July Chicken Curry

This one is subtle & mellow, a little sweet, a little tangy, a perfect blend of spices and delightfully delicious! Do give it a shot!

I could not come up with any other name for this dish so thought of "July Chicken Curry"!

Another Recipe inspired by Shivajee Chandrabhushan of Sikandalous Cuisine!

Ingredients:

To Marinate:
Chicken - 1 kg, cut in small pieces
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Vinegar - 1.5 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Other ingredients:

Oil - 4 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Onion - 2 large (finely chopped)
Curry leaves - 10-12
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Tomatoes - 2
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tblsp
Coriander powder - 1 tblsp
Water – 1 cup
Salt as per taste (Remember you had put it in marination too)


Dry Roast, Grind and make a paste:

Kashmiri Dry Red Chillies – 6 (deseeded)
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp (I used Melon Seeds)
Cinnamon - 1'' long
Cloves - 6
Green Cardamom - 4

Method:

1. Clean and wash the chicken pieces. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, vinegar, and required salt. Mix well, keep aside overnight. (if you don't have this much time then 2-3 hours marination should suffice)

2. Puree the tomatoes and keep them aside.

3. Dry roast and grind red chillies, fennel, cumin, poppy, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom into fine powder. Add few spoons of water to make a paste and keep it aside.

4. In a non-stick pan, heat oil. Add sugar and let the oil get a shade darker.

5. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves and fry for a minute. Then add the finely chopped onions and fry till the onions caramelize and the colour changes to a brilliant golden shade!

6. Then add ginger garlic paste. Fry for 3-4 minutes. Then add the pureed tomatoes, and fry well for another 5-7 minutes.

7. Add the masala paste, fry till oil separates and the aroma envelops you and the kitchen.

8. Then add the marinated chicken, coriander powder and mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.

9. Then add a cup of water and adjust the salt as required. Mix well. Cover and cook for atleast 15 minutes in medium flame.

10. Check the consistency of the gravy and let it simmer in low flame till the oil starts separating.

11. Serve with fresh tawa rotis and rice.

12. Thank me later.

So till the time we meet again……..

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Jai BoP!

Sabudana-Kesar-Naariyal Kheer

I recently subscribed to Diabetic Living India on my iPad and the biggest reason for it was the cover page of the latest edition! It was irresistible and I could not just stay away! It featured a Kheer with a Rose Petal garnish! surely looked WOW! More details here: http://diabeticlivingonline.in/index.aspx

So had to make this one for sure; Sabudana has always been a favourite since childhood when my Mummy used to make Sabudane ke Papad and Pakode when we were growing up! and then after marriage I got introduced to the wonderful Sabudana Khichdi which Bandita makes!

Plus this Kheer also had 1 of my other favourite ingredients - Coconut! and I decided to improvise and added Kesar for good measure too! so now you know why this is irresistible!

And then this was made with Splenda so no sugar-laden guilt!

Without further adieu...the recipe details...

Ingredients:

Sabudana Pearls: 100 grams
Grated Coconut: 50 grams (I used the dry version but the fresh version would do wonders)
Low Fat Milk: 1 Litre
Almonds: 6-8 chopped
Kesar: Few Strands
Splenda: 20 grams
Green Cardamom Powder: 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Soak the Sabudana Pearls in water for 90 minutes

2. Soak the Kesar in warm milk for 5-10 minutes

3. Boil the milk in a non-stick saucepan and add the Cardamom Powder & Chopped Badam to it

4. Add the drained sabudana pearls, grated coconut and the soaked kesar in the boiling milk

5. Keep stirring till you get the desired consistency

6. Shut the flame and then add the Splenda and mix it well.

7. Let it cool off but if you are out of control like me then have it piping hot as I love my Kheer hot and not icy cold as many people prefer!

8. When you are done, garnish with some chopped Badam and then take a photograph!

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…

2012…On the Road and Off it…

Years come and go as a routine but some of them are special & unique…2012 was another such year! I enjoyed my time whole-heartedly; watched some real awesome movies and yeah loads of them J, ate like mad – thanks to my Wife and travelled to new places! Couldn't have asked for more I say!

Movies……………..

I have always loved watching & following movies – across genres and languages! And Kuwait provided me the perfect opportunity to follow this passion religiously; as when I was in India majority of my free time was taken up by motorcycling, friends & family! But since I came to Kuwait there has been no looking back!!! And God provided me the perfect partner in Bandita who is a movie freak just like me! She is always game for a movie: whenever & wherever! So here it goes….

