Chicken Masala In Coconut Gravy

Made this for a dinner party. This is so delicious the aroma roasted spices and coconut come together so well, its a delicious curry goes well with rotis, naan, or even steamed rice or pulao.

Ingredients 

2 Kgs Chicken - cut into medium pieces
6 Medium Onions - thinly sliced
3/4 Cup Packed Grated Fresh Coconut
2 Tablespoons Ginger Paste
2 Tablespoons Garlic Paste
3 Teaspoons Turmeric powder
4 Teaspoons Red Chilly powder or per your spice tolerance
600 Grams Fresh Yogurt
To Dry Roast Each Separately 

2 Bay leaves
4 Teaspoons Level Coriander seeds
2 Teaspoons Level Cumin seeds
2 Teaspoons Level Fennel seeds/Saunf
16 Green Cardamons/Elaichi
2 Badi Elaichi / Brown Cardamom
4 One Inch Stick Each Cinnamon
16 Cloves 

20 Whole Black Peppercorns  

2 Flowers Star Anise
1 Whole Flower Mace/Javitri
4 Teaspoons Sesame seeds
16 Nagkesar - see notes  
2 Small Pieces Dagad Phool/ Black Stone Flower
1 Cup Oil
2 Teaspoons Salt or according to your taste 

Method 

Marinate chicken in ginger garlic paste, half the quantity salt and turmeric for about 30 to 45 minutes.

 Dry roast given whole spices in a pan on sim, till fragrant. When cooled grind this to a fine powder. Remove and keep aside.

Lightly roast coconut in the same pan. Keep aside to cool.

Heat oil in a thick bottom kadai, add onions, fry on medium flame, till golden brown. Drain the onions well and remove with a slotted spoon. Keep this in a blender with the roasted coconut. 

Grind onions, and coconut with little water to a make fine paste. 

In the same pan that the onions were fried add more oil if necessary add marinated chicken pieces to the pan. Fry till chicken well and oil starts to leave the sides of the pan. Add chilly powder and fry for a 2 minutes or till oil separates. 

Add ground paste, spices and curd mix well, let this cook again till oil surfaces. 

Now add water depending on the consistency you want. Bring it to a rolling boil on high flame. 

Cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes, or till chicken is done. Transfer to a serving bowl. 

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried potato wedges. 

Enjoy !! 

My Notes 

Many are confused on Nagkesar and Kabab Chini here are both the pics 

Kabab Chini is round has short tail 

 Nagkesar a little long and has a fine tail 

Labels : Chicken, Coconut, Main course

Vegan Hariyali Kurma

Vegan & Gluten Hariyali Kurma is a coconut curry based main course dish from Karnataka is made with mixed vegetables. This is a South Indian restaurant style mildly spiced creamy Kurma. 

Ingredients  

300 Grams Frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 Large Potato - cut in cubes & parboiled
1 Large Capsicum - cut in cubes
1 Teaspoon Level Ginger Garlic paste
2 Medium Onions - finely chopped
2 Medium Tomato - finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste 
½ Teaspoon Garam Masala powder
For the Tadka 

2 Bay leaves
3 Whole Cloves
An inch Cinnamon stick
A Sprig Curry leaves
¼ Cup Oil
To grind to a fine paste 

½ Cup Packed Freshly Grated Coconut
5 Green Chillies or to your taste
15 Whole Cashewnuts
½ Teaspoon Heaped Cumin seeds
A handful of Coriander Leaves
10 - 12 Mint Leaves
1½ Teaspoons Coriander powder
1 Tablespoon Poppy seeds/Khus Khus

Method

Boil the cashews and poppy seeds in 1/2 cup water till the they are soft and the water dries. Cool it , then grind this along with coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies coriander and mint leaves to a smooth paste adding little water if necessary.

 Heat a oil in a kadai, add the bay leaves ,curry leaves cinnamon and cloves,let them crackle.
Then add the onions saute till light golden then add ginger garlic paste and saute over medium flame for a minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes and salt, cook till the tomatoes mushy.  Add the ground paste and fry till oil surfaces.

Add in the boiled potato, capsicum and mixed veggies saute for a few minutes, add water to make a thick gravy consistency, bring it to a boil on high flame.

 Reduce the flame to low, cover and cook till the veggies are done. Switch off the  flame add the garam masala powder, lightly mix it, taste for salt and seasonings. 

Serve hot with parathas/pooris chapati or with pulao . 

This Vegan Hariyali Kurma is easy to prepare. It's creamy, delicious !!

Labels: Mixed Vegetable, South Indian, Restaurant Style, Vegan, Coconut, Main course, Gluten free, Karnataka, Vegetables, Vegetarian

No Oil Or Butter Fijian Coconut Bread#Eattheworld

This was really easy, one bowl bread, which turned out so  moist and flavorful.  What really  surprised me that this recipe had no oil or butter in it.  Although I was tempted to add a tablespoon or two of oil, but refrained from doing so since I wanted to taste and see how this turns out.  Halved the recipe and tweaked it a little. 

