Kozhukkatta

It is quite a long time I had kozhukkattas. In fact I have not even seen it for at least 2 years. Yesterday I was talking to my mom and she told she had kozhukkatas for breakfast. Mmmmm.... I decided I gonna make it. Just figured all the steps from mom and started straight to kitchen. Rest you know... :)

Ingredients:
Roasted Rice Powder - 1 cup
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Shallots - 10 nos
Cumin Seeds - 1 t spoon
Water - 2 cups
Salt - To taste
Dried Red Chillies - 3-4 nos
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard Seeds - 1 t spoon

Preparation:

1. Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies and shallots.
2. Add salt to the roasted rice powder and add boiling water in a progressive manner. Stir with a wooden spatula and make sure the rice powder paste doesn't form pellets. Ensure that it is not too watery.
3. Add the grinded paste and mix well and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. Make small balls out of the dough and steam it for around 5-8 minutes (The time depends on the size of the balls).
5. Heat a pan and splutter mustard seeds, red dried chillies and curry leaves.
6. Transfer these contents over the kozhukkatta.
7. The delicious kozhukkatta can be used as breakfast or starters. It is very healthy as it is steamed.

Tips:
While grinding, don't add any extra water as the water from shallots will be enough.
Allow kozhukkatta to cool before having.

Malabar Kozhi Biriyani (Chicken Biriyani)

Ingredients:
For Marinating Chicken:
Turmeric -1 t spoon
Red chilly - 1/2 t spoon
Salt - To taste

For Chicken Masala:
Chicken - 6-7 big pieces (Preferably leg, thighs or breast)
Onions - 4 medium (Sliced lengthwise)
Tomato - 3 medium (Chopped lengthwise)
Cooking oil - 2 table spoon
Chicken Masala - 2 t spoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Yoghurt - 1 table spoon
Fennel seed - 1/2 t spoon
Garlic - 5 clove
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch
Green Chilly - 3 nos
Cardamom - 3
Mint leaf - 10
Coriander leaf - 1

For Rice:
Rice - 3 cups
Ghee - 1 table spoon
Water - 6 cups

For Garnishing
Cashew - 15
Raisin - 15
Cinnamon stick - 2 inch (Break it into small pieces)
Onion - 1 small (Chop it lengthwise)
Flower spice -3
Bay leaf - 3 (Cut into pieces)
Oil - 1 table spoon
Ghee - 2 table spoon

Marination:
Mix salt, turmeric and red chilly powder with very little water. Apply it evenly on the chicken pieces and keep aside for 15-20 minutes

Preparation:
For Chicken:

1. Grind fennel seed, garlic and ginger in mixer.
2. Heat oil in a deep sauce pan.
3. Add onion and saute until it becomes soft.
4. Add chicken masala and stir well for 15-20 seconds.
5. Add tomato and one t spoon of the paste prepared in step 1 and stir for another 20-30 seconds.
6. Add the marinated chicken and rest of the paste and mix well.
7. Add yoghurt (Or lime juice), mix well and close the lid. Cook over medium flame
8. Once chicken is almost cooked add cardamom, mint leaf, curry leaf and coriander leaf
9. Chicken masala is now ready. Keep it aside for mixing it later with rice.

For Garnishing:
We will first prepare the garnishing item as we can use the same oil and ghee for frying the rice.

1. Heat cooking oil and ghee in a wok
2. Add sliced onion and saute it till deep golden brown
3. Then transfer it to a plate.
4. Add rest of the spices and heat it till fragrant
5. Transfer these to a plate.

For Rice:
Wash and drain the rice using a colander.
Heat 6 cups of water in a separate bowl and boil it.

1. Add one more table spoon of ghee to the wok after transferring the garnishing items out of the wok.
2. Once heated add the dried rice and fry it till rice becomes firm and rigid.
3. Add boiled water, salt and close the lid and cook over low flame.
4. When water is almost over, turn off the flame. But don't open the lid and keep it aside for 15 minutes, until the rice is completely cooked.

Layering:
For layering we need a vessel big enough to hold rice and chicken. Or you can use the wok itself.

1. Put rice and chicken in alternate layers starting with rice.
2. Add chopped coriander leaves while adding chicken
3. Garnish with initially prepared spices.
4. Cover the vessel with a well fitting lid (air tight) and heat over low flame for around 1 minute.
5. Keep the lid closed for another 10 minutes

Chicken biriyani is now ready to serve. I have just copied out my amma's way of cooking kozhi biriyani except that i didn't any colors. Last weekend i tried this & turned awesome.

Achinga Thoran (Yard Long Beans Fry)

Ingredients:
Achinga/yard long beans - 250gm/10 - 15 no.s
Onion - 1no.
Green chilly - 3no.s
Mustard seeds - 1/4 t spoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t spoon
Curry leaves - 1 strip
Grated coconut - 3 table spoon
Cooking oil - 2 table spoon
Salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash & clean achinga / long beans and chop into fine pieces.
2. Slice onions as we slice for omlette. ( very fine pieces )
3. Tear in the middle of green chilly.Chop Curry leaves.
4. Heat a pan and add cooking oil.
5. Splutter mustard seeds. Then add sliced onions. Saute it well till it turns translucent.You can add 1/2 t spoon of salt while sauting .It allows onions to cook soon.
6. Add green chilly & turmeric powder 
7. Add chopped beans and 3 table spoon of grated coconut and salt to taste & mix it well.
8. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 to 10min on medium flame. In between open the lid and stir the contents.
9. Add chopped curry leaves / garnish with curry leaves.
10. Its ready to serve.

        Tips

• Always cook veggie on low or medium flame.
• Its better to put chopped curry leaves while making thoran, so that we never keep it out while eating.