AUTHENTIC DISHES | Saute Fry N Bake

Kaima urundai kozlambhu / meat ball curry

fullsizerender-4

Preparation time   : 20 minutes
Cooking time        : 18 minutes
Serves          : 8 members

Description

There are a few recipes that my mom is crazy about to cook, to master it, entertain with it and eat it too. But not always does she win with the recipe cook off. This kaima urundai kozlambhu is also one such recipe that she loves to cook and entertain with but fails always ending up with rubbery meat balls. Poor us in the table pretend it’s tasty and stuff our selves by gulping water to swallow the curry. She makes sure to ask dad if she’s made it like how my grand mother used to make it. Dad being a silent man by nature, just smiles always. The next time she says I will make the same, we all in a chorus say no, no not this time. My mom not knowing the real reason with all of us signaling and giggling with out her knowledge. Such recipes,even I don’t take an effort to try thinking if she can’t then even I can’t. But at times when you repeatedly serve the same and fall short of choice is when I take an effort to give my shot. My first few attempts did end up like moms. Rubbery meat balls. But being the never give up attitude me.. I did try over and over again. Usually I make it in the pressure cooker and it always ended in rubbery meat balls. So this time I made up my mind to make it in a pot, started and as I was dropping the meat balls, I got a call. Left the stove with the meat balls in low flame to cook. Made sure to rotate the pot once in three minutes time. Came back to the dish after nearly 12-15 minutes. Checked the meat balls to see if they were cooked through. As I pinched the meat balls, it just slit open so smoothly not as always in a hard way. I jumped up and the first thing I did was to call mom and tell her I made it exactly like grand ma. So the key was to cook the meat balls in low heat, this is where mom and myself were making a mistake. We are not to be blamed as my grand mother never ever shared her recipes with any one of us. I guess that’s why I am sharing the little I know with you all…..

Kaima urundai kozlambhu / meat ball curry

Ingredients for the meat balls

Ingredients	Quantity
Minced meat / Mutton keema	1/2 kg
Shallots	8
Ginger	1/2 inch piece
Garlic pods	6
Green chillies	6
Coriander leaves	3 tablespoons
Roasted Bengal gram dhal	3 tablespoons
Coconut grated	2 tablespoons
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Cardamom , cloves , cinnamon	2 each

Method for meat balls

Grind all the above ingredients together in a blender without adding water to a smooth paste .

Ingredients for gravy

Ingredients	Quantity
Big onions	2 chopped finely
Cardamom , clove , cinnamon	2 each
Ginger garlic paste	2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Coriander powder	2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Tomatoes	3
Oil	2 tablespoons

Ingredients to grind to a smooth paste

Ingredients	Quantity
Coconut	4 tablespoons
Cashew nuts	6
Fennel seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Poppy seeds	1/4 teaspoon

Method for gravy

Heat oil in a board vessel adding the whole spices letting them to splutter. Add onions and fry to translucent. Top with ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell vanishes.
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, tomatoes and sauté until oil separates. Add one cup of water and boil to take away the raw smell.
Add ground coconut – cashew masala paste and boil to thicken until desired consistency. (Semi loose will be fine as we have to boil the meat balls in it )
Roll the ground minced meat mixture into lemon size balls. slowly drop the meat balls into the boiling gravy, lower the heat and cook until the meat balls are tender and cooked by turning them over gently once after eight minutes time. Cook further to cook on the other side the same way.
Garnish with chopped coriander greens. Serve hot with ghee rice,pulaos, rotis, parata’s of your choice.

Kooni eraal niracha Kanava thiyal

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 15 -20 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Getting to see long faces in the dining table happen’s at all home’s tagged with a comment that follow’s with.. ” the same thing to eat every day.. Why ?? ” I am no exceptional.. I know most of you will not agree to this but the fact is at home we repeatedly cook the same 8-10 curries for lunch. The problem being my true blue South Indian hubby dear is just not ready to eat any thing new or try an out of the box curry. So I just don’t attempt much as I know the results even before it’s going to be served. This curry attempt was made purely to satisfy my craving’s for a new end twist to the mighty old thiyal curry. I just loved the idea of stuffing the squid that popped up in my mind out of a sudden when I was in the fish market gazing at the fresh local produce of the day. I did get small sized squid that were perfect for my purpose. Now stuffing that should pair well with the squid and taste good. Prawns came up so its prawns I assured. I didn’t want to go ahead with the regular cliche tomato onion gravy so I just paired it up with the authentic thiyal curry. Made it and was waiting to know the results. Tasted and my, my it was a perfect match that paired so well. I had my share, packed the rest to my friends place and I could not believe how they licked the entire thiyal with out a drop left. All they had to say was.. We live only once so nothing wrong in licking the bowl .. Had to agree for sure.

