Vermicelli/Semiya chicken masala upma

Vermicelli/Semiya Upma is a breakfast or snack that I make fo my kids. This version of masala upma that I make is a rescuer at times when my son insists for chicken noodles. Kids just loves it and for adults it is a hand-licking treat. You will never get bored of this dish and an ezee one to prepare when you are in jiffy whether it is for an ezee snack or breakfast. Go for it guys, it is just awesome :)

Ingredients:-

Boneless chicken breast - 2 halves( cut into small bite size pieces or cubes)

Onion - 1 big finely chopped

green chilly - 2 chopped

ginger, garlic - crushed or finely chopped
tomato finely chopped

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
garam masala - 1 1/2 tsp
few curry leaves
coriander leaves chopped

Vermicelli/Semiya - 2 cups
water - 4 cups
salt to taste
Oil

Preparation method:-

1) Dry roast the Vermicelli/Semiya till golden brown.

2) Boil the water by adding a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.

3) Add Vermicelli and cook it till firm but not overly soft and set aside. Drain off excess water if any so that vermicelli do not stick together(If you feel they might become sticky add a tsp of oil while boiling the semiya, this helps them remain separate)

4) In another pan add oil, onion, green chilly, ginger, garlic, salt, curry leaves and saute well on med flame.

5) When onion turns translucent add tomatoes, little coriander leaves and saute till tomato is soft

6) Add the masalas and saute for a min, add chicken and saute well to mix masala and chicken well.
7) Close the pan and let the chicken cook for 10-15 mins or till chicken is soft in a med flame. Open the lid and check for the salt and taste, the chicken masala should be juicy but not watery.(If you feel the masala has excess water keep the id open and cook for a while till water is evaporated)

8) When chicken is cooked well, add the cooked vermicelli and mix gently so that it absorbs all the moisture from the masala and masala gets mixed well with vermicelli.

9) Switch off the flame and move to a serving dish. Garnish with few chopped coriander leaves and serve hot..

Chicken Tikka masala

Ingredients:-

For marinade:

1) Turmeric pdr - 1/4 tsp

2) Chilly powder - 1tsp (cayenne pepper or kashmir chilly pdr gives red color to the gravy)
3) coriander pdr - 1 tsp
4) cumin pdr - 1 tsp
5) dry fenugreek powder - 1 tbsp
6) ginger gralic paste - 1tbsp 
7) Yogurt - 1 cup
8) salt to taste
9) lime juice -2 tbsp
10) Bonless chickn breast :-  4 halves cut into med cubes

For making the gravy:

1) Oil- 2 tbsp

2) cumin seeds - 1 tsp

3) Onion - 1 very finely chopped

4) ginger garlic paste

5) Chilly powder - 2 tsp

6) Coriander powder- 1 tsp

7) Cumin powder - 1 tsp

8) Dry Fenugreek powder - 1 tsp

9) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

10) Tomato - 2 big chopped roughly(i've made tikka masala once with 1 small tin of canned tomato paste as well, it gave me a nice red colored gravy)

11) Cashews - 1/4 cup(if using canned tomato u do not need cashews, bcse the gravy becomes thick bcse of the tomato paste)

12) Capsicum -  1 cut into med cubes(optional)

13) Onion - 1  big cut into cubes

14) cream - 2 tbsp(optional, i didnt use)

15) Finely chopped cilantro)

16) Bamboo skewers soaked in water for 15 mins

Preparation Method:-

1) In a bowl add ingredients of marinade from 1 to 9 and mix well gently with a whisk or clean hand to make the marinade. Divide this marinade into two bowl, marinate chicken in one bowl and capsicum and onion in another. Set aside for atleast 1 hr.

2) Make a puree from tomato and cashews and set aside.
3) Skew the chicken, onion and capsicum one after the another

4) Grill both sides for 5 mins or till chicken is cooked(if you do not have skewer cook it on grill top. Pan cook the chicken if you do not have a grill). Your chicken tikka is ready. Set this aside

5) Now for making the masala, add oil in a pan and crackle the cumin seeds.

6) Add ginger-garlic paste and stir for a min. Add the onion and stir till light brown color.

7) Add salt, turmeric pdr, cumin pdr, coriander pdr chilly powder and stir well. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook till the masala absorbs the water.

8) Add the tomato-cashew puree, some more water and stir well. Close the lid and get it to boil.

9) Add the leftover fenugreek powder, chicken tikka, simmer the flame with lid on and cook it for 4-5 mins so that chicken absorbs the nice aroma of the gravy and gets cooked nicely.

10) Add the cream if necessary( i didnt add it bcse the gravy was very nice without the cream and i felt the spiceness will be reduced if i add it).

11) Move into a serving dish, garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Roti/Naan/Rice..

Note:- I have kept aside some skewed chicken tikka without adding them in the gravy. This ended up being another side dish on our dining table.

Tofu Masala curry

Tofu is a very nutritious food rich in vegetarian protein, calcium, and iron. It is a low fat and cholesterol free paneer looking cheese that is made almost the same way as paneer except that it is made from soymilk. I have been making Tofu dishes a lot and we have started developing a better taste for Tofu, the so called 'tasteless' food. I have tried Tofu paratha, tofu manchurian, tofu masala curry, tofu Omlette, tofu scramble masala and many more and we felt you just have to develop the taste of Tofu and it will be in your favorite food list for being ezee to cook, healthy and being tasty. So this is an ezee recipe of Tofu masala curry which can be served with Roti/Naan/Rice. I made it with Appam instead of egg curry or any other non-veg curry since I didnt wanted to start the day with non-veg. Friends try it out, it is a very good alternative for panner if you are trying to cut down calories.

