Safed Murg Korma (White Chicken Korma)

When you have a chicken loving family, you need to come up with quick chicken dishes that are different each week and are easy and quick to prepare with less ingredients that are easily avialable in your fridge, freezer and pantry - you experiment. This is one such dish. 

I know there are many blogs, youtube videos with many many dishes - each one overlaps another or is very similar. Thats cooking for you. I just adeed stuff in my pantry to make a white gravy as the kid wanted a white chicken dish this week. This gravy is not too spicy but is full of flavor and looks and tastes rich.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken - I used boneless skinless thighs

2 medium onions

8 garlic cloves

1/2 inch ginger

1 green chili

1/4 cup cashews

8 to 10 almonds

1 teaspoon popy seeds (optional)

2 tablespoons sour cream (hung yogurt can be used too)

4 tablespoons oil

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoons garam masala powder

salt to taste

2 teaspoons kewra water (optional)

Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Method

Blend the onions, garlic and ginger into a fine paste - do not add water. Soak the cashews and the almonds in hot water for abut 20 mins. Peel the almonds, if they have skin. 

In a karahi add the oil. Once it heats up, add the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves. When they emit a nice aroma (in about 20 seconds) add the onion paste and mix well. Fry till you see the oil on the sides. Be careful not to burn or brown the onions. Add salt to taste and the garam masala and mix well. To this add the sour cream and keep stirring till it all blends well. Add 1/4 cup of water. To this add cut chicken pieces. I cut them into 1 inch pieces. Cover and cook on medium flame. Make a paste of the cashews, almonds, poppy seeds and chilli by adding little water. Add this mixture to the cooking chicken. Clean the mixer cup with 1/4 cup water and add this to the karahi. Mix everything well. Cover and let it cook on low medium flame for 15 mins. open and check if chicken is cooked and for salt. Add kewra water and mix well. 

Remove onto a serving platter and garnish with chopped cilantro. 

Serve with steamed rice, paratha, naan or roti.

Saagwala Chicken (Chicken in Spinach Gravy) in InstantPot

Writing here after a very very long time. Its not like I don't want to cook or I do not wish to write. I somehow do not get that undisturbed time to sit and write a blogpost. Towards the end of the day, all I want to do is snuggle in the cozy blanket and just snooze away. I guess, that's what the cold winters do to you............. they make you lazy and also 'fat'.

My InstantPot had been doing a good job in my kitchen. I do not use it everyday. Well, there are a few things that I like to cook on the good old stove or sometimes its just the oven or the airfryer that is made use of. But, I can say that all these appliances are used pretty regularly in 'mera kitchen'

Today was a very crazy day. Lil Miss A had a holiday at school and so we woke up a bit late and then it was fun and games till I got a message from a friend about going out to lunch. Mr. A was working from home and he needs his lunch too. I had to leave home in 45 minutes and had to get ready and get the bub ready too and had to make lunch arrangements for the hubster. The InstantPot came to my rescue. There was spinach, tomatoes, chicken and spices....... and that how this curry came about. 

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken - I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and breasts - cut into bite size pieces
4 medium tomatoes
10 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger piece
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 green cardamoms
1 black cardamom
3 cloves
1/2 inch cinnamon
2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 big onion or 2 medium ones - thinly sliced
5 cups spinach - I used baby spinach
2 tablespoons oil
salt to taste

Method

Grind the tomatoes, garlic, fennel, cumin, cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, chilli powder, ginger, turmeric and black pepper to a fine paste, You do not need to add water as the tomatoes help with their liquid. Make a puree of the spinach. Add a little water just to aid the puree process.
Put the InstantPot in saute mode. Add the oil. Once it heats up, add the sliced onions and a little salt. Fry the onions till they turn a golden color. Now add the ground paste and mix well. Keep stirring occasionally untill the oil starts to leave the sides. Add the chicken pieces and the spinach puree and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water. Cancel saute function. Cover the lid of the InstantPot with the vent on sealing. Manual for 10 minutes on high pressure. Let the InstantPot do its magic. Let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid and check if the chicken is cooked. Mine was done well. If not, just put it on saute mode for another 5 minutes.
Serve with steamed rice, chapatis or naan

Dhaba Style Chicken Curry (In the Instantpot)

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken (I used boneless skinless chicken thighs)
2 TBS Yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 medium onions
4 green chilis (you can add more or less as per spice level desired)
10 to 12 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger piece
3 TBS coconut oil (you can use ghee or any other oil too)
salt to taste

For Masala Powder

1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
2 cloves (lavang)
2 green cardamoms (elaichi)
1 tsp black peppercorns (kali mirch)
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
2 tsps coriander seeds (dhania beej)
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)


Method


Ingredients

2 pounds chicken (I used boneless skinless chicken thighs)
2 TBS Yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 medium onions
4 green chilis (you can add more or less as per spice level desired)
10 to 12 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger piece
3 TBS coconut oil (you can use ghee or any other oil too)
salt to taste

