Sunday, November 24, 2013

Chicken with Roasted Coconut



 Coconut has always been my favourite...be it in Sweets, Cookies, Chocolates or Curries so making a Chicken Dish with Coconut as one of the main ingredients and flavours was pretty natural!

Picked this recipe somewhere off Facebook but sadly don't remember the exact page...so thanks to the anonymous person who posted this recipe!

Ingredients:

For the Coconut Masala Paste:



Large onion- 1 peel, wash & cut into 4 Pieces
Dry red chilies- 4
Dessicated Coconut- 3/4 cup (though Freshly Grated would be a much better option)
6 cloves + 2 inches piece cinnamon + 3 green cardamoms + 2 tsp black pepper corns + 1 tsp mustard seeds + 1 tsp fenugreek seeds + 1 tsp cumin seeds + 1 tsp fennel seeds
Coriander powder- 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Water- 1/2 cup

For the Chicken Curry:



Chicken- 750 grams
2 Onions -  thinly sliced
1 Large Tomato finely chopped
Chopped Ginger- 2 tsp
Chopped Garlic- 2 tsp
Slit Green Chillies- 2
Curry Leaves- 1 sprig
Salt
Mustard Oil - 4 tbsp

For the Tempering:

Mustard oil- 2 tbsp
Black mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs
White vinegar- 1 tsp

Method:

1. In a non-stick frying pan add the dessicated coconut, dry red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, pepper corns, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seed & fennel seeds.

2. Dry fry on low flame till the coconut turns light brown in color. Ensure not to burn the spices.

3. Remove from heat and cool it. In a grinder add rest of the ingredients mentioned for coconut masala paste with the roasted coconut & the other spices. Add some water and grind till a smooth paste forms.

4. Heat the mustard oil in a non-stick kadhai.

5. Add the chopped ginger & garlic & curry leaves and sauté on medium flame for few seconds.

6. Next add the sliced onions, fry till they are light brown in color.

7. Then add the chopped tomato and sauté for 5-6 minutes till the oil comes on the top.

8. Now add the chicken pieces & green chilies. Mix, cover & cook for 10-12 minutes.



9. Then add the coconut masala paste, mix well and cover & cook for 15 minutes on low flame.



10. Keep stirring in between; add 1 cup of water & salt. Mix well cover & cook till the chicken pieces are fully cooked.

11. Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a frying pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and then add the curry leaves. Sauté for few seconds, turn off the heat, add vinegar, mix & pour this tadka over the chicken curry.



12. Serve hot with steamed rice and rotis.

13. Thank me Later.


Till the time we meet again…

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…


Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Monday, November 18, 2013

Methi Matar Malai Murgh


Another of Seema Hussain's special recipes! There is so much to learn from her cooking - she is definitely one of the top inspirations for me...she is a master-class! I would love to eat her special dishes one day! she lives in Saudi Arabia so that is a definite possibility! 


The recipe and the photograph she posted on her FB Page was inspiring enough for me to give this very famous recipe a try and even though the way my recipe looked very different from Seema's recipe! Bandita as always was game to sample this and helped me in the Kitchen! without her no cooking is possible for me as I find it extremely boring to cook alone in the kitchen! so invariably she is always a partner-in-rhyme for me! in Travelling, watching movies and cooking as well!

This one is an extremely flavourful, low on spices and a delightfully delicious recipe! and I am not boasting but would like to say that this tasted like the one we get in restaurants! It makes me feel real good that I have improved my cooking skills so much in the last 3-4 months! and have moved ahead from the days of National-Shaan Spice Mixes! and there is a long way to go and I am ready to go the distance! Big thanks to all the FB Food Pages I am a part of for inspiring me for exploring this passion!

And now the Recipe Details...

