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.

Chicken Bharta

Chicken Bharta is one of those easy recipes that taste great even though you do not put too many spices in it. Though it gets a little time consuming as one has to boil the chicken first, carefully shred it once cooled and finally cook it with the spices, tomatoes and egg yolks, the wonderful melt in the mouth texture is worth all that effort. As the meat has been cooked on the bones, it has that wonderful flavour that most boneless chicken recipes lack.

And the best part is that it yields a delicious 'Shorba' or chicken soup as a by-product ( or atleast the stock that you get while boiling the chicken makes the task of preparing a 'Shorba' very easy ). Will get to that recipe soon enough. But first read on the recipe that has been a blockbuster hit with everyone in my house  -

Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -

For boiling the chicken -

• 200 gm chicken (on the bones)
• 1 small onion (peeled and cut into 4 halves)
• 3-4 garlic flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 4-5 black pepper corns
• pinch of turmeric
• salt to taste

For the final dish -

• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp GG paste
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp chicken curry/tandoori chicken masala
• 2 pinch garam masala powder
• 1 medium tomato (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi
• 1 boiled egg
• 1 tbsp fresh cream(optional)
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash and cook the chicken pieces in a pressure cooker along the the onion, garlic, bay leaf, cinnamon, pepper, turmeric, salt and 2 1/2 cups water.

Allow steam to escape before opening the lid. Strain and keep the stock aside. This can be later made into a shorba.

Carefully shred the chicken into thin long strips. Though it takes time, this step is what gives the wonderfully layered texture to the bharta.

Separate the egg yolk from the white portion.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok.

Add the onions and fry till they start to turn slightly red on the edges. Add the GG paste and stir fry for 2 mins.

Add all the powdered masalas along with 2 tsp water at this stage. Fry for a minute before adding the tomato. Cover with a lid for 1 minute to soften the tomatoes. Fry for another 1-2 minutes before adding the beaten yogurt.

Rub the kasuri methi between palms to warm it up before adding to the chicken.

Finally, when the oil starts to separate from the masala, add the shredded chicken and fry for for 2-3 minutes before adding a little of the stock. Adjust the salt and cover it with a lid. Allow to cook for 5-6 minutes.

Add the mashed egg yolk and cook for 2 minutes before adding the cream and taking it off the flame.

Garnish with the egg white and some cilantro. Serve hot with naan or rotis.

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.