Book Review - English Bites by Manish Gupta

Title: English Bites

Author: Manish Gupta

Published by: Penguin Books India 2012

Price: Rs. 250

Pages: 334

Rate: 4/5

English Bites should be devoured not gulped - that is the first thing I would like to tell about the book. Secondly if you pick up the book to enjoy in your pass time as a fiction, this book is absolutely not for that. When I first received the review copy I read few pages in a wink but again I started reading it from the beginning in a slow pace. I didn't understand then that English Bites is not a common story book that gives us immense pleasure in our leisurely hours. Rather it is a story book which entirely written to teach the English language and expand ones vocabulary that is amply dispersed with anecdotes and learning techniques.

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I must say Manish Gupta has made a different history in the world of English Literature and Language by showing a marvelous path of learning English and getting rid of the fear of English. English Bites, the apt title will surely wipe out the biting fear of English if you read the book with full concentration. Repeating once again - this is a book to go very slow, understand it and to learn English. This is a kind of book while reading it you don't have to waste time in battling with the unknown meaning and consulting the dictionary losing the momentum of the reading pace -as the USP of the book is the footnotes explaining the meaning of the words and their origin. This is a kind of book that will surely teach and improve your English in one leap if you dig deep the book with full engrossment.

The significant trumps of the book are its hilarious illustrations and the anecdotes. Right from the first chapter to the last chapter it introduced thousands of words with its meaning. I never felt bored for a while as I kept on reading the book with a mindset that I was learning something. I was learning nothing very trivial but enriching and developing a vast area of my vocabulary. Manish has almost covered most of the commonly used words with its meaning and etymological explanations. Whether you are aspiring for GRE/GMAT/CAT/XAT, or just a mere student or a commoner this book will definitely help you to improve your English. If you have a good collection of vocabularies then it definitely helps a language to be spoken fluently. And that is what Manish tried hard in his book. He covered all the fields from medical to sports and introduced so many words related to it. He even shared the longer words in English language that made me so much impressed (P.77) .

Learning any foreign language is always a daunting task. Mainly when you have to follow the boring grammar and other referenced text to learn it. I bet if we have one such interesting book like English Bites, the learning process would become easier for each one of us. It will not make you bore but will aspire you to learn more. This is one such a book which will be not kept after reading it once in the book shelf rather it will be proudly glitter on the study table as a English learning reference book and for reading again and again. I would highly recommend the book if you want to learn English then go and get it. A book which says learn English through stories.

Chilli Fish And Chilli Mutton with Sarani Tarafdar (Kolkata Food Blogger)

Another week of "Know your Kolkata Food Bloggers Friend" event, another week to introduced one of our blogger friends. This time whom I am going to introduce,  is one of my favourite and very close ones. We know each other for almost 2 years I guess but only as a fellow blogger. It has only happened when she returned back to Kolkata and joined our group  9 months back and in a wink she became so close to me/us. Sarani Tarafdar who blogs form Cocoawind, is one of the glamorous, gorgeous and beautiful ladies of our group. She will always be found with a heart melting smile at whatever situation she may be. She is one of the most dedicated members of the group who first thinks for her group than anything else. For instance, we had a video shoot and without her it would not be possible. Just on that very day her son got high fever. But she did come managing all her household problems and fulfilled her commitment towards her group. She is that kind of a lady who knows what a promise and commitment called. She is one of the most reliable ladies whom you can trust blindly. As much as I love her, I respect her more. An ex banker and a guest faculty of KPC Medical College by profession, she is also a cinematographer, a photographer and a great writer.

Her blog is new but already you will find some delectable recipes. Today I have chosen from her blog one of the most common recipes  - Chilli Chicken. Chilli chicken is one of the famous Indo-Chinese dishes. I have made Chilli Fish and Chilli Mutton instead. So here I am giving the recipe of Chilli Fish and more or less the same way I cooked Chilli Mutton too.

