Chicken Hyderabadi Curry

This chicken curry comes from the city of Nawabs “Hyderabad”. The high of Hyderabadi specialties is indeed the strong Mughlai influence in the method of preparation.  The regal way is hard to miss- The richness and intensity of flavors in the food are ultimately appetizing. For me a recipe is not just about the ingredients or measurement. I always try to get the cultural feel and understanding of the cuisine and then I try to refurbish the dish in my kitchen. So, after elaborate reading and reflection, here i the “Chicken Hyderabadi curry” my way.

Chicken Hyderabadi Curry

Serves- 5 to 6 persons

Ingredients:

Chicken-1 kg

Onion- 5 (medium) finely sliced

Tomatoes-3 (small) chopped

Curry leaves – handful

Green Chilies- 4

Oil- 3tbsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves and mint leaves for garnishing

Marinate the chicken with the following:

1 cup yogurt (beaten)

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Red chilli pwdr- 1tbsp

Turmeric pwrd- 1 tsp

Dry roast the following spices :

Coriander- 1 tbsp

Cumin- 2 tsp

Fennel- 2 tsp

Grated coconut- 3 tbsp

I” cinnamon

4 cardamom

5 cloves

Blanch the following:

3 tbsp- almonds

3 tbsp- poppy seeds

Procedure: Marinate the chicken with the mentioned ingredients and keep it aside for 1 hour.  Meantime lightly dry roast the spices mentioned above and grind it to a fine powder. After blanching the almonds and poppy seeds for 5 minutes, add it to the powdered spices along with some water and prepare a fine paste. Heat the pan up pour in oil, curry leaves and onions. After the onion become translucent, put in the tomatoes and sauté it for five minutes covered. Then, add the masala paste cook uncovered for 2 minutes and mix in the marinated chicken and salt. Cook till half done. In another pan, boil around a glass of water and add it to the chicken. After the chicken is done check for the salt and spice level and garnish it with coriander and mint leaves.

This curry tastes best with some steamed hot rice or with pulaos.

Notes:

You may replace almonds with cashews.

Instead of grated coconut you may use copra powder.

Paneer shyam savera

Paneer shyam savera is Sanjeev Kapoor’s signature dish and he calls it historic as it the first dish he prepared for his first ever TV show. This is a beautiful dish that looks alluring- the paneer, the palak and the gorgeous gravy comes together to create this very special dish. I had read about this recipe about a year ago, but lacked the confidence to pull it off. But few days back I was again reminded of the dish (Now the look of dish is such- That I couldn’t get rid of the very appealing image). So with planning I proceeded to recreate this dish with my own twists and turns and yes it was a hit. So when somebody special is going to come home, the lucky one would get to taste it- It is a deadly taste-bud pleaser.

Paneer shyam savera

Recipe source- http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/

Serves- 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:

For inner paneer stuffing:

Paneer- 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

For outer palak covering:

Palak- 4 bunches

Cumin seeds- ½ tsp

Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp

Besan- 4 tbsp

Hing- a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Oil to deep fry

Corn flour- 1 tbsp

For gravy:

Onion (medium) - 2 (chopped)

Tomato (small) - 4 (chopped)

Ginger-garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Coriander powder- 3 tsp

Cumin powder- 2 tsp

Chili powder- 3 tsp

Kasoor methi- ½ tbsp

Cardamom- 5

Cinnamon- 1’’ inch

Cloves- 4

Saunf- ½ tsp

Bay leaf -1

Shahi zeera- ½ tsp

Milk- ½ cup

Paneer (grated)- 1 tbsp

Honey- 1 tbsp

Oil- 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp

Salt to tast

Procedure:

For shyam-savera balls- Blanch thoroughly cleaned palak leaves in water for 2 minutes. Strain it and add cold water to stop further cooking process and preserve the greenness of the palak leaves. Chop it finely once cooled. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and after they have spluttered, add hing, besan and turmeric powder. Fry it for few seconds, then add palak leaves and cook for 4-5 minutes, till you see that a binding has formed. Finally, add salt and switch of the flame. Let it cool down.

After that take paneer, add cardamom powder and salt. Knead well for a minute and then form small balls. From the above mentioned quantity you may get around 5-6 balls. Now take some palak leaves, flatten it on your palm, put the paneer balls inside and cover it with the palak. With very soft hand form it into a firm ball. Now roll the shyam-savera balls over the corn flour and then tap off any excess corn flour. Deep fry them over medium heat, two at a time. Strain and keep it aside to cool down.

