Desi Kukuda Jholo ( Country Style Chicken Curry )

Ok. I am done with the ranting and raving. Accompanied with a generous amount of head smacking, banging my head on the walls and tearing out my hair, it has left me looking like something that has been dragged out of the dumpster by a bunch of notorious canines. After all, it is India and every stone you throw is bound to finds it mark on an obnoxious canine or an even more obnoxious chauvinist.

If I ever had any inkling of doubt about the total chauvinist leanings of our society , those have been effectively squashed by the Supreme court and Delhi High Court verdicts. 'Hindu son can divorce wife if she tries to separate him from aged parents' sermonizes the first one, only to be backed by an equally regressive and undoubtedly fawning subordinate which rules 'Denying sex to husband for long period ground for divorce'. If it had been a fair world, all these words like 'son', 'wife', 'husband', etc would have been ditched in favour of the all encompassing 'spouse', thus giving equal rights to both parties in a marriage.

Now some may cry hoarse that there are many women-centric laws and evil women use those to harass hapless in-laws. Some of them even get helpless men arrested on charges of rape, harassment, stalking and so on. But I have rarely come across any cases of 'groom burning' nor have I seen lascivious groups of women stalking/teasing the poor guys in bus stands, metro stations or even as they avail public transport. So, I do not care much about laws that protect the endangered male species. And with that I rest my case.

Coming back to business as usual ( do I even have a choice ? ), today's recipe is a simple but amazing Country style chicken curry from Odisha. Since country chicken has a texture that mimics mutton and also take quite longer to cook as compared to farmed 'broiler' chicken, it's preparation is similar to that of a mutton curry. It is pan cooked for a long time till the chicken gives up some juice and takes on a shiny texture. We called the process 'kasha' in Odia and that is usually the key to the final taste of the curry. Too less 'kasha' means that one can make out the rawness of the ingredients while too much 'kasha' gives a blackish color to the curry and changes the aroma for the worse.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour 20 mins

Ingredients -


250 gm country chicken (desi kukuda)
1 medium sized potato
1 large onion + 1/2 of a medium onion ( the chopped onion should be equal in volume to the mutton pieces )
1 1/2 tbsp coarse garlic paste
1 1/2 tbsp coarsely chopped ginger
3-4 dry red chillis
1 big cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 2" cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
6 tsp mustard oil + 1 tsp for the marination

Preparation - Wash the chicken pieces and drain away all the water. Add salt, turmeric and 1 tsp mustard oil. Mix well and keep aside.

Cut the onions into medium sized pieces. Crush lightly using a mortar and pestle. Keep aside.

Also crush the ginger and garlic in the same way but just a little more fine.

Cut the potatoes into big chunks.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pressure cooker.

Add the potatoes and fry till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

Add the red chillis followed by the cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon sticks to the hot oil. Fry till they turn fragrant.

Add the onions, ginger and garlic. Fry them on low flame till they turn quite red in color. (This is a sign that the onions have started turning sweet due to the caramelization process)

Next add the chicken pieces. Fry them till they stop oozing water. You do not have to stir continuously. Keep the lid on the cooker without completely closing it. Stir once every few minutes. This process takes a long time so keep patience ( grab a snack/drink something if all that heavenly smell is making you hungry ).

Once you see that the chicken pieces start leaving oil ( a sure sign that the water had dried up ) and take on a shiny coat, add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of boiling water along with the fried potato pieces. Adjust salt. Close the lid and cook for 1-2 whistles. Remove from flame.

Allow steam to escape before opening lid. Check if the chicken is done. Else add another half cup water and cook for another 1 whistle or two.

Serve hot with rice/rotis.

Note - If you do not want to use pressure cooker, use a thick bottomed copper vessel for best results.

Easy Chicken Curry ( Rice cooker method )

These days I am going though a lazy phase, which is quite ok considering that I have been blogging for 6 years now. I cook simple and nutritious meals that take less time and energy. Food is more about sustenance these days and I hardly feel like cooking or eating anything fancy. That gives me more time to read books (or sustenance for the soul as I refer to my best friends) and I have a big pile that is crying out to be read.

