Chicken Kurma

Ingredients: 

Chicken: 1 whole chicken (around 3lbs- cut into pieces)
Onions - 1 Big finely chopped
Tomatoes - 1
Green chillis - 4
Salt to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cashews - 10
Poppy Seeds/Gasagasalu - 1tsp
Dry Coconut/Fresh grated coconut - 10 pieces/ handful if taking grated coconut
Turmeric - 1/2tsp
Water - 1 cup
Whole Garam Masala : 4 each whatever you have- Cinnamon stick, cardamon, Cloves etc.
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Coriander- for garnishing
Oil - 2tbsp

Procedure: 

• In a big kadai heat oil and add whole garam masala and fry for 1 min and add the chopped onions and green chilis and fry till the onions turn golden brown. 
• Add Ginger Garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is away. 
• Add Tomatoes, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric, and salt to taste and fry until the tomatoes turn mushy. 
• Add the cut chicken pieces into it and mix well and adjust the chili powder and salt if needed. 
• Put on high flame for 5 mins and cook continuously until the rawness of chicken is gone. 
• Meanwhile make a smooth paste of soaked cashews, poppy seeds and coconut together and keep aside. 
• Once the water is oozing out of chicken add this paste and mix well and add 1 cup of water and put on low flame and put the lid on and cook for 15 to 20 mins. 
• Check the consistency and add little water if you want  more gravy. Adjust salt and spiciness and add garam masala and cook for another 5 mins and garnish it with coriander and serve. 

Ginger Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken - 2 pounds with skin
Ghee or Oil -
Onions - 1 finely chopped
Curd- 1 1/2cup (beat it)
Ginger - 2inch piece, chopped into slices

For powder:
Dhaniya - 2tsp
Shahi Jeera - 1tsp
Jeera- 1tsp
Badam - 10
Elaichi
Cloves
Cinnamon Stick - 1big
Red Chillis - 10
Rock Salt - as per taste

Procedure:

• Dry roast all the powder ingredients and let it cool.
• Once cool make a powder and add it to the chicken, mix well and marinate it for 3-4 hrs preferably.
• Now heat ghee/oil in the pan and add onions and fry for 4-5 mins golden brown.
• Now add the marinated chicken into it and mix well.
• Once all the masala is coated to the chicken pieces add the curd and mix well.
• Keep the lid and cook it for 5mins and remove the lid. Water comes out from it and let it evaporate  without lid. 
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• Add sliced ginger on top and once a thick gravy is formed switch off the flame.
• Serve it with chapati or rice.

Tips:

1. This curry goes well only chicken with skin.
2. For added taste make this curry with ghee/butter.
3. You can substitute badam with cashews. 
4. No chilli powder should be added. The masala powder made give the spiciness to the curry. 

Simple Prawn Biryani Authentic Andhra Style

I always have the habit of tasting prawn biryani in restaurants or in some parties but have never tried at home. But i remember that my mom use to make prawn biryani very frequently back home but unfortunately at that time i am not in a habit of eating prawns. But people use to say that it is quite yummy and i am missing something that my mom use to make. So when i came here in US i remember my mom, when i first wanted to make this rice for my dear hubby to surprise him as prawns is one of his favorite.

So at last i got the recipe that i have been missing all these days from my mom which is very quick and easy, though tasty. Undoubtedly, anyone can say that the best taste that we ever eat in our life is the one that is made by our loving mom where we wont get that taste even if we tried it for years...May be it wont be the exact taste what my mom use to make but i tried my level best to reach it as the recipe i am posting here is from my mom.

Here it goes.....

