Amma's famous Andhra Chicken Curry- My mom's Sunday special.

The best recipe according to me is something that you remember for years without writing it down and such recipes most of the times are from the kitchen of your mother. As a kid, I spent a lot of time with my mom in the kitchen which I believe has inspired me to become a chef and I am sure many chefs have a similar story to share. Mother is always the first teacher and the best teacher too.
India is not a big meat eating nation. So, even for those who like meat it's not a part of daily diet. Sunday is the'NV' day (non-veg day) as they call it as it is the day where mom gets help from the rest of the family members to prepare lunch. This is one such chicken dish that I consider to be one of the best of my Mother's cooking. I don't remember even a single time that she went wrong with it. I remember those Sundays where I was asked to go to the chicken shop( Yes, it was a place where only chicken was sold) and if I did not go as early as 8.30 am there will be a big queue at the chicken shop and I was worried that I would miss my 'Mickey and Donald Show' at 9.00 am on TV. Ah, memories!
I also used to be her sous chef as she would always get a piece of chicken with sauce on the plate and ask me to taste for seasoning before she turned the hob off. I guess, because of tasting this chicken again and again for years I still remember how fragrant it is and how it should exactly taste like.
After many years, I re created her recipe and hope to cook it for her for first time when I will visit her in Denver next week. I am very excited. Now, that I shared the history behind this great family classic, it's time for me to share it with my friends. Remember,Sharing food is sharing love.
Ingredients
Chicken thigh and drumsticks- 1 kg
Chopped onions - 500 gm
Green chillies-slit in half- 3
Chopped Tomatoes- 3
Curry leaves-handful
Coriander leaves- 1 bunch
poppy seeds-soaked and coarsley ground into paste- 100 gm
Marinade
Ginger paste- 100 gm
Garlic Paste- 50 gm
Turmeric Powder- 10 gm
Red chilli Powder- 10 gm
Spice power
Coriander seeds-50 gms
Cloves- 4
Cinnamon- 2 sticks
Cardamom pods- 4
Black Pepper seeds- 10 gms

- mix ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder and chilli powder and rub the marinade mix all over the chicken.
-in a small bowl , take some hot water and soak the poppy seeds for about 15 minutes.
- meanwhile, chop the onions and green chillies.
-Get the whole spices into a pan and dry roast them for a couple of minutes before pounding them into a powder. ( I strongly recommend doing the spice powder fresh right before we cook and always make it from whole spices instead of shop bought spice powders. It only takes 5 minutes but makes a lot of difference in flavouring the dish)
-strain the water form the poppy seeds and coarsely grind them into a paste using a pestle and mortar.
This is all your prep done.

- heat some sunflower oil in a pan and add a couple of whole cardamoms, cloves, stick of cinnamon broken into pieces, green chillies and curry leaves into the oil.
- The whole oil now is infused with the flavours of all the spices in it. Just after a minute of stirring add onions.
-here is where you will have to spend some time and need lot of patience as the onions need to be slow cooked until they caramelise and release all the sweetness.
- this will take good 10 minutes. once the onions are caramelised, add the marinated chicken in and stir for another 5 minutes until the pieces are sealed properly.

- then add in half the spice powder and poppy seed paste and stir  for another 5 minutes.
-Then add the chopped tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid so that the chicken is cooked in it's own juices which is much more tastier than adding water to the pan.
-add salt and cook on low flame covered with lid for another 10 mins.
- take the lid off and add the rest of the spice powder and let the liquid in the pan evaporate till the sauce thickens.

-check for the seasoning and sprinkle coriander leaves and serve it with some steamed rice or flaky parathas as I did.
P.S. The recipe of the fluffy and flaky paratha bread will be my next post.
- This yummy , spicy and aromatic chicken recipe is great for cold evenings or even for a great sunday family luch , just like how my family used to enjoy it.Before I end this post, there is one most important thing I need to do....
THANK YOU AMMA!!!!

