Shrimp Spinach Kadi (Curry)

Ingredients:
Jumbo black tiger shrimp -25
Fresh Spinach – 1 pack or 1 bunch
Small size onion – 1 chopped
Small size tomato – 1 chopped
Split fenugreek – ½ a tspn
Mustard seeds – ½ a tspn
Coriander powder – 1heaped tspn
Cumin powder – ½ a tspn
Red chilly powder – ½ a tspn
Turmeric powder – ¼ tspn
Tamarind – the size of a lime
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tspn
Green Chillies - 4
Dry red chillies – 2
Salt to taste

Method: Clean, devein and wash Shrimp. Remove the stems from the spinach, wash, chop and set aside. Add the ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric and red chilly powder to the shrimp and leave to marinate for 10 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil, add mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle add dry red chillies, curry leaves, fenugreek then chopped onion & chopped green chillies. Fry till the onions turn translucent then add the marinated shrimp. Add chopped tomatoes, coriander, cumin, turmeric & chilly powders and salt. Stir fry the shrimp in this masala just till it becomes opaque. Remove the shrimp and keep aside. The shrimp will become rubbery if you let it cook with the spinach. Now add the chopped spinach to the same pot, give it a nice stir then pour 1 cup of water and cook till the spinach softens. Mix and mash the spinach well till it attains curry consistency. Transfer the cooked masala shrimp to the pot. Soak the tamarind in water, squeeze the juice and add it to the spinach shrimp curry. Adjust the salt, add a lttle more water if it is too thick. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with boiled rice.

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Masala chicken

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken cut into 12 pieces at the joints – 1.5kgs
Lemon juice – ½ cup
Salt to taste
Oil –1 cup (for deep frying) + 1 tspn
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tblspn
Red chilly powder – 1 tspn
Turmeric powder – ½ a tspn



For the dry roast masala:
Cloves – 6
Zeera seeds – 1tspn
Coriander seeds – 1tblspn
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Rice grains – 1 tspn

For the fried masala:
Medium sized onion – ½
Curry leaves – ¼ cup
Dry red chillies – 2 long
Whole Black pepper corns – 1 tspn

Method: Clean, wash and dry the chicken with paper towels. Rub salt and ¼ cup lemon juice all over the chicken pieces, leave for 15 minutes. . Roast each of the dry masala ingredients separately. The rice grains should be roasted till they turn opaque. Grind all the roasted spices and keep aside. Chop the ½ onion and fry it in a little oil along with the curry leaves, dry red chillies (break them and fry their seeds too) and pepper corns. Grind the wet fried masala separately and keep aside. Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, red chilly powder (resham patti preferred), turmeric powder and keep aside for ½ - 1 hour.  Heat the oil in a kadai (a thick bottomed vessel), deep fry the marinated chicken pieces till golden brown and set aside.  Take another kadai, heat 1 tspn oil on medium heat and add the ground masalas – the dry roast followed by the wet fried one. Mix well, pour ½ a cup of water from the sides, adjust the salt & let it come to boil.  Add the fried chicken pieces, turn them over and let them simmer for 2 or 3 mins till the masala thickens and coats the chicken pieces. Add some chopped coriander. The masala chicken is now ready to be served. Enjoy with rice and curry of your choice. 

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Badami Chicken

This is a lip smacking, rich tasting chicken dish which can be prepared quickly. My kids loved it and called it the best chicken dish they have ever tasted!

Ingredients:

Whole chicken cut into 8 - 12 pcs

Onions - 1 big size

Coriander seeds - 1/2 a tspn

Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1/4 tspn

Star anise - 1

Bay leaf - 1

Almonds - a handful

Red chilly powder - 2 tspns

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn

Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

Ginger garlic paste - 3tspns

Green chillies - 4 small

Cilantro - a few sprigs

Vegetable oil - 2 tblspns

Salt to taste

Method:

Clean, wash and drain the chicken. Grind almonds with the star anise and keep aside. Rub the chicken with salt, 2 tspns ginger garlic paste, 1 tspn red chilly powder, 1/4 tspn turmeric powder, one tblspn yoghurt and leave to marinate for 1 hr. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add fennel and coriander seeds and bay leaf to the hot oil followed immediately by chopped onions. Fry till golden brown, add remaining 1 tspn ginger garlic paste, turmeric, and chilly powder to the onions stir for sometime then add the marinated chicken. Turn over from all sides and cook till the chicken changes color and gets nicely roasted in the masala. Add whole green chillies and the remaining yoghurt. Make a paste of the almond & star anise mixture with a little water and add to the chicken. Blend well and leave to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes till the mixture thickens. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with ghee rice or Naan.

