Drumsticks in Butter Chicken Gravy

Drumsticks in Butter Chicken Gravy

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Legs
5 medium Tomatoes in a paste
1 heaping tsp Red chillies powder
1 Maggie Chicken cube dissolved in hot water
Soya oil quantity as per your taste
Salt only if you think it is required as maggie cube is salted
Handful of kajus
1inch piece of Ginger cut in small pieces
1 heaping tsp of fresh garlic paste
2 tsp of Kasuri methi
1/2 tsp of garam masala powder
2 table spoon of maggie hot and sweet tomato sauce
1/2 Cup Malai
Some Amul butter

Method:
Make a paste of tomatoes and fry them in a pressure cooker with some oil till oil separates from the paste.
Add red chillies powder with a little water
And cook the masala till oil separates.
Add the hot water with the dissolved chicken cube.
Add the drumsticks.
Add enough water to cover them.
Let it cook for some time.
Make a paste of ginger , garlic and Kajus
With some water so that there are no lumps.
Add to the pressure cooker.
Let it cook.
When you see flesh leaving the bones from the leg pieces add kasuri methi, butter and malai while stiring the mixture so that it doesn’t curdel.
Cook a little so everything blends together.
Serve with hot chapatis or nan.

Chicken tomato masala

Serves: 2 Persons

Ingredients:

500gms Boneless Chicken

Fresh tomato puree* of 5 medium tomatoes

2  Paste of two Medium raw  onions

oil

2 Tsp (Heaping) Red chili powder

1 Tsp (Not Heaping) Dhania Powder

1/4 Tsp Haldi Powder

1 Tsp Salt

3 heaping Table spoons Curd

2 Table Spoons Garlic Paste

2 Table spoon Ginger paste

3 Table spoon Cashew Nuts

Method:

* To make fresh tomato puree boil water in a pan and put 5 tomatoes in it after scooping their eyes out and making a plus sign with a knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. after 5 minutes throw out the hot water and rinse  the tomatoes in cold water. Now peel off the skins and blend the tomatoes in a mixer.

Heat some oil in a cooker and add the fresh tomato puree. Cook till oil separates. Add the onion paste cook till oil separates. Add all the dry masalas with some water and cook till oil separates. Add curd and mix it well in hi-flame till oil separates.

Add the chicken pieces and cook on low flame for about 30 minutes.

(Take the specified amount of ginger, garlic and cashew nuts and make a paste in a mixer. Add a little water so that there are no lumps.)

Add this paste to the masala in the cooker and fry well till oil separates and the white color of the cashew paste is gone.

By now the chicken should be done. Serve hot with fresh chapaties.

 

A home for the butterflies in Jaipur

Butterfly Valley

In an ambitious project, JDA has developed a 3800 Sq. Mts.( buffer area is 5 acres)  valley in Simriti Ban on JLN Marg, Jaipur as a habitat for 46 species of commonly found butterflies. The area, some 100 mts below JLN Marg,  has been planted with 80 varieties of big and small host plants. The area has some 900 trees and treated waste  water is regularly sprayed on them to keep the moisture in the area high.They have developed waterfalls and ponds decorated with stones brought in from Nathdwara and Haridwar. So come February you need to visit the Butterfly Valley with your camera for a date with the fast vanishing delicate creatures.

 

Butterfly valley in Simriti Ban,JLN Marg,Jaipur

Chicken Masala In An Oven

Chicken Masala In an Oven
Serves 2 persons
Ingredients
Desi Ghee 100 gms
Oil 100 gms
Saabut Garam Masala ( 4 Doda, 1 ½ inch Dal chini, 5 Big Tej Patta, 20 Kali Mirch,
10 Cloves, 4 Small Ilaichi)
Oninons 4 large minced
Red chilie powder 2 tea spoons heaping ( or to taste)
Corriender Powder 1 tea spoons heaping( or same proportion as the red chilies)
Turmeric ½ Tea Spoon
Salt -One Tea Spoon (Not heaping) or to taste.
Sour Curd 200 gms
Garlic Paste 2 Tea Spoons
Ginger Paste 2 Tea Spoons
2 green chillies minced
2 Tea Spoons(heaping) Kachari Powder
300 grams Chicken

