Tofu Masala

I am still not out of my slumber. I have an urge to blog but my laziness is way on top of that. And I still haven't got the hang of my dslr. And thats kinda depressing. Added to the fact that I hate to take pictures with my iphone now that I have a high-end dslr on hand. And then it is the whole story again. That put aside, it was a wonderful day today. The weather was at its best and I stepped out after what seems like decades in my spring clothes. It was rejuvenating. The weather is helping me and rekindling me back to form... Hope I will be on track soon.
Coming to today's recipe its a very simple one which I make often to go with our chapathis.

~*What U Need*~ Extra firm Tofu - 14 oz, drained and cut into cubes Greek yogurt - 1/2 cup Onion - 1 Tomatoes - 2 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Bay leaf -1 , clove - 3, cinnamon - 1, cumin seeds - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Green chilli - 1 Kasuri methi - 1 tsp Oil - 2 tsp Salt Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp How I Made it: Shallow fry the tofu in a skillet. Set aside. Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet. Add the onion and fry till transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes, green chilli and fry till it forms a masala. Add the spice powders and fry for 3 mins. ONce done cool and grind to a smooth paste. Heat remaining oil. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, star masala and fry for 1 min. Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle. Add the ground paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Set the heat to low and add the yogurt stirring continuosly. Allow to boil. Add water to bring to the desired consistency. Allow to boil. Add Add Fried tofu and fenugreek leaves and mix well. Let it boil for another 3-5 mins. Remove from flame. Add coriander leaves.

Serve with rotis or rice of choice!!!

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Chettinad Chicken Curry

Something about frozen chicken doesn't spell and taste chicken to me. It lacks taste and texture. I have even switched to organic farm fresh chicken but still its not the same. Bottom line is that whatever you do you just cant pull the flavors that you need to come out of it. Unless you make a spice laden flavor packed chicken curry like this chettinadu version. All that spices that you throw into the curry is what flavors the chicken and makes it succulent. As for this chettinad chicken curry, I wouldn't say that it is authentic and perfect but it tastes good with a whiff of that authentic taste. To achieve that perfection use small onions instead of regular onions.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, finely chopped Tomato - 1, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Chicken - 1 lb, cleaned, bone-in Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped Mint leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped To roast and grind: Coconut - 4 tbsp Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Red chilli - 1 To grind to a smooth paste: Onion - 1/4 cup Green chilli - 1 Yogurt - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp To Temper Oil - 1-2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp 2 cloves, 1" cinnamon, 2 cardamon, 1 bayleaf Curry leaves - 1 sprig How I Made it: Clean the chicken thoroughly and set aside. You can marinate this in yogurt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and ginger garlic paste for 30 mins. Grind the ingredients under smooth paste. Roast and grind the coconut, cashew nuts, fennel seeds and chilli. Heat oil in a kadai, temper with fennel seeds, spices and curry leaves. Add the onions and saute well till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and cook till becomes soft. Add the curry leaves, ground onion paste and saute for 2 mins. Add the roast coconut paste and cook for another 4-5 mins till the mixture becomes thick. Add the chicken, mix well and cook till the chicken leaves water. Add 1/2 cup water and cook til the chicken is completely cooked. Simmer till you get the desired consistency and the mixture leaves oil. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves and season with salt. Remove from flame.

Serve hot with rice /idli/dosa!!!

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Chettinad Chicken Masala

Belated Diwali wishes to all my readers. I am really sorry for not sharing any sweets or savories for this Diwali. I was a bit held up last week but in a good way. I was asked to bake the birthday cake for a lil one. The theme was Cars and the cake that the birthday boy chose was Lightning mcqueen. He wanted a 3D version of the cake and since it was my first time I was skeptical to take up the task. But then the huss encouraged me all the way and yeah I made it. A two tiered Lightning mcqueen cake covered with fondant and decorated with fondant accents. The cake was a big hit and everyone ~ of all the kids totally loved the cake.

