Zaiqa

Butter chicken is one of the famous North-Indian dishes that made its way on the menu card of almost every Indian restaurant all over the world. Each person/household has their own style of cooking this delectable dish, but I prefer this procedure, its simple, healthy and gets prepared soon, and its delicious.

Butter Chicken – Makhani Murgh

Butter Chicken can be enjoyed along with parathas, naan or with plain rice.

Butter Chicken – Makhani Murgh
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

For Marinade
Chicken – 1 (large) whole, cut into pieces
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Yogurt (thick) – 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
For Curry
Cloves – 3
Green Cardamom – 4
Cinnamon stick – 2 inch long stick
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Fresh tomato puree – 5-6 cups
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Half and half – 1 1/4 cups (or) equal amounts heavy cream or light cream
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Kasoori methi – 1/4 cup
Canola oil

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients under the heading ‘for marinade’, and keep aside for 2-3 hours or overnight. Bring it back to room temperature before you start cooking. Heat a stove top grill pan and grill the marinated chicken pieces until lightly charred on both sides. Baste with canola oil whenever needed.
If using boneless chicken, marinate them as above directions. Skewer them onto bamboo skewers and grill them both sides until charred as shown here.
You can even grill the chicken on a charcoal grill for best flavors.
Cover and keep the grilled chicken aside in a bowl.
2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a saucepan, add cloves, cardamoms, and cinnamon stick. As the spices begin to sizzle, add ginger garlic paste and stir fry for a few seconds. Add pureed tomatoes, red chilli powder, salt. Cover and let it cook until the puree is thick. Give a stir every once in a while. Add half and half or whatever using and let it come to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat and add the grilled chicken, kasoori methi, garam masala and water according to the consistency of the curry you desire. Cover and let cook until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with drizzles of cream.

Suggested Accompaniments: Parathas, Naan, Basmati Chawal, Pulaos.. or even in between toasted bread as sandwiches.

Luv,
Mona

Tomato Chutney is the Indian condiment that you can prepare and store in air-tight food storage containers in the refrigerator for days together. It has a very long life if used with care and can be enjoyed as a dip or spread along with many snacks or even with meals.

Tomato chutney is spicy, tangy, and this is the reason it is complimentary to almost all other dishes as a side-dish. My Mom is an expert and she always made the perfect Tomato chutney. I have never tasted a Tomato chutney as tasty as hers. My cousin sister who used to come to live with us during holidays when I was a kid, used to lick her fingers endlessly after having that chutney and would appreciate my Mom for the culinary treasures she possessed. I’m proud I got to learn from her the procedures of some of her known dishes.

Fresh Ripe Tomatoes and Tamatar Ki Chutney – Tomato Chutney

Its spicy, its tangy, its tasty, a perfect Indian Chutney. You can have this as a side dish or with any of your favourite Manchuria’s or snacks you love. Go ahead and try it out.

Tamatar Ki Chutney – Tomato Chutney
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (fresh) – 4, large, red and ripe, washed and quartered
Green chillies – 2-4, washed and slit (optional)
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Canola Oil – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds/Zeera – 1 tsp
Black Mustard seeds/Rai – 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves (fresh) – 6 leaves
Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp
Dry roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp

Method:

• In a saucepan, add the quartered tomatoes and the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, green chillies, salt and and give it a nice stir. Cover and let it cook on medium low heat for about 5-10 minutes, stirring it occasionally, until the tomatoes are all mushy.
• Meanwhile, prepare baghaar~pour oil in a pan at medium heat and as soon as its warm, throw in the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Cover with a splatter screen and as the seeds begin to pop, add the curry leaves and the ginger garlic paste as well and stir for about 15-30 more seconds until the galic pods are slightly reddish in colour. This is the baghaar, or the tempering. Remove from heat and keep aside.
• When the tomatoes are all cooked and most of the moisture has been evaporated and the consistency has reduced to a thick pulp as shown in the picture, add the garam masala powder, cumin seed powder and mix well. Add baghaar and mix well. Cook for 3-5 more minutes. Let cool, and serve.

