Diamond Cuts Recipe

My mom used to make this Diamond cuts very often during my school days. I think she used to make this atleast twice a month. I love this diamond cuts for evening snack. Here is my mom's recipe. You can give it a try. Very simple to make. Just store it in a air tight container and, it will stay good for minimum 1 month.

Here comes the recipe.

You will need:

•  1½ cup All purpose flour/ Maida
• 1 Egg
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ cup powdered sugar (Optional)
• 1 pinch Salt
• Oil for deep frying

For Sugar syrup:  (If you are planning to make this sugar syrup avoid adding sugar while making the dough)

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 2 pinch Cardamon powder

Procedure:

Step 1:

Mix the all purpose flour(Maida), sugar, cardamon, egg, salt in a mixing bowl.

Step 2:

Now add the coconut milk and mix it very gently untill it forms a dough shape. You can add drops of water if you need .

Step 3:

Cover the dough with a lid and let the dough rest for 15 mins.

Step 4:

Heat the oil in a deep frying vessel. In the mean time, divide the dough into 2 to 3 balls and flatten it really thin sheet similar to chapathi or poori.

Step 5:

Cut it into diamond size using a knife. You can even use pizza cutter..

Step 6:

Deep fry the diamond cuts in the medium heat oil until it turns golden brown color.Remove from the oil and keep it in a tissue paper


Sugar syrup:

For this simple sugar syrup just heat the sugar, cardamon and water in a vessel to form 1" thread consistency. 

Cool slightly and add all the fried diamond cuts into the sugary syrup and mix it well.  Cool it completely and store it in a air tight container for long shelf life.

In the above picture i did not make any sugar syrup. Instead i just added sugar to the dough while making the dough, just to make my work easy. You can try that too..

Chicken Manchurian Semi gravy style

During college days, we used to visit Chicken Sampoorna hotel near NJJ BUS Stand at Coimbatore with my Nagercoil friends.  We always order Ginger chicken and Chicken manchurian along with some fried rice and naan, when we visit this place. I can still remember, how we finish the food. Wow.. Cant forget those days Julie akka, Mado, Linda, Jovita, Jermey. Love you guys..

I tried my best to get that taste.

You will need:

• 1 medium onion (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1 capsicum(green pepper) cut into bite sized pieces
• 5 pods of garlic. chopped very finely
• 1 inch ginger (chopped very finely)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp chilli garlic paste
• 2 tsp vinegar/ lemon juice
• 2 tbsp corn flour mixed with ½ cup water
• 2 pinch ajino motto
• Extra salt to taste
• oil for deep frying
• Green onion..for garnishing

 For Marinade:

• 1 lb chicken (boneless thighs) cut into bite size pieces
•  ½ tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• ½  tsp pepper powder
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp corn flour 
• salt to taste

Procedure:

Step 1: 

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and marinate with the ingredients under the marinade section and let it marinate for few hours inside the refrigerator.

Step 2: 

Heat the oil for deep frying and when its hot fry the chicken until its 90% cooked. Dont cook it for long time, coz overcooking the chicken will harden the meat. 

Step 3: 

Now heat 3 tbsp oil in another pan and add the chopped garlic and saute it for 2 mins then add the ginger to it and saute it for 1 more min. Now add the onions and the capsicum and saute it for few more mins. 

Step 4:

Now add the chilli garlic paste, soy sauce, vinegar, ajino motto and the chicken. Check for salt at this time. Now to get the semi gravy consistency, add the corn flour mixed with water until you get the desired consistency. 

Wahlah... Yummy chicken manchurian is now ready to serve with yummy chicken fried rice.

Spicy Fish Fry

You will need: 

• 1 lb Fish (Clean and cut into 5-6 pieces)
• 1 tsp Chilli Powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp Garlic powder 
• ½ tsp Ginger Paste (Can substitute with ginger garlic paste)
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 4  to 5 curry leaves (cut into small pieces). I use dry curry leaves powder 2 pinch
• ½ tsp vinegar / ½ tsp lemon juice
• Salt for taste
• ½ cup oil for frying

Procedure:

Step 1:

Take a bowl and mix all these ingredients except oil and let it marinate for minimum 2 hours inside the refrigerator.

Step 2:

Now heat the oil in the frying pan. When the oil becomes hot, put the marinated fish in the hot oil for 2 to 3 mins until  it gets brown crust and then flip it on the other side and fry until its done.

Fish fry is ready to serve. You can serve this fish fry with any variety dishes, like Biryani, Tomato rice, Lemon rice, Sambhar rice, Rasam rice.

You can can even have it as snack. he he.

Mutton Kheema - Spicy

• 
  You will need:
   
• 1 lb Minced Goat meat (Kheema)
• 1 medium sized onion (finely chopped / grated)
• 3 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp meat masala powder (1 tbsp red chilli powder + 1 tbsp corainder powder + 1 tbsp cumin powder)
• 1 tsp fennel powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste( preferably homemade)
• 1½ cup water
• 2 small onions or 1 shallot(finely chopped)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 string of curry leaves
• 1 tsp pepper powder (optional) 
• ½ tsp Amchoor powder (Dry mango powder)
• 2 tbsp oil (Preferably coconut oil)
• salt per taste 
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Procedure:

Step 1:

Take a pressure cooker and mix the minced meat, finely chopped onion, curry leaves, meat masala powder, fennel powder , ginger garlic paste, salt and the water. Mix it gently with your hands and allow it to cook for 6 to 8 whistles.

Allow it to cool for next 15 mins.


Step 2:

Now heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom vessel. When its hot add cumin seeds and then the curry leaves, Now add the finely chopped small onions to it. Saute it for just 2 to 3 mins.

Step 3:

Now add the cooked meat along with the water. Check for salt and allow the water to evaporate. Wait for 2 to 3 mins. Continue to saute it, till you get the dry form as shown in picture.
(If you have kids at home, you can save this soup for them)

Step 4:

Now add black pepper powder and the amchoor powder and mix it well.  Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve it with Chapathi, parotta or Rasam rice.

Egg Kuruma

Egg kuruma is my favorite. This is my mom's recipe. I love this kuruma with Appam. You can have this even with rice. Easy recipe. Just need to grind everything and 5 mins  in the stove.

You will need:

• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 1 tsp mustard seeds 
• 1 tsp cumin seeds 
• 1 string of curry leaves
• 2 red chillies
• 2 tbsp oil (Preferably coconut oil)
• salt per taste

To Grind:

• 1 cup of freshly grated coconut (or frozen) Or 1 cup of almond powder
• 3 small onions (pearl onions)
• 2 garlic pods
• 1  tomato
• 1 tsp chilli powder(Can adjust the spice level according to your taste bud)
• 1 tsp cumin powder 
• ½ tsp fennel seeds

Procedure:

Step 1:

Hard boil the eggs for 20 mins de shell them, then cut it into half and keep it aside.

Grind all the ingredients under the list To Grind along with some water to a fine smooth mixture and keep it aside.

Step 2:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the ground mixture to it and allow it to boil for 10 to 15 mins. 

Step 3:

Now add the hard boiled eggs into the boiled ground mixture and let it simmer for 3 to 5 mins. Check for salt.

Step 4:

Finally in a small pan heat 1 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ½ onion(finely chopped), curry leaves, red chillies. When everything finish splutters add this into the egg kuruma and cover the lid. Switch off the stove.

Egg kuruma is now ready to serve. Serve this with Appam or with plain white rice along with pickle. Yummyoov. You will definitely like it for its taste.

Hint:
You can add almond powder or grind almond along with coconut for extra flavor.