Ingredients:

Fish Fillet (Basa/ Bhetki) -  250-300gm (Cubed)

Onion - 1 big diced

Chopped Garlic - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 1/2 tspn

Capsicum - 1 big diced (I used some coloured one too)

Flour - enough to coat the chicken cubes

Cornflour - 1 tsp to make gravy

Soy sauce - 2 tbsp + 1 tbspn

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Chilli Sauce - 1 tsp + 1 tspn

Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp + 1spn

Salt to taste

Green Chili - I didn't add

Oil - enough to fry the chicken cubes

Method:-

1. Marinate the fish cubes  for 30 mnts with the first portion of Soy sauce, chilli sauce , vinegar and tomato sauce and salt.
2. Add Flour to it in small amount slowly to coat each cube nicely.
3. Heat enough oil in a pan/kodai and fry the fish cubes 4-5 cubes at a time till they are brown and crisp.
4. Strain out the fries from the oil and soak the excess oil from the fried fish cubes with a kitchen towel and reserve.
5. Heat a little amount of oil. Add the garlic. Let them turn brown. Add the onion cubes.
6. When the onion cubes will turn translucent add the ginger paste. Sauté for a while then add the capsicum. Fry for 2- 3 mnts.
7. Add  all the sauces and the fish fries and fold nicely. Add 1/2 cup water and bring it in to boil. If you need more gravy then you can add more water.
8. Dilute the corn flour in 2tsp water and add it slowly to the gravy. Don't forget to stir constantly. Cook for few more mnts and then serve.

Chilli Mutton
I made it with boneless mutton. First boiled the mutton and then marinated. Then did the same way I cooked the Chilli fish. Only the sauces had been given a bit more to enhance the  taste.

Baked Basa Pan Fried in Thai Style

Today I make it a quick post. After making this dish I have posted it on my Facebook page and have totally forgotten to blog on it. That is only then, when one of my readers put it on my notice that the recipe has not been shared yet. It feels really great when you have such readers who follow you with such minute details. I am one lucky soul to have such readers. So here is the recipe Baked Basa Pan Fried in Thai Style:

Ingredients:

Basa Fillet - 1 large

To marinate:

Thai Sweet Chilly Sauce - 2 tbspn

Light Soy Sauce - 2 tbspn

Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tbspn

lemon juice- 1tspn

Dry Lemon Grass- few sprigs

Salt and Sugar - as per taste 

For the Fry:

Mushroom (sliced) - 1 cup

Baby Corn (julienned) -  1/2 cup

Capsicum (sliced) - 1/2 cup

Garlic (chopped) - 1 tbspn

Ginger ((julienned)) - 1 tspn

Whole Dry Red Chilli - 2- 3 (Seeded and pieced)

Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce - 2 tbspn

Dark Soy Sauce - 1 tbspn

Salt and Sugar as per taste.

Olive Oil - 1 tbspn

Method:

1. Cube the Fillet as your required size. Make sure it should not be too small.
2. Marinade the cubes with all the ingredients under Marinate.
3. Take baking tray. Cover it with aluminum foil. Line the fillet cubes.
4. Bake each side each for 7 + 7 mnts.  And then grill for 5 mnts.
5. Take a nonstick pan. Heat oil. Add the chopped garlic and the Dry red chilli.
6. Let the Garlic turn brown add all the other veggies and sauté till then are semi cooked. And the sauces, salt and sugar.
7. Stir well in high flame. Add the fish cubes and very carefully fold them with the  veggies. Be very careful that the fish cubes should not get broken. Cook for a couple of minutes in high flame. Then serve with fried rice or noodles. 

