Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is a popular South Indian Chicken preparation that involves marinating the chicken in yoghurt, ginger, garlic and a few spices, then adding corn flour and egg and deep frying the chicken cubes and finally tempering it with with mustard and curry leaves. It is served usually as an appetizer and goes very well with a glass of cold beer. Now comes the part where I tell you, that is not the way I make it. In case you have been following my blog and other recipes here you will know that I try and avoid deep frying and too much hard work when it comes to everyday cooking. So there is no deep frying here, and not much effort either, I make this with a thick sauce so you can serve it as a starter or as a main. Usually boneless chicken is used for this dish, but with my recipe you can use chicken on the bone too.

I learnt this recipe from my older sister many years ago. This is a family recipe that I share and it is very special to me. It reminds me of my novice days as a cook and how this dish has literally encouraged me in the kitchen. It used to be one our favourite Sunday meals, twenty years ago. It still is when we get together. Chicken 65 with pulao and cucumber salad was a meal that the entire family looked forward to! So many beautiful memories associated with this dish. :-)

There are two methods of cooking it, you can choose either. I usually follow the second method as it is easier and less work, but my sister follows the first one. However you choose to cook it, it tastes fantastic. So here goes.

Recipe Credit : Ms. Anita Arakal

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg

Marinade:

1. Yoghurt - 1 cup
2. Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
3. Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
4. Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 tbsp
5. Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
8. Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
9. Salt - as required

Tempering:

1. Oil - as required
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
3. Curry leaves - 20 leaves

Method 1:

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under marinade in a bowl and marinate the chicken pieces for minimum one hour. Marinate longer for better results.  In case you are marinating for a longer period, please put the marinated chicken in the refrigerator.
2. Heat a pan, pour oil required for shallow frying and shallow fry the chicken till done and keep aside.
3. In the same pan, heat oil, add the mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter, then add the curry leaves and the marinade. Bring it to a boil, and let it cook on medium flame till the sauce thickens.
4. Add the fried chicken pieces and mix well. 

Method 2:

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under marinade in a bowl and marinate the chicken pieces for minimum one hour. Marinate longer for better results.  In case you are marinating for a longer period, please put the marinated chicken in the refrigerator.
2. In a pan, heat oil, add the mustard seeds and wait for it to splutter, then add the curry leaves. 
3. Now add the chicken pieces only and turn up the stove flame to high. When the chicken has browned on all sides, lower the flame.
4. Add the marinade and cook the chicken till it is done.

You can pair this with vegetable pulao or jeera rice and daal with a cucumber salad.

Green spice mix for curries

There are different types of spice mixes that are used in an Indian kitchen. Many people prefer to use home made spices mixes even though store bought ones are easily available. There are different spice powders for different dishes, however garam masala powder is commonly used in most Indian dishes. This can be home made as you can use fresh ingredients and make in quantities that you know will be used in a specific period. Different chefs have different recipes but typically whole spices like cinnamon, peppercorn, cloves, cumin etc are common to all of them, these spices are either sun dried or dry roasted and then ground to a fine powder.

The spice mix I share with you today can be used to make great tasting curries with chicken, beef and prawns. You can use it to fry fish as well and enhance flavours of vegetable side dishes. I have shared the smallest quantity of ingredients required to make this. If you wish to make a larger quantity increase the quantity of the ingredients proportionately and store in a air tight container till all is used. In case you run out of garam masala you can use this as a substitute, though I'd like to caution you that this spice mix is pepper hot.

Recipe credit: Ms Rozita Coutinho

Green spice powder:

1. Jeera - 1 tbsp
2. Peppercorns - 1 tbsp
3. Cinnamon - 4 inches
4. Cardamom - 6 nos
5. Cloves - 15 nos
6. Turmeric - 1/2 tbsp

Grind to a fine powder in a blender and store in an air-tight container. Use a dry spoon to use as needed.

You can increase the quantity of the ingredients to make a larger quantity.

This spice mix can be used as a substitute for garam masala powder in regular cooking and in the following recipes that you will find on this blog:

1. Green meat
2. Coconut juice chicken
3. Prawn curry
4. Pork Saulantulem : You can add a 1 tsp of this spice mix to enhance the taste.

Plain coconut juice curry

In the last few weeks I have shared a few coconut based curries on the blog. I cook different types of curries and its a regular item on my everyday menu. A few weeks ago I published the Plain red coconut curry. Well, today's curry is quite similar to it, the key difference being the usage of coconut milk versus ground coconut in the previous recipe. You may think, "What's the difference, coconut milk, fresh coconut, how different could the taste be?", well it does belong to the same taste palate, but a coconut milk based curry tastes much richer and has a creamier texture as compared to a curry where the coconut has been ground to a paste and used. The good news is you could turn this curry into a prawn curry by simply adding prawns and it tastes heavenly. Serve the curry with steamed rice, fried fish and any vegetable foogath and you will have  finger licking Goan/Mangalorean meal.

