Chatpata Chicken

Ingredients :

1 Kg Chicken Washed and cut to medium size

Red Chilli sauce ½ spoon

Green chilli sauce ½ spoons

Soya sauce

Onions- 3 medium sized

Tomato- Two ripe ones

Turmeric- A pinch

Salt- As per taste

Green chilly- three (As per your taste)

Curds (½ cup)

Coriander leaves 1 bunch

Cashew nuts (6-7) and milk to soak

Ginger garlic paste

Coriander powder 1tsp

Chilli powder 1tsp

Cumin powder 1tsp

Pepper powder 3/4th

Method:

Marinate chicken pieces in turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt about 30 minutes/can refrigerate also.

 Take a shallow bottomed pan, put 2 tbsps of oil and fry the onions till crispy add ginger garlic paste, fry for about 2minutes, then add, chilli powder, coriander powder pepper powder, cumin powder, red and green chilli sauce and salt, fry for about 2 minutes then add tomatoes, green chillies and coriander leaves and cook till they are soft and mushy. After the masala gets cool grind them. Add curd to the ground masala and grind it.
Heat 2 tbsps oil in a cooking vessel and add the marinated chicken and cook on high flame for  about 5 minutes, reduce heat and the cover and cook it for about 8 minutes. Now add the ground masala and cashew nut paste. ( Soya sauce if required ) Add water and cook till the chicken pieces are soft and till you get the desired consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chicken Hara Bhara

Ingredients

1 Kg Chicken

2 Medium Sized Onions

Two Tbsp Yogurt

Palak/Spinach Leaves (4-5 bunches)

Methi/ Fenugreek leaves (2 bunch) can use Kasuri Methi also Soya leaves (2 bunches)

Amarnath/ Lal Bhaji (4-5 bunches)

Khatti Bhaji/ Gongura/ Sorrelle Leaves (1 bunch)

Ginger Garlic Paste

Turmeric powder

Coriander powder chilli powder

Garam Masala Powder (Optional)

Cashew nuts (8-9) or peanuts

Salt to taste.

Method

Clean the chicken properly and cut it to medium size

Marinade it with salt turmeric, ginger garlic paste.

Wash the leafy greens properly. Use only leaves. Spinach stems can be used, if tender. Make sure you separate the fenugreek / Methi leaves from the stem. The stem makes the dish taste bitter.

Cook all the leafy greens in a pressure cooker for (2 Whistles)

Fry the marinated chicken in a pan with little oil, on a high heat, stirring occasionally until browned lightly…approximately 8-10 minutes.

Heat Oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add Onions, fry onions till translucent, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, kashmiri red chili powder, mix well. Cover and cook for 3-4 min. switch off the flame. After a while add the yogurt. Grind all these fried ingredients, along with ground roasted cash nuts or peanuts to a fine paste. ( If you are looking for a very spicy dish then you can add 4-5 green chillies while grinding the above ingredients )

Now add the ground paste and boiled leafy greens to the fried chicken (The leafy greens can be ground as well, but I prefer not to grind them) Cook the same till you get the required consistency.

It goes well with Chapattis and Plain white rice.

Til Ka Khatta Sesame seeds paste with Tamarind water

Til Ka Khatta again a Hyderabadi recipe.. This is a n accompaniment....specially with Khichdi


Ingredients :

1 tsp sesame seeds, roasted and powdered
1/4th  cup chopped onion
1 green chilly
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp cumin
2 cups tamarind juice from a lemon sizes tamarind
Few sprigs of cilantro and mint
2 red chillies
few curry leaves


Method :

Mix the sesame seed powder into chopped onions, chilly, cilantro, mint and add it to the tamarind juice and salt. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, red chillies and curry leaves and fry till cumin splutters. Add the tamarind water to a boil....for about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Cover the dish and set it aside to serve :-)

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

The name Biryani is synonymous with Hyderabad. A lip smacking meal. Most popular and widely relished dish. The aroma of the spices and herbs just fills the house. My kids just love it. I usually don't need an occasion to prepare Biryani. Though the whole process looks a bit tiring, it's amazingly simple. Marinade the chicken, cook the rice and chicken and then layer them. There your Yummy Chicken Biryani is ready :-)  It is usually accompanied with Dahi ki Chutney Raita or Mirch ka Salan.

