Chicken Tikka Masala

I truly love this dish every time I have it in a restaurant out with my family. At the same time I used to wonder how can I prepare this dish on my own? Will it turn out as good as it does outside.

It was our anniversery that day and I wanted to make something special so I finally picked up enough courage to try this dish. I do not say it is a easy recipe to make. But if you want to try out something special for your family which is different from the usual stuff you prepare then this is something that you can try out. Have this along with home made nan and the result, trust me is fabulous..You might as well have a table set to make the set up for this to complete the picture.

You will need the following for making the tikka:

2 lbs Boneless Chicken

Salt (to taste)

1 tsp Chilli Flakes or Chilli Powder

2tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Jeera Powder

1/2 Cup Yoghurt

2 tbsp of Broken cashews (Use a rolling pin to do this)

1/2 tsp Lime Juice

4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

For frying:

6-7 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil

Procedure:

• Clean the chicken thourougly and arrange it on to the cutting board. Cut it into cubes.


• Transfer the chicken into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine the mixture well.


• Let it rest for at least an hour to upto four hours before use.

• Now take some oil in a shallow bottom pan and fry the marinated chicken cubes till well browned.



• You can alternatively use an oven to do this. Pre-heat the oven to 180 Deg Celsius. And arrange the chicken cubes on a oiled baking sheet. Pop it into th oven for about 12 - 15 minutes till the cubes are well browned. You may need to turn the cubes from one side to the other in between though. You can use this as a starter too if made in excess can work two ways. Can be added in gravy and used as starter.

For the Masala you will need the following:

• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp GInger Garlic Paste
• 3/4 -1 Cup Tomato Puree
• 1/2 Cup Cream
• 1/2 tsp of Garam Masala
• 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder
• 1 inch Cinnamon or Dalchini
• 2-3 Cardomom or Elaichi
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat the Oil. Splutter the Cinnamon and Elaichi in Oil.
• Add Ginger Garlic Paste. Fry some more.
• Add the Tomato Puree and let it simmer for a while.
• Now add the Garam Masala and Chilli Powder and stir well.
• When you see the oil oozing out of the corners add the cream and stir well.
• Add the salt and simmer till the gravy looks done.
• Now add the chicken tikka to the masala and you are done. Enjoy with Nan, Roti or plain Rice.

Matar Ki Kachori

The other day I was watching a daily soap along with my family. Though not an ardent fan of these soaps they never the less grab your attention if any one of your family member is hooked on to it.

I didn't quite follow the story. So relied on the information given to me by my sister-in-law. It is quite natural then to look at the brighter part of the soap rather than the story itself. After all they are the ones that should be watched out for. The latest saris, jewellery..seriously i do not understand if the story is just a byproduct and main attraction is the gaudy showcase of jewellery and saris on screen..not to mention the ghastly makeup..so much for my hatred towards daily soap.

Now coming to the point, as I was watching I heard the protagonist's dad mentioning about the amazing "matar ki kachori" that his lovely wife prepares. That kind of caught my attention since I had not had a kachori made up of green peas. My sister-in-law immediately promised that she and my mom-in-law will teach me how to make it. So goes the story of how I learnt to make this amazing kachori. This is unlike the crunchy dal ki kachori that you may have often had.

You will need:

For the filling:

• 1 ½ - 2 cup green peas (thawed)


• 8-10 cloves garlic (Crushed)


• 1 tsp Jeera


• A pinch of Aesofotida (Hing)


• 2-3 Green Chillies


• Turmeric (a little)


• 1 tsp of Coriander of Dhania Powder


• 1/2 tsp of Garam Masala


• 1 Tsp of oil

Method:

1. Pulse the Green peas roughly in a mixer until it is almost minced.


2. Crush garlic and green chilli in a mortar and pestle.


3. Add this to the Green peas mixture.


4. Heat some oil in a kadai. Put Jeera and hing.


5. Put the green peas mixture and fry for some time.


6. Add Turmeric, Salt and Coriander powder, garam masala powder. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.


7. Fry for a few more minutes. Don’t let the mixture dry entirely. It should be a little soft.
   

Now for the Puri you need:

• 1 ½ - 2 cup maida


• ½ cup Atta


• 1 tsp salt


• ½ cup oil


• Water

Mix all the above ingredients and make a dough using little water. It should be a little harder then the chapatti dough. Keep aside for ½ hr before use.

Now make small balls and fill the mixture a little at a time and then flatten the balls into a small puri either by hand or roll lightly with a rolling pin.

Deep fry in oil.

Serve the kachori with Dahi ki chutney and Pudina chutney.

Pudina Chutney:

• 1 bunch of Fresh Pudina


• A few Coriander Leaves


• 2 Green Chillies


• 1/4 tsp jeera


• Salt


• 1/2 tsp Amchur powder

Mix all the above ingredients into a fine paste. Your chutney is ready.

Dahi Chutney:

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup thick Dahi


• 1 tsp Bhuna Jeera powder


• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder


• Black salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients into a fine paste. Your chutney is ready.