Coming to this recipe, Diwali is never complete without a biryani and chicken side dish for us. And so I thought of sharing this delicious and spicy chettinad chicken masala for the day. Chettinad cuisine mostly use pearl onions in the cooking and thats what gives this dish its signature taste. I have used both pearl onions or regular onions to make this dish and both taste awesome but the former always triumphs. And here's the recipe.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, large, finely chopped/small onions - 10-12 Tomato - 1, chopped Garlic - 3, chopped To marinate the chicken: Chicken - 1 lb Red chilli powder - 1 tso Chicken curry powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Yogurt - 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp To Grind: Onion - 1, medium, chopped/small onions - 10 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp To grind: Coconut - 3 tbsp Cashews - 2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp For tempering: Oil - 3 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp Cloves - 2 Cinnamon - 1 inch Cardamom - 2 Bay leaf - 1 small Curry leaves - 1 sprig Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped - to garnish How I Made it: Wash the chicken and mix it with all the ingredients under to marinate. Set aside for 30 mins. Grind the ingredients under to grind separately. Heat oil in a pan, when it gets heated add the ingredients under tempering and fry it. Ad chopped onions, garlic and saute until onion turn light golden brown. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute till soft and mushy. Add the ground onion paste and saute for 2-3 mins. Add marinated chicken and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Cook till 3/4 th done. Season with salt. Add the ground coconut paste and saute till the raw smell goes off and the chicken is cooked. Add the coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with rice/dosa!!!

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Palak Paneer

Palak paneer has been in my to-do list for a very long time but the huss has never been a big fan of spinach based gravies. Spinach to him is meant for keerai masiyal and nothing more than that. I have been doing a lot of experimenting for the past three weeks since I have an extra new guinea pig at hand and this one is not as picky as the huss. He happily gorges on anything that comes out from my kitchen with a happy grin and it-tastes-awesome look.

Coming to the recipe, palak paneer is a very famous north Indian gravy that has been adapted by many all over the world. You could make the dish as rich as possible or you could make it skinny if you are so health conscious. Rich is when you make it all-butter or ghee and adding a healthy dollop of cream at the end. And skinny is when you cheat by using oil and milk. Both ways it tastes good and makes a perfect side dish for chapathis or naans.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 3-4 ~*What U Need*~ For the palak puree: Fresh spinach - 1 bunch Green chillies - 2 Onion - 1, medium, finely chopped Tomato - 1, medium, pureed Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Kasuri methi - 1 tsp, crushed Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Bay leaf - 1 Paneer - 1 cup, cubed Ghee - 2 tbsp, divided Salt, water How I Made it: Rinse the spinach in water. Boil water with some salt. Add the spinach leaves and allow to sit for 2-3 mins. Drain and immediately immerse in cold water. Reserve one cup of water. Drain and then puree the spinach in a blender with 1 green chili into a smooth puree. Heat ghee in a pan and fry cumin and bayleaf and slit green chilli. Add the onions and fry till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off. Grind the tomato and add this to the masala. Fry till oil separates. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala and fry for 2 mins. Add the spinach puree and some water and cook in medium flame for 6-7 mins. Fry the paneer cubes in remaining ghee till evenly browned and add this to the spinach gravy. Add kasuri methi leaves and mix well.

Serve warm with rotis or naan or jeera rice. You can top with some butter or cream also.

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Chettinad Chicken Biryani | Chicken Biryani ~ Chettinadu Style

Whoever was the first to discover biryani seriously needs a standing ovation. Its a science, making that perfect biryani is a science and skill by itself and it needs experience to get that texture and flavors right. My mom makes the best dum biryani in the world and me and my brother go bongers whenever she makes it. I had never had the courage to attempt her version cos its quite lenghty and I had never had that patience. So I always stick to the pressure cooker version. It is easy but still it took me an year and lots of trials to perfect it. And now I can proudly say that I make a good biryani.

