Kai phat Krapow / Thai basil chicken

September 8, 2013February 25, 2014 | 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

September 2, 2013February 21, 2014 | 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.

Chemmeen/Prawn curry with coconut milk

August 22, 2013February 2, 2015 | Rekha Vengalil

I got this recipe from a Malayalam magazine when I went home last year and took a year to make it. Ah nothing new and very me :-).

The prawns are cooked in creamy, tangy and spicy sauce. A very authentic Keralan recipe. I have altered the recipe a bit and adjusted the quantity of spices as well. Serve this with rice or just as I love too with bread.

You need –

Prawns – 500 grams, cleaned
Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
Thin coconut milk – 1/2 cup
Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
Tomato – 1, chopped
Tamarind pulp – 1 tablespoon, soaked in 1/4 cups of water
Ginger & garlic paste – 2 teaspoons
Green chilies – 2 slit lengthwise
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
chili powder – 1 teaspoon or as per taste
Curry leaves – 2 twigs
Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon
Crushed pepper – ½ teaspoon

whole spices

Cinnamon – 1 small stick
Clove – 1
Cardamom – 2
Star anise – 1 small
Bay leaf – 1/2

How to –

Heat oil in skillet/pan, add the whole spices and fry till fragrant. Tip the onion, green chilies, curry leaves, ginger and garlic paste and cook till the onions turns golden.

Add the coriander, chili and turmeric powder: cook for a minute or till oil start to separate. Add the chopped tomato with little water , salt to taste and cook till mushy. Add the tamarind water (Strain the tamarind water with sieve and discard the seeds) and the thin coconut milk and cook till the gravy is thick.

Add the cleaned prawns and cook till done. Add the thick coconut milk, pepper powder; mix and turn off the heat. Please do not boil after you add the thick coconut milk.

Serve hot with rice or bread.

My 200th post and Beef Ularthiyathu

August 19, 2013April 25, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

This is my 200th post and here’s thanking each one of you for making this journey so wonderful with all your lovely comments and feedback. Truly overwhelmed and feel so blessed. The journey that I started a year back has sure got me some wonderful friends whom I have not met but the bond seems to be growing stronger. Also taking this very moment to thank my family and friends for being a wonderful support. Though at times my daughter says Foodolicious is boring because every time I make her favorite food and I photograph it first before serving her but still she is all ready to help me when I need her either for a photo or just for clean ups. Love you Molu 🙂 Life is beautiful 🙂

Before marriage I was quite reserved when it came to food and especially meat. The only thing I ate was chicken and once in a while lamb. Things have changed and thanks to my hubby who has very tactfully got me eating beef and pork.

And yes I had not tasted beef until I had this dish and the only way I like it. So flavorful and tender and yes biting into those coconut slices makes it one delicious dish. If you don’t eat beef then you can cook this with Lamb but the cooking time will be little longer but taste equally good. Feel free to add more fresh green chilies if you want to make it hotter.

This is truly Kerala’s best.

You need –

Beef – 500 grams, cubes into bite size pieces
Coconut meat – 1/2 cup finely sliced
Chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger & garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
Shallots – finely sliced, 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves – Minced, 1 tablespoon
Ginger – julienned, 1 tablespoon
Green chili – 2 or as per taste, slit
Corriander powder – 1 tablespoon
Black pepper powder – 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala – 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves – 2 twigs
Salt to taste
Coconut oil – 2 tablespoon

How to –

In pressure cooker, put the meat, turmeric powder, chili powder, ginger garlic paste and salt. Mix well and cook till done with 2 tablespoons of water. Once done, uncover and drain the meat from the stock reserving 1 tablespoon of the stock and set aside.

In skillet/kadai/wok, heat oil and add the sliced coconut pieces, ginger and garlic and fry till fragrant . Add the shallots, green chilies, curry leaves and continue to fry till the onions turn golden brown.

Add the Coriander powder, garam masala powder and saute for 2 minutes or till oil starts to separate. Now add 1 tablespoon of reserved stock and loosen up the spice mix (this helps the spices to coat the meat well). Add the meat and mix well to coat.

Add the black pepper powder and over medium heat cook for 10-12 mins or until the mixtures is very dry; stirring continuously.

Serve hot with Rice and curry.

Kashmiri chicken curry

August 1, 2013February 2, 2015 | 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

July 17, 2013April 25, 2014 | 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…

Beef vermicelli cake

May 16, 2013February 12, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

This is one of the cake I cut for my birthday the other day. Sure was a treat, as we at home love Italian. With that gooey cheese on top and the meaty inside, this is nothing less I would want on a special day. ~~Happy day!~~ GIORNO FELICE!

You need –

Vermicelli – 200 grams
Grated parmesan cheese – ½ cup
Grated mozzarella cheese – ½ cup

To make the meat sauce –

Onion – 1, finely chopped
Garlic – 1 clove, finely chopped
Minced/ground beef – 250 grams
Canned chopped tomatoes – 400 grams
Ground oregano – ¼ teaspoon
Dried basil – ¼ teaspoon
Red wine – 1.5 tablespoon
Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the white sauce

Salted butter – 50 grams
All-purpose flour – ¼ cup
Milk – 1 cup

How to –

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Grease a round 8 inch spring form cake tin.

Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water till al dente. Drain well and set aside.

Heat oil in heavy bottom pan, add the onion, garlic and cook till tender. Add the minced beef. With a wooden spoon break up the beef and cook till brown. Add the tomato, wine, basil and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Reduce the heat and cook for 15- 20 minutes. Set aside.

To make the white sauce, heat a sauce pan and melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook till pale. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Return to the heat and stir constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Reduce the heat and simmer for a minutes. Turn off the heat.

To assemble –

Spread half of the vermicelli into the cake tin as the base. Layer half of the meat sauce over to form the second layer. Cover with the remaining pasta and press down with your palm of your hand. Top the remaining meat sauce, pour the while sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Into the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Varutharacha kozhi curry / kerala style chicken curry

May 8, 2013April 10, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

Oh how could I ??!! yeah I forgot to post this which I made couple of weeks back. Never the less, better late than never.

This is a traditional Kerala chicken curry. Cooked in roasted coconut paste with spices. But I am a bit hesitant to make this curry every often for the very reason that no matter how much you reduce the oil yet the roasted coconut somehow oozes out oil as the curry cooks up. But then that’s the beauty of the curry I know and don’t you agree?

This is recipes is from my mom and somehow it doesn’t taste as much as hers does but I guess that’s how it is when every mom cooks. There is something special always. With mother’s day coming up I dedicate this post to my mom and MIL, the 2 wonderful women in my life.

Mom & Saana

MIL & Saana

Happy mother’s day to all my dear blogger friends and to your mommies 🙂

To make you need –

Chicken – 500 grams, cut into medium- small pieces
Grated coconut – ½ cup
Whole coriander seeds – 1 ½ tablespoons
Whole dried chilies – 4-5 or as per your palate.
Whole black pepper – 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves – 3 twigs
Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon
Onion – 1 medium, thinly sliced
Minced ginger and garlic – 1 teaspoon each
Tomato – 1, sliced
Potatoes – 2 medium, cut into cubes
Coconut oil – 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

How to –
In frying pan, dry roast the grated coconut, coriander seeds, dried chilies black pepper, garam masala and 2 twig of curry leaves. Make sure the coconut turns to dark brown but do not burn. You need to make sure you are frequently stirring. Once done, put the mixture into a blender and blend till a smooth paste with water as required. Set aside.

In heavy bottom pan heat the oil and onions, ginger, garlic, remaining curry leaves and fry till translucent. Add the tomato and cook till mushy. Add the coconut paste and cook briefly for a couple of minutes.

Add the chicken pieces, potatoes, ¼ cup water, and mix well to coat. Cover and cook till done. The gravy should be thick and not runny so add water if need be or if to runny continue to cook till its thick.

Turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Sending this recipe to – Cook Like Mom’ & an International Giveaway by Foodelicious

Click here for more chicken recipes

Butter chicken

May 5, 2013May 27, 2015 | Rekha Vengalil

I know it’s not for health-freaks; but who can resist this delicious and the most wonderful Indian dish. I could quite easily finish the whole lot myself and that’s again one reason why I don’t make this often. A confession I make. 🙂

I was as always lazy to make the naan or ghee rice to go with chicken, which I had planned the previous night. So ordered from the restaurant next door. Lucky I have 2 Indian restaurants next door – Kinara and Chat Masala, both quite famous here in Singapore. Not to forget the Turkish restaurant. I think ever since we moved here I am getting a little lazy working some easy way out. Not a nice thing, but yet I love my neighbours 🙂. Singapore is a foodie’s paradise. With so many eateries and options. As much as I love to cook I love to explore food outside.

Back to the recipe, Cooked in a creamy sauce and mildly spiced is sure a lip smacking. Preferred with Indian flat breads like naan, pulkas or tandoori roti; but equally good with flavored rice like ghee rice or just plain basmati rice.

You need –

Chicken breast – 350 grams, cut into bite size cubes

For the sauce –

Cashew nuts – 10-12 nos, blend into a fine paste
Tomato – 1, pureed
Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
Green chillies – 2, chopped
Dried methi/fenugreek leaves – 2 teaspoons
Fresh cream – 60 mls + extra for the garish
Orange food color – 3 drops
Salt to taste
Parsley to garnish

For the marinade –

Butter – 1 ½ tablespoon
Ginger and garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
Greek yogurt – ¼ cup
Tandoori masala – 2 teaspoons
Tomato paste (canned) – 2 teaspoons
Lemon Juice – 2 teaspoons
Ghee/clarified butter – 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

How to –

In bowl mix all the ingredients under “for marinade” well. Tip in the chicken and coat well. Cover and marinate the chicken over night in the fridge.

Pre-heat the over to 180. Uncover the marinated chicken, spread them on baking tray and grill them for 15-20 mins or till lightly charred. Remove and set them aside

To make the sauce, heat a heavy bottom pan, melt the butter with little olive oil to avoid burning of the butter. Add the ginger, garlic paste and cook briefly. Add the tomato puree and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the cashew paste, green chilies fenugreek leaves (crush them in your palms and add in), food color. Cook briefly stirring continuously. Add the chicken( including the marinade), ¼ cup water. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or till done on a low flame.