Mutton/Lamb Curry

Ingredients
1/2 Kg mutton/lamb cut into bite size pieces
1 large onion – sliced thin
1 large tomato – diced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp chili powder
2-3 green chilies chopped
3 tablespoon cooking oil
Salt to taste
1 cup water
cilantro to garnish

To Grind
2 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp pepper kernels
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
5 – cardamom
4- cloves
3/4" cinnamon
8 – garlic pods
1/2" ginger

Method

Grind everything in the ‘To Grind’ list with few tablespoons of water to form a smooth paste. Set this aside.
Place a pressure cooker on the stove and heat oil. Add the sliced onions and chopped green chilies and sauté until transparent. Then add the tomatoes and cook until half done. Add the ground masala, turmeric powder and chili powder and mix well. Then add the lamb/mutton and 1 cup of water. Close the cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistle or until the meat is cooked.[Note: add just enough water to cover the top of the meat]. Wait until the pressure is released and then open the cooker. Adjust seasoning if needed. If you like curry like consistency then serve as is with rice, roti, parotta. Or if you like a thicker gravy like consistency then put the cooker back on stove uncovered or transfer everything to a pan and cook down the water. Garnish with cilantro and server hot.

Sweet & Spicy Butternut Squash and Potato

Farmers market have bountiful summer squash and on a whim I picked up more than I really need. After a wonderful and aromatic pot off butternut squash soup I still had almost 4 cups of squash left. That's when I stumbled upon Manjula’s spciy squash recipe. I drew inspiration from her recipe and modified it according to my liking and I was pleasantly surprised. I hope you like it too.
 


Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash peeled and chopped to cubes
2 potatoes peeled and cubed
cilantro for garnish
2 tablespoon of oil
1 1/2 cup of water
Spices
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
3/4 teaspoon fennel powder
1/2 teaspoon of kitchen king masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1  1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder
1/4 cup of water
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon kasoori methi
Method
Make a paste of everything under spices with 1/4 cup of water and set aside. Heat oil in wide pan and add cumin seeds. When it starts to splutter add the spice paste and fry for 1 minute until oil starts to leave on the sides. Now add the chopped squash and potato, salt to taste and mix well with spices. Stir-fry for few minutes and then add 1 1/2 cups of water, mix well and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. When the squash and potato are cooked, mash few pieces of squash and potato to make a thick mushy gravy (this can be skipped if you don't prefer a mushy gravy). If you like more gravy add more water and simmer until the gravy comes together to the consistency you like. Switch off the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro
Serve with chapathi, poori or a side for rice.

Rotisserie Chicken Varuval

In my kitchen I like to give a whole meaning to the slow cooked rotisserie chicken. Personally I find the store bought rotisserie chicken bland and very BLAHH. So I kick it up few notches (BAM BAM BAM) :-). Here is how

Ingredients
1/2- rotisserie chicken pulled apart ( about 3 cups)
1 large onion – sliced thin
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2 tablespoon Oil
few curry leaves
mustard foe seasoning
Spices
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoon of water (apprx)

Method
Mix all the spices together and make a light paste with water. Heat oil in a wok and splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves.Then add the spice paste and fry well until oil leaves on the sides (about 30 – 40 seconds) then add the sliced onions. Sauté for few seconds and then add ginger garlic paste and mix well. Make sure that chicken is pulled into thin pieces and add it to the onions [Note: Onions don’t need to be golden brown]. Mix until onions, chicken and spice paste is well incorporated and reduce heat to medium high.  Let the chicken and onions roast until it is almost crispy.
Serve as a side to any main dish.

Chicken Manchurian

When the craving hits for any kind of Manchurian there is no procrastinating. So I immediately went and gathered my ingredients and set my wok on the stove top.

 

Ingredients

Dry Mix for the chicken
Chicken cut into 1" length thin strips – about 2 cups
Corn Starch – 2 tablespoons
All purpose flour – 2 tablespoons
Pepper powder
Salt to taste
Oil to sauté

Veggies
Green bell peppers– cut into small cubes
1 medium onion – cut into small cubes
spring onions – cut into 1" length pieces
2 garlic pods chopped
1" pieces of ginger chopped
2 serrano peppers finely chopped
Oil to sauté

For Sauce
Dark soy sauce – 2 tablespoon
Green Chile sauce – 2 tablespoon ( your favorite brand)
Tomato ketchup – 2 tablespoon
Corn Starch – 1 tablespoon
Red pepper flakes – 1 teaspoon
Water – about 4-5 tablespoon

Method
Mix all the dry mix for the chicken together and coat the chicken well with the mix. Heat some oil in a wok and shallow fry the chicken in batches until cooked to golden brown. Set the chicken aside. Add about a tablespoon of oil to the same wok and add chopped chilies, garlic, ginger and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chopped bell peppers and sauté for another 2 minutes. In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and pour it over veggies and mix well. Let it cook for few minutes until the sauce thickens. Now mix in the chicken with the veggie and sauce mix to coat well. Turn off the heat and let it cook in the heat for few minutes.

Egg Fried Rice

I cant think of anything that goes well with Manchurian other fried rice. fabulicious

 
Ingredients
3 Eggs
About 2 cups of raw jasmine rice cooked
1 medium onion – finely chopped
1 1/2 cup of mixed veggies (carrots, peas, snap peas, bell peppers, beans)
2 pods of garlic finely chopped
1" of ginger chopped
Soy sauce – 2 tablespoon
Green Chile sauce – 1 tablespoon
Tomato ketchup – 2 tablespoon
red pepper flakes – 1/2 teaspoon
serrano chilies – 2 chopped
Oil – 2 tablespoon

Method
Cook 2 cups of rice in a rice cooker or in a deep sauce pan with rice to water ratio of 1 : 1 1/2. Rice should not be sticky. Fluff it with a fork and set aside
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok and break the eggs into it. Scramble the eggs and cook until well done. Make sure to chop the eggs into small bits while it is still cooking in the wok with your spatula. Set the eggs aside. Add the remaining oil in the wok and add the chilies, garlic, ginger and sauté for a minute. Then add the onion and sauté until half cooked. Increase the heat on the stove and add the mixed veggies to the wok and let it cook until almost done. In the meantime, mix together sauces and red pepper flakes. Make a well in the middle of the veggies and add the blended sauce. Heat the sauce for few seconds and mix it together with the veggies. Add more soy sauce if the veggies are lacking in salt.
Turn off the stove but do not remove the wok from the stove. Now add the rice to the veggie mix and mix well.
Serve hot with your favorite kind of manchurian dish.