masala & other cooking product manufacturers. Replace bulky recipe books with easy to refer One page cookbooks and watch your sales soar !

Twecipies

Blog Archive

Cooking is fun - Duplication is a pain !

"It is extraordinary to me that the idea of creating thousands of recipes by mixing building blocks takes immediately to people or it doesn’t take at all. .... If it doesn’t grab a person right away, ... you can talk to him for years and show him demos, and it doesn’t make any difference. They just don’t seem able to grasp the concept, simple as it is". ( Thanks Warren Buffett !)

"What's angering about instructions in many cookbooks is that they imply there's only one way to cook a dish - their way. And that presumption wipes out all the creativity." Cook dishes your way - Download  1001 South Indian curries now and learn to cook, not to duplicate ! ( Thanks Robert Pirsig !)

"Recipe purity is no different from racial purity or linguistic purity. It just does not exist. Cuisines are alive and change all the time. What is traditional today was esoteric just a few decades back. So being a 'foodist' is as bad as being a racist !

About Me

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Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Okay, let me start from the very beginning. 1500 crore years ago, with a Big Bang, the Universe is born. It expands dramatically. Hydrogen forms, contracts under gravity and lights up, forming stars. Some stars explode, dusting space with the building blocks of life. These condense into planets, one of which is Earth. Over time, self replicating molecules appear, multiply and become more complex. They create elaborate survival machines (cells, plants, animals). A variety of lifeforms evolve. Soon, humans arise, discover fire, invent language, agriculture and religion. Civilisations rise and fall. Alexander marches into India. Moguls establish an empire. Britain follows. Independence. Partition. Bloodshed. The license raj is in full sway. I'm born. India struggles to find its place. Liberalisation. The Internet arrives! I move from Tirupur to Chennai. Start a company. Expand into Malaysia, Singapore and the Middle East. Poof! Dot com bust. Funding dries up. Struggle. Retire. Discover the joy of cooking, giving, friendships and the pleasures of a simple life. Life seems less complicated. Pizza Republic, Pita Bite and Bhojan Express bloom !

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