Chicken Kolhapuri

Chicken Kolhapuri -  a Marathi delicacy was brought to my attention during my multiple visits to Bombay Talkies. This is one of my favourite restaurants here in Sydney (Harris Park). The owner recommended it once and we never looked back. It has such a different and refreshing flavour that was not usually found in the more common Punjabi or Chettinadu chicken curries. There was something different to it that I couldn't put my finger on. After a bit of research I realised the spices made all the difference. It was almost like the mix for Vaangi Baath but with that subtle twist which made all the difference. It is no surprise here since Kolhapur where this dish originated from is not too far from the Karnataka border. You will notice a good kannadiga / coastal influence. So here's my version of it with a few twists that Uma brought in. 

Ingredients

Masala (good enough for up to 2 kg of chicken)

1. White Sesame seeds - 1 table spoon
2. Desicated coconut - 2 table spoons
3. Coriander seeds - 2 table spoons
4. Red Chillies - 2 or 3
5. Kashmiri Red Chillies - 3 or 4
6. Cinnamon stick - a small twig about 1 to 2 inches
7. Cloves - 4 to 5
8. Cardamom (Green) (Elaichi) - 4 or 5 pods
9. Poppy seeds (Khus khus) - 1 table spoon
10. Cumin - 2 tea spoons

Curry

1. Chicken with bones (1.5 kg)
2. Large red onions - 2 (diced)
3. Tomatoes - 3 (diced)
4. Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 table spoons
5. Kolhapuri Masala (from above) - 3 to 4 table spoons
6. Kashmiri red chilli - 4 or 5
7. Ghee - 2 table spoons
8. Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
9. Coconut milk - 220 ml
10. Mint leaves - a handful
11. Coriander leaves - 1 handful (chopped)

Method

1. Dry roast the ingredients of the masala and keep it aside to cool down to room temperature.
2. Grind them to a coarse powder.
3. Chop up the chicken to small pieces, wash and rinse them.
4. Add the powdered masala, turmeric with the ginger and garlic paste on the chicken and mix them up and let it marinade about 30 minutes.
5. While the chicken is marinading heat up a large kadai (sauce pan) with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of any vegetable oil.
6. Once hot, saute the onions until they turn slightly brown.
7. Add the tomatoes and saute until the mixture turns mushy and oil separates.
8. Let this onion-tomato mix cool to room temperature.
9. Once cooled down blend this mixture to a smooth paste.
10. Heat the same kadai with about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil.
11. Once hot add the blended paste and saute until oil separates.
12. Add the marinaded chicken along with the mint leaves and cook well (in medium heat / flame) with a closed lid for about 20 minutes. 
13. Keep mixing it up with a little bit of water ( to the level of consistency preferred) so that the masala mixes well and the chicken doesnt get burnt.
14. Add the coconut milk and let it boil for another 5 minutes.
15. In a separate kadai or a large spoon add the ghee and kashmiri chillies and lightly roast it for a few seconds until the chillies expand in size.
16. Add this chilli and ghee to the curry, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti/naan/chappati or steamed rice.

Enjoy!!

C

Shahi Bhindi Masala

Shahi Bhindi Masala - a slight variation from my usual bhindi masala to make it a bit rich, creamy and restauranty.  I remember how much I hated eating bhindi as a kid - but now with this recipe - I can have them over and over. While many spices go into the mix there's something about cashews and cardamoms that add to the texture and flavour to a curry. During these days of lock down when you can't go out and enjoy a meal from a good restaurant- why not bring the restaurant taste to your kitchen (didn't mean the take away) 😏. 

