Chicken Ghee Roast (Warning - It's Red Hot!)

Why am I giving you a recipe for a crazy-red-hot dish in the middle of summer? Have I lost my bonkers (and my taste buds)? Ahem ahem… that was a nice opening spiel, don’t you think? Now, getting down to business. If you think about it – all the ‘hottest’ food in the world comes from the ‘hottest’ places. Mexico, Indonesia, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland…all famous for foods that send you running, to pack your tongue with ice! Logically, you would expect these people to be sipping on watermelon juice and eating a cucumber salad and not trying to replicate the external temperature assault, internally! So why do they do it?

The wisdom of ages pours forth now (actually this is a result of being a closet trivia junkie!). Spicy food is your best bet to cool down. Capsaicin, the chemical in all spicy food is in cahoots with our central nervous system to help regulate the temperature in our body. It starts by increasing the blood circulation and dilating capillaries – resulting in more of a surface area to cool. And it also makes you sweat - which is a natural defense against overheating!

So this recipe is right where it belongs – in the middle of summer in a hot-hot country like India! I cheated and ate a cool mint raita with it, but you can be braver and go the whole hog. Happy Cooling down!

Chicken Ghee Roast

(Recipe from my Mum)

Prep time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves 3-4

What you need:

½ kg Chicken pieces

1 Tbsp Chilli Powder

½ Lime, juice of

½ tsp Salt

A pinch of Garam Masala

A pinch of Turmeric

2 Tbsp Ghee

10-15 Curry Leaves

¼ tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

1 tsp Rock Salt

What to do:

Wash, drain and pat chicken dry. Make a marinade of chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and lime juice. (Do not use any water). Rub the marinade into the chicken well and keep aside for 30 mins. (The salt used for the marinade will ensure some water drains into the bowl).

Put the chicken pieces along with the marinade and into a pan/ bowl which can be used in a pressure cooker.  (We are pretty much steaming the chicken pieces, but ensuring the juices stay inside the bowl). Now close the lid and wait for the pressure to build up in the cooker. Put the whistle on now and cook the chicken for 12 minutes.

Wait till the cooker has cooled and remove the chicken from the bowl and save the marinade juices separately. (There should be about a glass of liquid).

In a pan, reduce the liquid down to ½ glass by boiling. We are concentrating the spice here.

In another pan/wok heat 2 Tbsp of Ghee, add in ginger-garlic paste and  curry leaves. Saute for a minute. Toss in the dry chicken pieces and sauté for 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the reduced spice liquid to the chicken. Now raise the heat to medium and cook the chicken in the juices till you reach a semi dry consistency. (about 8 minutes).

Serve with some steamed rice and a nice raita or eat it as a starter with some cold beer!

Baingan Bharta (Indian Spiced Aubergine/ Eggplant Mash)

Baingan Bharta is something that I was introduced to seven years ago. (Basically, ever since I started working and it was de rigueur to have lunch in the office cafeteria!). The cafeteria food sucked. And day after day it was pure torture to let the undercooked, over spiced, all-round-sad food enter our mouths. I could have opted to take a lunchbox from home, but it was just too much work in the morning. (Besides, in those days I thought I was too cool for a lunch box!). So it was almost a godsend when a little Dhaba (highway or roadside restaurant; very popular in the North of India) opened up next to office. This was run by a Punjabi family who served home style meals at a modest price. (Which suited our pockets just fine!). They had a fixed menu written on a black board everyday and fixed quantities that would run out if you reached later than 1:30 pm. So we religiously moved our lunch break to 12:30pm and ensured we got the pick of the loot. He made Baingan Bharta every Tuesday and every North Indian worth their salt would be queued up to order it. I thought it looked pedestrian really – bowl of red-yellow mash of aubergines. Give me my Matar Paneer anyday! Then it happened eventually…one day I was forced to order the Baigan Bharta because the Paneer ran out. And the rest as they say is history!

