Quinoa Fried "Rice" and Chili Fish

A few of us friends met a couple of weeks back and at some point we started discussing and sharing ideas  of the meals we cook regularly. I mentioned Quinoa and none of my friends had ever tasted it and some of them were even reluctant to give it a try. We met again for lunch at my place this week and I made my favorite Quinoa recipe for them. 

I have been cooking with Quinoa for a while now and I've always used it as a substitute for rice whenever I could. Of all the ways I've cooked it, this stir fry is my favorite and a dish I make all the time. Anushka loves it too and its a great way to include a lot vegetables in one meal. 

The chili fish is so easy to make and something I planned at the last minute as an appetizer for our meal. I just went along with what I usually do with chicken and surprisingly it turned out great and it was gone as soon as it was served.

Quinoa "Fried Rice"

(Simple omit chicken and eggs to make it vegetarian)

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken/ vegetable stock or water
2 tbs oil
2 eggs
3 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated
1 tbs finely chopped ginger and garlic
1-2 green chilies finely chopped
2 heaping cups diced mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, capsicum, broccoli, corn, zucchini)
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
1 tsp fresh ground pepper (add as per your taste)
dash of soy sauce and vinegar (optional)
salt to taste

Method:
Cook the quinoa atleast an hour before making this dish.
Boil the water. Rinse the quinoa and add to the boiling water. Mix, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minute. Let sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork, spread out in the pan and cool completely.
Heat 1tsp oil in a wok or other large pan and scramble the two eggs with a little salt and pepper. Remove from pan and keep aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the wok and fry the onion whites, garlic, ginger and green chilies for a few seconds.
Add the diced vegetables and stir fry on high heat for a minute. Add the chicken and fry for another minute.  Add the cooked quinoa, scrambled egg, salt, pepper powder, soy sauce and vinegar and mix well on high heat until heated through.
Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot.

Chili Fish

Ingredients:
250 gms fish fillet, cut into bite size pieces (I used tilapia)
1 tbs cornflour
2 tsps ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
2 tbs beaten egg

2 scallions, chopped fine, white and greens separated
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/8 cup chicken/ vegetable stock or water
1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
dash of siracha/ chili sauce and vinegar
salt to taste

Method:
Mix the cornflour, ginger garlic paste, pepper, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and egg to make a thick paste. Add the fish. Mix well, cover and keep aside for about an hour.
Heat 1 tbs oil in a non stick pan and fry the fish on medium high heat until cooked and browned. Remove from pan onto paper towels.
Add a little more oil to the pan and add the white scallions, ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant. Turn the heat to high and add the stock, soy sauce, sugar, siracha, vinegar and bring to a  boil. Add salt if needed. Add the fish and toss gently to coat with the sauce all over without breaking the fish pieces. Cook for another minute, garnish with scallion greens and serve hot.

Easy Chicken Curry

We have chicken about twice a week and its usually a dry dish we can can have with dal rice. I prefer quick stir fry dishes than the ones with a rich curry. But sometimes I really want gravy, to dunk some bread in it and enjoy the soggy goodness. On such days I usually cook something like this dish. Its very easy to prepare, using basic everyday ingredients. It's looks rich, but is actually a very light and flavorful curry.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 2 lbs, cut into small pieces
1 big onion, sliced
5-6 red chilies or to taste
3 big garlic cloves, grated
2 tbs ginger, grated
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tbs garam masala
1 tbs kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsps coriander powder
2 tbs yogurt
salt to taste
big squeeze of lime
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbs oil

Method:
Mix the yogurt, grated ginger and garlic, turmeric powder and salt and marinate the chicken in this mixture for atleast 30 mins.
Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan, add the red chilies and fry for a few seconds. Then add the onions and saute until golden. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft and mashed.
Grind this mixture into a fine paste.
Heat the remaining oil on medium heat. Add the dry spice powders and heat for a few seconds. Add the ground paste and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the chicken and kasoori methi and mix well. Add about half a cup of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and cook until chicken is tender. Adjust the seasonings and the consistency of the gravy. Squeeze some lemon juice into the curry and mix well. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Nasi Goreng - Indonesian Fried Rice

