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Showing posts with label Flavours of Dakshin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flavours of Dakshin. Show all posts

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Baghara Baingan ( An opulent Hyderabadi curry )

During my years in Hyderabad, one of the curries that remained my favorite was the 'baghara baingan'. It was one of those curries that was regularly served by at the office canteen and also in the PG. Rich and spicy, it is a great side dish with some flavored rice. While I personally prefer it with some Pudina rice, many folks find it great with some Vegetable pulao or even vegetable biryani ! It can even be served as a substitute for 'mirchi ka salan'.

While the original version invariably uses peanuts, I substituted it with cashews. The resulting curry was equally rich but somewhat different in flavour and equally tasty. Since quite a few adults and especially kids are prone to peanut allergy, I can vouch that you can make this delicious curry without using peanuts in it.

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

  • 7-8 small eggplants
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 tsp GG paste
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • a pinch of garam masala
  • a pinch of turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • a lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • salt to taste
  • oil for shallow frying



For the paste -


  • 2 tsp poppy seeds
  • 6-7 cashews
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 dry red chilis


Preparation - Put 3-4 slits along the length of the eggplants. Make sure that the cut is only till 3/4 of the length and not more.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the cinnamon, cloves, broken red chili and bay leaf. Once it gets fragrant, add cashews and poppy seeds. Once the cashew turns golden, add the sesame seeds. Fry for 1 min.

Add the coconut to the same pan. Fry for 30 seconds and switch off.

Allow it to cool down and then grind into a coarse paste.

Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water, Squeeze the juice and discard the pulp.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in a pan for shallow frying.

Add the aubergines and fry on medium flame till the outer skin is completely brown. Remove from pan and keep aside.

Drain off the excess oil from the pan.

Add the mustard and cumin seeds. Let it splutter before adding the chopped onion and curry leaves.

Once onion is translucent, add GG paste. Fry for 2-3 mins before adding the paste along with 1 cup water.

Once it gets to a boil, add the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Add salt to taste. Gently put the fried eggplants into the gravy.

Let it simmer for 5-6 mins before adding the tamarind pulp. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for another 5-6 mins before removing from the flame.

















Serve with any kind of pulav or even biryani !!


















Note - This curry tastes best when warm or at room temperature.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Ulli Sambar ( Spicy lentil cooked with Shallots )

Shallots or the tiny onions have a sweet and mild flavour. They Southern states of India, especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu employ a lot of shallots in their cooking while it is eaten mostly raw in the Eastern State of Odisha, mainly as an accompaniment for the watery rice dish of Pakhala.

Since, I bought a large lot of shallots for Onam, I was left with more than a handful even after I had finished with the Sadya which involved some marathon cooking. After making rasam the other day, I felt like having some delicious Ulli Sambar for lunch yesterday. It is just like any other sambar but no other vegetables should be added as the shallots have a very mild flavour. However I do add some carrots and a bit of a tomato .

Read on for the recipe -


















Preparation Time - 25-30 mins

Ingredients -

  • a fistful of toor dal
  • 1/2 cup peeled shallots
  • 1/4 cup diced carrots
  • 1 medium sized tomato
  • a lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 1 tsp sambar masala
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 2-3 green chilis
  • 1//2 tsp mustard seeds
  • a large pinch of asafoetida
  • a small pinch of fenugreek seeds
  • salt to taste
  • 4 tsp oil
Preparation - Soak the tamarind with 1 cup hot water for 10 mins. Squeeze out the juice and discard pulp.

Cooking - Wash and cook the dal with 2 cups water in a pressure cooker. Also add the carrots and tomato to the pressure cooker. Remove from flame after 2-3 whistles.

Keep aside till steam escapes. Open the lid and mash the dal.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add the green chilis, half of the curry leaves and the shallots. Fry for 3-4 mins.

Add the fried shallots to the mashed dal along with the tamarind water and the sambar masala.

