Fusion Meal with Achari Chicken

Achari Chicken is not an invention in itself, though I have added my own personal touch to the list of ingredients and method. My take on Achari Chicken calls for chips and a salad as accompaniment and thats where the fusion comes in. The recipe for the main course is long and elaborate compared to most of the main course recipes here; however, it is most certainly worth the effort.
The dessert is something that I thought up on my own, the best part of the recipe is the low fat and somewhat low sugar in it. The 'toffeed' walnuts are an essential part of it and the dessert will taste quite quite bland without it,  In any case, this dessert is like a shrikhand with a heavy English accent :)

7a) Achari Chicken

 

Stage I:  

Ingredients:

500 Gms chicken (you can go with leg pieces or drum sticks for best results)

Ingredients

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

Salt to taste (I would go with a conservative flat teaspoon of salt or even slightly less, best to adjust the salt towards the end)

1 ½ tsp vinegar

1 ½ tsp mustard oil

 Method:

Trim as much of the fat as is possible from the pieces of chicken, wash and either pat dry or leave for a short while for the excess moisture to drain or dry off.

Place the chicken in a wide bottomed  bowl (for even marinating)

Mix all of the ingredients of the marinade and rub into the chicken.

Cover and leave for a minimum of 3 – 4 hours in the refrigerator.

I would prepare the chips for frying during the period that the chicken is marinating.

Stage II

(step a): 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Mustard oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp onion seeds

1 ½ tsp fennel

2 large onions (or three small to medium sized ones) finely sliced

¼  teaspoon fenugreek seeds(methi)

1 tsp Kasturi Methi

Method:

Take all the ingredients

Heat the mustard oil in a wide pan till smoking, switch off the fire and wait for the oil to cool enough to not burn the seeds that you are about to put into it.

Switch on the fire and add the mustard seeds first, as soon as they show signs of spluttering, add the onion and fennel seeds.

Reduce the heat to low and add the onion slices and the fenugreek seeds (I do this because the fenugreek seeds tend to burn very quickly and so adding it with the onions allows for better control over them)

Crumble the Kasturi methi leaves and add them.

Cook on low fire till the onions turn a bit glassy, but not limp.

Remove the pan from the fire and take the onions and spice mixture out from the pan and keep aside.

(stepb)

Inredients:

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 – 3 dried red chillies

1 flat tbsp ginger paste

1 flat tbsp garlic paste

½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 ½ cups of water

2 small tomatoes, skinned and grated

Juice of half a lime

1 tsp mustard oil

Chopped coriander for garnish (optional)

 

Method:

There ought to be adequate oil left in the pan, if not add a few teaspoons.

Heat oil to just short of smoking, lift from the fire and put in the cumin seeds. (Lifting the pan off the fire reduces the chances of the cumin burning)

Add the dried red chillies and place back on the fire

Add the ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder and the Kashmiri chilli powder.

Stir (adding a touch of water if you like, to prevent the spice from sticking to the pan or burning) on low heat till the raw smell has gone.

Add the chicken pieces and cook, flipping sides, till they are sealed.

Pour in the water, bring to boil, cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes or till chicken is cooked through. Flip the chicken pieces over at least once in between this process to ensure even cooking.

Add the grated tomato and the onion and whole spice mix (which you had kept aside), cook on low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Take the pan off the fire, add the mustard oil and the lime juice, give it a good stir.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, if using.

7b) Garlic Flavoured Finger Chips

Ingredients:

2 to 3 large potatoes per head

8 – 10 pods of garlic

Salt

Water

Oil for deep frying

Chat masala

(A fair bit of patience)

Method:

Take a large pan add a generous amount of salt, say 1 ½ to 2 tsp, whole pods of garlic (with skin intact)

Set to boil.

Peel the potatoes and cut into fingers, try your best to keep all the pieces to the same size.

Place the fingers of potato in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration.

Once the water comes to a rolling boil, put in the potato fingers all at once and par boil (this should take a maximum of 5 minutes or so, depends a great deal on the sort of potatoes being used)
Remove the garlic pods, taking care that not traces of it remain stuck to the fingers.

Drain and keep aside for all the water to drain or else the chips will splutter alarmingly when you fry them.

Pour enough oil in a wok or deep enough frying pan for the potato fingers to almost swim in the oil.

Heat the oil and reduce flame to medium, fry the chips (in batches).

Fry till the potatoes look cooked and have turned to a pale golden colour.

