Chicken

Thai curried fried rice

| Rekha Vengalil
One of the easiest one-pot meal that can be done up in a jiffy…
You can use beef, pork or prawns and veggies of your choice. Of course don’t use veggies that get too mushy as they cook. I have not used salt as store brought curry paste are salty and so does fish sauce.  So please taste first before adding salt.
 

You need –

  • Red curry paste – 2 tablespoon
  • Cooked cold rice – 2.5 cups
  • Chicken fillet – 200 grams, cut into thin strips
  • French beans – Cut into 1.5 inch long, 1/2 cup
  • Carrot – Cut into thin 1.5 inch long, 1/2 cup
  • Baby corn – Cut into 1.5 inch long, 1/2 cup
  • Lime leaves – 2, finely chopped
  • Fish sauce – 1.5 tablespoons
  • Spring onions and coriander leaves to garnish

How to –

Heat oil in wok/skillet. Add the curry paste and cook till fragrant and oil starts to separate. Add the chicken strips and fry till done.
Add the veggies and cook till done ( Do not over cook. Keep them crisp). Add the rice, lime leaves and fish sauce. Combine well and continue to fry till the rice is heated through.
 
Garnish with spring onions and coriander leaves. Serve hot with fried eggs.
 

Sending this recipe to Cooking With Seeds (CWS) December 2013: Rice. For detial on the events click here CWS event announcement

 

Asian inspired chicken with roasted potatoes

| Rekha Vengalil
 
You need –
  • Boneless and skinless chicken thighs – 2, cut into bite size pieces
  • Potatoes – 3 small, quartered
  • Fresh rosemary – 1 sprig of rosemary
  • Garlic – 2 cloves
  • Grated ginger – 1 teaspoon
  • Onion – 1, finely sliced
  • Dried red chili – 2-3 or per taste
  • Dark soy sauce – 1 tablespoon
  • Chili sauce – 2 teaspoons
  • Honey – 1 teaspoon
  • Paprika – 1 teaspoon
  • Ground oregano – a good pinch
  • Crushed pepper – ½ teaspoon
  • Crushed fennel seeds – ¼ teaspoon
  • Salt to taste
  • Olive Oil as required
 
How to –
 
Pre- heat the oven to 180 C.
 
In a baking tray, put the potatoes, rosemary, garlic (with skin on); sprinkle the ground oregano and drizzle around 1 tablespoon of oil. Toss well and bake for 30 minutes or until they are tender and golden tossing them twice in between. Remove and set aside. Remove the garlic ; peal the skin and mash it.
Heat oil in wok, add the grated ginger, mashed garlic, dried chilies and fry for a few seconds. Now till the onion and cook till translucent.
 
Add paprika, crushed pepper and fennel seeds. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes. Now reduce the heat and cook till the chicken is almost done.
Add the roasted potatoes along rosemary and mix well. Now add the soy sauce, chili sauce and honey. Stir well and cook till the sauce is thick and chicken is done.
 
Turn off the heat and serve hot with fried rice or just plain rice.
 
Note – Please adjust the spices to suit your taste. 

Chicken curry–Kerala style

| Rekha Vengalil


One of my ‘much loved’ chicken curries that I mostly cook when I make appam. Incredibly aromatic and scrumptious!


You need –

Chicken – 750 grams, cut into bite size pieces

  • For the marinade
    • Chili powder – 3 tablespoons
    • Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
    • turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
    • Lime juice – 2 teaspoon
  • For the curry
    • Onion – 1 large, thinly sliced
    • Green chili – 2-3 or as per taste, Slit
    • Garlic – Thinly sliced, tablespoon
    • Garlic – 3 large cloves, thinly sliced
    • Curry leaves – 2 sprig
    • Chicken masala powder – 2 teaspoons (I used Nirapara)
    • Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
    • Whole spices
      • Green cardamom pods – 3
      • Cinnamon – 1’ stick
      • Clove – 2
      • Star anise – 1
      • Fennel seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
    • Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup
    • Coconut oil – as required

How to –

Clean, wash and drain the chicken well. In bowl , put the the ingredients under “For the marinade” and make a thick paste with just enough water. Tip the chicken in and rub the paste all over to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
 
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add the whole spices and cook till fragrant. Tip the onions and cook till translucent. Add ginger, garlic, green chilies and 1 sprig of curry leaves and cook the raw smell is gone.
 
Now add the chicken masala and saute till the oil starts to separate. Now tip the marinated chicken and stir over high heat for 4-5 minutes.

 

Add 1 cup of water, salt and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium-low ; cover and cook till the chicken is done. At this point please adjust the consistency of the gravy as needed by adding more water or continue to cook till the gravy is thick.
 
Add the coconut milk, pepper powder and bring to a gentle simmer. Turn off the heat. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and remaining curry leaves. Cover and let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

 

Serve hot with appam, rice or roti.

