Formayeshi Murg

So holiday season is over and we all are back to the grind. I am talking about Durgapuja here, the grand celebration we had last week with family and friends, with new cloths, pandal hopping, endless chit chats and of course lots and lots of food. 

This chicken dish is prepared by me to feed my family during Puja and I was told that it must be different from a usual chicken curry. So I pulled my recipe books and magazines, browsed through and got a spicy juicy recipe with the name 'Formayeshi Murg'. The name itself is tempting enough to try out the recipe, so here it is, a rich chicken dish best enjoyed with roti or Naan.

Ingredients

• Boneless Chicken - 400 gms
• Garlic Paste = 2 tbsp
• Onion - 2, chopped
• Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
• Tomato = 1 , chopped
• Curd - 100 gms
• Poppy seed, Charmagaz, Cashewnut paste - 2 tbsp
• Green chilli, Whole red chilli, 
• Whole garam masala, Bay leaf
• Kashmiri Chilli Powder
• Salt
• Ghee

Marinate the chicken pieces with garlic paste and salt for 30 minutes.

Heat the frying pan and then add ghee and white oil. Now fry the marinated chicken pieces till golden brown.

In the same oil, ( add some more, if required), add whole garam masala and bay leaf and let it splutter.

Next add the chopped onion, ginger paste and chopped tomatoes, Saute and then add salt, cook covered. 

Now add the fried chicken pieces and mix well. Next goes the curd, poppyseed and cashew paste. Add green chilli paste too.

Next goes the kashmiri chilli powder mixed in water. 

Check if the chicken is cooked through, if require, you may need to add some water. Cook covered till chicken is done.

When the gravy thickens, check the seasoning. Sprinkle some cardamom powder and remove from heat. Serve with Roti or Chapati.

Stuffed Eggplant

I love eggplants in any form. During winter, we get the big variety which is ideal for a simple 'Begun Pora' or more elaborate 'Baigan ka Bharta'. However, these little cuties are best to cook whole in pure Indian style like this 'Andhra Style Brinjal Curry'. I just love to enjoy the soft mushy little eggplants coated with masalas with my roti or rice and whenever I found some, ( it is not a very regular in our local market, we usually get the bigger one) I just jump onto them. 
Now, I love 'stuffed veggies' too. So as an obvious choice, I made a delicious filling of peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic and coriander leaves, cut the eggplants to a deep cross, stuffed them and pan fried these purple beauties with a splash of water. Enjoyed the mouthwatering stuffed eggplants with my plain rice. 
I am putting this dish on 'Healthy' category, since very less oil is used, and it contains peanuts and sesame seeds.

Ingredients

• Small Eggplants - 7-8
• Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
• Peanuts - 1/2 cup
• Brown sugar - 1 tbsp
• Minced garlic - 1 heaped tbsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Paprika - 1/2 tsp
• Black salt - as per taste
• Olive oil - 2 tsp

Wash the eggplants and trim the stem if necessary. Make a deep cross incision in each incision but keep them intact at the base. Smear some salt and turmeric and keep aside for 15 minutes.
To make a filling, in a dry pan, toast the peanuts and sesame seeds till golden. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In the grinder, grind the peanuts and sesame seeds together. Mix it with minced garlic, chopped cilantro, black salt, turmeric, brown sugar and paprika. Add 1-2 tbsp of water to bind them together. This is your filling.

Use a spoon to stuff the filling into the cut portion of each eggplant. Make sure, the filling reaches through each cut. Squeeze the eggplant carefully to make the filling stick inside and reaches all corners.

In a flat non-stick pan, add 1-2 tsp of olive oil and swirl to make a thin coat on the pan. When the oil is hot, add a pinch of hing and let it sizzle.

Slide the stuffed eggplants carefully into the pan in a single layer. Fry them for 3 to 4 minutes turning frequently. . 

Add 1/4 cup of water and lower the heat. Cover the pan with a heavy lid. Don't panic, if the filling is oozing out.

Cook for 15-20 minutes, till the eggplants are cooked and water evaporated completely. There will be filling in the pan, crsip them and turn the eggplants carefully to make a coat of the residual filling.

Remove from heat and serve warm with some fresh cilantro on the top.

Basa Capsicum masala

Our humble Pangash fish has its new Avtar in the form of Basa, which has flooded the super market now a days. Some fillets were sitting in my fridge, so last Saturday I quickly chopped some basic  ingredients and mix them up with Basa over low heat, it tastes awesome. 

Ingredients

• Basa fillet - 500 gms
• Onion - 1, medium, chopped
• Ginger julienned - 1 tsp
• Garlic, chopped - 1 tsp
• Tomato - 1 , chopped
• Capsicum - 1 , cubed
• Cumin - whole - 1/2 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Whole red chilli - 2-3, chopped
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Salt, turmeric
• Sugar - a pinch
• Oil

Cut the fish fillet into cube and rub salt and turmeric. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
In a pan, heat mustard oil. Then fry the fish cube till golden brown. Keep aside.

