Chili Chicken

Chili chicken is probably more Indian than Chinese, we have owned it. My first tryst with chili chicken was at my hometown, Agartala. Chinese was not a rage like it is now; and Abhishek  restaurant  was probably the first so called ‘modern’ restaurant of Agartala. Until then, I was exposed only to the classic Bengali Chicken Curry with potatoes. Similar to many other Indians, chili chicken was first ‘International cuisine’ for me. A plate of chili chicken and fried rice… it’s heavenly. My search for the perfect chili chicken has taken me from Abhishek to Hatari, from Mainland China to Tangra .I have had experienced cuisines from different parts of the world, but chili chicken still holds a special place in my heart… So, Let’s get started.

 

Ingredients:
1. Boneless and skinless chicken cut in to small pieces (I have used 500 grams)
2. Soy Sauce (1 tablespoon or to taste)
3. Chili Sauce (2 tablespoon or to taste)
4. Tomato ketchup (1 tablespoon or to taste)
5. White Vinegar (1 tablespoon)
6. Red, Yellow and Green Bell Pepper (1/2 cup each, seeds removed and cut into cubes)
7. Salt to taste
8. Black pepper to taste
9. Corn-starch (1.5 tablespoon)
10. Oil (3 tablespoon)
11. Ginger Paste (1 teaspoon)
12. Garlic (2 teaspoon)
13. Green Chilies (3, slit)
14. Onion (2, medium size, 1 chopped and other cut into cubes)
15. Dry red chili (Optional)

Method:
1. Take the chicken pieces in a bowl; add a pinch of salt, soy sauce and half a teaspoon of corn-starch. Mix everything well and keep aside for 10 minutes
2. In a pan heat 2 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken pieces from all sides and make sure the pieces don’t stick together.
3. Lower the flame and, let the chicken pieces cook properly. To be sure, cut a chicken piece into half and check the color of the broken pieces. If they white inside, they are properly cooked.
4. Remove the chicken pieces from the flame; place them on a tissue paper to soak the excess oil.
5. In the same pan add one tbsp of oil; let it warm up and add the dry red chili, garlic and cook them for 20 seconds
6. Add the ginger paste and chopped onions; fry them for one minute
7. Add the bell pepper and cubed onions. Give it a good mix it and let it cook for another 2 minutes
8. In a cup, mix all the sauces as per your taste and pour the sauce mix into the hot pan
9. Add the vinegar, green chilies and a bit of salt. Be careful about the salt because soy sauce already contains salt
10. Add black pepper powder
11. To make the gravy thick, mix the rest of the corn-starch with a 1/2 cup of water and add this mixture to the gravy
12. Check the salt and adjust accordingly
13. Add the fried chicken pieces
14. Mix everything and make sure the sauce coats the chicken pieces and the veggies
15. Once done turn off the flame

Enjoy this with noodles or fried rice.

Mo

Chicken in coriander leaves gravy

Bengali’s are known for their love for fish, but that doesn’t mean that they have any less love for chicken. There are thousands of variations of chicken curry found in different parts of Bengal. Every household has a different formula for their perfect chicken curry. Today I am going to tell you about a not so common chicken recipe, the “Dhone-Pata-Chicken” (Chicken curry in coriander leaves gravy). This extremely tasty chicken curry has a distinctive green color. Although it may seem that this green colors comes from the coriander leaves, but it actually comes from the secret ingredient spinach. Lets get started.

Ingredients:
1. Chicken (500 grams, cut into small or medium pieces)
2. Coriander leaves (100 grams, roughly chopped)
3. Garlic (1 tsp paste and 4 whole cloves)
4. Onion (1 medium size, sliced)
5. Green chilies (2 whole green chili and 2 sliced)
6. Red dry chili (1)
7. Spinach (Boiled for 1 minute, 400 grams)
8. Turmeric  powder (1 teaspoon)
9. Coriander powder (1.5 tablespoon)
10. Red chili Powder (1 teaspoon)
11. Oil (3 tablespoon)
12. Salt to taste
13. Panch phoron (1 tsp)
14. Ginger  paste (1 tsp)

