Spicy Chicken Butter Roast

This is a simpler version of the famous "Mangalorian Chicken Ghee Roast". My dear Mangalorian friends, please forgive me. I used to be at Mangalore for about two years and really love this cuisine. Even here at U.S., we do have few friends who make awesome Mangalorian food (sorry I do not have consent to publish names... :-)).

And then there was "Sabu" who used to create magic with cooking. Poor mallu IT guy is probably caught in the wrong job... hehe... He once made chicken ghee roast and no one ever dared to attempt it again as he set the benchmark so high. "Sabu", if you are reading this, the offer is still on nd we are ready to bet all-in on your restaurant venture. :-)

Anyways, one day after the office hours I felt like having chicken ghee roast and guess what half of the ingredients were not at home. Being the lazy guy as always, I tried to make with what I had t home and it turned out to be really good. This was the recipe that I cooked.

Try it out... Enjoi...

Preparation time: 20 Mins.

Cook time (incl. Prep. time): 40 Mins. (Plus 4 hrs. of marinating)

Serves: 3

Spice level: Medium

Ingredients:

1. Butter - 6 Tbsp. (Melted)

2. Salt to taste

3. Curry Leaves - 8

4. Coriander Leaves - for seasoning (chopped)

For Marinating:

5. Chicken - 1 Lb. (clean and cut into small pieces)

6. Yogurt - 3/4 Cups

7. Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp.

8. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp.

9. Salt - 1 Pinch

For Dry Masala:

10. Dry Red Pepper - 7 (Long)

11. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Tsp.

12. Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 Tsp.

13. Whole Garlic - 9-10 Cloves (Peeled)

14. Coriander Powder - 1 Tsp.

15. Black Pepper Whole - 4

16. Tamarind - 1 Tbsp. (Soak 1 small piece of tamarind in 1 tbsp. water or dissolve 2 drops of tamarind paste in 1 tbsp. water)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix chicken with yogurt, lime juice, turmeric powder and salt until the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the marinate. Keep it covered for atleast 3 hrs. (Overnight preferred).

2. Roast the dry masala ingredients (except the tamarind) one after the other and add it into a grinder.

3. Once all the ingredients are added to the grinder add tamarind and grind it for about 5 mins. until it becomes a smooth thick paste.

4. Get the masala paste off the grinder jar and set aside.

5. Add 3 tbsp. water into the same grinder jar and switch on the grinder for a min. This cleans the grinder and also helps collect every particle of the masala. Set aside the masala water.

6. Heat 3 tbsp. butter in a frying pan and add chicken to the pan. Fry the chicken for about 20 mins. on high-med flame until the chicken is three-fourth cooked.

7. Remove the chicken pieces along with the gravy and set aside.

8. Add the remaining (3 tbsp.) butter into same pan and let it heat.

9. Add the ground masala mix into the pan and fry it for about 5 mins. or until the butter separates. Stir occasionally and make sure it does not burn.

10. Add the curry leaves, chicken pieces along with gravy and the masala water.

11. Cook for about 10 mins. on low flame until the chicken is fully cooked and nicely coated with the masala.

12. Get it off the flame, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve warm with rice/roti.

Murghi Aloo Curry (Chicken Potatoes Curry)

Recipe and picture courtesy Sheji Shakeer. It's again a very simple dish and awesome gravy dish to go with rice.

Talking of meat and vegetables (or even potatoes), I remember one of my Muslim friends from Delhi region used to always tell me that they traditionally put some kind of vegetables while cooking meat curries. Actually, thinking about it it makes a lot of sense - it's a way of force feeding hardcore non-vegetarian with some vegetables... But, whenever we try such a curry, we end up having chicken as one serving and potatoes as the leftovers... Crazy meat-eaters... hehe.

Try it out... Enjoi...

Preparation time: 20 Mins.

Cook time (incl. Prep. time): 40 Mins.

Serves: 5

Spice level: Medium

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 2 Lb.

2. Potatoes - 3-4 (Quartered)

3. Onions - 5 (sliced)

4. Tomatoes - 4 (Chopped)

5. Ginger garlic paste - 2 Tbsp.

6. Red chilli powder - 2 Tsp.

7. Coriander powder - 1 1/2 Tsp.

8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp.

9. Salt - 2 tsp.

10. Cloves - 4-5

11. Cardamom - 2

12. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

13. Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp.

14. Whole black pepper - 6

15. Green chillies - 5-6 (Small, Chopped)

16. Oil - 4-5 tbsp.

17. Water - 2-3 Cups

18. Fresh coriander for garnishing

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pan.

2. Add onions and fry for about 10 mins. until golden brown.

3. Take out the onions with slotted spoon and let it cool on a paper kitchen towel.

4. Grind together fried onions and tomatoes and sauté it in the same oil in which onions was fried.

5. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and cook for about 5 mins. or until till water dries and oil separates.

