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Showing posts with label indian curry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indian curry. Show all posts

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Zero Butter/Oil Butter Chicken

Call it the ultimate contradiction, an oxymoron or even a paradox, the Zero Butter Butter Chicken is here to stay !! Yes, you read it right the first time. A butter chicken without the butter, oil or even the cream. Difficult to imagine. Yes, I grant that but not entirely inconceivable. The trick lies in replacing the bad fat with a small amount of good fat and replicating the creamy texture of the gravy minus the cream.

Of course I had my doubts about tinkering with this dish classic which is one of the most popular Chicken recipes. I made a mental list of all those who love Butter Chicken and imagined their reactions to a zero grease version. Thankfully I have a vivid imagination and I realized that it would not be an easy task to win their approval. It took me a few trial runs to perfect this recipe but I have now nailed the formula for a Zero butter butter chicken that has been embraced happily by my family.

The oil + butter + cream has been replaced with milk and some extra almonds ( I always put almonds in my gravy as they contain a generous amount of good fat ). Read on for the recipe -

























Preparation Time - 40 mins

Ingredients -

For the marinade -

  • 500 gm Boneless chicken pieces
  • 1/2 cup thick yogurt
  • 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 10 almonds
  • 2 nos green cardamon
  • 3 nos cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 1 no bay leaf
  • 2 dry red chilli
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • salt 

For the gravy  -


  • 4-5 crushed garlic flakes
  • 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder (adjust as per taste)
  • 1 1/3 cup skimmed milk
  • 2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
  • 1/5 tsp garam masala
  • 1 1/2 tsp honey 
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • salt to taste


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

Grind the whole spices, almonds (blanched and peeled) and tomatoes into a smooth paste. Add yogurt, ginger-garlic paste and blend for 5 secs.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a large bowl. Pour the paste into the bowl and mix well. Keep aside for 1-2 hours.

Cooking: Heat a non-stick wok. Add the chopped onions and crushed garlic .Fry for a few minutes on a low to medium till the onions start turning brown. Remove and keep aside till it cools down.

Grind into a smooth paste along with 2-3 tsp of milk.

Transfer this paste back to the wok and cook for a few minutes on a low flame.

Add the contents of the marination bowl. Stir fry for 10-12 mins or till the chicken starts to acquire a glaze. Add the milk and simmer for 8-9 mins.

Rub the kasuri methi between the palms and add to the wok. Also stir in the honey. Simmer for 5 mins.

Sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves, and remove from the stove. Serve hot with steamed rice or Laccha paratha .






Friday, May 29, 2015

Badami Paneer

Badami Paneer or cottage cheese cubes cooked in a rich nut based gravy is one dish that invokes sheer bliss. It has an silken texture that just seems to envelope one's entire mouth while the tangy taste of the tomatoes and the mild heat from those aromatic spices join hands to tingle each and every taste bud.

But surprisingly it is very simple and rather easy to prepare. Make this dish for friends and family and have them wondering about the kind of effort that you have put in. Read on for recipe -



















Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -


  • 250 gm Paneer cubes
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 1 tsp Garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger paste
  • 1/2 cup tomato puree
  • 1/2 cup coriander powder
  • 1/2 cup cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/5 tsp turmeric
  • 2 pinch garam masala
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4-5 tsp oil/butter ( 1 prefer 1 tsp oil + 3 tsp butter )
  • salt to taste
  • cilantro for garnishing
  • 5-6 cashews
  • 10 almonds
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds

Preparation - Soak the cashews, almonds and poppy seeds in warm water for 1/2 hour . Then grind into a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Grind the onion separately into a smooth paste

Cooking - Heat the oil and butter in a wok.

Add the onion paste along with the ginger paste and garlic paste. Fry till translucent but no more.

Add the powdered masalas along with the tomato puree. Fry till oil starts to come out from this gravy.

Then add the nuts paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Finally add the warm milk and get it to a boil.

Once the gravy has reached the desired consistency, add the panner cubes. Let it simmer for 2 mins.

Garnish with cilantro before removing from the flame.

Serve hot with jeera rice, rotis or even some delicious butter naan. 


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Fish head with baby potatoes and dried lentil dumplings

A very basic curry made with crushed fish head and potatoes, this one is symbolic of the very essence of Odia cuisine. Practicing frugality and making the most out of the scarce resources, the Odia women in rural areas come up with the most ingenious recipes to feed their families. This one for example used just the fish head (and also tail in some cases) with a large quantity of potatoes and onions. The abundance of potatoes make it somewhat sweeter in taste than the regular mustard gravies. The fat in the fish head melts and permeates the curry to give it that undeniably awesome flavor.


















Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins


Ingredients -

  • 1 no. Maccha munda/Fish head 
  • 1 tsp mustard-garlic paste
  • 1 mediu sized onion 
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
  • 10-12 baby potatoes / 1 large potato (if baby potatoes are not available)
  • 2 nos dry red chili/green chilli 
  • 8-9 nos boris/dried lentil dumpings ( optional )
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 3-4 tsp vegetable oil ( mustard oil is preferable )



Preparation: Clean the fish head thoroughly. Add salt and turmeric and keep aside for 15 mins. (Any large sized freshwater fish weighing 1 kg or more will do.)

Wash and cut the onion into chunks. Cut the baby potatoes into two.

Cooking: Deep fry the fish head till crispy, crush nicely and keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok. Fry the boris/lentil dumplings to a reddish color and remove from the wok.

Add the remaining oil followed by the mustard seeds and broken red chillis . Allow seeds to crackle.

Add the onion chunks and stir fry till translucent. Add the baby potatoes at this stage and fry for 3-4 mins. Add the crushed fish head along with 1 cup of water, mustard-garlic paste, salt and turmeric . Bring to a boil.

Allow to simmer for 5-6 mins while stirring at intervals. Remove from fire, add the fried boris and keep aside for 10 mins.

Serve with rice and dal.

















Note: Add 2 green chillis while making the mustard-garlic paste for upping the spice
content.



















This is an old photo where I have used baby potatoes. For an added twist, this recipe is also prepared with dried/smoked fish.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Muga Dali-Piaja Patra Tarkari ( Moong dal-Spring Onion curry )

















Cooking Time Required: 10-15 mins
Cost of preparation: 15-20 rupees

Ingredients: Muga dali/moong dal ( 1 cup ), spring onions ( 200-250 gm ), dry red
chillis ( 2-3 nos.), pancha-phutana ( 1 tsp), garlic flakes ( 5-6 nos), turmeric (2-3 pinch ), salt to taste, any vegetable oil ( 3-4 tsp ) .

Preparation: Wash the spring onions and drain excess water. Cut into inch long pieces.

Dry roast the moong dal till it gives off a sweet fragrance.

Cooking: Wash and transfer the moong dal to a pressure cooker. Add salt, turmeric and 2 cups of water. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 whistles.

Remove from the stove and allow steam to escape. Lightly mash the dal.

Add the spring onions to the mashed dal and cook on medium flame for 4-5 mins.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the pancha phutana and broken red chillis. Crush the garlic
flakes lightly and add to the spluttering seeds. Fry for 10-20 secs.

Pour the contents of the wok over the dal and spring onions. Close the lid and simmer for 2 mins.

Serve hot with white rice/rotis.

Note: Reduce/increase the water content depending on whether you are planning to have it as a curry or dal.

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