Mangalorean Chicken Curry (Kori Gassi)

This curry is usually had with thin rice wafers made out of boiled rice, called rotti and the meal is called kori rotti, which is a classic Mangalorean  fare. Kori rotti which translates into chicken curry with rotti happens to be my favorite dish still, after having tried cuisines all over the world. The spicy gravy made with a paste of red chillies, coconut and other spices along with the subtle crispy wafers is definitely an experience. 

Here in New Jersey I have visited lot of restaurants and there are lot of Indian restaurants too here, unfortunately not a single restaurant serves this Mangalorean style gravy. I guess we need some coastal Karnataka restaurateurs from Mumbai here. Neither do I get those crispy rottis here. So ultimately to get some of this curry I guess the only place would have been, creating it in my kitchen. So I tried it, it came out well and I had some leftover rottis, which mom had got for me on her last visit here, and I had the amazing kori rotti after a long time. The basic recipe is my mom's but I have made little bit changes as per taste. This curry also tastes good with rice if you do not have rottis.

Ingredients:

For masala paste:

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 7-8 dry red chillies (use as per the chili strength and your preference)
• 10 fenugreek seeds
• 7-8 peppercorns

• 1 onion, sliced
• 5-6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tsp oil

For the gravy:

• 2 pounds chicken
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 onion chopped fine
• 1 tomato chopped fine
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• salt to taste

Directions:

For masala paste:

• Dry roast first section of the spices for the masala. When you get a nice aroma stop roasting, let it cool and grind into fine powder in a blender.
• In the same pan, take oil, heat it and add onions and garlic. When the onions become soft and transluscent, add coconut and roast for some time. Then let it cool and add it to the blender with the powdered spices and blend again till you get a smooth and fine paste.

For the gravy:

• In a large pot, take 2tsp oil and heat it. Add onions and saute well. After onions are soft add tomatoes and let it cook till mushy.
• Add the masala paste and mix well. Add salt, turmeric powder and chicken and let the chicken get coated in the masala. Add water say around 1-2 cups, depending upon how thick you want your gravy. Let it simmer covered, so that all the spices blend well and the chicken gets cooked in the spices.
• When the chicken is cooked add tamarind concentrate and let it simmer for some time. Adjust thickness of the gravy and cook for some time.
• Enjoy this gravy with rice, rotti, neer dosa or idlis. This gravy always tastes better the next day when the flavors get fully absorbed and enhanced.

Note: Please do not use chicken breasts to make this curry, do  not ask me how I know, since it has dense meat it gets very hard when cooked in the curry. Thighs are a good option if you are buying frozen packs.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My first introduction to cookies were the Indian ones called nankhatai and love those cookies. Here in US I tasted chocolate chip, oatmeal raisins, sugar cookies and I like those too. But I have to admit that chocolate chip cookies are my favorite due to the addition of those yummy chocolates speckles in them. I am not a fan of decorated sugar cookies, it feels too sugary. In short give me any cookie that is not decorated, and nankhatais and chocolate chip cookies any day.

I baked these cookies with an intention that my 3 year old will have it too, since she loves chocolate too but she hardly ate one cookie and I ended up finishing most of it. So sometimes it gets dangerous for me to bake such sinful delights. But what is life if you do not err occasionally, plus if that error was totally worth it, go for it. So let me entice you to have some of these cookies by sharing this recipe. It is the popular nestle toll house recipe, not my own, but if you have never come across it then here it goes.

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz pkg) semi sweet chocolate chip morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degree F
• Mix all purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
• Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar by beating well.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat well till they are well incorporated.
• Gradually add the dry flour mixture and beat well.
• Add chocolate morsels and nuts, if using, at this point and mix well with a spatula. 
• Drop by rounded tablespoon on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes.
• Remove and let it cool for a minute or two and enjoy your cookies.

Tip:

• I feel that if you bake the cookies immediately after making the cookie dough using this recipe your cookie will spread too much so I follow the method of dividing the dough in half, wrapping in wax paper and refrigerating it for at least one hour. Then shape it into a log and wrap it in wax paper and put it back in fridge for half an hour. Then cut it in half inch slices and bake in the preheated oven. You will get perfectly shaped cookies using this method.
• If you do not have time,  then substitute 1/2 cup of butter with shortening and bake. This way too the cookies won't spread as much as all butter cookies.
• Reserve some chocolate chips to add on top of the cookies arranged on baking sheet, before baking. When you mix the chocolate chips in the dough they get coated with dough and will not show after they are baked but you can still taste them inside. By adding some chocolate on top before baking you will get picture perfect chocolate chip cookies.

Vegetarian Chili

This is a comfort food and especially during winter you will find great comfort in this spicy hot bowl of chili. The Mexican flavors will kick your taste-buds. My husband and I are up for anything from the south of US, except for beef and pork dishes, like most of the Indians.

I am a carnivore (have eaten lamb and goat, but now I limit myself to chicken and seafood) and my husband is now a herbivore (used to eat chicken before), so being a carnivore I cannot stand boring food that makes me miss the meat. So I try to cook vegetarian dishes that are so flavorful that I do not miss meat (which I do enjoy occasionally). Also thankfully being an Indian gives me the advantage of having loads of yummy vegetarian dishes as a part of our culture.  So we can preserve our personal choices without changing each other. I thank dishes like this vegetarian chili to make our marriage work!

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion chopped fine
• 5-6 garlic cloves minced (I like lot of garlic)
• 2 carrots chopped fine
• 1 red bell pepper chopped fine
• 1 green bell pepper chopped fine
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 3/4 cup corn
• 3-4 tomatoes chopped fine
• 2- 1/2 cups cooked beans (after soaking overnight) like pinto, red/ pink or black beans
• 1 green chili (Serrano or jalapeno) seeded and chopped fine
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder (optional) 
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• Salt to taste
• Sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese to serve (optional)
• 4 tsp cooking oil

Directions:

• In a large pot, heat oil. Add chopped green chili, minced garlic, chopped onions and saute.
• Add chopped carrots, red and green bell peppers, celery and corn. Mix well, add salt and let them cook till they are soft.
• Add chopped tomatoes, red chili powder and cumin powder. Mix and let the tomato release all its juice.
• Add the well cooked beans (they should be so well cooked that they mash up at the slightest touch) and add 3-4 cups of water and let the chili simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes, so that the flavors get blended well. Do not add too much water or your chili will become watery. You can always add more water if you feel your chili is too thick and simmer for some time. Adjust salt and seasoning as per your taste.
• Take the chili in a bowl and top it with a blob of sour cream and some shredded cheddar cheese.
• It really tastes yum, enjoy!!

Serving suggestions:

To make it a complete meal you can bake quarters of corn tortillas or leftover/ fresh rotis, till crispy and serve with the chili. Just crumble them into the chili  and there you have a nutritious and more importantly, delicious;) meal.