Prawn Biryani...http://gayathriraj.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

Prawns - 2lb
Biryani Rice - 2cups, soaked for half an hour
Oil - 4tsp
Tomato - 2, big
Onions - 1
Green Chillis - 6 or more (depending in you taste as we wont be adding any chilli powder to it)
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 7
Biryani Leaf - 2
Chilli powder, salt and turmeric for marination of prawns depending on your preference.
Ginger Garlic Paste(GGP) - 3tsp
Pudhina - for taste
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Firstly marinate the prawns in chilli powder, turmeric and salt for half an hour.
• In a cooking pan, add 2tsp oil and add all the masala items followed by onions, chillis and GGP.
• Now fry them till the raw smell goes and add the tomatoes, let them cook till they are smooth.
• Add the prawns to it and keep the lid.
• Now lot of water will be coming out from the prawns and let all the water goes away.
• Add the soaked rice, mix well along with the prawns and fry for 3 to 5 mins.
• Add the water to it, salt to taste and keep the lid and cook the rice on medium flame(or you can pressure cook it for 3whistles). When it is half way add the pudhina on the top and close the lid.
• Serve it hot with raitha.

Tip:

1.If you want to prepare it faster then you can separately cook the prawns in another pan till they are dry.
This will not only quicken the process but also reduce the smell that comes out from prawns which many people won't like it.
Generally i follow this process as i am a bit allergic to the smell of prawns.
2. You can add any of your own spices and masala when the prawns are cooking for added taste.

Simple Chilli Chicken Fry

Being a good food lover i can say that as and when i started eating chicken i have become a great fan for it. So i started gathering different kinds of recipes from my friends and tried different varieties too. But this chicken fry is one of the best and easiest recipe that i have ever made.

After having this dish in one of my friends place me and my hubby were excited. Its just because not only for the taste but the time it took to prepare the dish. Its been ready within mins and with very little amount of ingredients and that too with greatttt taste of course.... So i could not wait to know the secret recipe from my friend Sridevi that day itself. And the next coming weekend only i have tried it at home and it is a big hit and here is the secret recipe how it goes......

Ingredients:

Chicken - 2lb
Garlic - 20 to 25 pods, finely chopped
Soya Sauce - For marination of chicken (it must cover all the chicken pieces)
Green Chillis - 10, finely chopped
Onions - 1/2 medium size, finely chopped
Curry Leaves - 10
Little salt (Sometimes it is not needed too)

Procedure:

• Clean the chicken thoroughly and make it into small pieces( With bones or without bones is fine).
• Now marinate it with Soya sauce till the chicken pieces are almost dipped into the sauce. 
• Keep it aside for min of half an hour(the more it is marinated the more will be the taste).
• Heat oil in a cooking vessel and add the chopped garlic, green chillis, curry leaves and fry for 2 mins and now add the marinated chicken and keep the lid.
• Do not add any water to it because there will so much of water coming of it.
• By the time all the water gets dry the chicken will be fully cooked. Adjust the salt if needed.(mostly we wont need any salt to be added as there will be enough in the soya sauce )
• Before ten mins when we feel the chicken is getting ready add the onions and let it cook for 10 more mins. 
• Serve it with hot rice and rasam.

http://gayathriraj.blogspot.com

                                 

Chicken legs Fry/ Chicken lollipops (Indian Style) and Happy Father's Day to all fathers

Ingredients :-

Chicken legs - 3
Yogurt - 2tsp
Chili powder - 2tsp
Pepper powder - 1tsp
GInger Garlis pase - 1tsp
Lemon Juice - 2tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of red Color
Onions - 1/2 cut into circles
Salt to taste
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 4to5tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Tomato Sauce - 2tsp
Chilli Sauce - 1tsp

Procedure:-

• Firstly clean the chicken legs and remove the skin if any on it and keep a small slits on each leg piece (around 4-5 slits for each leg piece).
• Now in a small bowl add chilli powder, salt, little turmeric and lemon juice to it and mix well into a paste.
• Now this paste is stuffed into each piece of leg in that slits v made. (we does this for better taste that comes from inside of the piece too) and if any paste is still left just apply it to the outer skin of the legs pieces.



• In a bowl add yogurt, GGP, Pepper powder, salt, jeera powder, coriander pwdr, 1tsp oil, Red color and mix well into a paste.
• Now roll the leg pieces in this mixture and refrigerate it around 1-2hrs.
• Heat a pan, add oil and to it add these marinated chicken pieces and fry.
• Turn the pieces at regular intervals to avoid blackening and when it is almost fried add the tomato sauce, chilli sauce and mix well, keep the lid and cook it for around 5-10 mins so that it is cooked inside too.
• Now garnish it with coriander and serve it with onions and a lemon.

