I am always looking for recipes that do not take a lot of effort but taste delicious. Today I made cilantro chicken with ginger-garlic paste. It is very simplistic recipe requiring only few ingredients but definitely packs punch.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1.5 hr 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (~5.5 lbs)
1 heaping tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 tsp turmeric
3.5 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Method:

In a food processor add ginger garlic paste, cilantro, turmeric, olive oil, lemon juice and salt to make a paste.

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish; pour mixture and coat well on both sides. I marinated my chicken the day before but it is not necessary to do so. Cover the chicken with a foil, cook in oven for 1.5 hrs (or until done). Remove the foil last 30 minutes.

chicken

8:50:00 PM

This is one of the most easiest dish i have made thus far. It requires simple ingredients and it does not require effort-but it mouthwatering...delicious.

Lets get right into to it..

Ingredients:

15 pieces of skinless chicken (drumstick & thighs)

8 tbsp unsalted butter

5 tbsp grated ginger

4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp lemon juice

4-5 seeds whole peppercorn

Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method:

In a pan, heat butter on medium heat and add ginger. Once the butter & garlic starts to simmer add chicken (be careful not to burn the butter), followed by ground pepper, and salt.

Let this cook for 5 minutes on high heat until the  chicken changes color. Then turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Cook for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Let this cook for 5 minutes on high heat until the  

Remove the lid and cook on high heat again, add the lemon juice. Cook until the chicken is dry.

Garnish with cilantro and coarsely pounded whole peppercorn.

chicken

8:29:00 PM

Kolhapur is located in the southwest Maharashta state in India. It is known for beautiful temples, chappals, jaggery, and cuisine,especially the mutton dishes. 

I was going through the one of my mom's recipe books,  and I came across 'Kolhapuri Chicken' recipe. The description made it enticing, and it looked simple to prepare and cook. 

Prep time: ~30 min
Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients:
2.5 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks
3/4 cup of plain yogurt
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tomato (chopped)
2 onions (chopped)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
*1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp lime juice
5 tsp cooking oil
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves 
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp Kashmiri chili
salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish

Method:

Marinate the chicken with turmeric, salt, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt and lime juice. Set it aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oil (2 tbsp), add cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and the onions. Saute the onions until they are cooked halfway, and then add tomatoes. Saute the mixture until the onions turn translucent. Next add the grated coconut and cook for few minutes. 

Let the mixture cool, and puree it in a food processor. 

Heat oil (3 tbsp), and add the marinated chicken. Cook the chicken on medium heat until it is almost done. Add the blended paste from the food processor, along with Kashmiri chili (for color) and mix well together. 

Simmer the mixture for approximately 10 minutes occasionally stirring the chicken. 

That's it! Garnish with cilantro before serving. 

*I added 1 tsp of turmeric, I did not realize that it was pure, and it turned out to be a bit over flavoring. I would recommend only adding 0.5 tsp if you are using pure turmeric.

chicken

4:39:00 PM

Over the weekend I was feeling a bit adventurous in the kitchen, which could be due to the holiday season. After going back and forth between various dishes, I settled on smoked coriander chicken. 

The uniqueness of this dish is coriander cooked with the dhungar (smoked) method. I have not had many protein Indian dish in which the primary spice was coriander. I must say that it tastes pretty good. Dhungar on the hand, is used in many of the Indian dishes from rice, veggies, to meats. My mom often makes dhungar rice dish called dar chawal. It gives a wonderful smoky flavor, as well as a fantastic aroma to the dish.

Prep time: < 20 min
Cook time: ~30 min

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs chicken (I used thighs and drumsticks)
1 whole onion
3 tomatoes
1 serrano chili
2 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4 tbsp whole coriander
2 tbsp cashews
2 tbsp tomato paste 
2 tbsp jeera
2 tbsp grated coconut
~3 black peppercorn
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
Cilantro for garnish

For Dhungar
1 charcoal
small piece of foil
1 tsp ghee

Method:

In a pan add chicken, salt, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, chopped onion, 2 chopped tomatoes, chili slit halfway. Bring this to boil (chicken should be almost done).

Grind tomato, coriander, cashews, tomato paste, jeera, grated coconut, and 1/2 tbs ginger-garlic paste into a fine paste. 

Heat oil in a pan on high, add black peppercorn, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Transfer the paste and saute for few minutes. Then transfer the chicken mixture slowly, combining it with the paste. Let this cook for minutes.

Once the chicken is done, turn off the stove, the next step is dhungar. Heat the charcoal on stove until it is red. In the meantime take a piece of foil make it into a small bowl shape and place it in the middle of the cooked chicken dish. Once the coal is ready place on top of the foil, pour ghee, and close the lid tight. Let this sit for 15-30 minutes until the smoke clears.  It is important that you do not open the lid until the smoke has cleared otherwise you will loose the dhungar taste.

