Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma, a treasure from the Mughlai cuisine  ...and a celebration for 100 followers on my blog. A big THANK YOU one and all for the love and on-going support...it wouldn't have been possible without you...
This popular dish of North India is mild, rich and bursting with flavours. Made with meat or vegetables, yoghurt, spices and a creamy paste of nuts (almond and cashew nut). It’s not a very spicy dish. In South India it’s called “Kurma" and is made differently. There are many ways of making this dish. Try this Chicken Korma Recipe when you are bored with standard chicken recipes (‘cos this looks and tastes different). 


My apologies for the bad picture quality. Just as I started clicking photos, my camera decided to act stubborn :( …(but you must try it...it was one pretty reddish curry and it was yummmm!) 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cooking Time : 30 minutes
Serves : 3

You need:
300 gms chicken breasts
1’’ fresh ginger
8 garlic pods
2tsp garam masala powder
1tsp kashmiri chilli powder (remember it’s not a spicy dish)
1 tsp shahi jeera (black cumin seeds)
3 green cardamoms
2 mace flowers
1tsp coriander powder
8 almonds
8 cashews
5tbsp thick curd
2 medium onions (chopped fine)
3tsp sunflower oil
salt as required
water as required
few coriander leaves (chopped fine)

Step-by-step:

Wash and cube the chicken breasts. Rub a little salt and chilli powder. Keep aside for 10 minutes 

Make a paste(smooth) of ginger, garlic, garam masala, chilli powder, shahi jeera, cardamoms, mace, coriander powder, almonds and cashews

Add the curd to the chicken pieces 

Now rub the ground paste on the chicken and let it marinate for 30minutes 

Heat oil in a deep bottom pan and fry the onions till golden brown 

Add the chicken pieces to the pan (without reducing the heat), stir fry for 5-7 minutes (on each side) 

Add the rest of the masala and give it a toss (now shift to low flame)

Wash the remaining masala with water and pour over the chicken. Mix well, cover and let it simmer for 20-25minutes or till the chicken is fully cooked (I love the aroma! And it gets me hungry) 

Add coriander leaves and cook for another 5 minutes

Serve hot with rice or any Indian bread!

Am so upset that my red curry is looking brown:(
Yours tastefully!!

Chicken Stroganoff/Stroganov

Chicken Stroganoff is originally a Russian recipe (named after P. Stroganov,19th-century Russian count and diplomat) made with chicken, onions and mushrooms in sour cream (I used plain cream!). It is served with egg noodles or rice. Not possibly the healthiest intake but the choice is yours, healthy food or yummy sinful food. To me, this dish comes as a blessing ‘cos it encouraged my hubby to taste mushrooms which was complete no-no for him (I love mushrooms and was not ready to omit it from my cooking)

This is a fantastic recipe that the whole family will love. Here’s how I made chicken stroganoff and I must say,( in all modesty) it was finger licking good ;-)

Preparation time: 20minutes
Cooking time: 30minutes
Serves: 8-9

You need:
900gms chicken breasts
4tbsp butter
8-9 pods of garlic (crushed)
2 large onions (julienned)
200gms mushrooms (each cut into four)
1 large capsicum (cut into 1 inch cubes)
3tbsp plain flour (maida)
50gms of chicken soup (any brand)
3tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp tomato ketchup
1tsp worcestershire sauce
2tsp pepper powder
2tsp chilli powder (adjust according to spice tolerance)
1cup cream
6 tbsp yogurt
2 tsp English mustard
salt to taste

Step-by-step: 

Clean, wash and cut the chicken breast into half inch cubes 

Heat butter in a heavy bottom pan. Add butter, onion, crushed garlic pods and chicken, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken is almost done 

Add mushroom and capsicum cubes (if you like crunchy capsicum, add them at the last stage) 

Cook for another 5-6 minutes 

In a large bowl, mix together – the plain flour, chicken soup powder, tomato puree, tomato ketchup, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and chilli powder. Mix well (make sure all the lumps are removed) 

Add the above mixture into the chicken. Stir continuously till the gravy gets cooked and thickens [smelling divine?, it should :) ]

In the same bowl, make a paste with cream, yogurt and mustard. Stir well (if you’ve not added capsicum till this stage, add them now) 

Add the paste and cook for 5 more minutes (noticed the colours change when each mixture is added?)

And it’s done before you know:) , yes! Chicken Stroganoff is ready to be served. 

Serve over a bed of rice / egg noodles or mashed potatoes with some steamed veggies on the side and maybe a slice of bread and you have yourself a hearty meal. 

Try it and tell me if your family enjoyed it.

Happy weekend!

Yours tastefully!!

