Malabari Chicken Curry

Malabari Cuisine comes from Kerela. Kerala has been visited by ocean-goers, including traders from Greece, Rome, the eastern Mediterranean, Arab countries, and Europe. Thus, Malabari cuisine is a blend of indigenous dishes and foreign dishes adapted to Kerala tastes with basic ingredient being the Spices and Coconut Milk.


Ingredients:

800 gms Boneless Chicken
3 Medium Red Onions sliced
1.5 inch Ginger
8-10 Garlic Cloves
4-5 Green chillies
3 Medium Tomatoes,chopped
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 Whole dry Red Chillies
15 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 and 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
100 ml Small tetra pack Cocunut Milk (if fresh not available)
Salt to taste
1 tsp freshly crushed pepper corns
2 tbl spoons lemon juice
Freshly chopped Coriander

For the Malabari Masala:

2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbl spoon Coriander seeds
4-5 Whole dry red chillies,broken
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
2 1inch Cinnamon Sticks
4-5 Green cardamoms
6-8 Cloves
2 Bay leaves
1 tbl spoons Poppy seeds (khuskhus/posto)
10-12 Black peppercorns
2 tbl Spoons Scraped Coconut

Method:

Poke the chicken with a fork and rub with freshly crushed pepper, salt and lemon juice and keep aside to marinate. Heat 2 tbl spoon oil in a pan and add all the Malabari Masala Spices except scraped coconut and stir fry for a half a minute, now add the scraped coconut and stir fry till it turns golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper. Grind to a fine paste and keep aside. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a coarse paste and keep aside.Heat Oil in a wok and crackle the mustard seeds, whole red chillies and curry leaves, tip in the onions and ginger garlic and green chilli paste. Fry the till onions turn golden brown. Now add the chicken, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and tomatoes. Sauté till it leaves oil on the sides. Now add about 2 full cups of water and bring to boil. Now add the Malabari Masala and coconut milk and allow to boil for a minute or two. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

Serve hot with Steamed Rice.

Tip : After stir frying the whole spices for Malabari Masala, drain in a sieve first else you'll loose the poppy seeds.

Dahi wale Baingan

Baingan(Aubergine)cooked with various spices and mixed with chilled Dahi(Yoghurt). A Legendary Recipe from my Mum's Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 Large Baingan(Aubergine)
2 Medium Red Onions Sliced
1 inch piece of Ginger
4-5 Medium sized Garlic Cloves
2 Green Chillies finely chopped
1 tsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
2 pinches of Heeng(Asafoetida)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste
1 tub of Yoghurt(Dahi)
Freshly Chopped Coriander

Method:

Slice the Baingan(Aubergine), prefer slightly thick slices and deep fry to golden brown. Set aside on an absorbent paper and allow to drain. Meanwhile crush the ginger and garlic to a thick paste in a mortar and pestle. Now heat oil in a wok, crackle the jeera(Cumin Seeds) and heeng(Asafoetida). Now tip in the onions, green chillies and crushed ginger garlic paste. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and allow to sweat. Add the deep fried Baingan(Aubergine) slices and all the spices. Sauté on low flame for 4-5 minutes or till it leaves oil on the sides. Stir fry on high flame for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the gas and allow to cool for half an hour. Fold in the Yoghurt(Dahi) and freshly chopped coriander and refrigerate for half an hour. Alternately you can pre refrigerate and chill the yoghurt.

Serve Chilled with steaming hot Crisp Ajwain Paratha / Naan Bread.

Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer(Indian Cottage Cheese) cooked in rich creamy gravy.

Ingredients:

250gms Paneer (Diced into cubes)
1 inch Ginger
2-3 large Cloves Garlic
2-3 Green Chillies
4 Medium Tomatoes (Blanched and Puréed)
2tsp Kasoori Methi(Dries Fenugreek Leaves)
1 tsp honey/sugar
1tsp mild red chilli powder
1 tbl spoon Shahi Paneer Masala (MDH)
1 Cup Fresh cream
50 gms Salted Butter
Salt to taste


Method:

Make a fine paste with ginger garlic and green chillies. Heat a wok and melt the butter, now add the ginger garlic and green chillies paste. Sauté for a minute and add the tomato purée. Add kasoori methi (crushed by hands), red chilli powder, honey/sugar and the shahi paneer masala. Add 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Now add the paneer and salt, stir for a 2-3 minutes and then add cream. Stir for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with Naan / Chapatis / Pooris.