Note:

1. If you don't want to bake then you can coat the marinated fish cubes in corn flour or flour and deep fry.

2. Basa is a very soft and fragile textured fish. so handle it care.

Eggplant/Brinjal/ Aubergine Satay

At my early learning stage, I was shown to a picture of a big egg shaped fat, purple coloured vegetable  with a stem poking out from its head and was introduced that as 'BEGUN' in Bengali, 'BAIGAN' in Hindi and 'BRINJAL' in English. Who thought that after growing up in a lady and owning a kitchen to rule, I had to scratch my head after getting encountered with more names of that fat, purple veggie. Yes, you read it correctly. I did scratch my head when I first stepped in to the vegetable market in USA and saw that the my very well known Mr. Fatty Purple Brinjal was sitting on an isle with a name tagged on its head as "EGGPLANT". Newlywed then, I was not able to relate how could an EGG  be called as a PLANT and why Brinjal was tagged as an EGGPLANT. Too much confusion for the budding cook I decided to rush back home to investigate about it. Cheers to Wikipedia I found this:

"Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a species of nightshade commonly known in British English as aubergine and also known as brinjal, brinjal eggplant, melongene, garden egg, or guinea squash. It bears a fruit of the same name (commonly either "eggplant" in American English or "aubergine" in British English) that is widely used in cooking, most notably as an important ingredient in dishes such as moussaka and ratatouille. As a member of the genus Solanum, it is related to both the tomato and the potato. It was originally domesticated in India from the wild nightshade, the thorn or bitter apple, S. incanum." (Source: HERE)

I was introduced another name of Brinjal - "Aubergine". Now I don't have any confusion. Do you have?? I guess No..:)

I think Brinjal/Eggplant/ Aubergine is one of the most versatile vegetables that can be cooked in so many different ways.  Some has some allergy problem with this veggie but apart from that, taste wise it is unbeatable. I love to experiment with food. And from a long time I thought of making vegetable Satay with Brinjal/Eggplant/ Aubergine . Satay is actually now became famous as a Thai cuisine. But originally it came from Java, Indonesia, though there are confusions hovering around about its originality:

“Although both Thailand and Malaysia claim it as their own, its Southeast Asian origin was in Java, Indonesia. There satay was developed from the Indian kebab brought by the Muslim traders. Even India cannot claim its origin, for there it was a legacy of Middle Eastern influence.”

—Jennifer Brennan (1988), Kitchen Daily

If we delve deep in the history of Satay, the true meaning of Satay is: "Three pieces of Meat" which derived from the word "Min Nan words sa tae bak (三疊肉)". So in true sense Satay should be made with meat only. Non veg , mainly Chicken Satay is widely famous among the Satay family, though pork, mutton, beef and following with many other wild fleshes are its big competitors too.

I took a plunge to go for a vegan Satay and experiment it in a new way. I was not too confident about the result. But when it was served and tasted by the family it was a hit. My hubby became little skeptical after hearing the menu and was not able to hide his grimaced face. Thankfully after tasting with confusion he within a minute called for the next one. Devoured happily by everyone, I ended my day with a peaceful sleep. So here is the recipe of Eggplant/Brinjal/ Aubergine Satay : 

Ingredients:

Eggplant : 2 medium (Long)

Peanut Butter: 2 tbspns (room temperature)

Soy Sauce: 3 tbspns

Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce: 2 tbspns (more or less)

Garlic paste: 1 tspn

Warm Water: 1-2tbspns

Salt and Sugar : as per taste

Method:

1. Thinly slice the Eggplant lengthwise. Rub them with salt and  leave for few minutes. (See Notes)
2. Take bowl. Add all the ingredients except the water. Mix it well in to a smooth paste. If you think its too thick then add water in drops. The sauce will be semi thick.
3. Take a baking pan.  Cover it with aluminum foil. Grease it with oil.
4. Take each Eggplant slice, brush the sauce nice on the both sides and line up on the baking tray.
5. Bake for 7-8 mnts first at 200 degree C. Then turn them carefully so that they should not get broken and bake for another 5mnts.
6. Take each slice and put in the skewers and serve with salad and sauce/dip. 

