Showing posts with label Indian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian. Show all posts

Wednesday, 18 October 2017

Moong Dal Laddoo...Happy Diwali and resolutions!

Moong Dal Laddoohere I was all set on not indulging in any of the Diwali goodies this year except for all the gossip from the Diwali parties I am missing (yet again! 😒) back homebut I guess my Diwali resolutions are just like my New Year resolutions, not meant to last for more than a week!…my Diwali prep may be last minute, but my wishes are notjoy, luck and cheer to you and yours this Diwali and always! 😊









Moong Dal Laddoo


Ingredients:

  • Moong Dhuli Dal/ Yellow Moong Dal/ Split and Husked Mung lentils, 1 cup
  • Granulated Sugar, ¾ cup ( use any sugar of your choice or even Powdered Jaggery)
  • Ghee, ¼ cup to 1/3 cup
  • Cardamom Powder, ¼ tsp

(refer to notes section before starting)


Instructions:

Wash the dal till water runs clear. Drain well in a colander – shake the colander a few times to remove excess water.

Lay a clean cotton kitchen towel on a flat surface and spread the dal on it. Leave to air dry for a couple of hours.

Heat a non stick pan on medium low heat. Add the dal and dry roast the dal, stirring continuously for even colour and cooking. Don’t rush this step as the dal needs to not only change colour but should get completely cooked inside.

Switch off the flame once the dal turns aromatic and golden. (It will also get crunchy)

Remove to a plate and let cool completely.

Once cool, grind the dal to a fine powder. Remove to a large bowl.

Powder the sugar in the same jar and add to the dal powder. Also add the cardamom powder to the mix and stir to mix well.

Heat ¼ cup ghee in a small pan, just till it melts. Pour the warm ghee over dal sugar mixture little by little and mix quickly with spatula.

Once the mixture has soaked up all the ghee and is coming together nicely knead it with your palms for a minute.

Use 1/8 cup measure to portion the laddoos – this will make 10 laddoos.

Take one portion of the mix and shape into a round ball by firmly binding the portion in the palm of your hand and then rolling between your palms. If the laddoo is not holding shape, add additional 1 or 2 tablespoons melted ghee and mix to combine well.

Make laddoos with rest of the mixture.

You can garnish the laddoos with slivered almonds, pistachios, cashews or raisins or let them be as is. ( I was doing a nut free version hence the stars!)

Let the laddoos rest on a lightly greased plate for about 10 minutes before serving.

You can store the remaining laddoos in an airtight container at room temperature for around 5 days (you can also refrigerate the laddoos for longer however they tend to become harder on refrigeration because of the ghee)






Notes:

  • For a slightly different texture, add ¼ cup almond meal/flour to the dal and sugar mix.


  • For added texture, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of crushed almonds, cashews or pistachios to the dal and sugar mix just before adding ghee.


  • Use ground cardamom powder or can use cardamom seeds removed from 3-4 cardamom pods and grind along with sugar.


  • If not too fond of cardamom, feel free to skip or use ½ tsp vanilla essence instead.


  • Make double batch of the dal and sugar mix and store the extra in an airtight container in the refrigerator to make instant laddoos in a distant or not so distant future!

Monday, 18 September 2017

Potol Posto...seasons don't matter!

Potol Posto (Parwal with Khus Khus / Pointed Gourd with Poppy Seed Paste)it’s officially autumn, so what am I doing cooking a summer vegetable in a typical summer prepseasons don’t matter when you are away from home and cravings strikeseasons also don’t matter when your weekly visits to the Indian Food market reduce to monthly visits and then dwindle down to quarterly, you grab what you see, pack 10 bags full of grocery and come back home skipping because you just found goldseasons especially don’t matter when someone tells you that Indian food needs a million ingredients to taste nice...well, then you just have to prove them wrong, don’t you?😊
(The next few recipes on the blog will be simple Indian food recipes using 5 ingredients or less – typical home cooking and not what you see in restaurants or curry housesso stick around!)



