TOMATO CHICKEN FRY:

This recipe is a very different version on chicken fry and tasty too! Even boned chicken pieces will have a more delicious taste !

கோழி தக்காளி வறுவல்

INGREDIENTS:

Boneless chicken pieces- 750 gms
Turmeric powder- half sp
Big onion-1
Shredded coconut- 3 tbsp
Red chillies-10
Cinnamon- 1” piece
Curry leaves- 3 arc
Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp
Poppy seeds- 1 tbsp
Cardamom- 5
Ripe tomato-2
Peppercorn- half sp
Small Garlic flakes- 15
Chopped coriander- half cup
Salt to taste
Oil- 3 + 1tbsp

Procedure:

Bake the onion with the skin on slow fire until the skin becomes black and nice aroma fills in the air.
Let it cool down.
Remove the skin, wash and cut it into big pieces.
Heat a pan and pour a tsp of oil.
Add the cardamom, fennel seeds, cinnamon, curry leaves, red chillies and the poppy seeds.
Fry them to golden brown.
Then add the coconut and fry for a few seconds.
Let them cool down.
Grind them to a paste along with the onion.
Mix this with the chicken pieces adding enough salt.
Let it stand for 15 minutes.
Mash the tomatoes coarsely with the garlic and the peppercorns.
Heat a pan and pour 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the tomato mixture with the turmeric powder and cook until the tomato becomes a paste and the oil oozes out.
Allow this to cool off.
Pour the remaining oil in a pan and heat it.
Add the chicken and cook until it is almost done.
Then add the tomato mixture and cook for a few minutes until every thing is mixed well and slighted roasted.
Add the coriander and mix well.
The delicious tomato chicken fry is ready now!
This is a nice sdie dish for sambar sadham, kurma, briyani varieties etc.

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Vadukapuli Naaranga Achar - Onam special pickle

Onam, one of the biggest festival of Kerala is round the corner. This is the one festival which is celebrated for a longer period spanning 10 days. The pookalam (flower arrangement), Onakodi (new clothes) and Onasadhya (feast) are the highlights of the celebration.When it comes to the sadhya, the preparations start earlier on. Banana chips and sarkkaravaratti( deep fried raw bananas coated with jaggery) will be prepared 2 or 3 days before the Onam. Pickles will also be prepared before hand. Vadukapuli naaranga and inji puli are the common pickles served.

Vadukapuli naaranga is a kind of citrus fruit which is very juicy and sour level is high compared to lemon. It isn't bitter like Narthangai. I'm not sure of the English name of this. On searching the net, I understand Citron is narthangai. If any of you know the English name for vadukapuli, do leave a comment and shall update it here.  Update This is called kadarangai in Tamil and wild lemon in Enlgish. Thanks Hema for the info.

This naaranga can be pickled with just salt, green chilly and ginger or the usual way of pickling with the regular ingredients of red chilli powder, fenugreek and mustard seeds. I prefer the salted version and love it very much. I like the chillies and the ginger in this pickle more.  This pickle is very easy to make. The only work involved here is chopping the fruit, chillies and ginger. Then its just mixing all the chopped ingredients with salt and the pickle is ready.

You need

•  Vadukapuli naaranga - 1 nos, chopped into bite size pieces
• Green chillies - 10 -12 nos, finely chopped
• Chopped ginger - 2 tblspn
• Salt to taste

 Method

Take these measurements as pointers and you are free to increase or decrease the quantity of chilly and ginger.  Mix all the ingredients in a dry vessel. Transfer to a clean, dry glass jar. Cover tightly and leave it for a day. The juice will be released from the fruit. The juice combines with salt will have a consistency of honey. It tastes great with curd rice.

It will keep good for a week wit refrigeration. If you want to increase the shelf life to another week, make sure you add some more salt because that's the only preservative added here.