CHICKEN FRY IN EXTRA CHILI ,GARLIC AND TOMATO

These days I am cooking as usual but nothing worth a posting though...same old bit of this and that , boil, season or fry etc etc and the much fancied summer non-irritating dishes have become quite  irritating.

Yesterday I suddenly remembered a dish which is profoundly irritating to the mouth due to high presence of hot chili. Chili is not part of taste system ( like sweet, sour, salty and bitter). This is  basically a mouth irritant and gives a real kick to the people who like or dislike chili. Some people cant eat chili because of physical reaction like burning sensation, sullen mouth, watering eyes , running nose. People who cant eat chili, they dont really miss any thing as long as food flavor is concern. Flavor reminds me of its famous definition which I had learnt in my food technology and Bio chem engineering paper. Flavor means the combined effect of smell and taste in a food. The brain remembers millions of combinations of taste and smell. Imagine you ordered your favorite dish and you cant get the smell because of choked nose. You can get the taste only ..similarly if you have temporarily lost your taste sensation ( very rare though) you get the smell only. In both the cases you dont get the flavor..and the dish is really bad to eat...

THE RECIPE

This is a simple recipe I had learnt many years back from my friend when she had called us for diner. I haven't cooked it for many years now. Only variation I did, was adding some Curry leaves...was tempted to put Kokum ( Nowadays I am in the grip of southern spicing system) but will try next time. It will have that real fried garlic aroma and pretty stiff on chili with a roasted powder of panch PhoDon and red chili to finish.

Ingredients

Chicken with bones 600-800 gms 

garlic 2 whole pods peeled and made into a paste.

chili powder 2 tsp.

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Tomato blanched and pureed. 5 No ( off the rack puree will not be useful for the flavor) 

Curry leaves 10 No ( optional)

 Oil Mustard or any other oil ..6 tbsp ( 90  - 100ml)

Sugar 1 level tsp..( this is sugar to taste and not for sweetening) 

For the garnish

Roasted red chili 6 No

Panch PhoDon 1 tsp roasted and ground (,  if you dont have panch PhoDon, mix equal volume of  Methi, fennel, mustard and cumin and take one tsp of the mix.)

NOTE; You can use less chili..but at least use 2 roasted chili and some Kashmiri chili powder.

PROCESS

Heat oil and add garlic paste , lower flame and stir vigorously to a light brown tinge to garlic paste. If it sticks add 1 tbsp water and mix.

Add curry leaves ( optional)

Add paste of red chili and Turmeric stir for  1 minute or so

Add chicken sauté for 3-5 minutes.

Add salt and sugar

Add 50 to 75 ml of tomato puree and fry at high flame till the oil comes out 

Repeat the process with 50-75 ml of tomato puree.

CAUTION: For this recipe do not add all puree at a time. The flavor will be very different but good)

When all puree is added continue frying till the oil comes out and the gravy sticks to the chicken.

Add the garnish and mix. 

NOTE: Dont worry , the chicken will be done ..it takes chicken to become edible in 4-6 minutes of stir frying.

Eat with hot rice or paratha or Kulcha, toasted bread. 

VEGE OPTION: I have a good mind to try it with Yam Raw jack fruit, may be Paneer too.


AND FOR MY BLOG FRIENDS, GREAT BREAKFAST FROM KITCHEN GOSSIP.

Today  I got up and as usual, with eyes half open started reading the new blogs from the dash board. I read this recipe with eyes wide open, rushed to the kitchen, by-passed the fresh bread; pulled out the last piece from the old pack and made this. I think this is the 1st time I made some thing from the blog within one hour of its publication. While someone was enjoying the stupid germinated lentils etc, mango, carrot and cucumber I relished this one. I had some stale Parmigiano Reggiano which added to the taste too.

Please make this dish and enjoy 

The link is given below for the recipe.

How to use up Stale Bread – Part 1 from great Kanchan of  Kitchen gossip)

MACHHER JHOL WITH BADI AND VEGETABLE, summer delight

Nowadays I am in a great mood to cook non-irritating dishes because of the high heat and humidity. So I’m cooking many dishes including stir fried vege south Indian style, Pachhedi, Oriya style Santula, thin sweet and sour tuar dal with a traditional pleasant seasoning etc. 

This is a very simple and common Bong style dish where seasoning and the oil to turmeric ratio makes all the difference. This is generally eaten with rice with little of lemon squeezed into, while eating. 

Please don't worry, before these summer dishes become irritating because of continuous use, I shall come up with real great dishes. In fact I am in the process of making few; as my old friend is coming for dinner. 

THE RECIPE 

This is a simple jhol ( very thin gravy) with out any spice, onion , garlic etc but a little seasoning and turmeric is used to emulsify the thin gravy to a uniform light brown color. This is very bland curry , but I like it. 

