NON – VEGETARIAN | Saute Fry N Bake

Athishaya pathiri

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 55 minutes

Serving : 8 to 10 members

Description

Athishaya pathiri . An authentic malabar dish . Also known as the malabar lasagna as this dish is also layered like the lasagna . There is sweet version to the athishaya pathiri which tastes equally good . Shall post the sweet version recipe soon . I first got to know about this dish on my visit to a grooms ( my hubbys cousin brothers daughter is married of to cochin ) place in Cochin . Was wonder stuck with the variety of food that was spread on the table . I made it a point to taste a tiny bit of every thing . All the dishes were mouth watering . the unique flavours took me to an era when food was not just a meal , but an elaborate feast . My favourite was athishaya pathiri and another dish which was like a stuffed pie with rice flour steamed and sandwiched with prawn filling . Till date no idea what it’s called but tasted yum . Did ask people concerned for both the recipes but till date have not got it . Well some people don’t have the habit of sharing . Sharing a recipe is a friendship build , thats my motto . how do I get a recipe when I don’t know what it is called ? Some how managed and called my beloved malabar buddy sulu ( my saviour ) and explained to her about the dish . She was the one who let me know that it’s name is athishaya pathiri . The recipe that I am posting is also hers . Thank you sulu . finally made it and it was spot on the first time With full flavoured indulgence . the following week visited my moms place and was surprised to see athishaya pathiri on the table . Mom had got the recipe from a malabar friend of hers . I liked her ashishaya pathiri better . As the food cooked by others , specially moms taste the best . Now the humble mighty athishaya pathiri is a part of our staple diet at home .

Ingredients for the crapes

Ingredients	Quantity
flour	1 cup
egg	1 ( I don't use egg as there is lot of egg in the dish already )
Milk	1 cup
Sugar	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste.

Method for crapes

Mix everything together and gradually add milk until it forms a smooth loose batter. Add more water if required .
Heat a non – stick pan and pour a ladle of batter and make thin crapes and set aside .

Ingredients for Chicken Filling

Ingredients	Quantity
medium onions	4 chopped
shredded chicken (cooked)	2 cups
Garlic paste	1 teaspoon
ginger paste	1 teaspoon
coriander leaves	2 tablespoons chopped
Green chillies	2 chopped
turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
chilli powder	1/2 teaspoon
gharam masala	1/4 teaspoon
Oil	3 tablespoons

Method

The authentic filling has cashew nuts , raisins and boiled gram dal .
Can add these ingredients as well to the filling .
Can make it with mutton keema filling also .

Method for filling

Saute the onions in hot oil until they become soft.
Add the spices and then stir in the chicken and other ingredients until it becomes well mixed on medium heat for five minutes .
Set aside and cool .

How To proceed

Ingredients	Quantity
Eggs	6
Milk	1 cup
Salt	to taste
Pepper powder	to taste
Sugar	little ( 1 1/2 teaspoons )
Ghee or coconut oil to grease	to pour over the layers
Poppy seeds	to garnish

Method

Mix all the above ingredients together except for ghee or oil and poppy seeds , till the sugar dissolves well . And set aside . Pre heat an oven to 180 degree Celsius .
Grease a baking pan about the same diameter as your crapes with ghee . Place a crape , top with filling , then pour the milk egg mixture over to cover the chicken filling . Pour 1/4 teaspoon of oil or ghee over .
Repeat the same way until all the crapes , chicken filling and egg – milk mixture is over , making sure the crape is the final top layer . Pour the egg – milk mixture over the final crape . Topping with oil or ghee .
Sprinkle with poppy seeds . Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in a pre heated oven until cooked through . Check by inserting a skewer into the middle of the chatti pathiri , if the skewer comes out clean .It’s cooked through .
Remove . Cool completely . Run a knife all around . Turn over into a plate . Cut and serve hot .can use coconut milk instead of regular milk to add more taste and calories.
Can be made over a hot tawa with sand , keeping the chatti pathiri layered vessel over the hot sand covered with a huge domed lid ( I use my iddli maker lid ), over a stove top on medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes or until cooked through )

