Recipe> Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Text by: Tanya Munshi

When you host parties at home frequently, you are compelled to think of new things to serve your guests every now and then. Especially, if the guest list includes more of non-vegetarians, you have to keep their taste buds in mind. As usual, I started looking through several of my cook books to come up with something new and so I managed to create this starter which I can safely call Homemade Chicken Nuggets. It hardly takes any time. So here goes...

Image: Chicken nuggets frying in a wok

Image by: Tanya Munshi

Ingredients

• Boneless Chicken pieces - 500 gms
• Salt - to taste
• Vinegar - 1-2 capful
• Crushed dry red chillies - 5-6 nos.
• Ground Black Pepper - 1 tsp.
• Beaten Eggs - 2 nos.
• Bread Crumbs - 1 cup
• Refined Oil 

Method

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with salt, vinegar, crushed dry red chillies and black pepper powder for minimum 30 mins.
2. Dip each chicken piece in the egg first and coat with the bread crumbs.
3. Now deep fry them in a wok and keep on kitchen paper.
4. Serve hot with a dip or sauce.

Recipe> Chicken Legs in Tandoori Masala

Image: Delicious home-made chicken legs in tandoori masala

Text by: Tanya Munshi

On my recent visit to Dubai, I had picked up Rajah Tandoori Masala (Spice Mix) to add to my spice collection. But obvious, I didn't want to make the typical dhaba style tandoori chicken, it won't be possible to get the authentic taste, so I decided to try my own recipe with it.

Ingredients:

• Chicken legs - 4-6 nos.
• Onions - 1 small, finely sliced
• Garlic - 5-6 nos, crushed and finely chopped
• Salt - to taste (add little, as the tandoori masala has salt in it)
• Vinegar - 1 cap full or
• Lemon - 1 whole
• Black pepper - 1 tsp, freshly ground
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup, finely chopped

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken legs for over an hour with salt, tandoori masala and lemon juice/ vinegar

2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add the crushed garlic, black pepper and onions. Saute till brown.

3. Now add the chicken legs and the juice. Mix well and cover with lid.

4. Occasionally increase the flame and check to see it doesn't burn. The moment it begins to stick on the vessel, lower the flame and pour a cup of water.

5. Reduce the water to a thick consistency and check whether the chicken has been cooked.

6. Add the coriander leaves, cover and cook for a few minutes more and serve hot with roti or steamed rice and daal.

Recipes> Chicken Fry in Roast Style

Image: Chicken Fry in Roast Style
Image by: Kent Wang

Text by: Tanya Munshi
My aunt had taught me how to prepare chicken roast, which happens to be one of my favourite dishes. Unfortunately, I don’t have an oven in which I can roast the chicken, but I tried this experiment at home along with my aunt and even today I keep improvising the same. So here goes…

Ingredients:

• 500 gm chicken (try getting the legs, breast and the wings as these portions have more meat)
• ½ a cup onions - finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic – finely chopped
• Salt – to taste
• 1 capful Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon back pepper powder
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 capful white vinegar

For the marinade:

• In a bowl, mix the chicken pieces with Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt, honey and white vinegar.
• Allow the chicken to marinate in the mixture for minimum ½ hour or for a couple of hours before cooking

Method:

• Heat olive oil in the wok and add the onions and the garlic. Sauté till brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as burnt garlic tends to lend a bitter flavour.
• Then add the entire chicken along with the juices that have come out during the marinade.
  Cover and cook and keep checking for doneness.
• The chicken should be well cooked, with a golden brown to a slightly dark brown colour.
  Check with a fork or a knife for doneness. The fork or knife should smoothly go inside and come out from the meat, without much effort.
• Serve hot with soup and garlic bread combination, or simply dig in with steamed rice.

Recipes> Chicken Tikka Masala

Image: Chicken Tikka Masala, served with Naan
Image by: Brooke

Text by: Tanya Munshi

There are days when you are so bored that you could whimper all day. For some watching a cartoon film cheers them up, while a drive, a walk with their dog or painting can lift your mood too. I suggest when you return home from an unfruitful day and you get your favourite dish at the dinner table, will surely cheer you up.