Hence, instead of the regular chicken curries that I make, I prefer cooking this one step chicken curry that hardly needs monitoring. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 500 gm chicken pieces
• 1 large onion 
• 7-8 shallots ( or one small onion diced into 4 )
• 8-9 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 inch long ginger
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 green cardamom
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 dry red chili
• 1 large tomato
• 3 green chilis (slit lengthwise)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 2 pinch garam masala
• 1/4 salt to taste
• 4 tsp mustard oil
• a dash of soy sauce (optional)

Preparation - Wash and clean the chicken pieces.

Grind the onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and dry red chili into a paste.

Take the chicken in a bowl. Add salt, turmeric, the onion masala paste, 2 tsp mustard oil and soy sauce. Mix well. Let it marinate for 30 mins.

Cooking - Heat the remaining oil in the rice cooker pan. Add the marinated chicken and toss for 2-3 mins till the color changes. Then add the finely chopped tomato, shallots, green chilis, garam masala and some of the coriander leaves. Add 1/4 cup water. Mix and cover with the lid.

Give it a gentle stir/toss after 10 mins and cover again.

It will switch off automatically once the chicken is done. Add the remaining coriander leaves to the cooked chicken.

Serve hot.

Note - This is a semi dry curry but one can increase the quantity of water to get more gravy. However we need to switch it off manually before all the water evaporates.

Two Step Chicken Curry (An easy chicken recipe)

Sometimes we are too tired to cook up a decent meal and yet are in no mood to order anything from outside. A piping hot chicken curry with some white rice/roti can save the day for the non-veg lovers amongst us. This curry is one of the easiest and tastiest ones that I have ever made. I have christened it as 'Two-step chicken curry' partly due to lack of any imagination and partly because it is a lazy curry that can be made in two steps.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 500 gm chicken pieces
• 1 medium sized onion (roughly chopped)
• 1 small tomato (roughly chopped)
• 12-14 garlic flakes
• 1 1/2 inch ginger (chopped into small pieces)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• 2 inch long cinnamon stick
• 3 nos green cardamom
• 2/3 tsp cumin seeds
• 4-5 dry red chillis ( low to medium heat Kashmiri or Byadgi chilli )
• 3 tsp oil
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp vinegar

Preparation - De-seed the dry chillis and soak them with vinegar and 2-3 tbsp hot water for 2 hours. Drain off the liquid and grind the chilies with 6-7 garlic flakes.

Grind the onion, ginger, 6-7 garlic flakes, tomato, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin seeds and coriander leaves into a fine paste.

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly and marinate them with the above paste, salt and turmeric. Allow to rest for 30 mins.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chicken along with the marinade liquid (if any). Stir on high flame for 2-3 mins. Then reduce the flame and allow it to cook (without lid) till the  chicken is almost done (95 % cooked). 

Finally add the chili-garlic paste and stir fry on high for 1 min. Then add 2/3 - 1 cup boiling water, cover with a lid and allow to boil for 2 mins before switching off.

Serve hot with rotis/white rice/jeera rice.

Chichen Salna (or Chicken Chalna)

Before I ventured into blogging, I was a total stranger when it came to South Indian cuisine. Ofcourse, there was the occasional dosa, idli, uttapam and the usual accompaniments like sambhar and chutney. But that is just about the tip of the iceberg. Everything was labelled 'South Indian' with no distinctions being made between regions like Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Karnataka and Kerela, leaving no scope or mention of the diversity that exists within each region.

But the exposure that I recieved over the last 5 years has truely transformed me.  Today I know what people mean when they say that food knows no language or barriers. Now when I prepare some of these dishes at home and enjoy them, I truly appreciate and admire the people who created them. Small details like why some cuisine uses an abundance of a particular ingredient or why a curry is so laden with spices and condiments become clear when you have more insight on the lives/culture of the people belonging to that particular region. For example, the very rich and aromatic Chettinad curries owe their origin to the opulent Chettiar traders who obviously had very deep pockets to be able to afford such luxury. But the Chicken Salna in contrast was meant for the working class people and hence the sparing use of spices, a
watery consistency and sometimes the use of potatoes to add volume. (The roadside stalls obviously do not use expensive poppy seeds or cashews to thicken the gravy but instead use thickening agents like besan/cornflour).

