Sunday, 6 October 2013

A Quick Vegetable/Egg Curry

As mentioned earlier, I do not like to spend too much time in the kitchen and always prefer recipes that are not time consuming. Most of my recipes are thus but last Saturday I needed an extra easy one since my daughter had extra classes in the morning and being a holiday, I overslept. Having frozen vegetables and egg is a plus point during such times. A pressure cooker also comes handy and it ensures that you lose less nutrients.

And being an egg family, most vegetable curries end up with a few eggs! I have a microwaveable appliance which lets me boil eggs while the curry is cooking.


This is where the eggs get cooked while inside the Microwave Oven


Quick Vegetable/Egg Curry



Ingredients

1. Frozen vegetable mix - 1 and 1/2 cup
2. Potato - one medium (cut into big cubes)
3. Tomato - one medium sliced
4. Crushed Garlic and Ginger - 1 tbspn
5. Chilly powder - 1 tspn
6. Coriander powder - 1 tbspn
7. Garam Masala powder - 1 tspn
8. Pepper powder - 1/2 tspn
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
11. Coconut powder - 2 to 3 tbspn
12. Green Chilly - 2 sliced
13. Small onions - 4 sliced 
14. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
15. Curry Leaves - a few

Method

Take a pressure cooker and add a tablespoon of oil. Saute the crushed garlic/ginger until the raw smell leaves. Add the rest of the ingredients except 14&15 with one and half cup of water and enough salt. Close the cooker and turn the heat on high until the first whistle. Leave it on simmer for 5 minutes and switch off the flame. 

Heat a tablespoon of oil and let the mustard crackle. Add the sliced onions and curry leaves and fry until brown. Open the pressure cooker (make sure it has cooled down or cool it by holding the bottom of the cooker under the tap water) and add the seasoned oil. The curry is ready in less than 15 minutes! Now enjoy with chapatti or bread.



Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Garlicky Chilly Chicken

It is a recipe born out of availability. I had some garlic powder sitting idly and thought why not? I also had some piriyan chilly which I now substitute for the Kashmiri chilly. Though the color is not as good as that of the Kashmiri chilly, a good amount does bring out a fair color, while the heat is minimum.

Garlicky Chilly Chicken



Ingredients

1. Chicken - 500 gms (I used chicken breast, cubed)
2. Garlic powder - 1 tbspn
3. Corn flour - 2 + 1 Tbspn
4. Onion - 2 medium, chopped into cubes
5. Capsicum - 2 medium, chopped into cubes
6. Soya Sauce - 1 + 1 Tbspn
7. Hot Sauce - 1 Tbspn
8. Tomato Sauce - 4 Tbspn
9. Coriander leaves - a small bunch
10. Kashmiri chilly powder - 2 Tbspn
11. Garlic and Ginger- 1 Tbspn - finely chopped

Method

Mix the garlic powder, 2 tablespoon of corn flower, 1 tablespoon of Soya Sauce and marinate the chicken in this as long as you can. I did it for less than 30 minutes. Once marinated, fry the chicken until light brown. I did not deep fry it but used only a tablespoon of oil. Set it aside.

Fry the ginger and garlic until light brown in color. Saute the onion and capsicum in high flame for 2-3 minutes. You can saute the capsicum separately to retain the color and add it towards the end. 

Add the sauces (Soya Sauce, Hot Sauce and Tomato Sauce). Stir it well and add the fried chicken. Saute for a few minutes if you have't deep fried it. Now mix 1 tablespoon of corn flower to one and half cup of water and add it to the sauteed mix.Let it boil until the sauce has thickened to your liking. Add the coriander leaves and enjoy!



Eureka Chicken Curry

This chicken curry is from the Facebook Group Ammachiyude Adukkala. The author claims that he invented it due to lack of time. And if lack of time is your problem, then this is a very easy recipe.

Eureka Chicken Curry



Ingredients

1. Chicken - 1 Kg (Cut into medium pieces and drained well)
2. Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 2 Tbspn
3.Coriander Powder - 2 Tbspn
4. Pepper Powder - 1 Tspn
5. Garam Masala - 1 Tspn
6. Onions - 2 cut into cubes
7. Tomato - 3 cut into cubes


8. Capsicum - 2 cut into cubes
9. Green Chilly - 4 sliced
10. Garlic - 8 cloves minced
12. Curry leaves - a bunch
13 Coriander leaves - a bunch

Method

Mix the chicken along with 2-10 ingredients and place it in a pressure cooker along with 1/2 cup of water. Put the flame on high until first whistle. Lower the flame and let it cook for 5 minutes. Take a pan and put 2 tablespoon of oil. (I used my favourite coconut oil). Fry the curry leaves until the beautiful aroma pokes your nose! Open the cooker if it has cooled down and pour the contents into the pan. Fry in high flame until the curry is dry enough. Add the chopped coriander leaves and enjoy!