Cantonese Chicken

I googled a little before I could post this recipe as I knew for sure that this wouldn't be the traditional recipe. This was my mothers version which we all enjoyed.

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked boneless chicken cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
6-8 green chilies, finely chopped
2-3 spring onion, green only, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1/2-1 tsp cornstarch
salt
pepper

For the marinade:
1/2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green chilies (optional), chopped fine
1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

How it's made:

Marinate the chicken with the above ingredients and refrigerate for an hour or two.

Heat a few tsp of oil in a deep wok or frying pan. Saute chicken on high heat until chicken changes color and is light brown in color. Set aide.

In the same work, heat a tsp of oil. Fry Onions, green chilies and spring onions. Fry until light brown. Add chicken. In the meantime, in a jar with tight fitting lid, combine, soy sauce, chicken stock, cornstarch, pepper and shake well. Add sauce to chicken. Combine well. Adjust seasoning and garnish with spring onions. Serve with Chinese fried rice or plain white rice.

Serves: 2-3

Chicken Ghee Roast

Ghee Roast is a dish that you can find in almost every restaurant at Mangalore, Udupi, Manipal and surrounding towns. Hotel Anupam [which I heard is now renamed to a name that I can't recall :( ], at Mangalore was our favorite restaurant for Ghee roast. I remember the pipping hot dish wrapped in banana leaf and then re-wrapped in newspaper. Most of the time, the newspaper would have blotches of ghee. I'm sure it was cooked with considerable amount of ghee. But it was heavenly!

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken legs, skinned
15-20 Bydagi chilies, roasted
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tsp cumin seeds
1 whole pod garlic, peeled
10-12 whole black pepper corns
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 tsp vinegar
salt to taste
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or more

How it's made:

Soak, whole chilies in buttermilk for 2-3 hours. (You can remove the seeds to reduce spice level). Grind to a fine paste with cumin seeds, garlic, pepper corns, turmeric, vinegar and salt. Marinate chicken with ground masala and set aside for 5-6 hours or overnight.
In a iron skillet or deep frying wok, heat ghee and fry marinated chicken pieces on high heat for 5 mins until light brown. Then lower heat, cover and cook until chicken is well done. This is a dry dish.

If you have gravy left behind, remove lid once chicken is cooked and crank up the heat until masala is well coated to the chicken. Garnish with curry leaves (optional). Serve hot. This dish makes a great appetizer and pairs well with chilled beer :)

Note: 
*For this dish, I prefer cooking with chicken legs or thighs. Chicken breast can be substituted but tends to be a little dry. 
*The same rub can be used for fish and shrimp.

Chicken 65

Yesterday after I got back from work, kids were anticipating a day off from school as "Hercules" was expected to dump several inches of snow. On the days we have snow storms, all of us at home like to dig into something good to eat. For the first time during a snow storm, I was stuck indoors with non stop calls from work. The boys spent a few hours shoveling and they kept walking in and out of the house. With bitter cold temperature this was a perfect snack for them to refuel their energy.
My Mom's recipe for Chicken 65 called for deep frying the chicken. I am not a fan of deep fried food and try to find an alternative as much as possible. This recipe turns out equally good as deep fried chicken. I prefer using dark meat although boneless chicken breast can be substituted.

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
4-5 green chilies, chopped fine
1 tbsp ginger, chopped fine
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1 tbsp yogurt
few drops of red food coloring
oil

For the marinade:
2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp rice flour
1 tbsp yogurt
salt to taste
4 curry leaves

How it's made:

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Wash well and pat dry. Marinate with the above marinade ingredients for  6-8 hrs (Due to lack of time, I let it marinate in the refrigerator for an hour only).
In a shallow pan, heat a tbsp of oil, add curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds (cover pan if required as oil might splatter). Add marinated chicken and saute on high heat for 5 minutes. Cover and cook until chicken is well cooked and light brown. Do not add water.
In a separate pan, heat oil. Add green chilies, ginger and garlic. Fry for 3-4 minutes until light brown. Add yogurt along with food coloring. Mix well together. Add cooked chicken and combine with sauce until chicken is well coated with the sauce. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve hot.

