Indian chicken curry- Kadhai Chicken

Photo by Amit Agni

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast, cut in small pieces (You can also use chicken pieces with bone)
2 medium size onions, chopped
1 tomato, paste or puree
1/2tsp cumin powder
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp coriander seeds
2tbsp red chili paste
1tsp coarsely crushed peppercorn
2-3tbsp oil ( I used a combination of ghee and canola oil)
1 bay leaf
3-4 javitri (Mace)
1 black cardamom
2 green cardamom
4 cloves
1 star anise
1 inch cinnamon stick
6-7 garlic cloves,paste
1 inch ginger,paste
Coriander leaves,chopped
Salt to taste
Water as per requirement
Method:
Wash chicken and pat dry.
Heat oil in a kadhai. Add bay leaf,cardamom,cinnamon,star anise,cloves,javitri,coriander seeds. Fry for 30 secs
Add the chopped onions. Fry the onions till light brown. 
Add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry till the raw flavours are gone. Sprinkle little water to lower the temperature. Onions will turn brown by now.
Add the tomato paste and mix well with the onion-ginger-garlic paste. Add red chili paste,cumin,coriander,turmeric,salt. Fry till oil separates. If the masala sticks to the kadhai, sprinkle some water in it.
Add the chicken. Fry the chicken in the masala and mix well so that the masala coats the chicken. Don't fry too much or the chicken will turn hard. 
Add a cup of water. Cover and cook on low heat. I have added more water because I wanted more gravy.
Chicken gets cooked very fast. It will take around 15-20minutes. You can prick the chicken with a fork to check if it is well cooked.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Tips!
Serve with rice or roti.
Chili paste gives a nice red colour to the gravy. Otherwise you can use the kashmeri red chili powder.
Some people may not like raw coriander seeds in the gravy. In that case you can coarsely grind coriander and then add it. 
Toss some green capsicum slices in oil and garnish the chicken curry with it.

Vanilla Chocolate Marble Cake

Photo by Amit Agni

Ingredients:
2 cups maida (All purpose flour)
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter,softened
100 gms dark chocolate,room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs,room temperature
1 tbsp yogurt,room temperature
1 cup milk,room temperature
Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the rack in the center of oven.
• Sieve together flour,baking powder and baking soda.
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave. It may take 30 to 40 secs.
• Creaming- In a bowl add the butter and sugar. Beat it till the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Alternatively.beat the eggs till it is fluffy with a light yellow colour. 
• Now beat the egg in small proportions with the butter and sugar mix.
• Beat in the vanilla extract and yogurt.
• Gradually fold in the flour mixture. Do it in small proportions.
• Add the milk and beat again. 
•  Now remove a little more than half of the batter and place it in a separate bowl.
• Stir the melted chocolate to the remaining batter.
• Take a cake baking pan and grease it. I place parchment paper at the bottom of the pan.
• Place the batter in the pan by alternating spoonfuls of vanilla batter with the chocolate batter.
• With a skewer or knife,gently draw swirls through the batter to marbalize it. Do not overdo the swirls.
• Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let it cool completely.Marble cake is ready to serve.

Photo by Amit Agni

Chicken Tikka Recipe

Photo by Amit Agni

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast cut into small pieces (500gms)

2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder

2 tbsp gram flour

2 tsp ginger paste

2tsp garlic paste

1/2tsp garam masala powder

1/2tsp black pepper powder

3 tbsp yogurt

2tbsp lime juice

Salt to taste

6tbsp Oil

Method:

Take the chicken breast in a bowl, add ginger-garlic paste,little salt, 1tsp chili powder, lime juice and garam masala.Mix the ingredients well with the chicken.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium heat and add the gram flour to this. Cook the flour till it turns slight brown so that the raw smell goes. Be careful not to burn it.

Take the yogurt in another bowl. Add the gram flour to this. Add some salt and the remaining red chili powder. Add 3tbsp oil and black pepper, mix well.

Pour the yogurt mixture in the chicken breast bowl. Mix well. Keep this marinate for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven at 220 degrees C. Place the rack at the center of the oven.

Now skewer the chicken pieces and place it in a roasting tray. Please grease the tray before you place the skewers.

Cook the chicken tikka in the oven at 220 degrees C. for 20 minutes. Baste oil. Cook till chicken turns light reddish brown. It will take around 40-45 mins in total.
Sprinkle some chat masala with lime juice and serve.
Tips:
Serve it with coriander mint chutney and onions.  

Photo by Amit Agni

Simple to cook and tasty to eat...Poha

Photo by Amit Agni

Ingredients:
1 cup poha (Flattened rice)
2 green chillies, chopped
1 chopped onion (Medium size onion)
1/2 cup potato cut in small pieces
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1tsp mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1/2 inch ginger, chopped finely
1tbsp oil
Pinch of sugar and black pepper powder
1tbsp grated coconut
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Method:
Wash the poha once, with water, drain water and keep the poha aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds to it. 
When the mustard seeds start crackling add potato. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat till the potato is tender.
Remove the lid, put gas on medium heat. Add green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and onion. Fry for 2 to 3 mins or till the onions look dehydrated and the raw flavour of ginger is gone.
Alternatively, add salt, coconut, sugar, black pepper powder, and turmeric powder in the poha that was kept aside. Mix the ingredients with the poha.
Now transfer this poha to the pan. Mix well and cook for 3-4 mins on low heat.
Garnish with coriander.
Serve with tea or curd. 
Tips!!!
You can add peanuts, peas and tomato if you want.


  

Homemade Badam Kulfi (My dad's recipe)

Photo by Amit Agni

Ingredients:
4 cups milk( I have used a combination of low fat milk and full fat milk)
5tbsp sugar (Adjust sugar as per your taste)
3-4 green cardamom 
10-12 almonds, finely sliced (Soak the almonds overnight and remove the skin next morning)
1 cup milk powder
Method:
Add the milk powder to the milk and stir well to mix it. Ensure there are no lumps.
Cut the cardamom pods at the center and add it to the milk along with the almonds.
In a thick bottom pan bring the milk to a boil then on medium flame let the milk cook further for 30-35 mins until it has thickened and reduced to little less than half.Keep stirring in between.
Add the sugar. Stir well. Taste to check if the sweetness is okay. Remove from heat and let it cool. Remove the cardamom pods from the milk and keep aside.
Pour the milk along with the almonds in a blender (don't put all the almonds in the blender leave some in the pan). Blend till the almonds are crushed.
Pour back the blender milk in the pan and mix well and bring to a boil. Cool the milk.
Pour this milk in a container or kulfi mould and keep it for 4-6hrs at the coldest temperature in the freezer.
Serve when it firms.
Tips!!
If you have not soaked the almonds overnight, soak it in hot water for 2mins then remove the skin.