Chicken Pirattal /Semi Dry Chicken Curry

Pirattal is delicacy made in most of our households to accompany with rice.Pirattal is neither watery as kuzhambhu nor dry as fry.Its a semi dry dish and goes very well even with rasam rice and rotis.

For this preparation,Kuzhambhu milagai thool is used.As I ran out of it, used red chilly and coriander powder along  with  garam masala powder.Also I slightly changed the original recipe and made it to my family taste.In the original recipe no cashew is used.Also I added some onion slices in the end for extra crunch.

                                                          

                                                           

                                         Chicken Pirattal/Semi Dry Chicken Curry

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time ~ 20 minutes
   Marination time~ 30 minutes
   Cooking time ~ 40-45 minutes

   Serves ~ 3-4

   

 Ingredients

 

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Chicken( with bone or boneless)	1.25 lbs
Onion(finely chopped)	1(medium size)
Tomato	2 medium size
Ginger&Garlic Paste	2 tbs
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	2 tsp
Red chilly powder/milagi podi	2 tsp
Black pepper powder /milagu thool	1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Garam Masala powder	1/4 tsp
Yogurt/curd/thayir	2 tbs
Curry leaves/karivepillai	1-2 sprigs
Cashews/mundiri(broken)	10-12
Salt	1.5 tsp
Oil	3 tbs
Coriander leaves(finely chopped)	2 tbs

   
 Grind to a fine paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	2 tbs
Poppy seeds/kasakasa	1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1/2 tsp

 For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/lavangam	4-5
Cinnamon/pattai	2 inch
Fennel seeds/sombu	1/2 tsp

  
For the Garnish

Ingredient	Quantity
Onion(thinly sliced)	1/4 cup
Green chilly(slit lengthy)	2
Coriander leaves(chopped)	as needed

 Method 

• Wash and clean the chicken and cut into bite size pieces and keep it aside.Add all the  spice powders,yogurt and salt to the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes minimum..
• In a  pan,heat the oil and do the tempering,fry the cashews.Add in the chopped onion and curry leaves,saute it with a pinch of  salt until translucent.Add in the ginger&garlic paste,fry it till the raw smell disappears.

• Add in the marinated chicken and give it a mix till it changes the color. Add in the chopped tomato and mix it well.

• Add around a cup of water cook it covered  in a medium flame till the chicken is tender and stir in between to prevent burning.Once the chicken is tender add the ground paste and mix it well.Let it cook for couple of minute or till it reaches a semi dry consistency.Add in the ground black pepper powder.

• Also add in the chopped coriander leaves and mix it well. Finally add the the sliced onion and green chilly and mix it well.Let it simmer for a minute or two.Put off the flame and add the lemon juice if needed.

• Serve it warm with rice or roti.

Enjoy..................

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Spinach Pakora /Spinach Fritters

For the final day of the blogging marathon of 88 series,themed under one vegetable in different way is spinach pakora.

Pakoras are addictive and easy to make to accompany with tea especially in a rainy day.We prefer some snacks along with our evening tea on the weekends.Its been raining since 4 days here and we were craving for some crunchy snack with evening tea.So made pakoras with spinach along with some potato.

I never tried pakora without onions,but this pakoras are extremely delicious and crunchy without onions.Also stayed crispy even after 2 hours,lets move on to the recipe......

                                                  

                                                            

                                                                Spinach Pakora/Spianch Fritters

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time ~ 10 minutes
   Cooking time ~ 15 minutes

   Serves ~2

  Ingredients

   

Ingredient	Quantity
Gram flour/besan/kadalamaavu	3/4 cup
Rice flour/arisi maavu	1/4 cup
Spinach(roughly chopped)	1-1.25 cups
Potato(cut into sticks)	1 (small size)
Green chilly/pachamilagai(finely chopped)	2
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/8 tsp
Baking soda	a pinch
Roasted cumin powder	1/2 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	for frying

   Method 

• Start by heating the pan with oil  and keep it in a low flame.Take the dry ingredients such as gram flour,rice flour,red chilly powder,turmeric powder,roasted cumin powder,baking soda and salt.To this add a tbs of hot oil and mix it well.Add water and make a thick batter.

• To this add the chopped spinach,green chilly and potato sticks,mix it well.Take a small pinch of batter and drop it in the hot oil.

• Fry it in a medium flame until the sizzling sound ceases and turns golden.Remove it from the oil and drain it on a paper towel.

• Serve it warm with ketchup.

                                                                                  

Enjoy...........................................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#88

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Spinach Raita /Spinach Dip with Yogurt

One of the easiest way to include veggies in diet is making raita or pachadi.I like to eat raita along with my meal.Raita is a refreshing accompaniment especially for the summer and it makes the body cool,aids digestion.

This spinach raita is extremely delicious,refreshing ,creamy and a wonderful addition to a spicy meal.The use of roasted cumin powder adds a punch and flavor to the raita.Here I used the regular yogurt and it came out creamy and luscious.If you want your raita to be extremely creamy and rich use the greek yogurt.