Bengali Parwal recipe mmskitchenbites




Potol Posto (Parwal with Khus Khus / Pointed Gourd with Poppy Seed Paste)

Ingredients:

  • Potol/Parwal/Pointed gourd, 8- 10 pieces
  • Posto/Khus Khus/ White Poppy seeds, ¼ cup
  • Green chillies, 3-4
  • Kalo Jeera/Kalonji/Nigella seeds, ½ tsp
  • Onion, finely sliced, 1 medium size *refer to notes
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil, 2 tbsp (preferably Mustard Oil, or else any white oil of your choice- Peanut/Sunflower/RiceBran/Vegetable/Canola/Rapeseed Oil) 


Optional Ingredients:*refer to notes
  • Turmeric powder, ¼ tsp + 1/8 tsp
  • Red chili powder, ½ tsp for heat or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, ½ tsp for colour
  • Sugar, ½ tsp or to taste



Instructions:

If you have a wet grinder: Soak posto in ½ cup of hot water for half an hour. Grind into a nice white paste with 1 green chilli and some salt.
OR
If you have a dry spice grinder: Dry grind the posto and then mix with water to make a thick wet paste.

Wash and pat dry the potols. Scrape the skin off, cut off the ends and peel off the skin in alternate strips.


Potol or Parwal mmskitchenbites


Now you can either slice the potols lengthways into 2 or 4 slices each or simply make long slits on both ends.

Toss them with a little salt and ¼ tsp turmeric powder, if using and keep aside 

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and on medium high heat, fry the potols until lightly browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.

In the same pan, add the balance 1 tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, add nigella seeds and let them splutter.

Add in the sliced onions and 2-3 green chillies slit through. Sauté till the onions change colour to light brown.

Add salt and the remaining turmeric powder, chilli powder & kashmiri chilli powder, if using. Stir to mix well.

Reduce the heat and add the posto paste. Sauté and stir well for 3– 4 minutes till raw smell of posto goes.

Add the fried potols and stir gently to mix with onion and posto paste.  

Add half a cup of warm water and sugar, if using.

Cover and cook till the potols are fully cooked and almost all the water has dried up. The gravy should coat the potols nicely and should not be runny.

Serve with plain riceheaven!! 




Notes:

  • Remember, salt is added in three stages – first while making posto paste, then while frying potols and then finally with the onions. Adjust quantity needed accordingly.
  • I like the texture onion gives to the gravy, you can skip if you want. 
  • In my husband’s family, turmeric is usually never used with posto (it interferes with the flavour). If you want to use turmeric to get some colour, I have specified when to add should you choose to use it. 
  • The green chillies used in the posto paste and then with the onions mean there is normally no need to add red chilli powder for heat. I have specified above when to add in, in case you choose to.
  • We don’t add Kashmiri Red Chilli powder to keep the posto gravy colour. I have specified above when to add in, if you want to add it for colour.
  • Normally a little sugar is almost always added to posto dishes. I prefer to skip. 

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Malai Paneer...Punjabi Dairy!!

Malai Paneerbrings back such fond memorieswhile growing up all those tantrums to avoid veggies almost always led to something or the other being made with either doodh or malai or both and the Punjabi genes in me were kept loved, happy, smilingand fat! J


P. S. The chillies in the picture are just to add some colour; this is not a spicy/hot dish (unless you want it to be!)

P.P.S The Paneer index is now up.



Punjabi Malai Paneer mmskitchenbites




Malai Paneer


Ingredients:

  • Paneer,/ Indian Cottage Cheese, 250 gms
  • Milk, ½ cup
  • Onion, cubed, 1 medium
  • Green Bell pepper, cubed,  ½  large
  • Cumin seeds, ½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder, ¼ tsp
  • Kasoori Methi/Dried Fenugreek leaves, ½ tsp
  • Crushed Black pepper, to taste
  • Salt, to taste
  • Malai or  Clotted cream or Devonshire Cream or Double cream, ¼ - ½ cup  (written down in order of preference, use whichever is available to you)
  • Oil, 1 tbsp
  • Fresh Chillies , finely sliced,1-2 (optional)



Instructions:


Warm the milk slightly in a small pan and switch off the heat. 
Cut the paneer into small cubes and let it soak in the warm milk for about 15 minutes

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add cumin seeds. When the seeds start cracking add the fresh chillies, onions and green bell peppers

Sauté till onions start going soft. Add turmeric, kasoori methi, salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 seconds to cook the spices.