For gravy- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, saunf and fry till fragrant. After that add onions and sauté it till translucent. Then add ginger-garlic paste and fry it till the raw smell disappears. Next add tomatoes along with turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt to the pan. Drizzle the pan with some water and continue cooking till the masala is well cooked. It may take around 15-18 minutes. Then add kasoori methi, some water and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the masala cool down. Then grind it into a smooth paste.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in pan, add bay leaf and sahi zeera. After they have spluttered, add the grounded masala let it cook for another 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile cut the the shyam savera balls into halves and keep it aside. Then add milk and give it a good stir. Cook for another five minutes. Check for the salt and spice level. Switch off the flame, add honey and pour into serving dish. Then put the shyam savera balls, garnish with grated paneer and serve.

Paneer Shyam Savera tastes best with roti or Zeera rice

Notes:

You may add butter and cream while garnishing for a rich punjabi flavor.

Adding hing to the palak gives a unique taste, so I strongly suggest adding it.

Be cautious while adding salt to Palak, as it may catch up a high salt level.

If your binding in palak is not strong enough< add some more besan or cornflour to it.

Instead of honey, you may add sugar to counter balance the sourness in the gravy.

Odia chicken fry

Comes Sunday and the mind starts craving for non-vegetarian delights. However this Sunday would be a vegetarian day for me. But I would be sharing the recipe for “Odia chicken fry” which I made few months back. It being a festive time back home, I think “Odia chicken fry” loaded with spices and flavors would an appropriate dish to indulge in. I had learnt this dish from my “mamu” (maternal uncle) just before my marriage. He is an amazing cook and a hard core foodie. Now I know where my love for food comes from. HE is the person who transformed my aversion towards cooking into love. HE understands me well, knows how to get me into doing things I detest. He has pampered me, spoilt me and also brought the best in me. I thank him for igniting in me the passion for cooking. So here is my "mamu's" recipe for Odia chicken fry.

Odia chicken fry

Serves:  5 to 6 person

Ingredients:

Chicken- 1kg

Onion- 6 (large) finely sliced

Tomato- 3 (small) finely chopped

Garlic- 3 (whole big) finely chopped

Coriander powder- 2 tbsp

Cumin powder- 1 tbsp

Red chili powder- 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder- ½ tbsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Procedure: Heat oil in a Kadhai and then add garlic. Fry it for few seconds and then add onion. Fry for another 2 minutes and then add chicken to it. Keep on frying from medium to high heat. The chicken will release water and let it cook in it. After the water has dried up, add tomatoes along with coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder and salt. Simmer and cook covered till done. It may take around 35-40 minutes. Check for the spice and salt level. Switch off the flame and odia chicken fry is ready to be served.

Odia chicken fry tastes best with hot steaming rice and dal.

Notes:

You may replace chicken masala with coriander powder and cumin powder.

This is hot chicken fry so you may reduce the quantity of chili powder as per your preference.

Sooji ka halwa

Today marks the beginning of famous Odia festival “Raja”, my friends have been asking me what special I would be cooking. Well I have still to try my hands at various forms of oriya “pithas”. May be one day I will start my modest trial with “chakuli pitha” (it is popularly known as “dosa” in South India). But here is a sweet dish “Sooji ka halwa” which my mother lovingly used to make it as breakfast for us. So when I had to try it had to be like mummy’s “Sooji ka halwa”. But I too have added my touch in form of dry fruits.

Sooji ka halwa

Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:

Sooji- 1 cup                                                                                                                                 

Sugar- 1 cup

Water- 3 cups

Ghee- 3 tsp+ 3 tbsp

Bay leaf- 1

Green cardamom- 3

Almonds- 2 tbsp

Raisins- 2 tbsp

Salt- ½ tsp

Procedure: Roughly chop the almonds and pound the green cardamom. Take 3 tsp of ghee in a pan and fry the chopped almonds and raisins. Strain and keep it aside. After that heat 3 tbsp ghee in the pan, add bay leaf, cardamom. When you get a nice fragrance, add sooji and fry it well over low flame till slightly browned. As it will take about 5 minutes, keep stirring it with the ladle. Then add sugar and mix well. Increase the flame and cook for another 2 minutes and then add water. Remember to stir continuously to avoid formation of any lumps. After sooji has incorporated well with water, cover and cook for more 5 minutes. Garnish it with almonds and raisins.

Notes:

It is a sweet halwa, so you may reduce the quantity of sugar used according to your preference.

You may add pista to the Sooji ka halwa. The pista make the taste of sooji ka halwa different and rich.

