north indian food.htm

METHOD

Skin, clean and make deep cuts chicken. Keep the chicken whole.

Rub the chicken with lemon juice, ginger garlic paste and salt. Leave aside for an hour.

Whisk all the ingredients for red marinade in a bowl. Coat the entire chicken and leave aside for 2 hours.

Skewer and cook in a medium hot tandoor until done. Alternate method for a tandoor could be an oven.

Butter Chicken

INGREDIENTS

700 gm raw chicken

Marinade
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
½ kg curd

Gravy
100 gm white butter
½ tsp black cumin seeds
½ kg tomato - pureed
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
prepared chicken
75 gm white butter
100 gm fresh cream
4 sliced green chillies
½ tsp crushed fenugreek leaves

METHOD

For the marinade,mix red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and curd together. Marinade is ready.

Now mix the raw chicken in the marinade and keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

Then roast the marinated chicken in a tandoor or an oven for about 5-10 minutes till it is three fourth done.

For the gravy, heat white butter in pan. Add black cumin seeds, tomato puree, sugar, red chilli powder and salt. Mix it well.

Now add the prepared chicken, white butter, fresh cream, sliced green chillies and crushed fenugreek leaves.

Cook till chicken is done.

Butter Chicken is ready to eat.

Serve hot with rice or naan.

Murg Badam Korma

INGREDIENTS

Chicken
400 gm boneless chicken pieces
almond paste
1 tbsp oil
4 cloves
4 cardamoms
2 sticks of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 cup yoghurt

Gravy
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp brown onion paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli paste
1 tsp salt
3 cups of chicken stock
½ tsp mixture of mace and cardamom powder
½ tsp >garam masala
2 drops of kewra essence
saffron, roast almonds, juliennes of ginger and coriander leaves to garnish

METHOD

For the Chicken, put almond paste in thin chicken slices and tie the piece together with a thread.

Then heat oil in pan. Add cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, bay leaves and chicken. Cook the chicken till it loses color, and then add the yoghurt. Cover the pan and cook for about 2 minutes.

Strain the chicken and remove the thread from it. Now keep the chicken aside along with the strained chicken stew.

For the Gravy, heat oil in pan. Add ginger garlic paste, onion paste, coriander powder, red chilli paste, salt, strained chicken stew, chicken stock, prepared chicken pieces, mixture of mace and cardamom powder, garam masala and kewra essence.

Cover the pan and cook for about five minutes.

Now put the chicken in a container and garnish with saffron, roast almonds, juliennes of ginger and coriander leaves.

Seal the lid of the container with wheat dough. This will not allow the aroma to escape easily.

Then place the sealed container on a low fire, a thick tava or an oven and cook for about 10 minutes.

Murg Badam Korma is ready to eat.

Serve hot with Rice or tandoori roti.

Parath Parantha

INGREDIENTS

Parath parantha
flour
red chilli powder
salt
garam masala
clarified butter; all to taste

METHOD

Knead the flour into dough. Then roll the dough into a shape of a chapatti. Sprinkle red chilli powder, salt and garam masala.

Smear Clarified butter on it, mix and spread it evenly. Now slice it into 16 squarish pieces. Place pieces, one on top of each other.

Compress and roll into shape again and deep-fry it in clarified butter on low flame.

Parath parantha is ready to eat.

Serve hot with sabzi, pickle and chutneys of your own choice.

Aloo Jeera (Potato and Cumin)

INGREDIENTS

200 gm potatoes
50 ml oil
10 gm cumin seeds
20 gm ginger
30 gm garlic
10 gm turmeric
20 gm red chilli powder
100 gm tomatoes
05 gm garam masla
20 coriander powder
10 gm coriander leaves
salt to taste

METHOD

Boil the potatoes and dice them. Chop the onions, garlic, ginger, coriander and the tomatoes.

Heat oil and sauté the cumin seeds until they crackle. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté until golden.

Stir in the chopped ginger and add the potatoes.

Sprinkle turmeric and chilli powder and stir.

Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Paneer Makhani

INGREDIENTS

Paneer Tikka
1/2 kg (home made or store bought)
Butter 2 tbsp (30 g)
Oil 1 tsp
Kala Zeera(black cumin) 1 tsp
Tomato Puree 1 cup
Salt, to taste or 2 tsp
Cream 3/4 cup (180 g)

A few strips of green chillies, cut lengthwise, for garnish

METHOD

Heat the butter and oil, and when the butter melts, addthe `kala jeera' and then the tomato puree and cook over high heat, stirring a few times, till the mixture comes to a boil, and then simmer till the puree splutters.
Add the salt and paneer and turn around afew times till coated with the puree and heated through.
Add the cream and turn around a few times till well blended and hot.
Serve immediately, garnished with the green chillies.
Note: If serving later, add the cream and shut off the heat, and re-heat and proceed with the rest, later.

Chicken Curry

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken - skinned and jointed
2 tbsp oil/ butter
2 ground onions
½ tsp kashmiri mirch
1 ½ tbsp roasted, ground fennel seeds
1 tsp ginger powder
3 large tomatoes - skinned, deseeded and chopped
2 cloves
2 large cardamoms
350 ml water/ stock

METHOD

Fry the chicken in hot oil for 5 minutes to seal. Remove from pan.

In the same oil, sauté onions until golden brown in color. Add the chilli powder, fennel seeds and ginger powder. Stir well and season with salt.

Add tomatoes to the pan. Stir in cloves and cardamoms. Cook for 5 minutes before adding water/ stock. Bring to a boil.

Return chicken to the pan and simmer over a gentle flame until tender.

Strain the juices and serve with the chicken.

Kabargah
(Fried Meat Ribs)

INGREDIENTS

1 kg breast of lamb-cut into pieces
1 cup refined oil
2 cups of boiled milk
2 cups of water
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
2 cinnamon stick
2 brown cardamom
2 green cardamom
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 to 3 silver leaves
1 tsp saffron-optional
2 tbsp gram flour
salt to taste

METHOD

Wash meat and put into pressure cooker, Add water, milk, powdered spices and whole spices together and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and check if the meat is tender. Boil on high flame till the water dries up. Let it cool down.

Remove meat pieces one by one with a tong so that they do not break. Keep them separately in a large plate.

Whisk the yogurt with the gram flour well and add 2tsp water to make into a smooth consistency. Dip meat pieces one by one and fry till they turn a golden brown. Decorate with silver leaves and serve

Marchwagan Korma
(Red hot meat curry)

NGREDIENTS

1 kg meat-cut into pieces
12 ½ cups water
1 cup pure ghee
salt to taste
1 tbsp ground garlic
10 green cardamoms
5 cloves
1 ½ cups Kashmiri red chilli powder-dissolved in 10 cups of water
4 black cardamoms
4 tsp turmeric powder
5 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp dry ginger powder
1 ½ cups dry cockscomb (mawal) flowers-heated with 1 ½ cups water, extract
1 tsp black cumin seeds
1 tsp dry mint leaves

METHOD

Bring the water to a boil in the pan and add the meat. Mix well and then bring the water to a boil again. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the water. When the meat is cool, wash under cold running water and then keep aside.

In a pan, add the blanched meat, ghee, salt, garlic, green cardamoms and cloves. Mix well and fry until the meat is light brown in color.

Add the red chill water, black cardamoms, turmeric powder, cinnamon sticks and dry ginger powder. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and cover the pan and cook until the meat is tender. Add some water if need be. Stir occasionally.

Add the cockscomb flower extract, black cumin seeds and dry mint leaves. Mix well and let the mixture simmer for about 4 minutes.

Roganjosh
(Meat Curry in Red Gravy)

INGREDIENTS

1 kg meat
1 cup mustard/refined oil
3 tsp red chili powder
3 tsp fennel powder
2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp cumin powder
3 tsp brown cardamom powder
1 tsp asafoetida liquid
4 pieces of green cardamom
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bayleaves
2 cloves
1/3 tsp saffron-optional
1 cup curd
salt to taste

METHOD

Wash the meat properly.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Put cinnamon, bayleaves, green cardamom, cloves, 1tsp salt, asafoetida, and meat together. Fry meat till it turns brown.

