Buttermilk Grilled Chicken

Buttermilk Grilled Chicken 

One of the only diets which help me loose weight and stay fit is a high on protein with raw salad and fruit diet. Naturally I look out for recipes for grilled chicken or poached meat and poultry.

Now what I have realized is that flavours are very much subjective. You like ginger I like garlic you do not like thyme I love thyme etc etc. So unless you are recreating a classic recipe the flavour is your playground but the techniques are what matters the most.

I have previously posted about chicken breasts which are pretty hard to work with but once you know the right technique it can be juicy and moist.

Oriental Black Pepper Chicken

Oriental Black Pepper Chicken 

They say necessity is the mother of all invention. For this particular recipe it was bottles of sauces beyond their expiry dates being sold at Big Bazaar which led to the creation of the sauce, well that along with my strong love for Calcutta's Chinese dishes which are on the verge of extinction.

So here goes the recipe for Oriental Black Pepper Chicken

Serves 2 :-

200gm to 250gm chicken de-boned breasts
Salt as per taste
Rice flour or corn flour  for dredging
2 cups of chopped Chinese cabbage
1 tbsp oil (Sesame or refined)

For the marinate sauce :-

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp black pepper
Salt as per taste (I used 3/4th tsp)
1 fat clove of garlic
1 tsp Sesame oil or refined oil

Start by making a smooth paste of the ingredients for the marinate sauce. Transfer it to a bowl and mix very well. Then make small cubes of the chicken and use half the marinate and let it marinate for 1 hour to 2 hours.

Now heat the oil in a non-stick pan. In case you are not using a non-stick pan use a bit of extra oil. Dredge the chicken in rice flour / corn flour and saute on high heat to seal the juices and then turn down the heat and cover and cook for 40 seconds on each side. It should be golden brown by the time you are done with both the sides. Leave it to rest.Now add the remaining  marinate along with 3/4th cup water and bring to a boil and add salt after tasting. Simmer for 2 minutes and add the chicken and cabbage and simmer covered for sometime.

In case you want a thick sauce, mix 2 tsp flour / cornflour with a bit of water to create a smooth paste and add to the simmering sauce before adding the chicken and cabbage.

Enjoy it with steaming hot rice

Sajji Murgh

Sajji Murgh 

When I first tried Faiza's Chargha Murgh I was delighted and so I jotted down her recipe for Sajji Murgh and was on the lookout for a special day to make it. Ah well leaving my beloved city for a few months is reason enough. It usually needs a coal pit but Faiza teaches you to make it in the oven and you use a coal for the smoky effect . I did increase the time for marination but I otherwise stuck to her recipe.

Recipe Source : Cook with Faiza

So here goes the recipe :-

1 whole skinless chicken around 1.5 kilogram
1 tbsp salt

For the marinate :-

2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp freshly crushed black peppercorn
5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste

For the rub :-

1/2 tsp Dry mango powder
1/2 tsp Ginger powder
1/2 tsp Rock Salt
1 tsp Green cardamom powder
1 tbsp black peppercorn
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds

A piece of coal
1/2 tsp ghee

This is an overnight preparation. So first you need to submerge the chicken in a bowl full of water with 1 tbsp salt and leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day take the chicken out and pat it dry and now make a emulsion with the ghee, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt , ginger paste , garlic paste and freshly crushed black pepper and marinate the chicken rubbing it inside out and leave it for 1 hour to 2 hours.

Now preheat oven to 200C and roast the chicken for 50 minutes turning it midway . Make sure you cover the chicken with a foil when roasting.

In the meantime make your spice rub .Dry roast the cumin seed, coriander seed and black pepper and crush them and then mix it with the remaining spices. After 50 minutes of roasting take off the foil and rub this spice rub which you have created all over the chicken on both sides and roast for another 10 minutes with the foil on.

Now heat the coal over the gas flame and when it smokes take a bit of foil and put it beside the chicken in the roasting tray and add the ghee . This will create the smoke. Now immediately cover with foil and leave it for 10 minutes. Enjoy melt in the mouth soft Sajji Murgh.

I paired it with some Pomegranate raita.

Notes :-

1. The overnight submerging in saline water makes the chicken ultra soft 
2. Since you are roasting the chicken without the skin the foil helps retain the moisture 

Malvani Murgh

Malvani Murgh 

Its hot spicy and coco-nutty 

I believe there is nothing better in this world than the exchange of recipes for its not just ingredients and processes sometimes you get your hands on someone's heirloom recipe and I believe a recipe as as much value as any other historical item because it upholds the culture and lives of real people. And once you get a recipe from a faraway land you might just surprise yourself by finding a subtle similarity with something close home.

