Indian recipes

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.

 

Cauliflower pakoras/pakodas

| Rekha Vengalil


It’s been raining the whole day here and well a curving for these deep fried fitters was just obvious for tea time.  These are excellent to snack on or serve them as a starter with your favorite chutney.  I like it with mint-coconut chutney but today we just dipped them into some ketchup and Chili sauce.

The recipe is adapted from the cookbook every Indian. 
 


You need –

  • Cauliflower – 350 grams, cut into small florets
  • Gram flour – 130 grams
  • Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
  • Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon (or as per your taste)
  • Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Baking soda – a good pinch
  • Vegetable oil – for deep frying
  • Salt to taste
  • water for making the batter
 

How to –

To make the batter , In a bowl mix together Gram flour, corn flour, Garam masala, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, banking soda and salt with enough water to make a thick batter. Set aside for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mix little more water  ( around 2 teaspoon) and beat well with a egg beater. The batter should be thick like a double cream.

Heat a deep frying pan with enough oil. Once the oil is hot (170 C), dip the cauliflower floret into the batter and coat well. Drop the florets into the hot oil and fry till golden brown and crispy. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan and fry in them in batches.



Once done remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup for your afternoon tea.

 

Bagara baingan

| Rekha Vengalil
 
Wonder if you would believe if I said that eggplant is one of my favorite veggie and I have just one recipe out of my `185 posts. Well it’s decisively, as the man hates it. And the lazy I, as you know hates to cook for self.
 
After a long pondering, I decided to cook eggplant yesterday and got the man to promise he was going to have it too.  So decided with the baraga baingan of Hyderabad, where the egg plant is cooked in such a bracing way.  Hyderabad, a foodie’s paradise as it’s also known and unfortunately I have never visited the place. But happy enough that I have got to taste some of the best Andhra cuisines back in Bangalore and here in Singapore, Andhra curry is a favorite spot.
 
The city of Nizam’s is sure a foodie’s paradise and this curry is truly fit for the kings.  The best eggplant curry I have ever had where the eggplant is cooked in a blend of aromatic spicy sauce. The man was happy though he had just one eggplant but the gravy was gobbled away. Happy me and I am going to make this often 🙂 
 
Over to the recipe, Bagara Baingan a Hyderabadi curry, where baby eggplants /bringal/ aubergine are cooked in a spiced coconut, groundnut and sesame paste.
 
You need –
  • Small eggplants/brinjal – 6 nos
  • Onion- 1 large, sliced
  • White sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon
  • Coriander seeds    1 1/2 teaspoon
  • Peanuts – 2 tablespoon
  • Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Grated coconut –  2 tablespoon
  • Fenugreek seeds- a pinch
  • Ginger – 1 inch piece ,roughly chopped 
  • Garlic – 4-5, roughly chopped 
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Red chili powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Tamarind – a small lemon size, soaked in 1 cup warm water
  • Oil – 1 tablespoon
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garish
How to-
 
Wash eggplants well and make slits along the length making sure that the eggplant is held together at the stem. .Set aside.
 
 
Dry roast together coriander seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, cumin seeds, coconut and fenugreek seeds till fragrant and little brown. .Set aside in bowl. I the same pan dry roast onions till they turn are soften.
 
In blender, grind together the onions, roasted spices, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder to  a very fine paste.
 
Heat oil in a pan/kadai/wok, and fry the eggplants till they are soft. Remove and set aside. In same pan, add the spice paste, mix gently and cook till the oil starts to separate. Now add the tamarind water and mix well. Add the fried eggplants, salt to taste. Cover and cook over low heat till the eggplants are fully cooked an the gravy is thick.
 
Turn off the heat. Garnish with coriander leaves Serve hot with flavored or just plain rice.
 
 

Coconut milk rice

| Rekha Vengalil
This is one of my favorite rice dishes. It’s actually been one since a child. I first had this at my then neighbor’s house in Bangalore.  Ever since I have fallen in love with this rice dish and mom or I have never been able recreate that taste like the Aunt in the neighbor did. Yet here’s something very close though.
 

 

I don’t know for some reason I have never made this ever since I started to blog. Well better late than never; here I am with rice dish that is so moist, delicious, full of wonderful flavors of the whole spices and moreish!

You will need –

  • Basmati rice – 1 cup
  • Coconut milk – 1 cup (I used the store brought)
  • Water – 1 cups
  • Onion – 1 small, thinly sliced
  • Garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
  • Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
  • Green Chili – 1 slit length wise
  • Fennel seeds – ½ teaspoon
  • Cardamom – 2
  • Cinnamon – 1 small stick
  • Clove – 1
  • Bay leaf – 1
  • Ghee/ clarified butter – 1 tablespoon or as required
 
How to –
 
Wash the rice and soak for 15 minutes. 
Heat the pan and add the Ghee. Once the ghee is heated, tip in the spices (Fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and bay leaf) and fry till the raw spell is gone.

Add the onions, chili and ginger-garlic paste. Fry till the onion turns pink and the raw smell of ginger-garlic is gone. Please make sure not to burn them as this will change the color of the rice when you cook. Once done add the rice in and fry till the rice doesn’t stick to each other ensuring the rice not turning brown.
Add the coconut milk, water and salt to taste. Cover and cook till done.

 

Note – once the rice is cooked. Keep it uncovered for a few minutes before you use a fork to fluff up the rice slowly.

 

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…