 This recipe  is a keeper, if you love coconut.  I loved it.

Recipe Source Travel by Stove

Measurement is a 200Ml Cup
Ingredients

1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
½ Cup Caster Sugar
½ Tablespoon Baking powder
2  Eggs
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1 Cup Coconut Milk
½ Cup Grated Fresh Coconut
Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Let's first toast the grated coconut in a dry pan until light golden.

Sieve the flour together with the baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the toasted coconut.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, coconut milk, essence  with a hand whisk,  until just frothy.  

Add in the dry ingredients and mix till well combined. 

This is a thick batter, so do not get tempted to add more liquid. 

 Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes ( it took exactly 48 minutes in my oven)

or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Perfectly baked.

It's a dense bread, but taste good, especially when warm.

This will keep  good in the refrigerator for a week, just cling wrap it.  Whenever needed slice, toast and enjoy.  

My husband does not like coconut, had a slice when it was just baked. 

So the rest of the I, enjoyed it, one day I even had it with Lotus spread and it tasted great. 

This bread is filling for breakfast, have two thick toasted slices and you're full.

Labels: Coconut, Fiji, Bread, No Oil Or Butter, Baked, Eat the World, Breakfast, Healthy, Preservatives free, Coconut Milk, Breads
Join us as we Eat the World!!!


Each month Evelyne of CulturEatz invites us to visit a country and explore their foods. This month it's Fiji.

Check out all the wonderful Fijian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
Palatable Pastime: Pawpaw Curry with Lolo
Making Miracles: Lolo Buns
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Fijian Food for a Crowd: Curry, Pulao, and Cassava Cake
Dinner By Dennis: Palusami
Sneha’s Recipe: No Oil Or Butter Fijian Coconut Bread
CulturEatz: Kokoda, a Fijian Coconut Milk Ceviche
Pandemonium Noshery: Fijian Banana Cake with Dates and Coconut
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal)
Kitchen Frau: Spiced Sweet Potato and Banana Salad

Chicken Curry in Frithad Masala#FoodieExtravaganza

Frithad Masala is a wet ground masala with spices & coconut which is slowly dry roasted before grinding. This is a East Indian recipe, this masala used for making chicken , mutton & beef curries. My mother use to make this curry over wood fire and in mud pots,  it tasted awesome. She use to make this dry Frithad Masala for the full year minus the coconut and wet ingredients.  

This  masala can  be used to  make usal (dried legumes) and prawn curry, look out for more recipe using this masala. 

We our bringing in the new year 2020, for  Foodie Extravaganza with Curried Chicken.  I, am, the host and January 12 is National Curried Chicken Day, asked our group to "Post  favorite curried chicken recipe".  

Ingredients

1 kg Chicken - cut into 16 pieces
1 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

For the Frithad  Masala

Dry Spices
8 Dry Kashmiri Chillies
2 Tablespoons Coriander seeds
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Cup Freshly Grated Coconut
1 Tablespoon Poppy seeds/khus khus
1 Teaspoon Heaped Sesame seeds/Till
2" Piece Cinnamon stick
5 Cloves
8 Peppercorns
2 Green Cardamons

Wet Ingredients
2" Piece  Ginger
8 Cloves Garlic
3 + 1 Onions - sliced

2 Medium Tomatoes - sliced 

1 Tablespoon Tamarind paste 

3 Potatoes - cut in quarters

1/3 Cup Oil

Method

Wash the Chicken well & marinate with salt & turmeric powder.

Dry roast the spices over low flame till nice & aromatic. Keep aside.  Then roast the coconut till light brown. Keep aside.

In the same pan heat  a tablespoon of oil and roast the 3  onions, ginger and garlic till light pink , then add the tomatoes and fry again till tomato is soft. Keep aside to cool.

In a blender add the dry spices and powder then add the coconut and onion mixture grind  to a fine paste adding little water.

In a pot / kadai  heat oil then add the remaining one onion sliced and fry till light golden .  Now mix in the freshly ground masala paste and fry till oil starts leaving the sides.
Then add the chicken & fry well till the masala coats it.

Add  a cup of water, potatoes and let it come to a nice boil. Cover and cook till the chicken is tender & the potatoes are soft. Add salt to taste , mix the tamarind paste in little water as necessary to adjust the gravy consistency. Bring  it to a rolling boil.  

Garnish with coriander leaves & serve hot with rice.

Labels: Chicken, East Indian, Main course, Foodie Extravaganza Party, Frithad Masala, Coconut
We begin the New Year 2020 and for Foodie Extravaganza event, since January 12 is National Curried Chicken Day. I am the host " We are posting our favorite Curried Chicken recipe". 

