Mom in Law's Punjabi Tariwala Chicken Curry

Like every Punjabi household, chicken curry is a staple in my house too. There's the very rich butter chicken that's only indulged in occasionally in my house, and then there is the very popular comfort food -- authentic Punjabi Chicken Curry that I make quite often because my daughter and husband love it so much. My Mom-in-Law is an expert at this dish and this recipe is inspired from her version. She is a great cook and cooks with a lot love for her children. This is one of her signature dishes that I really love. 

I recommend making this recipe with the drumsticks, but whole chicken cut into pieces work just fine. I wouldn't however make this with boneless chicken breasts. I just feel the flavors marry better with boned meat. 

Ingredients:

For the Marination:

12 Chicken Drumsticks
2 tbsp fresh ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp Chicken masala (Badshah Chicken Masala or MDH Chicken Curry Masala are my personal favorites)

1 cup yogurt

1 tbsp Garam masala (MDH has the best garam masala, but fresh homemade is even better)

1 tbsp MDH kashmiri chilly powder

1 tsp EVOO or ghee

For the Masala:

2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

1 tsp Cumin seeds 
5-6 cloves
1 tsp saunf
1 bay leaf
3-4 green cardamom
4 large onions, thinly sliced

3 whole slit green chillies (if you prefer even more spicy, double the quantity of the chillies)

1 tbsp Chicken Curry masala (MDH or Badshah)
3 large tomatoes (pureed)
1 tbsp chills paste (optional)
1/2 cup yogurt (whisked)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4-5 garlic crushed and chopped
1/2 ginger, julienned
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
2 tbsp cumin-corriander powder
Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup chopped cilantro for garnishing
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt, per taste

Step 1: Marination

Wash the chicken with 1/2 cup vinegar and water for a couple of times. In a large bowl, marinate the chicken with all the marination ingredients and let it sit for at least an hour. Marinating overnight in the refrigerator is the best if you can prep ahead.

Step 2: Masala

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee in a wide pan.
2. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom pods and stir fry for half a minute till it leaves a subtle fragrance and the cumin starts to crackle.
3. Add the onions and saute till golden brown.
4. Add the chicken and fry until the skin starts browning.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste.
6. Cover and cook over medium to low heat for another 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the saunf, green chillies and fry the meat for a few more minutes. 
8. Add chicken masala, turmeric and red chili powder, garlic, ginger, yogurt and roast for another minute. If the mixture is too dry, add half cup of water to mix all the ingredients. 
9. Add tomato puree and mix. Let the mixture roast for a couple of minutes. 
10. Cover pot and cook till the tomatoes start to change color and release oil. Add water if the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
11. Now add 3 cups of water and close the lid and cook until tender on medium to low flame (approx 25 mins), stirring occasionally. 
12. Garnish with cilantro and add the garam masala and give one last stir.

Chef's Tip- Make sure there is enough gravy in the dish. Add an additional cup of water once the chicken is cooked if you feel like the gravy is too dry. 

Serve with steamed rice or roti.

Mummy's Mutton Biryani

An inspired version of the Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

I grew up in the then southern state of Andhra Pradesh (now known as Telangana) in the city of Hyderabad. Wikipedia has a great article on Hyderabadi Cuisine. This recipe is a homage to my mother who is an excellent cook, not professionally trained, but self taught who loves to put together delicious meals.

Description of the conception of this recipe is incomplete without a brief introduction about my mother. Jyotshna (Jyoti, as everyone lovingly calls her) was born into a bengali household in Jalandhar and moved to Hyderabad with her family when she was under 10 years old. She eloped to marry Anil Kundra (my very handsome Punjabi Dad) and moulded herself to learn the very loud Punjabi culture and cuisine. Because my parents lived in Hyderabad, many of their likes in terms of food is inspired by Nizami and Telugu cuisine. So, imagine growing up in a household with a Bengali mum, Punjabi Dad and a whole lot of Nizami and Telugu influence around us. My mum learnt all the food that she makes on her own by experimenting in the kitchen with us as her guinea pigs (quite literally!).

My mother was (and is) a strong independent working woman. My two older sisters and I are a lot like my mum. We are strong personalities, who like things to be done in a certain way, but we don’t mind taking the backseat when needed. We love cooking and exploring new cuisines just like she does and love entertaining our friends and family over elaborate lunches and dinners. Despite working so hard, my mother always made sure to put delicious meals at the table and never compromised on the quality of the meals.

One recipe that she has perfected over years that is a family favorite is the “Mutton Biryani”. I demand (lovingly, of course!) this to be made on my birthday every year. And boy! I have no words to describe this recipe. It is delicate, yet big on flavors. It is the most “royal” recipe that I have tasted in my entire life. So here it is, my mother’s very own “adapted” version of the Hyderabadi Dum Biryani. I say adapted because there are so many different variants of the hyderabadi biryani, but this recipe, is hands down, the most rewarding and delicious of them all. My mother makes the masala from scratch, but in this adapted version, for us working moms of the 21st century, we will use pre-made/packaged MDH’s Hyderabadi Biryani Masala and Badshah’s Nawabi Mutton Masala).

