Indian-Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Yesterday our daughter took over cooking from me and surprised us with a very tasty dinner. Am proud of my girl! She does have a knack for cooking and is going to enjoy the same over the years. Since I was at work, she could only phone me to identify the various spices that were needed for the marination. But she managed the over-the-phone tips.

Indian-Style Grilled Chicken Breasts

Adapted from Food.com

The accompaniments too were made by daughter and was tasty. Mashed potato, boiled beans and scrambled eggs.

Ingredients:

1. Curd - 1/2 cup 
2. Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon 
3. Garlic cloves, quartered - 2
4. 1 piece peeled ginger, coarsely chopped or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Cayenne pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
9. Chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless) - 4
10. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley



Method

In a food processor, combine yogurt, tomato paste, green onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt and cayenne pepper; purée until smooth. Arrange chicken in a shallow dish; coat with yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day ahead. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Place chicken skin-side down on greased grill over medium-high heat; cook for 15 minutes. Brush with marinade; turn and cook for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until golden and juices run clear (or place chicken on rack set on baking sheet; roast at 350°F, basting after 30 minutes with marinade, for 50 to 55 minutes or until juices run clear).

Serve garnished with chopped coriander or chopped parsley.

Malabar Chicken Curry

Having grown up in Calicut, my Hubby often talks about Malabar food. He swears that the Chaps that is served in Calicut hotels cannot be had anywhere else. So it is with great expectations that I cooked this Malabar Chicken yesterday to find out if it would turn out anything like the chaps. Hubby never minces words :). He said the curry is good but it is nothing like the chaps. The chaps it seems has a distinct aroma that enters your taste buds even before the food! But the children who has never eaten chaps loved the curry and made it up for me! They told me that it tasted like a hotel curry that they liked. As for me, I have no idea how chaps tastes and I cannot find a distinctive recipe too for the same. 

Malabar Chicken Curry
Adapted from Marias Menu

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 1 Kg (measured after cleaning)
2. Sliced small onion - 1/2 cup
3. Chopped ginger and garlic - 3 tsp, each
4. Whole dried red chilli - 6
5. Whole coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
6. Fennel seeds (perumjeerakam) - 1/2 tsp
7. Coconut - 1/4 cup
8. Onion - 2 medium, sliced
9. Green chilli - 4  chopped
10. Turmeric powder -  1/2 tsp
11. Tomato - 2 big, sliced
12. Small onion - 3 sliced
13 Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Curry leaves
Oil - I used coconut oil
Hot water - 1.5 cups

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute curry leaves & sliced small onion. After a few minutes add dried red chilli, whole coriander, fennel seeds,ginger and garlic. When it is fried well, add grated coconut, mix well. Fry it till the coconut becomes golden brown. Let it cool for sometime. Add enough water to the cooled coconut mixture and grind to a smooth paste.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onion and green chili. When onion is fried well (golden brown colour), add turmeric powder and salt & stir for a few minutes. Add tomato and cook. When tomato becomes soft add the ground paste to this and mix well. Add 2-3 tbsp of water and mix well. Add cleaned chicken pieces to this, combine well and
add hot water for the chicken to cook. Cover and cook in low flame and stir in between and cook till the chicken is done.
3. Meanwhile heat oil in another pan and add thinly sliced small onion(4) and curry leaves. Add chili powder to this and fry well. Add this to the cooked chicken and mix well. Serve hot with ghee rice, plain rice or roti.

Black Eyed Beans Curry

Finally I bought a packet of Black Eyed Beans to try the recipe where I used Fava beans. It turned out good.

Black Eyed Beans Curry

Ingredients

1- Black Eyed Beans - 2 cups
2- Small onions - 10
3- Coriander Powder - 1 tbspn
4- Turmeric Powder - 3/4 tspn
5- Chilly Powder - 2 tbspn (adjust as per your tolerance level)
6- Cumin and Saunf seeds - 1 tspn each
7- Asafoetida - 1 tspn
8- Big onion - 2 medium
9- Tomato - 2
10- Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup or 3 tbsnpn coconut powder
11- Cury leaves - enough
12 - Tamarind paste - 1 tbspn
13. Cream - 1 or 1 Tbspn

Method

Soak the beans in water for 4-5 hours and pressure cook it for 10-15 minutes. Grind tomato, Onion and Saunf seeds and set aside. If you are using shredded coconut, grind the same and set aside. Heat enough oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Fry the cumin seeds along with the asafoetida. Add chopped onions and fry until browned. Fry the ground mixture of tomato/onion/saunf until oil leaves the side. Add the beans and salt and fry for a minute. Now add the powders and fry for a while. Add the turmeric paste with enough water and once it boils, add the ground coconut or coconut powder and boil until the curry has thickened to your taste. Garnish with the cream and coriander leaves.

Enjoy with rice or chappathi.