Irani Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken with bone ½ kg cut into medium size pieces,
• Onions - medium size - finely sliced-2
• Onions – medium sliced finely chopped - 2
• Red chilli powder- 3 tsp - can add more if you like it hot ,
• Curd - 1 cup ( beaten ),
• Fresh Cream – 1 cup
• Ginger - 2 inch- shredded,
• Garlic - 1 small pod - finely minced,
• Almond - 50- blanched and minced,
• Lime - half juice,
• Small cardamom - 10- powdered,
• Kewada water -15 ml
• Saffron - a pinch diluted in warm water for 5 minutes,
• Ghee – ¾ cup
• Salt to taste,

Method:

• Heat Ghee in a thick bottom pan and fry the sliced onions till the are light brown in colour.
• Add chicken pieces with all the above ingredients: red chill powder, finely chopped onions, curd, fresh cream, ginger, garlic, almonds paste, lime, cardamom powder, kewada water, saffron water and salt.
• Mix and put a lid. Simmer the heat and let it cook for 30 – 45 minutes or till tender. Stir the chicken after 20 minutes so that it does not stick to the bottom.
• Remove pan from heat. Serve your Irani Chicken Hot with Rotis or Rice.

Beer Batter Onion and Spinach Pakodas

Its not raining in Mumbai but we still want to enjoy our pakodas this season. SO here is a twist with Beer Batter

Ingredients:

1 Onion - Sliced long

10 Spinach Leaves

2 tsp Mustard oil from any pickle you have.

5 tbsp besan

Sugar as per taste

1 tsp tumeric powder

1 tsp red chill powder

1/2 Pint of Beer ( I used Peroni as my husband works for the company, u can choose any)

Water half tea cup

Oil for deep frying

Method.

• Mix together all ingredients except beer and water, in a bowl.
• First add 1/2 pint of beer, for that fluffy consistency. In case mixture looks a little dry, then keep adding water till right consistency for binding together spinach and onion is reached.
• Deep Fry in a pan. Not more than 4 at a time so that you get crunchy texture (oil temperature drops when you place lot of them together).
• Enjoy your pakoda with beer or tea :)

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Peehu's Art of Cooking is a food blog, written and photographed by Prashasti aka Peehu.

I live with my husband and my Kitchen Aids in a small cozy setting in Mumbai.

A self-confessed foodie and a bit of a kitchen control freak, I can often be found flagging pages of online recipes with huge bookmarks on my navigation tab. I’m nitpicky about little things.I have a sweet tooth and a penchant for food with big, bold flavours. I’m a terrible perfectionist. I love fine dining but my heart lies in street food – dirty, dodgy, side of the road, hands on kind of food. 

For me, food is about sharing. When I was younger, I remember guarding recipes like they were secrets – they were only to be shared with family, and then only if they begged for it.  I bought recipe books then spent hours testing, tweaking and perfecting recipes only to have them eaten by the few people around me. They’d ask me for recipes and I’d smile knowingly and say it was a family secret. It was only when I was following all online shows and all in TLC ,NDTV etc etc, I realised what if I can be less possessive of my recipes and share them with people around . I already have people I am over possessive about ;) So, here are the recipes I have had the pleasure of sharing with my family and friends. I hope that they become a part of your family’s meals and have a regular place at your table.

Machli Ka Jhor (Bihari Style)

From My husbands place of birth Bihari Style Fish Curry

Ingredients: 

• Rohu (river) fish: 700gm (before cleaning)

• Tadka: [crackling]

1. Asafoetida (Heeng): one pinch
2. Bay Leaf (tez patta) : 1 nos (small)
3. Black Mustard (raai) Seeds: 1 tsp
4. Fenugreek Seeds (methi): 1/4th tsp

Spices: 

• For marinate

1. Salt: 1 tsp
2. Turmeric powder: 1tsp
3. Red Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp
4. 1 full garlic minced
5. 1 lemon juice

• For fried fish:

1. Besan (chickpea flour): 2tsp (optional, adds crunchiness and binds)

• For Curry:

1. Salt: 1tsp (to taste)
2. Turmeric: 1 tsp
3. Red Chili Powder: 1/2 to 1 tsp

• Paste #1 (finely ground. Onion paste can be separate also):

1. Onion: one small (coarsely chopped or blended)
2. Garlic Paste: 2tsp 
3. Coriander Seeds: 3tsp (replace with 2tsp coriander power) 
4. Cumin Seeds: 1tsp
5. Black Pepper: 1tsp

• Paste #2 (finely ground):

1. Yellow Mustard Seeds: 4-5 tsp (soaked for 30 mins before grinding)
2. Tomato: 1nos, small. (Put the tomato while grinding. )

