JHATPAT CHATPAT- FOR QUICK, EASY AND TASTY RECIPES

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Kadai chicken

This is a famous north Indian dish and the main ingredient that makes this dish tasty is capsicum. I used to order either kadai paneer or kadai chicken whenever I would visit any restaurant because I just love the taste. But the best kadai chicken I ever tasted was at a party at a friend’s place. Before I could finish my dinner, I had taken the recipe from her. It turns out to be yummy. {I think I had finished most of the kadai chicken at her place that day }
Time taken: 40 minutes
Serves about 4 people
Ingredients used:
1 pound chicken breasts (cut into small chunks)
2 medium sized onions chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1 medium sized capsicum (green pepper)chopped
2 Tsp tomato puree
1 tsp ginger & garlic paste
1 Tsp coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp chicken curry powder (optional)
3 cloves
½ inch cinnamon stick
2 whole green elaichi
3 to 4 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 Tsp kasuri methi
½ a cup sour cream
1 Tsp honey
salt to taste
4 Tsp oil
Method of preparation:
Dry roast the cloves, cinnamon, elaichi, and the peppercorns and grind it to a fine powder. In a nonstick kadai, add the oil. Once it heats up add the bay leaves and the powdered ingredients and fry for about a minute. Now add the chopped onions and the ginger&garlic paste and fry till the onions turn pink. Now add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and capsicum and fry till the capsicum is cooked. Now add the red chilli powder, dhaniya powder and chicken curry powder and fry for about 2 minutes. By now this mixture would have left oil at the sides. Now add the chicken pieces and fry for about a minute. Close the kadai with a lid and cook on a low flame till the chicken cooks. The time taken for the chicken to cook depends upon how big the chicken pieces are, so its better to cut it into very small bite size pieces. Once the chicken is cooked add kasuri methi, sour cream and honey and mix. Once it starts boiling add salt, Just before switching the gas off add the garam masala and mix. Chicken kadai is ready, savor it with basmati rice or nan or rotis. Kadai paneer can also be prepared in the same manner but add the paneer at the end, else it might break.

Labels: capsicum, chicken, curry, main course, non veg, North Indian, Tasty

Friday, February 08, 2008

Veggie Cutlet

Vegetable Cutlet reminds me of summer holidays during my childhood when my mom would prepare one tasty snack everyday. This used to be one of the most favourite snacks I used to enjoy with my siblings and cousins. To this day, I relish it everytime it is prepared.

Time Taken: 30-40 minutes.

Serves about 4 people

Ingredients Used:

4 medium sized potatoes
2 medium sized onions
1/4 inch ginger
7-8 french beans
1/2 cup of sweet peas
1/2 of a medium sized beetroot
2/3rd of a large carrot
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Bread crumbs or rava for the coating.
Oil-as required.

Method of Preparation:
Cook potatoes(cut into halves) in a pressure cooker with a little water. In the meanwhile, chop all the vegetables very finely and keep aside. Then, in a cooking pan, warm up oil and fry the onions until golden brown. Grate ginger into this and add red chilly powder. Toss in the rest of the finely chopped veggies along with peas and cook with closed lid taking just the required amount of water and salt. When it is almost done, add garam masala powder and some of the coriander leaves. Stir for a minute or two.
Deskin the cooked potatoes and mash it. Mix this with the veggie mix prepared. Do not use water anytime because the cutlet mix should be dry, else it will be difficult to make balls. Check for salt and roll this mix with your palm into evenly sized balls(each about the size of a medium sized lemon). Flatten these balls into oval/round/heart shaped cutlets-whatever you prefer . Take bread crumbs/rava(fine semolina) in a plate and coat each side of the cutlet with it by touching each side on to the surface. Shallow fry all these cutlets on a heated skillet/tava/griddle(medium heat)-the bigger the griddle the better since you don't have do too many rounds of frying. Pour a little oil around each cutlet and ensure that each side turns golden brown(the entire frying process should take around 15-20 minutes). Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with tomato ketchup/tamarind+chilly chutney.

Labels: Chatpat, Cutlet, Jhatpat, North Indian, One dish meal, Snack, Vegetable, Veggie