Prawn filling

Ingredients	Quantity
Cleaned prawns	1 cup
Small onions	5
Ginger	1/4 inch piece
Garlic clove	2
Grated coconut	1 cup
Curry leaves	4
Green chillies	2
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 just a squeeze
Salt	to taste

Method

Coarsely grind all the ingredients together mentioned in the ingredients to grind column except for lime juice and salt. The ground paste must be corse but smooth.
Add lime juice and salt to taste to the ground coarse mix. Mix well. Check seasoning and Keep aside for half an hour.

Ingredients for thiyal

Ingredients	Quantity
Baby Squid / Kanava	1/2 kg cleaned and whole with heads removed
Red chilli powder	1 tablespoon+ 1/2 teaspoon to marinate
Coriander powder	1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon to marinate
Tamarind pulp	1/2 cup
Salt	to taste
Coconut oil	2 tablespoons
Fenugreek seeds	1 teaspoon
Fennel powder	1 teaspoon
Garlic	1 teaspoon chopped
Ginger	1 teaspoon chopped
Green chillies	3 slit
Small onions	one hand full chopped
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves	Few
Grated coconut	1 cup
Pepper corns	1 teaspoon
Dry red chillies	2

Method for thiyal

Marinate the cleaned whole squid with red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Keep aside.
Heat a heavy bottomed vessel with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Fry the grated coconut to a golden brown colour. Top with red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder and pepper corns.
Sauté until a nice aroma arises making sure not to burn the spices. Remove from heat. Cool completely and grind to a smooth paste.
Heat a mud pit with coconut oil, crackle mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Top with small onions and green chillies. Sauté to translucent.
Add the ground masala paste and sauté for a minute until oil floats on top. Add the tamarind pulp, salt to taste and 3 cups water.
Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning. Cover with a lid and cook further until raw smell has gone for about 8 to 10 minutes in medium heat .
Stuff each whole marinated whole squid with the ground prawn paste to 3/4 full. Seal the open mouth with a tooth pick.
Drop the prawn stuffed squid into the thiyal and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the Squids float on top.
Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Stuffed jalar rolls

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 8 members

Description

At times you get so very surprised to see an authentic every day dish served in a totally new avatar. This is what happened exactly when I was served this snack at my brothers place in London. Jalar roti is like a regular at all our homes. We serve it as it is with a curry beside or make a pizza sort of pancakes with beaten eggs and filling. Cut into triangles and served. You eat one triangle and feel so stuffed and think you might end up with a heart attack soon. This version of the rolled one looked so cool and was light when compared to the pizza kind of version. My food locker did stuff this idea into it. Fed up with an over dose of deep fried snacks for ifthar. I wanted to pull this over due to try dish . Made it. My cook kept saying the filling will all spill out. She did make me nervous but I was confident as my sister Fazeem made it perfectly. i rolled one with a little of the filling spelling around but still the roll looked good with its net pattern and colourful filling inside. Though I keep myself busy with food and every bit of me revolves around food. There are times when the simplest ideas amaze me time and again signalling me that food is an ocean and you can not say I know all about food. Thanks to my sister Fazeem who served this dish letting me know a new way to serve the regular Jalar roti.

Ingredients For the jalar roti

Ingredients	Quantity
Eggs	2
Water	650 ml
Thick Coconut milk	100 ml
Salt	to taste
Flour	350 grams
Oil	100 ml

Method for jalar rotis

Mix all the ingredients together except for oil making sure no lumps are formed and the batter is a runny watery consistency.
Heat a tawa greased with oil. Pour the batter using a jalar cup or a piping bag in a circular motion, making thin, lacy net pancakes With gaps in-between.
Cook until set. Remove and set aside. Do the same until all the batter is over.

