Spinach Rice/Palak Rice with Green Chicken Curry

Spinach (Palak) Rice and Green Chicken Curry (6-7 people depending on their appetites)

If you fancy the Recipe below and find it too tedious to try and want to place an order instead, please drop me a comment below with your mobile number and I will call you. That's only if you live in Dubai :)

I recently bought some Spinach, trying to eat healthy ;). Usually I prepare Aloo Palak which is basically Spinach and Potatoes sautéed in powdered spices. Since the spinach welts and a big bunch ends up to almost nothing I thought of doing something different like adding it to Rice to sort of make it like Pulav.

Of all the vegetables my hubby eats (and it is so difficult to get him to eat any) Spinach is my safest option.

Make this for your loved one’s lunch box or for a dinner party. Either way you are bound to impress.

You may need something to accompany the Rice like either Yoghurt Raita or just plain Yoghurt or Pickle. I decided to go with green Chicken curry for substance.

So for the Rice you will need 2 cups of Basmati Rice soaked in water. Soak it for about an hour or so. You also need - 

1.       2 bunches of Spinach

2.       Half a bunch of Coriander Leaves (Dhaniya)

3.       Few Mint Leaves (Pudina)

4.       4-5 Cloves of Garlic

5.       2 inch piece of Ginger

6.       1 Green Chilli (you can remove the seeds for less heat)

Blend the above ingredients with a little water to form a paste. We are now going to cook this paste for which you will need –

7.       2 tbsp of Vegetable Oil

8.       4-5 Black Peppercorns

9.       ½ tsp of whole Cumin seeds (Jeera)

10.    2 Cloves

11.    1 Bay Leaf

12.    1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder

13.    1 tsp Coriander Powder (Dhaniya)

14.    ½ tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)

15.    1 medium Red Onion

16.    1 small Tomato

17.    Salt

Heat up 2 tbsp of Oil in a wide deep non-stick vessel. The reason why I specify wide is so that the Rice has space to breathe. I am not sure if it’s true but I have just formed this opinion upon numerous tries, sometimes ending up with sticky rice and no one likes to eat sticky Pulav.

Add the Peppercorns, Cumin, Cloves, Bay Leaf, Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder and Turmeric Powder and fry for a minute to release the flavour from the spices. Add the onion and Tomato and fry for another minute. Add the Spinach paste and fry for a good 5 minutes.

Add the soaked rice along with 4 cups of water and salt and cook on a slow flame until the rice is cooked. Avoid stirring the rice; you can fluff it with a fork if you like.

There you have it - delicious Spinach or Palak Rice.

Green Chicken

The chicken is a little easier. You take 1 whole chicken cut into parts and marinate it with a green Masala (see below). Once marinated for about an hour or so, fry the chicken in a vessel (not a frying pan as it may be too shallow) for a few minutes until the Masala is cooked and then add about 2 cups of water if you want some gravy. Let it simmer for about an hour until the chicken is cooked.

If you do not want gravy then you can just cook the chicken without adding any water on a slow flame for about an hour until the chicken is done.

Don’t forget to add salt.

To make the Masala, blend all the below ingredients to make a thick smooth paste.

1 Onion

1 cup grated fresh Coconut

1-2 bunch(es) of Coriander Leaves (Dhaniya)

Few Mint Leaves (Pudina)

1 Green Chilli

4-5 Cloves of Garlic

1 inch piece of Ginger

3-4 Black Peppercorns

1 inch stick of Cinnamon

2-3 Cloves

A splash of Soya Sauce

That’s all for today folks!

Happy Cooking!

Recipe for Chicken Stew with Appams (Indian Pancakes)

Hi guys – I am blogging after a while as ... well I have no excuse, I have just been lazy!

Yesterday I tried my hand at Chicken stew with Appam (pancakes made with Rice and Coconut). Now this is essentially a South-Indian meal so I won’t say my recipe is perfect but it is safe to say that it is delicious. And I also must admit that I did browse through various recipes before trying this one out just to get an idea of the ingredients involved.  

The recipe below is good for 4 people. If you are cooking for more people, then you could just double the quantity of the ingredients.