Ingredients:

Chicken   - 750 grams
Green Peas (Matar) - 1 Cup (Boiled)
Butter - 3 tbsp
oil - 1 tbsp
Whipped Cream - 1/2 cup (I used Half Fat Almarai Fresh Cream)
Yoghurt - 1/4 cup (I used Half Fat Almarai Fresh Yoghurt)
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Ginger Paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 (Medium Size)
Tomatoes - 2 (Medium Size)
Green chillies - 2
Green Coriander - 1/4 bunch
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 tbsp (Crushed)
Salt - As per taste

Method: 

1. Marinate the Chicken with Yoghurt & Lemon Juice and refrigerate for half an hour.



2. In a blender put roughly chopped onion, tomatoes, green chillies, green coriander and make a fine paste out of it.



3. Heat the oil & butter in a non-stick pan, add ginger & garlic paste, stir for 1-2 minutestill it changes colour to brown.



4. Add the green paste, stir and cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes or till the oil starts floating on the masala.



5. Add the marinated chicken, salt as per taste, some water, stir well and cover the lid

6. Keep stirring in between and when the chicken is about to done then add the Boiled Matar, Garam Masala powder, Kasoori Methi, cook for 5-6 minutes and then add the whisked fresh cream and simmer on low heat for another 5-6 minutes.



7. Cook till the Chicken is well cooked and the Butter-Oil starts floating on the gravy.



8. Enjoy with Rotis and Rice.

9. Thank me Later.



Till the time we meet again…

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Kesar Kheer



Deepawali away from home is always sad and just can't get the same even when it is celebrated with full fervour here in Kuwait and the thing I miss the most about Deepawali back home is the special food cooked by my mother on this special day! The Dahi Vade, Poori, Aloo-Tamatar ki Sabzi and the awesome Kheer which she makes! I have grown up devouring the Kheer she makes and have rarely liked any other version made by somebody else! that's how special her Kheer is!

To make this day special I decided to make Kesar Kheer at home myself this time! I have always made Phirni/Kheer using the National/Mehran readymade mix always but this time I wanted to make it special! I wanted to make it from scratch and boy I was successful or what! And the icing on the cake was this was calorie free and sugar free as I used Half Fat Milk and Splenda as the sweetener!

Thanks to the best possible Recipe Book on Indian Cuisine - "Prashad - Cooking with Indian Masters" the Kheer became a reality!

My parents are coming to Kuwait in February 2014 and I am definitely making this for them!

And now the recipe details...

Ingredients:

3 Litres Milk (I used the Half Fat variety)
75 grams Basmati Ricce
3 tbsp Desi Ghee
75 grams Splenda (Granulated)
15 Green Cardamoms
15 Almonds
1/4 cup Raisins
15 Cashews
15 Pistachios
2 grams Saffron
30 ml Milk (to dissolve the Saffron)

Method:

1. Wash the Rice in running water, soak for an hour and then drain

2. Blanch the Almonds in warm water for 10 minutes, remove the skin and then slice them

3. Saute the Pistachios and Cashews in Ghee for 5 minutes and make a powder of 10 green cardamoms

4. Dissolve the Saffron in warm milk for 15-20 minutes

5. Pour the Milk in a Pan and bring it to boil

6. Heat the ghee, add 5 full cardamoms, add the soaked rice and bhunno it when it changes colour to light brown (it should take 8-10 minutes)

7. Add the Rice to the boiling milk and stirring continuously all the while, keep simmering it on low flame and keep stirring continuously so that the mixture doesn't get burnt in the bottom

8. The MOST IMPORTANT key is Low flame and the continuous stirring!

9. Once the mix is reduced to 60-70% of the original volume, add the Splenda Powder and stir slowly so that it gets dissolved completely

10. Add all the Dry Fruits at this stage plus the Green Cardamom Powder

11. Keep stirring till you get the desired consistency of the Kheer

12. The Kesar Kheer is ready to devour...

13. Thank me later


Till the time we meet again…

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Kabuli Chana Biryani





Wanted to try a Vegetarian Biryani of some different style since quite some time and a Google search led me to this recipe on the Simply Tadka Blog: http://www.simplytadka.com/2013/10/kabuli-chana-biryani-biryani-recipe.html

Thanks to Preeti Garg and her well managed Recipe Website - Simply Tadka!

This looked and sounded really easy and delicious too so the decision was quite simple for me!