A few years back, I could only think of a Macher Jholo/Besara or a Mutton/Chicken Kasa/Jholo when I needed to cook for a Friday dinner or a Sunday lunch. But now my repertoire of non-vegetarian dishes has only been enriched by the addition of such delicacies. Hence I feel the need to share/blog such dishes as I believe that food would win hands down as the medium of national integration (but how do we sell such an idea to our politicos who are busy playing the caste/regional card ??). Read on the recipe for my version of the Chicken Salna:

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients - 1/2 kg chicken cut into medium sized pieces, 1 large onion finely chopped, 1 small tomato finely chopped, 1 tsp GG paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 sprig curry leaves, 2 tbsp oil, salt to taste, fresh coriander leaves for garnishing.

For the masala paste - 5 shallots, 1 1/2 tbsp coriander roots, 1 green chilli, 4 tsp freshly grated coconut, 5-6 cashews + ( 3 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp poppy seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp peppercorns - to be dry roasted first )

Preparation - Wash and marinate the chicken pieces with salt and turmeric.

Heat a tawa or any flat bottomed vessel. Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned in the masala paste.
Allow to cool down. Transfer to a grinder cup. Grind into fine powder (as fine as possible).
Add the remaining ingredients of the masala paste along with 3-4 tsp water. Grind into a paste. (Add little more water if needed)

Cooking - Heat oil in a kadai. Add the curry leaves first and allow to crisp a bit. Then add onions and fry to a medium brown.

Add GG paste and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the marinated chicken along with chilli powder. Roast/Fry on a high flame for 4-5 minutes. Then lower flame and cover with lid till half cooked.

In the meantime, fry the tomato pieces with a little oil till it is completely mushy.

Add the cooked tomatoes to the chicken along with the masala paste. Mix well and fry on medium to high flame for 3-4 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and adjust salt. Cook on a simmer till chicken is completely cooked through.

Serve hot with parottas/rotis or even with white rice as I did.

Note -  You can make the gravy still watery if you like, especially when having it with hot rice.

Dahi chicken ( Chicken in yogurt )

Cooking Time Required: 30-35 min
Cost of Preparation: 100-110 rupees

Ingredients: Chicken ( 300 gm), onion ( 2 nos, medium), tomato ( 1 medium), ginger garlic paste ( 1 tsp), coriander powder ( 2/3 tsp), cumin powder (1/3 tsp), chilli powder (1 tsp), khada garam masala ( cardamon, cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves ), oil ( 5-6 tsp ), finely chopped mint leaves (1 tbs), turmeric, whole red chilli ( 1 no. ), fresh yogurt ( 1 cup or 50 gms ), cashew/almond paste ( 2 tsp ), vinegar ( 1 tsp ), coriander leaves ( 2-3 tbs), salt to taste.

Preparation: Wash the chicken pieces thouroughly. Drain excess water . Add salt and vinegar. Rub and keep aside to marinate for 10 mins.

Finely chop the onion and tomato.

Cooking: Heat the oil in a wok. Add the red chilli and khada garam masala followed by the chopped onion. Fry for 3-4 mins. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes away.

Add chopped tomato and fry for 2-3 mins. Add 2 cups of water. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. Bring to a boil.

Add the yogurt and stir for a while. Add the marinated chicken pieces. Cook on a low flame for 10 mins.

Finally add the cashew paste and mint leaves. Cook for 5 mins or till all water evaporates. Remove from stove.

Garnish with coriander and serve hot with white rice.

Chicken Makhan Malai - My 200th post

This is my 200th post and i wanted a special dish to commemorate this milestone. Was thinking of posting an authentic oriya curry/sweet for this post. But later decided to create a new recipe. This dish is my original creation and must say it turned out to be a delight. Named it as Chicken Makhan Malai not becoz its laden with these two fattening ingredients but coz of its melt-in-the-mouth kinda texture !!!!!

Cooking Time Required: 50 mins
Cost of Preparation: 100-120 Rupees

Ingredients:

For the tandoori chicken : medium sized chicken pieces (500 gm), salt, turmeric ( 1/5 tsp) , ginger garlic paste( 1 tsp ), curd ( 1 tbs ), tandoori masala ( 1/2 tsp).

For the gravy: Onion ( 1 large), tomato ( 1 1/ medium sized ), garlic cloves ( 6-7 nos ), ginger garlic ( 1 tsp ), coriander seeds ( 1 tsp ), cinnamon ( 1/2 inch ), cardamon ( 1 no ), kasuri methi ( 1/2 tsp ), oil.

