Blackened Seasoning for Chicken or Fish

Blackened Seasoning:

1 teaspoon paparika

1 teaspoon red chili powder or as per taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper powder

2 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

Method:

Mix the above spices well and store in an airtight container. Check out the Blackened Salmon recipe here.

Chili Chicken for Holidays

This is a great starter or can be served as a dry side dish with any entree. It is very easy to prepare and can be be made in a jiffy. We made this for our Christmas get together and everyone loved it. 


Ensure that it is served immediately, otherwise it gets soggy and unappetizing. It is also a good idea to finish it the same day. Also if you are storing it in the fridge, it needs to be heated in the oven rather than the microwave. 




Ingredients 
For marinate:
1 pound chicken fillets
2 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoon garlic paste
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn flour
salt as per taste


oil for frying


For Gravy:
2 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
4 green chilies or as per taste
2 spring onions
4 tablespoon red chili sauce or as per taste (I used knor chili sauce)
2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn flour
3 tablespoon soy sauce


For garnish(optional):
1 green bell pepper
1 large onion


Method 
Cut the chicken into 2 inch pieces. Mix the marinate (except the oil and all purpose flour) well into the chicken and let it rest for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Prepare the gravy before frying the chicken. Mix the corn flour and the all purpose flour well into the chicken and deep fry it till the pieces are crisp.
Cut the bell pepper into large chunks and quarter the onion for the garnish. Stir fry in a pan on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Keep aside.

For the gravy:

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan and add the garlic. Fry on high heat for 2 minutes and add chopped green chilies. Stir for another minute and add finely chopped 1 1/2 bunch of spring onions. Stir for another 2 minutes and add red chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce. Add water as per desired gravy consistency. Dissolve corn flour in 1/4 cup of cold water and add to the gravy. Keep stirring till the corn flour is well cooked. Add the fried chicken into the gravy and mix well till all the pieces are coated with the gravy. Salt it accordingly and garnish with the remaining spring onions. Serve hot.

Yana's Chicken Hawaiian Salad

This is a recipe inspired by the Chicken Hawaiian salad at Yana's Restaurant in Pune. I have very fond memories of going to Yana's with my office colleague and sometimes with my sister. The sizzlers's at Yana's are out of the world and incomparable to any other sizzler joint. 

This is very simple to prepare the salad, but the sweetness of the pineapple and flavor imparted by the two varieties of bell pepper make a great combination with the chicken. Those who don't eat chicken can substitute it with paneer or tofu.

Ingredients 
4 chicken breast pieces
1  cup mayonnaise
1 cup thick yogurt or curds
1 green pepper or capsicum
1 red pepper or capsicum
1 yellow pepper or capsicum
1 pineapple or add as per taste 
salt for taste
pepper for taste
1 tablespoon sugar (only if the pineapple is not sweet)


Method  

 Cook the chicken breast pieces in water added with little salt. Cool down and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. De-seed the peppers and cut them into elongated stripes. Cut the pineapple into small chunks and mix in sugar if the pineapple is not sweet. Mix yogurt and mayonnaise well. Add the cut peppers, pineapple and chicken pieces. Add salt and pepper as per taste. Serve immediately. 

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori is a meat dish cooked in a large clay pot called the tandoor. The tandoor is heated by charcoal fire giving it a distinctive smokey flavor. When I was visiting Bangalore my first stop at the Mantri Mall would be at the Tandoori Chicken stall at the food court. The chicken was soft and succulent and was spiced perfectly right.
My earliest memories of eating tandoori as a child are at Alpha Cafe located in Andheri West(Mumbai). I also loved the corn soup they served there. Later I was introduced to the yummy chicken delicacies when we moved to Bhopal. The chicken tikka's sold by a hawker near my home would just melt in the mouth. Then I graduated to the Pune's Blue Nile biryani's and the George's chicken dishes. Lately, my fondest memories of street food are from my my vacation when I went out with my mom or my sister on pretense of a evening walk or getting groceries to eat gobi manchurian, chicken kabab's, tikka's lolipops, chaats, bhel and the latest fad- momos.

Earlier this month we were barbecuing with friends and I had taken marinated tandoori chicken. But I forgot to take the photos. Last week I made tandoori again while having lunch with my friend E and here is my recipe.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken pieces (preferably leg pieces skinned and trimmed of all the fat)
2 tablespoon tandoori masala (available at any Indian store)
2 tablespoon thick curd
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon red food color (optional)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
salt for taste

Method
Wash and clean the chicken well and pat it dry. Make small slits with a knife for the marinate to penetrate well inside the chicken. Mix the rest of the ingredients and apply well to the chicken and inside the slits. Marinate for 8-10 hours. Grill the chicken on a charcoal grill or in the oven till well done on all sides. Serve with raita, onion rings and lemon.

