Chicken Ghee Roast | Classic Chicken Dish from Coastal Karnataka

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Chicken Ghee Roast is a classic spicy-tangy delicacy from my native. It was first invented in Shetty Lunch Home in a small coastal town of Kundapur in South India, but it became popular in Mangalorean restaurants. We get to relish this dish in all places now including some restaurants in Bangalore which specialize in coastal food. Now there are many versions of this dish, I make it in two ways - one with my very handy spice mix  - Kundapur Masala Powder and the other with freshly roasted spices depending on the time I have to cook.  Either way it can not go wrong as there are two great things in this dish "Indian spices" and lots of "ghee" (clarified butter).  

One kg chicken needs about a cup of ghee, please do not skimp on the ghee as it brings out the special flavor of this dish. It's originally a spicy dish but you can reduce the amount of chillies to suit your taste. Please read on for the recipe.

 

Ingredients: 
Chicken: 1 kg
Turmeric: 1 tsp
Lemon juice:2 tbsp
Curd: 1/2 cup Salt to taste
Ghee(clarified Butter): 1 cup
Curry Leaves: 1-2 sprigs
Sugar: 1 tsp 

For the spice paste:
Dry red chillies (mild variety): 25-30
Garlic: 6-8 cloves 
Coriander seeds : 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds:  1 tsp
Blackpepper: 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds:1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste: 1 tbsp 

Method:

1. Clean chicken and cut into medium size pieces (make gashes on the bigger pieces/drumsticks). Marinate the chicken with curd, lemon and salt, keep aside for 2-3 hours. 

2.  Heat a tsp of coconut oil and roast dry red chillies, Pepper corn, coriander, cumin and  fenugreek seeds. Grind it with tamarind paste and garlic to a thick paste, add a little water as needed. 

 or

  Take a cup of thick tamarind extract, add 4-5 tbsp of kundapur masala powder and make a thick paste. 

3. Heat 1/2 cup of ghee in a wok, add marinated chicken and saute for 10-15 mins or until the chicken is almost done. 

4. In the meantime heat the remaining ghee in a small pan add curry leaves and let it crisp up a bit, add the spice paste, sugar,a pinch of salt and fry until the spice paste is roasted nicely and ghee separates. 

5. Now add the roasted spice paste to half cooked chicken in the wok and cook the chicken. Keep sauteing until all the masala sticks to the chicken and dries out. 

6. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve as a starter or as a side dish with Dose/Appams.  

 
 

  

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Chicken Masala

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Here I am back wearing my cooking and clicking hat after a month long stay at home in India. I traveled alone with my hyperactive toddler and I didnt want the world to know how stressed I was about this whole thing. Managing a toddler alone in the airport and safely reaching home was a task for me:) It didn't stop at that as I had to remotely work from India for almost all the days. Did I enjoy the trip? I guess so when I saw my little one enjoying her time with her grand parents and cousins. It was a joy trip for her. I think it was worth it:) I missed my kitchen and cooking a bit specially during deepawali but I totally relished all the special dishes that my mom and mom in law made for me.

When I returned to SG my better half was starving for home made food ;-) So I made this quick chicken dish that doesn't need any marination or extra effort. Put all the basic masalas from ur spice box and you will have this finger licking good chicken ready in 30 minutes. It goes so well with hot roti/chapathi. You can also cook it a little longer to dry it and serve it as a starter. 

Ingredients:

Chicken : 500 gms

Onion: 2

Tomato: 2

Green chillies: 2

Ginger:1 inch

Garlic: 5-6 cloves

Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp

Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

Oil: 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method: 

1. Wash and clean chicken and cut into medium size pieces and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan and finely chopped garlic and ginger and sauté, add finely chopped onion and sauté until it turns into golden brown color.

3. Add slit green chillies and red chilli powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt to taste and mix well, sauté on low flame for 30 seconds.

4. Add in chicken pieces and mix well. Cover and cook for 10-15mins or until the chicken is almost cooked. Add a little water if it's too dry.

5. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cover and cook for another 2 minutes.

6. Add garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

7. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and turn off the flame. Keep it covered for 5 minutes so that all the flavors blend well.

