Everyday Chicken Curry-No fuss and No Brainer

This is perhaps the easiest curry on the block. Yes, yes, involves a lot of 'bhunoing' and chopping and use of spices but even so, I still say it is the easiest. The kinds you don't even need to think and plan and shop for. The kind you can serve with an elegant pulao to unannounced guests and get away with them thinking, wow, you did so much for us!! If this is what you serve when we don't tell you of our arrival in advance, what would you cook if we did! Umm, in which case I would probably serve an elaborate roast Raan with a choice of Indian breads or a Biryani , the full works. But in the mean time, this basic Murghi Ka Salan (chicken curry) will have to do! It is my go-to mid week curry which I nearly always serve with fresh peas Pulao and a vegetable Raita. Serve a tangy mint chutney on the side with fresh Lassi or Lemonade or even a cup of hot masala Chai later, and you will win hearts. (I know we don't start a sentence with an 'and', thankyou). 

I would be foolish to claim that it is 'my' recipe. For it is not. It belongs to millions of  other subcontinental  households across the world. Perhaps the method or choice of spices might vary here and there, but essentially the base of a good curry remains the same. Pretty much a throw- in -everything -you- have- in- the pantry approach and 'bhuno' it to death and well, that's about it really. :) Personally, I make this so often that it isn't even considered special in any shape or form by my boys anymore! Talk about 'ghar ki murghi, dal barabar' ! Loosely translated, a meat which has the potential to become something really awesome and outta this world gets reduced to the level of  a dal dish-an everyday, ordinary meal for us. Or something like that. I am not a language teacher anyway.

To begin with please go and read my recipe for Garam Masala because you will need to use some. Or else, use any of your choice, home made or store bought, won't be an issue. Like I said, slight variations exist in every family curry!

Here is what you will need:

About 500 gms of chicken, cut in to pieces, bone in, washed and drained well.
*You can use just thighs/legs/drums too.

1 large onion, finely sliced
1 large tomato, either chopped fine or blend in to a paste like I do. Adds a nice body to the curry.
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2-4 green chillies, chopped fine or slit lengthwise

Spices you will need:

1 tbsp of corriander powder
1tsp heaped cumin powder
1 tsp levelled tumeric powder
1tsp freshly cracked black pepper corns
1 tsp levelled, kashmiri red chilli powder (optional)-more for colour rather than heat
1 tbsp of Garam Masala divided,  keep a fat pinch aside from this measurement, to be used later.
Salt to taste 
4tbsp mustard oil for cooking or your choice of any cooking oil. This is distinctively a North Indian curry, so avoid using coconut oil, but even if you do, I don't see how I can stop you! :)

A tbsp of fresh green corriander leaves, finely chopped, a few thin matchstick style julliened ginger and 2-3 green chillies slit lengthwise. ( I dont add any green chillies at all since my son cannot handle the heat) As always, adjust the amount of chillies you prefer.

Start by heating the oil in a large wok. Mustard oil has a strong, sharp smell and just as you see it begining to smoke up a bit, add the chopped onions and fry them untill really browned well. Mid way to frying those onions, add the ginger garlic paste. Brown this all together. This is the only stage which requires you to kind of hover over your stove, because while we want it all to brown up nicely, we dont want burnt bits. So resign yourself to a lot of stirring and frying. Next to go in would be the chicken pieces. Mix, stir, coat and let it get browned really well on all sides. I usually do all this on a high flame. Takes a good ten minutes at least and plus some more maybe. By the end of so much of stirring around and mixing the chicken pieces with the onions etc, all the moisture should have evaporated. It should pretty much dry up, with the oil clearly separated and visible. The chicken should also be half cooked by now. * If you are using very fresh chicken, it will take time to cook till nearly done or even half cooked.

    See how nicely browned my chicken pieces are? And I chucked in a couple of potatoes too. 

The next stage, one by one, start adding all the spices- turmeric, cumin, corriander, pepper, kashmiri chilli powder, and the garam masala. Just reserve a fat pinch of garam masala on the side. Mix thoroughly and let the chicken be coated with all the spices. Add salt to taste. Add the tomato paste you made, mix. Sprinkle some fresh corriander leaves, julliened ginger slices, slit green chillies and a big pinch of garam masala powder you had kept aside. Cover and cook on 'dum' on very low flame for about fifteen or twenty minutes or untill you think the chicken is cooked through. 