Mutton keema with spinach

Preparation time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Mutton keema with spinach . Usually I make mutton or chicken keema with fenugreek leaves and make a gravy . once while watching the telly saw celebrity chef anjum anand of Britain making a gravy based with spinach gravy and chicken . Liked the idea of this home style recipe in a frill – free way . but was not sure if the gravy part would be approved at home so I followed her recipe but used chopped spinach instead of the spinach purée and substituted chicken pieces with mutton mince ( keema ) . The dollop of butter added to garnish just perks up the dish and the aroma is breath taking . Served this gravy with pulkas for dinner and was an instant hit . Added another new dish to my regulars at home that has a fine balance of sustainability and authenticity to it .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
fresh washed and chopped spinach	1 1/2 cups
Mutton mince ( keema )	1/4 kg
Medium onions	3 chopped
garlic	1 tablespoon minced
Medium ripe tomato	1 chopped and blitzed to a coarse paste
green chilies	2 chopped
ginger grated	1 tablespoon
coriander powder	2 teaspoons
red chili powder	1/4 teaspoon
turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
garam masala	1/4 teaspoon
ground black pepper	1/4 teaspoon
Bay leaves	2
oil	3 tablespoons
salt	to taste
coriander leaves	2 tablespoons chopped
melted butter	1 teaspoon
water	1 cup

Method

Heat oil in a nonstick frying pan or in a pressure cooker .add minced onion , garlic , bay-leaf and sauté, while periodically stirring.
Onions will have a lot of water so for the first 8 to 10 minutes keep the heat high so that all the onion water evaporates quickly and gets a light brown colour .
Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix with the onions and fry for few seconds.top with ginger , and green chillies . sauté for a few seconds .
Add tomato puree , turn the heat high for 2 to 3 minutes, so that water evaporates quickly, and then turn the heat down. Keep stirring the masala frequently.In about 5 to 6 minutes tomato puree and onion will blend together.
Once all the water has evaporated and you see the oil in the pan that means masala is done. Add the minced mutton with salt to taste and sauté until the colour of the mince changes .
Add 1 cup of water and cook until the mince is cooked through . ( If using pressure cooker , cook the mince for 2 to 3 whistles ) .
Add the fresh chopped spinach and cook on low heat until the spinach is cooked and oil separates letting all the flavours infuse together and gets to a semi thick gravy consistency .
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves , ground pepper powder , garam masala powder and butter . Serve hot with any roti of your choice or as a side dish with rice .

Note

Can use chicken keema , mutton pieces and chicken pieces instead of mutton mince .

Mutton cashew pops

Preparation time : 20 minutes + 2 hours marination time

Cooking time : 15 – 20 minutes

Serves : 4 -5 members

Description

Mutton cashew pops . This recipe was passed on to me by my hubby’s cousin sister Babitha . Easy to make and high on taste , sure to raise eyebrows where ever served and a hit at parties . Loved the idea of serving this dish with the tooth pick on . This not so regular dish is a haute reinvention to posh up the usual meat that will end up taking our tables by storm . I have book marked this recipe in my hand written food stained pages of my first cook book but still felt had to re- check with Babitha once again about the recipe . Called her last night and took note of the recipe , which was exactly as she mentioned . Now ,was confused what to name this dish . Babitha suggested mutton cashew fry .. Sounded normal . Then I came up with mutton cashew pops as they look like meat Lolly pops . Finally adding more glamour to the name of the dish . Its time to share it with all you folks .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless Mutton/ beef	1/4 kg cut into tiny pieces
Ginger	1/4 inch piece
Green chillies	6 or to taste
Mint leaves	1 teaspoon
Coriander leaved	2 teaspoon with stem
Chilli powder	a huge pinch
Black salt	a pinch
Salt	to taste
Curd	1 1/2 tablespoons
Cashew nuts	8 to 10
Oil	to deep fry
Egg whites	2
Tooth pick .	as needed

