Tag: coriander seeds
Indian Style Chicken Cutlets
My daughter was complaining to me the other day about missing chicken nuggets. She claimed not to remember the last time she had them. In my mind- that is a good thing. I explained to her chicken nuggets are for younger kids and especially for those who are a bit picky and don’t like to eat anything else. It didn’t make her feel better and asked me to buy some.
I convinced her to let me make her some instead and she agreed.
I have made chicken cutlets in the past that she has enjoyed. I almost always use panko bread crumbs to add the crunch- plus I always bake them and never fry.
For these- I decided to add an Indian spin to them. I marinated the chicken tenders in garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. All these ingredients gave the chicken super flavor- I was already to a good start.
Next I prepared the breading. I added mustard seeds and curry leaves to the panko breadcrumbs to add great flavor. I added turmeric, salt and coriander powder to the flour. All in all it was a lot of deliciousness going on with all the spices.
My daughter was watching me as I was putting the cutlets together and was not happy with the way they looked- especially the green curry leaves. As usual, I convinced her to try them and she was thrilled- she loved them. She claimed the chicken reminded her of popcorn! I served the chicken with the tomato rice and it was a delicious meal…
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Tomato Rice with Peas
This is my version of a South Indian rice dish my husband has all the time at restaurants. I have never made it before and thought it would be nice to try it at home. It is essentially cooked rice sauteed with a lot of spices, lentils and curry leaves. I decided to take it to another level and make a one pot meal out of it. How much do we love one pot meals?
In order to make this dish balanced I added frozen peas and shredded paneer which is an Indian style cheese. So now I had vegetables and protein in the rice dish. I guess if you wanted to be even more healthy, you can use brown rice instead of the white.
The rice dish was super flavorful with the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a blend of spices. The crushed tomatoes and peanuts made this dish fabulous. My daughter is not into nuts- so all I did was take them out for her. She was very skeptical trying the rice- but once she had a bite, she was sold…
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Chicken Chettinad- South Indian Style Spiced Chicken
This is one of my favorite dishes to eat. I usually order the chicken curry at restaurants and always thought it would be too complicated to make it at home.
I finally got super curious and decided to make this on my own. I did a lot of research online and finally came up with this recipe- plus I think I made it simple as well.
To start with I marinated chicken thighs in lime juice and salt. While the chicken sat, I roasted coriander, cumin and fennel seeds. Dried red chilies, cinnamon, cloves and dried coconut were added as well and ground into a coarse powder. The next step was to saute onions, ginger and garlic with tomato sauce. Of course before I added the aromatics, I added my favorite ingredient- curry leaves. I like everything with curry leaves..
This dish does have a few steps but the end result is definitely worth all the work. Everyone loved it- especially my husband who loves South Indian food. You should definitely make this one- it is a winner…
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South Indian Style Cabbage and Broccoli with Coconut
I made this dish with the south Indian style chicken I made for my husband the other day. Since I was making dinner, I had to come up with some vegetables to serve with the protein.
I wanted to echo the same flavors I added to the chicken tikkas. I bought a bag of shredded cabbage and I had a head of broccoli. I decided to cook them together and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. I also added shredded coconut that I buy frozen from the Indian stores on Oak Tree road in Edison. They package and freeze fresh, grated coconut- it is great to have on hand for sauteed vegetables or meats and even desserts.
The vegetables took about 20 minutes to cook- so ideal for the summer. I finished the dish off with a good squirt of lemon juice. It wakes up all the flavors and makes everything delicious.
The chicken and the cabbage went really well together. I grilled some corn on the side and also made a garlic bread. It was perfect- we opened a Rose and enjoyed the meal outside….
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Shrimp Curry with Roasted Onions
This recipe is based on an Indian dish made with eggplant called baghare baingan. It is very popular in Indian restaurants and I have made it a few times in the past. Actually I was looking to cook shrimp and somehow thought of this flavorful dish. Although it is typically made with eggplants and is obviously vegetarian, I could envision myself making it with shrimp- so that is what I did.
