Chicken curry with Zucchini

I have said this multiple times but yet again I will write it again...I have been trying to incorporate more vegetables in my meals, so the chicken curry which is actually an impersonation of chicken karahi dish is with Zucchini's in it and it was super delicious.

Chicken curry with Zucchini (Chicken and zucchini Indian style)

Ingredients:

1. 1lb chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
2. 3/4 teaspoon salt
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, chilli powder, cumin seeds
4. 1 medium onion chopped fine
5. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
6. 1 bay leaf
7. 2 large tomatoes chopped fine
8. 1 large or 2 medium zucchini quartered and sliced
9. 1 tablespoon oil

Marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin and bay leaf and let the cumin splutter. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the marinated chicken and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat. Add zucchini and cook for 7-8 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with brown rice or like me serve with rice and quinoa

Chicken with Cauliflower

I was trying to find a recipe which had chicken and some vegetables...so that I can make the family eat more veggies. This recipe is great. It just flew off the dish super fast and everyone loved it.

Chicken with Cauliflower (Chicken and cauliflower cooked in coconut gravy)

Chicken and Cauliflower curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb chicken breast cut into bit size pieces ( I cut them into medallions)
2.  2 cuts cauliflower florets
3.  3/4 teaspoon salt or to your taste
4. 1 cup thick coconut milk*
5.  1 small bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
6.  1 medium small onion sliced
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
9. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, chilli powder

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they start turning brown. Add chicken along with turmeric, salt and chilli powder. Cook for 10 minutes. Add cauliflower and fry for a few minutes. Add coconut mix or milk and 1 more cup of water and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add bell pepper and mix and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with hot rice

* I did not have coconut milk so I used 1/2 cup dried coconut in 1 cup hot water and ground it up and used it

Chinese Chicken with Mushroom

The place we moved to, from Los Angeles has very less choices for Chinese Restaurants and and whatever are there their version of Chinese tastes different from what me and my family are used to. Unbelievable how ethnic food tastes get modified to the tastes of the local population.

Anyway, I wanted to make chicken with chinese flavors and the only vegetable I had on hand was mushrooms. And I made the chicken with mushrooms Chinese flavored and I served with with Black and white rice. What is Black and White rice??? I cup regular white rice and 1 cup black rice (I found them in Costco) cooked together

Chinese Chicken and Mushroom curry

Chinese Chicken and Mushroom Curry

Ingredients for Marinate

1. 1 tablespoon each of oyster sauce, soya sauce, white vinegar, sesame oil
2. 2 tablespoons corn starch
3. 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

Ingredients

1. 2 chicken breasts cut into 1/4 inch thick slices about 1-2 inches long
2. 8-12 oz mushrooms wiped clean and quartered
3. 1 medium onion chopped into 1 inch pieces
4. 1 teaspoon each of grated ginger, garlic
5. 2 tablespoons oil
6. Salt and pepper to taste

marinate the chicken pieces in the marinate ingredients for atleast 30 minutes. Heat oil in a wok or pan (don't use non stick) until its very hot. Add the chicken and fry stirring regularly for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Add one more tablespoon of oil if needed. Add the onions and fry for 3 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and the mushrooms and stir regularly and fry for 10 minutes. Add the chicken back to the pot. Add 1/2 cup water and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust the salt and pepper and garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with steamed black and white rice or white rice or brown rice with some siracha on the side

Konkani chicken with mirchi ka salan

I was thinking of a friend of mine who is Konkani. Once when I went to lunch at her home she made the most unique dishes I ever ate. It was a curry made of fruits. She gave me the recipe but I never made it.
              But thinking of her made me think of Konkani chicken curry and I found it at the vah  re vah website. I made it and it was fantastic. It turned out even better in the evening. I served it with white rice and a very different kind of a mirchi ka Salan . If you want the authentic Hyderabadi mirchi ka Salan Click Here

Konkani chicken curry (chicken in coconut based gravy)