For the Chicken stew you will need –

1.        one whole Chicken quite obviously, or Chicken parts if you prefer

2.        4-5 tbsp of Oil (any vegetable oil)

3.        1 tbsp of Coconut Oil (I used Parachute which comes in a blue plastic bottle and is available in most grocery stores eg Carrefour)

4.        a small stick of Cinnamon

5.        2 dried Bay leaves

6.        2 Cardamom pods

7.        5-6 black Peppercorns

8.        1 large chopped red Onion (if you don’t have red even white or yellow Onions will do)

9.        5-6 cloves of chopped Garlic

10.     a little chopped Ginger (about an inch long)

11.     1 tsp red Chilli powder

12.     ½ tsp Turmeric (Haldi) powder

13.     1 tsp Coriander (Dhaniya) powder

14.     1 medium chopped Tomato

15.     1 medium sized tin of Coconut Milk

16.     1 chopped Potato

17.     1 chopped Carrot

18.     1 cup of Water

For the garnishing you will need –

19.     a few curry leaves (Karipatta)

20.     a pinch of dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) (This is optional)

21.     a few Coriander leaves (Dhaniya)

22.     a squeeze of 1 small Lime

23.     Salt (as much or as little as you like)

24.     a pinch of Pepper

Now to make the all important Appam you will need –

25.     1 cup raw rice soaked in a cup of Water (I used Basmati rice but not the very expensive kind)

26.     1 tbsp cooked rice

27.     about 3/4^th of a cup of fresh grated Coconut

28.     a pinch of Baking Soda

29.     1 tsp of Salt

30.     2 tsp of Sugar

31.     1-2 cups of water depending upon the consistency achieved

32.     Oil for frying

I know it looks like a tonne of ingredients but trust me it is worth the little bit of effort.

To start with the stew, take a deep dish vessel/pot. Add the vegetable and Coconut Oil. Now add the Cinnamon, Bay Leaves, Cardamom and Peppercorns and fry. After about a minute add the chopped Onion, Garlic and Ginger and stir. Now add the Chilli powder, Turmeric powder and Coriander powder and continue frying for about another minute. Add the chopped Tomato and stir. Let it fry for about another minute so that all the spices are cooked well.  Now add the Chicken pieces and let it brown a bit. Then add the Coconut Milk, a cup of Water, chopped Potato and Carrots and cook on a low flame for about an hour or so until the Chicken is completely cooked.

To garnish add ingredients no. 19-24.

Now let’s move on to the Appam

The Appam batter needs to be mixed a day before so that it ferments a bit.

So one day before soak a cup of raw Rice for a few hours in a cup of Water. Blend the raw Rice with the cooked Rice and Coconut in a Blender with half a cup of Water. Blend it well so that there are no lumps. Now keep this mixture in a container, overnight, in a cool room and let it ferment. Put it in the Refrigerator the next morning.

Take it out of the Refrigerator just when you want to eat them. Add about a cup or two of Water, Salt, Sugar and Baking Soda and give it a good stir. You should aim to achieve a pancake batter like consistency (not too thick and not too thin).

Now to fry the Appam, take a tsp of oil in a non-stick pan, pour a ladle of batter into the pan and fry until you see the edges browning. It should take about 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, if you like you can flip it and fry it for about half a minute on the reverse to ensure it is cooked. Cover the pan to speed up the frying process. And voila you should get a tasty Appam. Continue the process until the batter is over. I didn’t count but I think I got around 9 or 10 Appams.

 I didn’t click any photos so I don’t have anything to show you what it looks like, but to give you a general idea they look very similar to white thin pancakes.

Let me know if you try out the Recipe. I would love to hear what you thought of it. All the ingredients listed above should be available in either Lulu or Carrefour supermarkets.

Masoor Dal Recipe (Lentils)

Dal is such a common dish in every Indian household. There are many different types of Dal. It is simple, easy to make and a good source of protein. Even though it's simple, it's somehow very satisfying. For my mum, this dish used to be a quick way of getting dinner prepared after a long day at work. Dal, rice and fried fish reminds me of my mum.

