CHICKEN STEW - KERALA STYLE

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN STEW IN KERALA STYLE

INGREDIENTS:

For Chicken Stew:

Spices:

METHOD:

• Clean, Peel and dice Carrots and Potatoes.
• Clean, wash and cut chicken into medium-sized pieces.
• Extract Coconut Milk and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the ingredients mentioned under 'Spices' on a medium flame.
• Sauté Onions and Curry leaves along with the spices until onions turn translucent.
• Add slit Green Chillies and finely chopped ginger to the above and sauté for a while.
• Sprinkle Garam Masala and fry this on a very low flame until fragrant.
• Add Chicken Pieces and sauté it until the colour changes into white.
• Add Carrots, Peas and Potatoes to the above and mix well.
• Sprinkle some salt and a pinch of Sugar.
• Add enough water for the Vegetables and Chicken to cook.
• Once the Vegetables and Chicken pieces are cooked, pour Thin Coconut Milk and mix well.
• Leave this to boil on a very low flame, stirring occasionally.
• Finally, pour in the Thick Coconut Milk and give a quick stir.
• Leave this on a low flame for a few more minutes.
• Finally, garnish it with Coriander Leaves.
• This Creamy Chicken Stew is ready to be served with Appam, Idiyappam, Puttu or any dish of your choice.
• Goes well with Bread too. 

NOTES:

• Adjust the number of Green Chillies to suit your spice level.
• If you want spicy stew, can add few more Green Chillies, or finally sprinkle some white pepper over the stew (this is to retain the white colour of the stew).
• If cooking the Chicken pieces and Vegetables in a pressure cooker, just cook it for a whistle.  
• Adding Garam Masala is totally optional. 
• Can use any vegetable oil for the recipe.
• I usually add about 3-4 teaspoons of Milk Powder along with Coconut Milk, which gives you a creamy white coloured Stew.  But it is purely optional.
  

PUNJABI CHOLE/AMRITSARI CHOLE

INGREDIENTS :

To Puree :

For Masala Mix:

For Garnishing :

METHOD :

• Clean, Wash and Soak Chickpeas with enough water for at least 8-10 hours or overnight.
• Remove the water used for soaking the Chickpeas, add 4 Cups of Water along with 2 Tea Bags and 1 Black Cardamom.
• Pressure Cook the Chick peas for 2 Whistles on a high flame and for about 4-5 Whistles on a low flame.
• Wait until the pressure is fully released.
• Discard the Tea Bags.

For Chole Masala :

• Puree the Onions and Tomatoes separately and keep it aside.
• Grind Ginger and Garlic into a fine paste and keep it aside.
• Mash few Cooked Chick peas and keep it aside. 
• Heat Ghee in a pan, splutter Bay Leaves and Shah Jeera on a low flame.
• Add Ginger-Garlic Paste along with Ginger cut into thin strips and saute it until fragrant.
• Follow it with finely chopped Onions and saute it until onions turn translucent.
• Add Onion Puree to the above and saute until fragrant.
• Add Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder and fry for a while.
• Follow it with freshly ground Chole Masala Powder and fry until raw flavour goes on a low flame.
• Pour in the Tomato Puree and mix well.
• Leave this on a low flame and cook until oil separate from the masala mix.
• Add cooked Chick Peas to the Masala along with Salt, Sugar and mix well.
  
• Add mashed Chick Peas to the above mix and give a quick stir.
• Leave this on low flame for about 4-5 minutes, if needed, can sprinkle some water at this stage.
• Sprinkle Amchur Powder, Anardhana Powder, Black Salt to the Chole and mix well.
• Leave this on a low flame for another 2-3 minutes.
• Switch off the flame, drizzle Lime Juice.
• Garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve hot with any dish of your choice. 
• Serve sliced Raw Onions along with the curry.

NOTES :

• Adding tea bags while cooking Chickpeas gives a dark colour to the Curry.
• Adjust the number of Spices and Chillies to your taste preference.
• Amchur Powder adds a tanginess to the curry, so adjust the amount of lime juice accordingly.
• For a dry version, avoid adding mashed Chickpeas to the curry.

