Chicken Skewers with Cardamom

 

I am a huge fan of British chef Rick Stein, and love to watch his cooking shows.
So it is not a mystery I have his cooking books.

And ofcourse after watching his show, In search of the Perfect Curry I bought the book and I have made few dishes from the book which came out really good like this  Sali Murgh  which is a parsee chicken dish with apricot and fried potatoes.

 

I didn't follow his exact recipe. But I have given the exact recipe and written what i didn't add or what i added more.
 Recipe Source

700 gm skinless,boneless chicken breast cut into 4 cm pieces ( the recipe asked for thighs)
Juice of 1 lime
2 fresh green chillies finely chopped ( I added 4 )
40 gm ginger grated
3 tbsp thick greek style yougurt
1 tsp turmerice powder ( my addition)
2 tbsp of coconut cream ( I didn't use as I didn't have)
2 tbsp double cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsly ground black pepper
15 cardamom seeds powdered ( i added 10 )
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Pinch of chat masala for sprinkle in the end which I didn't use as i didn't have)

Mix the chicken , lime juice, chillies and giner together in a bowl and marinate for 15 minyutes.
In another bowl mix together the yougurt, cream and coconut cream, then stir in the salt black pepper and cardamom powder.
Mix with the chicken and marinade and keep in the fridge for 2- 3 hours.

Preaheat a grill to high or heat a sturdy grill ( tha is what I did) pan over a high heat ( or a light a barbacue).
Thread the chicken on to skewers, brush with oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side and cooked through.
Sprinkle with chat masala, if using and serve with roties, onion pickles and green chutney.
 

Chicken Fried Noodles With Sausages

I love noodles and I think lots of the noodle dishes I have is so easy to make.
And if you are a regular reader of my blog you will know I love Wagamama and have both their books.
This recipe is from their book and I just adapted it to a dish with the things I had in the fridge like I do with lots of my recipes. I just get inspired by reading the recipe and then make things according to the ingridients I have at home.

Ok as you can see when I was clicking the picture I forgot to add the eggs and it is only when I cleaned up I realized I didn't add the eggs and then I just scatterd the eggs on top and then took a click fast.

125 gm flat noodles
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 egg beaten and seasoned
1 onion slices
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finley chopped
1 red chilli finely chopped
100 gm chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
100 gm brocoli florets
50 gm sausages ( I used german thing sausages)
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp of soysauce
handfull of bean sprouts
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodles according to the packet , drain, refresh under cold water and keep aside.
Put 1 tbsp of oil to the wok .
Add the egg swril so that it coats the base and cook for 1 minute. Remove allow to cool and then roll up and thinly slice.
Add the remaining tablspoon of oil to the wok and stir fry the garlic, chilli for a minute, then add the slices onions, chicken, brocoli and sautedd for few more mintes till everything is cooked.
Add the brown sugar, soysauce and the beansprouts cook for few minutes.
Add the drained noodles and mix everything together.
Add pepper and salt to taste . Add the sliced fried egg and serve hot.

Chicken Kurma

 

It has been sunny but still cold, and I had planned to cycle after going to FIL's home today.

Last  days it has been cold but sunny , and when I go to FIL' place to take his food or shopping i stay there for a while and then go with my cycle for a longer ride.

 

And that was the plan today too, so I went to his place but I spend almost 2 hours there that I decided there is no more sun left and  rather cycle back home than going for a longer ride.

 

There are times when I say to Hans I never thought I would be so busy with FIL, Ok when ever I went there when MIL was still alive FIL was also there always but I was more busy with mom as you know we would talk about what we cooked, and what we are planning to cook tommorw, then recipes we saw and all the other gossips about the other family memberes.