Serves: 3-4

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry (Chinese)

Ingredients:

1 medium chicken breast, thinly sliced*
2 cups broccoli florets
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce (optional)
1/4 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp corn starch
salt
black pepper powder
oil

How it's made:

In a wok, heat oil ( I use canola). When it's hot, add ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds. Add chicken and fry for a 2-3 minutes. Add onions, salt, pepper and fry until chicken is well cooked. Add broccoli florets.
In a jar with tight fitting lid, combine soy sauce, hoisin, chicken stock, sriracha, sesame oil and corn starch. Shake until everything is well combined. Add  this to chicken and broccoli. Stir well together. Adjust seasoning and serve hot with white rice or chinese fried rice.

*Freeze chicken breast for an hour. It helps slicing chicken to thin strips.

Serves: 2-3

Burrito Bowl

"Chipotle's" Burrito Bowl is a family favorite and I make this quite frequently at home. The recipe process seems to be quite long but if you have all the ingredients ready, the whole dish can be put together in 30 minutes or less. I made this over the weekend and everytime I think about this dish,it reminds me one of the best memories of 2013 (and probably one of the best days of my life).
It was a warm Saturday night and I had this dish ready for dinner. I kept asking my husband who was glued to the television to join at the dinner table and he kept ignoring. All that was left, was to get into an argument with him. While I sat on the couch being annoyed, the door bell rings. He insisted that I answer the door. Being a little frustrated, I peeked through the window. In the dark, I see familiar faces and there stood many of my friends with their family. I open the door thinking "What the heck!" and the cameras start flashing and everyone screaming "Happy Birthday". I don't even remember how I reacted but I couldn't believe my friends and husband pulled a surprise together without me having a clue (which was a big challenge for them)- a party in my own house. Everyone knew that they couldn't get me out of the house for a surprise. Of course, it didn't end there. While I went upstairs for a quick change of clothes, several thoughts kept rushing through my brain.
I have hosted, organized many events at home and I must admit, being clueless was not easy. I hoped my husband catered food from a restaurant (he isn't very knowledgeable about anything to do with kitchen). Walking down the stairs, I hear my friends arranging the kitchen. I walk into the living room and I see my brothers family and my Mom. I think I almost passed out and couldn't take all the excitement and surprises anymore. I was breathless, overwhelmed and of course touched with every ones hard work and effort. All my friends and co-sister cooked several dishes each. It surely was one night to remember with lots of good food, drinks, cake, laughter and most important of all, the company of my close family and friends ( a few dear ones that I missed).
Burrito Bowl went back to the refrigerator and it sat there for a few days until we finished the left overs from the party!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Cilantro Lemon rice (recipe below)
1 cup cooked Chipotle chicken (recipe below)
1/2 cup Salsa (recipe below)
1 cup canned Black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned corn, drained
1/2 cup grated Mexican blend cheese
Sour Cream
lettuce, chopped

How it's made:

In a wide bowl, place 1/2 cup cilantro lemon rice, followed with 1/4 cup chicken, 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup corn, few tbsp of salsa, lettuce, cheese and a dollop of sour cream. If you like Guacamole, you can top with a tablespoon of Guacamole. You can find the recipe below. I didn't have avocados at home, hence skipped Guacamole.

Cilantro Lemon Rice:

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice
2 cups water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup cilantro (coriander leaves), chopped
salt to taste

How it's made:

Wash rice. In a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid, add rice, water, lemon juice, cilantro and salt to taste. Bring to boil and simmer to low heat. Cover with tight fitting lid and cook for 15-18 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, fluff with fork and set aside.

Chipotle Chicken:

Ingredients:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
oil

How it's made:

Cut into into 1"cubes. Marinate chicken with chipotle chili powder, cumin and salt. Set aside for an hour. In a pan, heat oil and saute the chicken until well done. Set aside until ready to use.

Salsa:

Ingredients:

1 medium red onion
1 medium tomato
1 jalapeno, whole
1/4 cup cilantro (coriander leaves)
salt to taste
pepper powder

How it's made:

Roughly chop all the above ingredients. Place in food processor and pulse it a few times. Remove and set aside until ready to use. You can de-seed jalapeno to reduce the spice level.