I am back, I am back, I am really really back.....
Hello my friends, I am really sorry that I took a really long break from my blog but I have been doing really exciting stuff with food. I promise that I shall keep posting regularly.
News  is I am looking forward to do the Asian Gastronomic week in Tenerife, Spain in October and there is something much more exciting that will happen after that but then it is too early to reveal what will it be.

Here are some of the posters that have been made by the hotel H10 Conquistador( one of the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed at) for the forthcoming food festival in Spain. 

Also, a popular tour and travel company called 'The Rickshaw Travels' came to 'Recipease' and did a cooking lesson with me and were kind enough to post it on their web site, here is the link.

http://www.rickshawtravel.co.uk/turning-up-the-heat-at-recipease-vietnamese-street-food-lesson/

There is more  happening in the pipeline and I shall keep you all posted as and when but above all I will again  start doing the thing I always loved to do, post some mouth watering recipes. So, watch out for this space.

My first video on 'You Tube'

http://youtu.be/QmK09oiv8O8

MY 'SOUP'ER LUNCH

Hello Amigos! I know ...i know its been ages since my last post on here. I also see that some of you have been checking my blog regularly to see if I have posted anything new. I kind of hibernated the whole winter and now that it's spring officially, i am back with some lovely recipes perfect for spring time. I made a lovely soup early this week using all my favorite ingredients such as Butternut Squash , Carrots, Garlic , Sage , Cumin and Habanero Chilli. The sweetness of butternut always compliments the spices.The other secret ingredient is orange juice to give the soup a bit of sourness.
INGREDIENTS

Butternut Squash or Pumpkin- 300 g
(I roasted them in the oven with some garlic, red chilli and olive oil but you do not have to if you don't want to)
Carrots- 300 g
Garlic- 6 cloves
Ginger- 50 g
Sage leaves- 4-5
Habanero Chilli(if you want to go crazy with spice levels) or just use regular red chillies- 1
Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
salt- to taste
Double cream - 1 tbsp
Water or vegetable stock
Orange juice- 150 ml
olive oil- 15 ml
Coriander leaves- 2 stalks

METHOD

 -Heat up the olive oil in pot and add cumin seeds, garlic, ginger and red chilli.
- saute on a medium heat for about 3 mins.
- Add the carrots  and squash. Saute for another 5 minutes.
- This will help the carrots to caramlaise and release the sugars.
-Add stock or water to cover the ingredients and cover the pot with lid and let the soup simmer for about 10 mins.
-Take the lid off and check if he carrots and squash has been cooked till soft.
-Add salt and orange juice and use a potato masher and start mashing up the ingredients in the pot.You can use hand blender or food processor if you want but i like my soup to be chunky with pieces of carrots and squash. Hence, I use the potato masher.

-Simmer the soup for another 5 mins and then stir in some double cream and chopped sage leaves before you finish.
-Do not forget to taste the soup and adjust the seasoning before switching the stove off.
-Get the soup into a bowl, swirl some cream on top and garnish with coriander leaves.

THAT'S IT!!!YOUR 'SOUP'ER LUNCH IS READY.This is one of the quickest and easiest soups that you can make at home. Absolutely delicious and amazingly healthy.Give it a go and you will not be disappointed.   

Spiced Lamb Burgers with Caramalised Onions and sauteed Veggies

Hello again!!!! Long time no see. I have been busy with a few important events which includes my month long holiday in India. It's always lovely to spend some time with family and friends and then came the Christmas season which meant busy month at work. Now that Christmas is done with , I am back on my blog. This recipe today is perfect for a cold winter evening and as you can see in the photo, I did replace the fries with vegetables giving it a healthy touch. The best part about this dish is that I used just one frying pan to cook the burgers, veggies and onions at the same time which saves up a lot of washing. You can replace lamb mince with beef or pork in case you are not a big fan of lamb.
I used some red hot smoky BBQ sauce on  the bread but you can replace with ketchup if you want it milder.
So easy and fast, this is your ultimate rush hour dish. The burgers could be made well  in advance and they can stay for 3 days in the fridge. So, all you need to do is just cook.So, let's begin.

All you need is.....