Drain extra oil from the fried fingers by placing them on a tissue (kitchen roll, napkin)

Once all the fingers are fried, fry them once again till they develop blisters and turn a rich golden colour (not brown)

Drain the fried chips on tissue once again, sprinkle chat masala (if using) or salt (if required) and serve.

7c)Cucumber and Lettuce Salad

Ingredients:

2 – 3 cucumbers

1/3 cup whole mint leaves

1 ripe but firm tomato

A generous splash of olive oil

½ lime

A tbsp Honey/sprinkling of sugar

Salt to taste

Method:

Slice the cucumbers into thin discs (I use a cheese slicer to get really thin slices)

Quarter the tomato and remove the seeds and soft pulpy flesh, leaving only the flesh that is attached to the skin)

Cut the tomato into small (maximum of 1 cm) cubes

Crush the mint leaves - just squeezing them with your hands is adequate 

Mix all three ingredients and keep in the refrigerator.

Mix the olive oil, lime juice and honey and salt and keep aside.

Pour the dressing onto the cucumber, mint and tomato bits and give it a good stir; do this, just before serving as salads with cucumber, lime and salt turn limp and watery before you can say Jack Robinson 

7d)Caramel Yoghurt with Walnuts

For the Yoghurt

Ingredients:

400 Gms Thick Curds (using store bought curds is actually better as the water content is less in these)

2 tbsp Demerara  Sugar

2 tbsp Honey

1 flat tsp Butter

2 – 3 tbsp Warm Water

Method: 

Hang the curds in a clean cheese cloth and let all the whey drain from it, this should take a minimum of 3 – 4 hours. The curds ought to be thick enough to slice with a knife once all the whey has drained.

Add the honey and whip with a balloon (or fork) till it acquires a smooth and glossy texture.

Get your warm water ready at this point.

Heat a pan to medium temperature and pour the sugar in, try and ensure that the sugar is spread more or less evenly and just watch the sugar caramelize. Do not attempt to either stir the sugar or leave the pan for even a second.

As soon as all the sugar has melted, switch the fire off,  add the butter and whisk.

Continue whisking as you pour the warm water in a slow and steady stream.

In case any toffee-ish lumps form, don’t worry at all – just pour in a wee bit more of warm water and whisk away the lump.

The liquid mixture ought to be like a caramel syrup when it cools down to room temperature. Add a little bit more of warm water if the syrup is too sticky or give a brisk boil (be very very very careful when you do this) to reduce it if you have ended up making it too watery.

Once the syrup has cooled down to room temperature, whisk it into the hung curd and honey.

It is a good  idea to check the curds at this stage to see if it is too tart or too sweet – if it is still tart, add some more honey; if it is too sweet, add a tiny bit of yoghurt.

Keep in the refrigerator to cool and set for at least an hour.

For the Walnuts:

Ingredients:

10 – 12 Walnuts

1 tbsp Demerara  sugar

½ tsp butter

Method:

 Break the walnuts into tiny pieces.

Caramelize the demerara sugar in the same way as you did for the syrup.

Add the ½ spoon of butter and the broken bits of walnuts into the pan and stir till all the pieces are coated with caramel and turn toffee like.

Allow to cool and break any pieces that may be stuck together (doesn’t matter much if all the pieces are stuck together, they come apart quite easily)

To serve, place a portion of the caramel yoghurt and sprinkle the walnut toffee bits on top.

Tandoori Style Succulent Chicken

Recipe #6

The main course in this recipe is Tandoori style Grilled Chicken. It needs to be made in two stages, I know it looks long and complicated but it really is quite simple and the end result is fabulous! It really does not require too many accompaniments and we often stick just a salad and avoid the roti or bread altogether.

The dessert that is included in this menu looks long and elaborate, it is really easier than a pie and anyone can make it.

I will post pictures of the chicken and the dessert really really soon.

6a) Tandoori Style Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

Stage I

500 gms chicken pieces of your choice (though drumsticks work best)

1 large onion chopped

1 inch piece ginger, chopped

8 – 10 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tbsp kasturi methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

1 heaped tsp tenderiser (optional)

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp chilli powder

½ litre milk (can be fresh from the packet or carton)

Salt to taste

Pinch of orange food powder or a few drops of orange food colour

Method:

Grind all ingredients except for the chicken and the milk.

Place the chicken in a pressure cooker, pour milk and the paste you have just made.

Pressure cook for 8 – 10 minutes.

Allow the pressure to drop by itself.  

