Chef Damodharan's Recipes.

Hi friends, Mr. Damodaran is the head of the MGR Catering College, in Chennai and a popular host of the cookery programme 'Suvaiyo Suvai' on Jaya TV. Here I am posting some of his recipes from the 'Regional Special Dishes' programme which was telecast some months ago. Do share any other recipes of his, which you may have in your collection of recipes.

DINDUKKAL BIRYANI Wash 1/2 kg. of JEERAKA SAMBA rice and soak for 30mins. Clean 1/2 kg. mutton pieces. Finely slice 1/4kg. of onions and chop 1/4 kg. of tomatoes. Heat 100gm. cooking oil [ can also use some ghee , about 50gm. in addition to the oil] in a heavy vessel, and splutter 2 sticks cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1 bay leaf, 1 stone algae [ kadal paasi in tamil ] and one maraati moggu [ I don't know the English name]. Then add onions and saute till brown. Then add paste of 6 garlic and 50gm. ginger, and the tomatoes and cook till raw smell goes. Then add washed mutton, 4 chopped green chillies , 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder, 2 tsp. chilli powder, 3 tsp. dhania powder, 1/2 a bundle of mint leaves, chopped, 1/2 cup thick curds, and cook till oil floats on top. Then add water twice the amount of rice , add required salt and cook the mutton. When the mutton is 3/4th. done, add the drained rice, mix, cover and cook. Do not disturb till you see small pits forming on top of the biryani. Then add little red [kesari] food colour dissolved in little water, mix well but lightly, and cook on 'dum' for half an hour. Serve hot with regular pachadi [made with onion, coriander leaves, tomatoes in curd].

AAMBUR BIRYANI BASMATHI rice - 500 gms. No kadalpasi, maratti moggu in this recipe. The rest of the ingredients required and their quantity is the same as the above recipe. But method of cooking is different. Method: Take 1 1/2 litres of water in a heavy pan. Add half the spices [clove,cardamom etc.] and boil the water. Add washed rice, salt and cook till 3/4th. done and drain the water. Set the rice aside. Meanwhile, clean the mutton. Mix it with curd, chopped tomatoes, mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and slit green chillies. Mix well and marinate for at least 30 mins. Heat the oil/ghee in a heavy pan, splutter the remaining whole spices, and fry the onions till brown. Then add muttons and cook till oil floats on top. Then add coriander powder and chilli powder, salt, and sufficient water to cook the meat. Once the mutton is cooked, and the mixture thickens, add the cooked rice, mix well and cook the biryani on 'dum' for 30mins. Serve hot with regular pachadi [made with onion, coriander leaves, tomatoes in curd].

THIRUVALLUR PONGAL - VADAICURRY Pongal : Wash 1 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup mung dal. Add 2 1/2 cups water, salt, a pinch of cumin seeds and cook in pressure cooker for 1 whistle. Then reduce flame & cook for a further 10mins. Remove from stove, add 1/2 tsp. asafoetida powder, mix well and set aside. Heat 1 tsp. oil and 2 tsp. ghee in a pan, and splutter 1tsp. cumin seeds, 2 tsp. pepper corns, 1 small piece of giner [finely grated], 5 cashewnuts broken and a few curry leaves. Add this seasoning to the cooked rice, mix well and serve hot. Vadaicurry: Grind together 1 small piece ginger, 8 garlic, 1tsp. fennel seeds, 3 red chilly, 1 piece cinnamon, 1 clove and 1 cardamom to make a thick paste. Soak 1 cup chana dal for 1 hour and grind to a coarse paste, adding as little water as possible. To this dal paste, add 1 Tbsp. of the ground masala paste, required salt and mix well. Make small vadais and fry in hot oil. Keep aside. In a pan, heat some oil and saute 2 chopped onions till brown. Then add 2 chopped tomatoes, the ground masala paste, 1tsp.each of chilli powder & coriander powder, 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder and saute well. Then add 1 cup of coconut milk and bring to a boil. Break up the fried vadais into bite-size pieces, add to the gravy, mix well & taste for salt. Add little water if gravy is too thick, bring back to the boil , switch off stove. Serve hot with pongal. SIVAGANGAI VELLAI PANIYARAM Soak 2 cups raw rice & 1/4 cup whole urad together for one hour and grind to a fine paste. Then add required salt, 1 Tbsp. milk, 1/2 tsp. sugar and mix well. The batter should be of a dosai maavu consistency. In a small fry-pan, heat required oil. When oil is medium hot , take a broad ladle and pour one ladle of batter into the oil. While the paniyaram is cooking pour the hot oil , from the sides onto the top of the paniyaram. Once it cooks and rises to the top, turn over to cook the other side, and after a minute remove from pan, drain and serve. Note : This dish should not be made in a paniyaram pan like how we do for kuzhi paniyaram etc. It should be made like appams, one at a time in a small kadai / vanali, adding more oil as & when the oil reduces. DHARMAPURI KEERAI VADAI Soak together 1/2 cup whole urad and 1 cup chana dal for one hour. Drain, grind to a coarse thick paste, without adding any water. Finely chop 1/2 cup small onions, 3 green chillies and 1/2 a bundle of arai keerai or siru keerai [or a combination of both]. Add these to the ground dal alongwith required salt & 1tsp. cumin seeds. Add finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves, mix very well. Heat oil for frying in the pan. Take a small ball of the vadai dough, place it on the palm, flatten to make thin vadais, pierce center with a finger and slowly drop the vadais in the oil. Fry on a medium flame till done. Don't overcrowd the pan, only add as many vadais as the pan will hold.

THOOTHUKUDI MAASI KARUVADU PODI

Clean 100gms. of maasi karuvadu, wash and dry roast in a pan till moisture evaporates. Set aside and when cool, powder the karuvaadu [in an ural if possible]. Grate 1/4 a coconut and dry fry in a pan till golden brown. When cool, powder and set aside. Then finely chop 50gms. of small onions and split 4 dried red chillies into bits. Now, powder the onions and chillies [raw itself, without dry roasting] . Then mix together the powdered onions with the powdered coconut and dried fish powdered. Add little salt, and store in clean , airtight bottles. Can be eaten with hot rice and some ghee / gingelly oil, just like other podis. Reply With Quote