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2013-11-22

Chicken preparation: Spiced-Chicken-Pieces






Chicken preparation:

Spiced-Chicken-Pieces:

Kill the chicken with a single stroke so it won’t know what hit it.
Suspend it by its legs above some ground, so that all the blood flows out and onto the ground.
After a while, take it down.
Slit the skin, and remove.  Then there’s no need to pluck it.

Wash off the blood and then cut it into bite-size pieces.

In a deep non-stick frying-pan (or an iron-skillet – just heat it real hot when it’s washed and clean and empty.  When it’s really, really hot, pour in some oil and swirl it all around.  That will fill up all the pores of the iron that would have opened when the iron pan was heated.  The oil then fills it up, so nothing else will, and voila!  it is non-stick).

Pour in some oil to fry the bite-size pieces.
When the oil is hot, place the chicken pieces in.  Sauté on high heat, without anything. 

Spices:

Whole spices:

Mustard – when the chicken-pieces are cooked, move ‘em to a side and in the oil that is left behind, put in the whole mustard seeds and hear them crackle.  When they’ve spluttered and then fall silent, add in whole jeera seeds and saunf seeds, and sauté awhile.

Powdered ingredients:

Kashmiri red-chilly-powder or any red-chilly-powder of your choice according to your heat-index.  If you like it bland, try Kashmiri-red-chilli-powder.  If you like it hot or real hot, try whatever red-chilly you usually use.
Dry ginger powder
Jeera powder
Coriander powder
Turmeric powder.
Salt to taste
-      Mix all the powder together in a bowl, in a ratio of 2:1: 2: 4 : 2, or any ratio you choose  - it will turn out well.  Don’t you worry, the ingredients are good, so it will just taste different, but it will be good.

Into the spluttered mustard seeds and other seeds, add in the powdered ingredients, and fry on low heat. 
When the bubbling of the spices subsides, mix in the chicken pieces and coat awhile.
When the spices are well stuck on the chicken-pieces, remove and serve with a smile.

Serving suggestion:

Slice whole red tomatoes (with the skin).
Place all around the plate and in the centre.
Sprinkle salt on it.
Mix some sliced onion, vinegar and salt.  Mix and then squeeze out the extra vinegar and place on top, of the tomatoes, maybe just in the centre, or maybe all around.
Place the Spiced-Chicken-Pieces on the onions and the garnish with coriander leaves.

The plate is now ready to serve.  What you do with it is up to you.
I eat most of it, and then give some away, and then give the rest to the cats.




A meal in a stew






A meal in a stew

(with the locally available ingredients.  Here they are as below:)


1 measure – approximately ½ cup.  It depends on the capacity of the pressure cooker.

Whole-grain rice – 1 measure
Water – 4 measures

Whole split-green-gram dal – 1 measure
Water – 3 measures

Whole split-black-gram-dal – 1 measure
Water – 3 measures

Broken whole-wheat pieces – 1 measure
Water – 3 measures

Put all ingredients in the pressure cooker.  Pour in all the measured water.
Turn on the heat.

Garlic – 1 pod for a measure of a ½ cup
Peel and slice garlic.
Add to the other ingredients in the pressure cooker.
Small sambar onions – peeled and whole – about 5 or 6 or more
Add to the other ingredients in the pressure cooker.


Cabbage – sliced – 1 cup
Brinjal – sliced – ½ cup
Add to the other ingredients in the pressure cooker.

Whole jeera seeds – according to taste
Add to the other ingredients in the pressure cooker.

Rinse the lid and cover the pressure cooker.
When the steam rises, put the weight on.
Let it cook.

In a non-stick deep frying-pan,
Pour in oil

In a bowl, mix
Dry ginger powder
Coriander powder
Jeera powder
Turmeric powder

When the oil is hot
Splutter mustard seeds (amount according to taste)
Add a few fenugreek seeds (be careful, these may be a little bitter, so don’t over-do them, and make sure they’re fried well)
Add jeera seeds
Add saunf seeds
Mix while it fries.

Mix in chopped curry leaves and fry a bit.

Toss in some chopped ladys-finger.  Fry a bit and then put the lid on.  Let it cook a while.  Mix occasionally.
When done, dump in the dry spice powders.
Mix in the oil till fried.
Pour in some water to stop the frying or it might burn.
Pour in some water with tamarind, the amount being to taste.
Add crystal-salt in water, to taste.
Add chopped coriander leaves.

Switch off the pressure cooker.  Hold under tap water to ease the pressure.
When the pressure subsides, place back on the fire, I mean the stove.
Then take off the weight and put it in it’s hold.
Open the lid and pour the stew out
Into the deep frying pan till it is all there.

Mix everything.
Ladle it out into the serving plates, and eat it whole.
Don’t forget to walk it off, or you’ll end up sleeping it off, which ain’t bad.
Both have their advantages, I say.

Serve with beef, chicken or fish.