My Movie Count for 2012...Total of 287:
Hollywood: 271 - Bollywood: 16

Out of these 35 were Theatre Visits!
Some of my 2012 Movie Blogs:
1. GoW Review: http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2012/07/gangs-of-wasseypur-my-review-hazraat.html
2. Review of Sachin Kalbag's selection: http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2012/10/sachin-kalbags-choice-my-views.html
3. My Oscar Selection: http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2012/02/2011-academy-awardsmy-winners.html

Food………………...

Food is a necessity for some people but for me it is one of the driving factors of my life! I live to eat and have no qualms in publicly accepting this facet of my life J once again BIG thanks to Bandita for bringing more food pleasures in my life – with her being an awesome cook, a partner-in-crime in sampling new cuisines & restaurants and enjoying the non-vegetarian dishes I cook! We tried out various new restaurants here in Kuwait and during our India Trip…plus she graduated from being a cooking novice to a brilliant cook since she moved to Kuwait…meaning wonders for me! In this process I gained a lot of weight too which was all too visible ;) but then being a doctor she ensured that I exercised regularly and showed restrained….at times! From 65 kgs in Feb 2012 to 86 kgs in Nov 2012 was quite a journey ;)

The London Olympics................

Thanks to the curtailed office timings during Ramzan here in Kuwait and the Olympics happening during the same time I followed the Olympics like never before! Plus I had access to all 3 TV Channels beaming the mega event LIVE! Olympics have been my favourite Sporting Event since childhood and this time was no different! and this time I followed all sport disciplines across countries...these Olympics were also special as India gave it's best performance with 6 medal winners! once again Sports united the country across regional divides :)
My Blog about the Olympics: http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-take-on-london-2012-olympics.html

Travel………………

Didn't travel that much in 2012 but whatever I could was full of fun & wonderful memories! During my brief India Trip in March I had planned a much-awaited ride to Abhaneri, Rajasthan with my motorcycle club – Bulls on Parade (BoP) but that didn't finish the way I had planned – nonetheless whatever time I enjoyed with my comrades was good fun!
My Blog about that Ride: http://cheguevaraontheroad.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-bop-abhaneri-ajgars.html

Then came our Oct-Nov Trip to India and we had a ball!

Went to Gujarat to spend some time with Bandita’s parents and enjoy Gujarat during the Navratras Time…

Drove to Agra together for a 1-day Trip…and were mesmerized by “Wah Taj”!

Travelled to the most beautiful part of this Earth – Ladakh…and spent 7 days together in the lap of heaven! Memories that would last a lifetime!

And then I rode to Mandawa, Rajasthan with my BoP Comrades to celebrate our 5^th Anniversary which was another wonderful & fun-filled ride and most importantly devoid of any mishaps plus had all the regular BoP Ride Ingredients. – BBB, Mis-navigation and yeah some Rain too!

Diabetes......................

This was also the year I was diagnosed with Diabetes....on 17-Feb-2012! With my Chronic Pancreatitis history and both my parents being Diabetics I had to get it one day and this year it finally happened...I am on Insulin and take 2 shots a day and this would remain the case for the rest of my life now...Due to my diet control, exercise regimen and Ayurvedic Medicines thankfully my Blood Sugar levels are under control but I would have to remain careful for the rest of my life now! As always I am unfazed by this and have accepted this as a part of my life! hopefully things would get better in years to come....though this has dealt a big blow to my sweet tooth and now I can't eat all those amazing desserts & this is my biggest loss! plus Diabetes also explains my sudden weight loss in the beginning of this year and the steady gain since it started to get normal due to my medications - Insulin and the Pancreatic Enzymes I take daily....

Last but not the least…………..Bandita!

Big thanks to her for making 2012 such a memorable year! We got married in Nov 2011 and then I came back to Kuwait in Dec 11…she joined me here in February 2012 and since then we have spent some awesome moments together….she is the perfect partner-in-rhyme I could have hoped for! Life is indeed very beautiful with her around….she was always there when I was indulging in Movies, Food and Travel! 

2013 has started on a real good note and hope the good times continue in 2013 as well…lot of good things planned for this year starting with our February Dubai Trip….so here’s wishing everybody a rocking, trouble-free & chilled-out 2013 from my side…

Cheers to life…

Che would be back on the road again…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Jai BoP!