Bachelor Cooking Tip:
In almost every recipe, specially Indian Cooking, you will come across the phrase fry the onions till golden Brown. It is as ubiquitous as the word Masala in Indian Cooking. (Masala is Spice in Hindi, and can mean the whole gamut of Indian Spices like Cumin, Coriander powder, Cinnamon, pepper, Cloves, Bayleaves, paprika and even ginger-garlic at times)

Frying Onions till golden brown is a very delicate affair.

You can’t just say, fry for 4-5 minutes either since I don’t know what kind of flame you are using. I don’t even know what kind of Cooking vessel you are using. In a thin frying pan, frying till golden is difficult and the onions just tend to get burned. Thick bottom pans are very recipe friendly, and cast iron ones are the best. The picture above is a thick Aluminium Kadhai or Wok and it is also very Indian recipe friendly.

The picture was taken just before the Onions turned golden brown. Even if I say fry till golden brown, you need not wait till then. It might just get burned. This is the perfect time when you may add the crushed Ginger-garlic paste and saute before you add masalas or Tomatoes.
The significance of frying till golden brown is that it dries the onion of its sweet juice and gives a slightly seasoned taste to the curry. Burn it, and the curry gets spoiled. That is the secret to Indian cooking.. The perfect timing of the frying of the onions..

The above picture will launch a thousand Indian Recipes. Good Luck.

Oh, that much onions is enough for 1 kilo meat. For the frying till golden brown, that is. If you want to add more onions, add later when you add the Meat. Add onions later for a nice gravy. Add when the meat is dry, and fry till the onions have turned to gravy…. Enjoy!!

Yummy looking isn’t it. Taste real good with butter Chapatti.

Look at the dart board, used as a back ground. Amateur Photography haha.
Recipe will be updated soon.

And yes what you are seeing is crisp fried potatoes.
In the authentic Sali, the pototoes are even smaller. Match Stick thin.
I was too lazy to slice potatoes that thin.

I cooked the chicken, in the usual way we cook Chicken Curry, and then spread the potatoes afterwards. It was very tasty indeed.

One Kilo Chicken, marinade in 1 tsp Jeera powder, 1 tsp Dhania Powder, 1 Tsp Red Chilli and salt to taste. Marinade for 2 hours.

Two large Potatoes, cut into match stick thin slivers.
Fry till golden in a non-stick pan and keep aside.

Heat oil in a Pan or Wok and Fry One large Onion, and fry till golden brown.
Add 3 green chillis sliced in halves.
Add One and half table spoon of freshly ground ginger-garlic paste, and saute for 1 minute.
Add 2-3 Tomatoes, chopped well.
Add the chicken, mix well keep stirring for a few minutes.
Then cover the lid of the pan, and keep that way for 15 minutes in low heat.

Open the lid, you will see that lots of liquid have come out.
Increase heat and cook till gravy thickens.
Now add 1.5 cup of hot water and let shimmer.
Add 1 tsp chicken Masala and 1 tsp black pepper.
Take down after 2-3 minutes.

Spread the potatoes on top… ( Can I call it as garnishing?)
Enjoy!!

Phew!! A very tiresome weekend. Loose ends at work, and some catch with friends and by the time the weekend was over, i realised I couldn’t do the Curry Mela Round up.
Do wait till Next month. Also, I will be hosting it on this blog only, and only shift the curry mela posts into the new blog after each week. The Curry Mela Blog will be a repository of all previous Curry Mela. Inspired by Kalyn .

This is the picture of Chicken Sali. A Parsi delicacy which they prepare and relish especially during the Navroz. This is like a Normal Chicken Curry, with just a little Parsian Twist.. Will Post the recipe soon. Do Wait!!!

Chilli Chicken or Chicken Chilli is most Indian’s most recognized chinese dish, I presume. The more adventurous one would order a chicken manchurian perhaps. I am talking about the general hoi polloi here. A sweet corn soup, perhaps. Every restaurant today serves Chili Chicken. From the road side fast foot chinese and muglai resturante[sic] to even the usual Pardesi Bar and Restaurant.

I wouldn’t order chili chicken at the China Garden or Mainland China, but if I am at just another restaurant serving chinese, and I wanted chinese, I wouldn’t experiment. I would just go for the chili chicken. Safe, simple to prepare, and it would take a hundred fools to let it go wrong. He shouldn’t run the resturante in the first place itself.

Chili Chicken is quite simple to Prepare.
As the name suggest, it is chicken cooked with Lots of Chili.
Green Chilli, and Kashmiri chili or Capsicum.

You can either use boneless chicken balls, or just de-bone the chicken, I mean get deboned- Chicken.

Recipe:

700 grams of deboned-chicken
20 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (not crushed)
1 inch finger of ginger chopped
5-6 green chilis sliced. (if it is not the very HOT variety, out about 10, after all this is chili Chicken)
3 capsicums, cut into slices or slivers.
Spring onions, a handfull or 200 grams, chopped.
Onions and tomaotoes are optional, but to get a more Indian taste, you may add a roughly chopped Onion and two tomatoes.
A pinch of aji-no moto.
2-3 TBS of Soya Sauce.