Chicken xacuti

| Rekha Vengalil
 
Cooking up something new gives me a high and this curry was no less exciting. A spicy hot Goan curry made from a blend of interesting spices. A recipe from my sister’s MIL and I had to do away with one of the ingredient mentioned, as poppy seeds are banned in Singapore. Nevertheless, the curry tasted great, and the whole family loved it. Indeed very happy with my first go at Konkan cuisine! 
 

You need – 

  • Chicken – 750 grams. Cleaned, washed and cut into bite-size pieces.
  • Grated fresh coconut- 3/4 cup
  • Garlic – 3 cloves
  • Spices
    • Whole dry red chilies – 4-5 or per taste
    • Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
    • Coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon
    • Black peppercorns –  1 teaspoon
    • Fennel seeds –  1/2 teaspoon
    • Carom seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
    • Cloves – 2
    • Cinnamon 1 inch stick
    • Star anise – 1
  • Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
  • Onions,- 1, finely sliced
  • Salt to taste
  • Grated nutmeg – a pinch
  • Tamarind pulp – 2 teaspoon
  • Oil – 1 tablespoon or as required
  • Salt to taste
 

How to –

Heat a pan and dry roast the grated coconut till light brown. Remove and set aside. In same pan dry roast all the ingredients under spices till fragrant, Allow to cool and blend them along with the grated coconut, garlic into a smooth paste with water as required.
 
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, sauté the onions till translucent. Add the ground coconut-spice paste and cook till oil starts to separate., Tip the chicken pieces and sauté over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of water, tamarind pulp, nutmeg, salt; mix and bring to a boil. 
 
Turn the heat to low. Cover and cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is thick (you may add water to adjust consistency of the gravy as required).
Turn off the heat and serve hot with rice/roti.
 
 

Spicy chicken and bell pepper stir-fry

| Rekha Vengalil

You need- 

  • Chicken breast – 500 grams, cut into thin strips
  • Bell peppers – 2 small (I used red and yellow), Cut lengthwise
  • Green chili – 2, minced
  • Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
  • Onion – 1 small, thinly sliced
  • Ginger – minced, 1 teaspoon
  • Dark soy sauce – 1.5 tablespoons
  • Rice wine vinegar – 2 teaspoons
  • Sesame oil – 1 tablespoon or as required
  • Sambal chili paste – 2 teaspoons

How to –

In heat oil in wok and fry the chicken strips till slightly browned. Remove and set aside.

Into the same wok, add more oil if need. Add the garlic, ginger and chilies and saute for a minute. Add the onion and cook till translucent.

Add the Chili paste and cook till the raw smell is gone. Tip chicken, soy sauce, vinegar and toss everything well till combined and stir fry for 3 minutes.

Add the bell peppers and stir fry for further 2 minutes or till just done. Do not over cook the peppers. keep them crispy.


Check for seasoning and add salt if required since soy sauce is salty.

Turn off the heat garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with boiled or fried rice.

Kai phat Krapow / Thai basil chicken

| Rekha Vengalil

 

On our visit to Thailand a couple of years back, food was something we enjoyed the most apart from the hospitality of the Thai people. It quite amused me the way they greet you, spoke so softly and so glad that I work closely with Thailand as my office is headquartered there.  And during our trip, I got to taste some authentic Thai food both at the restaurants and at a friend’s place.  Ever since I have been a fan of Thai food and do cook them at home. One of them that I cook often is Kai phat Krapow or Thai basil chicken.
 
 
A simple and delicious chicken recipe you can imagine. Robustly flavored with garlic, chili and Basil is sure going to leave you longing for more.  You can also cook this with minced beef or pork.  Adjust the heat with adding more or less chili to suit your taste.  


You need –

  • Minced chicken – 250 grams
  • Fresh Thai basil leaves – 1.5 cup
  • Fresh red chili – 3 or as per your taste, finely chopped
  • Garlic big cloves – 3, minced
  • Long beans – chopped into 0.5 inch, 1/3 cup
  • fish sauce – 2 tablespoons
  • Dark soy sauce – 1 tablespoon

How to –

Heat oil in a wok and add the garlic, Saute till aromatic, Tip the minced chili and cook briefly.


Add the chicken and cook till the chicken changes the color. Use a wooden spoon and break the chicken to small lumps. Add the sauces, mix well.


Add the basil leaves, cook till the leaves wilted and fragrant. Mix well and turn off the heat and serve hot with Thai Jasmine rice.

 

 

Kozhi Varuval / Chettinad pepper chicken

| Rekha Vengalil
This spicy and so flavorful dish is from Chettinad, Tamilnadu, south of India. Chettinad is famous for their use of spices and very aromatic dishes. If you would like to read more of then click here . 
 
I am an absolute lover of Chettinad cuisine and this being one of my favorite. I love this with my rice and rasam. Please adjust the quantity of pepper and green chili to suit your taste and I would also recon to use freshly ground pepper. I have used store brought tomato paste but if using whole tomato then make sure to cook till mushy before you add the chicken. 
 

