Pepper Chicken

Ingredients: 

(A) Broiler chicken : 600 gms (good pieces) 

Ginger-garlic paste : 1 Tbsp each 

Curds/yoghurt                    : 150 ml 

Vinegar : 1 Tbsp 

Salt : 2 tsp 

Chili powder : 1 tsp 

Haldi/Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp (B) 

Large onions : 2 Chopped and ground coarsely in a mixie 

Ginger garlic paste : 1 Tbsp 

Coriander/dhania powder : 1 Tbsp 

Pepper : 2 Tbsp pepper corns freshly powdered 

Garam masala powder : 1 tsp  (you can buy a branded pack of Garam masala

Green chillies (slit) : 4 

Tamarind lime size : soak in water and extract thick juice 

Curry leaves(karbev) : 10 to 15 

Refined oil : 6 Tbsps or 100 ml 

Salt : 1 tsp ( adjust salt) 

For seasoning : Coconut oil/rice bran/sunflower oil, 1 tspfull mustard seeds ,2 dry red chilies and few curry leaves. 

Method: 

Mix the items under (A) and marinate the chicken pieces in it for 1 hour. Take a thick pan and pour the oil into it. Keep on stove and when hot add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté. 

When the raw smell goes, add the onion paste and saute, add the the garam masala, pepper, dhania/coriander powder, slit green chilies and karbev(curry leaves) leaves next and saute well. Keep turning till the mixture is fried nicely and oil is leaving the sides of the mixture. 

Add salt and the marinated chicken pieces, pour the tamarind juice. Mix well and cover and allow to cook adding very little water to help in cooking the chicken pieces. Instead of water you can also use 1/2 cup of coconut milk for cooking the chicken in the gravy. This enhances the taste of the curry.The chicken pieces should cook well in about 15 minutes. Finally season with the seasoning items and decorate with chopped coriander leaves . Serve hot with chicken biryani. This is a spicy Southie Indian chicken curry.

Amla Gojju

Ingredients

Alice and Grandson!

My late mother was very fond of amla and always used to tell us its health benefits. She used to advice us to have one amla every day to keep the colds away!

Here's a tangy gojju which can serve as chutney for iddli-dosas or just as a side-dish on your lunch or dinner plate. What's more it can be added to the butter milk too to make a tasty drink in summer! Once tasted, it is addictive for sure!!!

This recipe is given to me by my grandson's nanny Alice, who also happened to be my son's nanny when he was a kid!!

 Here's the receipe:

Ingredients:

Amla               :   3 to 4 ( deseed and keep)
Green chillies  :   5 to 6 (as per taste, but little more than you usually add for chutney)
Peeled garlic pods
 or
1/2" piece of raw ginger

coriander leaves: 2 Tbs cleaned, chopped fresh
Salt                    : to taste

In a mixie grind amla, garlic/ginger and green chillies with salt to a coarse paste. Now add chopped coriander leaves and grind for 3 seconds. The leaves should not become very pasty with over grinding.

Collect and keep in a bowl. You can now use this gojju as chutney or as a side dish for lunch/dinner. Finish in a day or preserve in fridge.

To avoid discoloration while preserving a little sweet curd or lime juice can be added. But as days go buy the sourness will increase, so better to prepare for one/two days of consumption only.

Now come the variations:

1. You can add 2 tbs coconut scrapings while grinding and make a chutney. Season with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. Use for dosa, chapati or with rice. You can skip seasoning, that's also very nice and yummy!

2. The paste in para1 can be made very smooth and added to butter milk to make a tasty cool drink in summer.