Zaiqa

I will never forget what I went through on April 30, 2008, those moments of acute angst!

It was one of the most dreadful days I had ever faced. Like everyday when I had logged into my wordpress account (I was posting an entry to Click-Au Naturel!) I noticed there were so many error messages saying that my ‘wp-posts’ and ‘wp-categories’ table has somehow suddenly crashed and they were all nothing but Greek and Latin to me. That gave me moments of panic and fearfulness, I was not able to post anything, my ‘entire blog’ had crashed and I had no idea how I would rectify the mess. It was all horrible. I quickly mailed some of my contacts including couple of bloggers and the company which hosts my blog and WordPress for help. Everyone was with me supporting me and asked me to have faith. I had given up my hopes and thought I had lost it all, my blog, which I had built with deep and ardent affection.. all my love..

My hubby too was upset for me and he tried to help me by every possible way. At around evening, he opened my blog on a browser window and voila! my blog was all alive, and everything was working. When I saw that, my happiness knew no bounds and I was so happy, thrilled and relieved. I was all in tears and very gratuful to those who quickly worked on my blog. I pray and hope that no blogger has to face this ever in their life!

Right now I am so much more in love with my blog. I have put in so much effort to build up this website, which sort of defines me and is a medium to express my love for cooking with the world I live in. This is when I was thinking of the precautionary methods we all bloggers should be ready with every moment for situations like these and I found some very informative posts here, here and here. I request all the bloggers to always maintain a backup of their entire blog, a database backup and a backup of their actual blog on a very rugular basis, may that be daily, weekly, or monthly or after every new post they publish.

Anyways, Life is back to normal again, and I thank my God immensely. I had been to the grocery mart a few days back and saw these very beautiful looking Bottle Gourds and I quickly bought them home. I had not ever before seen such cute little brightly colored bottle gourds in my life. I was sending these to the Click – Au Natural Event yesterday when it all happened!

Two Kaddu or Bottle Gourds 

I was in the mood of experimenting in my kitchen and I searched my refrigerator for ingredients. I found some Halal Chicken Sausages, Frozen peas ..  and I quicky came up with this idea and it was one brightly colored and appealingly delicious curry. We had it along with Roti.

Khush-Rang Kaddu Ka Saalan – Bright Colored Bottle Gourd Curry 

Ingredients:

• Bottle Gourd – 1, approx 400 gms, peeled and cut into quarters
• Chicken Sausages – 4
• Frozen peas – 2 cups
• Canola Oil – 2 tbsp
• Dried or Fresh Curry leaves – 4-5
• Ginger – 1 inch, finely chopped
• Yellow Onion – 1, large, sliced thin
• Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
• Turmeric – 1/3 tsp

Khush-Rang Kaddu Ka Saalan – Bright Colored Bottle Gourd Curry 

Method:

• Pour oil into a saucepan at medium high heat and as soon as it warms up, throw in the sliced onion, as they begin to brown up, add the chopped garlic and chopped chicken sausage and curry leaves and stir fry it for a minute more.
• Add the quartered bottle gourd, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and pour in some water and cover the lid. Let it cook until the bottle gourd is tender (You can add more water if needed, but do not add too much water, the curry should be pretty dry when done).
• Open the lid and add the frozen peas and let it cook for 5 minutes more. Taste and check it if the spices are adequate for your taste and add more if needed. Remove it from heat and Serve it warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: You can have these with any kind Rotis for a filling meal and a cup of flavored yoghurt.

I’m glad I got my entire blog back and am very very thankful to my hosting company who worked on retrieving my blog and bringing it back to life and in action again! I’m thrilled!! 

Luv,
Mona

Today is the first official day of Spring here and the forecast nowhere shows such signs. It will be remaining cloudy with a few showers of snow and the temperatures remaining in ‘minus’ for some more time. There are a few signs of sun only the next week, which again are not very consistent. I hope Spring arrives very soon. Winter has been too beautiful, loved it so much, but i admit it gave many problems to my dear hubby.. the shoveling, the problem with car and snow troubled him a lot. I am waiting for spring, then summer, mainly because i can take my grill out, and also plant a little vegetable garden inshallah. So looking forward to it..