CHANNA/CHOLE MASALA POWDER

INGREDIENTS :

Do Not Roast:

METHOD :

• Dry roast all the ingredients one by one (starting from bigger ones followed by the next in size) in a very low flame until they are totally dry and fragrant.
• Roast Cumin Seeds and White Sesame Seeds until they pop, on a very low flame.
• Roast all the spices until they turn aromatic and keep them aside.
• Allow the ingredients to cool.
• Do not roast Dry Ginger, Turmeric Powder, Amchur Powder and Nutmeg.
• Finally, add Turmeric Powder, Amchur Powder, Dry Ginger, Nutmeg and Rock Salt to the above ingredients.
• Grind them into a smooth powder in a coffee grinder or in a mixer-grinder.
  

NOTES :

• Can dry the ingredients in sun, but it is totally optional.
• Care should be taken not to burn the ingredients.  It would totally spoil the taste of the spice powder.
• Roast all the ingredients in a very low flame starting from bigger ones followed by the next in size.
• If making a big batch can grind it in a mill.(if the facility is available in your neighbourhood).
• If grinding at home, do not overload the mixer.  Grind them in small batches and mix them together finally.
• Store the ground Masala in an airtight container in a dry place away from heat and sunlight.
• Do not use a wet spoon or wet hand while using the powder.
• Proper storage and handling will increase the shelf life of the Masala.
• Channa/Chole Masala Powder can be used in dishes like Channa Masala, Punjabi Chole and in the preparation of Indian Subzis too.

BUTTER NAAN

      Naan has made its mark in South Asian Cuisine through centuries.  History says it originated in the Imperial courts of Delhi.  It flourished and spread during the reign of Moguls. Though commonly related to Indian Cuisine, it's found in Northern Area of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and surrounding areas. In Turkic languages, such as Uzbek, Kazakh and Uyghur, the flat breads are commonly known as NAAN.    

• Plain Naan – the simplest form served as such.
• Butter Naan – which is brushed with ghee or butter.
• Garlic Naan – topped with crushed garlic and butter.
• Kulcha  – topped with onions/scallions.
  
• Keema/Afghani Naan – filled with minced lamb.
• Roghani Naan – sprinkled with sesame seeds.
• Peshawari Naan and Kashmiri Naan –  slightly sweeter version, filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins/dates.
• Paneer Naan – stuffed with a Paneer and flavoured with mild condiments.
• Amritsari/Aloo Naan – stuffed with mashed potatoes and spices from Amritsar, India. 

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER NAAN

INGREDIENTS :

For Butter Naan:

METHOD:

• Activate the Yeast in 1/4 a cup of Warm Water along with 2-3 teaspoons of Sugar and leave it aside to ferment.
• Sieve the Flour along with Baking Powder and Salt once.  
• Add Sugar and Butter to the flour and mix well.  
• Make a well in the centre and pour the Curd and Yeast mixture.
• Make a soft dough by adding the required amount of milk, little by little.
• Add melted Ghee/Oil to the dough and knead it again for 3-4 minutes until the dough is pliable.
• Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 4 hours or until the dough doubles up.
• Once the dough has doubled up, knead it again. Keep it aside for an hour(if time permits).
• Take one big orange sized amount of dough and roll it out, as for chapatis, but a little thicker.  
• Cut it into half or you can roll it out into triangles, or into teardrop/oval shape.
• It can be rolled into a circle and then cut it into two/four or roll it out into any desired shape.

AMBUR/VANIYAMBADI MUTTON BIRIYANI

HOW TO COOK AMBUR / VANIYAMBADI MUTTON BIRIYANI

INGREDIENTS :

For Lamb Masala:

Spices :

For Rice :

METHOD : 

 For Lamb :

• Soak Dry Chillies in hot water for 10 minutes and then grind it into a fine paste adding very little water.
• Grind Ginger and Garlic separately and keep them aside.
• Heat Oil in a pan, once the oil is hot pour in 1 Tablespoon of Curd into it.
• Wait until it stops spluttering, now add all the ingredients mentioned under 'Spices' and fry them on a medium flame until aromatic.
• Sauté finely chopped Onions until it turns translucent.
• Add in the Garlic Paste and sauté it for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant on a medium flame.
• Then add Ginger paste and sauté it for about 3-4 minutes until the raw flavour goes.
• Once the Ginger and Garlic Pastes are sautéed, follow it with Dry Chilli Paste and fry it for few minutes.
• Add Turmeric Powder and give a quick stir.
• Add finely chopped Tomatoes to the above mix and cook them until they turn soft and oil separates from the mix.
• Add Mutton/Lamb pieces along with a dash of salt, Lemon Juice and 1/4 Cup of Curd and mix well (add few pieces of papaya at this stage, if using).
• Sprinkle a handful of Mint and Coriander Leaves.
• Cook Lamb/Mutton pieces in a pressure cooker for about 5 whistles on a high flame and another 5-6 whistle on a low flame.(Adjust the cooking time to suit the tenderness of the meat).
• Wait until the pressure is totally released.