For Masala Powder

1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
2 cloves (lavang)
2 green cardamoms (elaichi)
1 tsp black peppercorns (kali mirch)
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
2 tsps coriander seeds (dhania beej)
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)


Method

Cut the chicken into 2 inch pieces. Marinate in yogurt, 1/2 tsp salt, turmeric and chilli powder for about 1 hour. You can do this overnight too.
Make a powder of the ingredients mentioned in the 'for masala powder' tab and keep aside. I use a coffee grinder for this. I have had this coffee grinder doing my spice grinding for a few years now.
Make a paste of the onions, garlic, ginger and green chilis and keep aside.
In the same grinder make a puree of the tomatoes and keep aside.
In the Instantpot on saute mode, add the oil. When it gets hot, add the onion paste along with half the dry ground masala. Saute till it becomes a nice golden brown color, and keep stirring a few times in the middle. When the onions turn a golden brown, add the tomato puree and mix well. Saute till the oil leaves the gravy on the sides. Add the remaining half of the ground masala and the chicken pieces and mix well. Add 1 cup water. Cover the lid with vent sealed. Manual for 12 minutes and then a quick release. Open the lid, add more if you need a thin gravy. Add salt to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro/coriander and serve with hot phulkas or steamed rice. We liked this with some sandwich bread too.

Note - This can be cooked on a stovetop too using a saucepan. Everything remains the same - just add the chicken pieces and cover and let it cook for about 20 minutes on medium flame. Check if chicken is cooked, if not then cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust salt and water and serve.

Mangalorean Chicken Curry (to go with the Sannas)

I had posted the sannas recipe a couple of months ago. This is the recipe to the chicken curry that the sannas were served with. Its a typical Mangalorean curry made with simple spices and coconut. I added some potatoes too as Lil Miss A was in a no chicken phase (well that lasted for only about 10 days). The fiery red colour is from the use of the authentic byadgi mirchi which is very much a favored dried red chili when cooking Mangalorean food.

Ingredients

To marinate

2 pounds chicken (I used boneless/skinless thighs cut into 2 inch pieces)

2 tablespoons yogurt

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp salt

To roast and grind

5 to 6 byadgi mirchi (you can use more if you like it a bit hot)

1 tsp mustard sees

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

4 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

4 cloves

2 bay leaves

2 inch cinnamon stick 

3 tablespoons coconut oil (you can use any other oil of choice too)

3 medium onions - sliced

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut (I used frozen)

10 garlic cloves - slices

1 inch ginger - sliced

salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces in yogurt, turmeric powder and salt. Keep it covered in the refrigerator till you get the other ingredients prepared. You could even marinate this overnight. I sometimes get organic chicken in bulk and marinate and freeze them in portions in the freezer.
Heat a saucepan (the one in which you will make this curry) and add the mustard seeds to it and keep stirring. They will start to splutter. Remove them in a plate. Now add the cumin seeds and saute them. When a nice aroma comes by, remove onto the same plate as the mustard seeds. Now add the coriander seeds and repeat the same way like the cumin seeds.
Now add the peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, black cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon and let it heat up and leave a nice aroma. Remove into the same plate as the other heated ingredients. Now roast the grated coconut in the heated saucepan and get a nice aroma and a golden color. Remove with all the other ingredients on the same plate.
In the same saucepan add the oil. When it heats up add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry/saute till the onions turn a nice golden brown. Let it cool. Now add the onions and the other ingredients that were roasted into a mixer/grinder and grind to a very fine paste. Add water, 1/4 cup at a time and no more then 1/2 cup just to ease the grinding process.
In the same saucepan that you used to fry the onions (do not wash it), add the ground masala and let it heat up. When you see bubbles forming on the edge add the marinated chicken pieces. Mix well - if the curry is too thick then add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and let it cook/boil on a medium flame for about 20 minutes. Open the lid and check if the chicken is cooked through - if not, then cover and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Chicken generally leaves some water when it gets cooked - the curry should be the consistency as shown in the picture - if not then add 1/4 cup of water and let it come to a boil. Check and add salt as needed.
serve hot with Sannas, Idilis, Dosas, Neer Dosas, Steamed rice, Bread or even Chappatis.

Notes

• This curry tastes very nice the next day. The spices and the coconut gets into each other and hence a wait period of 12 to 24 hours enhances the curry taste.
• If you are adding potatoes - just quarter them and add them 10 minutes after adding the chicken and boiling the curry. 
• you can use the base of the curry to cook cauliflower. peas, potatoes, beans - and get a vegetarian version of the yummy curry too.

Jeera aur Saunf wali Chicken Curry (Cumin & Fennel Flavored Chicken Curry)

Chicken curry with bread or chapattis is a staple dinner at our place as 'Little Miss A' always loves to eat it. You ask her what she wants for dinner and pat comes the reply........... Can we have some chicken curry please............

