Channa Masala and Tandoori Chicken

I made channa masala and Tandoori chicken for a friend's potluck today! It turned out delicious with one minor change. I didnt want to use potatos because they are so starchy so instead i put cauliflower in the Channa so its healthy!

Channa Masala




2 cans channa (chick peas)--my mom says soak them i just rinsed and dumped.
1 can diced tomatos
1 large onion diced
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tblsp ginger garlic paste
4-5 chillis
1 head of cauliflower
2-3 Bay leacves
4-5 cardimum
2-3 clovez
1/2 teaspoon cinammon
1.5 tblsp Shan Channa Masala
1/2 tsp haldi
1 black tea bag
1/2 tblsp Garam Masala
1/2 tblsp chilli powder
Salt to taste
Cilantro

Heat the oil in a pan and add the bay leaves, caridmum, cloves, and cinammon. Let the oil get hot and then add the onions and chilis and brown till they are translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook it with the onions for about 1 min. Add the chick peas and let it cook for about 2 min. then add the cauliflower and cook for 1 min. Add the haldi and chili powder and a full can of tomatos. let it simmer for about 10-15 min and then either you can drop the tea bad directly into the curry OR you can heat the tea bag in a half mug of water and then pour it into the curry. Add the 1.5 tblsp of Shan Channa Masala and let it cook for like 5 min. add the salt and garam masala and then let it simmer for about a minute. top it off with cliantro!! and you're doing


Tandoori Chicken





yogurt
Pathak Tandoori paste
chicken

in a baking dish mix equal parts of tandoori paste and yogurt. If its too bitter you can add more. I usually taste it a bit and add more yogurt. Also, for about 2 chicken breasts ill do 2 large tblsp of tandoori paste and 4 large tblsps of yogurt. If you like it spicy add a cayenne or chili powder. Cook in the oven at 350 until the chicken is cooked maybe 45 min? depends on your oven. Also because i am taking it to a potluck i sliced peppers and put them with the chicken to bake. Hopefully its good :).

Spices I use regularly

Here are a list of spices i constantly use. If you live in Pittsburgh, Bombay Mart is a great place to buy spices and veges because it’s cheap! if you live in Seattle my mom goes to Mayuri although it's NUTSO on the weekends and evenings:

Garam Masala: Staple in my house. My mom makes it from scratch but I have no idea how to so for now buy it at the Indian grocery store.

Chili Powder: Indian chili powder is HOT but good and I suggest you buy it from an Indian store. If not use Cayenne

Ginger Garlic paste: My mom and I make this together if you have a blender you can its equal parts ginger and garlic and cumin blended together. If you don't want to make it they sell it at the indian store.

Whole Cardamom cloves: whole cardamom I think can be found in the grocery store if not definitely the Indian store

Cloves: the black things I bought them at giant eagle in the spices aisle

Channa Dal: I don’t know what its called in English but it’s a lentil you can find it at the Indian store in the lentil/rice section

Mustard Seeds: If you don’t know what these are don’t cook Indian. Just kidding.

Cumin: same as above

Curry leaves: not a spice but it’s delicious and you can find it at the Indian store in the vege section

Thai chilies: I use Thai because they are hot but use whatever you want

10/19/2010--Traditional Chicken Curry and Beans Fry

I cook this a lot and every time i do my apartment stinks like indian food for like 5 days but whatever i love it. I found literally crates of green beans at Giant Eagle shockingly and decided to indianfy them. Here are both recipes with pictures!

Traditonal Chicken Curry



2 lbs chicken (breast whatever you want)-cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion- chopped
1 medium tomato diced
4-5 thai chillis (you can adjust based on how hot you want them-sliced
3 Caradamum cloves
2-3 black cloves
1tsp Haldi
1 tblsp garam masala
1 tblsp salt
1/2 tblsp chili powder
1 tblsp ginger garlic paste
Cilantro to taste

Heat some oil about 1/3 of a cup or less in a large skillet with the cloves and cardamum. Once the oil is hot/warm add the onions and chillis. COok both until they are translucent and light brown. Add the 1 tblsp ginger garlic paste and let it cook for about 2 min. Once the paste and onions have cooked together add the chicken, haldi, and chili powder and let the chicken cook until the chicken is cooked on the outside which is about 10 min. Add the diced tomatos and and let it simmer until the tomatos are completely broken up and have become a part of the gravy. Add the garam masala and salt and let it simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add the chopped cilantro and serve with rice (i like brown).

Grean beans




some green beans-my mom uses french cut i used wahtever
1/2 onion diced
2-4 chilis sliced
5 tblspish channa (doesnt matter how much you put)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tblsp chili powder
salt to taste
4-5 curry leaves

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds, cumin, channa dal and curry leaves into the pan. BE CAREFUL! as mustard seeds get hot and they start to pop and it can get scary. Add the onions and chilis and cook until they are translucent. Add the Beans let the beans cook to wahtever consistency you like them at. I like beans half cooked because if they are cooked too long they get sorta soggy. This is important: always add the chili powder and salt right before you turn off the stove because if not the salt will burn and the chili powder will make you have a cough attack. So right before you turn off the stove ad the salt and chili powder

Why I am doing this!!

Well I have hit a roadblock in my life aka boredom and I need something to fill up my time! I thought about getting a dog but everyone in my life talked me out of it. Maybe when I graduate I will get one. I cook ALOT and every time I cook Indian food my friends love it and always ask me how to make everything so here are all the recipes. Indian food is also very healthy! We do not eat cream based food on a daily basis or butter chicken. I might try it one day though.

All these recipes are my mother's. I was blessed with the Indian women cooking gene although i think most of my cooking ability came from watching my mom cook over the years. I was an attachy child and never left my mother's side so since i was little i have watched my mother cook. I don't know where my mom learned to cook because she always said she had no idea how to cook when she first got married. All of our recipes are traditional south Indian dishes with a twist. My mom always says just put a little of this a little of that, which i could never figure out but FINALLY i started cooking with measurement tools so hopefully ill be able to give everyone as accurate as possible directions!

GOOD LUCK and let me know if you need any help!