Chicken Curry

White Chicken
- White Gravy,  All White - Tasty Tasty

Ingredients:

  1. Chicken 1.25 kg
  2. Curd (well-beaten) 200 grams
  3. Fresh lemons 5
  4. Vinegar 3 teaspoons
  5. White chilly power to the taste
  6. Cashew 200 grams
  7. Melon & Water Melon seeds 25 grams each
  8. Green chilies to the taste
  9. Cloves (whole) 5
10. Onion (fine chopped) 1
11. Butter 3 tablespoons
12. Cardamom 4
13. Salt to the taste
14. Egg Yolk 1
15. Nut Meg pinch
16. Grated cheese 100 grams
17. Fresh milk cream 200 ml
18. Garlic 1 (Big size)

Method 

1. Make a paste of cashew and seeds (melon and watermelon) separately by adding some water & grinding it.

2. Wash and cut the chicken in pieces; insert deep cuts on the flesh. In a bowl mix half of the followings and egg yolk, onion, paste of cashew and seeds, essence of green chilies and garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, white chilly powder.

3. Rub and mix well the above paste to the chicken, marinate it for two hours, arrange the chicken to grill, for sometime, bring it out when it is tender, apply some butter to it, grill it again.

Add some masala to it, chicken is ready to eat with onion and mint sauce.

To make curry:

Heat some butter in a pan, add rest of seed pasted cashew nut paste after some time, stir it rigorously, add curd, lemon juice, vinegar and rest of the material along with chicken. Stir it rigorously to boil for 3 minutes. Dress it with grated cheese.

Hey, your chicken is ready to eat.

Note: 

If melon and water melon seeds are not available, can be ignored. Fresh paneer and mushrooms can be to added while marinating the chicken. For veggies, this can be made with only Paneer or Mushrooms or using both at a time.

Chappati, Roti or Phulka

Traditionally, chappati is cooked on Tava (hot iron plate) but it can be cooked on a nonstick round griddle as well. For best results, take the dough out from fridge 10 minutes before rolling. You don't have to press hard when it is soft. Sometimes, if I am in rush and the dough is stiff, I put it in microwave for 15 seconds. Then it becomes much easier to roll.

Keep few spoons of dry wheat flour in a flat container with you when ready to roll. Make lemon-sized ball and put it in dry flour container. Press and flatten the ball with the help of a little dry flour. Roll it on a board with a rolling-pin into a thin round pancake. Carefully remove from the board and place on hot Tava. When the top uncooked side starts looking light brown, turn over and cook the other side well. My mother always flipped with hand. I use plastic spatula to change sides. When brown-black spots appear on the second side, then flip it one more time and press chappati with spatula or kitchen towel. The chappati will swell. Quickly remove it from Tava. Serve hot without ghee or spread a little ghee on the swollen side and serve Hot.

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Parantha

Until I got married and moved to U.S., I used to eat Parantha every morning for breakfast. If you are Punjabi and like me, you can probably relate to it. We were never conscious we will put on extra weight by eating so much "desi ghee".

My mother made paranthas practically from all vegetables. You name it and we ate it. From potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, onions, carrots, radish, paneer, malai, beetroot, methi, jaggery, Dal-sprouts to all the other cooked leftovers and rice. We never got bored of eating the same thing. In fact, we looked forward to it every morning. Our appetite for paranthas never slowed down.

I have eaten paranthas everywhere but I tell you my mother makes the best paranthas in the whole wide world. And this compliment is not because I am her daughter. It really is true. Of course, preparing filling and rolling Parantha is a skill that can be mastered over a period of time and anyone interested in learning can make good Parantha but I still feel that there is something unique and different in each person's preparation. Each and every Parantha made by my mother swelled like a simple plain roti.

We all left at different time in the morning but none of us ever got a Parantha made in advance. My mother used to watch as to what stage of dressing up we are in and would go to kitchen and make our breakfast accordingly. If sometimes, she miscalculated or we started doing something after we got ready, she would scream and call us until we left everything and went to the table to eat her Parantha.

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Aloo-Pyaz Ka Parantha

1 Lb. Large russet potatoes boiled (that is 2 big potatoes or 4 medium sized)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green chili, finely chopped
1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp. garam masala
½ tsp. ground pomegranate seeds

Salt, chili powder - to taste
Ghee, or margarine to cook

As a rule, 1 medium potato will make 1 Parantha.

To make filling, put peeled potatoes, onion, ginger, salt, chili powder, ground pomegranate seeds and garam masala in a bowl. Press potatoes with your hands and mix well with all other ingredients. Make 5-6 equal portions of the filling. The taste of Parantha depends on the amount of filling.

