Popcorn Chicken – Better than KFC

Popcorn Chicken

Why it’s better than KFC?

Bite sized chicken chunks are coated with Panko ( Japanese) breadcrumbs instead of regular bread crumbs, which absorbs less oil and keeps Popcorn Chicken light and crispy.

Chicken is fried in oil instead of lard, normally restaurants fry chicken pieces in lard or shortening ( Vanaspathi).

You can flavor popcorn chicken as per your taste.

Ingredients

Chicken Thigh or breast meat – 250 gms

Red chilli powder or black pepper powder – 1 and ¼ tsp

Garlic powder – 1 tsp

Lemon juice – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Egg – 1 number

Plain flour / Maida – ¼ cup

Panko Breadcrumbs – 1 and ½ cups

Panko breadcrumbed Chicken

Method

  1. Chop the chicken thigh or breast meat into bite sized pieces.

  2. Marinade chicken pieces with 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp lemon juice and required salt for at least 20 minutes.

  3.  Lightly beat an egg with ¼ tsp red chili powder and 2 generous pinches of salt  in a bowl.

  4. Place plain flour in another bowl. and set aside.

  5. Place panko breadcrumbs in a wide bowl or plate and set aside.

  6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan.

  7. First add 4 or 5 marinated chicken pieces to the plain flour mixture and coat well with flour, shake excess flour from the chicken pieces and add it to the egg mixture. Quickly shake to drip of excess egg from chicken pieces and add it to the panko breadcrumbs and coat well. Place breadcrumb coated chicken pieces on to separate plate. Continue the same process with rest of chicken pieces.

  8. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium and start adding chicken pieces to oil in batches. Fry the chicken pieces until golden brown, crispy and drain on to a paper towel.

  9. Serve hot Popcorn Chicken with sauce of your choice.

Popcorn Chicken Recipe

Restaurant Style Butter Chicken Recipe / Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe with step by step pictures

                                                Mye's Kitchen

Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients to marinade chicken

Chicken pieces ( Boneless or with bone ) – 250 grams

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Ginger & Garlic paste – 1 teaspoon

Lemon Juice – ¼ teaspoon

Salt – ½ teaspoon

Ingredients for sauce

Butter – 3 tablespoon

Oil – 1 teaspoon

Onion large sliced – 1 number

Tomato large sliced – 1 number

Ginger sliced – 1” piece

Green Cardamom – 4 numbers

Cashewnuts – 8 numbers

Kasuri methi leaves – generous pinch

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Sugar – 1 teaspoon

Salt – required

Thickened cream – ¼ cup

Restaurant style Butter Chicken 

Method

  1. Marinade chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon ginger & garlic paste, 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt, for at least half an hour.

  2. Add 1 tablespoon butter in a pan, when butter melts add the marinated chicken pieces and fry on medium heat until chicken is 3/4^th done. Remove fried chicken to a plate and set aside.

  3. In the same pan add 1 tsp oil, add chopped onion, ginger slices, whole cardamom and cashewnuts. Sauté for few minutes on medium heat until onions turn transparent and glossy.

  4. Add kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, sugar,  kasuri methi leaves and chopped tomatoes to the onions in the pan and sauté on medium heat for 2 mins or until tomatoes are cooked and mushy. Remove the pan from heat and allow the onion & tomato mixture to cool.

  5. Grind the onion & tomato mixture to a fine paste in a mixer grinder, adding very little water as required.

  6. Add 2 tablespoon butter to a sauce pan, when butter starts to melt add the ground paste and 1 cup water to the pan and bring the mixture to boil. When gravy is boiling add the fried chicken pieces to the gravy and season with required salt.

  7. Simmer the chicken pieces in boiling gravy on low heat for 7 mins or until chicken is fully cooked.

  8. Finally when the gravy is slightly thickened and chicken is cooked, turn off the heat. Add the cream slowly to the chicken gravy and stir well.