Speaking about planting your backyard with plants and herbs, ginger is the simplest. Whenever i see some rhizomes with buds, i just plant them in a pot, keep it well watered, and in some time i see the pot full of ginger rhizome. It comes very useful to me, and it keeps fresh in the soil.

Adraki Murgh – Ginger Chicken

I prepared this dish with these fresh ginger rhizomes. And it is also one of the quick non-vegetarian dishes that i prepare quite often in my house. Today i share with you the procedure of how i prepare Ginger Chicken. I believe the flavor of chicken goes very well along with ginger. They are made for one another. The sharp pungent taste of ginger, the sweet flavor of onion, and chicken is this dish is perfectly delectable. Irf loves this dish.

Adraki Murgh – Ginger Chicken

Serves:6-8

Ingredients:

To Marinate-

• Chicken Boneless Breast Meat/Murgh – 800 gms, washed, pat dried and cubed into bite size pieces
• Ginger juliennes – 3 tbsp
• Garam Masala – 2 tsp
• Yogurt/Dahi – 3 tbsp
• Red Chilli Powder/Lal Mirch Powder – 2 tsp
• Salt/Namak – 2 tsp
• Turmeric/Haldi – 1/3 tsp

Other Components-

• Cloves/Laung – 3
• Canola/Sunflower Oil – 3 tbsp
• Curry leaves (fresh) – 6-8
• Yellow Onion – 1, large, thinly sliced
• Scallions/Hari Pyaz – chopped, for garnishing
• Ginger juliennes – 1 tbsp

Method:

• In a bowl or a resealable plastic bag, marinate the chicken with the ingredients under the heading ‘To Marinate’. Let the chicken marinate for about 2-4 hours in the refrigerator. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature atleast an hour befor you plan to cook it. (Remember this always)
• Later, heat oil in a non-stick heavy bottomed pan at medium high heat and throw in the cloves and thinly sliced onions. Stir fry it till the onion is lightly browned. Add the curry leaves and saute it for just a minute more.
• Add the marinated chicken and mix it well with the sauteed onion mixture. Close the lid for about 15 minutes. Later, open the lid and stir it gently, being careful not to break the tender chicken pieces.
• Let it cook uncovered for a little more time, till it is quite dry. Garnish with the ginger juliennes and spring onions.

Suggested Accompaniments: Parathas or Naan or Pulao..

Luv,
Mona

It has been snowing; snowing very hard here since friday night. Today, I finally see sun in the sky and I immensely enjoyed the early morning sunlight streaking in through all the windows into my house. Beautiful and cheerful day it is alhamdulillah!

Dahi Tamatar Murgh – Baked Tomato-Yogurt Chicken

Food, especially in winter has to be comforting! The first thing Irf asks me after he returns home is, ‘Whats for dinner today?’ So, I try and prepare meals that are effortless to me and satisfying to my family too. These kind of quick curries, like the one I am writing about today, is my family’s favorite. This dish is easily done in less than 45 minutes. You just have to mix them all up, marinate for a little while, and let it slow cook by itself for the required time in the oven, and in the mean time you can prepare your other dishes for the day or complete the other chores. It doesn’t have the use of much oil, and you can even lessen the oil to one teaspoon if you wish! The yogurt and tomatoes give the chicken a delicious sweet-sour taste, and the garam masla makes it a little bit spicy. Its a very warming dish for these chilly winters.

