Kadhai Chicken/Murgh V3.0

Ingredients:
Chicken - 750 gms (skinless with bones)
Onions - 4 (medium-sized)
Ginger paste - 1 tsp.
Garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) - 1 tbsp.
Cashew nuts (whole) - 10
Salt (to taste)
Oil (as required)
Bell peppers - 10 to 12 pieces of each colour
Tomato puree - from 3 plump tomatoes

For marinating chicken:
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Ginger paste - 1 tsp.
Garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Yogurt - 2 tbsp.

Garam masala:
Cinnamon - 2 sticks
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 2
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp.
Fennel seeds (sombu) - 3/4 tsp.
Star anise - 1
Black peppercorns - 1/4 tsp.

To garnish:
Amul cream
Coriander leaves - few
Ginger juliennes - few

Method

Wash the chicken. Add a little turmeric powder and mix well. Wash the pieces again in water. Cut the chicken in required sizes. Wash again and drain all the water. To the chicken, add chili powder, ginger-garlic paste and yogurt.

Mix well. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

Chop the onions and bell peppers.

Grind the spices from the "Garam masala" list into a coarse powder. Soak the cashew nuts in warm water for 30 to 60 minutes. Grind them with water.

Heat the oil in a kadai and add the diced bell peppers.

Sauté them for 4 minutes. Remove and keep them on a plate.

In the same kadai, pour the required oil and add the onions. Sauté them.

When the onions are half done, add little salt and sauté. When the onions change colour, add ginger-garlic paste.

Sauté till the raw smell (of ginger-garlic paste) fades away. Now add the tomato puree.

Add the required salt for the dish. Cover and cook the tomato puree. Stir in between. Sauté till the tomatoes become paste-like and release oil.

Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Mix well.

Add the marinated chicken and continue mixing. Add the garam masala and mix.

Sauté in between till the chicken changes colour. Pour half cup of water and stir.

Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove the lid and stir well. Again cover and cook, till the chicken is cooked well.

Add the ground cashewnuts. Crush the kasuri methi and add to the chicken.

Add the fried bell peppers and mix well. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the cooked chicken in a small kadai. Sprinkle coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and cream.

Serve with phulka chapathi, naan, roti or with white rice.

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Aval Payasam

A very simple and easy payasam. I didn't add any water instead I cooked poha with milk. Due to fog, I couldn't get clear shots.

Ingredients:
Aval/poha/red beaten rice - 1/2 cup
Milk - 2 and a 1/2 cup (Amul toned - 2% fat)
Sugar (granulated) - 1/3 cup (or as per taste)
Cardamom powder -  a pinch
Cashew nuts - 12
Raisins - 10
Ghee - 1/2 tsp.

Method:

Pour the milk in a pan and keep it on low flame.


 

Bring the milk to boil. Stir. Continue till the milk is reduced to 2 cups. Remove from flame and pour it into another bowl.

 

Meanwhile wash the poha in a strainer. Keep aside.

 

 

Melt the ghee in a pan.

 

 

Add the cashews and start roasting.

 

 

 

When the cashews are half-roasted, add the raisins and continue frying.

 

 

 

When the raisins become puffed up and cashews roasted, remove and keep them on a plate.

 

 

I cleaned the milk pan and placed it on stove in low flame. Strain the milk and pour it into the pan.

 

 

 

Add the poha and mix. Cook it for 5 minutes. Once they become soft, add the sugar and mix well. Bring it to boil.

 

 

Add the roasted cashews and raisins. Mix.

 

Add the cardamom powder and mix. Remove from heat and serve hot or cold.

 

 

 

 

 

Note: As I have used thin poha, I didn't soak them in water. Washing was enough to make them soft.

When the payasam gets cold, the poha will absorb the milk and the payasam becomes thick.

 

 

 

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Tomato Rava Bath

Ingredients:
Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Ginger (peeled)- 1 tsp. (chopped)
Green chillies (long) - 2 (each cut into 2 and slit)
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig (chopped)
Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
Cashew nuts - 10 (roasted in ghee)
Salt (to taste)
Oil -  1 tbsp.
Ghee - 1 tsp.

To temper:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Bengal gram - 1/2 tsp.
Black gram (white) - 1/2 tsp.


Method:

Dry roast rava in a pan till light golden colour. Spread the roasted rava onto a plate.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the tempering ingredients and allow the mustard seeds to crackle. When the grams become golden colour, add chopped onion, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves and sauté.

Sauté till the onion becomes translucent.

 

 



Add tomatoes, salt and sauté. Sauté till the tomatoes become mushy and release oil.

 

 

 

 

 

Pour 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Meanwhile collect the rava in a cup from the plate. It is easier to pour the rava from a cup rather than from a plate.

 

 

 

 

When the water starts to boil, pour the rava and stir simultaneously.

 

 

 

 

Continue till the rava is finished.

 

 

 

 

Mix the rava without any lumps. Reduce the flame to low.

 

 

Continue mixing till the water is absorbed by the rava completely. At this stage add roasted cashew nuts and coriander leaves.