Notes:

1. When you will thin the Eggplant make sure it should not cut too thin. If it is too thin then it might get a chance to get broken while putting them in the skewers.

2. I always wrap the baking pan with aluminium foil. It helps to get a burnt free and clean pan.

3. You can make it with Potato and other vegetable too.

4. Too make a dip you make some extra sauce same we did for marinating the eggplants.

Badshahi Potol (Royal Parval/ Pointed Gourd) with Archita Ray (Kolkata Food Blogger)

After having a splendid and blissful vacation with my family I am again back to crunch. And one of them of course is the luring call from the blogosphere. I have to wrap up a lot of pending stuff that just left neglected for last three weeks. My lazy soul is still in the vacation mood and in a trance to lazily move around. I need to have some booster to gear back with full vigour to finish my undone works. Ok..Let me stop cribbing back to job. Today I am glad to introduce one of my very good Kolkata Food Blogger friends as a part of the ongoing event - "Know your Kolkata Food blogger Friend". Archita Chanda Ray who blogs from My Food My Life, is one of the most sincere bloggers of our group and also our inspiration to blog with full earnestness.  The gorgeous and charming lady with a very innocent and vibrant smile is always there to help her friends.  She is very much balance headed and always ready with her fair and practical judgment and advises  A great cook she is, who loves to try her hand in experimental cooking and loves to feed her family and friend with great pleasure. Being an Ex-Banker she is now a full time mom of a handsome and sweet little kiddo and enjoys her life with utmost satisfaction.  We met each other through a Food Group but I never knew that she is a blogger and also lives in the same city. Thanks to Sayantani who added her in our group and now we can't imagine the group without her. She takes care of all the duties with full of responsibility and we always have the blind trust on her. Her blog is new but already there are so many sumptuous recipes that each one them tended me to try. I have already tried few of her dishes and also there are many in my bookmarked list. This time I have recreated her Badshahi Chicken Dish (click to see how Archita made it) and molded it in vegetarian attire.

I very much wanted to cook the Badshahi dish with chicken. But in my collection I was only able to accumulate some Potol /Pointed gourd. So I thought of giving it a vegetarian try. And no need to say it came out super delicious. My daughter again demanded to make it today as she liked it that much. And the man too devoured and smacked the dish with the gastronomic satiation.  So here is my dish Badshai Potol/Parval/Pointed gourd.

Ingredients:

Potol/ Pointed Gourd - 8 medium size

Onion - 2 small

Tomato - 1 medium

Poppy Seed Paste- 2 tspns

Cashew nuts - 6-7 pcs

Ginger paste - 1 tspn

Turmaric Powder - 1/4 tspn

Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tspn (more or less - As per hot quotient )

Salt & Sugar - As per taste (the tends to taste a bit sweetish)

Whole Garam Masala - 2 per peice

Mustard Oil - As per requirement

Ghee - a pinch

 Method:

1. Semi skin the Potol / Pointed Gourd and give 4 slits length wise (First half then half of the half) but be careful each Potol / Pointed Gourd should remain as a whole piece.
2. Boil the onion and the tomato for 6-8 mnts. Strain the water and then cool it down. Make a paste along with Ginger and Cashew. Reserve.
3. Heat enough oil in a Kodai or a deep dense pan so that all the 8 pieces of Potol / Pointed Gourd can be fried. Fry well the Potol / Pointed Gourds till they turns semi brown and soft. Starin them out from the oil and reserve.
4. If you have a good amount of oil in the Kodai left, then put it in a separate bowl. Just keep 1 tbspn oil in the Kodai/Pan.
5. Add whole Garam Masala. Let them sputter. Add the Onion paste. After some time add the poppy seed paste. Stir nicely till the masala is well cooked and the oil starts to separate. Add salt and sugar.  Add the Potol / Pointed Gourd. Stir for 4-5 mnts. Add water and cover it with a lid.
6. Cook for 4-5 mnts. Then Take off the lid. Check the consistency of the gravy. The texture should be semi thick. If you feel the gravy is done then taste it if more salt or sugar is needed. Before taking it off the stove add a pinch of ghee and enjoy it with rice, roti, Puri or Polao.

