Chicken Kurma

Ingredients: 

Chicken: 1 whole chicken (around 3lbs- cut into pieces)
Onions - 1 Big finely chopped
Tomatoes - 1
Green chillis - 4
Salt to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cashews - 10
Poppy Seeds/Gasagasalu - 1tsp
Dry Coconut/Fresh grated coconut - 10 pieces/ handful if taking grated coconut
Turmeric - 1/2tsp
Water - 1 cup
Whole Garam Masala : 4 each whatever you have- Cinnamon stick, cardamon, Cloves etc.
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Coriander- for garnishing
Oil - 2tbsp

Procedure: 

• In a big kadai heat oil and add whole garam masala and fry for 1 min and add the chopped onions and green chilis and fry till the onions turn golden brown. 
• Add Ginger Garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is away. 
• Add Tomatoes, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric, and salt to taste and fry until the tomatoes turn mushy. 
• Add the cut chicken pieces into it and mix well and adjust the chili powder and salt if needed. 
• Put on high flame for 5 mins and cook continuously until the rawness of chicken is gone. 
• Meanwhile make a smooth paste of soaked cashews, poppy seeds and coconut together and keep aside. 
• Once the water is oozing out of chicken add this paste and mix well and add 1 cup of water and put on low flame and put the lid on and cook for 15 to 20 mins. 
• Check the consistency and add little water if you want  more gravy. Adjust salt and spiciness and add garam masala and cook for another 5 mins and garnish it with coriander and serve. 

Raagi Sweet Dosa/Uthappam/Adai

Ingredients:

Raagi Flour- 1/2 cup
Wheat flour -  2 tbsp
Jaggery/Bellam - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/3 cup (optional)
Cardamom powder - 1tsp
Nuvvula Oil/ Gingelly Oil - for frying or cooking the dosa

Procedure:

• In a mixing bowl, add ragi flour, wheat flour, grated coconut, cardamom powder and mix well.
• In a microwave safe bowl heat 3 to 4tbsp water and to it add the jaggery and dissolve it. 
• Now filter the jaggery mix to remove any sand or dust in it.
• Add the jaggery mix to the flour mix and mix it well by adding water to the mix.
• The mixture has to be not too thick nor watery. It has to be thicker than the dosa batter.

• Heat a dosa pan and add ghee/ oil on the pan.
• Put one laddle full of batter on the heated pan and spread it from middle to sides very slowly.

1. It will take for 2-3 mins to cook.
2. Now put little oil on the dosa and flip it to the other side and cook for another 1 min and serve.
3. Repeat the process with the remaining batter and serve it hot. 
4. This is a very good and healthy breakfast for both kids and adults.

Tips: 

• This will not be very thin as dosa and not as thicker as uthappam but medium in size.
• If you try to turn or spread the batter hard and fast on the pan it may not be perfect but crumbles. So be careful while spreading the dosa.
• Without the grated coconut it may be little harder but tastes good too. 

Eggless Whole Wheat Chocochip Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Pinch of salt
Choco chips - 1/2 cup
Vinegar/Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 1tsp
Oil - 3tbsp

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. In a bowl sieve all the dry ingredients wheat flour,baking soda and salt and keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl mix 1/2 cup water and 3tbsp of oil.
• To this add Sugar and mix it with a whisk or beater till all the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Now add vinegar/lemon juice whichever you are using, vanilla extract, choco chips and give a turn and do not over mix the batter else cup cakes may turn flat.
• Lightly grease the cupcake pan (or line with muffin cups and grease muffin cups).
• Add the cake batter with a small laddle one after the other and fill the cupcake pan. Only 3/4 cup is filled as it will rise once cooked. (as shown in the below pic)

• Bake for around 20 mins to 30mins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack to room temperature and served. Store in a air tight container and enjoy for at least a week. 

Sweet Pongadalu with Coconut

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom pods -5 tsp
Grated jaggery - 1 1/2 cups
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

• Soak raw rice for 1 -2 hours.
• Drain the water completely and grind the rice first in a mixie.Then add little water, grated coconut, cardamom pods and grind it to a smooth paste. 
• Add grated jaggery to it and mix well till it dissolves.
• Then add wheat flour and mix well .The batter should be of dosa batter consistency, so adjust accordingly by adding the flour.
• The batter need not ferment, you should make pongadalu immediately after grinding it.
• Heat oil in a small kadai, keep it in medium flame, take a small amount of batter in a small ladle or ice cream scooper and drop it gently into the oil. One pongadam at a time is preferred. 
• When it puffs and float on the oil, turn over and cook the other side also till golden brown(refer notes if it is not comes out in the correct shape). Drain the oil using a slotted ladle and take it out from the kadai. 
• Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter.
• Sweet pongadalu is ready to be served. It can had as a tea time snack.

Notes:

• If it sticks to the pan when the batter is dropped into the kadai, then the batter is thin and need to adjust the consistency by adding little wheat flour.
• If the pongadam gets squeezed and rises up rather than puffing up in the middle and flat on the edges then the batter is thick and need to adjust the consistency by adding little water of 1 tbsp at a time.