So, in this recipe I have used Masoor Dal. Below is what you need -

About a full cup of Brown/Black Masoor Lentils (Dal) (wash this repeatedly until the water runs clear)
2 medium sized Onions chopped
1 medium sized Tomato chopped
1 green Chilli chopped or slit lengthwise (optional)
5-6 cloves of Garlic (chopped)
1 inch piece of Ginger (chopped fine)
Half tsp of red Chilli powder
Half tsp of Turmeric (Haldi) powder
1 tsp of Coriander powder (Dhaniya) (optional)
Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

For the Tadka you will require -

1 tsp Ghee and 1 tbsp of oil (clarified butter available at most supermarkets)
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 tsp Mustard seeds (Rai/Sarson)
3-4 green curry leaves (Kadi Patta)
2-3 dried red chilli (optional)
Pinch of Asfoetida (Hing) (this is good for the tummy and prevents bloating)

Tadka is a method of tempering whole spices in hot oil and then adding them to the Dal to intensify its flavours. There is no hard and fast rule to Tadka. You can also add cloves of Garlic or bits of Ginger if you like. Since I add Ginger and Garlic to the Dal itself I avoid it in the Tadka process.

Take a big deep vessel (I prefer to use a pressure cooker to save time). Pour a little oil in it and let it heat up. Then add the chopped Ginger/Garlic, give it a stir and immediately add the chopped onions, and green chilli. Let the onions fry for a bit and then add the Red Chilli powder, Turmeric powder and Coriander powder. Give it a good stir and then add the chopped tomatoe. Let it all fry for about 5 minutes. Now add the Masoor Dal along with 3 cups of water. Close the lid and let it simmer until the Dal  is soft or almost mushy. If you are using a pressure cooker like I do, then wait for about 5 whistles and then switch the gas off. Let all the steam escape from the pressure cooker and only then open the lid. The Dal should not be too thick and nor should it be too watery. If it is too thick add some more water and if it is too watery then let it simmer some more.

Add the green curry leaves and the dried red chillis (break them into half) on top of the Dal and in the centre of the vessel/pressure cooker. When we do the Tadka we will pour the Tadka right on top of it so that the hot oil automatically releases its flavours. You can also add the curry leaves and red chillis into the Tadka pan but this is just a different way of doing it.

Now for the Tadka. Take a frying pan and add a tsp of Ghee in it and a tbsp of oil. Let it heat up on high flame. Now add the Mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Then add the Cumin seeds and a pinch of Asfoetida. Give it a good stir and pour it in the centre of the vessel and right on top of the curry leaves and red chillis. Give the Dal a mix and garnish it with the Coriander leaves.

Serve with a bowl of steamed Rice :)

MERRY XMAS!

Goan hot and sour Squid curry

So this is my version of Goan Squid curry. How authentic Goan it is, I do not know but what I do know is that my hubby is Goan and he says it's Goan so well Goan it is.

Follow the below steps and enjoy this famous Goan curry.

You will need 1 kg squid, cleaned and cut into rings

2-3 pieces of tamarind - soak this in 1/4 cup water for about 10 mins. After 10 mins take out the tamarind pieces and you are left with the water, which you will need later so keep this aside. You can substitute the tamarind water with a tamarind stock cube if available.

Now you need to dry roast (on a pan without any oil) the below whole spices -

1 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp of whole black peppercorns
1/4 tsp of whole cumin (jeera)
1/4 tsp of whole coriander seeds
4 black cloves
10 whole red dried Kashmiri chillies (break off the stems)

Take a blender and add to it the above roasted spices along with -

3 small chopped onions (or 2 big onions)
4 garlic cloves peeled
1/2 tsp of chopped ginger
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
 1/3 cup vinegar (white or apple cider).

Blend everything so that you get a smooth red paste (masala) which should be of a thick consistency.

Now take a deep vessel. Add some oil and fry 1 small sliced onion. After 2-3 minutes add the red paste/masala and fry well on a medium flame for about 5 mins. To this add one small chopped tomato and the tamarind water/stock cube and a pinch of sugar to even out the sourness of the tomato and the tamarind.

Now you can add the squid rings and about 2 cups of water (depending on the consistency that you like you can add more or less water). Let the gravy/curry come to a boil and them simmer on a low heat for about 15-20 mins until the squid is cooked.

Umm don't forget to add some salt otherwise it will be curry with no taste!

Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and serve with hot steamed rice!

PS - all the above ingredients are available at Lulu/Carrefour supermarkets or any Indian store.

Indian Spicy Red Fish Curry

Now I am not really sure which Indian State this curry belongs to as it's something created out of one of my experiments. Every Indian family has their own version of fish curry. Some like it hot, some sour and some green! Anyhow, this is something I recently tried out and well it wasn't all that bad :)

So here is what you will need for this recipe -

Fish (I prefer Pomfret) - Clean your fish or you can have it cleaned from wherever you buy it. Keep the fish slices aside marinated with a little salt. In Dubai you get some lovely fish at the Deira fish market. If you do not have the patience to go there then you can get some at Lulu or Carrefour.