Warning! As this recipe is quite rich and high on calories, I only recommend making this on special occasions. I must also warn you that it is quite a tedious task to embark on the journey of making biryani. It requires a lot of patience, time and of course, love.

So, without further adieu, here is my family secret:

Ingredients:

2 lbs mutton or goat (ask for lean shoulder meat)

For the Marination:

2 tbsp fresh ginger-garlic paste

Paste of 1 raw onion salt

2 tsp raw papaya (Shan has a bottled version)

2 tbsp mutton masala (Badshah Nawabi Mutton Masala is my personal favorite)

1 cup yogurt

1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1 cup chopped cilantro

2 tbsp Garam masala (MDH has the best garam masala, but fresh homemade is even better)

1 tbsp MDH kashmiri chilly powder

1 tbsp mustard oil

For the Masala:

2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

4 large onions, thinly sliced

3 whole green chillies (if you prefer even more spicy, double the quantity of the chillies)

2 tbsp Hyderabadi biryani masala (MDH)

For the layering:

1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

1 cup chopped mint leaves

1 cup chopped cilantro

Half of the fried onions

Juice of 2 lemons

Pinch of good quality saffron

1 cup warm milk

6 tej patta or bay leaves

For the rice:

4 cups good quality soaked basmati rice (I use Indian Gate)

4 black cardamom pods

4 green cardamom pods

A couple of cinnamon sticks

1 tsp shah jeera or black jeera

1/2 cup chopped mint leaves

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Step 1: Marination

Marinate the meat with all the marination ingredients and let it sit for at least an hour. Marinating overnight in the refrigerator is the best if you can prep ahead.

Step 2: Masala

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee in a wide pan.
2. Add the onions and fry till golden brown/crispy. Ensure not to burn the onions by stirring constantly. If the onions burn it will ruin the taste of the biryani.
3. Take out half of the onions out and then add mutton to the remaining onions.
4. Fry the mutton till it starting browning and starts to release its fat and the oil separates.
5. Add the biryani masala.Stir.
6. Cover and cook for another 5 mins.
7. Stir in the green chillies and fry the meat for a few more minutes.
8. Cover mutton with 6 cups of water and close the lid and cook until tender on medium to low flame (approx 45 mins).

Chef Tip- At this point, you can transfer for a quicker softer mutton, into a cooker and steam it for 3 whistles on high and two on low. Once cooked, fry for another minute till the oil separates.

9. After about 40 mins (keep stirring in and checking the meat), the water should reduce at approximately 3 cups. The gravy should be in thick liquid form (not runny or too dry). If it's dry, then add 1 cup water and let it cook for about 5 mins on high flame.

Step 3: Rice

1. Simultaneously, cook the rice in a separate large heavy bottomed pan.
2. To cook the rice, boil water (for 4 cups rice, add 14 cups of water). Add all the dry garam masalas. Add dhania leaves, pudina leaves, lemon juice and salt (note you need to add a lot of salt otherwise the rice will not be seasoned well, so be generous).
3. Cook till it's about 70 percent done.
4. Drain the water and keep the rice in a colander over the same pot to drain any remaining liquid.

Step 4: Layering

1. In an electric rice cooker (if you have one), or a heavy bottom pan, first add ghee at the bottom and spread the bay leaves.
2. Layer 1. Add the first layer of rice (we will split the rice into 3 sections and mutton gravy into two -- think Rice-Mutton-Rice-Mutton-Rice), half of the cooked mutton, some chopped cilantro, mint leaves and the first half of fried onions we kept separate.
3. Layer 2. Repeat Step 2.
4. Top off with the remaining rice and cilantro, mint leaves, fried onions, lemon juice, and ½ tsp ghee on top, saffron mixed with warm milk. Note- you can add food color if you desire, but I don’t feel it’s necessary if your saffron is of good quality.
5. This step is optional, but you could place boiled eggs or (boiled and fried potato) around the corners of the dish.

Step 5: Dum

1. Option 1 - Dampen a kitchen towel, wrap around the dish. Place the lid and gather the corners of the dish towel (almost in a 'potli' form). Add some weight over the lid to prevent the steam from escaping.
2. Option 2 - Make a dough out of wheat flour and wrap it around the lid that covers the pot in a way so that it’s completely sealed.
3. If you are not using a rice cooker, then, either put a skillet under the pan and on low heat cook for 30 mins or place your 'oven friendly' pan (make sure it won’t crack in the oven) in the oven and bake for 25 mins on 350.
4. Or layer (as mentioned above) in a rice cooker and let it cook for 20 mins.

Serve with Raita and salan.

