Monthly Archives: March 2014

Chettinadu fish fry


Chettinadu fish fry (Chettinadu meen varuval) is very famous in south India and you will find this in every chettinadu restaurant menu. In Chettinadu cuisine, special spices like nutmeg, black stone flower and fennel seeds are used and are quite important in the cuisine apart from other spices. This is my family’s favourite fish fry. When we order any fish fry in a restaurant, they serve only one piece of fish fry but it will be big in size, a thick fillet served with onion rings and lemon wedges.


Grilled Lamb chops


Grilled lamb chops is one of my favourite starters. Now-a-days grilled lamb chops or mutton chops are popular in restaurants and you can find this in every restaurant menu. To cook lamb chops, you can ask the butcher as to whichever chops you want. There are front chops and back chops. The marinade I have used is spicy and sour. For the grilled lamb chops, I have cooked the chops in a pressure cooker and then grilled them so that the marinade is well incorporated with the lamb/mutton chops.


Vanjaram fish fry / king fish fry (restaurant style)


Vanjaram meen varuval (king fish fry) is very famous in south India and you will find this in every restaurant menu. In my mother-in-law’s house, if fish fry it means first it has to be vanjaram fish (king fish), then sankara (red snapper) and other fish. Vanjaram fish is a firm fish and has one bone and is easy to eat also. Vanjaram fish fry tastes delicious. I have already shown many fish fry recipes, which you can try with vanjaram fish also.


Kanchipuram idli / Kudalai idli


Kanjeevaram idli/Kudalai idli/Kanchipuram idli is a variation to the regular idli (steamed rice cake). Kanchipuram idli originated from the place called Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, famous for silk sarees, where I bought few of my sarees for my marriage 9 years ago. One of my aunts accompanied with us for shopping who suggested us to have Kanchipuram idli while shopping. Kanchipuram idli is slightly spiced and steamed.


Khushboo idli


Idli is the most popular south Indian breakfast. Khushboo idli is one more variety of idli and famous for its softness. It is spongy, fluffy and a little bigger than the usual idli. But for me the idli has to be soft and tasty for my breakfast. I tasted this in one of my friends place with coconut and tomato chutney. “Khushboo idli” seems to have named after the famous Tamil actress Khushboo, but I am not sure about this.