Just like her father Mr. A - she wants variety when it comes to the favorite food too. So, I have been coming up with different different versions of the curry - just to please my family.
For vegetarians - you can add potatoes, cauliflowers, peppers, paneer or even some soaked and cooked kabuli chana (Garbanzo beans) or black eyes kidney beans to the gravy.
I had made this simple stuff when my cousin an his family had visited us a couple of weeks ago - and it was loved by my niece and nephew.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper

2 green cardamoms

2 cloves

1 black cardamom

1/2 cup grated coconut

1/2 cup - chopped cilantro

5 green chilis - you can add more or less as per your spice preference

2 pounds chicken - I used boneless skinless thighs - cut into bite size pieces

2 onions - roughly chopped

10 cloves garlic - grated

1 inch ginger piece - grated

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

Grind to a fine paste by adding very little water the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, black cardamom, green chillis, cilantro and coconut and keep aside.
In a wok or karahi add the oil and once it gets hot add the bay leaf and the cinnamon stick. Then add the chopped onions and grated garlic and fry till it turns into a golden color. To this add the grated ginger and turmeric powder and saute for another 1 minute. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the ground masala paste. Mix this well and keep stirring it for about 10 minutes. Now add the chicken pieces , lower the flame to a medium, add half cup water and cover and let it cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
Open lid and stir the curry well. Add salt if needed, according to your taste and check if the chicken is cooked through. If chicken is not cooked - cover and let it cook on medium flame for another 10 minutes or till it gets cooked through. Adjust water to make it as thick as you wish. I kept it at curry consistency - a little more runny than a dosa/pancake batter.
Serve hot with bread slices, pav, chappati or with rice.

Creamy Pasta in White Sauce with Spicy Chicken Sausages

I generally never buy sausages - just because, we have never really found a creative way to eat them. As a family, we do not like to eat sausage for breakfast or even as a sandwich in a hot-dog bun. We have tried those breakfast sausages and have liked the spicy Italian ones the best, it has been used as a pizza topping more then often. We have even tried the seafood sausages - we liked them out of their casing and used as a pizza topping or as a part of a pasta dish.
The other day I found these spicy cilantro and green chilis chicken sausages - the flavor combination looked nice and hence we bought it.
Pasta was the thing that came to mind the day my kiddo said she wanted to have chicken pasta. We had a super busy weekend - a birthday party on a Saturday which went on till late at night, and then we had a communion to attend to on Sunday morning - I was exhausted by the evening. But, the smile on Little Miss A's face and her cute way of asking gave me the energy and the inspiration.
Its actually a pretty dish and takes some time. But, the best prize and the biggest compliment was when she ate away her bowl of pasta without wasting any time and without dropping anything in the floor.

The sausages are always in a pork casing - for people who do not eat pork - you can substitute with marinated pieces of chicken or just have it with some other veggies like peppers, corn, olives etc etc.

Ingredients

2 cups penne pasta - I used a variety of shapes
4 chicken sausages
2 cups broccoli florets - cut into bite size pieces
2 medium carrots - sliced into circles
1 medium onion - roughly chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil (any oil will work)
2 cloves garlic - grated
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour (all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste

Method

In a saucepan add 5 cups of water. Cover it and let this water come to a boil. Once it boils, add 1 teaspoon salt and then the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes. Generally that's the time it takes to cook those packaged pasta. Do check the cooking instructions to see otherwise.
Once its cooked, drain it in a colander and add 1 teaspoon oil and toss it around the colander, so that the pasta does not stick together.
Remove the chicken sausages from their casing and slice it. In a frying pan, add these slices and let them cook through. Sausages generally have oil in them so you do not need greasing. Cook it on medium heat till its cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove onto a plate. In the same pan add 1 teaspoon oil and add the chopped onions. Once the onions get translucent, add the broccoli florets and the carrots. Add salt to taste and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove them into the same plate as the chicken sausages.
Now to make the sauce. Take a saucepan, add the butter to it. When it gets hot, add the grated garlic and bring the heat to a medium - be careful not to burn it. Now add the flour and mix well. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes to get the raw smell of the flour out. Now add the milk and keep stirring so as to not form any lumps. I generally use a whisk and it does not create any lumps. Add salt to taste and the crushed black pepper. Let this mixture come to a boil and then let it simmer for 5 minutes. To this add the cooked pasta and the chicken and veggies. Mix well. Garnish with chopped parsley (I did not have any) and serve with a side of garlic bread.

Quick Chicken Tagine with Vegetables, Olives and Preserved Lemons

I finally gave in to my temptation and bought a tagine pot. I had been wanting one since forever now. Well, that tagine pot sat on my kitchen counter tempting me to cook something in it for a few days. But, we were travelling and I had to wait. Well, yesterday was the day I finally had everything that I needed and I just started. Like someone had suggested....... make the cooking pot your canavas and just go about with things
- the end result will always be good if you make something with love, passion and a lot of confidence. So - with that thing in mind I whipped up this quick stuff. Do not know if its authentic or no - but, we loved it and thats all that matters in the end.

