Cashew Chicken curry

This recipe is the base for Hyderabadi chicken recipe. Adding cashews in gravy gives very good tastes to that dish. I used to add cashew powder to egg gravy, vegetable kurma and also to some of my chicken dishes. This time i grind chicken with some khus khus(kasa kasa) and it gives very good taste to the chicken gravy. So just sharing that recipe.


You will need:

• 1 lb chicken
• 1 onion (chopped finely)
• 1 tomato (chopped finely)
• 3 green chillies
• 2 tbsp chicken masala powder or (2 tsp chilli powder, 3 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder)
• few mint leaves
• few coriander leaves
• 3 tbsp oil
• salt for taste
  

To grind to fine paste:

• handful of cashews
• 1 tsp khus khus (kasa kasa)
• ½ cup grated coconut

Procedure:

Step 1:

Heat oil in a pan and add mint leaves, coriander leaves to it. Then add the chopped onions and green chillies to it and saute it till it turns golden brown color. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute it till it get rid off the raw smell.

Step 2:

Grind the ingredients (Cashew nuts, coconut, khus, khus) to fine paste and keep it aside.



Step 3:

Now add the masala powder, tomato and then the chicken. Allow the chicken to cook for 5 mins with the lid on. Then add the ground paste to it and allow it to cook for 3 more mins. If you need more gravy you can add coconut milk or water to it. Add salt. Garnish with corinader leaves and serve with ghee rice, naan, roti, chapathi. Enjoy!!!

Cucumber Kichadi/ Cucumber in curd

This recipe is one of my mom's recipe and we all love it. Specially after adding curd it tastes very good.

You will need:

• 3 small cucumbers/ 1 big cucumber
• 1 onion (chopped finely)
• 3 garlic (chopped finely)
  
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• few curry leaves
• 2 dry red chillies
  
• 2 tbsp oil
  
• 1 cup curd

To grind:

• ½ cup grated coconut
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 3 green chillies
  

Procedure:

Step 1:

Peel the skin from the cucumber and cut it in half. Remove all the seeds inside it using a spoon. Then chop it into fine pieces.Cook the cucumber in water along with a touch of salt till it become soft and fully cooked. There should not be any water when the cucumber is fully cooked. If you have any water remaining even after the cucumber is fully cooked, discard the water.

Step 2:

Heat oil in a non stick pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and red chillies one after another. Then add the chopped onions and garlic and saute it till it become golden brown color.

Step 3:

Grind grated coconut, cumin powder, 1 small onion(optional), green chillies to fine paste.

Step 4:

Now add the ground paste to the non stick pan when the onion turns golden brown color. Then add the cooked cucumber to it and check for salt. Switch off the heat and allow it to cool.

Step 5:

When it is fully cooled add curd to it and mix it well. Check for salt once again. Enjoy with sambar rice.

You can make the same recipe with carrots and beetroot too.

Spinach Dal

You will need:
For pressure cook dal:

• ½ cup moong dal
• 1½ cup water
• 4 garlic pods
• 5 small onions (pearl onions)
• ½ tomato (chopped)
  
• 4 green chillies
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 2 drops of oil
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• salt for taste
  

For tempering:

• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp urad dal
• ¼ cup finely chopped onions
• few curry leaves
• 3 dry red chillies
• bunch of chopped spinach
  

Procedure:

Step 1:

Cook all the ingredients under for pressure cook dal. Pressure cook it for 3 whistles. After 15 mins open the lid and mash the dal using a spoon.
Step 2:

Take a non stick pan and add oil to it. When its hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, curry leaves one after other. Now add the chopped onion and saute it for just few mins, and then add the chopped spinach to it and cover with a lid. Cook untill spinach become soft.