                         

                                    

                                            Spinach Raitha/Spinach Dip with Yogurt

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time ~ 10 minutes
   Cooking time ~ 3-4 minutes

   Serves ~2-3

  Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Spinach/keerai	1-1.25 cups(finely chopped)
Thick Yogurt/thayir	1-1.25 cups
Roasted cumin powder/jeerga podi	1/2 tsp
Green chilly/pachamilagai	1  (finely chopped)
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1/4 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	2 tsp

  For the Tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch
Red chilly/varamilagai	1(broken)

   

   Method 

• Heat a pan with a tsp of oil,add the chopped green chilly and finely chopped spinach.Mix it well and cook it until the spinach wilts,keep it on a low flame for a minute.Put off the flame and let it cool down.

• Take the yogurt in a bowl and add the salt,red chilly powder and roasted cumin powder.Whisk it well till it becomes creamy.

• To the whisked yogurt add the cooled down spinach and mix it well.

• Now in a small pan heat the remaining oil and crackle the cumin seeds,add in the asafoetida and red chilly.Add it to the yogurt mixture and mix it well.

•  Serve it  as an accompaniment.

Enjoy...........................................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#88

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Keerai Puli Kuzhambhu /Puli Keerai

Starting the third week of blogging marathon#88 with a theme one vegetable in different ways.For this theme I chose spinach as the main ingredient and I will be showcasing recipes with spinach.

In India we get varieties of greens aka spinach but here in US the varieties are limited.Since spinach has lot of fiber and health benefits, I include in my cooking often.Also my kids eat spinach with no fuss.

Usually I make  kootu or sambar with spinach,but after trying kaarakuzhambhu with fenugreek leaves,I tried with spinach also.The kuzhambhu came out so delicious and finger licking.Let's move on to the recipe......

                                                                      

                                                            

                                                   Keerai Puli Kuzhambhu/Puli Keerai

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time ~ 10 minutes
   Cooking time ~ 30 minutes

   Serves ~ 4(generously)

   Ingredients

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Spinach/keerai(finely chopped)	2-2.5  cups
Garlic/poondu	7-8 cloves(sliced)
Onion(finely chopped)	1 medium size
Tomato(finely chopped)	1 medium size
Tamarind	a big gooseberry size
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/4 tsp
Sambar powder	1 tbs
Red chilly powder/milagai podi	1/2 tsp
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	1 tsp
Salt	1.5 tsp
Curry leaves /karivepillai	few leaves
Oil	3 tbs

  
 For Tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/vendhayam	1/8 tsp
Asafoetid/perunagaym	a pinch
Red chilly/varamilagai	1(broken)

    Method 

•  Soak the tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice and keep it aside .Heat the oil in a pan and do the tempering with the given ingredients.Add in the onion,curry leaves and garlic.Saute it till the onion turned pinkish.Add in the chopped tomato.

• Saute it for 2-3 minutes or until the tomato is mushy.Add in the finely chopped spinach and mix it well until it wilts.

• Now add in all the spice powders and salt.Fry it for a minute and add in the tamarind water along with a cup of water. 

• Allow it to boil and cook it covered for 6-7 minutes or until the raw smell goes away.Now it simmer it for 3- 4 minutes without lid in a low flame until the oil floats.

• Serve it along with rice and poriyal or kootu.

• The amount of spice powders given is for a medium spicy version.
• Green varieties like amaranths,palak and fenugreek can be used.
• If the kuzhambhu is watery and not it a thick consistency,mix 1/2 tsp of rice flour in a tbsp of water and add it to the kuzhambhu and boil it.

Enjoy......................................

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Chicken Bharta /Kolkata Style Chicken Bharta

Coming to the day3 of blogging marathon#88,themed under protein rich Dishes is a creamy Bengali style chicken Bharta.

Chicken Bharta is a creamy rich gravy where boneless chicken is shredded and cooked in a cashew,tomato based gravy.Here I have cut the chicken into strips and used instead of shredding.

This curry pairs very well with naan,roti and jeera rice.Lot of versions are available with shredding the chicken pieces,adding mashed yolks and fresh cream to get the creamy consistency.But I chose this method,as it suits to my family's taste.The output was a delicious curry and we enjoyed it with store bought naan.

As three hungry tummies were waiting to relish this curry with naan,couldn't take more pictures.Will update it soon.Let's move on to the picture.

                                                          

                                                           

                                         Chicken Bharta/Kolkata Style Chicken Bharta

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time ~ 20 minutes
   Cooking time ~ 40-45 minutes

   Serves ~ 3-4

   

 Ingredients

 

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Chicken( boneless)	1.25 lbs
Onion(finely chopped)	1(medium size)
Tomato(pureed)	2 medium size
Ginger&Garlic Paste	2 tbs
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	2tsp
Red chilly powder/milagi podi	1.5 tsp
Roasted cumin powder /jeerga podi	1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Garam Masala powder	1/4 tsp
Yogurt/curd/thayir	2 tbs
Cashew paste	1 tbs
Kasoori methi	1 tsp
Salt	1.5 tsp
Oil	3 tbs
Butter/vennai	1 tbs
Boiled egg(optional)	1 for garnishing
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2 tbs

  

 For the tempering

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/lavangam	3-4
Cinnamon/pattai	2 inch
Cardamom/ellakai	2

  

 Method 

• Wash and clean the chicken and cut into 2 inch thin strips and keep it aside.Mix all the dry spice powders and salt in 1/4 cup of water and set it aside.
• In a  pan,heat the oil and do the tempering,to this add the chopped onion.Saute it with a pinch of  salt until translucent.Add in the ginger&garlic paste,fry it till the raw smell disappears. Add in the pureed tomato and cook it for 2-3 minutes.