The subtle flavour of anise combined with almonds gives a rich taste and flavour to the dish.

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WHITE CHICKEN KORMA

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken - 2 lbs 

For the Marinade:

Yogurt - ¼ cup

Cream cheese - 2-3 tablespoons

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Nutmeg - 1/8 tsp

Mace - 1/8 tsp

Star anise - 1star

Black pepper corns - 2 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tbs

Lemon juice - 1 tbs

Whipping cream - 2 tbs

Green chilies - 4 chopped

Saffron - a pinch dissolved in warm milk.

Vegetable oil - 1 tbs

Salt to taste

For the Korma:

Black pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Mace - 1/8 tsp

Nutmeg - 1/8 tsp

Star anise - 1 star

Green cardamoms - 4

Black cardamom - 1

Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Bay leaves - 2

Vegetable oil 2 - 4 tbs

Fried onion paste - ¼ cup

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Yogurt - ½ cup

Green chilies - 4 - 6

Cilantro chopped - ¼ cup

Full cream - ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Chicken Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken at the joints (6 pieces) and the breast into 6 pieces. Clean, wash and towel dry. Then rub the chicken with salt and lemon juice and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

2. Blend together cream cheese, yoghurt and whipping cream well. Grind together fennel, mace, nutmeg, star anise and pepper. 

3.Add the dry ground spices, garlic paste, chopped green chilies  salt, saffron and one tbs oil to the cheese mixture and mix well to make a smooth paste. Massage the chicken pieces with this mixture thoroughly and marinate for 4-6 hrs.

4. Place the marinated chicken in the oven in the top shelf and broil on high on both the sides and when it starts browning a bit, remove and keep aside to cool. The chicken may not be completely cooked, but it doesn't matter because we'll be cooking it in the korma again. We just want to give it a grilled look. 

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot.

2. Sizzle the whole spices (Black and green cardamoms, fennel seeds, star anise, mace, nutmeg  and pepper corns in the vegetable oil for 10 seconds then add fried onion paste, coriander powder, green chilies and yoghurt. Mix well. 

3. Now transfer the broiled chicken with all its juices to the pot.  Adjust the salt and simmer for some time till the chicken is completely cooked (10- 15 minutes). Add some water if the gravy is too thick. Finally add the whipping cream, simmer for 2 more minutes and serve hot garnished with some chopped coriander. Enjoy!

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Chicken Pasanda with Fleshy Red Chillies

For the Marinade :

Yoghourt – 4 tblspns
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tspns
Turmeric powder – 1/4tspn
Coriander powder – 1 tspn
Cumin powder – ½ tspn
Red chilly powder (*resham patti) – 1 tspn
Garam masala powder – ½ tspn
Lemon juice – 1 tblspn
Oil – 2 tblspns
Salt – ½ tspn
Orange coloring – a pinch

* A medium hot chilly powder which gives a distinct flavour and nice red color to the dish. Desi brand is recommended.

For the Curry:

Oil – 2 tblspns
Onion – 1 large
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tspn
Turmeric – ¼ tspn
Red chilly powder – 1 tspn
Coriander powder – 1 tspn
Star anise – 2 or 3
Cloves – 3 or 4
Saunf – 1 tspn
Red fleshy chillies (*Red jinta chillies) -3 or 4
Sour cream – 2 tblspn
Milk – ½ cup

*Fresh Red Jinta Chillies With their thick, fleshy skin and distinctive flavour, these chillies are perfect for spicing up soups and stirfries. The 8cm long waxy red pods have flavoursome flesh and hot seeds making them a good all rounder.


Method: 
1. Cut the chicken pieces in flat square pieces and pound them lightly with a knife making zig zag lines on both the sides without mincing the chicken. Smear them with salt and lemon juice and leave for 10 minutes.

2. Mix all the ingredients to prepare the marinade and and let the chicken pieces marinate in this paste and leave for one to 2 hrs.

3. Broil the chicken pieces on each side for 3 minutes.
4. To prepare the curry, heat a little oil, add cloves, fennel seeds, star anise and then sliced onions till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste, turnmeric, coriander powder, red chilly powder, stir a little bit then add sour cream to make a nice paste.
5. Add broiled chicken with the liquid followed by red fleshy chillies cut into dices. Add milk and leave to simmer for sometime. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with persian rice.

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