Add the cubed paneer and toss around a couple of times so that the spices coat the paneer well.

Lower the heat and add the milk in which paneer was kept soaking.

Let it all cook together till the milk is reduced to almost less than half.

If using Malai or Clotted cream or Devonshire cream – lightly whip with a fork before using.

Add malai and stir to mix well on low heat for only a couple of minutes just to warm it up. 

Switch off the heat and done!


Goes best on its own with plain paranthas but is also good served as a side dish with any Indian meal.

Malai Paneer mmskitchenbites

Monday, 6 March 2017

Punjabi Besan Aloo...never say never!!

Punjabi Besan Aloo (Gram flour coated potatoes)from someone who hated almost every kind of aloo with a few exceptions – I could never stand the look, the taste, the smellto someone who has now added a separate Potato Index in the blog, Boy oh Boy, I sure have come a long long way! They do say never say neverwell, now I know! Hmm...who knows maybe one day, I will actually also end up eating the aloo in the samosa as well  J ...the recipe below is one of the few exceptions that I have always loved and I promise you, if you try, so will you!




Punjabi Besan Aloo mmskitchenbites





Punjabi Besan Aloo (Gram flour coated potatoes)


Ingredients:

  • Potatoes, 500 gms
  • Besan/ Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour, 4 heaped tablespoons
  • Amchur/Dried mango powder, ¾ tsp
  • Heeng/Asafoetida, ¼ tsp
  • Jeera/Cumin seeds, ½ tsp
  • Kalonji/ Nigella/ Onion seeds ½ tsp
  • Methre/Methi seeds/ Fenugreek seeds, ¼ tsp
  • Coriander powder, 3 tsp
  • Saunf/Fennel seeds powder, ½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder, ½ tsp
  • Kashmiri Red chilli powder 1 tsp (for colour)
  • Red chilli powder ½ tsp (for heat)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil, 2-3 tbsp (Typically made in Mustard oil, but you can use any oil of your choice)
  • Fresh chillies, 2-3 
  • Fresh Coriander leaves, to garnish



Instructions:


Boil potatoes, cool and peel.  Cut the potatoes into big cubes and if using baby potatoes just halve them.

Heat a flat heavy bottom pan on low heat and dry roast the besan till it changes colour to fairly light golden brown. Do constantly keep on stirring – it goes from the perfect colour to burnt in seconds.

Remove the besan from the pan into a bowl. Mix amchur into the besan and keep aside.

In the same pan, now heat the oil on low heat. Add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds.

Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the all dry spice powders – coriander powder, fennel powder, turmeric powder, both the chilli powders and salt. Sauté for 10 to 15 seconds on low heat.

Add the roasted besan (mixed with amchur, kept aside earlier) and mix well with the spices.

Add the cubed boiled potatoes. 

Mix and stir well to ensure all the spice powders and besan coats the potatoes well. (don't skimp on the oil, you need that 2-3 tbsp oil to get the coating right)

Sauté on medium heat for about 10 minutes till the potatoes start crisping up on the sides and besan is complexly cooked.

Add the fresh chillies; increase the heat to high and further sauté for a couple of minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature with paranthas or dal and rice.

Friday, 1 July 2016

Besan Mirchi (Green chillies coated with Gram flour)...mommy's here!!

Besan Mirchi (Green chillies coated with gram flour)because my mom has come visiting and she must must must cook everything that I love!!...these mirchis are normally eaten as an accompaniment to meals but I eat them as a snack, with my snacks, instead of meals and of course with my meals J



Besan Mirchi mmskitchenbites







Besan Mirchi (Green chillies coated with Gram flour)


Ingredients:

  • Fresh long/fat green chillies, about 250gms (refer to notes)
  • Besan/ Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour, 2 heaped tablespoons
  • Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
  • Heeng/Asafoetida, ½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder, ½ tsp
  • Coriander powder, 3 tsp
  • Saunf/Fennel seeds powder, 2 tsp
  • Amchur/Dried mango powder, ¾ tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil, 1 tbsp



Instructions:


Wash the chillies well but don’t wipe them dry – you would need the water clinging onto them to help with the cooking. Cut the chillies into about ¾ inch long pieces.