Dahi Tamatar Murgh – Slow Cooked Tomato-Yoghurt Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast Pieces/Murgh – 800gms, cut into bite size pieces
Tomato Paste – 3 tbsp
Olive Oil – 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Yogurt – 2 tbsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1/3 tsp
Cilantro – 1/2 cup, finely chopped

Dahi Tamatar Murgh – Slow Cooked Tomato-Yogurt Chicken, in a baking dish

Method:

1. In an Oven proof flat baking dish, mix all the above ingredients, except the coriander leaves, and let it marinate for 30 minutes or 2-4 hours preferably at room temperature if you can preplan it.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F
3. Cover the dish tightly with an aluminium foil and put this dish in the middle rack of the oven.
4. Check once after 25 minutes, and mix it well. Cover it again with the aluminium foil and put it back at the same temp in the Oven to cook completely.
5. Remove the dish after 45 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Suggested Accompaniments: Basmati Chawal or Naan or Roti or Parathas or Pulao..

Check out these great sites:

Free Rice

Ripple

They are both for a very noble cause, and spread the word.

Luv,
Mona

Murgh Qorma is one dish I and my family cannot live without, because we are pakka Hyderabadis at heart. Its Irf‘s most loved dish. He will rate it ten out of ten all the time.

The masala which forms the base of the gravy consisting of yogurt, ginger-garlic, groundnut, coconut and fried onions and cashew nuts, chironji nuts and almonds, for this classic Hyderabadi dish is first braised/’bhun-na’ until oil floats on top, a technique essential for Qorma preparation, and then in the end, water is added to give it a gravy consistency and the chicken is simmered on low in the creamy fragrant yogurt sauce. Qorma is usually had along with Naan or Rumali Roti. The bread is dipped into the warm sauce, and had with a few bits of Chicken in each morsel.

A typical Hyderabadi menu for an occasion such as marriage will be: Non-Vegatarian or Vegetarian Kababs, or Spring rolls, or Marag as Appetizer; Any Sookha Salan (dry curry) of Chicken or Mutton; or a Chicken or Lamb Qorma (this will be the Patla Salan – gravy curry) with Rumali Roti (Rumali in Urdu language means kerchief, its called so because the roti/flat bread is unbelievably as thin as a kerchief!, it is light and very yummy); a Lamb Biryani or Chicken Biryani along with Mirchi Ka salan; and then a Meetha in the end. Ah! I am missing India and my hometown’s wonderful and mouth watering dishes. I am proud of my native home, Hyderabad for its most illustrious and scrumptious cuisine. Inshallah will post the recipes of each and every recipe here to share with you all, the way I prepare it in my house.

I plan to inshallah someday publish a cookbook of my own where I can write all my recipes, my version of Hyderabadi Cuisine. I have not done much about it at all. This thought and wish always lingers on my mind and I will inshallah definitely be doing something about it. I will need resources for this project though.

Lazeez Murgh Qorma with Parathas in the Milton hot-pot

You can also add heavy cream, cashew nuts, chironji nuts or almonds, shallow fried quartered potatoes, or shallow fried large cauliflower florets to the gravy. But it is optional. You can even omit chicken or lamb/sheep meat only add potatoes and cauliflower instead, to make it ‘Aloo/Potato, or PhoolGobi/Cauliflower Ka Qorma’, a vegetarian version. Or simply make it ‘Malai/Creamy Qorma’, excluding both the meat and vegetables.

Lazeez Murgh Qorma – Chicken Simmered in Fragrant Spiced Coconut-Groundnut-Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

Chicken with bone/Boneless Chicken Breast – washed and cubed into bite size pieces, 600 gms
Red Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Ginger-Garlic Paste – 2 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 1/2 tsp
Onions – 4, large, sliced thick into semi circles
Cashewnuts, Chironji nuts and Almonds – 1 tbsp each, soaked in 1 tbsp milk for 30 mins (optional)
Yogurt – 400 ml, lightly beaten
Coconut cream powder – 1 tbsp
Roasted Groundnut paste -1 tbsp
Mint leaves/Pudina – 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Cilantro – 1/2 cup, loosely packed and finely chopped
Green chillies – 3, small sized, finely chopped
Canola oil

