Malabar Chicken Curry

This recipe is from the best cook in this whole world!!! not me my Mom!!! I make a lot of variation in her recipes but this time i thought I'll try the authentic one!

Though her recipes are very spicy i reduce all spices to a medium range so that my lil ones also can enjoy! When i was a kid i used to eat a lot of spices and really really a lot of chillies but after getting preggo with my first ones all the gastric things and heart burn showed up and i am now forced to give up spicy things.. But sometimes i do eat spicy food at my own risk! LOL! Also my #2 is hates anything spicy.. except for chicken and fish and eggs!

here goes the recipe but with reduces spice!

Half of a chicken around 1/2 kg

whole spices - cardamon,cloves 3 each

a small piece of cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp pepper

onions - 2 large

ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

potatoes - 1 large

tomatoes - 2 medium

turmeric pwrd - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp

red chili pwdr - 1/2 tsp increase as per your taste

coriander pwdr - 1/2 tsp

coriander,curry and mint leaves - for garnish

oil for frying.

salt to taste.

In a large pan or cooker heat the oil and add the whole spices. When the aroma comes add the onions and saute till brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute again. Add the powdered spices and saute for another 2-3 mts. Add tomatoes, chicken and salt to it and cook till the chicken is done. Do not add water. Keep on stirring the chicken if its getting burned. When the chicken is cooked add some water if u want some gravy otherwise mix well and garnish with the green leaves. Serve with rice, roti, prata, bread or what ever!!! :)

Malabar chicken curry with coconut

Today my daughter had her orientation for her new class K1. (wow! time sure flies!!!) i though i would be back soon so i took the chicken out and didnt cook any thing else and went to her school. but when i came back it was already 11:30am and my kiddos usually have lunch by 12:30 ish. i was like OMG!! what im going to do now..

i decided to make neyichor (ghee rice) and chicken curry. but i knew that with all sauteing and stuff i cant make it by 12:30.


Then my sis called me and told me to come online. While i was chatting with her she gave me this recipe. She told me just mix every thing and toss it into the cooker and add grinded coconut.. i was like what??? no sauteing and no oil???? how come.. she said try it..
And then i just did just like she told me and it really came out good.

chicken 500 grms washed and cut into small pieces
1 medium sized onion
1 small tomato
1 large potato
1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
1 tsp red chilli pwdr
2.5 tbsp coriander pwdr
1 tsp pepper pwdr
curry leaves, mint and coriander leaves - a handful
grated coconut - 1 cup
1 tsp fennel seeds/perumjeerakam
salt to taste

mix all the ingredients except the curry,mint and coriander leaves and coconut and fennel seeds in a pressure cooker. My sis told me not to add water but i added 1/4th cup to avoid burning (i didnt want to take the risk!!)LOL! Cook for 15 mts.

Grind the coconut and fennel seeds to a fine paste with 1/4 cup of water

When the pressure is gone add the coconut paste to it. And cook on a low flame till bubbles appear. Add all the leaves to it.

Serve hot with neychor or any type of pathiris.



This is the first time im cooking a chicken curry oilless!! :) Thanks to my dear sis for sharing such a wonderful recipe with me. I love you and miss you. **sniff sniff** :-)

Malabar Chicken Biriyani!

Biriyani is one of the most famous and lovable dishes in malabar.. name any occation u can find any type of biriyani in the main course. Chicken, mutton,fish,prawn,beef.. every malabari will start drooling seeing it!! LOL!!!

here is my biriyani recipe i made yesterday for my BIL! he gave me a 9/10 for it and when i asked him where did my 1 point go he said he needed more salt in rice! LOL!

here goes my recipe!

onions - 800grms
ginger garlic paste - 5 tbsps
small green chilli - 17 nons (to be made into a paste without adding water)
tomatoes - 250 grms
lime juice - 5 tbsps
yogurt - 2 tbsp
coriander leaves - 1 cup finely chopped
mint leaves - 1/2 cup finely chopped
curry leaves - 2 springs finely chopped
coriander pwdr - 1 1/4 tbsp
garam masala pwder (home made) - 1 tbsp
Chicken - 900 grms
rice - 7 cups (basmati or kola/kaima that u get in kerala)
ghee and dalda - as required
water - 10 cups

Take a large non-stick vessal (see my non stick vessal in pic! )and heat about 2-3 tbsp of dalda. If u dont use dalda u can use ghee i use both for biriyani. Add finely chopped onions



When the onions are brown add ginger garlic paste to it. mix well and when its nicely done add green chilli paste to it. After 2 mts add tomatoes and mix well. Let all the ingredients cook well.






now add the lime juice and yogurt to it. and mix well. Then add chicken, coiander,mint,curry leaver to it and cook for 15-20 mts. Be sure u have got enough ghee or dalda in it so that it wont get burned.

