MURGH MAKANI

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken , washed, patted dry and cut into small pieces – (feel free to use chicken with or without bones, chicken thighs or a combination of breast and thighs)
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsplemon juice
salt
butter to baste while grilling

For marinade:

3/4 cup plain yogurt, strained/hung or use 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1.5 tsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 – 1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1.5 ttbsp mustard oil

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

For the sauce / Makani masala

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2-4 fresh green chili pepper, slit
4 tbsp melted butter
4 green cardamoms
1.5 – 2 inch cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
1 black cardamom
1/2 -3/4 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
3-3.5 cups tomato puree (fresh tomatoes) or canned tomatoes (reduce the amount a little bit here as the water content will be less as compared to the fresh)
1 tbsp red chili powder/cayenne pepper/paprika or to taste
10 almonds, soaked, peeled and made into a paste
1 tsp garam masala

1 tablespoon kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 tablespoon sugar or honey (you might need to adjust this based on how tart the tomatoes are. The dish will not be sweet. The sweet is used to neutralize the acid)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream

Method:

Apply red chili powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and set aside for 20 minutes. This is the first marination.

Combine all ingredients of the second marinade (see ingredient list). Apply this marinade to the chicken and refrigerate for three to four hours; overnight works better.

Put the chicken on  skewers and cook on a grill or a preheated oven  at 400°F,  for about 10 minutes while turning them over mid way. Cook until done. Do not overcook, as the chicken will dry out and get fibrous. Baste it with butter/ghee/oil or marinade if you want, a couple of times while cooking. Set aside once done.

(The chicken may be grilled on a skillet/cast iron pan/grill pan on the stove top  too. Heat the skillet/stove top grill pan and coat it with oil. Place the skewers and cook while turning them around and basting with oil and marinade until done, for about 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.)

Cooking the Sauce:

Heat butter or oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add green cardamoms, black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.

 Sauté for a couple of minutes  or till they start to sizzle and get fragrant; add the methi/fenugrek seeds. When the methi seeds sizzle, add ginger paste and garlic paste, and the slit green chillies. 

Cook in medium heat for five  to eight minutes; the water from the paste would have evaporated and the ginger garlic paste would have reduced in quantity.

Add tomato puree or paste, red chili powder, and salt. Cook (may partially cover during cooking) at medium heat for about 15 – 20 minutes. The puree will reduce to a thick paste and the oil/ghee will separate from the sides of the pan.

After the tomatoes are cooked down, you might want to blend the cooked sauce (along with all the spices) into a smooth puree, if you want a restaurant like smooth texture for the sauce – especially if you are using fresh tomatoes. return it back to the pan after blending and continue with the rest of the process.

Add 2.5 cups of hot water to the pan (or if you want it less soupy and want the sauce to kind of coat the chicken pieces and have a little bit extra, add less water or simmer for longer time to achieve the pref. consistency as per your taste), add the almond paste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes; add sugar and crushed kasuri methi.

Add cooked grilled chicken pieces. Stir well to combine – the chicken will be well coated with the sauce. Cover and simmer for eight to ten minutes; Lower the heat and add garam masala and the heavy cream. Stir in the cream and simmer at low heat for about five more minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and add a splash of cream before serving.

BEETROOT PULAO

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati Rice
1 cup Onion thinly sliced
1 slit    Green chilli 
1 tsp gingergarlic paste
1 Tomato chopped
1 cup Grated Beetroot 
fistful Mint leaves 
2 tbsp   Coriander leaves  chopped
1 tsp   Biryani masala
1 tsp sambhar powder
Salt as  needed
2 cups  Water
 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon juice 

For the seasoning
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp  Fennel seeds
1  Bay leaf  
2  Cloves 
1"  Cinnamon -1 inch piece
1 Cardamom 

Method 

Wash and soak basmati rice for 20 minutes. Drain the water and keep it aside.

Wash, peel the skin and grate or finely chop beetroot.

Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, when it splutters, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf.

Saute for a few seconds, then add thinly sliced onions, slit green chilli and cook until onions turn transparent.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few more minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add beetroot, coriander leaves, mint leaves, biryani masala, sambar powder and salt needed.

Mix well, add 2 cups of water and lemon juice. When water starts boiling, add soaked and drained basmati rice. Mix well and check for salt by tasting the water, if the water is slightly salty, it will become perfect once the rice is cooked. Lower the heat and cook covered until rice is done. You can pressure cook rice or cook rice in a pan with lid or use the rice cooker.

Once done, fluff it with a fork, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or papads.

Add water according to the quality of your rice.(1 cup of basmati rice needs appoximately - 1 1/2 -2 cups of water. The rice I used needed 2 cups of water, moreover I like my rice to be soft.)