Aamras

Sometime back I had made “aamras”, not knowing the original name I was thinking hard on what to name- the pure and ultimate mango drink. Thanks to one of my dear colleague and friend who talked about “aamras” and its method of preparation. So suddenly, I had a name “aamras”- a dish very popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra.  It is also an attractive feature of the traditional Gujarati and Marathi thalis. I am amazed at the rate at which I am now discovering about different cuisines and the cultural feel that underlines them. Funnily, I had made “aamras” to go along with pizza- Now the traditionalist would be laughing aloud. But I did like the combination- So here is the part of the combo “aamras” recipe for you.

Aamras

Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients:

Mangoes- 2 (I used Bainganpalli variety)

Sugar- 1 tbsp

Procedure: Collect the mango pulp from two mangoes and along with sugar grind it into a smooth paste. As per your liking pour it in glass or bowls and serve.

Notes:

You may add about ¼ tsp of cardamom powder if you like.

Baingan aloo in peanut coconut milk curry

The first part of the name brings you to Indian home cooked food and then the second part reflects the Thai touch given to our regular “Baingan aloo”. This recipe is an inspiration from one the famous Thai curry base “massaman curry”. Well I did lack some the specific ingredients that would have given it the authentic tag of Thai dish, like “galangal” and “lemon grass”. But nevertheless, this curry is delicate and flavourful.  The “baingan aloo” does taste different and I have made it many times.

Baingan aloo in peanut coconut milk curry

Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:

Brinjals or baingan- 250 gms (chopped into cubes)

Potato (large) - 1 (chopped into cubes)

Shallots- 15-20 nos.

Peanuts- ¼ cup

Soya sauce- 2 tsp

Cinnamon- 1’’ inch

Green cardamom- 3

Cloves- 6

Garlic- 8 cloves

Ginger- ½’’ inch

Chili powder- 1 tbsp

Coriander powder- 1 tbsp

Cumin powder- 2 tsp

Coconut milk- 1 glass

Oil- 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Procedure: Dry roast peanuts, cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves together on low flame.  After that, take it and ground it into a smooth paste along with shallots, garlic, ginger, coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, soya sauce and some water. Heat oil in a Kadhai, first fry the potatoes and when they are half done, add brinjals. Cover and cook for 3 minutes and then add the grounded peanut-shallot-spices paste. Add little water, salt and let the masala cook along with the potatoes and brinjals. When the raw smell of the masala disappears and the brinjals and potatoes are almost cooked, add coconut milk. Bring the gravy to boil, and then simmer it for another 5-8 minutes. Check for salt and spice level and it is ready to be served.

Notes:

Do use shallots and not regular onions for this gravy.

If you don’t like potatoes, then omit using them in this recipe.

Paneer malabari

Paneer like chicken can be mounded to form variety of dishes. The versatile “paneer” can absorb different flavors beautifully and reflects a unique taste. So, no doubt I love to experiment with paneer a lot. Recently, I have started making “paneer” at home to make it healthier. However, there are times when due to time constraint I have to get “paneer” from the market. So, one of my kitchen resolution is to make “paneer” at home as many times as possible. A preservative free food is welcome any day.

Coming back to the recipe in “Paneer malabari”, I have attempted to cook “paneer” in malabari gravy base. Well, I like Kerala cuisine a lot which has a great balance of spiciness, sweetness and mild sourness. Whenever, I go to Kerala for vacations I devour the local delicacies as much as I can. Once I am home I try to replicate the Kerala flavors and one of such successful experiments is “Paneer malabari”. In this recipe I have wedded the north Indian popular “paneer” with South’s amazing “malabari gravy”

Paneer malabari 

Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:

Paneer- 200 gms (cut into cubes)

Onion (medium) – 2 (finely chopped)

Tomato (large) – 1 (finely chopped)

Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tbsp

Chilli powder- ¾ tsp

Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 spring

Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp

Thin coconut milk- 1 cup or dilute 3 tbsp of coconut powder in 1 cup water

Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp (finely chopped)

Oil- 1 ½ tbsp

Salt to taste

Procedure: Heat oil in a pan, once hot add the mustard seeds and half of curry leaves. After the mustard seeds have spluttered add onions and sauté it well till translucent. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry it well till the raw smell disappears. After that add tomatoes, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and mix everything well. Drizzle the pan with some water, cover and cook the masala well, till oil oozes out from the sides of the masala. Do remember to add water whenever the masala sticks to the pan. When the masala is well done, add rest of curry leaves and coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Add the paneer cubes, salt and simmer the gravy for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Notes:

I did not fry paneer, but if you want you can do it.