Tagine Chicken With Olives & Preserved Lemons

1.

We had gone to a friends house for dinner last to last weekend & I must admit that I had the most exotic dish from Morocco cooked in an even more exotic dish,the base for  the dish is cast iron to reatin the heat , but the lid is porcelain and is cone shaped which is essentially designed  like this to trap all the moisture and steam and gives the Tagine chicken a melt -in-the-mouth texture,very succulent and juicy. Although in Morocco where Tagine Chicken originally hails from is cooked in a ceramic or porcelain Tagine where the base is also porcelain.I looked up google to see where I could acquire my tagine from and found a very nice one online at Williams Sonoma,again all porcelain.  I went ahead and ordered it BUT decided I could not wait long enough for the Tagine to arrive :) so I went ahead and prepared tagine chicken in the cast iron french oven after all the french oven/Dutch ovens are also designed for the slowly simmered dishes. I was thrilled with the result,it tasted exactly as my friends tagine if not better;) The citric y soup with green olives and herby flavors from parsley and cilantro is such a refreshing change for the palette and is such a treat to enjoy this with couscous accompanied with the fiery spicy hot harissa. Mmm.mmmm

The preparation is very simple but the prep work has some steps involved but trust me once you have the prep work done in advance the Tagine cooking can be a breeze.Yes-It is that simple,and the best part is I left it in the dutch oven to cook and went to the basement and did my 40 minute workout without a care.....

Tagine chicken is prepared with preserved green olives & preserved lemons ,I was told by my friend that I should look for the preserved lemons online but I did not have the patience to wait and also it does not take a genius to make your own at home so I went shopping and picked up some fresh green lemons,I also got a good deal at an Indian store and picked up 12 for $ 2 Yes- I am such a sucker for deals :)

The chicken tagine is mostly served with Couscous or bread and is served with Harissa a hot,spicy sauce made with Red Chilies and a few other spices again you can look it up on Amazon or get ready to make some from scratch. I did just that and the result was incredible and worth every inch of effort that went in the preparation:)

So friends are you ready to be transported to Morocco if the answer is YES than come with me and we shall soon embark on this Moroccan culinary explosion of flavors:

Ingredients for Tagine Chicken With Olives & Preserved lemons:
Chicken Thighs: Boneless,skinless about 5-6
Marination:

Fresh Parsley: fistful cleaned and chopped
Cilantro: Fistful Cleaned and chopped
Garlic: 1 tsp paste
Ginger: 1 tbsp paste 
Salt: 1tsp or to taste
cayenne Pepper: 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala: a pinch
Kesar/saffron: 4-5 strands ( A very good Spanish variety is available at Trader Joes)

To be added later:
White onion chopped fine: 1 cup
Green Olives preserved in salt water: 20-25
Preserved lemon quartered: 8 pieces ( 1 lemon)
Parsely: washed and chopped a fistful
Cilantro: washed and chopped a fistful
Olive oil: 4 tbsp
Chicken Stalk: 6 cups

Recipe for Preserved Lemons:
Lemons: 12 washed and dried 
Lemons juice: 1 cup
Kosher salt: 2 tbsp 


1. Take the lemons and either prick the whole lemon with a fork or cut it into four pieces.
2. Take a clean dry glass jar, drop the lemon pieces in it.
3. Add the salt.
4. Top it with lemon juice.
5. Shake it and let it stay in room temperature with the lid tightly shut. If possible move it to a spot in the house where there is plenty of sunlight.
It will take 4- 5 days and you will see the skin will turn a slight brown color,and will become a little soft.
6. You can now store it in the fridge.


