Chicken & Vegetable Arborio topped with Stir Fried Chicken

My fellow blogger Archita when shared her Chicken & Mushroom Risotto recipe, I couldn't resist myself to recreate the dish at my kitchen soon. I grabbed a pack of Arborio, one of the verities of Risotto and made this healthy filling dish the Chicken & Vegetable Arborio topped with Stir Fried Chicken for dinner. The recipe Archita shared is very nice but I wanted to try it in my own way. The specialty to cook this Italian dish is to use butter and cream. Usually however you cook the dish it will always give you a creamy texture feel because of the high starch contain. And to put more creaminess to it more cheese, cream and butter are always welcome to the Italian kitchen. But now we are too much health and calorie conscious and try to avoid more these kind of high calorie oriented foods in our daily food intake. Though I cooked it in my way how I felt my family would love it, I was a bit worried whether my daughter would love it or not. But she enlighten  by showing her complete satisfaction after tasting the dish. P too passed me a pleasing smile after tasting it. If you ask my opinion I liked it most as I had the side of the stir fried chicken. Both paired so nicely that the combined flavour  did leave a  complete satisfaction.

A varity of the Risotto family,  this slightly oval-shaped, short and fat  Arborio rice looks pearly and white in exterior. This short-grained rice  used primarily in the classical preparation of Risotto which originally  cultivated in Italy and then spread to USA. Because of its high starch contain the cooked rice leaves a creamy starchy texture to the dish.

"Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice. It is named after the town of Arborio, in the Po Valley, where it is grown. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy, and chewy, due to its higher amylopectin starch content;thus, it has a starchy taste but blends well with other flavours. It is used to make risotto, although Carnaroli, Maratelli and Vialone Nano are sometimes used to prepare the dish. Arborio rice is also used for rice pudding."(Source: HERE)

Ingredients:

To Marinate:

Boneless Chicken Breast: 200gms

Wine Vinegar: 3 tbspn

Red Chilli Sauce:  2 tspns (More or less)

Light Soy Sauce: 1 tbspn

Salt & Sugar : As per taste.

For the Arborio:

Arborio: 1 cup (Yields  2 Adults and 1 kids in moderate amount)

Corn Kernels: 1/4 cup

Baby Corn: 4 cobs (Sliced lengthwise)

Mushroom: 5-6 (Sliced)

French Beans: 1/4 cup chopped

Tomato: 1 medium (Sliced)

Garlic: 1 tbspn Chopped

Olive Oil: 2 tbspns

Water: 3 cups+ more

For the Stir-fry:

Olive oil- 3tbspn

Capsicum: 1 small (sliced lengthwise)

Dark Soy Sauce: 1 tbspn

Method: 

Cooking the Arborio:

1. Make the chicken two halves. Slice one half lengthwise  and the other half in small cubes. Marinate all with the ingredients given below the Marinate head In the same bowl just keep of cut sized chicken separately. Keep for 10-15mnts.
2. Add oil in the pan. Let it gets hot. Add the chopped garlic. Fry them till they turn brown.
3. Add the chicken cubes, tomato and saute for a while. Add all the vegetables. Add salt and sugar. Keep on frying for 3-4 mnts.
4. Add the Arborio and saute for couple of minutes. Add 3 cups of water. Take a spoon and pls taste if you need some extra salt or sugar.
5. Cover it with a lid and then cook till the Arborio gets nicely cooked. Pls keep on checking if it needs some extra water or not and keep on stirring in between too as it tends to stick to the bottom. If needed then keep on adding  very small amount. When done serve hot.

Cooking the Stir Fried Chicken:

1. Add oil in Kodai/Pan. Let the oil gets hot. Add the remaining lengthwise cut chicken along with the juice left from it.
2. Cook it in high flame. Keep on constantly stirring. When it will get cooked add Soy Sauce and Capsicum. Fry for sometime. Then serve them along with the Arborio.

Note:

1. It is always better if you do not wash any risotto rice. As the starch contain of gets away after washing. But you are too skeptical about hygiene et al then just light wash once.
2. It tastes much much better tasty if you cook it in Chicken/Vegetable stock rather than cooking in plain water.
3. The vegetable version will be same just you have to omit the chicken.