Besan Mirchi mmskitchenbites



Heat a flat heavy bottom pan on low heat and dry roast the besan till it changes colour to fairly light golden brown. Do constantly keep on stirring – it goes from the perfect colour to burnt in seconds.

Besan Mirchi mmskitchenbites



Remove the besan from the pan into a bowl. Mix amchur into the besan and keep aside.

In the same pan, now heat the oil on low flame. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.

Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the chillies and sauté for a few minutes till the chilies till start going soft.

Besan Mirchi mmskitchenbites



Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, fennel powder and salt. Mix well. Cover and cook for 2–3 minutes.

Besan Mirchi mmskitchenbites



Remove the cover and sprinkle the besan (mixed with amchur, kept aside earlier) evenly on top of the chillies. Ensure the chillies are just moist enough so that flour sticks on to the chillies (if not, sprinkle a teaspoon or two of water)

Besan Mirchi mmskitchenbites


Stir well but gently for 5 –6 minutes till the flour is cooked and sticks to the chillies.

Switch off the heat and let it cool.

Serve at room temperature (or even cold) with paranthas or dal and rice.

This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.




Notes:

  • Any kind of fat, long green chillies which are not too hot work well here …even capsicum/green bell peppers.  If the chillies are too hot, you can of course remove the seeds before using.


  • Depending on the chilli variety you use, these mirchis will either remain slightly crunchy or go completely soft…tastes good either way.


  • Don’t add too much besan as it clumps up and takes away from the flavor of the chillies.



  • If you don’t have amchur, you can substitute with a couple of teaspoons of lime juice towards the end of cooking.

Thursday, 2 June 2016

Maharashtrian Thecha (Spicy Green Chilli-Garlic Chutney)…spike and spark!

Maharashtrian Thecha (Spicy Green Chilli-Garlic Chutney)when you need something to spike your day! Like every other chutney, this too has several different versions – mine comes from my friend Ndo play around with the quantities and ingredients to zero in on “The One” that will bring a smile to your face, “The One” you will look forward to seeing at every meal, “The One” you will stick around with for a lifetimeThe One” you can call the spark of your life!! J







Maharashtrian Thecha (Spicy Green Chilli-Garlic Chutney)



Ingredients:


  • Fresh Green Chillies, 4 large or 8 small
  • Garlic Pods, peeled, 8
  • Raw Peanuts, 1/8 cup (or de-skinned ready roasted peanuts)
  • Oil, 1 tsp
  • Salt, to taste

Optional Ingredients (refer to notes):

  • Fresh Coriander, finely chopped, 1-2 tbsp
  • Fresh Coconut, scraped or finely grated, 1-2 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds, ½ tsp



Instructions:


Heat a non-stick pan on medium low heat. Add the peanuts and lightly dry roast till the colour changes, while stirring continuously.
Remove from heat, de-skin and keep aside.

Make a couple of slits in the chillies to avoid popping while roasting or cut them into 2-3 pieces each.

Heat ½ tsp oil in the same pan. Add the chilies to the pan and roast evenly till the skin blisters or chars slightly. Remove and let cool.

Heat the remaining ½ tsp oil to the pan and roast the garlic till you see black-brown spots on the garlic. Remove and let cool.





Once cooled, lightly pound the roasted green chillies and garlic together with the peanuts and some salt in a mortar and pestle to attain a coarse consistency (alternatively you can use ‘pulse’ function and grind it in mini food processor or a blender – just ensure the consistency remains coarse)

Thecha can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days in an air-tight container.

Traditionally eaten with Jawar Bhakris or Rotis, but also works very well with puri or parantha of any kind.








Notes:

  • For a nut free version, feel free to skip peanuts and use coconut instead. 

  • The potency of the chillies here reduces after storing – hottest when eaten fresh.

  • Choose the kind of chilies that work for you – hot, medium hot or mild. The roasted blistered skin adds enough flavour even if using mild chillies. 

  • If it turns out too spicy/hot, add coriander, coconut or lime juice to tone it down. 

  • If you want to add:

  1. Coriander – add fresh finely chopped while grinding
  2. Coconut – add freshly grated while grinding
  3. Cumin – roast lightly with the garlic first and then grind with the rest of the ingredients

Saturday, 23 January 2016

Oats Poha (Savoury Oats Hash) ...Indian love!!