You need –

  • Chicken – 750 grams , cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
  • Shallots – finely chopped, 1 cup
  • Green chili – 1, slit length-wise
  • Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tablespoon each
  • Tomato paste – 2.5 teaspoon
  • Freshly ground pepper (coarsely) – 3 teaspoons
  • Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Fennel powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves – 2 twigs
  • Oil – 1 tablespoon or as required
  • Salt to taste
 

How to –

Heat oil in a pan and add the finely chopped shallots. Cook till translucent. Add in the ginger-garlic paste, green chili and continue to cook till the raw smell of ginger-garlic is gone and the onions turn golden brown.

Add 2.5 teaspoons of ground pepper (reserve 1/2 teaspoon for the last) , coriander powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder and cook till the oil start to separate. Add the tomato paste (add a tablespoon of water if the mixture too dry), salt to taste and  cook briefly for a few seconds. Add the chicken pieces and mix well to coat. Add about 1/4 cup water and curry leaves; cover and cook till done.

Uncover, continue to cook till the gravy is almost dry and stirring continuously .  Now sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper and garam masala and mix well.

Turn off the heat and serve hot with rice and curry.



 

Kashmiri chicken curry

| Rekha Vengalil
 Kashmir, the heaven on earth as it’s also called because of the natural beauty is equally famous for its food. The famous rogan josh, pilaf/pulav and the list goes on. The most notable ingredient is the meat. They are very particular about marinating and seasoning the meat to ensure the best of taste. A Kashmiri friend of mine had long told me about the secret to ensure the best taste is to dry roast the spices than use the store-brought ground spices which I follow till date.
Over to the recipe, this delicately flavored creamy curry with nuts and saffron is sure a must try. The best part was dry roasting the spices as said above. It just fills your house with a wonderful aroma. 


You need –

  • Chicken – 1/2 kilo, cut into bite medium pieces
  • Cardamom pods – 3 nos
  • Coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon
  • Cumin seeds – 1/4 teaspoon
  • cinnamon stick – 1 cms
  • Clove – 1
  • Pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Onion – 1, finely chopped
  • garlic & ginger paste – 2 teaspoons
  • Green chili – 1. slit
  • Blanched almonds – 1/3 cup
  • Shelled pistachios – 1/4 cup
  • Thick yogurt – 1/2 cup
  • Saffron threads – 1/4 teaspoon, soaked in 2 teaspoons of hot water
  • Chicken stock – 1/4 cup
  • Oil – 1 tablespoon
  • Salt to taste

How to –

Dry roast the whole spices (Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, clove) till fragrant. Blend into a fine powder. Set aside. Ground the almonds and pistachios in the blender and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and cook the onions till golden brown. Add the garlic-garlic paste, green chili and the chicken pieces and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the spice powder and mix well. Add the stock, salt to taste and simmer covered for 15- 20 minutes. 

Stir in the ground almonds and pistachios onto the yogurt and add this to the chicken. Tip in the saffron too. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or till chicken has cooked through.

 Serve with Rice or any Indian flat bread.

 

Chicken tikka masala

| Rekha Vengalil
The most popular dish around the world and much written of this dish over the years be its origin or authenticity, hence I am not getting into that.  Truly I feel that this is a dish that has each chef’s influence along the way. Every time I have tried this dish it’s different. Even as I was browsing to look for recipe the list was enormous.  So that also goes to show the popularity of this dish.  It’s also Britain’s true national dish. Accordingly to a survey conducted in UK as per wiki, it is the most popular restaurant dish.
 
Well not talking any further, let’s get to the recipe. Adapted from the cookbook Food lovers “CURRY”. here’s my version of the Chicken tikka masala
 


You need – 

  • Chicken – 1 kilo, cut into medium pieces
  • Tomato paste – 1 tablespoon
  • Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Salt to taste
  • Butter – 2 teaspoons
  • For the Marinade –
  • Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
  • Yogurt – 1 1/2 cups ( I used greek style) beaten
  • Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons
  • Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Chili powder – 1 teaspoon (I used Kashmiri chili powder)
  • Paprika – 2 tablespoons
  • Black pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
How to –
 
Clean and wash the chicken. Drain the water completely off.
 
In shallow dish mix together all ingredients under marinade Mix the chicken in and coat the chicken pieces generously with the marinade. Cover the dish with a foil. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or over night.

Preheat the oven 180 c. Line a baking tray with a foil and place the chicken piece on top and cook for about 35-40 minutes. Reserve the marinade. Halfway through brush the chicken pieces with the marinade and continue to cook. Remove and set aside.

 

Heat a pan add the butter and once heated through tip in the cumin seeds. Allow to crackle. Now add the tomato paste and cook till the oil start to separate. Add the reserved marinade, salt and cook for a 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes. You may add a little water to adjust the gravy. Turn off the heat.

 

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with Indian flat bread, flavored rice or just plain basmati rice. I made coconut milk rice to go with this (will post the recipe soon).


With coconut milk rice…