Recipe for Harissa:
Dried Red Chilies: 6-8 seeds removed
Cumin: 1 tsp
Whole coriander: 1 tbsp
Fennel: 1tsp
Black pepper: 8-10 peppercorns
cloves: 4
Saindhav Salt or Rock salt: 1 tsp or to taste
Roasted red bell pepper: 1/2 cup
Olive oil: 4 tbsp
Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp


Method:
1.Roast all the spices on slow.
2. let them cool and grind these to a fine powder in a coffee grinder.
3. Transfer this to a food processor and add the remaining ingredients and grind them till you have a smooth sauce/chutney

Method to cook Tagine:


1. Marinate the chicken thighs with all the ingredients mentioned under marination for 1 hour.
2. Put the dutch oven on medium high heat for some time till it is hot.
3. Add the 4 tbsp olive oil.
4. When hot add the 1 cup of finely chopped onions
5. when onions are slightly golden brown add the marinated  chicken and fry on both sides for a minute or 2 on each side.
6. Add the chicken stalk.Let it come to a boil,reduce the flame to slow and cover and let it cook for 40 minutes. Forget about it if cooking in the dutch oven.
7. Remove the lid and slide in the lemons and olives and close the lid and cook again for 15 minutes.
8. When done sprinkle the chopped parsley and cilantro and serve it with couscous and harissa.


Notes: Couscous is very easy to prepare and you can follow the directions given on the packet. I have used three different brands on three occasions viz: Near Easts Pine toasted Couscous,Hodgsons Whole wheat and Scalfani.  I am happy with all,it takes exactly 2 minutes to prepare this and even less to finish it...hahahah

Kavita's Kitchen Turns ONE Today & Kung Pao Chicken

This is my big day,I just turned 1 and very fun
you will be surprised with the momentum
I sometimes speed & blow
then for a while I go slow
I bake and I shake to make things great
cookies and breads,sweets & some tweaks
I will do everything till I have enough for Keeps
Exotic & luscious,yummy and nice,
I continue to roll the dice
with renewed energy and recipes under my belt
wait till my culinary delights let your heart melt


Okay I was rambling poetry in case you were wondering....


It makes me happy and gives me immense sense of accomplishment for making  it this far. Thanks to each one of my blogger friends who have made this journey fun and worthwhile. I am happy I have all my recipes in one place and no more random recipe papers sticking out of recipe books*smiles*I want to particularly thank my very first follower-Sujatha of http://gourmetskitchenette.blogspot.com/
who was kind enough to have noticed my blog and even kinder to become a follower after her first comment on my post. On that note I want to mention that I am still open to more followers;) So please feel free to follow my blog and I promise- I will follow you back:)

So here is my post on Kung Pao chicken,I love kung pao chicken and it was apt to write a post on my favorite dish to celebrate this day,here goes:

Ingredients:

Chicken breast: 1 pound cleaned and pat dried cut into 1 inch pieces

Soy Sauce: 2 tbsp ( I used Kikkoman less sodium soy sauce)

Corn starch: 2 tbsp dissolved in 2 tbsp water

White wine: 2 tbsp

Sesame oil: 2 tbsp

Chilli paste: 2 tbsp (optional and depends on your tolerance for spice)

Distilled White Vinegar: 1 tsp

Brown sugar: 2 tsp

Garlic: 1 tbsp chopped

Water Chestnuts: 1 small can about 20 in number
Celery: 2 stems/stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
Peanuts: 4 tbsp roasted and without the skin
Dried whole red chilies: 5-6
Salt: to your taste

Note: I have used ready made chilly paste with holy basil leaves,this paste lends this kung pao  dish a very authentic taste,I bought this in an oriental store. It is a product of Thailand. If you happen to find this and use it in this dish then please omit the garlic and salt. You can also use green onions in place of celery or along with celery. I have not used green onions here.


Method For Marinate:


1. Take 1 tbsp wine,half of corn starch,1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp of soy sauce and mix these well in a bowl. 


2. add the chicken pieces to this marinate and leave it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.


Sauce.


1. heat a  wok and add 1 tbsp oil to this.
2. when hot add the whole red chilies.
3.Now add the chicken pieces and saute them in oil for 2 -3 minutes on medium flame.
4. take the remaining wine,corn starch,soy,2 tsp brown sugar and mix these.
5. Add this to the wok along with the chicken pieces.
6. Now add the chilli paste and mix this well with the rest of the ingredients in the wok.
7. Add the chestnuts and celery and 1 tsp distilled white vinegar.
8.Add the peanuts  when the chicken and celery & chest nuts are done. Chestnuts and celery tastes good when it has a crunch .
9. Total cooking time is approximately 7- 10 minutes 


Enjoy this with fried rice or plain white rice or sticky rice. 