Guacamole:

Ingredients:

1 avocado
2 tsp chopped red onion
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp lemon juice

How it's made:

Scoop the flesh out of avocado and mash it with a fork. Add onion, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.

Serves: 3-4

Palak Chicken (Chicken with Spinach)

Most kids I know love non-vegetarian food and this is the best way to get them to eat spinach, a vegetable which is not liked in most houses amongst kids. When I first cooked this dish in my kitchen, I saw weird expressions at the dinner table. Not anymore!!
While I volunteered at my son's school many years ago, I closely worked with one of his teachers for several hours a week. Her motto was "You get what you get and do not get upset". I was impressed with the phrase that I caught on to it and say that all the time specifically at the dinning table.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, skinless, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 green chillies, chopped fine
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 - 10 oz box frozen spinach
salt to taste
oil

How it's made:

Thaw spinach at room temperature or in microwave. Rinse chicken under running water.

In a wide heavy bottom pan, heat oil. Add onions and fry until translucent. Add garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry for 2-3 minutes and then add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes turn soft. Add dry spices and salt to taste. Fry for a minute. Add spinach, chicken and mix well. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring in between. Adjust salt. Serve with Roti/ Naan/ Bread.

Serves: 4

Chinese Chilli Chicken (Indian Style)

Ingredients:

2 cups boneless chicken pieces
6-8 green chillies (cut finely)
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
a splash of dry sherry
2 tsp chilli sauce (I used Sriracha)
1 tsp corn starch
black pepper powder
1 large onion, chopped into 1"cubes
1 medium green pepper (capsicum), cut into 1"cubes
Spring onions (green only) for garnishing
oil

How it's made:

In a wok or deep frying pan, heat oil. Add green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute until color changes. Add chicken and cook on high flame until color changes and chicken looks cooked.
In a small container with tight fitting lid, combine soy sauce, dry sherry, chilli sauce, black pepper powder and corn starch. Cover jar with lid and shake until all ingredients are mixed well together  Add sauce to chicken and mix well. Add onions and green pepper. Fry for a minute. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with spring onions.

Serves : 3

Note:  I hardly use salt while cooking with soy sauce since soy sauce is high in sodium. Add salt as per personal preference.

Green Chicken (Dry)

It finally feels like spring! With bright sunny skies and warm temperature, everyone at home has been looking forward to spring back to outdoor activities for very long time.
Although every season has it's own charm, spring and summer are my favorite. I make frequent visits to Farmers market for fresh produce and I use a lot of fresh herbs in my cooking. Mint is one of my most favored herb and we have it in our garden every year. They grow very quickly and need very little maintenance. Although we have a vegetable patch, I like to keep them in pots since they spread and need to be contained.
This is a very simple and easy recipe that I came up with, using coriander leaves (cilantro) and mint.

Ingredients:

2 lb chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped roughly
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped roughly
1/4 cup yogurt
3 cloves garlic
1"ginger
4 green chillies
3 cloves
1"cinnamon
2 green cardamom
1/2 tsp pepper corns
1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
Salt to taste
oil

How it's made:

Blend garlic, ginger, green chillies, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper corns and fennel seeds to a fine paste with very little water.
In a wide bowl, combine coriander leaves, mint, yogurt, ground paste, salt and chicken. Let it marinate for 30 mins or upto 4 hours in refrigerator.

In a non stick pan or skillet, heat a few tsp of oil. Add marinated chicken. Fry on high heat for 5 mins. Lower heat, cover and cook until chicken is well done. To finish the dish, uncover lid and let all the liquid evaporate. Serve dry (without gravy).

Serves: 6

Chinese Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked white rice (preferably left over from previous day)

1/2 cup vegetables (combination of carrots, peas and green pepper)

1/4 spring onions (I used both green and white portion)

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2"ginger, grated

1/2 cup chicken cubes

1 egg

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

salt to taste

2 tsp canola oil

How it's made:

Cut Carrots, green pepper and green onions finely.

In 1/2 tsp canola oil, saute chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry until well cooked and set aside.