This one is the last post of the Blogging Marathon Event which we thoroughly enjoyed of Kolkata Food Bloggers. The Bloggers participating in it:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com

Rui Dumpukht

I have adapted this from Bong Mom's Cookbook, where she has adapted this recipe from Kaberi'sKitchen (The recipe link of this dish is not available,so just sharing her blog link). I so much admire Sandeepa , the brain and great cook behind this blog  Bong Mom's Cookbook. I personally am a big fan of her blog since I have started my journey in this blogosphere . Now I am always stuck with her recent published book- based on her blog, mainly for the wits and the intellectual humour deliverance she shares along with the mouth-watering recipes.  About this recipe she clearly stated that this dish is not the original one what exactly called a DUMPUKT dish. Originally a Dumpukht dish gets cooked in slow oven, mostly in sealed container. Therefore Rui Dumpukht recipe has become more modified and cooked in a way to ease the method in a more less time taking way.

A bit knowledge about DumPukht: 

"Dum means to ‘breathe in’ and pukht to 'cook'. Dum Pukht cooking uses a round, heavy – bottomed pot, a handi, in which food is tightly sealed and cooked over a slow fire. There are two main aspects to this style of cooking; bhunao and Dum, or ‘roasting’ and ‘maturing’ of a prepared dish. In this style of cuisine, herbs and spices play an extremely critical role. The process of slow roasting gently persuades each to release maximum flavor. And the sealing of the lid; the sealing of the lid of the handi with dough achieves maturing. Cooking slowly in its juices, the food retains all its natural aromas and becomes imbued with the richness of flavors that distinguishes the cuisines." (Source HERE)

Ingredients:

Rui/Rohu Fish - 3 steaks

Onion -  1 medium (Sliced)

Ginger Paste - 1 tspn

Green Chili - The recipe called for it but I didn't use any.

Cashew- 7-8

Bay Leaf  - 1

Whole Dry Red Chili - 1

Yogurt - 1 tbspn

Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 tspn

Turmeric- 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tspn

Garam Masala Powder-  2 pinches

Salt  and Sugar- As per taste

Mustard Oil - As per requirement (The recipe called for White Oil)

Water- 1 cup (More or less)

Method:

1. Rub the fish steaks with salt and turmeric (1/4 tspn) powder. Heat oil in a Kodai/Pan. Let the oil get heated properly and shallow fry the fish. (I fried the fish till brown and a bit crispy as that is how my family members like to taste fish)
2. Fry the sliced onions till brown. Cool it down and make a paste along with Ginger and Cashew (If you are using Green Chilli then pls add that too).
3. Smooth the yoghurt adding red chilli powder and the remaining turmeric powder.
4. Add very little bit of oil in the Kodai/pan. When it will become hot add the Bay leaf and whole Red Chilli.
5. Add the Onion paste along with a bit sugar. Sauté it nicely then add the yoghurt slowly and the make sure you are adding it in a low heat. Fold nicely all the masala. Add water slowly. Let it boil add the Fish steaks . Add salt. Cover the lid and cook for some time till the gravy starts to thicken. Add garam masala powder and cook for a minute. Enjoy with white rice. 

Note:
1. My onions get fried a bit therefore the colour of the dish got changed. 
2. The dish tends to taste a bit on the sweeter (but not that sweet) side so when you are using sugar pls keep that in mind.

This one is the fifth post of the Blogging Marathon Event of Kolkata Food Bloggers. The Bloggers participating in it:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com

Dhone Pata Rui (Rohu fish with Coriander Leaves)

My cook was absent, that meant I got a chance to enter in the kitchen during the day time. Day time in the kitchen means  I will be cooking lunch for my family. Lunch for us is always with a an elaborate meal spread starting with Rice, Dal, Veg Curry, Non-Veg dish, and Salad/Raita. This time I made Dhone Pata Rui (Rohu Fish made with Coriander Leaves). It really tasted awesome as the taste was so different from our regular fish curry cooked by our Cook. I didn't use too much coriander leaves as I was not much sure how my daughter will react against this new dish. Therefore my dish looks less green in colour as I really wanted to should look like. The fish sizes I have used were cut in to very small pieces and that is the most disappointing part for me. Please use big fish pieces to enrich the taste more. So enjoy the dish and let me then prepare few notes on this dish.