When ready to eat, Heat Tava and make a ball from dough. Roll out thickly, just a little larger than puri. Place filling in the center and close up carefully by bringing all edges together and making a ball again. Now roll into the ball and roll out as thin as possible without letting the stuffing break through.

Toss Parantha on Tava and cook. Change side. When cooked, flip over again. Now tap ghee lightly and flip one more time.. Press Parantha gently with your kitchen towel. This will make Parantha crisp and brown. Remove from Tava and put ¼ tsp. ghee on Parantha and serve hot. Repeat procedure until finished.

Ma-Chole Ki Dal Ka Parantha

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup leftover Ma-Chole ki Dal
½ tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients and knead for 2 minutes. Make a big roll, cover, and let it stand for 15 minutes. Tapping a little water, knead dough again for 3 minutes. Make a big roll again.

Make a ball and roll into the size of a puri. Spread little ghee all over and bring all edges together. Press to flatten. With the help of a little dry flour roll into thin round pancake. On a hot Tava, cook like a Parantha, that is browning with ghee on one side. Repeat procedure until finished.

Makes 8

Dals - The World of Proteins

I remember when I was young and my mother would ask which Dal you would like to eat today, our reply used to be the 'black Dal', 'green Dal', 'yellow Dal', 'pink Dal', 'white Dal' and so on. There are so many types and varieties of Dals and sure we didn't know all the names. But, it was a daily question. Dals are prepared everyday in a typical desi home and flour made from Dals is served in the form of sweets, snacks or savories on all occasions.

You probably guessed that I basically come from a Dal-roti type of family (primarily vegetarian). My father always said "saada bhojan, oonche vichar" (simple living, high thinking). Not that he ever stopped us from eating anything but we all grew up with that faith. To this day, my meals are incomplete without Dal, whether I am cooking only for us or when I am hosting. A myth that only meat can give you proteins, is so wrong. Dals (lentils) are the excellent source of high-quality protein and much easier to digest than meat. I am not propagating vegetarianism but we definitely have a choice.

Some of my favorite Dal recipes are :

Chane Ki Dal
Dhuli Moong
Makhni Ma
Moong-Chole Ki Dal
Sabut Moong
Sambhar Wali Dal  

Chane Ki Dal

1 cup Chana Dal
6 Varia, broken
4 cups water
½ tsp. cumin
2 tsp. ghee
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. garam masala
salt & chili powder - to taste

Clean and wash Dal. In a pressure cooker fry varia with one tablespoon ghee for 2 minutes. Add Dal, water, turmeric, salt and chili powder. Close cooker and cook on high. When pressure builds up reduce heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes.

In a small pan, fry cumin with ghee. Mix garam masala and pour it on Dal. Serve hot.

Serves 6

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Dhuli Moong

It is one of the few things I knew when I got married and I can proudly claim that I make it exactly like my mother.

1 cup dhuli Moong Dal
4 ½ cups water
3 tbs. pure ghee or oil to fry onions (I use ghee!!)
½ tsp. haldi
½ tsp. cumin
1 onion finely chopped
1 fresh chopped tomato or ½ cup crushed tomato from can
4 cloves garlic crushed
½ tsp. ginger paste or ¼ tsp. ginger powder
½ bunch chopped cilantro
2 green chilies finely chopped (optional)

Wash Dal. In a pressure cooker mix Dal, water, salt, haldi and chili powder. When pressure builds up reduce heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes. It takes 1 whistle in Hawkins pressure cooker. Do not take the steam out. 

Take ghee in a small pan and fry cumin. Mix onions and keep frying till they turn light gold. Now add ginger and garlic. Once garlic starts smelling, add tomato and cilantro. Cook until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Add garam masala and pour this mixture on Dal. Stir and serve hot.

Serves 6.

Top | Dals  

Makhni Maa

The recipe below serves 12 people. Many of us are living in U.S. away from our families and we don't need to cook such large quantity everyday. I have used larger portions for this Dal on purpose. I always freeze half the quantity when I cook this Dal. It takes so much time to prepare and in our hectic lives when we are always juggling and running between things, it makes a lot of sense to cook twice as much as you need (not everything!) and freeze it immediately for use at a later time. It tastes just as good.