Ingredients

1. Bhindi/Okra - 1 kg
2. Red Onions - 2
3. Tomatoes - 2
4. Tomato paste - 1 table spoon
5. Ginger garlic paste - 1 table spoon
6. Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
7. Kashmiri Chilli - 1 table spoon (or less as per your level of spiciness)
8. Green Cardamom - 6-7 pods
9. Kasoori methi - 1 table spoon
10. Cashews - 7-8
11. Bay leave - 1 or 2
12. Cinnamon sticks - 2-3
13. Garam masala - 2 table spoons
14. Heavy Cream - 2 table spoons
15. Milk - 1/2 cup

Method

1. Slit the bhindi along the slides and cut the head off. 
2. Heat a large sauce pan / kadai with vegetable oil and sautee the cumin seeds for a few seconds.
3. Saute the onions until they become translucent. You can add a pinch of salt to quicken the process.
4. Add the diced up tomatoes and saute until they go soft and mushy.
5. Add cashews and cardamom and saute for a minute and set aside to cool down.
6. In the same pan heat about half a cup of oil and shallow fry the okra for about 10 minutes until they brown up on the sides, filter the oil and set aside.
7. Blend the tomato and onion mixture into a smooth paste.
8. In the same pan (remove a bit of excess oil) and saute the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks for about 30 seconds until the oil gets fragrant. 
9. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.
10. Add ginger garlic paste and tomato paste and saute for a few minutes.
11. Add the blended onion-tomato paste and saute for about 5 minutes.
12. Add the garam masala and crushed kasoori methi and mix it well.
13. Add the cream, milk and bit of water to required consistency and bring it to a boil.
14. Add salt to taste.
15. Add the shallow fried bhindi and mix it well for about a few minutes.

Enjoy!!

C

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala (CTM) - probably the most globally well known Indian curry. I still remember being excited about finding this quintessential curry in a train from London to Edinburgh. This is one curry that I would try first in a new North Indian restaurant to assess the "repeat value" depending on how good they can make it. Some of the key characteristics of a CTM is its tangy, spicy, silky, juicy, orangy and of course yummy. Now I have a lot of vegetarian friends who've been asking for a recipe for Paneer Tikka masala. It's quite simple - just replace - yes literally replace the word Chicken with Paneer in this recipe and there you go. One needs a bit of patience with this recipe since it has a few steps involved and a variety of ingredients.

Ingredients

Boneless Chicken - either breast or thigh pieces 1/2 kg or 1 pound

Tikka Marinade

• Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
• Green Chillies - 3 or 4
• Yogurt - 2 table spoons
• Lemon juice - 1 table spoon
• Red chilli powder - 1 table spoon
• Ginger Garlic paste - 2 table spoons
• Salt - 1 tea spoon

Masala Dry Ingredients

• Raw cashews - 4 or 5 pieces
• Cumin seeds -  1 table spoon
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon sticks - 3
• Green Cardamom - 4 or 5
• Cloves - 1 tea spoon
• Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 or 2 tea spoons
• Onions

Masala Wet Ingredients

• Tomato paste - 2 table spoons
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 table spoons
• Full cream milk - 1/2 cup

Other 

• Coriander powder - 2 table spoons
• Garam masala powder - 1 table spoon
• Kasuri methi leaves - 1 table spoon
• Coriander leaves - for garnish - a handful
• Vegetable oil - few table spoons

The Method

1. Blend all the ingredients in the Tikka Marinade ingredient list to a smooth paste.
2. Marinade the chicken either as a whole or in cubes for a few hours - preferably overnight
3. Heat a large sauce pan with vegetable oil and saute the ingredients under the "Masala Dry Ingredients" group for a few minutes until the onions turn brown. Start with the spices first and then the onions.
4. Set this aside to cool to room temperature.
5. Heat a large grill pan or tava and grill the marinaded chicken until they are almost cooked. 
   
   Spray with oil as necessary. This should probably take about 5 - 7 minutes per load. If you are using paneer just grill it for a few minutes until the masalas are browned up.
   
