Eral kuzhambu!

Ingredients:shirimp(eral) - 600 gms (cleand) Onion - 1 (medium sized thinly sliced into half moons) Garlic - 5 (cut into thin pieces) Ginger - 1 inch (grated) Chilli powder - ½ tsp Paprika - 2 Tbsp Turmeric Powder - ¼ tsp Coconut milk - 400 ml Curry leaves - 1 twig Green chillies - 3 Tamarind - lemon size Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Oil - 2Tbsp Salt as required

Grinding Coriander seeds - 3 Tbsps Fenugreek seeds - ¼ tsp Pepper - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 twig

Method:Dry roast the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and pepper and powder it in a blender with the curry leaves. Once the powder is fine add 5 raw shirimps to it and grind it with some water. Heat the tamarind with water for 2 minutes on high. Dilute with cold water and extract the juice. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds and when they pop add the curry leaves, onion, garlic and fry till brown. Once brown add the ginger and sauté for one more minute. To this add the chilli, paprika, turmeric powders and the ground paste and fry till blended. Add the tamarind extract, salt,green chillies and let it bubble. To this gravy add the coconut milk and the shirimps. When the shirimps are cooked, remove from fire and enjoy with hot boiled rice.

Chettinad chicken fry.

Ingredients:Chicken – 750 gms Grind: Garlic – 4 pods Ginger – 1 inch Fennel – 1 Tbsp Cumin seeds – 1 tsp Coriander powder – 1tsp Chilli powder – 1 Tbsp Pepper – 1 Tbsp Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp Yogurt – 1 Tbsp Turmeric powder – ½ tsp Salt as required Frying 1: Onion - 1 chopped Tomato – 1 chopped Ginger-Garlic paste – 1½ Tbsp Frying 2: Onion – ½ sliced Curry leaves – 1 twig Red chillies – 3 Pepper powder – 1 tsp Method:Grind together all the ingredients under ‘Grind’ to a paste. Marinate the chicken with this paste for a couple of hours. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions. When the onions are soft add the ginger-garlic paste and then the tomatoes. Fry until the tomatoes are soft and the oil comes out. To this add the chicken with very little water and cook until done and the water is evaporated. In another pan heat some oil and fry the red chillies, curry leaves and the sliced onions. When almost done add the pepper powder to the onion and mix it well. Add the fried onion to the cooked chicken and give it a stir. Vola there you have a lip smacking chicken dish. it does not take a lot of time to make this.