I want to kick-off this post by clarifying that in my chicken drumstick curry the ‘drumstick’ refers to the moringa fruit (commonly known drumsticks in India). The moringa has caught the world’s imagination as a superfood and everything from its leaves to its fruit are consumed in the form of teas, capsules, health powders, drinks etc. Moringa oleifera or murunga, murungakkai, morunga, munaga, sojana, sajana, shajna and the many other…
This cast iron roast chicken is one of those dishes that looks like I spent hours in the kitchen slaving over it. Truth is, this recipe, based on an Ina Garten original, couldn’t be simpler. It’s a testimony to the brilliance of cast iron skillets when it comes to roasting or browning meat. No other baking / roasting dish, pan or tray comes close.When you cook a cast iron roast…
Chicken ularthiyathu (pronounced oo-lar-thi-ya-da) is a semi dry, spicy chicken dish from Kerala. Syrian Christian kitchens all over the state take great pride in their fish and meat dishes. The ularthiyathu style of cooking – slow frying or roasting of meats, that renders them tender while giving them a nice brown char. Beef ularthiyathu is famously cooked for every Christmas feast. No festive table is considered complete without this beloved…
This is a methi chicken recipe that evolved on a lazy weekend to become a methi chicken rice, rather a Methi Chicken Pulao. A green, glistening bunch of fresh methi in and a bag of chicken in the fridge saved me on a Sunday, giving me the idea to put together a quick, fuss-free but special enough lunch.This methi chicken recipe was cooked simply with a few ingredients, but tasted,…
There are a thousand chicken thigh recipes out there to tempt you but I’ll go all out and say that my recipe for 7-Ingredient Sticky Chicken Thighs may be a lazy one but it will have you licking your fingers. I guarantee. It uses just just about 7 ingredients and you’ll hardly break a sweat cooking them and the result – moist chicken thighs coated with a delicious syrup,will be…
Mom makes a mean mutton keema pulao. She’s fast, unfussy and does not follow recipes. Her repertoire of pulaos (pilafs) and biryanis is extensive yet each every single one is cooked from memory backed-up by instinct. On my last visit, as I watched her put together her mutton keema pulao, I felt a strong urge to share the recipe. Busy moms everywhere could learn how to make pulao in a…
Happiness is a slow, serendipitous lunch of grilled chicken in the dappled shade of the guava tree on a warm Sunday afternoon. With my foot firmly on the brake till Monday, my day dawned later than usual despite the robust renditions of the koels (cuckoos) residing in the fruit trees outside my bedroom window. Sunday papers read, floating on a ribbon of blues meandering through the house (from my better…
Finally, a rain-spattered Sunday. The perfect kind of day for hot chicken wings. Clouds like floating African elephants hang low over my windows, threatening to crash down any moment. Think of a water filled plastic bag, ready to burst. Love it. All summer, burning eyes peeled on the dry blue skies, we waited for the faintest sign of moisture. Exhausted by bright, hot sunshine, spirits withering, we endured the blistering…
On a beach somewhere, sand between my toes, salt on my lips and the sea breeze teasing my hair, I’m lulled into a gentle somnolence by the blue rhythm of the waves. A tall, cold glass, a meaty slider and a book keep me company and I don’t know what time it is. Truth is, I’m in the middle of a heatwave, bored by chores, plotting an imaginary escape plan.…
Contemplating Dorie Greenspan’s very French Chicken in a Pot among other chicken dishes for dinner, I had a flashback of my trusty clay kadai, which in turn openened a floodgate of memories. I still remember, it was her feet that caught my eye. Coated with talc-like dust, they seemed part of the dark earth with solid silver rings curling around her toes and thick, silver hoops dancing around her ankles. Like some ebony…