Bon Appetit :)!!!

Tilapia in Basil & fennel

 Today my morning yoga  routine was a let down.The abductor muscle is acting up again and the groin hurts every time I try to get into the asanas without keeping my knees soft. I am still struggling with bhujapidasana and it is funny because the harder I try the harder I fall on my bum...lol BUT I keep falling and keep trying.Guruji says:" practice & it will come to you" I am already looking forward to tomorrow's practice , everyday the body tells you how it feels and it is wonderful to listen to it and pay heed to what are its limitations and then gradually with time and practice free the body of its limitations.

Okay so we have some good weather here on the east coast for this weekend after the short onset of cold temperatures,  we are looking forward to a warmer weekend starting today.The leaves have started to fall  off on this tree which is on my deck and  I was reading  trees can be tricked into  loosing leaves by extreme environmental conditions it is sad because I see fallen leaves everywhere and no change in the color so far,I was told  the fall colors this year will be delayed,I only hope they are still as pretty as they always have been in the past and all the storms and adverse weather conditions have hopefully not destroyed that phenomena.

So to celebrate the warm temperatures today and to get in the weekend mood let us all enjoy this fish .This is the very first time I have cooked with fennel.It has a nice licorice y taste and this sweetness when combined with garlic, tomatoes,celery and basil gives a very nice sweet and herby taste with a garlicky punch. I salted the fish with some kosher salt and sprinkled some dried basil and parsley and left it for 20 minutes while I prepared the sauce.You can also get out on the deck and fire your grills today and grill this fish or bake it .Do what your heart says.....

Here goes the recipe and the ingredients you will need:

Tilapia Fish: 2 pounds
Black pepper: crushed a pinch
Salt: to your taste
Dried basil:1/4 tsp
Olive oil: 1 tbsp to rub all over the fish along with the salt and dried basil


Note: You can mix oil ,salt ,pepper and basil in a small bowl and use your hands to rub this on the fish.


Sauce:
Celery: 2 stems/stalks or ribs diced 
Tomato: 2 no's diced into small pieces
Garlic: 3 cloves chopped fine
Basil fresh: chopped 1 tbsp
Parsely: dried 1/4 tsp
fennel Bulb: 1 about 10-12 ounces ( discard the rough outer leaves)
halved bulb thinly sliced
Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Method:


1. take the fish and rub salt,oil and black pepper all over on both sides and then sprinkle dried basil.
2. leave it for 20 minutes or more if time permits
3: heat the oven at 350 d Fahrenheit and bake on the lowest rack in a baking tray (you can line the baking tray with the aluminium foil)
4. If grilling/broiling heat the oven at 400 d Fahrenheit (gas oven) and grill for roughly 12-15 minutes or till the fish is flaky and turned completely white on the inside.


Sauce method:
1. Take a pan and heat 1tbsp oil
2. add the chopped garlic and wait till it turns brown on the edges( roughly 1 minute)
3. Now add the diced tomatoes along with salt
4. Cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes and mash them with the back of the spoon
5. Add chopped or diced celery and thinly sliced fennel.
6. add the chopped basil now and also add the dried parsley at this stage.
7. If you like your veggies with a little crunch cook this for further 3-4 minutes without covering the pan. If you want the celery and fennel to be soft ,cover the pan .


Serving:


Take the serving plate and dish out two spoonfuls of the sauce on the plate and neatly arrange the grilled fish on the plate with some spring leaves.Bon appetit !!!