Ingredients For the filling

Ingredients	Quantity
lamb strips or boneless chicken strips	¼ kg
2 medium sized onion	2 sliced
Carrot	1 big cut to thin strips
Beans	5 cut to thin strips
Cabbage	1/2 cup cut to thin strips
Capsicum	1 cut to thin strips
Chilly powder	1 teaspoon
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder	1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Ginger and garlic paste	1/ 4 teaspoon each
Coriander leaves	chopped few
Salt	to taste

Method for filling

In a pressure cooker put the meat strips or boneless chicken strips and the rest of the spices. Let it cook.
Heat oil, sauté the chopped onions and vegetable strips to translucent. Add the cooked meat strips and cook to dry.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with coriander leaves. Cool completely and set aside.

How to assemble

Take a Jalar roti and place a heaped tablespoon of filling towards the edge.
Fold the two sides over the filling.
Tuck in the top part of the Jalar roti over the filling.
Roll tightly over until the opposite end. A few of the filling might come out but that is ok.
Do the same with all the Jalar roti and filling mixture.
Serve warm or hot with dipping of your choice . At home it’s had as it is with no dips.

Notes

Make sure to cut the vegetables and meat used to strips so as to when rolling it does not come out.

Pichupotta Milagu kozli roast / shredded pepper chicken roast

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

I just love the aroma from the road side parotta stalls. As a kid I remember we used to dine in these small eat outs on our way back from Bangalore to Coimbatore near hosur. I used to always order for don don parotta… That Was my nick name for kotthu parotta. The music and sizzle it generated while it was made used to melt my heart. Then came the Burma Bhai eat outs in Coimbatore with its authentic tasting yummy food. That is where I got to taste this pichu poota chicken pepper roast. Pichu poota in Tamil means shredded. This eat out street stall was located in a dark place and quite difficult to see how things are done. So just eating and tasting was done always. Then in the famous coutralam border kadai when waiting outside for a seat in the restaurant ( it’s just a shed with tables and stools ) near the parotta griddle. I got to see them make this pichu potta pepper chicken roast. I did save it in my mind. who will miss the opportunity of getting an easy to follow recipe for free. Back home. I made sure to give it a try when I had guests for dinner. I made slight changes by adding a few ingredients. The final result was wonderful making me realise Indian food is delicious as it is varied. The beauty of this dish is that it doesn’t require fancy ingredients to be impressive. To me , the best kind of cooking involves experimenting with every day common ingredients you are sure to find in your pantry. A dash of this, a spoonful of that and you have got yourself a meal with just a few ingredients. The key is minimalism. The more you let each individual ingredient shine, the greater your chances are of ending up with a winning dish. Maximum flavour with minimum fuss. Make sure to try this simple rustic wonder of our street stalls and I assure you it will be added to your regular menu at home.

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken	1 kg
Ginger and garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon each
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Lemon	1/2 a lemon
Garam masala	1 teaspoon
Coconut oil	3 tablespoons
Curry leaves	one hand full
Pepper powder	2 tablespoons or more to taste
Cumin powder	1 teaspoon

Method

Pressure cook 1 kg chicken with bones ( only then it tastes good ), ginger and garlic paste, turmeric power and salt with little water for one whistle.
Once the whistle sound subsides. Open lid and cool completely, shred the meat from the bones. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the chicken and mix with Garam masala powder.
Heat coconut oil, top with curry leaves. once they crackle. Add shredded chicken, pepper powder and cumin powder.
Roast in high flame for 5 minutes, then in low flame for another 5 minutes letting all the flavours infuse together. Check seasoning, remove and serve hot.

Prawn Varatiyathu

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description

Prawn’s always reminds me about a story my cousin sister told me. Her favourite source of protein is prawn’s. Being a newly wedded bride, she had a big doubt about prawns. That at her in – laws place the prawns are never round like at her mom’s place. She did ask her mother about this and the answer she got was when cooked prawns get round . Her million dollar doubt was cleared only when she keenly took note of each prawn being cut into three pieces by her mother – in – law before being cooked . For lunch each person is served just three pieces which means each person gets just one prawn to eat .Her co sister a sweet girl would offer her share to my cousin who loved prawns. Every time I cook or clean prawns this story of my cousin pop’s up in my mind. Food and the stories it brings along with it. Coming to this dish. It is an authentic dish that I learnt from my mother- in – law. A never fail recipe that’s so easy to make with in minutes. I get a bowl full from next doors where my in – laws live every time it’s made. The culinary power house I have near me .. Simplicity is key for this slow cooked rustic dish. This side dish can be adapted to be eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner . They are versatile, changing their character according to the accomplishments like bread, rice or rotis. So create a difference to eat, to live, breathe and feel this master piece.