Ingredients

For Marination

8 chicken drumsticks or 6 chicken thighs (I used it with the bone and skin on)
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil

For the Tagine

2 onions - roughly chopped
2 carrots - roughly chopped in chunks
2 bell peppers (I used red ones) - roughly cubed
4 potatoes - skins removed and cut in quarters
10 cloves of garlic - grated
1/2 inch ginger piece - grated
1/2 Preserved Lemons - chopped fine
10 black olives - halved
10 green olives - halved
6 pimentos - finely chopped
        I got the olives and pimentos (they were brined) at the olive bar at Wholefoods (a grocery store)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon saffron strands
           if you do not wish to use saffron - substitute with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 2 to 5 strands of saffron
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (add more or less as per preference)
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
salt if needed (I did not add any salt - as the olives and the preserved lemon had enough salt)

Method

Get the tagine pot ready by reading the instructions provided. I had to soak my clay pot in water for 5 hours before I could use it.
Marinate the chicken drumsticks (or thighs) using all the ingredients under the 'For Marination' tab and let it sit for atleast 1 hour. I left it in the refrigerator overnight. 
Heat a frying pan and once its nice and hot sear the chicken drumsticks/thighs on both sides to get the meat brown. You do not need to cook the chicken, just get a nice sear on the outer layer.

Seared Chicken Drumsticks

In the same frying pan, add the 1/2 tablespoon oil. When it gets nice and hot add the chopped onions and saute them till they get a nice golden brown. Then add the garlic and ginger and saute till the raw smell goes away. Add the chopped carrots, chopped bell pepper and the quartered potatoes and mix well. Lower the flame. Make a paste of the saffron, chilli powder and coriander powder with the 1 cup water and add it to the vegetables. Add the chopped parsley and chopped cilantro (keep about 1 tablespoon of each aside for garnish later). Mix well. Get the frying pan off the heat and keep it aside. Its now time to assemble everything into the tagine pot.

Sauteed Vegetables

Chopped Olives, Pimentos and Preserved Lemons

I used a heat diffuser to get the tagine evenly heated and to avoid any direct contact with the heat. Its a delicate piece of equipment (the tagine) and I did not want any cracks on it.
In the tagine pot add 1/2 tablespoon oil and then add the sauteed vegetables. Arrange the chicken evenly over the vegetables. Over this add the chopped olives, pimentos and the preserved lemons.

Arranged in the tagine pot

Cover it with the conical shaped tagine cover. Lower the heat to a medium low. Cook it this way for an hour. The aromas will be like heaven, but do not open the cover. Let it cook on its own in those juices.

The Chicken Tagine being cooked over medium low heat with the use of a diffuser under the tagine pot.

After an hour, open very carefully, the cover will be hot. Check the meat for doneness. If its still a bit undone, cover and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the cooked dish over a bed of couscous or some Pita Bread along with a simple Salad.

The final product

It is not really necessary to own a tagine pot to cook tagines. You can do this slow cooking even in a crock-pot or a dutch oven.

Chicken Kosha (A Bengali Take on Chicken Achari)

There was a time I used to be intimated to use mustard oil in cooking. But, over time I have understood how to cook with this humble but pungent ingredient.
If it is cooked properly - this oil can make anything taste divine and the golden hue that the dish gets on completion is a sight sent from heaven...... yes, that how I feel.

People who have disliked mustard oil - did not even know that this stuff was cooked in it and they lapped it up with the parathas that this dish was served with. Well.......... that a big compliment in itself.
In Bengal - they make a dish called 'Kosha Mangsho' which a layman calls as Chicken Kosha. I just gave it a twist by making it with the pickling spices.
It is still very much a Bengali dish I feel - as it has the use of mustard oil.

Ingredients

For Marination

2 pounds chicken - I used boneless skinless thighs cut into 2 inch pieces.
1 teaspoon kalonji/onion seeds
1 tablespoon mustard oil (mustard oil is preferred - but, you can use any oil that you are comfortable with)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon ginger garlic paste

For Achari Masala

5 green cardamoms
5 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf/tejpatta
1 tablespoon fennel seeds/saunf
1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
5 to 6 dries kashmiri chili (you can add more or less as per your spice preference)
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida/hing

For Curry

1 tablespoon mustard oil (mustard oil is preferred - but, you can use any oil that you are comfortable with)
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf/tejpatta
2 big oinions - finely chopped
2 big tomatoes - chopped
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup beaten yogurt.
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the ingredients mentioned under the 'for marination' tab and let it sit for 1 to 2 hours in a refrigerator.
In the mean time - dry roast the ingredients under the 'for achari masala' tab one by one except the asafoetida. Be careful to roast them on a low medium flame and do not burn the whole masalas. Once they are cooled down, grind it to a coarse powder in a grinder. over and keep it aside.
In a kadahi or saucepan or Pan - add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil and let it come to smoking point. Then lower the heat. To this add 1 cinnamom piece and 1 tejpatta. Now add chopped onions and fry till they turn a golden brown. Now add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and mix till the raw smell goes off. Then add chopped tomatoes and saute till the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Now get the pan off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of yogurt. Mix well. Keep it back on the gas stove and keep mixing - be careful that the yogurt does not curdle. Now add the masala powder and salt as per taste and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water and the chicken pieces. Cover and let it cook for 20 to 30 minutes on medium flame. Check if the chicken is cooked. Adjust the salt. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with roti or rice.

