Shimla mirch masala - Bell pepper curry

Shimla mirch masala - South Indian style.
This is an easy one. Takes little time and very few ingredients    
to make.

The following recipe serves 2 people.                               
Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Ingredients: 
Bell peppers(Capsicum) - 3
Onion -1 medium sized
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 10-12 leaves
Shredded coconut - 1 Tbsp
Coriander powder - 3 Tsp
Dried red chilies - 2
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Ginger powder - 1.5 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp

Step 1: Chop the bell peppers into bite size pieces. I have used 3 medium sized bell peppers of different colors. You can use only the green ones or any color you like.

Step 2: Chop the onions finely.

Step 3: We need the following spices.

Step 4: Take 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium heat. Add a few cumin seeds to check the heat. If the seeds splutter withing 3-4 seconds then your temperature is right. Add the rest of cumin and mustard seeds. Fry for 45 seconds.

Step 5: Add the dried red chilies and the curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds.

Step 6: Add the onions and salt and fry for 3-4 more minutes.

Step 7: Add the ginger paste, garlic paste and turmeric powder.Cook for 3-4 more minutes

Step 8: Add the bell peppers. Coat well with the mixture. Fry for a minute and the cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Step 9: Now add the coriander powder and shredded coconut.

Step 10: Put the lid on again and cook for another 10-15 minutes till the peppers are cooked.

Step 11: Enjoy your "Shimla mirch masala".

Chicken tikka masala

The following recipe serves 4 people.                               
Preparation time : 2.5 hours

Cooking time : 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the Tikkas

Boneless chicken pieces - 600 grams

Plain yogurt - 250 ml

Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Green capsicum chopped - 1/2

Oil - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chili Powder - to taste

Ginger paste - 2 tsp

Garlic paste - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

For the gravy

Oil - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon sticks - 2
Cardamom - 3
Black cardamom - 1
Cloves - 3
Bay leaves - 1 

Tomatoes - 4
Onion - 1 large

Green chili - 1

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 2 tsp

Garlic paste - 2 tsp

Cashews - 8-10

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - to taste

Cumin powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

salt - to taste

Part 1: Preparing the chicken tikkas

Step 1: Take the yogurt in a big bowl. Add the lemon juice. 
Step 2: We need the following masalas : Turmeric, Chili, ginger paste, garlic paste and salt.

Mix the masalas with the curd. Add the oil. 

Mix it all well into a paste. 

Step 3: Add the chicken pieces and the capsicum pieces.

Step 4: Keep it aside for at least 2 hours. Preferably 6-8 hours.


Step 5: Put the chicken in skewers for grilling.

Step 6: While grilling, turn the chicken every 5 minutes to grill all sides evenly.
If you don't want to use an oven for grilling, you can use a pan. Keep cooking the chicken on medium heat turning them every few minutes. Cook them till the pieces are thoroughly cooked and a little burnt on the surfaces.


Step 7: After grilling take them out of the skewers and keep them aside.

Part 2: Preparing the gravy


Step 8: Now we need the whole garam masala  which is basically a combination of cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and cardamoms. 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cardamoms, bay leaf and the cloves. Add the cumin seeds. Fry for two minutes.

Step 9: Chop the onion and the tomatoes. We will also need cashews at this stage.

Add the chopped onions. Fry them for 5-6 minutes until they turn translucent.

Step 10: Now we need the second set of masalas: coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, turmeric masala, chili powder, ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili.

Add the masalas to the pan and add a tbsp of water and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the cashews.

Step 11: Add the tomatoes and mix well. Add a tablespoon of water. Cover the pan and let it cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes.

Step 12: After 20 minutes it will look like this. 

Step 13: Wait for the mixture to cool and the blend it in a blender. Put the mixture back in the pan on medium heat.Add the salt.

tep 14: Add the chicken tikkas. Wait for the mixture to come to a boil. 

Then cover the pan on low heat for 5 further minutes. 


Step 15: Enjoy your chicken tikka masala.

Rajasthani Kadhi - Made Easy

This mildly spiced main course dish hails from the western part of 
India, namely Rajasthan. This dish is simple to make. It is rich in 
proteins and uses very little oil, which makes it a healthy sabzi 
by Indian standards. 








So then, lets start cooking...


Part 1: Making the besan pieces


Step 1: We need 150 grams of gram-flour (besan). 

Step 2: And carom seeds (ajwain), chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and vegetable oil.

Step 3: Mix these ingredients. You will get a lumpy powder. 

Step 4: Mix 100 grams of plain unsweetened yogurt to it. 

Step 5: Mix it well, knead for a few minutes. The final result will be a soft sticky dough like this :

Step 6: Oil your palms and roll the dough into 3/4 inch thick rolls. You will end up with 8-10 rolls. 

Step 7: Bring water to boil in a large pot. Gently drop the pieces in the water. As soon as they get cooked, they will start floating on the surface. It will take about 7-8 minutes. 

Remove the cooked pieces from water and place them on a paper towel to drain the extra water.

Step 8:  Let the pieces cool down. Cut them into bite size pieces and keep the aside.

Part 2 - The Gravy!


Step 9:  Take 200 grams of plain unsweetened yogurt and add to it 1 tablespoon of gram flour, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2  teaspoon of turmeric and 1 tablespoon of coriander powder (dhaniya). 

 Mix them well into a smooth paste. 

Step 10: We need 1 bay leaf, 3 red chillies, a pinch of asafoetida, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a teaspoon of mustard seeds and 3 cardamoms.

Step 11: Heat oil in a big pan. Put the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Put in the mustard seeds. Fry for a minute. The mustard seeds will start spluttering.

Add the rest of the Step 10 ingredients. Fry for a minute.

Step 12:  Add the yogurt mixture into it. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Please note that the heat should be medium.

Step 13:  Add 200 ml of water to it. 

As soon as the mixture comes to boil add the pieces from Part 1. Add salt to taste. 

Cover the pan and change the heat to low. Let the mixture simmer for 25-30 minutes.


Step 14: Enjoy your Rajasthani Kadhi !