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken in ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice mixture for an hour.
2. Take a heavy bottomed non stick saucepan or a cast iron pan on medium heat and once it is warm enough, throw in the thickly sliced onion semi circles with no oil. Keep stirring and cooking the onion until the onions are lightly browned in color. Once done, transfer them into a blender container. Add the soaking cashew nuts, almonds and chironji nuts along with the milk to the blender container. Also pour in the yogurt and coconut cream and process/blend till it is a smooth puree.
3. In heavy bottomed non stick saucepan, heat 3 tbsp canola oil and add the marinated chicken, quickly fry them lightly on all sides in batches, stirring gently and occasionally till just lightly browned. Remove them with a slotted spoon in a bowl and keep aside.
4. In the same pan with the leftover oil in which the chicken were just shallow fried, add 3 more tbsp canola oil at medium heat . As it warms up add the pureed onion-yogurt mixture and let it cook for five minutes on medium flame. Reduce the flame to medium low, add red chilli powder, salt, turmeric and mix well. Cover it for a minute. Keep a close eye on it and keep giving it a stir every now and then. Add the roasted groundnut paste to it. Mix well and cover the lid again. The oil should start to separate by now. Let it cook a bit more, if the mixture has become too dry add a few splashes of water and cook it till all the oil has very nicely separated out.
5. Gently drop in the shallow fried chicken pieces in the cooking gravy and mix well. Cover the lid for a minute. Pour in two glasses of water. Add the mint, cilantro and green chillies. Mix well and increase the flame to medium high, let it it come to a boil once. Lower the heat, cover the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes. Once the chicken is done, serve it immediately.

I am sending this Qorma to Meeta as the theme for her Monthy Mingle this time is ‘Comfort Foods’. I’m waiting for its round up, now who doesnt like Comfort Foods?!; and I am also sending this as an entry to ‘Think Spice, Think Turmeric‘ event being hosted by Sudeshna.

Luv,
Mona

Ah! The weather has finally changed and I subsequently got to witness snow! .. snow for the first time in my life !

Earlier it felt quite peculiar to witness darkness at 4:00 pm itself in the evening, and I sometimes found it scary. I remember, back in India, between 4 and 5 in the evenings, children from every house would gather on streets or parks, team up and start playing games, the most common~Cricket! 5:00 pm was a lively, noisy time, when I mostly got to hear ‘howz that!’ or ‘out!’, but here in winters, it becomes pitch dark, with everyone returning home in the darkness for a long night from their job places. But I have eventually got used to it.

Today I plan to make a nice big snowman in front of my house once my hubby returns home. I love watching snow from indoors. I love it when my feet goes inside the pile of snow and I leave a trail behind. lts fun! But, yeah, the cold outside is just too much, but if proper winter coats, caps, scarfs and gloves are worn, all is well and fine. So everyone, keep yourselves warm in this winter by wearing good winter clothes.

Warm and comforting foods are what I am craving for in this winter. And whats more comforting than Indian food, that has got spices and masalas, to make your body warm by the heat and comfort you. I had prepared this creamy chicken curry some days back. I had chicken lying in the freezer, some cream, almonds, nuts and spices. I thought to mix them all up and prepare a curry out of it. We had Peas Pulao along with this chicken curry, our meal was gratifying and pleasurable. Everyone loved it. Here’s the recipe:

Badami Malai Murgh – Creamy Almond Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast – 500 gms
Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Almonds – 1/2 cup
Canola oil – 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Half and Half cream – 1 cup

Method:

1.Wash and cut the chicken breasts into 2 cm approx cubes.
3. Mix the chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, salt and red chilli powder. Let it marinate for about 1-3 hours at room temperature.
4. Add 1/2 cup water to almonds and grind it to a smooth paste.
5. Pour oil in a heavy bottomed pan at medium heat. Once the oil gets warm, add zeera and let it splutter.
6. Lower the heat and add the marinated chicken with all its juices. Stir well and let it cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add a cup of water to it and let the chicken cook, covered, till it is tender. Keep stirring it occasionally. You can add more water if the gravy dries up before the chicken gets soft.
8. Add the almond paste and cream and mix it well. Adjust the salt and red chilli powder according to tastes. Cover and let it cook, stirring only to avoid it getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. Serve it hot.

Luv,
Mona