Spicy Green Chicken

Distinctly aromatic, coriander leaves are the perfect garnish for majority of Indian cuisines. Be it using coriander for a dal preparation or a modest potato sabzi, the herb can work magic if used in the right manner.

Were you aware, that coriander leaves are packed with a host of health benefits?

See illustration below:

Pic Courtesy: OrganicFacts.net

In our latest recipe, we aim at demonstrating how to use Coriander to create an exotic Caribbean Chicken Delicacy.

Ingredients: 

1 kg Chicken (cut into pieces)

1 big bunch of coriander leaves

4 green chillies

2 medium onions

4 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp Eastern Garam Masala

½ tsp Turmeric

Salt to Taste

Method:

Step 1: Rinse the chicken thoroughly, drain excess water and keep it aside. Heat 3 tsp oil in a kadhai, and then add finely chopped onions and fry till the pieces turn golden brown. Add finely chopped green chillies and fry it for about a minute.

Step 2: Add some ginger garlic paste, fry for about 2 minutes. Follow this up by adding some garam masala and turmeric powder and fry these ingredients for a minute.

Step 3: Now wash coriander leaves and chop them finely. Place the leaves onto the kadhai and sauté it for a minute. Put the flame off and wait for this mixture to cool.

Step 4: Once cooled, transfer the mixture to a grinder-mixer to prepare a fine paste. You can add little water as well.

Step 5: Add 2-3 tsp oil in a kadhai and stry-fry the chicken for about 2 minutes. Add the paste and let the chicken cook on slow flame for 25 minutes. Add salt as per requirement.

The use of coriander imparts a pleasant aroma and a touch of freshness to the dish. The green chillies and ginger garlic paste, add a spicy element and help balance it. Spicy Green Chicken has its roots from Caribbean cuisines, and can be a good delicacy during summers - A substitute to other spicy delicacies.

According to us the dish is best served with Ghee Pulao (Directions - Basmati Rice cooked in whole spices tempered in ghee). You may also add slices of cucumber / tomato as a side dish.

Manglorian Chicken Sukkha

Chicken Sukkha is a delicacy you will find on menus of Shetty Restaurants and invariably at most Manglorian Weddings. The dish has its roots with some of the traditional home-made cuisines originating from Mangalore in South India. The amazing taste of Chicken sukkha is attained through a blend of roasted spices and fresh coconut. The piquant aroma for sure can stimulate your pangs when your craving for some exotic home-made food! 

So how can one prepare Chicken Sukkha at home? Due to our hectic lifestyles schedules, we often prefer swift, hassle-free recipes that don’t eat into our time and require the least of effort. 


While Chicken Sukkha used to top our all-time favorite list of recipes; the strenuous preparation method was always a challenge. The traditional method of preparing Chicken Sukkha can be quite cumbersome. Our cooking mantra has always been based on the rationale of preparing food with less hassle, quickest turn-around time sans any compromise on taste and quality. Not until we stumbled upon a magical ingredient i.e., Chicken Masala by Eastern spices, that not only reduced the preparation time by half, but also added a great deal of punch. So here comes our latest 5-Step Chicken Sukkha Recipe for all you home-made food lovers.... 

Ingredients:

1 kg Chicken (cut into pieces)

For the Masala

- 2 medium onions

- 6-7 flakes of garlic

- 1 coconut 

- Eastern Chicken Masala (the magic ingredient!! available at select grocery stores and super markets)

- Turmeric Powder 1tsp

- Salt to Taste

For Tempering

- 1 Medium Onion

- Few Fenugreek Seeds

- Curry Leaves

- 5-6 Garlic Flakes cut into thin strips

Preparation Method:

Step 1: Heat a non-stick cooking pan, cut the onions into quarter blocks and roast them till they become translucent pink. Dry roast the garlic flakes separately till it turns slightly brown. 

Step 2: Put some grated coconut onto a pan and roast the same till it becomes brownish. Now keep all the ingredients i.e. the coconut, onions and garlic aside to cool.

Step 3: Once the ingredients have cooled, grind the onions and garlic into a paste by adding little water. Now add the coconut, 5 tsps of Eastern Chicken Masala and grind the mixture to make a coarse paste. Keep the paste aside once prepared.

Step 4: Heat some cooking oil in a thick bottomed vessel and add fenugreek seeds. Follow it up by one onion chopped into fine pieces. Fry till the onions are golden brown and then add salt and turmeric powder. Mix well, add the Masala paste and fry for a few minutes.

Step 5: Add the pieces of chicken and cook the preparation on slow flame till it becomes tender. Then put off the flame. Take a tempering vessel add oil garlic strips and curry leaves. Garnish the dish with the tempering and cover it. This will help the aroma of fresh curry leaves and garlic to penetrate into the chicken pieces. And there you go, your Chicken Sukkha is ready...

The perfect blend of spices and rich ingredients makes Chicken Sukka a delicacy that one can swear by. The tempering of ingredients enhances the flavour and brings about the traditional aroma. Quick tip - We usually prepare the masala on weekends and store it in the freezer and use the same when preparing.