Take a small ball of tamarind and soak it in half a cup of water. If you do not have tamarind it is ok, you can skip this. You can soak the tamarind for about 10mins after which drain the tamarind water and keep it aside.

Now get ready to make the masala. Take the below ingredients and dry roast them (just put them in a pan on a low flame without any oil) -

4-5 Kashmiri Chillis (Available in Lulu/Carrefour)
1 tsp Coriander seeds
Half tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
A pinch of Fenugreek seeds

After about 5 mins take them out and put them in a blender. To the blender also add -

1 tsp of Red Chilli powder
Half tsp of Turmeric powder
1 small onion (cut into quarters)
3-4 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
Half a cup grated coconut (if you do not have fresh coconut, substitute this with 3-4 tsp of Maggi coconut powder)
Tamarind water (or just half a cup of plain water)

Blend all the above ingredients. If the masala is too dry add some water. It should be of a thick paste like consistency. The colour should be a dark orange. If you think it is too pale add some more red chilli powder.

Now slice up another small onion, a small tomato and one small green chilli (skip the green chilli if you do not like it hot). Take a deep vessel, add some oil and wait for it to heat up. Now add a few mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Once they start spluttering, add the sliced onion and green chilli and fry them for about 3mins. Once the onions are translucent, almost brown, add the chopped tomato and fry again. Now add the masala paste and fry for a good 5-10 mins on a low flame. Keep stirring to ensure the masala is not burning and all the raw smell of the spices disappear.

Lastly add the fish, add some more water to make it a gravy type consistency and some salt.

Let it boil for a few minutes until the fish is cooked.

Serve with plain white steamed rice.

PS - all the above listed ingredients are available at Lulu/Carrefour supermarkets

Fish Moilee Recipe

An avid lover of all kinds of food here is my take on Fish Moilee, a South Indian speciality.  

I must confess this is not my original recipe. I have reviewed various recipes online and I mixed and matched them all together.

I am not sure what kinds of fish you can use with the recipe but I do know Pomfret goes best with it so go to your local fish market (I go to the market in Deira near the Gold Souk metro) and get your hands on some yummy Pomfret (you can also get it cleaned at the market itself by paying a nominal price).

So what you must have for this recipe is –

-       The fish of course

-       2 tsp Coconut Oil and 4tbsp of vegetable oil (coconut oil gives it that authentic taste but you can skip it)

-       6-7 chopped small baby onions  - the ones used in Sambhar (if using a normal sized onion, 1 will do)

-       3 cloves of garlic hopped extremely fine or mashed

-       1 inch piece of ginger chopped extremely fine or half tsp of ginger paste

-       3-4 green chillies (or less)

-       10 curry leaves (kadi patta)

-       1/4^th tsp of turmeric powder

-       1/4^th tsp of pepper powder

-       1 medium tomato chopped

-       *Half cup thin coconut milk

-       *Half cup thick coconut milk

-       Salt to taste

*Don’t worry about the coconut milk. You can mix a few tbsp of Maggie coconut powder in water to make the coconut milk. For thick milk you might require 3-4 tbsp and for thin milk around 1-2 tbsp. What I did was I bought a can/tin of coconut milk from the store and kept it in the fridge. The milk that settles on the top is thicker. I emptied half the can in a cup and used it as my thick coconut milk. I mixed the remaining half (which is already thin) with some water and voila I got my thin coconut milk.

The above ingredients are to be fried but before you start chopping and sweating, defrost your fish and marinate it with 1/4^th tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt and juice of one lime. Rub the marinade gently but all over the fish and keep it aside.

Now you start with the above mentioned ingredients. Start with frying the onions in the coconut and vegetable oil; add in the ginger and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of ginger goes away (or in my case just reduces). Add in the curry leaves, green chillies, turmeric and pepper powder and fry for about 5 mins on low flame till the raw smell of turmeric goes away. Now add in the thin coconut milk and the marinated fished and the chopped tomato. Let it simmer for a few minutes after which add in the thick coconut milk. Let it simmer for few more minutes. Do not stir as the fish is usually tender and might fall apart. Just rotate the vessel. Add salt as per your requirement and tada fish moilee is ready to serve.

PS – If you are worried about the fish falling apart you can gently fry it before adding it to the curry.