During cooking: turmeric, kashmiri lal mirch ( 2/3 tsp ), garam masala ( 1/4 tsp ),
roasted cumin powder ( 1/3 tsp), butter ( 2 tsp ), cream ( 2 tsp ), capsicum ( 1
medium ), coriander leaves.

Preparation: Marinate the chicken pieces with salt, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste and curd for 2-3 hours. Add the tandoori masala and rub it all over the chicken pieces along with a little oil.

Skewer the chicken pieces and put inside a pre-heated oven. Bake for 20 mins at 200
degrees. Keep turning at intervals. Remove from oven and keep aside.
















Cooking: Heat 3 tsp oil in a wok. Add the chopped onion, tomato, garlic cloves,
coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon and cardamon. Stir fry till onions turn translucent. Add the kasuri methi and a little salt at this stage .
















Remove from wok and transfer to a mixer jar. Grind into a smooth paste and keep aside.

Heat 1 oil in a wok. Add the turmeric powder followed by onion-tomato paste and stir
fry for 2 mins. Add ginger garlic paste and fry the masala for 5-6 mins.

Add the roasted chicken pieces along with Kashmiri lal mirch powder and cumin powder. Mix well and stir fry for 3-4 mins.

Add 2 1/2 cups water along with salt and bring to a boil. Cover with lid and allow to simmer for 10-15 mins. Add the garam masala, cream and butter along with the capsicum pieces.

Mix well. Cover with lid and cook for 4-5 mins on a low flame.
Remove from fire and garnish with coriander leaves.


Serve hot with Basmati rice/tandoori rotis/rumali rotis.

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is perhaps one of the most popular dishes to be ordered at any Punjabi restaurant. Chicken pieces simmered in a rich gravy, this is one curry which is low on the heat index. As one moves towards the Northern reaches of India, it even gets progressively sweeter and richer. However at the same time, it has a calorie count that is guaranteed to send you scurrying for the nearest gym on the very next day. At least some health freaks like me would be feel the same way !!

But it is my personal opinion that this is one dish that is enjoyed best at the roadside dhabas where it acquires a whole new flavor !! This is my own recipe which is relatively lower in calories and equally tasty. The trick lies in marinating the chicken for a longer duration and then cooking it on a low flame.

Read for the recipe -

Cooking Time Required: 35 mins

Ingredients:

For marination -

• 300 gm chicken pieces
• 2 tbsp thick yogurt
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 7-8 almonds ( 7-8 nos )
• 2 green cardamon
• 3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 2 pinch turmeric ( a pinch )
• salt to taste

For cooking Butter Chicken :

• 4-5 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 inch cube cooking butter
• 2 tsp oil ( 1 tsp )
• 1/5 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp kasuri methi 
• 2 tsp honey 
• salt

Preparation: Rub salt and turmeric on the chicken pieces and keep aside for 10 mins.

Grind the whole spices, almonds and tomatoes into a sooth paste. Add yogurt &
ginger-garlic paste and blend for 30 secs.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a large bowl. Pour the paste into the bowl and mix well. Keep aside for 1 hour.


Cooking: Heat the oil and cooking butter in a wok. Add the chopped onions and crushed garlic .Fry for 3-4 mins till the sides start turning brown.

Add the contents of the marination bowl. Stir fry for 10 mins. Add 1 tsp coriander
leaves along with 1 cup water and simmer for 2 mins.

Remove from the stove and add the cream. Stir continuously for 2-3 mins. Allow to simmer for 5-6 mins or till the chicken is done.

Sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves, and remove from the stove. Serve hot with rotis.

Pudina (Mint) Chicken

Cooking Time Required: 14-15 mins
Cost of Preparation: 50-60 Rupees

Ingredients: Boneless chicken ( 250 gm ), white onions ( 1 no, large ), red chillis ( 4-5 nos ), garlic flakes ( 4-5 nos ), ginger garlic paste ( 1 tsp ), finely cut mint leaves ( 5 tbs ), finely cut coriander leaves ( 2 tbs ), yogurt ( 2 tsp ), cooking butter ( 3 tsp ), garam masala ( 1/3 tsp ), turmeric ( 1 pinch ), salt.