• Chicken Curry with Cashews Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chicken Curry in Frithad Masala Sneha's Recipe
• Chinese Chicken Curry A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Curry in a Hurry Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Special Chicken Tikka Masala Palatable Pastime

Palappam - With Idly Rice - Vegan & Gluten Free

This Palappam / Lacey Appams -  Kerala style, is made with idly rice . I have already posted a recipe of Instant Appam .  

My friend a Keralite makes awesome food of her country, which, she often sends for me. I,  love her Kerala style of cooking and tasted many dishes from her kitchen. One of them are these soft and spongy appams really good and yum, which she makes with raw rice (will the share her the recipe soon). She serve this is Egg Stew, which is really yum. 

Since I, made this for my guest who were vegan's and vegetarians, served this with Vegetable Stew which was also a perfect combo. These palappam though made with idly rice which one would think will turn hard, but, that's myth, there is method that makes these really soft and delicious. 

Actually as I, was making, the first four my hubby and me enjoyed them just plain without any chutney, gravy or sauce, they were super soft and divine. You will love them do give this a try. Read my notes before trying this recipe.

Makes around 32 to 34 
Ingredients
3 Cups Idly Rice
2 Cups Packed Freshly Grated Coconut grated
4 to 6 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Level Salt
¼ Teaspoon Level Instant Yeast
Water- as needed

Method 

Wash rice thoroughly 3 to 4 times. Soak rice for minimum 3 to 4 hours .

After 4 hours, drain the rice and grind a cup at a time in small mixer jar with 2 tablespoons of grated coconut in 3 to 4 batches . Grind to a fine paste / smooth batter . Do not wash the mixer jar after you finish grinding. Keep it aside. 

This is the most important tip to make these appams soft.
Take one cup of batter in a sauce pan, add 1 ½ cup of water and mix well till well blended. Then on very low flame place the pan  and use a whisk to stir it. 

Let it cook until it thickens,by stirring continuously in low flame. After this thickness it will becomes shiny see pic.  Let this cool for 2 to 3 minutes then add a cup of batter and whisk it till it forms a smooth batter and it is just warm. Take half of this batter, in the same mixer jar along with half of the sugar quantity and instant yeast,  grind till well blended or forms a smooth paste. Add this to the ground batter. Again blend the remaining batter with the sugar till smooth.

Mix all this batter well with a whisk,  place this container in a bigger one that can hold it (so that if it spills, it does not dirty your counter and use the spilled batter- no wastage) cover with a lid,   keep it overnight or for  5 -6 hours or more depending on temperature of the room or the country you stay. 

I, finished grinding and completed the full process at 1 am / early hours - beginning of a new day. Still the batter nearly spilled out of the big pot by 6am. 

When the batter is fermented , now,  add the salt and mix really well. The consistency of the batter should be thinner than that of a dosa batter. So add water accordingly. Keep it a side for at least 15 minutes before beginning to make the appams.

Now heat a non stick appam chatty specially made for making appam . Drizzle some water in the appam pan and when u see the water is disappearing as soon as the water is dropped ,that is the right time to pour appam batter . Oil it and wipe it with kitchen towel ( do this for the first one only, do  not oil after this to make the remaining appams).

Take 1/3 cup ( for measurement - since this quantity is perfect for the pan) pour the batter in the middle of the pan and rotate the by holding both side handles.

 Place the pan on medium low flame and close it with the lid,  cook for 2 minutes, you'll notice that the center of apaam is cooked and edges start leaving the sides of pan ( these should be lacey , that is transparent on the sides ). At  this stage you can decide whether you want it crisp and brown on the sides (so if u want crispy appam cook bit more ,but don't burn them). I, removed them just when they started to leave the sides of the pan. Mine were white at the sides and the bottom golden. 

Taste the first one, adjust sugar and salt in the batter consistency if needed and then make the remaining appam's. The batter for me was perfect so I did not add any additional salt or sugar.

Serve appam with your favorite curry and enjoy, these soft , delicious and divine appams.  

We had these with  Mixed Vegetable Stew - Vegan & Gluten Free - Kerala Style

My Notes
Use only idly rice and not idly rawa, or else the result will not be the same.

Soak the rice for 4 hours only not more, this time is sufficient or else the rice will start to ferment and the taste will change.

Drain all the water in which the rice was soaking. Use fresh water a tablespoon at a time to grind. Preferably try and use a small blender its grinds faster and grinds to a fine paste with less usage of water. Do not add more water to the batter to make it thin at this stage, because after fermenting will is become a little more watery. So add water if necessary after the fermentation process.

I have used 6 tablespoons of sugar, you can  use more or less. According to me this quantity was just perfect.

Use only the quantity of yeast mentioned or else it will have a yeasty flavor and smell.

Add salt only after the batter is fermented.

If you feel the batter is fermented much earlier than you will like to use it. Then place the container / pot in the refrigerator, that's what I did.  

If you do have freshly grated coconut then use one can of coconut milk  for this quantity.

Labels : Appams, South Indian, Kerala, Vegan, Gluten free, Coconut, Coconut Milk, Healthy, Main course, Breakfast