Pepper Chicken Vindaloo

One of the easiest chicken dishes, this Pepper Chicken Vindaloo requires no marination and no frying and grinding spices. Its simple and easy and especially suited for beginners. If you are new to cooking non-vegetarian food, then this dish is an absolute no-brainer.

PEPPER CHICKEN VINDALOO

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg (any cut would do - boneless or drumstick or wings. I have used boneless)
Onion - 2, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 2, slit
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 T
Garam Masala - 1/2t
Red Chilly powder - 1t (optional)
Coriander powder - 1T
Ground black pepper - 1T
Vinegar - 1T
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - for garnish

Seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1t
Cinnamon - 1 small stick
Cloves - 2

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add items given for seasoning.
2. Add garam masala and green chillies
3. Add onions and fry till they turn pink and soft.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes.
5. Add Red chilly powder and coriander powder and add a glass of water.
6. Add the washed and cut chicken pieces and salt and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Add the vinegar and continue on medium flame. If it seems dry then add a little bit of water.
8. Add ground black pepper and mix well and simmer until the chicken is full cooked.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or rotis.

Notes:

1. Chicken releases water while cooking. Hence add very less water at the beginning of the cooking process. You can adjust as you go.

2. Adding garam masala at the time of seasoning releases the aroma of spices when they hit the hot oil.

Meen Kuzhambu/ Tangy Fish Curry

A lot of people have asked me on why there is only one non-vegetarian recipe in Crimson Spice. Simple reason - I prefer vegetarian food. But the same cannot be said of the staunch carnivores  who are part of my  family. So here is a simple South Indian Fish Curry recipe for all you carnivores out there. Hopefully I should be able to post more non-vegetarian recipes as I try catering to the non-vegetarians at home.

MEEN KUZHAMBU / TANGY FISH CURRY

Ingredients:

Fish -1/2 kg (I have used snapper. Refer notes)
Pearl Onions - 5 or 6, sliced
Tamarind - Lemon Size
Red Chilly Powder/Sambar powder - 1T
Turmeric - 1t
Mustard Seeds - 1t
Fenugrek - 1t
Asafoetida - a pinch
Vadagam - 1 t (optional)
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

3 large onions
2 tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup curry leaves

Method:

1. Wash and clean the fish. Cut into big chunks.
2. Soak the tamarind in water and extract the paste.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, fenugreek, asafoetida.
4. Add the pearl onions and fry well.
5. Add the ground paste, red chilly powder and turmeric and fry well until the raw smell goes.
6. Add the tamarind paste and bring to a boil.
7. Add the fish pieces and salt and continue boiling until the fish is cooked and you can see the oil leave the sides of the pan.
8. Serve with plain rice.

Notes:

• Any kind of fish would work for this recipe. I prefer ones with less bones.
• This can be kept without refrigeration for 3 days and upto a week in the fridge. The dish is thought to taste better the next day.

Chicken Korma - Comfort Food!

It has been quite sometime since my first write-up. With a laptop crash (that lasted for nearly two weeks - thanks to running helter skelter for file retrival) and Aditi starting school, it has been a hell of a couple of weeks!!. And now for the last one week - we are all down with sniffles and sneezes. So to cheer up the folks at home (and to limit the time spent in the kitchen),we decided to make a simple rice and chicken curry yesterday.
It is one of the best comfort foods (especially when one is fighting a battle with the common cold) and the chicken korma recipie from Sailu's kitchen is one of my favorites. I have modified it to suit the ingredients in my pantry - but with all the additions and deductions, it still creates a "feel good" effect. This recipie here is an adapted version with a higher heat quotient - because of adding pepper.



Nilgri Chicken Korma ( Serves 2-3)
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken (cleaned and marinated in masala of turmeric,chilli powder and curd)
2 large onions, finely chopped1 1/2 tbsps ginger garlic paste
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tbsp finely minced Garlic
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste2-3 tbsps oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Roast and Grind:
1.5 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp saunf1 tsp khus khus
1″ cinnamon2 cardamoms
5 tbsp grated fresh coconut
8 cashew nuts
1 tbsp roasted chickpeas
Roast: (in 2 tsps oil for 5 mts)
10 -15 curry leaves
8-10 shallots/sambar onions
4 green chillis
3 tbsps chopped coriander and mint leaves
1 Make a paste of ingredients under grind and roast by adding a few tbsps of water and keep aside.2 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add curry leaves and saute for few secs. Add the minced garlic, chopped onions and fry till transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 mts. Add red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd and salt and combine. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 4-5 mts.3 Add the ground paste and cook over medium heat for 7-8 mts.4 Add lemon juice and the chicken pieces and combine. Cook without lid for 5-6 mts. Add 3 cups of water and cook with lid on simmer till the chicken is tender and the gravy thickens. (You can also use a pressure pan and allow it to cook until one whistle) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
If you are conscious about the use of coconut, you can reduce the quantity of grated coconut and increase the khus khus slightly.
Serve hot with steaming plain rice or chappathis. Yumm!! Best cure for gloomy days