Chicken Kheema (Minced Chicken Fry)

Kheema or mince can be prepared using any meat. I tried making kheema using chicken and ever since it has stayed at the top of our favorite dishes. For kids I use a little less of the spices and chilli powder. Kheema prepared using ground turkey follows the same recipe.


Ingredients
Ground chicken - 1 lb
Onion - 1
Green chillies - 2
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
Turmeric
Coriander
Oil

Preparation

1. Wash ground chicken in a colander and drain all the water.
2. Mix chicken with salt, chilli powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste and spices - cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and marinate for 30 min.
3. Take a pan and heat it up with 3 tbsp oil. Add onions and green chillies and fry until onions turn light brown.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Now add turmeric, ground chicken marinade and let cook with lid on for 15 - 20 min on medium-high heat. Keep stirring at intervals.
5. When all the water from the chicken has evaporated add garam masala and fry for 5 min.
Garnish with coriander and serve!

Tomato Rasam

Tomato Rasam or Tomato Charu is my absolute favorite. With a wonderful sour and spicy taste it looks and tastes delicious. Nothing like some warm and tangy tomato rasam over white rice on a cold wintry day...

Pick red ripe and fresh tomatoes for the best taste and color.

Ingredients

Tomatoes (large) - 4
Toor dal - 1 tsp

Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp

Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Garlic cloves - 3

Dry red chillies - 2

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves

Tamarind pulp - 2 tsp (optional)

Asofetida (Hing)

Oil - 2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Salt

Preparation
1. Boil tomatoes and toor dal in a pressure cooker for upto 1 whistle

2. When the cooker cools down grind tomatoes and toor dal to a pulp using a blender.

3. Heat a vessel on medium heat and add oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, crushed garlic pieces, urad dal and dry red chillies. Fry until mustard seeds splutter and garlic slightly changes color. Add a pinch of hing, turmeric and few curry leaves and stir.

4. Add the tomatoes and toor-dal mix from blender. Dilute this with 3/4 cup of water and cook for about 5 - 8 min.

5. Add tamarind paste or pulp from tamarind extract for an improved sour taste. If tomatoes are already sour tamarind is not needed.

6. Prepare rasam powder. Dry roast for a minute - 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seends, 1/2 tsp black pepper. When it cools down grind to a soft powder. Add the rasam powder to boiling tomato pulp mixture.

7. Heat until the rasam starts to boil. Turn off stove and garnish with coriander.

Ginger Chicken - Hyderabadi Style

Ever tried Ginger chicken at a Hyderabadi restaurant? It's luscious red color and thick gravy made from onion and ginger paste it has become a popular dish among chicken lovers. I learnt this mouth-watering recipe from my mother.

Ingredients

Chicken with bones - 1 lb
Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1 (large)
Green chillies - 3
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Orange food color
Ajinomoto
Sugar - 2 tsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric
Salt
Oil

Preparation

1. Cut chicken into medium sized pieces. Wash and drain excess water. Mix chicken with chilli powder, salt, turmeric, 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste and marinate for 1/2 hour.

2. Heat a sauce-pan, add chicken pieces and cook until water evaporates and chicken is 3/4 cooked.

3. In another pan add 1 tbsp oil. Chop onion into large pieces and fry lightly for about 3 min. Let this cool and grind to a paste.

4. Chop green chillies. Take a saute-pan, add oil and heat. Add ground onion paste, green chillies, 2 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, salt as needed and fry on low heat for 8 min or until the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away. Note that the quantity of ginger paste is twice that of garlic paste.

5. Add boiled chicken pieces, put the lid on and fry in low-medium heat for 10-15 min.

6. In a bowl add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, 1/4 tsp ajinomoto, 1 tsp soya sauce, 2 tsp sugar and a pinch of orange food color and mix. Add this mixture to the chicken and fry for 5 min.

Garnish with coriander and serve! Note that there is no garam masala used in the recipe.