Lamb Mince- 400 gm
Red Onions- 1 chopped and sliced
Ginger Chopped- 1 inch piece
Garlic- 4
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
Mint Leaves - 1/2 bunch
Red Chili- chopped -1
Spring Onions-sliced- 1
Egg- 1
Coriander and Cumin Powder-1 tsp each
Salt - to taste
Burger rolls/ ciabatta buns/ anything you might fancy- 4
Olive Oil-50 ml
(mix veggies of your choice if you want to eat some veggies with your burgers, like me)

This is how we do it....
Mix all the above ingredients to the mince except sliced onion, bread rolls and veggies, of course. Make 8 equal size balls and flatten them between your palms.
Set them to the side or in the fridge with cling film over them if you are not cooking them immediately.
Get a pan on the stove, add Olive oil and wait until it's hot. Make sure the heat is on medium and the pan is not smoking hot before you drop your burgers in. Turn them over when they are nice and brown and then move them to one side of the pan. Add the onions in the same pan next to burgers and caramalise them at the same time while cooking the burgers.
Push the onions to one corner of the pan once they are half-cooked and get your veggies in the same pan. The fa and juices from the mince will add a lot of flavor to the veggies and onions. All you need to do now is just sprinkle some salt and pepper over the veggies. This entire cooking process will not take more than 7-8 minutes. Once the burgers are out of the pan get your bread rolls in it and slightly toast it. The bread soaks all the remaining juices in the pan and takes in a lot of flavor so that you don't have to depend on butter or mayonnaise for that.That's another healthy tip there. The burgers have to feel very firm when you press them with your finger to check if they are cooked. If not use a food thermometer in case you are not sure of the 'touch and feel' method. It has to be over 70 degrees  Centigrade in the center of the burger.

Once, the bread has been slightly toasted, time to put together the dish. I made mini burgers, so everyone gets 2 each on their bun,some caramalised onions on top, coriander and mint leaves as garnish and a squeeze of your the red hot BBQ sauce. Veggies on the side and VOILA!!! It's good to get into your tummy. 

My 'Mean Thai Green Curry'

My blog got it's 1000th hit today so to celebrate that i will be posting the recipe of something that is so close to my heart and my most favorite of  all curries. No, i am not talking about India this time, it's the Thai Curry that i am talking about. I absolutely love Thai food. The flavors are fresh  and so delicious. They took their inspiration from two culinary giants in the world, China and India and came up with this absolutely delicious and fragrant Cuisine which made it's mark all across the world map. At the same time, it's not complicated or time taking to make this curry. I am going vegetarian today but meat lovers feel free to add meat of your choice or seafood even.Before we get into the ingredients , i would like to thank that some one who keeps following my blog in Russia very often. I do not know who you are but thanks a lot for being my regular follower and i hope that you are liking it.

Ingredients for the Curry Paste( to make 4 portions)...

Spring Onions-4

Ginger- 2 inch piece

Garlic- 4 cloves

Lemon Grass- 2 sticks

Lime Leaves- 5

Basil Leaves- 20

Coriander Leaves- 1/2 bunch

Galangal(if you could get hold of it its ok if you cant)- 5 pieces

Green Chillies- 2

Limes-2(juiced)

Coriander powder-1 tbsp

Cumin Powder- 1 tbsp

Light Brown Sugar/ honey/ caster Sugar- 2 tsp

cut all the ingredients into small pieces( except powder,sugar and limes) and blend them all in the food blender adding a bit of water to make a fine paste.As simple as that.

For the Curry....

Baby Corn- 4 nos

Brocolli- 200 gms

Mushrooms- 100 gms

Red Peppers -100 gms

Cherry Tomatoes- 6 -8

This is just my idea of veggies, you can add any other vegetables that you like. 

Thick Coconut milk-400 ml

Salt- to taste

I also used a little bit of pak Choi lettuce but then you can replace it with spinach or any leafy veggies of your choice.

This is how i do it......

Heat the wok with some oil in it. Once the work is very hot add all the vegetables(except for the leafy ones) and quickly stir-fry them for about 3 minutes.

Remember! Never over cook the vegetables or cook them till very soft. They still have to be crisp when you bite into them. 