8. Serve it as a starter or a side dish with rotis.

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Kuska Rice and Boneless chicken biriyani | Learn how to make plain biriyani rice and boneless Chicken Biriyani

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I am back with another biriyani recipe. The chicken biriyani that I made before was with chicken on bone cooked in dum style. Today I tried boneless version without dum cooking. I was trying to replicate my childhood favorite rice item Kuska Rice from my father's hotel. It's nothing but plain biriyani rice.  Me and my sisters loved to eat this kuska rice with sherva (Plain Savji curry). In the hotel they used keep the Kuska rice ready and prepare chicken/Egg/Mutton or Veg biriyani with it as and when the order was placed.

So this Kuska rice came out really well and it had all the flavors of a good biriyani. Then I thought of making a chicken masala and preparing biriyani with it. I had some boneless chicken in store so out came this delicious chicken masala and the biriyani! It tasted just like the famous Meghana Boneless Biriyani. My family loved it. This has all the qualities to be out next family favorite dish:) I have noted down the recipe to make Kuska Rice and the boneless chicken biriyani with it. You can replace it with chicken on bone. It was just another pefect Biriyani :) Please read on for the recipe.

Kuska Rice /Plain Biriyani rice recipe: 
Ingredients:

Rice: 3 cups

Green chillies: 4-5

Onion: 3

Ghee/Oil: 3 tbsp

Caraway seeds (shahijeera): 1 tsp

Cardamom pods: 3-4

Clove: 4

Cinnamon stick: 1

Bay leaf: 1

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Yogurt/curd : 1/2 cup

Chopped coriander and mint leaves: 1 fistful

Salt to taste
Safrron: 1 pinch
Rose water: 1 tbsp (Optional)
Kewra Water: 1 tbsp (Optional)

Preparation:

1. Wash and soak rice in enough water for 30 mins

2. Thinly slice onion, slit green chillies, chop coriander and mint leaves.

3. Soak saffron in 2 tbsp of warm milk or water.

Method:

1. Heat ghee/oil in a thick bottomed wok, add caraway seeds and whole garam masalas - clove, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf. Sauté until the ghee is fragrant.

2. Add thinly sliced onion and fry until onion turns to golden brown and crispy.

3. Now remove 2 tbsp of fried onions and keep it for garnishing. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies, sauté until the raw smell disappears.

4. Add beaten yogurt, salt, chopped mint and coriander leaves and mix well. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

5. Add soaked rice and fry it for 2-3 minutes. Add 4.5 cups of water (1.5 cups for 1 cup of rice)

6. When it starts boiling cover with the tight lid and cook until the water on top is dried.

7. Open the lid sprinkle 1 tsp of rose water and kewra water and saffron milk  and put the lid back and keep it on low flame for 15 mins and turn of the flame.

8. Allow it to cool for 10 mins, open the lid and mix the rice up slowly without breaking it.

Garnish with fried onions and the rice is ready. You can serve it some spicy gravy of your choice or make biriyani with it. Read on to to know how to make boneless chicken biriyani.

Boneless Chicken Masala for Biriyani:

For Marinade:

Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric: 1/2tsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Biriyani powder: 2 tsp
Egg: 1
Corn Flour: 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Boneless chicken cubes: 500 gms

In a large mixing bowl add all the items listed for marinade and mix well. Add boneless chicken pieces and mix. Keep it refrigerated for 2 hours.

For chicken masala:

Ingredients:
Ghee: 5-6 tbsp.
Cashews: 10-12
Onion: 2
Green chillies: 2
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Mint and coriander leaves: 3 tbsp

Yogurt: 1 cup
salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashews until golden brown, remove and keep aside.

2. To the remaining ghee, add sliced onions and fry until golden brown, add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears.

4. Add slit green chillies, salt, coriander and mint leaves saute for a while.

5. Mix in marinated chicken and fry for 5-6 minutes. Add a cup of beaten yogurt and cook until the chicken is done. It shouldn't be too dry, should be of thick gravy consistency. Add a little water if required.

6. Squeeze in lemon juice and the chicken masala is ready to go!

Serving:
1. In a serving bowl, add the plain biriyani rice and top it up with chicken masala and garnish with fried cashews, fried onions, chopped mint and coriander leaves. Serve hot with yogurt raita.

