Pahadi Chicken

 

Ingredients :-

• Boneless chicken medium cubes - 400 grams
• Fresh mint leaves - 10-12
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
•  Ginger -1 inches
• Garlic - 4-5 cloves
• Green chilies  - 2
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
•  Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
• Oil 2 tbsp for greasing
• Carom seeds (ajwain) -  1/2 teaspoon
•  Turmeric powder -  1/4 teaspoon
•  Gram flour (besan) -  2 tablespoons
•  Mustard oil - 2 tablespoon
•  Hung yogurt  - 1/2 cup
•  Garam masala powder  - 1 teaspoon
•  Green cardamom powder  - 1/4 teaspoon
•  Dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) powder  - 1/4 teaspoon
• Oil to grease
•  Butter for basting
•  Chaat masala  - 1 tbsp (to sprinkle)
•  Onion rings for garnish
• Green chutney to serve

Method :- 

•  Put mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, green chili, cumin seeds and ½ tablespoon lemon juice into a blender jar, add little water and grind to a thick and smooth paste.
•  Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add carom seeds, turmeric powder and gram flour, mix well and saute on low heat for 2 minutes or till the gram flour is fragrant. Transfer into a bowl and keep aside.
•  Heat mustard oil in the same pan till smoking point and set aside to cool.
• Take chicken cubes in a bowl, add 1 tbsp lemon juice and salt and mix well. Set aside to marinate.
• Take hung yogurt in another bowl, add coriander leaves paste, garam masala, green cardamom powder and fenugreek leaves powder and mix well.
•  Add the sauteed gram flour mixture and mix well. Add smoked mustard oil and mix.
• Add the marinated chicken cubes and mix well. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200º C.
•  String on the chicken cubes on skewers, brush them with leftover marinade.
• Grease a baking tray with some oil, keep the skewers on the baking tray, keep the tray in the preheated oven and bake at 200º C for 15 minutes.  
• OR
•  Take a tawa heat 2tbsp of oil add marinated chicken pieces and fry it slowly with medium heat. If need you can cover the lid and cook.
• Tawa Fry properly from both the sides and serve hot.
•  Brush butter on top and sprinkle Chaat masala.
• Arrange the Pahadi Chicken on a serving platter and serve with onions rings and green chutney.

Prawn Malai Curry

 

Ingredients

• Sized Prawn - Peeled and cleaned - 1 kg

• Coconut Milk - 1 glass

• Onion – Thinly chopped - 1 cup

• Ginger+Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp

• Oil As per requirement 

• Butter OR Ghee -2 tbsp

• Tomato Paste - 1 nob (optional)

• Bay Leaf -2 nobs

• Cinnamon Stick -1

• Cloves - 4 nobs

• Green Cardamom - 3 nobs

• Dry Whole Red Chilies - 2-3 nobs

• Turmeric Powder - 2 tbsp

• Red Chili Powder -2 tbsp

• Cumin Powder - 2 tbsp 

• Garam Masala Powder - 2 tbsp

 Method :-

• In a bowl, add turmeric, salt, prawns toss evenly (to smear turmeric n salt all over prawn).

 

• Heat the pan/kadai over medium flames, add 3 tbsp of oil and sauté the shrimp till they turn light golden and then remove immediately(Takes about 6-8 minutes)

• In the same wok, add 2 tbsp of oil and 2 tbsp of butter, bay leaf, whole red chili, onion, and sauté till onions are transparent  (3 minutes).

• Add ginger-garlic paste, saute it for few minutes.

• Then add the chili powder and all spices, sauté for another 2 -3 minutes, till everything is mixed and cooked slightly.

• Now add coconut milk, tomato paste, sauté and let the curry (sauce) simmer and cook for about 4 minutes over low heat.

• Once it masala cook well and start living oil,Add fried prawns, mix it properly then cover the pan with a lid and let it cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes.

• Take off the lid, add garam masala powder, sauté the curry one last time and switch off the heat.

• Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with roti/rice.

Crispy Khaja Odisha Style

 khaja  is a Crispy sweet Dessert From Odisha. It's a Layered fritter dipped  in Sugar Syrup. It is part of Chappan Bhoga that offered in Puri Jagannath Temple.

