Robibarer Murgir Jhol/ Bengali Sunday Chicken Curry...I finally succumbed!!

Robibarer Murgir Jhol or Bengali Sunday Chicken Curry… Robibarer Mangshor Jhol or the Bengali Sunday Mutton Curry…or better known as stuff legends are made of…or so I have heard and read…I never understood all the hullabaloo behind it, based on my relationship with potatoes (used to hate them unless fried -  just started eating them a couple of years back but even now can’t handle them in curries and can’t handle the thought of them with my chicken/meat/fish curries)…never attempted to eat it, let alone make it…but this past Sunday, finally gave in and decided to give it a shot, even though I was skeptical about why people would think that potatoes in this dish are what makes this dish…after making, eating and taking a long long nap after it, have to admit this time, and yes, only this time people were right – legends and memories…that Sunday Mutton Curry will be happening pretty soon J

Robibarer Murgir Jhol (Bengali Sunday Chicken Curry)

Ingredients:

• Chicken, skinned and cut into medium sized pieces, 1 kg

For the marinade:

• Ginger paste,1 tsp
• Garlic paste, 1 tsp
• Onion, grated/paste, 1 tbsp
• Lime juice, 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder, ½ tsp
• Turmeric, ¼ tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Mustard Oil, 1 tbsp

For the curry:

• Green Cardamom, 2
• Cloves, 2
• Cinnamon, 1” stick
• Bayleaf, 2
• Black peppercorns, 4-5
• Ginger paste, 1 tsp
• Garlic paste, 1 tsp
• Onions, finely sliced, 3 medium
• Tomatoes, made into puree, 2 medium
• Packaged tomato puree, 1 tbsp
• Potatoes, peeled and halved, 2 medium
• Kashmiri Red chili powder, 1 tbsp (for colour + heat, adjust according to taste)
• Coriander powder, 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder, ½ tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Sugar, ½ tsp
• Mustard Oil, 3-4 tbsp
• Water, about 2 cups
• Green chilies, 2-3, slit
• Bengali Garam Masala, ¼ tsp (equal parts cinnamon, green cardamoms, cloves, dry roasted and ground into a powder)
• Lemon juice, about a tbsp or to taste
• Fresh coriander, to garnish 

Instructions:

Wash and clean chicken, wipe dry.
Make small cuts in the chicken.

Mix all ingredients mentioned under marinade in a bowl and add in the chicken.
Rub the marinade on the chicken pieces; allow to marinate for an hour or so (can marinate overnight, but, add salt only once you get the chicken out of the refrigerator).

Sprinkle a little salt and turmeric on the potato pieces. Heat ½ tbsp of mustard oil in the pressure cooker (or a heavy bottomed pan). Add the potato pieces and fry till they turn slightly golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. 

Add lightly crushed green cardamom, clove, cinnamon, bay leaf and peppercorns.

When the spices start sizzling, add in the onions and sugar. Cook on low flame till the onions start to turn golden brown.

Add in garlic paste and fry for about a minute or so. 

Add Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and mix well. 

Add fresh tomato puree, packaged tomato puree, salt and ginger paste. 

Stir and mix everything and let it cook on low flame for about 5 minutes.

Add in the chicken with the marinade and green chilies.

Stir and mix so that the masala coats the chicken. Let it cook on all sides for about 5-6 minutes till the chicken starts to brown.

Add the fried potatoes, water and stir.

Close the pressure cooker. The chicken should take about 10-12 minutes (in my pressure cooker about 2 whistles, one on high and one on low)

If cooking in a pan, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook till chicken is tender and starts falling off the bone.

When serving, sprinkle some Bengali garam masala, squeeze in some lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

Serve with some steamed rice or Bengali Mishti Pulao (recipe here)

Ginger Fried Rice...Fred and Ginger!!!

Ginger Fried Rice…simple and easy…but with eggs on the side J for me…you can skip to make it vegetarian or even add tofu/meat of your choice

Ginger Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• Cooked Rice, preferably a day old or at refrigerated for a couple of hours, 3 cups
• Fresh Ginger, peeled and minced, 1 ½ tbsp
• Onion, finely chopped, 1 medium
• Vegetables, finely chopped, ¾ to 1 cup, I used green, yellow, red pepper and carrots – you can add French beans, mushrooms or peas
• Spring/Green Onions/Scallions, finely chopped, only the green portion, 2-3
• Light Soy sauce, to taste or about ½ - ¾ tsp for every cup of rice (you can add oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce or even fish sauce. Just go easy on the sauces or else your rice will turn mushy)
• Salt, to taste
• White Pepper powder, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp for eggs
• Eggs, 3 (optional)
• Sesame oil, a few drops (optional)

Instructions: 

Break up large clumps of rice and separate the grains with wet fingers or a fork.