  9. Finally garnish Butter chicken curry with chopped coriander leaves and dollop of cream.

  10. Serve with basmati rice, Nan bread or Pilaf.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Idli Sambar / Hotel Idli Sambar Recipe

Hotel Idli Sambar Recipe

Ingredients
Hot idlis ( click here for the recipe) - 4 pieces
Hotel Sambar ( click here for the recipe) - 2 cups
Ghee - 2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Idli Sambar Recipe

Method
1. Add hot idlis to a shallow serving plate.
2. Pour hot sambar over Idlis.
3. Pour ghee over the sambar.
4. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and onions( optional)
Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Palak Paneer Recipe Restaurant Style / Saag Paneer Recipe

Saag Paneer Resturant Style

Ingredients
Spinach - 1 bunch
Paneer / Indian cottage cheese - 300 gms
Thick cream - 4 tbsp
Onion chopped - 1 no + 1 no
Tomato chopped - 1 no
Green chilli - 1 no
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp

Palak Paneer Restaurant Style

Method
1. Wash the spinach, chop it and set aside.
2. Chop the paneer into pieces, soak it in hot water for 10 mins, drain and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tsp butter in a pan, add 1 no chopped onion, sauté for few seconds, remove on to plate and set aside.
4. In the same pan add the chopped spinach and sauté for 2 mins until spinach had shrunk, cool the spinach and purée in a mixer blender with green chilli.
5. Wipe the same pan and return to heat. Add 2 tbsp butter to the pan, when butter starts to melt add cumin seeds and allow to crackle. Increase pan heat, add the other chopped onion to the pan and sauté till onions are soft.
6. Add ginger & garlic paste to the pan and sauté until raw smell leaves.
7. Now add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook till tomatoes are soft.
8. Next add red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and required salt
to the pan, sauté for a minute on low heat.
9. Add the puréed spinach and soaked paneer to the pan, stir well until everything is mixed.
10. Remove pan from heat, finally add the thick cream and butter sauted onions to the pan and stir
well.

Restaurant Style Recipes

Paneer Manchurian Dry - Restaurant Style

Paneer Manchurian Dry Restaurant Style

Ingredients
Paneer cubes - 2 cups
Diced onion - 1 no
Minced onion - 1 no
Diced capsicum - 1 no
Minced ginger - 1" piece
Minced garlic - 3 cloves
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tsp
Red chilli paste - 1 tsp
Ajinomoto - 1/4 tsp
Cornflour - 4 tbsp
Maida / All purpose flour - 1 tsp
White pepper - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil required
Chopped spring onions to garnish.

Paneer Manchurian

Method
1. In a bowl combine cornflour, maida, white pepper and 1/4 tsp salt, mix well. Add paneer cubes to this flour mixture and coat well. Deep fry the flour coated paneer pieces in hot oil until golden browned. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add diced onion and capsicum. Quickly stir fry on high heat until onion and capsicum retain its crunchiness and set aside.
3. In the same pan heat 2 tsp oil, add minced onion, garlic and ginger, quickly stir fry for a second.
4. Add soy sauce, red chilli paste, tomato sauce, ajinomoto, required salt and sprinkle tsp of water to the pan and stir well.
5. Add the deep fried paneer pieces to the pan and toss well to coat the sauce. Toss paneer manchurian until dry.
Garnish with chopped spring onion greens and serve.

Manchurian Dry

Paneer Korma / Paneer Kurma Restaurant Style

Paneer Korma Resturant Style

Ingredients
Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese - 2 cups
Onion chopped - 1 no
Tomatoes - 2 no
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Kasuri methi leaves - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5 nos
Roasted Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Cardamom - 2 pods
Butter - 2 tbsp
Fresh thick cream - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Paneer Kurma for Chapathi