In the same pan, add some more oil if required. Then add the bay leaf, whole cumin and dry red chilli.

Then add chopped onion and fry till golden brown. Then add chopped ginger and garlic and continue frying. After 1 minute, add the tomators too and let it become a mash.

Next goes the masala powders, i.e. salt, turmeric and cumin powder. You may add some chilli powder if you like it extra hot. Fry the masalas with a splash of water.

Add a cup of water and let it boil. Then add the fried fish cubes. After 30 seconds, add chopped capsicum. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat, till the water is reduced and gravy thickens. 

Adjust the seasoning. When fish cubes are cooked thoroughly, remove from heat and sprinkle some garam masala powder. 

Serve with roti or rice.

Chicken Chaap

Got this recipe from the net and it was a superb one. The best part is the gravy which is finger lickin' good. :-) Planning to do this with some fried onion next time.

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1 kg, cut into big pieces
• Hung card - 1/2 cup 
• Ginger paste - 1 tbsp 
• Garlic paste - 1 tbsp 
• Whole red chilli - 4-5
• Some green chilli, if you like extra tang
• Poppy seed paste - 1/2 cup 
• Cashew paste - 2 tbsp 
• Nutmeg powder - 1 tsp 
• Mustard oil - 2 tbsp 
• Ghee - 1 tbsp 
• Whole Garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Few drops of rose water

Make a paste of ginger, garlic with all the chillis and a tbsp of curd.

Marinate the chicken with this paste along with the remaining curd overnight.

Add the oil and ghee in a pan. When it is hot, add whole garam masala.

Once it splutter, add the marinated chicken and cook slowly over low heat.

When the cooking is midway add the poppy seed paste and continue cooking.

Add some kasmiri chilli powder dissolved in water.

After 10-15 minutes, add the cashewnut paste and cook till the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and add the rose water and nutmeg powder. Keep covered for 10 minutes.

Serve with roti or paratha.

Egg Biryani

Took a french leave just to be with my dear son! He is growing up so fast, sometimes I just want to sit beside him, help him study, giving him comfort, *sigh*, not always possible for a working mom, you know what I mean !! So the day I was home, I thought to cook something special for him for lunch. But my pantry doesnot have anything exotic, all regular stuffs like the eggs, rice, garam masala, potato, and I was wondering for that 'Special' dish that I can cook for him and suddenly this 'Eureka' plan came to my mind. The kind of biryani lover he is, why not try an unusual Egg biryani?  A quick googling, something from here, something from there, and this lovely dish is born. And that happy face....

Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 1 and 1/2 Cup
• Eggs - 3, I have used duck eggs
• Potatoes - 2, halved
• Onion - 1 cup, sliced
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Curd - 3 tbsp
• Fresh Mint leaves - a handful
• Biryani masala - 1 tbsp
• Green chilli, chopped, as per taste
• Rose water - 1/4 tsp
• Keora water - 1/8 tsp
• Oil
• Ghee
• Milk - 1 small cup
• Safron strands - a few
• Bayleaf 

Boil the eggs with potatoes. Shell and make 3-4 slits on the eggs. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric and kashmiri chilli powder and keep aside.

Cook the rice with a bayleaf till it is 3/4th done. Drain the water and cool it immediately by spreading.
Fry the marinated eggs and potatoes till brown and remove from heat.

In the same oil, fry half of the chopped onions with a pinch of salt and sugar till crisp. Keep aside.

Add some more oil to the pan, if required. Fry the remaining onions with pinch of salt and sugar till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry. Next add the chopped green chilli.

When the raw smell is gone, add the curd and fresh mint leaves.

When the curd is incorporated well, add kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric and 3/4th of Biryani masala and continue frying with a splash of water.

Next goes the fried eggs and potatoes. Mix well with a splash of water and cook for 5 minutes till oil comes out. Adjust the seasoning.

In a cup of milk, soak the saffron. Add keora water and rose water and mix well. 

Mix salt, sugar and ghee to the rice in a light hand and keep aside. Make sure the rice don't break.

For the final part, to arrange for biryani, take a heavy bottomed pan and smear ghee all over. Now make a layer of rice at the bottom. Put half of the egg potato mixture along with masalas and fried oniosn. Sprinkle a pinch of biryani masala too.

Put another layer of rice onto it, then again put egg masala and finally the rice. The idea is, the top and bottom layer should always be rice. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions. Now carefully pour the saffron infused milk all over the rice.

Seal the pan with aluminium foil, put a lid with a weight and keep it on low flame for 20 -25 minutes. The rice will be cooked of its own steam.

Remove from heat and serve with Vegetable Raita or Burhani.