Konkani Chicken Curry

Ingredients

1. 1 lb chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
2. 1 inch cinnamon broken
3. 2 cloves
4. Few curry leaves
5. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
6. 1 medium large onion chopped
7. 3 tablespoons oil
8. 1 teaspoon or more salt divided
9. 2 green chillies chopped
10. 1/2 cur desiccated coconut dry roasted
11. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
12. 2 tablespoons Konkani masala
13. 1 tableSpoon tomato paste (optional)

Konkani masala

Ingredients

1. Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
   Bengal Gram - 2 tbslp
   Rice - 2 teaspoon
   Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
   Aniseed or fennel seeds (saunf) -1 teaspoon 
   6 dried red chillies
   
   
   
   For Konkani masala:
   1. Dry Roast each ingredients, individually
   2. Cool and grind.
   3. Store in an airtight jar and use as required.
   
   In a flat pan heat the oil and fry the cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves for a minute. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and fry till they become crispy. Add green chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add tomato paste if using and fry for a couple of minutes. Add turmeric and 

For the Konkani Curry

In a non stick pan heat the oil and add the cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves and fry for a minute. 

Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and fry till it becomes crispy. Add the green chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the Konkani masala and turmeric and stir to combine and fry for a minute. Add tomato paste if using and fry for a couple of minutes. Add chicken and stir to combine and cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the salt and 1/2 cup of water and simmer 10 more minutes. Add the roasted coconut and stir and simmer for Couple more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Mirchi Ka Salan (Bell pepper in a creamy coconut gravy)

Shimla Mirchi ka Sallan

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 of each of 2 or 3 different colored bellpepper cut at an angle
2. 2 tablespoons groundnuts/peanuts dry roasted
3. 1 teaspoon melon or sun flower seeds or almonds dry roasted
4. 1 tablespoon thick juice of tamarind
5. 1/2 cup thick coconut milk, plain yogurt beaten
6. few curry leaves
7. 2 bay leaves
8. 1/2 teaspoon cumin, mustard seeds
9. 1 tablespoon oil
10. 1 inch cinnamon
11. 1 teaspoon garam masala
12. 3 dried red chillies
13. 1/2 teaspoon chilly powder, turmeric
14. 1 teaspoon salt

In a deep bottomed pan heat the oil and fry the curry leaves and bay leaves for a minute. Add the cinnamon, cumin, dried red chillies  and mustard seeds and fry till they splutter. Add garam masala, chilly powder and turmeric and ground peanuts and the other seeds (almonds or sun flower or melon). Add bell pepper and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Mix the yogurt and coconut milk and add to the pot and simmer for 5-7 more minutes. Serve it with white rice

Chana Dal Murgh

Chana Dal or Bengal Gram goes very well with meat but I never used to like it when I was a kid. But I have grown over it and now I really really like it. I wanted to see if it goes well with Chicken as well and let me tell you, this is one of the most delicious currys' I served with roti. Try it to believe it.

The creamier you want your dal to be the more you cook it. And my dal got totally mashed up and super creamy-the way I like it. And I used Chicken thighs but you can use any part of chicken you like. Enjoy

Chana Dal Murgh (Chicken with Split Bengal Gram)

Chicken with Chana Dal Gravy

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup chana dal soaked in water for 30 minutes
2. 1-1/2 chicken 
3. 1 cup chopped onions
4. 2 medium tomatoes chopped
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, chilly powder, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 1 inch cinnamon stick broken
9. 2 cloves

Marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric, chilly powder and garam masala for30-60 minutes. In a pressure cooker heat the oil and fry the onions till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute along with the cinnamon and cloves. Add tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes. Add dal with a cup of water and cook for 2 whistles. Let all the steam escape, open the cooker and add the chicken and cook further for 2 more minutes. Simmer till the gravy thickens to your liking. garnish with a handful of cilantro and serve with your favorite Roti

Other chana dal recipes 

Purple Cabbage with Chana Dal

Chana Dal Mango