Shahi Murg Korma

Diwali is over and the wait for the next big festival continues. It was a very hectic diwali this time around. There were quite a few taash parties (Card Parties) that we did manage to attend and yes, I did win at most of them, especially the big one on Diwali. There was a lot of socializing, sweets, fireworks (yes it is customary and we did our own small fireworks thing for a little while) and the weekend after Diwali we went over to a friends place for dinner. Though, it was supposed to be a quiet evening with him cooking some of his famed mutton curry for us, since it was the first time at his place, I decided to carry a rich, aromatic korma dish for him. I fell in love with the shahi korma and since I only had the mutton curry at his place I came back determined that I needed to cook it again and that is what I did this week. A look at the ingredients and you are sure that its a winner all the way, with the purdah(veil), the rich dry fruit and the rose petals. The shahi masala and paste do take some work, but believe at the end, the delicate curry is really worth the preparation you put in.

Other Korma recipes on this site:
Asafjahi Korma
Murg Dahi Dhania Korma
Murg Korma
And of course, the Korma Ki Biryani

Shahi Murg Korma

Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks - 8
Ginger Garlic Paste - 40 gm
Fried onion paste - 60 gm
Fried garlic paste - 20 gm
Yogurt, whisked - 200 gm
Saffron, soaked in 1 Tblsp of warm milk - 1 gm
Red Chili Powder - 2.5 tsp.
Chicken stock - 1/2 cup
Cream - 60 gm
Ghee - 3 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste

Shahi Paste
Almonds, blanched and peeled - 30 gm
Raisins, washed, soaked and refreshed - 20 gm
Pistachio, blanched and peeled - 15 gm
Poppy Seeds (Khus-Khus), soaked in luke warm water for 10 minutes - 15 gm

Shahi Masala
Cumin Seeds - 10 gm
Cloves - 5
Green Cardamom - 8
Black Peppercorns - 10
Cinnamon, 1" sticks - 3
Mace - 1 flower
Nutmeg - 1/4
Dried Rose petals - 14

For the Purdah
Flour
Water
Salt
Ghee
(The quantity depends on the lagan/handi being used. The dough needs to be rolled out to cover and seal the entire lagan/handi)
Egg white - 01 egg


Method:
1. Rub the chicken drumsticks with ginger garlic paste and salt. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

2. Put all ingredients for the shahi paste in a blender, add in 4 tblsp of water and make a paste. Keep aside.

3. Add all the ingredients for the shahi masala in a mortar and pound with a pestle to make a powder. Keep aside.

4. Heat ghee in a handi. Add in the fried onion and garlic pastes. Cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium high flame.

5. Take off the flame and add in the yogurt. Stir well to mix, so that the yogurt does not separate. Return back to the flame and cook till oil separates to the sides (approx. 5 minutes).

6. Add in the chicken drumsticks and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the shahi masala. Mix well and cook for another 3 minutes. Add in the red chili powder. Mix well and cook for another minute.

7. Add the remaining marinade and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Cook for 10 more minutes on medium flame or till chicken in half done.
8. Add in the shahi paste. Mix well and cook till chicken drumsticks are almost done. Adjust seasonings if required.

9. Take the handi off the flame. Separate the chicken drumsticks and arrange them on a lagan/flat pan or a large handi/pan.

10. Pass the gravy through a sieve and pour the gravy on top of the chicken drumsticks.
11. Evenly spread the cream on top and the saffron.
12. Make a dough with Flour, ghee, salt and water. Roll out the dough into a large round shape and cover the lagan/handi to seal it from all corners.

13. Either put in oven at 160 degrees celsius for 15 minutes or put a tawa/hot plate on flame and place the lagan on top, cook for 15 minutes on medium flame.

14. Open the purdah (the dough seal) at the time of service and let the aromas fill the room. Nedless to say, serve hot.

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India According to Gastronome by Choice

Happy Belated Diwali to all. Its been a great festive season out here in India and going by the crowds on the streets in Delhi and in the shops everyone was in the festive spirit. With work taking a backseat for a while and some time on my hands, I decided to make a culinary map of India and there were so many delights from each region to add that the space literally ran out. Now I could have taken the easy way out and just filled the map with one word, Curry, but that would not have been the India map according to me but to some one from outside India. Similarly, within India, being a North Indian ,I could have filled up loads of delicacies up north and then only added Idli and Dosa for whole of south, Dhokla and Vada Pav for West and Momos for East of India. And for someone down south of India, North would have meant only Butter Chicken and Whisky. But India is so much more. It is a pure gastronomical delight with varied cuisines across regions and some exciting culinary masterpieces, some of which in today's date have crossed over to a different region and assimilated so much in the day to day meals that it is impossible to figure out what the origin is. This attempt of mine is not only a very amateurish attempt at working on graphic software but documenting these culinary masterpieces and staples across regions. See it and enjoy it. I hope someday, I can look back at this and proudly declare as having not only eaten all of this but also cooked all of them up.