Enjoy the Kachori with Garama Garam Chai and along with your friends and family!!

Methi Mushroom Matar Delight

This is not a traditional recipe. But something that I came up with when I was pressed for time. This is so easy to cook and tastes so delcious. I have a good friend who when I had got this subzi in my lunch box requested me to post the recipe since she really liked it.

I know I keep repeating that this is so easy to make. But trust me I do not like to cook dishes that take a long time to cook. Seriously. Talks apart this dish is very versatile. You can use any vegetable for your choice. Here I have used fresh button mushrooms, Green peas and fresh fenugreek leaves or methi.

Ingredients:

• Mustard Seeds-1 tsp
• Red Chillies - 2
• Vegetable Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
• Button Mushroom - 1 packet (15-20 mushrooms)
• Fenugreek Leaves - 1 bunch
• Coconut paste - 1/2 cup
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 1-2
• Haldi - a pinch
• Garlic - 5 cloves

Method:

1. Cut each mushroom into four pieces. Wash the fenugreek leaves thoroughly in water and chop them fine.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds and red chillies.
3. When they splutter add the mushrooms, methi and the green peas(I used frozen) and salt and stir.
4. Close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile blend coconut, green chillies, Jeera, Haldi and Garlic into a fine paste.
6. Open the lid and add this masala and without stirring let it cook with the lid closed for 3 more minutes.
7. Now open and stir till all the masala is blended well and then let it cook for an additional 5 more minutes.
8. Check if the mushroom and methi are well cooked. Serve it hot with roti or nan. Enjoy.

Yummy easy-to-make Nan

The whiff of freshly baked nan is so awesome!! When I made nan last time I got a compliment on this from my FIL who usually doesn't prefer any bread made out of maida. He said this is the first time he had such a great tasting nan. That is enough to keep me going for a long time now :)

I need to share this with all my readers :) Especially the ones who wait for my easy to make recipes. Seriuosly this is so easy to make and you will love all the compliments that you will get when you serve it. One good tip is that you should be serving it with any cream based gravy items. Good combinations are palak paneer, chicken tikka masala, methi malai etc. I will be giving you a simple recipe in the next post that you can use with this Nan.

In the meanwhile the here are the ingredients:

• 4 cups of Maida
• 2 tsp of Active dry Yeast
• 1 cup Warm Water
• 4 tbsp Dahi
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1-1.5 tsp Salt
• 2-3 tsp Oil
• A pinch of Baking Soda
• Butter or oil for frying

Easy method:

1. To start with mix the warm water and sugar and then stir in the yeast to this mixture. Let the yeast froth. This will take 3-5 minutes.
2. In the meanwhile take the maida and mix the dahi, salt, baking soda and oil into it. Now gradually add the yeast mixture into this and make a dough. If the mixture is a little sticky you can add a few drops of oil till the dough is comes to the desired consistency.
3. Now set this aside covered in a wet cloth in a warm, dark place to rise. After an hour remove it and knead the dough again to remove air sacs that get formed.
4. Let it rise for the second time in the same manner. After well risen you can take it out and shape it into a ball and roll it into the desried shape. Since the dough is made of maida it is easy to strech it into a traingle shape that the nan usually are in hotels.
5. Heat the tawa till it is really hot.
6. Now put the nan on the tawa and let it cook on one side. Turn around and let cook on the other side. You can apply oil or butter as you turn from one side to the other.
7. Serve hot with a blob of butter melting on top of it. Yummy isn't it..

Alternate method:

1. Now there is an alternative method too. This method actually imitates the tandoor in the restaurants. It is a little cumbersome compared to the previous method but will give you nice results. Try it when you have time. You will need an iron girdle for this the non-stick version will not do.
2. Follow the instructions till step 5.
3. Hold the nan in your palm . Now take some water and rub it on to the top surface of the nan.
4. Note that the water shouldn't be dripping but the entire nan should be now wet.
5. Now in one stroke put the wet end of the nan on the hot (i mean really hot) tawa.
6. Hold the tawa and now turn it upside down directly facing the flame. Because of the water the nan would be sticking to the tawa and you will need to hold it in this fashion ensuring you cook the nan gradually, without taking it too close to the flame and mannouvering to cook entire nan slowly.
7. At this point in time the nan will blow up slightly and when you see light brown spots come up on the entire nan you know that it is done.
8. Now keep the tawa back on the flame and after a minute remove the nan from the tawa.
9. The nan if cooked properly will not stick on to the tawa and comes out easily with a thin spatula.
10. I know it sounds very complex but it isn't try it you'll not regret it :)
11. You can also make nans in a gas tandoor if you have one following the regular instructions.
12. Enjoy your nan with some creamy curry. In the photograph I have the nan (made this in the alternate method) beside this yum chicken tikka masala that prepared. I will post about it soon.

Methi Besan

This is one of the traditional recipes that I got hold of from my mother-in-law. It is predominantly a maharastrian dish but is made in the adjacent Chattisgarh state from where my family hails.