Lightly whisk the eggs with a tablespoon of water and a little salt.

Heat a large wok or nonstick pan until hot. Add 1 tbsp oil and swirl around the wok.

Add the eggs and stir to scramble until they are almost cooked but still a little soggy – about a minute or two. Take out the eggs and keep aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the same wok. When the oil is hot and starts to shimmer, add the ginger and onions. Stir fry for about 30 seconds or so till the ginger gets fragrant. Add the rest of the veggies and stir fry until tender, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the sauce of your choice, salt and pepper.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the rice.. Stir and toss to mix until the rice is well coated and heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Remove from heat and add spring onions greens, eggs and sesame oil, if using.

Serve immediately.

(I served it with Fred i.e. Chili Chicken)

Chili Chicken...it happens only in India!!

Chilli Chicken…I think of Chinese food in India and this is the first dish that pops into my head…I try and think of other fancier stuff but the image refuses to go away…Does it happen with you as well? Or am I one of those ‘special’ ones?? J 

Chilli Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, 300 gms
• Garlic, 6-7 cloves
• Green Chillies, 3-4
• Onions, quartered and petals separated, 2 medium
• Coloured Bell Peppers, cut into bite size pieces, 1 cup (optional)
• Spring/Green Onions/Scallions, only the green portion, chopped into inch long pieces, 2-3 (optional)
• Dark Soy Sauce, 2 tbsp (adjust according to the brand you use)
• Chilli sauce, 1 tbsp (you can use green chilli sauce or red chilli sauce or Sriracha sauce, adjust according to taste)
• Oil, 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp
• Spring/Green Onions/Scallions, only the green portion, finely chopped, for garnishing, 1
• Salt, only if needed, to taste

For marinade:

• Corn Starch, 2 tbsp
• Dark Soy sauce, 2 tbsp
• Ginger paste, 1 tsp
• Garlic paste, 1 tsp

Instructions: 

Wash and clean the chicken. Remove all the extra fat and cut into bite sized pieces.

Marinate the chicken with corn starch, soy sauce, ginger paste and garlic paste for about half an hour to overnight. 
If you are marinating overnight, get the chicken back to room temperature before you start cooking.

You can finely chop the garlic and green chillies. I like to pound them lightly just to break them up lightly in a mortar pestle or with the back of a knife.

Heat a large wok or frying pan over high heat. 

Heat 2 tbsp oil and add in the chicken. Toss the chicken around and keep turning the pieces so that the chicken cooks and turn golden brown evenly. The chicken would be done in about 5-6 minutes. Lower the heat take the chicken out and keep aside.

Get the heat back to high (and keep it there) and add in the remaining 2 tbsp oil.

Add in the garlic and half of the green chillies. Be careful as this could splutter.

Once the garlic starts to change colour, add in the sauces and mix around.

Toss in the onions and let them cook for a minute. Add in the bell peppers and toss around for another minute or so.

Add in the chicken and the remaining green chillies. Toss and mix everything well together so that the chicken absorbs the sauces.

Add in the long spring onions and switch off the heat. Again toss around so that the greens also get coated and go soft in the residual heat.

Serve immediately, garnished with finely chopped spring onions.

(You can have it as snacks or as part of a meal. I served it with Ginger Fried Rice)

Notes:

• You can use chicken breast as well, cut into long strips or even small pieces of chicken on the bone (on the bone is how this dish originally used to be made)

• Adding colured peppers is again not how it was done originally- only onions. The fancier versions additionally had only green bell pepper added in with onions.

Baked Eggs – 4 ways...Monday blues...nah!! Monday Funday!!

