Indian Style Rice And Chicken Food

CHICKEN MASALA

Steps:

• Clean and wash chicken well. Drain completely so no water remains.
• Marinate with ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, yogurt, chicken masala or garam masala.
• Cover & set aside for about 45 mins to 1 hour. It can also be left overnight in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a pan or pot. Saute cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and bay leaf in hot oil for a min. You can also add curry leaves if you have.
• Next add in green chilies and onions. Saute them until the onions turn completely golden.
• Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.
• Pour the tomato puree. Then add salt, red chili powder and garam masala as well.
• Saute this very well until the mixture begins to leave the pan.
• At this stage you can also see oil getting separated from the mixture.
• Add marinated chicken and saute for 4 to 5 mins on a medium flame.
• Turn the flame to completely low and cook covered for 5 mins.
• Turn the chicken pieces and mix everything well. Add coriander leaves or mint leaves and give a stir.
• Cover the pan again and continue to cook on a low heat until chicken is completely cooked to soft and tender. Chicken gets cooked in its own moisture, so don't need to add water.
• Add half tsp more garam masala and chilli powder while cooking the tomato puree.
• Add little hot water or coconut milk to make a gravy. Cook until the gravy turns thick.
• Serve hot with steamed rice, roti, sliced onion wedges and lemon.

GRILLED TANDOORI CHICKEN WITH INDIAN-STYLE RICE

Steps:

• Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
• Use a sharp knife to cut slits into the chicken pieces; this will allow the marinade to really get into the chicken. 3 slits per drumstick and 4 to 5 per thigh should do the trick.
• Usually, Tandoori Chicken calls for the skin to be removed, but I left it on because you want that crispy chicken skin (obviously). You can decide for yourself, but be aware that skin-on chicken is more prone to flare-ups when grilling. You'll have to watch the chicken more closely while it's on the grill and flip the pieces more often to avoid hot spots--all reasonable trade-offs for some extra flavor!
• Place the chicken in a large dish. Spread the marinade all over the chicken and let marinate at least 12 hours, but not more than 2 days. We marinated our chicken for 16 hours, and even more marinating time wouldn't have hurt!
• Be sure to take the chicken out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours prior to grilling, so the chicken can come to room temperature--kind of like how you never want to grill a cold steak. This is an important step since there will be marinade on the chicken, and it will burn if the chicken is left too long on the grill because its internal temperature is too low.
• This is a good time to make your Indian-style jeera rice. We've measured out enough rice here to take down all of the chicken, but feel free to make more or less. Wash the rice thoroughly and drain into your cooking vessel. Cover with water and allow to soak for 20 minutes.
• While that's happening, heat your oil/butter/ghee in a saucepan. When it's melted, add the cumin seeds, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Let the spices infuse the oil for 2-3 minutes. After the rice has finished soaking, drain it thoroughly and add it to the spice mixture. Sauté the rice in the pan for about 2 minutes, and transfer to a rice cooker. Add the salt and water (according to your rice cooker directions), and press Start. If you're not using a rice cooker, use our directions for perfect stovetop rice.
• Now it's time to cook the chicken. Start your grill, and keep it covered until it reaches 500 degrees.
• Shake off the excess marinade before placing the chicken on the hot grill. Cook with the grill covered, but stay close to watch for excess smoke, a sure indicator that your chicken is charring!
• Turn the chicken as often as needed to prevent burning and keep the grill cover on so the chicken cooks through quickly. Our chicken took about 45 minutes, and we did have to turn and move the chicken pieces often.
• The chicken is done when the juices run clear when poked or, better yet, use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature near the bone. The optimal temperature for chicken is 165 degrees F.
• For the rice, during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time, add the frozen peas and stir thoroughly. Let the rice reheat. Serve the chicken with the rice, sliced fresh cucumbers, sliced red onion, and cilantro.

INDIAN STYLE BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Place rice into a bowl with enough water to cover. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and cumin seed. Cook and stir for about a minute, then add the onion to the pot. Saute the onion until a rich golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the rice, and stir into the pot. Cook and stir the rice for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. Add salt and water to the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.

SUPER SIMPLE, SUPER QUICK CHICKEN CURRY AND RICE

Steps:

• Dissolve chicken base in hot water (skip this step if using stock).
• Pour dissolved base/stock in 2" deep pan.
• Add chicken to pan and place on medium-high heat.
• Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT rice.
• Cook chicken uncovered, stirring often to coat with spices.
• Remove chicken from heat and cover to keep warm. You will use the liquid from the pan in the next step.
• Add rice to separate pan and prepare as directed, BUT instead of using water to cook, add the drippings from the chicken pan. I usually get about 1/2 cup of drippings and then top that off with the water necessary to cook the rice. The rice I use needs 1 1/3 cup of water for 1/2 cup uncooked rice. This will yield 2 cups of cooked rice.
• When rice is finished cooking, spoon rice back into chicken pan and place on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

INDIAN RICE SALAD WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cook the rice following pack instructions but add the turmeric and 1 tsp curry powder to the cooking water. Drain well and spread on a tray lined with kitchen paper to cool.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the coriander stalks and whisk with all the other dressing ingredients, plus seasoning.
• Tip the rice into a big mixing bowl. Using a fork, break up any large lumps, then mix in the cashews, cucumber, onion, coriander leaves, pomegranate seeds, beans and chicken. Pour over the dressing and lightly stir in, then cover and keep in the fridge. Eat over the next 2 days (as long as it's within the chicken use-by date). Keep a big spoon in the bowl so kids can easily help themselves. Top with a dollop of yogurt and add a handful of poppadum crisps, if you like.