Penne Pasta cooked in fresh ingredients

After eating this pasta prepared with minimal seasoning I have come to the conclusion that we sometimes tend to kill the natural and authentic flavors of the dish,by over seasoning it . When we use very little seasoning or a single spice for seasoning we allow the flavors from other ingredients to stay bold and distinct.This pasta preparation allows you to savor each and every ingredient in every single bite.The seasoning used in this is kosher salt and crushed black pepper along with some fresh herbs.I tossed the pasta in Kate's Butter (a product from Maine) and some mahjoub organic olive oil. Give this preparation a try and you will understand the power of less is sometimes more :)!

Mahir was on one of his travels when in my quest to surprise Manasi with something special,I came up with this recipe coupled with the fact that I had shopped for some organic stuff yet again in the pursuit of  feeding our bodies  some pesticide free and naturally grown food. I always try hard to spend less on things that make us look pretty on the outside and consciously & willingly make efforts to spend that extra buck on the food that is grown naturally and in return support the farmers community who strive consistently  to provide us with these healthy options . After-all We are -What we eat


I also went a step ahead and spread the meal on the picnic table on the deck,I know my Aquarian girl loves it when things are done differently:) I cannot forget the smile this dinner brought on her face,also these were some of the last few days of summer left before she would leave for college.So they were anyways special. Here is a picture from that evening :)

I had baked some ciabatta a day before so drizzled some olive oil and and some crushed garlic and toasted it a little in the oven and enjoyed this with the penne pasta and a glass of wine....mmm...mmm the simple pleasures of life... my friends go for 'em

Ingredients:


Penne pasta: 1/2 packet (I used Trader Joes Organic whole wheat pasta)
Butter: 1tbsp ( I used kate's 100% pure butter)
Note: This butter tastes incredible,I bought this at Caraluzzi's but later found it in stop& shop too)
EVOO: 1tbsp ( I used Mahjoub organic gifted by a very dear friend)
Grape tomatos: About 20( washed and halved if you like)
Basil: 20 leaves roughly chopped
Rosemary: 1 sprig(separate the stem and roughly chop the leaves)
Sun dried tomatoes: 3 tbsp chopped in tiny bits
Salt: to taste
Black pepper: little more than a pinch
Pine nuts: 2 tbsp pounded lightly
Grated Parmesan cheese: You set the limits




Manasi loves it and sprinkles a ton of it and puts a heap on the side to eat with the bread and olive oil;)


Method:


Boil the pasta in hot water with some salt till al dente and strain and keep aside
Take a pan and add the butter and olive oil.
When hot add the chopped basil,rosemary,sun dried tomatoes and the grape tomatoes and saute them for a couple minutes.
Add salt and crush fresh pepper and toss the pasta and give it a good shake. Turn off the flame. 
Transfer this to a serving bowl and sprinkle Parmesan and pine nuts and savor the flavor that every ingredient brings to this pasta preparation. Bon Appetit!!!

Shahi Tandoori Paneer/ Royal Cottage cheese

Time flies...seasons change and so do our food habits with every passing season. Especially this time of the year when there is so much to celebrate: Diwali, Halloween,Thanksgiving Christmas and so on....

I am glad we have Patel's not very far from where I live,which just opened here recently. Up until now I used to shop at a very  nondescript Indian grocery store. The fact that these big stores with large turnovers give the shoppers the opportunity to buy big saver packs which always is the attraction when you shop at store chains. I recently bought a large( about 2 1/2 kg slab )of Nanak Paneer and cut half of it in cube sizes and transferred it to zip-lock bags and saved the rest of the slab as it is for making Bhurji.

Hmmm life is so much easier when you have a well stocked refrigerator:) I had friends over last weekend and it did not take me very long to figure out the menu, there was everything I needed to make this shahi Tandoori paneer : Fresh tomatos, ginger & garlic ,cream,garam masala and paneer,Yes- you read it right,this is all you need to make this super delicious paneer dish.It can be prepared in a jiffy too,and is loved by everyone. The color is so appetizing and rich as is the unbeatable taste. So what are you waiting for-Go ahead and make yourself some and tell me I was right !!!

