Zeera rice with Chicken Masala Coorg

It seems like its been a long time that I made any chicken dishes. SO today I set forth to make a curry out of chicken and I didn't make any of my usual stand-by curry recipes. I made this new recipe I found called Chicken Masala Coorg and it turned out great
            To go with it, I thought of plain 'ol rice but then I made it more delicious by adding some Cumin (Zeera, Jeera, Jeelakarra etc) and some cashew.
            I ate this particular Zeera rice for the first time during my brother's wedding. As is customary in India, for the wedding to happen in the bride's town/city and the whole of the bridegroom's family and relatives go and stay there a day or two before the wedding. And the bride's family has to send the whole lunch and dinner and everything in between and beyond. So my sister-in-law's family sent this for one such lunch and I fell in love with the dish. It is the most simple and delicious rice dishes around

Zeera Chawal (Rice with cumin)

Zeera rice

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups basmati rice rinsed till the water turns clear
2. 31/2 cups water
3. 1 tablespoon cashew pieces
4. 2 tablespoons oil
5. 1 teaspoon cumin
6. 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 cardamom
7. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

In a pot heat the oil and fry the cumin and cloves, cardamom and broken cinnamom pieces along with cashew for about 5 minutes ot until the cumin turn dark. Add water and salt and bring to boil. Add rice and simmer until rice gets cooked. Serve hot

Chicken Masala Coorg (Spicy chicken curry in onion paste)

Murgh Masala Coorg

Ingredients

1. 2 chicken breasts cubed
2. 1 Green Chilli (or less if you like it mild)
3. 2-3 garlic pods
4. 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
5. 1 inch ginger piece chopped 
6. 1 meduim onion chopped 
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of roasted Cumin, Black Pepper Corns 
8. 1/2 teaspoon Salt
9. 2 tblsp Oil
10. 1 tablespoon white Vinegar 
11. chopped Cilantro  

Grind the green chillies, garlic,ginger, cumin seeds,pepper corns,red chilly powder, onions with the salt and the vinegar into smooth paste and marinate the chicken in it for an hour. Heat oil in a pan and add the chicken and fry for 2 minutes stir and fry 2 more minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken gets cooked and the oil floats on top. Garnish with the cilantro and serve with jeera rice.