Chicken in Coconut MIlk

          This is a very easy and an equally yummy chicken curry cooked in coconut milk. I made it a bit spicy to balance the sweetness of the coconut milk. There is not much frying or sautéing required and is basically simmered till done. I kept the gravy a little runny - a soupy type. However, you can adjust the consistency according to your preference. So it is a complete hassle free dish that can be enjoyed with any form of rice like steamed rice, pulao, plain biryani or jeera rice. 

• 500 gms. Chicken, curry cut
• 2 onion. blended into a paste
• 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 cup yogurt, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. cumin-coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 2 tsp. red chili powder
• pinch of nutmeg powder
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1" stick cinnamon
• 3 cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 tsp. peppercorns
• 1/2 mace
• 1 & 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

           Marinate chicken with onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, yoghurt and all dry spices overnight or for a minimum of 3-4 hours. 

          Heat oil in a pan. Temper with bay leaves, dry red chilies, cinnamon, cardamom, mace, peppercorns and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds. 

           Add the chicken pieces from the marinade. Sauté on a high flame for 2-3 minutes. 

          Add the remaining marinade. Cover and simmer on a low flame till the chicken is done.

          Now add the coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with pulao, plain biryani, steamed rice or jeera rice.

Brown Rice Mutton Biryani

          This is a perfect one pot meal for a lazy weekend lunch. I substituted white rice with brown basmati rice to dish out this yummy mutton biryani. It was my first try and it came out perfect. The spices were the basic ones that is generally used but I added potatoes to it, a la Bong style. You may skip it if you wish.

          I followed the layering method, where I cooked the mutton and the rice separately. Then I layered them by adding few toppings over it to be cooked in the dum style. You can relish with  some raita, sliced onion, boiled egg and lime wedges as accompaniments. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this great comfort food.

Marination - 

• 500 gms. mutton with bones
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 small onion, ground
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp. mustard oil

Rice - 

• 1 cup brown Basmati rice, soaked for an hour
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 2 cups water
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• 4-5 cloves
• 2 bay leaves

Other Ingredients -

• 1-2 tbsp. oil
• 2 small potatoes
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cardamoms 
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 mace

Toppings - 

• pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. kewra water
• 1 tsp. dry rose petals
• 2 tbsp. chopped mint-coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. chopped pistachios
• 8-10 cashew nuts
• 8-10 almonds
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder

         Mutton Curry - Marinate the mutton with all the mentioned ingredients for 2-3 hours or preferably overnight.

         Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion till golden brown in colour. Drain and keep aside. In the same oil fry the potatoes too till golden brown. Keep aside.

         Heat 1 tbsp. ghee and temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, mace and star anise. 

          Add the marinated mutton and cook, covered till the moisture evaporates. Keep stirring at intervals. 

          Add 1 cup water and the fried potatoes. Pressure cook for 15-20 minutes or till tender. When done, simmer till the gravy turns thick. 

         Rice - Heat ghee in a pan and temper with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise and bay leaf. Add the soaked rice and sauté for 2 minutes. Keep aside. 

          Add water and cook for 20 minutes on a low to medium flame. Then switch off the flame and keep it covered for 15 minutes. The rice will be done by now. Fluff it up and keep it aside.

         In a pressure cooker or any heavy bottomed pan, spread the cooked mutton followed by the cooked rice. 

          Garnish with all the mentioned ingredients and cover tightly with a lid or an aluminum foil.

         Cook for 8-10 minutes on a very low flame. When done, keep it covered for 10 minutes more. Serve with raita for a great comfort meal.

       

                        Marinate mutton with all the ingredients for 2-3 hours or overnight.

                               Heat oil & fry onion till golden brown in colour. Keep aside.

                              In the same oil fry potatoes too till golden brown. Keep aside.

                     Heat 1 tbsp. ghee & temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves,
                     mace and star anise. 

                       Add marinated mutton & cook, covered till the moisture evaporates. 
                  

                           Add 1 cup water & fried potatoes. Pressure cook for 15-20 minutes.

                                  The cooked mutton.

                                  Simmer till the gravy turns thick. 

                         Heat ghee & temper with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise 
                         and bay leaf. 

                                 Add soaked rice & sauté for 2 minutes. Keep aside. 

                   Add water & cook for 20 minutes on a low to medium flame. Then switch off
                   the flame & keep it covered for 15 minutes.

                                 The rice will be done by now. Fluff it up and keep it aside.

                    In a pressure cooker or any heavy bottomed pan, spread cooked mutton.

                               ...... followed by the cooked rice. 

                    Garnish with all the ingredients & cover tightly with a lid or a foil. Cook 
                    for 8-10 minutes on very low flame. When done, cover for 10 min. more. 

                   Serve with raita for a great comfort meal.

Chicken Stir Fry - South Indian Flavour

          This is an easy and a healthy stir fry side dish made of chicken and few mixed veggies. I added some sambar powder for a South Indian flavour. It goes very well with either rice or chapattis. You can add any other veggies of your choice and a different spice flavor according to your preference. It can also be served with noodles or pasta. So make this colorful stir fry and enjoy a simple meal with your loved ones. 

• 1 cup boneless chicken cubes
• 1 capsicum, cubed
• 1 small carrot, sliced
• 1 cup cabbage, cubed
• 1 onion, cubed
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. roasted coriander powder
• 1-2 tsp. sambar powder
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp. spring onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and sauté the chicken till it is lightly browned. Keep aside. Add remaining oil and temper with mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter.

          Add the curry leaves, urad dal and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds and then add the garlic. Stir fry for a few seconds more.

          Add all the veggies and continue to stir fry for a minute. Add the sautéed chicken and all the dry spices. Mix well, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or till the chicken is cooked. 

          Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with chopped spring onion and coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis. 

Chicken In Coconut Milk

          Chicken, a favourite with everyone can be cooked in various ways. So here is an easy and an equally delicious chicken curry cooked with coconut milk into a creamy texture. All the ingredients are easily available in a kitchen. So just marinate it overnight to save time. It can be relished both with rice, pulao or naan / chapati.

• 500 gms. chicken cubes (on bones)
• 2-3 onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste / 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 2 tbsp. yoghurt
• 2 tbsp. coriander-cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder or to taste
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• slit green chilies & lemon slice to garnish

       

          Marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt, coriander-cumin powder, tomato paste, red chili powder, yogurt and garam masala powder overnight preferably.

          Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions till light brown. Add the marinated chicken and cook on medium heat till dry.

          Add 1 cup water and cook, covered on medium flame till done and the gravy is slightly thick. 

          Add the coconut milk and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve, garnished with green chilies & sliced lemon.