Palakwala Chicken Keema (Chicken Mince with Spinach)

Chicken and fish are a staple at our home. My husband and now even my lil 4 year old always ask for chicken and/or fish at every meal. I have to find ways to add vegetables into the chicken and fish preparations just to give me the satisfaction that some veggies also form part of our diet.
let me not complain much - they do eat their salads without a fuss and even fruits - so, I guess there is a lot to be thankful for.

We generally have an American Meal plate with an Indian flair at home. Let me explain - its either a roasted piece of chicken or two OR maybe a fish fillet that has been baked in the oven along with some pulav/pilaf and some roasted cauliflower or brocolli or oven baked potato fries along with a big helping of salad (could be just chopped up cucumbers and carrots OR a full fledged salad with all the trimmings. Yup, thats what our everyday meal looks like atleast 3 times a week. Then ofcorse I have a dedicated vegetarian day on Thursdays - absolutely no meat served or cooked that day - and its been a fun challenge coming up with new ideas every Thursday. We do make elaborate Indian meals too - like the biryanis, the parathas, the kheers etc etc - but, a roti, sabzi, dal, chawal routine is a no no at our home. Well, we are foodies - whay else can I say.

Minced Chicken is awesome. I like it because it can take all the flavors in very quickly and you do not need to spend hours in the kitchen to get a fun bowl  like the one in the pictures. And the chicken keema can be used in many ways. You can just enjoy it with bread or chappati OR you could make stuffed buns ( thats what I plan to do the next time) OR you could make stuffed parathas with it (I had made them earlier, the recipe is here)

Ingredients

2 pounds minced chicken
2 tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 big onion - finely chopped
1 big tomato - finely chopped
2 cups baby spinach - roughly chopped
9 cloves garlic - finely minced
1/2 inch ginger - finely minced
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/8 cup oil

Method

In a karahi add oil. When it gets hot add the chopped onions and fry well till it turns a nice golden brown. Then add the tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and ginger and fry till the tomatoes are soft and oil starts leaving the mixture on the side of the karahi. Add the chopped spinach, chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix well. Add the yogurt and the mince chicken and mix well and keep stirring for 10 minutes. Cover and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes more minutes. Remove the cover and let any water thats formed get evaporated. Check for seasoning and add salt or spices as per taste.

Rustic Chicken Curry from the Ghaat village of Maharashtra (Ghati Masala Chicken)

The villages in the mountain areas of Maharashtra are called "Ghaats" and the people who reside here are called "Ghaatis" - it is not an offensive term if used in the right sense. Well........ I do not want to get into the lingo debate here - just trying to clarify why the name for the dish.
This is a rustic dish prepared by the villages of the Ghaat areas of Maharastra and hence the name. My grandma used to cook this and thats how I know of it. We love the aroma and the rustic taste. It is a great accompaniment with jowar/bajra/rice bhakris or even with the humble rice.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken (I used boneless skinless thigh meat) cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
1 medium red onion
1 medium tomato
7 garlic cloves
5 dried kashmiri chilis (add more if you want it hot)
2 tablespoon dried coconut slices (kopra)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (til)
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
2 green cardamoms
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dane)
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
small piece of mace
2 tablespoons coconut oil
salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces in turmeric, salt, yogurt and ginger garlic paste and let it sit for atleast half an hour.
n the meantime - on an open flame (I did it on my gas stove) - roast the whole onion (with the outer cover peeled off) till you get a nice char on the outside. Do the same with the tomato and the garlic. Take a pair of tongs and get a char on the red chilis, just 5 seconds on an open flame. Put all these charred items into a blender and let it cool.
In a karahi, dry roast the dry coconut slices till they turn a nice brow color. Add this to the stuff in the blender. Now dry roast the sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cardamoms, cloves, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, peppercorns and mace for about 30 seconds to a minute till you get a nice fragrance - be careful not to burn the spices. Add this to the blender too.
Once the stuff inside the blender has cooled  bit, add some water and blend to a coarse paste. You can make it into a fine paste if you like it that way.
In a karahi, add the coconut oil and the blended paste and 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil. Once the mixture boils - lover the heat a little and add the chicken pieces, add salt to taste. Cover and cook for about 20 to 25 minute till the chicken is cooked through.
Serve it with Chappatis, or Bakri of your choice of even with rice.

Sichuan Pepper Chicken

After moving to the US............. I was reminded of all the amazing food back home in India. I learnt how to cook most of the food that we wanted to eat by asking mom, reading books, the internet and sometimes by just remembering the taste and recalling the ingredients.