And this turned out so well I was surprised myself! I never expected the flavours to come out perfectly well in my first attempt but they did! it was light, flavourful, aromatic and a complete meal in itself! The Kesar flavour made it special! thanks to the Taj Mahal Spanish Saffron we used! before coming to Kuwait I thought Saffron only grew in Kashmir and since we have started using the Spanish type we have figured out that is much more flavourful & aromatic than it's Kashmiri Sibling!

And now the Recipe:

We have to cook the Chana and Rice separately, layer it with friend onions & chopped coriander and then do the final cooking in a Microwave Oven...

This would look a little too lengthy but believe me once you would make it this would be relatively quite easy & quick!

Ingredients:

4 Cup boiled Basmati Rice
3 Tbsp. Ghee
1/4 Cup Milk
Few Strands Saffron
1 Cup Fried Onions
1/2 Cup Chopped Green Coriander

For Kabuli Chana Gravy:

2 Cup Boiled White Chickpeas
1/4 Cup Yogurt
2 medium size chopped Tomatoes
2 chopped Green Chillies
1 Tsp. julienned Ginger
1/2 Tsp. Garam masala
2 Tbsp. Coriander powder
1 Tsp. Turmeric powder
1 Tsp. Red chili Powder
Salt to taste

Method:

For Kabuli Chana Gravy:

1. Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan and splutter the cumin seeds.

2. Add the green chillies & ginger and sauté for 1 minute on medium flame.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, mash them and cook them till the ghee comes on the top.

4. Add all the spices and mix well.

5. Add the stirred yoghurt and cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes.

6. Add the kabuli chana, some water and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Other Preparations:

1. Slice the onions, fry them until they are golden brown, remove on plate and keep aside.

2. Soak the saffron in warm milk and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

3. Soak the basmati rice for an hour, cook it with water and salt, drain the water once the rice is cooked and keep aside.

The Biryani Assembly:

1. Take a microwave safe dish (we used a Plastic one) and grease with ghee

2. Sprinkle 1/3rd of the fried onion and chopped coriander.

3. Put half portion of the cooked rice and spread it evenly.

4. Pour 1/2 portion of the saffron milk and 1/3rd of the onion & coriander.

5. Put the kabuli chana gravy over it and spread it evenly covering the rice completely.

6. Put the remaining rice and spread evenly.

7. Pour the remaining saffron milk and garnish with the coriander and fried onions.

8. Microwave it for 10 minutes and serve hot with Raita/Chutney/Achar; we enjoyed it without any accompaniment!

9. Thank me later!





Till the time we meet again…

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Friday, November 8, 2013

Moti Dhaba Chicken Curry



OK so first things first....the plan was to make Tanya Manjunath's Chicken Butter Roast Recipe but then things turned out completely differently but a real good one at that! after all the recipe was so good it just couldn't go wrong!

The original recipe: http://tanyasrecipez.blogspot.com/2013/09/chicken-butter-roast.html

The look of the dish was so tempting that within a day of seeing this recipe I decided to make my version! the Garlic and the Butter flavours were very inviting indeed!

And the resulting dish was simply awesome and the taste was very similar to the Chicken Curry I have always enjoyed at Moti Dhaba, Ghanta Ghar, North Delhi...had it for the first time when I was in Class 9 in 1994 when I was just a 14 years old! my brother took me there and then it became a regular trip for us! the Chicken & Mutton Curry there have been always the best curries I have had and there has been no competition ever since! so many memories from that place come gushing to my mind....but the worst part is that I can't go there now as my brother told me that there was some family fight and the Dhaba closed down...so I got to make this recipe again & again to remind me of Moti Dhaba!

And I would be definitely trying Tanya's recipe again too to get those lovely colours!

Without further adieu the recipe details....

Ingredients:

Chicken – 750 grams
Dry red chillies – 10 (depending on your taste)
Coriander seeds – 4 tbsp
Cloves – 6
Cinnamon – 2 inches piece
Green cardamom - 4
Garlic – 8-10 cloves - crushed
Onion – 2 medium – roughly chopped
Butter – 6 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt
Water as needed


Method:

1. In a non-stick kadhai dry roast the dried red chillies, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Ensure that you don't burn these spices and then let them cool off.

2. In the same kadhai heat 2 tbsp of butter plus 1/2 tsp oil then add the garlic and onion. Saute till the mixture turns golden brown and the aromas engulf you & the kitchen.

