Kashmiri style red chicken curry

Winter is making it's way slowly in Noida. This is no doubt the best time for the people here,who have braved the blazing heat for so many months. Even if we are at home or offices the blaring sound of AC,coolers and fans are never friendly for the ears and mind. For me sipping tea in the evening is now a much more enjoyable moment as the flavour of the tea maximises when their is a slight chill in the air. Few days back I was surfing TV channels while enjoying my evening cuppa and happened to see "Madhu Jaffery " cooking show. It was showing some mutton recipe cooked in a traditionally Kashmiri way,which the chef was describing as her mother's own recipe. I liked the way she was explaining the cooking method and talking about Kashmiri food. Although in the entire episode the use of a special Kashmiri spice mix powder was shown,but the ingredients were never given out. So I made this recipe my way but following the basic technique which was shown by the woman.

The main technique used here is slow cooking,basically the masala is being roasted for a very long time and it's this prolonged cooking which gives the recipe it's distinctive flavour. The recipe was originally made with mutton but I made it with chicken as it was available in my fridge that time.

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 300 gms

2. Onion - 1 big size chopped

3. Ginger - 2 inch chopped

4. Garlic - 6 thick cloves chopped

5. Cumin powder - 1 tsp

6. Coriander powder - 1 tsp

7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

8. Curd - 3 tbsp

9. Tomato - 2 medium size chopped

10. Salt to taste

11. Mustard oil - 4 tbsp

12. Kasuri methi - 3 tsp

13. Garam masala powder - 1tsp

14. Coriander - 3 tsp chopped

15. Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

16. Kashmiri red chilly powder - 2 tsp

Method

Marinate the chicken with turmeric powder,cumin powder ,coriander powder,1 tbsp mustard oil,garam masala powder and keep aside. In a wok heat the remaining oil and add onion,fry in low flame till they turn pink in colour, now add ginger garlic and fry,after some time add tomatoes and fry till they start leaving oil. Now here all the magic starts,add small amount of water and keep frying on low flame till oil separates. Repeat this procedure several times till the masala turns into dark red colour and almost turns into a paste.every time the masala starts releasing oil add small of water and fry again till oil separates. This needs quite a lot of patience and little skill too as you may have to increase the flame while adding water and again lower it down while frying. After almost 35 mins or when the masala has changed into a darker colour,add 1 tbsp curd along with Kashmiri red chilly powder and fry till oil separates,repeat till you have used the entire curd. Now add the marinated chicken,salt and slow cook,covering it and stirring occasionally till the chicken is cooked through. If required add very small amount of water. Now crush kasuri methi in your palms and add to the chicken. Stir fry for 1 more minute. Add chopped coriander giving a final stir and serve hot with roti/naan/paranthas or even rice.

Mishti doi

Mishti doi is a famous bengali dessert  and one such dish which we Bongs can go on and on eating. After having a sumptuous meal, mishti doi and sondesh is the best dessert to finish our meal. Although it's mostly made during special occasions,but I simply love to make and eat whenever I feel of having it. Once I started preparing theses bengali sweets at home,I don't have that much of craving to have them in my visit to Calcutta.

It is simple to make with very few ingredients. I like to make it the traditional way as I feel that they taste best made this way. Mishti doi should be set in an earthen pot preferably a new one everytime,as the new pot releases the fresh earthern smell to the doi. Whenever I do get hold of these pots I make in them else I set in a ceramic bowl.

Ingredients

1. Full cream milk - 1 litre

2. Sugar - 6 tbsp

3. Green Cardamom - 4 nos

4. Curd - 100gms

Method

Boil the milk and simmer till it reduces to 400ml approx. in a separate pot caramelise sugar till brown in colour. Be careful the sugar should not burn,now add the simmered milk to this pot and let it boil. Peel and add cardamoms and boil till the sugar dissolves completely. Let it cool till room temperature and mix the curd into the milk. Whisk with an egg beater till the curd mixes well with the milk. Now allow it to set overnight in an earthern pot/ ceramic bowl . Serve cold or chilled.

Note - I prefer less sweetness but I find the taste very nice as compared to the shop bought ones which are too sweet for my palette.In case you prefer it sweeter increase the quantity of sugar.

Chicken Biryani with beetroot raita

Durga puja is round the corner and I am already going berserked with preparations. What to do and what not to is the question. I simply love my country with so many festivals and celebrations to enjoy. We actually don't need a reason to be happy. Just celebrating the festivals or being a part of it makes life so full of happiness. With so many pandals being constructed in the city, it feels nice to experience the festivity already. The excitement of the arrival of Durga puja is limitless,but more the days come near,the fear of passing it soon for the year also arises. Anyways,now is the time for super feasting and here goes my first recipe of this festival.

