CHICKEN TANDOORI

Ingredients :

Chicken pieces - 250 gm (cut into serving pieces)
Onion - 1 (small)

Curd - 1/2 cup

fresh lemon juice - 2 tablespoon

Garlic - 1 tablespoon (minced)

Ginger - 1 tablespoon (peeled and grated)

Cumin - 1 tablespoon

Ground Coriander - 1 teaspoon

Cardamom - 1/4 teaspoon

Cloves - 1/4 spoon

Black Pepper - 1/4 spoon

Gram Masala - 1 Teaspoon
Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Salt - as needed
Butter - for brushing

Method of Preparation :

Grind all the above mentioned ingredients except chicken and butter into a smooth paste and apply on chicken pieces. Keep it in fridge for 1 hour.

Apply some butter on grill and place it above the stove.  Then turn on the stove and keep two or three chicken pieces above the grill. Apply some butter on the chicken pieces and turn the chicken pieces when one side is done. Do the same with all chicken pieces.

KADAI CHICKEN

Ingredients :

Chicken - 500 gm

Onions - 2 (finely chopped)

Tomato (big sized) - 1 (finely chopped)

Capsicum (big sized) - 1 (Thin Sliced)

Green chilies - 2 (slit)

Ginger and garlic - 1 tbsp (minced)

Almonds - 15-20 (Soak in a water for 1 hour and grind to a smooth paste)

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Spices to dry roast and grind:

Dried red chilies - 6-7

Coriander seeds - 2-3 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp

Some black peppercorns

Method of Preparation

1. Dry all spices mentioned above on low heat until you smell nice aroma from them. It may take around 5 minutes.
2. Once spices cool down, grind them to a coarse powder. Now spicy and aromatic masala for kadai chicken is ready. Keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions, capsicum and saute till onion turn slight brown in color.
4. Add green chilies and ginger-garlic. Saute till raw smell from ginger-garlic goes away.
5. Then add tomatoes, ground spices powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. 
6. Mix well and let the mixture cook until tomatoes get mashed up with onions. 
7. When you see the moisture is evaporated and oil starts to separate from spices, add chicken pieces and almond paste. Add little water if required. Mix well and cover the pan. Let the chicken cook for 10 minutes. Keep stirring in between.
8. Switch off the heat and garnish with some fresh coriander leaves (optional). 

Serve hot with any Indian roti or rice

CHICKEN FRY

Ingredients :

Chicken-(medium sized pieces)- 500 gms
Onion-sliced- ½ cup(one medium sized)
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs
Oil- as required

For Masala paste:

Kashmiri chili powder- 2 tsp( or to taste)
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds- 3/4 to 1 tsp
Black pepper corns- ½ to 1 tsp
Green chilies- 1 or 2 nos( according to taste)
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Garlic- 3 to 4 large cloves
Vinegar- 1 tsp
Water- as required
Salt- to taste

Method of Preparation

1. In a blender, combine together all the ingredients listed under 'For masala paste' and blend to form a smooth paste.
2. Rub this onto the chicken pieces and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
3. In a heavy bottomed pan cover and cook the marinated chicken until it is 3/4 th done.
4. Heat oil in a pan( use oil just enough to shallow fry the chicken pieces) and add the cooked chicken pieces , sliced onion and curry leaves, fry until it turns golden brown, carefully turning once or twice in between.
5. Add more curry leaves if required.

Serve hot with any Indian roti or rice

CHICKEN MOMOS

Ingredients :

For the Dough:

120 gm refined flour (maida)

1/4 tsp baking powder (optional)

½ tsp salt water - for kneading 

For the Chicken Filling:

1 cup chicken - minced

½ cup onions - finely chopped 

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1 Tbsp oil 

½ tsp ginger-garlic paste 

½ tsp soya sauce 

Salt - to taste 

1/4 tsp vinegar 

For Red Sauce: 

2 tomatoes 

4-5 garlic - peeled 

4-5 whole red chillies 

Kashmiri Chilly powder - a pinch

½ Tbsp vinegar 

Salt - to taste 

Method of Preparation:

FOR MOMOS

1. Saute onions, pasted ginger - garlic and coriander leaves.
2. Add minced chicken and saute again in low flame .
3. Add black pepper powder, soya sauce and salt. Turn off the heat and keep it aside and allow to cool.
4. Knead the refined flour, baking powder and salt together into firm dough. Cover with wet cotton cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
5. Roll the dough into very thin around 4 inch rounds.  
6. Take each round piece and place some filling in the center. 
7. Bring the edges together and twist to seal it. 
8. Steam in a steamer for about 10 minutes and serve hot with chilly sauce. (Or deep fry in oil until it is brown for fried chicken momos) 

FOR RED CHUTNEY

1. Take two big tomatoes and boil it in water until its skin starts separates from pulp.
2. Along with the tomatoes add 3-4 whole red chillies,3-4 garlic, coriander leaves, a pinch of kashmiri chilly power, ½ spoon vinegar and salt. Grind all these in a food processor.
3. Add 1 tsp cornflour or maida to a little cold water and add it into the above grind mix.
4. Bring all these in stove with low flame. Remove the chutney when it  becomes thick.
5. You can vary the quantity of red chilly, vinegar as per your taste.Serve hot. 

