Chicken Stew

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1/2 kg
• Onions - 2 large
• Potatoes - 2 cubed
• Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 2 cloves sliced
• Green chillies - 5 slit
• Cloves -4
• Cardamom - 2
• Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
• Pepper corns - 8
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Fennel powder - 1 pinch
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut milk - 1 can (400 ml) or 1/2 cup thick coconut milk and 1 1/2 cup thin coconut milk
• Ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves - 15-18
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt - To taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper corns and saute for a minute.
2. Add sliced garlic and ginger paste and saute. Add green chillies and sliced onions and fry for a few minutes.
3. Add turmeric powder, salt and the chicken pieces and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add thin coconut milk. If using the can, add half the coconut milk can. Add garam masala, fennel powder and potato cubes. Pressure cook, after one whistle lower heat and cook for 7 minutes.
5. Add thick coconut milk, ( if using the coconut milk can, add the rest of the contents in the can) fresh curry leaves, lemon juice and pepper powder.
6. Let it cook on the gas till the desired consistency of the gravy is reached.
7. Serve with ghee rice.

Lamb Fry - Kerala style

Ingredients

• Lamb - 1/2 kg (cut into small pieces)
• Green chilies -2 chopped
• Ginger - 1" piece chopped
• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Onion - 2 sliced
• Curry leaves - A few
• Salt - To taste
• Oil - 3-4 tbsp
• Coriander leaves -  A small bunch 

Method 

1. Boil the lamb in the pressure cooker with green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt, 1/2 tsp chilly powder and half cup of water. After one whistle, lower heat and cook for 25 mins.
2. In a non-stick frying pan, add oil and fry the onions golden brown. Add 1/2 tsp chilly powder.
3. Now take out the boiled meat pieces from the cooker and fry with onions.
4. When fried add the left over gravy in the cooker.
5. Fry till it is dry. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Pepper Chicken

This recipe reminds me of home more than anything else! So whenever I feel terribly homesick I make myself some pepper chicken and then the world seems a much nicer place!

Ingredients

• Chicken - 1kg
• Onions - 2 large sliced
• Green chilly - 2 chopped
• Ginger - 1" piece chopped
• Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Potatoes - 3 (medium size) -  Peeled and cut into thick slices.
• Salt - To taste
• Curry leaves -A few
• Coriander leaves - A few to garnish
• Oil - For frying

Method

1. Cut the chicken into medium size pieces.
2. Mix all the above mentioned ingredients together in a pressure cooker.
3. Add half cup of water and pressure cook. After one whistle cook, lower heat and cook  for 7 minutes.
4. Once chicken is pressure cooked, put a non-stick frying pan on the fire. Heat oil and shallow fry the chicken pieces. Sprinkle pepper on the pieces of chicken while frying.
5. Once pieces are fried move them to a serving dish.
6. Shallow fry the potato slices on both sidse after sprinkling pepper on them.
7. Take the excess liquid gravy in the pressure pan and evaporate till it becomes thick and more concentrated.
8. Once potato pieces are fried arrange it in the serving dish along with the chicken. Pour the concentrated liquid gravy from the pressure pan onto the chicken and potatoes.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Mince Pie - Chicken/Beef/Lamb

This is one of my mum's famous recipes! Tastes excellent and goes really well with some crusty garlic bread.

Ingredients

Mince meat (Chicken/Beef/Lamb mince) - 1/2 kg
Potatoes - 3 medium
Onions -2 chopped
Green chillies -4
Ginger - 1" piece
Coriander leaves - A bunch
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Oil -3 tbsp
Salt - To taste

Method

1. Pressure cook the mince meat with potato. For beef and lamb mince pressure cook for 15 minutes after first whistle. For chicken mince pressure cook for 7 minutes after first whistle. Add water while pressure cooking about 1 cup.
2. Chop onions, green chillies and ginger.
3. Put a non-stick pan on the fire, add oil and fry onions, green chillies and ginger till light brown.
4. Once the mince meat is cooked. Take cooker off the fire and  remove the potatoes. 
5. Cool and peel the potatoes. 
6. Return the cooker with mince meat to the fire and dry up all the water in the cooker. 
7. Mix the mince meat with the fried onions, green chillies and ginger.Add coriander leaves and fry for some time. Keep aside.
8. Mash the potatoes, add a little salt and pepper.
9. Mix the mince with the mashed potato.
10. Line a baking tray with butter.
11. Put the mince and potato mixture into the pan.
12. Prepare white sauce. (Method given below)
13. Pour a little white sauce and mix it with the mince meat mixture in the baking pan. Now pour rest of the white sauce on top and bake for about 45 minutes at 180 Deg C.
14. Serve warm with crusty garlic bread.

White Sauce

Ingredients 

• Milk - 2 mugs
• Butter - 3 tbsp
• All purpose flour  (Maida) - 3 tbsp
• Cheese- 50 gms (Cheddar)
• Eggs -1
• Salt - To taste
• Pepper - To taste

Method

1. Keep a saucepan on the fire and add butter. Flame should be low.
2. When the butter melts, take it off the fire and add the all purpose flour.
3. Stir it well, put it back on the fire and stir till it becomes light brown.
4. Now add the milk, stirring all the time till it thickens.
5. Take it off the fire and add cheese and egg.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.