Method
1. Chop the paneer into cubes, deep fry in oil until lightly browned, drain and set aside( or soak paneer cubes in hot water for 10 mins, drain and set aside to make it soft).
2. Blanch the tomatoes in hot water for 10 minutes or until skin of tomato slightly shrinks. Remove tomatoes skin and chop it coarsely.
3. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan, when butter starts to melt add chopped onions and sauté till onions are soft.
4. Add the ginger and garlic paste to the pan and sauté until raw smell leaves.
5. Add the blanched and chopped tomatoes, cardamom, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, cashew nuts, poppy seeds and grated coconut to the pan, stir well for 3 minutes on low heat. Remove pan from heat and allow mixture to cool.
6. Once tomato mixtures reaches room temperature, grind this mixture in blender until smooth.
7. Wipe the same pan and return to heat, add 1 tbsp butter and add the ground masala paste, stir well on low heat.
8. Add 1 cup water to the pan, stir well and loosen the gravy.
9. Increase heat bring gravy to boil, add paneer cubes to boiling gravy and season with required salt. Let the korma boil for 2 minutes.
10. Finally garnish paneer korma with crushed kasuri methi and thick cream, stir well and serve with ghee rice or hot pulkas.

Chefs tips
1. Since everyone in my home loves paneer I used 2 cups you can use 1 to 1.5 cups paneer for this recipe.
2. Using fresh cream gives richness to the recipe, it's optional to use cream.
3. I used Kashmiri red chilli powder in this recipe to get bright orange color, if using ordinary red chilli powder use food color to get the color.

Beach Sundal Gravy / Kaiyendhi Bhavan Masala Sundal / Thattukada Street food Snacks Recipe

Beach Sundal Gravy

My hubby is fond of this street food snack made with dried yellow peas ( note do not use dried green peas for this recipe that doesn't give authentic taste) simmered in tomato sauce. While served masala vada or onion samosa are crushed on a plate then topped with this peas gravy and chopped raw onions. Though this pattani masala sundal is very tasty I'm scared of such street food as they are prepared in unhealthy way. So I started making this at home to satisfy his taste buds. Make sure you make some masala vada, onion samosa or even bajji to go with this pattani sundal.

Ingredients
Dried yellow peas - 3/4 cup
Onion minced - 1 no
Tomato minced - 2 no
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder / Aniseed powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water required

Other things required
Chopped raw onions to garnish
Onion samosa or masala vada to serve with sundal gravy.
Kara Boondhi - 1 cup

Street Food Sundal Gravy

Method
1. Soak the dried yellow peas overnight in water. The next day drain the yellow peas and boil it in water along with few pinch of cooking soda until the peas are tender. Drain the cooked peas and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add minced onion and sauté for a minute.
3. Now add the minced tomatoes to the onion in the pan and sauté until tomatoes are soft.
4. Next add all the spice powder along with salt to the pan and sauté for a minute.
5. Add generous amount of water to the pan and bring to boil. Adjust the seasoning if required.
6. Add the cooked peas to the gravy and simmer for 2 mins.
While serving crush onion samosa or masala vada on a plate pour pattani sundal along with watery gravy over it and garnish chopped raw onion, kara boondhi and serve.
To give more authentic feel to your hubby or loved one charge them Rs 10 per plate ;-)

Kaiyendhi Bhavan Masala Sundal

Chefs tips
1. There is no proper recipe for this street food, the base ingredients are dried yellow peas, tomatoes and onions. You can throw whatever spice powder available in your kitchen in this recipe.
2. The most important thing is this sundal gravy has to be watery with little less salt for very authentic taste;-)

Meen Soru - Jakob's Kitchen Restaurant Style

Meen Soru Recipe

Ingredients for fish marination
Boneless Shark fish (Sura) or Seer fish (Vanjaram) - 250 gms
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Ingredients for rice
Seeraga samba - 1 and 1/2 cups
Onion minced - 2 nos
Tomato finely chopped - 2 nos
Garlic thinly sliced - 2 cloves
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Pudina / Mint leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves chopped - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Cloves - 4 nos
Cardamom - 4 nos
Cinnamon stick - 2" piece
Oil - 4 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Fish Rice Recipe

Method
1. Boil fish until tender, drain and completely squeeze water. Mince the fish pieces with fork, marinate with ingredients given under fish marination for 15 mins.
2. Boil rice until tender, drain and mix 1 tsp oil to the cooked rice, spread rice on large plate and allow to cool.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan, add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Add onions, curry leaves and garlic, saute until slightly browned.
4. Add ginger & garlic paste to the pan, saute until raw smell leaves.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and saute for 2 mins until tomatoes are cooked.
6. Next add chopped mint, coriander leaves, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder to the pan, saute for 2 mins.
7. Now add marinated fish mince and lemon juice to the pan, stir fry for few mins on medium heat.
8. Add cooked rice to the pan, stir well until fish mixture and rice are well mixed.
9. Serve hot with chicken gravy, salna or with raita.

