Varhadi Chicken Curry

Varhadi Chicken Curry 

Varhadi cuisine and Saoji cuisine comes from the eastern region of Maharashtra (Vidarbha region). Varhadi and Saoji are the 2 cuisines that are spicy and not suitable for faint hearted person, but still Varhadi cuisine has a milder version of spice level. 

Today we prepared Varhadi Chicken Curry right from scratch… A lovely recipe shared by my friend. The Varhadi Masala once made can be stored and can be used in making other Varhadi dishes… 

We added less Chillies because of my daughter, but more chillies can be added as per the taste. We served the Chicken with Bhakri, Rice, Chinchecha saar and Onion. 

Varhadi Masala Powder 

Ingredients 

2 tsp Cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp Sahi Jeera

6 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tsp Mustard seeds

20 Pepper Corn 

1/4 tsp Methi seeds 

1 tsp Kasuri Methi 

2 tbsp Dried Grated Coconut (Khopra)

6 Cloves 

2 Black Cardamom

6 Green Cardamom

1 small piece Nutmeg 

1 Javtri 

1 tsp Dagad phool

1 medium stick Cinnamon 

4 to 5 Kashmiri chillies 

6 Spicy dried Red Chillies 

Method 

Fry roast all the above ingredients until light brown in colour and an aroma releases, switch off the flame and cool the masala down. Grind the masala into a powder. This powder can be stored for any gravy dish.

Wet masala 

Ingredients 

1 big size Onion sliced 

15 Garlic cloves 

2 to 3 small pieces of Ginger 

Few stems and leaves of Coriander leaves chopped 

1 tbsp Oil 

Method 

Take a pan, add oil and heat the oil, reduce the flame and add onion slices, stir fry the onion slices until light brown in colour, add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute, add coriander leaves and stems, stir and cook until the onions are brown in colour, switch off the flame and cool down. Grind with 1/4 cup water until the ingredients becomes into a paste. 

Varhadi Chicken Curry 

Ingredients 

750 grams of Chicken cut into pieces 

1 small Onion chopped 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

2 tbsp Varhadi Garam Masala 

Wet paste 

4 tbsp Oil 

1 cup Water 

Method 

Take a pressure cooker, add the chicken pieces, little salt to taste, 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder and water, give 2 whistles, switch off the flame, let the pressure release, separate the chicken pieces from the stock. Take a pot, add oil, let the oil heat. Add the chopped onion, stir fry until light brown in colour, add the chicken, stir, gradually add the remaining turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt to taste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the Varhadi masala, stir, add the wet paste, continue cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add the chicken stock, stir and let the curry simmer for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame, cover and keep, before serving add coriander leaves, serve with bhakri,  rice and onions.

 

Chingri ar Kacha Aam diye purbhora Lunka r Achar

 

Chingri ar Kacha Aam diye purbhora Lunka r Achar - 

This pickle recipe was going on in my head for sometime ..  I wanted to experiment and create the recipe… finally made it, it’s an amazing Bengali pickle for nonveg lovers. I have used prawns, but mutton Keema also can be used after boiling the Keema. 

Here I have taken fat green chillies, stuffed the chillies with raw mango and prawns with spices. This pickle with stay for 3 to 4 months in the fridge. Can be enjoyed with dal - rice, Paratha or chapatis. 

Any pickle masala can be used, I have also shared the masala that I have made. 

Here is the recipe… 

For the Pickle Masala 

Ingredients 

1 tbsp Mustard 

1 tsp Coriander seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp Carom seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1 tsp Chilli powder 

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients together into fine powder 

For the stuffing 

Ingredients 

2 tbsp Kasundi 

2 tbsp Pickle Masala 

1/2 Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Black Salt 

Salt to taste 

10 to 15 boiled Prawns ground without any water

3 tbsp Ginger- Garlic - Green Chilli paste ( 1 small Ginger, 10 to 15 Garlic, 10 Green Chillies) 

4 tbsp grated Raw Mango - excess water squeezed out 

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients together. 

For the Pickle 

15 Fat Green Chillies washed, dried, stem removed and slit on one side for stuffing 

Stuffed Masala 

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

1 tbsp Vinegar 

Method 

Take a green chilli, stuff the masala in the green chilli, repeat the process until all the chillies are stuffed. 

Take oil in a spread out pan, heat the oil until smoking point, switch off the flame and cool the oil down. Switch on the flame once again, the flame has to be low. Place the stuffed green chillies in the pan. Turn the green chillies and coat the oil all over the chillies. Add the excess stuffing masala into the oil, the oil will be just warm, switch off the flame, let the oil cool down. Add a tbsp of vinegar. Take a clean dry jar, place the green chillies into the jar, pour the excess oil and the masala into the jar. Keep the jar out for 2 days. Then keep the jar in the fridge. It stays well for 3 to 4 months. Enjoy with dal - rice, Paratha or chapatis.