 

 

Mix well. The rava will start to leave the sides of the pan and form a big mass. Spread it.

Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

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Mushroom With Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:
Mushrooms (Button) - 250 gm
Eggs - 3
Onion (peeled) - 1 (chopped)
Ginger paste - 1 tsp.
Garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Whole red chilli - 1
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves - few
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Fennel seeds (sombu) - 1 tsp.
Cinnamon sticks - 4 (small)
Cloves - 3
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp. (crushed)
Coriander leaves - few
Salt (to taste)
Oil (sesame) - 2 tbsp.

Method:

Heat the oil in a wide pan and add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon and cloves. When they sizzle, add onions.

Sauté till they change colour. Add curry leaves. Break the red chilli into halves and add. Continue sautéing.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell fades away.

Add turmeric, red chilli and coriander powders and sauté for few seconds.

Add the chopped mushrooms and mix well.

Sauté the mushrooms till they release water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove the lid and add required salt. Mix well. Bring the mushrooms to the center of the pan and cover and cook. Stir in between to avoid burning. Meanwhile beat the eggs and keep them ready.

When the mushrooms are cooked, pour the beaten egg.

Continue stirring.

When the eggs are cooked, add the crushed pepper powder and mix well. Finally add the chopped coriander leaves.

Mix well. Remove from heat.

Serve as a side dish for roti or rice.

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Khaman Dhokla

Ingredients:
Bengal gram/Chana dal/Kadalai paruppu - 3/4 cup
Split green gram/Moong dal/Paasi paruppu - 1/4 cup
Salt (to taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Fruit salt (eno) - 1 tsp.
Sugar - 1 tsp.

For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Sesame seeds (white) - 1 tsp. (I didn't add)
Green chillies - 2 (slit and chopped into 2)
Curry leaves - few
Oil

For garnishing:
Grated coconut - few
Coriander leaves - few

Method:
Soak the Bengal gram and split green gram for 4 to 5 hours.
Drain all the water and grind the grams into paste by pouring little water.
To the paste add salt, turmeric powder, lemon juice, sugar and oil and mix well.
Heat the steamer in the stove.
Grease the steamer vessel or dhokla plate with oil.
Add the fruit salt to the paste and mix.
Pour the paste into the greased vessel or plate.
Place it in the steamer immediately.
Steam for 20 minutes.
(Insert a toothpick and check whether the dhokla is cooked or not. If not, then cook for another 5 minutes)
Cool the dhoklas for a few minutes and invert them on a plate.
Cut them into pieces.
Temper the given ingredients and sprinkle over the dhokla pieces.
Finally garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Note:
Before adding Eno, the batter should be the same as idli batter.
If you want restaurant-like dhokla, pour a cup of water in the tempering when the mustard seeds crackle and green chilles are sautéed well. Bring the water to boil and pour on the top of dhokla pieces.
After 10 minutes, consume.
My dhoklas were very spongy so I didn't feel the need to pour water.

Recipe: adapted from a magazine.

Sent off to Priya's CWS-Chanadal event.

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Yennai Kathirikkai Kuzhambu/Eggplants in Tamarind Sauce

Day before yesterday I prepared this kuzhambu for lunch with crispy yam fry and microwaved appalams. It's my parents' favourite kuzhambu.

Ingredients:
Brinjal/eggplants (medium-sized) - 10
Shallots (peeled) - 12 (sliced)
Garlic (peeled) - 6 cloves (crushed)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Tamarind - lemon sized
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Sesame oil - 6 tbsp.

To roast and grind:
White whole black gram - 1 tbsp.
Bengal gram - 1 tbsp.
Red chillies - 6 (or as per taste)
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - a pinch
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp.

Method:
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of warm water.
Stir-fry all ingredients in 1 tsp. of oil except asafoetida, red chillies and grated coconut.
When the spices are 75% roasted, add the remaining ingredients (asafoetida, red chillies and grated coconut).
Fry till the spices and grams turn golden in colour. Remove and place them on a plate. Let them cool.
Grind them into a powder.
Make an 'X' incision on the base of eggplants till 3/4th.
Stuff the powder inside each eggplant. Set aside.
Crush the tamarind and squeeze out the pulp.
Heat 6 tbsp. of oil and add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When the mustard seeds crackle, add garlic, shallots and curry leaves.
When the onions become light golden colour, add tomatoes and required salt.
When the tomatoes become pulpy, add stuffed eggplants and sauté now and then without breaking them.
Once the eggplants change colour and become half tender, add the remaining powder and mix.
Now pour the tamarind extract. Pour the required water (I poured 2 cups of water).
Sprinkle the turmeric powder and mix.
Cover and cook till the eggplants become fully tender. Stir in between.
When the oil releases from the tamarind sauce, remove the kadai from fire. Tamarind sauce will be thick at this stage.
Enjoy with hot steaming white rice.
Goes well with soft dosai also.

Note:
When the kuzhambhu cools down, it becomes very thick.

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