  The tomato paste as been added, ginger, corriander leaves and a pinch of garam masala       sprinkled on top, this will be covered and slow cooked untill done.

Get your sides ready while the curry cooks, here is my vegetable Raita with chopped shallots, bell pepper, cucumber,green chillies, salt, spices and a generous dash of fresh lemon juice. 

Peas Pulao, Raita and the ahem 'the curry'!!

Serve garnished with some more fresh corriander leaves, a Pulao and some Raita. Plonk a big pitcher of fresh lemonade to wash it down. Sit back and enjoy the compliments this 'no-brainer' curry will fetch you from even the most fussy member on the dining table! :) As for me, I am wondering why don't I ask the hubster to tag me along to London this week. He is off for a business trip and has planned to take some his clients for an authentic curry night. Unless he heads to Southall or Hounslow, I know he can be sure of a huge bill for a measly bowl of totally dodgy curry! If I was going, I would have gladly hosted all his clients, and be sure of winning some more big fat contracts. And some definite converts to curry too! 

Chappli Kebabs for all times!

Things have been unusually hectic this month. Lots of birthdays including hubster's. One weekend, we had to attend three birthday parties back to back and once we were done, it struck us perhaps we really are getting old, me and hubster that is. It was tiring. The only thing going for me was the fact that I hardly cooked most weekends, that is a welcome break. So many invites! But I cannot stay away too long, cooking in my kitchen relaxes me. September also saw a spate of invitations to attend cooking demos, exhibits and festivals and blogger meet ups. I had to say no to each sadly. I just don't have the time or the energy to network, even if it is food related! A friend of mine who is very active on the food network scene in Dubai lamented at the lost opportunities, but really, after living eight years in Dubai, the one thing that has not become 'my thing' is networking. I am such a home-body. I like being home. The only time I like stepping out is when I know I am going to be shopping. Typical. It seems I have missed many chances, of meeting celebrity chefs, celebrity food bloggers (what in the world are those?), food blogging meet ups and cooking lessons/demos et all. I have a feeling my friend will now stop sending me invites and passes. Sorry V!  Oh well. It is simply too much of an effort honestly. Inspite of having a hubster who wishes I go out more and a chauffeur to drive me around. Naah. I will pass. 

In between attending parties and pacifying miffed blogger friends, I made some Chappli Kebabs for breakfast the other day. Lightly spiced, easy to assemble and non fussy, it is different in that, we use lots of tomatoes in it. These are traditionally from Pakistani homes but you will find  them in North Indian muslim homes too. I myself  learnt it from our family lawyer's wife , back in Varanasi. I thought it was super easy and pretty versatile given that she was serving it for breakfast with hot, butter laden paranthas and a big cup of Chai. Serve it whenever you like actually. As an appetiser, as a side, for breakfast or even tea time. We are a meat loving family, so for us anytime is a good time to eat kebabs, we don't wait for any special times around here. 

Here is what you will need:

Finely minced meat of Mutton or Beef :               500 gms
Meat Tenderizer 1 tsp or grated  raw Papaya : 2 tbsp 

1 Medium onion, very finely chopped
2 Medium tomatoes, very finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh corriander, finely chopped
3-4 fresh green chillies, very finely chopped
1tbsp garlic paste
1.5 tsp ginger paste

1tbsp roasted and crushed cumin seeds
2 tbsp roasted and crushed corriander seeds
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper corns or 1/2 tsp of crushed dry red chillies
1 tsp roasted and crushed anaardana (optional)
1 tsp garam masala (optional, I did not use any)
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying. I used unsalted butter. 
As always, adjust the chillies according to taste, this is actually supposed to be a mild Kebab with not many spices being used. 

Mix the mince with the meat tenderizer or grated Papaya if you are using that. Add all the dry spices along with ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and fresh corriander. Do not add  salt, onions and tomatoes just yet so that there is no moisture released from these, making your mixture too wet. Keep aside for 1-4 hours. Just before you have to fry the patties, about fifteen minutes before, add the chopped oinions, tomatoes and salt. Mix gently. Take a largish amount in your palms, make a ball and flatten in to broad patties. These kebabs are almost as large as a standard burger patty.