Let it boil for 10-15 mins till the shallots are tender and the raw smell of tamarind goes away.

Heat the remaining oil . Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry red chilis. Fry for 30 secs before pouring it over the dal.

Serve hot with white rice , curd and some appalam.



Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Mustard Jackfruit Masala

Raw jackfruit happens to be among my favorite vegetables and the seasonal availability only adds to its exotic appeal. While I usually stick to one of the odia recipes when I cook this vegetable, this time I tried an Andhra style preparation. This is one of Tarla Dalal's recipes. and I have only done a bit of 'hera-pheri' .

Read on for the recipe -



















Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 1/2 cup raw jackfruit (cubed)
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds ( I recommend yellow which is less pungent )
  • 3 dry red chillis (i used Byedgi)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 2-3 garlic cloves (slightly crushed)
  • a generous pinch of asafoetida
  • 1/3 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp oil
  • salt to taste

Preparation - Wash the jackfruit pieces and transfer to a pressure cooker along with 2 cups water, turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook on medium flame for 1 whistle.

Keep aside till steam escapes. Drain the excess water.

Grind 2 dry chilis, 1 tsp mustard seeds along with 2 tsp water. Keep aside.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Add the mustard seeds and broken red chili. Follow it with the garlic, urad dal, curry leaves and asafoetida.

Add the boiled jackfruit and mustard-chili paste. Toss it for 4-5  mins.

Serve hot with white rice.




















Note - The mustard need to be ground into a fine paste unlike what it appears in the picture. As I was having a little trouble with my grinder on that day, it did not come out fine.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Curd Rice /Thayir Sadam (Comfort food from down South)

"Does anyone need a recipe for curd rice ??", I blurted out in bewilderment. "Yes, in fact a lot of them do. Else they will keep dishing out variations that range from being chewy to being downright watery", replied by frustrated husband. He had had a particularly bad day at office and it was exacerbated by the unpalatable lunch that the caterer had chosen to serve. Though the curd rice served by the canteen guys is never the best, it was really bad that day and had my husband fuming.

Now even though I am not a South Indian, I have stayed down South for a long time and have picked up the nuances of quite a few South Indian recipes (especially the ones that my husband and kid adore). And I do make good curd rice ( a fact endorsed by my South Indian friends ). I find it easy, quick and quite soothing on the tummy. So, while it is a staple during the summers, I end up making it once in a while during the winters when I have had a heavy dinner on the previous night.

( Do not forget to check out the Odia version of this recipe - Dahi Pakhala )

Read on for my recipe -





















Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -


  • 1 cup cooked rice (needs to be cooked softer than usual)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup fresh yogurt
  • 3 tbsp coarsely grated carrot
  • 1 sprig curry leaves (finely chopped)
  • 1-2 finely chopped green chilis
  • 7-8 cashews (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 dry red chili (I prefer Byadgi which gives a good flavor)
  • a pinch of asafoetida
  • 2 tsp oil
  • salt to taste


Preparation - Take the still warm rice in a mixing bowl. Use the back of a heavy spoon to mash it up. Add warm milk little by little and mix it up.

Allow the rice and milk mix to cool down completely before adding the beaten curd. Add salt, grated carrot and chopped green chilis to the mixing bowl and mix everything thoroughly.

Heat the oil in a tempering pan. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, cashews, dry red chili, asafoetida and curry leaves. Fry for 8-10 seconds.

Pour the tempering over the contents of the mixing bowl. Mix it uniformly.

Serve immediately along with a pickle and/or papad .





































