Butter Chicken Recipe / Indian Butter Chicken Masala

         One rich and creamy curry that sides well with rice or bread. The first time I made this after watching Vahchef cooking video was 6 years ago, thank you chef. As days passed I made my own alterations and everyone loves this recipe at home. My dad was impressed as it tasted restaurant style. After marriage my hubby also loves this, so the fan list builds on..

This time we gave a surprise party for my friend Pradhi's birthday and I cooked this to side with Vegetable Pulav which resulted in adding this combo to my Family Friends' Favorite list. She kept asking me why I did not take any pictures for posting this on the blog...Here Pradhi, am posting this now, well I'm sure this will remind me of your Birthday bash every time :)

Ingredients:

Chicken - 400 Grams (Boneless)

Onion - 2 heeped cups or 2 large onions (Finely chopped)

Tomato - 1 Medium sized (Pureed)

Tomato Ketchup - 1 tablespoon

Butter - 1 tablespoon

Olive oil / Oil - 1 tablespoon

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Milk - 2/3 cup (I used whole milk)

Water - 1/4 cup

Cashew nut - 8 whole (soak in 2 tablespoon hot water and grind to paste)

Coriander powder - 2-1/2 teaspoons

Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - as needed

Coriander leaves - 1 hand full(Finely chopped)

Method:

• Take a heavy bottom pan, Heat oil first, add butter(helps to avoid burning of butter). Add onions with salt and fry until they are golden brown.

• Add Ginger Garlic paste, Turmeric, Chilli and Coriander powder. Saute until oil oozes. Now add Tomato puree, Tomato ketchup and saute until raw smell goes off.

• Now add chicken, water and stir well. Remove from fire and add milk (to avoid curdling). Keep back on fire, close the pan and cook chicken until they are tender soft. Do this process on medium low flame and stir well in between.

• When the chicken is done, check for salt. Add Cashew paste and Garam masala and stir well. just let it sit on sim/low fire for 2 minutes, switch off. Add chopped coriander and stir well before serving.

My Notes:

•  Tandoori chicken is used in this gravy traditionally. so we can also stir fry chicken before adding to the gravy.
• Cream (about 2 tablespoon) can be substituted for cashew paste.
• Kasoori methi is used to flavor this curry, so add some while adding chicken if you love the flavor. 

Korma Chicken

             I always wondered how people have patience to read books - fiction, comics, thriller etc. I can never imagine myself completing a book, they are good sleeping medicines for me. My hubby goes to library for his books and I was only accompanying to make my daughter play in the children's place. Thanks to my blog because today I am reading books - yes cook books. Now I understand that books can be interesting too :).

              I got this book thinking it might contain some recipes for making wine at home but ended up in knowing more about which wine to pair with which food. This book had many recipes too. "Korma" is one such recipe I saw and I loved it. We can use Chicken, Lamb or Beef for this recipe. This is the first time am cooking chicken completely in yogurt. The recipe is interesting and I'm sure its worth trying. A mild curry with a spectrum of spices. You would get the best results if you soak chicken overnight. I had to make minor changes with curry powders and the usage of ghee. Thanks to the authors Patricia Guy and Edwin Soon for their lovely book "Wine with Asian Food". By the way, they had paired this recipe with the red wine "Merlot".

Ingredients:

For Marination:

Chicken - 1lb or 500 grams (cut to required size)

Homemade curd / Yogurt - 1-1/2 cups

Ginger garlic paste - 1-1/2 teaspoons

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cardamons - 2 no's (crushed)

Cloves - 4 no's (Crushed)

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

For Curry:

Onion - 1-1/2 cups(chopped finely)

Garlic - 1 tablespoon (chopped finely)

Turmeric powder - 2 teaspoons

Coriander powder - 1-1/2 tablespoons

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Ghee - 1 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1 teaspoon

Cilantro - Half-hand full finely chopped

Method:

For Marination:

• In a bowl add a tablespoon of oil, ginger garlic paste and mix well. Add chicken to it and brush the ginger mixture all over chicken.

• In another bowl mix curd with Cinnamon powder, Cardamons, Cloves, Salt and add the chicken. Stir well to coat, cover it and refrigerate overnight.

For Curry:

• Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, saute. Add onion and saute to golden brown.

• Add turmeric and coriander powder and saute for a minute.

• Add soaked chicken and the curd mixture. Cover and cook until chicken is tender cooked.

• Check for salt. Add garam masala and cilantro, stir and switch off.

• Serve with rice or roti. 

Pepper Prawn / Pepper Shrimp / Pepper Shrimp Masala

      Neither me nor my hubby were not prawn fans but nowadays we started loving it. This is the second time am cooking prawn and I am in love with the flavour and taste of prawn in gravy. What a wonderful seafood that creates magic.

              I tried prawn for the first time literally like thokku but could not capture as that was my first try. This time I am going for Pepper and cooking almost the same way I cook my Mushroom chicken.

         This is also specially cooked for my friend Pradheepa Chinnaraj who loves seafood like anything. When we go for a buffet, I see only seafood in her plate... So Pepper prawn toast to my seafood crazy girlfriend.