 Heat oil in a wide, shallow frying pan or your 'tawa'. Once hot, fry the kebabs on medium to low flame, a good five minutes at least on each side. Because we add onions and tomatoes both, the mixture tends to be a little wet. So take care when shaping the patties, be gentle when placing them in oil or when you flip them over. Once they are cooking though, they will begin to firm up.  Fry them untill browned and done, keep checking for it's 'doneness'.

 Serve warm with paranthas or naans along with a chutney of choice. Isn't it the easiest? 

Gosht Yakhni Pulao

It has been a long time, isn't it? No points for guessing, like any other expat living in the Middle East, I had gone back to India for my summer holidays. It was quite a trip. Six weeks never felt so long! 

Just glad to be back, really, really glad. 

I don't consider myself a foodie. I am a picky eater by any standards and am not very open to new culinary ideas. I also don't live to eat, I eat because I have to live. That's about it. Honestly. But then there are some kinds of food which will break all your pre-set notions and ideas, real or imaginary. It will have a strong grip on you and one must then do nothing but succumb. For me it my Nani's Yakhni Pualo. Chunks of goat meat, cooked with rice in it's own stock, mildly spiced and absolutely perfect. It is my all time favourite one pot meal, anytime, anywhere!  It was made as far back as my fourth generation prior, by my great grandmother, perfected by my grandmother and passed down to our family cook because well, my mother cannot cook! So, I have stepped in and am taking the legacy of Yakhni pulao forward. I am happy to report, my five year old loves it too. Score! The recipe is simple enough, albeit time taking. But throw in some patience and you shall be richly rewarded. You dont need to assemble a lot of ingredients  there can be short cuts employed with no major difference to the final outcome, but trust me on this one-slow and easy, so worth it. 

From a  typical North Indian/Pakistani kitchen,  Gosht Yakhni Pulao. It is in the strictest of terms, truly 'riwaayati' (traditional). Most families also tend to use this same recipe, with the exception of choosing between yoghurt or tomatoes. Please note this is not a Biryani. It is a Pualo and so you don't make layers of rice and meat . Cook this with the usual manner in which you would make any pulao. This pulao is known for it's mild flavours, with the taste of corriander and fennel seeds dominating. Those two are important. Some people add either tomatoes or yoghurt. I add a little of both. As always, the amount of chillies you use is up to you. Try getting the same cuts of meat as you would for a biryani. Be sure to include a few Nallis- for it's marrow. It lends a fantastic flavour to the final prep. Yakhni, means stock and as the name suggests, the difference between this pulao and the other regular ones is the use of meat stock to actually cook the rice in.

Here is what you will need:

1 kg of mutton/beef
2 large onions, sliced thinly and divided in to halves.
1 ' of ginger whole or chopped in to chunks.
6-8 garlic cloves

1 large tomato, cut in to rounds.
1 cup of yoghurt, whisked.

Spices to be coarsely ground: ensure you dont make a powder. 

1 heaped tbsp of fennel seeds
3 tbsp of heaped whole corriander seeds
1 tsp of Shah Jeera + 1/2 tsp more
1.5' stick of cinammon
6 cloves
10-12 black pepper corns
2 black big cardamom
4-6 green cardamom
10 whole dry red chillies ( dont worry too much about the qty being used here, adding yoghurt to the pot will make the pulao mild later)
a pinch of nutmeg and mace each 
1 large bay leaf
*Once you make a powder, take this spice blend and tie it up in a 6' sqaure muslin cloth. This is known as a 'Garni'. You make a little pouch/potli of these masalas, to season your stock. Do use a really thin cloth for this, like I said, use Muslin. 

Good quality Basmati rice- 2.5 cups. Soaked for about 15 minutes, just before you are about to add the rice to cook and not before. 
6 -7 cups of water.
Salt to taste
4 tbsp oil to cook. 

Start by making a stock by boiling the water, salt, mutton pieces, half of the sliced onions, ginger, garlic. Also, add the little 'masala garni' you have made, cook untill meat is tender but not too overcooked. You may use a pressure cooker if you wish to. This is the only time taking process of the recipe. I usually slow cook my meat. In the mean time, while the meat is cooking, take half of the onions you kept aside and fry them caramel golden to garnish later.

Once the meat is done, you can throw away the masala pouch and retain the rest. Strain the stock, and keep the meat pieces aside. retain the onions/ginger/garlic along with it. Make sure the meat is well drained of the stock.

Measure the stock, you should have roughly about 5 -6 cups of stock left. If it is more, boil it down. If it isnt enough, don't worry, we will be using some yoghurt too. 

