Chicken Vindaloo

Ingredients:

500g (1/2kg) chicken boneless diced

2 medium onions (1 1/2 pureed & 1/2 chopped finely)

9 small cloves garlic

1 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilli powder, or to taste

1 tsp ground cumin

3 cloves

1 tblsp vinegar

1 tblsp jaggery

2 tbsp oil

2 medium potatoes diced/sliced

Salt to taste

Method:

• Roughly chop 1 1/2 onions, combine in a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients listed except for chicken, potatoes & coriander. Blend until smooth.
• Combine chicken in a bowl with spice mixture. Marinate for about 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Slice remaining onion. Add oil in a saucepan and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add marinated chicken pieces with the masala & potatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked & tender, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with coriander and serve with Naan or rice!

Chicken Bhuna

Ingredients:

250g of skinless boneless chicken diced

3 tablespoons oil

1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder

Tomatoes: 100g puree and 1 diced finely

1/2 teaspoon ginger paste

1/2 garlic paste and 3 cloves chopped

2 medium onions: 1 pureed and 1 chopped finely

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

2/3 teaspoon cumin seeds

Fistful fresh finely chopped coriander

1 teaspoon paprika/red chili powder

3 whole cardamoms crushed

Salt to taste

2 small green chilies, deseeded and chopped

Method:

• Rub garam masala and little salt over chicken and leave aside to marinate for few minutes while you prepare other ingredients.

• In a pan, heat oil in which add the chicken, fry for a minute, remove excess oil leaving only about one tablespoon in it, simmer the flame add half of the tomato puree and let is cook on simmer, cover the lid and keep stirring every 5 min.

• In another pan,  add the excess oil from frying chicken add cumin, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped tomato and sauté it after adding every ingredient for few seconds. 

• Add the turmeric, paprika/chili powder and cardamom pods and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

• Add pureed tomato, onion & chopped coriander stir it. Add water as needed to have the curry thickness of your choice.

• Reduce the heat and simmer stirring regularly

• Add the salt to taste
• Add the chicken pieces cooking in the other pan along with tomato puree and cook together until they mix well.

Serve hot with rice or naan! Bon apetite!

Rajma Masala

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 green chillies
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Water as needed
1 tsp coriander powder
3 chopped tomatoes
1 tsp red chilli powder
250gm boiled Rajma (brown kidney beans)
Salt to taste
Butter (optional)
Chopped coriander leaves

Method:
-Pour oil in a pan, to it add cumin seeds, onions, green chillies, garam masala powder, ginger garlic paste and saute.
-Add 1 cup water, coriander powder, tomatoes, red chilli powder, close the lid and cook untill all have mixed and forms a thick gravy.
-Add boiled Rajma, water (as per the thickness of gravy desired by you), salt, kasuri methi, butter and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tofu Makhni

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Oil/butter
3-4 cardamom
5-6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 chopped green chillies
3 chopped onions
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 tomatoes pureed
handful of coriander
salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1tsp kasuri methi
1tsp honey
200gm of tofu (soy paneer, can buy it from any supermarket)

Method:
-Pour oil/butter in a pan, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, green chillies, onions, ginger garlic paste and saute it.
-Add tomato puree, coriander, salt to taste, red chilli powder, garam masala, crushed kasuri methi and cook with lid on for few minutes.
-Add honey, tofu (can fry it in oil and add or just like that), cream/milk to thicken (optional).

Mushroom Malai Khumb Matar

Ingredients:
200 gm Mushrooms diced
1 cup Peas boiled
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp butter/oil
3 tbsp oil
2 onions - ground to a paste (I like onions in the curry in small pieces so i ground one and chopped another)
1/4 cup malai beaten with 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp graram masala
a pinch of amchoor
1/2 cup milk
Salt to taste

Grind together:
1/2 stick cinnamon
2-3 carsamom
3-4 cloves
4-5 peppercorns
2 tbsp cashewnuts

Substitutes:
If you are calorie conscious and do not want to make the dish very rich then you can substitute:
-Oil instead of butter
-Milk/milk powder instead of malai

Method:
-Trim the stem of each mushroom. Leave them whole if small or cut them into 2 pieces, if big. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a kadhai and add the mushrooms. Stir fry on high flame till dry and golden. Add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of white/black petter. Stir for 1 more minute and remove from fire. Keep cooked mushrooms aside.
-Grind together cinnamon, seeds to cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and cashew and some water into a wet paste.
-Heat oil, add onion and cook on low heat till oil separates. Do not let the onions turn brown.
-Add the freshly ground masala-cashew mix. Cook for few seconds.
-Add malai and milk, cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes till malai dries up.
-Add salt, red chilli powder, graram masala & amchoor. Stir for a minute.
-Add the boiled peas and mushrooms.
-Add 1/2 cup water if the gravy appears too thick. Boil for 2-3 minutes.
-Garnish with coriander/cream/cashew powder, server hot!

Mushroom Masala

Mushroom - 1 whole packet (200gms).
Onion - 1 1/2 medium sized ( blanched and pureed)
Tomato puree - 3tbsp
Ginger - Garlic paste - 3/4 tsp
Cashew nut paste - 2tbsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder- 2tsp
Coriander Powder-1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4tsp
Butter/oil - 2tbsp

Method:-

Initial Preparation:-

1) Soak about 1 1/2 tbsp of cashewnuts in water for about 2 hrs and grind them to a paste. This paste makes the gravy rich in taste.

3) Blanch the onion cut into pieces for about 15mts. If you are using microwave for blanching then keep the onions for about 10mts on high. And puree them.

Actual Preparation:-

1) Heat butter/oil in a kadai and add the onion puree and saute till they turn light brown in color.(This is also known as brown paste)

2) Add Ginger-Garlic paste to the brown paste mixture and saute for sometime.

3) Then add the Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, cashew paste, tomato puree, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt and saute for sometime.

4) Add the mushrooms, little water and allow it to cook till the gravy becomes semi-solid.

5) Finally garnish it with freshcream/coriander.