6. Once cooked cut it into bit size chunks in case they were not cubed up already.
7. Blend the sauteed masala into a smooth paste. 
8. Transfer the paste back into the sauce pan through a metal sieve. You may add some water as needed since the paste will not filter through easily.
9. Saute the masala paste along with ginger garlic paste on medium flame/heat for a few minutes.
10. Add the tomato paste, coriander powder, garam masala and crushed up kasuri methi.
11. Saute this mixture until oil separates.
12. Add the milk and few cups of water to required consistency.
13. Bring it to a boil and add the chicken pieces and mix evenly.
14. Let the curry come to a boil for another 5 - 6 minutes.
15. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Chicken Tikka Masala ready!! Serve hot with rotis or steamed basmati rice.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Prawn Malabar

Usually I start researching on a recipe of a dish that I liked before I try it out in the kitchen. However this time it was the other way round. I prepared the dish with whatever ingredients I had and then researched for a good name for it and ended up with Prawn Malabar - thanks to the addition of coconut milk. Prawns or Shrimp as the Yankees would call it is one of the most versatile seafood that can be cooked quickly and in many different ways. Yesterday was a situation when a curry was needed in a short period of time especially when the refrigerator was not stocked up. Good old frozen prawns came to the rescue - once again. 

Ingredients

1. Prawns - devined and cleaned - 500 gms (I used frozen)
2. Red Onions (diced) - 2 medium sized
3. Tomatoes (diced) - 2
4. Green chillies (slit) - 5 or 6
5. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tablespoons
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Garam Masala powder - 50 gms (I used Sakthi Chicken masala)
8. Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup
9. Vegetable oil
10. Mustard seeds - 2 teaspoons
11. Curry leaves

Method

1. If you are using frozen prawns - thaw and clean them first under running water for a few minutes and let them drain.
2. In a large sauce pan / wok heat the oil and season it with mustard seeds until it splatters.
3. Saute the ginger garlic paste for about 30 seconds
4. Saute the green chillies, onions and tomatoes. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes - the longest process in this recipe until the onions and tomatoes are all mushed up and comes to an almost paste like consistency.
5. Add the garam masala, turmeric powder and salt to taste and saute for a few minutes.
6. Add the coconut milk and let the mixture come to a boil.
7. Add water as much as needed without making the curry too watery.
8. Add the prawns and cook them for a few minutes - until they curl up and turn red. For those who have not cooked prawns before - if you overcook it would become very tough and rubbery.
9. Add the curry leaves and stir the mixture until the curry leaf flavour blends in.
10. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Chicken Jalfrezi - Bengali Hot Chicken Curry

Chicken Jalfrezi - one of those dishes almost always found in many Indian restaurants that serves North Indian dishes. Little did I know earlier that the roots for this dish is actually from Bengal. "Jhal" meaning "Hot" in Bengali (apparently). Some websites claim that Jalfrezi has taken over Chicken Tikka as the No.1 dish for UK. This is again a dish I got introduced during my Bangalore Days. A spicy, tangy, thick, chicken curry suitable for roti or rice. There are multiple recipes available on the web, here's my version with a slight twist here and there. 

Ingredients

Ingredients for curry paste

1. Chicken
2. Onions
3. Tomatoes
4. Tomato Paste
5. Green Chillies
6. Dried Red Chillies
7. Ginger Julienne
8. Cashew
9. Poppy seeds
10. Garam Masala
11. Cumin Seeds
12. Cumin Powder
13. Ginger and Garlic paste
14. Cumin Powder
15. Red Chilli Powder (If possible both regular and Kashmiri Chilli for the colour)
16. Amchur Powder
17. Turmeric Powder
18. Vinegar
19. Tomato Ketchup
20. Ghee

Method

1) Take about half of the onions, few tomatoes, green chillies, poppy seeds, and cashews and grind it into a smooth paste.

2) Heat a large kadai and add a few tablespoons of vegetable / canola oil.

3) When oil is hot add cumin seeds and dried red chillies and saute until you get the cumin and chilli "fragrance" out.

4) Add the paste done in step #1, ginger garlic paste and saute well until oil separates.

5) Add chicken, few tablespoons of vineger, about a tea spoon of tomato paste, pinch of turmeric powder, tea spoon of cumin powder, red chilli powder, half a teaspoon of Amchur powder, garam masala and salt to taste.

6) After the chicken is say about 1/3rd cooked, add a tablespoon of tomato ketchup (or sauce depending on which part of the globe you are from), add the remaining onions, ginger julienne saute for a few minutes.

