Tomato Rice and Chicken Curry

I like trying out different combinations when preparing non-veg dishes. Biriyani always stands alone without any accompaniments when there are no guests, or else, biriyani with green chicken curry. Ghee rice/coconut rice with green chicken/mutton/vegetable stew. Tomato rice usually is prepared when i'm unable to prepare any vegetable dish or curry, hence one dish meal. Last time, after i had made all the preparations for tomato rice when i remembered that i had chicken in the freezer. So, i decided to make red chicken curry to go with the tomato rice. Posting the recipe for the same.

TOMATO RICE AND CHICKEN CURRY:



Ingredients:

for tomato rice:

1 cup rice (washed and soaked for 15 mins before cooking)
1 large onion (sliced)
3 tomatoes (chopped fine)
50 gms green peas (optional)
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil

for chicken curry:

1/2 kg chicken
4 tbsp coconut
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp tamarind thick extract
1 tbsp vadiyam
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Method of Preparation: (Tomato Rice)

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add onions and stir fry till they turn translucent.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add the green chillies, green peas and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add the tomatoes, fry for 30 seconds and add chilli powder, fry for 1 minute
5. Add the rice, 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles and switch off the flame. Open after the pressure is completely released.

To cook this dish in rice cooker, follow steps 1-4 in a kadai in place of the pressure cooker. Add the seasoning for the rice alongwith the rice in the rice cooker.

(Chicken curry):

1. Grind coconut, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, turmeric and salt into a smooth paste
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add vadiyam and fry for a minute.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes, then add curry leaves.
4. Add chicken and fry for a minute, add the ground paste and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

You can serve this curry with dosa and idli also.

Idli with Chicken stew

Sunday breakfasts, actually brunch, is usually quite heavy since everybody are at home and are in a leisure mood. Of course, cooking the fare is tedious but since i love feeding my family, i enjoy preparing these meals. For me satisfaction is full stomachs, big smile when licking fingers after finishing off a meal.

IDLI AND CHICKEN STEW:



Ingredients for idli:

2 cups steam rice (salem idli rice)
1 cup normal raw rice
1 cup urad dal
a little salt
Ingredients for chicken stew:

1 kg chicken
2 medium potatoes
1/2 cup coconut
6 green chillies
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup mint leaves (pudina)
1/4 cup coriander leaves (cut fine)
4 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
1 onion (sliced thin and long)

Method of preparation (idli):

1. Soak rice and urad dal seperately for 6 hours.
2. First grind the urad dal till it is smooth, then add the rice to it and grind. Let the batter be a little rough.
3. Leave the batter for fermentation overnight, minimum 8 hours. Add salt in the morning.
4. Oil the idli moulds a little and pour the batter and steam the idlis for 15 mins.
Method of preparation (chicken stew):

1. Fry half an onion till brown, take this out and fry half the pudina in the same kadhai.
2. Grind the fried pudina, onion, coconut and chillies into a smooth paste.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker, when the oil heats up add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and let it splutter.
4. Add the other half onion, fry for a minute, add the remaining pudina leaves and fry for a minute.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Now add the chicken pieces, fry well for a minute, then add the potatoes and coriander leaves, mix well.
4. Add turmeric, the ground paste and mix thoroughly. Close the cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Serve with rice, idli, dosa or chapathi. Goes well with anything.

Chicken Biriyani

Making biriyani, however easy the method you adopt, takes time and patience and only on the right investment of these two does the biriyani come out well and taste delicious...... The biriyani this time came out so well that there was nothing left for me to present on a plate for the photo session. It was cleaned out from the cooker itself 15 minutes after it was prepared.

CHICKEN BIRIYANI:





Ingredients:

1.5 kg chicken
1 kg basmati rice (i used India Gate Basmati rice)
5 onions (slice thin and long)
2 tomatoes (slice thin)
1/2 cup mint leaves (chopped very fine)
1/2 cup coriander leaves (chopped very fine)
4 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
6 cloves
3 sticks cinnamon of 1 inch each
6 pods of green cardamom
2 pods of black cardamom
1 piece star anise
1 tbsp ghee
6 tbsp oil

For paste:

4 tbsp thick coconut milk
10 green chillies (you can use according to your taste)
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 cup coriander leaves
Grind all the above ingredients to a paste.

Method of preparation:

1. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and add the whole spices.
2. When the whole spices start to crackle, add the mint leaves.
3. Add the onions when the mint leaves turn dark green and shrink.
4. Once the onions turn translucent, add the ginger-garlic paste.
5. As the raw smell of ginger-garlic paste goes, add the chicken and mix well.
6. Now add the ground paste to this and mix well.
7. Add the finely chopped coriander and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Don't add water.
8. Once you close the lid of the pressure cooker, cook the rice in a open pan till half done. Add the ghee, 2 pods of cardamon, 8 leaves of mint, 1 stick of cinnamon to the rice.
9. Strain the water from the rice (let the whole spices and mint remain with the rice)
10. The pressure would have gone down in the cooker by now, open it and add the half cooked rice. Gently mix the rice and chicken thoroughly.
11. Close the lid and cook for a whistle.

Serve this hot with raita. It tastes good without any side dish as well as vouched by my husband, kids and my mother.

Pepper Chicken

PEPPER CHICKEN:

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken
1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp pepper powder (coarsely powdered)
a pinch of turmeric
3 tbsp oil


For paste:

1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced and browned) (To brown onions, fry onion, on medium flame, in oil)
4-5 chillies
1/2 cup coriander
Blend all the above ingredients to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a kadhai and add the onions. Fry the onions till they turn translucent.
2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add chicken pieces and stir fry for a minute. Add turmeric, mix well.
4. Add the paste, mix well and close with a tight lid. Keep stirring every 5 mins. Once the chicken is cooked, add the pepper powder, mix and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander and a wedge of lime.

I have added potato to this recipe, which is optional.

Serve with chapathi, as a side dish with rice and dal or just enjoy it as an appetizer.