Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Pudina Dhaniya Chicken -- Chicken in Mint Corriander Sauce





Sometimes readers will leave a comment asking "How much salt?". A weighted question with no answer that I know of. Honestly, I don't know how much salt. My salt adding tactics while cooking is start with less salt --> taste --> add a little more --> taste again -->...repeat steps till equilibrium is reached.... Yes do that and do not dip the same spoon again and again without rinsing and same goes about your finger, ok not the finger maybe.

Talking about salt did you know that every winter the salt dumped on US roadways is 13 times more than that used by the Food Processing Industry. Yes, the salt that prevents your car from skidding is actually seeping into groundwater supplies and into lakes and streams thus disrupting aquatic plants and animals. So is there an alternative that is as cheap ? Not really unless you accept more judicious use of the salt like salting only the main roads and highways and using sand on the inner roads. Or salting just before the storm hits rather than later. Or just staying indoors until the snow melts and it is Spring.





Now to the chicken which is a direct influence of the Chicken Hariyali Kabab recipes from Aayi's Recipes

That recipes is perfect and any normal person would not have messed with it.

Me, I am "Cuckoo", as Big Sis S says. I wanted to make a Chicken with Mint and Corriander, wanted a gravy based dish and loved the Hariyali Kabab recipe. So then this followed. The chicken is first cooked exactly as in Hariyali Kabab and then the gravy follows. If you don't want the gravy stop when the chicken is done, eat them all up, lick your fingers and then lament the loss of the gravy.

If you want a minty gravy, go ahead and make the gravy. Depending on your taste, increase or decrease the amount of mint and corriander in the gravy. In lack of a better name I just call it Pudina Dhaniya Chicken or Chicken in Mint & Corriander Sauce.


Read more...






Influenced by this Chicken Hariyali Kabab Recipe

Pudina Dhaniya Chicken/Chicken in Mint & Coriander Sauce



What You Need


Chicken ~ 2 lb skinned and cut in small pieces

To make a Masala for Marinade

Chopped Corriander Leaves ~ 1 cup
Chopped Mint Leaves ~ 1/2 cup
Green Chili ~ 4 (add more depending on your heat level)
Ginger ~ 1" peeled and chopped
Garlic ~ 4 fat cloves

Clove ~ 4
Cinnamon ~ 2" stick
Black Pepper Powder ~ 1 tsp

Thick Yogurt ~ 1/2 cup
Salt ~ to taste

For Gravy

Onion ~ 1 cup of finely chopped red onion
Garlic Paste ~ 1 heaped tsp

Kasoori Methi ~ 1 tsp crushed between your palm
Red Chili Powder ~ 1/2 tsp
Salt ~ to taste

Oil ~ for cooking

To make into a Masala Paste for Gravy

Chopped Corriander leaves ~ 1/4 cup
Chopped Mint leaves ~ 1/2 cup
Poppy Seeds ~ 1 tbsp
Cashew ~ 2 tbsp
Little water


How I Did It

Cooking the Chicken

Make a thick Paste with all ingredients listed under Masala For Marinade. Marinate the washed and cleaned chicken pieces with this spice paste for 2-4 hrs. or even overnight. The least I have done is 1 hr.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, shake off any excess and arrange the pieces on a baking tray. I drizzle a little oil on the pieces before they go into the oven.

Preheat Oven to 350F. Bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes. If you DO NOT want to proceed to gravy then cook till chicken is done. Note: These are my Toaster Oven settings

Making the Gravy

While the chicken is in the oven, make a wet spice paste with all ingredients listed underMasala Paste for Gravy.We will add this masala paste to the gravy later.

Heat Oil in a saute Pan

Add the chopped onion and fry till onion is soft and translucent

Add 1 tsp of garlic paste and saute till fragrant.

Add the masala paste(that you made) and saute for couple of minutes. Add the remaining marinade(from the chicken) if any and cook the masala till you see oil seeping out from the edges

Crush the Kasoori Methi between your palms and add it to above. Saute for a minute. Add 1/2 tsp of Red Chili Powder. Adjust Chili Powder according to taste.

The chicken is done by now so add the chicken pieces to the pan and mix in with the spices. If there is liquid drippings in the baking tray do not add all the liquid now.

Cook the chicken with masala for a minute or two and then add the liquid drippings from the bake tray. Add little water as needed for gravy. Adjust for salt and seasoning and cook till the gravy thickens and is just enough to coat the chicken.

Once the chicken is done sprinkle some black pepper powder to give a nice heat effect.



26 comments:

  1. LOL! Same q for me too. "You didn't say how much salt and Turmeric" or if I write "cook rice as you do normally", they say "But how can you without water? you didn't say!"

    I was wondering why I didn't see your's and Indo's post for long time. I thought I missed it in the weekend, you must be busy. It is depressing these days here, even though weather temp is 55F, still cloudy and rainy. Waiting breathlessly for Spring.

