Friday, November 14, 2008

Spicy Chicken gravy and masala

This gravy turned out awesome and I referred the Spicy Chicken Masala Curry from Sailu's food and changed the recipe to my liking. The best part of the gravy is that it does not need coconut at all and still gives a thick, tasty kurma style flavor and consistency. It was great with dosa/iddli/chappatti/white rice.

The chicken masala is really spicy and has a great aroma of the Indian spices. So its a great food for the spice lovers. It tastes great with white rice and rasam.



Ingredients for the spicy chicken gravy:

Chicken breasts - 1 pound
onions chopped - 1/2 cup
tomatoes chopped - 1/2 cup
chilly powder - 1 tsp
cummin powder - 1/2 tsp
corriander powder - 1 tsp
pepper powder - 3/4 tsp
turmeric - 1/2 tsp
curd - 2 tbsp
casews - 6
curry leaves - 10
garlic - 3 pieces
ginger - same quantity as garlic
cloves - 4
cinnamon - 2 small sticks


Preparation of the gravy:

1. Marinate the cut chicken with curd, chilly powder, turmeric and salt
2. In a pan heat the cloves, cinnamon, curry leaves and casews and grind it into a fine powder
3. Grind ginger and garlic and make a paste
4. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions, paste from 3, tomatoes.
5. Add cummin powder, corriander powder, pepper powder and cook until it lets out the oil.
6. Turn off the stove and cool the contents and grind it into a paste.
7. Now heat oil again in the same pan and add the marinated chicken and let the chicken cook in it own water that it lets out.
8. When the chicken is almost done, add the paste from 6 and the powder from 2
9. Add water as much as you need and cook until the desired consistency is reached.



Ingredients for the spicy chicken masala:

chicken breasts - 1 pound
onion chopped - 1/2 cup
garlic - 2 pieces
ginger - same quantity as garlic
peppercorn - 10
cummin seeds - 1 tsp
cloves - 5
cinnamon - 2 small sticks
elachi - 3
poppy seeds - 2 tsp
red chillies - 5
curd - 2 tbsp
turmeric - 1/4 tsp


Preparation:

1. Marinate the cut chicken with curd, turmeric and salt
2. Grind ginger and garlic and make a paste
3. In a pan heat cloves, cinnamon, elachi, cummin seeds, peppercorns, red chillies, poppy seeds ad grind it to a fine powder
4. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions.
5. Then add the paste from 2
6. Turn off the stove and cool the contents and grind it into a paste.
7. Now heat oil again in the same pan and add the marinated chicken and let the chicken cook in it own water that it lets out.
8. When the chicken is almost done add the paste from 6 and the powder from 3
9. Cook until the oil separates.

Tomato Rice

A very simple dish that can be prepared in no time. The tomato rice with chips or papad is a good combination.



Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
onions cut thin long - 1/2 cup
tomatoes chopped - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 4
garlic chopped - 2 tbsp
chilly powder - 1 tsp
cummin powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 5
mustard and urad for seasoning - 1 tsp


Preparation:

1. Wash the basmathi rice in hot water and cook it in the rice cooker.
2. In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves
3. Add onions and garlic and let it turn brown
4. Now add the tomatoes and the masala powders and salt.
5. Add little water and cook until it lets the oil out. Turn off the stove. You can use this curry as a gravy for dosa/iddli as well.
6. Mix the cooked rice and the curry gently

Mushroom Manchurian

Gobi/mushroom manchurian is a very famous indo-chinese dish that serves a great combination with fried rice or noodles. In most of the indo-chinese restaurants, I like to order the gobi manchurian as dry and extra spicy and simply love it. With different trials, this recipes works great for both gobi and mushrooms. Adjust the spice level to your taste with the quantity of chilly powder and green chillies you use.



Ingredients:

Button mushrooms - 10
maida - 1/4 cup
corn flour - 1/4 cup
chilly powder - 1 tsp
green chillies - 10
garlic - 4 pieces
ginger - same quantity as garlic
onions chopped - 1/2 cup
spring onions chopped - 1/2 cup
bell peppers chopped - 1/2 cup
garlic chopped - 1/4 cup
tomato ketchup - 3 to 4 tbsp
soy sauce - 1 tbsp




Preparation:

1. Wash and clean the button mushrooms. Remove the stems and use only the caps.
2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a smooth paste.
3. Mix maida, corn flour, paste from 2, chilly powder and salt with little water and make a smooth batter. Let the batter be very thick.
4. Now marinate the mushrooms with the mix from 3 for some time. coat the mushrooms generously with the thick batter.
5. Deep fry the mushrooms from 4 and drain it in a paper towel to remove the excess oil.
6. The mushrooms from 5 can be used a dry version and can be served as an appetizer.
7. In a separate pan heat oil and add the onions, garlic, bell peppers and then the spring onions.
8. After the onions are brown add the tomato ketchup, soy sauce and then add the mushrooms from 5 and mix well.