In the same pan, add remaining canola oil. Once hot, add ginger and garlic. Fry for 30 seconds. Add veggies and spring onions. Saute' for a minute. Push veggies aside to the side of the pan. Crack one egg onto center of pan and cook until scrambled. Combine egg with veggies. Add cooked chicken, white rice, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir well until well until heated evenly. Drizzle sesame oil and give a quick stir. Serve hot. 

Serves: 4-5

Note: Add very little salt to rice since soy sauce is high in sodium.

Baked Buffalo Wings

Football game + Buffalo Wings = Great Game! Buffalo Wings are a must especially for Super Bowl in my house. This is a very easy and healthy version of Buffalo Wings.

Ingredients:

12 chicken wingettes

1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/4 cup hot sauce (1/2 cup for extra heat)
celery sticks
blue cheese/ ranch dressing (store bought)

How it's made:

Clean and pat dry chicken wings. Marinate chicken wings with buffalo wing sauce. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with non stick foil. Place the wings on the lowest rack in the oven and bake at 375 degree F for 15 minutes on each side. You can brush the wings with hot sauce for extra heat. If the wings aren't browning, crank up the heat to 425 degree F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a pyrex bowl. Add 1/4 cup hot sauce and toss until wings are well coated. Serve hot with celery sticks and blue cheese/ ranch dressing.

Panini with Kheema (Panini with Ground Meat)

Panini's are great for parties when only finger food is served. These are filling and make great snacks. I made these ahead of time and all they need is, to be placed in a 300 deg F oven for 10 minutes before serving. I hope everyone enjoys these Panini's for tonight's Super Bowl gathering at our friends.

Ingredients:

12 grinder rolls
1 lb lean ground meat, I used chicken
1- 8oz pack sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1 large onion, chopped fine
4 green chilies, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1"ginger, chopped fine
1 tsp red chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
salt to taste
oil
8 oz mozzarella or cheddar cheese, shredded/ sliced,

How it's made:

In a wide pan, heat oil. Add green chillies, garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute until color changes. Add onions and fry until translucent. Add a tsp of salt while frying onions. Add chilli powder and haldi. Saute until well combined. Add tomato puree and ground meat. Combine well and cook until meat is almost done. Add mushroom and peas. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Add coriander powder, cumin powder. Adjust salt. Add mint leaves and remove from heat.

To assemble Panini:
Slice bread horizontally. Spread a couple of tablespoons of ground meat mixture. Place two or three slices of cheese to cover the meat mixture. Place on Panini maker for 4-5 minutes  Cut in half and serve hot with chips on the side.

Amma's Chicken/Mutton Biryani

This was a "Sunday Special" when we were little. It took Amma (my Mother) almost the whole Sunday morning to cook this very elaborate recipe but I must say, it was the best. Made with freshly ground spices, Amma made it with chicken and very occasionally with mutton. Everytime we appreciated the Biryani, she would always joke around saying, "Recipes with lot of work are always very delicious" and I find it very true especially with this one.

Step 1:


Chicken:
2-3 lb chicken, bone in, cut into medium size pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup yogurt
2-3 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Marinate chicken with the above ingredients and refrigerate overnight.



Step 2:

Rice:
3 cups uncooked basmati rice
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 green cardamom
1 stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf
salt

Wash basmati rice and let it soak for an hour. Boil water in a large pot. Add salt and the above ingredients along with rice. Cook rice until three fourth done. Drain and spread on a large baking sheet. Set aside. (Rice can be cooked in a rice cooker).


Step 3:

Fried Onion:
1 large onion, sliced
oil/ghee (clarified butter)

In oil/ghee, fry onion until golden brown and set aside.


Gravy:
3 onions, sliced
10-15 green chillies (adjust as per preference)
3"ginger
1 small pod garlic
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds
6 cloves
4 green cardamom
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp pepper corns
1 bay leaf
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp  turmeric powder
1 small bunch coriander leaves
1/2 tsp saffron soaked in 1/4 cup milk
1 cup yogurt
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cashewnut, ground to a paste
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
salt to taste
Ghee(clarified butter)/oil


How it's made:
Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies and set aside.
In a coffee grinder or regular blender powder coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel together. Set aside.
In a teaspoon of oil roast cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, pepper corns  and powder together.
Heat oil/ghee in a large open skillet. Add onions, bay leaf and fry until light brown. Add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Fry for a few minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves, mint and tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp salt and fry until mixture is soft.

