Sunday, July 29, 2007

Sunshine, And A Bird

I didn’t really intend to post this dish, considering it was just a variation of this, but a few stray photos made me decide otherwise. The colour was so pleasing - all orange and yellow, just like the pictures and photos we see of sunshine - I couldn’t let it go.




Here’s how you make it:

Baby potatoes, scrubbed, halved – 200 gm
Curds/Yoghurt – 1 cup (and a little more, if you want)
Carrots (tiny, scrawny) – 5, cut into eighths
Ginger – garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 big, chopped
Tomato – 2 medium, quartered
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – ½ a tsp
Salt – to taste
Bay leaves – 2
Garam masala/Curry powder – 1 -2 tsp
Coriander/cilantro – to garnish

Beat the curds. Mix potatoes, carrots, curds, salt, ginger-garlic paste, onion, chilli and turmeric. Let it keep for an hour.

Then, heat half a cup of water in the pressure cooker/pan. Add tomatoes and bay leaves. Cook till the tomatoes are soft.

Add the potato mixture, close the pressure cooker, and once the steam emerges from the vent, put the weight on it. After it hisses once, put it on simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

*The cooker will hiss a couple of times but don’t switch it off in a hurry. (For those using pans, I would recommend a little more water and simmering the dish with a lid on.)

Once the steam escapes on its own (without you fiddling with the weight), remove the weight, check the consistency of the gravy and cook down till it’s as thick as you like.
*You can crush a few pieces of the potato in the gravy to thicken it.

Finally, add the curry powder. Check the seasoning and adjust it to your taste.

Finish off with a garnish of coriander leaves. Goes well with rice and breads.

This dish had a mildly sweetish taste, maybe from a combination of the fresh curds, the onion and the carrot. I didn’t intend it to, but there it was! Neither The Spouse nor The Cousin found any proof in it of them being guinea pigs in an oil-free experiment but simply lapped it up!

For the non-vegetarians, there’s a bonus in today’s post. It’s Herby Fried Chicken! You can use green chillies, coriander and mint or just the two herbs or just coriander without the green chillies, or just the mint, or … well, you get the drift.




Chicken, cut into medium-sized pieces – 1 kilo
Onions – 3 big, chopped
Coriander/cilantro – chopped, 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Salt, to taste
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1-1/2 tsp
Garam masala/curry powder – 2 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp

Smear the chicken pieces with the ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilli powder and 1 tsp of curry powder.

Place the chicken in a pan and boil it – you won’t need to add any water, but if you fear it will stick to the pan, you can add some.

Halfway through the boiling, start frying the onion in another pan, on a slow fire. Let them brown.

Add the chillies and some of the herbs now, if you’re using them.

Once the chicken’s boiled (it took about 15 minutes) and there’s no water left in it, transfer it to the other pan containing the onion. (Of course, the onion have to have fried well by now, and it’s still a slow fire.)

Mix the chicken and onion well, fry for a few minutes and leave it alone, just checking now and then to see that it doesn’t burn. The chicken gets darker and crispier the longer it stays.

Finish off with a sprinkling of the rest of the herbs, the rest of the curry powder, stir once more and take it off the heat. The crisped onions and herbs make a great mix with the rice but in one of those quirky twists of taste, The Spouse likes to savour this with tomato sauce!

I’m sending these dishes off to Kalyn’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Anna of Anna’s Cool Finds.

31 comments:

  1. Looks absolutely yummy! I just love the masala in it.
    Nice post.

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  2. Nice one! So colourful, the bird looks tasty

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  3. Both dishes are fab this post LOVE the chicken dish,great color! With some bread,it must taste divine!:)
    I love colorful dishes too,just so pleasing to eye and makes you want to eat!:))
    Good one sra.I will cook something for Kalyn this week,haven't sent anything to her in a long time!

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  4. I like the look of the chicken curry. Must be delicious!