7) Add water and let the curry boil to thicken as needed. Watch out not to add too much water as this is meant to be a thick curry. Do also note that the cashew paste will assist in thickening this up later. By now you should be able to smell the tangyness in the curry.

8) Once the curry has reached the required consistency (by when the chicken must have been cooked as well), add a good dollop of ghee to give the curry a rich and creamy texture. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

9) The curry is done once you can see the oil separated and has reached the consistency you need.

10) Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti/chappati or rice.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Ginger Chicken Curry - Andhra Style

Bangalore days has introduced quite a bit of culinary treats especially introducing me to "Andhra Style" cuisine. One such dish that kept haunting me for a while that I don't get to eat in Australia is Ginger Chicken. There are different recipes floating around the web for "Andhra Style Ginger Chicken". Most of them seem to be some Indo-Chinese dish, but not what you would get in a Krishna Chinai or Nagarjuna's or the likes. It is that chicken curry that is spicy in it's own way but with a distinct gingery flavour. Chicken curries in general have almost the same ingredients whichever style you cook i.e., ginger garlic paste, onions sometimes tomatoes. I believe the difference is in the dry masala that goes in. Each street, state, region has it's own specialty and the spices make the difference. The choice of black pepper vs dried red chillies and so forth. So here is A version of ginger chicken curry with freshly ground dry masala with slight differences compared to say a Chettinad Chicken curry.

What goes in

Dry Masala

1) Red Chillies
2) Curry Leaves
3) Cumin Seeds
4) Coriander Seeds
5) Cinnamon
6) Cloves
7) Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus)

Wet Masala

1) Onions
2) Ginger
3) Garlic
4) Tomato Paste (for the colour)


Few other things
1) Chicken - preferably with bones
2) Vegetable Oil
3) Mustard Seeds
4) Kasoori Methi leaves
5) Salt
6) Garam Masala
7) Turmeric powder
8) Coriander leaves (for garnish)

Preparation

1) Roast the spices for the dry masala individually and keep them aside to cool down. Remember to stop roasting as soon as you can smell the flavour of the spice.

2) Blend the ingredients of the wet masala (except the tomato paste) into a smooth paste. You should be able to smell the ginger in the paste distinctly. If not add more ginger.

3) Heat a sauce pan with vegetable oil and temper the mustard seeds once oil is hot. 

4) Add the wet masala, the tomato paste paste and methi kasoori leaves and saute until the oil separates along with some salt.

5) While the wet masala is getting cooked grind the dry masala into a fine powder. Feel free to hike up the heat with more chillies if you like. I had to keep it slightly under control so kids can eat as well.

6) Once the wet masala is cooked i.e., the oil has separated with a rich red colour paste,  add the chicken in along with a pinch of turmeric powder.

7) After the chicken is cooked for a few minutes add the dry masala powder and mix well.

8) Keep stirring for a few minutes and add water to the amount of gravy needed. This is meant to be relatively thick curry so watch out on the water.

9) Leave the chicken to cook with a lid on for about 20-25 minutes.

10) Add thinly sliced ginger juliennes and cook for about 5 minutes.

11) Stop the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Ginger Chicken - Andhra Style Ready !!

Serve hot with parotta or rice.

Happy Cooking !!

C

Chettinad Pepper Chicken Curry - Milagu Kozhi Kozhambu

So I had this sinus bothering me for the last few weeks travelling between winter and tropical weather back and forth almost every week. Decided to get it treated with some pepper chicken. It was a good treatment even while I was cooking. Just the aroma made the difference. Talking about pepper chicken curry, still the best in my opinion is from Parasakthi in Salem. Hopefully someday I will be able cook up something close to that. This was yet another attempt. The best parts of cooking a curry is roasting the masala. As I have mentioned in an earlier post each spice needs to be dry roasted separately to get the best effect. Of course it takes a little bit of time and patience - but worth every bit of it.

