Chicken Curry

Another year has gone by, a new one has begun! Wishing all my readers a Blessed and Prosperous New Year!

Mushroom Curry

Here's a very simple, easy to make mushroom curry with Indian spices. Just ideal for rotis or rice.

Dal/Lentils

There's nothing as comforting as eating some hot dal-roti. Though I do make dal on a regular basis, I never thought of blogging about it. It's one of those regular dishes that you feel is not special enough to blog about. 

Mushroom Stew and New Beginings

As I was getting ready to prepare this dish I was in for a surprise! I had plucked a sprig of curry leaves from my plant and was ripping of the leaves. I wondered why it was difficult to rip it off this time, since it usually very easily done. On taking a closer look I realised there was a pupa attached to the sprig! Am I glad I didnt stew it! Now I know why my curry leaves were looking eaten off. My little boy has a special nesting box for all the caterpillars and pupa we find on my plants. He was as usual delighted at this find and is waiting eagerly to see it become a butterfly. He takes a look at his box the first thing every morning and if there is a caterpillar checks every 10 minutes to make sure the caterpillar is eating well or done its poop!

As Joel looks forward to see his cocoon metamorphasise into a beautiful butterfly, I look foward to new beginings this new year. I wish all my readers, friends, foodie friends and relatives a year of new beginings. Some of you are newly married, some going to wed, some pregnant with new life within you, some at the begining of a new venture, some anxious about what the year has in store for you, some just waiting to break out from your cocoon. This post comes with special wishes for all the new beginings in your life this year. May this year bring you the fulfillment of the deepest longings of your heart!

For those of you who would like to introduce your kids to the life cycle of a butterfly, I found this cute site, check it out http://www.cocoon.org/

Mushroom Stew

Ingredients-

200 gms button mushrooms

1 onion sliced

5 cloves of garlic chopped

1green chilli
1sprig of curry leaf
1/2tsp mustard seeds

3 cloves

1small stick of cinnamom

2 cardamoms

ground coriander

1tsbs coconut milk

5tbs coconut milk powder(used for gravies)

1tbs wheat flour
1 1/2 cups water

salt to taste

Preparation-

• Heat the water and add the coconut milk powder and stir well and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds.
• Add the whole spices and stir till you get the aroma.
• Saute onions, green chilli, curry leaves and garlic. Add ground coriander and stir.
• Add the mushrooms, mix well, cover and cook.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked add the wheat flour and stir till it is roasted.
• Add the coconut milk and coconut milk powder mixture, salt and stir well.
• When all the ingredients are well combined take off the heat.
• Serve hot with rotis, rice or wholemeal bread.

This green cocoon turned into the most gorgeous Common Mormon Swallowtail! Read all about it in Spinach Burger and the Swallowtail.

Chicken Stew For The Soul

I have not been able to blog recently since my little girl was a wee bit ill. As I kept awake at nights to nurse her to health, I couldn't help reflecting - some of my dear friends ask me "how do you manage two kids when I find it difficult with one?" and I wonder how my mom brought up four of us. And my grandmoms with six and seven kids each. Bearing in mind that they didnt have access to the conveniences and gadgets that I most often take for granted.
My mom is undoubtedly the best cook in our family. Her siblings, in-laws, nephews, nieces, children, grandchildren all love to eat anything prepared by her. We have a custom,- after a wedding in the family the newly wed couple gets invited to each extended family for a meal. A way of welcoming, getting to know and bonding with the new member of the family. By the end of all the visits, the couple put on loads of weight, with the best spreads topped with a lot of love! During these visits all the married members into the family have also become fans of mom's cooking at the first bite.
Mom's Chicken Stew is a served with delicious Palappams (which I promise to post soon). Like most traditional cooks, mom's recipes had no measures. Just a little bit of this and a little bit of that... Before I left home I was determined to record her recipes and managed to do so successfully and most importantly I learnt that the main ingredient was lots of love. I hope someday my kids will also join me in the kitchen, like many of my foodie friends are already doing a good job of it.
A big thank you to Kristy from My Little Space for this award. Will pass it on soon.

Sharing with you mom's Chicken Stew For the Soul.

Ingredients-
1kg chicken

For marinade-

• 1tsp ground tumeric
• 1tsp ground red chilli
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 3tsps ginger garlic paste
• juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste

some marinated pieces

Mix all the ingredients and marinate for a couple of hours. For best results marinate previous day, place it in a ziplock and freeze overnight. Defreeze it before you are ready to prepare the stew.