Note - If you are making it for kids, do not put any green chilis. Instead add about 1/2 tsp sugar and fruits like grapes (chopped into small bits), pineapple (chopped into small bits) and pomegranate. 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast

Recently caught an episode of 'Coastal Curries' hosted by the dashing chef Vikas Khanna. He happened to be in Mangalore and was sampling the famous 'Chicken ghee roast'. As usual I was so engrossed in looking at him that I missed whatever he was saying. Soft-spoken with an almost school-boy charm, the guy seems like a total misfit to me. That is till he starts to wield the ladle. I really wonder how much he works out or whether he eats any of the tantalizing dishes that he rustles up. Coming back to the dish itself, I finally had to look up the recipe on the net. I finally settled on this one posted by Ria ( Check her blog ) but made a few subtle changes based on the snatches of conversation that I had caught.

This is one of the few Mangalore dishes that I will be remembering for a long time. Sampled it for the first time at a small eatery in Hampankatta (mangalore) during my stay in the city. This along with the deep fried surmai are my favorites among all the varieties available in Mangalorean cuisine. I would rate it higher than the 'Kori Gassi- Roti' combo preferred by many folks. Ofcourse, the creamy Kori Gassi is in a class of its own but my funda happens to be 'To each his own' . The Chicken ghee roast is traditionally served with the snow white and soft 'Neer dosas' but I enjoy it with white rice, yogurt and rasam too. One word of caution. Do not be thrifty with the ghee. You can always slog it out in the gym over the next week or maybe month.

Read on for the lip-smacking recipe -






Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients -

For the marinade -


  • 600 gm skinless chicken (cut into medium pieces)
  • 1/2 cup hung curd
  • juice from half a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • salt to taste


For the masala-


  • 1 tsbp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4 Kashmiri red chilis
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 10-12 peppercorns
  • 10 fat garlic flakes
  • a thumbnail sized tamarind ball


Others -


  • 4 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves


Preparation - Wash the chicken pieces and drain out all the water. Add the other ingredients mentioned under marinade. Rub well all over the chicken pieces. Keep in the fridge for 4-6 hours or even overnight. ( I marinated the chicken for 6 hours )

Cooking - Dry roast the chilis on a pan till you get a faint smell. Remove and keep aside. Add 1/2 tsp ghee to the pan. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns. Remove from flame once they start to release their fragrance.

Grind the roasted chillis and spices along with the garlic cloves and tamarind. Add a little water and grind again to get a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining ghee in a wok. Add the marianted chicken and fry on a medium flame till almost done ( 75-80 % ). Remove and keep aside.

Add the masala paste to the same wok and fry till the oil starts to form a separate layer ( 4-5 mins should be enough unless you have added excess water during the grinding process ). Add the fried chicken at this point and stir/toss for 2-3 mins.

Finally add 1/2 cup warm water and cover with a lid. Allow the juices to permeate the chicken. Finally when the water dries up and the chicken pieces are well coated with the masalas, add the curry leaves and corainder. Switch off flame and remove from stove.

Serve hot with Neer dosa.


















Note - I am not too sure about the kind of chilis used in the original dish. I assume that one of them is Byadgi ( a Karnataka staple ) which makes for the striking color. Not sure about the other ( could be the Guntur ones ) but it is sure to be hot as the dish will almost surely set your tongue on fire. I have used the Kashmiri chillis which have a medium heat and give a nice color too. My dish was hot but tolerably so. No point in putting too much chillis and then drinking gallons of water instead of enjoying the dish. I also made a sweetened Ghee rice to go with it!!

Sorry for the bad camera work. My hands feel kinda shaky these days.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Dindigul Thalapakatti Biriyani

The Southern cuisine from India is replete with a whole lot of biryani varieties. It is as if each state has its own trademark version of the fragrant rice dish and the local masses swear by their own 'biriyani' (Yep...it is refferd to as biriyani in the South while the Northern parts prefer biryani). While the Hyderabadi Dum Biryani remains more popular on a pan national level, I was amazed by the popularity of the Chettinad and Ambur biryanis in Karnataka. But i guess the crown goes to Tamil Nadu when it comes to the sheer numbers. The Chettinad, Ambur and Dindigul biriyani all belong to different districts of the state.


