black pepper

Chicken Cawla

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Chicken Cawla
Chicken Cawla, interesting name, right? I am not sure about the origin of this dish but I am immensely grateful to whoever came up with this recipe – it is that good. I came across Chicken Cawla while watching a talk show and was hooked the moment I saw it. It is one of my HB’s most favorite dishes ever (no surprises here ;))
Chicken Cawla
Chicken Cawla
Chicken Cawla is something of a new entrant in my kitchen and right now, one of our favorite dishes. It is healthy (grilled) and tastes heavenly. The actual recipe for Chicken Cawla uses mustard oil but I used olive oil (trust me, it does tastes good!). One small trick to this wonderful recipe is to crush or grind the peppers right before adding to the chicken. This gives a fresh aroma and taste to the recipe.
Chicken Cawla

Try this wonderful recipe and let me know your experience. As for me, I am off to make Chicken Cawla, yes, typing this recipe has made me hungry for it 😉

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Chicken Cawla
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3
 
Ingredients
Cilantro paste:
  • Cilantro – ½ a bunch
  • Curd – ½ cup
  • Green chillies – 2 nos
  • Salt – a generous pinch
To marinate :
  • Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
  • Cilantro paste – 1 cup
  • Mustard oil or olive oil – 1½ tbsp
  • Salt as required
  • Chicken thighs – 5 pieces
Other ingredients:
  • Mustard oil or olive oil – 1 tbsp
  • Cooking oil – 1½ tbsp
  • Cloves – 4 nos
  • Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  • Garlic, crushed – 4 nos
  • Ginger, julienned – 1 tbsp
  • Whole red chillies – 2 nos
  • Onion, finely chopped – 1 no
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
  • Cumin powder – 1 tsp
  • Black pepper powder – 1 ½ tsp
  • Salt as required
Instructions
Step 1:
  1. Grind together cilantro, green chillies and ginger garlic paste to a fine paste and mix them with curd.
  2. Marinate the chicken with the above given ingredients and refrigerate it overnight or at least for an hour.
  3. Chop onions, crush garlic and julienne ginger.
Step 2:
  1. You can either tandoor the chicken in the oven or shallow fry them.
Tandoor method:
  1. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F.
  2. Place the marinated chicken on the tandoori pan, spray cooking oil on top of the chicken and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the pan, turn over the chicken and brush them with little oil on top. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Stove top method:
  1. Heat oil in a flat pan and place the chicken pieces one by one in the pan. Cook until the chicken is done on one side. When the chicken is done on one side, turn over the chicken pieces and repeat the same. When the chicken is well done on both sides, remove from the pan, filtering all the excess oil. Add the chicken to the masala we have made.
Step 3:
  1. Heat oil (cooking & mustard) in a flat pan and add cloves, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, whole red chillies, crushed garlic and julienned ginger. Sauté well and add onions. Sauté until the onions turn brown. Add chilli powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder and salt. Add the grilled or shallow fried chicken to the gravy. Sauté well until the masalas are well blended with the chicken. Switch off the flame and serve hot.
Notes
I used olive oil to make this recipe.
Try to grind fresh pepper powder just before adding to the dish, as it enhances the taste of the dish.

Chicken Cawla

KERALA CHICKEN ROAST

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A while ago, I had mentioned about my HB’s attempt at cooking tandoori chicken and the awesome result. Most recently he attempted another variety of chicken called the Kerala Chicken Roast. And again it turned out to be an awesome dish! As the name suggests, Kerala Chicken Roast is a specialty of God’s Own Country and also my neighboring state as well, Kerala. kerala chicken roast Kerala Chicken roast is an easy to cook, spicy yet a tasty dish. It is a dry variety and hence a side dish essentially. The main ingredient in preparing Kerala Chicken Roast is the kerala garam masala. It is different from regular garam masala in the sense that it has the strong fennel seed flavor. And using shallots is must for this dish. You can have Kerala Chicken Roast with almost all main entrees like Rice (with some gravy, or just rasam), parotta, chapati, biriyani etc. kerala chicken roast Back to my HB’s cooking experiments, it is two out of two so far (Tandoori Chicken and Kerala Chicken Roast). Kerala Chicken Roast is a new dish to me and my HB. I have never had it back home but after tasting it for the first time here, I had noted to myself to try it back home in a Kerala-cuisine restaurant. Try this simple and spicy recipe at your home and share your experiences in the comments section below 🙂