Method

Grind ginger , green chillies , mint leaves , coriander leaves , chilli powder , salt , black salt , curd and cashew nuts together to a smooth paste .
Taste and adjust the masala paste . Marinate mutton / beef pieces in this light green masala for 2 hours .
Pressure cook without water for 1-2 whistles . ( I pressure cook for one whistle and check if the meat is cooked ,
If not I pressure cook again for another one whistle .) reduce the cooked meat to a dry consistency until the thick masala coats the meat cubes well . Poke each cooked meat piece with a tooth pick .
( Usually i prep until till stage and leave them in the fridge and proceed when required just before serving. ) Beat egg whites with salt and pepper to taste .
Heat oil to deep fry . Dip each tooth pick meat piece into the egg white dip and deep fry to crisp and golden for 1-1 1/2minutes . Can fry 10 -12 tooth pick meat pieces at a time .
Drain and serve hot with the tooth pick along with tomato sauce or any dip of your choice .

Chinese – kerala chicken fry

Preparation Time : 30 minutes + marination time for 8 hours or over night

Cooking Time : 15 – 20 minutes

Serving : 8 members

Description

Chinese – Kerala chicken fry . A recipe I came up in a foodie group ( don’t remember exactly which one ) .when i first saw the recipe wasn’t sure how it would taste , but the textures and flavours came together beautifully and really complemented each other . the magical marriage of these two diverse cuisines resulted in a knock out dish with an explosion of different flavours. Every home has its own fusion of their fathers side authentic dishes along with their mothers side authentic dishes that creates a togetherness of two culinary cultures as one . to add upon this the new trend of foreign touches manifest each home kitchen more with an undeniably complex and interesting cuisine imbued with influences from around the world . Fusions always leads to fresh ideas with a celebration of vibrant flavours of the world along with the love for the brilliant deep craving , nostalgia of home cooked food . why wait ???? Go ahead and enjoy peeps !!!

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken	1 kg
Cinnamon stick	2 inch piece
Peppercorns	2 tablespoons
Dry red chillies	6 to 8
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies	3 slit
Garlic	7 flakes
Ginger	2 inch piece
Curry leaves	few
Vinegar	2 teaspoons
Soya sauce	1 tablespoon
Onions	2 sliced
Coconut oil	4 tablespoons
Salt	to taste

Method

Dry roast pepper , cinnamon , cloves and dry red chillies separately for a few minutes until a nice aroma arises .
Make sure not to burn these ingredients .
Cool the roasted ingredients and grind along with ginger , garlic , vinegar , soya sauce and salt to a smooth paste .( add little water if required ) Marinate cleaned chicken in this ground masala over night or for 8 hours at least in the refrigerator . ( over night marination tastes better .) Cook the marinated chicken with a lid covered until the masala gets fully absorbed and becomes dry . Set aside .
Heat 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan and roast the cooked chicken to a brown colour for a 5-8 minutes in low flame as we don’t want the chicken to become to dry and rubbery .
Fry sliced onions , green chillies and curry leaves to a golden caramelised brown colour In one tablespoon of coconut oil .
Mix with the roasted chicken and serve hot .