I love my new camera!! The best feature is its low light performance. I cook mostly in the evening or at night and could never take a decent picture (I don't have a lightbox) and my previous camera never did justice to the food. That problem is solved now!! Ofcourse the best pictures are still captured in natural light, but when there's none, a good great camera definitely helps. These pictures were taken on a cloudy, gloomy day when there was no sun  in sight and they are not bad at all. I thank Manoj every day for the best gift ever :)!!
I have been a little busy recently, have so many posts in my drafts and I had another one ready when I realised that the deadline for Taste and Create is this weekend. I was paired with Corina from Searching for Spice. There were a couple of sweet dishes I had decided to try but in the end I chose this yummy rice dish (been having too much dessert lately!!). The only change I made was to add some leftover rotisserie chicken. A wonderful one pot meal, with all my favorite things in it!!

Nasi Goreng

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup basmati rice
3 shallots, finely chopped
1" piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 small chilies, finely chopped
1 tbs chili sauce (I used siracha)
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 red pepper, cut onto small strips
15 green beans, chopped into 1" pieces
1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup small cooked shrimp
2 tbs oil
salt to taste
spring onion greens for garnish

Method:
Cook the rice. When still warm, separate the grains with a fork and keep aside to cool completely.
Heat a little oil in a wok. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the pan. Sprinkle some salt. Flip after a couple of mins and cook till done. Remove and keep aside. When cool cut into strips.
Heat the remaining oil in the same wok. When smoking hot, add the shallots, ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute and then add the vegetables and little salt. Fry for about 2 mins and then add the shrimp and chicken and fry for another minute. Add the sauces and mix well. Add the rice and fry till well combined and heated through.
Serve hot topped with green onions and omelette strips.

Sesame Orange Chicken

I love cooking, but I love the occasional  take out too. Especially Chinese take out and we are crazy about the food at Panda Express. But the occasional was happening too often and reading the calories on each item really started to worry me, especially their orange chicken which is was my favorite. So we decided to stop going there for a while. Every time we passed an outlet, I would stare at it longingly and my cravings were just becoming unbearable.
So I started my hunt for an easy lower fat recipe. I read several, that called for ingredients I didn't have in my pantry and I wasn't going to buy any more sauces! So I just put together whatever I had, drawing ideas from what I'd read and came up with this. Were my craving satisfied?? YESS!! Different from what they serve at Panda, but really really good. Plus the satisfaction of it being home made and non-fried...I was one Happy Gal!!


Sesame Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbs all purpose flour
2 tbs cornflour
1 small egg
1 tsp pepper powder
1 tbs ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
3 tbs orange marmalade
1 tbs sugar, more or less depending on the sweetness of the marmalade
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp red chili flakes, adjust according to taste
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs chopped ginger garlic
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds

Method:
Take chicken, flours, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, egg and salt in a bowl and mix everything together.
Heat 1 tbs oil in a wok on medium high heat. Add the chicken mixture and stir fry till the chicken is browned and cooked completely. Take care not to overcook the chicken. Keep aside.
In a small bowl mix together orange marmalade, sugar, soy sauce, red chili flakes and vinegar with a whisk.
Heat the same wok on medium heat with 1 tsp oil and fry the ginger garlic for a few seconds and then add the marmalade mixture. Simmer for a couple of minutes and add the chicken. Mix till all the chicken is well coated with the sauce. Check the seasoning and then stir fry for another minute and then mix in the sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Coriander Coconut Chicken Curry

Notice the 4 C's in the title :)....I was just wondering what to name this curry. What better way than listing the prominent ingredients right? I made this the week after Onam mainly to use up the left over coconut milk and because I was really craving for some meat after a weekend of just vegetarian food...this was my first I'm sure.

The curry did turn out great and after some quick pictures, gobbled down most of it with some rice:)....

Butter Chicken

Butter chicken is one of my favorite dishes and the best I've had is at Grand Central restaurant in Chembur. I've never been satisfied with what we get at the restaurants out here, so I've just stopped ordering the dish. Last week we had dinner at a friends place and was I excited when I saw butter chicken on her table. It was really yumm, so of course I had to get the recipe. Noted it down and tried it today. It turned out great, was rich and delicious and was perfect with some parathas.