INGREDIENTS 

1, Fish 6 pieces ( any fish, including small ones, will do.) I have used Rohu), marinated in salt and 1/2 tsp Turmeric.
2. BaDi 10 no or more. (This BoDi must be Bong or Oriya style designed to be used in curry. Punjabi masala BoDi is unsuitable for this dish.)
3, Green chili 4 ( 2 for seasoning 2 of more to be added separately)
4. Vegetable ( any one vegetable like Egg plant, raw banana, parmal, ridge gourd, Amaranth, potato etc)
5. Turmeric powder 1 heap tsp
6, Mustard oil or any other oil 2 tbsp.
7. Red chili powder is optional . I haven't used here . The green chili is good enough
Seasoning. 
Here I will use 3 phoDon ( means 3 type seeds for seasoning or tempering).
1 tsp of combined , Fennel, Methi and Randhuni seeds ( Randhuni is wild Celery, you can use normal Celery seeds)
2 red chili and 2 green chili
(The conventional seasoning is kala jeera or panch PhoDon)

THE PROCESS 
marinate Fish in salt and 1/2 tsp Turmeric., keep for 15 min or more.

Keep handy ,  Badi and green chili and seasoning , 

Cut vegetables. ( I have used egg plant as I did not have the raw banana or ridge gourd, my favorite for this dish) 

seasoning 

Fry the fish and the BoDi. The fish should be surface-hard fried. Sallow fry at high heat to brown the surface and fast. The inside will remain soft and juicy. A prolonged and slow fry will dehydrate fish to a great extent. The Badi  is to be fried brown.

Take 2 tbsp or more oil and any left over oil from fish or BaDi frying. Give seasoning in the following order..slitted green chili, 30 seconds followed by the red-chili and spice together. As the aroma comes , immediately add the vegetable and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 cups of water.

Egg plant added 

Water added. Isn't it looking frightening ? Some Brinjal pieces floating on transparent plain water ? 

Now the real steps..add one tsp Turmeric, 2 tsp mutard oil raw ( for bongs) , salt and more green chili, whole,  and bring to vigorous boiling, add Badi and cover. Boil for 5 minutes and see if the jhol has become light brown and emulsified and uniform in color..i.e no oil or water separation. If you see dark brown oily surface, add 1/4th tsp Turmeric , more water and fish, continue boiling for another 5 min or more.Remember the BaDi will soak up lot of water. The jhol is ready , to be eaten with rice and  lemon ( preferably " Gandho lebu" means the lemon which has a distinct strong lemony fragrance apart from being sour.)

Dear Friends

I read all the blogs of yours , but have become bit irregular in putting my great appreciations in the comment form, will catch up soon.

POTATO-ONION FRY WITH MACAU

I am back from Hong Kong and started packing up too either for going to Badrinath or  Yokohama , Seoul or Rome...

I am sick and tired of non-vege food...( all  non-vege blog friends will shout............. liar...liar ...liar...)

Few hours back, SOMEONE phoned me, halfway through attending to her patients, and ordered , "I want some good food for lunch, simple and  non-irritating and healthy etc ..etc...

 I was wondering, what kind of food specification is this!!!   What does it mean , non-irritating food!!!

Anyway I did not have much time , so quickly made the famous watery Massur ki Dal of Bengal. Some be-headed and cleaned sardines were lying in the fridge. Made a paste out of all the green chili and garlic lying in the house, added some red chili and jeera powder and cooked the fish to dryness with lot of oil with a Fennel seasoning...Now that I have learnt to use Kokum , a put a little extract of it too.

Now the main dish is a simple thin potato onion fry which goes well with Dal, Sambar...or even with piping hot rice drenched  with ghee or butter or Paratha, Puri, luchi etc.

THE RECIPE.

This is a very old recipe and all of you must be making it. Here I have given a little variation which just changes the flavour. This recipe is very handy when you want to make a dish very fast.

INGREDIENTS

Potato 1 large, cut to 5mm X 5mm and 50 mm ( approx) with skin on. ( I don't peel)

Onion 1 medium sliced not very thin 

Turmeric 1 level tsp

red chili powder 1 tsp 

green chili 3-4 

6-8 pod thin garlic , smashed flat with the skin on. ( for fast dish don't waste time by peeling )

Seasoning 

Oil 11/2 Tbsp

Panch PhoDon 1 level tsp.( if you don't have Panch PhoDon try any of these 1. jeera , Methi and Fennel or 2. Jeera only . 3 Kala jeera only.

Dry red chili 2 

PROCESS

Heat oil and give seasoning of dry red chili and the spice; immediately followed by the smashed garlic pods..stir for  seconds and add onion.

Stir onion for 1 minute and add the potato, red chili and turmeric powder, salt . Mix well, sprinkle 2 tbsp water , stir and cover. When the potato is done , add green chili and fry on high heat.

Note: Do not fry the onion, just stir for a minute...it will get fried with Potato...
The dish is ready.

