Kashmiri Chicken

Overview
Kashmiri Chicken gets its name from this special Kashmiri chilly used in this dish. These chillies are special mild Red chillies  which adds a distinctive aroma and bright red color to the dish. Another unique aspect of this dish is grinding and adding raw almonds to the dish which thickens the gravy and adds a nutty flavor to the dish. Use whole spices and make your own garam masala powder for this dish though that is bit tedious it does add extra flavor to the dish.

Kashmiri Chicken

Kashmiri Chicken Ingredients

Ingredients
1 medium size chicken skinned cleaned and cut into small pieces - about 2 pounds
2 large tomatoes thin sliced
2 large red onions thin sliced
Cilantro finely chopped half cup
Ginger 2 inch pieces
Garlic 10  - 12 cloves
20 raw almonds soaked in water and skin removed
Plain yogurt 1/2 cup
Whole coriander seeds - 3 tablespoons
Whole Kashmiri Chillies soaked in water for about 2 - 3 hours - 4 - 6
Garam Masala powder home made - 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon red chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 - 4 tablespoon

Steps
1. Marinate the cleaned cut chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon chilly powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and salt and keep aside in refrigerator till for about 30 minutes to one hour.
2. Grind the ginger, garlic, peeled almonds, coriander seeds, soaked Kashmiri chillies, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and peeled almonds to a smooth paste with about 1/ 4 cup water.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil gets hot add the thin sliced onions and saute till the onions turn light golden brown. Add the ground paste to the oil and saute the ground masala well till the oil separates.
4. Add the sliced tomatoes to this along with salt mix well cover with lid and cook on slow flame. Stir every 5 minutes and cook till the tomatoes and cooked well .
5. Add the marinated chicken pieces along with the yogurt to this mix well and cook on slow flame stirring every 5 - 10 minutes. Cook till chicken is tender and the gravy has thickened. Add Garam masala powder to this and half of the finely chopped cilantro. Mix well.

Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro and serve with any Indian Bread or Rice.

Val Payar Mezhukkupuratti ( Sword Beans Stir fry)

Overview
Sword beans are very nutritious and tasty. This is a simple stir fried dish with this fleshy broad beans. Simple and easy to make and is good side dish for any rice or Indian bread. My friend gave me this fresh sword beans from their garden. The sword bean should be tender to make this dish.

Val Payar Mezhukkupuratti

ValPayar Mezhukkupuratti Ingredients

Ingredients
Tender sword beans stringed and sliced - 2 cups
One medium size red onions - thin sliced
Garlic 6 - 8 cloves thin sliced
Crushed red pepper flakes - 2 tablespoon
Turmeric  - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves  - 2 sprigs
Salt to taste
 Oil 2 tablespoon

Steps
1. String the sword beans and wash and drain. Sliced them into thin slices and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the sliced onions and garlic to this. Saute till the onions are light brown. 3. Add the turmeric and red pepper flakes to this and stir few minutes. Add curry leaves and fry few minutes.
4. Add the sliced Sword beans to this and add salt. Mix well lower heat and cook covered. Keep stirring very 5 minutes and cook till the beans are cooked well and liquid is evaporated.

Serve hot as a side dish with any rice or Indian bread. Can be served as a side dish with any meat.

Chicken Pad Thai

Overview
My sons love Pad Thai and this is one of their favorite Thai dish.  This is a stir fried rice noodle dish made with a sweet and sour sauce. You can make Pad Thai with shrimp or chicken or a combination of both. Here I have only used chicken.

Chicken Pad Thai

Pad Thai Ingredients

Ingredients
14 oz rice noddle
1 pound chicken breast cut into thick strips
1 1/2 cups Bean sprouts
1 cup chopped green onions
3 Eggs
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 Teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
2 Thai green chilly finely chopped
2 Teaspoons finely chopped garlic
5Ttablespoon oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup Soy sauce
1/4 cup Tamarind juice( made fresh with a lime size ball of tamarind)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Salt to taste
Lemon wedges
Tapioca powder - 1 tablespoon to thicken the sauce

Steps
1. Put the tamarind in 1/4 cup warm water and keep for about 15 - 20 minutes and then squeeze out the pulp and drain and keep aside the tamarind sauce.
2. In a big pot add about 1 gallon of water. When the water is hot turn of heat. Add the Rice noodle. stir and keep covered for about 10 - 15 minutes till the noodles are just cooked. Do not over cook the noodles. Drain noodles when done and stir with one tablespoon of oil and keep aside so they don't stick to each other.
3. Mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, tamarind juice and brown sugar in a bowl and keep aside.
4. Whisk the eggs well with a little salt and scramble in a pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Keep aside the scrambled eggs.
5. In a big wok heat reaming oil. When the oil gets hot add the finely chopped garlic. Saute few minutes and then add the red pepper flakes. Saute few minutes and add the chicken strips and a little salt to it and stir till the chicken is cooked well and all liquid drained.
6. Mix 3 tablespoon water to the tapioca powder and keep aside.
7. Add the cooked noodles to the cooked chicken along with all the sauce mixture. Stir well. Add half of the chopped green onions, half of the chopped cilantro, bean sprouts and half of the crushed peanut to this and mix well. Add the scrambled eggs to this and stir well.
8. Add the tapioca powder mixed with water to this and stir well to thicken the sauce. Taste and check if extra salt or sugar needed. Turn off heat

Serve hot with crushed peanuts, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions on top of each serving and a Lemon wedge.