1 ½ cup Sabut Maa (urad) (whole black gram)
½ cup Rajma (kidney beans)
10 cups water
1 Tomato chopped
1 tsp. Tomato paste
1 onion chopped
¼ tsp. Hing (asafetida) -optional
3 tbs. Sour Cream - optional
1-inch piece ginger chopped or 1 tsp. Ginger paste
6-cloves garlic or 1 tsp. Garlic paste
1 stick butter
½ tsp. Garam masala
Salt and Red chili powder - to taste

Clean and wash Sabut Maa and Rajma. Put Dal and beans in a pressure cooker and add water, ginger, tomato, garlic, salt and red chili powder. Place cooker on maximum heat and bring it to full cooking pressure. Now reduce the heat to medium low and cook for an hour. Do not take the steam out and leave the pressure cooker to cool gradually.

In a pan fry onions with ¾ butter till golden. Add tomato paste and sour cream. Cook for three minutes or till butter separates. Now put Hing and garam masala. Fry for another minute and pour the mixture into Dal.

Just before serving add the remaining ¼ stick of butter to the Dal. Serve hot with chapati or naan.

Slow Cooker Procedure

Another method to prepare Dals is to put them in slow cooker and forget about them. When I was working, I used slow cooker at least three times a week but now that I am at home, I don't use it as often. Using slow cooker is a habit and some people swear that Dals taste much better. I leave it to you to judge that for yourself but I do recommend that you cook beans in slow cooker when you are entertaining. Consider it a tip for saving time and focusing on other dishes when you have too much on your hands.

Clean and wash sabat maa and rajma. Put Dal and beans in slow cooker and add water, ginger, tomato, garlic, salt and red chili powder. Place cooker on high and cook overnight (about 8 hours).

In a pan fry onions with 1 stick of butter till golden. Add tomato paste and sour cream. Cook for two minutes or till butter separates. Now put hing and garam masala. Fry for another minute and pour the mixture into Dal.

Top | Dals  

Moong-Chole Ki Dal

½ cup Chana Dal
1/3 cup Sabut Moong Dal
3 ½ cups Water
1-inch piece Ginger chopped
5 cloves Garlic crushed
5 green onions chopped
½ teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Cumin
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
2 tablespoons Ghee
Salt & Chili Powder - to taste

Clean and wash Dal. In a pressure cooker, put Dal, water, ginger, garlic, turmeric, salt, chili powder and close. Place cooker on maximum heat and bring it to full cooking pressure. Now reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes. Do not take the steam out. Let it cool gradually. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan. Fry cumin and turn off the heat. Now add green onions and garam masala. Since the oil is hot, onions will get cooked a little. Pour this mixture on Dal and stir. Give Dal another boil and serve hot.

Serves 4.

Top | Dals  

Sabut Moong

1 cup whole Moong Dal
5 ½ cups water
½ chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
4 cloves crushed garlic
½ tsp. ginger paste
2 tbs. Ghee or oil
1 tsp. sukhi methi
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. garam masala
Salt & Chili powder - to taste

Clean and wash Dal. In a pressure cooker mix Dal and water and cook on high. When steam builds up, reduce heat and cook on medium for 15 minutes. Do not take the steam out. Let the cooker cool gradually. In a pan, take ghee and sauté onions and cumin until gold. Add tomato and sukhi methi and fry until smooth. Pour this mixture on Dal and mix well. Serve hot.

Serves 6.

Top | Dals  

Sambhar Wali Dal

This Dal is a mix between Sambhar and traditional Dal. It is one of the quickies when you are short of time. To really enjoy its taste, serve it in a bowl and add rice but only half the quantity of Dal. That's how I like it and I hope you will like it too.

½ cup arhar (tuvar) Dal
1 tsp. Rai (mustard seed)
1 tomato, cut into four
6 cups water
1 small karchi oil
1 tsp. Sukha dhania (coriander)
½ tsp. Garam masala
10 tbs. Lemon juice
½ tsp. Hing (asafetida)
½ tsp. Haldi (turmeric)
1 onion chopped
8 cloves of garlic
Salt & chili powder - to taste

Wash Dal. Boil it in a pressure cooker with tomato, haldi, salt & chili powder on maximum heat. When steam builds up, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes or 2 whistles in Hawkins pressure cooker.

In a pan heat oil and put mustard seeds. When they start springing, add onions & garlic and fry till golden. Now put Hing, sukha dhania and garam masala. Pour this mixture to Dal and add lemon juice.

Serves 6.

Palak Paneer

Cauliflower & Canned Salmon

Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower - chopped into bite size pieces
1 can salmon
1/2 onion - chopped
3 cloves of garlic - chopped
2 chilis - chopped
cumin seeds - 1/2 tspn
mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
tumeric - 1/2 tspn.
curry powder or paste - 1 tspn.
salt to taste
olive oil - 1 tblspn.
curry leaves - 6
tomato - 1, chopped
water - if needed

Method: 

Heat oil in a medium pot. Add onion, garlic, seeds and curry leaves. Stir. Add tumeric and curry powder or paste. Stir. Add cauliflower, chili and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Add a little water if it sticks to the pan.  After 10 minutes add salmon and tomato. Dish takes approximately 25 minutes to cook. Serve with rice, roti or pita bread. 