Take the beautiful Western coast of India. Its green , its where the hills  meet the sea and then there is that lovely Konkani cuisine, well I visited Malvan a tiny place in the southern most tip of Maharashtra, a coastal town with a slow paced life, smiling people, virgin beaches which are cleaner than most commercial beaches in India and thick spicy hot curries with that delightful taste of coconuts.

It is usually the Southern cuisine that we associate coconuts with but you see being born in one of the few states which can boast of a coastline , mountains , mangrove swamps and forests Bengali cuisine has its way of imparting coconuts. We usually use grated coconut in all our special curries but then there is that distinct difference which makes each cuisine unique for though we love adding grated coconut to vegetarian dishes when it comes to non vegetarian dishes other than the 'Chingri macher malai Kari' Lobsters cooked in a gravy of coconut we usually shy away from using coconut in our non vegetarian curries.

Anyway coming back to the delightful Malvani curry thanks to Meena Phatke I have this wonderful Malvani Chicken recipe which is her mother's recipe and with enough freshly grated coconut at home I decided I must 'strike the iron while it is hot'

So here is a recipe for 2 one that is spicy hot and coconutty

300gm chicken with bones
2 tsp smooth ginger garlic paste
Salt as per taste

For the Malvani essence

8 to 10 dried red chilies the hot variant
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 large onion
1.5 cup of grated coconut (cups which hold 200ml liquid)
6 to 7 cloves
20 black peppercorn
Half an inch cinnamon
2 tbsp oil (I used refined oil . You may use coconut oil or peanut oil or even sesame oil)
1.5 cups of water (cup that  holds 200ml of liquid)
Pinch of turmeric

Simply marinate your chicken pieces in the ginger garlic paste with a pinch of salt and let it marinate for 1 hour to 2 hours.

In the meantime slice the onion and fry it in 1 tbsp oil. The trick is to keep the flame to low and cover the wok so that your onion softens and browns and you do not use too much of oil. Once the onion turns mildly pinkish brown let it cool down. Now dry roast the dry spices and once the fried onion has cooled down blend the onion, coconut and dry spices.

Now heat 1 tbsp oil and add the marinated chicken and seal the juices on high flame for 2 minutes and then add the beautiful coconut base that you have created and coat the chicken and add the water and bring to a boil. Add some salt and turmeric and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Serve hot with steaming rice

Black Pepper Apple Cider Roast Chicken

Black Pepper Apple Cider Roast chicken 

An ordinary day means I usually reach out for the chicken leg for some grilling especially when I am lazy or tired because its easy, lets face it a bit of planning ahead , marination and voila you have a great meal. Now I buy the chicken from the market fresh and usually choose my cuts and I usually get some chicken leg and thigh together as one piece which makes for a great serving for one person. 

I was racking my brains for a new idea when my eyes rested on the jar of black peppercorn. In my kitchen black pepper is always freshly ground. So a bit of this a bit of that , 2 hours of marination 32 minutes of roasting later I was  tearing off soft succulent chicken pieces with two fingers. Yes, it was that soft that you can tear it away with two fingers alone. And for those who are worried that without the skin your chicken wouldn't be soft or tender just try it is what I would say. 

You see I had read about this a long time back. With any meat chicken included some acidic agent softens it greatly and you get soft succulent meat. So unless I am following a particularly traditional recipe which has no acidic agent I always add a little acidic agent, just enough to soften the chicken but not overpower the flavours. I usually also use skinless chicken since well its healthier and in our local market you have to wait for some time if you want the chicken with the skin. You see the chicken is freshly slaughtered and since most Indian recipes call for skinless chicken they usually keep a lot of skinless breasts and thighs which are quickly given to customers. 

So here goes the recipe for 1 serving 

1 Leg + Thigh of chicken. 

1.2 tsp black peppercorn 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp apple cider vinegar 

1 clove of garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme

Salt as per taste 

Simply blend everything into a smooth paste , you will have crushed pepper which isn't superfine and it is alright. marinate for over 2 hours . preheat oven to 200 C and then roast for 32 minutes turning the chicken mid-way and basting it. Enjoy the succulent juicy delicious roast with a side salad and a glass of white wine or red wine or some drink of your choice.