Chefs tips
1. You can use any boneless fish fillets for this recipe.
2. Seeraga sambar rice has authentic Southindian flavor and aroma. Ponni raw rice or Basmati rice can be substituted instead of seeraga samba rice.

Fish Biryani

Disclaimer- this not an original recipe from Jakob's Kitchen. The recipe and idea has been adapted,  tried and tested in my kitchen to derive actual taste closely to restaurant preparation.

Egg Malai Curry / Egg Butter Masala

Boiled eggs in mildly spiced creamy gravy. Best sidedish for naan, jeera pulao or ghee rice.

Egg Malai Curry

Eggs - 5 nos
White Onions medium - 2 nos
Green chilli - 1 no
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 3 nos
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Cashewnuts - 10 nos
Kasuri methi - 1/4 tsp
Thick cream - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 50 gms
Oil - 1 tsp

Egg Malai Masala

Method
1. Boil the eggs, remove its shell and cut each egg into halve.
2. Toast kasuri methi in a pan, crush between palms and set aside.
3. Heat oil in pan, add roughly chopped onion, green chilli and ginger & garlic paste, saute until onion turns transparent and raw smell of ginger & garlic leaves.
4. Next add cardamom, cashewnuts, cumin powder and kashmiri chilli powder to the onions and saute for 3 mins on low heat.
5. Remove pan from heat and allow onion mixture to cool, grind the onion mixture to smooth paste adding few tsp water if required.
6. Wipe the same pan and return to heat, add butter to the pan, when butter starts to melt add the ground onion paste to the pan.
7. Saute the ground onion paste on low heat for 3 mins, add sugar, crushed kasuri methi and required salt to the onion gravy and mix well.
8. Remove the pan from heat, add thick cream to the onion gravy and stir well.
9. Add the halved eggs to the malai gravy and garnish with few kasuri methi leaves.
Serve hot Egg malai curry with naan, jeera rice or pulao

Chef's tip
Paneer can be substituted in place of eggs for Paneer Malai Curry.

Egg Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala - Restaurant Style - Step by step instructions.

How to  make Restaurant style Panner Butter Masala / Paneer Makhani recipe

Paneer Butter Masala Restaurant style

Ingredients
Fresh Paneer / Indian Cottage cheese cubed - 250 gms
Onion large sized - 2 nos
Ginger - 1" piece
Apple Tomato / Bangalore Tomato / Roma tomato large - 1 and 1/2 nos
Cashew nuts - 15 nos
Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Kasuri methi - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Green Cardamom - 2 nos
Thick cream / heavy cream - 1/4 cup
Butter - 50 gms
Oil - 2 tsp

Paneer Makhani

Method
1. Chop onions, ginger and tomato coarsely.
2. If preferred shallow fry the paneer cubes until golden color or use as it is.
3. Roast kasuri methi in a pan on low heat, allow to cool and crush the roasted kasuri methi between palms, set aside.
4. Heat oil in a non stick pan, add chopped onions, ginger and sugar, saute for few minutes until onions turns transparent and glossy.
5. Add cashew nuts, cardamom, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder to the onions and saute on low heat for a minute.
6. Next add chopped tomatoes to the pan and saute on low heat for 8 to 10 mins, until raw smell of tomato leaves and oil oozes on the sides of pan.
7. Remove pan from heat and allow the tomato mixture to cool.
8. Grind the tomato mixture to smooth paste in mixer blender by adding little water.
9. Wipe the same pan and return to heat.
10. On low heat add butter to the pan, reserve a dollop of butter to garnish.
11. When butter starts slightly to melt, add the ground tomato gravy paste, paneer and required salt to the pan, add required water to loosen the gravy and keep stirring for a minute to slightly thicken.
12. Add heavy cream and crushed kasuri methi to the gravy and stir.
Garnish Paneer butter masala with dollop of butter and serve hot with ghee rice, roti or pulka.