Once the veggies are stir-fried add the green curry paste and cook it along the veggies for about 5 mins until the ginger and garlic in the curry paste does not taste raw anymore.

Then get the green leafy vegetables into the wok and then lower the flame and fry for about 30 seconds.

Then, its time for that creamy coconut milk to jump into the wok.

Once, the cocnut milk it is, simmer the heat and just bring the curry to a slow simmer which would take about 2 mins.

Time for the salt  and a final tasting and if you are happy...DONE!

The cooking part will not take more than 10 mins and the prep not more than 15 . So, in less than half an hour you can make an absolutely fragrant, fresh and delicious Thai Green Curry. If you want you can make the curry paste in big quantity and freeze it and what you need to do next time is just cook of the meat/seafood/vegetables and add the curry paste and finish it off with coconut milk which will take you not more than 15 minutes. Fresh and healthy and quick and easy as i always like my recipes to it.

I am a regular to Thai Restaurants and have tried Thai Green Curry wherever i went but it's only when i cooked it myself i realised how different is the freshly  ground paste to the one that we get in a jar from a store.

Try it and you will know what i am talking about.

HAPPY COOKING!!!!

Curried Chicken and Sweet Pepper Roll

This dish, I  had to make it in a rush as me and my flat mate were starving and wanted something easy and delicious. All we had was some Chicken, Spinach , Sweet Peppers, Onions, Ginger, Garlic , Spices and Tortilla wraps. I thought of Chicken Curry to begin with but then i wanted to use all that fresh veggies and herbs in the fridge and empty it out. So, i decided to go for tortilla wraps instead of rice and curry and have a bit of Mexican influence but chapatis or parathas work great too. To this i added some mint yogurt as a cooling agent. Without wasting any more time let's get the party started.

What do we need.....

Chicken Thighs -4
Red Onion sliced-1
Tomato sliced-2
Red Chili chopped-1
Red,yellow and green peppers-200g
Baby Spinach leaves- 20
Coriander leaves-2 stalks
Mint leaves- 2 stalks
Yogurt- 100 ml
salt -to taste

Chicken Rub....
Coriander Powder-1tsp
Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder-a pinch
Ginger and Garlic Paste-15gm
Mix these ingredients well and rub the chicken with the marinade.
Chop some mint, add it to yogurt and mix well.Keep it in the fridge.
What do we do..
Get a frying pan on the stove.Get some oil.
When the oil is hot add red chilies and onions.(save a few slices for garnish)
Cook till onions become soft and transparent.
Add the peppers and half cook them.
Add tomato slices( save some for garnish).
Now, what we do is something different than normal. Push all the veggies in the pan to a side so that you have a half empty pan and then drop the chicken in that empty half, just like in the photo.

Get some Coriander leaves on the pepper-onion mix.
The chicken cooks in the juices that came out of the pepper and onion mix and take in all that flavors.
Turn the chicken from time to time ensuring that all the pieces are in contact with heat and they are not sticking to the pan.
It will take not more than 5-6 mins to cook the chicken.
During this 5 minutes get the tortilla wrap and heat it up on a pan for about a minute.You can use Chapatis too.Left over chapatis and curry can be used to make these amazing rolls too.Then, we start building the roll.

In the center, we spread spinach leaves first (any lettuce can be used as substitute) and then we lay some tomato and onion slices on spinach. Think of colors when you build this roll. Green, red, white and then some mixed peppers that have been cooked in then pan. It's a riot of colors on the tortilla.Then ,cut the chicken thighs in half and rest them on the pepper mix.

The final ingredients to go on them will be a nice spoonful of mint yogurt and coriander leaves.
That will be the lovely filling and all we have to do now is roll it.Make sure you fold the sides in when you are rolling so that nothing of that good stuff runs out of the roll.
Get the roll on a cutting board and then cut it in half on an angle.Get the rolls on the plate and just one last thing that's left to do and that is 'EAT'. There will be a burst of different colors and flavors all in one single roll and you just cant beat it.It had meat, veggies, yogurt, herbs, salad and a whole wheat tortilla. Everything that your tummy needs , just in 20 minutes.