CHICKEN 65

Dish of the day- Chicken 65

Place- Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

This is my favourite Hyderabadi item (apart from biryani :P) From the land of Nawabs comes this tantalizing chicken starter that can be prepared dry or with a gravy. I personally like it dry.

I was fascinated about the reason behind this whacky name and I got an equally incredible answer from my dad. During the British rule, this chicken preparation was 65^th on the menu list of the military. The name just stuck because the Britishers liked it a lot and we didn’t bother to correct them..

The best part about Chicken 65 is its flavour. It has a distinct Hyderabadi kebab taste; but is usually garnished with curry leaves (Kadi patta) so that adds an Andhra cooking touch to it. Key ingredients include cayenne pepper, mustard powder, ginger and vinegar.

How to Cook it Up:- (serves 4 people)

Chicken (boneless, skinless thighs).....................1 kg

Corn Flour................................................................2 tsps

All Purpose Flour....................................................2 tsps

Egg.............................................................................1

Ginger(paste)..........................................................1.5 tsps

Garlic(paste)...........................................................1.5 tsps

Red Chilies(powder)...............................................2 tsps

Green Chilies...........................................................12

Yoghurt.....................................................................2 cups

Garam Masala..........................................................1 tsp

Food Color(Red)......................................................4 drops 

Curry leaves for garnishing

Lime juice.................................................................3 tsps

Salt to taste

Vegetable Oil for deep frying

*Please make sure that the food colour you use is red and not orange-red because otherwise the Chicken 65 loses all visual appeal.

*Garam Masala is actually a powdered mixture of cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.

Directions:-

1) Mix the corn flour, all purpose flour, egg, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder and salt to make a thick batter. Add water if required.

2) Add the chicken pieces to the batter and marinate for an hour.

3) Deep fry the marinated chicken pieces till they turn golden

 4) Heat 4 tsp oil in a sauce pan and add slit chillies, yogurt, garam masala, red color, little salt and the fried chicken pieces.

 5) Shallow fry for 4-5 minutes and remove from heat.

6) Add lime juice, mix well and garnish with curry leaves.

Serve hot as a starter with drinks or with rice and sambhar :) 

SUJI APPAM

Dish of the Day- Suji Appam

Place- Andhra Pradesh

Suji Appam is traditionally made during 'pandaga roju' (auspicious days) and my very first memory of this dish is seeing my grandmother roll out puris wearing a wet saree. The wet saree is a sign of 'madi'. Andhra women that cook on festivals and other auspicious dates follow the custom of Madi where they soak their saree in water and then wear it while it's wet. No one is supposed to touch them until they've finished the entire cooking for the day.

What I like most about Suji Appam is that it combines two of my favourite dishes- puris and halwa. This is then South Indian version of a stuffed puri. It looks like malpua, but the only difference is that egg is not used since festival cooking in South India is pure vegetarian.

How to Cook it Up:- (serves 4 people)

Roasted Rawa...................1 cup

Grated jaggery................1 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder...........1 tsp

Maida..................................2 cups

Water...............................

A pinch of salt

Oil to fry

Directions:-

1) Make a dough of the flour, salt and water and keep it covered for 1/2 an hour.

2) Heat 2 1/2 cups of water and add the rawa to it.

3) Cook it till it becomes soft and add the sugar/jaggery and cardamom powder. Mix well and cook well till thick. Cool and make small balls.

4) Pat a small ball of the dough in a greased sheet, place a ball of the filling in the center and cover it with the dough.

5) Pat slowly with greased hands to make a round and flatten it to make puris; deep fry it in hot oil till it becomes crisp and light brown spots appear on both sides.

6) Drain out the excess oil on tissue paper.

7) Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.

* Make sure that the oil is hot enough before you put the dough in because if it's not, the Suji Appam won't get cooked and the oil will also get spoilt.

MAJJIGA PULSU

Dish of the Day- Majjiga Pulsu

Place- Andhra Pradesh

Majjiga Pulsu is South India's answer to Sindhi kadhi. It has is a yogurt- based curry that goes very well with hot rice and papad. This post is dedicated to my grandmother whose Majjiga Pulsu you have to taste to believe! It's heavenly- not too spicy, not too sour, it's simply delicious..:)

For as long as I can remember, I've eaten this curry with rice and potato fry. It's almost become part of the weekly menu at home.

Majjiga means buttermilk and pulsu is generally the term used to describe a thin clear soup. Majjiga Pulsu is basically buttermilk flavoured with turmeric powder and vegetables. Bottle gourd is the predominant vegetable in this curry.

This pale yellow coloured stew calls for vegetables cooked in a delectable combination of coconut and green chillies paste and well-beaten sour curd, that is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds. 

How to Cook it Up:- (serves 4 people)

Cubed vegetables (Bottlegourd & Tomatoes)........ 2 cups

Thick Curd (preferably slightly sour)......................2 cups

Turmeric powder..........................................................1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Water...............................................................................1 cup

Grated coconut...............................................................4 tbsps

Green Chillies..................................................................3

Coriander Leaves...........................................................2-3

Mustard seeds...............................................................1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds.....................................................................1/2 tsp

Hing/ Asafoetida............................................................1/4 tsp

Methi seeds.....................................................................1/4 tsp

Oil.......................................................................................1 tbsp

Curry Leaves...................................................................10-12

Directions:-

1) Make a paste out of the grated coconut, green chillies and coriander leaves.

2) Beat the curd well after adding water to make it acquire a smooth sauce- like consistency.

3) Combine the ground paste and the beaten curd and keep it aside.

4) Add half a cup of water to the cubed vegetables alongwith 1/2 tsp of salt and cook it till they are half-cooked.

5) Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add the cumin seeds.

6) When the cumin seeds start turning light brown, put in the methi seeds and hing. After a few seconds, add the turmeric powder, red chillies and curry leaves till they start spluttering. Take it off the flame and keep it aside.

7) Add the curd- coconut mixture to the vegetables and cook slowly. Keep stirring continuously. Cook it until the vegetables absorb the flavours and the gravy thickens.

8) Do not let it boil. Turn it off heat and keep the lid closed for a few minutes before serving, to let the spices sink in.

* It is important to keep stirring because the pulsu has a tendency to curdle.

VANAKKAM ( Welcome)

Welcome to the land of curries, coconut and coffee! Karnataka (language:Kannada), Kerala (language: Malayalam), Tamilnadu (language: Tamil), and Andhra Pradesh (language: Telugu) are the four states that make up this region.

When people mistake me for a Bengali, I usually correct them saying I’m a South Indian. Promptly, the next question I get is, “Toh matlab Madrasi na?” That’s when I go on to describe how there are four states that exist and  how they’re all very different from each other but have a few common elements with respect to their cuisine, attire and style of living; and that the difference between Tamilnadu and Kerala is as vast as that between West Bengal and Assam.

“Arre lekin Bengal aur Assam mein toh bahut farak hai!”

That’s why I decided to start a blog. A blog that lets me write about my passion and that helps people understand what South Indian cooking is all about. Using the three C’s (coffee, curry, coconut) and four states;  with various permutations and combinations you can stir up a meal peculiar to each one of those states. The dishes are similar yet different, complicated but easy to cook, laden with spices yet not spicy! 

I invite you to try a few. You can taste them, rate them and maybe even whip them up at home! 
Most importantly, don't forget to get your banana leaf!