Oats Poha (Savoury Oats Hash)a.k.a. Oats, the Indian way (one of many!)breakfast to us Indians normally means hot, hearty and savouryand though most like me could and do survive on a quick toast or cereal, it is only when breakfast is served hot right off the stove that our soul is at peacehowever, when and if you do run out of quick enough options, you take something not traditionally Indian and give it some special Indian loveand Voila!! Breakfast is served J...works extremely well as a side dish as wellkeep it vegan or add in some meat proteinseasonings as under or like a traditional Poha or whatever you are in the mood for J





Oats Poha (Savoury Oats Hash)

 


Ingredients:

  • Old-fashioned/Rolled oats, 1 cup ( can use regular porridge oats/instant oats but rolled oats have a lot more texture and can sustain cooking without turning into mush)
  • Onion, finely chopped, ½ cup
  • Mixed chopped vegetables of your choice, finely chopped, ½ to ¾ cup (I normally use carrots, peas and peppers; if using frozen peas, thaw them first)
  • Fresh green chilies, 1-2, finely chopped (optional)
  • Mixed dried herbs of your choice, ¼ tsp
  • Black Pepper powder, ¼ tsp – ½ tsp
  • Salt, to taste
  • Milk or water, 1-2 tbsp if needed
  • Oil, 1 tbsp


Instructions: 

Put the oats in a colander and rinse briefly under cold running water. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes so that the water drains out completely (finish your prep in the meantime). Skip this step if using porridge oats.

Fluff up the rinsed oats – each grain would be separate but soft/plump (avoid overzealous rinsing, washing, soaking unless of course you have tried it that way and would prefer a softer gooier version of this J)

Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, add the green chilies and onions and sauté till translucent and soft.

Add in the salt, crushed black pepper and the carrots. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the mixed dried herbs, peppers and peas. Mix well and cook further for a minute or so.

Add the drained out oats and stir to mix well. If using instant oats – add the oats, mix well with the veggies, and sprinkle a a tablespoon of milk or water.

Cover and reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5–6 minutes or until the oats are tender – but not mushy. For Instant oats, cook for 3-4 minutes.

If the oats are still not cooked enough to your liking, sprinkle a tablespoon of milk or water all over and cover and cook for another couple of minutes.

Stir lightly to mix and fluff. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Switch off the heat, cover and set aside for a couple of minutes.

Serve warm, as is, or with a bowl of plain yogurt or topped with a fried egg.


Notes: 

  • Use gluten free oats to make it gluten free. 
  • Keep it nut free or top it up with roasted peanuts and cashews. 
  • Skip the milk and use water to make it vegan.
  • If this seems too dry to your liking – you can add in a chopped tomato along with the veggies. 
  • Add some additional carbs by either adding boiled and cubed potatoes along with the rest of the vegetables or fry some cubed potatoes till crisp and add them a couple of minutes before switching off the heat. 

  • Top it up with a fried egg or add in some cooked chicken or meat or sausages.

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

Chicken Tikka Masala...Celebrating National Curry Week!!

Chicken Tikka MasalaIt's National Curry week in Britain this week and it is but natural that Butter Chicken for this Delhi girl will change to Chicken Tikka Masala ‘cause “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, rightJ...a couple of differences between the original Butter Chicken (although there are a million different versions of Butter Chicken floating around, each one claiming to be authentic) and the Brit version of it – mustard oil is skipped  and onions are added (and also added is an extra dose of sugar and cream!!) The one thing I refuse to do is use chicken breast for this – my conscience didn’t allow me to use chicken breast in a curry!! So here goes, my version of the Chicken Tikka Masala


Chicken Tikka Masala mmskitchenbites


Chicken Tikka Masala



  • Chicken Thighs Fillets, boneless and skinless, 500  gms/ about 6-7

First Marination:

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt, ½ tsp


Second Marination:

  • Fresh Ginger paste, 1 tbsp
  • Fresh Garlic paste, 1 tbsp
  • Kashmiri Red Chili powder, 1 tbsp (for colour, or use paprika)
  • Cumin powder, 1 tsp
  • Garam masala powder, 1 tsp
  • Tomato paste, 1 tsp (helps with the colour, optional)
  • Plain Greek Yogurt, 4 tbsp (or hang normal yogurt/dahi in a cheesecloth for an hour or so to drain out the water and then use)
  • Oil, 1 tsp


