Kundapura Chicken Sukka | Chicken cooked in coconut masala

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Chicken sukka is by far one of the most popular bunt dishes. It's made differently in different regions of coastal Karnataka. It's a dry dish made with a perfect blend of coconut and spices.

My grandma would dry roast the spices and make a paste and cook chicken in it along with roasted coconut paste. that's the authentic way of doing it. I follow my mother's quick fix sukka recipe that she makes with Kundapura Masala Powder. The result is almost the same and the method is much easier and quicker.

It can be made as a dry item or with a little gravy. It tastes delicious with Neer dose or white/brown rice. Here is the recipe from my mother's kitchen to yours.

Ingredients:

Chicken : 1/2 kg

Turmeric : 1 tsp

Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

Clarified butter/ghee: 1 tsp

Garlic: 6-8 cloves

Ginger: 1 inch

Onion: 3 medium sized

Kundapura masala powder: 2 tbsp

Fresh coconut: 1 cup

Coconut oil: 2 tbsp

Tomato: 1

Salt to taste.

Method:
1. Clean chicken and cut into medium size pieces. Apply turmeric, lemon juice and ghee and keep it aside for 15 minutes.

2. Heat coconut oil in a pot and fry chopped garlic for a min. Mix in chopped onion and ginger and saute until onions turn light golden in color.

3. Add the marinated chicken and saute until the raw smell disappears - about 5 minutes.

4. Add salt and Kundapur masala powder and mix well, cover and cook until the chicken is almost cooked. Chicken will cook in its own juices but sprinkle a little water if it's too dry.

5. While the chicken is cooking roast the fresh coconut on low flame for 3-4 minutes, put it in the mixer jar and pulse it 2-3 times. Add this coconut to the chicken and mix well.

6. Adjust salt and water and cook the chicken on low flame for another 10-15 minutes. 

7. Next add in chopped tomatoes and mix well. Let it cook until all the flavors have combined well and the chicken is well cooked.

Note:

If you want a drier version you can skip tomatoes and add very little water while cooking the chicken. 

Click here to know how to make Kundapura Masala Powder.

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Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

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Blueberry muffins are all time favorite at home. My little one loves them. This is one of the first things I tried when I started baking. This recipe is super easy and gets done in less than 30 mins. I make them with wheat flour for a healthier version. You can reduce the amount of sugar if you like it less sweet. Here is the easy recipe of my favorite blueberry muffins.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour/wheat flour : 1 1/2cups

Sugar: 3/4 cup

Salt: 1/2 tsp

Baking powder: 1 tsp

Baking soda: 1 tsp

Oil:1/3 cup

Egg:1

Milk:1/2 cup

Vanilla Essence: 2 tsp

Method:

1. Begin with preheating your oven to 200 degree celcius. Arrange the paper liners on the muffin cups and keep it aside.

2. Take a mixing bowl and mix in dry ingredients - flour,sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

3. In a measuring cup add 1/3rd cup of vegetable oil, break a large egg into it and pour milk until 1 cup measure. Add vanilla essence and whisk it well for 2 mins.

4. Mix the wet ingredients with dry flour mixture and combine well.

5. Mix in the washed blueberries and fill the batter equally into muffin cups. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each cup to get a crispier muffin top.

6. Add a little water on the baking try and then keep the muffin tray on it. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Water helps to bake the muffins evenly. To check for doneness insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean muffins are ready. Enjoy the delicious blueberry muffins at tea time :-)

Notes:

1. Do not over mix the batter otherwise the muffins turn harder. You can mix dry and wet ingredients as much as you want separately but once you mix them just whisk until they are just combined. 

2. Baking time varies by 5-10 mins when you make them with whole wheat flour.

3. All purpose flour makes the beautiful muffins but if u don't care abt the looks, try whole wheat muffins which are healthier although a bit cracked up on top :-))

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Mixed Vegetable Palya | Carrot, Beans, Cauliflower and Paneer Sabzi and a Wrap

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My better half is constantly trying to lose weight, or should I say constantly talking about it :p One of the tips thats given everywhere to lose weight is to add more vegetables in our diet. He doesn't like 8 out of 10 vegetables that's available in the market. It's a challenge to try new recipe that he will like and agree to take in his lunch box. keeping both things in mind I keep trying new ways of adding more vegetables in our diet. This is one such dish with a lot of vegetables that tastes good when cooked together.

Carrots, Beans, Cauliflower and Paneer cooked in onion tomato gravy with other spices tastes delicious with Indian flat breads and it can also be used in wraps with a little chat masala and onion roundels. You can also add sour cream and salad leaves to turn it completely into a super delicious roll. Please read on for the ingredients and the recipe.