Book Review - Amereekandesi by Atulya Mahajan

Title: Amereekandesi (Maters of America)

Author: Atulya Mahajan

 Published by: Random House India in 2013

Genre:  Fiction

Price: Rs. 199

Pages: 309

Rate: 3/5

After I got this review copy, the cover picture didn't attract me much. I was little unwillingly started this book. But then took a break until I finished the book. Yes I enjoyed the book. After a long time I revelled a very light and hearty read. Books on diasporic culture are my weakness. Being in USA for 6 yrs, when I started digging deep in the novel I was drown along with it recalling my journey to the foreign land.  The circumstantial facts are so well narrated that it became more a real life story rather than a fiction. 

The book’s blurb reads: “Akhil Arora, a young, dorky engineer in Delhi, can’t wait to get away from home and prove to his folks that he can be on his own. Meanwhile in a small town in Punjab, Jaspreet Singh, aka Jassi, is busy dreaming of a life straight out of American Pie. As fate would have it, they end up as room-mates in Florida. But the two boys are poles apart in their perspectives and expectations of America. While Akhil is fiercely patriotic and hopes to come back to India in a few years, Jassi finds his Indian identity an uncomfortable burden and looks forward to finding an American girl with whom he can live happily ever after.

Laced with funny anecdotes and witty insights, Amreekandesi chronicles the quintessential immigrant experience, highlighting the clash of cultures, the search for identity, and the quest for survival in a foreign land.” 

The genre of the book may come under comedy but it is actual a satire that focuses the society of the migrated Indian who made America - Amreeka. The culture of the Indian student society, the typical Indian notion about America, The world of erotica, everything projected with a very minute detail. One will have a story of pure love and also a story of boy who after meeting each girl thinks he finds the love of his life.  The notion about America ‘where dreams come true’ projected very well through the characters. Mainly I loved reading the student culture and their day to day living story. Atulya very minutely pinpointed the facts that the Indians face for the first time in America. I so much assimilated myself with the book as I have experienced sort of same scenario during my stay in US. Though the book is a bit lengthy with elaborate descriptions and few editing mistakes, overall it’s a very good light read and can be devoured during the leisurely hours.

Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI) Award Ceremony 2013

Sometimes something estimable incident happens to one’s life unexpectedly and that leaves an everlasting glimpse of contentment in his/her life. I treasured one such exquisite experience recently that left recherché retention to my life. I was spending a blissful vacation in Pune at my Sister's place and supposed to return on 14th October'13 to Mumbai at my Parents' nest. The day before 14th Oct'13 I received a message from Sameer Malkani, the Co-Founder of Food Bloggers Association ofIndia (FBAI), if any member of Kolkata Food Bloggers could attend the Award Ceremony in Mumbai taking place on 14th Oct'13 at JW Marriott. Happy and excited I was, my mind didn't allow me to let the opportunity to go away as I would be in Mumbai on that very day. And yes heartiest thanks to my husband; only for his effort I was able to witness this unforgettable Indian FoodBloggers Award Ceremony (IFBA).

"The Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI) has been created as a central point of contact, resource and 'goings on' in India through the blogging community.” It is a great endeavour to promote the world of food blogging in a different podium where the main goal is to reach out and show honour to the food bloggers by spreading their creative passion and hard works with the world. The Award ceremony held at JW Marriott which is situated just at the sea shore end of Juhu Beach. Elegant and grand with a posh exterior and interior, we (me and my husband) directed straight to the Grand Sangam Ball Room. We settled ourselves in the room and my eyes started to hunt for some known faces. Immediately we were welcomed with refreshing juices followed by hard drinks and mouthwatering starters. After a while we were warmly greeted by Sameer Malkani who led us and introduced with some Mumbai and Pune based Food Bloggers. I am happy to say I know most of them. In a while we all became busy in chitchatting and kept our mouth busy with the mouth watering starters. The starter list:

Potato Bravas

Chicken and Leek Yakitori

Murgh Nawabi Tikka

South Indian Batter Fried Prawn

Smoked Salmon Bruschetta

Arbi Ki Chapli

Drunken Goat Cheese with Olive Baguette

Tomato Aranchini

Alaskan Salmon and cucumber maki roll

Peruvian Asparagus and takuan maki roll

Lobster Chaat Tacos with refried beans

Paneer Pin wheel

Mini Caponata of vegetable tartlet with pine-nuts and basil foam.

No need to say, each dish was well presented and tasted sumptuous. I was literally satisfied with the catering service of the Marriott Team. They never let anyone stand for a while without having anything. Their sweet and gentle gesture proved the high end account of professionalism.  

The Award Ceremony started after an hour. The remarkably experienced jury consists of the best names from the gastronomic world. The panel includes Sanjeev Kapoor, Kunal Vijayakar, Zoravar Kalra, Kajal Tejsinghani, Rushina MunshawGhildiyal, Ritu Dalmia, Rashmi Uday Singh, Sona Bahadur (BBC Good Food Editor), HariNayak, Aneesha Baig, Vikram Doctor and Chef Aditya Bal. Among all the 11 jury members 5 were present at the ceremony. There were all most 700 Food bloggers shared their links and the panel of judges did get a hard time to chose the winners of this year.

Some new faces were introduced and got awarded. But the happiest moment I enjoyed when heard the names of my known and favourite Food bloggers got nominated and awarded.  Here the list of the winners:

Best Food/Culinary and travel Blog:

KalayanKarmakar

Best Recipe Blog :

FarukShadab Ansari

Best Writing and Story telling Blog :

CharisBhagianathan

Best Single Food Shot:

Sonal Solanki

Best Facebook Food Blog:

SandeepSreedharan

Best Regional Cuisine Blog:

AlkaKeswani

Best Photo Blog:

Yeshi

Best Baking Blog:

SaminaPatel 

Best Group Blog:

Kumar Jhuremalani

Best Restaurant Review Blog:

Adarsh Munjal

Best New Blogger:

KajalBhatia

My heartiest Congratulations to all the winners and also to those whose blogs got nominated.

After the inspiring speeches by the honourable guests and the award ceremony we were welcomed by the dinner buffet spread. A lavishly organized delectable spread made all of us drooling. The main course comprises from the cuisines of North India, Italy and Asia. We thoroughly enjoyed the sumptuous dishes but I got awestruck when I saw the dessert section. I think almost 20 to 25 desserts were served. The beauties were worth seeing. I wanted to taste each one of those but was only able to taste 5-6 items as I got full by then. No need to say that the desserts were tasted too good to describe in words. The evening was one of my cherished memories of my life. The event itself was very well organised and very motivating for the Food Bloggers like us who blog out of passion without having any monetary benefit in mind. A big applause to the FBAI team for their awesome effort to  bring all the Food Bloggers under one roof. I would like to specially thank Sameer Malkani from the bottom of my heart for the invitation to the Kolkata Food Bloggers group. I was literally overwhelmed by his sweet and humbled gesture. My husband and I enjoyed the event whole heartedly but at the same time I missed my KolkataFood Blogger friends too much. But yes it is a promise we will have such ceremonies in our own city Kolkata sooner or later. 

.For more Photos check our HERE.