List of Ingredients You will need:


Paneer: 10 - 15 small cube sized pieces weighing roughly 250 gms
Tomatoes: 2 large deep red tomatoes boiled and then pureed without the skin
Ginger & garlic: 1tsp each paste
Kasoori methi: roasted and crushed 1 tsp
Honey: 1 tbsp
Light fresh cream: 2-3 tbsp (substitute it with skimmed milk if you are watching calories)
Salt: to taste
Deghi Mirch: 1 tsp or more if you want that extra kick
Olive oil: 2tbs
Cardamom: 2-3 crushed
Cinnamon: 1/2 a inch stick
Clove: 2-3
Ground garam masala: little more than a pinch


Method:
Take the paneer cubes and sprinkle some salt and red pepper and 1 tsp oil and stick it in the oven and broil/grill for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn it over once so that it is grilled evenly.


Meanwhile take a heavy bottomed pan/kadhai and add the whole garam masala and wait for a minute till the aroma emanates and your kitchen smells great ( if your smell sense is not too good-don't take chances;) )


Now add the ginger & garlic and subsequently add the tomato puree along with salt and red pepper and cook till the sauce becomes a little thick .


Take the grilled paneer and add this to the sauce. Also add the honey and cream/skimmed milk,mix it gently and sprinkle the garam masala and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finish it with the roasted and crushed kasoori methi and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Bon appetite!!!

Baingan Ka Bharta/Eggplant Grilled & Cooked in Onions& Tomatos

 Friends-Buy the biggest eggplant which weighs around a ton ;) I learnt this from my mother-in -law,when I first started to go veggie shopping with her:) Her golden rule of thumb-When buying an eggplant for  especially Bharta,"make sure it is heavy,you will get all flesh and less seeds." & when buying capsicums/bell peppers,"make sure you pick the lightest of the lot to avoid too much of seeds inside."  I got more tips from her than I ever did from my mom in this department,and honestly they have all come very handy and I am sure you will remember these next time you are picking up an eggplant & bell peppers :)

I picked every eggplant and mentally weighed it and then put it down  (people around me probably thought I was out of my mind or something )  finally I settled on this medium sized  one which weighed around a pound & compared to the others in the lot it looked around the same in size but weighed  comparitively more :)

Set the broiler on 500 d fahrenhiet and after poking the eggplant,cover it in a foil and keep it on the top rack right unedr the broiler for 20-25 minutes. Pull the top tray with your mitts on and insert a knife through the foil inside the eggplant if it goes through as smooth as a butter it is done. Let it cool. remove the skin or scoop the flesh with a round spoon and start the bharta preparation.

Ingredients you will need:

Onion: 2 medium sized very finely chopped
Tomato: 2 large sized chopped
Ginger: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Corrinader powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/4 tsp
Cilantro: 1 tbsp chopped for garnish
Green chilli: 2 whole( just for flavor)
Olive oil: 3 tbsp

Method:

Take a kadai and heat the oil.when hot slide the chopped onion and saute them till they turn a  rich deep brown. You can sprinkle a little water in between if the onion start to stick at the bottom. Now when you have the desired color add the ginger,garlic and salt and cook for 2 minutes.

Add tomatos and the rest of the dry spices  except the garam masala and cook till it gets a nice rich color and you see the oil appear at the edges. Now add the scooped eggplant and take a potato masher or with the back of a spoon,mash the eggplant  intermittently till everything looks smooth and well blended ,now add the green chilli and cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

Uncover the bharta ,sprinkle the chopped cilantro and the garam masala and squeeze some lemon jiuce and serve with roti's.

Moong Daal & Chaval & Gobi / A complete meal

A very popular ,nutritious and wins hands down when it comes to one of those comforting meals. This meal reigns supreme in all the above mentioned departments in the Bhagia household. Also I had promised Mahir I would put this up on the blog especially for him-There are times when I am not around and he has to make long distance calls to get the recipe for these. So I know this should come in very handy for him and for those of you who are living the ,"forced bachelor" days. This is not at all time consuming and even easier for those of you who use separators in the pressure cooker to make two or three things simultaneously :)

Recipe For Moong Daal:

Moong Daal dhuli : 1 cup washed & soaked for 20 minutes
Salt: To taste
Turmeric: a pinch
Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
Curry leaves: 10-12
Tomato: 1 medium sized chopped
Cumin/Jeera: 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Cilantro washed & chopped: 2 tbsp
Asfoetida: a pinch
Ginger grated: 1/2 tsp

Take the washed daal and pressure cook it with 2 cups of water, grated ginger,salt & turmeric and 1 tsp of oil to avoid the froth and spilling. After the first whistle,I let it cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes and then take it off the flame & let the steam release on its own.