Notes:
1. Do not over cook the rice, Biriyani rice grains should be separated in a good biriyani :) you can add orange food coloring if you like the rice to be colorful.

2. Adding rose water/Kewra water is optional but recommended as it really brings the biriyani flavor out.

3. You can adjust the chicken masala according to your taste, you can add tomato puree or also can add 2 tbsp cream to make the gravy rich.

Please click here to know how to make biriyani powder.--> Fresh Biriyani Powder in a Jiffy

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The famous Saoji chicken Curry and Jawar Roti from North Karnataka

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Saoji (or Savji) food is a popular delicacy from Maharashtra and North Karnataka region in India. If you have been in these places you would have definitely come across Saoji Khanavali or Saoji hotels that serve jawar roti with spicy, aromatic and very delicious Saoji curries. The most famous one is the Saoji Mutton curry. My husband loves jawar roti with Saoji curry that we get in North karnataka. Making Jawar roti is bit of a task for me, I've failed miserably couple of times. This weekend I tried my luck again and made this delicious saoji chicken curry with jawar roti. To my surprise the roti came out perfectly and I was doing the happy dance :-)

Saoji curry is made with a masala powder prepared with dry red chillies, garam masalas, dry coconut and the special ingredient "jawar flour" (Sorghum/White Millet flour) Coconut and Flour in the masala help to thicken the curry. If you have the masala handy it will take less than 30 minutes to prepare the chicken curry. 

Ingredients:
Chicken 1 kg
Oil: 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Chopped Onion: 2
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon Juice: 1 tbsp
Saoji Masala powder: 3-4 tbsp 

Method: 

1. Heat oil, add cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds.
2. Add finely chopped onion and saute until it turns into golden brown in color. 
3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears.
4. Now add in turmeric powder, salt and the saoji masala powder, give a quick stir
5. Add in chicken pieces and mix well. 
6. Add enough water and cook it covered for 20-25 minutes. 
7. Adjust the seasoning and consistency and turn off the flame.
8. Add coriander leaves and freshly squeezed lemon juice. 
9. Serve hot with jawar roti/chapathi or rice with a piece of lemon wedge and onion roundels. 

How to make Saoji Masala:

Ingredients:

Cinnamon: 2 stick
Cardamom: 6-8
Cloves: 6-8
Black pepper corn: 1 tbsp
Black cardamom: 2
Mace: 1 string

Star Anise: 1/2 
Stone Flower (Kalhoovu/Dagad Phool): 1 piece
Coriander seeds: 2 tbsp
Fennel seeds: 1/2 tsp
Sesame Seeds: 1 tsp
Caraway seeds: 1/2 tsp
Red chillies: 8-10
Grated Dry Coconut: 3 tbsp
Jawar Flour (Sorghum/White Millet): 2 tbsp

Method: 

1. Dry roast cinnamon, cardamoms, Clove, Peppercorn, Mace, star anise and stone flower on medium heat for 2 mins. 
2. Add coriander seeds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds and caraway seeds and roast until its fragrant - about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add dry red chillies, coconut and jawar flour and roast for another minutes. make sure you do not burn the flour. 
4. Let it cool and grind to a coarse to fine powder and store in airtight jar. It can be used for 2 weeks at room temperature and about a month if refrigerated.

Making Jawar Roti:

There are only 2 ingredients needed to make this roti. Take a cup of jawar flour in a wide bowl and bring a cup of water to boil. Add half of the water to the flour and mix with a spoon. Do not mix with hand as it's very hot and can scald your palm.  Add water little by little and make a thick dough by kneading it well.

Dust the work top (or rolling board) with dry jawar flour. Take a big lemon sized dough and keep it on the dusted worktop and start patting it.Keep rotating the roti while patting. Add more dry flour if it's sticking to the board. 


Pat it and beat it with the help of your palm until a round roti is made. Keep joining the edges that break while patting. 

Lift the roti very carefully and put it on the hot griddle, dip a small muslin cloth in cold water and wipe the surface of roti (apply water all over). When the water dries up on top flip it and cook on the other side. Flip again and press with a dry cloth, it will puff up when you press, this is to ensure its cooked well. Serve hot with the curry.  

 
 

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