Indo – Chinese batter fried chicken

Preparation Time :

Cooking Time : 30 minutes + 2 hours marination time

Serving: 4 members

Description

Indo – Chinese batter fried chicken . A fusion dish invented by my mom . Mom is a person who cooks food for moods and just throws in any ingredient that she feels like and comes up with fresh ideas and incredibly flexible dishes . Most of the time it works and some times it doesn’t and no one can name a dish ( or anything actually ) like she does . She comes up with such witty names . When my daughter was here on a holiday , she asked me to make this dish and I was like what ???? As I didn’t know about this fusion invention that mom had attempted . Called mom , took note of the recipe and played by substituting a few ingredients to my preference . The marriage of indian and Chinese cuisine resulted in a knock out dish with an explosion of different flavours . This dish works really well with kids . Called mom again to re- conform the ingredients . The first time she mentioned small onions and this time it was big onions . As I told , moms cooking depends on her mood . The next thing was I had to name this dish . Called my daughter and asked her . She suggested indo – Chinese bajji . I replaced the bajji with batter fried and named the dish indo – Chinese batter fried chicken . In total this dish is a collaboration of three generation ideas put together .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless chicken cubes	1/2 kg
Egg	1
Ginger	1 inch piece
Green chillies	6 to 8
Small onions	1 hand full
Garlic	4 to 5 flakes
Vinegar	1/4 teaspoon
Chick pea flour	2 tablespoons
Rice flour	2 tablespoons
Corn flour	2 tablespoons
Salt	to taste
Lime juice	1 teaspoon
Ajinomoto	a pinch ( optional )
Oil	to deep fry

Method

Blitz small onion , green chillies , ginger and garlic to a coarse mixture . Make sure not to grind to a paste .
Mix along with all the other ingredients except for oil to deep fry to a thick consistency batter .taste and adjust .
Set aside and marinate for 2 hours or more . ( I marinated in the morning by 10 and deep fried in the evening for tea ) .
Heat oil in a deep vessel and drop the chicken pieces along with the batter coated all around .
Once the chicken pieces pop up to the surface . lower the flame to medium and Fry to a light golden colour and crisp .
Make sure not to burn the chicken pieces as we need a white coloured crisp batter fried chicken .
Drain and serve hot with tomato sauce and hot tea or as aside dish for lunch or dinner .
the same recipe can be followed and done by substituting prawns for chicken .
Vegetarians can use mixed grated veggies like potato , carrots , cabbage and cauliflower instead of chicken .

Prawn pirattal

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 – 20 minutes

Serving : 3 members

Description

Broke my head over about what to start with as suddenly my mind is blank and just can’t register or re – collect any thing about this dish or prawns . Asked my boy Afzar and he was like all smiles and told I don’t want my story to be out in your web site . With no one to help me out this time ( as usual ) I just have to go with my own gut I guess . Coming to the dish ( feel a bit geared up now ) , a deceptively simple dish that let’s the prawn speak for it self with out using much ingredients and done in a few minutes other than the marination time . Finally the bulb moment has come now as I have a story about prawns to tell all of you . I have been to Mumbai a couple of times but each time there’s a big gap until my next visit again . Once when on a shopping trip for my brothers wedding we were caught up in traffic in the evening as it was raining heavily and had a long tedious drive back to the hotel as the local rails were stopped and the roads were flooded with people . We were a mixed group of kids , teenagers and adults . The kids ( actually my boy Afzar alone, still remember the fuss he made :-)) ) were getting hungry and not knowing what to do caught up in traffic , my uncle spotted a small shop beside the road selling some thing . He ran out in the rain from the car and got many huge paper cones . It was boiling hot with an inviting aroma , opened and to my surprise it was tiny mildly spiced prawns fried to crisp that was a budget friendly way to feed our Crowd too .My boy Afzar was around 5 years then and he jumped with joy seeing the prawns . All of us being busy munching the hot prawns , I was feeding my boy as well in between and in a few minutes he dozed of to sleep after a tiering day of shopping . It was intriguing and gratifying how all genders ( young and older ) loved this prawn dish . Till date he keeps asking me to prepare a fried prawn like that and I have tried my best to get close to the dish but my boy is not satisfied as yet . I guess the hunger prank that day made the prawn taste even better . Think , I have to get him hungry to that extent again to get a yes from him . Happy me as my boy didn’t want his story written in my web site but all my culinary moments revolve around my kids as all mothers world wide .