Kachi Hyderabadi Chicken / Mutton Biryani

I am back from a long long blogging break and a great vacation. With all the unpacking and cleaning to do after returning back from my vacation I was a little tired and a little lazy to start blogging again. Last week I had lunch with my friend E and I had made Hyderabad chicken biryani and tandoori. She insisted that I start blogging again with these recipes to start with. Thanks E for the encouragement! This recipe also goes to the event Iftar Moments Hijri 1431 hosted by Umm and Joys from Fasting to Feasting  by Lubna.

When I was in India I was visiting my dear friend R in Bangalore his wife M made Hyderabad mutton biryani for lunch. I was awed to see her cook the biryani so delicately from start to finish. She used the dum method of cooking where the layered biryani is put in a pot whose lid is sealed with wheat flour dough to avoid the steam from escaping the vessel. She then keeps the pot on the tava or cast iron griddle and cooks on very low flame for 1 1/2 hours. This method retains most of the flavor and juices of the meat and makes it very tender. We have coil instead of gas in US so another option would be cook the biryani in a pressure cooker (with the weight/whistle on) on 2 or 3 range out of 9 (highest) range. I have tried this and it works great.

There is a lot of difference between the Hyderabadi biryani and the Lucknow biryani style of cooking. The Lucknow style advises that the meat and rice be half cooked before the layering process. My mom cooks the Lucknow version and formerly I also followed the same method. The Hyderabadi style of cooking leaves the meat more juicy and softer than the Lucknow style. It also reduces the cooking time I love that too :). Hyderabadi biryani is called kuchi (raw) biryani and Lucknow biryani is called pukki (cooked biryani). The spices used also vary a bit. Tamarind is used instead of tomato to impart sourness. Ground raw papaya can also added while marination to make the meat softer.

Biryani is a layered dish and fried onions, rice and marinated meat are used to create layers for the biryani. Traditionally ghee is added to make the biryani and oil while marinating the meat but I use as less oil as possible to make the biryani. Also check my Vegetable Biryani Recipe.

Marination:
2 pound chicken or mutton cut into pieces (If you have frozen meat then de-freeze it before marinating)
2 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 teaspoon salt
2-4 slit green chillies
1 teaspoon red chili powder or as per taste
2 tablespoon paste of green papaya (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder or as per taste (check recipe here)
1 handful of chopped fresh mint leaves (approx 1 cup) I also use 1 cup of dried mint leaves if I don't have fresh ones on hand
1 handful/cup chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk cream (If you increase the richness of the biryani; I usually avoid it :))
1/2 teaspoon concentrated tamarind paste or as per taste
1 1/2 teaspoon salt or as per taste

Wash the chicken well and make slits if the pieces are large. Mix the rest of the ingredients for the marinate. Add the chicken pieces and coat the chicken well with the marinate. Keep it aside for 2 hours or leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

For the Onions:
Slice 4-6 red onions finely and fry them in 2 tablespoon oil till they are caramelized or light brown in color.


For the Rice:
2 cups basmati rice (washed well an hour before using it)
3 cardamoms
1 stick cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
2-3 pieces of mace
1 teaspoon jeera or cumin
2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Boil the water in a large pan with all the ingredients except rice and lemon juice/vinegar. When the water comes to a boil, add the rice and the lemon juice/vinegar. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir it well. Drain the water in a colander.



Method to layer the biryani:
Wheat dough prepared from 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
marinated meat
prepared rice
fried onions
1 cup milk (i use fat free milk)
6-8 strands of saffron
2-3 chopped green chillies (optional/as per taste)
3 tablespoon oil (optional)
fried cashew nuts and raisins (optional)
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
2 tablespoon lemon juice

1) Warm the milk and add the saffron strands. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Line the pressure cooker or the vessel with a thin layer of oil.
2) Add 8-10 strands of fried onions at the bottom. Usually rice is added first but I find that the onions impart more flavor if added first.
3) Add half of the rice.
4) Add the marinated meat. If you are creating more number of layers add the larger meat pieces at the bottom layer.
5) Add half of the fried onions.
6) Add the rest of the rice.
7) Add the other half of the fried onions and green chillies.
8) Pour milk, oil and lemon juice evenly over the top layer.

Seal the vessel or pressure cooker or the vessel with wheat dough. If a stainless steel or aluminum vessel is being used then keep it over a tava or cast iron griddle. If the biryani is made in a pressure cooker, put the weight (or the whistle as it is called in India ) on the cooker. Cook on a very low flame for 1 hour to 90 minutes or till the meat is well cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves, cashew nuts and raisins. Serve with curd raita.