• Tomato: 1 large. chopped

• Coriander leaves
• Tamarind: 5gm. Soaked in water and then strained.
• Mustard Oil: a little less than 100gm

Method:

• Marinate Fish in the spices given above for 1 hour.
• Once Fish is Marinated, mix besan and water. Rub little bit of besan mixture on the marinated fish and deep fry them in mustard oil.
• Once the fish is fried, use the same oil (approx 3 tbsp)  for cooking gravy. If there is extra oil remove it from the pan. Start with Tadka of mustard seeds ,hing and coriander seeds, once the seeds sputter put tej patta. Mix for half a minute on medium heat.
• Put paste one and cook (bhuno) till oil separates from the mixture.
• Add cut tomatoes, tumeric and red chilli and cook till tomatoes are soft. If the mixture looks dry one can keep adding water left from the  marination of fish.
• Once oil separates from tomatoes and they are well cooked, put Paste 2 and mix for 1 more minute and then add salt according to taste.
• At this stage one can put water left over from the marination in the gravy and let the mixture cook till it's thick in consistency.
• Add chopped coriander once the gravy is thick and mix for a minute. Then add 1/2 a liter of water in the gravy. Add tamarind pulp and let the gravy boil.
• Once the gravy starts to boil, simmer and place delicately fried fish pieces. 
• Let it boil again for 5 more minutes so that aromas get infused in fish.
• Serve it immediately so that fish is firm and have that crunchiness.

Chicken, Egg and Leek Sandwich

Ingredients

For Leek Filling

·      1 leek chopped

·      1 tbsp Butter

·      Black pepper for taste

For egg filling

·      2 boiled eggs

·      1 tsp olive oil

·      Salt and Pepper for seasoning

·      1 white onion chopped finely

For Chicken Patty

·      1 cup chana dal

·      500 gm chicken thigh cubes, boneless

·      2 Tbsp salt, or to taste

·      1 Tbsp red chilli, crushed

·      7 pieces dry red chilli, whole

·      2 tsp cumin seeds

·      2 tsp coriander, whole

·      7 cloves (laung)

·      10 black pepper, whole

·      2 small cinnamon sticks

·      1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

·      6 eggs

·      1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped

·      1/2 bunch mint leaves, chopped

·      6 green chillies, chopped

·      1 Tbsp ginger, chopped

·      10 cloves of garlic, chopped

·      Oil for pan frying

Method

For Leek

·      Sauté Leek in Butter for 5 minutes and season with black pepper

For egg filling

·      Mash boiled eggs and add 1 tsp olive oil, salt, black pepper and chopped white onions

·      Mix both Leek and Egg Mixtures

For Chicken Patty

·      Boil the chana dal along with the chicken thigh cubes and spices. Let the chicken cook.

·      Strain and keep aside to cool.

·      Then add 3 eggs, chopped coriander, mint, green chillies, ginger and garlic.

·      Mix well and mince.

·      Make round shape kebabs of the mixture.

·      Coat the kebabs in the remaining eggs slightly, and pan fry them in oil.

Assemble toasted bread, leek and egg filling and the chicken patty and enjoy my version of this sandwich J

Chicken and Bean Burritos

For Burritos

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Water for kneading

For Filling

• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion sliced for kidney beans                     

• 2 diced tomatoes          

• 300g kidney beans, rinsed and soaked over night
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 5 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 chicken breast
• 2 tbsp barbecue sauce (I use American Garden’s)
• Black Pepper and Salt for marinating chicken
• 1/2 small iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 white onion sliced
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream




For Guacamole

• 1 ripe Avocado
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 white onion chopped finely
• a bunch of chopped coriander
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 chopped tomato
• Salt to taste
• Pepper
•  

Method

• For Burritos 
• Mix together all ingredients and make dough of it. Knead it like chapatti dough. 
• Use rolling pin and make big chapattis 
• Put them on flat pan and cook it by pressing it continuously. 
• Burritos are ready

For Guacamole

• Peel and mash avocados in a medium-serving bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Season with remaining limejuice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour to blend flavors.

For Filling

• Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, bell pepper, garlic in skillet, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour beans into skillet, cook for 20 minutes stirring till the beans are cooked. Add salt according to taste and coriander
• Marinate chicken breast with olive oil , salt and pepper for 1 hour. Put it in a pan at medium heat and let it cook for 2 mins on both the sides. Make sure you don’t over cook it or else chicken will be rubbery. Let the chicken cool and shred it. Then again put it in the same pan with barbecue sauce and sauté for 1 minute.
• Mix together all vegetables, sour cream, kidney beans and chicken in burrito wraps and make a roll out of it. 
• Serve with Guacamole