I love the smokey flavor of the aubergine and the tang of the tomato. Someone really worked on getting the ingredient combo right! Every region or house in India has their own secret recipe for Banigan Bharta so I can’t really claim that this is the best or the most authentic. But my dear cook Kumudh has churned this out atleast once every week for the past three years – so rest assured that it’s good. (I had to beg her for the recipe and only after telling her that it’s going to go on the ‘Computer’ did she allow it). So all credit to Kumudh for this one – she monitored me like a hawk when I made it!

Baingan Bharta

(Recipe from my cook Kumudh)

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves 4

What you need:

1 Med-Large Purple Aubergine/ Eggplant/ Baingan

1 large Onion, chopped

2 Med Tomatoes, chopped

2 Green Chillies, chopped

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

½ tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)

3 Tbsp Oil

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder (dhaniya powder)

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves to garnish

What to do:

Wash and dry the Aubergine (Baingan). Make 4 vertical slits in the skin and prick the rest with a fork. (Keep the stem on, it will help in holding and moving the aubergine around). Now place the aubergine on a grill rack on an open flame. (I use the flame from my gas stove). If you have a charcoal grill – that will work as well and add a more smokey dimension to aubergine. Keep turning periodically to ensure all parts of the aubergine come in contact with the flame. The objective is to get the pulp inside nice and soft. The outer skin will start flaking and charring. (That’s the point!). When liquid/ moisture starts oozing out of the eggplant, you know that it’s starting to cook. (But not cooked yet…) You know that it’s done when it feels soft to touch in all areas and you can slide a knife in, without any resistance.

Now take off the flame and remove the charred skin with a bread knife. It will come off easily. For the stubborn parts that are still stuck to the pulp, just wash the aubergine under the tap to ensure its clean. Take the stem off and mash the aubergine to a pulp with a fork. If it was cooked well, it will give in easily.

Now for the easy part. Heat the oil in a kadai (wok) and toss in the cumin seeds. Add the ginger-garlic paste and chillies and fry for a few seconds. Now add the chopped onions in. (Sprinkle a pinch of salt to ensure it fries faster). Saute for 5 mins or till the onion starts turning brown. Add coriander and chilli powder and sauté for 2 mins.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, stir and close with a lid. Keep it on for 5 mins or till the oil starts separating from the mixture. (I peaked once or twice to check that it’s not burning – I don’t have the confidence of my cook!)

Now all we need to do is mix the aubergine mash with the mixture on the stove. Saute for a minute till it looks well blended. Check the seasoning. Take off the stove, garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and enjoy with hot rotis.

Chingri Malai Curry (Bengali Prawn and Coconut Curry)

Bengali food resonates with me on a deeper level even though I’m a pucca Southie. Maybe it’s the rice that bonds us (Bengali’s also eat rice with every meal!), or maybe my love for rosogullas and rasamalai’s have sweetened me towards them, or maybe it’s the fact that half the employees in my ex-company were Bengali! For whatever reason, I love Bengali food.

The one thing that I always order in a Bengali restaurant (apart from their gorgeous desserts) is Chingri Malai Curry. Chingri means Prawns and Coconut is used as the base in this curry to give it the quintessential creaminess. This is the mecca of what a curry should taste like for me – Rich, spicy-sweet and comforting. There is this little Bengali restaurant in Indiranagar that serves this curry in a Tender Coconut with the tail of the Prawn sticking out. Just seeing it makes my heat beat faster! The curry also has pieces of tender coconut in it that I love nibbling on. Though I don’t think that’s really the authentic way – but when it’s that yummy who cares right?  

I found this recipe on Hamaree Rasoi. And I know Deepashri Deb can only turn out an authentic curry - being Bengali and all… ;) I increased the amount of coconut milk and added a chilli for a bit of heat. Also please use fresh pressed coconut milk. The Dabur Homemade one just dosen’t cut it here. The flavor with fresh pressed coconut milk elevates this dish to the status it truly deserves. So here’s some Chingri Malai Curry for you. Eat it with some hot fluffy rice to find yourself floating in food heaven!