6. Add chicken and cook on high heat for 5 minutes.

7. Add water and bring it to boil.

8. Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

9. Add potatoes, cumin seeds, cloves, black cardamom, whole black pepper and cinnamon. If the gravy is too thick add a bit more water.

10. Cook for another 10 minutes over low flame.

11. Add green chillies and cook for about 4 minutes or till potatoes are soft.

12. Sprinkle fresh coriander and get the pan off the flame. Serve warm with cooked rice.

Balti Chicken

If you are really hungry and craving for a chicken dish, then this is exactly what you try. It's really easy and all the ingredients are available at home most of the time. All of these without compromising the flavor and taste…

By the way, Balti are the people of Baltistan (Pakistan (Kashmir, Gilgit–Baltistan), Kargil, India and small pockets in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Islamabad & Lahore). Probably this recipe origiated there.

Try it out... Enjoi...

Preparation time: 20 Mins.

Cook time (incl. Prep. time): 40 Mins.

Serves: 3

Spice level : Medium

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 Lb. (Boneless preferred, Cleaned and Cut into cubes)

2. Yogurt - 1 1/2 Tbsp.

3. Ghee or vegetable Oil- 2 Tbsp.

4. Red Onions - 1 1/2 (Large sized, Thinly sliced)

5. Tomatoes - 2 (Sliced)

6. Black pepper corns - 3

7. Cardamom Pods - 2

8. Cinnamon Stick - 1 Inch piece

9. Kashmiri Chilli powder/Paprika - 1 Tsp.

10. Garam Masala - 3/4 Tsp.

11. Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp.

12. Cilantro leaves - 1 1/2 Tbsp. (Chopped)  plus extra to garnish

13. Green Chilles - 1 (finely chopped, may use 2 based on the spice level)

14. Lime Juice - Squeezed from one half of a lime

15. Salt - 1 Tsp. (or to taste)

Preparation:

1. Heat the ghee/oil in a wok or large heavy bottom pan.

2. Add onions and cook over medium heat for about 10 mins. or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the sliced tomatoes, peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, chilli powder, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Cook for about 5 mins. stirring constantly.

4. Add chicken and cook for 5 mins. or until well coated in the spice paste, stirring constantly..

5. Turn the flame to low, add yogurt and mix it until all parts well coated.

6. Simmer the pan covered, stirring occasionally, for about 20-25 mins. or until the chicken pieces are cooked and soft.

7. Stir in the chopped cilantro, green chilles and lime juice. Let it cook for 1 min.

8. Turn off the flame, transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm with bread/roti/chapathi.

Spicy Goat/Lamb Liver Fry

Liver fry might sound gross to few, but trust me it's really soft and delicious if cooked the right way. And the below recipe does exactly that - cooking it the right way. It's a tried and tested recipe and I can get so many to vouch for me. It's really delicious.

Try it out... Enjoi...

Serves: 3
Spice level: Medium

Preparation time: 30 Mins.
Cook time (incl. Prep. time): 1 Hr.

Ingredients:

1. Goat/Lamb liver - 1 Lb. (Cleaned and cut into medium sized cubes)
2. Milk - 4 Tbsp.
3. Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tbsp.
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tbsp.
5. Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 Tbsp.
6. Salt - 1/2 Tbsp.
7. Coconut Oil/Veg. Oil - 3 Tbsp.
8. Ginger - 2 pods/ 15 Cloves (Slivered and minced)
9. Curry Leaves - 2 twigs (including the stems)
10. Red Onion - 1 (thinly sliced)

Preparation:

1. Add cleaned and cut liver into a bowl along with milk. Let it stay there for about 5 mins. Drain the milk and wash the liver with clean water. Treating the liver pieces with milk helps in reducing the bitterness.
2. Marinate the liver pieces with chilli powder, turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste. Coat all the pieces evenly with the marinate and leave it covered in the refrigerator for about 20 mins.
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan.
4. Add garlic and sauté it for 1 min.
5. Spread the garlic pieces evenly on the pan and layer the curry leaves over it.
6. Reduce the heat to simmer and layer the marinated liver pieces over the curry leaves. Let it cook covered for about 5 mins.
7. Flip the liver to pieces to cook the other side and leave it on simmer covered for another 5 mins. You will see water oozing out from the meat. Increase the heat to medium and cook covered for another 10 mins (flipping the liver pieces occasionally) until the liver pieces are three fourth cooked.
8. Add the onion on top of the meat and cook for about 15 mins. stirring and flipping occasionally until the onions are cooked and well blended.
Note: Make sure not to overcook the liver pieces as it becomes rubbery and hard if overcooked.
9. Get the pan off the flame and serve the dish warm with Roti/Chappathi.