Tip: You can store Tomato Chutney in an air tight glass jar in the refrigerator for almost a week, or freeze it in (microwavable) food storage containers for months together. When you want to have it, just microwave it for a few seconds or if you do not have a microwave, leave it outside at room temperature for a few hours, or in the refrigerator overnight and its ready to serve.

Suggested Accompaniments: ChickenDum Biryani, Gosht Ki Biryani, Tarkaari Ki Biryani, Qubuli or Tahari(Minced Meat Rice)

Luv,
Mona

The combination of Binees ki phalli and Seene ka Gosht is most ambrosial. Lamb ribs are the most tender meat and have a very good flavour. They make any vegetable to which you add very delicious imparting their own flavours to the veggies and making the dish all the more delicious and flavorful.

Binees Ki Phalli/Green Beans and Pyaz/Yellow Onions

You can also add boneless lamb meat instead of lamb ribs. I enjoy this curry along with Khushka and Khatti dal for a delicious meal.

Binees ki Phalli Gosht – Lamb Ribs with French beans Curry

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Green beans/Binees Ki Phalli – 1 kg, washed, chopped (you can even use boneless Veal/Lamb meat)
Canola Oil – 2 tbsp
Lamb ribs – 500 gms, washed, chopped up into small pieces
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Yellow Onion – 2, medium sized, sliced
Salt – 2 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Tomato – 2, chopped

Phalli Gosht – Lamb Ribs with French beans Curry

Method:

• Take a pressure cooker and put it on meduim high heat. Add oil to it and put the lamb ribs and sliced onions. Stir for 5 mins till the meat is no longer pink and the onions have become translucent. Add turmeric and one fourth teaspoon of salt to it and mix well. Add a glass of water to it and pressure cook it till the meat is tender.
• Later, add the washed and chopped french beans to it. Also add salt, red chilli powder, chopped tomato and stir well to mix. Cover the lid and pressure cook it again for a few minutes till the french beans have become soft.
• Later open the lid, stir well and le it cook it on meduim high heat for 5-8 more minutes. Serve it hot and enjoy.

Suggested Accompaniments: With Khushka and Khatti dal, or, Baghara Khana and Dalcha for a delicious meal, or along with Parathas.

Luv,
Mona

Weekends are usually grocery shopping days. I love the sight of fresh fruits and vegetables. This week I had bought a few taro root and decided to prepare this ambrosial curry using them.

Arvi Ka Khatta Salan – Colocasia (or) Potatoes and Lamb Stew

Khatta Salan means ‘soured stew’. The sourness from the tomatoes, a slight heat from red chilli powder and the subtle sweetness from  caramelized onions along with the roasted spices impart an aromatic and delectable flavor to this Taro stew. This same base is used in many other versions of the khatta shorba, which are Bhendi Ka Khatta, Karele ka khatta, Aloo-Gosht ka Khatta etc.

The consistency of this curry is slightly thin and not like a thick gravy. Replace potatoes with colocasia to make it ‘Aloo aur Gosht ka Khatta Salan – Potatoes and Meat in a tangy sauce’.

Arvi aur Gosht Ka Khatta Salan – Colocasia (or) Potatoes and Lamb meat Stew

Ingredients:

Colocasia/Taro root/Arvi –  4-5, large sized, peeled, and cut into 1.5 cm cubes (or) Potatoes – 5, large sized, peeled, and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
Lamb meat with bones – 600 gms, cubed into bite size pieces
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs, fresh
Ginger garlic paste – 1 1/2 tsp
Yellow Onions – 3, large, sliced
Tomatoes – 5, large, diced finely
Salt – 2 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Coriander seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Tamarind concentrate/Lemon or Lime juice – 2 tbsp
Cilantro/Kothmir – 3 tbsp, chopped finely
Oil – 8 tbsp