Recipe credit : Rozita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. 1 Coconut - milk extracted or
2. 400 ml - coconut milk
3. Oil - 1 tbsp
4. Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
5. Tomato - 1 medium, finely chopped
6. Green chilly - 1 or two, slit (optional)
7. Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp
8. Stock cube - 1 no

For the masala:

1. Kashmiri chilly - 8 nos
2. Garlic - 6 cloves
3. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
6. Peppercorns - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Grind to a fine paste the ingredients, mentioned under for the masala. Keep aside. Reserve the water used to rinse the grinder jar.
2. In a pan, heat oil, add the chopped onion and fry till light brown.
3. Add the tomatoes, and the ground masala, stir well and cook for two minutes. Add the stock cube, reserved water, tamarind pulp and the coconut milk.
4. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes, check for consistency.
5. If adding chilly, add it two minutes before putting off the flame.

Click on the recipe name for other curry recipes on this blog:
Plain red coconut curry
Coconut juice chicken curry
Tomato Saar (Recipe 1)
Tomato Saar (Recipe 2)
Prawn Caldeen Curry
Chicken/mutton Stew

Pork Solantulem

Pork is a personal favorite of mine. I cook Pork bafath quite regularly, special occasions call for sorpotel, and I prepare pork solantulem when I'm in a hurry and don't have the time and patience to cook an elaborate dish. This is one of the easiest, fuss free pork recipes I know. This is a Goan dish, however, surprisingly I never heard of it till I got married. I have lived in Goa for a few years and have visited it quite often after I moved back to Mumbai. I have never seen this dish on any menu in any restaurant, nor have I heard any locals mention it ever. I think the sorpotel, vindaloo and choris take all the limelight and this humble recipe never made it to the stage.

But my mum-in-law makes this preparation once in a while and I learned it from her many years ago. This dish is not spicy and I guess that's one of the reasons why it's not a party favorite. But I like this dish, not only 'cos of how easy it is to pull it together but 'cos it has very simple flavors. And of course 'cos it is David's favorite.

The original recipe has a handful of ingredients, viz; solam (kokum), garlic, cumin, salt and turmeric. But I add a few more spices to suit my palate. The star of this recipe is of course solam or kokum, which is absolutely essential, along with garlic and cumin. The other spices can be added or given a miss depending on convenience.

Recipe credit: Ms.Rosita Coutinho

Ingredients:

1. Pork - 1 kg
2. Cumin - 1 tbsp
3. Garlic - 8 fat cloves
4. Solam (Kokum) - 12 pieces
5. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
6. Broken red chilies - 4 nos
7. Onion - 1 large
8. Cinnamon - 2 inch sticks
9. Cloves - 8 nos
10. Peppercorns - 1 tsp
11. Bay leaves - 2 nos
12. Salt - as required

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients in a deep pan and keep on the stove on high flame. When it comes to a boil, reduce the flame and simmer for about twenty minutes or till the pork is done.
2. Stir occasionally to ensure it does not stick to the bottom.
3. Check for taste.
4. Any pork preparation, according to me tastes better after it has rested for a little while. At least one hour of rest will help the meat absorb all the spices and salt.

Click on the recipe names for more delectable pork recipes on this blog.

1. Pork bafath/ bafad
2. Pork roast - Goan style
3. Pork adobo
4. Pork chops - Oriental style

Chilly chicken

This chilly chicken recipe is perfect for days when you are in a rush and want to whip up a yummy chicken dish in the shortest time possible with the least number of ingredients and effort. You can serve this with noodles or brown rice, or serve it as a starter or a side dish with dal and rice. However you choose to serve it, one thing is for certain that it will not disappoint. 

I am not a big fan of using too much oil in my cooking and deep frying, and you will be surprised to see how well this dish turns out even  if you don't deep fry the chicken. Almost all the recipes that I have come across for chilly chicken require the chicken to be deep fried and I guess thats what makes them so irresistible. I have completely skipped that part in this dish and tried to make it a little healthy.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken thighs - 500 gms
2. Garlic - 8 cloves, finely minced
3. Onion - 1 no, cubed
4. Green chilly - 2 nos, roughly chopped
5. Green pepper - 1 no, cubed
6. Soya sauce - 1 and half tbsp
7. Chilly sauce - 1 tbsp
8. Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

1. Cut chicken into cubes. Wash,drain and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the minced garlic. Let it fry for a minute.
3. Add the chicken to the pan and increase the flame to the highest. The chicken will release water and when three quarters of that water has evaporated, add the onion and green chilly. 
4. Add the sauces and vinegar and cook on medium flame for five minutes.
5. I don't add salt as the sauces are salty but at this time check for taste and adjust as needed.
6. Increase the flame to high, add the green peppers and stir fry for about two minutes.
7. I like our peppers crunchy and not completely cooked so you can put off the flame now and its ready to be served.
8. Add peppers with onion if you want them cooked well.