For the stew-

• 1tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 large onion
• 2 potatoes
• 2 green chillies
• 1sprig curry leaves
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1cup coconut milk
• 1/2tsp garam masala
• salt to taste
• fresh coriander

whole spices-

• 1 cinnamon stick broken
• 5 cardamoms
• 5 cloves

Preparation-

• Slice the onions, slit the chillies, cube the potatoes and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker, splutter mustard seeds.
• Add the whole spices and stir till you begin to get the aroma of the spices.
• Add sliced onions,curry leaves and green chillies and saute.
• Stir in the ground coriander and add the marinated chicken. Stir so that the chicken is covered well in the sauteed mixture.
• Cover and let it cook. When it is half done add the cubed potatoes.
• When the chicken is almost done add the garam masala,salt and coconut milk and stir.
• When done put off the heat and garnish with chopped fresh coriander.
• Have I forgotten the most important ingredient? Stir it with lots of love for the family and friends who will partake of the meal.
• Serve hot chicken stew with freshly made appams.

Sending this for http://gayathriscookspot.blogspot.com/2011/12/walk-through-memory-lane-event.html

Cottage Cheese in Spinach Curry/Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is a popular vegetarian North Indian preparation, specifically originating from the province of Punjab. Palak means spinach in hindi and paneer meaning cottage cheese. If you would like to have a go at home-made cottage cheese, then click here. Palak paneer is a good way to get kids have their spinach. My little girl is so fond of cottage cheese that she will first finish all the cubes up and then she will look at everyone else's plate and ask for their cottage cheese!

How do you like to have cottage cheese? Do share.

Ingredients-
1 big bundle spinach leaves

1 large onion

1 large tomato

1 heaped tbs dry fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi

1tbs ginger-garlic paste

1tbs evaporated milk/ Khoya

1/2cup milk
salt to taste
Some oil
Dry spices-
1/2 tsp ground cumin powder

1/2 tsp ground chilli powder

1/4tsp garam masala

For cottage cheese-

200gms cottage cheese

Preparation-

• Chop off the roots of the spinach and wash clean adding salt. Then chop the spinach.
• Roughly chop the onions and tomatoes.
• Cut the cottage cheese into long cubes and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions with the ginger-garlic paste.
• Add the dry fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi. Enjoy the aroma as you stir in the leaves.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and cover the pan and allow to cook.
• Stir the mixture so that the juices blend.
• Add the chopped spinach, cover and cook.
• Once the spinach is done, stir in the evaporated milk.
• Cool the mixture and puree it. Add milk to lighten it.
• Heat the pan again with the puree. Add the dry spices and salt to taste. Add milk to get curry consistency.
• Once the curry begins to bubble add the cubed cottage cheese.
• Serve hot with rotis, or rice.

Other spinach recipes you might like are-

Spinach Rice

Pasta in Spinach Cream Sauce

Spinach and Lentil/Palak Dal

Raw Banana Dumplings in Tomato Gravy/ Kele ka kofta

Raw banana dumplings in tomato gravy is a recipe that I have got from a dear friend in my early days of experimental cooking. I was given the recipe through word of mouth and have always prepared it through memory. So I finally record it with memories of the good old days.


Ingredients-

For the dumplings/koftas-
2 raw bananas
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste
1tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground pepper
rice flour/bread crumbs to roll the koftas
oil for frying

For the gravy-
2 large tomatoes
1 onion
1tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp garam masala
chilli powder according to your spice levels
salt to taste
1tsp lemon juice
freshly chopped coriander

Preparation-
For koftas-

• Wash clean the raw bananas and chop of both the ends. Cut each banana into 2 pieces and steam in a pressure cooker.
• When they are done and cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and mash.
• Add salt, chilli powder and ground cumin to the mashed bananas.
• Roll into medium sized balls and coat with rice flour or bread crumbs and press well, so that the crumbs dont fall off while frying.
• Fry the dumplings in oil till they are brown and keep aside.

For Gravy-

• Roughly chop onion and tomatoes and puree with ginger-garlic paste.
• Heat pan, and cook the puree.
• Add the garam masala, salt and chilli powder, stir and cook.
• When the spices have blended well, take off the heat.

To Serve-

• Add the dumplings into the gravy.
• Add the lemon juice and garnish with freshly chopped coriander and fresh cream.
• Serve hot with rice, rotis/phulkas or wholemeal bread.

Pumpkin Erisheri With Split Bean(Moong Dal)

Pumpkin Erisheri is a recipe I learnt from my mom. A good mix of split bean and pumpkin gives you a dish high in protein, beta carotene and vitamins. Erisheri can be used as an accompaniment with rice. For babies on weaning foods, mash the erisheri with cooked rice for a substantial lunch. Dont forget to take off the chilli when using it for a baby.