Ingredients:-

Ingredients For Layered :-

•  All Purpose Flour (Maida)  - 3cups , + 2 tablespoon
• Cooking Soda - 1 pinch
•  Ghee - 2tbsp , + 2 tablespoon, melted
•  Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) - 2tbsp
•  Black pepper powder  - 2tbsp, freshly powdered (optional)
• Cooking oil for deep fry

Ingredients for Syrup:-

• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Water

How to make Khaja Recipe (Layered Fritters Dipped In Sugar Syrup):-

• To prepare Khaja recipe, in a bowl, add the flour, melted ghee ,Cooking soda and mix well. Add cold water to make a smooth dough. Cover the dough and keep aside for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
• Make a paste mixing 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour to make a flour paste.
• Divide the dough into eight equal parts. Take a ball and roll into circle shape sheet. Roll another one similarly.
• Smear the prepared flour paste on one sheet and place another on top of it. Spread the flour paste on top of the second sheet and roll both the sheets together tightly to resemble a log.
• Cut this flour log into equal sized pieces of 1 inch each. Roll each piece vertically.
• Heat enough oil in Deep fry pan, fry them in batches, on a medium flame until they turn golden brown on both sides. Cool them completely.
• In the meantime, prepare sugar syrup adding 2 cups sugar in 1 cup water in a Saucepan.
• Bring to a boil and cook till it becomes sticky.
• Add cardamom powder and black pepper to it. This addition of spices is purely optional. Switch off flame.
• Grease a large plate with some butter or ghee.
• Dip the fried khaja into the syrup hence prepared, when the syrup is still warm. Immediately take the well-coated khajas onto the greased plate.
• Serve Khaja at room temperature. You could also serve them when still warm. This Khaja recipe can be stored in an air-tight container up to 2 weeks at room temperature.

Chicken Afghani

 

Ingredients:

• Chicken – 1 kg (Preferably leg and thigh pieces)
• Onion (chopped) - 2 nobs
• Garlic Paste – 2 tsp
• Ginger Paste – 2 tsp
• Malai or Fresh Cream – 150 gms
• Hung Curd – 300 gms
• Dry Ginger Powder – 2 tsp
• Black Pepper Powder – 2 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
• Shahi Garam Masala Powder – 1 ½ tsp
• Kasuri Methi or Dry Fenugreek – 1 ½ Tbsp
• Cashew and Almond Paste – 4 Tbsp
• Ghee and Oil – 4 tbsp
• Salt – To taste
• Charcoal – 1 or 2 small pieces
• Mint Leaf – For Garnish

 Method :-

• Wash and clean the chicken pieces. Make some gashes or cut marks on the chicken pieces so that it can be cooked easily and flavor of marinade can go into it.
• Dry roast kasuri methi and keep aside.
• Take a big bowl and mix all ingredients except ghee, oil and charcoal.
• Add in roasted kasuri methi powder. Mix in very well.
• Now put the chicken pieces one by one and coat them with the marinade.
• Burn the charcoal till it turns red. Put it into a small bowl and pour 1 tsp ghee or oil in it. You will find smoke start coming immediately. Put this bowl inside the marinated chicken bowl and cover with a lid and then with a cloth. Keep as it is for 30 minutes. This process gives a very nice smokey flavor in the chicken.
• After 30 minutes remove the cover and take out the small bowl.
• Heat 2 tsp ghee and 2tbsp of oil in a kadai.
• Now start adding the chicken pieces into the wok. Arrange them in single layer. Keep the excess marinade aside.
• Cook the chicken till they are cooked and brown spot appears on all sides. You can see nice brown stripes on the chicken as we have put cut marks on them. Cook with the lid on and turn them from time to time.
• Take out the chicken pieces from the wok / kadai and keep aside.
• In the same wok / kadai add the chopped onion and saute it nicely till it become golden brown then add the marination masala and start cooking on low fire. When oil starts to separate add ½ cup of warm water in it. Let it come to a boil.
• Add the cooked chicken mix it well,then cover the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes with medium flame.
• After 5 minutes serve hot Garnish with mint leaf and red chili. Serve with any pulao / naan / kulcha /paratha/Rice.