Take the pieces of chicken out, there is no need to drain the pieces too much or remove the bits of curdled milk and spice that may be sticking to the pieces, they only add to the deliciousness of this dish.

Tip: You can preserve the ‘gravy’ that will remain and use it to make a curry or moist rice preparation.

Stage II

Ingredients:

1 tbsp lemon juice

60 gms of ghee (or butter in case you do not have any ghee)

Pinch of orange food powder or a few drops of orange food colour

Chat masala or roasted cumin powder

Slices of lemon for garnish

Method:

Grease a flat baking dish and lay out the pieces of chicken in such a manner that you have easy access to each piece during the grilling process. 

Melt the ghee (or butter) and add the lemon juice and food colour.

Brush the chicken pieces with the ghee and lemon juice and bake in a moderately hot oven (400⁰ F or 205 ⁰ C) for 7 – 8 minutes.

Take the dish out, turn the pieces of chicken around and brush with remaining ghee and lemon mix. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes.

If the top of the chicken pieces have not crisped up, you can grill the chicken for a few more minutes. This can be done in the oven or on a griddle. I use a blow torch to achieve that charred crisp appearance to the chicken pieces.

 Sprinkle with either chaat masala or roasted cumin powder, garnish with sliced lemon. Serve with pickled onions slices, tangy mint and coriander chutney, a salad and bread or roti.

6b) Pickled Onions

Ingredients:

2 onions cut into thin rings

Juice of half a lemon

Pinch of black salt

¼ tsp chilli powder (preferably kashmiri/deghi chilli powder)

1 tsp of finely chopped mint or coriander leaves.

Salt to taste

Method:

Separate the onions slices and mix all the ingredients. 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

If you keep this for too long, you may find a lot of liquid which you ought to drain before serving.

6c) Tangy Mint Chutney

Ingredients: 

1 cup of chopped fresh coriander (include as much of the stalk as you can, that’s where the real flavour and aroma is)

½ cup chopped mint leaves (no stalks here)

¼ - ½ cup raisins

1 green chilli

Juice of ½ a lemon (reserve other half)

Pinch of black salt

Table salt to taste

Method:

Begin by washing and soaking the raisins to allow enough time for them to soften a bit. Do this even before you begin chopping the coriander and mint leaves.

Check the mint leaves to be doubly sure that none of the stalk is attached to it, mint stalks lend themselves to a bitter after taste.

De-seed the green chilli if you prefer less heat. I find it easiest to top and tail the chilli, rub it violently against the chopping board and then slit it; the seeds just need a gentle scrape to be removed.

Put all ingredients into a liquidizer and grind till a smooth paste is formed

Check the taste and add more lime juice if it is too sweet or hot for your palate. Adjust salt and add some sugar if you see fit.

Tip: It is a good idea to wash your hands with milk or rub a slice of fresh lemon on your hands after handling the green chilli. This prevents burning of your hands and other parts that your hand comes into contact with.

.

6d) Salad with Curd Honey and Mustard Dressing

Ingredients:

½ cup thick curds

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp whole grain mustard sauce (I use kashundi)

Salt to taste (kashundi is salty, so if you are using this, skip the salt)

Crisp salad vegetables of your choice, chopped or sliced

Method:

Whip the curds till it is smooth and resembles whipped cream.

Beat in the honey and the mustard sauce

Pour the dressing over the vegetable and mix it in, ensuring that it coats all the pieces/slices of your salad vegetables.

6e) Peach n Cream

Ingredients:

8 peaches, stoned and halved

3 tbsp sugar

2 – 3 cups of water

1 flat tbsp corn flour

1 tsp butter

3 inch piece of Cinnamon

200 ml fresh cream

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 flat tbsp castor sugar (either readymade or just ground up sugar)

4 dollops of Vanilla ice cream

2 tbsp plum/strawberry/raspberry jam

2 tbsp water

Tip: To halve the peaches, run a knife along the length of the peaches and then gently twist it. Ease the stone off with a knife.

Method: 

Place the halved peaches in a pan, add 2 – 3 cups of water (depending on the dimension of your pan, the idea is to cover the peaches) to which the cinnamon stick and 3 tbsp of sugar have been added.

Bring to boil and then simmer till the fruit is soft. Remove the pan from the fire and take the fruit out, keep aside to cool. Leave the syrup in the pan.

Add a tiny bit of water to the corn flour in order to make a paste. Stir the syrup (from the boiling of the peaches) in the pan as you add the paste of corn flour.

Stir over low heat till the syrup thickens to the consistency of thin custard.