Preparation:

Heat 2 TBS oil in a pan or wok.
Add the chicken, yes the chicken first.
Saute well till chicken become slightly gold.
(Should take 10 minutes, of continous sauteing with the spatula.)
Add the pinch of aji-no-moto.
Add the Chilli, capsicum, ginger garlic and saute for 5 more minutes.
**If you want to add Onions and Tomato add now.
Add spring onions, and mix well.
Add the soya sauce.
Add salt to taste ( lesser than your usual since soya sauce is also salty).
And keep mixing/turning with the spatula. Do that for 15 more minutes.

The Chili Chicken is now ready for the plates.

This is the Five Things to eat Before You Die Meme, started at the Traveler’s Lunch Box.
Cyndi first tagged me about a week back. I thought I will post, and then somehow couldn’t..
And today morning, I saw me tagged again by Rosie..

I shall post a reply today evening…. Bear with me till then..
Update:
The lists should be of “things you’ve eaten and think that everyone should eat at least once before they die.” as suggested by Traveller’s Lunchbox.
I have had Lot’s of such. My lists will be more from the North East India Cuisine. I will keep updating this list as and when I eat next time around with a Photograph in hand .. for now, I don’t have the picture of these authentic recipes. Mostly Non-vegetarian…
The List:
1. Turumbai:
Turumbai is a Traditional Cuisine of the Tribes of Meghalaya in the North east India. I am not sure which Tribes of Meghalaya claims ownership to this awesome dish, but I will give credit to all the Tribes of Meghalaya. Turumbai is Prepared with Fermented Soya and Pork. I am sure fermented soya beans are a delicacy in most Sout-east Asian countries. Fermented Soya is called Akhuni in Nagaland, and Hawaizaar in Manipur. More on Fermented Soya.
This dish is prepared by boiling pork with herbs, like Chives and Dill and a handfull of rice with fermented Soya. Very smelly, and you need to acquire the taste to like it, but once acquired, you will be addicted.

2. Chagem Pomba:
This is the Manipuri version of the above. Of course, this is very different, right from the way the soya beans are fermented. And it is Vegetarian, if you consider fish to be vegetarian food as we do .
This is cooked with Hawaizaar and aromatic Manipuri rice, green peas, smoked anchovies, shrimps, stink beans(Parkia), Lai/Sarsong leaves (Mustard Leaves) and flavored with Dill.

3. Pork and Bamboo Shoot:
This is a Naga Delicacy. Fresh Bamboo Shoot cooked with Pork and hot Chilli. You can carry on and on, on how it is prepared..It can be cooked in different ways. You may Cook it in a very simple way. Very easy, very yummy. Wash and Heat pork in a deep bottom pan, till water dires and oil start comming out. Add crushed ginger and garlic, and red chilli flakes. Saute in own oil for 10-15 minutes. Add a handfull of bamboo shoot, and saute for 5 more minutes. Add salt to taste.. Add water, and bring to a boil, till gravy thickens.
You could have added some spring onions as well in the end.

4. Venison Meat:
Venison Meat just crumbles like a cookie, albiet soft, in your mouth.. Hunting deer is illegal, and I won’t suggest or encourage it, but if you happen to come across any venision meat being sold, try it. You won’t regret it. Complain to the ranger later. But not before you get your stock for a month. Best meat one could ever have. I had it when one of our Truck Drivers who ply the Hill Route, came back with a Full Leg from one of the Hill Villages.

5. Ootti:
This is a Vegetarian, Manipuri Delicacy. Dried White Peas cooked with baking powder. I had blogged about it, and the post is here. Do try it once, or again and again. It is quite easy, and You can cook it at your home, today. All you need is a handfull of peas(even frozen green ones would do, tastes different then the dried ones, but taste amazing, nonetheless)

Cheers….

I wish to tag the following fellow foodies:

Lu2cook at Cooking Medley.
Mandira at Ahaar.
Meeta. From Germany!
Paz. From the cooking adventures!!
Melissa from Panama.

Smoked Bacon for Dinner!
What are you talking?

How about a real easy and simple Smoked Bacon Curry. Well Stew would be a better word.

And Real Healthy too.
Almost a health food.

How does it taste?
You have to try it to believe it, You will get hooked I tell you.

Recipe:
Hmm in a Deep bottom Pan, heat 1 tbs vegetable or Olive oil.
Sputter a TSP of Cumin seeds.
Add 1 tsp of Garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Add 2 Finely chopped Tomatoes.
Add one large potato cut into half Inch Cubes.
Add one Onion roughly chopped.
One cup of Peas.
One Cup of French beans. ( I didn’t this time, since I ran out of it)
Add 1 tsp of finely chopped ginger.
Mix well and add 2 cups of water.
Add 1 tsp of red chilli powder and Black pepper powder.
Shimmer for 5 minutes.
Add 6-7 strips or 250 grams of Bacon.
Add 200 grams of spring onions.
Add salt to taste.
Shimmer till Potatoes are cooked.
Serve with Hot rice.

PS:For a more healthy version. Directly boil all Vegetables without frying the Cumin seed and Garlic. Don’t add garlic and Cumin in this case, just boil all ingredients in the step I described with ginger and pepper as the ingredient.