Step 3:

Mix the cooked spianch with the mashes cooked dal . Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Hint: You can add coconut milk and tamarind paste to make the curry watery. But thick curry taste very good with a touch of ghee.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

You will need:

For marinating Chicken:

• 2 lb chicken
• 1 cup curd
• salt as reqd
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  

For rice:

• 3 cups rice
• 4.5 cups water
• 3 cardomom
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 3 star anise
• 1 tsp black cumin seeds
  
• salt for taste
• 3 tbsp oil

For Chicken Gravy:

• Marinated Chicken
  
• 2 red onions
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 3 green chillies
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ½ bunch of mint leaves
• ½ bunch of coriander leaves(cilantro)
  
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 3 tbsp oil
  

Ingredients to grind:

• 1½ tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ cup cashew nuts
• 1 tsp khus khus (kasa kasa in Tamil)
• ½ tomato
• 5 tsp grated coconut

For garnish:

• ¼ cup cashew nuts
• ¼ cup raisins
• 2 tbsp ghee

Procedure:

Step 1:

Marinate the chicken:

Cut the pieces into desired shapes and marinate chicken with curd, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt. Allow it to marinate for min 5 hours inside refrigerator.

Step 2:

For making rice:

In a rice cooker add rice along with water and allow it to soak for 1 hour. After 1 heat heat another pan and add oil to it. Add all spices under For rice (Cardamom, cinnamon, black cumin, cloves and star anise. Then add this to the rice and allow it to cook until its done in the rice cooker. After that use a fork to release the heat from the rice. Be careful not to break the rice. Allow it to cool for half an hour.

Step 3:

To grind:

Grind dry ingredients first. ie, cashew nuts, khus khus, coriander powder and cumin powder. When its finely powdered add grated coconut and grind it. Finally add tomato and grind it to form a paste. Keep it aside.

Step 4:

For chicken Gravy:

Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Add green chillies, mint leaves and coriander leaves to it and saute it for 3 mins. Now add onions to it. Saute it till it become light brown color. Now add ginger garlic paste to it and saute it till it get rid off the raw smell. Now add marinated chicken and chili powder to it and close with a lid. Allow the chicken to cook for 5 to 10 mins. Now add the ground masala to it and saute it for 3 mins.



Step 5:

For making Biryani:

Take one big pan and start layering. Put some rice and then the chicken gravy and then the rice and then the chicken gravy.

Step 6:

For garnishing:

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cashew nuts and saute it for 2 mins. Then add the raisins and saute it till it get balloon structure.

Step 7:

Garnish with chopped cilantro and this nuts. Serve it with chicken gravy.. Enjoy Hyderabadi chicken biryani!!!.


Hint:

1. You can increase spiciness according to your taste bud.

2. To get different colors in the biryani, you have to mix ½ tsp color with 2 tsp milk. Then using a spoon just pour it on top of the biryani after layering the biryani. Leave it undisturbed for few mins. Then mix it. So that the color with stick only to few rice and it wont make the whole biryani same color. I used orange food color.

Fish Molly

Fish Molly is one of the authentic Kerala recipe made with King Fish. This time i tried with this Navara fish. I got this fish from an Indian store thinking that i can fry this fish. When i fried this fish it taste good. But the bones was so strong and was very hard to eat. So tried this way and we loved this dish. Specially the gravy tastes very good. Hope you will like it too.

You will need:

• 10 to 15 navara fish (Kellimean in Malayalam)
• 1 red onion
• ½ tomato
• 
  
• 1½ tbsp Fish masala powder (1 tsp chilli powder, 1½ tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder and a pinch of fenugreek powder)
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp urad dal
• 2 strings of curry leaves
• ½ tsp tamarind paste (can increase or decrease)
• salt for taste
• 4 tbsp oil (For frying fish)
  

For marination:

• 1 tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  
• salt for taste
• ½ tsp lemon juice/ vinegar

To grind to fine paste:

• 3 pearl onions (Chinna ulli, chinna vengayam, kutty vengayam, sambar onion)
• 4 garlic pods
• 3 green chillies
  
• ½ cup grated coconut

Procedure:

Step 1:

Clean the fish and marinate the fish with chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and vinegar. Allow it to marinate for 15 to 30 mins.


Navara Fish

Step 2:

Now heat oil in a non stick pan. Fry fish pieces just for 3 mins one side and 2 mins on the other side. Keep the fried fish aside in a plate.

Fried fish:


Step 3:

In the same oil (in which you fried the fish) add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, curry leaves one by one and then add the chopped onions to it and saute it for 3 mins till the onion become golden brown.

Step 4:

In the mean grind perl onions, green chillis, garlic, grated coconut (Under ingredients to grind). Grind it to a fine paste adding 1 tsbp water.