As usual this is again an easy to make and fast recipe. I did not make a dum biryani but a simple one with full of flavours in a large pan. Although the ingredient list is elaborate but once you read the recipe,you will find how easy it is to make.

So for this weekend do give this quick recipe a try and treat your loved ones.

Ingredients

1. Rice - 150 gms

2. Eggs - 3 nos( boiled)

3. Potato- 3 medium size

4. Onion - 3 medium size

5. Ginger - 2 inch

6. Garlic - 10 cloves

7. Black pepper corns - 12-14 seeds

8. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

9. Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

10. Mace - 1 flower

11. Cinnamon - 2 inch

12. Green Cardamom - 4 nos

13. Cloves - 6 nos

14. Tomato - 3 medium size

15. Kasuri methi - 2 tbsp

16. Desi ghee - 2 tsp

17. Whisked curd - 100 gms

18. Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp

19. Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

20. Salt to taste

21. Mustard/refined oil - 3 tbsp

22. Chicken - 400gms

Method

Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins. Marinate the chicken with salt,turmeric powder and 1 tsp mustard oil for 30 mins.

Boil the potatoes till they are 3/4 cooked and cut into half.I pressure cooked them for 1 whistle.

Make small cuts in the boiled eggs and marinate them and potato with little salt and turmeric powder.

Now dry roast ingredient no 7 to no 13. In a blender add ginger,garlic,tomato with roasted spices and grind to a fine paste. Julienne the onions and keep aside. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan( I prefer non-stick to use less oil),fry the potatoes and eggs.Drain,take out and keep aside.In the same oil add onions and fry till dark brown. Take out 1/3 rd of the onion to use as garnish. Now with the remaining onion in the pan,add the spice paste and fry till oil starts separating. Add the chicken and stir fry for 5 mins approx. now add the curd and cook covered stirring occasionally till the chicken is half cooked. Crush kasuri methi with ur palms and add to chicken and stir.Now mix in the rice,water,potatoes,adjust salt and cook covered till the rice is done. Add desi ghee,give a final stir and serve hot. Garnish with the reserved onion fry,fried eggs and serve with chilled beetroot raita.

Note - You can sprinkle some lemon juice too while serving.

Beetroot raita

1. Whisked curd - 100gms

2. Freshly grated beetroot - 2 tbsp

3. Salt to taste

4. Black pepper powder - 1 tsp

5. Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Mix all the above ingredients and serve chilled with hot chicken biryani

Cheesy cream pasta

Cheesy cream pasta sounds too much high on calories,but then sometimes it's fine to relish something like this too. There are some days which do not comes along as you have planned,but then everytime it cannot be so. To uplift my mood,made this vry easy to make pasta. I like this type of pasta as they taste so mild but still has that richness and creamy texture. I have been gorging on some really spicy food for the last few days and thought of cooking something special for Sunday which is simple to taste.

Ingredients 

1. Boiled pasta - 2 cups

2. Green capsicum - 1/2 cup(thinly sliced)

3. Carrots - 1/2 cup( thinly sliced)

4. Mushroom - 1/2 cup( thinly sliced)

5. Cheese - 1/2 cup(shredded)

6. Fresh cream - 1/3 cup(whipped)

7. Garlic - 5 cloved( chopped)

8. Black pepper powder - 1 tsp

9. Dry oregano - 1 tsp

10. Salt to taste

11. Olive oil - 1 tsp

Method

Heat oil in a non-stick fry pan,add garlic and fry till brown in colour. Lower the flame and add carrots.stir fry for 2- 3 mins. Add capsicum,fry for another 2 mins,now add mushroom and further fry for 2 -3 mins. Next add pasta,cheese,cream,salt,mix and cook for 2 mins. Switch off the flame and add oregano,black pepper powder and mix well. Garnish with some more shredded cheese and serve hot.

Saoji mutton made in an easy way

It's still not raining as it should be for the monsoon here in Noida. After experiencing the immense heat of the cruel summer season,the mind has been longing for a fantastic monsoon. Mother Nature has it's own way and one has to enjoy whatever it has to offers. Although it's not hot but not very pleasant here. So after a long time Mr Hubby wanted to have a Saoji mutton dish for his dinner. I asked," is it the only thing you are craving? He said " an entire meat spread out,comprising of saoji mutton,meat balls curry,mutton kaleji and paya". I thought why not making everything together and have a nice feast,just for the fun of it,no occassion or reasons required.

 So I ended up making saoji mutton,mutton kaleji,meat balls curry,round pumpkin moong dal and almond mango dessert. I will share all the recipes in the coming posts. Actually these dishes are so spicy and hot,I added the dal and dessert in the menu to sooth the taste buds and also to make kids in the family be comfortable.

