Side Gravy for Biryani....

Description:

Most restaurants serve a  free side gravy as accompaniment for biryani which taste  ridiculously amazing.. We usually get these in small portions packed in tiny cartons and enjoy licking every last bit of it.  I was trying to replicate something similar and ended up with this recipe which I can guarantee  restaurant quality. This gravied curry shared here is  all -purpose, can be made with or without meat, goes very well with any kind of biryani / pulao / paratha / idli / dosai or even with plain basmati rice.  My version shared here is very very spicy, you can literally feel your tastebuds jerking!!
Restaurant Style Gravy / Chalna / Salna / Side Gravy / Biryani Side / Saagu / chaaru / Gravied curry

Ingredients- 1
2 nos	Dry red chili
1 tbsp	Corainder seeds
1/2 tsp	Cumin seeds
1 tsp	Black peppercorns
1/2 tsp	Fennel seeds
1/2 ” inch	Cinnamon stick
2 nos	Cloves
1 no	Green cardamom
1 petal	Star anise

Ingredients-2
15 nos	Small onion
2 nos	Green Chili
5 cloves	Garlic
1 inch	Ginger

Ingredients-3
2 nos	Bay leaves
1/2 tsp	kasuri methi (Dry fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp	Kashmiri Chili powder
1 tsp	Coriander powder
1/4 tsp	Turmeric powder
5 nos	Curry leaves
2 tbsp	Coriander leaves (chopped)
3 tbsp	Oil
2 nos	Tomato
1 tsp	Fresh ground coconut paste
1 1/2 tsp	salt
1/2 cup	Water (only if necessary)

Instruction:

First step is to make a spice powder. Combine all ingredients in table-1 and dry grind to fine powder. (Dry roasting is not required)

Second step is to finely mince all the wet ingredients. This is really the key…. make sure you mince the onion, green chili ginger and garlic. If that’s a hard task then put them in the mixie along with ground spice powder and just use the pulse setting twice. (Do not add water, just run the mixie to mince them)

Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves, dry fenugreek and curry leaves. Let them sizzle, then add the ground paste and keep frying over medium flame for about 1o minutes. You have fry till the onion mixture gets rid of the raw smell. Now add the chopped tomatoes, red chili powder, coriander, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for another 10 minutes. The gravy will look slightly watery at this stage.

Keep sauteing until the oil separates. Once the gravy looks dark brown as shown, you are ready to add any kind of meat or veggie.
Veggie options: Mushroom / Potato  or  Long Green Peppers suits well for this gravy.
Non- Veg options: Bony parts of Chicken or Mutton, Prawn/Shrimp, Boiled Eggs.
After adding any one of the options above make sure you include little water to cook them thoroughly.

Last part is to add the teaspoon of ground coconut paste which gives good consistency. Simmer for few minutes and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Gravy consistency can be either adjusted with water or coconut paste.
1. For thick dark brown gravy – No coconut paste.  Just add 1/4 cup water and simmer.
2. For  light brown gravy – 1 tsp of coconut paste + 1/2 cup water.
3. For thin yellowish gravy – 4 tbsp coconut paste + 1 cup of water.

Serve with biryani, boiled eggs and raita. Bookmark this for your Special Sunday Meals.

Notes:

This recipe will yield just  enough gravy to feed 3 adults.  You may adjust with water or coconut milk  if you have few unexpected guests.
This version is very very spicy, so please cut down on the chilies if you are feeding the kids.

Chettinad Milagu Kuzhambu...

	Ingredients-1 1 tbsp Black peppercorn 1 tsp Toor dal 1 tsp Split black gram (ullundu) 1 tsp Cumin seeds ½ tsp Fennel seeds 1 no Dry red chili (long) 3 tbsp Coriander seeds 2 clove Garlic 3 nos Shallots (sambar onions ) 1 tsp Dry coconut flakes/ desicated / coparai thengai (optional) 3 drop Sesame oil Ingredients-2 10 nos Shallots (sambar onions )(use1 big instead) 3 clove Garlic (crushed) 10 nos Curry leaves 2 tbsp Tamarind juice (or thick store bought pulp 1/2 tsp) ¼ tsp Turmeric powder ¼ tsp Asafoetida ¼ tsp Mustard seeds ¼ tsp Cumin seeds 1½ tsp Salt (or to taste) ½ cup Water 3 tsp Sesame oil (for sauteing)
	Instructions
	For the masala: Heat few drops of oil in a pan, toast red chillies, split black gram, toor dal, black peppercorn, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds until slightly golden. Remove the contents and add few drops of oil and toast the garlic for few minutes and remove. Now switch off the flame and toast the dry coconut for few seconds and remove. Let cool them and grind all the spices first to a fine powder, now add roasted garlic and shallots and grind again to make a paste. Add water if necessary to run the mixie. For the gravy : If using tamarind soak some in water and squeeze out the juice and keep aside. Quarter the shallots and crush the garlic and keep aside. Now heat oil (table-2), splutter mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add the quartered onions and garlic, fry them till translucent. Add the ground masala paste and tamarind along with turmeric, salt and asafoetida. Pour 1/2 cup water and bring it to one boil and simmer till the oil separates from the gravy. Garnish with finely chopped curry leaves. Serve with plain rice and papadams.

