Murg Malai ( मुर्ग मलई )

Chicken in almost any form is relished equally by people of all ages .
And when it is tenderly cooked with love and care using all the ingredients in correct quantities the result is truely mouth watering .
This variety of chicken cooked with rich ingredients and mild spices is an all time favourite .
Cooked in liberal amount of ghee and garnished with fresh cream it is rightfully called Murg Malai , a sinfully delicious centre dish perfect for your parties .

Ingredients :

1 kg  - boneless chicken
1/2 cup - thick hung curd
1 tb sp - lemon juice
2 tb sp - ginger garlic paste
2 t sp - garam masala ( cloves , cardamom , cinnamon and pepper pd )
1 t sp - turmeric pd
1 tb sp - dried leaves of kasuri methi
2 big onion - finely chopped
2 tb sp - cashew and poppy seeds paste
2 tb sp - fresh cream
3 to 4 tb sp - ghee
1 to 2 t sp - sugar
salt according to taste

Garnish :

fresh cream
coriander leaves chopped

Method :

Wash the chicken thoroughly and cut it into medium pieces .

Apply curd , lemon juice , ginger garlic paste , garam masala , turmeric pd and kasuri methi  to the pieces and marinate them for 2 to 3 hours .

Heat ghee in a pan and saute the onions till golden in colour .

Add marinated chicken to it , salt , sugar and stir well .

Cover the pan with a lid and cook the chicken till almost done .

Lastly add cashew poppy paste and fresh cream and cook just for 2 minutes .

Garnish the chicken with fresh cream and chopped coriander leaves .

Serve with any variety of Indian bread though it tastes best with naan or kulcha .

Hakka Noodles

After a long busy day when you are totally exhausted and hungry the first thing which comes to your mind is having something hot and refreshing .

And when that hot refreshing is none other than noodles it is enjoyed by all .... 

Maggi noodles are ideal when you really don' t have any energy to cook , but I prefer hakka noodles though it takes little more time than Maggi .... 

I always feel that adding some more vegetables does increase the nutrional value and taste too ..... 

You can use carrots , french beans , corn , mushroom , spring onions , capsicum , cabbage whichever veggies are available in your kitchen .... 

I though used only spring onions and capsicum as I did not have anything else ...... 

Ingredients : 

1 pack Hakka Noodles

1 small bunch of spring onions 

1 capsicum 

1 tbsp - soya sauce 

2/3 garlic flakes finely chopped 

1/2 tsp pepper powder

1 tsp vinegar 

1 tsp chilli sauce ( optional ) 

2 tbsp oil 

salt to taste 

Method : 

Boil water in a big vessel and cook the noodles till they are just cooked . 

Take care not to cook them too soft as they become mushy and ruin the taste . 

Drain the water and rinse the noodles in running water .

Apply little oil to prevent them from sticking . 

Heat oil in a non stick pan and add chopped garlic .

Add capsicum and spring onions too . 

Stir for 3 to 4 minutes and add all the sauces vinegar and salt . 

Finally add the rinsed noodles .

Stir well till they are well coated with oil and sauce . 

Serve hot . 

Groundnut Chutney ( शेंगदाणा चटणी )

A simple yet delicious dry chutney which is very famous in Solapur a district in Maharashtra . The groundnuts roasted in oil make the chutney very crunchy which adds to the hot flavour of this chutney . 

Ingredients - 

1 bowl .............................. Groundnuts 

10 - 15 ............................ garlic 

2 tbsp ............................. red chilly powder

little ............................... tamarind 

1 tbsp ...........................  ground nut oil 

salt as per choice 

Method - 

In a pan heat oil and roast groundnuts till they become crispy and give out nice aroma . 

Also fry garlic in same oil till golden brown in colour . 

Now add chilly powder and immediately turn off the gas . 

Grind everything in mixer when still warm . 

This makes the chutney crunchy yet sticky as the oil in nuts comes out . 

Serve with jowar bhakri or chapati .