Ingredients:

Rui Machh/Rohu Fish - 5 small pcs

Coriander Leaves - 1 cup chopped + 1/2 cup chopped to Garnish

Tomato - 1 medium

Onion - 1 medium

Garlic Paste - 1 tspn

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp

Coriander Power- 1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt & Sugar - as per taste

Mustard Oil-  As per requirement

Water - 1 cup (More or less)

Method:-

1.  Rub the fish with 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder and salt.
2. Heat the Mustard Oil in Kodai/Pan. Be sure that the oil should reach a high temperature.  Add the fish slowly so that the oil should not sputter and burn your hand. Let the fish turn semi brown and then take our from the oil by letting go the excess oil. Reserve.
3. Paste onion, tomato, 1 cup coriander leaves and ginger paste in a mixture grinder.
4. If there is excess oil then heat it again. Be sure to make the curry we need very less oil.
5. Add cumin seeds. Let it sputter. Add the onion paste and keep on frying till the paste gets fully cooked and starts to leave the frying aroma.
6. Add the all the powdered masalas except the Garam Masala powder. Add little bit of  water and fold  well with the paste. Sauté it fro 2 mnts more. Add Water and let it gets boiled.
7. When the curry starts to  get boil add the fish. Cook till the gravy gets thick. Add garam masala and saute nicely.
8. Take it off from the stove. Serve it in a serving dish and garnish it with the 1/2 cup of Coriander Leaves. Enjoy with hot rice.

Note:

1. Cooking is an art and always use all the masalas as per your taste.
2. If you want to add more coriander then pls go ahead. At the same time you will also get the green colour of it.
3. You can half the Coriander leaves - add half with onion paste and the make a paste of the other half and add it just 5mnts before you off the flame. If you don't want to add the paste separately then just add the chopped one and incorporate with the dish nicely.

This one is the fourth post of the Blogging Marathon Event of Kolkata Food Bloggers. The Bloggers participating in it:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com

Tal Kheer

If I say Taler Bora then Tal kheer by default comes next. Bengalis are the passionate sweet lovers. And when it comes to Taler Bora or Tal Kheer they become more nostalgic what I  realised after I posted the Taler Bora recipe. Taler Bora or Tal Kheer is mainly associated with our Grandmas and Mothers who never fail to make this delish dish during the pick season of Tal/Asian Palm Fruit. Mainly I found those who are settled abroad are missing all those special Bengali sweet delicacies and when they gave me the feedback they sounded more sad and nostalgic . Now a days our fast life also made us lazy to make all these dishes. I have seen my mom to make Taler Bora and Tal kheer every year before Janmashtami. But I have never shown any interest to this dish. As Tal is one the most annoying fruit for me because of the smell. Even now also I don't like it. But this year I learnt it from my Mother-In-Law. She also makes every year and each and everybody in the family except me, rejoices on this dish. 

My last post was on Taler Bora. This time I am going to share the recipe of Tal Kheer. If we discuss on or raise the topic of Taler Bora, Tal Kheer will come by default with it. Taler Bora and Tal Kheer pair each other perfectly when it is tasted both together. So here is the recipe. Hope you will enjoy. It is very rich in taste as one will get the flavour of the Tal, the kheer and the coconut.

Ingredients:

Tal/ Asian Palm Fruit- 2 cups

Sugar-1 cup

Grated Coconut- 1 cup

Kheer- 1 cup (Made it condensing 2 & 1/2 cups of milk with 1/2 cup sugar)

Method:

1. Mix everything  nicely. Take a Kodai/ pan and add the mixture.
2. In a slow flame keep on stirring it till it turns semi brown and thick. You will start to get the aroma of the well cooked Tal Kheer.
3. Take it off the flame and enjoy.

This one is the third post of the Blogging Marathon Event of Kolkata Food Bloggers. The Bloggers participating in it:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com

Taler Bora (Asian Palm Fritters)

I absolutely don't like this sweet dish but it gets welcomed by the other members of the family very ceremoniously. My mother and my mother-in-law will always religiously make different sweet dishes out of this Tal/Asian Palm Fruit during its season. And being a Bengali if I don't blog on it, it would be an injustice to my blog. So today the recipe what I will share with you is my mother-in-law's recipe. I learnt from her, though not tasted it. But I have seen the other members gobbling up in no time. That is enough to tell it tastes too sumptuous.