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KERALA CHICKEN ROAST
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
To marinate:
  • Chicken – 200 grams
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
  • Coriander powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt – a generous pinch
  • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Kerala garam masala:
  • Fennel seeds – 2 tbsp
  • Green cardamom – 5 nos
  • Cloves – ½ tbsp
  • Black pepper corn – 1 tbsp
  • Star anise – 1 no
  • Javetri- ½ no
  • Cinnamon stick – 1 “
  • Nutmeg – a pinch
Other ingredients:
  • Oil – 2 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  • Shallots – 6 nos, cut into slits
  • Curry leaves – a sprig , divided
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
  • Kerala garam masala – 1 tbsp
  • Whole green chillies – 5 nos
  • Freshly ground pepper – ½ tbsp
  • Salt as required
  • Cilantro – for garnishing
Instructions
  1. Wash and marinate the chicken with the above given ingredients for at least two hours.
  2. Dry roast the garam masala ingredients for a minute, allow it to cool, blend into powder.
  3. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When it starts to sizzle add shallots and few curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.
  4. Add the marinated chicken and sauté well. close the lid and cook until the chicken is half done.
  5. Add the kerala garam masala and salt and give it a stir.
  6. Add whole green chillies and sauté until all the water is well absorbed and oil ooze out from the chicken.
  7. Now add in the remaining curry leaves and freshly crushed pepper. Sauté for a minute and switch off the flame.
  8. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy with hot rice or Indian flat breads!

kerala chicken roast

VEN PONGAL

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Ven Pongal literally means white Pongal (Ven – white). It is a Tamilian dish very popular in my home state in India. Ven Pongal is a rice dish that is always served as a breakfast item (and occasionally for lunch). It is the opposite to Chakara Pongal (sweet Pongal) and is common in the sense that it is served on all days unlike Chakara Pongal which is mainly served on holidays and during festivals. venpongal Ven Pongal is one of my Mom’s and HB’s favorite dishes. He really gets excited when it is prepared at our home. Ven Pongal with Sambar (another south Indian dish), coconut chutney and Medu Vadai makes an awesome combination and the taste is to die for! In our family, we also refer Ven Pongal as sleeping dose 🙂 since it fills your appetite quickly and makes you feels lazy and drowsy, in a good way. I would suggest Ven Pongal as a weekend breakfast dish. venpongal Back in my home, my Mom always makes Chakara  Pongal and Ven Pongal during Pongal festival. Pongal is a Tamil festival that is celebrated during the month on January in honor of farming and cows. I do miss those days where we celebrate this festival wearing new dress and having lip smacking servings of Pongal and sugarcane (called as Karumbu in Tamil). VenPongal Here is the recipe for Ven Pongal, a popular dish from my beloved state. Do try it in your home and experience the same pleasure that I have every time when I make this dish 🙂 ven pongal

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VEN PONGAL
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ven Pongal literally means white Pongal (Ven - white). It is a Tamilian dish very popular in my home state in India. Ven Pongal is a rice dish that is always served as a breakfast item
Ingredients
  • White raw rice – ¾ cup (I used sona masoori)
  • Moong dal – ¼ cup
  • Ghee – 3 tbs
  • Asafoetida – a pinch
  • Ginger, minced – 1 “ (optional)
  • Salt as required
  • Water – 3 (for 1 cup of rice add 3 cups of water)
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Crushed pepper – 1 tbsp
  • Curry leaves - a sprig
  • Cashews – 1 tbsp
Instructions
  1. Wash the rice and dal thoroughly in water and drain it completely.
  2. Heat a tbsp of ghee in a pressure cooker, add the rice and moong dal and stir for a minute until the aroma spreads. Add asafoetida, salt, ginger and water. Mix well and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. When the pressure is down, mash the rice well adding a tbsp of ghee.
  3. Heat a tbsp of ghee in a small kadai and temper with cumin seeds, crushed pepper, curry leaves and cashews. Add the tempering to the mashed rice and mix well.
  4. Serve hot with sambar, coconut chutney and medu vada. Enjoy!