Malai Methi Chicken Kabab Curry

 Malai Methi Chicken Kabab Curry - It’s a delicious side dish to go with Pulao, Roti, Naan or Paratha. It’s quick to make… Vegetarians can use Paneer or Vegetarian Kababs instead of the Chicken Kababs. 

Here I have grilled the Kababs in an Air fryer. The Kababs can be grilled in an oven or on charcoal. 

Here is the recipe how I made it - 

For the Chicken Kabab - 

Ingredients 

400 grams of Chicken Keema or Boneless cut into small piece 

1 small Onion chopped 

4to 5 garlic 

1 small piece of Ginger 

3 to 4 Green Chillies 

1 tbsp Lime Juice 

Few Coriander stems and Leaves chopped 

Few Mint Leaves 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Roasted Cumin and Coriander powder 

2 tbsp Sattu or roasted Besan

1 tsp Chicken Masala 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1 tsp Oil + 2 tbsp Oil 

1 tsp Ghee

1 piece of Charcoal 

Method 

Add all the above ingredients plus one tsp oil except charcoal and ghee into to a chopper and blend all the ingredients together until it begins to form a soft dough. If chopper is not available then use a mixer jar. 

Remove the Kabab mix and knead it well. Take a piece of charcoal and heat it up on fire. Place the charcoal in a small bowl, place the bowl in between the kabab mix. Pour a tsp of ghee and cover the big bowl of kabab mix for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove the charcoal bowl. ( The charcoal process can be avoided if the Kababs are grilled on charcoal grill). 

Now apply oil on your palms. Take a big lemon size portion of the kabab mix. Shape as you like, cylindrical or oval. Brush the remaining oil on the Kababs. 

Place them on a tray. Air fry at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes on each sides. Similarly can use a preheated otg or grill it on a grilling pan until brown on both the sides. Keep it aside. 

For the Wet Paste for the Curry 

Ingredients 

1 big size Onion sliced 

5 to 6 Garlic chopped 

1 small Ginger piece chopped 

2 to 3 Green Chillies chopped depending upon your spice level 

Few Coriander stems chopped 

10 Cashew nuts

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Sugar 

1 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder 

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - (Optional)

1 Green Cardamom 

2 Cloves 

1 small piece Cinnamon 

1 tsp Oil 

4 to 5 tbsp Curd 

Method 

Add all the above ingredients in a pan except curd. Sprinkle little water and mix all the ingredients together. Place the pan on a low flame. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion pieces have become translucent. Switch of the flame. Once the ingredients have cooled down, grind all the ingredients together with the curd into smooth paste. 

For the Methi Malai Chicken Kabab Curry 

Ingredients 

Chicken Kabab 

Wet paste 

2 to 3 tbsp Ghee 

2 Green Cardamom 

2 Cloves 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

1 Bay leaf 

1 tbsp Kasuri Methi 

Salt if required 

1/2 cup Milk 

1/4 cup Cream 

Method 

Take a wok, add ghee, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Sauté for few seconds. Add the wet paste and 1/2 of the crushed kasuri methi, stir, cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Once the masala starts to thicken and the ghee releases, add 1/2 cup water, cover and let it simmer for a minute. Meanwhile beat the milk and cream together and keep it aside. Add the kababs and let the gravy simmer for another minute. Pour the milk - cream into the gravy and stir gently, in few seconds switch off the flame. Garnish with remaining crushed Kasuri Methi and serve with Paratha or Naan.

Mango pickle with Fenugreek sprouts

 

Mango pickle made with Fenugreek sprouts - just loving it… made in complete traditional way.. 

Here is the recipe - 

1 1/2 kg Raw Mangoes - (Measurement after washing, cleaning and cutting the mangoes into pieces)

1/2 cup Fenugreek seeds 

1/2 cup Mustard Dal ( Rai ka Kuria) 

4 tbsp or more Salt as per taste

2 tbsp Turmeric powder 

1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 

3 tbsp Chilli powder 

2 tbsp Roasted Fennel powder 

1 tbsp Roasted Coriander powder 

1 tbsp Roasted Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Asafoetida 

1 tsp Carom seeds

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds

1/2 liter Sesame Oil

Method 

Day 1 - Take a bowl, add the mango pieces, add 2 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp turmeric powder, mix all the ingredients together, cover and leave the bowl aside overnight, wash the fenugreek seeds well and soak the fenugreek seeds in water overnight. 