We Bengali mainly make Taler bora or Tal kheer before Janmashtami. Taler Bora is one of the famous Bengali homemade sweets that the Bengali never failed to make. The Bengali months from Sharbon to Aswin (Apprx July-September) are know as the season of raining Tal /Asian Palm Fruit. More about the fruit:

"The ripened fibrous outer layer of the palm fruits can also be eaten raw, boiled, or roasted. Bengali People have perfected the art of making various sweet dishes with the yellowish viscous fluidic substance obtained from a ripe palm fruit. These include Mustard oil fried Taler Bora (তালের বড়া), or mixed with thickened milk to form Taalkheer (তাল ক্ষীর).

Palm shoot is cut and the juice is traditionally collected in hanging earthen pot. The juice so collected before morning is refreshing and light drink called Thaati Kallu(తాటి కల్లు) in Telugu, Neera (नीरा) in Marathi and "Pathaneer"(பதநீர்) in Tamil has extremely cool in sensation, and sugary sweet taste. The juice collected in evening or after fermentation becomes sour - is called Tadi (ताडी) in Marathi. Tadi is consumed by coastal Maharashtra mostly by villagers as raw alcoholic beverage.

A sugary sap, called toddy, can be obtained from the young inflorescence, either male or female ones. Toddy is fermented to make a beverage called arrack, or it is concentrated to a crude sugar called jaggery or Taal Patali (তাল পাটালী) in Bengali and Pana Vellam or Karuppukatti (கருப்புகட்டி or கருபட்டி) inTamil. It is called Gula Jawa (Javanese sugar) in Indonesia and is widely used in Javanese cuisine. In addition, the tree sap is taken as a laxative, and medicinal values have been ascribed to other parts of the plant." (Source HERE.)

Ingredients:

Tal/Asian Palm Fruit pulp- 2 cups (without water. 1 Tal/Asian Palm is enough)[See Note]

Flour- 1 cup

Suji/ Semolina- 1/2 cup

Sugar- 1 & 1/2 cup

Salt- 1 pinch

Grated Coconut- 1 cup

Kheer- 1/2 cup (Made it condensing 1 & 1/2 cups of milk with 1/4 cup sugar) {See the recipe HERE}

White oil- Sufficient to fry the fritters

Method:

1. Mix all together and rest the mixture for 1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a Kodai or a deep dense Pan. Then make small balls an fry til they turn brown. Soak the excess oil in a kitchen towel/tissue paper and then enjoy.

Note:
These video though in a different language will tell you how to take out the pulp of Tal/Palm Fruit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czq27A5B9qc

This one is the second post of the Blogging Marathon Event of Kolkata Food Bloggers. The Bloggers participating in it:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com

Whole Chicken Roast basted with homemade Apricot & Plum Sauce

Buying OTG has become a boon for us which has opened the door of heaven where we can taste the succulent meat roast. The incredible taste of roasted meat can't be got in a Convection Micro-oven. Now I am a proud Kitchen Queen where I most of the time welcome whole chicken roasts  at our dinner table and my daughter too, often insists to have it. A roasted whole chicken tastes better when you bake it with skin. But the man of the house always prefers skinned chicken. So I have to prepare it always without skin. Last time I tried Balsamic Herb RoastedChicken and that turned out a finger smacking dish. This time I tried a different version of roasting a whole chicken.

This season's last bunch of fresh Apricots and Plums were laying around without any fixed preparation in mind how I could use them. I didn't want to use them in  any dessert. So just the thought came to use them in a savoury dish. So I tried making a sauce out of Apricot and Plum and marinated it with chicken and roasted it. And to my surprise it again turned out a lip smacking dish. We enjoyed the dish till the last bite. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

 For the Sauce:

Fresh Apricot- 5-6 (Seeded and Sliced)

Fresh Plum- 5-6  (Seeded and Sliced)

Wine Vinegar: 1/4 cup

White Paper Powder: 1/2 tea spoon

Salt- 1/4 tea spoon (+ more)

Sugar- 3 tea spoons (More or less.  See Notes)

Garlic-5-6 cloves

Olive oil- 1 tea spoon

Dry Onion Flakes- 1 tea spoon (I used store bought)

Water- 1 cup

Marinate the Chicken:

Lemon - 1/2 of one

Salt- 1 tea spoon

Method:

1. First marinate the chicken by rubbing salt and Lemon all over it for an hour or so. Don't forget to slit  the flesh of the chicken with a sharp knife so that the juice of the sauce goes well inside the whole chicken.
2. Let us make the sauce now.  Fry the garlic in olive oil. Add everything under Sauce along with the fried garlic and boil for 8-10mnts. Cool it and make a smooth paste .
3. Pour it over the whole chicken and marinate it for at list couple of hours.
4. Power on the OTG. Set the temperature at 220 C degree. Put the Chicken on the rotisserie.  Don't discard the sauce, reserve. Bake for 30mnts. Then brush the chicken with the remaining sauce and reserve the leftover if there is any. Bake for 30mnts more.
5. Then take out the roasted chicken.
6. In a pan heat a 1/2 tspn oil and add the sauce and cook in low flame till it gets thicken. Glaze the roasted chicken with the sauce and enjoy.

Note:

I had some extra sauce. So I grilled some mushroom and sauteed them with the sauce and they came out real nice..

This is my entry for the Blogging Marathon that we Kolkata Food Bloggers have started. The concept behind it is to post in alternative days in the remaining day of August. At the same time we will have frequent posting and get rid of the drafts those which have been resting in the folders for decades. The Mastermind behind this event is Sayantani who blogs at A Homemaker's Diary.

The other Kolkata Food Bloggers who will be participating in this Marathon are:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com

Butter Chicken- Too Easy to Make

Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani or Murgh Makhanwala, as the recipe is famously known, has originated in a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Delhi, India " a neighbourhood skirting the Walled City. Famed for their tandoori chicken, the cooks there used to recycle the leftover chicken juices in the marinade trays by adding butter and tomato. Once this sauce was tossed around with tandoor-cooked chicken pieces, and butter chicken was born." (Source HERE) 

There are many ways how you can cook Butter chicken. Some will sound complicated and some may sound easy. And I always prefer the easiest version of cooking any dish. I make the butter chicken in my style. So I don't claim it as to be the authentic one. But one thing I can say it tastes too good.  So without wasting much time let me jump straight to my recipe and let me know whether you liked it or not.

Ingredients:

To marinate:

Bone less Chicken Breast: 200-250gm

Thick Curd/Yoghurt- 2 table spoons

Lemon Juice-  1/2 of 1 lemon (Squeezed)

Red chilli Powder- 2 tea spoons (More or less mainly to get the colour)

Cumin Powder- 1 tea spoon

Coriander Powder- 1 tea spoon

Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tea spoon

Sugar- 1/2 tea spoon

Salt as per taste

For the Gravy:

Onion- 1 medium (Sliced)

Garlic - 4-5 cloves (Chopped)

Ginger paste - 1 tea spoon 

Tomato - 1 medium (blanched then pureed. See the NOTE)

White Oil- 2 table spoons + 2 table spoons

Whole Garam Masala- Each 2 pieces (Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove)

Butter- 1 tea spoon

Cream- 2- 3 table spoons (I used Amul) + 1-2 table spoons fro decoration.

Water- As per requirement.

Method:

1. Cut the chicken in cubes and then marinate with all the ingredients noted under TO MARINATE for at least an hour (Though I just marinated for 15mnts).
2. Heat Oil (2 table spoons) in a Kodai/Pan. Add the chopped garlic. Let then turn semi brown. Add the onion slices and keep on fry them. Add the ginger paste and fry altogether nicely till the whole mixture turns brown. Take off the heat. Cool it and grind it in to a smooth paste (You can add water if required).
3. Heat the remaining oil  and  butter in another Kodai/Pan. Add Whole Garam Masala and let them sputter. Add the chicken. Fry for couple of minutes and then cover it with a lid and then cook for 5 mnts.
4. Take the lid off. Add the Tomato Puree. Fold nicely.
5. When the chicken gets semi cooked add the onion paste and warm water if you need to make the gravy not too thick.
6. When the chicken gets completely cooked add cream and cook for a minute.
7. Take of the heat. Serve in a serving dish pour little bit cream on the top and enjoy with Roti/ Biriyani.

Note:

To make Tomato puree you have to boil the Tomato for 8-10mnts in a very little water with a lid. Then cool it and take then skin off and puree it in a mixture grinder.