Royal Chicken Curry (Shahi Chicken Korma)

The Story: There are so many ways you can cook chicken. From the mild chicken soup that's good for the flu to the richness of fried chicken as an ultimate comfort food. One fine day I decided to indulge in some royal flavors for a change. The inspiration for this dish comes from traditional Mughal cuisine. Kings (बादशाह) and Conquerors from the Middle East ruled over northern India for many hundreds of years. They brought with them some amazing spices and rich aromas that today comprise of the family of Royal cuisine also known as Mughlai (मुघलाई) or Shahi (शाही) cuisine। The recipe here is my version of the flavors typical to this type of cuisine. Shahi Chicken Korma (शाही चिक्केन कोरमा) means Slow Braised Royal Chicken Curry. {Yes, this one does have a sweet cream gravy}.

INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ lb. chicken
1 red onion
¾ c. yogurt
4 pods garlic
¾ c. cream
½ c. almonds or cashewnuts (pre-soaked in water)
½ c. golden raisins
½ c. oil
1 Tbsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
½ tsp. nutmeg powder
½ tsp. crushed mace
½tsp. garam masala
A pinch of saffron
Salt to taste
Slivers of almond for garnish

METHOD:
• Clean, wash and dry the chicken, using kitchen towels.
• Grind coriander seeds, ½ the onion, the soaked almonds/cashewnuts and garlic.
• Marinade the chicken in the above paste for 2 hrs.
• Heat oil, fry the remaining onion, sliced thin. Keep aside.
• Add the chicken and fry till the liquid dries up.
• Add ¾ c. hot water, salt, cayenne pepper and simmer slowly until meat is tender and cooked.
• Uncover and dry the liquid.
• Add beaten yogurt and sauté till it leaves oil. Then add the fried, ground onion.
• Beat the cream and add ground saffron, nutmeg and mace. Mix it with the cooked chicken.
• Add Garam Masala and the golden raisins and bake at 250ºF for ½ hr.
• Serve garnished with slivers of almond or halves of cashewnut.

Chickpea Salad

The Inspiration: If you have a 3 year old who is into sauces, curries and gravies, then consider yourself very fortunate (even if you have never won a lottery). If not, then you will understand my pain and dilemma. Emilie will try almost anything as long as it appears to be sauce-free, curry-free. So much so that I had to resort to a slotted spoon to filter out lentils from a lentil soup! Tired of trying to "drain out" the chickpeas from a popular chickpea dish called "Chana Masala" (चना मसाला ), I decided to come up with a salad version.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. chickpeas (boiled or canned variety)
1/4 c. white onion (diced)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1/2 c. cucumber (diced)
A pinch of sugar
Salt to taste (Rock Salt is preferred)
A pinch of black pepper
2-3 large mint leaves (julienned)
1 small sprig of cilantro or flat leaf parsley
2 tsp. lime juice

METHOD:

• Put the boiled chickpea (चना) in a salad bowl. If using the canned variety, drain well and rinse with cold water. Then boil the beans once more in salted water for 15-20 minutes or until they feel fork tender.


• Add the diced onion, tomato and cucumber. Toss well with a fork.


• Add the sugar, salt, black pepper and lime juice. Mix well.


• Garnish with julienned mint and cilantro/parsley. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.


• Serve cold with a side of crunchy chips.
  

Lip-Smacking Hip-Shaking Nachos

Background: I love Nachos. What I don't like about it is the cheese sauce, which stays a minute on my lips and forever on my hips. So I set out to find a healthier option to the dish and fused it with the closely resembled Indian version called Chaat. Chaat, an Indian snack, is simply a layer of crunchy chips (made from Chickpea flour) with toppings, yogurt sauce, seasonings and garnishes. The list of items for toppings and garnishes go as far as your imagination can take you. Combine the best of the two worlds (India and Mexico) and voila, you have a lip-smacking hip-shaking good treat.

INGREDIENTS:
1 large bag of flavored corn chips (Doritos Cheesy Nachos flavor or your favorite)
1 small bag of ruffled potato chips (Ruffles or Lays)
1 medium size potato, baked and diced (optional)
1 tomato, diced

1/2 white onion, diced
1 c. chickpea, boiled (canned is okay, but should be well drained)
1 tsp. Chaat Masala or lemon pepper seasoning mix (like Mrs. Dash's)
1 c. plain non-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. chilly powder (for a spicy kick)
2 Tbsp. tamarind chutney or Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cilantro or mint chutney
1/2 c. sev or any crunchy salad topper

METHOD:

• Place the chips in a layer on the serving platter. Break down the pieces if they are too large.
• Top with the potato chips in the same fashion.
• Just before serving, add the toppings of chickpea, onion, tomato and potato.
• Sprinkle the seasoning (Chaat Masala or your favorite one).
• Add the sugar and the chilly powder (optional) to the yogurt and stir to make a smooth sauce. Add a little cold water if the sauce is too thick and cannot be poured easily.
• Drizzle the yogurt sauce all over the chips and toppings.
• Follow with small dollops of the tamarind chutney (or Worcestershire sauce) and cilantro/mint chutney all over the platter.
• Garnish with some fine crunchy topping (sev in the above picture).
• Serve cold immediately. (A scoop of this tastes like a chip & dip in one).
  

Go Green Sloppy Joe Sandwich

The Inspiration: I came up with this dish while creating the menu for my son's first birthday party. The party was slated for outdoors on a nice balmy summer afternoon. My challenge was to make the food "picnic friendly" without making it a barbeque. Add to that the restriction that many of our friends are vegetarians. The dish that came to mind was a sandwich like sloppy joe's, but with none of the mess or meat in it.




INGREDIENTS:
1 c. sweet peas (frozen variety)
1 c. sweet corn (frozen variety)
1/2 c. white or walla walla onion
1 potato (boiled, peeled and mashed)
3-4 pods of garlic
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. cumin
1tsp. coriander
1tsp. whole garam masala
1 Tbsp. Ketchup
1/4 tsp. Sun-dried Mango powder
1 jalapeno (optional)
Salt to taste
2-3 Tbsp. oil/ghee combination (or oil/butter)
Sliced tomatoes for garnish
Cilantro for garnish
Sesame seed buns

METHOD:

• Thaw out the frozen peas and corn.
• Run them through the food processor for 1o pulses, twice. This should leave you with a paste that has some consistency left to it (neither coarse nor very smooth). Do not add any water.
• Dice the onion in the food processor also.
• Finely grate the garlic.
• In a non-stick pan, heat the oil/ghee mixture. Add the whole garam masala. Follow with the diced onion and saute on high heat until the onions start to brown. Add the ginger paste, grated garlic and the jalapeno (finely diced) and saute for a minute or two.
• Add the Ketchup and sun dried mango powder to the mix. Stir well.
• Add the ground corn/pea mixture and the mashed potato.
• Add salt and saute well to combine everything into an even consistency.
• Remove and spread into a non-stick baking pan coated with a little butter. Put it into a 350F oven for 7-10 minutes.
• Garnish with sliced tomatoes and chopped cilantro. Scoop and serve with your favorite condiments on a sesame seed bun.