I have started trying new varieties of biryanis these days, the first bring the Dindigul chicken biryani. It was so tasty and it has become a regular in the kitchen. Last week when I was reading the booklet that my MIL had presented, this chettinad biryani had me hooked to it. The ingredients were huge and the process lengthy but I knew that it would be a stunner by taste. And so it was.

~*What U Need*~ For Marination: Chicken - 500 gms, with bone Thick Curd - 2 tbsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - a big pinch For Briyani Masala Powder: Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1" Cardamom - 2 Star anise - 1/2 Cloves - 2 For Grinding: Pearl Onions - 8-10 Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Mint leaves - 1/2 cup Green chilli - 1 For the biryani: Onion - 2, chopped, medium Tomato - 1, chopped Green chilli - 2-3 Bay leaf - 1 Cardamom - 1 Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 2 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Thick curd - 1/4 cup Coriander and mint leaves - a handful each Salt Oil - 2 tbsp Ghee - 4 tbsp Biryani rice - 1 1/2 cups Coconut milk - 1 cup Water - 1 cup How I Made it: Marinate the chicken with the marination ingredients and set aside for 20 mins. Soak the basmati rice in water for 20 mins. Grind the biryani masala powder in a coffee grinder. Grind the coriander, mint leaves and green chilli and set aside. Grind the pearl onions and set aside. Heat oil and 2 tbsp ghee in the pressure cooker and fry the cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon and green chillies. Add onions and fry till golden brown. Add the ground pearl onions paste and fry till the oil separates. Add ginger garlic paste and once the raw smell goes off, add the chopped tomatoes. When the tomatoes are cooked till mushy, add the ground mint-coriander paste. Add the curd and mix well followed by the freshly ground biryani masala powder, turmeric, coriander, and red chilli powder. Fry for 3-4 mins. Add the chicken pieces and cook till half done. Meanwhile drain water from the basmati rice and saute this in 1 tbsp ghee till it turns non-sticky. Add the rice to the masala, pour water and coconut milk, season with salt and cook for 2 whistles. Once the pressure is released, add the remaining 1 tbsp ghee and chopped coriander and mint leaves and fold carefully not to break the rice grains.

Serve warm with raitha!!!

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Chole Bhature

This weekend is gonna be fun. Prediction is that the temperature is gonna be in the 40s (C). And so we have planned for loads of shopping. Then there is gonna be baking, red velvet cupcakes to be precise. Its gonna be real fun and I am looking forward to the weekend which I haven't been doing for sometime now. Added to that its been nearly two weeks since I have gone out. Grocery shopping or anything shopping has been taken care by the huss and so "I am looking forward to this weekend".

Let's talk chole bhature. To those who are new to the name, Chole bhature is a popular Punjabi cuisine which is a combination of chole (spicy chick peas) and deep fried bread called bhatoora. I totally love this dish and whenever I visit a vegetarian restaurant back in INDIA, this would be one among the few that I would order. It is one awesome combo. Usually the poori is made very big, big as in the size of a regular dosa but since I didn't have a big wok, I stuck to the regular poori size. Also I was frightened that the poori would not puff up properly if I rolled it too big. And then there was the fear of spluttering hot oil. First timers, I would advice you to go with the regular poori size.

