Hyderabadi Chicken Korma

I have always believed that the longer you saute the tastier the dish is. This is one dish which proved me that it is not true all the time. This is a easy recipe for any day.

Ingredients:
(Serves 6-8)

Chicken - 1 3/4lbs or 800gms
Curd - 1 cup
Ginger - 3tbsp of paste
Garlic - 4tbsp of paste
2 onoins - Finely sliced
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Salt - to taste or 2tsp
Coconut - 1/4 cup grated or coconut milk
Cashew - 4Tbsp. (Soaked in warm water and ground to paste)
Sesame seeds - 4Tbsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/3 tsp

Marinate the above ingredients and leave it for atleast 30 min

Garam masala:
Cardamom - 8-10
Cloves - 6-8
Cinnamon - 2''
Bay leaf - 1

Method:

- Heat oil in the kadai and add the listed garam masalas above. Saute for a minute
- Add the marinated chicken and cook it in medium high flame for 5 minutes
- Add little wate and simmer till the chicken cooks
- When the chicken in fully cooked add 1tbsp lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves
- Serve hot

Milagai(Spicy) Chutney

Ingredients

 

Onion - 1 medium sized
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Coriander seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 1 string
Green Chilly - 2 to 3

Method :

- Grind together everything in the ingredients without adding water

- Heat the kadai and add one spoon gingelly oil(optional) and splutter the mustard and urad dhal
- Saute it in medium/low flame till the raw smell is gone.
- Serve it with dosa/idli

Mushroom Biriyani

Ingredients 

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Button mushroom – 250 Grms,Diced
Onion -2 thinly sliced
Green chilli – 2/3 slitted
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tblspn
Tomato – 2 small, chopped
Coconut milk – 1 cup
Coriander leaves - handful
Mint leaves - handful
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

For the seasoning

Cloves – 7 to 8
Cardamom -2
Cinnamon –1 piece about an inch in size

Star Anise – 2

Bay Leaf – 1 leaf

Fennel seeds ( soampu) – 1 tspn

Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/2 tspn

Cashews - few (optional)

Method

- Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes.

- Heat 2 tbsp oil, sauté the seasoning for 2 mins and add onions, fry till onion turn golden brown.- Add chillies and ginger-garlic paste and sauté well.

- Add chopped tomatoes, mushrooms chilli powder and sauté for few more 

minutes.

- Add 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of water and the cup of rice and bring it to a boil.

- Add the mint leaves, coriander leaves, salt needed and close the cooker lid and instead of the cooker whistle place an inverted tumble on the nostril and cook for 10-12 mins .

- Open the cooker lid after the pressure subsides and add the ghee on top and mix it once loosely and serve.

Stuffed Shimla Mirch

Ingredients :

Shimla/ooty chilly - 5 to 6

Dhaniya Powder -  2 Tblspns

Aamchoor Powder - 1 Tspn

Chat masala - 1/2 Tspn

Ajwain Powder - 1/2 Tspn

Oil - 3 to 4 Tblspns 

Salt to taste 

Method :

- Mix all the dry powders and salt with about 2 spoons of oil to make it a thick paste.

- Make a slit in the chillies and stuff in the masala paste.

- Heat oil in a tawa and place the full chillies and

- Cook evenly turning them once in a while until done.

- Garnish with seasoning made of cumin seeds,jeera and serve. 

Mushroom Dopiaza

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms – 1 packet diced
Oil – 2 Tbspns
Onion – 2 medium,1 finely chopped and the other grind to paste

Tomato – 2 medium ,1 finely chopped and the other grind to paste

Pepper corns – 1 Tspn
Coriander leaves – 1 small bunch
Dry Red chillies – 4 to 5
Cumin seeds – 1 Tspn

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 Tbspn

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

·  Grind 1 onion, 1 tomato, pepper corns, coriander leaves, cumin seeds and dry red chillies to form a smooth paste.

·  Heat oil in a pan and add the finely chopped onions, Sauté till its transparent.

·  Add the tomatos and let it cook till its pulpy at this stage add the ground paste and let the raw smell subside…

·  Once the gravy is cooked add the ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and mix for a minute or so

·  And then add the diced mushrooms with salt and little water

·  Allow it to cook for 8-10 mins and serve.