If you worried about the coconut milk splitting, it is always safer to use coconut milk powder mixed with water instead.

Hot Chocolate

A cup full of heaven - mix one and a half tbsp of Nesquick chocolate powder (or 2 if you are feeling sinful) in one cup of hot full fat milk (or low fat). Add a small tsp of Hershey's caramel syrup (try Lulus or Carrefour) and a pinch of cinnamon powder.

Tip - If you have spare Galaxy Jewels chocolates lying around try melting one in boiling milk, in which case reduce the amount of Nesquick. The results are equally yummy.

Voila - enjoy this hot chocolate concoction on a cold night :)

This and that...cauliflower soup!

I know I have not written for ages. I have just been really lazy and occupied with work and other stuff. The Eid holidays have begun today - yipeeee. I will be visiting my family in Muscat and I am hoping to catch the 20% discount at duty free (the discount is valid on all public holidays - not sure if it will be available on just the Eid day itself or on all 3 days starting today) :D 

 

I have a quick easy recipe for cauliflower soup - something I tried recently.

 

In a vessel, fry an onion (sliced) and garlic (2-3 pods chopped roughly). To this, add a cube of chicken stock and about 2-3 cups of water. Add cauliflower (chopped) and let it boil. Add any type of seasoning you want (chilli flakes, oregano, mixed herbs, pepper, salt etc). After the cauliflower has boiled and is soft, empty the vessel in a blender and blend till smooth (blend in batches if necessary so that it does not overspill).

 

Voila - garnish with some golden fried onions/shredded cheese on top and serve with garlic bread. Quick and easy and hardly takes up any time.

 

Eid Mubarak everyone!

 

 

Coconut Rice

I actually saw this recipe on a blog but I don't remember which blog it was so whoever I took this recipe from - Thank you!

Serves 4 people

1 cup rice
1/2 cup coconut milk in a tin (if you have fresh coconut milk even better)
2 onions
1 inch ginger (chopped fine or ginger paste will do)
2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped fine or garlic paste will do)
Oil for frying
1 inch Cinamon stick
Few Methi (Fenugreek) seeds
Salt

Soak the rice for about half an hour. Drain the soaked rice well and keep it aside.

Fry 2 onions along with the ginger and garlic. Add the drained rice to it and stir it very very gently. Now add the coconut milk and around 1.5 cups of water (double the quanity of rice in the vessel). Do not stir. Add cinamon and Methi seeds and leave it on a medium flame to boil. When you notice that the liquid has almost dried off switch it on to a very low flame and cover the vessel so that it cooks all the way through for about 10-15 mins. Finally fluff the rice with a fork.

Note - It is important not to stir the rice so that in the end you get separate grains of rice and not just a mushy blob! Do not add too many Methi seeds as they are bitter (

Enjoy and let me know how it goes :)

Shrimp Spaghetti in Red Sauce my style!!

Serves 4

Spaghetti

Half a packet of spaghetti (or as much as you would consider appropriate for 4 people)

1 cube of shrimp stock

1 tbsp of oil and half tsp of salt

Shrimps (as much as you would consider appropriate for 4 people)

Sesame Oil for frying the Shrimps (optional for a different flavour)

Pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce

Bacon (approx 2 slices of bacon chopped very fine; they should hardly be visible in the sauce)

2 red onions

1 Spring onion

5 cloves of garlic chopped very fine

Fresh mushrooms chopped in quarters (again as much as you would consider appropriate for 4 people.)

1 red capsicum sliced

2 tomatoes

1 can of tomato paste

Chilli flakes/pepper/salt/mixed herbs

Soy sauce/Tabasco sauce

1 cube of stock (try different flavours; I used mushroom stock)

Fresh herbs (optional for garnishing)

Boil half a packet of spaghetti with a little salt and oil. Add a cube of either chicken or shrimp stock. I went with Shrimp stock for a change. While the spaghetti is boiling it’s time to create your sauce.

Take a big pan (should be deep enough so that the sauce does not spill over). Add some oil to the pan and fry your bacon bits. After a minute or so it’s time to add your onions, spring onions and garlic. Fry them all nicely together until the onions are translucent. Now add the sliced red pepper/capsicum. Fry for another minute or two. Now add the tomatoes and fry again until they have gone all soft and mushy. Now it’s time to add the tomato paste and mushrooms. At this time also add a good sprinkle of chilli flakes, crushed black pepper, various dry herbs (like oregano/basil/thyme), a splash of soy and tabasco sauce and a pinch of salt. You may also want to add a stock cube for more flavour (I added Mushroom stock). Stir is around a bit so that the stock cube is completely dissolved in the sauce. Now let this sauce simmer for a good 10 minutes or so.

