A real home made chicken curry

Hello my dear ones,

seems like autumn is coming in slowly steps. Sun is going down ealier again and temperatures too.
I really like that time of the year and most of all you get a craving for nice hot meals. So maybe a curry again?

Well, there are many ways to cook a curry in India. Depending on the region every household has it´s own style.

I got this recipe from friends in India and want to share it with you. It´s more about the combination of spices than using a lot of oil and cream.

What I like about this curry is that you can use different types of meat. Though I usually prefer chicken breast.
But when I was in India, I realised that indians prefer bone pieces in their curry and I also tasted the difference, since the bones give more flavour to the curry.
But you can mix it of course too using breast pieces and bone pieces.

To start cooking an indian curry you always need ginger, garlic and onions and once the onions are golden brown you start to add the other spices to get the real masala.
It´s possible to just add some garam masala which is a complex mixture of indian spices and adds a nice aromatic taste to the curry. But that´s not the way indians cook. :)

So if you like a herbal note that you can add some coriander, for a stronger taste you use cumin and to add some sweetness you use some cinnamon for example.  I used all these ingrediants and it tastes fantastic.

As soon as the spices are in the pay, the aromatic oils are coming out and evolve their flavour. This wouldn´t happen if you add the spices to the tomatoes only.

After the tomatoes are added, they need to simmer on middle flame until it becomes thick. Only then the turmeric will be added which gives the dish a earthy note again.

As soon as the oil seperates from the tomatoes it´s about time to add the chicken with some water and a little sugar. Then it will be cooked for around 40 minutes. 

At the end we add some freshly chopped coriander and that´s it. Maybe it´s not the kind of curry you get here in a restaurant but believe me, it´s super tasty. 

Ingredients: 

• 3 tablespoons yogurt
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk 
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8-10 chicken drumsticks and thighs, (it´s often skinned)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• large piece of ginger- thumb size, finely chopped (alternative I use ginger-garlic paste)
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or a cinnamon stick
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 750g fresh tomatoes, chopped (canned tomatoes are also fine) 
• 1 small red chili, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt to taste
• fresh coriander, chopped

Method: 

1. The meat gets a marination and for this you mix yogurt, buttermilk,1 teaspoon turmeric, 2 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin. Put the chicken in a big bowl and prick the pieces with a knife. Pour the marinade over the chicken and make sure the pieces are nicely covered. Put it in a fridge over night. If you´re short of time even 2 to 4 hours of marinating is ok. 
2. Heat il in a pan, add the onion, garlic, ginger and stir well until transparent. Add the 2 teaspoon garam masala, 2 teaspoon coriander, 2 teaspoon cumin, cardamom and cinnamon. Stir until the onion mixture is golden and caramelized and then add the tomato paste and the chopped tomatoes. Mix it well and let it simmer until the oils begin to separate. Then add the chili, turmeric and salt and cook for another few minutes. Now finally add the chicken but not the marinade.
3. Let it all cook for a few minutes and add a cup of water so that the pieces are covered. Let it simmer for 40-45 minutes and add the marinade to the mixture 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Make sure the chicken is cooked to the bone and the gravy should be thick. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and you´re done. 

Your SunShine

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Indian spice guide

Hello my dear ones,

as you already know, I love indian food and now and then I try to cook some dishes.
I would love to cook more but first, it´s really time consuming with all it´s preparations and secondly..well, with all the chapatis, naan, oil and ghee.. it´s not the best way to keep your weight. ;)

All this is different when you´re in India. Due to the heat you sweat a lot and so you can have couple of more calories. ;)
But here in Germany we don´t have such a weather at all, so I have to be a bit careful of course.

I already posted some recipes here but when it comes to cooking one should start at the beginning.
And there are the spices.
Even my friends are asking me how to use the spices and which flavour does each spice have?

Well, first of all let me say that this yellow curry powder which is known here in western countries is definitely no curry and won´t be used in any indian household. That powder was invented by the british when they left Inida. It was their try to combine the complexity of the tasteful cuisine they enjoyed in India.

India is definitely the Home of spices and there is no other country in the world that produces as many kinds of spices as India. They play an important role in the indian cooking with all their flavours and they also have many health benefits. So when indians are using the spices they also use it for their health.