 

 

But now it is not like that ,like today I was there and FIL was showing me all his old pics and talking about the past that I just sit there and listen and see the pics. Ok I have seen most of these old pics plenty of time, but he still shows me .
Today ofcourse I saw newer pics too including the pic of his home when he bought some 58 yrs ago and then i saw his grandfathers pic who was born in late 1800 etc...
It is unbelievable, FIL will become 87 in May but he still remember what happend in his youth even and I am like my god ask me some thing from my youth I have no idea :-)

You will find a variety of recipe for kurma/korma even in my blog you will see a vriety like this Moghul Chicken Korma which we love and for people who don't like that much spicy dish this moghul korma is perfect as it is a very mild one. And then there is this chicken korma with almonds  which is fabulous too so i guess you can have your pick for a korma recipe :-)



Chicken Kurma:

1 kg chicken ( Use chole chicken as the sauce taste better)
1/2 cup hot water
1.4 tsp turmeric powder
2 cinamon sticks
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cardamom pods
Salt to taste
100 ml vegetable oil
350 gm onions sliced
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp ginger paste
1/2  tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp corriander powder
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp aniseed
200 gm tomatoes chopped
1 cup youghurt
hand full of corriander leaves
3 green chillies sliced in hhalf
1/4 cup cashw nuts
1/2 cup fresh coconut grated

1. Cut the chicken in pieces and cook the chicken in a pan with hot water, turmeric ,cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and salt for 10 minutes and keep it aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan/wok and fry the sliced onions , stirring freequently . When they are fried well add the ginger and garlic paste.Mix with a little water corriander , turmeric , chilli poder and anise powder and add to the pan. Fry this ix well.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes. Fry well untill the oil seperates. Add the curd, corriander meaves, green chillie and the cooked chicken together with the water the chicken was cooked.
Cover with a lid and reduce the heat and simmer for futher 10 minutes or till the chicken is cooked.

4. In the mean time drind the cashews together with the coconut ( adding a bit of water while grinding if you need).
Add this paste into the curry when the chicken is fully cooked. Mix everything well .
You can serve the korma with rice or roties.

 

Chicken Vindaloo

 

I think if you are familiar with Indian Cusine you will know about Vindaloo, I remember reading somewhere In UK when the Indian food started becoming popular men who wanted to show how macho they were ordered the most spicy dish which was vindaloo and aparently vindallo, roties, rice and beer was was a done thing.

I have made Vindaloo before but then from a spice paste I got from Aparna when Hans went to visit there in Goa .

But I have been wanting to make them from scratch and few weeks back while taking to my sis she was saying she made this delicious Chicken Vindaloo which her husband and kids loved it, so I asked her to give me the recipe and made them to the delight of my family.

Ofcourse as this is a very spicy dish I only made it when the day when FIL and Niece was not comming for lunch as I know they woudn't be able to handle the heat :-)

If you like you can less the amount of chilli or add more chilli depends on how much heat you can handel. Plus you also can aadd 2 potatoes cunt in chunks. I ddidn't even though I love potatoes in curries but Hans is like that is doubel carb :-)

 

 

 

 

1500 gm Chicken with bones cut in medium pieces

4 tablespoon oil

5 tsp corriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

3 to 4 tsp chilli powder (I used Kashmiri chilli powder)

5 cardamoms just the seeds from it

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

3 sticks of cinamon

1 tablespoon cummin seeds

1 tablespoon mustard powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

3 large cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon ginger paste or ginger piece

125 gm grated fresh coconut

100 ml red whine vinegar ( you can use white too)

3 onions cut in pieces and then make into a rough paste

1 bay leaves

100 ml water

3 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste.

In a pan dry roast coriander seeds, peppercorns,chilli powder, cardamom seeds,fenugreek seeds, cinamon and cummin seeds.

When they are roasted powder them using your spice grinder.

In the mean while add the grated coconut together with the turmeric powder, mustard powder, ginger, garlic ,vinegar and make into a smooth paste, you might have to add a little water to get it really smooth.

Mix this smooth paste and the roasted powdered spices and keep it aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan, add the onion paste and bay leaves and fry tillt hey are lightly brown.

Add this chicken pieces with salt and fry for few minutes, add the smooth paste mixed with the powdered spices and fry for futher few minutes.

Now add the water and bring into boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes till the chicken is almost done.

Add the garam masala and simmer till the chicken is fully cooked.

Serve with plain white rice.