Day 2 - Next day stir the mango pieces with a dry spoon. Cover and keep the mangoes aside. Strain the water from the fenugreek seeds, instead of throwing the water, drink the water, it’s good for health. Take the soaked fenugreek seeds and in a moist cloth, tie the cloth and keep it hanging. In between keep sprinkling water on the cloth to keep the cloth moist. It takes 2 days to get sprouts. We don’t need to over sprout the seeds. 

Day 3 - Strain the water from the mango pieces and keep the water aside. Spread the mango pieces on a cloth or on a plate, sun dry the mangoes for 3 to 4 hours. 

Meanwhile heat the oil, let the oil cool a bit, but it should be still hot, add the these ingredients in a bowl - 2 tbsp salt, mustard dal, Kashmiri chilli powder, red chilli powder, remaining turmeric powder, roasted coriander powder, cumin powder, fennel powder, carom seeds, Nigella seeds and asafoetida. Mix all the ingredients together. 

Now add 1/2 the amount of oil into the ingredients and mix well. Cover and keep the masala aside, until the mangoes are sun drying. After 3 to 4 hours, add the mangoes into the masala, mix the masala well and keep the mangoes covered. 

Day 4 - Remove the fenugreek sprouts and sun dry until all the moisture from the sprouts are removed, for 2 hours. Then add the fenugreek sprouts into the marinated mango water, mix and keep it aside for an hour. Now mix the water and the sprouts into the mango pieces. Stir and keep it aside. 

Day 5 - Store the pickle into a clean dry glass jar. 

Day 6 - Stir the pickle and add the remaining oil. Stir daily once with a clean dry spoon and keep it to mature for at least 7 days. 

After 7 days it’s ready…

Kasundi - Traditional method…

 Kasundi is quintessentially a part of the Bengali cuisine. It’s used in cooking and used as an accompaniment with fried food as dip, salad and starters. Kasundi has a sharp pungent taste.

 Traditionally Kasundi is made with lots of rituals and many restrictions are followed. Earlier only the Bramhins could only make the Kasundi. Made in the month of April ( End April and starting of May,  as the mustard seeds have been harvested and dried in the Sun. Kasundi should be made before the monsoon begins. The mustard seeds and other spices are washed, dried in the Sun and ground into fine powder. Black mustard is used. The water is boiled and reduced into 3/4 quantity. The mustard powder is added into the mud pot along with salt and Turmeric powder. Gradually warm water added and stired well. The Kasundi is made into thin consistency. The Kasundi is stirred very well. Some people add raw mango pieces into the Kasundi. 

In villages people enjoy Kasundi with puffed rice / muri makha, different types of vegetables makha or add the Kasundi in the green vegetables like paat saag / jute leaves. 

Now it is made at home with ease. Apart from traditional Kasundi there are now many ways and ingredients vary while  making the Kasundi. 

Here is a humble try of making the traditional Kasundi at home. It stay for a long time out, but I prefer keeping the Kasundi in the fridge. 

Here I have used Black and Yellow mustard. I have added few Garlic cloves, it’s optional. I have added vinegar so that it stays well for a longer period of time.

Ground Spices for Kasundi 

Ingredients 

1 tbsp Cumin seeds 

2 tbsp Coriander seeds 

6 to 8 Pepper corns 

4 Bay leaves 

6 to 7 Dried Chillies 

4 Cloves

3 Green Cardamom 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

Method 

Dry roast all the above ingredients until an aroma releases. Switch off the flame and keep the spices aside until it cools down. 

Kasundi 

Ingredients 

1 medium size Raw Mango washed, peeled and ground into paste. 

4 Green Chillies (optional)

1 medium piece of Ginger

4 Garlic cloves (optional)

1/2 cup Yellow Mustard seeds 

1 cup Black Mustard seeds

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Ground spices 

1 1/2 liter or more Boiled warm water ( Water has to boil and reduced to 3/4) 

2 tbsp Vinegar (optional)

Method 

Wash the black and yellow mustard seeds. Dry the mustard seeds in the sun until it’s completely dried up. 

Take a grinding jar, add the mustard seeds, Grind the mustard seeds into fine powder. Also make a paste of the green chillies, ginger and garlic together. Add the ground spice powder into the mustard powder. Sieve the ingredients together, so that we get a very fine powder of the ingredients ground. Take a mud pot, add the mustard and spice powder into the pot. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix all the ingredients together. Add the ginger - chilli - garlic paste and mango paste. Now add the warm water gradually into the pot and keep on stirring, so that no lumps should form. Keep stirring, check on salt. Add salt if required. Keep stirring and keep adding warm water until the sauce has a thin consistency. Keep stirring for 10 to 15 minutes as all the ingredients blends together and all the flavours releases. Add the vinegar. Gradually the Kasundi will become a bit thicker later. Cover and leave the Kasundi aside in the mud pot. Next day transfer the Kasundi into the dry clean bottles and keep it in a dry place. Later keep it in the fridge.