Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce (Greek yoghurt and cucumber dip)

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Boneless chicken – Around 350 - 400 gm, cut into 1 inch cubes (I used 2 chicken breasts)

2. Lemon juice – 4 tsp

    Olive oil – 1.5 tbsp

    Greek yoghurt – 2 tbsp

    Pepper powder, freshly ground – 1/2 tsp

    Dried oregano – 2 tsp

    Garlic – 4 large cloves, minced

    Salt – To taste

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the ingredients numbered 2. Keep it in the refrigerator for 8 hrs or a minimum of 2 hrs. Take it out of the refrigerator half hour before frying or grilling.

To assemble

3. Pita bread – 3

4. Tzatziki sauce – 1/2 – 3/4 cup

5. Red onion – 1/4 cup, chopped

6. Tomato – 1/2 cup, seeded and chopped

Method

1. Cook the chicken pieces in a skillet / non-stick pan or arrange on skewers and grill them. (I pan-fried them in 1 tbsp olive oil). Fry the chicken pieces at medium heat for 6 – 8 minutes until browned on both sides.

2. Brush a little olive oil on both sides of the pita bread and place on a griddle until heated through but still soft, about 30 seconds on each side at medium heat. Transfer it to a plate.

3. Top the pita bread with the chicken pieces. Next add around 1 – 2 tbsp of tzatziki sauce and top it all with chopped onion and tomatoes. You can also add other toppings such as shredded lettuce, French fries etc. Serve immediately.

Tzatziki Sauce

 

Ingredients

 

1. Greek yoghurt – 1 cup (You can use regular whole milk yoghurt instead but strain it in a cheesecloth/muslin cloth for minimum 2 hrs before using)
2. Cucumber – 1 large, peeled, seeded and grated
3. Garlic – 1 tsp, minced
4. Lemon juice or white wine vinegar – 1 tsp
5. Olive oil – 1 tbsp
6. Salt – To taste
7. Pepper powder – 1 pinch
8. Fresh mint leaves or dill – 1 – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Method

Using paper towels squeeze out maximum moisture from the grated cucumber. Combine it with rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.

 

Kappa Puzhungiyathu / Boiled Tapioca with Kanthari Mulaku Chammanthi

 

 

 

Chendamuriyan Kappa / Kappa Puzhungiyathu / Boiled tapioca

 

Ingredients

1. Kappa / Tapioca / Yucca Root/ Cassava
2. Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
3. Water - As required to cook

Method

Remove the outer brown skin and the inner pink skin, of 2 - 3 tapioca. Cut into 2 - 2.5 inch pieces and wash well. Transfer them to a large vessel filled with water, at least 2 inch above the tapioca pieces, add enough salt and cook covered until the tapioca pieces are tender and soft, about 15 - 25 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

Kanthari Mulaku Chammanthi

Ingredients

1. Kanthari mulaku /Bird's eye chilly  or regular green chilies - 10

2. Pearl onions - 15

3. Curry leaves -A few

4. Coconut oil - 2 - 3 tbsp

5. Salt  - To taste

Method

Crush the chilies, pearl onion and curry leaves in a motor and pestle. Alternatively pulse them 2 - 3 times in a mixer. Transfer it to a small  bowl and add salt and coconut oil. Mix well. Serve immediately with boiled tapioca.

For a less spicier version, add beaten yoghurt to the crushed chilies, onion and curry leaves. You need not use coconut oil, if you are using yoghurt. Boiled tapioca also goes very well with fish curry especially Kottayam style and thenga-mulaku chammanthi.

 

 

 

 

 

Thenga Chammanthi / Coconut Chutney

 

 

Ingredients ( Serves 3 - 4)

To grind

1. Grated coconut - 1.5 cup

    Ginger - 3/4 inch, roughly chopped

    Pearl onions - 2 - 3

    Chilly powder - 1 tsp

    Salt - To taste

For seasoning

2. Oil - 2 - 3 tsp

    Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

    Dry red chilies - 2 - 3, broken

    Pearl onion - 2 - 3, finely chopped

    Curry leaves - 5 - 6

Method

1.  Grind the ingredients numbered 1 to a fine paste, adding enough water, in a mixer. Transfer it to a bowl and add little water, if needed.