Next take a deep pot, with a thick bottom, one which has a lid and can be used to make rice. Heat the oil, tip in the 1/2 tsp Shah Jeera. As it sizzles, add the meat pieces and stir it around, let it acquire a slightly brown colour, this should take just a few minutes. The onion/ginger/garlic which was cooked along with the meat and retained later will also go in to this. As this starts drying, add the yoghurt, followed by the drained rice. Mix well, taking care not to let the rice stick to the bottom of the pot. Once it is all mixed in nicely, add the stock. This is where, you decide how much of it goes in. I usually measure by inserting my finger and checking to see if the water level just about reaches the first mark of my middle finger. Check for salt again. Set to boil. First on medium high flame, then low flame. As the water starts to dry, spread the tomato rounds over the top. Cover and cook on very low flame, untill the rice is cooked. I just lower the flame to the lowest mark, let it sit for another maybe fifteen minutes and open it only when I have to serve.

When ready to serve, garnish with caramelised onions. Served with a raita, papads and desi style tomato salsa. This pulao tastes fabulous the next day too. Enjoy.

I made this pulao as soon as I landed back here , to remember home. It was perfect. 

Bihari Boti Kadai- a rustic, fiery gateway to bliss...

My husband loves my cooking but has one significant gripe. I am never consistent in rustling up the same-tasting dish over and over, especially if he has liked a particular curry a lot. He says he can guarantee, I wont be able to come up with the same stuff again. Whis is true! I cook everyday, but in all these years of our marriage and being a family, I am quite surprised to recall that, indeed, I not only hardly repeat recipes, I also go on a different tangent even when I am supposed to stick to it... do any of you have that 'problem' too? Strange! Good thing then that I am writing some of the favourites here. Today I am sharing a rather easy lamb recipe. Bihari Boti Kadai- lamb or beef chunks cooked in a spicy blend. No onions-no chopping required. Which is always a bonus.

I dont really know for sure if this dish is from the state of Bihar, India. I simply, know it as Bihari Kadai and have been making it since forever. Boti ofcourse, refers to the largish chunks of meat with bone in. Kadai- as a dish refers to any 'gravy-curry' made in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent/Pakistan. The gravy could be thin and runny or even a thick masala flavoured one, to be eaten with breads. Bihari Boti kadai is quite spicy, so adjust the chillies according to your preferance and you wil be good.

Here's what you will need.

Lamb/Mutton/Beef  : 1 kg, I usually take shoulder cuts of a baby goat.
Ginger-Garlic paste : 1 tbsp heaped along with paste made of 5-8 (reduce if you want)- I simply ground them all together.

*You may even take boneless chunks of meat of your choice.

For the Bihari Masala, spices to dry roast and grind to a coarse powder:

Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp
Corriander seeds: 1.5 tbsp
Pepper corns      : 1 tsp
Gram flour (besan) - 1tbsp (optional)
Dry roast the spices and gram flour on a gentle heat. Cool and girnd.

Salt to taste.
About 5-6 tbsp of oil (reduce if you aren't big on cooking with lots of oil)
A fresh lemon to squueze over in the end and a few ginger jullienes to garnish (optional).

Marinate the meat in the ginger-garlic-chilli paste along with the spices you powder. If you have time, as always I recommend a marination of at least 4 hours or more, even over night. However, if you dont have time, worry not, just marinate and mix, and begin to cook! I did too this time because I had surprise visitors. And I served this for breakfast actually with parathas and a big cup of masala chai. Heaven!

Heat the oil in a 'kadai'-  Add the marinated meat and cook(really that simple) initially on high heat for a couple of minutes then reduce the heat to medium/low. This dish is supposed to be dry, so aim for that in the final stages. A lot of moisture will be naturally rleased by the meat/salt combination, let it all help cook the meat and then gradually let it dry on its own while cooking.

The colour here is still that of raw meat and spices, the water is being released now...

Again, over the next forty-fortyfive minutes, if you are slow cooking it on the stove top, you may have to baby sit it and watch for any burning/sticking -to- the -bottom action happening. In which case, all you need to do is keep adding a little water, say about 1/3 cup of hot water. Always try and add warm/hot water to curries, helps retain the flavours better than just adding regular/cold water. I usually keep a big mug of hot water around myself. You may also pressure cook with 1 cup of water to hasten the process but dont omit the 'bhunoing' process in the begining for at least twenty minutes and untill oil has seperated.