Meanwhile in another vessel heat 2 tbsp of ghee or dalda and add cashewnuts and raisin and fry then till brown. Add one at a time not together. After frying keep them in a seperate plate

Add water to the ghee. When the water boils add salt and rice to it. Make sure that the water is salty enough for the rice (by tasting it) and there is sufficent ghee (insert a spoon in the water and touch and see wthether it oily. (If its not oily u can add more ghee to it).

Close the vessel and cook till all the water drains away. When the water drains it will be more that 3/4th cooked.

Now by this time the chicken will also be cooked. Check whether its cooked if it is lets moove on to the dum part!!

in the chicken vessel add 1/2 tbsp of ghee or dalda in the center and all the for sides. After that put rice on top of it.




Evenly spread the rice and add a pinch of turmeric pwder, garam masala pwdr, the fried raisin and cashew nuts and lil bit of ghee. Like this make 3 layes of rice. And now cook again till the steam comes up. This will take another 15-20 mts. Please note that the chicken will be on the bottom of the vessel and the 3 layers of rice will be on top of it. ie, one layer of chicken and 3 layers of rice.



When the steam comes up turn off the stove and let it cool for 15 mts. After that open up and seperate the rice. Dont sepeate all the rice from the chicken there should be lil rice in the chicken mix.

Now its ready to eat!!! Serve hot with green chutney, raita, pickel!!! yummmmm


this is my second entry for the rice mela!

Chicken cutlets

I love cutlets.. veg or non veg this is my all time fav snack. My daughter also started liking it now so thats another reason why i should make this often!

As i said in my earlier post the masalas in the recipe are not the exact as my son was sick i couldnt make out how much i added. But in the end it turned out to be yummmy and crispy!

200 grms chicken cooked and shredded
2 large potatoes boiled and mashed.
1 large onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 green chills chopped finely
1 tbsp coriander pwdr
1/2 tbsp garam masala
lots of coriander leaves chopped finely
3 white bread (1 day old) or 1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
oil for shallow frying

Heat some in a kadai and add the onions. When they are brown add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another few mts. When both are mixed well add the shredded chicken and mashed potatoes to it and mix well. fry again for 2-3 mts and add the coriander pwdr and garam masala to it. Mix well and add the fresh coriander leaves to it. Let the mixture cool.

Cut small pieces of the bread and run through the mixer (the small jar) and it will turn to bread crumbs. You can also use the ready made bread crumbs.

When the mixture is cooled make small tikkis of it. Dip the tikkis in the egg and then dip in the bread crunbs. Make sure that it is well covered with the crunbs. And shallow fry.

Pepper Chicken

Before going for a long vaccation i wanted to make something special for my hubby yesterday i decided to make pepper chicken and chicken cutlets.. all the masalas might no be the exact because i was busy with a sick kid and in the midst of packing for my vaccation! Here goes 2 recipes and a bye for now to all till i come back!

Pepper chicken

1/4 kg chicken
1 large onion
1 large tomato
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies
5 cardamoms
2 1"cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1 Tbsp coriander pdr
2 tbsp crushed pepper corns
1/4 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp cumin pwdr
1/2 tbsp red chilli pwdr
1/2 tbsp garam masala
2 springs curry leaves
1 handfulof fresh chopped coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
oil for frying
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add mustard cumin to it. After that add cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and cloves to it. When the aroma comes add the onions, ginger garlic paste. curry leaves, and green chilli and saute for a while. Add tomatoes to it. Then, add the coriander, cumin pdwr, red chilli pwdr, garam masala and salt and mix well. Add the chicken to the frying pan and mix well, and cover and cook the chicken is cooked through. When the chicken is almost done, add the ground pepper into the mixture and mix well. GArnish with corriander leaves!

Fried Rice and Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian

This is another thing i love to make during week ends because its easy to make and it has all the proteins, carbs, vitamins, minerals... LOL!! u name it.. my kiddos love it too.. so i usually save this kinda things for the weekends...

