Chicken 65

It is a popular fast food item, which can easily be prepared at home.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (boneless, legs, or thighs: 1/2 kg, cut into small pieces)
• Chili powder: 4 tsp
• Coriander (Dhania) powder: 2tsp
• Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
• Garam masala powder: ¼ tsp
• Lemon juice: 5 tsp
• Yogurt/curd: 2 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
• Food color: 3 pinch
• Oil for deep frying: 2 cups
• Coriander leaves (for garnishing): 4 stalks
• Salt to taste.

Method of preparation:

• Mix red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, color, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice and curd in a deep bowl.
• Prepare a thick paste.
• Add chicken pieces and stir well so that the masala is coated all over the pieces. Marinate for about an hour.
• Heat edible oil in a wok.
• Deep fry on medium flame until brown color.
• Drain excess oil.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve with onion – lemon – tomato salad.

Very tasty to have with rice, biriyani, pulav, kushka, puri, purotta (parantha), etc.

Badam milk shake (Almond milk shake)

It is an easy to prepare, energetic, tasty drink, also called Badaam pal or Baadaam paal.

Ingredients:

• Milk: 1litre / 1 liter (4 cups)
• Almond: ¼ cup
• Sugar: 1 cup
• Cardamom (elaichi / elakkai / yelakkai): 5
• Saffron (kesar / kungumappoo): 1 pinch
  

Method of preparation:

• Boil the almonds and remove their skin.
• Grind with sugar to obtain a fine paste.
• Boil milk.
• While boiling, add crushed cardamom and the almond paste.
• Stir and continue boiling for about two minutes more.
• Remove from flame.
• Garnish with saffron.
• Serve hot or cold.

Cabbage Pickle / Pickled Cabbage

Cabbage pickle is an easy to prepare tasty pickle. It will last for about ten days, if preserved properly in a fridge.

Ingredients:

• Grated cabbage – 1 cup
• Chili powder – 1 tsp
• Mustard powder –1tsp
• Finely grated Garlic pods – 4
• Edible oil – 2 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
  
  

Method of preparation:

• Sprinkle salt on grated cabbage.
• Leave it for about an hour.
• Separate water by squeezing the cabbage completely.
• Discard the water.
• Add all other ingredients one after the other.
• Cabbage pickle will automatically be ready within about five hours.
• Tastes good with cooked rice, parotha, chapatti, etc.

Kadhai Chicken

It is also called Kadai chicken curry, murg kadhai, kadhai murghee, Iruppuchchatti kozhi curry, Wok chicken curry and so on.

Ingredients:

• Chicken: 1
• Onion: 4
• Tomato: 6
• Ginger garlic Paste: 4 tsp
• Green Chili: 3
• Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
• Garam masala: 2 tsp
• Red chili powder: 2tsp
• Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Edible oil: as required
• Coriander leaves: for garnishing
  
  

Method of preparation:

• Dress the chicken and cut into pieces.
• Chop the onions, tomatoes and green chilies.
• Heat oil in a kadhai.
• Add chopped onions and green chilies and sauté until light golden brown.
• Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt.
• Mix well.
• Add tomatoes, gingergarlic paste and sauté until the tomatoes become half cooked.
• Add a little water and bring it to boil.
• When the gravy becomes slightly thick, add chicken pieces and stir well.
• Reduce heat. Cover and thoroughly cook.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot.
  

Taken well with rice, biriyani / biriani, kushka, chapathi, roti, bread, puri / poori, paratha / purotta, dosa / dosai, idli / idly, oothappam / uthappam etc.

Jigarthanda

Jigarthanda, a unique Madurai cool drink is very nice and healthy to have in summer.
Jigar in Hindi language means heart and Thanda means cold. So we can make out it’s meaning as the cooler of heart. It is a type of falooda (faluda), which gives pleasure. Jigar Thanda means Manam kulir panam (Ullaththaik kuliravaikkum panam) in Tamil.

Many attractive names like jil jil jigarthanda, jum jum jigarthanda can be heard in Madurai.


Ingredients:

• Milk: 600 ml
• Almond pisin (Badam pisin): 3 tbsp
• Rose syrub: 2 tbsp (or nannari syrup 60 ml)
• Ice cream: 1 small size
  

Method of preparation:

• Soak badam pisin in water for about eight hours to convert it from gum form into enlarged jelly form.
• Boil milk in low flame. Continue boiling so as to reduce the quantity to 300 ml (half of 600 ml).
• Allow for cooling and keep it in refrigerator.
• Fill half of a glass tumbler with this chilled milk.
• Add soaked badam pisin, rose / nannari syrup and ice cream.
• Tasty, healthy and cool Jigarthanda is ready.

Nannari is a natural coolant. It is called sarsaparilla.
Edible alga / algae (Kadal pasi) can also be used instead of badam pisin.

Chili bajji

It is a tasty snack, also called chilli bajji, milakai bajji, milagai bajji, mirchi pakora, mirch pakoda or mirchi vada.

Ingredients:

• Green chilies (pachchai milakai / hari mirchi): 10
• Chickpea flour (gram flour / kadalaimavu / besan): 100gms
• Rice flour (arisi mavu / chaval ka atta): 1 tbsp
• Cumin seed powder (jeeragappodi / jeera powder): 1 tsp
• Red chili powder (vara milakai / lal mirchi / sabath mirch): 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder (manjal podi / haldi powder): 1/4 tsp
• Asafetida (perungayam / hing): 1 Pinch
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste.

Method:

• Mix everything (except the green chilies and oil)
• Prepare a thick batter using water.
• Cut the chilies lengthwise.
• Dip the chilies in the batter and deep fry in oil.
• Serve hot with or without chutney or sauce.
  

Spring salad bowl

A low calorie tasty salad.

Ingredients:

• Lettuce : 100 gms
• Radish : 100 gms
• Cucumber : 200 gms
• Onion : 50 gms
• Tomato : 50 gms
• Honey : 10 ml
• Salt : to taste
  
  
  

Procedure:

• Slice tomatoes, cucumber and onions into thin round discs.
• Shred lettuce and chop radish.
• Mix everything well with honey and salt.
• Serve for 4 without delay.