2. Heat oil in a cheena chatti or any deep pan. Splutter mustards and fry dry red chillies and curry leaves. Add pearl onions and fry until brown. Now add the ground mixture. Heat through until it turns frothy, at low heat, for about 3 mts or so. Switch off and serve warm with hot idlis.

 

 

Tomato and Onion Chutney

Ingredients (Serves 2 - 3)

Tomato - 1 big, roughly chopped

Onion - 1/2, small

Dry red chillies - 3 - 4

Ginger - 1/4 inch chopped

Hing - 1 pinch

Salt - To taste

Oil - 1.5  tsp

For seasoning

Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Urad dal - 1/4 tsp (Optional)

Dry red chilly - 1 - 2, broken

Curry leaves - 4 - 5

Method

1. Heat oil in a cheena chatti/ any pan. Fry dry red chillies until crisp and drain onto a paper towel. Add chopped onion, ginger, little salt and saute until onion turns golden. Add chopped tomatoes and hing. Cover and cook for a few minutes or until the tomato gets mashed up. Open and saute until oil separates. Switch off and set aside to cool. Crush the dry red chillies in a mixer, then add in the above cooled mixture and grind to a fine paste, adding little salt. Transfer the chutney into a small bowl.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds and fry dry red chilly and urad dal. When urad dal turns brown, add curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds and pour over the chutney. Serve with idli/dosa.

 

Idli Podi / Uzhunnu Chammanthi Podi

 

Ingredients

1. Whole urad dal / uzhunnuparippu - 1 cup
2. Red rice (Kerala rosematta rice / kuthari) - 1 cup
3. Whole pepper - 2 tsp
4. Chilly powder - 1.5 tsp ( I added 3 tsp whole pepper corns and 1/2 tsp chilly powder. You can adjust these spices according to your taste preference.)
5. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
6. Hing / asafoetida – 1/2 tsp
7. Salt - To taste

Method

1. Heat a pan and roast the urad dal, whole pepper and rice at low heat, stirring occasionally. When they are about to turn brown, change the flame to medium heat and roast them until golden brown, stirring continuously. It will take around 20 - 25 minutes. ( Ariyum uzhunnum kadichal pottanam). Take care not to burn them. The color of this idli podi depends on how much you roasted them.

2. Switch off and add chilly powder, coriander powder, hing and salt. Mix well. Keep aside to cool. Grind to a coarse or fine powder in a mixer or coffee grinder. Store in an air-tight container, at room temperature. It will keep for at least 2-3 months. Mix required podi with enough coconut oil  / sesame oil and enjoy with dosa / idli.

 

 

 

Tips:

 

You can substitute red rice / kuthari / rosematta rice with Bengal gram / kadala parippu / chana dal.

Tomato and Dry Red Chilly Chutney

  If you are in search for a spicy and tangy chutney, this fits the bill. This is my mom’s recipe. Her basic dry red chilly chammanthi, made using crushed, fried dry red chilies, pearl onions, salt and oil, was too spicy for us kids. So she used to grind tomatoes along with the other ingredients to make it favorable to us. That way the chutney tastes tangy too. Tomatoes can be substituted with tamarind. This chutney is at its best when paired with idlis/ dosa.

Ingredients

1. Dry red chilies - 6 - 7  (You can adjust it according to your spice tolerance)
2. Pearl onions - 8 - 10
3. Tomato - 1 , seeded and chopped
4. Curry leaves - 4 - 5
5. Salt - To taste
6. Oil - 1 tsp  + 2 tsp
   

Method

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry the dry red chilies until they turn crispy and brown. Leave aside to cool.

2. Crush the dry red chilies in a mixer. Add the pearl onions and crush them. Finally add the chopped tomatoes and grind everything together.

3. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add the above ground mixture and a few curry leaves to it. Stir the mixture at medium heat until the oil separates. It won’t take more than 6 - 8 minutes. Serve with idli/ dosa. It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

 

 

Tip:

 

You can add more chopped tomatoes or pearl onions to make it less spicy.