Open the lid right before serving, and garnish with cilantro. The dish can be serve with rice, parathas, phulkas, or roti.

chicken

9:34:00 PM

Over the weekend I made a simple tandoori masala chicken dish. This is one of the dishes that is universally appealing whether you like Indian food or not. It is a very simple, straightforward, and great for the summer get-togethers. I served the chicken with a side of cabbage and onion slaw. It provides a nice balance of sweet and tangy. 

For the chicken:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

12 piece of skinless chicken drumsticks

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1.5 tsp Tandoori Masala (readily available at Indian grocery store)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt (to taste)

Method:

Prep the chicken by making a small slit on each side. Transfer the chicken into a bowl and add yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, tandoori masala, and salt to taste. Mix well and set aside in the refrigerator for 1-2 hrs.

After 1-2 hrs, transfer the chicken and the marinade to a oven pan and broil on low until the chicken is cooked thoroughly (about 45 minutes). About half way through make sure to turn the pieces over. 

For the cabbage-onion slaw:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 small red cabbage

1 medium size red onion

 salt (to taste)

1.5 tsp sugar *

1/3 cup vinegar*

Method:

Thinly slice the cabbage and the onion, the thinner the better. In a bowl mix the cabbage, onion, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Let the mixture soak before serving.

*I would recommend you adjust the sugar and vinegar according to your taste, balance of sweet and tangy.

chicken

11:37:00 PM

My all time favorite Indian dish has to be my Mom's coconut chicken curry. I could eat this everyday and never get tired of it. The combination of coconut with the rest of the ingredients gives it a rich creamy taste. Plus is versatile enough to serve with this with either rice or naan. 

I called my Mom up to get the recipe and it turns out it is pretty straight forward. It requires basic ingredients, few minutes of prep work and the pressure cooker does the rest. I am so proud of myself that it turned out really well (yay!). After few fiascoes, things are starting to looking upward.    

Ingredients: (serves 4)

Skinless chicken thighs (4 pieces)
1/2 onion
1 tomato
1 green chili
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt 

1/2 can of coconut cream

Cilantro
1/2 cup water

Method:

For this recipe, first chop the chicken thighs in half so you will have total of six pieces, and place them in the pressure cooker. Chop the onion and the tomato, and slit the green chili halfway and place it in the pressure as well. Add the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, and salt (to taste). 

Mix all the ingredients together and on a medium heat let this sauté for approximately 30 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of water, close the pressure cooker, and let it cook till the first whistle goes off. Turn off the heat and let it sit there until the pressure is released. Open the pressure cooker, and add the coconut cream. I used 1/2 a can, but you can add less or more depending on the consistency you want. Lastly, add cilantro for garnish.

Enjoy!

chicken Curry

10:21:00 PM

One of my main aversions for cooking was the time it takes to cook a meal. Growing up it seemed my mom spent her whole day in the kitchen. She was always dashing in and out of the kitchen, and I remember thinking how laborious it must be and I decided this is something I want to avoid, I had better things to with my time. But it turns out she likes to cook in stages. First she will make rice, then couple of hours later she would make the curry, and then maybe take another break, and finally go back in to make something else.

To get into the momentum for my first dish, I wanted to cook something simple, fuss free, and quick. A week earlier I had checked out from my local library Hari Nayak's My Indian Kitchen, and as I was browsing through the book, I came across the recipe "Chicken curry in a hurry", a perfect title and my first dish!

I must say, for my first dish it turned out pretty well. It didn't require any "techniques", and it was was simple enough to make. 

I served the curry with rice but I think it would have been better served with naan (Indian flat bread).

Prep time: 10 minutes (if you know your way around the kitchen it will be considerably less)

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

600g skinless chicken thighs (you can use chicken breasts as well)

1 large onion

1 green chili pepper (or to taste)

¼ tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masala

1 ½ tsp garlic-ginger paste (or use fresh ginger and garlic)
2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

4 tbsp oil
(?) water

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method:

Peel, then coarsely chop the onion and place it in a blender. Add green chili pepper, turmeric, cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, and process. Add a tiny bit of water to make into a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over high heat. Add the chicken, and salt; stir frequently until the chicken is golden brown (approx 10 minutes). Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.

Now, over  low heat, add the spice paste to the pan used to cook the chicken. Cook it for about 2-3 minutes (until it becomes fragrant). Then add the chicken, tomato paste, and the garam masala. Gently stir for about another 4 minutes.

Add 1/2 a cup of water, increase the heat to medium, and cover the pan. Mr. Nayak's recipe says to simmer for about 15 minutes, but I had to let it simmer close to 30 minutes until my chicken was thoroughly cooked.

Garnish with cilantro.

chicken

9:27:00 PM