Sweet Chilli Garlic Chicken Stir Fry with Egg Fried Rice

Sweet Chilli Sauce is a popular condiment in Thai and Malaysian Cuisine

Ingredients:

200gms Chicken breast fillet, Shredded
2 Medium Red Onions Diced
3 Mixed Bell Peppers Diced
5 sprigs of Spring Onion sliced
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped
8-10 Baby corn Sliced
1tsp Red Chilli Flakes
2 Sachets Sweet Chilli Garlic Stir Fry Sauce
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat Oil in a wok. Saute onions and ginger, then add the vegetables. Saute for another two minutes and add shredded cicken and saute till cooked. Add Red Chilli Flakes and the Sweet Chilli Stir Fry Sauce and leave for a minute. Serve hot with Plain or Egg Fried Rice.

Tip: Prefer Chinese Sticky Rice.

Sticky Chicken Wings

Chicken Wings glazed in Honey and BBQ Sauce with mixed BBQ Spices.

Ingredients:

10 Chicken Wings de skinned
5 tbl spoons Honey
2 tbl spoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 tsp BBQ Mixed Spice Seasoning
1 tbl spoon BBQ Sauce (preferably Jack Daniels BBQ Glaze)
1 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
2 tsp White Sesame Seeds
4 Garlic cloves crushed
Salt to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the chicken wings for at least two hours.Preheat the Oven at 190 deg celsius and grill for 12 minutes, turn over the wings and brush with the marinade.and grill for another 12 minutes.
Alternatively BBQ the wings on charcoal BBQ. Serve hot with BBQ or Sweet Chilli dip.

Chicken Kathi Roll

Ingredients

4 Plain Chapatis/tortilla wraps
200gms of diced chicken
2 Red Onions diced
1 Red Onion Sliced
Mixed Bell Peppers diced
2 tb sp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Green Chilli paste
1 tb sp Garam Masala
1 tb sp Roasted Cumin Powder
1 tb sp Coriander Powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
freshy chopped coriander leaves
Rock salt to taste
chaat masala

For Chutney

2 cups Coriander leaves
1 Cup Mint Leaves i packet
3 bird eye green chillies
4 tbl sp yoghurt
1tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp aesofatida(Heeng)
rock salt to taste

Method

For chutney - blend everything together and mix with yoghurt

For chicken filling
Marinate the chicken in ginger garlic and green chilli paste witha dash of oil and 1tsp of garam masala for an hour.after the chicken is marinated for an hour, heat oil in a wok,add diced onion and red bell pepper and stir fry for a minute or two, now add the marainated chicken,add coriander powder,roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder and garam masala. Cook till tender and then stir fry till it becomes dry. Heat the tortilla/chapati on the pan,smear all over with the green chutney add the chicken filling, top with sliced red onion, sprinkle chat masala and lemon juice

Roll and Relish !!!

Sabz Lachchedar

Mixed julienned vegetables cooked in rich spinach and coriander gravy.


Ingredients:

3 Mixed Bell Peppers Julienne
3-4 Carrots Julienne
1 cup Beans Julienne
2 Large Red Onions Julienne
1 inch Ginger Julienne
2-3 Cayne Peppers de seeded and Julienne
2 cloves Garlic finely sliced.
250 gms baby spinach leaves
100 gms green coriander
2-3 Green Bird eye chillies
2 tbl spoons fresh cream
50 gms Salted butter
2-3 Bay Leaves
4-5 Green Cardamoms
Salt to taste
2 tsp Garam Masala

Method:

Heat oil in a wok and crackle crushed cardamoms and bay leaves, add garlic and ginger, saute for 30 sec and add onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Now add the rest of the vegetables and add 1 ts sp garam masala, Mix and cover the wok on low flame and allow the vegetables to sweat for another 2-3 minutes.Meanwhile blend washed spinach, coriander and bird eye chillies in a blender. Uncover the wok and add the spinach coriander paste, cream, salt and garam masala. Cook to a darker and thick consistency till the vegetables are cooked.


Serve hot with Butter Naan Bread or Parathas