Note: You can follow the same recipe to make the famous gobi manchurian. You can make it dry or saucy by adding some water. Cook the cauliflower separately in microwave for 2 to 3 minutes before frying it.

Szechuan Fried Rice

This dish is a typical Chinese fried rice which can be described as spicy, hot, fresh and fragrant. This is a very simple version of the Szechuan Fried Rice and is very tasty. You can adjust the spiciness level with the amount of red chillies, peppercorn and the spicy sauces you use. The mushroom manchurian makes a perfect side for this rice.



Ingredients:

vegetables (carrots, beans, cabbage, bell peppers chopped really small) - 2 cups
peas - 1/4 cup
spring onion - 1/2 cup
red chillies - 6
garlic - 4 pieces
ginger - same quantity as garlic
peppercorns - 1 tsp
soy sauce - 2 tbsp
tomato garlic/chilly sauce - 2 tbsp
schechuwan sauce - 2 tbsp
Basmathi rice - 2 cups



Preparation:

1. Wash the basmathi rice in hot water. Heat 6 times water in a thick bottom open pan and add the washed rice. Let it cook for 10 minutes or until its almost done. Turn off the stove, drain the water, spread the 3/4th cooked rice in a board vessel and let it dry.
2. Grind red chillies, ginger, garlic and peppercorn to a coarse paste without adding water.
3. In a separate pan heat oil and add the stuff from 2 and fry for a minute.
4. Add the vegetables in the order carrot, beans, bell peppers and cabbage.
5. Add little water when the vegetables become dry.
6. Cook the peas in microwave for 2 to 3 minutes and add this.
7. Next add the spring onions.
8. Now is the time to add all the sauces and salt.
9. Mix well and add the cooked rice from 1

Note: You can add scrambled eggs to make Szechuan egg fried rice or the chopped and fried chicken to make Szechuan chicken fried rice.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Alfredo Pasta with brocolli and mushrooms

Here is a famous Italian dish. Olive garden which happens to be my daughters favorite restaurant serves fettuccine Alfredo chicken, a mouth watering dish. The Alfredo sauce happens to be my husbands favorite Italian sauce too. I like to cook with any kind of pasta rather than just the fettuccine especially the kids always love their pasta shapes and have so many preferences. This time I used the Halloween pasta which has all the fancy spider, jack-O-Lantern kind of shapes and she loved it.



Ingredients: Serves 4 - 6

Pasta - any kind 4 cups (fettuccine/shell/farfalle/fusilli/rotini/penne/any fun shaped pastas)
Alfredo sauce - 1 bottle (I use the Bertolli afredo sauce available from target/walmart)
Broccoli - 1 cup
Mushrooms - 1 cup (the white button mushrooms)
cheese - pepper jack 4 - 5 cubes
Garlic and herb seasoning (I use the Tone's with no salt and no msg from Sams club) - 2 tsp
chicken slices and cubed breasts - 1 cup (optional)
butter - 1 tbsp




Preparation:

1. Cook the pasta carefully as per the package instructions. Do not over cook the pasta because then it breaks.
2. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly. I use only the mushroom caps.
3. Add water to just cover the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 3 minutes.
4. Marinate the chicken with 1 tsp of the seasoning and bake it in the oven for 15 minutes or until completely cooked.
5. In a pan heat the butter and saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes in medium flame. Check if the mushroom is cooked. Mushrooms cook faster just by sauteing and lets out the water.
6. Add the broccoli from 3 and cook for 1 minute.
7. Add the chicken from 4 and toss for 1 minute
8. In low flame add the garlic, herb seasoning and the Alfredo sauce.
9. Let the Alfredo sauce cook for a while. Add water if it gets too thick.
10. Add the cheese slices and once the cheese melts add the cooked pasta from 1.
11. Mix everything gently and serve

Chapatti rolls

A very simple dish that serves best for breakfast or a simple lunch or a heavy snack. Easy to pack lunch box item and a healthy one. I made it with lots of vegetables and egg. You can also make the stuffings with the chicken keema. Here is the recipe,




Ingredients:

Vegetables - 3 cups (carrots, beans, bell peppers, cabbage, onions, green chillies)
Eggs - 2
cheese - 2 slices (any sandwich cheese slices would do)
Chappattis - 10





Preparation of the stuffing:

1. Prepare the chapattis with whole wheat flour
2. Chop the onions, vegetables and green chillies into really small pieces
3. In very little oil fry all the stuff from 2. Add little water and cook the vegetables. Don't overcook the vegetables.
4. Now spread the vegetables to the corner of the pan and add the 2 eggs and beat it to scramble it. Add little salt.
5. Once the eggs are done mix it with the vegetables
6. In low flame add the cheese slices until it melts and the stuffing becomes sticky.

Note: You can also make the chicken keema and add the cheese slices to melt on the chicken and this can be the chicken stuffing.

Preparation of the rolls:

Now spread as much of the stuffing you want in a chapatti and roll it and cut it for presentation.