A few ingredients more or less, use of different varieties of rice, cooking all the spices togather or separately frying each one can make a whole world of difference when it comes to the taste of biryani. For example, in case of the Dindigul biriyani, the onions, ginger-garlic, mint-corinader-chili, whole spices and tomato are all ground and fried separately. 'Treat each ingredient with its due respect' seems to be the mantra behind it. Sounds cumbersome if you compare it with the Hyderabdi biryani where everything is marinated and cooked together. But if you have the quest to try out the original Dindigul biriyani, you need to do it the right way. One can use mutton instead of chicken, but remember to cook the marinated mutton for 2-3 whistles along the spices before adding rice to it.

Read on for the recipe -



















Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -


1 kg chicken on the bone (cut into medium sized pieces)
4 cups basmati rice ( the original recipe uses Seeraga Samba rice )
1 large + 1 medium sized onion
2 medium sized tomatoes ( i used country or local ones which were quite a bit tangy )
1 cup mint leaves (tightly packed)
2/3 cup coriander leaves (tightly packed)
3-4 green chilis
1 tbsp GG paste
2-3 green cardamom
2 bay leaves
3-4 cloves
2" cinnamon stick
salt to taste
3 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp oil
1 cup thick coconut milk ( though this can be optional, it adds an authentic flavor. I used only 1/2 cup instead of skipping it altogether )

For the marinade -

1/2 tbsp GG paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2/3 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste



Preparation - Clean and pat dry the chicken pieces.

Take all the ingredients listed under marinade in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together and then add the chicken pieces to it. Rub the marinade over the chicken pieces for 5-6 minutes (important step). Cover the bowl and keep it in the fridge overnight (if not overnight at least 3-4 hours).

Peel and chop the onion into chunks. Transfer to a mixer and make a coarse paste. Keep aside.

Similarly, chop the mint, coriander and green chillis. Transfer to a mixer and make a coarse paste. Keep aside.

Finally chop the tomato into chunks and put in a mixer jar. Make a fine puree out of it. Keep aside.

Soak the basmati rice for 1-2 hours before cooking.

Cooking - Take the oil in a wide bottomed vessel and heat it. Add the ghee to it. When the ghee has melted, add the onion paste and fry till it turns light brown.

Add the GG paste and fry till raw smell goes away.

Add the mint-coriander-chili paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the whole spices and fry for 1 minute.

Add the tomato puree along with a little salt and fry till oil starts to ooze out.

Add the chicken pieces and stir everything together. Cook on a medium to high flame till chicken is about 70 percent done. Switch off the flame.

Wash and drain the rice. Heat a pressure cooker and add the rice to it. Smooth out the rice surface with a spatula. Add 1 cup coconut milk and enough water such that the level remains just an inch over the rice. Add the chicken and mix in. Finally pour a little ghee over the contents of the pressure cooker.

Close the lid and cook for approx 12-15 mins or till 1 whistle. Remove from flame and keep aside for 15-20 mins.

Open the lid and fluff up the rice grains with a fork.

Serve hot with raita.



















For the Biryani lovers, check out these popular varieties on my Blog :-


1. Chettinad Veg Biriyani

2. Vegetable Biriyani (Hyderabadi recipe)

3. Ambur Chicken Biriyani

4. Chicken Kofta Biryani

5. Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Thalassery Biriyani (Malabar Biriyani/Kerela Biriyani)

Thalassery Biryani is the famous biriyani served at Muslim weddings in Kerela. It was originally made from a short grained and flavorful rice variety called Jeerakasala but now people has started using Basmati rice as well. While I came across a lot of variations on internet, some using curry leaves, other had coconut milk and still others used rose attar, this one seemed authentic. It is taken from a local TV channel called Amrita TV.

It does not use any red chilli powder, only green chillis. And the gravy made for chicken does not use any oil in it. Only the fried onions called 'Bista' are added to the gravy to deepen its flavor. Read on for the recipe.

