Add coriander-cumin-fennel powder, roasted spice powder, chilli powder, turmeric, marinated chicken and 1 cup yogurt. Cover and let it cook until chicken is almost done. If chicken is well cooked and you have a lot of gravy, remove chicken pieces onto a plate and reduce gravy on high heat. Transfer chicken back to pan, add cashewnut paste. (It helps in thickening the gravy).

To assemble:
In a baking dish, spread a few ladle full of chicken, followed with rice and fried onions. Continue layering finishing with rice and onions on top. Spoon saffron milk.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 deg F for 20 minutes. Serve hot with raita.

Serves: 8

Chicken Curry with Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 lb bone in chicken, cut into medium size pieces
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1-2 tsp red chilli powder (adjust as per your preference)
1/2 tsp haldi powder (turmeric)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 plain yogurt, whisked
salt to taste
oil
coriander leaves for garnishing

How it's made:

Marinate chicken with dry spice powder (red chili powder, haldi, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt). Set aside for 30 mins. Heat oil in a wide skillet. On high heat, fry the chicken pieces for a few minutes until light brown. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add a little oil if needed. Add cumin seeds. When it changes color, add onions. Fry onions until translucent. Add ginger and garlic paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt. Fry until the mixture turns mushy. Add chicken pieces and yogurt. Cover and cook on medium high heat until chicken is well done. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice/roti.

Serves: 4

Chicken Pot Pie

While shopping at the grocery store recently, my son set his eyes on a box of chicken pot pie. It was lunch time and I always try to avoid shopping when one's hungry.
Every time I pick an item from the shelf that I have never purchased before, I always tend to read the label. I flabbergasted with the amount of sodium content. So I picked up a pack of puff pastry sheet and made it with a few modifications to the traditional pot pie.

Ingredients:

1 pack store bought puff pastry sheets (available at freezer section at most grocery stores)
1 boneless chicken breast, cut into 1"cubes
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 tbsp flour (heaped)
1- 15 oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1"cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup frozen green peas
3 white mushrooms, cut into chunks
1/2 cup half & half
salt to taste
pepper powder
a few sprigs fresh parsley

How it's made:

In a non stick pan, heat a tsp oil. Saute chicken cubes with a pinch of salt , pepper and set aside. In the same pan, heat butter. Once it melts, add onions. When translucent, add flour. The mixture will turn lumpy but continue frying on medium high heat for 3-4 mins. Lower heat and add liquid (stock and water) a little at a time. Keep stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Once all the liquid has been used, add carrots, potatoes, peas, mushrooms and chicken. Cook together for 5 mins on medium heat. Make sure that the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add half & half, salt , pepper powder and parsley. Boil and pour sauce into 6 ramekin bowls.
Pre-heat oven to 350 deg F.
Roll out puff pastry sheet. Cut circles 1/2 " larger than the circumference of the ramekin bowls. Cover ramekin with pastry sheets. Press the edges with back of fork. Slit holes on the top of pastry sheet for steam to vent through while baking.
Bake at 350 deg F for 20-30 minutes or until the top crust is brown.

Serves: 6

Note: An extra can of chicken stock can be used instead of water. I like to use low sodium stock when I don't have home made stock, so that I can control the amount of sodium in the recipe. 
Most pot pie recipes includes an egg which is used to brush the top of puff pastry sheet before baking. It leaves a nice glaze on the crust. I like to skip the egg wash step.

Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs, with bone cut into bite size pieces
2 medium onions, sliced
2 medium tomato, chopped
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
3 green cardamom
3 cloves
1"cinnamon
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
3 tsp pepper powder
1/4 cup coriander leaves
oil
salt to taste


How it's made:

In a bowl, take 2 tsp of pepper powder, salt & marinate to the chicken for 30 mins. In a pan heat oil, add green cardamom, cloves & cinnamon. (I grind the spices in a coffee grinder & add to oil). Then add onions & fry until light brown. Add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute. Add tomatoes & salt. Cook until the sauce looks mushy. Add chicken, coriander powder & chilli powder. Cover & cook until chicken is almost done. Lastly add remaining pepper powder & coriander leaves.

Serves : 6

Kori Sukka (Chicken Sukka/ Chicken with coconut)

This recipe is well known in Bunt community. Made with fresh grated coconut & fresh ground spices, most restaurants in Mangalore and neighboring towns like Udupi, Manipal, Kundapur serve excellent chicken sukka. Paired with par-boiled rice, brown/white rice & at times with dosa also, it's a perfect weekend meal. Amma (my Mother) used 2 different varieties of red chillies for this dish - Harekala/ Guddi Mirsang which is about an 1" long and very spicy and Byadgi which was milder. I stick to byadgi  in my cooking since I don't tolerate heat very well.

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken, bone in cut into small pieces
8 red chillies (byadgi), roasted
Marble size tamarind
2 tbsp coriander seeds (heaped), roasted
1/2 tsp methi (Fenugreek seeds), roasted
1/4 tsp black pepper corns, roasted
2 + 1 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut, you can go up to 2 cups
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
5-6 cloves garlic
8-10 curry leaves
salt to taste
oil

How it's made:

Grind red chillies, tamarind, coriander seeds, methi & black pepper corns with little water to a paste. In a wide pan, cook chicken with ground spice paste & 2 onions.
Grind 1/4 cup coconut, 1 tsp jeera & garlic cloves until well blend.
In the meantime, in a separate frying pan, heat oil. Add 1 chopped onion & curry leaves & fry until golden brown and crisp.
Once chicken is almost cooked, uncover lid & try to let all the liquid evaporate. Add coconut paste & the remaining grated coconut. Stir well & let it heat through. Add fried onions to the chicken & give one last stir.


Serves : 6

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

With two gatherings this past weekend & two roast chicken, I had quite a bit of left overs in my refrigerator. The bland pieces of meat had to be flavored to finish up the remaining and this was the simplest way.

Ingredients:

2 carrots, peeled
4 white mushrooms
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium green squash
5 spring onions (white only)
1 medium jalapeno
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
salt to taste
2 tsp Olive oil
cheddar/ mozarella cheese (block or shredded)
6 club or steak rolls

How it's made:

Slice all vegetables lengthwise about 2" long thin strips. In a pan, heat olive oil. Fry sliced jalapeno until light brown. (Remove membrane & seeds to reduce spice level). Add veggies, salt & saute' them for a few minutes until soft.

Add shredded chicken & buffalo sauce. Adjust salt.
Slice bread horizontally. Spoon a few teaspoon of chicken with veggies on the base of bread. Place slices of cheese or grated cheese. Cover with top half of bread. Place sandwich in panini maker & toast until cheese melts.(Or use a grill pan/iron skillet and place a heavy pan on the sandwich. Toast 3-4 mins on medium high flame on both side or until cheese melts).

Serves: 6

Note: Rotisserie chicken can be used for this recipe.

Roast Chicken

Happy Thanksgiving!

I started a Thanksgiving tradition couple of years ago with roast chicken, mashed potato, gravy, stuffing, roast vegetables & corn bread or polenta. When my son was in kindergarten, I spent quite a few days volunteering in his classroom. While helping the teacher soon after Thanksgiving break, I tried listening to kids talking to the teacher during circle time about what they did on Thanksgiving day. Kids were excited about eating turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. Finally I heard my son say "I ate rice & yogurt" excitingly as it was his favorite food then!!! Since we celebrated almost all Indian festivals at home, the following year, I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house as well.

Although, this roast chicken is not the traditional Thanksgiving recipe, its been a family favorite since I first made it few years ago.