Marinate Ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
Prawns	1/2 kg cleaned
garlic paste	2 teaspoons
cumin powder	2 teaspoons
red chilli powder	2 teaspoons
green chillies	4 chopped
coriander leaves	3 tablespoons chopped
salt	to taste

Seasoning Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Coconut Oil	2 tablespoons
cumin seeds	1/4 teaspoons
curry leaves	few
Lime juice	1/2 lime

Method

Combine marinade ingredients and rub in to the prawn.
Leave to marinade for 2 hour in the refrigerator .
Heat oil in pan on moderate heat.
When hot, add cumin seeds and curry leaves . Once they crackle slide in prawns and marinate into oil.
Cook until well cooked and serve with a good squeeze of lime juice .

Saffron chicken kebab

Preparation Time : 20 minutes + 8 hours or 2 days marination time

Cooking Time : 15 – 20 minutes

Serving : 5 members

Description

Saffron chicken Kabab . A light , moist soft melt in the mouth Kabab which takes you on a zesty flavour trip . It will be slurped away in minutes .i love the sunshine yellow that comes from the saffron used . Be prepared to let yourself be seduced by pure captivation . my mind is taking me to an incident related to grilling now . My parents and daughter had gone on a holiday to Rajasthan once . My mom and my daughter being shopaholics , brought entire Rajasthan to Coimbatore . One among the things was a tandoori stove top cooker that they brought for me as well ( so in total it’s 3 pieces ). they had couriered it from Rajasthan along with other things . The tandoor cooker was all out of shape by the time it reached Coimbatore . Then got it back repaired in a local shop . A few days back , My daughter wanting an electric egg beater went shopping at my place ( tirunelveli ) . While the egg beater was being billed , we both were just gazing around the shop . And guess what we spotted ???? They had the same stove top tandoor cooker . Which was just a few bucks more than what they got in Rajasthan . My gal felt so duped . I remember initially at my place most of the things from food items to every thing had to be sourced from else where . 85 % of things are available here now a days . We nellaiat’s are happily making up for the lost time , thanks to things easily available here :-))

For the chicken

Ingredients	Quantity
ground saffron	1 teaspoon dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
fresh lime juice	2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
oil	2 tablespoons
large onions, peeled and cubed	2
Capsicum	2 cubed , ( can use any colour red , yellow , green or all the three )
Tomatoes	5 medium sized cut into 1/2
zest of lime	2 tablespoons
yogurt	2 cups
salt	to taste
freshly ground black pepper	2 teaspoons
Chicken	1 kg
garlic, peeled, and crushed	2 cloves

For the baste

Ingredients	Quantity
lime juice	1 lime
butter melted	1/4 cup
salt	to taste
freshly ground black pepper	1/2 teaspoon

To serve

Ingredients	Quantity
Lime wedges	As needed
Chopped coriander leaves	As needed

Method

In a large bowl, combine half the saffron water and the lime juice, oil, onions, capsicums , garlic, orange zest, yogurt, salt, and pepper. Beat well with a fork. Add the pieces of chicken and toss well with marinade.
Cover and marinate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Turn the chicken twice during this period.
Start a bed of charcoal 30 minutes before you want to cook and let it burn until the coals glow evenly. Otherwise, preheat the oven 180 degree Celsius .
Skewer the tomatoes.
Spear wings, breasts, and legs onto different skewers (they require different cooking times).

