KASHMIRI CHICKEN CURRY

Growing up, I always wondered how to make a curry with ease and without breaking a sweat. I remember making this particular curry for the very first time way back in 2010 and as a newly married then, it was even more exciting to try out the recipes I had been writing down in my recipe diary from a long time. Over the years, I've learnt the easy art of making curries without all the fuss, from scratch and you all have ben a part of that journey for the past 11 years!

This particular curry has quite  a number of ingredients than my usual ones but the method of making it is a breeze. I am not the one to stand by the stove over a weekday, stirring and stirring for literally 20 minutes just to get  the oil to separate from the masala. I would rather save it for a day when I have nothing  else to do.

Kashmiri Chicken Curry is one of our family favourite curries and is a winner with our kids. So, when the folks at The Feedfeed & Muir Glen asked me if I could share a recipe using Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes, this curry was the first one to come to my mind. Their tomatoes are perfectly balanced in taste and is a perfect substitute for recipes where you need fresh tomatoes. I always have a stock in my pantry for the same. It's a brand that I have been using for years now. I shopped for my Muir Glen tomatoes at Wedge Community Co-op. It's our favourite place to shop,especially for local products. On our recent visit two days ago, we found quite a few interesting fruits that we've never seen before... Buddha's Hand & Kishu Mandarins! Find out what co-op you should visit here!

KASHMIRI CHICKEN CURRY

Serves 8-10

Active cooking time - 10 minutes

Total cooking time - 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon cayenne

1/2 tablespoon paprika 

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 tablespoon unsalted cashewnuts

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups diced red onions

1 tablespoon grated fresh garlic

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

One 14 ounce can of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes

1 teaspoon garam masala

Method:

• Remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken and cut each thigh into 4,using a cleaver or a sharp heavy knife.
• In a large bowl, marinate the chicken pieces along with turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon salt for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, using a blender, grind together cayenne,paprika,mustard seeds, cumin seeds & fenugreek seeds together along with 1/2 cup water to a fine paste. Feel free to add a couple tablespoons more of water if needed. Set it aside.
• Soak the cashewnuts in 1/4 cup water.
• In a large pan, heat the oil on medium high heat and sauté the onions, ginger & garlic till the onions turn soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the ground spice paste along with 1/4 cup of water. Mix well and let it sauté for 1 minute. 
• Add the 14 ounce  can of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes to it and mix well. Continue to sauté the mix, stirring often until you start seeing oil around the edges of the pan,about 2 minutes.
• In the meantime, grind the soaked cashewnuts along with the soaking water to a smooth paste.
• Add the cashew paste, along with chicken to the pot. Add 1/2 cup water, salt and mix well to combine. Cover and cook until chicken is done, 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid, add the garam masala and stir. Do a taste test for salt and adjust if necessary.
• Serve the curry hot with Naan, Parata's, Rice etc. Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Muir Glen and The Feedfeed, but all opinions are my own.

I have served it with Rice, Chapathi, Porota, Ghee Rice, Tomato Rice, Batura, Appam etc and it's all been well received with big smiles!
I shopped for my Muir Glen tomatoes at Wedge Community Co-op. It's our favourite place to shop since 2010,especially for local products like Honey, Poultry & Meat. Find out what co-op you should visit here! Also, Muir Glen have an awesome deal happening now. Get ten 14.5 oz cans of tomato products for $10 from Jan 22 until February 4! Make use of that and stock up! You can put them to use all year long!

TARIDAAR COPRAY CHI MUCHEE

Guess what? I am posting another recipe for a simple fish curry! Ian enjoys fish as much he enjoys his veggies,poultry and meat.So I enjoy frying fish and making curries with it for him. He calls is 'Mee Mee' fry and waits for me to finish mixing rice, yogurt and fish for him to start eating. Every time he sees me draining freshly cooked rice, he would ask me for 'Mee Mee' fry :-) It melts my heart...every single time!

Ian has grown so much after he turned two. He talks a lot and loves to sing. If you ever come home and need something from the kitchen, you know whom to ask. He know where everything is kept and helps me put away things when we get back home after grocery shopping. I love to see the look on his face when I ask him to do things...he really feels important then!The other day, he saw me put away some story books and asked me to give him one. When I did, he said 'Thank you, Amma!'. I was shocked and couldn't breathe for a second or two. He also blesses us every time we sneeze.His version is,'Bless La Amma!'.Yesterday, we were at the mall for Toddler Tuesdays, and met a reader's cousin for lunch. Someone at the restaurant we were eating sneezed, and I heard a small voice saying, Bless La ! next to me. I wonder how they learn how to connect things!

Getting back to this delicious simple curry. This is another favourite from Mr. Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries. It is super easy to make and very very tasty! The recipe calls for Kokum and I  have substituted it equally with Gambooge / Kudampuli. Also, this curry uses raw rice as an ingredient! I've never heard of it before and that's one reason why I tried this dish.I've made slight changes to certain ingredients and I have given the measurements accordingly.

TARIDAAR COPRAY CHI MUCHEE
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds skinless catfish filets, cut up
1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut
2 tablespoon long- grain white rice
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 dried Thai or cayenne chilies, stems removed
5 pieces dried black kokums/gambooge, each roughly 2 inches long and 1 inch wide
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup finely choppped red onion
3 fresh green Serrano chili,chopped fine

Method:
Sprinkle salt over the fish,spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and let them chill in the fridge,covered,for 30 minutes.Meanwhile pour 1/2 cup water into a blender jar and add the coconut,rice, coriander seeds,peppercorns, turmeric and dried chilies. Puree, scraping as needed,to make a thick paste.
Combine kokum with the boiling water and let it steep for 10-15 mins. Squeeze the fruit to extract the pulp and discard the fruit.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat .Add onions and chilies and stir fry until the onion is light brown around the edges and the chilies smell pungent,2-3 minutes. Ad the ground coconut paste and stir-fry until the spices and coconut form a thin yellow film on the bottom,1-2 minutes. Pour 1 1/2 cup water into the blender jar and swish it around to wash it out. Pour this to the skillet and scrape the bottom to deglaze it. Submerge the fish filets,in a single layer,in the sun-yellow sauce and cover the skillet. Poach gently, turning the fish halfway through cooking once,12-15 minutes.Add the kokum water,swirl the pan gently to get it mixed in.Adjust salt,simmer for a minute or two and serve hot!

This curry pairs well with Kerala Matta Rice,Basmati Rice or even Sona Masoori rice. We like to eat fish curries with Kerala Matta Rice mostly because how the mouth feel is. The grains are bigger, chubbier and starchy. It is truly a delectable fish curry with a twist from my usual ones. Jobin thinks this curry is delicious and I agree to it 100%!