PALAK PONGKAL !!

கீரைப் பொங்கல் !!

Ingredients:

Chopped palak- 3 cups
Raw rice- 1 cup
Tuar dal- 2 tbsp
Green gram- 1/4 cup
Finely chopped onion-1
Finely chopped tomato- 1 1/2 cup
Slit green chillies-4
Finely shredded ginger- 1 Spoon
Ghee- 5 tbsp
Coarsely ground cumin seeds- 1 Sp
Coarsely ground peppercorn- 1 Sp
Asafetida powder- half sp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Tender brinjals [small]-3 [cubed]
Finely chopped coriander- 3 tbsp
Cashew nuts- 10
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Pressure cook the rice and the dals with 6 cups of water.
Heat a big pan and pour 4 tbsp of ghee.
Add the finely chopped onion with the green chillies and the ginger and cook them to golden brown.
Then add the tomato with the turmeric powder and the asafetida powder.
Cook until the tomatoes are mashed and the oil floats on the surface.
Add the brinjals with a little salt and cook until the pieces become tender.
Now add the palak and cook until the keerai is almost cooked but still has its green colour.
Add the coriander and cook for a few seconds.
Now add the cooked rice and mix on slow fire adding enough salt.
In a separate pan add the remaining ghee.
Fry the cashew nuts first and then add the ground powders.
Fry for a second and then pour this on the pongal.
Cook for a few minutes mixing well.
Pour melted ghee on top.
Now the delicious keerai pongal is ready!!

சிக்கன் கோளா

Usually chicken kola is prepared with lots of coconut and spices in some places of Tamilnadu. Some use more Bengal gram or gram dal. Some people use raw chicken for this kola. The recipe I am posting here consists mild spices only. This is a favourite dish for lunch. It goes well as an accompaniment for hot chichen kuzhambu, mutton kuzhambu and sambar. Also it suits well with a mild type of pulao variety.

CHICKEN KOLA:
Ingredients:

Chopped chicken pieces- 3 cups
Onion-2 [sliced]
Green chillies-5
Red chillies-2
Ginger- 1 tsp
Small garlic flakes-10
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Cinnamon- 1” piece
Cardamom-1
Cloves-2
Gram dal- 1 tbsp
Corn flour- 1 tbsp
Bread slices-2
Curry leaves-1 arc
Mint leaves-10
Chopped coriander- 2 tbsp
Small tomato-1 [chopped]
Peppercorn- ½ tsp
Shredded coconut- 1 tbsp
Enough oil to fry and use
Turmeric powder- half sp

Procedure:
Heat a pan and pour 2 tbsp of oil.
Add the spices and when they start to splutter, add the onion pieces and fry them well.
Then add the chopped tomato, green chillies, garlic, turmeric powder, red chillies, ginger, coconut and the greens.
Fry them well.
Add the chicken pieces and cook on slow fire with salt until all the water is evaporated from it.
When cooled, grind the chicken coarsely.
Powder the gram dal.
Put the bread slices in a mixi and switch on for I second to make fine breadcrumbs.
Add these and the corn flour to the chicken mixture and mix well.
Make small balls and fry them in hot oil on medium fire to golden brown.
Delicious kolas are ready now!!