Kala’s Beef (Bull) Biriyani for Christmas

India banned cow slaughter in 1977, so my husband’s friend used to refer to beef dishes as bull dishes as bull slaughter was (and is) allowed. My family loves the rich flavour of beef and I have been making this biriyani for 4 decades, especially for the Christmas feast. I created a beef biriyani recipe as mutton prices had soared and good mutton was hard to get. I have refined this recipe over the decades and it is now a sumptuous, satisfying, and irresistible treat. I serve it with my Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala and Thayir Pachadi (Yoghurt and Onion Salad). I have now begun serving this biriyani with a boiled egg as well, as all the restaurants serve biriyani this way and it makes this biriyani extra festive.

Kala’s Beef (Bull) Biriyani for Christmas

Kala’s Dindugal Mutton Biriyani for Easter

Dindugal Biriyani became very popular in Chennai during the early years of this century. It is unique in being very different from the conventional Tamil Muslim biriyani – it does not use basmati rice; the dry masala is broiled and powdered and includes stone flower and star anise; the green masala has onion and green chillies ground together with ginger and garlic. The Dindugal Thalapakatti Biriyani is the most famous version of this biriyani, but I was always unimpressed with it because it lacked the wholesomeness of biriyani and the explosion of flavours in your mouth. I tried out various recipes and slowly developed my own which retains the uniqueness of the original but is also delicious and appetising.

Kala’s Dindigul Mutton Biriyani for Easter

Kala’s Yellow Corn and Carrot Pulav

January-March is the season for luscious yellow corn. It has a bland sweetish flavour and a crunchy texture which adds character to a dish. I have always loved sweet corn and chicken soup and wondered if I could get the same flavour with rice – and I could! I added coconut milk to give the rice rich flavour. It is a favourite in my house, and it goes very well with both vegetarian (Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala, Dry Peas Curry) and non-vegetarian (Kala’s Chicken and Capsicum Curry, Kovilpatti Chicken Curry) side dishes. It is also a very attractive dish which can be served at festivals and to guests.

Kala’s Yellow Corn and Carrot Pulav

Kala’s Paneer, Capsicum and Baby Corn Pulav

I have a fondness for pulavs and fried rice and like to come up with my own recipes. I have seen rice recipes using paneer by famous chefs, but I wasn’t impressed with the taste. As paneer is rather bland, I added capsicum to enhance the flavour. I also added baby corn because it complements capsicum. I usually serve this dish with hot and sweet tomato chutney as it goes well with the mild flavour of this dish.

Kala’s Easy To Make Aloo Paratha (Potato Stuffed Indian Wheat Bread)

Coming from Thirunelveli where we didn’t use much wheat back in the day, my introduction to Aloo Paratha was in Delhi where I attended a Summer Institute in Lady Irwin College in 1969. When we went on a tour, the North Indian cooks prepared very light parathas for us with a pickle as side dish. It was really delicious with good satiety value. When I got married I tried this out, but it took a very long time to cook this, and the parathas were very heavy. Now with my daughter’s help I have created my own recipe which has very few ingredients, and is easy to make. I also serve it with Fresh Mango Pickle and Boiled Lime Pickle.

 

Kala’s Easy To Make Aloo Paratha

Kala’s Senai Kolla (Yam Deep Fried Balls)

During the coronavirus lockdown, people rush around buying vegetables which would keep for more than a week unrefrigerated. Yam and colocasia are in great demand (but not as much as potatoes). Yam is known as senai in Tamil Nadu and kolla means globe. Fried yam balls are made by a few families. Though my mother hadn’t bothered to write down the recipe for me, my husband’s aunt used to make these. I never liked it, perhaps because she wasn’t a great cook 🙂 During this lockdown I bought a lot of yam and then created my own version of Senai Kolla. My son usually doesn’t eat vegetables, but even he didn’t mind this 😀

Kala’s Senai Kolla (Yam Deep Fried Balls)

Kala’s Double-Fried-Potato Fried Rice

In Tamil cooking, potatoes are fried in large chunks and used in Pulavs and biriyanis. I wanted to make a rice dish that was different from the traditional cuisine. I came up with this Double-Fried-Potato Fried Rice which gives a lovely contrast of crunchy potatoes with the soft texture of rice. My fried rice includes spices used by the Chinese, and therefore it is very mild. I served this along with Murgh Makkanwali, and it was a smash hit! Though the double-frying takes a bit more time, it is very easy to make and the results are worth it 🙂

 

Kala’s Double Fried Potato Fried Rice

Kala’s Usili with Mullangi Keerai (Dry Dhal Curry with Radish Tops)

Paruppu Usili, a dry dhal curry, is combined with finely chopped vegetables such as cluster beans, beans, etc. It is a special and auspicious vegetarian preparation which features in wedding feasts in Tamil Nadu and is the first to be served on the plantain leaf along with pickle and salt. There are different versions of usili, but I created this version with radish tops because of the many medicinal values attributed to them, some of which I myself have benefitted from. The traditional combination of red gram dhal and Bengal gram dhal results in a lot of flatulence and discomfort, so I have used only red gram dhal. I have also left out the curry leaves because the radish tops have a very pronounced flavour which clashes with the curry leaves. Usili can be packed as a side dish along with rice in a lunchbox (as it is dry), and I eat it as a snack because of its high satiety value combined with enticing flavour 🙂

Kala’s Usili with Radish Tops

Kala’s Tomato Flavoured Kuzhippaniaram (Fritters)

I’m always tempted to prepare snacks in the non-stick kuzhippaniaram mould to reduce the consumption of oil. March is when we get good quality tomatoes in Chennai, especially the country variety – these are very sour and quite popular in Tamil cuisine. I decided to use pulsed tomato to prepare the batter. Needless to say the tomato flavour invites a lot of spice in the preparation, so I used chilli, garlic, mint, curry leaves, and onion (of course!). I chose maida and rice flour which give a mild/neutral flavour so that the tomato and the spices will not be smothered. This dish makes an excellent spicy snack that can be served without an accompaniment, and it can also be served as an intriguing side dish to the typical Tamil festive meal.

 

Kala’s Tomato Flavoured Kuzhippaniaram

Kala’s Jubilee Fried Chicken

I am celebrating my 250^th recipe on this blog! I wanted to follow Indian jubilee traditions by posting a recipe of a sweet but I then thought of creating something which is unique in using a minimal number of spices and with a short cooking time. I also wanted it to be low fat with minimum wasted nutrients. The result is this fried chicken which is mouth wateringly delicious, quick and easy to make, saves fuel, and is good for health – it sounds impossible, but it is true!

Kala’s Jubilee Fried Chicken