Although it is an elaborate and lengthy methid of cooking,I shortened the procedure by using a pressure cooker which I often do,along with combining some steps.

Ingredients

1. Mutton - 500gms

2. Onion - 3 medium size sliced

3. Garlic - 6 cloves

4. Ginger - 2 inch

5. Shah jeera - 1 tbsp

6. Black pepper corns - 10

7. Cloves - 4

8. Green cardamom - 4

9. Cinnamon - 1 inch

10.black cardamom - 2

11. Whole dry red chillies - 4 ( de seed to reduce heat)

12. Khuskhus/poppy seeds - 1 tbsp

13. Almonds - 10

14. Refined oil - 5 tbsp

15. Salt to taste

16. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

17. Red Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 tbsp( for colour,optional)

I did not get dagad phool / stone flower and have also added turmeric powder and Kashmiri chilly powder to get the bright red colour without the excessive heat of adding too many chillies.

Also I have used almonds instead of dry coconut due to unavailability in my nearby shop.

Method

In a pressure cooker,fry sliced onion till pink in colour. Drain and keep aside. In the same oil,add all the spices from number 5 to number 12 and stir fry till they start releasing aroma. Drain and keep aside. I know khuskhus will be difficult to take out completely,so no problem if some of it stays in the oil. In the same oil add mutton pieces and stir fry in low flame for 7-8 mins. In the meanwhile blend onion fry,ginger,garlic,fried spices,almond with some water. After frying the mutton add this spice paste into the mutton. Add turmeric powder,red Kashmiri chilly powder and stir fry in low flame for 15-20 mins stirring ocaassionally,cooking keeping it covered. Now add salt,water 1 cup and pressure cook till done. Serve hot.

Mocha torkari - banana flower sabzi

There are some recipes which we can never be found in any restaurants or eating joints. Then there are some recipes which are dying out mainly due to unavailability of the raw materials or being v tedious to make. This mocha recipe is also one amongst them which we hardly get to see or taste anywhere.

We Bengalis love our Mocha or banana flower but it is rarely found here in Noida. So whenever I do find it in my nearby vegetable market,I immediately pick one for that delicious recipe to be cooked as soon as possible. Cleaning mocha is quite a task but obviously worth the effort.

Ingredients

1. Mocha/banana flower - 1 medium size

2. Potato - 3 medium size diced

3. Ginger - 2 inch

4. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

5. Whole red chilly. - 2 nos

6. Nigella seeds - 1 tsp

7.fresh cream - 3 tbsp

8. Milk - 100ml

9. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

10. Salt to taste

11. Desi ghee - 2 tbsp

Method

Pressure cook the cleaned mocha for 2 whistles. Once cool drain and squeeze out the moisture,keep aside. Heat ghee in a kadai,add nigella seeds,red chillies( break and add), once they start releasing their aroma add potato,salt and turmeric powder,cover and cook in low flame,stirring occassionally till the potatoes are almost cooked. In the meanwhile make a rough paste of ginger and cumin seeds. I prefer doing it on my sil-batta but you can make it in a blender too. Add this to the potato,mix mocha,milk and cover and cook further till the potatoes are cooked through. Whisk the cream and add to the sabzi,mix well and switch off the flame. Serve hot with rice.

Note - you can also add grated coconut to enhance the taste.

Mango melon icecream drizzled with roohafza

I know I have been missing from action since long,so I am back with a soothing icecream to enjoy in this blistering summer. It is made purely of simple fruits and dairy,but the texture and taste can easily beat the ones we buy. To be partial can say,it tastes better :-D I prefer a less sweet taste,so in case you may need add more sugar if required. 

Ingredients

1. Full cream milk - 1 litre

2. Melon purée - 1/2 cup(simply blend cut fruit in a blender)

3. Mango purée - 1/2 cup(simply blend cut fruit in a blender)

4. Sugar - 4 tbsp( increase for more sweetness)

5. Milk powder - 1 cup

6. Corn starch - 2 tbsp( dissolve it in 1/4 cup warm milk)

7. Green food colour - few drops(optional)

8. Orange food colour - few drops (optional)

9. Roohafza for decoration

Method

Boil the milk and simmer till it's reduced to 1/4 of its volume. Add milk powder and stir with a whisker or fork,so that they don't form lumps. Now to it add corn starch mix,sugar and simmer till it gets dissolved and slightly thick. Cool till it gets to room temperature. Divide the liquid into 2 portions,to one add melon purée and green colour,to another portion add mango purée and orange food colour. Now freeze them separately in the freezer for 6 to 7 hrs.take them out for 15 mins and blend them in the blender. This procedure endures that the ice cream gets soft and a smooth texture. Repeat once more after 3-4 hrs if required. While serving layer each flavour on one another and drizzle some roohafza.