Kori Rotti curry - Shireen Sequira https://www.ruchikrandhap.com/kori-rotti-chicken-curry-bunt-style/

Kori Rotti Chicken Curry

Prep time: 20-25mins | Cooking time : 20mins | Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken on the bone
• 1 medium sized onion finely sliced
• 1 coconut to extract 2 cups thin milk and 1 cup thick milk * see note#1 for substitute
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 cardamom slightly bruised
• 2 cloves
• salt to taste

For the masala

• 5 short red chillies * see note#2
• 10 long red chillies * see note#2
• 1-1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns * see note#2
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds / methi
• 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 1/8th tsp turmeric powder
• 8-9 flakes of (Indian) garlic with skin
• 1 medium sized onion sliced
• 1/2 lime sized ball of tamarind
• 1/2 a coconut (or 1 cup grated coconut)
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil

For the seasoning

• 1 medium sized onion finely sliced
• 1 tbsp ghee

Method

1. Cut the chicken into medium sized pieces, wash and allow to drain on a colander.

2. In a heavy bottomed pan/kadhai heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil and roast the red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds & cumin seeds one by one. Each of them should be roasted on a slow flame for a few seconds until you get a nice aroma * see note # 3

3. Next fry the onion and garlic and remove and add the coconut, turmeric powder and tamarind to the same pan, roast and remove.

4. Grind all the roasted ingredients to a fine paste using a little water. Reserve the masala water.

5. In the same pan add the ground masala and the sliced onion. Mix and add the thin coconut milk. Leave the pan uncovered & bring the curry to a boil, add the chicken pieces and salt to taste. Cover the pan now and cook the chicken till tender on a medium flame. When the chicken is cooked, simmer and add the thick coconut milk and bring it to boil for just a couple of seconds. Turn off the flame.

6. In a smaller pan, heat the ghee for seasoning and toss in the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom pod and the sliced onion, fry till golden brown and add this to the curry. Cover the pan immediately to trap the aroma of the seasoning.

7. Serve hot with crispy rice Rotti – let the curry soak up the rotti a bit before you eat it. Alternatively, you can serve the curry with rice, pan polay (neer dosa), appams, sanna, mutlim (rice dumplings), polay (dosa) or chapathi

Notes:

1. A large coconut yields approximately 2 cups thin milk & 1 cup thick milk. Here’s how to do it & the substitute for it. If you do not wish to use coconut milk in your curry just use 1-1/4 cups of grated coconut instead of 1/2 cup and skip the coconut milk altogether. But you may need to adjust the spice a bit here.

Extracting fresh coconut milk

Grate the flesh of one coconut and transfer it to a mixer grinder. Add about 1/2 cup of warm water and pulse the mixer grinder for a few seconds.

Line a bowl with cheese/muslin cloth and transfer the ground coconut into it. Cover the cloth into a bundle and squeeze to extract thick milk. Keep aside

Add a little water (depending on how much thin milk you desire) and repeat process. This is the thin milk.

Preparing coconut milk from coconut milk powder (I use Maggi)

To make approx 2 cups thin milk – Dissolve 6 tbsp coconut milk powder in 1-1/2 cups warm water

To make approx 1 cup thick milk – Dissolve 6 tbsp coconut milk powder in 3/4th cup warm water

2. Mangaloreans, especially Bunts use short red chillies which are also called as Harekala chillies – these are quite spicy. The long dry chillies that are used are called the Byadge/Bedgi chillies. Click to see pictures. You may use a combination of both or just use the Bedgi variety. To reduce the spice adjust the quantity of peppercorns and use the chillies partially deseeded. For a mildly spicy curry you can use Kashmiri chillies. The original recipe asked for 22 chillies & 1 tsp peppercorns. I reduced them to 15 chillies and 1/2 tsp peppercorns which yielded a medium spicy curry. A lot of the spice gets balanced out when the coconut milk is added, so please use your judgement here.

3.While roasting the spices take care to ensure that they don’t burn or turn black – this will lend a bitter taste to the curry which is avoidable. Ensure that roasting is done in a good quality heavy pan.Recipe adapted from The Mangalore Ladies Club Cookbook

Masoor Pulao - Shireen Sequeira

https://www.ruchikrandhap.com/masoor-pulao/

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Masoor Pulao

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Say yes to this pulao if you are a lover of rice & lentils 'cuz this pulao will totally perk your mood & jazz up your meal! Pair it with a simple raitha or an elaborate veg or non veg curry and you are sorted for the day (moodwise of course) 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Author: Shireen Sequeira @ www.ruchikrandhap.com

Ingredients

For the masoor curry:

• 1/2 cup whole masoor red lentils
• 1 green chilli slit (adjust to taste)
• 2 teaspoons ginger & garlic paste
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 2 to matoes finely chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons red chilli powder adjust to taste
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ghee or oil
• salt to taste

For the rice:

• 1-1/2 cups jeerakasala or basmati rice
• 4 cloves
• 1 " stick cassia bark or cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cardamoms slightly bruised

To garnish:

• 1 medium-small onion, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup cashew nut halves optional
• 1/8 th cup raisins optional
• chopped fresh coriander
• ghee or oil for frying

Instructions

1. Wash and soak the masoor in plenty of water for at least 8 hours or overnight, then discard the water and refresh with fresh water.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil or ghee and fry the slit green chillies. Cover the pan to prevent oil from spluttering. Add the ginger-garlic paste as well and fry it on a low heat for half a minute or until the raw smell vanishes
3. Toss in the sliced onions and let them fry till translucent. Then add the tomatoes and salt and fry till they turn mushy and oil begins to separate
4. Add the turmeric, coriander, cumin and red chilli powders and fry for half a minute. Drain the whole masoor completely and add it in. Give everything a good mix and add a cup of water. Check salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Cover pressure cook on full heat for two whistles. Remove the cooker from the heat and leave it undisturbed until you are able to remove the whistle easily. Open, stir and keep aside (if it is not yet tender, put it back on the heat and give it another whistle). The masoor dal should be tender but not overcooked or mushy.
6. To make the rice, first wash the rice in 2-3 changes of water, drain and keep aside. Bring 3 cups of water (double the quantity of the rice, using the same cup/measure) to a boil. You may use plain water or chicken or vegetable stock (or bouillon (stock) cube dissolved in water)
7. Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy based kadai/wok and add the whole spices - cloves, cinnamon or cassia bark, bay leaf and cardamoms. Let them sizzle on a low heat for a few seconds.
8. Add the washed & drained water and fry it for a couple of minutes. When the ladle begins to feel a little heavy add the freshly boiled water/stock mixture and turn up the heat. Give the mixture a good boil - let it bubble for a minute or so. Then reduce the heat completely to a sim and cover with a well fitting lid so no steam can escape. Keep a timer for exactly 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the rice cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. After the time is up, open the pan and gently fluff up the rice using a fork. Cover and keep aside
9. While the rice is cooking you can heat oil or ghee in a small pan and fry the items for garnishing. First fry the sliced onions till they turn golden brown and remove on a plate lined with kitchen tissue. Next, fry the raisins & nuts separately until they turn golden. Remove on the plate.
10. Once the rice is ready, layer 1/3rd of the portion in a serving dish. Top it with a layer of cooked masoor dal mixture. Add another layer of rice and then a layer of the masoor dal. Continue till all the rice and masoor dal have been used up. Garnish with the fried onions, raisins & nuts. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve hot with raitha or salan (or curry)