Preparation Time - 1 hour ( and some more standby time )

Ingredients - (serves 2)


  • 400 gm Chicken pieces (medium sized)
  • 2 1/2 cups Jeerakasala rice ( or Jeera Samba rice )
  • 3 large Onions (finely sliced in circular/semi-circular shapes)
  • 5-6 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch long ginger
  • 4-5 green chillis
  • 2 large tomatoes (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup mint leaves (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup coriander leaves (chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 lemon
  • Salt to taste
  • Ghee + Oil for frying the onions


For the Biriyani Masala Powder


  • 3 cloves
  • 1 1/2 inch cinnamon
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 petal Mace
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds 
  • a pinch of Nutmeg


( Some recipes also have a little bit of aniseed and shahjeera added to this masala. But the one I tried was quite good

in itself. )

For cooking the rice -


  • 1 tsp ghee
  • 1 star anise
  • 2-3 cardomoms
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • salt to taste


Preparation - Wash and marinate the chicken with salt and turmeric.

Cooking - Heat oil in a wok for frying the onions.

Fry onions in small batches on medium heat and take each batch out of the oil for a few second during frying. This makes them crisper as it allows the water content of onions to turn into vapour.

Dry roast all the spices (except nutmeg) mentioned under Biriyani Masala. Allow to cool down a few degrees. Then grind into a powder in a mixer/coffee grinder. (Add a little bit of coarse salt when using a mixer, it helps to get a fine powder )

Roughly grind the ginger, garlic and green chillis.

Cook the rice in a pressure cooker along with the ingredients mentioned under 'For cooking the rice'. After levelling the rice with a spatula, add water in sufficient quantity so that it stands nearly 1 1/2 inch above the rice. Close lid and cook for 1 whistle. Remove and open after steam escapes. Fluff up with a fork.

Heat a thick bottomed vessel (we will be using it for the DUM process later on, so it should be really thick). Add the chopped tomatoes with a little water. Cook till soft and mashy.

Add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and cook till raw smell goes off.

Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the powdered masala and chopped mint leaves. Mix well and cook till chicken is 80 percent done.

Add 3/4 th of the fried onions at this stage. Mix well and cook till chicken is tender.

Add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well and switch off flame.

Layer the cooked rice over the chicken. Add remaining fried onions and dot with the saffrom milk.

Cover the vessel with a cloth and put on the lid. Allow to sit on lowest possible heat/flame for 15-20 mins. (I did this process using an induction cooker.)

Remove the lid and cloth. Mix the layers a bit.

Serve hot with raita and coriander coconut chutney.



Saturday, March 8, 2014

Chettinad Veg Biriyani

So, its a Sunday. And I am back with a special recipe. But this time it happens to be a vegetarian one. The last week was a little hectic and we ended up eating out/ordering food on most days. As I have not really done much cooking, did not get the chance to prepare any non-veg dish at home.

In fact, I was wondering about my Sunday special post when I came to know that some guests would be coming over. And with them being vegetarian, I thought of making this biryani. (One pot meals like this are a life-saver when you are running short on time) Read on for the recipe:






Preparation Time - 45 mins - 1 hour

Ingredients - Button mushroom ( 400 gm ), paneer ( 200 gm ), chopped carrot ( 1 cup ), green peas ( 1/2 cup ), chopped cauliflower ( 1 cup ), finely chopped tomato ( 2 nos, large ), thinly sliced onion ( 2 nos, large ), basmati rice ( 3 cups ), green chillis ( 3 nos ), ginger garlic paste ( 2 tbsp ), 1 cup chopped mint leaves, 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves, 6 cloves, 1 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 1 bay leaf, 3 marathi moggu, 1 mace, 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 3 1/2 tbsp ghee, 2 tbsp oil, salt to taste.

For the marinade - 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder, 3-4 tsp (heaped Chettinad masala, salt.

