Food Receipes

Butter Chicken is among the best known Indian foods all over the world. Its gravy can be made as hot or mild as you like so it suits most palates. Also commonly known as Murg Makhani, Butter Chicken tastes great with Kaali Daal (black lentils), Naans and a green salad.

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 kg boneless chicken skin removed Juice of 1 lime Salt to taste 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste) 6 cloves 8-10 peppercorns 1" stick of cinnamon 2 bay leaves 8-10 almonds Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom 1 cup fresh yoghurt (must not be sour) 3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil 2 onions chopped 2 tsps garlic paste 1 tsp ginger paste 2 tsps coriander powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1 can (400g or 14 oz) of tomato paste 1/2 litre chicken stock 2 tbsps kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) 3 tbsps unmelted, soft butter Salt to taste Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation: •

Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a large, non-metallic bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 1 hour. • Heat a flat pan or griddle on medium heat and gently roast (stirring frequently) the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly. Cool and add the cardamom seeds. Now grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder. • Mix the yoghurt, above whole spice powder (from previous step), coriander, cumin and turmeric powders together and add them to the chicken. Allow to marinate for another hour. • Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Fry till a pale golden brown in color and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute. • Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque and the flesh will go from pink to whitish in color). • Now add the tomato paste, chicken stock, kasuri methi and remaining part of the yogurt-spice mix to the chicken. • Cook till the chicken is tender and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume. • Melt the butter in another small pan and then pour it over the chicken. • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Naan and Kaali Daal.

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For an authentic and traditional cooked-over-the-coals flavour: Heat a briquette of coal till red hot and when the dish is done, put the coal in the pan and cover immediately. Remove just before serving. A regal dish, Mughlai Biryani is fit for a king and was probably eaten by many too! This makes the perfect one-dish meal for when you have company. It combines ingredients typical to the Mughlai style of cooking.

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

For the meat: 1kg lamb/ chicken cut into 2" pieces (if using chicken, use breast or thigh fillet) 4 large onions sliced thin 2 tsps garlic paste 2 tsps ginger paste 1/2 cup almonds 6 tbsps ghee/ vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil 1" stick of cinnamon 5 cloves 3 pods cardamom 8 peppercorns 2 tsps coriander powder 1 1/2 tsps cumin powder 1 tsp garam masala 1 cup yoghurt Juice of 1 lime 1 cup chicken/ beef stock 2 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves 2 tbsps finely chopped mint leaves Salt to taste For the rice: 2 cups Basmati rice Hot water Salt to taste 3 drops orange food coloring (optional) 3 drops green food coloring (optional)

Preparation: •

Put the almonds in a bowl of hot water (enough to cover them) and set aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove skins from all the almonds by pressing each one between your thumb and forefinger. The almonds will slip out of their skins! • Mix the garlic and ginger pastes, the peeled almonds and grind to a smooth paste in a food processor. • Wash the rice in a sieve and add enough water to fully cover the rice - at least 4" over the surface of the rice. Add salt to taste. Set the rice up to boil. Cook till almost done. To determine when it has reached that stage, remove a few grains from the pot and press between your thumb and forefinger. The rice should mostly mash but will have a firm whitish core. Turn off the fire. Strain through a colander and keep drained aside. • Heat 3 tbsps of oil in a pan and fry 2 of the onions till caramalized - golden brown. Drain and keep aside on paper towels for later use. • Heat 3 tbsps of oil in another pan and add the whole spices - cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns. Fry till the spices turn a little darker.

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Add the 2 remaining onions and fry till they are translucent. Add the ginger-garlic-almond paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add all the spice powders - coriander, cumin and garam masala and mix well. Fry till the oil begins to separate from the masala and then add the lamb/ chicken. Keep frying till the meat is fully sealed (it will become opaque and lose its pink colour). • Now add the yoghurt, lime juice, stock, coriander and mint leaves and salt to taste (if needed). Mix well. • Cover the pot and allow to cook till the meat is tender. • If you are using the food coloring, divide the rice into 3 equal portions and put into separate dishes. Add the orange food coloring to one portion of the rice and the green food coloring to another portion of the rice. Leave the third portion white. With each portion, mix the rice till all the grains are well colored. Keep aside for 10 minutes after which you can mix all 3 portions of rice together in a bowl for use in the next step. • Grease a deep baking dish and evenly layer the cooked rice, meat (and its gravy) in it to form at least 2 sets of layers (rice-meat-rice-meat-rice). Garnish with the previously caramalised onions. Cover the dish tightly. If the dish does not have a cover use 2 layers of aluminium foil (shiny side of both layers pointing down towards the rice) and secure on to dish with baking string. • Put in a pre-heated oven set at 350 F/ 180 C/ Gas mark 4 for 20 minutes. • Turn off the oven and let the dish sit in the oven till you are ready to eat. Only open when you are ready to eat. The way to serve Biryani is to gently dig in with a spoon so you get through the layers. • While Mughlai Biryani tastes great by itself, add a raita like Chatpata Channa Raita (chickpeas in hot-sour yoghurt) and you're really in business!

Ingredients Paneer-250 gms Onion-2 Tomato-2 (if u want more gravy,use more) Cumin seed-1 tsp Butter-3 tbsp Ginger garlic paste-1 tbsp Kasuri methi-1 tbsp Fresh Cream-half cup(Optional) Red color a pinch Salt to taste Method 1.Fry onion and tomatoes pieces till golden brown 2.Grain them to fine paste

3.Fry cumin,Ginger paste and the paste 4.Add paneer cubes to it and some water 5.Once,it starts boiling,add the kasuri methi,fresh cream and the color 6.Remove from flame,add excess butter

Chicken Lollipop •

5 chicken drumettes

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1 tsp minced ginger

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1 cube fermented red beancurd, mashed ( optional, all-purpose cajun seasoning is great too )

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1 egg white

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1 egg yolk

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shaoxing wine ( OR other chinese cooking wine )

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ground black pepper

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salt and sugar to taste

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cornflour

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panko breadcrumbs

Directions 1. With a knife, pull and scrape the meat off the top to the bottom of the chicken drumette. 2. Marinate the chicken with minced ginger, mashed fermented red beancurd, egg white, black pepper, salt and sugar.

3. Set the chicken in the refrigerator and let it marinate for about 10 minutes. 4. Dip the chicken drumettes into the cornflour, then dip them into the egg yolk wash, and continue the same with the breadcrumbs.

5. ( TIP : Quick chill in the freezer while the oil is heating up on the frying wok, to prevent breadcrumbs from falling off into the oil while frying ) 6.

Deep fry the chicken drumettes on medium-high heat until golden brown.