Kerala style Chicken Stew

Not so long ago, Esther and I worked together. We lost touch but facebook connected us up. It was a pleasant surprise when she posted something very encouraging on my facebook wall. “Thank you for blogging recipes. They all look so delicious! I will surely try making some of it. I have a request for a Kerala stew to go with Aapam. I have been craving for it for so long.”…so, Esther, this ‘Kerala style chicken stew is for you”

Prepartion time: 10minutes

Cooking time: 30-35minutes
Serves: 6-7

You need:
1 kg chicken (cut into small pieces)

2 medium size onions (julienned)

3-4 green chillies (slit)
2 inch ginger (julienned)
3-4 sprigs of curry leaves (torn)
salt to taste
water as required
3 medium size potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed)
100gms coconut milk powder / coconut milk(thick and thin) extracted from 1 coconut
1 tbsp maida (refined flour)
1tsp vinegar
1tbsp butter
10-15 shallots (pearl onions)
5-6 cloves (dry roasted and coarsely powdered)
1 inch cinnamon (dry roasted and coarsely powdered)
10-12 peppercorns (dry roasted and coarsely powdered)

For garnishing:
2 sprigs of curry leaves

Step-by-step:

Wash and clean the chicken pieces

In a pressure cooker, add the chicken pieces, onions, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, salt and a little water -just for the chicken to cook (do not add too much water as we need to add coconut milk at a later stage). Let it cook till one whistle (you can even pan cook but a pressure cooker saves time)

Once the pressure cooker has cooled, open and add the potatoes (in case you prefer to use fresh coconut milk, it's time to pour the thin extract). Stir for 2-3 minutes

Mix the coconut milk powder in 2 cups of warm water (make sure you don’t leave any lumps)

Add coconut milk to the cooker {the original recipe is made with coconut milk extract from 1 fresh and tender coconut, so if you have the time, go ahead and make 2 extractions, thick(first) and thin(second, with additional water)}

Once it’s boiled, lower the flame, mix 1tbsp of maida in water and add. Pour in the vinegar too

Cook till the gravy is thick (if you are using fresh coconut milk, add the thick extract)
Remove from the fire

Heat butter in a small pan, julienne the shallots and fry till it’s brown. Add the clove-cinnamon-pepper powder and turn off the flame(you are taking it off from flame as soon as you've added it because it's already roasted)

Add this to the chicken stew and give it a gentle mix (taking care not to mine the chicken)

Garnish with curry leaves

Serve hot with appam, idli, dosa, bread or chapattis

Variation: you can use this stew recipe and make mutton/ beef stew too...

friends, do give it a try... i'm waiting for your feedback

Yours tastefully!!

Mutton chunks in black pepper sauce with butter garlic rice

I’m back with a heavy heart ‘cos I've to start all over again. My operating system crashed and I lost all my recipes and pictures attached. But I said “what the hell, let me make them all again!”:(

It’s a Sunday, and this morning my hubby walked up to me and said that he wants to gorge on mutton in a brown colour gravy with some rice. And this is what I stirred up.

Let me start with the mutton chunks in black pepper sauce,

Preparation time: 10minutes
Cooking time: 30minutes
Serves: 3-4

You need:

500gms of boneless mutton (cut into 1 inch chunks)
1tsp of black pepper powder (preferably fresh)
salt to taste

For the sauce:
1tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp black pepper powder
½ tsp garlic paste
½ tsp ginger paste
1tsp soya sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
1tsp vinegar
1tbsp olive oil (or sunflower oil)
 For garnishing:
5-6 stalks of fresh coriander (save the leaves to garnish the rice)

Step-by-step:
Cook the mutton chunks with a tsp of pepper powder and a tsp of salt for 4-5whistles (if you can marinate for at least half an hour before cooking, nothing like it!) 

While the mutton’s getting cooked, let’s make the sauce 

In a thick bottomed pan (preferably non-stick), add a tbsp of oil. Once it’s hot, reduce the heat, add the ginger, garlic pastes and the black peppercorns

(Yes…I love that smell too) 

Cook till the pastes change colour

Now add the black pepper powder, soya sauce, and vinegar. Stir on low flame for a minute
Strain the cooked mutton and keep aside 

Add 2tbsp of cornflour to the mutton stock and pour this mixture into the sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken. 

Taste the sauce for spice and salt (You don’t need to add salt since the soya sauce is already added) 

Throw in the mutton chunks and cook for another minute 

Garnish with finely cut fresh coriander stalks

You can have this dish with bread too, but I prefer rice for a Sunday lunch. Here’s how I made the butter garlic rice

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4-5

You need:

6-7 pods of garlic (crushed)
2tbsp of butter
1tbsp olive oil (sunflower oil)
2cups of long grained rice (I used basmati)
1 chicken stock cube (maggi) or 4 cups of chicken stock

For garnishing:
2tsp butter
3-4 pods of garlic (julienned)
coriander leaves

Step-by-step:
Wash and soak rice for 10minutes 

In a flat vessel, add the butter and oil. (Keep on low flame to avoid burning the butter)

Add the crushed garlic and fry till they turn brown 

Drain the rice and add to the buttered garlic. Fry for a minute 

Pour in the chicken stock, once it starts boiling, cover and cook for 10minutes or till the rice is done. (The ready made chicken stock cubes already have salt so check before you add more) 

In a small frying pan, add butter and garlic. Fry till the garlic turns brown. 

Pour on to the rice. Chop the coriander leaves and decorate your rice. 

Serve hot with mutton chunks in black pepper sauce

 Have a great Sunday!!

Yours Tastefully!!