Fry your shrimps separately in a little sesame oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the shrimps to the spaghetti and pour the sauce over it. If you have some fresh herbs you can garnish the spaghetti with those otherwise just go right ahead and serve hot!

My dad's recipe for ribs....rib-i-licious ;)

On my trip to the supermarket I saw a packet of ribs and I instantly knew what I wanted to do with them.

My dad had cooked chops while I had been home on holidays and I simply loved them. So I’m sharing the recipe with you all. Try it and let me know how it goes.

Marinade

1kg Ribs

1tsp Cumin powder (Jeera)

1tsp Red Chilli powder

1tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya)

1tsp Black Pepper powder

1/2tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi)

1/2cup Yoghurt (or a little more but enough to cover the ribs)

1/2cup soy sauce

2tbsp Tabasco sauce

Marinate the ribs with the above ingredients and keep overnight in the refrigerator.

1) Take a pressure cooker. Add some oil and fry about 4 cloves of garlic, 2 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon stick and 1-2 green chillies (for a little heat).

2) Add the ribs and fry them just for a minute.

3) Add a little water in the cooker so that it won’t burn. The soy sauce should provide the liquid component but in case your pressure cooker is a big one then you may need to add a bit of water too.

4) Wait for about 5 whistles before turning it off.

5) In a plate, mix barbeque sauce  (HP Sauce) with equal parts of honey (if you find it too sweet then add more of the sauce and less of honey). Wait for the ribs to cool and then dunk them in the mixture and finally fry them for a minute or two on each side just so that they become crispy on the outside.

Voila – serve them with mashed potatoes and stir fry veggies and you are good to go!

Chicken and Palak Curry Recipe

Here is to my best friend - my recipe for Chicken and Palak curry!

Step I

Stir fry a few cloves (5-6), peppercons (5-6), cinamon stick (half inch), dried bay leaf (1-2), methi/fenugreek seeds (half tsp), dhaniya/coriander seeds (half tsp), kashmiri chilli (1-2), onions (2-3 small or 2 medium - sliced), tomato (1 - chopped) and salt (as per taste).

Step II

Blend the above fried spices with a little water to make a paste. I added 2 tsps of yoghurt as well (which is optional).

Step III

Now fry the paste in a little oil and add 1 tsp of chilli powder, half tsp of haldi/turmeric powder and half tsp of jeera/cumin powder. Fry for a minute and add the chicken pieces. Now add chopped palak/spinach. (you can also blend the palak with the spices in Step II but i prefer not to). Add around a cup water and let it all come to a nice boil.

Enjoy with hot rotis!

Note - This curry serves around 3-4 people. If you wish to make more just double the quantity of the ingredients mentioned in Step I.

Chicken Curry Recipe

Last evening I tried out a chicken curry recipe which my aunt had given me when I got married. I tweaked it a bit.

1 medium chicken  (800 to 900 gms)
3 medium onions roughly sliced
1 medium onion finely sliced
1 tablespoon whole jeera
6 black pepper corns

5 cloves

1 two inch cinnamon stick
2 clove garlic
2 teaspoons chilli powder (or as per taste)
half teaspoon haldi powder
Small lball of tamarind (marble size) soaked in water
salt to taste
oil/ghee for seasoning

Method:

Clean and cut the chicken into medium pieces.

Roast the 3 roughly sliced onions in a frying pan with 1 teaspoon oil till the onions become pinkish and keep aside in a blender.  Dry roast the jeera (cumin), pepper corns, cinnamon and cloves and 1 clove of garlic. Then put the dry roasted spices and tamarind in the blender along with the onions, which were kept earlier, and a little water and grind to a fine paste (“masala”).  Take 3 tablespoons of oil/ghee in a saucepan and fry the finely sliced onion till golden brown.  Add the cut and washed chicken pieces and fry for a couple of minutes.  Add the ground masala and fry another two minutes.  Add water if necessary (depending on the gravy required). Lastly add some salt (I usually add around 1 small teaspoon). Boil a few roughly chopped potatoes separately (I boiled them in some left over ground masala so it adds a little flavour to the potatoes. Alternatively you can also boil them in a little chilli powder, haldi (turmeric) powder and a pinch of salt). Lastly, add the boiled potatoes to the cooked chicken curry.  Eat with pulao or rotis.  Bon Apetit!!!!!

how to make chicken biryani when you have no idea how to...

