Seekh Kabab Handi

Seekh Kabab Handi

      " Seekh kababs " are the succulent  kebabs made from minced meat, herbs and spices which are put on the skewers and grilled till golden brown. I had posted the recipe earlier, for recipe Click Here
     I had made those kebabs numerous times but just as a starter and never thought of using it in curry, but when I invited my friends for an in-house party at my home , it got me thinking to make something different than I usually cook and wanted to woe my guests with some different and unusual yet easy to make and delicious preparation .

            I had come across this dish through youtube and found it very interesting, thought of trying it and it came out so delicious that I prepared it again over on Eid.

    I made it from frozen  seekh kebab due to time constraint  but seekh kabab can be made a day before or can be made using  readymade frozen ones. Its made in Handi or clay pot which gives a very unique earthen flavor to the dish ,but can be prepared in normal pan as well.

Seekh kabab handi with Malabar paratha  and Ghee rice

Chicken Goli Biryani ( Chicken balls cooked with rice and spices)

Chicken Goli Biryani
 

  Chicken Goli Biryani is a biryani made with chicken balls cooked with rice a and spices. Here we use chicken mince to make balls and the rice is cooked in chicken stock .

Ingredients

Chicken mince  500 gms
Long grain /Basmati rice - 1 1/2 Cups (Soaked for 30 minutes)
Red Chili powder    - 2Tsp
Turmeric powder   - 1/2Tsp
Coriander powder  - 1Tbs
Garam masala   - 1Tbs
Ginger garlic paste  - 1Tbs
Onions Medium    - 2 Sliced
Yogurt      -  1 1/2 Cup
Green chilies  - 2-3 slit into half and 1 chili finely chopped
ginger finely chopped   - 1"
Salt               - To taste
Shahi jeera /Cumin seeds  -1 teaspoon
 Black Cardamom - 2
 Mace  2 blades
 Green cardamoms -  6
 Cloves - 6-8
Cinnamon Stick  - 2
Bay leaves     - 2
Ghee - 4Tbs
coriander leaves - 1/4 Tbs Finely chopped
 Fresh mint leaves -  1/4 Tbs Finely chopped
A pinch of Saffron soaked in warm milk/water
Chicken bones (for stock) 1 kilogram


Directions

• First will prepare the chicken stock, for that wash and boil chicken bones in one and a half litres of water with 1Tsp of salt for 15-20 minutes. Strain and discard the bones.
• You can also use chicken bullions in case of short of time. Add 3-4 bullions in same amount of water mentioned above.
•  Drain the soaked rice and boil in chicken stock with bay leaves , 1/2Tsp shahi jeera until 3/4 done. Drain excess stock and set the rice aside.
• Take half a cup of yogurt in a bowl, add two tablespoons each of fresh coriander and fresh mint,red chilli powder .
• Mix the chicken mince with salt, two tablespoons of coriander leaves, half the green chillies and chopped ginger. Mix well and refrigerate the mixture for thirty minutes.
• Take out he chicken mixture from the refrigerator and make walnut-sized balls of chicken mixture. In a frying pan heat two tablespoons of ghee and lightly cook balls in it only to sear the edges. 

•  Dissolve saffron in hot milk and keep aside.
• In a pan heat the remaining ghee ,add shahi jeera/ cumin seedsand let it splutter. 
• Now add mace, green cardamoms and cloves ,cinnamon, black cardamom and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
•  Add onions and sauté till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and the remaining slit green chillies.
• Add turmeric powder and coriander powder and stir fry for 30 sec.
• Stir in the yogurt with red chilli powder . Add chicken balls and one cup of stock and salt to taste. Cook till gravy is reduced.
• Now in a heavy bottomed deep utensil or degchi or clay pot form the layers of half the chicken ball with gravy followed by a layer of half cooked rice and sprinkle a little yogurt coriander mint leaves mixture. Sprinkle a little garam masala and saffron water . Continue with maki layers with the remaining chicken ball gray and rice along with garam masala and saffron milk.
• Now seal the pot with a lid and close the lid with dough by sticking it on sides of the lid OR cover with a moist cloth and seal the pot with lid and cook in dum in a very slow flame until done.
• The dum can also be done in an oven. Preheat oven to 180 °C.  Cook in the preheated oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.
• Serve hot with raita of your choice.
• Enjoy!!!!

 

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani

   As in my earlier post about biryanis ,I  had mentioned the types of biryanis. Though there are many versions of biryanis depending on the regions and history behind them, Hyderabadi  dum biryani is the most famous or can we say "the king of biryanis ".
  I am totally obsessed with the biryanis, and for that matter my husband also shares the same thought. Nothing can beat the aroma of a perfectly cooked biryani with every rice grain separated and the meat cooked succulent and tender. We take biryanis very seriously ,our obsession for biryanis is so much that whichever city we move or visit, we make sure to dig out the restaurant  with best serving biryanis. Though I make biryanis at home quite often but still the craving for a restaurant style biryani remains.
     The biryani for me is where the rice and meat is cooked in dum. So many restaurants having biryanis in their menu just disappoint us when we see the dish coming out of the kitchen being not biryani but the pulao. While preparing pulao all the  ingredients including meat ,masala and rice are cooked all together until the rice and meat are cooked ,where as for preparing an authentic biryani the rice MUST be cooked separately until 3/4rth done and then drained out from water and is then layered along with marinated meat (cooked or uncooked) continued with cooking it on "Dum"  traditionally done by cooking over coals below and above the utensils used.