Ingredients	Quantity
Prawns	1 kg cleaned
Small onions	2 hands full chopped
Curry leaves	few
Green chillies	4 slit
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Tomato	2 big chopped
Red chilly powder	2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/8 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Coconut oil	4 tablespoon
Coriander leaves	few chopped

Method

Heat coconut oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add small onions and green chillies.
Sauté to translucent. Top with curry leaves. Toss well.
Add Ginger and garlic paste. Sauté to crisp. Top with tomatoes and sauté until it break down and let’s it’s juices out.
Add prawns, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste.
Sauté for five minutes letting all the flavors infuse together.
Cover and cook to done adding very little water.
Once cooked and gets to a gravy consistency. Simmer for five minutes letting the oil float on top.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot as a side with rice or chapathis.

Flaxseed gun powder

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 5-8 minutes
Serves : more than ten helpings

Description

Two of my parental aunt’s ( eldest two ) come visiting for a days stay to my parents place. As always it’s non stop gossiping and exchanging update’s with in themselves with happenings of near and far relatives and friends . When dad is out of the house, my aunt’s automatically get into the kitchen and start to do some thing or the other to show case their culinary skills. Well now you all might know from where I get this craziness of loving to cook and entertain comes from . This flex seed gun powder was a recipe that my first aunt zohra ( Pappathi her pet name ) made that day. So easy to make, healthy, spicy and aromatic. The comfortable warmth of this beloved classic is matched by the accents of different spices that go into it to get a magical instant gun powder. I sure rely a lot on my aunts to steal smart ways to improve my kitchen skills. A sprinkle of this over your dosa, idli or kuli paniyaram’s will boost the flavour and delight you to eat more. So that’s what my parents and aunt’s did too.. Talking, eating and enjoying with this gun powder soaking up ways creating memories to be cherished latter.

Ingredients	Quantity
rice ( pacha arisi )	2 cup
Asafoetida	1 teaspoon
Curry leaves	one hand full
Garlic	1 pod peeled
Cumin	1/4 cup
Black pepper corns	1/4 cup
Dry red chillies	15
Urad dal	1 cup
Horse gram ( kollu - kaanam )	1 cup
Bengal gram dal	1 cup
Salt	to taste
Flax seed	1 cup

Method

Dry roast all the ingredients separately until a nice aroma arises. Cool completely.
In a food processor powder the roasted ingredients together to a semi coarse powder with out adding water.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Store in an air tight clean bottle in room temperature.
Mix 3 teaspoons of idli powder with 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil or coconut oil and have with idli or dosa.

Molagu Kari

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 15 -20 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description

Nothing can beat authentic recipes that our grand mother’s, mothers and aunts fed us with. Like wise this is one recipe that was and still is on the table every alternative day at our homes evoking childhood memories. A simple dish made with cupboard friendly ingredients that’s undoubtedly on my list of top comfort foods. The magic of this dish is in the art of balancing the spice powders used to bring out the maximum flavors. Sesame seed oil is used only for pickles at mom’s place. But surprisingly this one dish also has to be made with sesame seed oil. While this dish has been adapted in many ways , the original will always be my favorite especially since I am so far away from my native place. The picture of my grand mother, mom and aunts making this dish is crystal clear in my mind , with all of them being so noisy when in the kitchen. My grand mother would taste the dish with a large spoon and share a sip of the magic with me as the final test before she turned the heat down. Pour the prepared dish into a serving bowl. Then two ladles of hot rice was put into the vessel that was used to make this dish. Mix the rice making sure it soaks up all the remaining gravy and coats the rice well leaving the vessel clean. One teaspoon of ghee added, mixed well. She makes balls of this mix with her hands. We cousins sitting around her, we are fed each a ball as a teaser before lunch in between us playing in the hot sun. So this is how my love affair with this dish began. Please try this recipe and fall in love as I did too .