Chicken ChaaNp with Sayantani Mahapatra

At the dawn of my blogging craze, every day I used to encounter many Food Blogs and kept on adding them to my reading list. One day I found this blog "A Homemaker's Dairy". The title of the blog made me so attracted that I started exploring the blog. A met a "true blue Bengali and a mom" who is chronicling the food journey that she has inherited from her grandmothers and mother. Her posts used to make me so much familiar and nostalgic. Never thought in my imagination that this was that Sayantani Mahapatra  whom I know from my childhood as a very studious student, multi-talented creative girl. World is too small and round that we both bumped each other again through our blogs. Today my joy knew no bound when my turn came to introduce my classmate cum friend, my neighbour, the sweet spoken personality who always in return gives back a heart melting smile. So no guess at all, this week our star of the event "Know your Kolkata Blogger Friend"   going on in the Kolkata Food Bloggers group, is my near dear friend Sayantani. She is a very good cook who is always an inspiration for me during my student life as whenever I used to visit her home she would treat me with some delectable dishes made by her own. The Dal Tarka I can still remember that she made with the egg drops and tasted so sumptuous. At the same time her creative handicrafts always make her friends proud with the gifts she makes by her own hand. Whether it's our birthdays or an occasion like Valentine's day we are always lucky to own something precious handmade stuff from her. Humble she is, down to earth she is, who never knows to bask her own glory to the world, though she will never accept the fact how famous she is in the world of Food Blogging and also the Best Food blogger of Kolkata. Her blog is a treasure of traditional Bengali recipes and also I am so much fond of her amazing Food Photography. Her knowledge about different world cuisine contemplates and reflects in her Blog through her posts. A great Photographer, a great baker, a talented Interior and fashion designer and above all a great friend she is who will be always there at one call. And I always take the pride of being her old childhood buddy, now whose talent is a blessing for me/us whom we consider as the gem of our Kolkata FoodBloggers group. If I start talking about her I think it will take a whole day writing about her as there is so many things to write about her. So now let me stop here and share the recipe that I have chosen from her blog and recreated it.

I have tried Sayantani's Chicken ChaaNp dish. No need to say that it comes out super delicious. I have always drool over this dish in Kolkata Food Corners but never thought I could make this dish at home so easily. Thanks to Sayantani's dish now I often can make this dish. It is very easy to cook, takes very short time and energy too. So here is the recipe:

Chicken ChaaNp

Ingredients:

Whole Leg Piece – 4

Spice paste:

Onion: 2 medium

Ginger: 3” piece

Garlic: 4-5 fat cloves

Sattu:1 tbsp (You can use dry roasted besan/gram flour)

Curd: 1/2 cup

Dry red chillies: 2 pieces (I didn’t use any)

Red chili powder: 1 tsp

Water: ½ cup

Salt

Shajeera (caraway seeds)/ black cumin: ½ tsp

Garam masala powder: 2/3 tsp

Keora water: few drops

Rose water: few drops

(Pls note: If you don't have Keora or Rose water you can use Mitha Ator/sweet essence) 

Green cardamom: 2 pieces

Cloves: 3-4  pieces

Cinnamon: ½” piece

Bay leaf: 1 big

Oil: 1/4 cup

Ghee: 1 tbspn

Method:

1. Wash the chicken pieces and slit each at 4 places. Keep aside. 

2. Take all the ingredients under Spice Paste and make a fine paste. Adjust the salt. Mix in all the chicken pieces. Rub well and keep covered for at-least 2 hours. 

3. Heat the oil in a flat frying pan. Once the oil is hot add lightly crushed whole garam masala, wait till it splutter. 

4. Now take the chicken pieces out of the marinade, remove as much marinade as possible and add to the oil. On very low flame keep on frying the pieces till they look pale (approx. 5 minutes). 

5. Now add the marinade and little water. Mix well and let it cook on medium flame. The chicken will leave a lot of water and would be cooked in it. Keep on stirring from time to time. 

6. After another 5 minutes add crushed shajeera, half of the garam masala and give it a good mix. 

7. Once the chicken pieces are cooked and oil comes oozing out from the sides the dish is done.

8. Add keora water, rose water and garam masala. Keep covered.

(I have exactly followed the method same way Sayantani has written so most of the method I have copied from her post.)