MounasKitchen An Indian Food Blog

Dal makhani as it is popularly known in the punjab, with its smooth flavour is a delicacy that is very much a dish of the punjab.
Preparation Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 40 mins.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole urad (whole black lentil)(for 2 hours add some amount of baking soda on that)
2 tbsp rajma (kidney beans)
salt to taste
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 green chillies , cut lengthwise
2 cloves (laung / lavang)
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic (adrak-lehsun) paste
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 1/2 cups fresh tomato puree
1/2 cup fresh cream
2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
1 tbsp fresh cream for the garnish
Method:
Clean, wash and soak the whole urad and rajma overnight(or you can soak it for 2 hours by use of baking soda)
Drain, add 2 cups of water and salt and pressure cook for 7 whistles or till the dals are overcooked.
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Whisk till the dal is almost mashed. Keep aside.
For the tempering, heat the butter in a deep pan and add the cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds crackle, add the green chillies, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, and onions and sauté till the onions turn golden brown in colour.
Add the ginger-garlic paste,chilli powder, turmeric powder and tomato puree and cook over a medium flame till the mixture leaves oil.
Add the dal, salt and approx 2 to 3 tbsp water if required and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the cream and mix well. Simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Ingredients:

To make puri:

• 1 cup Semolina (Suji)
• 3 tblsp Fine Wheat Flour (Maida)
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• Oil to deep fry

Chicken 65 is a very popular starter in most restaurants that serve non-veg in Tamilnadu. I am sure most would agree with me on this. Chicken deep fried in oil with the extra seasoning makes it tasty and lip smacking.

There’s various stories on how the Chicken 65 name evolved. Chicken of 65 days older suites well to cook this recipe or there are 65 ingredients to cook this recipes etc. I’m not exactly sure of the origins of the name, but this is indeed a true mouth watering dry chicken dish. It’s not a tough job to get restaurant quality, this is a very easy method to cook at home with a restaurant style taste.

Ingredients :
To Marinate:
Boneless Chicken Thigh 1 lb
Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tsp
Pepper Powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder 2 tsp
Red Chili Powder 4 tsp
Cumin Powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Corn Flour 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Red Food Color 1 pinch or 1 drop
Lemon Juice 2 tbsp
Egg 1 no
Oil 2-3 cups for deep frying
For Seasoning :
Oil 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp
Ginger 1 inch
Garlic 3 nos
Curry Leaves 1 strand
Green Chili 2 nos
Onion 1/2 no
Pepper Powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/8 tsp or to taste
Coriander Leaves 2 tbsp

Directions:
Step 1
Cut the chicken into small one inch bite size pieces. Wash them and keep it ready. Marinate chicken with the items given in “To Marinate” Section except the oil for about 2 + hrs. Chop the ginger garlic, onion given in the “For seasoning” section. Split open green chili.
Step 2
In a non stick pan, heat the oil to deep fry the marinated chicken. When hot, add the chicken in batches and deep fry each batches atleast for 10-15 min maximum or till when the chicken is cooked in medium flame. Stir often and cook till chicken turns crispy. Filter the excess oil by spreading it on the kitchen tissue.
Step 3
In an another pan heat oil given the section “For seasoning” and when hot, add cumin seeds. After the cumin seed splutter add the chopped ginger garlic, curry leaves and green chili. Fry for 30 sec. Add the chopped onion and fry till they are golden brown. Add the pepper powder, salt. Add the fried chicken to it. Toss them well and add the coriander leaves at the end.
Tips :
Marinate chicken overnight for best juicy taste.
Don’t re-use the fried oil for any other cooking.

(*) Serve with Onion rings and Lemon wedges.

Butter chicken or Murgh makhani is dish from the Punjab region.  You might have already had the recipe for butter chicken as it is a well know recipe but  the actual flavour can vary from recipe to recipe and way it is cooked. Butter chicken is usually eaten with naan, roti or steamed rice.
You might have tasted chicken butter in resturaunts but making it by yourself is a rewarding and tasteful experience. So here is a recipe for butter chicken for butter chicken lovers.
Ingredients 

2 to 3 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion chopped
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of crushed garlic
2 teaspoons of crushed ginger
½ teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 to 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
1 tablespoon of coriander
2  boneless chicken thighs or breasts
2 tablespoons ground almonds
225 gram / 8 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
½ cup of unsweetened yoghurt
salt and pepper

Let’s start cooking!
Trim and cut the chicken into small cubes, season it with salt and pepper and put aside.  Heat oil in a large saucepan or frying pan and add the chicken. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes untill it is golden brown. Remove the chicken and put it aside. Melt the butter in the same frying pan. Add onions and cinnamon and stir well. Add all the remaining ingredients garlic, ginger, chilli powder, almonds, tomato and tomato paste and yougourt. Stir them well. Bring it to boil and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook further for 5 minutes. Serve on rice with a salad and naan bread.