I used jumbo shrimp and sauteed them briefly. I used the same pan and oil and cooked the onion, ginger and garlic mixture. I then came up with a spice mixture consisting of coriander, cumin and sesame seeds. The flavorful seeds bring a creamy taste and texture to the mix. Curry leaves, tamarind and fish broth finish this truly delicious curry- I loved all the flavors together, especially with the shrimp.
In fact I loved it so much- I am not sure I will make it with eggplants ever again!
Next time you don’t know what to do with shrimp- make this shrimp curry- you will love it!
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Top Ten Indian Spices In My Pantry
This post is for all of my friends and acquaintances who have taken a cooking class at my house and have been very curious about all the spices in my cabinet, especially when we cook Indian food.
I buy most of my spices in Edison, NJ. I try to buy them whole and grind them myself- a little at a time. I buy in bulk and store them in one of my two freezers in the basement.
The picture you see is of a wooden box my Mom had custom made for me. I love this box- it looks weathered yet it is very practical. It has a top that slides securely to keep the spices covered.
It didn’t take me very long to come up with this list- since I use these spices all the time.
My list is as follows:
- Salt- kind of an obvious choice. You can’t make anything taste good without salt. I once heard someone say, “the difference between a good cook and a great cook is the amount of salt they use”.
- Garam Masala- this spice personalizes a dish. Each household in India has their own recipe or a mixture of spices they use to make garam masala. It is a mixture of whole spices ground up together. Garam masala is used as a spice while cooking a dish or as a garnish on top. I make my own- I find the store versions are not flavorful and full of cumin. I make mine in bulk and store it in the freezer. Next Friday I will post the recipe for those of you interested in making your own. Once you make your own- you will never go back to the store bought one.
- Cumin Seeds- I love cumin seeds- it brings a nice smoky flavor to all the dishes. I keep it whole and grind it as needed. I also roast a bit and keep it in a small bottle. Ground roast cumin is a delicious garnish for raita.
- Coriander Seeds- I buy seeds and grind a small amount for my spice box. I find a huge difference in flavor compared to the store bought ground coriander.
- Cayenne Pepper- Even if you don’t like things too spicy, cayenne pepper brings out the flavor and is definitely a must in a well stocked pantry.
- Turmeric- Besides providing a nice color to Indian dishes, turmeric is an anti-inflammatory. It makes sense why all the Indian dishes have a dash of turmeric.
- Mustard Seeds- I love using mustard seeds- brown to be precise. Regular markets have yellow mustard seeds which have a similar flavor but definitely not as nutty as their brown counterpart.
- Cardamom Seeds- This spice is one of my favorites. It is extremely versatile yet can take over a dish if too much of it is added. It is great in sweet and savory dishes alike. Look for a vibrant green color when shopping for cardamom.
- Cloves- A little goes a long way. I love using cloves in my rice. It has very flowery, earthy flavor. If you ever have a tooth ache- press down on a clove between your teeth and you will feel immediate relief.
- Cinnamon Sticks- I use whole cinnamon sticks for all my Indian cooking. A small stick is enough to flavor a meat or a rice dish. This spice is also great with sweet and savory dishes.
Mutton Pulao
I am not sure how to describe this dish- it’s the epitome of everything I find delicious and nostalgic. Just thinking about it makes me happy. So when my Mom came to visit us, this was one of the things she cooked. It brings me back to childhood- the creamy savory rice with a burst of sweet raisins- and the meat- oh, the meat is out of this world!
I have made this rice dish in the past but with chicken. It really tastes different with goat though- which is really my favorite. I love the flavor and the texture- it’s very much like lamb.
The goat meat is cooked with lots of whole spices, onion, garlic and chicken broth. The pieces are then taken out, cooled and sauteed in oil and cumin seeds. The rich and flavorful broth is used to cook the goat and the rice. The flavor is unbelievable- some people really like biryani– which is a dish of rice layered with a meat curry and then the whole thing is baked. This is better because the rice is cooked in the rich broth full of spices- a lot better!
Definitely try this dish- it is a bit labor intensive but so worth the extra work. I would recommend it for the weekend or even a Sunday dinner. You will end up creating the same memories I have of this delicious dish!
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