My Cooking Wonders

Today I made another of my all time favorite - Chikkudukaya Iguru. I bet there will not be one person from Andhra pradesh  who does not know this curry. This is one of the most simple and quick recipes that can be made in no time... Give it a try and see for yourself that how simple, quick and Yum this recipe is!! Ingredients 1 lb Valor beans/Indian broad beans(chikkudukayalu)(String the beans and cut them into 1 inch sized pieces) 2 cloves Garlic 2 dried red chillies 1 tsp Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder Salt per taste 1 1/2 tbsp Oil For Tempering 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp Chana dal Couple of pinches of hing/Asafoetida(Inguva) 5 to 6 Curry leaves Method Fill a big pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add generous amount of salt and the valor beans and let the beans cook till they are tender(approximately 15 to 30 minutes depending on toughness of the skin). Drain the water and set the beans aside. Crush the garlic pods and set aside. Heat oil in a pan.

Simple and quick chicken fry which goes well as an appetizer or as dry item on the party menu. Give it a try and I bet half the dish will be gone even before it is served!! Ingredients For Marinade 1 lb boneless chicken 4 tbsp ginger garlic paste 2 tsp Red chili powder 1 tsp cumin seeds 3 tsp Fennel seeds 1/2 tsp garam masala powder 2 tsp lemon juice 1 egg salt per taste For deep Frying 2 tbsp All purpose flour(Maida) oil for frying For Garnish 1/2 big onion sliced lengthwise 10 green chilies slit lengthwise handful of curry leaves Handful of cilantro leaves Method Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and clean them. In a small bowl beat the egg well and set aside. In a big bowl take chicken pieces and add in all the marinade ingredients except for the egg. mix real well. Now add in the beaten egg and mix well. Set aside for an hour. After an hour sprinkle the all purpose flour on top of the marinated chicken and mix well. Line a plate with paper towel

With Dasara around the corner I thought of sharing a sweet which very often is made as offering to God. For every festival I remember my mom making 2 out of the following four items for prasadam - Palatalikalu, Chakrapongali, Garelu and Pulihora. Today I just wanted to share one of those which is also one of the famous offering in most of the temples - Chakra Pongali.  Happy Navaratri and Happy Dasara Folks!! Ingredients 1 cup Rice 1/2 cup Moong dal 2 cups Water + 1 cup Water 3 cups Milk 1 3/4 cups Brown sugar or 1 1/2 Jaggery grated fine 4 tbsp clarified Butter or ghee Couple of pinches of Cardamom powder pinch of edible Camphor (pacha karpuram)(Optional) Cashews and Raisins Small piece of dry coconut chopped into bite size pieces Method Rinse the rice and moong dal and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan.Add cashews to the pan and fry till golden brown. Take the cashews out of the pan and set aside. Add the raisins to the pan and fry till they bulge. Take the

My first taste of Biryani is from my mom's kitchen. She used to make amazing biryani even before I knew the concept of restaurants and carry outs. She is my true inspiration when it comes to cooking(just cooking :P he he he).  I have tasted and made many biryanis later but for me My mom's is the best when it comes to Chicken biryani. Today I made this dish the same way my mom used to make with very slight changes. Try it out and I bet this will become your favorite too.... Ingredients For Marinade 2lbs Chicken 1 cup thick Yogurt 1 tbsp Red Chilli powder 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp Shai Jeera 1 tbsp Gram masala 1 tsp Cumin seeds Salt per taste(may be a tsp to 2. I usually go by my hand) For Biryani 4 cups Rice 5 cups Water 3 tbsp + 2tbsp Butter or ghee 4 tbsp oil 5 or 6 curry leaves 2 large Onion chopped length wise 1 big Tomato sliced length wise 10 Green chillies slit length wise 1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 big bunch of coriander/cil

If You are looking for a side dish to pair up with Biryani or Pulao dishes I have one dish for you - Chicken Chalna. Chicken Chalna is a famous dish in Tamilnadu and I came across this dish online while browsing for something else. I added my own little twists to make it match my taste buds but in a good way though :).. This dish is not too spicy yet not too mild...not too thick yet not too thin but carry perfect consistency and taste to go well with Biryani or any spicy rice dishes. Give it a try.... Ingredients 1 lb Chicken (with bones) 1 big Onion chopped fine(around 1 1/2 to 2 cups of chopped onion) 1 Tomato chopped fine(around 3/4 cup chopped tomato) 2 Green chilies slit lengthwise 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp Red chilli powder(per spice level) 2 tbsp thick Yogurt 1 tsp Garam masala 1 tbsp Oil Salt per taste For Paste 6 Cashew nuts 4 tbsp grated coconut powder 2 tbsp peanuts(Verusenaga gullu) dry roasted and peeled 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 1/2 tbsp