Half an hour in to cooking, see how the colours change! I added extra hot chillies for our guests who enjoy it like that. So just follow the recipe if you are not ok with too much heat.

Then go ahead and pressure cook, once 'almost' done, remove lid, leave the pan open and cook to evaporate any water/moisture left.  Keep mixing and stirring untill the final look is thick, dry with the marinade sticking to the meat pieces. In the last few minutes, while you are letting the excess water evaporate, all 'doneness' of the meat will be achieved now. So dont worry even if pressure cooking it hasnt cooked the meat completely. Usually, you will find beef taking time.

Do you see how all the moisture is gone and the spices stick to the meat? Using 'besan' also helps in that.

I used thai red chillies to garnish as well as in my marinade paste, feel free to use whichever chillies you enjoy normally.

Garnish with ginger jullienes and serve with a wedge of lime to sqeeze over if preferred. Also ofcourse, you will need to make some warm chapatis to make it a perfect meal.

My Favourite and The Very Desi- Shaami Kebabs

My maternal grandmother was an awesome cook and although she is no more with us, her strongest legacy perhaps, are her desi recipes. They have been passed down to almost every family member and we have all taken great pains to continue cooking certain dishes just the way she taught. My own mother does not cook at all but she has ensured that Nani's traditional recipes carry on being cooked and served by our family cook. My mother's cook had the good fortune to have met my Nani and managed to learn much from her. Thankfuly, she does a great job! Some of our family favourites include Yakhni Gosht Pulao (Pulao cooked on slow heat in a meat stock and yoghurt), Bhuni Kaleji (Fried liver), Mata Keena (Mince with peas), and ofcourse Shaami kebabs.

Shaami kebabs remain an absolute favourite of every member in our family and even amongst friends who have been visiting us for years. Mom gets this made especialy for her X'mas parties, kilos and kilos of it. We have been told by our friends that they wait the whole year especially to get invites for X'mas and eat shaami kebabs to their heart's content! Not that they need to wait for Xmas per se! When I visit Benaras for my holidays, mom makes sure there is plenty of Kebab mixture kept in the fridge so that my entire holidays are spent in utter bliss-think kebab parathas for breakfast, Dal-chawal and kebab for lunch, Kebab and buns for tea and so on....

It is easy enough to prepare. Once you have the mix ready, you can alsomake patties and keep a batch in the freezer for use later. They can be simply taken out and shallow fried straight away. No need to even thaw!

Here's the How To:

500 gms Calf/Mutton mince
1/2 cup of (medium sized) Soaked chana dal-10 mins
1' stick of cinammom
4 green cardamoms
1 big black cardamom
4-5 cloves
10-15 black pepper corns (depending on your taste)
5-6 whole red dry chillis
1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp Saunf- fennel seeds (this is my addition and not a part of Nani's recipe)
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Boil the above in 1 cup of water in a pressure cooker. Untill completely done. About 5-6 whistles on medium flame.

When the mince is bolied along with the spices, open pan, take out the mixture, let cool on a plate. Also, fish out the cinammon, big cardamom, cloves(if you can) and chuck them away.

Once the above is cooled, grind them in your mixer to a paste. Ensure that it does not become too thin a paste. Coarse is fine. The picture above is of the bolied and cooled mince with the spices.

To this now add :

1 medium sized onion, very finely chopped.
A handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
A handful of fresh corriander leaves, finely chopped
4-6 fresh green chillis ( or as many as you prefer) finely chopped. I make it rather hot.
*2 eggs beaten or *1 tbsp of hung yoghurt or *2 slices of stale white bread. Either one is fine although using hung yoghurt gives it a nice flavour and a hint of tanginess.

* Add salt to taste (and onion too), at the very end, just before frying the kebabs so that you dont get a wet, soppy mix due to the moisture content in the salt and onions.
* Instead of fresh onions, you can also use fried/caramelised onions.

Mix and make patties. Shallow fry in very little oil. Say about 2 tbsp. If you use too much oil, the kebabs will surely crumble, like it happened to my kebabs in the picture below...I used more than 2 tbsp because I was distracted. In my next batch, I used only 2 tbsp and they were perfect!  Fry them untill browned on both sides.

 Serve warm with mint chutney/dip and some onion rings. As a starter or even as a side to your main course.