For the baste

Add the juice of 1 lime and the remaining saffron water to the melted butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Paint the tomato and chicken with the basting mixture. Grill the chicken and tomatoes 8 to 15 minutes, until done.
Turn frequently and baste occasionally. The chicken is done when the juice that runs out is yellow rather than pink.serve hot with a final basting over the grilled chicken pieces .
Garnish with lime wedges and coriander leaves .
Make sure you grill the chicken to get a crisp crust and a moist inside .
Serve the kebabs with a salad which is light and fresh with out lemon dressing as the chicken has a lot of lime flavour already
There is no need for dips or sauces to be accompanied

Pondicherry style chicken gravy

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 to 25 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Pondicherry style chicken gravy . This dish very own to the sunshine union territory of Pondicherry was brought by Bharathi rathi , for the recipe swap get together on the first anniversary of sauté , fry n bake but she had made it with mutton . Having so much of work to do for the anniversary celebration , this recipe was not written on the file of recipes I distributed that day , nor did i take a picture and I didn’t get to taste it as well because it was cleanly wiped of before I could start my lunch . So I made it again with chicken , when I had my boy Afzar come home two days before eid ul azha . It was a very aromatic delicious gravy and liked the fact that there was no coconut or nuts used to thicken the gravy .this home style classic is a true union of taste and incomparable flavour that shows the varied cuisine of our country . I first got to meet Bharathi in the gym and it took nearly a

Week for us to start talking to each other . Once we started now there is no stopping as we talk for hours and hours in person and over the phone nearly every day and we are the best of buddies . When sauté , fry n bake was 299 likes , she asked one of her friends to give a like just for the sake of the little joy that I get and is the best critic of sauté, fry n bake . Bharathi was the last person to come for the get together but she has to be excused as she had to come along with her three month old baby boy . Her elder boy Shri maan was like “why did you leave me and go to Hazeena aunties house ??” that evening after he was back from school . I pop up with utter joy every time I get to see Shri maan with his huge round shy , blushing eyes :-)) .

Ingredients for step 1

Ingredients	Quantity
Small onions	one hand
Tomatoes	2 big chopped
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cardamom	1
Cloves	2
Fennel seeds	1 teaspoon
Ginger	1 inch piece
Garlic	6 flakes
Dry red chillies	6
Oil	1 1/2 tablespoons

Method for step 1

Heat oil and fry each mentioned above ingredient until it gets roasted and let’s out its aroma separately .
Cool completely and grind together.

Ingredients for step 2

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken / mutton	1/2 kg ,
Ginger paste	1/4 teaspoon
Garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste

Method for step 2

Mix all the above ingredients together and cook until the meat is cooked along with little water .

Ingredients for step 3

Ingredients	Quantity
Oil	2 to 3 tablespoons
Fennel seeds	1 teaspoon
Curry leaves	1 string
Bay leaf	1
Curry masala powder	2 tablespoons or coriander powder

Method for step 3

Heat oil in a non stick kadai . Add curry leaves , fennel seeds and bay leaf .
Top with the curry masala powder and the ground masala paste . Fry until oil floats on top .
Add the boiled meat with the water and mix well . Bring to boil . Simmer until oil separates and serve hot .

Note

Can add potatoes and green peas with the meat and make a gravy for chapathis or any rotis .
The water added can be adjusted according to the gravy consistency you want it to be , running or semi thick .
Vegetarians can do the same by substituting potatoes , green peas or any other veggie of your choice .

Egg roast

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 -20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Egg roast . A dish that was and is always there on the dinning table spread on any occasion at home in my maternal grand mothers place . Grand pa ( periyatha ) has this habit of bringing home unexpected guests any time of the day .i still remember how much my grand ma would grumble but immediately head towards the kitchen to adjust and elaborate a better spread on the table . The first thing she does when in the kitchen would be , take eggs from the fridge and boil them and start chopping onions , resulting in an egg roast on the table . This would happen for any meal of the day . So this dish had no restriction of being on the table at all . At hubby’s place eggs are a big ” no , no ” as they consider it to be a high content fatty culprit . So for some time the mighty , nostalgic Egg roast had vanished from my menu . Last morning had my maternal uncle ( Shanu ) at my place for breakfast . My mind just rewinded bake and took me to the authentic spread of my grand mother . Wanting to rekindle those days in my uncle as he lives in Bangalore now and has no time to relax or to relish such authentic delicacies . Made a grand breakfast with a menu of our gods own country’s authentic dishes like puttu , kadala curry , iddiappam , naadan chicken curry , appam , stew and of course the mighty egg roast . These home style dishes that have lost their way did come as a revelation to my uncle and My mission was accomplished :-)) .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Boiled Eggs	4
Onions	4 (medium, finely sliced )
Small Tomatoes	3 blitzed to a puree
Garlic Ginger paste	1/4 teaspoon each
Turmeric Powder	1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder	1 teaspoon
Garam Masala	1/4 teaspoon
Green chillies	4 slit
Coriander powder	1 tablespoon
Cumin powder	1/2 teaspoon
Fennel powder	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Coconut Oil	2 tablespoons
Coriander leaves	few chopped

