Saturday, March 16, 2013

Chicken Mughlai masala (green)





Delicious chicken Mughlai masala ..this is a great meal to make on the weekends..which will provide you with warmth, taste and satisfaction. It's quite easy to make this curry anyone can make them.The mughlai curries/gravies tastes great when clubbed with naan, paratha, kulcha, roti or simple steamed jeera rice.
Ingredients
  • 1kg Chicken ( cut into medium size pieces)
  • 6 Green chillies
  • 1/4 cup Coriander leaves,chopped
  • 3 Dry red chillies (spicy)
  • 2 (1 inch) Cinnamon sticks
  • 2 Black cardamom/badi elichi
  • 12 Cloves of garlic
  • 4-5 Green Cardamoms
  • 6-7 Cloves
  • 2tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 2tsp Cumin seeds
  • 4 cups Onion,cubes
  • 15 Pepper corns
  • 1/4tsp Turmeric powder/haldi
  • 10 Cashewnut
  • 1 cup Curd
  • 1/2 cup Ghee
  • 2tsp Ginger,chopped
  • 1tbsp Mint leaves
  • 2tsp Lemon juice
  • Salt as per taste
Cooking Directions
  1. Marinate chicken with 2tsp lemon juice,turmeric and salt for minimum 2 hours.
  2. After 2 hours of marination,fry chicken with half of the Ghee till color changes.keep aside
  3. chop green chillies and coriander leaves,reserving a few for garnishing.
  4. Break cinnamon into bits.
  5. Peel garlic and keep aside.
  6. Now grind all the dry spices (Dry red chillies (spicy),Cinnamon sticks ,Black cardamom/badi elichi,Green Cardamoms,Cloves,;coriander seeds,cumin seeds,pepper corns,cashewnuts and haldi,till well powdered.
  7. Add half of the onion, garlic ,ginger and green chillies.Run mixer/blender at speed 3 for 25 seconds.
  8. Scrape masala down the sides of jar with spatula/spoon.Add rest of the onions and run the mixer for 15 seconds at speed 2 and further 10 seconds at speed 3
  9. Fry ground masala in remaining ghee till light brown.Add curd slightly beaten.
  10. Fry till ghee separates.
  11. Add chicken pieces,2-3 cups of water and salt.
  12. Cook in pressure cooker till done or take 2 whistle.
  13. Serve hot,garnished with coriander leaves.
variations: Instead of chicken you could add Mutton and vegetarians can enjoy it with cottage cheese (paneer) Or with mixed vegetables.

Orange-ginger juice



This morning's juice was simple to make and complex in flavours. The oranges I have right now are some of the best this season vibrant and sunny! The orange fruit belongs to the genus "Citrus" and the family of "Rutaceae" . Oranges are oval to sphere-shaped fruits with orange to red orange shades. They have leathery, porous skin and soft, citric and juicy flesh which are ideal for juicing. Orange juice  is obviously one the most popular drink of all time. It is made by extracting the flesh of oranges, desiccating, pureeing or by subsequent reconstitution of the dried fruit. You can add some water, milk or other ingredients to the orange concentrate, but without these, orange juice could still be great tasting. 
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
  • 500 ml freshly squeezed orange juice ( 4-5 oranges)
  • 2tsp Grated ginger
  • 2 cups Ice cubes
  • Salt a pinch
Cooking Directions
 How to make the perfect orange juice:

  1.  First, tightly squeeze oranges repeatedly to soften them. Wash them thoroughly, cut into halves and remove seeds. If you're using a juicer, load and juice oranges according to specific machine instructions.
  2. If you're not using a juicer, separate the peel from the flesh using a sharp knife by carefully cutting around the edge of the orange half. Grip the peeled orange half and tightly squeezed the juice directly into a tall glass or pitcher. Continue squeezing, rotating it around your clean hands, until no longer juice comes out. If you want your juice to be pulpy, scrape the orange flesh with a slotted spoon and add this directly into the juice. If you want it with lesser pulp, pour the juice passing through a strainer.
  3. Blend all the ingredients on high power until smooth in a blender, about 1 minute.
  4. Garnish with orange wedges and serve.
Note : Orange Juice is often a vital part of your breakfast and most people want to drink it early in the morning. Actually, it is advisable to drink orange juice after breakfast or after meals because it is acidic in nature. We wouldn't want our empty tummies to ache by drinking it first thing in the morning. But as you indulge in the goodness of orange juice, have you realized what nutrients did you get as well?