Chicken Sukkha is best served with Neer Dosa and even Pulao

3-Step Grilled Lemon Chicken Recipe

As Indians, we have always had a penchant for delicious barbecued delicacies such as chicken tandoori, mutton kebab, fish and paneer tikka. With international cuisines taking center stage, grilled food synonymous to the western world is gaining more and more prominence, as an appetizing and healthy alternative. However, the idea of preparing grilled meat, fish or vegetables is often seen as a cumbersome process, generally performed outdoors, and requires a lot of time and effort. 

Did you know that there is a simpler alternative for savouring upon grilled food, within the comfort of your home? Yes, this is feasible with the use of non-stick grill pans (as illustrated in the picture below), that are readily available at kitchen appliance outlets.

 Picture courtesy: Indiatimes shopping

In our second blog post, we will take you through an easy-to-prepare, three-step recipe for a lip-smacking delicacy - Grilled Lemon Chicken.

Ingredients:

1 Kg chicken (Pieces)
1 and 1/2 lemon
2 tbps Ching's Superior Dark Soy Sauce
2 tbps Ching's Green Chilli Sauce
4 Kashmiri Red chillies
6 Garlic Flakes
Salt to taste

Preparation method:

Step 1: Rinse the chicken thoroughly and drain all the water completely. Now place the chicken pieces in a flat dish and apply salt, lemon-juice, soy sauce and green chilly sauce. Mix thoroughly and  keep aside to marinate.

Step 2: Grind the following ingredients into fine paste - Kashmiri Red Chillies and Garlic Flakes, using the juices that come out of the marinate. Remember not to add water while grinding. Add this paste to the chicken and let it marinate for around two hours minimum. 

Step 3: Heat the grill pan on cooking gas and add some oil (about 3 tablespoons). Add a coat of cornflour to the marinated chicken, and place it on the grill pan once the oil is hot. Grill the chicken until the pieces acquire a crispy golden brown colour.

Your Grilled Lemon Chicken is ready to be served!

Quick tip: If you want the ingredients to be absorbed well for an enhanced flavour; marinate the chicken 5 - 6 hours before grilling. 

What we love about this dish is the perfect balance between chilly and lemon. The garlic, sauces (soy and green chilli) blend seamlessly bringing about a tangy flavour that lingers on. Ching's Superior Dark soy sauce is recommended if you want the chicken to acquire a reddish brown colour. Using a non-stick grill pan helps retain the chicken's tenderness and succulence. Adding cornflour lends a thin crispy crust, making it a lip smacking starter.

 Do feel free to share your feedback with us...

4-Step Goan Chorizo Recipe

Picture Courtesy: chickstravelflicks.com

A nostalgic aspect of the early childhood years in Goan-Manglorian homes, is the ritual of attending Sunday mass, heading for catechism class and then returning home to savour on the tantalizing flavours of some native delicacies.

We've all grown up, travelled places, and explored the best of local and international cuisines. But yes, we never grew-out of authentic goan and manglorian dishes such as Chorizo, Roce Gali Kodi (Manglorian Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk), Manglorian Chicken Sukkha, Goan Chicken Xacuti, Sorpotel etc, and all the rest from Mom's Kitchen.

Our first blog post comprises of a quick 4-Step recipe for preparing Goan Sausages, popularly known as 'Chorizo' - a delicacy every Goan swears by. Whatever be the Chroizo recipe, the end result is an absolutely gastronomic Goan dish with a smoky aroma that will uplift your senses. 

So how did Chorizo originate? Synonymous with Portuguese culinary tradition, Chorizo's are cubes of pork, prepared with right blend of oil, spice and salt. The preparation entails marinating the cubes, wrapping it in long tube like coverings and then tying it with strings to form sausage beads (Illustrated in the picture above). These are then dried outdoors, under the sun and later smoked using fire. Some of the most authentic Chorizo's can be sourced from the Margoa Muncipal Market and Panjim Market in Goa. However it is also available in some cold stores in Goa and Mumbai, that specialize at offering Goan delicacies.

Our easy-to-prepare (4 Step) Chorizo recipe require simple ingredients like onion and potato, that bring out the smoked and spicy flavour of the sausages seamlessly.

Ingredients:

30 beads of medium size sausages

2 medium onions

2 medium potatoes

Preparation method:

Step 1: First rinse the sausages well with water and then cut off the strings holding the beads. Ensure that the sausage covering is not cut or removed, as it is imperative to hold the pieces of pork together and retain the spices. You need not add spice, salt or oil as the sausages are pre-cured with the same.

Step 2: You then pressure cook the sausages, on medium flame by sprinkling some water, and leave it for two whistles. 

Step 3: Cut onions and potatoes in cubes as demonstrated in the image. Open the pressure cooker once the steam is out, add the onions and potatoes and stir well.

Step 4: Pressure cook all the ingredients for three more whistles. Now release the lid, cook on high flame to minimize the gravy and your Chorizo is now ready to be served.

The dish in a semi-thick gravy can serve 4, and goes best with Poi (local Goan bread) or Pao.