The spices can be combined to make specific mixtures and the best known one is Garam Masala.
Garam means hot, hot as the spices mixture is about to increase the body temperature.
Masala is a common word in indian cooking and means spice.
There is no single Garam Masala recipe as the ingedients varie from region to region and chef to chef.
But for the most part it will include coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and cinnamon and nutmeg. It may also include tumeric, saffrom, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, tamarind, fenugreek or bay leaves.
You see, everything is possible.
This spice mixture is mostly added to a dish near the end of cooking so that the full aroma isn´t lost.

The typical spices used for an indian curry are: Tumeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic and chili. Other spices are possible too.

Coriander (Powder or seeds, I mostly use powder and fresh one): It´s indispensable for indian cooking and has a mild flavour. The roasted powder has an aromatic flavour and enhances the taste of many dishes. 
It´s often used fresh and added at as a final for a cooling taste. 
Health benefits: It helps purifying the blood and curing fever and as well as various allergies. It´s also good for digestion. 

Turmeric powder: I love it! No dish without it. It´s bright yellow colour and the slight scent of ginger gives something special to every dish. It´s mildly aromatic and has many health benefits as it´s said to prevent cancer, relieves athritis, controls diabetics. reduces cholestorol, is an immun booster and can help to control the weight. It also should provide from Alzheimer´s  and liver desease.  

Cumin (Seeds or power): As I mentioned before it is one of the main ingedients of garam masala. Used as a single spice it leads a sweet and mild yet a distinctive flavour to the dishes. Roasted seeds release more aroma and also this spice has many health benefits. It´s an immun booster, fights asthma and is good for hair treatments as well as for skin. 

Chili powder:  Not many words needed for chili, right? The indian chili powder is made from grounded chilis and is often hotter than the chili powders which are availabe in normal european stores.
It has a strong and pungent aroma but is essential for indian cooking. 
Some health benefits are: They can reduce/ lower cholesterol, clear congetion and boost immunity. 

Black mustard seeds: In western countries the yellow seeds are more popular than the small black ones used in India. I love to use them with fried potatoes as they give a pleasing flavour. 
They are used mainly in pickles and vegetable dishes. 
Health benefits: They are known to give relief of migraine, increases the appetite and helps for digestion. 

Those are the basic spices I regulary use and if you want to start with indian cooking, these are the ones you should always have in your masala dabba. (Indian spice box as you can see on the picture above)


Of course there are many more complementary spices like:

Fenugreek seeds: It´s actually a lentil and gives a distinctive flavour. They have a strong aroma and bitter taste. After turmeric it´s the most used spice for it´s health benefits. It may help control cholesterol, triglyceride as well as high blood sugar.

Fennel seeds: They aren´t essential though they are a basic spice in India. The seeds are widely used in fish, and vegetable dishes. In addition you will find sugarcoated fennel seeds in indian restaurants as a condiment after food to improve digestion.

Green cardamom (whole and powder): This is such a delicate spice which can be used for flavouring foods, soups and also refreshing drinks like Nimbu Paani (Lemon water). You will also find it in sweet dishes and desserts. 

If you need whole cardamoms in a recipe, then it should be cracked a bit so that it can release it´s full flavour. 

Cinnamon sticks: While here in western countries cinnamon is mainly used during winter/ christmas time, in India it´s used in many curries and gives a mellow-sweet flavour to the dish. 

I could go on and on, the list is almost endless. But you can be sure that many households also use the following spices for special flavouring: 

Black peppercorn

Curry leaves (I love them. They give such a full taste to dishes) 

Ginger 

Garlic (Most of the time I use ginger garlic paste) 

Bay leaves

Coconut (like milk or dried.) 

Cloves   

Due to all the different regions, spices and likes, no dish will ever taste the same everywhere. The variety is so big that it´s always a surprise to taste an indian meal and you can be sure that it´s always tasty.

I hope this guide is a bit helpful for you and makes you wanna try some more indian cooking.

Your SunShine 

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Poori - Fried indian bread

Hello all my dear ones,

I neglected cooking a bit and am sorry for that. It was pure lack of time.
But finally I wanted to try something out this weekend and opted for poori, the fried indian bread. I think it´s famous served with poatoes but I like them with every indian curry and had it with my quick chicken curry. ;)

Well, I still need a lot of pratice but the taste is already really good. As far as I can rate.

The recipe is very simple, all you need is flour, salt and water.
But an indian friend told me to add some semolina to make them even more crispy.

So let´s go...