3. Now grind this along with the above roasted spices into a fine paste. Add water for the consistency.

4. Heat 4 tbsp butter plus 1/2 tsp oil and add the masala paste. Keep stirring till the oil separates.

5. Add the chicken pieces and keep frying for 10-12 minutes and add salt.

6. Cover and cook on a medium flame and add water based on your gravy preference.

7. Once the chicken is cooked, uncover it and fry it on high flame.

8. The Moti Dhaba Curry is ready to be devoured with Rice and Rotis.

9. Thank me later!

Till the time we meet again…

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Captain Phillips ||| My Review





I watched the first trailer of Captain Phillips in May 2013 and it was sure that this had to be watched on the big screen! Tom Hanks, a Piracy Movie based on a real life incident and Paul Greengrass. the director of the film [Director of The Bourne Supremacy (2004), United 93 (2006), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) & Green Zone (2010)] were strong enough reasons to wait for this movie to release!

The Movie released here in the Diwali Weekend and we went to watch it last night at Fanar - our favourite Cinema here  and witnessed a spectacular movie! and as always Last Row-Centre Tickets!

The story isn't a secret as all of you know and is based on a real life incident which happened on 8 April 2009 when four Somali pirates based on the FV Win Far 161 attacked the MV Maersk Alabama 240 and all four of the pirates were between 17 and 19 years old. This event ended after a rescue effort by the U.S. Navy on 12 April 2009. It was the first successful pirate seizure of a ship registered under the American flag since the early 19th century!

The story of the incident was reported in the book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea (2010), by Stephan Talty and Captain Richard Phillips, who had been master of the vessel at the time of the incident and then made into this film Captain Phillips.

More details about the incident can be read at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk_Alabama_hijacking

And this is a movie about Tom Hanks yes but the 4 Somali Pirates have done a superb job as well with their brilliant debut performances! It is a breathtakingly intense movie where even the silence of the sea never gets boring and you keep waiting for the next scene!



This is definitely one of the year’s best movies I have watched and Hanks’ strongest performance in the last 10 years and we were on the edge of our seats through the entire movie and the 134 minutes passed in a jiffy! it never felt like watched a 2 hours and 14 minutes of the movie! It is a ticking time bomb which keeps getting closer and closer to the final blast and keeps getting captivating with each passing minute! I felt like there was a gun on my head too at times!

The last 15 minutes of “Captain Phillips” are perhaps the most compelling moments of film and the ones which would always remain with me! and that is what Cinematic brilliance is...

I am very sure that Hanks' extraordinary acting in the last few scenes when he's bound with ropes and trapped with a gun on his head in the lifeboat to the final scenes when he gets rescued and reaches the doctor's table would get the two-time Oscar-winner his sixth nomination and maybe if he is lucky then the 3rd Best Actor Oscar too!

A special mention for Barkhad Abdi who played the pirate leader Abduwali Muse for his electrifying performance! the way he says "Irish, everything will be fine" is definitely the best dialogue of the movie! the way he keeps calm & collected amidst all the chaos was tremendously well-executed!

And this movie passes a very strong message too! one just can't mess with USA! One captive Ship Captain and there were 3 US Navy Vessels out there to rescue him and then the Navy Seal Intervention as well! they definitely told all the pirates out there about who is the real boss!

I wonder how Ron Howard would have made this movie as he was originally slated to direct Captain Phillips while Greengrass was developing Rush, but in the end the two film-makers swapped these 2 projects and the results of both of these movies have been outstanding! and I have been lucky enough to watch both of them on the big screen!

The cinematography of the film is brilliant specially the lifeboat interior scenes where the handheld camera-work has been masterfully executed! and the background score kept getting better and added to the tension & excitement build up!

I am sure the real Captain Phillips must be mighty pleased too when he would have know that Hanks was playing his role!



This is one of those movies which would be best enjoyed on the big screen and must not be missed! so please don't wait for those Pirated Cam Prints or even the DVD Rips! get moving and enjoy this on the big screen! I am sure you would be entertained and captivated just like me!

My rating 4.5/5...

Till the time we meet again…

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…