Crab Pepper Fry....

tsp	Salt
2 tsp	Oil
	Coriander leaves (for garnishing)
10	Curry leaves
1 tsp	Dhania powder
pinch	Turmeric powder
1 tsp	Pepper powder
1 tsp	White pepper powder
1 tsp	Pepper and cumin powder (coarsely ground)
1 tsp	Redchillypowder
1 tsp	Gingergarlicpaste
3 tsp	Onion
17 oz	Crab meat

Instructions

Pour Oil in a pan. when the oil is hot put the onions and fry them till they become light brown. Then add the gingergarlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes. Then add the curry leaves and crab meat and fry for 2-3 minutes. Now slower the flame and add redchillipowder,dhaniapowder,pepper+cumin powder,whitepepperpowder,pepperpowder,turmeric powder and salt. Stir fry often because the meat will go stick to the pan. When the crab is cooked completely garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes

  I used Bubblebee canned pink crab meat. You can use any Fresh crab meat but not the cooked crab meat.

Mutton Paya(Aatukal Paya).....

Mutton Paya(Aatukal Paya)

Mutton Feet(Aatukal) - 2 pounds
Onion - 2 Big Finely Chopped
Tomatto - 2 Big Finely Chopped
Green Chillies - 2 Chopped
Red Chilli Powder - 1 spoon + 1 spoon
Salt to taste
Bay Leaves - 3
Cinamon Stick - 1/2
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2
Curry Leaves - 20
Coriander Powder - 1 and 1/2 spoons
Coriander - 1/4 bunch finely chopped
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 and 1/2 spoon

Serves 2 to 3 people

Step 1
Clean Mutton with running water and turmeric powder.

Step 2
Pressure cook mutton along with salt , water and 1 spoon of Red Chilli Powder(1 spoon).Cook until 8 whistles

Step 3
In a Pan pour 5 spoons of oil and then add Bay Leaves , Cinamon Sticks , Cloves and Cardamom and fry.

Step 4
Add Ginger Garlic Paste and fry the same.Once this is fryed add Curry leaves , Onion , Tomatto , Green Chillies one by one and fry the same.

Step 5
Add Red Chilli Powder(1 spoon) , Coriander Powder and fry the same.Now add the Cooked mutton prepared in Step 2 to this add water if needed and salt to taste.Let it cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until you see that it has come to the boiling stage.Now add Coconut milk and let it boil for couple of minutes.Now add the finely chopped coriander leaves.Mutton Paya is read to be served.This goes well with Idiyappam or Idly or Parotta.

Kaadai 65 (Quail 65)....

Kaadai 65

1> Kaadai 6 Nos
2> Red Chilli Powder 1 Spoon
3> Salt to taste
4> Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 and 1/2 Spoon
5> Lemon 1
6> Color Powder
7> Maida Powder - 3 Spoons
8> Rice Powder - 1 Spoon
9> Turmeric Powder

Steps :
A> Mix Red Chilli Powder with salt and then add color powder along with Maida Rice and Turmeric Powder

B> Mix Kaadai with a spoon of turmeric and clean it with running water and add Ginger Garlic Paste and Lemon and mix well

C> Mix the masala prepared in Step A to Step B and keep it aside for 1.5 hours

D> Taste and check for salt and spice level
- Add salt / spice if incase it is missing

Chicken Varuval......

Chicken - 1 lb
Red chillies - 10 (seeds removed)
Small onion - 150 gms
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Perunjeeragam/Fennel -1/2tsp
Patta/Cinnamon - 2 pieces
Lavang/cloves - 2
Whole Peppercorns - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves -as needed
Ginger-garlic paste - 2tsp
Coriander powder - 3tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Green chilli -1 (split)

Method

In oil fry saunf,patta,lavang,curry leaves and pepper.Add onion and fry well.Now add gg paste,tomatoes,greenchilli,red chillies.Fry well till the raw smell goes.Add turmeric and coriander powders now and fry well.finally add chicken pieces and salt and make sure the chicken pieces are well coated with the masala.Only add little water if neccessary.Fry till all the gravy is evaporated and the dish is almost dry.
Serve it hot with rice/roti.