Method:

• Take a pressure cooker and put it on medium heat and add oil. As soon as it heats up, add onions and fry until they are light brown in color. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the meat, curry leaves, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder, cumin and coriander seed powder and cook until meat is no longer pink. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook along for a furthur 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and oil starts to leave. Now pour in water to cover and pressure-cook till the meat is tender.
• Later, open the lid of the cooker and add the colocasia/potatoes and stir well. Also add the tamarind paste/lemon or lime juice and around 4 cups of water. Half cover the lid and let it cook on simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the tuber has become soft. You can test it by piercing one cubed colocasia/potato with a fork. It should be soft. If it isnt, let it simmer for a little more time. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately along with rice or parathas.

Note: You can replace colocasia with peeled and quartered turnips to make it ‘Shalgam aur Gosht Ka Khatta Salan’ – Turnip and Lamb meat in a Tangy Sauce.

Luv,
Mona

Maheqalya, is an classic Hyderabadi meat curry with onions, tomatoes, and tamarind and a range of aromatic spices.

Hyderabadi Maheqalya – Tangy Meat Curry

Ingredients:

Lamb Meat – 500 gms, cubed-1.5 cm or sliced, boneless or with bone
Yellow Onions – 3, large, sliced thick
Tomatoes – 2, roughly chopped
Dry Desiccated Coconut – 1/2 cup
Dry roasted Coriander seed powder – 1 tsp
Dry roasted Groundnut powder – 3 tbsp
Dry roasted Sesame seeds – 3 tbsp
Canola Oil – 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Curry leaves (fresh) – 1 sprig
Dried red clillies/Baghaar ki mirch – 3-4
Methi/Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Tamarind juice – 1 cup
Slit green chillies – 4
Cilantro/Kothmir – 1 tbsp, chopped finely
Mint leaves/Pudina – 1 tbsp, chopped finely

Hyderabadi Maheqalya – Tangy Meat Curry

Method:

• Prepare browned onion+tomato paste: Take a large thick bottomed & non-stick frying pan/skillet on medium heat, preferably a cast iron pan, and as soon as it gets warm, add the sliced onions. Keep stirring the onions and cook them without oil until the onions are all browned soft and get cooked in their own moisture evenly. Remove the pan from heat, and let them cool down. Add the chopped tomatoes and the cooled browned onions into a blender container or food processor and blend till pureed smooth adding just a few drops of water if necessary to aid in the process. Keep aside.
• Prepare masala powders: Put a small non-stick frying pan on medium heat and dry-roast the groundnuts, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, shredded coconut each individually without oil till they are golden brown in colour. Do not burn them. Remove them into a platter. Once cool, grind them all together very finely. (You can dry roast a handful of almonds/cashewnuts/chironji nuts and grind them together along if you want it more rich). Make sure the obtained spice powder is very fine.
• Take a pressure cooker and add oil and keep it on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, dried red chillies, and fenugreek seeds to the oil and let them splutter. Now add the browned onion and tomato paste to it and cover the lid immediately, shake the cooker to mix, remove from heat and keep aside for 3-5 minutes, so that the aroma of the tempered oil with spices gets absorbed by the onion mixture. Remove the lid, put the cooker back on stove, lower the heat to medium low and add the ginger-garlic paste, the masala powders, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder and stir it well. Cook stirring continuously until oil leaves. This masala tends to stick to the bottom, so keep a close eye. Add the washed cubed meat pieces, slit green chillies and mix well. Cover with a splatter screen and let it cook while stirring it for 3- 5 minutes. Pour in half a cup of water, stir to mix, and close the lid. Pressure cook it on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the meat is tender. Then open the lid and cook it till the oil has seperated out from the mixture and starts appearing on the surface. Add the tamarind paste and give it a stir. Add about 2-3 cups water till you get the consistency you desire. Simmer and let it cook on medium high for about 3-5 more minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Basmati Chawal or Parathas.

Luv,
Mona