Easy Brinjal Fry

This is the recipe which comes to my rescue quiet often when I am in a hurry to pack my lunch and rush to office


INGREDIENTS

Brinjal - 5 medium sized (sliced)
Garlic - 5-6 pods(sliced)
Onion - 1 medium sized onion(sliced thin)
Pepper - 1sp
Jeera powder - 1sp
curry leaves
Salt to taste

METHOD :

- Heat oil in the kadai add the curry leaves
- Saute the onions and garlic with salt
- Add the jeera and pepper powder
- Add the Brinjal. Saute it occasionally. Cover and cook it till the brinjal is cooked

Veg Kurma

INGREDIENTS :

Onion - 1 medium sized(finely sliced)
Small onions - 2
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Green chillies - 2 or 3
Cashews - 4 or 5 (optional)
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1/2 Tbsp
Jeera - 1spoon
Coconut - 2-3 Tbsp
Turmeric powder
Veggies - Carrot, Potato, Peas, Beans, Butter beans
Garam masala - 1 Tsp
Cardamom - 1
Clove - 2
Bay leaf - 1
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

METHOD :

- Heat oil in a kadai and the add the spices clove, cardamom and bay leaf
- Add onions and saute it for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and turmeric powder
- Add all the veggies and saute it for 2-3 minutes
- Add tomatoes
- Add the fine paste of coconut, ginger, garlic, jeera, coriander leaves, garam masala and green chilles
- Saute it and pressure cook it for one whistle.
- Serve hot

Note : If it is sweet peas make sure to add very less else you will end up making the kurma sweet :)

Virudhunagar kozhi kuzhambu

We are from a small town - Virudhunagar where the staple food is oil parotta and chicken curry which we love calling salna a perfect combination and rare to find round the globe :)

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken - 1/2 Kg(preferrably with bones)
Onions - if Shallots 5 or 6 if Small pearl onions 15-18 if red onion - 1 med size finely chopped
Jeera - 1Spoon
Coconut - 4-5Tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1Spoon
Red chillies
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder
Lemon juice
Pepper corns or Ground pepper- 1/2 tsp(optional)
Cashew - 5nos
Gingelly oil
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

- Cut the chicken in to medium sized pieces. Marinate it with turmeric powder, chilli powder,pepper powder and the lemon juice
- Heat oil in the kadai. Prefer not to use non stick pans. Add the curry leaves and the finely chopped onions. Saute till the onions are well done. Add to salt to cook it faster
- Add the marinated chicken and keep sauting
- Make a fine paste of coconut, cashew, some onions, Jeera, Coriander, red chillies and pepper if not used for marination
- Cook it till the chicken is cooked and oil seperates

Chana Masala

INGREDIENTS :

Chana/Garbanzo - 1 Cup
Onion - 1 medium size
Tomato - 1 medium size
Green chillies - 3 or 4 (or by taste)
Ginger & Garlic - 1Tbsp of paste
Jeera/Cumin - 1Tsp
Turmeric powder
Chilli powder
Coriander powder - 1Tsp
Channa Masala - 1Tbsp
Bay leaf - 1
Cardamom - 2
Cumin seed
Salt to taste

METHOD :

- Soak chana overnight or for 6hrs and pressure cook it till it is 75% done. Adding a tea bag while pressure cooking gives good color to the channa
- Grind ginger, garlic and the green chillies. I personally prefer freshly made ginger garlic paste. If adding ready available paste add chopped green chillies
- Heat the oil in kadai and add cumin seeds, bay leaf and the cardamom
- Add the finely chopped onions and saute it till the onions are done. Add salt to cook it faster
- Add turmeric powder, jeera powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Chilli powder is optional and the amount depends on spice level.
- Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli paste
- Saute the mixture well and add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook it till oil seperates
- Add the mixture to the already cooked channa and pressure cook it for one whistle. The tea bag is not needed for this cooking
- Add any channa masala powder. Be generous. I personally prefer Kohinoor Channa Masala powder.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot

Tomato Chutney

INGREDIENTS :


Onion - Well this depends. If Small pearl onion 15-18, Red onion(medium sized) - 1,
Shallot - 5
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Garlic - 3pods
Red chillies - 5 or 6
Tamarind - optional
Coriander leaves
Hing
Oil
Mustard seeds
Urad dhal
Curry leaves
Salt to taste


METHOD :


- Heat oil in the kadai and add onions. Saute it for sometime
- Add garlic pods, red chillies and the tamarind. Saute it for 5 minutes. Add salt to have it done faster
- Add the cut tomatoes
- Saute till the onions become very glassy
- Turn off and while grinding add a string of coriander and hing
- Splutter some mustard seeds, urad dhal and curry leaves. Add it to the grind chutney.