Chicken Korma Curry

This is a wonderfully simple but spectacular dish in which the chicken is cooked with spiced yogurt and crushed crispy fried onions.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Chicken
• 4 medium onions
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• ½ tbsp garlic paste
• ½ tsp paprika or red chili powder
• ½ packet Korma Curry Mix (available in Indian Grocery Store)
• ¾ cup cooking oil
• 4-5 drops Kewra Essence

Method:

• Cut the chicken into serving pieces.
• Marinate chicken in yogurt, red chili powder (or paprika) and salt (1/2 tsp) mixture and keep aside for at least one hour.
• Heat the oil in a large, wide pan or a large, deep frying pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium flame. When hot, put in the sliced onions. Stir and fry the onions until they are golden brown color. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon, squeezing out and leaving behind as much of the oil as possible. Spread the fried onions on an absorbent paper in a plate and set aside. When fried onions are cool, crush them coarsely with a rolling pin. Do not grind to fine powder or paste.
• In the same oil first add paprika or red chili powder, and then immediately add ginger garlic paste, before chili powder gets burnt (this gives aroma and deep red color to curry). Fry for about 30 seconds on medium heat.
• Now stir in marinated chicken without its marinade and sear it for 3-4 minutes. Add marinade and Korma curry mix to it and fry again for 3-4 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on low heat until the chicken is fork tender.
• Add crushed fried onions and again cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes or until the ghee separates from the gravy. Mix in Kewra essence and take out in a serving dish. Taste and adjust the salt in gravy.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with Tandoori Roti.

Do You Know?

The flavor of a korma is based on a mixture of spices, including ground coriander and cumin, combined with yoghurt kept below curdling temperature and incorporated slowly and carefully with the meat juices.

Traditionally, this would have been carried out in a pot set over a very low fire, with charcoal on the lid to provide all-round heat.

A korma can be mildly spiced or fiery and may use lamb, chicken, beef, game or more rarely pork; some kormas combine meat and vegetables such as spinach and turnip. The Dopiaza, featuring a large quantity of onions, is a form of korma, as is the Kashmiri dish Rogan Josh or Rogan Gosht.

Rasmalai

Paneer (cottage cheese) Patties are soaked in sweetened, thickened milk and flavored with cardamom and rose water.

Serve it chilled and garnished with slivers of dried fruit.

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon full cream milk / whole milk
• ¼ cup sugar (modify according to your choice)
• 1 tbsp cardamom powder
• Few strands of Saffron
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts
• 1 can (2.2 lb) of Rasmalai Patties (available in Indian Grocery Stores)

Method:

• Bring the milk to a boil in High heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer. Keep stirring it every 5-10 minutes to prevent it from sticking to the sides and burning.
• After half an hour, add the sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Now add the Rasmalai tikia. Before dropping the Rasmalai tikia in the milk, squeeze it to remove the sugar syrup that comes in the can.
• Let it simmer for some more time till the milk becomes thick. Its consistency should be more or less like evaporated milk.
• Remove from heat. Add saffron strands and rose water and refrigerate it.
• Garnish with chopped nuts, few strands of Saffron and pinch of cardamom powder.
• Serve cold as dessert.

Do You Know?

Sweets have an important place in Indian traditions. Every state and region in India has its very own sweet specialties. In North India, Gajar Halwa, Kulfi and Gulab Jamun are common; in East, Rasagulla and Sandesh are traditionally made; in West, Puranpoli and Bebinca are commonly made while Mysore Pak and Payasam are traditionally served in the South.

Potato Rolls

This tea time snack is a tasty alternative for those who love kebabs but are vegetarian.