Remove from fire, take out the cinnamon stick and stir in butter.

The halves of the peach out to be cool enough to handle by now and you can remove the skins, which will slide off easily.

Keep the cooked peaches and the sauce in the refrigerator as soon as they have cooled down.

Heat the 2 tbsp of water in a pan, add the jam and stir till smooth.

Remove from fire, cool and refrigerate.

Whip the cream along with the vanilla essence and when it is nearly form, add the castor sugar.

Leave this in the refrigerator too.

To assemble:

Place 4 halves of the peaches in wide bottom clear glass bowl or tumbler.

Pour the thickened syrup on top of this.

Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top of this.

Pour a tablespoon of the sauce you have made with the jam.

Top with the whipped cream; if you can and like, pipe the cream to give it a great look.

Serve immediately.

Tip: To make sure that the cream does not split or curdle, whip it when it is cold and add a few drops of lemon juice before you begin whipping it. I promise you it works! 

 A hand whisk is the safest option when it comes to whipping cream.

Lazy Chef's Soup Stocks

Lazy Chef's Soup Stocks

This is long overdue and I have to work towards regular uploads on this site. Life and lethargy keep getting in the way of my best intentions as far as this blog goes! As I had mentioned, the easiest and quickest way to add stock to a soup is to throw in a soup cube or add a cube to some warm water.  What I failed to mention is the fact that no soup cube that I have ever come across comes close to the real thing; the recipes are all short cuts and will by no means produce a clear stock but, that doesn’t count for much in most soups.  The authentic technique for clear stock will be listed later. It requires patience and takes time to make clear stock.

So, here are a few basic stocks (and I hope to have the determination to add some more in the near future!) for all of us in a hurry:

5a) Brown Stock

Ingredients:

750 gms chopped beef  or mutton bones

1 chopped onion

3 – 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 sticks of celery, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 sprig each of parsley and thyme

10 – 12 peppercorns

1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the beef bones, stir until browned; an alternate method is to rub all but 1 tsp of the oil onto the meat and then put into the pan in which you have heated the remaining 1 tsp of the oil – this helps the bones and the bits off meat on the bones from sticking stubbornly onto the pan.

Throw in the rest of the ingredients and add enough water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer (or not if you like as the difference is marginal) and put the lid onto the pressure cooker. Put the weight on and cook for 30 mins on low heat or until all the ingredients look like they have been cooked to their death.

Strain the liquid and use, I squeeze the garlic and the celery stocks to extract whatever little flavour may be remaining in them and to get a stronger tasting stock.

You can even reduce the liquid, cool and then freeze it to use later. Some people freeze their stock in ice cube trays for convenience, my take on that: only do so if you have a separate tray for it – your regular ice cubes will never be the same once you have frozen soup cubes in them – the celery and garlic linger till forever!

Variations:

White Stock: Follow exactly the same procedure as above, with exactly the same ingredients – just leave out the oil and don' t brown the bones.

White Poultry Stock: Follow the same procedure as for White Stock, just substitute chicken carcass, odds and ends from a whole chicken, pieces of chicken or even a whole chicken for the beef or mutton bones.

Bacon Bones: Proceed as above but substitute 400 – 500 gms of bacon bones for the beef, mutton or chicken.

5b) Chicken Stock for Oriental Soups

Ingredients:

250 gms (or more) Chicken carcass, odds and ends like wings, neck pieces 
2 inches piece ginger, thinly sliced
6 -  8 cloves of garlic, pealed
Salt to taste

Method:
Put all ingredients into a pressure cooker along with enough water to cover the ingredients and cook for 6 to 7 whistles. You may want to stop in between to check if the water is still adequate and top it up if you see fit.

Tip: You can use bones, odds and ends etc from any other protein, including sea food, just as long as you don't go over board with the quantity in case the protein has a strong flavour or aroma of its own.

5c) Vegetable Stock

Ingredients

15  gms of butter

250 gms roughly diced carrots

1 chopped onion

5 – 6 cloves of unpeeled garlic

3 sticks of celery, roughly diced

3 sprigs of parsley

Bunch of thyme leaves

5 cups of water

6 peppercorns

½  tsp wild celery seeds - known as ajmud or chandni in Hindi and radhuni in Bengali (Optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat the butter in a pressure cooker, and sauté the vegetables  for 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and the water.

Cook in the pressure cooker for about 4 to 5 whistles.

Strain and use, please read the last two paragraphs of  recipe for Basic Brown Stock to know how to store the stock.