Heat the oil & Desi Ghee in a cooker. Add all the Saabut Gram Masala. Add the onions & fry the onions till they are brown.
Add red chilies, dhania, turmeric & salt with some water & fry till oil septrates.
Add curd.While adding the curd ensure to stir the mixture on high flame till the masala comes to a boil. Keep the flame on low heat and keep frying the curry till it takes the color of deep oily red chilies.
Add the Garlic paste and the ginger paste & green chilies to the curry and cook some more.
Pre-heat the oven at 300 Degrees
Add Chicken to the Masala and put in a baking tray and put in the oven to cook.
Once the oil starts bubbling set the temperature to 150 degrees and cook till done.

Serve with hot chapaties.

How To Use The Leftover Roties?

Most of us live in nuclear families in urban areas in this age of modernisation so what do you do with the Roties you and your family members fail to consume at meal times? Earlier we used to feed them to the stray cows roaming in the streets. Those stray cows have been rounded up and given accommodation in Goashalas on the outskirts of the Urban areas to chew their cud in peace. Milk giving cows are expensive animals and are not allowed on the streets and are housed outside the Urban areas in Dairies any way. Not everybody has a dog. And you can not just throw away food! So only thing you can do is consume them yourself.

Here are five ways you can consume them depending on your taste.

1. Chach-Roti

Tear the Roties in little pieces and put them in a bowl and soak them in enough buttermilk so that they will be able to become soft. Add salt and red chilli to taste. If you like onions mince some and put them in the bowl and mix properly. Refrigarate the preparation before serving. It is a popular cooling delicacy in the harsh heat of Rajasthani summers. It is also perfect for people with teeth issues.

2. Anda-Roti

Here is a preparation for the egg lovers. Make preparations to cook omelettes in proportion to the leftover Roties. Put required amount of oil in a non- stick pan put a roti in the pan pour the egg mixture with salt, chilli and minced onions on the roti and cook them together in the pan so that the roti and the egg mixture meld together. A delicious preparation is prepared. Serve hot.

3. Parathas

This one, though a no, no for the calorie conscious is a very easy option to prepare. Just before sitting down for a meal fry the left over Roties in a non-stick pan like you would prepare a Paratha and they will be as good as new.
If you like your Parathas crisp, fry them on a low flame for a little while longer. If you like your Parathas soft like a roti, fry them on high flame for just a little while only. Depending on your taste you can use ordinary refined oil or desi ghee as a frying medium.

4.Churma

Finally an option for the people with a sweet tooth! Break the Roties in little pieces and grind them in a mixer. Add sugar powder and hot desi ghee to taste in the roti powder. Mix well. It can be served as a sweet dish or with fresh Dal.

Last but not the least you can always heat up the leftover Roties on open gas flame before serving. If you like them soft heat them up for a little while only on high flame but if you like them crisp heat them on low flame for a little while longer.

How To Cook ‘Kaleji’

A simple Rajasthani recipe to cook spicy, red hot, Goat or Lamb Liver Curry.

Serves: Two persons
Time taken to prepare: 150 minutes
Ingredients:
Goat/Lamb Liver: 300 grams
Minced Onions: Four Medium Sized
Minced Green Chili: Four
Fresh Curd: 200 grams
Oil of your choice: 200 grams
Red Chili Powder: Two Tea Spoons heaping
Green Coriander Powder: One Tea Spoon heaping
Turmeric Powder: Half a Tea Spoon
Salt: One Tea Spoon not heaping
Ginger/ Garlic Paste: 30 grams
Vinegar: Two Tea Spoons (optional)
Method:
Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan like a pressure cooker and add the minced onions once the oil is hot. Fry the onions on low flame till their colour turns light brown. Add the Ginger/Garlic paste with a little water so that the ingredients do not burn. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt with some water. Fry the masala on low flame till it is cooked. Turn up the flame and add the curd while stirring the mixture till it comes to boil. Add the minced green chili. Cook the mixture on low flame till the masala takes on a deep red colour. Wash the raw liver and add it to the masala with some more water and cook on low flame till the liver turns hard. Unlike other meats liver will turn hard when fully cooked. Just before taking the pan off the flame add the vinegar. Serve with hot chapaties as a full meal or it can also be served as a delicious snack with cocktails before the main meal.

KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK,BHARATPUR IN IMAGES-3

Here are some more photos from Ghana Bird Sanctuary…

 

LORD SHIV TEMPLE IN THE SANCTUARY

A PLAQUE DECLARING THE STATUS OF THE PARK AS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE

 

PARAKEET

BLACK SHOULDERED KITE

 

 

COOTS

 

PAINTED STORK

 

 

 

 

BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY (BNHS)

Some Images From The Pushkar Fair 2013

Prachin Pushkar Sarovar or Budha Pushkar

Jansailab  Devotees

Devotees

 

Shopping

 

Shopping at the mela

A By lane

Busstand

Bandanwar display at the pushkar fair 2013

 

 A display of Colorful Worry beads at a shop in pushkar

A man dressed as goddess parvati at the pushkar mela 2013

 

An Encounter With The Naga King Chillies

Chicken Preparation with Naga King Chillie

All trades & hobbies naturally have their pitfalls for a novice. By happenstance I cook as a hobby & am also an admin for a Facebook group about food for the city of Jaipur. When a member procured some Naga King Chillies & offered to share some with the group members I naturally also asked for some. He kindly brought some over when he visited the Guesthouse for dinner one evening.

You can imagine my apprehension when I saw that the jar in which the chillies came was pasted with a write up and also instructions on how to use them safely.

Anyway I decided to use them in a very simple recipe of Junglee Maans. This recipe is from the book “Cooking Delights of Maharajas” by Maharaja Digvijay Singh ji of the princely house of Sailana.

The recipe was intended for the use of the Shikari who would not have any measuring tools or the various comforts of the kitchen & would have very limited masalas at hand.

So he uses only 5 ingredients mutton,whole red chillies,salt,water & Desi ghee or Oil. The measures are also approximate only.

Instead of mutton I used 1/2 a Kg of Broiler & for the whole red chillies I put just ONE Whole Naga King Chilli in 250 gms of desighee with some salt.

Later on I added little water at regular intervals to ensure that the chicken did not fry nor boil till it was cooked.

When I tasted it the slight bite of the chillies came when I swallowed the chicken bite.

Even if I say so myself it was a tasty preparation.

Now, the trouble started because I underestimated the punch of the chillies( The Desighee had taken off the full bite of the chillies) & on the next day made the same preparation but with 3 Naga King Chillies & had the whole dish all by my self.

Everything was fine till I finished eating, I could not get enough. But once I was through eating, my outer mouth area started burning. I drank copious amounts of water & ate large quantities of icecream, before things settled down.

When I related my experience to my wife who had been away at an opening ceremony of a Spa at a famous hotel, she very kindly suggested for me to avoid taking any laxative that night!

A Visit To KCK Simriti Ban

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,canopy

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,purple water lilly

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, canopy

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, yellow water lily

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bamboo

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bridge

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bamboo

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, Almanda

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,frangipani

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,walkway

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

(Click on Image to view in gallery)

It is always a pleasure to visit the Karpur Chandra Kulish Simriti Ban on the Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg,Jaipur,Rajasthan. The fascinating aspect is the green oasis in a world dominated by sand as Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan a desert state in India. It has water & trees & plants to attract the local birds and other insects & butterflies etc.  It has lot of secluded corners where benches are provided by the administration for the young and not so young couples visiting the park.

My only suggestion is that they should provide an hour each in the morning & evening for nature lovers who would like to photograph the birds and the flora & fauna as the park is very busy during the visiting hours for a serious study to be done. Furthermore boys being boys some of the boys are  intentionally disruptive to the peaceful atmosphere in the park.