Preparation - Take the yogurt, chettinad masala, salt and both chilli powders in a mixing bowl. Beat lightly so that all the spices are mixed and no lumps remain.

Clean and cut the mushrooms into half.
Transfer the mushrooms along with the chopped cauliflower, carrots and green peas into the marinade bowl. Mix thoroughly. Keep aside for 1 - 1 1/2 hour.

Chop the panner into cubes. Put into hot water in which a little salt and turmeric have been added.

Cooking - Heat the oil and 2 tbsp ghee in a wok. Add the sliced onions and slit green chillis. Fry till onions turn translucent.

Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 4 minutes or till raw smell goes away. Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric and chilli powder. Fry for 1 minute or less.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook till soft. (Cover with a lid to make it quick)

Add the chopped mint and coriander. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the marinated vegetables and cook alternately on HIGH and MEDIUM flame. The excess water from the vegetables and mushroom should evaporate but without turning them too mushy. ( a little bit of water is OK )

Add the panner 1-2 minutes before switching off the flame. Keep aside.

Wash and drain the basmati rice. Keep aside.

Heat the remaining ghee in a 5 liter pressure cooker. Add the whole spices like bay leaf, crushed cardamon, cinnamon, mace, star anise, cloves and marathi moggu. Fry for 30 seconds.

Put half of the vegetables into the pressure cooker and spread into a even layer with spatula. Layer half of the rice over it. Then put another layer of the vegetables followed by the final layer of rice. Carefully pour 3 cups of warm water over the rice and vegetables without disturbing the layers too much. Sprinkle salt and a little ghee (optional).

Close the lid and put on the weight. Cook on high for 4 minutes and then on a very low flame for 10 minutes. (You might get 2-3 whistles during this period).

Remove from flame and keep aside (undisturbed) for 20 minutes. Open and fluff the rice with a long-pronged fork.

Serve hot with a simple raita.






















Note - Even when cooking in a pressure cooker, layering helps to distribute the spices and condiments uniformly throughout the rice. However if you just mix the rice and vegetables, the latter have a tendency to come to the surface after the addition of water.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Chichen Salna (or Chicken Chalna)

Before I ventured into blogging, I was a total stranger when it came to South Indian cuisine. Ofcourse, there was the occasional dosa, idli, uttapam and the usual accompaniments like sambhar and chutney. But that is just about the tip of the iceberg. Everything was labelled 'South Indian' with no distinctions being made between regions like Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Karnataka and Kerela, leaving no scope or mention of the diversity that exists within each region.

But the exposure that I recieved over the last 5 years has truely transformed me.  Today I know what people mean when they say that food knows no language or barriers. Now when I prepare some of these dishes at home and enjoy them, I truly appreciate and admire the people who created them. Small details like why some cuisine uses an abundance of a particular ingredient or why a curry is so laden with spices and condiments become clear when you have more insight on the lives/culture of the people belonging to that particular region. For example, the very rich and aromatic Chettinad curries owe their origin to the opulent Chettiar traders who obviously had very deep pockets to be able to afford such luxury. But the Chicken Salna in contrast was meant for the working class people and hence the sparing use of spices, a
watery consistency and sometimes the use of potatoes to add volume. (The roadside stalls obviously do not use expensive poppy seeds or cashews to thicken the gravy but instead use thickening agents like besan/cornflour).

A few years back, I could only think of a Macher Jholo/Besara or a Mutton/Chicken Kasa/Jholo when I needed to cook for a Friday dinner or a Sunday lunch. But now my repertoire of non-vegetarian dishes has only been enriched by the addition of such delicacies. Hence I feel the need to share/blog such dishes as I believe that food would win hands down as the medium of national integration (but how do we sell such an idea to our politicos who are busy playing the caste/regional card ??). Read on the recipe for my version of the Chicken Salna:

















Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients - 1/2 kg chicken cut into medium sized pieces, 1 large onion finely chopped, 1 small tomato finely chopped, 1 tsp GG paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 sprig curry leaves, 2 tbsp oil, salt to taste, fresh coriander leaves for garnishing.