Chicken Stew

I know its Tuesday and a little late to be talking about the weekend, but I had such a great time. We went to San Francisco for the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival and had some fabulous chocolate treats. I especially loved the tarts, pies, gelato and the brownie samples were to die for. We had a chocolate overload and yet I'm craving for more:)...

I made this curry this weekend and had it with dosas. Its best with appams but any dosa will do. I even like to have it with chapatis.

Ingredients:
4 chicken leg quarters, cut into small pieces

1 tbs oil

5 cloves

2 cardamoms

1 cinnamon

10 peppercorns

1 big onion, sliced

8 green chillies, slit

2 tbs ginger, finely chopped

10 curry leaves

2 tsp coriander powder

3/4 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

2 cups thin coconut milk

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

Method:

Heat 2 tbs oil on medium heat and fry the cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and peppercorns till fragrant.

Add the onions and green chillies and fry till onions are soft and transparent. Add the ginger and fry for a min.

Next add the curry leaves, coriander powder and garam masala and fry for 30secs.

Add the chicken and fry on high heat for 2 -3 mins to brown a bit. Reduce the heat and add the thin coconut milk and salt. Mix well and cook covered on low heat till the chicken is done. Check the seasonings.

Remove from heat and stir in the thick coconut milk. Place the pan back on low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Just take care not to boil the gravy or the milk may split.

Enjoy with dosas, appam or any other bread.

Palak Chicken

Heyy...hope you all had a great weekend. I really enjoyed mine. We had friends over for dinner on Saturday, it was a potluck I was hosting and we had some awesome food. Then on Sunday we had arranged a surprise baby shower party for a friend at Round Table, played some games and had great fun.

Cooking took a back seat except for my contribution to the potluck, which was the Chicken fry I had posted a while back. The rest of the meals we just managed with some leftover's from last week which also included Palak Chicken that I had made on Thursday. I love to add spinach to gravies in which they won't taste so obvious and I love the green color it gives any dish. This is one such dish I like to make often and it's really yumm.

Palak Chicken
Ingredients:

150 gms spinach

4 green chillies

2 lbs chicken

1 big onion

1 tbs ginger garlic paste

1 tomato

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/2tsp cumin powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4tsp turmeric powder

2 lbs chicken

salt to taste

8-10 curry leaves

Method:

Blanch the spinach and grind to a smooth paste along with the green chillies.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion till golden. Fry the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute.

Add the tomatoes and cook till the oil separates. Add the masala powders and fry for a minute.

Add the chicken and mix well. Add the salt, cover and cook for about 5 mins. Add the ground spinach and curry leaves and mix well. Add some water if necessary.

Cover and cook on low heat till the chicken is done.

Check the seasonings and remove from heat. Serve hot with naan or chappatis.

Portobello Pizzas

You know how I'm always talking about losing weight and I have this long list of foods I try to avoid or at least reduce in my diet. How strictly I follow that list, is another story altogether, one I just avoid thinking of. I added pizzas to my list as part of my new year resolution, and I'm really proud that I've stuck to it (you'd be too if you knew how crazy I'm about pizzas), except for a couple of slices I had to eat at a friends b'day party, well I just didn't want to upset her on her big day...Isn't that a perfect excuse:)...

Anyways I had been to the farmers market last weekend and there were these amazing portobellos on sale and I immediately thought of a recipe I'd seen on Food Network a while back. I bought four of them and made these pizzas for lunch. I must say I no longer feel sad seeing Pizza on my list, the mushroom base is such a wonderful alternative, adds so much flavor and I don't have to worry about making bread anymore.....

Penne in a Creamy Pesto Sauce with Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes n Chicken

Orchids, is my favorite restaurant in Chembur, Mumbai (that's where I'm from) and I really miss their food. I had a lot of favorites and I remember taking an awful lot of time to order as it was really difficult to choose one dish over the other. I love the choice of Italian food and one dish I ate often was the Pasta alla Genovese. This is one of the most popular Italian sauces, basically fresh pesto tossed with warm pasta. Their version was so creamy with lots of chicken.

This is my version of that dish and though not the same, it's just as creamy, rich n delicious.

