Pepper chicken Masala /Chicken pepper fry

This pepper chicken masala is a childhood favourite of mine(know why?coz it is my momz recipe)...My mom makes this delicious gravy on most of the sundays and yes i will be waiting for those sundays after the tiresome studies everyday..So when ever she starts preparing the masala ,the entire house will be filled with the special aroma of the pepper and onion ..(ofcourse, i cannot wait till it is done)..the chicken has to be cooked till tender with the masala in a pressure cooker (or it can be directly done in the kadai/pan.but takes quite a long time)..So, when my mom opens the cooker and before frying the chicken in the kadai ,she always calls me to taste and ensures that whatever she has added is all perfect..(and she does this for every dish..she calls me and asks me to have a taste..and thats how i started developing the instinct to taste and find out what will go wrong in the dish before it is completely done and before it reaches others' plate..)..And this tasting moment...ooooohhh..i will be waiting for it..while tasting i ask her to keep 2 or 3 pieces extra to satiate my cravings..And now  it has become my responsibility to do the same to my mum..whenever i prepare a dish ,i call her to taste ..Those days and my momz food are still very very close to my heart ..

This is a very easy preparation..you just need 3 ingredients for the masala..and you need not sit and chop them finely..this recipe calls for the entire ingredients to be ground to a fine paste and you just got to wash and cut them roughly..(How easy it is)..

This gravy tastes to its fullest only when you fry the chicken (once it is cooked well in pressure cooker) in an iron kadai/iron pan...only frying it in the iron kadai gives you its characteristic colour (kind of dark brown and reddish)..you can very well make it in other pans but i suggest u invest in one iron kadai/iron pan to get that exact flavour..So here goes the recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• CHICKEN   -   1kg
• onions         -    6 large
• Whole peppercorns      -     2 tablespoons
• garlic         -      6-8 cloves
• turmeric powder -  1/4th teaspoon 
• sesame oil    -     4 tablespoons
• salt to taste
• coriander to garnish

METHOD:

1. wash the chicken nicely and keep aside.
2. chop the onions roughly.
3. grind the onions,garlic and pepper to a fine paste.
4. add the chicken along with the onion paste,turmeric powder and required salt in a pressure cooker and cook till tender(3-4 whistles).usually the onion paste and chicken gives out enough water for the chicken to cook..but if you feel it is very less then you can add 1/4th cup of water.
5. let the pressure leaves.open the lid .
6. heat the oil in the iron kadai,and add the chicken along with the gravy.
7. let it cook till the gravy thickens and the chicken changes to dark brown and reddish.keep adding little oil if the gravy sticks to the bottom.
8. remove from flame and garnish with coriander
9. if you want to have a chicken pepper fry ,you can keep frying till the gravy thicken ans starts coating the chicken.this gives you a lovely chicken pepper fry.
10. you can serve it plain or jeera rice or any pulao.

COOK'S NOTE:

• Always add very little salt while cooking in the pressure cooker.When you fry the chicken and gravy in the kadai and as it thickens the salt becomes more n more concentrated..YOu can always add extra salt as it thickens..adding more in the begining will leave you with a salty gravy.
• you can do the entire cooking in the kadai itself,but it takes extra time to cook.pressure cooking is the easiest n time saving method.
• the onion paste and chicken leaves enough water..So add water accordingly.
• you can even keep frying till the gravy thickens and just coats the chicken.this gives you a lovely chicken pepper fry

SHAHI CHICKEN KORMA

                                                      SHAHI CHICKEN KORMA

     Well its raining outside and my hubby and kids needed something hot and yet less spicy to heat up their body and mind for lunch.So i wanted to make something with chicken that can go well with rotis and rice.I made this shahi chicken korma which blends well with anything.It is a very very rich korma which has almonds and cashews mixed in the gravy which gives it the distinct flavour and thickness unlike other types of korma.
 
               Usually the masala ingredients are ground separately and added while cooking. This is the easiest tried recipe of shahi chiken korma..i had modified the recipe as such so that you need not take so much pain in grinding ingredients separately including the ginger garlic as in other dishes where we need ginger garlic paste.the flavour is intense if u marinate the chicken pieces in the masala for an hour..if you are in a hurry then u can skip this step as well.. I tried both the versions ..not marinating the chicken also gave the desired taste of shahi korma.

                  you can prefer it to be either yellow in colour or whitish. i prefer yellow gravy so added turmeric and very little red chilli powder.If you wish to prefer it white you can very well skip the turmeric and chilli powders and add extra green chillies instead.So its already weekend..why waititng ,try your version and leave in your comments.ENJOY


INGREDIENTS 1:

FOR THE MASALA:

A)TO BE DRY ROASTED:

• Onions                     -                      2
• almonds                  -                       1/2 cup
• cashews                  -                       1/2 cup
• poppy seeds           -                        3 teaspoons
• grated coconut       -                        1/2 cup

B)OTHER :

• Ginger                  -                     1 inch piece
• Garlic                   -                      6 pods
• plain yogurt         -                      2 cups
• red chilli powder  -                     1/2 teaspoon
• turmeric powder  -                     1/4 teaspoon
• garam masala powder    -           1 teaspoon
• lemon  juice of        -                    2  lemons
• coriander leaves       -                  1/2 cup chopped
• mint leaves(optional) -                1/4 cup

INGREDIENTS 2:

• Chicken                   -               1 kg
• Cinnamon                -              1 medium stick
• cardamom               -               4
• cloves                      -               4
• black pepper corns   -             8
• fennel seeds             -              2 teaspoons
• green chillies            -              4 large slit
• oil                             -             1/4 cup
• salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Dry roast each of the ingredients given in the masala A separately.Roast them till they turn light brown.
2. now Add the rest of the ingredients given in the masala B along with the cooled A ingredients.grind them to a fine paste using curd.add all of the curd to make the paste.Add the slit green chillies with the masala.(do not grind the chillies)
3. Wash the chicken thoroughly and mix with the ground masala.let it marinate for an hour.
4. After an hour, heat oil in a pressure cooker.Add the whole spices and let it splutter.
5. Add the masala along with the chicken.
6. Add required salt. Mix well.
7. close the lid  with the weight.
8. simmer it for 10 mins.you should not get whistle for the first 10mins while it is simmering.
9. After 10 mins keep the flame to medium and cook for 3-4 whistles.
10. Switch off flame and wait till the pressure reduces.
11. open the lid and let it boil till the gravy thickens.
12. garnish with coriander .
13. can be served with rice,rotis, parottas.

COOK'S NOTE:

• If u are in a hurry and dont have time to marinate the chicken , then u can directly start with the cooking procedure.
• Always poke the chicken pieces with a fork for the masala to get into the chicken.
• if you wish the korma to be white avoid the turmeric and chilli powders and add extra green chillies.for this recipe you can add 6 to 8 green chillies.
• always soak the nuts for half an hour if you have time so that they grind to a fine and smooth paste.