     The hyderabadi dum biryanis is cooked using "Dum Pukht" method. Dum  means to ‘breathe in’ and pukht to 'cook' . Dum pukht is technique of  cooking  in which food to be prepared is tightly sealed usually with dough in a heavy claypot or handi and cooked over a slow fire which allows the food to cook in its own juices and steam thus retaining all the aromas of the herbs and spices used giving the maximum flavor to the dish. Hyderabadi biryanis is usually served with mirch ka salan and raita.

photo resource:Flikr

Classic Thai Chicken Satay

Classic Thai Chicken Satay

  Thai Chicken satay are these skewers of  meat you will find in every nook and corner in Thailand. A very  common and very famous street food found abundantly sold be street vendors all over. The aroma of grilling satay will lure you when you walk down in any street or any lane in the country. It is most loved street food in south east Asia be it Thailand or Malaysia. Thin Strips of chicken  are marinated in a special Thai  marinade paste which is sweet and spicy ,its then skewered in wooden skewers and grilled on the BBQ or broiled in the oven. It is usually served with homemade peanut sauce for the ultimate combination. It is easy to make and great to serve in parties which will surely woe your guest. 

Amritsari Bhatti Da Murg

Amritsari Bhatti Da Murg

A road down the memory lane,This dish reminds me of my good old days spend in South Africa, As it was my first encounter with the people and world other than India, it was and will be always special and close to my heart.Still remember those days when we only had bunch of Indian families around to get along . We didn't had access to any Indian channels and have to settle down only with the channels broadcasted by SABC . They used to broadcast  a half hour show where in they used to tell more of Indian culture ,Bollywood movies, songs continued with an Indian recipe by 5 star chefs. This was the only show which I used to wait for  every week. This is where I saw the recipe of Bhatti da murg and penned it down and tried it. We didn't have a tandoor but being an ardent non veg fan always got hold of barbeque grill wherever we moved. Thanks to the BBQ ,we never missed the tandoori dishes ever even staying abroad.
   Amritsar cuisine is very unique and famous all over ,amritsari kulcha, amritsari fish, amristsari daal are just the few delicacies to devour the  taste of amritsari tradition tempered with punjabi flavors Bhatti da murg sure calls for attention.

Chettinad Chicken Curry

Chettinad Chicken curry

Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India.The chettinad cuisine is supposed to be the one of the spiciest in India and is famous for its use of a variety of spices. The Chettinad people love to use fresh masalas in their preparation which gives it a unique aromatic flavour. I love spicy food and so do my husband ,We hail from a place which  is famous for eating too much spicy food.  We had always tried chettiand dishes in our favourite restaurant "Anjappar" which is famous for bringing the food from famed chettiars to the whole world.
     I never tried making chettinad cuisine at home until few days back when I was just going through
my recipes diary  and got hold of  this recipe which was penned down long back from sanjeev Kapoor's famous TV show ,which I always use to watch and use to write down the recipes I liked.

Chicken Baida Roti

Chicken Baida Roti

    Baida roti is one of Mumbai’s famous and delicious street food. Baida roti is roti made with all purpose flour/Maida ,filled with Mince meat or Kheema and Egg. Talking of "Baida Roti" without mentioning the legendary road-side restaurant "Bademiya " is really not appropriate at least among the foodies. A visit to Mumbai  isn't complete without trying the succulent kebabs and grilled chicken and not to forget the baida roti from Bademiya. It's one of the best street food you'll have ever tasted.
I am telling this with my own experience. Being an Ex-Mumbaikar ,my husband was and still is a big fan of Bademiya and always use to keep nagging me of not ever tasting the food from the same. But this summer I got lucky and I did make sure to visit "THE" restaurant while on vacation to Mumbai, and sure will suggest to visit the place if anyone gets a chance, Just awesome.

        I have used chicken mince for the preparation but can use any meat mince.

Murg Methi/Methi Chicken (Made with fresh fenugreek leaves)

Murg Methi

   Methi Chicken or Murgh methi is a dish prepared with chicken and fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves.  The use of fresh methi  gives a unique taste to the curry and enhances the flavor of the dish. 
 It’s a healthy dish and tastes delicious. if fresh Methi/fenugreek is not available it can be replaced with " Kasoori methi" which is nothing but dried fenugreek leaves to prepare the Methi chicken, but the taste will be totally different than the fresh ones.Fenugreek is a very common herb used in most Indian cuisines, Most famous preparations are methi aloo ,methi malai mater, methi poori ,methi paratha and list  goes on.
     Being  rich in calcium,  potassium and iron, vitamins and minerals, using fenugreek in cooking proves to be a very good choice . Some of the benefits of Fenugreek is

•     It helps in  reducing bad cholesterol from the body.
•     It purifies blood and helps in flushing out the harmful toxins.
•    This herb is very effective in losing weight.
•    The fenugreek seeds helps in reducing blood sugars.