What goes in:

Dry Masala (starting from top left in the pic )

1. Star aniseed
2. Coriander seeds
3. Cloves
4. Fennel
5. Black Pepper
6. Poppy seeds (Khus Khus)
7. Cinnamon sticks
8. Cumin

"Wet Masala"

1. Onions
2. Garlic
3. Ginger
4. Tomato

Other Stuff

1. Chicken
2. Grated coconut
3. Gingelly oil
4. Turmeric
5. Salt
6. Black Pepper Powder
7. Mustard seeds

The Method

1) Blend the ingredients of the wet masala.
2) Roast the dry masala ingredients one by one and let it cool down.

3) Heat a sauce pan and once hot add few table spoons of gingelly oil.

4) Add mustard seeds once the oil is hot.

5) Add the blended wet masala paste, a teaspoon of salt and saute for a few minutes until the oil separates.
6) While the paste is being sauteed powder the dry masala.
7) Once the paste is sauteed enough add the chicken pieces, pinch of turmeric and saute until the chicken is mixed well with the paste.
8) Add the powdered masala, grated coconut, curry leaves and let it to cook for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked enough. Add required amount of water for the level of consistency needed.
9) Add some black pepper powder if you are not able to get the distinct peppery taste.
10) Garnish with coriander leaves.

Muzhagu Kozhi Kozhambu Ready!! Goes well with steamed rice or parotta.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Kerala Njandu (Crab) Curry

My first exposure to crab was from Velu Military mess I think in Chennai. Remember fiddling around with it without knowing really what to eat or what to expect. However this one - Kerala Njandu Curry is dedicated to THE (G) Gang at Kings Court, Beaverton @Friday Club. Those were the bachelor days of many people's first long term onsite assignment. A lot can happen when you have those 25+ aged guys around living around in close proximity. Amongst few other things that were "developed", one of them was an affinity to Njandu (Crab) Curry.
Thanks to Mr. Ajay Suresh Babu - who was our Mallu (or Konkani?) chef - who introduced this simple but amazing crab curry. I must admit that it took nearly 12 years for me to attempt this on my own. The outcome was not too bad I suppose. One key ingredient that was missing was the 10 member Uno game that goes along with this. ;-) Here's my version of Kerala Njandu (to be pronounced with a twist of your nose) Curry.

Ingredients

1) Crab
2) Ginger & Garlic Paste
3) Coconut Milk
4) Salt
5) Turmeric powder
6) Red chilly powder
7) Garam masala
8) Cumin powder
9) Coriander powder
10) Vegetable Oil

The Method


(-1)  You can start with cleaning the crab. However I would recommend getting it cleaned professionally at the fish market. If in case you dare to clean it yourself you can read here to get an idea.

(0) Ginger - Garlic paste - preferably you make it yourself, or a store bought would do just fine.

1) Heat a large saucepan and add a few table spoons of oil. Less for the health conscious - more for those who look for a restaurant feel.
2) Once the oil is hot (maybe a minute or so) add the ginger garlic paste and saute it for about 5 minutes.
3) Once you see the oil separate add 3/4th s of the coconut milk and mix it up for a few minutes.
4) Add the crab and all the dry items (all the powders - a  tea spoon each except turmeric which should be a pinch or 2).
5) Stir it well and let it to boil for about 15 - 20 minutes with a closed lid until the crabs turn red. You may add some water in case you have more guests to feed.
6) Add the remaining coconut milk and leave it to simmer for a few minutes before serving.

Quite Simble eh!! Enjoy!! (Best served with steamed rice)

Happy Cooking

C

Kari Ayam - Malaysian Chicken Curry

Kari Ayam (Chicken Curry in Malaysian) - one of those dishes I have not had much but always wanted to. The problem with going to a favourite Malaysian restaurant after a long time is you end up wanting to eat your regular favourite and not attempt to explore much. This is one of those dishes and I thought of giving it a shot at home.

Kari Ayam as you would see is very much like a South Indian chicken curry - with a south east asian twist. The ingredients that go in make it Indian, Thai and somehow made it to be Malaysian. It is best consumed with Roti Canai or rice - preferably Hunan Chicken Rice.