Serves 6 to 7 people. 

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
1 small onion - chopped
4 cloves of garlic - minced
3 small chilis - minced 
ginger - 1/4 inch 
salt to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
tumeric - 1/2 tspn.
cumin powder or seeds - 1/2 tspn.
mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn.
fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tspn.
cinnamon stick - 1
cloves - 6
cardamon - 4
curry powder or paste - 2 tspns.
curry leaves - 6
1 tomato - chopped
water or chicken stock - if needed
green coriander - for garnish

Method:

Chop chicken to bite size pieces, set aside. In a medium size pot, heat up olive oil, add onions, seeds, cinnamon stick and curry leaves. Stir and cook for a minute, then add the minced garlic together with turmeric and curry powder/paste. Stir and cook for a minute. Lastly add chicken and salt. Stir and cover. Reduce heat to medium. Stir every 10 minutes or so. After 15 minutes add tomato. If the chicken sticks to the pan, add a little water or stock. Chicken should be done in 40 minutes. Garnish with chopped green coriander. Serve with rice. 

Serves 5 or 6 people. 

Chicken could be substituted for duck or goat curry. Goat takes a longer time to cook...at least an hour. Seeds could be found in East/West Indian stores. Enjoy! 

Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding Recipe)

Ingredients

1 liter milk
2 cups water
1 cup short grain rice OR 1/2 cup rice and 1/2 sago
2 cardamom seeds (crushed)
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tblspn. sultanas
3/4 cup sugar
1 tblspn. ghee (clarified butter)
6 almonds (blanched, toasted and chopped)
3 cloves

Method

Cook rice in water, until most of the water is absorbed and rice is mushy. Add milk, cook further, stirring frequently. Add almonds, sultanas and sugar. The kheer should be of custard consistency. If too thick, add more milk. Remove from heat, add crushed cardamon and ground nutmeg. Mix well. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add cloves. When the cloves start to bulge or pop, remove from heat. Add both, the ghee and the cloves to the kheer and mix well. 

Serves 6

Mango Pickles - Fiji Style

Ingredients:

8 to 10 green mangoes [seeds removed] - cut into wedges, salted and dried in sun for 2 days.
garam masala - 1/4 cup (store bought or your own)
methi - 1 tspn (roasted)
mangrael - 1 tspn (roasted) (small black seeds)
geera - 1 tspn (roasted)
garlic and chili [minced] - to taste
mustard oil - enough to cover mangoes in jar
salt - to taste

Method:

Heat up mustard oil. Let cool. Place dried mangoes in a large basin. Mix in all the rest of the ingredients except oil. Place in air tight jar. Add oil until mangoes are covered. Pickles are ready to serve after a couple of weeks. Jar may be taken out in the sun once a week. Take lid off while in the sun and cover with a towel. 

Raita

Ingredients

2 cups light sour cream or yogurt
1 cucumber - grated
1 carrot - grated
1 clove of garlic - minced
1 fresh chili - minced
1 tspn cumin seeds - toasted and ground
salt to taste

Method

Mix all together and serve as a condiment with any curry dish.

Seina

Ingredients:

10 taro leaves (washed)
1/2 cup uradh dhal (soaked overnight)
1/2 onion (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
3 chilies
3 cloves garlic
1 tspn. salt

Method:

Grind dhal. Add lime juice and salt. Make a paste of garlic, onion and chilies and add to ground dhal. Smear dhal paste on the wrong side of a taro leaf. Take another leaf, put paste on and place the second leaf on top of the first one. Repeat spreading the paste on every single leave until about 5 leaves are done. Roll up tightly, plastering loose ends with the dhal paste. Tie with a string and steam  for about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove string, cut into 1/2 inch slices and deep fry in good quality oil (preferably olive oil) a couple of minutes each side or until slightly golden.

Note: Serve with any chutney. It can also be served without frying.  Can be coated with rice flour and then fried. 

Vakalolo Recipe (Fijian Pudding)

Ingredients:

4 cups freshly grated casava
1 cup freshly grated coconut
1/4 inch freshly grated ginger
1 cup sugar
6 cloves (optional)

Other Items:

Banana leaves or foil paper (for wrapping) Steamer

Method:

Mix all 5 ingredients together. Divide into 4 equal parts. Wrap in leaves or foil and steam for 40 minutes.  Unwrap and serve. 

Serves 4.