Baked Eggs – 4 ways…as simple as it can be…the perfect breakfast to face your Monday blues

Baked Eggs – 4 ways

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Oil or butter, to sauté your veggies
• Fillings, Quantities depend on your dish size, taste and whether u r in the mood for chopping!! Below is what I used, you can add whatever you want:
• 1^st Ramekin: Bacon, Onion, Tomatoes, Salt and Pepper
• 2^nd Ramekin: (my Indian touch) Garlic paste, Green chili paste, Onion, Tomatoes, Coriander leaves, Salt and Red Chili powder
• 3^rd Ramekin: Garlic, Onion, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Salt and Pepper
• 4^th Ramekin: Garlic, Onion, Tomatoes, Spinach, Salt and Pepper
• Oil or butter, to grease the dish
• Parmesan Cheese, as much or little as you want or you can skip (I would suggest not skipping)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Milk or Cream, 1 tbsp per ramekin 

 

Instructions: 

Preheat oven at 190C.

Heat oil/butter on medium heat and sauté the fillings lightly.

Grease the ramekin or baking dish.

Fill it halfway with the veggie fillings you have prepared. Top it with a little cheese.

Make a slight indent in the centre of the filling with the back of a spoon and break the eggs into it. Add a pinch of salt and pepper on top, followed by a little more cheese.

Spoon 1 tablespoon milk or cream on top of the egg to prevent drying out – do not stir.

Transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet and then into the preheated oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes- depending on how you like your eggs. (Baking time will also depend on the size of the dish you are using and the number of eggs you are using in a dish)

Eat as is or with buttered toast…and now you are ready to face the world on a Monday…go, go, go and conquer it!!!

Punjabi Kadhi Pakora ( Fritters in Spiced Yogurt Gravy) ...Slurp, Slurp, Slurp!!!

Punjabi Kadhi Pakora…A Punjabi home or blog by a proud Punju (is there any other kind?? J ) is incomplete without a Sunday lunch of Kadhi Pakora…so go cook…and slurp, slurp, slurp!!!

Punjabi Kadhi Pakora (Fritters in Spiced Yogurt Gravy)

Kadhi

Ingredients:

• Plain Yogurt/ Dahi, 1 cup ( The only must is that the yogurt needs to be sour – so taste the yogurt the previous night, if it is not sour – put some salt in it and leave it overnight on the kitchen counter)
• Besan/Gram flour/Chickpea flour, ¼ cup
• Water, 3 cups
• Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste

First Tempering:

• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Hing/Asafoetida, ¼ tsp
• Fenugreek seeds, ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds, ½ tsp
• Kalonji/Nigella seeds, ¼ tsp or Onion, finely slice, 1 medium
• Mustard seeds, ½ tsp
• Curry leaves, 5-6
• Whole Dried red chillies, 1-2, broken into pieces
• Ginger, paste/grated, 1 tsp
• Garlic, paste/grated, 1 tsp

Second Tempering:

• Ghee, 1 tbsp
• Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tsp
• Whole Dried red chillies, 1-2

Instructions:

Combine the besan, yogurt, salt, turmeric powder and water in a large bowl and whisk well so no lumps remain and let it stand for about 5 - 10 mins. If you still see lumps in the mix, pass the mix through a fine sieve.

Heat the oil in a large pot and add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and nigella seeds (if using)

When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, curry leaves and dried red chillies and stir for about 10-15 seconds on low flame.

If using onions (instead of nigella seeds), add now and sauté till they go soft.

Add the ginger and garlic pastes and sauté till fragrant.

Add the yogurt mixture and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes stirring constantly to avoid curdling. (Add another half a cup of water if required)

Gently add the fried pakoras to the pot and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes. (Refer below for pakoras)

Once the kadhi is ready to be served, do a second tempering with whole dried red chilli and powdered kashmiri red chilli powder. 

Pour it on the kadhi and you are done. 

You can additionally garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve with Basmati rice or tandoori roti.

It is not necessary to add pakoras to the kadhi – yes, there I said it!!...though I have to admit, for some people, pakoras are the best part of the kadhi) 

For a hassle-free version, just increase the quantity of onions in the beginning and let them simmer with the kadhi. 

For a healthier version, add fresh chopped spinach and let it cook in the kadhi for about 2-3 minutes

Pakoras/Fritters

Ingredients: 

• Besan/Gram flour/Chickpea flour, ½ cup
• Onion/Potatoes/Spinach/Fenugreek, finely chopped, a handful of each or pick whichever ones you like
• Fresh coriander, finely chopped, a few , 
• Water, as needed
• Ginger paste, 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder, ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder, a small pinch
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tsp

AND

• Oil, to deep fry

Instructions:

While the kadhi is simmering, you can get on with making the pakoras.