Method

De – shell the boiled eggs . Make some slits over the eggs vertically and keep it aside .
Heat coconut oil in a pan and shallow fry the boiled egg turning it frequently for couple of minutes until they start to turn a very light brown and set aside.In the same pan, saute the chopped onions till it turns to translucent .
Add ginger and garlic paste , saute for a couple of minutes until the ginger garlic paste gets crisp . add green chilies and saute.
Add turmeric powder , red chilli powder , coriander powder , cumin powder and fennel powder . saute till the raw smell is gone.
Add blitzed tomato puree , salt to taste , and saute till oil separates from the pan.
Add garam masala and mix in well. Top with the fried eggs and toss it well making sure not to stir the mixture too hard as the eggs might crumble .
Cook it on a low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve as side dish with Anything and everything .

Malvani Chicken Curry

Preparation Time : 35 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 – 30 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

A beautifully flavoured spicy chicken gravy with a lot of coconut used that’s filling and deeply satisfying . Coconuts are a big no to my daughter Anisha . I really can’t figure out from where she got this health freak in her because my hubby , my boy and myself are great non stop foodies who end up eating anything and everything called food . My daughter made sure we cut down on the coconuts used at home in our curries to 1/2 the amount and for the sides like veggies ( poriyal , kootu ) avoid using it . The pain in eating veggies itself is more than enough , to add upon to it no coconut proved that healthy is anything but boring . God , it was a real hard task in the beginning but now am used to it . My girl manages to health police us all at home but to me habits don’t stick if they are joyless and food has to be a pleasure , not an obligation .

Ingredients

For the chicken

Ingredients	Quantity
chicken	1/2 kg
onions	4 chopped
turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
ginger paste	2 tablespoons
garlic paste	2 tablespoons
oil	2 tablespoons
Salt	to taste
Water	as required

For the masala paste

Ingredients	Quantity
coconut	1 small grated
whole red chillies	2
garlic pods	3
cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
roasted coriander seeds	1 tablespoon
green chillies	2
coriander leaves, chopped	1/2 cup
malwani masala	2 tablespoons
Water	as needed

For the malwani masala

Ingredients	Quantity
red chillies	12
whole coriander seeds	2 teaspoons
cloves	4
peppercorns	1/2 teaspoon
cumin seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Fennel seeds	1/2 teaspoon
green cardamoms	4
black cardamoms	2
dry coconut, grated ( dried coconut we use to extract coconut oil )	1/2 cup
poppy seeds (khuskhus)	1 teaspoon

Method

For the malwani masala

Grind all the Malwani masala ingredients together to a fine powder and keep it aside

For the masala paste

In a pan roast the grated coconut and whole red chillies. Grind this roasted mixture with the garlic pods, cumin seeds, roasted coriander seeds and water.
Now add green chillies, chopped coriander, malwani masala and a little more water. Grind it again into a coarse masala paste.

For the chicken

Heat the oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic paste, chopped onions and cook for a while.
When the onions turn translucent, add turmeric, salt and cook for a few minutes.
Add the chicken to the pan, mix it well and then add the masala paste.
Cook for 15-20 minutes or till the chicken is done and well coated in the masala gravy .Serve hot.