Pineapple Sorbet

Sorbets are ice-cream like without the airy fluffiness and dairy products. Few of you reading this knows it's the second part that makes me really happy... ahem... ahem...

Anyways, it's a great treat which is harder than ice cream but a lot more flavorful. This one made of pineapple is ever more delicious.

Try it out... Enjoi...

Serves: 9

Spice level: --

Preparation time: 20 Mins.

Cook time (incl. Prep. time): 7 Hrs.

Ingredients:

1. Pineapple - 2 Cups (fresh, chopped)

2. Lime Juice - 1 1/2 Tbsp.

3. Sugar - 3/4 Cup

4. Mint Springs for garnish

Preparation:

1. Blend pineapple and lime juice in a blender or mixer for about 5 mins. until smooth.

2. Add sugar to the blender and blend for another minute until the sugar dissolves.

3. Pour the mix into a freezer safe container. Keep it covered in the freezer for about an hour or until the outside is hard and slushy inside.

4. Get the bowl off the freezer, mix it with a whisk until smooth.

5. Keep it back in the freezer covered for another 5 hrs. or until its firm.

6. Remove the sorbet off the freezer, garnish it with mint and serve it in an ice cream bowl.

Caramel Chocolate Shortbread

This is a layered dessert that involves different cooking techniques (baking, boiling and double boiling) which would leave the cook satisfied. Fortunately my wife was the cook here and I was the eater... hehe...

It's a very yummy dessert which you should try... Enjoi...

"Shortbread is a type of biscuit which is traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour (by weight). Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture." - Wikipedia

Makes: 12

Spice level: --

Preparation time: 25 Mins.

Cook time (incl. Prep. time): 2 Hrs.

Ingredients:

For Base (shortbread):

1. Unsalted Butter - 1/2 Cup + extra for greasing

2. All-purpose Flour - 1 1/4 Cup

3. Superfine Sugar (confectioners’ Sugar) - 1/4 Cup

For filling (caramel Filling):

4. Butter - 7 Oz or 14Tbsp

5. Sugar - 1/2 Cup

6. Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 Cup

For Topping (Chocolate Topping):

7. Bittersweet Chocolate Square - 7 (broken into pieces)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F.

2. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan with butter and line parchment paper over it. Set aside.

3. Using a hand mixer blend butter, flour and sugar in a mixing bowl until well combined for 2 mins.

4. Press the mixture into the baking pan evenly using a wooden spatula or spoon.

5. Bake for 20-25 mins. or until the top is golden brown.

6. Meanwhile, add the filling ingredients (butter, sugar and condensed milk) to a sauce pan and heat it gently until the sugar is dissolved.

7. Bring the mixture to boil and simmer for 6-7 mins. stirring constantly until it's thick.

8. Remove the shortbread from the oven and pour the filling over it evenly.

9. Let it cool for about 10-15 mins.

10. Keep the pan in the refrigerator for about 40 min. or until the the filling is firm.

11. Double boil the chocolate squares to make the topping. (Simmer water in a sauce pan and place chocolate squares a heatproof bowl over the sauce pan until the chocolate squares are melted).

12. Remove the chocolate from the heat and let it cool slightly.

13. Spread the topping evenly over the shortbread and let it cool in the refrigerator until fully set (about 1 hr.)

14. Once fully set, remove the shortbread from the pan and cut it into squares. Serve chilled and store in a cool place.

Brinjal/Eggplant Coconut Curry

This is a traditional Malabar curry not crazy popular, but it's my Mom's favorite. It's creamy and tasty but always tastes a lot lot better when Mom makes it with love... :-).

Try it out... Enjoi...

Serves: 4

Spice level: Mild

Preparation time: 20 Mins.

Cook time (incl. Prep. time): 30 Mins.

Ingredients:

1. Coconut Milk - 3/4 Cup (Thick)

2. Whole Mustard - 1 Tsp.

3. Dried Red Chilli-pepper - 3

4. Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 Tsp.

5. Water - 1 Cup

6. Brinjal/Eggplant - 1 Lb. (Small, cleaned and cut into small cubes)

7. Veg. oil - 2 Tbsp.

8. Curry Leaves - 10

9. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp.

10. Green Chilli - 1

11. Salt - 1/4 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Add brinjal with water, turmeric, salt and green chllies into a sauce pan and cook covered for about 10-15 mins. or untill the brinjals are soft and cooked.

2. Reduce the flame to simmer and mash the brinjal using a thick wooden spoon.

3. Add coconut milk and cook until it starts to boil. Get the pan off the flame and keep aside.

4. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in small frying pan and add mustard to it. When the mustards start to sputter add fenugreek seeds. dried red peppers and curry leaves. Sauté for about a half minute.

5. Get it off the flame and mix it with the brinjal curry to season it. Serve it warm with rice/roti/bread.