Now take off the lid and mash the daal with the back of the spoon and add enough water to make it as thin or thick you would like it to be.I make it soup like to enjoy it with the rice and roti as well.

Keep it on medium flame again and let it come to a rolling boil,keep stirring it so it does stick to the bottom. Add the chopped cilantro also while it is boiling.

Meanwhile take a small kadai/pan and heat the remaining oil,when hot add the mustard,cumin and asfoetida,when it starts to splutter and the chopped tomato's and cook for a while, now add red pepper to this and pour this on the daal. You will get a nice rich color and it will make the daal look and taste very appetizing.

Recipe For Gobi:

Gobi: 1 small bunch of cauliflower  washed &cut into small florets.
Ginger: 2 inch piece cleaned and chopped or grated
Onion: 1 medium chopped
garlic: 2 flakes chopped
Tomato: 1 medium chopped
Salt: to taste
Asfoetida: a pinch
Red Pepper: 1 tsp
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala: a pinch or little more
Green chilli's whole: 3
Cumin: 1 tsp
Olive Oil: 2 tbsp

Method:
Take a kadhai, and heat the oil,when it turns very hot add the cumin,hing/asfoetida and let it splutter.Now add the chopped onions and grated or chopped ginger ,garlic and saute till golden brown.

Add the florets and saute them on high flame for 2-4 minutes. Making sure to give them a good shake every once in a while. Now add salt and turmeric and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid for 4 minutes or till the gobi is 3/4 th cooked.

Now take the lid off and add the remaining spices along with the chopped tomato's and cover it for some more time or till the gobi is cooked. I like the gobi to have a crunch so I do not cook it all the way but leave it 80% cooked.

Garnish it with chopped cilantro and also squeeze some lime juice before serving it with rice & daal.

 Note: If  Mahir can cook rice without a recipe then I am hoping every one can :0

Chicken Badami/Chicken Cooked With Almond Meal

Last couple weeks have been very busy for the Bhagia household. We were down south last week visiting Manasi's prospective school as she had to appear for an interview and orientation. She has yet to decide on the one school she really wants to go,but it will still have to wait till she has heard on the the regular decisions in April.

The snow has finally stopped here on the east coast,and the weather has also started to warm up just a little :) It has been a very long and harsh winter this year and I bet everyone here is more than eager to welcome the spring:) BUT we cannot be complaining ,there is so much worse happening in the world. The earthquake in Japan is so devastating and even though we cannot do much it is still some solace to see so many countries rise to the occasion in times like these. I hope the help that is being extended does reach out to those who really are in their hour of need & help. God bless everyone with courage and hope ,Amen !!!

I have not been blogging as regularly as I would wish to but I most certainly have been cooking and saving all the pictures,hopefully I will reach the 100th post very soon.

This recipe I am posting today is very simple to make but tastes absolutely delicious,for those of you who are partial to red curries this one does not have the red color but has all the flavors and just the right amount of spices to keep your taste buds engrossed with its luscious creamy texture infused with kewra and cardamom and Cinnamon. This goes very well with plain phulkas/rotis and also with jeera rice. It will taste even better if you leave it overnight in the fridge and enjoy it the next day.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Chicken cut into small pieces: 1 pound
Onion: 1 medium size chopped or sliced
Green chilli: 2 or 3 depending on your spice tolerance
Tomato: 2 medium sized
Ginger grated or paste: 1 tbsp
Almond meal: 2tbsp
Cinnamon: 1 piece (1 inch)
Green Cardamom seeds: 3 cardamoms
Cloves: 3
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Kasoori methi: 2 tsp
Kewra water: 3 drops
Honey: 2 tsp

Method:

Take a pan and add 2 tbsp oil and let it heat. When hot add the cardamoms,Cinnamon & cloves.Now add the sliced onions and saute till golden brown.