For the masala paste - 5 shallots, 1 1/2 tbsp coriander roots, 1 green chilli, 4 tsp freshly grated coconut, 5-6 cashews + ( 3 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp peppercorns - to be dry roasted first )

Preparation - Wash and marinate the chicken pieces with salt and turmeric.

Heat a tawa or any flat bottomed vessel. Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned in the masala paste.
Allow to cool down. Transfer to a grinder cup. Grind into fine powder (as fine as possible).
Add the remaining ingredients of the masala paste along with 3-4 tsp water. Grind into a paste. (Add little more water if needed)

Cooking - Heat oil in a kadai. Add the curry leaves first and allow to crisp a bit. Then add onions and fry to a medium brown.

Add GG paste and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the marinated chicken along with chilli powder. Roast/Fry on a high flame for 4-5 minutes. Then lower flame and cover with lid till half cooked.

In the meantime, fry the tomato pieces with a little oil till it is completely mushy.

Add the cooked tomatoes to the chicken along with the masala paste. Mix well and fry on medium to high flame for 3-4 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and adjust salt. Cook on a simmer till chicken is completely cooked through.

Serve hot with parottas/rotis or even with white rice as I did.

















Note -  You can make the gravy still watery if you like, especially when having it with hot rice.


Saturday, February 8, 2014

Chettinad Chicken

I did it. Chettinad Chicken has been on my 'To-Do' list for the longest possible time. And I had kept on procrastinating till i ran out of gravy chicken recipes. A quick look at my drafts revealed quite a few recipes that I had bookmarked for sometime. And the first one happened to be this rich and delectable South indian style curry.

Chettinad happens to be a part of the state of Tamil Nadu and it is quite known for its rich and aromatic cuisine. A flourishing traders community known as the 'Chettiars' are attributed with the distinct 'Chettinad Cuisine'. The famous saying in South India 'One is lucky to eat like a Chettiar' bears testimony to the rich culinary heritage of this region. And Chettinad Chicken happens to be one of the more (if not the most) famous non-vegetarian recipes from this region. Read on:

















Preparation Time - 50 mins - 1 hr

Ingredients -1/2 kg skinless chicken, 1 large onion + 1 medium sized onion, 1 large tomato, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp lime juice, 5 tsp oil, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, salt to taste, chopped coriander for the garnish.

For the masala - 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tbsp poppy seeds, 2 red chillis, 1 tsp peppercorns, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 1 green cardamon, 1 petal of star anise, 1 petal of mace, 1 pinch nutmeg, 3 tbsp freshly grated coconut.

Preparation - Marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric and lime juice. Keep aside for 1-2 hours.

Cut the onion into thin slices. Chop the tomato into small pieces.

Cooking - Dry roast all the masalas except for star anise, mace, nutmeg and coconut. (Better to roast each masala/spice separately till it gives off its distinct fragrance but if one is running short of time roast them together taking care not to burn any of it.)

Dry roast the coconut separately. Allow all the roasted masalas and coconut to cool down. Then combine and grind into a coarse powder. Add the ginger garlic paste to this powder.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add curry leaves and sliced onions. Fry on low flame till onion turns light brown.

Add the masala paste along with nutmeg, mace and star anise. Fry for 3 minutes.

Add the tomato pieces with chilli powder and a little salt. Cook till tomatoes turn tender and start to leave oil.

Add the chicken pieces. Cook covered on medium to high flame for 5-6 minutes,stirring once or twice in between.

Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of boiling water to the chicken. Simmer for 5-6 minutes or till the chicken pieces are tender.

Switch off flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with paratha/appam or even white rice.


















Note - I used only 2/3 of the total ground masala as i find it rather spicy. But u can modify the quantity of masala as per taste.

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