Achari Murgh - Chicken with Pickling Spices

I remember many afternoons when I was young that I would just sit by the window, read a book and relish a big piece of pickled mango. It might sound strange to you, having a pickle just like that, but, that is how much I like pickles.

Pickles come in many flavors- spicy, sweet and tangy, spicy and tangy, sweet, hot. Also, almost everything is pickled in India. I remember my trip to north India with my parents, where we went to a store in Haridwar which sold only pickles. And I got to sample so many of them. I remember potato pickle, radish pickle and the strangest of all- young bamboo pickle. I loved it all there.

The love for pickles made me explore tis recipe - Achari (= pickled) Murgh (= chicken)

Pickling spices that can be found in bottles in the grocery store are very different from pickling spices in India. Commonly used in indian pickles are fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and coriander seeds. Roasting a combination of these spices gives a wonderful and unique aroma and flavor. Cooking with this spice mix gives delicious exotic dishes.

You need (for 5-6 servings):

3 lbs chicken [I used thighs and drumsticks, but you can use breasts too]

2 medium yellow onions, diced

2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced

6 fat cloves of garlic, grated

1½ inch of ginger, grated

3 green chilis, slit [Use according to your tolerance of heat]

6 cloves

6 green cardamoms

1 inch of cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Dry spice mixture:

1 tablespoon fennel seeds (mouri/saunf)

½ tablespoon mustard seeds

½ tablespoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)

½ tablespoon corriander seeds

2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of nigella seeds (onion seeds/kalonji/kalo jeere)

How:

Marinate the chicken pieces with salt for 15 minutes. [I do this to ensure that the chicken is seasoned well.]

In the meantime dry roast and grind the dry spice mixture to a coarse/fine powder.

Heat a deep pan on medium heat with oil. When the oil is hot, add the bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and green chilis. When the oil is fragrant in few seconds, add the onion. When the onion is soft, add the ginger and the garlic. Mix well and fry for a few minutes. Add turmeric and salt.

When the raw smell of ginger and garlic is gone, add the chicken pieces. Mix well.

Fry the chicken for about 5-10 minutes or until it is half done, and add the dry ground spice mixture. Mix well to incorporate the spices well with the onions and the chicken.

After another 5 minutes, add the tomatoes. Stir and cook till the tomato is soft and mixed with the gravy.

Add a cup of water. Put the lid on and simmer till the chicken is cooked completely.

Serve hot with rice or bread.

Sweet Tomato Chutney with Dates and Mango Fruit Leather

Well, that's a long name. But you have to understand that I had to. Without the dates and the mango fruit leather, it will be a simple tomato chutney not an extraordinary one. And I had to point it out, you see?

I am quite confused by the terms "relish" and "chutney". In Indian cooking, the term "relish" does not exist. We only have chutneys. Sweet ones, spicy ones and sometimes in between.

According to my understanding, relishes are usually made of pickled vegetables. For example, in North America, relish is a pickled cucumber jam. Chutneys can however be made of fruits and vegetables (mango chutney, ginger chutney etc.). Hence, chutney is a specific kind of relish.

All chutneys are relishes but all relishes are not chutneys. Quite like, all thumbs are fingers but not all fingers are thumbs. Sorry that's a little weird thought to put it here! But you get it, right?

Now if I may call my recipe a chutney- it has vegetables and fruits. Vegetables: tomato, ginger. Fruits: dates and mango. Interestingly, in India we enjoy a spoonful or two of chutney just as it is at the end of a meal. Kind of like dessert but not quite. I say not quite a dessert because it is a little spicy and is usually enjoyed in small quantities. Also it pairs very well with a rich and spicy meat or fish dish.

But if you are not an Indian, and not used to Indian meals which end with chutneys, I suggest you enjoy this as you would a jam or a relish. Put it on a toast or on crackers and serve. You'll love it.

This recipe calls for a specific spice mix called "panch phoran"- panch= five, phoran= spice. Five spices are mixed in equal quantities.

Cumin seeds
Fenugreek seeds
Mustard seeds
Nigella seeds 
Fennel seeds

You can buy all these individually, mix in equal quantities and store in an air-tight container or buy pre-packaged panch phoran from any Indian grocery store or Whole foods market (you can find anything in Whole foods- I love it!).

You need (makes 1 cup):

1½ tablespoon of white oil (vegetable or canola)
2 medium size Roma tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon of minced ginger
½ teaspoon of panch phoran (described above and where to find it)
1 dried red chili or ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (add according to your tolerance of heat. I would however suggest not to omit this completely. A little kick takes this recipe to the next level)
pinch of salt
10-12 pitted dates, chopped
¼ cup mango fruit leather, chopped in small rectangles or squares(½ inch size) [optional, but do not substitute with fresh mango] I used homemade fruit leather, learn how to make yourself here.
½ cup granulated white sugar

How:

Heat a small sauce pan on medium heat with the oil. Temper the oil with the dried red chili, panch phoran spice mix and ginger.

When the ginger is fried (will take a min), add the chopped tomatoes, pinch of salt. Stir.

Add half of the sugar to the tomatoes. Add the chopped dates and cook for 5 min or until the tomatoes are cooked down and thickens.

Add the mango fruit leather pieces. Add the rest of the sugar and simmer for another few minutes on low-med heat. Taste for sweetness and heat. Add extra accordingly.

Let the chutney cool. The chutney will thicken further on cooling. Once cool, if you find your chutney too thick, add water to thin it out. On the other hand, if you find your chutney too thin, put it back on the heat for some more time (another 5 min) to thicken.

Serve with an Indian meal or enjoy it with toasts or crackers like you would any jam or relish.