Ingredients:

French Beans : 20

Carrot: 3

Cauliflower: 1 medium size

Paneer: 1 cup

Big Onion: 3

Tomato: 2

Ginger: 1" piece

Garlic: 5 cloves

Green chillies:2

Peppercorn : 1 tsp

Coriander seeds: 2 tsp

Red chilli powder:1/2 tsp

Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

Hing: 1 big pinch

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Kasoori Methi : 1 tsp

Oil: 2 tbsp

Salt to taste
Lemon juice : 1/2 Lemon
Coriander leaves for Garnish

Method: 

1. Grind onion, ginger, garlic, pepper corn, coriander seeds and green chillies to coarse paste in a blender.

2. Chop beans and carrot into 1/2" pieces, clean cauliflower and cut into bite size florets, make cubes of paneer and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a deep pan, add hing, cumin seeds and sauté for 30 seconds. Add in the ground onion paste and fry until the oil separates. About 3-4 minutes.

4. Add crushed kasoori methi and fry for a minute. Then mix in salt, turmeric and red chilli powder and give a quick stir.

5. Add chopped tomato and sauté until tomatoes turn soft and combines with all the spices.

6. Next add in carrot, cook for 3-4 minutes, add beans and 1/4 cup of water and cover and cook for 6-7 minutes.

7. Add cauliflower florets and combine well and cook for 2 minutes before adding the paneer cubes. Cook for another 5 minutes on high flame and turn off.

8. Add in freshly squeezed lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Indian Flat Bread (Roti/chapathi or Parathas) of your choice.

To use it in a wrap spread the veggies on the flat bread and sprinkle chat masala and coriander leaves and throw some onion rings and roll it to enjoy delicious veg roll.

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Andhra Chilli Chicken | Bangalore Restaurant Style Chilli Chicken

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Do you like spicy food? Spicy as in really spicy that will bring tears in your eyes and turn your face red yet you will be relishing the dish.. If you can relate to it then this is the dish for you..:) Go ahead and try this super tasty and fiery hot Andhra chilli chicken - Restaurant style :-)

Andhra chilli chicken is a famous chicken dish from Andhra Style restaurants in Bangalore. This is a fiery hot dish with a lot of green chillies. If you have eaten this in Nandini or Nagarjuna residency in Bangalore you will be able to relate to the spiciness of this dish. After many iterations I have come up with with this recipe, the taste is very close to restaurant style chilli chicken. 

I add fried onion and long non spicy variety chillies that gives a nice flavor to the dish. You can either replace long chillies with regular chillies or skip it completely.

Ingredients:

Chicken: 1 kg

Sliced Onion: 3

Non spicy variety green chillies: 8-10

Spicy green chillies :8-10

Coriander leaves: 1 big cup

Mint: 1 big cup

Ginger garlic paste: 2 tbsp

Lemon juice: 1 big lemon

Corn flour: 2 tbsp

Turmeric: 1 tsp

Crushed black pepper: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil: 3 tbsp

Method: 

1. Grind coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger garlic paste and spicy green chillies to a coarse paste in a blender.

2. Add salt, corn flour and lemon juice to the ground paste and marinate the cleaned chicken for 2 hours.

3. Heat oil in a wok and fry non spicy variety chillies and remove and keep aside.

4. Fry sliced onion in the same oil until golden brown and remove.

5. Fry marinated chicken in the remaining oil until the raw smell disappears (about 10 mins)

6. Add a cup of water, cover and cook for 10-15 mins or until the chicken is cooked.

7. Add fried chillies and onions and mix well, sauté on high flame for 5 mins.

8. Sprinkle crushed black pepper and a little more lemon juice for extra tanginess and turn off the flame.

Fiery hot andhra chilli chicken is ready to serve. 

Notes:

1. Original dish is very spicy but you can reduce or increase the number of chillies as per your taste.

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Palak Paneer |Cottage Cheese in creamy Spinach curry

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My first post of 2016. I wish you all a very healthy and prosperous new year! I hope the year brings all the good things your way. Last couple of weeks had been a roller coaster ride for me professionally and personally that I hardly cooked and clicked. Hectic yearend workload and then my little one's first play school had kind of drained me emotionally:) I was eagerly looking for her first day at school since the time the registration was completed. 

I wanted to see her reaction when she steps into the bigger world out there all by herself although it's just for 2 hours a day. Like most of the mommies I was very emotional but she handled it with ease in the first week. Then started her separation anxiety in 2nd week. Now we are into 3rd week of her play school and things look more or less settled. So far it's been a good year:-) 

I am not a resolutions person but this year I have made a list and the main resolution is to make time for everything that I like this year. That definitely includes making time to post the recipes more frequently and consistently. 

Coming to today's long pending recipe Palak Paneer - it's one of the very famous curries from India, absolutely easy to make and super tasty dish that can hardly go wrong. It tastes really well with Naan/Roti or any other Indian Flat breads. I served it with hot garlic naan with butter on top and sliced onions. 

Ingredients:

Palak/ Indian Spinach : 1 big bunch

Paneer/cottage cheese : 2 cups

Chopped Onion: 2

Chopped Tomato: 2

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Red Chilli powder :1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Whole garam masalas : Cinnamon Sticks-2, Cardamom: 3-4 and Cloves. 

Crushed Kasoori Methi : 1 tbsp
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:0

1. Heat water in a big pot and add washed spinach leaves and 1/2 tsp sugar and boil for 4-5 minutes. Once it cools down grind to a smooth puree and keep aside. Sugar helps in retaining the bright green color of spinach.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan and add whole garam masala and saute until the oil is fragrant. Add cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds.