Ingredients:

• 2 big potato (boiled and mashed)
• 1 cup grated cottage cheese (paneer)
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 1 green chili chopped fine
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped fine
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup chopped cashew nuts
• 1 cup bread crumbs for coating
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Method:

• Mix paneer and boiled mashed potato well. Add breadcrumbs, corn flour, chopped green chili, ginger grated, chopped coriander leaves, black pepper powder, salt and lemon juice and mix well.
• Knead the potato mix (dough) well until it is smooth and soft.
• Now apply some oil on your palms and put some of the potato mix in the cupped palm of your hand, and form it into a hollowed cup about size of half a lemon. Put some of the chopped cashews in the potato cup, and cover with the potato mix around it to make a ball. Roll the ball between the palms to make a smooth small cylinder (potato rolls). Roll each cylinder in breadcrumb and refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep pan or kadhai on medium heat and fry the potato rolls until light brown.
• Serve with chutney or ketchup of your choice.

Do You Know?

Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. Overheating or over-using the frying oil leads to formation of toxic compounds such as acrylamide (from starchy foods).

There is evidence that exposure to large doses can cause damage to the male reproductive glands. Direct exposure to pure acrylamide by inhalation, skin absorption, or eye contact irritates the exposed mucous membrane. It can also cause sweating, urinary incontinence, nausea, speech disorders, numbness and weakened legs and hands.

In addition, the acrylamide monomer is a potent neurotoxin, causing the disassembly or rearrangement of intermediate filaments.

Kheersagar

Paneer (cottage cheese) dumplings are soaked in sweetened, thickened milk and flavored with cardamom and rose water.

It is a popular Oriya sweet dish that literally translates to Oceans of Milk in the Oriya language. This dish is very similar to Rasmalai, however, the milk base in kheersagar is thicker, acquiring the consistency of Rabri.

Serve it chilled, garnished with chopped nuts.

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon full cream milk / whole milk
• ½ cup sugar (modify according to your choice)
• 1 tbsp cardamom powder
• Few strands of Saffron
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts
• 1 can (2.2 lb) of Bikaji Rossogolla (any other brand will do)

Method:

• Bring the milk to a boil in High heat. Reduce the heat to Medium-Low heat and let it simmer. Keep stirring it every 5-10 minutes to prevent it from sticking to the sides and burning.
• After an hour, add the sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Now add the Rossogollas. Before dropping the rossogolla in the milk, squeeze it to remove the sugar syrup that comes in the can.
• Let it simmer for some more time till the milk becomes thick. Its consistency should be thick like Rabri (more than evaporated milk but less than condensed milk).
• Remove from heat. Add saffron strands and rose water and refrigerate it.
• After refrigeration milk thickens more so before serving Kheer Sagar, check the consistency of milk (rabri). Add little more boiled and cooled milk if you find it thicker than required.
• Garnish with chopped nuts, few strands of Saffron and pinch of cardamom powder.
• Serve cold as dessert.

Do You Know?

Chhena (Oriya) or Chhana ( Bengali) is fresh, crumbly, unripened curd cheese eaten in India and neighboring Bangladesh. It is used to make desserts such as rasgulla.

It is created in a similar process to paneer except it is not pressed for as long. It is most popular in Orissa and Bengal and is made from water buffalo milk.

Spiced Meatballs

Meatballs made of minced goat/lamb are coated with delicious spice paste.

Ingredients:

For meat balls

• 1lb fine lean minced lamb/goat
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp roasted chana powder (ground dal)
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp green chili paste
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves chopped finely

For gravy

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 small tomato chopped
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• 2 tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ turmeric powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• ½ cup cooking oil

Method:

• Put the minced meat in a large bowl and add the garlic, garam masala, green chili paste, 1 tsp salt, egg, roasted chana powder and the chopped coriander leaves.
• Mix the ingredients thoroughly and knead the minced meat until it is smooth.
• Divide the mixture into small balls. Make the koftas by rolling the balls between the palms in a circular motion until they are smooth and round. Keep aside.
• Heat the oil over medium heat, preferably in a non-stick pan and fry onion slices until light brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute.
• Now add the powdered spices - red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and little salt. Reduce heat slightly (just below medium heat). Fry, stirring often, till the oil begins to separate from the masala paste. You may need to sprinkle water occasionally to keep the masala from burning and sticking to the pan.
• Add the yogurt and chopped tomato to the masala and keep stirring till you see all the spices separating from the oil.
• Add 5 cups of water. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Now put the koftas carefully one by one into the gravy and boil for 3-4 minutes. Remember koftas are not fried.
• Reduce heat to low; cover the pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes till koftas are done (break one kofta and check from inside).
• Add garam masala and crushed kasuri methi; and continue to cook, uncovered, till all the water is evaporated and kofta masala is dry ‘bhuna’ (fried).
• Remove from heat, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with roti.

Do You Know?

The generic term ‘Vegetable Oil’ when used to label a cooking oil product, refers to a blend of a variety of oils, often based on palm, corn, soybean or sunflower oils.

Oil can be flavored by immersing aromatic food stuffs such as fresh herbs, peppers, garlic and so forth in the oil for a period of time. However, care must be taken when storing flavored oils to prevent the growth of bacteria that causes food poisoning.

Rabri (Thick Sweet Milk Cream)

Rabri is a sweet dish made by boiling the milk on low heat for a long time until it becomes dense and changes its color to pinkish. Sugar, Kewra essence and nuts are added to flavor it. Chill it before serving it as dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon full cream milk / whole milk
• ¼ cup sugar (modify according to your choice)
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Few strands of Saffron
• 3-4 drops of Kewra essence
• 2 tbsp cashew nuts chopped fine
• 1 tbsp pistachio chopped fine to garnish

Method:

• Bring the milk to boil in a wok or kadhai on high heat.
• After a boil reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about an hour. Keep stirring it every 4-5 minutes to prevent it from burning. As the milk simmers a layer of malai (cream) will form on the surface. Push this malai or cream to the side till more than half of the milk is converted into cream.
• Scrape the sides of the wok or kadhai and mix the scraping in the thickened milk.
• After an hour, add the sugar and saffron. Mix well. Simmer it again, stirring it continuously on low heat, until the milk is reduced to one quarter.
• Remove from the heat and add chopped cashew nut, cardamom powder and the kewra essence.
• Garnish with the cardamom and chopped pistachio and serve cold with hot Gulab Jamun or hot Jalebi.

Do You Know?

A karahi or Kadhai is a type of thick, circular, and deep vessel (similar in shape to a wok) used in Indian and Pakistani cooking. It is useful for shallow or deep frying of meat, potatoes, sweets, and snacks and for simmering of stews.

Karahi are traditionally made out of cast iron, although other materials like stainless steel , copper and non-stick varieties do exist.

Spiced Tomato Chutney

This spicy tangy chutney is made with sautéed red tomatoes, green chilies, garlic and curry leaves. Ajwain (carom seeds) gives it a different flavor.

Ingredients:

• 4 red Tomatoes
• 5-6 pods of Garlic
• 1 tsp Ajwain (carom seeds)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• Pinch of Asafetida
• 10-12 green chilies chopped
• 10-12 curry leaves (available in Indian Grocery Store)
• 4 tbsp Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Give four incisions to each tomato. Boil 6-8 cups of water (enough water to dip all tomatoes). When water starts boiling dip tomatoes in boiled water and leave them for 10 seconds. Take them out from hot water and dip them in cool water. Peel off and chop them into small pieces.
• Heat oil in a frying pan; fry asafetida, and ajwain for few seconds.
• Add garlic, curry leaves and green chilies; fry again for 1-2 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Cool the chutney and make puree in a liquidizer.
• Garnish with whole red chili and serve it with Daal, Sabji and Roti or Rice.

Do You Know?

Since most of the aroma compounds present in the spices are lipophilic, they dissolve much better in fat than in water. Thus, frying in oil/ghee/butter not only enhances the fragrance of the spices because of the high temperature, but also extracts the flavor to the fat, by which it can be dispersed throughout the food more efficiently.