Category Archives: Non-Vegetarian

Chicken Kola curry


“Kola”s are the Indian meatballs.
Image

Minced chicken (If you don’t get minced chicken, just grind boneless chicken without adding water).

Image

Roasted channa dal (pottukadalai) and fennel. grind them together and make dry powder. Or you can use besan and fennel powder.Image

This will be used to bind the kolas.

Image

chopped onions, chillies, coriander leaves and ginger garlic paste

Image

Sauté the onions, chillies, ginger garlic paste and cilantro.

Image

Add them to the minced chicken.

Image

Add turmeric powder, chilli powder , a pinch of garam masala and salt.

Image

Add the roasted channa dal+fennelseeds powder to the chicken and mix well.

Image

Make even sized balls (kolas) out of the meat and set them aside.

Image

Now for the gravy:
red chilies
coriander seeds
fennel seeds
cumin seeds
raw rice

Image

Fry the spices in a spoon of oil.

Image

Grind them with 3 tbsp. of grated coconut.

Image

Make it to a smooth paste and dilute with water.

Image

chop some onions, garlic, chillies, tomatoes and curry leaves.

Image

Use a shallow pan(so that all the kolas can be placed in a single layer). Saute the garlic, curry leaves ,chillies  and onions.

Image

Add the tomatoes and sauté until they soften.

Image

Add the prepared masala.(Picture 14)

Image

Add some tamarind water and salt.

Image

Bring the curry to a good boil and then place the meat kolas in the curry. This is how its traditionally done. If you are concerned that the kolas might break, you can shallow/deep fry the balls first before adding it to the curry. But then the kolas won’t be as juicy as the traditional way.

Image

Once you have placed all the kolas in the curry, reduce the heat, cover and cook until the kolas are done..

Image

Make sure the kolas are cooked all the way before removing from heat.

 Image
Serve with rice. For the vegetarian version, make kolas by grinding soaked thur/moong dhal .
Image

Fish in cocount curry


My hometown is a small fishing town in the southern tip of India, so my love for fish shouldn’t be a surprise. Nothing compares to the taste of freshly caught fish cooked within hours. I became a vegetarian few years back and I have to say it would have been impossible if I am still living in my hometown. This curry is a traditional recipe and brings back memories of my school days, sharing lunches with friends, I had a couple of friends whose moms made awesome versions of this curry 🙂

Image

Fish – cleaned , cut and rubbed with turmeric and salt. (I have Tilapia here)

Image

Tamarind water (Even after all these years of cooking I can’t rightly judge how much tamarind I will need. I usually make a good amount of tamarind water and add to the recipe as needed and save the rest in the fridge and try to use it within 4-5 days).

Image

chopped onions, diced tomatoes and a generous amount of curry leaves.

Image

In a pan, add 2tbsp of sesame oil. Fry 1 tsp of mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp of fenugreek.
Saute the onions and curry leaves.

Image

When the onions lightly brown, add :  2 tsp of turmeric powder and red chilli powder (according to your heat preference) directly to the oil. This will instantly cook the chilli powder and take the raw smell out of it.

Image

Once the oil separates, add the tomatoes.

Image

When the tomatoes soften, add the tamarind water.

Image

Add about a cup of water and salt. Allow this to boil and reduce a little bit (until the raw taste of tamarind goes away).

Image

Add the fish pieces and allow it to cook for 5 mins. That’s all it will take for the fish to cook.

Image

While the fish is cooking, we can make the coconut paste. You’ll need :
grated coconut – 3 tbsp.
chopped onions – 1 tbsp.
garlic – 2 cloves
cumin – 2 tsp
curry leaves – some
(If you like a little punch, you can also add 1 tsp of black pepper. )
Image
Grind them all with water to make a paste.
Image
Add the coconut paste to the fish curry, stir in without breaking the fish .
Image
Sprinkle some more curry leaves, cover with lid and simmer for 10 mins. Allow the curry to stay in the pan for at least 30 mins before transferring to the serving dish.
Image
Serve with rice. You can drizzle a tsp of sesame oil in the curry before serving. Fish, curry leaves and sesame oil are like soulmates, they work very well together 
Image

Chicken and Black Beans Fajitas


Image

Boneless chicken stripsImage

Marinate with : Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, dark soy, 1/2 tsp of gingergarlic paste, lemon juice, yogurt and salt. Image
Let it sit for at least 30 mins, more the better. Lay the strips down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees .Image
For the black beans : minced ginger, minced garlic, minced green chillies, lime and minced herbs (I have mint here). The powder I have in the middle is taco seasoning. If you do not have it, you can mix chilli powder, garlic powder, cocoa and brown sugar. If you don’t want to take that route, you can use channa masala too.Image
Saute the ginger, garlic, mint and chillies. Image
Add the black beans, seasoning, sprinkle some water and cook for a couple of mins. Do not make it dry.Image
Thinly sliced onions
red and yellow peppers
green apples(You can use any vegetable as long as they are light and crunchy, like cucumbers and zucchini)Image

Saute the onions and when they turn light brown, saute the peppers.Image
Add the green apples and add salt and pepper.Image
Warm the tortillas.Image
Now you just have to put everything together. You can serve with condiments like guacamole, sour cream or salsa. But just this is good enough, as you get the sweet and tangy from the peppers and green apples and all those spices from the chicken and beans.Image
Image

Buffalo Chicken Dogs


My kids are always fascinated by Hot dogs. But they are not allowed to eat red meat , so I make simple chicken Kebabs and make them over as hot dogs. Image
Minced/Ground chickenImage
Tomatoes, onions, green chillies and mint chopped.Image
Heat 2 tsp of oil and sauté the green chilles, mint and onions. Also add a tsp of ginger garlic paste.Image
Add the tomatoes. When the tomatoes soften, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt.Image
Add the onion-tomato mixture , 1 tbsp. of besan (chick peas flour/gram flour) and an egg and mix well. Add breadcrumbs if the mixture is too loose.Image
Now it is easy to shape the kebabs. Rubbing oil on your palms while rolling helps.Image
Lay the kebabs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes and turn them over and bake for another 15 minutes.Image
Toss the kebabs with some buffalo sauce (just like you toss the wings). You can use regular hot sauce, teriyaki sauce or even coriander/mint chutneys , according to your flavor preference.Image
Serve in toasted hot dog buns with ketchup / mustard or pickled onions and cheese. Have it your way !