Mix all the ingredients with enough water to make a thick paste. The paste is thicker than that of usual pakodas, so that they are a little harder than usual or they will break when simmered with the kadhi.

In a kadhai/wok, heat sufficient oil for deep frying.

Drop spoonfuls of mix into medium hot oil. Fry till all sides turn nice pale golden brown.

Use a slotted spoon and scoop out. Set aside and drain on paper towels to be used after the kadhi is cooked.

Notes:

• Curry leaves are usually not added, but in my home kadhi has always been made with curry leaves.

• There are versions with adding coriander seeds or skipping garlic – you can pick and choose what you want to add in.

• Similarly, there are versions with only one tempering in the end or skipping the second tempering completely – again, entirely up to you.

• The only must is that the yogurt needs to be sour – so taste the yogurt the previous night, if it is not sour – put some salt in it and leave it overnight on the kitchen counter.

Karare Aloo/Crisp Spiced Baby Potatoes...Bigg Boss!!

Karare Aloo (Crisp Spiced Baby Potatoes)…does it remind you of Andy singing “aloo bade karare ne kudiyon aloo bade karare” in Bigg Boss?? J…every time he sang that song I would crave for my mom’s karare aloo…she makes the best ones...

 Karare Aloo (Crisp Spiced Baby Potatoes)

Ingredients:

• Baby potatoes, with peel on, 500 gms
• Hing/Asafoetida, ¼ tsp
• Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
• Dried red chilies, 2-3, broken into pieces
• Curry leaves 15-20
• Garlic cloves, roughly crushed with the back of the knife or using a mortar pestle, 10-12
• Coriander powder, 2 tsp
• Red chili powder, 1 tsp
• Turmeric, ½ tsp
• Garam Masala powder, ½ tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Mustard oil, 3 tbsp

Instructions:

Clean and pat dry the potatoes. Keep aside.

Smoke mustard oil on high in a wok, lower the flame and let it cool down a bit.

Add in the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, curry leaves and red chilies and stir for about 10 seconds on low flame.

Add in the garlic and fry till it changes colour. Add in all the dry spices and mix quickly with the garlic.

Immediately add in the potatoes, stir well and cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes.

Add in a couple of tablespoons of water, cover with a lid and cook till done- remember to stir intermittently. 

If the potatoes and spices start sticking to the base of the pan, do again sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of water.

When the potatoes are cooked, remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Toss around on high heat for another 4-5 minutes to crisp up the potato skins.

Perfect with meals or to snack on – hot, cold or at room temperature.

Green Peas and Mint Soup...I am back!!

Green Peas and Mint Soup...Told you on Facebook that I am not dead and will be back soon…guess what!! I am BACK!! And it feels nice J…thank you for sticking around!!

                                                                                                          

Green Peas and Mint Soup

Ingredients:

• Green Peas, 2 cups
• Onions, chopped, 1 medium
• Potato, chopped, 1 medium
• Celery, 2-3 stalks, chopped (optional)
• Mint leaves, about ¼ cup (more or less according to taste) 
• Water or Vegetable stock or Chicken stock, 4 cups
• Milk, ½ to ¾ cup (optional)
• Butter or Olive oil, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Heat a saucepan with the butter/olive oil. Add in the onions and celery. Cook them for about 3-4 minutes till the onions go soft.

Add in the potatoes, cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes on low heat.

Time to add in the peas now. Toss around for another couple of minutes.

Add water/vegetable stock/chicken stock and mint leaves. (Keep a few leaves aside for later).

Let the stock come to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes or so till the peas are soft cooked to your liking (I find the taste and colour better if I keep them slightly underdone). 

Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down a little.

Transfer the soup to a blender and puree till smooth with the mint leaves (the ones which were kept aside earlier) and season to taste with salt and pepper.

After the blending, again depending on the consistency you like, you can either strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve or proceed as is.

(At this stage you can freeze the soup for later use. If you know you will be able to finish the entire quantity you can add milk when the stock is simmering, otherwise add milk and reheat only the quantity you will be consuming and freeze the rest)

Add the milk and bring it back to simmer. Taste check again.

You can serve the soup hot or at room temperature.

Garnish with mint leaves or croutons, or a little cream or cheese or even crunchy bacon/prosciutto.

Notes: 

• If using frozen peas, no need to thaw them...just add directly to the pot. 
• If skipping milk, you can add about 1 teaspoon of ginger along with the peas.