One such spice was the 'Sichuan Pepper' also called as 'Teppal' or 'Triphal' in Konkai & Marathi respectively. However, I never got hold of this in the US. Craved for the fish curry with this spice. Finally got a hold of it on the amazon store and bought the bottle.  It smells like the teppal back home - but these are small in size and a little red in color too. But, they are still the same and I am glad to have my hands on it now. Here is the link - Ajika-Sichuan-Peppercorns
Well - the day we got this bottle, we wanted to use it. We had no fish at home and hence fish curry was out of question. Well, the name is sichuan pepper - which is so southeast Asian. Well, we decided to make a nice chili chicken type dish - only with no chilies but with the spice in the bottle. Well, it turned out quite nice. We loved it and this dish is a keeper now.

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs - cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce - you can use any soy sauce you have
3 tablespoons peanut oil - again, you can use any oil of your chocie (just do not use extravirgin olive oil)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt - you can skip salt if you want as the soy sauce has salt in it.
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 teaspoons sichuan pepper - crushed - I coarsely powdered mine in the spice/coffee grinder
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 bunch spring onions/scallions - chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili powder - you can skip it if you do not want this spice.
1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1/2 cup oil for frying

Method

Add the soy sauce, sugar, salt, chilli powder, black pepper powder and 1 teaspoon crushed sichuan pepper in a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and coat each piece with the marinade. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Heat the 1/2 cup oil in a wok/karahi. Add the cornstarch to the marinated chicken and coat all pieces well. Now fry the chicken untill it gets cooked fully, about 7 to 10 minutes. I fried the chicken in 2 batches. Remove the chicken onto a plate.
Let the oil cool - remove it into a bottle if you wish to use it once again or you can discard it.
In the same wok add the 3 tablespoons of peanut oil (if you wish you can use 3 tablespoons of the oil the chicken was fried in too). When the oil gets hot, add the ginger and garlic and the white portion of the chopped spring onions/scallions and saute for about 30 second - be careful not to burn the garlic. Bring the heat to medium and add the balance 2 teaspoons of crushed sichuan pepper and mix well. Add the fried chicken and coat it well with the ginger, garlic and scallion mixture. Remove into a serving dish and garnish with the green part of the spring onion/scallions.
This could be served as a starter or it could be teamed with some ginger and egg fried rice as a full meal (thats how we had it)

Loaded Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a very favorite at our home. My husband actually has this soup along with half a sandwich during his business trips at a Panera Bread if he can find one in the city that he travels to.
My kiddo has loved this soup since she was what six months old. We used to puree the soup and give it to her and she would lap up an entire bowl without any fuss. Well, now we do not need to puree it like before.

We have been making this soup at home with chicken, carrots, onions, garlic, celery and ofcorse chicken with some Italian spices. Thought of just taking it a little bit further and making it a compete meal by adding a few other ingredients. It was a good meal in a bowl with some nice easy peasy home made artisan bread

Ingredients

2 carrots
1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic
3 to 4 celery stalks
2 cups of small bits of chicken (I use breast meat) - about 2 to 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 can cannelloni beans
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups broken spaghetti (you can add more or less - or any pasta of your choice)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
salt to taste
5 cups chicken stock (to make it quick) OR 7 cups water and let it simmer for longer

Method

Finely chop the onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Add the oil to a big saucepan and add these veggies to this oil. Once they start to sweat, add some salt and add the chicken pieces. Mix well till the chicken turns a nice white color (the pink is gone). Now add drained cannelloni beans, chopped spinach,  dried Italian herbs, pasta, pepper powder and mix well. Add water or stock and mix well. Bring it to a nice boil. Once this mixture boils, bring the heat to medium low and cover the saucepan and let the soup simmer.
If you are using stock, the simmer time becomes less, as stock has a lot of flavor. maybe in an hour or so the soup is ready to savor. However, if you are using plain water, it takes some time for the water to become flavorful. Soup should be ready in about 3 to 4 hours.
This tastes good with bread and salad - becomes a complete meal in a bowl.

You can make this into a vegetarian soup by not adding the chicken - and substituting vegetable stock for chicken stock, if you plan to use stock/broth

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken - yummmmmmmm

I am sure everyone who is a lover of paneer and chicken would have never missed out on the butter paneer or the butter chicken meal with paratha.
It is a dish that you will find in every Indian restaurant menu. Its buttery, tangy, spicy and just yummy.

I have enjoyed amazing butter chicken at 'Urban Tadka' in Andheri in Mumbai, India - ofcorse this was almost seven years ago.

After moving to the US - we never liked the butter chicken served at the restaurants here. It seemed to be only a creamy curry with red color in it and with dry pieces of tandoori chicken which seemed bland.
Alas - had to try and make this stuff at home to enjoy the flavors.
This has been a regular at our home with paneer, chicken and even with mix veggies.