And i can only say about my dad that Thanku so much for everything in my life and i feel there should not be any spl wrds for him to say because that special he is to me... And being a dad's kid i can say him...

Happy Father's Day

Vegetable Chicken Pizza (Indian Style)

Some of you might be wondering what the benefits of homemade pizzas are in these times when you can order pizza online.
I feel that home made pizzas are healthy, the ones from your local pizza delivery are not.
You can adapt any pizza recipe to your own taste and mainly can reduce the fat contents....:)
So here is my family recipe pizza....



Ingredients :-

Pizza base - 1
Boneless Chicken - 1lb
Butter - 1/2 cup (can add more if you prefer so)
Onions - 1/2
Tomatoes - 1/2
Corn - 1/2 cup
Green Chillis - 2
Red chilli flakes - 2tsp
Pepper powder - 2tsp
Chilli powder - 1tsp
pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

Procedure :-

• Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric to the chicken pieces and keep it aside.
• Now add 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces till they are soft and all the water that comes of it evaporates and let them cool.
• Now cut the chicken into small pieces and keep aside.
• Take the base of pizza and on it add the tomato ketchup that is given with the base of pizza.



• On it spread the chilli flakes, pepper powder, onions, tomatoes, chopped chillis, chicken pieces, coriander, corn and grated cheese and keep it aside. (I added very little cheese. If u prefer more can add as per your requirement)









• Now preheat the oven at 375F and bake it for 15 minutes.
• Serve it with ketch up.

Chicken Fry/ Kodi Vepudu (Without deep frying)

Ingredients :-

Chicken pieces - 1lb (preferably with bones)
Onions - 1
Carrots - 1
Chillis - 5
Yogurt - 1tsp
Ginger garlic paste (GGP) - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1tsp
Oil - 3tsp
Chicken Masala - 1tsp (readymade masala what we get it in stores)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (finely chopped)
Garlic - 4to5 cloves (finely chopped)
Few Curry leaves
Coriander (as your choice)
Turmeric - 1/2tsp
Food Colour - pinch (optional)
Salt

Procedure :-

• Clean the chicken pieces and add chilli powder, turmeric, salt, yogurt, GGP and mix well, keep it aside for 1/2 hr.
• Now in a pan or dhaka add some oil and chicken pieces and saute it for sometime till all the water which comes from it evaporates.(you can add colour at this point of time) and take them aside.





• Now in the same pan add the onions, chillis, garlic, ginger and saute it till they turn little brown and now add the carrot pieces(cut them into long pieces) and just within 5mins of cooking add the chicken pieces and little water(1/2 cup) and keep the lid.




• Adjust the ingredients like chilli powder, salt etc accordingly and finally add the chicken masala and curry leaves and mix well and take it aside.
• Now garnish it with onions, coriander, carrots and serve it like an appetizer or like any side dish.

Chicken Kurma..

Ingredients:-

Chicken - 2lb
Onions - 1(small)
Chillis - 5
Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2tsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder- 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 2 tsp
Coriander- 1 small bunch

Garam Masala Items:

Cloves - 6
Cinnamon - 2inch stick
Elachi - 3
BIryani leaf - 2
Mace - 1

Procedure:-

• Marinate chicken with chillis powder, salt, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, yogurt and keep it in fridge for half an hour.
• Heat oil in a skillet add all garam masala items, grinded onions and coconut paste, chillis, curry leaves and fry till the raw smell of onions go.
• Now add the marinated chicken pieces and mix well and keep the lid and cook for 10 mins on low flame.
• Now water from the chicken starts coming out then cook till the water gets over and add any salt or chilli powder needed.
• Check for the softness of chicken and garnish it with coriander and serve it with chapati or any rice ( biryani, fried rice, white rice etc..).