For the sauce:

  • Onions, finely chopped, 1 small
  • Tomatoes, finely chopped, 400 gms/ about 4-5 medium size
  • Tomato paste, 1 tbsp (you can substitute with 2 tbsp of packaged tomato puree or even some tomato ketchup. If using ketchup, go easy on the sugar or may just have to skip the sugar later)
  • Green cardamom, 2-3
  • Black Cardamom, 1(optional but gives a nice smoky taste)
  • Cloves, 3-4
  • Cinnamon, 1” stick
  • Fresh Ginger paste, 1 tbsp
  • Fresh Garlic paste, 1 tbsp
  • Water, 1 cup/250ml + ½ cup or more/less as needed
  • Ghee/Butter, 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
  • Kashmiri Red Chili powder, 1 tbsp (for colour or use paprika)
  • Green chilies, split into two, 1-2 (remove seeds and membrane if you want)
  • Red Chili powder, ½ tsp or to taste (for heat)
  • Sugar or Honey, ½ - 1 tsp or to taste ( depends on how tart the tomatoes are)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Garam masala powder, ½ tsp
  • Kasoori methi/Dried fenugreek leaves, 1 tsp (dry roast in a pan or microwave for about 20 seconds and crush between your palms into a fine powder)
  • Single Cream, 3-4 tbsp
  • Lemon juice, if needed
  • Fresh coriander and/or fresh green chilies to garnish (optional)



Instructions:


Slash the chicken thighs at an angle 3-4 times to ensure the marinade will seep in. Put the chicken in a non reactive bowl and add lemon juice and salt. Mix well and leave to marinate for about half an hour.

Whip all the ingredients mentioned under the second marinade list in a small bowl. Add to the chicken, stir well to coat, cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-5 hours. Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking.

Grind the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom seeds to a smooth fine powder using a pestle and mortar or a spice/coffee grinder. (If you don’t have either, you can add the whole spices while cooking the onions and fish them out before blending the sauce)

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a large non stick pan over medium low heat. If using whole spices, add now and let them crackle in the oil for about 10 seconds. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry till fragrant.

Add the onions and fry until soft and starting to turn golden brown. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste and the ground cardamom, clove and cinnamon powder.
Mix well and cook down the tomatoes till the release oil on the sides of the pan, about 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring and cook for a further 10 minutes or so till the colour of the tomatoes darkens a little more.

Add in 1 cup of water, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Switch off the heat and let the sauce cool a bit. If you have used whole spices, fish them out of the sauce now.

Using am immersion blender or food processor, puree the sauce until smooth and then pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove any seeds or skin that may have remained. Discard the solids and set the liquid aside. 

Meanwhile, heat your grill/broiler to the highest setting or heat the oven to 240 C. Place the chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and place the tray on the topmost level in the oven. Cook for about 4–5 minutes on each side, until nicely charred at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into bite sized chunks. The chicken will still be pink inside – it will be cooked in the curry later.


Heat the remaining 1 tbsp ghee/butter on low heat. Add in the Kashmiri red chili powder and green chilies. Sauté on low heat for about 8-10 seconds – adding Kashmiri red chili powder at this stage in oil gives a deeper colour to the dish but don’t allow it to burn.

Add the pureed sauce back into the pan with about ½ cup of water, bring to a boil on high heat and then allow to simmer for 4–5 minutes.


Check for seasonings and add salt, sugar, and red chili powder (and more Kashmiri red chili powder if needed to get the colour you want).

Add in the chicken chunks, half of the cream, fenugreek leaves, garam masala powder and simmer stirring often for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked and the sauce consistency is to your liking.

Stir in the remaining cream. Taste and adjust the balance if needed by adding more salt, sugar, lemon juice or cream. 

Garnish with chopped coriander and/or fresh green chilies and serve hot with naan or paranthas.

Notes:


  • The amount of Kashmiri Red Chili powder you need to use will depend on the tomatoes and the final colour of the dish you are looking for. Please do adjust to your liking.