Authentic Indian recipes

[vendic]

I'm posting this here because finding it on FB is near impossible.
These came from a long time friend on the internet in India.
Someone I've known 15 years. Wow. I still can't get over that. lol

Chicken Chettinad:

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 800 grams
• Onions, chopped – 2
• Tomatos, large, chopped – 2
• Red chilli powder -- 1 Tspn
• Turmeric powder -- 1/4 Tspn
• Curry leaves – 8 to 10
• Oil – 2 Tblspn
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander Leaves- To Garnish
Lemon juice

Note: Adjust quantity of red chilli powder for desired spiciness. There is red chilli in the paste as well.

For the paste:

• Poppy seeds – 2 Tspn
• Dry Red Chillies – 6
• Grated Coconut – 3/4 cup
• Coriander -1 tsp
• Cumin - 1 Tspn
• Fennel Seeds – 1 Tspn
• Cinnamon – 1” piece broken
• Cloves – 2
• Cardamom – 2
• Ginger, chopped – 2 Tspn
• Garlic, chopped – 2 Tspn

Method:

• In a little oil, roast all the ingredients for the paste except the ginger and garlic. Roast them till brown. Take care not to char the ingredients while roasting. Allow to cool, and grind to a fine paste with ginger and garlic. The poppy seeds will take quite some time to grind.
• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on medium level till hot and fry the chopped onions till they are golden brown. Add the curry leaves, the ground paste, turmeric and red chilli powders. Cook for some more time. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 2 minute(s) or till the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
• Add chicken and mix well. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
• Add lemon juice and water. Sprinkle salt to taste. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for about till the chicken is fully tenderized.
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Note: The roasted and ground paste and curry leaves are the key ingredients for the taste

[vendic]

Nattu Kozhi Kuzhambu:


Ingredients:
• Cornish Hen/ Naatu Kozhi - 1 Kg
• Tomatoes - 1 (largely chopped)
• Shallots - 1/2 Cup, Cut as two
• Tamarind paste or tamarind pulp - 2 Tspn
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander Leaves- To Garnish
• Red chilli powder -- 1 Tspn
• Coriander powder -- 1 Tspn
• Turmeric powder -- 1/4 Tspn
• Ginger Garlic Paste -- 2 Tspn

To roast and grind:
• Shallots - 1/2 cup ,chopped
• Peppercorns - 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Poppy seeds-1/2 Tspn

To grind:
• Coconut - 1/4 cup

Method:
• Clean the chicken and marinate with turmeric powder
• Dry roast all the ingredients under “To roast and grind” and grind to a fine paste and keep aside
• Grind the coconut into a fine paste and keep aside.
• In a hot pan add sesame oil (in the absence of sesame oil, regular refined oil would do)
• Add the sliced shallots and saute until turns translucent.
• Add the ground paste (“To roast and grind” one), ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, coriander powder and sliced tomato and cook for a minute to combine well
• Add the marinated chicken pieces and sauté well, until the chicken is well mixed with the pastes and spices.
• Pour the tamarind pulp and mix well, and cook it covered until the chicken is cooked well.
• After the chicken is cooked completely add the coconut paste and mix well. Let it cook for a few more minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

[geonuc]

Chicken Chettinad:

...

Made this last night. Came out too bitter - not so good. I'm going to refresh some of my spices and try again. Also buy some lemons - the ingredient list doesn't include the lemon juice.

[vendic]

Chicken Chettinad:

...

Made this last night. Came out too bitter - not so good. I'm going to refresh some of my spices and try again. Also buy some lemons - the ingredient list doesn't include the lemon juice.

We made this recently as well. It was amazing. We added a little yogurt to it which made it even better.
I wonder why you're came out bitter?

I noticed the lemon thing too. I'll update the recipe.

[geonuc]

Adding yogurt alters the flavor profile quite a bit, I think. But it does help the bitterness.

I prepared the recipe again, this time being more careful with the ingredients. Still not real great.

[vendic]

Weird. It came out great for us. I mean really great. I was eating it three days later cold with bread.
I wonder what the difference is?
*edit*

I might I know what it is: The grated coconut.
The other recipe wet tried was fantastic till we added grated coconut, because the fresh coconut we bought turned out mouldy. Then it went funny in smell and taste. I threw out the grated coconut.
This time we used coconut flour. I figured it's just finer ground and I smelled it first. It smelled like fresh coconut. The curry came out great after adding it.

[geonuc]

I used fresh coconut that tasted just fine. It was a pain busting that thing open.

[vendic]

Bummer. Well, I have no idea what went wrong then.