Ingredients

Marinade for chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup sour cream OR hung curd
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon tandoori masala
1 teaspo0n salt

For Gravy
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 green cardamoms
2 cloves
5 peppercorns
small piece of mace
3 large tomatoes
1 medium onion
7 ti 8 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger - juilined
1/4 cup buter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon tandoori masala
1 tablespoon kasuri methi (crushed)
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnishing

Method

For tandoori chicken/chicken tikka
In a big bowl add tandoori masala, curry powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, sour cream and salt and mix well. Massage this mixtures onto the chicken pieces with your hands so that all the chicken is evenly covered in the tandoori masala. Cover and put aside for at least an hour (overnight is ideal).
Put them on a skewer and cook them in an oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes. you get nice cooked chicken tikka. Take them out of the skewer and let them sit covered.

For the Gravy
In a karahi add 1/8 cup of butter. When it melts add the cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, mace and let it saute and emit a nice fragrance - be careful not to burn the spices. Take them out in a plate. In the same oil, add chopped garlic and chopped onions and fry/saute till they get a nice golden brown color. Add the kasuri methi and mix well till all the onion pieces are coated with kasuri methi. Now add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes till the tomatoes get all mushy. Now add tandoori masala and salt to taste and let this mixture cool.
Once the masala mixture has cooled down - add the sauted spices and this mixture into a blender and mix to form a smooth paste. No need to add water as the tomatoes will be liquidy enough.
In the same karahi, add the balance 1/8 cup butter. When it gets hot, add the juliened ginger and saute for about 20 seconds. Now add the tomato and spice paste and mix well. Cover and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Now add the cooked chicken and mix well. Add the heavy cream and check salt. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot nans, rotis or rice.

Chicken Seekh Kebabs

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken/chicken mince
9 to 10 cloves garlic - grated
1 medium onion - finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt (add more if you feel it needs more salt)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon tandoori masala
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon butter (melted)
Steel skewers or wooden skewers (these need to be soaked in water overnight - to avoid them from burning)

Method

Dry roast the coriander seeds, the cumin and the fennel seeds and make a coarse powder with it in a spice grinder. Take the ground chicken in a mixing bowl - add the onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, tandoori masala,  the spice mix made with coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin and mix well. to this add the bread crumbs and the egg and mix everything well with your finger (wear gloves if you do not want to touch the chicken). Make seekh kebab shaped sausages around the skewers. Place it on a baking sheet and brush the outside with the oil and butter mixture. Bake it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.

Oven fried herbed chicken with corn salsa/chaat

Ingredients

For Chicken
4 bone in but skinless thighs (you can use legs or boneless breasts too)
1 cup cilantro
10 garlic cloves
2 green chilis (add more if you want it spicy)
1 inch ginger piece
1/4 cup mint leaves
juice of half lemon
salt to taste
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
Bread crumbs for coating the chicken - I used panko crumbs

For Corn Salsa/Chaat
2 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
juice of half lemon
2 tablespoons tamarind/date chutney (optional)

Method

For Chicken
grind to a fine paste the cilantro, mint, garlic and ginger along with the salt and the lemon juice. Mix this ground mixture with the oil. Make slits on the chicken thighs (or any cut of meat you are using) and apply this masala. Cover and let it marinate for atleast an hour - if you do it overnight it is better.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat the egg and keep it in a plate and spread the bread crumbs in another plate. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and spray some oil on it. Take the marinated chicken piece and dip it in egg and then cover it with the bread crumbs - do the same for the other pieces. Place them on the baking sheet and bake it in the over for 30 to 40 minutes till the chicken is done.

For Corn Salsa/Chaat
Steam the corn kernels so that they are not raw anymore.Add the onions, tomatoes, chaat masala, sugar, salt, lemon juice and the date/tamarind chutney and mix well. Top with chopped cilantro and serve as a side.

Chilli Chicken

Ingredients

1 pound chicken - cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 egg - beaten
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn flour/corn starch
1 large onion - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 capsicum/green bell pepper - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbs - chopped garlic
1 tbs - chopped ginger
2 tbs - chopped green chillis (you can alter this according to our spicy needs)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used dark soy sauce)
1 tablespoon sweet & sour sauce
little bit of sriracha
chopped green onions / scallions - for garnish

Method

Marinate the chicken with chili powder, pepper powder, salt, garlic powder and soy sauce. Let it stand for 20 to 30 minutes. To this add 1 beaten egg and the cornstarch and all purpose flour - coat all the chicken pieces with the egg and flour mixture.
Heat oil in a wok and then add these chicken pieces in 2 batches to get a nice crispy coating on the outside and cooked white chicken meat on the inside.
Remove the chicken pieces and drain them on a paper towel. To the remaining oil - which is already hot - add the garlic, chillis and ginger and stir for about 20 seconds - be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chopped onions and bell pepper and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Then add the soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce and the sriracha and mix well. Then add the fried chicken pieces and coat them well with the sauce and veggie mixture. Add salt to taste - remember soy sauce, sweet & sour sauce and sriracha already have salt.
Garnish with chopped green onions.