Ingredients für 6 to 8 pieces:

1 cup of flour (Atta)
1/2 tsp salt
lukewarm water
1-2 Tbsp semolina
Oil to fry


Method:

Put the flour, semolina and salt in a bowl and slowly add water.
Mix all together to get a soft dough. Add water little by little and make sure the dough becomes not too sticky neither too dry. Take your time, you should knead at least 10 to 15 minutes. You can also add 1 Tbsp of oil to the dough.

Now there are different opinions about allowing the dough to rest or not. I personally let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes on a warm place.
But you can proceed right away when you prefer.

So make small balls out of the dough, maybe golf ball size and then roll them out into small circles (still struggling with that ;) ) with thin to medium thickness. Don´t let them get too thin, they will only become hard/ crispy while frying.

Now I put them for 10 minutes into the fridge, that helps to avoid them soaking too much of oil and they become quite crsipy-soft.

 Meanwhile you heat up the oil and then fry them one after the other. If they don´t come up immediatley, the oil isn´t hot enough.

While the poori is coming up to the surface make sure that you ladle some oil on the top always, that will help to make them puff up.
Turn them around so that it evenly goldenbrown/ reddish.

Take them out and place them on a paper towel to drain oil.

 And then serve hot with your dish. :)

Maybe you give it a try?
If you have any questions or suggestion don´t hesitate to leave a comment below. :)

Your
SunShine 

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The joy of Christmas cookies

Hello my dear ones,

this weekend I used the time to get a bit into Christmas mood. Of course the apartment is decorated nicely with chain of lights, snow mans amd reindeers but that moist and stormy weather wasn´t too winterly.
We had quite a storm here in northern Germany and so there was not much spirit to leave the house.

That´s why I used the time to make some Chistmas cookies and this way there was at least the smell of the season in my home.
Maybe you´re also in the mood to bake? Then here is the really easy recipe.

Ingedients: 

500 g flour
250 g sugar
 50 g butter
   3 eggs
   1  tbsp cinnamon (optional)

The dough should rest for one night!! 

For the decoration you can use what ever you wish for. I opted for dark chocolate coating, desiccated coconut, brittle and almonds as well as a lemon coating. (2 tbsp lemon juice mixed with 200 g powdered sugar and 1tbsp warm water so that there is a viscous paste.)


Method:

Put the flour into a bowl and form a well in the middle. Add the butter, sugar, cinnamon and eggs into it and mix well until you have a smooth dough. In the beginning I use a mixer but as soon as the butter is spread I use my hands to knead the dough.
Make sure that the dough isn´t too moist in the end. Eventually you need to add a bit more flour, but not too much!

Form a ball out of the dough and wrap it in cling foil. Put into the fridge over night.

Next day just roll out the dough, it should be around 0,5 cm thick. Now use different biscuit cutters and put the biscuits on a backing tray (greased or covered with baking paper). Bake them for 15 minutes on 180° c.
After cooling you can decorate them as you wish.

The dough was enough for 4 full baking trays, so you have a little on stock. :)

Enjoy the procedure

your SunShine

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Chicken-coconut curry with broccoli

Another quick and easy indian-asian recipe when you´re in the mood for a yummie dish but don´t want to spend too much time in kitchen.

Ingredients:

500 g chicken breast 

500 g broccoli 

1 tbsp red  or green chili paste

1 tin coconut milk 

250 ml chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbsp lemon juice 

1/2 tsp fish sauce

3 tbsp cornflour/ corn starch 

2 tbsp oil 

Method: 

• cut the chicken into bite pieces, put into a bowl and mix with the cornflour
• cut the broccoli into florets 
• heat oil in a pan and add the chicken. Fry until soften brown and keep aside
• put the chili paste into the pan, fry slowly on medium heat and add the lemon juice
• add the chicken or vegetable stock and mix well with the paste
• then add the coconut milk and cook for 2 or 3 minutes
• add the fish sauce
• add the broccoli florets and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, depends on the heat 
• now add the chicken pieces to warm them up 

make sure that the broccoli doesn´t get too soft. 

Serve with rice or any indian bread. 

Enjoy your meal. :) 

Your SunShine 

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Shahi Paneer and Onion Bhajis

Hello my dear ones...

I´m really sorry that it took so long for a new post. Where did all the time go??
I had one week off, which started with a company party, followed by some days at a friends place where I  shopped winter shoes already. O.o .....eeeks.. and then there was my birthday too.

That week was so fast, I couldn´t believe it when I went back to work on Monday, just to realise that my department chief was on sick leave..
Yeah.. no chance to start slowly, I was thrown into chaos immediately.