Method:
1. Before we start cooking, we need to marinade the chicken, for marination add 1 tsp oil, ginger and garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Mix them well and keep aside for 30 minutes at least.
2. In a blender, add the coriander leaves, boiled spinach, 2 green chilies and 4 garlic cloves; make a smooth paste.
3. Take a heated pan add 2 tbsp of oil, let the oil heat up.
4. Add the dry red chili and panch phoron mix. Let them splutter.
5. Add the onions, fry them till they become translucent
6. Add salt to taste
7. Add the marinated chicken and give it a good mix. Cook it for 7 minutes in high flame
8. Add water; mix the water and put the lid on; cook it until the chicken becomes soft
9. Add the sliced green chilies
10. As soon as the chicken pieces become soft, add the coriander and spinach paste. If it becomes too thick, add water as per your preference
11. Cook it for another 6-7 minutes
12. Before switching off the flame check the salt

Note: 
1. Do not put the lid when you are boiling the spinach
2. For this recipe you can use any type of cooking oil
3. Coriander leaves and spinach are the most important ingredients. Make sure they are fresh.
4. You can cook this recipe less then 3 tbsp of oil, if required
5. You can add little bit of vinegar during marination in case you want to remove the raw smell of chicken

*Panch-Phoron is an authentic Bengali spice mix used in most of the Bengali vegetarian dishes. It includes Cumin seeds, nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel Seeds, mustard seeds. All of these are mixed together together to make panch-phoron mix.

You can pair this healthy chicken recipe with steamed rice, chapati, naan-bread or paratha.

Enjoy
Mo.

Paneer Butter Masala..

Paneer butter masala or cottage cheese in butter gravy is a North Indian vegetarian delicacy. The name itself carries lot of baggage, but its rather easy to cook. Lets get started.

Ingredients:
1. Paneer/cottage cheese (200grm, cut in to cube pieces )
2. Butter (2 tablespoon)
3. Onion (1 medium size, sliced)
4. Ginger & Garlic paste (1 teaspoon each)
5. Cashew nuts (10-12)
6. Tomato (1 medium size, chopped)
7. Bay leaf (1)
8. Clove (3-4)
9. Cinnamon stick (1 )
10. Turmeric powder (1 tsp)
11. Red chili powder (1 -2 tsp as per the spice you want)
12. Coriander powder (1 tsp)
13. Cumin powder (1/2 tsp)
14. Salt to taste
15. Cream (2 Teaspoon)
16. Garam masala (1-1/2 tsp)
17. Roasted dry fenugreek leaves (1/3 tsp)

Method:
Part 1. Prepare the Masala
1. Take a  hot pan add 1 table spoon of butter , let it melt.
2. Add  sliced onions and fry  them for 1 minuet
3. Add ginger garlic paste to this and keep frying
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, cashew nuts; give a good mix and cook it  for 1 minuet
5. Remove it form flame and let the masala cool down
6. Blend the masala and make a smooth paste; if  it is too thick you can add a little bit of water.

Part 2: Get cooking the gravy
1. Heat up a pan (you may use the same pan) and add one table-spoon of butter and let the butter melt
2. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves
3. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt
4. Add the masala paste we prepared in step 1 and give it a good mix. Put the lid on and cook this for 5-7 minutes in low flame.
5. Add coriander, cumin powder
6. Add 2 teaspoon of cooking cream and mix the cream well with the gravy
7. Add the paneer cubes and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on.
8. Add garam masala powder and roasted dry fenugreek leaves; let it cook uncovered for 1 minute and turn off the flame

Your Paneer Butter Masala is ready. Serve it with roti, paratha ,naan.

Tip: In paneer butter masala you can add panner directly but I prefer fried panner. You can fry the paneer cubes for 1-2 minutes (till the paneer cubes become golden brown on all sides) and put them in a bowl of mildly salted water. Keeping the paneer submerged in water will make it super soft and really tasty.

Enjoy.

Mo

 

 

 

Palak Dal (Spinach Lentil soup)

Palak dal is a tasty and nutritious lentil preparation. I have used five different types of lentil, but you can use 1-2 types of lentil as per your choice. You can easily make this  dish with a few drops of oil.

