Chicken Yogurt Fry

I loved fried chicken. Which means that it would invariably be part of my food order in a restaurant. Or the first thing on the menu when entertaining guests. And the dish I reach out to when I have a couple of chicken drumsticks in the freezer.

However, there are only so many things you can do to a chicken fry recipe. Or so I thought. Till I read about kebabs that are made by marinating the meat in yogurt. And decided that I wanted to try and replicate that on a chicken fry. The fact that it turned out yummy is a good motivator to try it out many times over again :) 

 

What Goes In:

Chicken drumsticks - 10
Hung Yoghurt – 1 cup
Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Black Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Garam masala – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Green chillies (chopped) – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves (chopped) 1 tsp

Oil – for shallow frying

The 'How To':

1. Prick the chicken drumsticks with a fork or make slashes with a knife.
2. Mix together with all the ingredients, except oil and leave marinated for 4-5 hours, or even overnight.
3. Place an upturned saucer in a dish and arrange the drumsticks over it in a circle, with the thicker sides outwards.
4. Cook the chicken in a microwave on medium 80% heat till almost done.
5. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the chicken pieces till brown.
6. Drain and serve.

The recipe is good as a starter and can be served garnished with lemon wedges and onion rings on the side. As a side dish for rice, you may want to add 1 tsp of pepper powder instead of the prescribed 1/2 tsp.

Corn and Cottage Cheese Pulao

 

Photography is an art by itself. Professional food photographers are absolute magicians as they can turn a simple dish into the most mouth-watering creations. Sadly, I can never compete with them in terms of technique or creativity but that has never stopped me from whole-heartedly appreciating a good photograph. And that was how I stumbled upon a photograph of corn pulao with the yellow of the sweetcorn popping up to greet greedy eyes. So, now you know the inspiration behind this recipe. 

 

What Goes In:

Raw Basmati Rice – 1 cup

Hot Water – 2 cups

Boiled sweetcorn – 1/2 cup

Soft Cottage Cheese – 2 dsp

Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 1/2 tbsp

Garlic (chopped) – 2 pods (optional)

Red Onion (sliced) – 1/2

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Cinnamon – 1” stick

Cardamom - 2-3

Dried Red Chillies – 2 (I chose extra hot red chillies – tiny but powerful!!)

Salt – to taste

Coriander leaves – to garnish

The 'How To':

• Bring the ghee to heat in a medium-sized pan over a high flame. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon and cardamom and fry till the they release their aroma.
• Add the garlic and onion and saute till the onions turn translucent.
• Toss in the rice and the sweetcorn into the pan and fry till the rice is coated in the ghee.
• Now add the cottage cheese, salt and hot water. When the water starts to boil, cover and simmer until the rice grains are cooked.
• When the rice is done, run a fork (as opposed to a spoon) through it so that the rice grains remain fluffy and do not break.

Note: I used soft cottage cheese with onions and chives that were store bought. However, nothing can beat the taste of home made soft cottage cheese, if you can go through the hurdle of making it.

Carrot Halwa

The sweet tooth probably runs in the family, but mine is especially vulgar – combined with a lack of willpower and an absolute roving eye (strictly where food is concerned), that can be a pretty deadly deal. I am extremely critical about the desserts I eat, I need them just so. Therefore, you can understand the heartburn I go through when I need to cook up a dessert on my own. I'm an amateur cook and while I fantasize about being able to conjure up desserts that can wow an audience of experienced palates, it seldom comes true.

Which is when the Carrot Halwa comes to my rescue. The simplicity in its making no way lets down the amazing taste that it has. No Indian worth his (or her) salt would not have tasted carrot halwa, especially now that it has gained a fixed spot on many a wedding menu. Here, I take you through my version of carrot halwa, sans the frills.

What Goes In:

Grated Red / Orange Carrots – 3 cups

Milk – 1 1/2 cup

Sugar – 1/2 cup (to taste)

Ghee (clarified butter) – 3 tbsp

Condensed Milk – 4 tbsp (optional, else increase the quantity of sugar being added)

Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp

Almonds (without skin) / Cashewnuts – for decorating (optional)

The 'How To':

• Heat ghee in a pan and add the grated carrots. Saute on medium flame till the carrots are nicely coated in the ghee and any excess water (from the carrots) evaporates.
• Add milk and stir on medium flame till the carrots absorb the milk and all the liquid disappears. It is important to keep stirring so that the carrots do not burn.
• Add the sugar, cardamom and the condensed milk. Stir at regular intervals till all the water from the sugar evaporates.
• Switch off the flame and add the almonds / cashewnuts. Hail and presto! The halwa is ready. Can be served warm or cold.

Vanilla ice cream is a traditional combination with warm carrot halwa – I like mine better with chocolate ice cream. Tastes great on its own as well.

Dal Khichdi

Sundays are the days to sleep in and generally be lazy, especially if its raining outside and the London weather forecaster predicts a cold and windy day followed by a chilly night. While no one in their right minds would like to cook on such a day, the thought of hot mouthfuls of khichdi was too much to resist. Yummm ... my mouth is watering even as I think of it.

So I got to work, knowing that this delicious meal would not take up too much of my time and that I did not have to strictly follow a recipe. A Khichdi is a mish-mash of anything and everything plus rice, all cooked together in one small pot. The world does not know – a working (or lazy) woman's best friend is not a diamond, it's a pressure cooker. If you haven't yet been introduced to the wonders of a pressure cooker, its high time you started.

What Goes In:

Basmati Rice (you can use normal white rice)– 3/4 cup

Moong Dal (yellow lentils) – 1/4 cup

Water – 2 cups

Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tbsp

Red Onion (sliced) – 1/2

Garlic (finely chopped) – 2 pods

Green Chillies (finely chopped) – 2

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Black Pepper (coarsely crushed) – 1/2 tsp

Coriander Leaves (coarsely chopped) – 3 stalks, plus for garnish

Salt – To taste

The 'How To':

• Clean the rice and dal together in three washes of water. Soak in 4 cups of water and keep aside for 1 hour.
• In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee on a gas stove. Add cumin seeds, garlic and green chillies and let the flavors infuse in the ghee.
• When the garlic starts turning golden brown, add the onion and saute till it turns transparent.
• Add the soaked rice and dal and fry for half a minute. Add the water, turmeric powder, crushed pepper, coriander leaves and salt. I add a small dollop of ghee, for added taste, into the cooker at this stage but its completely avoidable.
• Keep the flame on high. When the water begins to boil, close the lid of the pressure cooker. When steam begins to form, place the whistle.
• After the first whistle, lower the flame and cook till the next whistle and switch off the flame.
• Remove the excess pressure and open the cooker.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

I had mine with leftover chicken curry and yogurt but it tastes great on its own too. For a quirky combination, try the khichdi with some crisps and spicy pickle.