Pour a cup of water. Add the red chili powder and saffron into the meat. Keep stirring for one minute.

Mix the curd nicely in mixer and pour into the pressure cooker. Keep on stirring till it gives the red clour.

Add 2 cups of water, fennel powder, ginger powder, and pressure for 2 minutes. Check if the meat is tender. Peel and grind green and brown cardamom and add to the meat dish. Finally sprinkle cumin powder and simmer for a minute and serve.

Tabakh Maaz
(Delicious ribs- a Kashmiri delicacy)

INGREDIENTS

1 kg rib cage (only the membranous part of the ribs, not the chop), un-separated
5 litres water
4 ½ tsp ground garlic
3 ½ tsp salt
12 ½ cups cold water
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry ginger powder
8 cloves
8 black cardamom
3 ½ tsp turmeric powder
2 ½ cups pure ghee

METHOD

Bring the water to a boil; add the ribs. Continue to boil, removing the scum that rises to the surface. Repeat until the water is clear. Boil covered till the ribs are half done.

Add the garlic and mix well. Continue to boil for another 10 minutes. Add the salt and boil covered, continuously till the membrane between the ribs can be pierced with the thumb. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the water. Cool the ribs and then immerse in a pan of cold water. Wash thoroughly and keep them aside. Do not discard this water.

Chop the ribs with a heavy, sharp knife into 8 equal rectangular pieces.

Boil the water in which the ribs were washed. Add the chopped ribs, salt, dry ginger powder, cloves, black cardamoms and turmeric powder. Mix well. Let it boil until the bones can be extracted from the membrane easily. Remove the pan from the heat and take out the ribs with a slotted spoon. Keep aside. Discard the water.

Arrange the ribs in a large frying pan, so that they don’t overlap. Pour the ghee over them. Fry until they are reddish brown all over. Turn occasionally. Drain out the ghee before serving.

Hindi Rogan Josh
(A variation of the original recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1 kg neck of lamb-cut into pieces
5 cups water
1 ½ tbsp ginger-sliced lengthwise
6 green cardamoms
6 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
6 black cardamoms
salt to taste
5 bay leaves
2 tbsp onion-grated
2 cups cooked yogurt
1 cup pure ghee
½ cup Kashmiri red chilli powder-dissolved in 5 cups of water
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp tamarind-boiled in 3 tbsp water, strained, extract

METHOD

Blanch the meat in boiling water for a minute. Drain the water and wash the meat in cold water.

Mix the blanched meat with ginger, green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, cloves, black cardamoms, salt, bay leaves, onions, cooked yogurt and ghee in a pan. Fry the meat until the water has dried up.

Add a cup of red chilli water, stir until it is completely absorbed and the ghee rises to the surface. Repeat this process adding a cup at a time, till all the red chilli water is used up.

In another pan, add 6 cups water, turmeric powder, tamarind extract and the meat mixture. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the meat is tender and very little water remains.

Badam Korma
(Tender mutton in creamy almond)

INGREDIENTS

1 kg hind leg of lamb-cut into cubes
10 cups water
1 cup desi ghee
10 green cardamoms
salt to taste
½ cup garlic water
5 cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
½ cup almonds-blanched, peeled, made into a fine paste with ½ cup milk
½ cup full cream

METHOD

Boil the water, add the meat and blanch for 1-2 minutes. Drain the water and wash the meat in cold water and keep aside.

In a pan, add the meat, ghee, green cardamoms, salt, garlic water, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Mix well and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously. Fry until the meat changes color to a very light brown. Add enough water so that when the meat is tender, very little water remains.

When the meat is soft, remove the pan from the heat and cool. Add the almond paste. Pour in the cream and mix well. Return the pan to very low heat and simmer the mixture, stirring all the time. Heat through

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