It is an easy to make dish that can replace the dal and subzi into one. The best thing about this dish is that it is so easy to make both time wise and complexity wise.

Ingredients:

1. 1 onion


2. 5-6 cloves of garlic


3. 1 green chili


4. 2 tomatoes


5. Coriander leaves chopped (a little)


6. Methi Leaves chopped( a small bunch, washed and chopped)


7. 1 cup of Green Peas


8. 1 Tbsp oil


9. ½ tsp Mustard Seeds


10. Haldi (a pinch)


11. Dhaniya powder ½ tsp)


12. Salt


13. Garam Masala Powder (a little bit)


14. Kitchen King Masala (a little bit)


15. Water (3-4 cups)


16. Besan (2tbsp- adjusted according the consistency you want)
    

Method:

Heat the oil in a kadai, add mustard and onion and green chilli, fry till onion turns golden brown.

Now add the crushed garlic and fry some more.

Add the tomotoes and fry and till tomotatoes are well fried.

Add the methi, coriander leaves, green peas and saute for a while till all the greens are wilted.

Now add the hadli, dhaniya powder and salt.

Add the water and get it to a boil. Once the water is well boiled and you find that the green peas and the leaves are cooked well, add besan little by little from one hand and keep stirring from the other hand.

Ensure that you keep stirring, now when you sense that this is the desired thickness that you want you can just stop there and let the mixture simmer for a good 10-15 mints.

Keep stirring once in a while though, taste and check if the rawness of the besan has gone.

Finally add the kitchen king masala and garam masala and serve hot with steamed or boiled rice. Enjoy!

Egg Plant Salad

This is dedicated to all those who said that I only publish baking recipes :)

Here I am with a down to earth recipe using the "Baigan Raja". I dont know how many of you remember having seen this TV series that used to come a long time back in Doordarshan during the summer holidays.

Yes I am talking about the huge purple shaped "Baigan Raja" who used to appear in this series. Those were the days of molopoly when good or bad, kids could only watch only one channel. Nostalgia apart summer and salad go very well. Thats the reason I am posting this recipe. It is easy to make and so delicious. Goes very well with both rice and roti.



My mother-in-law has been making this from a long time now. I thought i will share this simple yet tasty recipe with all of you out there who take time off to read my recipes :)

Ingredients:

1 Egg Plant (Big)
1 Onion chopped
Corainder Leaves finely chopped
1-2 green chillied finely chopped
1-2 tbsp of Fresh yoghurt /Dahi
Salt to Taste

First and foremost poke holes into the egg plant with a knife and then apply oil all over it. Now roast the egg plant on open flame till you can see that it is done. You will know this inserting a knife into it.

Now remove it off the flame and once cooled remove the peel. Mash the egg plant and then add the rest of the ingredients. Serve cold as a side dish to complete your meal. Enjoy!

Variation: Original recipe that my mother-in-law's mom used to make, used raosted tomato's pulp instead of the Dahi that I have substituted it with. So you can use either one of the combination.

Make-in-a-jiffy Chocolate Cake

This goes to all those friends of mine who have been inspired to bake after reading my blog and have gathered the courage to bake for thier family. My advice to all of them is it is very easy to bake as long as you know what the base ingredients are and then you can come out with your own innovative ways of baking.

Now this recipe spawned out of the basic cake recipe that I had posted sometime last year.

Anyways you can make this cake in less then an hour and in a microwave. Bake it, let cool and then cut the cake horizontally into two halves. Pour some chocolate syrup on the lower half and then let the first half rest on top. Pour some more syrup on top and there you have it a cake that you can celebrate with your family in less them an hour's time.

My family does not fancy all the topping and the cake is good enough to be eaten just like that so I do not usually pour any topping. But nevertheless you could do this.

So here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cup Atta



2. 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder



3. A pinch of salt



4. 1/2 tsp Baking Powder



5. 1/2 tsp Baking Soda



6. 1 1/2 cup Sugar (I substitute half the amount sugar jaggery)



7. 1 tsp Vanilla Essence



8. 3 ripe Bananas (small)



9. 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil



10. 3/4 cup Yoghurt



11. 3 eggs



12. Fistful of broken cashews or Almonds or any other dried nuts

Method:

Now first add all the dry ingredients (Atta, Cocoa, salt) except the Baking Powder + Baking Soda in a bowl. Set aside.

Combine sugar and oil along with the eggs and whisk for a minute.

Now add the vanilla essence and bananas and whisk for some more time.

Now gradually add the dry ingredeints into the wet ingredients and mix.

When everything is well incorporated stir in the nuts. Finally sieve the baking Powder and Baking Soda mixture into this batter and give a final stir.

Add this batter into a greased microwave dish, preferably a flat bottomed round container is the best.

Microwave it on high (800W) for about 8 minutes and your cake is done. Enjoy.

Tips:

To ensure the nuts do not sink sprinkle some atta on top of them before stirring them into the batter. They will not sink.

If you find that the cake batter is little thick add a few teaspoon of water or any kind of liquid till the batter reaches the desired consistency.