Panner Butter Masala Recipe

Dindigul Thalapakatti Biryani / Thalapakattu Mutton Biryani Recipe

Thalapakkatu biryani also known as thalapakatti biryani is popular Dindigul biryani. I got this recipe from local magazine Num thozhi. Why this biryani is called as thalapakatti biryani, Mr. Nagasamy Naidu who ran the Ananda villas hotel in Dindigul wore a thalapa( Indian turban) while serving his customers. Later the taste of biryani and his thalapa( turban) stayed in peoples memory and henceforth called thalapakati Biryani.

Dindigul Thalapakatti Mutton Biryani

Ingredients

Mutton pieces with bone- 1/2 kg ( 500 gms )

Jeera Samba Rice- 1/2 kg ( 3 cups)

Small onions / shallots- 300 gms

Tomatoes medium- 3 nos

Green chillies- 4 nos

Ginger and Garlic paste- 4 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 2 to 3 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Purina leaves- 1 bunch

Coriander leaves- 1/4 bunch

Salt to taste

Ghee- 4 tbsp( optional )

Water- 4 and 1/2 cups

Masala tempering

Bay leaves- 2 nos

Cinnamon stick 1" piece- 2 nos

Cardamom- 4 nos

Cloves- 6 nos

Marati moggu- 1 no

Annachi poo- little

Star Anise- 1 no

Oil- 1/4 cup

Thalapakatti Biryani

Method

Peel and chop the shallots. Chop the tomatoes. Clean and chop both pudina and coriander leaves. Break the green chillies into half. Wash the rice and soak in 4 cups of water for 30 mins. Clean and wash mutton pieces. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add the whole spices tempering to the hot oil and saute for 1 minute. Add onions and green chillies to the pan, saute until onion turns pale. Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute until raw smell of ginger and garlic leaves. Add chopped pudina and coriander leaves( reserve some to garnish) to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the mutton pieces and fry for few minutes until mutton turns pale and slightly dries. At this stage add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder to the mutton and mix well until tomatoes are tender. Add a 1/2 cup water to the pan, cover with lid and pressure cook mutton pieces until tender for 10 mins or for 3 whistles. Once pan pressure is released, add soaked rice along with water and required salt to the mutton and bring to boil. Stir well until 1/2 of the water is absorbed by the rice, reduce heat, cover pan with lid and cook for about 15 mins until rice is tender( do not pressure cook rice). Once rice is cooked and tender, add ghee, remaining pudina coriander leaves and mix well. Serve hot dindigul thalapakati biryani with dalcha and onion raita.

Thalapakattu Mutton Biryani

Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar Recipe / Ratna Cafe Sambar / Sambar for Idli Dosa Pongal

Learn how to make Hotel Sambar / Tiffin Sambar

I still remember when I started blogging 4 yrs back I was first or one of few bloggers to post about Tiffin Sambar Recipe or Hotel Sambar Recipe. This Sambar recipe has acclaimed me many compliments from my fans, friends and co- bloggers. At that time I had just point and shoot camera I wasn't able to shoot a good picture of it, so here I'm re-posting the same recipe here with recent pictures. You can click here for the link to older post.

This is my favorite sambar for idly, dosa, pongal and even it tastes great with hot pooris. For the people who know about the popular Ratna Cafe's Sambar( triplicane, Chennai), this Tiffan sambar tastes similar to the Ratna cafe's sambar. 

