Chicken 65

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken thighs - 325 gms (cut into bite-sized pieces)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Food color - a pinch
Salt (to taste)
Roasted and powdered cumin - 1/4 tsp.
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Lime juice - from half a lime
Pepper powder - a small pinch
Oil (to deep fry)
Corn flour - 1 tbsp.
APF/Maida - 1 tsp.
Egg (beaten) - from half an egg

For garnishing:
Curry leaves - few
Onion - 1 (finely sliced)
Lime juice - few drops
Chaat masala - few pinches
Kashmiri red chilli - few pinches
Lemon wedges
Tomato slices

Method:
Wash the chicken pieces and drain all the water.
In a bowl add the chicken, ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, lime juice, cumin powder, food colour and garam masala. Mix well.
Marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, mix the beaten egg, corn flour and maida. Cover and keep aside for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat the oil for deep frying in high flame and once it becomes hot enough, reduce the flame to medium.
Now add the chicken pieces in 2-3 batches and fry till crisp and golden brown.
Place the fried chicken pieces on the paper towel.
In the same oil, fry the curry leaves till crisp.
In a bowl, mix onion slices, red chilli powder, chaat masala and lime juice.
In a serving bowl, spread the fried chicken pieces. Sprinkle the fried crispy curry leaves.
Garnish with onion slices next to the chicken pieces. Then with the lemon wedges and tomato slices.
Serve immediately as a starter.

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Shahi Kaju Aloo

Ingredients:
Baby potatoes - 12 pieces (boiled and peeled)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Caraway seeds - 1 tsp.
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Curd (beaten) - 3 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Butter - 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp. + 2 tsp.
Milk - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - few

For cashew nut paste:
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Ginger pieces - 1 tsp.
Garlic pieces - 1 tsp.
Green chilli -1 (chopped)
Green cardamom - 3
Water - 2 tbsp.

Method:
For cashew paste:
Grind cashews, ginger, garlic, cardamom, and green chilli. Then add 2 tbsp. of water and grind into smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp. of oil and shallow fry the potatoes till golden colour. Keep aside.
In the same pan add 1 tbsp. of butter and roast the cashews till golden colour. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining butter and oil.
Add the caraway seeds. They would crackle immediately.
Add chopped onions and sauté till golden colour.
Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and sauté for a few seconds.
Add the cashew nut paste and sauté for 4 minutes or till the raw smell fades away.
Now add the beaten curd and mix well. Sauté till it releases oil.
Now pour 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of water.
Add the fried potatoes and cashew nuts. Mix.
Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot.

Recipe source: Magazine

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Karasev/Khara sev

Ingredients:
Besan/Gram flour/Kadalai maavu - 1 cup (heaped)
Rice flour - 1 cup
Black peppercorns - 2 tsp. (crushed coarsely)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Ghee (solid) - 2 tbsp.
Oil (for deep frying)

Method:
In a bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour, pepper, cumin, salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Pour hot molten ghee. Mix with a spoon.
Then mix with hands. Break the lumps.
Now add water little by little and prepare a soft and smooth dough.
Heat oil to deep fry.
Add required quantity of dough in the murukku presser and press directly in the hot oil.
Cook on both sides in medium flame till there is no noise.
Remove and place it on the paper towel.
Continue the same process with the remaining dough.
Once the sev gets cooled, store in an air tight container.
(However, I didn't store as everyone finished it within moments)

Note:
Cook the sev in medium flame.
Crush the sevs in required length when they are warm.
Don't overcrowd the sevs while deep frying.
To make sev there is a different gadget which I don't own.
Recipe source: Indian cuisine

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Kara Boondi

Ingredients:
Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Cashew nuts (whole) - 1 tbsp.
Peanuts - 1 tbsp.
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp. and 3 pinches (or as per taste)
Garlic cloves with skin - 8 (crushed)
Oil (for deep frying)