    Lovely Mint chicken with gravy, we prefer gravy too. My mint is coming out of ground already, everything else is cold and stiff! :)

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  2. Sandeepa the chicken looks doubly yum with the coriander and mint. I stopped using mint in chicken gravies because I wanted to get away from the taste for a bit but you are tempting to go back with a vengeance.

    As for the salt on the roads part I like the last option.

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  3. Well, we will never stop polluting and destroying everything! The chicken looks super duper delicious!

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  4. I always assume the one who ask about salt is really a newbie to food or even to kitchen!
    I made once pudina chicken but didn't really like it.
    Hope it is not snowing in East!

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  5. LOL

    Did you know that here they sprinkle sand on the roads during snow.. we did not really know how to react :-) But I guess texas is not very equipped when it snows..

    This combination is one our favorites.. fresh and cool. Just realized I have not posted mine.. and now i have no idea if I ever wrote a post! Yummmm....

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  6. this looks delicious..i m bookmarkin this,...;-)

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  7. Oh same here never measured salt and prefer to say as per taste. and I follow the same route of tasting and adding. Hubby loves Green chicken. this dish would be perfect for him.

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  8. Here too i add salt, taste and then add again . But here my hubby thinks i eat and add too much salt.
    Love the chicken dish, just wish my hubby and daughter had the same liking for corriander as i have. They like it if i just sprinkle but not to much weird :-)

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  9. 'salt to taste' can be confusing. But i don't give my measures too as I use an excess

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  10. "Stay indoors till it's spring"...is a wonderful idea :) I'm waiting for spring to blog... lol! I am the type who forgets to add salt in rice dishes, so you better mention how much salt!

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  11. loved your blog ..great recipes :-)

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  12. Absolutely love this combo' Pudina-Dhaniya chicken sounds outstanding, good with rotis and rice.:)

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  13. It looks very yummy, I was also thinking how about keeping the kebabs just like they are and use the gravy as a sauce.

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  14. Asha

    Weekend was very hectic, I seem to get less and less comp time if I am home . LOL. It feels better to spend time with the kiddos than online :-D

    Indo

    I wasn't a mint fan at all. Maybe the coriander in this chicken balances the mint

    Superchef

    Thanks

    Meeso

    Thank You :)

    Cham

    I think Indian food is more about estimate and taste than precise measurments. Try this one, the coriander balances the mint

    Soma

    It seems sand is a better idea than salt

    Notyet

    Let me know how you like it

    Sayantani

    Green Chicken ta ki ?

    HC

    I tend to go less on salt, I fear more

    Knife

    Yeah whose taste

    Jyo

    Ha, ha :)

    Shreya

    Thanks

    Malar

    Thank You

    Chandrima

    You might drizzle the gravy on the chicken and see

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  15. Hariyali chicken, yum. I have the same principle with salt. Also, don't want to kill anyone with my bad habit of adding too much!!

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  16. I make this mint-coriander paste and use it for gravy when I have too much - always think it will taste odd but it never does, whatever the proportions!

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  17. Wow Hariyali chicken, mmm looks so yummy and tempting!!! Oh I know I know how much salt and water and sometimes pinch makes no sense too, funny!!! LOL anyways am all drooling over the pics there!!!

    http://memoryarchieved.blogspot.com

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  18. LOL...I always wonder onhow much salt they are using to get rid of the snow...
    This chicken is simply superb ..lovely blend of flavors infused into the chicken and it looks fantastic !

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  19. I get this question all the time in my class about salt Especially when folks are used to baking, they want exact measurements.I also have students who have never salted their dish, can you imagine how salty our dishes might seem to them.

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  20. Mee tooo....as far as the salt comes...u won't believe that I do the same for chilli/sambar powder too ;) But somehow manage to give measurements. As can't eat this chicken I am imagining the same combo for potatoes :)

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  21. I never measure when I cook. So it gets very difficult for me to remain warm to questions about them!

    I need to learn the art of patience and this chicken recipe from you! :-)

    Its amazing how some common herbs from an Indian kitchen can make such a killer dish. I am gonna try this soon, except that I do want to make it with fresh mint. I have frozen or dried all the mint I had. :-(

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  22. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmy! I tried it out this weekend and it was amazing!! I forgot to remove the chicken from the over after 30 minutes. Removed it after around 45 minutes but it was still really super yummy! Thanks!

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  23. I happened to chance upon this dish while browsing around. :) Your dish no doubt looks very tempting amd will be awesome too!

    I usually make a version minus the onion, cashews, poppey seeds and mint. I call it Chicken in spinach n corriander sauce

    Do take a look if you can. :) Thought I'd share it with you.

    http://flavorandtang.blogspot.com/2011/02/chicken-in-spinach-n-corriander-sauce.html

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  24. Nice post! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!

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  25. This is too good, I am making this again this weekend after the last weekend!

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