Orange Chicken - Chen Pi Ji

If you are a regular reader you might know that my FIL comes to our home for lunch every day after MIL passed away.
Mom was not a adventures type when it came for making food, she always made traditional food from Belgium, sometimes I think she started trying newer things after I came here as she hears from me about this or that spices etc..... but still 99 % of food she made was belgian/eurpean food. ( I must say she could make really super delicious paela one of the best I have ever had)

My FIL ofcourse complains ( when mom was there) when ever she made rice, pasta etc.... even though he will polish his plate of rice or pasta he would still say is it rice/pasta today as he loves his potatoes . So in their place it will be mostly potatoes, meat and vegg in their place, there is always potato mash , fried potato, boiled potato most of the lunch time.

My father in law loves travelling and he has gone to most of the places in Europe, but he would have loved to still travel, but as he is 86 he is not allowed and now we have this joke, each time I  make a chinese dish I tell him Dad we are travelling to china today, or when i make pasta I will be like Dad we are travelling to Italy today.

Now to the recipe this is the recipe from Easy Chinese Recipe from Bee Yinn Low, I am sure most of you will know her from her delicious and beautiful blog Rasamalaysia.
I love this book, and I have made couple of dishes from the book and each time it turns our super yumm.
So even before I tasted the finsiehd dish I knew it will a a really yummy chicken and indeed i was not wrong it is so good.
Some of the dishes I ahve made from the book are Chicken With Garlic Sauce  , Kung Pao Chicken.

Bee had written if you want the dish to have more sauce then double the portion of the orange juice and as I like a bit of sauce i have trippled it.
I am giving the original recipe and I have  written in a another color in brackets what changes I have done.
So if you want the dish to be dry then do the exact as in the recipe and if you like it to be saucy then do my way which is written in another color.



Orange Chicken:

250 gm skinless ,boneless chicken meat cut into slices
2 tablespoon of corn starch
Oil for deep frying
1 tablespoon of oil
2 cloves garlic minced
5 dried red finger length chillies
2 green onions ( scallions) white parts ( I used the green part also)

Sauce

3 table spoon of fresh orange juice ( I used 9 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons of soysauce
1 tsp of chinese rice wine or sherry
1/4 tsp of seasame oil
2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar ( I only used 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tsp of corn starch ( I used a bit more than one tablespoon as i used more orange juice )
1 tablespoon of water ( I used 3 tablepoons of water)

1. Mix all the ingridients for the sauce in a small bowl. Toss the chicken witht eh cornstarch in a seperate bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat oil on a wok for deep frying and when the oil is hot , Gentley drop the chicken pieces into the oil and loosen them up immediately with the spatual to prevent the chicken from clumping together.
3. Deep fry the chicken to a light golden brown. Dish out with a striner or slotted spoon, draining the excess oil by laying the chicken on a dish lined with paper towels. Discard the oil.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wol over a high heat. Add the garlic stir quickly with teh spatual before adding the dry chillies, stir fry untill you smell the spicy aroma of the chillies.
5. Returnt eh fried chicken back into the wok and add the sauce. Stir continiously, untill the chicken is well coated witht eh sauce. Stir in the green onions and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Tip from me if you think you sauce us too watery then use a bit more corn flour mixed with bit of water to thiecken up the sauce. If you think there is less sauce and you want more saucy then add a bit more water . Just make sure if you add more water or orange juice then add a little bit more soysauce too.



Chicken Korma With Almonds

Shyama have started making Indian food in her place and she has most of the basic spices in her shelf and she looks to my blog to find some easy to make Indian dishes and I have been telling to her for few weeks that I will post this easy chicken recipe which is nnot spicy so that when she makes it her friends can enjoy the dish too.

But as you all noticed I have not been blogging regularly as before plus we also went to a short holiday to London last week will write about the trip in my next post as I did meet two food bloggers there which was so much fun.

As I love to cook and have been cooking for long, I never thought of explaining in details, Shyama made one of my recipes last time and she said as I had written roast the spices she roasted them in oli the spices and all the onions etc and it turned black and smokey and all her friends who came to the kitchen was saying what is that burned smell,

So here it go Shyama, when I write  Dry Roasting whole spices then what you have to do is
 Place the spices  in a small frying pan or saucepan over a medium heat and stir and toss them around for 1-2 minutes, or until they begin to look toasted and start to jump in the pan.
Now transfer them to a pestle and mortar, crush them to a powder or coarsely grind them according to the recipe instructions. This will be easier to do now that they have been roasted.