For Rice:

• Rinse the Rice once or twice, moving your fingers through the rice, wash it until the water runs clear.
• Soak the washed rice for about 20 - 30 minutes.
• Cook the Rice in a Vessel big enough to hold both Rice and Water.
• Boil enough Water in a big Vessel.
• Drain the soaked Rice.
• Carefully add the soaked Rice along with a dash of Salt & Spices into the boiling Water.
• Cook until the Rice is half done. (just a boil would be more than enough)
• Switch off the flame.
• Immediately drain the excess water from the cooked rice.

For Ambur/Vaniyambadi Mutton Biriyani:

• Take a heavy bottomed Vessel big enough to hold both Rice and Mutton.
• Add the 1/2 cooked Lamb/Mutton Masala.
• Top it up with half cooked Rice.
• Sprinkle finely chopped Mint & Coriander Leaves. 
• Pour in the Lemon Juice and give a quick stir.
• Cover the Vessel with a lid.
• Cook on a medium flame for about 5-7 Minutes.
• Now it is time to give the Dhum effect for the Mutton Biriyani.

For a Dhum Effect : 

Over a Griddle : 

• Keep a preheated Chapati griddle below the Biriyani Vessel to give a dhum effect.
• Meanwhile, heat a Chapati griddle in a high flame for few minutes or until the griddle is very hot.
• While lowering the flame to cook Mutton Biriyani, keep this preheated Chapati griddle below the vessel with lamb and rice to give a dhum effect.
• Cook this for about 12-15 minutes, then switch off the flame and leave the Biriyani Vessel on the stove top untouched fr fe minutes.
• Remove the lid and gently mix the cooked Ambur Mutton Biriyani with a long ladle.
• Gently fluff up the Rice and Mutton so that the ingredients are well combined. 
• Care should be taken not to break the rice strands.
• Serve Ambur/Vaniyambadi Mutton Biriyani along with Curd-Onion Raitha or any preferred vegetarian or non-vegetarian side dishes.

Baking in an Oven(for Dhum Effect) : 

• Preheat the oven to 450° F/230°C.
• Cover the Biriyani vessel with an Aluminium foil and keep it in the middle rack of the oven.
• Bake the Ambur Mutton Biriyani for about 30 minutes.
• Gently fluff up the Rice and Mutton so that the ingredients are well combined. 
• Care should be taken not to break the rice strands.
• Serve Ambur/Vaniyambadi Mutton Biriyani along with Curd-Onion Raitha or any preferred vegetarian or non-vegetarian side dishes.

NOTES :

• Well seasoned Basmati / Jeerakasamba Rice plays a vital role in the texture of a Biriyani. 
• Soaking the rice helps in getting a perfectly cooked rice.
• Cook the rice with ample of water until 1/2 done in a big Vessel.
• This helps to yield perfectly cooked Rice.
• Adding Curd to the oil is a technique used by expert cooks to eliminate the impurities from the oil.
• Adjust the amount of Dry Red Chillies to suit your spice level. 
• Grind Garlic, Ginger and Red Chillies separately and sauté them in the same order as Garlic, Ginger and Red Chilli Paste.
• Garlic paste needs to be sauteed a little longer than Ginger paste.
• Adding lemon juice is to avoid rice getting sticky.
• The meat available locally takes a long time to cook.  Adjust your cooking time to suit the tenderness of the meat.
• Mix both Rice and Lamb together and cook in a dhum style for perfectly cooked Biriyani. 
• Cooking in Dhum helps the Mutton Biriyani not to get burnt at the bottom of the vessel.

A QUICK TIP :

• Use Raw Papaya to tenderize the meat.  It acts as a natural 'MEAT TENDERIZER'.
• Raw papaya contains an enzyme called Papain.  The connective tissue in the meat breaks down when it comes in contact with Papain.
• Papaya is one of the preferred tenderizers for red meats (Lamb, Mutton & Beef).
• Use few pieces of raw papaya while cooking red meats.  This will tenderize the meat, making it more soft and succulent, without changing its taste and flavour.
• Yogurt/Curd, Lime Juice, Vinegar, Soda-bi-carbonate, all have softening and tenderizing effects on Red meat.