Ingredients:1 Kg whole chicken 1 kg Basmati rice 1 cup thinly sliced fried onions,2 tsp ginger/garlic paste,2 tsp chilli powder, ( As per your taste)½ tsp turmeric,100 g fried cashew nuts,3-4 Biryani Flower4 or 5 cloves,2 cm long cinnamon sticks,3 or 4 cardamom pods,1 tsp shah jeera,1 cup mint leaves,1 cup coriander leaves (cilantro),½ tsp garam masala powder(shah jeera, elachi, dal chini, lavang),1 lemon,1 ½ tsp salt (As per taste),1 cup ghee ½ cup yogurt,1 cup oil,few strands of saffron, ( Soak in milk)2 cups finely sliced onions,
Method :1. Clean the chicken and squeeze out the water1. Make deep incisions on the chicken flesh - deep enough for spices to get absorbed Mix turmeric, ( Haldi ) chilli powder, ( Mirchi powder ) salt,  ( Namak) ginger garlic paste, ( Adrak lasun paste) yogurt,  ( Dahi)  and half-lemon's juice. Thoroughly apply this paste onto the meat flesh and let marinate for an hour.
2. Heat about 100 ml of oil. Roast cumin, ( Zeera) cloves, ( Laung )cinnamon, ( Dalchini)  cardamom, ( Elaichi) bay leaves ( Tej Patta), ½ spoon cumin, 1 spoon coriander powder, ( dhania powder) and finally add onions When onions turn golden pink/brown add mint leaves. Then add marinated chicken and cook for about 20-25 min. The chicken at this stage will not be fully cooked. Add garam masala and coconut powder and switch off the stove.  .3. Simultaneously, while the chicken is still cooking, prepare the Biryani Rice.  In a pot heat water and add ( 4 Cardamoms, 3 Cloves, 2 Bay Leaves, 1  Biryani Flower,1 tsp Sahajeera½ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste,1 tbsp of Oil. 1/4th cup of salt ) Add the rice and cook till one boil......say about 5 minutes. The rice should not be fully cooked Then drain the rice and keep the aside.4. Now take a dish, layer half of chicken on it again topped by a layer of rice. One more layer of remaining chicken, finally with layer of rest of the rice on top. Sprinkle saffron milk and garnish the top layer with fried onion and fried cashew nuts and add a liberal amount of ghee. Now seal the container airtight.....so that steam does not escape, while cooking on a high flame for about 8 minutes, then on a low flame for about 15 minutes. 

Presto.... Your Biryani is ready   :-) 

Bagara Baingan Eggplant curry

I always had a passion for cooking ..always experimenting. Born and brought up in Hyderabad, made my friends ask me for Hyderabadi recipes..... Though not a perfectionist in the same i would love to share few recipes with you all. I shall start with an awesome dish Bagara Baingan ( Eggplant curry) A typical Hyderabadi dish. Goes well with plain white rice, bagara rice or Biryani. The taste gets yummier the next day

Ingredients :

1  1 Cup Peanuts
2. 1/4 cup sesame seeds ( Til)
3. 2 spoons poppy seeds ( Khus khus)
4. 3-4 cloves ( Laung)
5. 2 inch ginger piece( Adrak)
6. 2-3 garlic pods ( Lahsun )
7. Half cup grated coconut ( Pisa nariyal)
8. 1 spoon chilli powder ( mirchi powder)
9. 1 pinch turmeric ( Haldi)
10. 10-12 small brinjals ( Baingan)
11. A lemon sized ball of tamarind ( Imli) soaked and pulped
12. Mustard ( Rai ) Aniseed ( Jeera ) for tempering ( Tadka or Bagar)
13. 4 long green chillies ( Hari mirchi)
14. 5-6 curry leaves ( Kadi patta)
15. 2 large onions ( Pyaaz) Finely sliced
16. Coriander ( Kotmir or Dhania patta)
17. 2. Tablespoon oil
18. Salt to taste

Method :
1. Roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and cloves seperately.
2. Grind them along with coconut, chilli powder, Haldi, salt, ginger and garlic. Make a fine paste.
3. Cut slits in the brinjals, from top to bottom. Stuff the ground paste in them. Keep aside little paste. (  You can also fry the slit brinjals in oil without stuffing the paste drain and keep them aside and later add them to the paste which is being cooked.)
4. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, Jeera, green chillies and curry leaves. Ones the mustard seeds start spluttering add onions and saute till they turn golden brown.
5. In a little oil saute the brinjals, till they change color.
6. Then add the remaining paste along with little water and tamarind pulp and mix well.
7. Cook for about 20 minutes with a lid covered, until you no longer have the raw smell of peanuts and brinjal coming. Check for the consistency in the gravy.
8. Finally garnish it with coriander.