Spanakopita Rolls

                          

About

Spanakopita is traditionally phylo dough savory pastry made out of spinach, onions and feta cheese, usually in triangles. As you may have noticed, I have taken the liberty to modify the traditional recipe and formed them into Spanakopita Rolls instead. They were an absolute favorite and in a matter of seconds, they were all gone! I am glad that I managed to take pictures before my guests arrived! The filling is really the star of this dish. Not only are these delicious appetizers, they are easy to make and healthy because they are baked and not fried. The recipe calls for 24 rolls.

Ingredients

Olive Oil (EVOO)- 1 tablespoon

Small White Onion- 1 finely chopped

Scallions- 2, chopped

Fresh Spinach- 24 Oz (about 3 cups)

Fresh Feta cheese- 3 oz, crumbled

Cottage Cheese (Paneer)- ½ cup (optional)

Salt, to season

Pepper, to season

Phyllo sheets- 12m thawed

Butter- 1 stick, melted, about 8 tablespoons

EVOO- 1 tablespoon

Method

Step 1- Filling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and scallions. Cook until softened. Add spinach and cook until most of the water from the spinach is evaporated. Add feta and cottage cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 2- Rolls

Melt butter, add EVOO and keep aside. You will need a pastry brush (basting brush) spread the butter onto the sheets. Carefully, remove phyllo sheets. Stack 8 sheets. With the shortest end of the phyllo sheet nearest you, brush phyllo with butter and EVOO mixture. It does not have to be perfect, but remember to work through this quickly because the sheets dry up. Top with second sheet and brush again. Fold the buttered phyllo sheets in half, like a book and brush the top layer. Divide the sheets in 4 parts. You should now have 4 sets of 2 buttered sheets. Make 3 vertical divisions using a pizza cutter. Then make one horizontal incision in the center, making 6 equal squares. Once you have done cutting all 4 sets, you should have 24 squares. Place a heaping 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of the bottom nearest you. Adjust the filling depending on how effectively you are able to roll this. Again, it does not have to be perfect. Just make sure that the filling is not coming out. Since the sheets are buttered, they might be fragile to work with. Carefully fold up the square once and then fold over the right side and then the left side of the phyllo. Brush with butter mixture and then continue rolling up like a burrito. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet and brush rolls with butter/oil mixture. Bake until golden and crispy for about 30 to 35 minutes. 

Happy Cooking!!

Mini Baklava Tarts

About

This is a quick version of the elaborated baklava recipe, which is not hard to make, but just consumes much more time. This desert is a tried and tested recipe, and trust me, not only I does this taste delicious, but it is very easy to make. I literally made these in 30 minutes! I served them after a couple of hours towards the end of my party (after they had chilled in the refrigerator), but you can serve them right away. Alternatively, you can warm it up in the oven for 20 seconds right before serving. Also, I did not have honey (yes! I use Blue Agave Nector instead of honey, not because I am vegan, but because I simply like the taste of Agave). A couple of observations though- Agave is more liquidy unlike honey which is thick. It doesn’t really matter really, but you can pick what you prefer, because either way they will caramelize when baked. Also, they taste slightly different. Agave is a little sharper in flavor than honey. In addition, can substitute the walnuts for pistachios or pecans, but try the variations and figure out which one you like best! The recipe will make about 24 mini baklava tarts. Enjoy and be ready to get complimented by your guests! 

Note: You can use frozen miniature phyllo tart shells, but I used regular phyllo sheets to make 1- 1 ½ inch squares and baked the walnut mixture with the phyllo squares. Feel free to follow my steps in my Mini Nutella Tarts recipe to learn how to make shells out of phyllo dough sheets. 

Ingredients

Agave Nectar or Honey- ¾ cup

Butter, melted- 1 cup

Ground cinnamon- 1 teaspoon

Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon

Ground cloves- 1 teaspoon

Ground cardamom- 1 teaspoon

Walnuts, finely chopped- 2 cups

1 -1½ inch squares of phyllo sheets (or frozen miniature phyllo tart shells)

Method

Step 1- Mix

In a large mixing bowl, mix Agave or honey, butter, ground cinnamon, cardamom, lemon juice, ground cloves and stir in walnuts. 

Step-2- Fill

Butter the mini muffin/cupcake pan. Place about 4 squares in each cup of mini muffin/cupcake pan and lightly baste with butter with a pastry brush. Spoon about 2 teaspoons mixture into each shell. 

Step 3- Bake

Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden and crispy. The agave (or honey) in the mixture will start to bubble and the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves will make your kitchen absolutely fragrant! 

Step 4- Serve

Once out of the oven, let the tarts stand in the muffin/cupcake pan for at least 30 minutes before attempting to take it out of the muffin/cupcake pan. Take out each shell carefully with a butter knife running the knife around the cup in a circle trying not to break the shell. Alternatively, you can carefully take it out by hand. Serve like I did in a tiered serving dish with other desserts. 

Happy Cooking!!