Method:
In a bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour and salt. Now pour some water little by little until the batter is consistent enough for pouring through the perforated spoon. Make sure to avoid lumps. The batter should not be too thick nor too thin.
Take a ladleful of batter and place the perforated spoon or boondi ladle on the top of batter vessel.
Pour the batter (from the ladle) and check whether it drops like pearls without any tails.
If it falls with tails, then again pour little water, mix well and check again.
The correct consistency is achieved when the batter falls like pearl droplets.
Heat the oil in a wide deep pan to deep fry.
Drop a very little batter to check the oil temperature.
When the boondi floats to the surface of oil, this indicates that the temperature is right for frying.
Take a ladleful of batter and place the boondi spoon over the pan and pour the batter.
Pour up till a layer of boondis is formed. Don't overcrowd or else the boondis end up as clusters.
Fry on both sides till the sizzling sound almost stops.

Continue with the next batch.

When all the batter is finished, deep fry the peanuts and cashew nuts till light golden colour, curry leaves till crisp and garlic till light golden colour each individually.
Mix all with boondi. Sprinkle red chilli powder and mix .
After cooling, store in an air tight container.


Note:
If the boondis are flat, then the batter has too much water. Add a little more gram flour.
If the boondis form tails, add little water and mix well.
Mix the batter very well to avoid lumps.
It is better to sieve all the flours before use.
After pouring the batter on the perforated spoon, wipe it clean to remove the remaining batter sticking on it each time.
Instead of garlic, asafoetida can be added to the batter.

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Pineapple Halwa

I tried out this halwa today. This is quite an easy and tasty halwa.

Ingredients:
Pineapple - 1 and a 1/2 cup (chopped)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Condensed milk - 2 tbsp.
Ghee - 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp.

To garnish:
Almonds + Pistachios (chopped)

Method:
Add 1 tbsp. of ghee in a pan/kadhai. Add the pineapple pieces and begin sautéing.
Allow the pineapple to cook in its own juice in slow flame for 10-12 minutes. Sauté in between to avoid burning.
Now mash the pineapple pieces.
Add the sugar. After adding sugar, it becomes watery and mash the pineapple again if there are any pieces left.
When the halwa becomes thick, add condensed milk and mix.
Add the 1 tsp. of ghee and mix well.
After a very few minutes, the halwa leaves the sides of the pan and releases ghee.
Remove from heat.
Garnish with chopped almonds and pistachios.
Serve warm or cold.

Note:
It is better to add 1 tbsp. of condensed milk since it was too sweet (after adding 2 tbsp. of condensed milk).
Add sugar according to the sweetness of pineapples (I used canned pineapples).
There is no problem if there are pieces that aren't mashed left.
At the final stage, it should be moist and consistency should be thick.
After cooling, the halwa becomes thicker than earlier.
Don't add cardamom powder as it will ruin the balance of flavours especially, pineapple flavour.
I didn't add any food colour.

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Coriander Mint Paneer Masala or Gravy

Ingredients:
Cottage cheese/Paneer - 200 gms
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp.
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Oil
Green chillies - 5
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Curd - 2 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Roasted and powdered cumin - 1/2 tsp.

Spices to grind:
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cloves - 2
Green cardamom - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 (small)

Method:
Grind mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies. Keep aside.
Grind the given spices coarsely.
Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds sizzle, add the spice powder, ginger-garlic paste.
Saute till the paste's raw smell fades away.
Add onions and sauté till light golden colour.
Add the tomatoes and required salt and sauté till half mushy.
Now add the ground coriander-mint and sauté till the raw smell fades off.
Add the curd and mix well.
Now add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and cumin powder and mix well.
Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cups of water and bring it to boil.
Cut the cottage cheese into big chunks.
Add the paneer chunks to the gravy and mix gently.
Let the chunks cook for 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Serve with phulka roti or naan.

Note:
2 tbsp. of fresh cream or low-fat milk can be added to gravy.
Adjust the chillies and spices according to taste.

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