Chicken Curry

This post takes some time to write. Mostly because the non-veg preparation of this post has always been an issue for me. I get slightly squirmy around raw meat or fish especially the cleaning and cutting. Fish I cannot stand but seafood and meat - slightly better. The author has taken a lot of time to get over this issue to cook a proper dish of chicken curry.

 If there is any universal classic all around India it would be chicken curry. And every home has its own variation for their Sunday lunches or entertaining guests at home. I mean you have the spicy curries with curd and cream, the sweet and sour Western ones, the masala ones that have come out of my own home kitchen, the coconut milk and curry leaf flavored Southern specialties. There are so many versions that it boggles the mind. Mutton, beef, pork - they are regional but chicken - it really is universal.

I think for me the best chicken curry that I have had is my grandfather's chicken curry. My sister and me, we go over for Sunday lunches at my grandfather's place where there would be an entire kadhai full of chicken curry with hot dal and gobi pakoras cooked by my grandmother. We would have big thalis full of steamed rice, pakoras, dal, curry with salad and raita. My grandmother would be sitting right next to the both of us making sure that we would have second  helpings and possible thirds if we didnt protest on account of extremely distended stomach.
This post has come after a long series of kitchen trials. Chicken curry is not something that you get right on the first time. Not to discourage you, but to cook chicken to perfection takes a lot of practice. And that is what the author was involved in. Trying to hit upon the recipe that becomes a personal signature. And perhaps she has found it. For this recipe, make sure you get the spice paste right and follow the steps exactly as specified in the post. After that, you will be an expert on making chicken curry.

Marinating Chicken:
1kg boneless chicken legs
1 tub of yoghurt
1tbsp salt
1tbsp red chili powder
1tbsp turmeric.
Bring chicken to room temperature. Make incisions with a knife. This will help the marinate soak into the chicken.
Add the rest of the ingredients into the chicken and then mix everything together. Marinate for at least three hours.
Making spice paste:
Grind 3 medium onions, 9 cloves of garlic, 2 inch of ginger, 5 green chillies and a handful of mint leaves with 2 tbsp of water into a smooth paste.

Making the Curry:
5tbsp oil
1tsp cumin powder
3 cardamon smashed
6 cloves
1 bay leaf
2tbsp red chili powder
2tbsp coriander powder
2tbsp cumin powder
2tbsp kitchen king powder
2tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish
Heat oil. Splutter cumin, cardamom, cloves and bay. As the aromas release add the spice paste. If the paste needs more oil then add a little more. It takes around fifteen minutes to cook the paste. But go for twenty if you are not sure.
Add the marinated chicken along with the spice powders and the salt. Simmer the chicken for twenty minutes until all the masala is cooked out and the chicken is cooked through. Adjust your seasoning and spices. If the masala is sticking then add a little water. Check if the chicken is cooked all the way through. If the curry needs cook for a few minutes more. Add coriander leaves and mix it all the way through.

Birthday lunch

Middle-eastern platter: Falafel with sour cream followed by Chicken Tagine and Herbed pilaf

Warm Apple pie dessert with vanilla ice-cream

Courtesy: Truffles cafe

Lazy Spreads

"You told me you were going to brunch. This looks like a feast!"

"Well, we just kept ordering. Its like the land of the lotus-eaters syndrome."

This is an excerpt from the conversation I had with one of my friends after she saw the photos of the brunch spread. And it it true. The moment you step on the stairs with terraces on either side, the painted walls reminiscent of lush Italian villas and the trees with golden highlights, it seems you step into a different dimension - a land where time has slowed down and life is good.

The smell of cinnamon and coffee, salty bacon, creamy eggs - they all call to you like siren's song. And in that moment you discover something new about yourself, that your stomach is a bottomless abyss.
We began with a round of coffee. The Moroccan cinnamon hot coffee was the special for that today and we ordered two of those along with Cappuccino Viennese. We sipped frothy, delicately spiced coffee while  joking about inane things.

Then the food arrived and I think we all were transported to some parallel Enid Blyon novel. We asked for the Eggs to order - scrambled with a side of bacon. The dish was served with hash browns, grilled tomato and a sprig of cilantro. In addition to that, you have a side of toast, butter, marmalade and blueberry jam. We also ordered Waffles with golden syrup and honey and one of the day's special - French toast with caramelized bananas and Mascarpone dip.

It was a definitely a feast - a delicious breakfast feast. I think it would take me several days and a lot of posts to do justice to all the dishes that we ate. But I will try to condense in one.
The scrambled eggs were so like soft curds that melted in your mouth-the perfect foil to buttered toast. The hash browns were nice, not over powering. The waffles were soft and sweet, drizzled with syrup and blueberry jam. But the highlight of the day - the Mascarpone dip served with the French Toast. We later agreed that it was like" having amazing sex with a guy you know is wrong for you". What can I say - the lit geekiness never seems to stay far away.

You would think after all that you would be stuffed and have no room for anything else. But something about the place - your fingers itch to open the menu again and look for more tasty morsels to order. And we did. The grand finale of the brunch was the Butterscotch cheesecake topped with sliced apples.It looks like the leaning tower of Pisa but the taste - oh, I am reminded of Rachel's description of the cheesecake in season 7 of Friends - "buttery, crumbly graham cracker crust with a rich and yet light cream cheese filling". I can say no more than that it was the perfect ending to the perfect meal. I would be hard-pressed to find a meal this good in quite a while.
Location: Truffles Cafe, Road No. 10, Jubilee Hills
What to try: Well, everything listed above
Ratings: 4.2/5