Peanut chicken Curry

Hello friends.

Happy Food filled Sunday to you all.

Just today morning I was searching for a chicken curry recipe that would be quick and easy yet tasty. Wanted to slurp it up with rice and then have a good afternoon siesta post lunch I wanted to make it thick, less spicy and oily. Hmmm.... Was that asking for too much in one dish?? No way!!
 
Easy peasy!! Finally Sujata and myself both racked our brains and decided to use peanuts in the gravy with a whole lot of other ingredients. The end result was this.

The dish that I made is to be enjoyed with rice, naan or roti. And I was  very happy with the distinct flavor of peanut in the curry. The gravy turned out just the way I planned it. So now check out my peanut chicken curry. 

Ingredients

• Half kg chicken
• 1 large onion
• 2 tomatoes- finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder 
• Half cup roasted peanuts 
• 1/2 cup cream- curd mixture
• 2 tsp coriander powder 
• Salt - to taste
• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• Curry leaves - few
• 1 large potato 
• 1 tbsp oil 
• Mint for garnish 

Method

1. First wash the chicken well and then add some turmeric powder to it, keep this aside.

2. Peel the onion and chop it into small pieces.  Now the easy part. In a blender, add chopped onions and green chilies.

3. In a dry grinder blend the peanuts to make a smooth paste. Add little water if you wish.

4. Take a pressure cooker, add oil and curry leaves, let it splutter. 

5. Now add the onion paste, ginger garlic paste and mix well. 

6. Add the peanut powder and roast it for 2-3 minutes.

7. Now add the chicken, cut potato, grated tomatoes, dry spices and salt. Stir it well and let it not burn at the bottom.  

 8. Add 1/2 cup of water, mix well, close the pressure cooker with lid and cook it for 3 whistle.

9. Open the lid and keep back on medium flame. Add the curd/ cream mixture and let gravy thicken for two minutes. 
 
10. Serve it piping hot with rice or roti.

I loved the flavour of peanuts in this dish and of course a Bawa needs potatoes too in every dish. You can avoid it if you dont want the aloos.

Yummy yummy for your tummy

White Chicken Korma

Everyone is looking for simple recipes to save on cooking time. Isnt it? Who likes to toil and work in the kitchen for hours, sweating over the stove. I guess nobody.

This chicken korma recipe is quick and easy - a thick gravy recipe that is light in spices with a perfect south Indian touch. The thick rich white chicken curry has an exotic Indian flavour with cashews, cream and curds. Check out the ingredients below. 

Ingredients

• 500 gms boneless chicken
•  2 springs of curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 100 gms scrapped fresh coconut
• 2 green chillies
• 1 large onion 
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
• 1 tsp dhania powder
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1/2  cup curd
• 2 tbsp fresh cream
•  Handful of cashews 

Method

1. Dry grind the onion, coconut, cashew nuts and green chillies in a mixer.
   
2.  Next heat  oil in kadai, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves till it splutters. 
3. Now add the ground masala and roast well.
   
4. Add chicken and ginger garlic paste,  fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
5. Make a mixture of the curd and cream.
   
6. Add this to the cooked chicken and cook till the gravy thickens. 
7. Now serve this dish with roti, salad and see your family relish with pride. 

Red Chicken Curry

Yummy Yummy for your tummy.

Once a week, I cook up a chicken curry in red, white or green gravy. However I thoroughly enjoy cooking up red masala chicken curry as it reminds me off the delicious chicken curry my grandmother used to make in the earlier days. Thick with cashew nuts and coconut milk and reddened it with kashmiri chillies.
I try to replicate it but its far from even being close to the authentic taste. However my family loves it, so here goes the recipe. Do not get intimidated by the list of ingredients, they can be easily found in every kitchen. 

Ingredients

• For the  curry paste

• 2 tpsp fresh grated coconut
• Handful of cashew nuts 
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (til)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds (whole dhania)
• 6 dry Kashmiri chillis
• 5 peppercorns
• 1/2 inch stick cinnamon
• 3 clove
• 2 cardamom 
• 5 garlic post
• 1 big onion 
• Oil

• Other Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken with bone 
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 Tbsp curry masala powder
• 3 big tomatoes 
• Salt
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 4 bay leaves

Method

For the curry paste 

1. Take oil in non stick pan, add roughly chopped onions and garlic, grated coconut,  dry roast on high flame till Brown.Take out and keep aside. 

2. Roast all the rest of the dry spices, chilies, and cashew nuts. 

3. Now by adding a little water combine all the ingredients, grind in a mixer till you get a smooth thick paste. 

For the curry 

1. Wash the chicken pieces and apply some salt and turmeric powder to it.

2. Heat oil in saucepan. Add bay leaves till they crackle.

3. Then add the spice paste and keep stirring until colour deepens and oil floats on top.

4. Time to add the marinated chicken pieces, stir until they are coated in the spice mix, add dry spices now.

5. Add a cup of water to thin out the mixture for more gravy. Cook for five minutes.

6. Add grated tomatoes to the curry. Let it cook and simmer for 15 minutes with lid on untill chicken is tender.

7. Now add salt after tasting.

8. Garnish with coriander leaves.

9.Serve hot with fluffy white rice and a cachumber on side .

 

Suggestions

Add potatoes to curry if you want.
Also you can add coriander to the gravy when it cooks, the flavour will be enjoyable.
To make things easy, I make a big batch of curry paste and store in the deep freezer to use as per my convenience.