Spicy Chicken Masala Curry

 

 Ingredients:

• ½ kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces
• 3 tbsp curds
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your spice level)
• ¼ tsp turmeric pwd
• salt to taste

Make a paste:

• 6-7 cashewnuts
• 4-5 tbsps milk
• Dry roast and make a fine powder:
• 1” cinnamon
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 3 cloves

Rest of the ingredients:

• 3-4 tbsps oil
• 2 big onions finely chopped
• 1 large tomato finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 3/4 tsp black pepper powder (adjust to suit your spice level)
• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• coriander leaves for garnish

Method : 

• Marinate chicken pieces in chilli powder, turmeric powder, curds and salt for 20 mts.
• While the chicken pieces are marinating, make a paste of cashewnuts and milk. Keep aside.
• Dry roast cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves for 1 mt and make a powder of them. Keep aside.
• Heat 1 1/2 tbsps of oil in a cooking vessel. Add the onions and saute till pink. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute further for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
• Add coriander pwd, cumin pwd, pepper pwd and combine well and fry for another minute.
• Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine well and cook till oil separates.Turn off heat. Cool and grind the cooked masala. Keep aside this masala paste.
• Heat 1 1/2 tbsps oil in a cooking vessel and add the marinated chicken and cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes, reduce heat and cook covered for another 4-5 minutes.
• Add the ground masala paste, cashewnut paste and ground powder of cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves and combine well. (Add a cup of water for more gravy consistency). Cook till chicken pieces are soft and you get the desired curry consistency. Adjust salt.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Andhra Chicken Pickle

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken with bones, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 1/2 tbsps ginger garlic paste
• 1 1/2 tbsps red chilli pwd
• 1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
• juice of 3 lemons, heat for 3 mt and cool
• 1 1/2 – 2 tbsps salt (adjust)
• 4 tbsps oil 

Dry roast and make a powder:

• 3 tbsps coriander seeds/dhaniyalu
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds/khus-khus/ghasagasalu
• 1 1/2 tsps methi seeds/methulu/fenugreek seeds
• 6 cloves
• 2″ cinnamon stick
• 1 elaichi/cardamom
• 1 star anise

For tempering/poppu/tadka:

• pinch of methi seeds
• 30 fresh curry leaves
• 3-4 dry red chillis
• 15 cloves garlic, slightly crushed
• 3/4 cup oil 

Method :

• Dry roast all the spices individually over low heat and cool. Once cool, combine all the dry roasted ingredients and grind to a fine pwd.
• 2 Heat 4 tbsps oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add chicken, ginger garlic paste, red chilli pwd and salt and cook on high heat for 5 mts. Reduce heat to medium high and continue to cook till the oil separates and there is hardly any water content. This frying will take about 25 mts. This step is crucial to chicken pickle making. Keep stirring in between.
  
• 3 Heat 3/4 cup oil in another heavy bottomed vessel, add methi seeds, curry leaves, dry red chillis, crushed garlic and saute for a minute. Add the cooked chicken pieces along with any left over gravy and oil. Combine well. Add the ground spice pwd and combine well and cook on medium to high for 15-18 mts, stirring in between.
• 4 Add the cooled lemon juice and combine well and turn off heat. Cool and store in an airtight bottle and refrigerate.

Spicy Chicken Legs

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken legs, make slits all over
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilli paste
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• 3/4 tsp black pepper pwd
• large pinch turmeric pwd
• 3/4 tbsp coriander powder
• large pinch cumin pwd
• pinch of garam masala pwd
• 1 tbsp hot and sweet tomato chilli sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsps hung yogurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsps oil

Method:

 

• Marinate chicken legs with all the above ingredients except oil. Refrigerate and allow to marinate overnight or marinate for at least 3-4 hrs.
• 2 Heat oil in cooking vessel, add curry leaves and chicken pieces along with the left over marinade if any. Cook on high for 3 mts, reduce flame to medium, place lid and cook for 10 mts. Reduce flame to low and cook for another 10 mts.
• 3 Remove lid and cook till the water evaporates and roast on medium flame till well cooked. Serve warm with onion slices and lemon wedges.