The result of it ? I needed some me time. Some good time.. and good food ;)
I still had some Paneer and somehow was in mood for a yummie snack too and there were so many onions that I could prepare both. 

Shahi Paneer

Ingredients

200 gms Paneer (cut into cubes)

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Quick and easy - Chicken curry in 15 minutes

I was a little busy in the last weeks .... but busy in a good way. The summer was on it´s peak and the temperatures were rising high.
Most of the time I spent at a pool with friends, the best way to escape the heat.
But swimming makes quite hungry and I needed a quick and easy dinner. There was not much in my fridge, but chicken was there and onions I always have.
So I opted for a fast chicken curry.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp of Oil 
1 medium sized onion
400 g chicken fillet

• 2 cloves of garlic  (garlic paste will also do) 
• 1 green chilli  (or optional chilli powder) 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1  tsp tomato puree
• 1/4 tsp garam masala (or a tsp of curry paste) 
• 30 ml cream

Method: 

Finely chop the onion, the smaller you

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Brinjal Curry

I´m not a vegetarian but even for me it doesn´t need to be meat everytime when I cook. There is such a variety of vegetables with countless of recipe´s. Most of all in the indian cuisine.

The best veggi curries I had in India of course and Brinjal (Eggplant) was one of my favorites. I was looking for a recipe which could be similar to hat one I tasted in Chennai and ended up with trying it this way:

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal (medium,cut into small pieces) – 4
2. Onion – 1
3. Tomato – 1
4. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
5. green chilly – 3
6. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
9. Mustard seeds -1 tsp
10. salt 
11. Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard

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Aloo Gobi Ki Sabji (Potato, Cauliflower dry Curry)

A week without indian food? Impossible for me. ;)
But what to cook then? Chicken again? 
Well, I love chicken but somehow I needed something else. And it doesn´t have to be meat always. 
So I choosed something veggie. I´m a veggie lover too and eat almost everything. 
When I went for shopping I saw this cute small caulifower and so the decision was taken. It will be Aloo Gobi, it´s quite a while that I had that dish. 
It´s one of the most famous indian meals and easy to make. Wanna try it?

Ingredients:

• 1 small cauliflower
• 1 medium potato
• 1 small onion
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• Handful of chopped Coriander leaves
• 2 tsp Garam Masala
• Turmeric
• 1 tsp Jeera powder (dried cumin)
• 1 tsp Dhaniya powder (coriander)
• Red Chilli powder as per taste (I used 2 to 3 tsp)
• Jeera (cumin) seeds
• Mustard seeds
• Oil
• Salt to taste

First steps:

• Cut the cauliflower

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Weekend = yummy breakfast!

The whole week you get up early, rushing to work and there is hardly time for a small breakfast. Often it´s just a coffee to go or a little snack. If at all.. 

But then it´s finally weekend. You wake up with the feeling of having time. Time for yourself, for friends and family. And a good breakfast is part of it too. 
Newspapers on the table, a good cup of coffee or tea, leaving all the stress of the week behind. 
I often end up making some scrambled eggs and those don´t need to be done with bacon only.
There are many variations and this one has an indian touch.  


Scrambled eggs "desi style" 

ingredients for 4 people: 

2-3 tablespoons of oil 
8 eggs 
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (remove the seeds)  
half a bunch of spring onions, chopped
2 fresh green chillis, finely chopped (not a must!)
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder (or accordingly to taste) 
1/4 teaspoon of coriander powder  
(you can also add fresh coriander but then only at the end of the cooking time) 

Most of the spices are available in Asia-stores/ markets. There they are also at a lower price than in the supermarkets.   


Method: 

In a bowl mix the eggs, salt, kurkuma, chili powder and coriander powder. Whisk it properly, so that there are no lumps of the spices.  
Add the tomatoes and spring onions to the egg-mixture. 
Heat oil in a pan till shimmering. Add the fresh chillis and stir well for a minute.
Turn the heat down a little and add the eggs. Gently stir till the mixture curdles. About a minute or two.
Then put up the heat again. Stir now and then until the eggs are done but not too dry.
Have toast with it. 

With the same ingredients you can prepare an omelette too. You can vary it with different vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms. 

If you want to have the full flavour of the spices then put them into the hot oil and fry a bit, after that add the egg-tomatoe mixture.

Maybe you want to give it a try..

your SunShine

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