To Grind ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Small onion	1 and 1/4 cup
Green chilli	1
Tomato	1 medium size
Ginger	1/2 inch piece
Garlic	7 flakes peeled
Curry leaves	1/2 hand

Other ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Mutton	1 kg
Dry red chillies	6 , each torn into two pieces
Curry leaves	few
Pepper powder	6 tablespoons
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder	3 tablespoons
Cinnamon powder	1/4 teaspoon
Cloves powder	1/8 teaspoon
Sesame seed oil	4 tablespoons
Salt	to taste

Method

Grind all the ingredients together mentioned under the to grind column to a smooth paste.
Heat Sesame seed oil in a pressure cooker. Add torn dry red chillies and curry leaves. Sauté until they crackle.
Top with cleaned mutton and salt to taste. Sauté for five minutes in medium heat until the colour of the meat changes.
Add the ground masala and sauté further for another five minutes. Top with pepper powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Sauté for three minutes.
Pour around 3 cups of hot water. Mix well and pressure cook until the meat is cooked and tender.
Finally garnish with cinnamon and cloves powder. Mix well and serve hot with rotis, chapathis, idli, dosa, appam or boiled white rice.

Mutta Kaima Urundai

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

There are times when your mind gets blank and does not work like it always does. Right now, I am in that state of blankness about this dish and what to recollect or write about it. A dish i got to know only recently after one of my cousin sister was married to a town in Tamil Nadu called eroad. Well, nothing out of the box but a tamilian reinterpretation done to the British scotch eggs and the North Indian nargisi koftas. We being a large family (hubby dear often address’s our family as a circus family) with 28 first cousins. All married with Tamil, Malayalam and Urdu speaking spouses. The latest addition, my last cousin brother’s NRI wife. So our food habits have also taken twists and turns as each addition to the family has its own influence through food and culture. I make sure to steal the authentic new recipes from every one for sure. Like wise this recipe was one such. I do make the same with quill eggs at time’s which is apt for single serving and adds a surprise element to the dish when bit in to see an egg inside letting temptation take over your senses. This dish is a perfect harmony of goodness and taste that I consider is best served during a festive season meal to create a memorable spread. So rock it with these sophisticated accompaniment In style all.

Ingredients	Quantity
Boiled eggs	3
Mutton keema ( boneless mutton mince )	150 grams
whole dry red chillies	2
roasted gram/Pottu kadalai/varu kadalai	1 tablespoon
cashewnuts	4
fennel seeds	1 tablespoon
grated coconut	2 tablespoons
small onions/Shallots	6
garlic flakes	3
grated ginger	2 teaspoon
cardamom	1
cinnamon	1/2 inch
clove	1
curry leaves	few
Raw egg	1
Salt	to taste
Oil	to deep

Method

Heat oil. Add cinnamon, cardamom, clove and curry leaves.Once they crackle add ginger and Saute.
Top with garlic,small onions and saute for a few seconds.
Add the green, red chillies, cashew and saute till the ingredients get roasted well.
Then add fennel seeds and saute until a good aroma arises. Add coconut,saute it.
Finally add roasted gram and give a slight roast.set aside and cool completely.
Heat little oil and saute the minced mutton for 5 – 8 minutes.
See to it that it gets half cooked and water gets dries up completely. Cool the minced mutton.
Grind all the roasted ingredients together except for minced mutton with out adding water. Then add mutton and salt.
Grind to get a thick smooth dough like mass of mixture.
Add egg to the ground mixture and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Make big lemon sized balls and flatten with no cracks.
Place one boiled egg in the middle and slowly cover the boiled egg entirely with the minced meat mix with no cracks and holes.
Do the same with all the boiled eggs and ground minced meat mix.
Heat oil to deep fry in medium flame. Deep fry the mutta kaima urundai to a dark golden brown colour and crisp.
Drain, cut into equal half with the help of a sharp knife and serve hot as it is.

Notes

Make sure to use the exact quantity of ingredients mentioned or else the minced meat cover will not taste or turn out good.
While grinding the mixture don’t add water.Or else it will absorb more oil.
Heat oil in medium flame to deep fry. If fried in high flame the outer layer becomes dark soon but it will not get cooked inside.
you can follow the same to do chicken kola urundai.
Make sure there are no cracks before deep frying the mutta kaima urundai as they tend to suck in oil and look terrible.