Idichakka Thoran 2 (Tender Jack Fruit Stir Fry)

Overview
This is a very common dish in Kerala since we get lot of Jack fruit. Tender raw jack fruit is used for this dish. The jack fruit pieces are cooked and shredded by hand and sauteed with coconut to make a delicious side dish that goes well with plain rice. I found this frozen tender jack fruit at the Indian store and tried this dish. It comes out very well with frozen jack fruit.

Idichakka Thoran

Idichakka Thoran Ingredients

Ingredients
Frozen or fresh cleaned jack fruit pieces - 1 pound
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves - 6 - 8
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Red chilly powder  - 1 teaspoon
Whole red chillies - 3  - 4 broken to pieces
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Urdu Dal - 1 tablespoon.

Steps
1. Cook the jack fruit pieces with salt and a pinch of turmeric powder till it is tender. Let it cool to room temperature. Shred it with hands to strands not mashing it much and keep aside.
2. In a blender grind the coconut, cumin and garlic coarsely.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. after the seeds splutter add the broken red chilly pieces, curry leaves and Urdu Dal to the oil and saute till the Urdu Dal is light brown.
4. Add the chilly powder to the oil and coarsely ground coconut mixture to this and saute well. Add the shredded jack fruit pieces to this and saute till all the liquid has evaporated.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Paniyaram

Overview
A nutritious and healthy breakfast dish that is made with idly batter. Its a healthy dish made with rice and black lentil fermented batter. The batter is mixed with finely chopped onions, green chilly, ginger and curry leaves and poured into special mould that makes this Paniyaram into small balls. These beautiful leaf shaped dishes were presented to me by my cousin.

Paniyaram and Chutney

Paniyaram Ingredients

Ingredients
Idly batter - 2 cups
Green chilly  - 3 finely chopped
Ginger one inch piece finely chopped
Half a red onion finely chopped

Steps
1. Heat the paniharam mould. Wipe the moulds with oil.
2. Mix all the ingredients with the idly batter and mix well.
3. Add spoon full of batter into each hole of the mould. Cook on slow flame for about 5 - 6 minutes till the lower part is brown. Turn over and cook the other side.

Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Ambhazanga (Hog Plum) Chutney

Overview
Ambhazanga is very good fruit to make chutney. It tastes kind of like raw mangoes. A very simple chutney that is easy to make and goes well with any rice and Indian breads. This chutney especially goes well with biriyani or any fried rice.

Ambhazanga Chutney

Ambhazanga Chutney Ingredients

Ingredients
Ambhazanga - Peeled and cut into pieces - 1 cup
Fresh grated coco nut - 1 cup
Shallots peeled - 10
Ginger 1 inch piece
Green chilly 6 - 8
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs
Salt to taste

Steps
Mix all the ingredients in a blender with 1/4 cup hot water and grind to a smooth paste. Serve with any Fried rice or biriyani.

Shammi Kebabs

Overview
A good appetizer that can be made with any ground meat. Here I have used ground beef. Channa Dal(Split chick pea) is soaked and ground to a smooth paste that makes the binding agent for this kebab. Finely chopped mint and cilantro adds additional flavor to this Kebab. You can make this as spicy as you like just reduce the amount of green chillies added.

Beef Shammi Kebabs

Beef Shammi Kebabs Ingredients 

Ingredients
Browned ground beef - 1 1/2 cups
Channa Dal soaked - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped onions - 1 cup
Finely chopped ginger 2 teaspoon
Finely chopped garlic - 1 teaspoon
Finely chopped green chilly 3 - 4
Finely chopped fresh mint leaves - 3 tablespoons
Finely chopped fresh cilantro  leaves - 3 tablespoon
Ground black pepper  - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
Salt o taste
Oil for frying Kebabs

Steps
1. Brown the ground beef and keep aside.
2. Soak the Channa Dal for 6 - 8 hours and bring to a smooth paste adding little little water at a time. This should be a thick paste.
3.  Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in pan and saute the finely chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chilly till the onions are soft. Turn off heat and let it cool to room temperature.
4. In a big bowl mix the ground beef and the sauteed onions ginger, garlic and green chilly to this. Add the finely chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Add the ground Channa Dal and black pepper powder, garam masala powder and enough salt to this. Mix well.
5. Shape the beef mixture into desired kebab shapes and deep fry in hot oil.

Serve hot with mint chutney and simple onion salad or Ketchup.