Quickie Dahi Chicken

I love my new kitchen! It is large enough for monster munchkin to potter at one end, whilst I experiment and blog at the other. Of late though, he hasn't been content just stirring empty pots. He often wanders over to my cooking area demanding, " Mamma, Up!", to get a closer look at all the bubbling and sauteing. Do I have a chef in the making? Too early to say. But this recipe is definitely the munchkin's brainchild. I dare take no credit for it.

As I stood staring at the chicken, wondering just what treatment I mete, the lil one coolly sauntered over insisting I take the onion he had brought. He kept going back and bringing ingredient after ingredient. All I had to do was put it all in the mixer and let him grind the masala dancing on his tiptoes! Thus was born the quickest, most delicious chicken I have ever tasted. But don't  take my word for it! Give it a whirl and I am sure it will become a permanent in your repertoire. After all, even a two year old could whip it up ;)

Ingredients:

Chicken                          1 kg

Curds                              1 cup

Onion                              1, large

Garlic                              6

Green chillies                  6

Dessicated coconut         1/4 cup

Water                              1 cup

Mustard oil                     2 tablespoon

Method:

Grind the onion, chillies, garlic, curds and coconut together. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, Add the ground masala. Cook for two minutes. Add the chicken and salt. Stir well till all the pieces are coated. Add the water and pressure cook for four whistles. Told you it was a quickie!

Note: Dessicated coconut is also know as dry coconut powder or nariyal bhoora.

Oil Free Chicken Raja Mircha

• Those who have been following this blog would have realized that I am rather partial towards food that is light, wholesome, simple but packs a flavourful punch. This new recipe is no exception. I found the original on soulkitchendiaries and knew it was just what I needed to kickstart the winter weekend on a healthy note. I tweaked the recipe a little, playing around with the flavours from the North eastern part of India. It's an addiction I cannot curb! The result was sublime. Need I say more?

Ingredients:

Chicken                  750 gm

Water                      1 litre

Onions                    3, large

Tomatoes                4, large

Raja Mircha            2

Green Chillies         3

Ginger                     1 inch

Garlic                      6

Coriander leaves      1 cup

Mint leaves               1 cup

Coriander powder     1 tsp

Garam Masala          1/2 tsp

Turmeric                   1/2 tsp

Bamboo Shoots         1/2 cup

Method: 

Grind the onions to a paste. Puree the tomatoes. Grind the mint and coriander leaves coarsely. In a mortar and pestle, coarsely pound the ginger, garlic and green chillies. In a heavy bottomed pan, bring the water to a boil. Add all the ingredients, except the chicken and bamboo shoots. Add salt and bring to a boil once again. Add the chicken and bamboo shoots and cook on high flame for ten minutes. Reduce the flame to sim. Cover and cook till the chicken is done. Serve hot with steamed rice, and do invite me over to slurp some!

Notes: 

1) Raja Mircha (King Chilly/ Boxer Mirchi/ Naga Chilly) is rare to source and also too hot to handle for most palates. So feel free to substitute with any regular dry red chillies,

2) Bamboo Shoots are an acquired taste. Also, like Raja Mircha they are hard to find in the mainstream markets. You can easily substitute with fresh green beans or even potatoes for an equally tasty dish.

Hara Bhara Chicken

The weekend is here, finally! And after all the Diwali madness, it is time for some comfort food. Now don't get me wrong. As far as food goes, it is all comfort to me! But right now I feel like some warm brothy chicken with a no fuss attitude and tankards of taste. Light on the masala and heavy on flavour. The kind of soul chicken that you can dip a  couple of slice of bread in (if you are me), or drown your rice in (if you are hubby). The kind of Chicken, that on a nippy November evening reminds you of a warm fireplace and home. Oh, and the kind of chicken that does not require me spending hours chopping, frying, cleaning!

Now this chicken doesn't look the lurid green required of a hara bhara, but there are some greens in there I promise!

Ingredients:

Chicken                      1 kg

Coriander                    1 bunch

Green Chillies             7

Cloves                         4

Black Cardamom        3

Ginger                         1 inch

Garlic                          5 cloves

Mustard oil                 4 tablespoons 

Curds                          2 cups

Kasuri Methi              1/4 cup

Water                          350 ml

Method: Grind together the coriander, cloves, ginger, garlic, cardamom and chillies. Heat oil in a deep pan and add the ground masala. Once the masala browns, and the fat separates, add the curds. Cook for five minutes. Add the chicken and salt. Stir till all the pieces are well coated. Add the water. Reduce the flame to sim. Cover and cook till done. Stir in the kasuri methi. And you are done! Simple, isn't it? 

Akhni Pulao

In the pre Internet era, I remember my mother meticulously copying recipes from library books and magazines into her diary. Those were also days when she maintained a file filled with recipes clipped from varied newspapers and publications. As a ten year old, this weekly ritual fascinated me. And in an attempt to emulate her, I started my own food file. My love affair with cooking began that day but I rarely revisited the indiscriminate clippings of those early days. 

Recently, however, I was cleaning out the trunk of books and chanced upon the old yellowing clippings. Browsing through those memories I discovered this little gem. Akhni Pulao is a one pot cousin of the Biryani, and ideal for those lazy Sunday brunches. And the quantity is sufficient to feed even last minute weekend guests. So grab a pot and impress everyone this week!

Ingredients:
                   Chicken                         1 kg
                   Rice                               1/2 kg
                   Curds                             250 gm
                   Onions                           3
                   Potatoes                         3
                   Ginger Garlic paste       4 teaspoon
                   Garam Masala               4 teaspoon
                   Cumin seeds                  1 teaspoon
                   Oil                                  8 tablespoon

Method:
             Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onions. When the onions are translucent, add the ginger garlic paste, salt, chicken and garam masala. Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Remove from the flame. Cool slightly and add the potatoes, curd and rice. Cover and cook again for 4-5 whistles. And your minimal fuss Akhni Pulao is now ready! Serve up with some salad and raita.

Spice Trail Chicken Curry

I love just reaching out into the pantry, yanking random ingredients and then combining them subtly into a delicious meal. This is one such recipe. An ode to the myriad spices that line my kitchen shelves, waiting to be paired into just the right blend.
The ingredient list may read long, but rest assured this chicken curry mildly teases your tastebuds without overpowering your senses. Just the perfect dish for a laidback weekend.

Ingredients
Chicken 1 kg
Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri methi) 2 tbsp
Curds 1 cup
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp
Green Chillies 6-7, slit lengthwise

Masala : 2-3 large onions

              2 inch ginger

              8 cloves garlic

              2 inch cinnamon stick

              4 green cardamoms

              2 black cardamom

              1 tsp peppercorn

              6 cloves

              2 bay leaves

              a pinch of mace

              1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

Method

Grind all the ingredients in the masala list and keep aside. Heat oil in a pot and add the readied masala paste. Once it browns, add the chicken pieces. Cook till the pieces are well coated with the masala and start changing colour. Add the slit green chillies and cook for 2 minutes. Now start adding the curds one tablespoon at a time. After each addition stir well and let it adhere well onto the pieces. Finally when only 1/4 cup of curds are left, beat the turmeric, coriander and red chilli powder into the curds. Pour onto the chicken and mix well. Stir in the crushed dry fenugreek leaves. Add salt to taste and enough water for a gravy of your desired consistency. We like the curry to be a little broth like and so I added about 350 ml of water. Lower the flame. Cover the pot and cook till done, Dish up with some paranthas or steamed rice or even a ciabatta bread.