Chicken Cashew Curry

My love for dry fruits is far more superior than any form of love in this material world.

I can eat dry fruits all year long without asking for anything else.

I can sleep with dry fruits, I can have a nice conversation with them, they are good listeners and some of them are also good/essential for nice health.

I can slay anyone who gets in between me and my dry fruit.

One of my favorite dry fruits is the Cashew Nut. YES, this is another cashew nut recipe and the last of it because I am all out of them.

This is called Chicken Cashew Curry and this is a combination of Indian and Mughal cuisine but who the hell cares for the heritage of we are just here to eat.

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup of cashews for paste and some more for garnishing

3 tablespoons of yogurt

1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste

1.5 onion diced

1 green chili

half a bunch of coriander chopped (more for the recipe and some for garnishing)

2 lemons juice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

salt per taste (a teaspoon for marination and for gravy according to taste)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon paprika (optional BUT PLEASE DON'T SKIP IT)

2 tablespoon white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

3 green cardamoms

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3 tablespoons of yogurt

2-3 tablespoon cream (optional BUT PLEASE DON'T SKIP IT)

3 tablespoon butter

Let's get down to businesses

First you have to put chicken in a bowl and marinate it by putting 1 teaspoon salt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and lemon juice.

Set it aside for 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates lets get done with some other stuff.

First of all you need to take out your blender and wash it properly, who knows how dirty you are and Aysha Mumtaz might pay you a visit to seal your home kitchen.

Blend together fennel seeds, diced onions and green chili. Put just a little bit of water to make a smooth paste. DON'T USE MUCH WATER OKAY?

Take this out in a bowl.

Now don't worry about cleaning this just add yogurt and cashew nuts also a some water and blend them together to make your second paste.

Now after 30 minutes put 3 tablespoons of butter in a non stick pan with a DASH of oil and start frying the onion paste with cinnamon, cardamom pods, coriander powder and garam masala on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes.

Please do not do this step in a hurry because this is the base of your gravy and the most important part of this recipe.

Now add the tomato paste and fry it for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken now, turn the heat on medium high and fry the chicken until it is partially cooked.

Then add the yogurt and cashew paste with some water to make the gravy less thicker. 

Season it with salt, paprika, sugar and simmer it until the chicken and the gravy is fully cooked.

Last but not the least, just simmer in some cream and add chopped coriander. Cashew Chicken is ready to serve.

The problem with desi cuisines is that they are very hard to present at least for a guy like me. So, just like this time I tried my best.

Ladies and gentlemen, take our your plates for Cashew Chicken Curry.

Kashmiri Pulav

Noor Mahi was the name of my ancestor who migrated from Kashmir to Punjab 100 some years ago and this is how I end up being a Kashmiri in Punjab even though I do not look like one but that's okay because fair and lovely is available for men these days.

Pulao or Pulav this is a mystery to me but according to Zenub appa its Kashmiri Pulav. Yes people, its Sunday and I have decided to make this juggernaut of all the pulaos which is filled with pistachio and cashew nuts along with raisins cooked in lamb meat, milk, yogurt and a collection of Kashmiri spices.

Yes people just like every other Kashmiri dish this has a lot of calories but who cares? Actually we all should.

One more thing I want to say to every man who reads this blog. If your mother/wife/sister/daughter cooks for you every day you should just kiss her hands and say thank you because trust me in this weather it is very hard. Bless all the dutiful and the beautiful females.

Ingredients:

500 grams rice soaked in water

500 grams mutton or lamb

1 or half chopped onion

1 cup yogurt

half cup milk

2 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste

1 pinch of food color

1 pinch of kalonji seeds

1 teaspoon of black cumin seeds

3-4 cinnamon sticks

4-5 cloves

3 table spoon fennel seed powder/saunf powder

3 table spoon coriander powder

100 grams of raisins

150 grams of cashew nuts

Seeds of half of a pomegranate (optional)

1/2 cup oil

Salt according to taste

Soak the rice and set them aside.

Now put 1/2 cup oil in a pan and fry the onion till brown. 

Add the ginger garlic paste, cinnamon sticks, cloves, black cumin and kalonji seeds.

Now add the meat and fry till the meat changes its color. Add fennel seed powder, coriander powder, salt, raisins, pistachio and cashew nuts.

Cover the lid and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Chef Note - While frying the mutton or lamb meat takes around 30-45 minutes to get tender. I suggest you putt all of this in a pressure cooker with 4 glasses of water and cook it for 20 minutes and the meat will be perfectly tender.

Now in a bowl add yogurt, milk and a pinch of yellow food color. Whisk it and add it in the pan. Cook it till it becomes a creamy gravy.

Add half jug of water, bring it to a boil and add rice. Cook it till the rice are 3/4th cooked. Cover the lid and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Kashmiri Pulav is ready.

I topped it with more raisins, pistachios, cashew nuts, pomegranate seeds, coriander leaves and caramelized onions. One of the most difficult things I have made so far specially in this darn weather.

Please join your hands and legs together for Kashmiri Pulav.

Garlic Cheese Fries/Nazuk Suret e Haal

Its rare that I am suggested to make something that even I feel like making. 

So my good friend from twitter Maryum Reza aka Nazu aka @nazuksuretehaal on twitter told me that no one knows how to make cheese fries here which is sadly right.

RESTAURANT PEOPLE! DRIPPING MELTING CHEESE ON FRIES IS NOT CHEESE FRIES!!!

You have to make the cheese sauce separately which is very easy to make.

Sometimes I don't know why people do not use google or youtube because from making cheese sauce to building a house EVERYTHING is on the internet people.

Now let me teach you how to make 'em and please listen and look carefully.

Ingredients:

3 good sized potatoes cut according to your own choice

4 table spoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of salt

For Cheese Sauce:

250 grams shredded yellow cheddar cheese

1.5 cup of milk

3 table spoon butter

1 teaspoon all purpose flour(optional)

100 gram of cream cheese

1 teaspoon garlic paste

salt as you like

If you are cutting potatoes yourself to make fries then you need to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to drain excess starch out.

If you have bought frozen fries like me then you just need to fry them.

Now comes the frying part.

You need to heat the oil on medium low in a non stick pan and fry the fries for 4-5 minutes. Then place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Let them cool down.

Then you need to turn up the heat to medium high and fry them for 2 minutes or until they are crisp brown. Again place them on a paper towel-lined plate.

Time to prepare the garlic cheese sauce.

Melt butter in a non stick pan and quickly whisk a teaspoon of all purpose flour. Cook it for a minute. If you add more flour than that then your sauce will get extra thick which is not good. If you are afraid of adding the flour then please don't. Save yourself.

Add the milk now and add a teaspoon of garlic paste with it as well. Add the cream cheese and stir until it is mixed.

As soon as the milk mixture boils add the shredded cheese and mix it until the mixture becomes thick. Add salt to bring some taste out but not too much salt than a teaspoon because as the mixture settles down it will have a very strong flavor of its own.

Sauce is ready steady now. All you have to do is put it on the fries and eat.

As this was Maryum's suggestion I am going to name this after her twitter handle.

Ladies and gentleman please show some love for Garlic Cheese Fries/Nazuk Suret e Haal.