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  5. Sunshine it is.... and that herb chicken, wow I'm sure going to try that! Looks so brown and yummy, can never resist a good lookin chicken fry... :)

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  6. Sra, I have some chicken in my freezer , so will be trying this mostly this week itself...it looks so tempting...just saw another fried chicken in a blog...making me go crazy...the fact that it needs only 2 tbsp oil is a an extra bonus :)

    Shn

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  7. The potato curry colour is looking very pretty.Just like sunshine :)

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  8. As you said the first one is really great Sra, Sorry did not see the second one :) Viji

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  9. You make me feel as if I could actually make this myself!

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  10. I can't see the pics, but I read the recipe twice and the chicken seems so lip-smacking!!

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  11. The potato sunshine curry..does look neat

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  12. SeeC, thank you.
    Saju, thanks.
    Asha, true, good-looking dishes make us want to eat.
    Anh, thanks for stopping by!
    Hi Sig, I know what you mean!
    Shn, there were one or two pieces with skin so if yours is skinless, you may need to use a bit more!
    Archana, yes, it's so bright, isn't it?
    Viji, thanks. Did you mean you could not bear to see the second one? LOL!
    Anna, why not? They're both v simple, and don't call for any special ingredients, give them a shot!
    Jyothsna, am so sorry you can't see the pix, hope you get to make the chicken and like it!
    Bhags, welcome! Try it when you can!

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  13. sra...the veg curry looks so yum, and considering it has simply no oil...can't wait to try this...have already added it to the to-make list :-)

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  14. i agree, looks nice! such a quick dish :)
    btw glad to know u tried my recipe and liked it, thanks for letting me know, appreciate it :)

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  15. the curry looks really nice. the heading you have given, first I thought you must have photographed some bird LOL. then when I saw the cooked bird it made me laugh.

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  16. hahahaha... I was expecting to see a brids photo with a beautiful sunshine backdrop!!! hahaha

    The sunshine really looks like a sunshine! :)

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  17. Both of the dishes look so yummy...even the colors look awesome, Can I have some? thanks for sharing

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  18. Santhi, thank you. No posts in a while on your blog?
    Richa, thanks!
    Sharmi, actually I was feeling a bit guilty for that title :)
    Coffee, thanks!
    Padma, you're welcome to visit :)

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  19. how did u know i fiddle with the pressure cooker's weight?:) that looks like a amazing stew!!1
    no lemon juice in the chicken?how di du manage to get it looking so delicious without too much oil?

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  20. Chicken qualifies, yep... but I was looking for a Songbird! ;)

    Love the potato dish, sounds great! :)

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  21. You're right, Sra. This is just too pretty and cheery not to share. Thanks!

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  22. both the recipes are great, I am drooling over the chicken one... totally yummy :)

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  23. Mallugirl, fiddling with pressure cookers is a big temptation :) oh yes, I only squeeze lime later, and even then only if I feel like it, but will update the post with the suggestion.
    Susan, thanks.
    Mandira, thank you. Hope you're settling down easily.

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  24. Nice and simple vegetable subzi recipe. I feel so hungry now and it's still half an hour before I can leave work!!

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  25. Wow!!my firstvote is to chicken recipe....look at that consistency..dry...hmmm i just loved it//by the way the vegetarian recipe looks colourful...

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  26. So many good flavors in both of these dishes. Yum.

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  27. Both are looking YUM!....Great recipe....Love ur fried chicken... Mouth watering.....

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  28. Wow, the aloo curry looks marvellous! I gotta' make it soon :)). Sunshine indeed :). The chicken looks good too, even to my vegetarian self!

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  29. Umm, this looks really good.

    I've tagged your blog and hope you'll participate. Check out my blog at www.beansandcaviar.blogspot.com for the rules and information.

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  30. Looks yummy. The "sumb aloo" looks pretty intelligent :)

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  31. Mallika, hope it comes in handy for you some time!
    Usha, thanks.
    Kalyn, yes, thanks.
    Sukanya, thanks.
    Musical, thanks.
    BC, have replied on your blog!
    Sandeepa, thanks for the compliment!

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