Ingredients:

Prawn - 250 grams or 20 prawns(i used frozen prawn)
Onion - 2 cups
Tomato - 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Green chilli - 2 no's
Coriander powder - 1-1/4 teaspoon
Pepper powder - 2-1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 10 leaves
Cloves - 3 no's
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch sized
Oil - 4 tablespoons
Water - 1/4 cup
Salt - as needed
 
Method:

• Heat oil and add curry leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Add onion and saute until they are golden brown.

• Add Green chilli, Ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add tomatoes and cook until they are soft.

• Now add prawns and saute for 5 minutes. Add Salt, Coriander and Pepper powder and cook for 5 minutes. 

• Add water and close cook for 5 to 7 minutes or till oil floats on top.

• Super Spicy Pepper prawn is ready to serve.

Chicken Thokku

               Every time I cook something with chicken or plan to prepare some gravy, I want that to taste different but still satisfying my hubby. This was one such try again. Eventually I was left licking my pan because of the taste :). It gets thicker sometime after cooking, so goes well with roti/naan.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1-1/2 Lb / 500 Grams (Cut to your required size)
Onion - 1-1/2 cups (Finely chopped)
Tomato - 2/3 cup (Finely chopped)
Green chilli - 2 no's
Garlic - 4 pods (Finely chopped)
Ginger - 1/2 inch sized (Finely chopped)
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1-1/2 tablespoons
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1-1/2 teaspoons
Water - 1-1/4 cups
Oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt - as needed

Method:

• Heat oil, add fennel seeds, ginger and garlic to release its smell.

• Add onions-let it cook till they are transparent and slightly brown.

• Add Chilli powder, Coriander powder and saute to let its raw smell go away.

• Add tomato and cook till they are soft.

• Add cleaned and washed Chicken with salt, saute until meat turns to white colour(half cook). keep the lid closed for fast cooking.

• Add water with garam masala and allow to boil on medium flame or until chicken is well cooked.

• The gravy will get thicker as it cools down. you can serve chicken thokku for roti/dosa/rice too.

Egg Curry / Muttai Curry

          Before we jump to today's recipe, just a sidebar, for all new moms and would-be-moms searching for an exclusive shop for maternity care, you should definitely check-out <Mom & Me>. It has tailor-made wardrobe accessories for moms and babies alike. 

              Lets get to the recipe, to be frank I had no idea about the outcome of this before cooking. Kept adding ingredients on the go. Just wanted it different from the usual thokku or kozhambu varieties. Yeah - this version worked too :). My crazy-for-eggs husband just added another variety to his list.. He just felt this will be best for naan or paratha rather than dosa which I served him with.

Ingredients:

Boiled Eggs - 4 no's
Onion - 1-1/2 cups (finely chopped)
Tomato - 2/3 cup (finely chopped)
Green chilli - 3 no's
Garlic - 2 pods
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Oil - 2 + 2 tablespoons
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cashewnut(Full) - 10 no's
Chilli powder - 1-1/2 teaspoons
Coriander powder - 1-1/2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mint leaves - 12 no's
Coriander leaves - 12 no's
Salt - as needed
Water - 1/2 cup

Method:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add fennel seeds(allow to roast), then add onions, salt and saute till they are golden brown.

• Now add Green chilli, mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and saute until they are cooked soft. switch off stove and cool down the mixture.

• Add cashew's to the mixture and grind it to a fine paste.

• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, add mustard (allow to splatter), add the ground paste + 1/2 cup of water - mix well. Add coriander powder, chilli powder, mix well and let it boil.

• Slit the egg on both sides and add to gravy, mix well and allow to boil.

• Egg curry is ready to pair up with chappathi/naan/paratha.

Am happy to send this recipe to :

Mushroom - Chicken Masala / Mushroom Chicken curry

              I simply don't remember how many times i would have cooked this recipe. Everyone at home love this. i got this recipe from Mr.Damodharan's cooking show about 7 years back. My hubby love this and he cooked the same for his room mates during his abroad travel - Everyone became a fan. you will not regret when you try this - trust me!

Ingredients:

Chicken(Cubed)        -      500 grams
Mushroom                -      250 grams
Onion(Chopped)        -      2 cups
Green chilli               -      5 no's
Coriander powder      -      2 teaspoon
Pepper powder          -      4 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste    -      1 tablespoon
Curry leaves             -      15 leaves
Cloves                      -      3 to 4 no's
Cinnamon stick         -       2 to 3(1 inch sized)
Oil                            -      50 grams
Salt                          -      As needed

Method:

• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.
• Add curry leaves,cinnamon stick,cloves and saute for a minute.
• Add onions and saute them to golden brown colour.
• Now add ginger garlic paste,green chilli and saute for 7 minutes.
• Add chicken and cook until the colour changes to white(Half cook).
• Add chopped mushrooms, salt. let it cook for 10 minutes.
• Add coriander powder,pepper powder to the pan.mix well and let it cook for 10 minutes.
• Hot and peppery side dish for chappathi/dosa is ready.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.

Add curry leaves,cinnamon stick,cloves and saute for a minute.

Add onions and saute them to golden brown colour.

Now add ginger garlic paste,green chilli and saute for 7 minutes.

Add chicken and cook until the colour changes to white(Half cook).

Add chopped mushrooms, salt. let it cook for 10 minutes.

Add coriander powder,pepper powder to the pan.mix well and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Hot and peppery side dish for chappathi/dosa is ready.

Linking with Cook Like a Celebrity Chef event by Food Corner