Coriander Chicken

This wonderful recipe is one of Nimmi Paul's. For those who don't know her she has a cooking school in Kerala that's quite famous, even internationally. I have tried a number of her recipes and have loved each one. I got this one from the book, Savoring the Spice Coast of India. A wonderful fragrant dish, it tastes great with rice and rotis.

Ingredients:

2 tbs oil

1 big onion, thinly sliced

1 heaping tbs ginger garlic paste

2 green chillies, chopped fine

12 fresh curry leaves

4 tsps coriander powder

1 tsp black pepper powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 tsp garam masala powder

salt to taste

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden. Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and curry leaves and fry for 1 min.

Add all the spice powders and salt and roast for 1 minute. Then add the chicken to the pan and fry till the pink color disappears and its well coated with the spices. Take care that the spices do not burn.

Add 1/4cup coconut milk mixed in 1/2cup water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer till the chicken is cooked completely.

Remove from flame and stir in the remaining coconut milk and chopped cilantro.

Turn the flame to the lowest setting and cook till you see the first boil.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

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This is my entry to Potluck - Chicken hosted by Viki at Viki's Kitchen.

Also sending the below entries to the same event....

Chicken Biryani

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Chicken Manchurian

Chicken Korma

This is the first time I tried making chicken korma at home and was really satisfied. I got the recipe from a book I got from the library, 'Savouring the Spice Coast of India'. It's a great book and I'll be trying a few recipes from it. The gravy was rich and delicious, Of course you can't have something like this everyday, but its a wonderful recipe for an occasional treat.

Ingredients:
3 tbs cashew nuts
1/4 cup fresh coconut, grated
2 tbs oil
1 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped

1 tbs ginger garlic paste
1 cup tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbs coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 - 1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbs yogurt
salt to taste
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

Method:
Grind the coconut and cashews with little water to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till golden brown.

Add the green chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 mins.
Add the tomato, cilantro and the spice powders and fry till the tomato is mashed and the oil separates.
Add the yogurt and stir for a min till well blended.
Add the chicken and salt and fry for 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and cover and cook on medium heat till the chicken is almost done.
Add the cashew paste and mix well. Simmer for another ten minutes.
Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves. Tastes best with rotis.

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This is my entry for "Lets go Nuts - Cashew nuts."

Chicken Biryani

My weekend starts today...I'm off to LA for a few days. Can't explain how excited I am, this is a much awaited trip. Will be back on Tuesday, so I'm gonna be on  a break from blogging until then. Though I would be carrying my laptop, I'm not sure I'd be able to check regularly. So wishing all of you'll a happy weekend in advance. 

As a parting shot, thought I'd serve some chicken biryani, a dish I wouldn't mind having for breakfast:)....

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:

500gms chicken, (preferably leg pieces)

1/4cup yogurt

2tbs ginger garlic paste

1tbs lemon juice

1/2tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

1 tsp ghee/ oil

1 cup basmati rice

10 peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

5 cloves

4 cardamoms

1 star anise

2 bay leaves

2 cups water

1tbs oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3-4 green chillies, finely chopped

1/3 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbs coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

salt to taste

Method:

Wash the chicken well. Make a marinade by mixing yogurt, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, turmeric powder and some salt. Mix in the chicken, cover and marinate for a couple of hours.

Wash and drain the rice. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan and add peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cardamoms and bay leaves and fry for a few seconds. 

Add the rice and fry  for about a minute till glossy and all the water has evaporated. Soak the rice along with the spices in 2 cups water for 30mins.

In the meantime, heat 1tbs oil in a pan and fry the onions and green chillies on medium heat till brown. Add the coriander leaves, mint leaves, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Fry for 1min.

Add the chicken with the marinade. Mix well and cook on medium heat till the chicken is almost done and there is no gravy left. The dish must be almost dry.

Add the rice and water and salt to taste. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat for 15mins. 

Turn off the heat and keep aside covered for another 15mins (do not uncover the pan in between cooking or when resting).

Fluff up the rice and serve hot with a raita of your choice.

P.S. Please do not forget to send in your entries for the cashew and chocolate event. Eagerly looking forward to your contribution. See you guys next week.

Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs

This weekend was a dull one, with nothing planned, we spent it at home just lazying around. For the first time I didn't even cook anything, we survived on bread and some leftovers from the week before. 
The meatball marinara is my favorite sandwich from Subway, but I've never had spaghetti and meatballs. Since I've decided to give up red meat (atleast for now), I thought of making chicken meatballs. It was different, but delicious!! Be very careful to not overcook the meatballs, that is the most difficult thing about this very easy recipe!!. The meatball recipe is adapted from here. Its really simple and you could even serve the meatballs as a starter, its really yumm. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs: 

(Yields about 20 meatballs)

1tsp oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 lb minced chicken

1 large egg

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 big cloves of minced garlic

1tsp pepper powder

2tsp dried oregano

salt to taste

For the sauce:

1tbs olive oil

2lbs ripe red tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2tsp red chilli powder

1tsp pepper powder

1-2 tsp sugar

1tbs dried basil

salt to taste

1lb spaghetti

Grated Parmesan and pepper flakes for garnishing

Method:

Both the meatballs and sauce could be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer for a longer time. 

For the Meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with foil. Coat with non-stick spray.

Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions on medium heat just until transparent. 

Remove from heat and add to the chicken mince. Add all the other ingredients and mix with a fork just until combined.

Lightly grease your palm and shape into small balls. Place on the tray and bake for 15-20 mins till done.

For the sauce:

Blanch the tomatoes and peel off the skin. Chop roughly. 

Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Fry the garlic till aromatic and golden.

Add the tomatoes, chilli powder & pepper powder and cook for about 10-12 mins. Crush the tomato as you stir. When thick, add the sugar and salt and stir for 1min.

Cool and pulse in a processor to make a sauce. Add the dry basil and check seasonings.

This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator, re-heat as needed.

To Assemble:

Heat the sauce and meatballs together on low for a few mins. Add some water if too thick and adjust the seasonings.

Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and arrange in a dish. Top with the meatball mixture. Sprinkle fresh Parmesan, pepper flakes or other Italian seasoning and serve hot.

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Sending this to Presto Pasta Nights # 107 hosted by Ruth

and to Sanghi's FIL - Tomato event.

Farfalle with Chicken Curry going to Presto Pasta Nights # 106

Aquadaze of Served with Love is hosting the 106th instalment of Presto Pasta Nights. I had so many ideas of what I wanted to send, but unfortunately I couldn't get around it. So sending one of my archived entries to this wonderful event.

Farfalle with Chicken Curry

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Whoa...Another weekend is here! The days are passing so fast, I don't know about you guys but I've just completely lost track of time. March is almost over and I feel like I just celebrated New Year. 

We are off to Ikea early tomorrow morning. I'm always looking for an excuse to go there and whats a better one than a sale. Boy, was I excited seeing the sale booklet in the mail. I'm totally crazy about all kitchen items, from cutlery to electronics, and my hands start itching from the moment I step into that store. Manoj teases me that my nostrils flare up whenever I see something I want and that's his cue to pull me away:). Anyways, I just love the storage jars they sell out there and they're gonna be selling each one for just 99c, irrespective of size. They are gonna be gone so quick, hoping I get a few. Happy Weekend you guys!

Onto the recipe now...this one is going to Think Spice...Think Pepper event hosted by Divya of Dil Se. The event was started by Sunita of Sunita's World.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

1lb boneless & skinless chicken

1 1/2tbs lemon juice

1tsp red chilli powder

1/4tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

1tbs oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1tbs grated ginger

1tbs grated garlic

1/4 cup tightly packed curry leaves

1-1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper powder

Method:

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Add the lemon juice, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Marinate for at least 2hrs.

Heat the oil and fry the onions till golden. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for about a minute.

Add the marinated chicken and curry leaves and fry on medium heat till done, about 10-12mins. Do not add any water and take care not to over cook the chicken.

Add the pepper powder and toss to mix well.

Serve hot as an appetizer or as a side dish.

Farfalle with Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

200gms farfalle or any pasta

250gms boneless chicken, cut into tiny pieces

1tbs lemon juice

2tbs oil

2 cardamoms

4cloves

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 big onion, finely chopped

1/2cup tomato puree

2tbs ginger-garlic paste

1tbs coriander powder

2tsp red chilli powder or to taste

1/4tsp turmeric powder

1 1/2cups water

salt to taste

2tbs coriander leaves, finely chopped

1tsp dried red chilli flakes

Method:

Cook the pasta as per instructions. 