Ingredients:

1. Spinach (coarsely chopped)
2. Lentils (soak the lentils for one hour before cooking)
   a. Split Red Lentil/ Masoor Dal
   b. Yellow Moong Dal
   c. Split Bengal gram/ Chana Dal
   d. Split Red gram/ Tuvar Dal/ Arhar Dal
   e. Matar Dal/Split green pea
3. Onion (1 medium size sliced)
4. Garlic (3 clove)
5. Ginger julienne
6. Green chilies (2 sliced)
7. Dry red chili (1)
8. Dry spices
   a. Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
   b. Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
   c. Turmeric powder-1 tsp
9. Cumin seeds (1/2 tsp)
10. Salt to taste
11. Oil (1/2 tsp)
12. Tomato (1 medium size  cut in to cubes)

Method:

1. Boil the soaked lentils till they become soft; if you are using pressure cooker, cook it till 5 whistle. Add a pinch of salt to the water at time of boiling the lentils.
2. In a heated pan add oil. When the oil heats up, add the dry red chili, garlic and cumin seeds.
3. Add the sliced onion and sprinkle a bit of salt. Fry it for 1 minute.
4. Add the cubed tomatoes, mix it well and fry it for 1 minute. If the masala becomes too dry, add a cup of water.
5. Add all the dry spices. You may add a bit of salt if needed. Add half a cup of water.
6. Add the  chopped spinach and give it a good mix.
7. Add the  boiled lentils and green chilies. Mix everything well.
8. Add water as per the thickness you prefer.
9. Put the lid on and cook it for 3-4 minutes.

This is my kind of Palak dal. You can enjoy it with rice or roti; you can even have it as a soup. If you want you can add Ghee (clarified butter) or butter for a richer taste; I did not add any though. To make it spicier, you can add a teaspoon of  paprika.

Enjoy.

Mo

 

 

Pakhala Bhat with various side dishes

Pakhala is the a traditional Oriya dish; in Bengali it is called Pantha Bhat (পান্তা ভাত). It is prepared by soaking leftover rice in water overnight. There are so many side dishes that goes well with this, both vegetarian and non vegetarian. I have paired it with Fried potatoes, fried bitter gourd and Red Lentil Dal.

You can get more information about Pakhala from this Wikipedia article. 20th March is declared as Pakhala Dibasa (Universal Pakhala Day) by Oriya community. And being a Bengali foodie, I celebrate it too, in my own way.

Ingredients:
1. One cup of cooked rice
2. Potato(1 big size)
3. Bitter gourd (5 small size)
4. Tomatoes (2 medium size)
5. Fenugreek seeds(1/4 tsp)
6. Green chilies (5)
7. Salt to taste
8. Mustard oil 3 tsp
9. Lemon leaf (2-3)
10. Masoor Dal(Red lentils)
11. Turmeric powder
12. Nigella seeds (1/4tsp)
13. Flour(1/3 tsp)
14. Cumin powder (1/2 tsp)

Menu and  Method:
1. Pakhala (Rice dish): Take a cup of cooked rice (you can use leftover rice) and add 2 cups of cold water to it. Many people add cumin seeds or curry leaves to this; but I want my Pakhala to be pristine; so I didn’t add anything. Leave the rice soaked in water overnight and your Pakhala will be ready in the morning.

2. Potato fry: Peel the potatoes and cut them into flat long pieces as done for french fries. In a heated pan add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add nigella seeds. Add the potatoes, salt, turmeric powder and 2 green chilies. Fry everything in high flame for 2 minutes. Sprinkle a tablespoon of water on top. Cover the lid and let it cook in low flame. Keep checking the potatoes in between and cook it until the potatoes become soft.

3. Bitter gourd fry: Bitter gourd is bitter I know; but it is really really great for your health. Cut the bitter gourds into disc like pieces. Add some salt, turmeric powder, flour and a pinch of water. Mix everything well and fry in 1 teaspoon of oil for 1-2 minutes in high flame. Cover it up with lid and let it cook in low flame until the bitter gourds become soft.

