Chicken Do Pyaza

Some dishes were family favourites in restaurants . Some of them still continue to rule the roost but some unfortunately got edged out by more contemporary dishes and fancy names. Chicken Do Pyaza was one such favourites around the 70s. A delectable chicken gravy , gets its name from the fact that onions are used two ways. Adding onions at different stages of cooking gives a different flavour and texture to a dish. This can be replicated with paneer or even raw jackfruit and it tastes just as delicious.

I have used 1 kg chicken, cut in biryani size pieces. 2 onions finely chopped , 2 onion thickly sliced , 1/2 cup yoghurt, Mix together 2 tsp each ginger paste and garlic paste, juice of 1 lemon , salt to taste. Marinate the chicken in this paste. Heat oil in a kadhai ( I like using mustard oil for this recipe, you need to heat the mustard oil till smoking point) Add in 4 cloves, 2 tej patta, 2 X 1 inch pieces of cinnamon and 2 brown cardamom. Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add in the sliced onions and marinated chicken . Roast till it dries out. Add in red chilli powder, turmeric powder , corriander powder and garam masala. Add a large pinch of green cardamom powder. Put in 1 cup thick yoghurt. salt to taste. Cover and cook till done.

Serve hot with hot  tandoori rotis or Naans.

Kadhi Kofta

Every so often , one feels like a little indulgence. Unfortunately while cooking Indian food, indulgence comes with an expoensive price tag. Both in terms of the ingredients which include cottage cheese, cream, milk, khoya etc. However a few " hacks" can turn a seemingly 'blah' treat into a 'wow' one. Here I have replaced the commonly used heavy cream with a blend of yoghurt and chick pea flour to make the gravy smooth and creamy.

1 cup finely grated lauki/ bottle gourd/ doodhi. Add in 3 tblsp besan, finely chopped green chillies, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Divide into gold ball size koftas. Roll into balls or pat into flat koftas.Heat oil and deep fry the koftas. For the gravy. Saute 2 onions finely chopped, fry 2 tsp ginger garlic paste. add 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp haldi, 2 tsp dhania jeera powder, 1 tsp garam masala. In a bowl mix well 1/2 thick dahi ( it should not be sour) and 2 tbsp besan.Add 1/2 cup water and blend well to a smooth paste. Once the onion masala leaves oil, add the besan dahi kadhi mixture and cook on slow flame , while stirring. Once the mixture thicken, add a paste made with 6 cashews and 2 tblsp milk. cook on slow flame and add koftas. Add salt to taste. Cook covered for 5 mins. Serve with hot rotis or pulao or jeera rice. 

Goan Fish Curry

Everytime one hears the word Goa, The immediate visual that flashes across our minds is of the foaming surf and a meal of fish curry and rice. The smooth creamy and spicy gravy with plump fish , accompanied by steaming hot rice . Its easy to replicate at home , provided you gather the ingredients. The spice paste needed for this curry is the basic Goan masala. A paste used not only for all kinds of white fish and prawns but also to cook unique vegetables like bottle gourd, sponge gourd, snake gourd and sprouted legumes like peas, chick peas ( White, green, brown) , mung, and other beans. The paste is easy to make and can turn a seemingly bland vegetable to a special festive dish.

6 pieces of  white fish ( pomfret, king fish, Sea Bass)
1/4 cup grated fresh coconut, 1/2 onion, 1 tsp raw rice, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 4 black peppercorns, 1/4 raw mango ( can be substituted with 1 tsp tamarind paste or 2 tsp dry raw mango powder) , 1/2 tsp turmeric, 4 dry red chillies ( the quantity of chillies can be varied according to taste. I use the kkashmiri chillies , which have a fiery red colour but are not hot) , salt to taste. 1 tblsp oil. Optional: 1 green chilli , slit.

Wash and clean the fish pieces. Grind together all ingredients from coconut to salt. Make a fine , smooth paste. Heat the oil and add in the green chilli. Add in the fish pieces and lightly saute them. Add in the ground paste and add 1 cup water. Cook the fish on a very low flame so that the coconut and water do not separate.

Tastes best with steamed white , red or brown rice.