Spicy Tandoori Chicken

The Independence Day weekend is coming up fast, and I intend to spend it at an undisclosed location upstate.

As I will be cooking for the Lady of Bad Wolf Manor, I’ll need to put together several of her favorite dishes, or face the risk of sleeping on the couch.. In browsing my usual reading material, sandwiched in between the M*cr*s*ft vulnerabilities posts and the latest rant about the latest Intel / AMD / SUN / Oracle / BP / etc stupidity, I found an inspiration for Tandoori Chicken on Simply Recipes. (“Thank you, Elise …”)

I’ll NOT be a blog thief as my version of this classic Indian dish will be somewhat different. (There is always the rogue chef twist. In this case, the lovely wife of my E.V.P., who shared a marvelous recipe with me.. IT IS NOT for the faint of heart or weak of mouth.) (“Thank you, Tasmin…”)

Wikipedia says:

Chicken Tandoori is a highly popular roasted Indian chicken dish. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and seasoned with tandoori masala. It is moderately hot, but the heat is reduced in most Western nations. Cayenne pepper, red chili powder or kashmiri red chilli powder is used to give it a fiery red hue. A higher amount of Turmeric produces an orange colour. In some modern versions, both red and yellow food colourings are used. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a clay oven (tandoor), but can also be prepared on a traditional grill.

Tandoori masala is a mixture of spices specifically for use with a tandoor, or clay oven, in traditional north Indian, Pakistani and Afghan cooking. The specific spices vary somewhat from one region to another, but typically include garam masala, garlic, ginger, cumin, cayenne pepper, and other spices and additives (e.g. lemon juice …).

One should see my post on Afghan Rub and use that as a base adding Garam Masala and a number of dried and ground red chili’s or prepared chili powders. A trip to Kalustyan’s for some fresh spices will be needed, and Yes, fresh dried spices really do make a difference.

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Butter Chicken (or murgh makhani)

Every so often I have a taste to eat something with lots of sauce for sopping.

Butter Chicken is one of my favorite Indian dishes. It is a full flavored dish that complements the chicken well. It can be made as mild or spicy as you wish by adjusting the cayenne. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread

Dressed chicken is marinated overnight in a yogurt and spice mixture usually including garam masala, ginger, garlic paste, lemon or lime, pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chili. The chicken is then grilled, roasted or pan fried, depending on convenience or the chef’s preference.

Makhani, the sauce, is made by heating and mixing butter, tomato puree, and various spices, often including cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, fenugreek and fresh cream. Cashew paste can also be added, and will make the gravy thicker.

Once the sauce is prepared, the prepared chicken is chopped and cooked till the gravy and chicken have blended. Garnish it with white butter, fresh cream, sliced green chillies and crushed fenugreek leaves.

Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice. It is also confused with Chicken tikka masala.

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Fried Okra (Kurkuri Bhindi )

Ok, this is a dish from MY youth. No I am not Indian, but the dish seems to cross trails and oceans..

Background
Okra is richer in potassium than bananas and has nearly twice as much calcium gram for gram as milk. 100g supplies a third of the recommended daily intake of magnesium (needed for energy release and healthy nerves) and more than 10 per cent of the RDA for iron. Okra is also a source of fiber – stir-fried okra contains much fiber as whole wheat bread. In addition it is quite a good source of vitamin C and the antioxidant betacarotene, which has a range of benefits, including protection against cancer and heart disease by helping to neutralise free radicals.

Okra is one of those “binary foods” where people seem to hate it or love it, just like mushrooms, seaweed, and tofu. The hate is usually because of the gooey slime that coats the okra, but that is not a preordained fate

Okra becomes slimy when cooked with a moist method—in a stew, curry, gumbo (in all these the sliminess helps to thicken the overall dish), or a steamer basket. Stir-frying or sauteing in hot oil, in contrast, keeps the slime within the okra pieces, or perhaps causes the moisture in the mucilage to evaporate, thus improving the pods’ texture.

There are cooking techniques tol prevent your okra dish from being slimed. Indian food has many techniques of okra preparation, and I have three recommendations from my Indian friends.

1. Trim just the very tip and the end of the okra and pan fry the whole okra pods until tender.
2. Trim and round the pods then saute with onions and spices
3. Trim SMALL okra pods, dredge in spices and corn meal / flour, and deep fry

Note : After you wash the okra pods, wipe them dry with a paper towel. Controlling moisture is the key to controlling the slime.