 Please click on the pic to see the enlarged map and culinary delights :)

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Bombay Sandwich - Delhi Style

3 Years of my college life were the best years of my life till date. The fact that they were spent in Bombay (I still refuse to call it Mumbai), makes me in love with the city. I still cannot figure out as to whether those years were a blast because of Bombay or did I fall in love with Bombay because of my college life. Since then, everything Bombay and I feel an instant connection. Take the Bombay sandwich for example. I never had the Bombay Sandwich while I was in the city. It was mostly about Vada Pav those days, or sitting in the Irani Restaurant behind college every evening and having Bun Maska and cutting chai. Bombay Sandwich came much later...3 years after Bombay to be precise, when I was posted in Vadodara. There was this vendor just outside the Hotel where I used to work who prepared this and it was the ideal snack, especially since I was bored out of my skull having restaurant food daily. Since then, I have been in love with Bombay Sandwich and during my trips back to Bombay have tried it out on a few occasions. So, last week during my Old Delhi trip to eat some yum food, I chanced upon this vendor selling Bombay Sandwich and I had to try it out. After all, this was my way of still maintaining my connect with the maximum city.
Now the Bombay Sandwich made in Old Delhi was totally different from the ones available in Bombay. The beetroot slices did not find their way into the sandwich and grated cheese was replaced by good old paneer (Cottage cheese). In the end, he did not toast the sandwich (which I pointed out to him) and my favorite was missing, which being the accompaniment - like sprinkled sev on top or some potato wafers or best even more grated cheese on top.
So have a look at this variation available in the bylanes of Old Delhi and till I post about the Real McCoy in Bombay, this will have to do till then.

Take 2 slices of bread and smear butter on one end of each slice. Then apply some mint chutney.

Layer one bread with sliced boiled potatoes.

Now add a layer of sliced cucumber

Sprinkle some sandwich masala. Most call this their secret to a great sandwich. I just think this is chaat masala and  black pepper.

Add in some onion rings. 

Followed by slices of tomatoes. Now this is when Beetroot slices should follow also, but this is Delhi style..need to be hatke.

And it totally deviates from here and starts looking like a Delhi Sandwich. Add in a slice of paneer (I still love my grated cheese on top). Sprinkle some more secret masala.

Cover with the second slice. The sandwich is almost done.

Purists...dont cringe. I know he should toast it to get the real Bombay style sandwich, but like I said earlier, this is a distant copy. He just cuts it in 4 triangles to make them bite sized.

A sachet of ketchup (now I love the toppings I got in Bombay) and you are ready to bite into it.

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Old Delhi Food Trail - A Photo Essay (Part I)

Every once in a while I have this urge to try the real street food of Delhi and that is when I make my trip to Chandni Chowk. Over my last few trips, many of my friends have joined me to walk through the always crowded by lanes of Chandni Chowk, Chawri bazaar and nearby areas to savor some of the tastiest food available. The choices on display blow your mind and it is impossible to miss the food stalls and little shops as they cater to a thronging crowd of hungry visitors daily.

These are some of the images that I captured in between digging into tasty chaat and searching for some legendary food outlets.

Chandni Chowk - the mere mention brings up memories of some tasty chaat vendors and the best chaat in Delhi.

Bishan Swaroop

Sultan Kulle Wala

Ashok Chat Corner

Not just chaat, the area is brimming with snacks and food from everywhere.

Bombay Sandwich in Delhi

Panna standing at Nai Sarak has some tasty Moth Kachori..try it if you havent till now.

Incase regular kachoris are what you crave then make way to Jung Bahadurs Kachori shop

And how can you be in Delhi and not try Matra Kulcha. 

And talking of Matra, Rameshji in Kinari Bazaar serves the best Matra Kulcha in town.

A trip to Chandni Chowk will be incomplete without a mention of Parathewalli Galli. The atmosphere and the crowd eating there at any time is to be seen even if oily fried parathas are not your choice of food.

And it is impossible to roam the area and not catch the countless hawkers selling nankhatai.

Going to the old Delhi area and not making a trip to Karim's is totally unpardonable, unless you are a vegetarian. Famed for its mutton preparations, the lamb Nihari and tandoori roti for breakfast are a must do, though they even serve it in evenings for a few hours.

M in front of Karims entrance - should I order the Nihari, Paya, Qorma or all three ?

The Tandoori Roti and Nihari are a perfect couple :). Try it at Karims or Al-Jawahar. Which one is better? Well, the jury has been undecided for all these years.

This happens to be the breakfast crowd at Shyam Sweets. Try out their Bedmi Pooris.

 Enough of oily and calorie filled food...try the fresh fruit instead.

There is also a lot to satisfy your sweet tooth

Rabarhi

And how can one forget Daulat ki Chaat. Only available for a few months of winter, I cant wait for it this year. Another few weeks to go I guess.

And the Khurchan at Hazarilal Jain...yum!

And the best way to finish off everything you ate is by way of a thick lassi at Amritsari Lassiwaale near Fatehpuri gate.

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