PICNIC CHICKEN CURRY

Last month we went for a picnic and there we all enjoyed this luscious chicken curry. So, I adopted this toothsome recipe from our last picnic. With the use of very nominal spices, tastes truelly awesome! It takes only 25 minutes to cook on slow heat, a semi dry gravy, rich with tomato-onion. A stimulating chicken curry which will be ever memorable!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 kg Chicken, cut into medium sized pieces
4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cut each into halves
400 gm Onion (chopped)
1 Whole Garlic
4 Medium Tomatoes (chopped)
75 gm Ginger
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1&1/2" Cinnamon
2-3 Green Cardamoms
3-4 Cloves
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
10-12 Green Chillies (as per taste), cut in slits
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
1/2 Cup Oil (Preferably Mustard Oil)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash chicken with luke warm water nicely. Drain water and set aside.

Grind garlic and ginger together to make a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Marinate potato pieces with little turmeric and salt. Heat oil in a wok, add potatoes in it. Fry till potatoes turn golden. Drain oil and remove potatoes from the wok, set aside.

 

Temper with bay leaves, cumin seeds, cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves in the same oil. When a nice aroma comes out, add chopped onions in it.

Fry till it gets translucent.

Add ginger-garlic paste now. Fry for another a minute or two on medium heat.

 

Now add tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt in it. Fry for 4-5 minutes, till spices leave oil.

Add chicken now.

Mix up nicely.

Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes. Keep stirring occassionally.

Add fried potatoes now.

 

Fold thoroughly. Again cover and cook for another 10-12 minutes, till chicken and potato tender. Stir occassionally.

Add chopped coriander leaves now. Fold well. Remove from heat now.

Serve hot with roti, paratha, naan or plain rice. Enjoy this luscious chicken with full of flavour!

 

MINT COCONUT CHUTNEY

This time mint and coconut are abundantly available in local market. Fresh bunch of mint I bought to make this 'mint coconut chutney'. It is a popular great green chutney or Indian dip, very refreshing, tastes sublime!

INGREDIENTS:

FOR GRINDING:
3/4 Cup Fresh Mint Leaves (washed)
1/2 Cup Grated Coconut
5-6 Green Chillies (according to taste)
A Small Quantity of Tamarind (I used 1 tsp)
1 tbsp Bengal Gram Lentil (roasted)
1/3" Ginger
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste

FOR SEASONING:
1 tsp Urad Dal
3/4 tsp Mustard seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
8 Curry Leaves
1 Whole Dry Red Chilli
1 tsp Oil

METHOD:
Saute mint leaves in a pan on medium flame for 2 minutes. Grind coconut, green chillies, gram lentil, tamarind salt and cumin seeds with little water for a minute. Now put mint leaves, ginger, turmeric and salt in it. Grind for another a minute till everything blend nicely.

Heat oil in a pan. Add asafoetida and mustard seeds. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves. Saute for a minute. switch off heat now. Pour this seasoning over the blended mixture. Store it in a airtight container and refrigerate for several days. Serve with idlis, upma, uthappam, dosas or any kind of snacks; a good side dish with biryani or pulao too. Enjoy this toothsome chutney!!!

STEAMED EGG (BHAPA DIM)

This is an authentic bengali gravy 'mustard-coconut paste' which I mix-matched with boiled eggs and made it in microoven. I love eggs so much, that explore me to make it in different ways and each tastes better than the other. A mouthwatering and very flavorful recipe, simple and healthy dish, just try it. Tastes great!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (preferably duck's eggs)
1&1/2 tbsps Hanged Curd (plain yogurt)
1 tbsp Mustard Paste
3 Finely Chopped Green Chillies (according to taste)
1/2 of a Small Coconut (pounded)
3-4 tbsps Mustard Oil (first heated till smokey, then cooled down)
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Finely Chopped Cilantro (coriander leaves)
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt as per taste

METHOD:

Shell the eggs and cut each egg into halves. Keep it aside.

In a microoven safe bowl, combine coconut paste, mustard paste, sour curd, lemon juice, chopped green chillies, cilantro, mustard oil, sugar and salt. Add 2 tbsps water in it. Mix everything nicely.

Now place egg pieces on it. Egg yolk side should touch the gravy.