Preparation: Cut the onion into big chunks.

Heat 1 tsp cooking butter in a wok. Add the onion, 2 red chillis and garlic flakes. Saute till onion turns translucent.

Transfer to a grinder, add 3 tbs mint leaves and 2 tbs coriander leaves and make a fine paste.

Clean the chicken and transfer to mixing bowl. Add the onion paste, ginger garlic paste, yogurt, turmeric and salt. Marinate for 2-3 hours.

Cooking: Heat the remaining butter in a pressure cooker. Add red chillis followed by the marianted chicken. Fry for 3-4 mins.

Add the remaining mint leaves, garam masala along with 1/2 cup water. Close the lid and cook for 8-10 mins.

Remove from stove and check if done. If not, repeat for 4-5 mins.

Serve hot with roti/rice.

Spicy Chicken Jholo ( with herbs )

Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins
Cost of Preparation: 60-70 rupees


Ingredients: Chicken ( 350 gm ), potato ( 1 medium sized ), maggie bhuna masala ( 2 tbs ), mint paste ( 1 tsp ), coriander paste ( 1 tsp ), methi paste ( 1 tsp ), kasuri methi ( 1 tsp ), tomato puree ( 2 tbs ), sour curd ( 1 tsp ), cumin powder ( 1/2 tsp ), coriander powder ( 1/2 tsp ), whole red chillis ( 4-5 nos ), chilli powder ( 1/2 tsp ), turmeric powder ( 1/3 tsp), salt, oil ( 4 tsp ).



Preparation: Soak the kasuri methi with 2-3 tsp warm water for 5 mins.



Marinate the chicken with mint paste, coriander paste, fenugreek paste, sour curd, tomato puree, turmeric and salt. Add the soaked kasuri methi to the marinate. Mix well and allow to stand for 2 hours.



Cooking: Heat the oil in a wok. Peel and cut the potato into small cubes. Add to the wok and stir fry for 4-5 mins. Remove and keep aside.



Add a pinch of turmeric and whole red chillis to the wok. When the chillis darken, add the bhuna masala. Stir for a minute.



Add the marinated chicken pieces with the chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir fry for 2-3 mins on a high flame.



Add 3 cups of warm water along with the potato pieces and salt. Bring to a boil. Close the lid and allow to simmer on low flame.



Cook for the 10 mins or till the chicken softens.



Serve hot with rice/rotis.



Note: Each paste is prepared from ground fresh leaves.

Chicken curry - oriya preparation

The traditionally made chicken curry from Odisha ! Tastes best when country chicken is used.........

Cooking time required: 1 hour (approx)
Cost of preparation: Approx. 200-250 rupees

Ingredients: Chicken pieces( preferably Country chicken )(600 gm), Potato (1 large), Onion( 1 large), tomato( 1 medium), ginger garlic paste (1 tbs), cumin seeds (1/2 tsp), sunflower/rice bran oil ( 4 tps), mustard oil(1tsp), coriander powder( 1tsp), chilli powder (1/2 tsp), cumin powder (1/2 tsp)turmeric (1 tsp ), green chilli (2 nos), garam masala( 1 stick cinnamon, 2 pods small cardamon), sugar(1/2 tsp), salt ( to taste ).

Pre-cooking: Marinate chicken pieces with turmeric, salt and mustard oil. Set aside for 1 hour.

Grate half the onion and cut the rest into small pieces. Puree/dice the tomato . Cut the potato into 4 pieces along its length, deep fry and keep aside.

Cooking: Heat oil in a deep vessel. When smoking add 1/2 tsp sugar and a pinch of turmeric( for adding color). Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds start spluttering, add chilli and onion(grated & pieces). Cook for about 3 mins.

Add the ginger garlic paste and salt. Fry the paste for about 3-4 mins. Then add tomato, coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin powder. Cook for about 2 mins.

Add the marinated chicken pieces. Cook till the chicken changes color and oil starts to separate out. Put the contents in a pressure cooker, add potato pieces, 1-2 cups hot/warm water and allow for 1-2 whistles.

Take off the fire and allow steam to settle down. Open lid , add garam masala and mix thoughly.Close lid and keep aside for 2-3 mins.

Serve with par-boiled rice and papad.