Ingredients:

1 oven roaster chicken with pop up timer(approx 10 lbs)
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 small pod garlic
4"ginger
8-10 green chillies (adjust as per your liking)
50 grams of curry powder/ poultry seasoning or any spice rub of your choice
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
lemon, celery, carrot, onion (to stuff in the cavity)

How it's made:

Grind coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic & ginger to a fine paste. Mix curry powder/ poultry seasoning & salt. Let the spice rub be a little salty & spicier than your preference. (Chicken absorbs salt & spice while let to marinate).
Remove chicken giblets. Remove any excess fat. Rinse and pat dry. Rub spice mix to chicken, including the cavity. Refrigerate for 24 hrs.

In a roaster pan(with rack), pour about 3 cups of water. Stuff the chicken cavity with lemon, celery, carrot & onion. Tie the legs together with kitchen string & tuck in the wings. Place chicken on roaster rack. Cover with foil & bake at 375 deg F for 2 hrs. Remove foil & bake for another 1/2 hour. Chicken is done when instant thermometer reads 165 deg F when inserted to the thickest part of thigh. (I let it cook until 180 deg F). Let it stand on serving platter for 10 mins before carving.

Chicken Green Masala (Chicken Curry)

My son was always under the impression that this dish was made with spinach & he refused to eat it for many years. A few months ago, on a day that he was bored, he decided to help me in the kitchen when he realized what went into making the dish.

The freshness of mint and coriander leaves gives a wonderful taste & aroma to the curry. Overall its a simple curry, but its all in frying the ground masala. If the masala is not fried enough, it leaves behind a raw taste of spices. The curry tastes better if refrigerated for a day.

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken, cut into medium pieces

1 can coconut milk

2 Onions, sliced

2 medium tomato, chopped

1 cup Coriander leaves, chopped

1/2 cup Mint leaves

1"Ginger

6 cloves garlic

8- 10 green chillies(adjust as per taste)

6 cloves

1"cinnamon

3 green caradmom

1 tsp pepper corns

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp Oil

salt to taste

How it's made:

Grind coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom  pepper corns, coriander seeds, jeera to a fine paste.

Heat oil, fry onions until light brown. Add ground masala. Fry on low flame until the masala colors changes to deep green (takes about 20 mins). Add chicken, tomatoes, haldi & 1/2 cup water. Cover and let it cook until chicken is well done. Add coconut milk. Boil for 2 mins. Serve hot with rice/roti.

Serves: 6

Chicken Biryani (Quick and Easy)

Every Friday evenings my family likes something fancy. Before leaving for work, I stood in front of the refrigerator wondering what to make with a tray of chicken that I had purchased the previous day. I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen after a long day at work and thought of making something like a one pot meal which would make everyone happy which resulted with this recipe.

When I first tried making Biryani over a decade ago, it was a never ending process and it made me feel I was in the kitchen forever. I found this unplanned recipe very simple and good for any first timers.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice, washed & soaked for atleast 10 mins

3 lbs cut up chicken (with bone)

1 cup yogurt

1/2 cup coriander leaves (cilantro),chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves

4 green chillies, slit in half

6 cloves

4 green cardamom
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp pepper corns

1 medium onion, chopped roughly

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2"ginger, chopped

1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds) + 1 tsp

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp haldi powder (turmeric)

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp jeera powder (cumin)

saffron, a pinch

3 tbsp oil

salt
2-3 tbsp milk

food coloring (red/orange)

How it's made:

Marinate chicken for 6 hrs with all the above ingredients except rice, milk and food coloring. In a heavy bottom deep pan, cook marinated chicken until 3/4th done. Do not add water.

While the chicken is cooking, in a separate pot, boil 4 quarts water with a tsp of oil, salt & 1 tsp jeera. {You can add whole garam masala (cloves, pepper corns, cinnamon  cardamom) which is optional}. Add rice & cook until 3/4 done. Drain and set aside.

Warm 2-3 tbsp milk, add food coloring & set aside.

To the 3/4th cooked chicken,(which should have about 1/2-1 cup liquid left behind) add rice and spread evenly. Do not mix with chicken. Pour colored milk on rice. Cover dish with tight fitting lid. Cook on high heat for 2-3 mins. Lower heat to simmer for 15 mins. Mix chicken & rice just before serving.

Serve with raita.

Serves: 6