Chicken Kurma

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Chicken (Cut into small pieces)

2 Potatoes (Cubed)

2 Onions (Sliced)

11/2 Tomatoes (Quartered)

3 Green Chillies (slit)

3 strands of Curry leaves

1/4 tsp Fennel seeds

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 Bay leaf

3 whole Cardamom

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 Star anise

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Chicken curry powder

1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

2 tbsp oil

Few coriander leaves for garnishing

Salt to taste

For Grinding:

1 Onion (slightly sauted in oil), 

1/2 tomato

1 tsp Poppy seeds (Khas khas)

1 tsp Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

1/8 tsp Black peppercorns

Few Fenugreek seeds

2 tbsp Freshly grated coconut

Method:

• Grind the ingredients into fine paste. keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok and add the whole garam masala (Bay leaf, Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and Star anise). Fry for a min.
• Add the fennel seeds and garlic ginger paste and fry till the raw smell leaves.
• Then add the onion, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry for 2 mins.
• Then add the chicken, potatoes and tomatoes. Stir everything together, cover the wok and cook for 5-8 mins under medium high flame.
• Now add masala powders and salt. Fry till the oil separates. Keep the wok covered.
• Add the grinded masala together with 1/4 cup water and cook under low flame.
• Chicken kurma is ready when the oil comes to the surface of the gravy.
• Serve this with Chapati/ Naan garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Banana Fritters

Ingredients:

1 cup Self raising flour

2 very ripe bananas (Mashed into pulp)

1/2 cup caster sugar

Oil for deep frying

A pinch of salt

Method:

• In a big bowl, Combine all the ingredients for the fritters except oil.
• Mix well and keep aside for 15-20 mins.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.
• Using a round spoon, scoop a little batter and drop it carefully into the hot oil.
• Keep the flame low medium as sugar makes the fritters turn dark very easily. Fritters are ready when they float to the oil surface. Drain on a kitchen towel.
• Serve the banana fritters with a hot cuppa.

Chilli Fried Chapathi

Ingredients:

5 cooked Chapathi

2 Onions (thinly sliced)

3 cloves of Garlic (finely minced)

2 tomato (cut into 8 wedges)

3 Green chillies (thinly sliced slantingly)

1/2 Carrot (grated)

1/2 Green capsicum (diced)

1 stick Leeks (sliced into 1" inch thickness)

1/4 cup Green peas

2 Spring onion stalks (sliced into 1" inch thickness)

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp chicken curry powder

1/2 Chicken seasoning cube

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Roughly tear the cooked chapathis to bit size pieces.
• Heat oil in a wok, add fennel seeds, garlic, onion and green chillies. Fry for 2 mins.
• Add the carrot, capsicum and crushed seasoning cube. Stir well, then add the tomatoes, peas and leeks. Cook for 3 mins.
• Then add the tomato puree, masala powders and salt. Stir well to combine everything, when the oil separates from the masala then add the cooked chapathis.
• Stir well so that the chapathis are coated with the masala content. Switch off the stove.
• Serve the kothu chapathi garnished with chopped spring onions.

Chicken Masala

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Chicken (Cut into small pieces)

8 cloves of Garlic (peeled and halved)

2 Onions (Finely sliced)

2 Tomatoes (Quartered)

3 Green chillies (slit)

3 strands of curry leaves

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 Bay leaf

3 whole Cardamom

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 Star anise

1 tbsp Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seed

11/2 tbsp Chicken masala (Chicken curry powder)

1 tbsp special masala (Chilli pwdr + Cumin Pwdr + Turmeric Pwdr)

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 seasoning chicken cube

1 tbsp coconut milk

1/2 cup water

Few stalks of Coriander leaves

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp Pure ghee

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a wok and add the whole garam masala (Bay leaf, Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and Star anise). Fry for a min.
• Add the fenugreek and fennel seeds together with garlic ginger pastes and fry till the raw smell leaves.
• Then add the onion, green chillies, garlic pieces and curry leaves. Fry for 2 mins.
• Then add the chicken and tomatoes. Stir everything together, cover the wok and cook for 5 mins under medium high flame.
• Then add masala powders, seasoning cube and salt. Stir fry till the oil separates from the masala. Add water, cover the wok and cook for further 10 mins.
• When chicken is cooked, add the coconut milk and stir fry for another 3 mins. Add the ghee and give a final stir and switch off the stove.
• Serve it hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Sambal Egg / Egg Masala

Ingredients:

5 hard boiled Eggs

2 onions (Finely Chopped)

1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

3 Tomato (Finely Chopped)

1 tsp Fennel seed

1 tsp Garam masala

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

1/4 tsp Sugar

3 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

To grind:

10 -12 Dry red chillies (Deseeded)

Method:

• Soak the deseeded dry chillies in a cup of hot water for about 10-15 mins. Drain, cool it and grind it into a fine paste with few splashes of water. Keep aside.
• make small slits on the white part of the boiled egg and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok and add the fennel seeds. Then add grinded chilli paste together with the garlic ginger paste. Fry till the raw chilli smell leaves.
• Then add the onion and stir fry for few mins.
• Then add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook till tomatoes are smashed and the oil comes to the surface.
• Now add the garam masala, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of water. Stir well to combine everything together.
• When the sambal content boils and oil comes to the surface, add the boiled eggs.
• Simmer the sambal for 2-3 mins and switch off the stove.
• Serve the sambal egg garnished with some finely chopped coriander leaves.

Chicken 65

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Chicken (Cut into small pieces)

1 tsp Garlic ginger paste

2 tbsp Thick yogurt

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Coriander powder

11/2 tbsp Chilli powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala

A pinch of red food colouring

1 tsp lime juice

salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

• In a large bowl, combine the masala powders, garlic ginger paste, lime juice, yogurt, food colouring and salt. Rub everything together with fingers.
• Marinate the chicken pieces with the paste for atleast 4-5 hours in the refrigerator, if possible overnight.
• Heat enough oil in a deep pan or kadai. Fry the chicken pieces in batches till it is crispy and well browned.
• Serve it pipping hot garnished with sliced onions and lemon wedges.

Kondai Kadalai Sundal

Ingredients:

1 cup Kondai Kadalai/ Chana

1 small onion (chopped)

2 dry red chillies (Split)

Few strands of Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Urad dhal

1 tbsp freshly grated coconut

A pinch of hing

Oil for seasoning

salt to taste

Method:

• Soak the chana in tap water for 8 hours or overnight. In the morning, cook the chana till it is tender but not mushy. Drain and keep aside.  
• Heat oil in a wok, splutter the mustard and urad dhal then add the onion, chillies and curry leaves. Fry for few mins.
• Then add the hing and salt. Stir fry, add the cooked chana, cover and cook for few more mins.
• Then add the grated coconut and stir well to combine everything.
• Serve the Sundal with a steaming cup of coffee or tea for a healthy snack.