~*What U Need*~ For the Chole: Onion - 1, big Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Tomato - 1, pureed Channa masala - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Oil - 3 tbsp Salt Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Bay leaf - 1 Cinnamon - 1" stick Chickpeas - 1 cup, soaked overnight For the bhature: Maida / All purpose flour - 2 cups Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/4 cup Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Curd - 1/2 cup Salt - to taste How I Made it: Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook for 5 whistles till soft or you could use a can of garbanzo drained off the liquid. Heat oil in a pan, add the bay leaf, cinnamon and once fried, add the cumin seeds. Once brown add the onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and mix well. Fry till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and fry. Once the oil separates, add the red chilli powder and channa masala and saute. After 3 mins, add the peas and mix well. Add enough water and allow to boil in medium heat till the oil separates. Add chopped coriander leaves, season with salt and remove from flame. To make the bhatures, in a mixing bowl, add maida, sooji, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix well. Add yogurt and mix well. Knead to a smooth dough. Cover it with damp cloth and allow to rest for 3 to 4 hrs. After 4 hrs, knead the dough well and divide into equal balls. Roll it to pooris and fry in hot oil till puffed & crisp on both sides.

Serve warm!!!

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Mushroom Spinach Pulao

As much as I love mushrooms, the huss detests it. I had tried many ways to feed him mushrooms some examples being this and this with no successful results. He never took a liking to the fungi until I made a simple garlic saute with butter and served it with some focaccia and soup. It became an instant hit and these days whenever we go grocery shopping, he never forgets to grab a pack of mushrooms. The other day I saw some beautiful bella mushrooms on sale and so we grabbed 4 BOXES. While I sauted most of them for breakfast, I saved some to make this flavorful pulao for lunch.

~*What U Need*~ Basmati rice - 1 cup Water - 1 1/2 cup Mushrooms - 1 cup, sliced Baby spinach - 1 cup, packed Onions - 1, sliced Tomato - 1, medium, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or replace with 1 green chilli Garam masala - 1 tsp Salt, Oil Cinnamon - 1" Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 1, crushed Bayleaf - 1, optional Coriander leaves - to garnish How I Made it: Heat oil in a pressure cooker and temper with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bayleaf. Add onions and cook till soft. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Once soft and mushy, add the spice powders and mix well. Add the mushrooms and spinach and saute well. Add the rice followed by the water, add a tbsp of ghee and chopped coriander leaves and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Remove and fluff with a fork.

Serve with raitha.

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Chicken Kheema Biryani

Biryani is what Sundays are for us. It might be something as simple as my easy peasy pressure cooker biryani or when amma comes by then it might be something as rich and exotic as the dum biryani, but it has to be biryani Sunday. We take a break once in a while and keep it simple with some whole wheat naan and pepper chicken but you get the thing right, we need chicken on Sundays. This kheema biryani happened, yes happened just like that when the huss was asking for something spicy for a weeknight dinner and all I had was a pack of ground chicken in the freezer.

When he says spicy he needs something really hot and I can quench that thirst only with a plate of piping 'hot' biryani and some onion raitha. I took my base biryani recipe and replaced the chicken chunks with ground chicken. Infact the ground chicken blended well with the spices and added more flavor and texture to the rice. I served it with plain raitha and the huss was totally impressed with the flavors. That impressed that he asked me to repeat it for that Sunday. This time I served it up with some Chicken roast.

~*What U Need*~ Basmatic rice - 1 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups, scant Chicken kheema - 1 lb or 1/2 kg Onions - 1 cup, sliced Tomatoes - 3/4 cup, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Biryani masala powder - 1 tsp or more Ghee - 3-4 tbsp Salt To temper: Cinnamon - 1" stick Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 2, crushed Bay leaf - 1 To grind Coconut - 1/4 cup Cashews - 3-4 Green chilli - 1, or to taste Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Mint leaves - 1/2 cup How I Made it: Soak the rice in water for 20 mins. Take all the ingredients under 'to grind' and grind to a paste. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pressure cook and when hot add the tempering items. When fried, add the onions and fry till soft and brown. Add ginger garlic paste once done. Add the tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add the spice powders and after 2 mins of cooking add the ground chicken. Once the chicken is half cooked, add the ground paste and cook for another 2 mins. Add water and the soaked drained rice and then top with chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and the remaining ghee. Cook for 2 whistles. Once the pressure is released fluff with fork.

Serve warm with raitha or side dish of choice.

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