Now bit of travel photos

MACAU AND HONG KONG

I had posted some night view of Hong Kong earlier..

Here are few photos from Macau and Hong Kong. There is nothing much to see except buildings and more buildings.

MACAU

I went to Macau for few hours by Ferry....Indians get Visa on arrival at both the places. Macau is famous for Casino and 2nd largest complex after Las Vegas.

It was raining heavily with high wind and it takes one hour by Ferry. 

I had a long desire to see world's largest resort and casino complex , the Venetian Macau..This is built like the La's Vegas one but much bigger ...it has lots of representation of Venice.

I did not have much money to gamble and I knew I would lose always as it is said , if one is lucky in love will be unlucky in gambling. Moreover by winning I did not want to hear from someone " So you have finally proved beyond doubt that you don't love me ".

These are the few shots of the resort...

The blue sky above is the roof actually, in side the grand canal mall...I thought  the weather had cleared..It was very new experience for me.

The grand canal in the mall

These photos are outdoor

HONG KONG 
from the Ferry in rain

some building 

The wet market place, I was staying on this road...a very busy and homely place

I am thinking of changing the name of my blog from " COOKING AND  RECIPES AND TRAVEL". The name combination is very strange , but I believe all combinations of subjects are possible and I am greatly inspired by the movie name " Tarzan and Draupadi". and whats in a name by Shakespeare.

I AM AWAY

The other day  I was thinking of going to the Himalayas in Monsoon and vanish from there. But as usual God proposes and Man disposes...Got a call from Head office and landed here in Hong Kong. so will be away from blog..OK...Ok..I know I am not writing any recipe these days...but I love to read and eat virtually all your  recipes. I will be off from blog for sometime.

Here are few photos I took tonight. This is just like bribing , so that you people dont take me off your blog follower list.  

Night photos from the peak..See  the changing color of the blue building ( forgot the name)

HSBC Bank Head office

Time square

JUNGLIE MEAT ( with Vege option)

Sounds scary? Not at all, this recipe is for the people who are stranded in a jungle in their hunting trip. This recipe is taken from the book of Maharaja Digvijay Singh of Sailana. I am yet to come across a book better than this one dealing in Royal dishes. I have only two cook books, "THE COOKING DELIGHTS OF THE MAHARAJAS " by HH Digvijay Singh and " THE CALCUTTA COOK BOOK " by Minakakshie, Bunny and Jaya ( Penguin books). I shall talk more about Calcutta cook book when I publish a recipe.

 Maharaja explains in his book " As the name suggests, this is a recipe for the stranded Shkaris ( hunters) . It has only 5 ingredients, meat, ghee or oil, salt, whole red chili and water. These can be available in the remotest village in India. With this method one can cook meat, games, fowl or even potatoes."

This is the only recipe in the book , which doesn't have any measurement, the Maharaja rightly says " If you are stranded in a jungle , you cant measure and may not get the spices you would like to use. These are the minimum ingredients  you would get."

To cut the long story short , this dish has been a party dish for last 2 decades for especial people and that too cooked on special request. It has been a great hit.

Imagine a dish devoid of all smells of spices but with a a flavour new to you, then try this ....else dont spoil the meat.

I don't want you to have the trouble of scratching  your scalp, and think of how much ingredients to use. ( There is  hardly any though). So I will give the quantities I used. After the 1st attempt, you adjust the quantity like a stranded junglieeee.

THE RECIPE: As mentioned earlier, there is no spice. The aroma comes from the fried meat, chili.and ghee. There will be no gravy, but a little coating of the juice coming out of meat and dried red chili.There will be no trace of the aroma of onion, garlic, garam masala and all, which we are familiar with.
INGREDIENTS
1. Meat 500gms ,  I am using here vertebra ( chaps) and lower portion of the neck of goat. You can use lamb or thin slices of boneless meat. ( beef will do too) . Meat is generally tasteless if cooked without bone .

2. Dry red chili whole 12 No. ( you can use less hot ones.I use rasampati red chilis, which is reasonably  hot)

3. Ghee 5 tbsp, ( 75 to 100 ml (more the merrier ) ( you can use oil, but the taste will be different but, good) 
4, salt to taste
5 Water as needed.
THE PROCESS.
Wash the meat
Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan, add meat and stir fry for 10 minutes, sprinkle water to prevent burn out.
Add  salt and the red chili , stir and mix.

Sprinkle water from time to time, so that it doesn't get burnt or boiling in excess water.
When the meat is tender, dry out so that ghee comes out .

Eat as a starter or with paratha, Kulcha, Bhatura  or rice.


 CAUTION.. The taste is radically different from all the meat dishes we know. If you think it is too bland , don't make this dish.
VARIATION
I have tried it with sliced Potato, very nice. If you try with Paneer, let me know before I try.


Cinque Terre for my friends 
Manarola village and station , Cinque Terre , Italy