Ingredients

1. Chicken - preferred with bones
2. Star anise
3. Cinnamon sticks
4. Shrimp paste
5. Garam Masala / Curry Powder 
6. Coconut milk (or cream)
7. Special Paste
• Shallot (Small Onion)
• Red Onion
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Lemon Grass
• Galanga (optional - used it because I had it already mixed)

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pan and fry cinnamon, star anise and shrimp paste for a few seconds until you can smell the spices.
2. Add the "Special Paste" and saute for a few minutes until oil separates.
3. Add coconut milk and saute for a few minutes.
4. Add chicken , turmeric powder, garam masala / curry masala ,salt and saute for about 5-10 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and water slowly as required to the required amount of consistency and sauce. This dish is usually watery, but you can always choose your own level of consistency.
6. Add curry leaves to get the extra kick.
7. Stop cooking when you are able to easily break open a piece of chicken with a fork and nothing pink is visible inside. Key is to stop when the meat is juicy - not hard.

Note: This dish usually has potato in the curry - but I chose not to. Feel free to add large size potato cubes along with the chicken.

Serve hot with rice or roti canai.

Enjoy!!

C

Gaeng Daeng Goong -Thai Red Curry with Prawns

Gaeng Daeng Goong or Red Curry with Prawns is yet another staple of Thai curries. When I was first introduced to Thai cuisine I was told that it was the closest I can get to Indian curry (apart from an Indian restaurant). Of course sometimes even Indian restaurants (outside India) don't get close to what actual curries are meant to taste like. If you look at the ingredients used to make the Red Curry, it is no surprise that it tastes like an Indian (South Indian to be precise) curry. Especially the ones such as coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, garlic. Of course there are a few ingredients that can make any dish Thai - lemon grass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. You sure can buy the  paste in a store, as with any packaged food, it's just not the same if not made at home. Once done the curry paste can be stored frozen for months and used for a variety of dishes.

Ingredients:

Red Curry Paste

1. Dry Red Chillies - 20 chillies
2. Lemon Grass - just the bottom white section finely chopped. - 8 stalks
3. Coriander stems - 15-20 stems finely diced
4. Kaffir Lime leaves - 1/2 cup - ensure the middle stalk is removed
5. Galanga - 200 gms - remove the skin and finely chopped
6. Garlic - 1 bulb
7. Ground Coriander, Cumin and Pepper seeds - 1 tablespoon each

Curry

1. Prawn (or Shrimp if you are in the USA) - 500 gms
2. Baby corn - 200 gms
3. Bamboo shoots - 1 can
4. Curry paste - 4-5 tablespoons
5. Coconut cream - 1 can
6. Sugar - 2-3 tea spoons
7. Fish sauce - 4-5 tablespoons (vegetarians might replace this with salt)
8. Thai basil leaves - 1/2 cup

The Method

Curry Paste

1. Soak the dry red chillies in hot water for about 30 minutes. Once soaked  remove the seeds and stalks from the chillies. Make sure you wear gloves for this step.
2. Blend the ingredients above for the curry paste. I first smashed them in a mortar before transferring the content to a blender. Use minimum water just enough to get the blender going.
3. Once blended heat a wide sauce pan and pour about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and sautee the blended paste for about 20-30 minutes until the paste is cooked and oil separates.
4. You can then freeze the paste (once it has cooled down to room temperature) and store it for a few months.

Prawn Curry

1. If the curry paste is frozen - first thaw it to room temperature.
2. Wash the bamboo shoots (from the can) with cold running water to remove the salt content in the can.
3. In a large wok heat about 4-5 tablespoons  of vegetable oil and saute the curry paste until oil separates.
4. Add about half of the coconut cream and mix well and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Add the baby corn and bamboo shoots and cook for about 5 minutes until the bamboo shoots become tender.
6. Add the prawns and cook for a few minutes until they curl up and turn pink.
7. Add the sugar, fish sauce and basil leaves, mix well and simmer for a few minutes.
8.  Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.

Happy Cooking !!

C