Cover it with a lid. Micro it on 100% MW power for 3 minutes. Open the lid, turn the reverse side of egg pieces (now yolks are on the top).

Again micro for a minute of 100% MW power. Switched off. Keep it as it is inside the oven for 2 more minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice, pulao as  you like.

Enjoy this luscious steamed egg.

TIPS: Those who don't have microoven, just cook it in wok or non-
          stick pan, it comes out perfectly.

FRIED ONIONS FOR BIRYANI OR PULAO

Here is an easy recipe of fried onions, which is more flavorful and used in making any biryani and pulao. Can store it in Air-tight container and keep it in refrigerator for a few days.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Medium Onions
3 tsps Cornflour
1/2 tsp Salt
6 tbsps Oil 

METHOD:
Cut onions in very thin slices. Marinate onion with cornflour and salt.

Mix nicely. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Add onions in batches.

Fry till both sides turns into brown.

Drain oil and remove from wok, and keep on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil from it. Fry the remaining onions like the same.

May use it instantly to make biryani or pulao. Otherwise, pour it in airtight container and store it in refrigerator for future use. 

*** The excess oil can be used in other cooking.

SAUTEED EGGPLANT-TOMATO

Eggplant is my absolute favorite vegetable! One fine morning I saw there was nothing in my pantry except eggplant and tomato. So I started to experiment and explored this recipe. Trust me, it was so flavorful and toothsome that it forced me to make it oftenly. If you thought eggplant is a boring vegetable, you haven't eaten this dish. Try it, you will definitely like it.

INGREDIENTS:
400 gm Eggplants (brinjal/baingan)
300 gm Tomatoes
1 tsp Freshly Pounded Black Pepper powder (kali mirch)
100 gm Onions
2 Green Chillies (as per taste)
1/3 tsp Freshly Pounded Garam Masala
2 tbsps Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
3 tbsps Oil
1 tbsp Clarified Butter (ghee)
2 tsps Salt

METHOD:

Wash eggplants well. Trim off stem and bottom portion. Cut each in half lengthwise. Slice eggplants in 1/2" thick slices now. Marinate the pieces with 1&1/2 tsps salt.

Place eggplant pieces on a sieve for 30 minutes.

Remove seeds from tomatoes, cut in slices. Cut onions in thin slices and green chillies in slits.

Heat oil and clarified butter in a wok. Add pounded black pepper powder to it. Then add onions to it. Fry till onion gets translucent.

At this time add eggplant slices in it. Mix well. Cover and cook for 4 minutes on medium heat. Stir in between once.

Now add Tomato, green chillies and remaining salt.

Fold nicely. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Keep stirring occassionally.

Add garam masala and sprinkle coriander leaves. Mix well.

Serve immediately with warm chapathi, naan or paratha. This eggplant curry goes excellent on top of basmati rice too for a delicious vegetarian dinner.

SWEET & SOUR TOMATO

'Sweet and Sour' sauce is linked with chinese cuisine and can be found in a number of popular dishes in various ways. Here, it is a easy to prepare tomato recipe, just right to compliment any meal. Sweet and sour tomatoes, an incredibly side dish with full of flavor.  Fish sauce is such an ingredient that does not get used enough except Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Tomatoes
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Pods of Garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp Minced Ginger
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1&1/2 tsps Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
2 tbsps Tomato Ketchup
2 tbsps Sugar
2 tbsps Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
2 tbsps Fish Sauce (optional)
4 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Wash tomatoes nicely. Drain water completely.

Cut each tomato into cubes. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok and temper with mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Saute for few seconds.

 

When nice aroma comes out, add cubed tomato in it. Mix nicely.

Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and kashmiri red chilli powder in it.

Fold well for a minute or two on low flame.

Now add minced ginger-garlic, fish sauce, sugar and salt. Keep stirring 3 minutes on low heat till spices are well cooked. (Pour little water if required, but be causious tomatoes will not break down or mushy)

Add tomato ketchup now. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves and switch off heat.

Serve warm or chill as you wish. Serve as a dip with garlic bread, sausage patties or any types of snacks. It can be accompanied with deep fried chicken, pork or seafood.

 ENJOY!!!

 



Linking to Julie's Flavors of Cuisines - 'Chinese' event