Mughlai Chicken

Mughal Empires were just like any typical restaurant where the food quality is great in the start but after the owner gets rich and famous the quality goes away. Similar to this the first Mughal Emperors were awesome but the later ones messed up because of stupid love shit Anarkali and Taj Mahal mumbo jumbo.

Eventually this lead to the demise of the Mughal Empire but that doesn't eliminate the fact that the Mughals had lavish lifestyles and their cuisines were one of the best in the world at the time.

So after much unusual and unnecessary bukwass I will tell you all how to make this one Mughal recipe called Mughlai Chicken.

It is cooked in a blend of spice which is made by crushing cashew nuts, garam masala and dried red chilies. Cooked in milk it is a mild delight to must have.

INGREDIENTS:


6 chicken drumsticks or the chicken meat of your choice

1 onion finely chopped

6 red chilies

4 cardamoms

1 cup cashew nuts

1/2 teaspoon black pepper corns

1 inch cinnamon stick

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin (one for spice mix and half for gravy)

1 teaspoon whole coriander

4 garlic 4 cloves finely chopped


1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger

1 cup of milk

Fry the chicken drumsticks in oil until they change their color and take them out separately.

Then we need to heat up red chilies, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cashew nuts, cumin, black peppercorns and whole coriander in a pan until brown.

Toast all these things well and grind them into powder form.

Put oil in a pan on medium heat and add cumin.

Put chopped ginger, garlic and onions in the pan as well.

As soon as the onions get translucent add salt.

Add milk into this mixture.

Add the cashew nut powder

Mix it properly.

Place the chicken legs in the pan, cover and simmer it on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Take of the lid after 20 minutes.

Crush some dried kasoori methi between the palm of your hands. Add it in the pan and give the chicken a slight mix.

Cook chicken for at least 2-3 minutes more.

Mughlai Chicken is ready to be served.

Sprinkle some more kasoori methi on Mughlai Chicken. Add up some more crushed or chopped nuts to it. Have it with naan or the bread of your choice. Feel like a Mughal.

Laal Maas (Rajasthani Mutton)

"The one who doesn't love mutton the way I love it, should be exiled from this planet." - Lord Sufi Chef Shamsher

I really don't understand people when they tell me that they cab't eat mutton. WHY CAN'T YOU EAT MUTTON YOU MORON?

It's better than beef in Pakistan, gets digested easily, is less chewy than beef and it is so expensive that some people only get to eat it on Eid ul Azha.

The recipe that I'm about to tell you all is brought from Rajasthan, India the culture of our country and India is so similar and that is mostly noted in the food. This recipe is called Laal Maas, Laal means 'red' and Maas means 'mutton'. You owe me some money now for this language lesson.

There is a bit of preparation to do before you start making this.

You need to soak 7-8 Kashmiri dry red chilies in warm water for 30-40 minutes and blend it in to a paste.

You need to chop 4 medium onions.

It is a bit of work but worth it trust me on this.

INGREDIENTS:

6-8 dried Kashmiri red chillies, soaked

750 grams mutton on the bone

½ cup yogurt

2 teaspoons cumin powder

2 teaspoons coriander powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste

4 tablespoons ghee

2 black cardamoms

3-4 green cardamoms

1 inch cinnamon stick

3-4 cloves

1 bay leaf

4 medium onions, finely chopped

½ teaspoon garam masala powder

Salt to taste

Coriander sprigs for garnish

Lemon wedge for garnish

For smoking 1 charcoal piece

First we need to marinate the mutton in yogurt, red chili paste we made, salt, coriander powder, turmeric, cumin powder and garam masala.

Now we heat 4 tablespoon ghee/clarified butter in a non stick pan and add the cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves and black cardamoms.

Fry them until you can smell the heavenly aroma and then add chopped onions.

Saute then until they get brown and then add ginger garlic paste. Saute the ginger garlic paste properly.

Add the marinated mutton and cook it for 3 minutes on high heat or till it turns like the picture below.

Add sufficient water the the pan and bring it to a boil on high heat.

Let it boil for 5 minutes and then lower the heat. Cover the pan with the lid.

Simmer for 40-45 minutes but keep on checking often for if water run dry you add a bit  more until it is slow cooked completely.

Uncover and saute to make sure it is cooked.

Turn of the heat.

Meanwhile you heat up a coal and place it in a small steel bowl along with cloves.

Place that bowl in the middle of the pan and add a tablespoon of oil over it so it releases smoke.

Cover than pan for 5 minutes to add the smoky flavor to Laal Maas. Yes, THAT smoky flavor that comes from a burning heart, the heart that you break and I should shut my over dramatic self up.

Laal maas is ready to serve.

Garnish it with coriander sprigs and sliced lemon wedges. Eat this with Naan, roti or whatever you like. This is amazing indeed.

Kung Pao Spaghetti

I previously made Kung Pao Chicken with fried rice and in the recipe I replaced peanuts with cashews but I only did it because I made it and I can do whatever I want to my recipes because mAh lyF, mAh rUlx.

I heard from someone that somewhere in California, USA there is a restaurant named California Pizza Kitchen which serves Kung Pao Spaghetti. So, I said HEY! let's try that out and I did some research and finally found the perfect HALAL ingredients for this delicious thing.

Ingredients:

450 grams of spaghetti or pasta of your choice

3 chicken breasts cut into strips

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of garlic paste (one for the chicken and one for the gravy)

2/3 cup soy sauce

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons of red grapes vinegar

2 tablespoons red chili paste
(if you cannot find it in the market I will tell you how to make it in this recipe)

1/4 cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of cornflour

2 spring onions finely chopped

First of all let me teach ya'll how to make red chili paste if you cannot find it in the market.

Just take approximately 50 dried long red chilies, remove there stems and soak them in hot water for 30 minutes.

Drain them and if seeds come out then drain them as well.

Now blend the soaked red chilies with 4 tablespoons of white vinegar and stop when you it becomes a red paste.

Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a non stick pan and on low heat stir that paste in that oil, sprinkle some salt and a teaspoon of garlic paste. Mix it all together and take off heat.

Store in a jar.

That's it. Okay?

BEWARE! this red chili paste will burn the world down.

Now let's get down .... to business.

Cook the spaghetti or the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. I am using whole wheat linguine. I am not dieting, I exercise and eat what I want.

Put some salt and black pepper on the chicken according to your ungrateful taste-buds. Add some garlic paste as well. Mix it well and keep it aside.

Now, we prepare the gravy.

Put 2 tablespoons of cornflour in a bowl and whisk it with chicken stock. Then add garlic paste, chili paste, soy sauce, red grapes vinegar and brown sugar.

Now we cook.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a non stick pan and fry the chicken until it's completely cooked.

Add the gravy mixture in the chicken and cook it for 2-4 minutes until your desired thickness is achieved.

Now if the gravy is thick enough as per your liking add the spaghetti or pasta whatever the hell have you decided along the peanuts and spring onions.

Mix it well and your Kung Pao Spaghetti is ready to be served HOT.

Ladies and gentlemen, do whatever you want but you're not gonna get to taste this. 

KUNG PAO SPAGHETTI !!!