Chicken Sukka

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2 medium onions - finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes - finely chopped
9 garlic flakes - minced
1/2 inch ginger - finely grated
1/2 cup of cilantro/coriander - chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons dhania jeera powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
salt to taste
1/4 cup oil

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces in the yogurt and the ginger garlic paste and let it stand for atleast half hour. In a wok/karahi add the oil. when it gets hot add the onions and fry them till they turn a nice golden brown. To this add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and the cilantro and fry the mixture till the oil leaves the sides of the karahi. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhaina jeera powder and the garam masala and saute fir about 5 minutes. Then add the marinated chicken pieces and some salt and mix well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook till all the water evaporates and the chicken is coated in the dry masala mixture. Serve with Naan/Rotis and salad.

Chicken Mince (Keema) Paratha

Ingredients

For Keema

2 pounds minced chicken

2 tablespoons yogurt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 big onion - finely chopped

1 big tomato - finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

9 cloves garlic - finely minced

1/2 inch ginger - finely minced

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 cup oil

For Paratha

2 cups wheat flour

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

water to knead dough

Method

Add yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt and curry powder and mix well with the chicken mince - let it marinate in this for atleast an hour.

Add salt and oil to the dough and just enough water to knead and make a pliable dough. Keep it covered for an hour. Divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions and roll between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.

In a karahi add oil. When it gets hot add the chopped onions and fry well till it turns a nice golden brown. Then add the tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and ginger and fry till the tamotes are soft and oil starts leaving the mixture on the side of the karahi. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix well. To this mixture add the marinated chicken mince and keep stirring for 10 minutes. Cover and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes or untill its done. Check for seasoning and add salt or spices as per taste. Remove the cover and let any water thats formed get evaporated. Let the keema cool.

Take a small dough ball and roll it into a puri. Take a tablespoon of the keema and place it in between the rolled dough. Pull together the ends and seal on top like a bag. Then roll this together into a paratha/chappati to around 1/8" thickness.

Roast the paratha on a hot griddle with ghee/oil. Parathas are done when they are nice and golden on both sides.

Serve it with kheema/curds/raita.

Chicken Roulades & oven baked potato chips

Ingredients

For the Roulades

4 chicken thighs - skinless and boneless

4 cups spinach - chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion - finely chopped

4 flakes of garlic - finely chopped

4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

4 strips of bacon (you can use turkey bacon - thats what I used)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 cup chicken stock OR white wine

2 teaspoons corn starch

2 tablespoons light cream OR half'n'half

1 teaspoon chopped chives

salt to taste

crushed pepper

For oven fried chips

4 potatoes - sliced thin

salt

pepper

paprika powder

olive oil

Method

Chicken Roulades

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken thighs in between plastic wrap and flatten it with a rolling pin or with a meat tenderizer. Season one side with cajun seasoning. Be careful, as cajun seasoning is spicy - so add according to taste.

In a karahi, add the butter, when it melts, to it add the garlic and then the onions. fry till they become transparent. Then add the chopped spinach and cook till all the moisture has been cooked off. Add salt to taste and pepper.

Divide the spinach filling between the 4 chicken pieces and roll up neatly. Wrap a strip of bacon neatly and tie it securely with a fine string.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the rolls all over. Take these browned rolls and place them neatly in a baking dish. Pour in the wine OR the chicken stock and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, till they get tender. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and remove all the string.

Strain the wine OR chicken stock liquid in a saucepan. Blend the corn starch in some water and add it to the juices in the saucepan and stir to avoid any lumps. Add the cream and stir well till the whole mixture is well incorporated. Bring to a boil. Add alt and pepper if needed. Now add the chopped chives. Pour the sauce around the chicken in the serving dish.

For oven chips

Place the slicked potatoes on a cookie sheet. Drizzle some olive oil on top of it and then add salt, pepper and paprika powder. Let it bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Chips are ready

The roulades and the chips are ready to be served with some nice green salad.

Chicken Tikka Skewers

Ingredients

6to 7 Boneless/skinless thigh or breast pieces of chicken (as per choice) - cut into 1 inch pieces

2 large vidalia /red onions - cut into 1 inch pieces

2 large bell peppers (green, re, orange, yellow - any color of choice) - cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablepoons tandoori masala

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon methi powder

1 teaspoon salt

a pinch of red coloring

4 tablespoons oil

4 tablespoons melted butter (for basting) - if using unsalted butter, then increase the salt to be added to the marinade

Method

In a ziploc bag - add the oil, tandoori masala, garlic powder, methi powder, salt and red coloring and mix well. To this mixture add the chicken pieces and coat each piece with the marinade. Let this mixture sit in the fridge for atleast 2 hours - overnight is better.

When the grill is all set and fired up - take skewers (if using wooden skewers - let them be soaked in water overnight to avoid getting burnt) and add a chicken piece, followed by an onion piece and then a bell pepper piece (as shown in the picture). Once all the skewers are done - place it on the hot grill - baste it with melted butter and cover and let it cook. Chicken cook s fast, so it should be done in 10 minutes on one side. Now turn the skewers and baste the other side with butter and let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Chicken tikka BBQ is ready to be served with mint yogurt dip and tossed salad.

Recipe for mint yogurt chutney/dip - http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2008/04/yogurt-chutney.html