Khichdee (Pish-pash style)

Khichdee (Pish-Pash Style)

Simple though they may be, there are some dishes you just can't get enough of. This is one such dish. I can describe this dish in one word. Soul-food! Simple and yet so satisfying. As I type this recipe the craving for this dish stirs in my heart, yet again, and I have half a mind to tell Anu (my daughter from another mother) to dump the prawn curry she’s made for dinner and make this. ;-) I dare not though, not unless i want to be growled at. :P 

Made with Yellow Split Moong Dal 

Ingredients:

½ cup yellow split green gram/yellow moong dal

½ cup rice

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

6 black peppercorns + 5 extra peppercorns

Salt, to taste

1½ tablespoons clarified butter/ghee (I use a wee bit more because my family loves the taste of ghee in dals and khichdee)

A few curry leaves

½ teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

Made with Green Gram Split (Moong Chilka)

Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice and dal together for about 20 minutes. Drain.
2. Add the dal and the rice into a pressure cooker. Add turmeric powder, 6 peppercorns, salt and 2¼ cups water.
3. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles and set aside for a while to reduce steam then open the cooker.
4. Just before serving, heat ghee in a separate vessel; splutter the curry leaves, remaining 5 peppercorns and cumin seeds.
5. Pour the ghee mixture over the khichdee and serve hot.
   
   
   

Chef Notes: 

1. The same Khichdee can be made with split red gram/ahar dal/toor dal.
2. Peppercorns used for tempering can be substituted with 2 cloves and half an inch of cinnamon. You may even use dry red chilies along with the whole spices to temper the Khichdee. 
3. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism. 

Crispy Ritzy Cheddar Chicken

Crispy Ritzy Cheddar Chicken

This one turns out perfect. It’s one of those recipes that just don’t go wrong. Chicken, cheddar and crackers, what could possibly go wrong with such a superb combination? If you have fussy kids at home (or as in my case, a Grumpy Tomcat), trust me, you will see all the fuss vanish in a jiffy when you set this down in front of them. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers (for places where imported crackers aren’t available feel free to use Monaco or any other crackers)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup full fat milk

3 cups cheddar cheese or smoked cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Sauce:

1 can (approx 10 ounce) cream of chicken soup

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons butter

Method:

1. Crush the crackers. Keep aside.
2. Cut each chicken breast into two large pieces.
3. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and combine to mix well.
4. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk.
5. Roll the breast pieces into the grated cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers to make the chicken as cheesy as possible.
6. Finally, coat the chicken on all sides with the crackers crumbs.
7. Grease a pyrex bake dish with cooking spray or oil/butter and arrange the chicken in the baking dish.
8. Sprinkle dried parsley over the chicken. Cover the pyrex dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400 deg F/200 deg C, for 35 minutes.
9. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy. 

Method for Sauce:

1. Heat the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter in a saucepan.
2. Using a whisk, stir it over medium low heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken. 

Chef Notes: 

1. When you make the sauce please stir it continuously and cook it over medium low heat so that it does not split.
2. You can also make simple light version of white sauce or a tangy tomato based compote and spoon it over the chicken instead of the chicken soup-sour cream sauce. Go with whatever floats your boat. 
3. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   
   

Chicken Handi

Chicken Handi

Who would have thought a bit of this and a bit of that would result is something so finger-lickin’ good. The base recipe belongs to Michelle Taylor. This isn’t the authentic recipe for ‘Chicken Handi’ but Michelle being Michelle, actually named it, ‘Throw everything in the bloody Handi Chicken’ :-) hence I have named it Chicken Handi. I have tweaked the quantity of certain ingredients to my liking but the base recipe belongs to Michelle. 

Michelle, thanks ever, ever so much for sharing this recipe <3

Ingredients:

1 kilo boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thick strips

5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” rounds

4 cups onions, chopped very fine

4 medium tomatoes, cut into half and grate, discard skin

2 green chilies, finely chopped

2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

4 tablespoons or 50-60 grams cashew nuts, ground to a paste

4 teaspoons cumin powder/jeera powder

4 teaspoons coriander powder/dhania powder

3-4 teaspoons red Kashmiri chili powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

1½ teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves/kasoori methi, lightly roasted and crushed

1 cup fresh cream

Oil, enough to cover the bottom of the vessel (don’t be stingy coz it’s a richly flavored recipe)

Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large thick bottomed vessel. Add the onions and fry till golden brown.
2. Lower the heat and add the green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute till fragrant.
3. Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt and sauté well.
4. Add the tomatoes and cashew paste and cook till oil separates and the tomatoes are devoid of the raw smell.
5. Add half a cup of water and cook the gravy some more till semi-dry and appears almost ‘paste-like’.
6. Add the chicken and potatoes. Stir well so as to ‘bhuno’/sauté the chicken and potatoes a wee bit.
7. Add water to cover the chicken and potatoes. Cover and cook till done.
8. Check seasoning (salt).
9. Just before serving add the crushed kasoori methi and pour the fresh cream and give the vessel a gentle whirl, tilting it around so that the cream mixes in or if give it a gentle mix with a spoon.
10. Simmer on very gentle heat for two minutes.
11. Serve with plain rice, pea/jeera pulao or bread naan. 

Chef Notes: 

1. It’s such an easy-peasy recipe that there really isn’t much to write as ‘chef note’s’ but I will say, as I always do, that you can adjust the red chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder depending on your tolerance of spice level.
2. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.