For the fried rice you'll need

• 2 cups cooked Basmati rice
• 11/2 cup finely chopped veggies (celery,capsicum,beans,carrots)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger& garlic
• 2 eggs (optional)
  
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken (optional)
  
• light soya sauce to taste
  
• 4 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Heat oil in a non stick pan and add the ginger and garlic. When its slightly brown add the cooked chicken. Let it cook for few minutes and then add the veggies. Mix well and let it cook for another 3-4 mts. When its done add the soya sauce and salt. Be careful while adding the salt because soya sauce is quite salty. After that Add rice and mix well.. This is really tasty!!! LOL! Serve hot with any Manchurians or chili chicken..

A variation for the veggie eaters..

If you want to make the veg fried rice drop the eggs and chicken. Add the veggies straight after the ginger and garlic.

This is my entry for the Mixed Rice Event and AWED Chinese.

Here is the recipe of Gobi Manchurian to go with it!

Murgh Do Piaza. Yummy

I have been wanting to make this dish for a long time.. sometimes some ingredients might be missing sometimes i'll be lazy to to make something new.. but today i decided i'll just make this... it came out really yummy and its so easy..

Ingredients: 1 kg chicken-skinned and cut into 8 pieces (but i removed the skin)
1/4 cup ghee
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
4 whole peppercorns
4 cloves
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds-roasted and powdered
1 tsp fennel seeds- roasted and powdered
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 cup grated onions
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2-3 green chillies-slit
2 cups onions-sliced a little thick
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves-to garnish



Method: Heat the ghee in a heavy-based saucepan, and add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, powdered fenugreek and fennel seeds. When the seeds begin to splutter, add the garlic and ginger paste and the onions. Saute over high heat till brown.

Add the yoghurt, stir-frying vigorously so that it blends well and does not curdle.

Cook till fat separates. Add the garam masala, salt, turmeric, coriander and chilli powder.

Keeping the heat high, add the chicken pieces and stir till they look a little opaque and are coated with the masala. Lower the heat, uncover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the green chillies and sliced onions. Continue cooking over low heat, till the chicken is cooked through and fat separates. Takes 10-15 minutes. The onions should be crunchy.

Serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves

Chettinad Pepper Chicken... yummmm

Today i was in a mood to cook something different.. so i was browsing through some chicken recipes and i came across this. I found it very interesting when i read the recipe but i didnt add the ingredients as much as the recipe owner wrote down coz i thought if its less spicy then i dont have to make another dish for my kiddos! LOL! Here goes the recipe :

Ingredients
5tbsp oil

For the Spice Paste:
1½tbsp cumin seeds ( i used 1tbsp)
8-10 dried hot red chillies, broken into halves ( i used 6)
3 tbsp coriander seeds ( i used 2tbsp)
1½ tsp fennel seeds ( i used 1tsp)
1½ tsp black peppercorns
1½ tsp white poppy seeds ( i didnt use this coz i didnt have it!)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
4cm/1½in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1½-2tsp salt

You also need:
3 bay leaves
5 cardamom pods
2.5cm/1in cinnamon stick, broken
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1½ tsp urad dal
15-20 fresh curry leaves, if avaliable
2 meduim-sized onions (175g/6oz), peeled and finely chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
one 1kg/2¼lb chicken, skinned and cut into smallish serving pieces (breast halves into 3 and legs into drumsticks and thighs)

Method
1. Make the spice paste: In a small frying-pan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over a medium-high heat. When hot add the cumin seeds, chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and poppy seeds. Stir and fry briefly until lightly roasted. Now put these into a clean coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Empty into the container of an electric blender. Put the garlic, ginger, turmeric and salt into the blender as well, along with 6-8tbsp water. Process until you have a fine paste, pushing down with a rubber spatula if needed. Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 4tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves and urad dal. Stir and fry briefly until the urad dal turns red, then add the curry leaves if using. Stir once or twice and add the onions. Fry the onions until they are soft and just lightly coloured. Now add the spice paste. Continue to stir and fry for about 4-6 minutes, adding a little water to prevent sticking. Add the tomato. Stir and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the onion and spice mixture. Stir until they are well coated, then add 600ml/1pt/2½ cups water, just enough to cover. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken pieces. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and reduce the sauce until very thick. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Replace the chicken, fold gently into the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes before serving.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/chettinadpepperchick_5134.shtml


It really came out good and it was really spicy!!! i ended up making another dish for my kiddos!! Hope u guys like it!