3. Add chopped onion and saute until golden brown, next add in ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone.

4. Add turmeric powder and then add in chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes are soft.

5. Mix in red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt and cook until the oil separates.

6. Add spinach puree and cook on low flame for about 10 minutes. Add crushed Kasoori Methi leaves and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. keep mixing it in between.

7. Now the gravy is ready and its time to add the paneer. You can either add the paneer cubes directly or roast them on a wide pan with a little oil and then add to the gravy. Roasting/deep frying the paneer ensures that the cubes are not breaking after mixing with the gravy but its completely optional.

8. Add in 1 tbsp of whipping cream and serve hot with any Indian flat breads.

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Kori Pulimunchi | Chicken Pulimunchi | Chicken in Tangy Spicy Sauce

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Kori Pulimunchi is a traditional dish famous in Tulunadu (Udupi/Mangalore). The name says it all that this dish stands for :-) Kori = Chicken, Puli = Tamarind(sour), Munchi = chilli so it's chicken in tangy, spicy gravy. It tastes great with neer dose, idli or aapam.

Recipe Type: Nonveg | Main dish

Prep time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 25 mins.

Ingredients:
Chicken: 500 gms cut into medium pieces.
Dry red chillies: 10
Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds:1/4 tsp
Black pepper :1 tsp
Garlic : 7-8 cloves
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Tamarind: 1 marble size
Kokam Skin /Punarpuli : 2 (Optional)
Chakke: 1 small piece (optional)
Lavanga: 1-2 (optional)
Coconut : 1 tbsp (optional)
Medium sized onion: 3
Curry Leaves: 2 sprig
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Oil: 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and clean chicken and apply some salt, turmeric powder and a little ghee and keep it aside.

2. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and pepper. Roast red chillies with a little oil and roast coconut until its golden brown in color.

3. Add tamarind, kokam skin, garlic and a little water to the roasted ingredients and grind to a smooth paste in a mixer.

4. Finely chop onions, keep 2-3 tbsp of onion separately for tempering later.

5. Heat oil in a deep pan and add the remaining onions and saute until its golden brown in color.

6. Add chicken pieces and fry for 4-5 minutes.

7. Next mix in the ground paste, salt and 1/2 cup water and cook it on medium flame until the gravy thickens and chicken is cooked completely. Adjust water to get the desired consistency of the gravy.

8. Heat ghee in a small pan and add curry leaves and 3 tbsp of onions that we had kept separately and saute until the onions turn brown.

9. Add this tempering to the chicken, close the lid and cook for a minute and turn off the flame.

10. Serve the delicious Kori pulimunchi with neer dose, dose, aapam or rice. It goes well with chapathi also.

Notes:
1. Adjust the amount of tamarind if you are not adding punarpuli/kokam peel (Mangosteen peel).
2. Coconut is optional but it gives a little substance to the gravy.
3. I like to keep it a bit dry to go with dose, if you are serving with rice you can add more water or coconut milk and make more gravy.

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Dal Tadka Recipe

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Dal tadka or tempered lentils dish is very popular all over India. Restaurant menus are incomplete without this flavorful dish. It tastes great with roti/phulka or any flavored rice.

It's a dhaba (roadside eateries) style recipe where dal is pressure cooked with onion, tomato, chillies and tempered with flavorful spices. I have made this dal a lot of times and it tasted as good as from a restaurant. Here is how I make it.

Ingredients: 
Yellow Pegion Pea/Toor Dal/Togaribele: 1/2 cup
Red Pegion Pea/Masoor Dal/Masoor Bele: 1/2 cup
Medium Size Onion: 1
Medium Tomato : 2
Green Chilli: 2
Ginger: 1 inch
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp
Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves): 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Fresh Cream : 2 Tbsp (Optional)
Garlic: 4-5 cloves
Butter/Ghee: 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
Broken dry red chilli:  1 
Coriander Leaves : handful

Method:

1. Soak both lentils in enough water in a pressure cooker and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
 
2. Finely Chop Onion, Tomato and Ginger and slit Green chillies lengthwise and add to the cooker.

3. Add Salt, Turmeric and few drops of oil to dal and pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles.

4. When the Dal is cooked open the lid and mash it with a ladle or a wired whisk and keep on medium flame.

5. Add Garam masala powder, Red Chilli powder, crushed Kasoori Methi leaves, Coriander leaves and Fresh cream (if using) and mix well.

6. Adjust the consistency by adding water and bring to boil and turn off the flame.

7. Heat ghee/butter in a tempering pan and add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, Asafoetida and broken dry red chilli and fry until the garlic turns to golden brown in color.

8. Pour the tempering on dal and close the lid.Garnish with remaining coriander leaves and Serve hot with flavored rice or roti/chapathi.

Notes:
1.You can add Bengal gram (Chana dal) along with yellow and red Pegion pea or make it with just one of the lentils.

2.Cream is optional but it gives a smooth texture to dal and enhances the taste.
3.Squeeze in a tsp of lemon juice if the tomatoes are not sour enough.
4.Adjust the red chilli powder and garam masala powder according to your spice preference.

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