Step 5:

Add the ground paste to the onions when the onion turns golden brown color and saute it for 2 mins. Then add the spices(fish masala powder or the chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin and fenugreek powder) and saute it for just a min. Then add the chopped tomatoes to it. Now add 2 cups of water and allow it to boil for 5 mins. Add tamarind paste and salt at this stage.

Step 6:

Add the fried fish at this stage and allow it to boil for 2 more mins till you get thick gravy. Check for salt. Enjoy with rice, dosa or even with chapathi.

Bhindi Masala/ Lady's finger Masala

Bhindi Masala is a very popular dish in North India. This time i tried with peanut and also with sesame seeds. The taste was real good and very different from the regular Bhindi Masala. I limited the number of tomatoes. So i got it as dry. So you can serve this with chapathi as well as with dal curry.

You will need:

• 15 baby okra's (Chopped)
  
• 1 red onion (Chopped)
• 1 tsp lemon juice ( to avoid stickiness)
  
• 3 tbsp peanut
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds (ellu in tamil)
  
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tomato (optional).. (Chopped)

For tempering:

• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp urad dal
• ½ tsp channa dal
• 2 red chillies
• few curry leaves
  
• salt for taste
• 5 tbsp oil
  

Procedure:

Step 1:

Heat a pan and add peanuts. Dry fry them for 1 or 2 mins till it turns golden brown color. Then add 1 tbsp sesame seeds to it an saute it till it splutter. Allow it to cool and dry grind them in a mixie or in a coffee grinder.

Step 2:

Tempering:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, channa dal, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves one after other. Allow it to splutter. Then add chopped onion and okra to it. Add lemon juiceand salt to it and saute it. Do not close with a lid. Saute it till it get fried very nicely. It will take min 5 mins in medium high flame.

Step 3:

Adding Spices:

Now add the remaining sesame seeds , chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder to it and saute nicely till you get rid of raw smell.

Step 4:

Adding Peanut powder:

Add peanut sesame powder at this stage and saute it. Check for salt. At this stage the dish will look like as shown in the pic below. You can serve this as side dish for rice with dal curry.



Step 5:

Adding Tomatoes:

If you want semi gravy form then you have to add tomato at this stage and saute it till its fully cooked.

Potato Cauliflower Semi gravy

This is a simple and healthy dish which goes very well with Chapathi. And very quick too. Because the ingredients added in this dish wont take much time to cook. Potatoes might take 5 mins and cauliflower just 3 mins to cook. So this can come under 30 mins meals. we like these 2 vegetables and i make this very often. so just sharing this recipe, so that you can enjoy this dish as well.


Here comes the recipe..

You will need:

• 2 red onion or 1 big yellow onion
• 1 tomato or 3 tbsp canned crushed tomatoes
• 10 fingerling potatoes.. You can use 2 regular potatoes
• half of one big cauliflower( cut into small florets)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
  
• salt for taste
  

For tempering:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
  
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp channa dal
• 1 red chilli
• 5 curry leaves
• 3 tbsp oil

Procedure:

Step 1:

Heat a non stick pan and add some oil. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, channa dal, red chillies, curry leaves and the urad dal one after other.

Step 2:

Add chopped onions and saute it for 3 mins in high flame till it become light brown color. Now add the potato, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper, garam masala powder and close the lid for 2 mins. Add the tomato paste at this time. Now add ½ cup of water along with salt and cover it with a lid for 3 more mins till the potato is half cooked.

Step 3:

Now add the chopped cauliflower and cook it till its full cooked. It will take less than 5 mins. You can add water if it started sticking at the bottom of the pan. To get semi gravy form, you have to allow the water to evaporate by not closing the lid.

Yummy potato cauliflower gravy is ready to serve. Serve with chapathi

Spinach Fish Biriyani

I combined spinach and fish in the same dish and it worked good for me. While sauteing onions for fish biryani i added a bunch of chopped spinach also. It was good and children's were not able to fin that there is spinach(# 1 enemy of kids) in that dish. You can even name this as Veg Fish Biryani. Ha ha. Thats not the exact name . Ok its your choice to name this dish. Eat healthy. Live healthy!!!!