Thai Chicken Red Curry (Kaeng Phet Gai )

Thai Chicken Red Curry

Thai red curry is a very popular curry in Thailand and is very popular among non Thai people as well.Its very different then the Indian curries which are spice based ,Thai curry uses fresh herbs ,aromatic curry pastes cooked in coconut milk,and the result you get is very aromatic and flavourful dish with intense flavours.
     I was introduced to the thai cuisine for the very first time when i was in St Louis, there was a small thai restaurant owned and run by a thai family named "Simply Thai",with the most authentic Thai flavours I had tasted till date... A very good friend of mine who visited this restaurant suggested me to give it a try as she had been to thailand before and sweared it to be the closest authentic Thai ever tasted  and she knew that I love spicy stuff and will definitely love it.
        As per her saying, I visited that restaurant and after getting introduced  to Thai cuisine for the first time..there was no looking back thereafter. The combination of sweet,sour,spicy,savoury ...all flavour on one dish makes it heavenly.
   Chicken cooked in rich red curry sauce which can be spiced up to whatever your pallet allows is simply delicious and out of this world.The combination of tender crisp  vegetables along with the soft chicken in the curry is surely divine. 

 

Yields : 2-4
Preparation Time : 15 Minutes
Cooking Time : 15 Minutes
Difficulty Level : Easy

Ingredients

1 Tbs oil
2-3 Tsp Red Curry Paste
1 lb/500 gm skinless, boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1Cup Thick Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup chicken stock/water
1 Large onion Thinly sliced
1 Red bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 Green pepper ,cored and sliced
2 Tbs Thinly sliced Bamboo shoots
1 bunch green onion/scallions, chopped
2 Tsp Fish Sauce
1 Tsp Soya sauce
1 Tsp lime juice
1 Tsp Palm Sugar/ brown sugar
2 Tbs fresh basil leaves julienne


Directions

• Heat oil in a wok or large pan,now add sliced chicken and cook till its brown on both sides.
• Now add red curry paste and  stir fry for 2 minutes or untill oil comes on the sides of the pan.
• Add coconut milk, chicken stock/water and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Add onion ,red and green bell pepper and bamboo shoots.cook until chicken is fully cooked and make sure vegetables are still tender crisp and not overdone.
• Add fish sauce,soya sauce,lemon juice,sugar and simmer it for some time.
• Take out of the stove ,add basil and green onion.
• Serve hot with Jasmine rice.

Notes

• Red curry paste recipe is posted in the early post.Click here for the recipe. Ready made curry paste can also be used as its available in almost all grocery stores or can be found in any Asian shop.
• Its generally served with cooked jasmine rice which is sticky in nature,can be substituted with any kind of rice. 

Chicken seekh kabab

Chicken seekh kabab

Seekh kebabs are the succulent  kebabs made from minced meat,herbs and spices which are put on the skewers and grilled till golden brown.This dish is served hot with lemon and chaat masala sprinkled on it and green chutney as a side sauce. 

Ingredients

  Minced chicken 1 Pound
  Ginger paste 1 Teaspoon
  Garlic paste 1 Teaspoon
  Garam masala 1/2 Teaspoon
  Ground black pepper 1/4 Teaspoon
  Cardamom powder 1/4 Teaspoon
  Ground cumin 1/4 Teaspoon
  Ground cashewnut    1/2 Teaspoon
  Nutmeg powder 1/4 Teaspoon
  Thick cream 2 Tablespoon
  Finely chopped onion 2
  Dry Mango powder (Aamchoor) 1/2 Teaspoon
  Chat masala powder 1/2 Teaspoon
  Ground green chillies     1/2 Teaspoon
  Finely chopped coriander 2 Teaspoon
  Egg     1

Directions

• Preheat the oven on 325 degree F.
• Put the Minced chicken/ keema in the strainer and drain off the excess water.
• Mix all the above ingredients to the mince/ keema and knead well with a wooden spoon or by hand.
• Keep it refrigerated for at least half and hour.
• Now with wet hands take a big ball of mixture and press it in the skewer and elongate it throughout the skewer.
• To give a colourful look press finely chopped coloured peppers to the kabab.
• Brush the kebabs with ghee or oil and set it in the oven tray .
• Place the tray in the preheated oven.
• Rotate the skewers quiet often and cook till done.
• Take out from the oven and let it stand for some time.
• Remove the kebabs from the skewers (optional ).
• Shallow fry the kababs till golden brown .(optional)
• Serve hot with green chutney and raita.

Notes

•   You can add fried onions to the mince to avoid the raw taste.fried onions will give a distinct taste.
• Let stand the kebabs after taking out of the oven and let it cool before removing it from the skewers.