Chicken Ghee Roast

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1 kg, bite sized pieces, washed
• Curd - 1/2 cup, thick yogurt
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Jaggery - 2 tsps (or sugar)
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Ghee - 6 tbsps
• Dry red chilies - 7 to 8, large (spicy variety)
• Dry red chilies - 3 (small variety)
• Black peppercorns - 7-8
• Cloves - 3
• Fenugreek seeds - pinch
• Coriander seeds - 1 1/2 tbsps
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic flakes - 7-8
• Tamarind paste - 1 1/2 tbsps

Method

1. Marinate chicken in curd, turmeric powder, lemon juice and half a tsp of salt for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Dry roast the red chilies on low flame for 2 mts. Do not burn them. Remove from fire and keep aside. In the same pan, add a tsp of ghee and roast, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves and peppercorns on low flame for 3 minutes. Remove from fire and cool.
3. Grind the roasted red chilies and spices along with garlic and tamarind to a fine paste. Keep aside.
4. Heat 2 1/2 tbsps ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, place the marinated pieces along with the marinade and cook for 20-22 mts or till its three foiurth cooked.
5. Remove the sauteed chicken pieces and keep aside. Remove the remaining liquid into another bowl.
6. In the same vessel, add the remaining ghee, and add the ground paste. Saute on low to medium flame for 8-9 mts to till the ghee separates.
7. Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Add the left over liquid (while cooking chicken) and jaggery and cook on medium flame for 4 mts. Add salt to taste and mix.
8. Reduce flame, place lid and cook till the chicken is cooked and you have a thick coating of the masala to the chicken pieces. This is not a curry, its a roast dish.
9. Remove lid, roast the chicken for 2-3 mts. Turn off flame, remove onto a serving bowl.
10. Garnish with curry leaves and serve with ghee rice, any flavored rice of your choice or white rice.

Tips

• If you do not have the small variety of dry red chilies, use 10 large dry red chilies. Those who can take the heat of the red chilies, can increase it to 14-15.

Double Layer Vegetable Sandwich

A quick breakfast or evening snack that is filling and healthy is today’s Double layer vegetable sandwich. A family favorite and a regular lunch box snack for Nehal.

Toast two slices (on one side only) of whole wheat bread. Apply egg less mayo to the non toasted side of a bread slice. Layer lettuce leaves and cucumber slices. Place a bread slice over it. Place a cheese slice over this, layer the sauteed vegetables and place the toasted bread slice over it. Serve. 

For sauteed vegetables - Grate a small carrot, finely chop capsicum and a shallot. Heat a tsp of olive oil in a pan, add the shallot and saute for 2 mts. Add bell pepper and carrot and saute for 2 more minutes. Add a large pinch of paprika and pinch of salt and mix.

Andhra Chepa Pulusu – Fish Cooked in Tamarind Sauce

Today I tried my hand at cooking a traditional Andhra fish gravy recipe, Chepa Pulusu, which is amma’s speciality dish. Chepa Pulusu is fresh fish cooked in a tangy tamarind sauce with freshly ground spices. This particular dish tastes best the next day (after the fish pieces are soaked in the tamarind and spice juices) served with hot steamed white rice and sliced onions. Must say that everyone enjoyed the dish though I felt it was no where compared to amma’s Chepa pulusu. I have come to realise that when I cook traditional recipes, they are so close to my heart as I have grown up eating amma’s cooking and observing how she combines it all together to make the most tasteful dish one can ever eat. I guess it’s the hand of amma’s love.

Ingredients:

 7-8 fish fillets (mackarel or catfish or tilapia)
1 cup finely chopped onions
4 slit green chillis
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
10-12 curry leaves
1 big lemon-sized tamarind pulp (soak tamarind in 1 1/2 cup of warm water and extract thick juice)
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves (optional)
salt to taste
1/2 cup oil
Tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)

Method :

Heat oil in a wide vessel and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add the methi seeds and let it brown.Add the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.
Add the chopped onions and fry on medium heat till the onions turn transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 3 mts. Add the turmeric pwd, coriander pwd, cumin pwd, red chilli pwd and salt and fry for a minute. Add the tamarind extract and bring it to boil.
Now carefully place the fish pieces in the vessel and cook covered for 3 mts. Add the green chillis. Turn the fish pieces over and cook. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 mts. Let the sauce thicken and till the oil separates or leaves. Adjust salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note: Do not stir too much lest the fish pieces break and be gentle while stirring the fish pieces. Serve it after a couple of hours of cooking so that the fish pieces absorb the tangy flavour of the tamarind sauce and spices. In Andhra, we generally prepare this pulusu with Koramenu, Vanjaram, Thella chepa or Bocha. Generally we dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillis and make a powder for this dish.You can use the ready made powders also to save time. But if you have time to spare it would be best to dry roast the spices and make a powder.

