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.

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.

 

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.