Hotel Sambar

Ingredients

Toor dal/ Split pigeon peas( cooked and mashed)-1cup

Small onions/ Shallots( peeled)-15 to 20

Tomato medium chopped-1

Drumsticks-1 no

Carrots chopped-1/2cup

Curry leaves-few

Coriander leaves-few

Turmeric powder-1/2tsp

Mustard seeds-1tsp

Jaggery powdered-1tsbp

Salt to taste

Oil required

Sambar powder ingredients

( Dry roast the following ingredients separately and grind to fine paste)

Coriander seeds-3tbsp

Bengal gram/ Split chick peas-2tbsp

Whole dry red chilly-10( +/- depending on taste)

Cumin seeds-1tsp

Fenugreek/ Methi seeds-1/2tsp

Fresh shredded Coconut-1/2cup( don't roast coconut, add this while grinding).

Tiffin Sambar

Method

Heat enough oil in a pan, when hot add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds crackles add the shallots and curry leaves, fry for few minutes and add the carrots and drumsticks. Now add the tomatoes and cook for few more mins, when the tomatoes are done, add the turmeric powder and ground sambar paste. Fry the ground paste for few seconds and add the cooked toor dal. Season with salt and add enough water( to get required consistency, sambar should not be too thin or too thick). Simmer the sambar for 5 mins. Finally add the powdered jaggery and coriander leaves, give a good stir and remove from heat. Serve hot with Idly, Dosas. Pongal or Poori.

Sambar for Idli Dosa 

Important points for making this delicious Tiffan Sambar are

Never use tamarind pulp for this sambar

Do not add more vegetables( any 2 to 3 variety of vegetable is enough) 

Try to use small onions( shallots)

A tbsp of powdered jaggery is very important ingredient for this recipe.

Click here for Ghee Idli / Sambar Idli recipe

Chettinad Chicken Restaurant Style

Authentic home-cooked chicken chettinad recipes do not have too much of spices. After trying out my home style chettinad chicken recipe my regular reader Meenal requested for restaurant chettinad chicken recipe. So here goes the hot and spicy restaurant style chettinad chicken recipe.

Restaurant Chettinad Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken pieces- 1/2 kg( 500 gms)

Onion large( chopped)- 2 nos

Tomato large( chopped)- 1 no

Curry leaves- few

Thick coconut milk- 1 cup

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Cinnamon- 2" piece

Cloves- 4 no

Sombu/ fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp

Bay leaf- 1 no

Star anise/ annachi poo- 1 no

Coriander leaves to garnish

Masala paste

( roast and grind below ingredients in 1 tsp oil)

Red chilli- 6 nos

Coriander seeds- 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds- 2 tsp

Peppercorns- 1 tsp

Garlic cloves- 6 nos

Ginger- 1" piece

Coconut grated- 1/4 cup

Kuskus- 1 tsp

Cashewnuts- 10 nos

Chicken Chettinad Fry

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon, cloves, aniseed, star anise and bay leaf, saute for few mins. Add chopped onions, curry leaves and fry for few mins. Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and ground masala, saute on medium heat for few mins until oil separates from masala. Add chicken pieces, saute well and add coconut milk. Add salt to taste. Add 1/2 cup water, mix well, cover the pan with lid cook till chicken is done. Remove lid and saute chicken till semi dry. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice, roti etc.

Chettinad Chicken

Restaurant Style Paneer Tikka Masala

This is an fail proof restaurant paneer tikka masala recipe shared by restauranter and very good friend of mine. He was generous enough to share his restaurant secret recipe with me. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out excellent.

Paneer Tikka Masala

Ingredients

Paneer- 250 gms

Onion- 4 nos

Tomato- 5 nos

Thick curd- 1 cup

Ginger and garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Kasoori methi- 2 tsp 

Garam masala- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder- 3 tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Cumin powder- 2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Kuskus/ poppy seeds- 2 tsp