Vegetable Sandwich

This is Mumbai’s famous street food fare. Makes for a filling breakfast or brunch or evening snack. You can have it toasted or just plain without toasting.

Butter two slices. Liberally apply green chutney on the unbuttered sides of both the bread slices. On one of the slices, start layering with boiled potato slices, cucumber slices, tomato slices, onion slices and capsicum rounds. Sprinkle chaat masala pwd and black pepper pwd on top. Layer with a cheese slice (optional). Top with the bread slice and toast till golden brown. Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Green chutney recipe: Grind 1 cup chopped coriander leaves, few mint leaves, 1-2 green chilli, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to a fine paste, adding little water.

Chicken 65 Recipe

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken - 250 gms/1/4 kg (cut into small bite sized pieces)
• Oil for deep frying
• Yogurt - a little less than 1/2 cup (perugu/curd)
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
• For Marinade:
• Turmeric powder - large pinch
• Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• To coat chicken that has been marinated:
• Egg - 1
• Cornflour - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Rice flour - 1/2 tbsp
• For Tempering/poppu/tadka:
• Cooking oil - 1/2 tbsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprg
• Garlic - 2 cloves, minced (optional)
• Ginger - 1/2", minced
• Green chilies - 4-5, slit length wise

Method

1. Marinate bite sized pieces of chicken in the ingredients called for marinade for 1 hour.
2. In a bowl, mix yogurt, salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Keep aside.
3. After marinating the chicken, add egg, cornflour, salt to taste and rice flour to coat the chicken. Add a tbsp of water if required.
4. Heat oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, add a few chicken pieces into the oil without crowding the vessel and cook on medium flame. Once the chicken is almost cooked, increase flame and deep fry the chicken pieces till golden brown.
5. Remove onto absorbent paper. Keep aside. Repeat with rest of the chicken pieces.
6. Heat a cooking vessel, add a tbsp of oil. Add garlic and ginger and saute for a few seconds. Add curry leaves and green chilies. Saute for a few secs. Add the deep fried chicken and toss well and cook for 2 mts.
7. Add the yogurt mixture and cook on low to medium flame, mixing the contents well. Toss the chicken till the yogurt dries up and the chicken absorbs the yogurt mix.
8. Remove onto a serving plate. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

• Garlic is optional ingredient.
• Yogurt/Curd is essential ingredient. It gives the chicken texture and flavor.

Chicken Salna Recipe

 Ingredients

• Chicken - 1 kg, cut into bite sized pieces, washed and drained
• Onion - 2 large, finely chopped
• Tomato - 1, medium, chopped (optional)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder - 1 1/2 to 2 tsps (adjust)
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Oil - 4 tbsps
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander leaves - for garnish
• Shallots - 5 (optional)
• Green chilies - 2 (optional)
• Fresh coconut - 1/4 cup
• Roasted chick peas - 2 tbsps (dalia/putnala pappu) OR roasted peanuts OR cashew nuts - 6-7
• Roast for 3-4 mts on low flame:
• Cloves - 3
• Cinnamon stick - 1/2"
• Cardamom - 1
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Black pepper corns - 1 tsp

Method

1. Grind the dry roasted ingredients along with the shallots, green chilis, roasted chickpeas and fresh coconut to a fine paste adding little water. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, once hot, add the chopped onions and curry leaves and saute for 7-8 mts or till they turn lightly brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 5 mts.
3. Add the red chili powder and chicken pieces and mix. Cook on high flame for 4 mts, mixing once in a while.
4. Reduce flame, place lid and cook for 15 mts. Add chopped tomatoes and cook with lid for 10 mts on medium flame, mixing once in a while.
5. Add the ground spice paste and mix well. Cook on medium flame for 3 to 4 mts and add two cups of water and salt. Increase flame and bring to a boil. Now reduce flame, place lid and simmer till the chicken is done. Salna is a watery gravy dish so ensure there is enough liquid. Add more water if required.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, turn off flame. Remove to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
7. Serve with parotta, biryani, pulao, chapati, appam, dosa or naan.

Tips

• If you do not have roasted chickpeas, use peanuts or cashew nuts.
• Another version of the salna calls for roasting 2 tbsps coriander seeds and 6-7 red chilis along with rest of the ingredients. In that case, green chilis and red chili powder can be omitted.
• You can add cubed potatoes (2 medium sized potato) at step 4.
• You can also roast fresh coconut along with other spices.