Chingri Malai Curry

(Recipe adapted from Hamaree Rasoi)

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves 4

What you need:

500 gms Prawns, de-veined (medium to large, leave their tails on for more drama)

2 Onions, ground to a paste

1 Green Chilli, slit

400 ml Coconut Milk (Thick and thin Press)

1 ½ Tbsp Garlic Paste

1 Tbsp julienned Ginger

2 Bay Leaves

2 Cardamoms

1 inch stick of Cinnamon

3 Cloves

1 tsp Chilli Powder (use the Lal Mirch for extra colour and less heat)

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Dhaniya Powder (Coriander Powder)

A Pinch of Sugar

2 Tbsp Ghee

3 Tbsp Mustard Oil/ vegetable Oil

¾ cup Water

For the Marinade:

½ tsp Lemon Juice

A pinch of turmeric

Salt to taste

What to do:

Soak the whole spices in 2 tbsp of water and keep aside. (this is to ensure they don’t burn in the oil).

Grind the onions to a paste and set aside. This is step one, because the water will start to release from the onions which you need to discard. Squeeze the onion paste to release any residual water and set aside.

Wash the prawns and marinate them for 15 mins with the lemon juice, turmeric and salt. Heat the Ghee in the pan and fry the prawns for a quick 10 seconds just to get some colour on them. (Do not fry them for long as it will turn rubbery. We are going to finish cooking them later in the curry). Keep them aside.

Now add the mustard oil to the ghee and wait till it gets hot. Add in the whole spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves) and saute. Now add the garlic paste and the ginger and fry for a couple of mins till the garlic starts turning brown. Add the slit green chilli and the semi dry onion paste and give it a good stir. Cover with a lid for one minute. The onion paste will start to brown. Now keep an eye on it and keep stirring vigourously. If it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan add in a Tbsp of water. Continue this process till the onions are nice and rich brown but not burnt.

Now add in the coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and sugar and sauté well. Cook this mixture till the oil starts to separate from it/ rises to the top. (5-7 mins)

Add in ¾ cup of water here and reduce the flame. Add in the thin press coconut milk first. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce then reduce to a simmer. Add Prawns now and cover and cook for another 3-4 mins. Now add the thick press coconut milk. Stir and just heat through.

Garnish it with a wedge of lemon and some coriander leaves. Of course hot steamed rice is the best accompaniment.

Launching 'The FoodPorn Diaries'

After pondering over many moons, I've decided to separate my recipe and restaurant reviews.

Food for Swaps has always been about documenting the recipes that are dear to me and work in my kitchen. Or the ones that have failed miserably and I never want to try again. Photographing my escapades in the kitchen and sharing them with you, so that you can have tried and tested recipes to fall back on! And i'd like to keep it that way. Fair? ... I think so  :P

So I'm moving all my restaurant reviews to my other blog - 'The FoodPorn Diaries'. This will be an exclusive place to share my experiences of eating out - whether they be in Bangalore or outside. I'm on a quest for lust worthy food! 

And to give you a preview of what’s in store, here’s an excerpt from the latest entry:

Conversations over Coffee

When The Serai invited eight bloggers to celebrate Woman’s Day at their lovely resort in Chickmagalur I did a double take. Really? I was swamped with work that week. I quickly asked for the names of the rest of the bloggers. I didn’t know anybody. (My interest was fading). They wanted me to come and spend two days getting fawned over and pampered. (Interest awakened). Have a look at the website, they insisted. I peeked into it reluctantly. (Wow, Desire generated). They called me back. There was a spa treatment involved, Will I be able to make it? (Resolve weakened). I cancelled my meeting. I was going to the Serai!

We met at the Café Coffee Day Square on Lavelle road. (Serai and CCD are owned by the same parent company). After introducing ourselves and tucking into the breakfast at CCD, we got ourselves into a minivan and drove out of the city. It’s amazing how ten women who have never met before can talk till their jaws drop. No need for introductions, thank you very much!

If that peaked your interest and you want to read more…here's the link to the new blog. Bless it by visiting it! :)

http://thefoodporndiaries.blogspot.in/

You can also ‘Like’ the Facebook page to get regular updates on What's hot ... in the food world obviously!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/thefoodporndiaries

Thanks for stopping by … love as always ... FoodforSwaps J