Cashew nuts- 10 nos

Sugar- 1 tsp

Cardamom- 3 nos

Cloves- 3 nos

Cinnamon- 1" stick

Coriander leaves- few

Oil required

Salt to taste

Paneer Tikka Masala Restaurant Style

Method

In a large bowl whisk curd along with salt, ginger and garlic paste, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder and 1 tsp oil. Add paneer cubes to this and marinade for 2 hours. 
Grind onions to fine paste. 
Blanch tomatoes in hot water for 10 mins, remove and discard its skin and grind to puree. Lightly roast the kuskus and grind along with cashew nuts to smooth paste. 
Add marinated paneer pieces along with its marination to a pan and fry until curd marination reduces in quantity. 
In another pan heat about 1/4 cup oil, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and fry for few secs. Now add ground onion and sugar, fry until onion paste is lightly browned and oil separates on sides of pan. 
In a small bowl mix 2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder with little water. 
Add this mixture to the onion paste and add crushed kasoori methi, fry for few mins. Now add ground tomato paste, cook for another few mins and add salt, stir well the gravy. 
Add ground cashew- kuskus paste to the gravy and cook until oil separates from gravy. 
Now add the curd marination dried paneer pieces to gravy, mix well and cook for few more mins. 
Finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot restaurant paneer tikka masala with nan, poori or jeera rice.

Paneer Tikka Gravy

Veg Pasta Italiano Red/ Tomato Pasta Domions India style - Restaurant Pasta Recipes

This is Domions India style pasta recipe. Bow tie pasta tossed with olive oil, aromatic italian herbs, exotic veggie and with generous amount of flavourful Italian red tomato sauce. For non vegetarian pasta Italiano red, top with marinated grilled chicken.

Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

Bow tie or Penne Pasta cooked- 2 cups

Home made easy tomato sauce for pasta---click for recipe- 1 cup

Chopped olives- 1/4 cup

American sweet corn- 1/4 cup

Onion thickly sliced- 1/4 cup( optional)

Shredded cheddar cheese- 1/2 cup

Parmesan cheese- 1/4 cup( optional)

Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Dried oregano( or parsely, basil)- 1 tsp

Restaurant Italian Pasta

Method

Boil pasta with enough salt until aldente( firm) as per box instructions.

Heat oilve oil in a sauce pan on low heat, add cooked pasta, oregano and home made tomato sauce, sweet corn, chopped olives, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese to the pan. Toss well and serve.

Or

Heat oilve oil in a sauce pan on low heat, add cooked pasta and oregano, toss well and place on plate. Pour generous amount of home made tomato sauce on pasta. Garnish with sliced olives, sweet corn and generous cheese.

Gobi Chettinad/ Cauliflower Chettinad Recipe

This yet another delicious dish from my chettinad kitchen. This restaurant style Chettinad Gobi recipe goes well with pulao, roti or with steamed rice.

Gobi Chettinad

Ingredients

Cauliflower medium-1 no

Onion large sliced-2 nos

Tomato medium chopped-2 nos

Garlic cloves sliced-2 nos

Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tbsp

Curry leaves and coriander leaves- few

Fennel seeds-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Oil required 

Salt to taste

Masala paste

(Roast and grind below ingredients to fine 

paste with few tbsp water)

Whole dry red chilli-7 nos

Fennel seeds/ Sombu-2 tbsp

Cumin seeds/ Jeera-1 tbsp

Grated fresh coconut-3 tbsp

Cinnamon-1" stick

Cardamom-2 nos

Cloves-4 nos

Cauliflower Chettinad

Method

Separate cauliflower into florets, boil in hot water, cook until firm or for 3 mins, drain the florets and allow to cool. Grind the masala paste and set aside. Heat oil in a pan when hot add the fennel seeds and allow to splutter. Now add the chopped onion and garlic, fry for few secs. Add the ground masala paste, turmeric powder and required salt. Fry the masala 

paste on low heat until oil seprates on sides of pan. Next add 1/4 water to the pan 

and bring the gravy to boil. When the gravy slightly thickness add the boiled cauliflower and mix well so the masala coats well on the cauliflower and cook till semi dry. Finally garnish with curry and coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tips

Either cauliflower florets can be boiled or deep fried before adding to the gravy.

I have used Kashmiri red chilli instead of whole dry chilli this recipe to get bright red color. 

If using Kashmiri red chilli, soak chillis in 2 tbsp hot water before grinding.

This Gobi Chettinad is a semi dry dish if more gravy is needed, add more coconut and 1 tbsp roasted kuskus while grinding masala paste.

Chettinad Gobi Fry