I recently tried my hand at biryani. You can use any meat – chicken, fish, prawns, lamb. I did it with chicken.

I used 1 small chicken which looked enough for 6 people. I cut the chicken into medium sized peices and marinated them with around 4 tbsp of biryani masala (you can get this at Lulu) (you can put more masala if you wish as long as all the chicken pieces are coated thoroughly), 2 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi), 1 tsp cumin powder (jeera) and 1 tsp coriander powder (dhania), 1 tsp salt (or less if you prefer), 0.5 tsp of pepper powder and a little water. You may wish to add some yoghurt (around 2-3 tbsp) to the marinade but, as I did not have any that day I substituted for water.

For the Rice - I used 2 full cups of rice and it was enough for 6 people. You may wish to add more or less depending on the quantity of rice you need. If you use more rice then you probably need more chicken as well. Wash the rice well and drain it completely off water. I fried the washed rice with 2 tsp of oil, 1 small bay leaf, 3 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 4 whole black pepper, 0.25 tsp of turmeric powder for colour and 0.5 tsp of salt. You can also add 1 cube of chicken stock (I did not use this as I didn’t have any). Stir for a minute or two and then add 2 cups of water (it should just cover the rice as we don’t want it to boil completely, it should only be half boiled). Don’t stir the rice around too much when you add the water as it makes it mushy. Leave it untouched and once all the water evaporates you can just run a fork through it.

For the Masala – I first fried couple of cardamom pods, 2 dried bay leaves, 0.5 tsp of whole black pepper and a couple of cloves. After a minute I added 2 onions (chopped fine); 2 tomatoes (chopped very fine); 1 tsp ginger garlic paste; 0.25 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp of chilly powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and biryani masala; 0.25 tsp of whole cumin (put this in last as it tends to burn). Fry this for a good few minutes till the tomatoes are all mashed up and oil starts to float on top. To this I added the marinated chicken and chopped up potatoes and fried for around 5 mins. Then add some water to the chicken (around quarter of a cup).

Finally – I added the half boiled rice on top of the chicken and covered it with a tight lid (I put a kettle on top of my lid just to make it stay tight) and cooked it for 15-20 mins on a very low flame.

Voila – the biryani should be ready. Garnish it with golden fried onions, boiled eggs (cut in halves) and some fresh coriander leaves.

Chicken Pie

A few days ago I tried my very first Chicken Pie. I am not an expert cook so I may not be able to describe the recipe very well but here goes...

Mix some regular all purpose flour with butter. I had used 1.5 cups of flour and I had put enough butter to form a crumbly texture. Add a little salt.

Add a few tsp of cold water and knead to make a dough (I have read that too much kneading is bad so keep it minimal). Now keep this dough in the fridge until you cook the chicken.

For the chicken - I stir fried an onion with 2 cloves of garlic and small piece of ginger. After a few mins I added the chiken cubes and some beans and chopped boiled eggs (you can add any other vegetables or meat). I added a few tsp of soy sauce, half a tsp of chilli powder, little salt, some chilli flakes and some dried herbs (you get them in small ready to sprinkle bottles at any store these days).

Next I took out the dough from the fridge and separated it into 2 halves, one of which I returned inside. I rolled out the other half into a big enough circle to fit the pie dish I had. In between the rolling you might have to return the circle of dough back to the fridge as it tends to melt. Also add a lot of flour onto the surface so that the dough does not stick to it. If you do return it to the fridge then take out the other half and start rolling. Keep doing this until you have both the halves big enough to cover the pie dish.

Sauce - Mix 2 tsp of butter with 2 tsp of flour and cook for a minute. Add half a cup of milk or more depending on how much sauce you want. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, cheese, any other herbs. Cook till it is nice and creamy. Pour it over the chicken.

Now transfer one half of the dough to the pie dish, layer the chicken on top and cover it with the other half. Make a few holes in the dough with a fork and brush some milk on it. Bake it in the oven for about an hour at about 180. Keep checking in between as this is what I did. Once the dough starts turning a light brown it is more or less ready.

Enjoy!!