EASY MALABAR CHICKEN BIRIYANI

Ingredients :

For Rice : 

Basmati rice : 2 cups

Water : 4 cups 

Cloves/Karambu : 4 nos

Cardamom pods/Elakka : 4 nos

Cinnamon stick/Karuvapatta : 1 inch pieces

Bay leaves /Tejapatta  : 1 no

Lemon Juice : 2 tsp (freshly squeezed)

Salt to taste

For Marinating Chicken:

Chicken : ½ kg /1.1 lb

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli powder : 1 tsp

Yogurt  : ½ cup

Biryani masala  : ½ tsp 

Salt to taste

For Chicken Masala :

Onion  : 4 medium (thinly sliced)

Tomato : 2 medium (chopped)

Green Chillies : 15-20 nos (chopped)

Ginger : 1 inch Piece 

Garlic :  8-10 cloves

Biryani masala : 1 tsp

Red chilli powder : ½ tsp

Coriander powder : 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Mint leaves : 1/4 cup (chopped)

Cilantro/Corainder leaves : 1/2 cup (chopped)

Oil /Ghee /Ney :  2 tbsp

For Nutty Paste :

Fennel seeds : 1 tsp

Poppy seeds : 1 tsp

Grated Coconut : 3 tbsp

Cashew nut : 10nos

For Garnishing :

Cashew nuts : Handful

Raisins : Handful

Ghee /Ney : 3-5 tbsp

Onion : ½ cup (thinly sliced)

Coriander leaves : Handful

Saffron : 1-2 strand

Warm milk : 2 tsp

Method of Preparation

Preparing the Nutty Paste : 

1. First you need to soak the poppy seeds,fennel seeds, cashewnut in the water for half an hour and grind it to smooth paste along with grated coconut and keep it aside.

Cooking the Chicken Masala:

1. First clean the chicken with a litlle venegar or little turmeric to remove its unpleasant smell.
2. Grind ginger,garlic,green chillies to coarse paste and set it aside.
3. Marinate the chicken with all above mentioned  ingredients for  at least 1 hr at room temperature and shallow fry it. (You may keep the marinated chicken pieces in fridge if you want.)
4. Heat oil/ghee in a pan, add thinly sliced onion saute until it is translucent,add the ginger,garlic,green chillie paste,saute until brown color,add chopped tomatoes and saute for few seconds.
5. Add the briyani masala,turmeric powder,red chilli powder,coriander powder,combine well and saute untill the raw smell goes.
6. Add the chopped corainder & mint leaves and mix well.
7. Add the shallowed fried chicken and cover & cook on medium flame for about 10 mins add water if needed and adjust salt.
8. Add the nutty paste and cook for couple of minutes,when its done,remove and keep it aside.

Cooking the Rice:

1. Soak the rice for 30 mins and drain the water completely.
2. Boil the required water,with half of the whole masala (cardamom, cloves & cinnamon ) and add salt.
3. Heat ghee in a pan & splutter whole masala.Add the cleaned & drained rice, when the rice starts cracking add it to boiled water and cook uncovered the rice for 8-10 mins.
4. When rice done drain the excess water immediately spread the rice on a tray and sprinkle the lemon juice.let it cool for sometime

Preparing for Garnish :

1. Heat ghee and fry the thinly sliced onion till golden colour and crispy for 15 miutes sprinkle little sugar to caramelize,remove and drain on to the paper towel.
2. Now fry cashews and then raisins until they turn golden colour,drain and remove on to the paper towel and keep it aside.(Note:Save the leftover ghee for layering the biryani)
3. Mix saffron strand in warm milk and keep it aside.

Final Cooking and Layering :

Cooking in Oven :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F/180 degree C.
2. In a oven proof dish, grease your cooking dish and spread half of the chicken masala and with some cooked rice. 
3. Sprinkle  biryani masala, fried cashews, raisins, fried onions, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves, sprinkle left over ghee and few drops of saffron milk over the rice as the final layering. Repeat this process.
4. Close with tight fitting heat resistant lid or close it with aluminium foil, crimp along the side and and bake it for 20 mins.
5. When it is done, remove and keep the dish covered untill serving.

Cooking in Stove top - Dum Method :

1. Make a dough out of the wheat flour / maida with little water, the same way you would do it for chappathi and set it aside. 
2. Place flat cast iron skillet or tawa on the lowest burner of your stove. The flame should be at the lowest setting. 
3. Layer the chicken masala and rice; sprinkle  biryani masala, fried cashews, raisins, fried onions, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves, sprinkle left over ghee and few drops of saffron milk the rice as the final layering. Repeat this process.
4. Close with tight fitting lid seal the edges of the lid with above prepared dough.(Note:There should not be even the slightest opening) (or) if you don't prefer sealing it dough, then close it tight fitting lid and place the biryani vessel on top of the iron skillet or tawa and cook on for 15 mins and turn off the flame.
5. Let it rest unopened on tawa for another 15 mts and break open the seal; now dum is also done.

Serve hot with Salad, Boiled Egg and Pappad, on the side and Enjoy!