To this add ginger,green chilli and chopped tomato's  along with salt and cook for 10 -15 minutes,till the tomato's are cooked well and do not smell raw.

Take this entire mixture and run it in the mixer till it turns into a smooth paste.

Now take a pan and the remaining 1 tbsp oil and saute the chicken pieces in this,till they turn white on the outside and the chicken is partially cooked. Now add the pureed onion mix to this chicken add 1 cup water and the almond meal. Give it a good mix and leave it on low flame covered till the chicken is fully cooked. Now add 2 tsp honey and mix it well.

Finish it with  3 -4 drops of kewra water and garnish with 2 tsp kasoori methi roasted and crushed. Enjoy this hot with roti,phulka,naan or tandoori roti :)

Bhugal teenwad / Bhuna Gosht / Goat Meat

Slow cooking brings out the best flavors when cooking goat meat. This recipe has been patented by ,The Bhagia" family I think :) My brother will enjoy meat cooked in this particular fashion and no other. Mahir on the other hand is always open to trying new recipes. On my last couple trips to India I closely watched my bhabhi cook this meat and I was fascinated by the amount of time it took to prepare this and get the desired color and aroma it emanates when slow cooked for hours at end. I also asked her to pack me the"sipri" made of thick cast  aluminium which she uses to  specially cook this meat. The ingredients  for this recipe are very basic,the key to its excellent taste is the amount of time that goes into its cooking. It is absolutely OK to prepare this in a pressure cooker,you will still achieve the desired results.I call this literally the labor of love,and use no pressure whatsoever :)

Time It takes To Cook: Approximately 2 hours

Ingredients:
Tender,young goat meat: 1 pound  mixed pieces
Red Onions: 3 medium chopped fine
Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1 tbsp
salt: to taste
Red Kashmiri pepper: 1 tsp or more
garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 1/2 tsp
Tomato's: 3 medium chopped
yogurt: 1 cup
Olive oil: 5 tbsp

Take the meat and mix it nicely with the yogurt & half of all the dry spices and half of ginger & garlic paste.Let it the meat stay in the marination for at least 30 minutes.If you find the time,you can marinate it for longer. Do not add the garam masala to the marination.


Take a dutch oven or anything which is heavy and made for slow cooking. Heat the 5 tbsp oil to smoking point and then add the chopped onion along with salt.After sauteing it for a few minutes,cover the dutch oven for 5 minutes,till the onion turn pink and soft. Take off the lid and slow cook the onions without the lid on high flame and do not leave the onions unattended.

Now take the marinated meat and add this to the onions. There will be enough liquid in the beginning and you can leave it alone for the first 20 minutes but checking on it once or maybe twice.

When  all the liquid starts to get absorbed & dry ,the onions will start to get a golden color. You can reduce the flame to medium now and continue to scrape the bottom every now and then,this will give the onions a nice deep rich brown color.

Now add the remaining ginger and garlic to the meat and onions. Continue to cook on medium flame. every now and then when the onions stick to the bottom,sprinkle some water and scrape the bottom. Every time you do this you will notice the onions and meat will get a deeper color.

By this time you would have cooked the meat & the onions for 1 hour and also achieved the desired deep dark brown color. Now add the chopped tomato's and add the garam masala & the remaining dry spices .Continue to cook for more time ( 30 minutes or so) everything should by this time come together and you will start to see oil appear at the edges.

Now add 2 to 3 cups of water and if you are pressure cooking halve the quantity of water and pressure cook for 15 minutes and then drop the pressure by covering it with a wet towel. If not pressure cooking than add 2-3 cups water and cover it with a well fitting lid and leave it on low flame for 40 minutes to 1 hour or till the meat is tender and easily comes off the bone. garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve with garam rotis.