Ingredients:-

Tofu Firm - 2 slices(8 oz each) cut into small cubes

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Tomato - 1 finely chopped

ginger,garlic- 1 tbsp each, finely minced

green chilly - 2 chopped

Bell pepper green - 1/2 cut into small cubes(optional)

green peas - 1/2 cup( you can add other veggies as well)

salt to taste

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

chilly powder - 1/2 tsp(optional, I didnt use)

Garam masala - 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves  few chopped

oil- 2 tbsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Water - 1 cup(you can add or reduce according to your gravy requirement)

Preparation Method:-

• Heat oil in a pan, crackle the jeera. Add onion, ginger-garic, green chilly, salt and saute till onion is light golden brown.
• Add green peas, bell pepper and saute for 2-3 mins, add the tomato and saute till tomato become soft.
• Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, garma masala powder and saute well till masala mixes with onion-tomato mixture.
• Add water and get it to boil keeping the pan covered. Add the Tofu pieces and stir slowing without breaking the tofu pieces.
• Close with a lid and let it cook in med flame for about 6-8 mins ill the gravy thickens and the tofu absorbs the masala well.
• Switch off the flame when the gravy reaches your requireed consistency.
• Garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves. Serve hot with Roti/Naan/Rice or even with Appam..

                                                   

Chellamani Snack - With leftover Idli/Dosa batter

                             

Ingredients:-

1. Fermented Idli Batter - 1½ cup
2. Raw rice - 1 cup
3. Butter milk/Moru ~ ¾ cup
4. Salt to taste
5. Oil for deep frying 

Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. Ginger finely chopped ~ 2 tsp 
4. Few curry leaves chopped
5. Shallots/Kunjully finely chopped - 2 small
6. Green chilies finely chopped ~ 2 (adjust according to the spiciness required)
   
   

   

   
   

Preparation Method:-

• Wash and soak the rice for 4-5 hrs. Drain the water and grind the rice by adding buttermilk to make a smooth batter.
• Add this to the Idli batter, add salt and mix everything well together. Reserve
• Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves, ginger, shallots, green chillies and saute till shallots turn transulent.
• Add this seasoning to the prepared batter.
• Pour oil in an Unniappam vessel, pour a scoop of batter into it. fry till light golden brown color.
• Turn it over and fry for few mins till other side also turns golden brown.
• Remove from the oil using a skewer
• Repeat the  process using remaining batter
• Serve hot as it is or with any Coconut Chutney, Tomato Chutney, Sambhar or Ketchup.
  
  Note:- If you don't want the green chili bites(unlike grown ups sometimes kids have problem biting green chilies) you can add a tsp of chilly powder in the batter instead of chopped green chilies
  
  Recipe Source: Vanitha

Kothu Parotta with Shrimp

'Kothu Parotta'  - the name itself says it all. In malayalam kothu means pieces, so this is pieces of parotta's made in Shrimp Masala. It is really an awesome street food in Keala, especially in malabar region, I would rather say best of all street foods. I'm sure if you had ever eaten this before, at least once in a lifetime, you might be having your mouth watered while reading it. Back in malabar region it is made with the Kerala Parotta and spicy Chicken or Beef masala. Have it with a cup of hot tea or Coffee, trust me it is a heavenly experience. It can be your breakfast, brunch, evening snack or even dinner. You can make it with store bought frozen Kerala Parotto or Singapore Parotta. I made it with some left over Roti's I had at home.  Always remember never throw off any leftover food, you always have an option off remaking it with some simple tricks and it will taste yumm. There are billions of people around the world who are starving of hunger, so I feel very guilty to waste even a grain of Rice!!

Ingredients:-

1. Parotta/Leftover Chappathi - 5 (cut roughly into small cubes)
2. Shrimp - 1 1/2 cup(cleaned and marinate for 20-30 mins)
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp
4. Chilly powder -  1 tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil- 2 tsp
7. Mustard seeds
8. Curry leaves - few
9. Onion - 1 big (finely chopped)
10. Ginger,garlic - 2 tsp(crushed in a mortar)
11. Green chilly - 2 chopped
12. Tomato - 1 small(finely chopped)
13. Garam Masala - 1 1/2 tsp
14. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
15. Chopped coriander/Cilantro leaves to garnish

 Preparation Method:-

• Clean and marinate the Shrimp with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt for 20-30 mins.
• Heat a pan or tawa, pour oil and crackle the mustard seeds, add curry leaves and stir for few secs
• Add Onion, crushed ginger-garlic, green chilly and salt and saute well till light brown.
• Add tomatos and saute till soft. Now add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, pepper powder and garam masala and stir well to mix. 
• Add in the shrimp and saute well till everything get mixed well. Close the pan with a lid and cook for 4-5 mins in medium flame(don't add water, shrimp releases moisture by itself and will have enough water to cook it without burning if you keep the flame in low-med flame)
• Now open the pan and check if the shrimp is cooked(do not over cook the shrimp, it should be soft, juicy and pink not hard and rubbery). Add the parotta pieces to this shrimp gravy and stir well  for 2-3 mins till everything gets mix well. (do not wait to add parotta till the shrimp absorbs all the gravy, it is easy for parotta to mix well in little bit of gravy)
• Switch off the flame and move it to a serving dish. Garnish with Cilantro/Corriander leaves and serve hot with a cup of tea/coffee.

Note:- You can use egg, Chicken, beef, any other meat or even veggies like panner, tofu or anything of your choice instead of Shrimp.