Dry tomato / Chatpata chicken

I made this for the first time a few years ago. Me and my husband used to go to two different grad schools and hence live in two different cities. I was down with flu and had lost complete taste. Yet, after a long day in school, I had to make dinner. I wanted something spicy, tangy, tasty, absolutely chatpata (English translation-hot and sour? may be! ) and fulfilling. My husband suggested me over the phone to make some hot and spicy chicken and this is what I had for dinner. It turned out so good that I often make it nowadays and I call it "chicken-achaar".

I wanted it to be done fast, so I made small chicken pieces and cooked on high heat. Also, I add NO WATER to this preparation which makes it dry. It requires very few ingredients and anyone can make it. Just throw in a few things and cook.

I loved the spiciness from the red chili powder and the tanginess from the tomato paste making me call it "achaar"

Have it any way you like! 

Make it dry and snack on it. 

OR Enjoy with white rice or fried rice 

OR with a hot roti/paratha 

OR roll it up in a paratha with lettuce and avocado and make it your to-go lunch for the next day. 

The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:

1.5 lb boneless chicken breasts / tenderloins

1 large red onion finely chopped

pinch of turmeric (optional)

2 tbsp fresh ginger paste

1.5 tbsp chopped/grated garlic

1 tsp red chili powder (Use as hot you want it to be)

4 tbsp tomato paste (Cans of tomato paste has really long shelf lives-almost 2 years. So, I always keep a few in my pantry. Do not substitute this with tomato sauce. It just doesn't come out right!!)

salt

oil for cooking

Method:

Cut the chicken breasts/tenderloins into small pieces (~ half an inch thick or less). Small sizes of the chicken pieces will cook fast.

Finely chop a large red onion. You can also use a food chopper, if you have one. But try not to use a paste. 

Heat a large pan on high heat with vegetable/canola oil. The purpose of large pan is that when you add your chicken, it should be in a single layer.

To the heated oil, add the chopped onions. Season it with salt and add a pinch of turmeric. You may omit the turmeric. Fry the onions till they soften and turn brownish.

Since your pan is on high heat, it will not take long. 

Now add the chicken, ginger, garlic and chili powder, salt and stir. the chicken pieces will be in a single layer if you are using a large enough pan and will be fried well. They will get brown slowly. Keep stirring. If you use a small pan and crowd the chicken, it may not get fried well and release a lot of water!

When your chicken is brown and the ginger and garlic are nicely cooked, add the tomato paste. DO NOT thin it out with water. Add it directly from the can.

Mix the tomato with the chicken. Lower the heat to medium-high and keep cooking. If you find it too difficult to cook this so dry, then add water 1 tbsp at a time. I do not add any water to this preparation.

The tomato paste will get cooked and lose its raw smell and taste. You will see reddish oil separate out in your pan and the chicken pieces will be coated with red goodness.

Garnish with cilantro and enjoy it hot in whatever way you want!!

Spicy latkes with creamy yogurt dip

Or should I call these aloo tikkis (potato patties) with a twist?

Latkes can be very simple recipies with few ingredients while aloo tikkis (potato patties) can call for many ingredients. Picking the best from both gives spicy latkes complemented with creamy cilantro and lime yogurt dip.

Potato patties or aloo tikkis as commonly known among indians are made with boiled potato. Latkes are made with grated potato. Grated potato give a nice texture which I like. So, along with grated potato, I added onion and carrot. This part is like a latke but adding some spices to it brings in the tikki taste.

Grating a potato, an onion and a carrot may sound like a lot of work but it isn't. Use the big holes side of your box grater. It will not take much time. You can choose to finely chop your onion instead of grating it. 

The most important thing is to drain all vegetable juice. The mix will not be soupy! Also, add salt at the end to prevent the juices from running again.

Bake or fry? I have fried them as you can see here. But, if you want to opt for less oil version, you can definitely bake them. Mix 1 and half tablespoon of softened butter to your mixture and bake. They will turn out equally yummy!

These latkes get crispy on the outside with soft creamy inside with a hint of spice. I decided to pair these fried spicy goodness with creamy cilantro and lime dip. This dip helps to cool your tongue and to never stop consuming these. Doesn't these look totally to die for?

Ingredients:

For Latkes:

1 large russet potato

1 medium onion

1 small carrot

1 jumbo egg/ 2 eggs

1 tbsp fresh ginger paste

2 tsp cumin powder

1tsp coriander powder

2 green chilies [Modify according to your tolerance of heat]

⅓ cup chopped cilantro

Juice of ½ lime

1 cup bread crumbs [Bread crumbs will soak any excess water. You can substitute with flour if you don't have crumbs]

Salt for seasoning

For dip:

3 tbsp plain greek yogurt

1 tsp of lime juice

⅓ cup chopped cilantro

½ tsp roasted cumin powder [Dry roast some cumin seeds on a pan on medium heat. When the aroma of roasted cumin fills your nose, take them off the heat. Be careful not to burn them- keep tossing them around on the pan. Once they are cool, add it to your grinder and make a powder. I usually roast at least 3-4 tbsp of whole cumin seeds and store my powder for later use.]

a pinch of salt

Method:

For latkes:

Grate potato, onion and carrot in a bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Wring out juices as much as you can.

Transfer it to a bowl. Add all other ingredients except salt and mix well. 

Start heating a shallow pan with vegetable/canola oil on medium heat.

When the oil is hot, add salt to the mixture.

Add about half to 1 tbsp of the mixture and flatten with your spoon. Do not crowd your latkes or they will not get crispy outside.

When it has browned on one side (approx 4-5min), turn and fry the other side.

The latkes will be nice golden brown in color. Put them on a double paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil. Serve hot with yogurt dip.

For yogurt dip:

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Add water to bring it to the consistency you like.