In the meantime mix the chicken with lemon juice and salt and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and fry for 30secs.

Add the onions and saute till golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste and tomato puree and cook till thick. 

Add the masalas and fry for 1min. Add the chicken and fry for 2-3mins. Then add the water, salt and bring to boil. Cook on medium heat till the chicken is tender.

If the gravy is too thin then thicken with about 1tbs cornflour mixed in 2-3tbs water and cook for a minute.

Stir in the coriander leaves.

When the pasta is done, drain well and place on a serving dish. Top with chicken curry and sprinkle some chilli flakes. Serve hot.

Minced Chicken Pulao

Ingredients:

2tbs oil

1/2tsp cumin seeds

2 green cardamoms

3 cloves

8-10 peppercorns

1 small onion

3-4green chillies or to taste

1tbs ginger-garlic paste

250gms minced chicken

1/4tsp turmeric powder

1 1/2tsp coriander powder

3/4tsp cumin powder

1/2tsp garam masala

1cup basmati rice

2cups water

salt to taste

coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Wash the rice and keep aside to drain.

Heat oil in a thick-bottom pan on medium heat and add the cumin seeds. When done spluttering add the cardamoms, cloves and peppercorns and fry for 30secs.

Then add the onions and green chillies and saute till the onions turn golden brown. 

Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
Turn the heat to high and add the chicken. Fry stirring continuously to break any lumps. 

Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and cook till all the water has evaporated and the chicken has browned. 
Add the rice and mix gently. Add water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15mins. 

Remove from heat but keep covered for another 10mins.

Fluff up the rice, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with mint raita.

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Sending this to "Harvest Festival of Rice" event by Sudeshna.

Chicken Manchurian

Ingredients:

200gms boneless chicken

For the batter:

1/4cup cornflour

1/4cup all-purpose flour/ maida

1/2egg

1tsp chilli powder

1/2tsp white pepper powder

1/4tsp msg/ ajinomoto (optional)

1 big pinch sugar

1/2tsp ginger-garlic paste

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

For the sauce:

1tsp oil

1tbs ginger, finely chopped

1tbs garlic, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4cup spring onions

1 1/2cups water

1/2tsp white pepper powder

1/4tsp msg/ ajinomoto (optional)

1 big pinch sugar

1 1/2tbs soya sauce

1tbs green chili sauce

few drops vinegar

salt to taste

1 1/2tbs cornflour

spring onion greens for garnish

Method:

Cut the chicken into 1 1/2" cubes. Mix the cornflour, a.p.flour, red chilli powder, pepper powder, msg, ginger-garlic paste, salt and egg with a little water to make a thick batter.

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Dip the chicken in the batter and deep fry on medium heat till golden and the chicken is cooked through. Drain and keep aside.

Heat 1tsp oil in a saucepan. Saute the ginger, garlic, green chillies and spring onions for 2mins, ensure they do not brown.

Add the water, sauces and seasonings and bring to a boil. Check the salt.

Mix the cornflour in a 2tbs water. Add to the sauce a little at a time, stirring constantly. Add only enough cornflour paste to get the desired consistency for the sauce. Boil for a minute.

Add the chicken and mix. Remove from heat.

Garnish with spring onion greens.

Chicken Fry

This is an easy and quick dish. It is a perfect accompaniment to dal rice. 

Make this dish with boneless chicken and serve as an appetizer or use as a stuffing for puffs or sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1.5lbs chicken; cut into small pieces

2tbs lemon juice

1 big onion; about 250gms

4 green chillies, finely chopped

1tbs ginger-garlic paste

1 & 1/2tsp coriander powder

1/2tsp heaped garam masala

1/2tsp pepper powder

1/4tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

1/2cup coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:

Wash the chicken and drain well. Mix in the lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste and salt and keep aside.

Heat 1 & 1/2tbs oil and saute the onions and green chillies till golden.

Add the masalas and fry for 1min.

Add the chicken and mix well. Add 1/4cup water and more salt if needed. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook till the chicken is tender.

Uncover, add the remaining oil and fry on high flame till all the water has evaporated and oil shows on the surface. 

Mix in the coriander leaves and add drizzle some more lemon juice if you like.