Massi vadai

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 2 minutes for each batch deep fried
Serves : 4 to 5 members

Description

Authentic home recipes that are passed down from generation to generation is what that always excite’s me the most as it carries a lot of untold stories and values to it. This dish I remember having it at one of my friends place in kayalpattinam for lunch as a side dish. It sure did have an actuate taste and I didn’t like it much as well then. Now being the true blue foodie I am, this recipe just did came into my mind from no where. Gave it a try and was hit on the table. The most amazing thing about this recipe is, it uses an unusual combination of cupboard friendly ingredients that’s always available at home. These simple recipes passed down from self – taught culinary whizz’s with easy approach and uncomplicated home style recipes are a silver spoon feeding to us where we always are looking to rustle up a meal of comfort food for the family or to host a gathering . It’s all about warmth and hope that brings in a glow with child – like delight profound in its simplicity. It feels great to be sharing these little known Muslim cuisines into context, explaining the significance of each dish.

Ingredients	Quantity
Maasi powder	50 grams
Rice cooked	1 cup
Egg	1
Chilli flakes	to taste
Cumin powder	1/2 teaspoon
Fennel powder	1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves	few chopped
Grated coconut	1 tablespoon
Salt	to taste
Oil	to to deep fry

Method

Grind rice to a coarse paste.
Add all the other ingredients to it except for oil and mix well.
Heat oil to deep fry.
Shape the rice mix into small rounds of goose burry Size with wet hands.
Flatten a bit and deep fry to golden.
Drain and serve hot.

Thakkali jam / Tomato sweet

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 15- 20 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description
Through out Tamil Nadu the ravuthar community (Tamil speaking Muslims) in each district have their own version of a sweet served with biriyani at weddings and festivals mainly. It’s usually made with a vegetable as that’s the age old tradition. But now the new age fruits and bread sweets are very much in. In Palghat-Coimbatore region we serve the white pumpkin sweet called as pusanikka mittha which is rarely made at homes but served only in weddings, festivals or gatherings where the cooks come and cater. Here, Deep South in tirunelveli at hubby dear’s place it’s beetroot sweet or tomato sweet served with biriyani’s authentically which is made at all homes as well. Now a days they serve pineapple jam, raw papaya sweet etc… my mother-in- laws special is adding Apple bits to the beetroot jam . The tomato sweet takes first place though as its always access able in the local market. They use the country verity tomatoes alone as it gives a sweet and sour taste to the dish. It depends on each individual as how they like to have their sweet… To have it with the biriyani (like hubby dear does) or in the end after you are done with your meal (like I do). The sweet is served beside the biriyani on the same plantain leaf or plate. The gloss with the seeds of the tomato popping to inject a dose of freshness is sure a killer with sharpness, acidity and sweet to balance. This recipe is simple, keeping it so to give respect for the ingredients used. It’s one of those dishes that go wrong the minute you try to over complicate it. The valve of simple traditional fare that has travelled in its original from from one generation to the other. Taste may be evolving, but nothing can replace the original dishes that our ancestors patiently created to achieve the maximum possible flavors with pleasure.

Ingredients	Quantity
Tomato ( country variety not the hybrid ones )	1 kg
Sugar	2 cups or to taste
Cardamom powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	a pinch
Ghee	3 tablespoons
Cashew nut	2 tablespoons chopped to bits
Raisins	1 tablespoon

Method

Cut each washed whole tomato with a sharp knife in a cross pattern on the bottom half way, keeping the top intact.
Bring a large pot of water to boil that can accommodate the entire lot of one kg tomatoes in it. Add the half way cut whole tomatoes and keep covered for five minutes over medium flame.
Remove from heat and cool completely. Drain the tomatoes, retaining the water. Peel the skin of each tomato.
Blitz the peeled tomatoes in a food processor making sure not to grind the seeds. We need a purée that’s not very coarse but smooth with the tomato seeds whole.
Pour this tomato purée into a non stick pan and reduce the water content in it. Takes about 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally making sure not to burn the bottom.
Add sugar, a pinch of salt and cardamom powder. Mix well. The tomato purée becomes loose once the sugar melts. Cook until you get a semi thick purée that gets to look glossy.
Taste and adjust sweetness to taste. Remove from heat. Heat ghee, add the cashew bits and raisins. Fry to golden. Pour over the prepared tomato sweet. Mix well and serve at room temperature with biriyani.

Notes

The reserved tomato boiled water can be used to make rasam or can be added to any savoury dishes instead of water.
Make sure not to purée the boiled peeled tomatoes too much. The beauty of this sweet is in seeing the whole seeds once cooked that add a pop to the dish with a slight crunch too.
After adding sugar, if the tomato purée is cooked for longer than needed it tends to get to a halwa consistency. So make sure to remove it from heat once it gets to a semi think gravy consistency.