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Vegetable Biryani

Ok, Biryani is my favorite Indian food. This is a simple vegetable biryani, one can add all sorts of things, chicken, lamb, beef, etc, but for a basic fill your stomach meal, this is the one.

Background

Biryani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and [[meat](chicken)]/vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) which means “fried” or “roasted”.

Biryani was brought to India and Pakistan by Persian travelers and merchants and local variants of this dish are not only popular in India and Pakistan but also in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and among Muslims in Sri Lanka.

The spices and condiments used in biryani may include but are not limited to: ghee, peas, beans, cumin, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander and mint leaves, ginger, onions, and garlic. The premium varieties include saffron. For a non-vegetarian biryani, the main ingredient that accompanies the spices is the meat—beef, chicken, goat, lamb, or shrimp. The dish may be served with dahi chutney or Raita, korma, curry, a sour dish of eggplant (brinjal) or a boiled egg.

The difference between biryani and pullao is that while pullao may be made by cooking the items together, biryani is used to denote a dish where the rice is cooked separately from the other ingredients.

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Baigan Bhatra

So it is late spring / early summer, all the aubergines are soon to take full bloom. (One reason the people in my town upstate lock their car doors is to keep other folks from putting zucchini on the car seat.)

But it was rather telling the local farm stand had a bumper crop of eggplant at most affordable prices.

Since I am at home, and tomorrow will be smoked meat day, (I always smoke chicken, brisket, and ribs on the 4th), I’ll do something a bit less meat based today.

Background
In Indian cuisine, an eggplant dish, by the name of Baingan Bartha, is popular especially in the states of Maharashtra, Bihar, Orissa, and West Bengal.The dish has many names, depending on the local language. In the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Tamils prepare a similar dish called kathrikai thayir kothsu, in which the eggplant is cooked and mashed and sautéed with mustard, red chilis, and sesame oil, after which curd is added to the mixture and dressed with coriander leaves. It involves smoked eggplant, mashed with fresh cilantro, chili pepper, onion and mustard oil. It is often eaten with an Indian flatbread (specifically roti or paratha), and is also served with rice, and/or raita (a yoghurt salad).

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Lauki Ke Kofte (Squash Kabob)

I am sure any number of folks out there will be screaming that this is really bottle gourd, but as the bottle gourds in the Bad Wolf garden are not ready yet, I’ll have to make do with what my green grocer can find for me.

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Bhindi Bhaji

Literally, okra and onions. yes, I know, done wrong okra has the consistency of snot! But they can be so good and so good for you. Well, worth the little extra work to make the dish pleasant

Background
Okra is richer in potassium than bananas and has nearly twice as much calcium gram for gram as milk. 100g supplies a third of the recommended daily intake of magnesium (needed for energy release and healthy nerves) and more than 10 per cent of the RDA for iron. Okra is also a source of fiber – stir-fried okra contains much fiber as whole wheat bread. In addition it is quite a good source of vitamin C and the antioxidant betacarotene, which has a range of benefits, including protection against cancer and heart disease by helping to neutralise free radicals.

Okra is one of those “binary foods” where people seem to hate it or love it, just like mushrooms, seaweed, and tofu. The hate is usually because of the gooey slime that coats the okra, but that is not a preordained fate

Okra becomes slimy when cooked with a moist method—in a stew, curry, gumbo (in all these the sliminess helps to thicken the overall dish), or a steamer basket. Stir-frying or sauteing in hot oil, in contrast, keeps the slime within the okra pieces, or perhaps causes the moisture in the mucilage to evaporate, thus improving the pods’ texture.

There are cooking techniques tol prevent your okra dish from being slimed. Indian food has many techniques of okra preparation, and I have three recommendations from my Indian friends.

1. Trim just the very tip and the end of the okra and pan fry the whole okra pods until tender.
2. Trim and round the pods then saute with onions and spices
3. Trim SMALL okra pods, dredge in spices and corn meal / flour, and deep fry

Note : After you wash the okra pods, wipte them dry with a paper towel. Controlling moisture is the key to controlling the slime.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kachumbar salad

A nice cool refreshing vegetable salad that works well as a side to rajma chawal and naan… It is also quite in season for the spring / summer.

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