• Add in the spice paste and give it a good mix.Now add in the chicken pieces and saute it till the color changes.

• Add around a cup of water cook it covered  in a medium flame till the chicken is tender and stir in between to prevent burning.Once the chicken is tender add in the yogurt and mix it well.

• Let it cook for couple of minutes.Now to this add the cashew paste and cook it for another couple of minutes,.

• Add in the chopped coriander leaves and mix it well and put off the flame.After turn off the flame add in the crushed kasoori methi and butter.Mix it well.Yummy chicken bharta is ready.

• Serve it warm with naan or roti.

• Fresh cream can be added before put off the flame.
• The given spice level is for a milder version.For a spicier version increase the amount of red chilly powder.

Enjoy...........................................

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Two in one Chicken Kuzhambhu and Fry

For the day 2 of Protein rich dishes in Blogging Marathon #88 is a Chicken Kuzhambhu and fry.This is one of the signature recipe of my in laws house and they do make it with mutton.I followed the same method and tried it with chicken.As it is a pressure cooker method the kuzhambhu and fry can be made in no time.Also the addition of kuzhambhu milagai thool/podi make this kuzhambhu so aromatic.Since I ran of the spice powder,used the regular red chilly powder and coriander powder along with the homemade garam masala powder.

The consistency of the kuzhambhu is personal preference.Usually the kuzhambhu is slightly thinner if it is accompanied with idly for morning breakfast.Whereas it will be on the thicker side for rice.Off to the recipe.

                                                                    

                                                           

                                        Two in One Chicken Kuzhambhu and Fry

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   Basic Information

   Preparation time ~ 20 minutes
   Cooking time ~ 45 - 50 minutes

   Serves ~ 4(generously)

   

 Ingredients

 For the Kuzhambhu

  

Ingredient	Quantity
Chicken( boneless)	3 lbs
Onion(thinly sliced)	2(medium size)
Tomato(finely chopped)	1 medium size
Ginger&Garlic Paste	2 tbs
Coriander powder/dhaniya podi	2 tbs
Red chilly powder/milagi podi	1 tbs
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Garam Masala powder	1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds/sombu	1/2 tsp
Curry leaves/karivepillai	2-3 sprigs
Lemon juice(optional)	2 tsp
Salt	1.5 tsp
Oil	3 tbs
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2 tbs

  Grind to a fine paste

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut	1/4  cup
Fennel seeds/sombu	1 tsp
Cloves/lavangam	3-4
Cinnamon/pattai	1 inch
Cashews/mundiri	3-4

 For the Fry

Ingredient	Quantity
Onion(finely chopped)	1/4 cup
Curry leaves	few
Black pepper powder/milagu podi	1 tsp
Green chilly/pachamilagi	2-3 (slit lengthy)
Coriander leaves(finely chopped)	2 tsp
Oil	2 tsp

  

 Method 

• Wash and clean the chicken and cut into bite size pieces,keep it aside.Grind the given ingredients "to grind" to a fine paste.Set it aside.
• In a pressure pan or cooker heat the oil and crackle the fennel seeds,to this add the chopped onion and curry leaves.saute it until translucent.Add in the ginger&garlic paste,fry it till the raw smell disappaers. Add in the chopped tomato and cook it for 2-3 minutes or till mushy.

• Add in all the spice powders and give it a good mix.Now goes in the chicken pieces and saute it till the color changes.Add around 2-3 cups of water and salt.Pressure cook it for a whistle or two in a medium flame.

• Wait until the pressure subsides and to this add in the ground coconut paste and let it cook in a medium flame for 5 minutes.Stir in between.

• Now take the cooked chicken pieces from the as needed to make the fry from the boiling kuzhambhu in a separate bowl.Also take  1/2  cup of gray along with the cooked chicken pieces.Add in the chopped coriander leaves to the kuzhambhu and put off the flame.

• Now for the fry heat a pan or a griddle.To this add  couple of tsp of oil.Add in the chopped onion,curry leaves and saute it for 2 minutes.Now add the slit green chillies.Now goes in the chicken pieces along with the gravy.

• Saute it well till the moisture gets evaporated and everything incorporates well.Add in the black pepper powder and chopped coriander leaves.Mix it well and keep it on the flame for few minutes and put off the flame. Yummy chicken fry is ready

• Serve it warm with rice .

Enjoy.................................

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#88

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