Well, if you’re the only one in the house and have to do all the cooking, no issues. Just make sure you have the ingredients ready and you’re all set for a yummy treat of Chicken Tikka Masala. This is one recipe that I came across which I found simple, no exotic ingredients needed that will make you run circles in tonnes of super markets. Most of the spices used here are available in every Indian kitchen.

Ingredients:

• Chicken – 6 thigh pieces, preferably boneless

Marinade for the chicken:

• 6 tablespoons Curd
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon Garlic paste
• 2 tablespoons Ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon Jeera (Cumin powder)
• 1 tablespoon Garam Masala ( a spice blend)
• 4-5 tablespoons Lemon juice
• Salt – to taste

Gravy for the chicken:

• 2 Tomatoes – finely chopped
• 1 Onion – finely chopped
• 1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
• ½ tsp Cumin powder (jeera)
• ½ tsp Coriander powder
• ¼ cup Milk
• 1 tsp Sugar Salt – to taste

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into smaller pieces.
2. Drain excess water and mix all the ingredients for the marinade with the chicken.
3. Let it marinate for at least an hour, longer the better.
4. If you have a health grill at home, nothing like it. Else, a microwave or a non-stick pan/ tava will do.
5. Grill the chicken in the health grill or heat it in the microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or place the chicken on a hot non-stick pan/ tava, till golden brown.
6. You can pour a bit of melted butter to prevent the chicken pieces from sticking to the grill, microwave dish, non-stick pan or tava. But don’t put too much of butter.
7. Heat the chicken till done, but don’t overcook it.
8. In a wok or a non-stick pan, heat oil and add the ginger-garlic paste and fry the chopped onions along with it.
9. Ensure the flame is on high, as you need to brown the onions enough. Fried onions lend their beautiful aroma and taste to the chicken.
10. When the onions are brown enough, add the chopped tomatoes and fry on medium heat.
11. Fry till the oil separates from this mixture.
12. Then add the cumin and the coriander powders and stir well.
13. Add salt, sugar and mix well. Then add the chicken pieces in the gravy.
14. Increase the heat and slowly pour in the milk while mixing the gravy gently.
15. Once the gravy is slightly thick, reduce the heat to low.
16. Allow the chicken to cook in the gravy for another 5 minutes.
17. Serve hot, garnished with fresh chopped coriander leaves.
18. Chicken Tikka is best eaten with naan/ roti or steamed rice.

I cooked chicken tikka masala for lunch today and it was absolutely amazing.

Recipe> Chicken in cumin flavour

Image: Jeera Chicken
Image by: Charles Haynes

Text by: Tanya Munshi

This is something worth trying out. It’s a lot different than the usual curry, and tastes amazing with a dal and chapatti combination. In fact, this can even be had as a starter if you have small bite size pieces.

1

Ingredients:
Chicken – 500 gms (depending on the number of people)

Ginger – 2 teaspoons, finely chopped

Garlic – 2 teaspoons, finely chopped

Jeera (Cumin seeds) – 2½ teaspoons

Salt – to taste

Cooking oil – 1 tablespoon

Fresh coriander leaves- ½ cup, finely chopped

2

Things you need:
Large non-stick wok

Wooden ladle

Mixer grinder

3

Method:

1. In the wok, add 1½ teaspoon of cumin seeds and roast them. After it turns dark and let’s out an aroma, take it off and set aside. Once cooled, you need to grind it into a powder form.
2. In the same wok add oil, the remaining cumin seeds, garlic and ginger. Sauté till brown and you can smell the aroma.
3. Add in the chicken and mix well. Mix the salt in it and cover it with a lid. Allow the chicken to cook in the steam.
4. After about 2-3 minutes, when the chicken changes colour and texture, add the ground roasted cumin seeds and mix well. While cooking, keep checking for doneness.
5. Once the chicken is done, pour it in a serving dish, serve hot with fresh coriander leaves.