4. Masoor Dal (Red lentils soup): Masoor dal is the quintessential dal on a Bengali dining table. We eat it everyday; a regular Bengali meal is unthinkable without this. Take a half cup of  red lentil and add 1.5 cup of water to it. Boil it with salt and turmeric powder. In a pan add 1 teaspoon of oil. Let the oil heat up and then add fenugreek seeds and tomatoes. Saute it for 1 minute. Add cumin powder, green chilies and mix it well. Finally, pour the boiled dal in to the pan. Mix the masala with the cooked dal well and cook it for 3-4 mints. If it becomes too thick to your preference, add some water. I have added 0ne cup of water, because I wanted my dal to be a bit runny. Add the lemon leaves, mix it well and switch off the flame.

I like to add some cucumber to all my meals, it helps to control the amount of carbohydrate intake. There are some unbelievable health benefits which you will find in green chilies, no calories only Vitamins; and it adds a lovely aroma to the whole meal.

All the dishes which I have just described are just perfect for hot Summer, do try it out.

Enjoy.

Mo.

 

 

 

 

Palak paneer(Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy)

Palak Paneer or Cottage cheese in spinach gravy is delicious and surprisingly easy to cook. This is a traditional North Indian dish, variations of the recipe can be found all over the county and even outside of India. It’s one of the most recognized India dish and easily available in Indian restaurants in India and abroad. Its easy to make, very healthy and absolutely delightful.

Ingredients:
1. Spinach (4 cups, washed)
2. Paneer (250 grams)
3. Green Chilies (4 pieces)
4. Mustard oil (4 tbsp)
5. Cinnamon Stick  (1 inch piece)
6. Onions (2, medium size, sliced)
7. Ginger paste (½ tbsp)
8. Garlic paste (1 tbsp)
9. Tomatoes (1 , medium size, chopped)
10. Coriander Powder (2 teaspoons)
11. Cumin Powder (2 teaspoons)
12. Turmeric Powder (½ teaspoon)
13. Red Chili Powder (1 teaspoon)
14. Garam Masala (1 teaspoon)
15. Salt to taste
16. Dry Mango Powder (½ teaspoon)
17. Milk or Cooking Cream (1 cup)
18. Dried Fenugreek Leaves (1 teaspoon)

Method:

Step 1:
Boil the washed spinach leaves with 2 chilies without lid on top. It will take 2-3 minutes. Remove the spinach from heat, drain the excess water and allow it to cool down. We will blend this and make a thick paste which will be used for gravy. For that, we will blend this in pulse mode so that there is some solid pieces or bits of spinach in the gravy.

Step 2:
In a pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir fry the paneer cubes until they become light golden brown on all sides. While frying, I have added pinch of salt and turmeric to give it a yellowish color; this is absolutely optional skip this if you want our paneer to be pristine. Add half a teaspoon of salt in a bowl of water and throw in all the fried paneer cubes in it. Once the paneer cubes are fried, they become a bit harder and it adversely affects the texture of the dish; if we put the paneer cubes into water, they will stay soft when we will use them later.

Step 3:
Heat the pan. Add 3 tablespoons of oil. In the heated oil, add the cinnamon stick, onions and a teaspoon of salt. Cook until Onions become translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste. Fry this until they become a bit brownish. Add chopped tomatoes and keep stirring the mix and make sure it doesn’t burn. Sprinkle some water if required. Mix properly until the oil comes out from the mixture and the tomatoes get caramelized. Add all the dry spices (Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, Garam Masala, Dry Mango Powder). Mix everything well; add salt as per your taste. Your masala is ready.

Step 4:
Since our masala is ready, now it’s time to add the goodness of spinach.  Add the blended spinach to the masala. If the gravy becomes very thick, add a bit of water as per your preference. Cook it for 2-3 mints without the lid. Add a cup of full fat milk. In restaurants  they use cream, but i have used full fat milk. Give it a good mix. Crusg some dried fenugreek leavesand add to the mix. And sliced green chilies. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Your gravy is ready.

Step 5:
Now it’s time to add the king of the dish, the paneer cubes. Add the fried paneer cubes and mix them gently with the gravy.

Palak paneer is ready. Serve it with hot chapati, roti or nan.

Enjoy.

Mo