Couscous (dog) while i was setting the table to take the pic, he was just drooling over chicken :-)

 

 

Chicken Korma With Almonds:

700 gm Chicken skinned and cut into bite size pieces.
3 to 4 tablespoon of oil
2 tsp cummin seeds
2 garlic cloves finley chopped
1 inch ginger finley chopped
300 gm onion puree ( chop onions and use a hand held blender to make them into a puree)
50 gm Almond powder
2 tsp garam masal
1 to 2 table spoon of corriander leaves chopped

For the Marination
125 gm of youghurt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric

Spices to powder:
4 cloves
3 cardamom pods
5 cm piece of cinamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 table spoon of corriander seeds
 Dry roast the spices above and grind them to a fine powder
200 ml water

50 ml of cream or more if you like more creamy

Marinate the chicken with a marination ingridients and the spice powder in a glass bowl and keep in the fridge for few hours. I sometimes forget this and just marinate the chicken for a hour and use.

Heat the oil in a wok , add the cummin seeds and stir fry for a minute, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for futher 1 minute. Now add the onion puree and fry for some 6 to 8 minutes till the onions are lightly golden color, if you thing th emix is looking too dry add a bit more oil.
Now add the chicken with the marination and fry for few minutes , and add the almond powder ,and add the water , close the wok with a lid and cook in a low fire till the chicken pieces are almost cooked.

Now add the garam masala and cook till the chicken is cooked well .
Add the corriander and cream and stir well and serve with rice or chapathies.
Taste if salt is enough otherwise add a bit more salt.
 

Red Curry Chicken Balls

I love thai food anf flavours, even though I must admit that it took me couple of years to apriciate fish sauce, years before when a recipe asked for fish sauce I never added as the first time I boought a bottle of fish sauce from the thai store and I opened up to use it I gave a big sniff and I thought I will throw up as I didn't like the strong smell of the fish sauce.

 

But then I started using little by little in dishes and in the end I agree when they say fish sauce is really a essential part of thai cooking.

 

Ofocurse I know this is not a traditional dish I don't think there is anything like this in tahi cusine, but then I am like if you can make strips of chicken using red curry paste then why not make a dish using chicken mince etc...

 

 

 

 

 

 



Ingridients:

For meat Balls:

700 gm chicken mince ( I used meat from chciekn legs as I think if you just use breast the balls are too dry)

2 chillies finley chopped

1 table spoon of corriander

1 table spoon of soy sauce

1 tsp of fish sauce

Pepper powder

2 to 3 table spoon of corn flour for tolling the balls

Little oil for browning the balls

For the Sauce

6 shallots sliced

1 tbsl ginger and gralic paste

3 table spoon thai red curry paste ( less if you want less spicy)

75 ml water

400 ml coconut milk ( I used tinnes)

1 tables spoon fish sauce

100 gm baby corn sliced.

2 to 3 table spoon of corn flour mixed with a little water.

2 table spoon of oil

Chopped corriander and spring onions for garnsih.

Mix all the ingridients for the chicken balls in a bowl except for the corn flour and the oil.

Make small balls ( golf size) from the mix and roll the in the corn flour and keep aside .

Heat in a frying pan the oil and add the chicken balls and fry them till they are brown on every side .

In the mean time make the sauce.

Heat a sauce pan with oil, add the slices onions , ginger garlic paste and fry for few minutes till they are soft, then add the  red curry paste fry for few minutes, add the water and mix well then add the coconut milk.

Add the browned chicken balls and cook for 10 to 15 minutes till the balls are cooked.

Add the fish sauce . Now add the cornflour mixed with little water so that the sauce can get thicken.

Don't add the corn flour full add little by little depending how thick you want to have your saice.

Tip, if you think you have less sauce you can add more water.
Sprinkle with chopped corriander leaves and spring onions and you can serve this with simple noodles or plain rice.