Curried Turkey Wings - Kerala Style

Friends, thanks for playing the guessing game.. Well, what else this can be ... with christmas festive season just gone.. this can be nothing else than the traditional North America Bird must for any big Festive Dinner - "Turkey".

Yes, there is'nt any home in the western world which doesn't have Turkey on the table for they festive feasts. Be it Thanks giving, Christmas or Easter the family dinner is complete only with "Turkey". Back home in our house we use to make curry with Turkey. So a few times I cooked turkey curry here in North America too. And all the times I made it in kerala style, with lots of Coconut and coconut milk. To my joy the RCI this month was Keral Cuisine. So decide to send this Turkey Wings Curry - Kerala Style as one of my entries for ">RCI - Kerala.

In south India, especailly in Tamil nadu, we get to taste the best NV food in Kerala Restaurants, its like they both go synonamous..Their Pepper Chicken Masalas, Fish Gravies etc...I have been cooking all these delicacies these days from when the RCI -Kerala is annouced.

Cause turkey takes a long time to cook, cooking this in a Slow cooker Crock pot is the best. In my cause I was cooking a Christmas party dinner, so naturally the quantity was big, and my crock pot is not so big enough to hold the entire contents. So I didn't use my crock pot. But if you are not cooking for a big meal,Slow cooking will yeild good results.

Ingredients:
2 lb Turkey Wings/Turkey breasts cut into big or medium size peices

Whole Spices:
1 tsp Fennel seeds
3 - 4 Cinnamon Sticks
6 - 8 Cloves
4-5 green Caradamon pods
2 Star anise
3 - 4 Bay leaves

For Curry:
2 Tbsp Oil
3-4 big size Onions,
4-5 Green Chillies
1 reem of Curry Leaves
1 Tsp Garlic paste
1 Tsp Ginger paste
1/2 cup Tomatoe puree/Tomatoe Paste or 2 big Tomatoes Chopped
Salt to taste

Masala Powders:
1/2 Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Chilly powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder.

For gravy:
1/4 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds(Ghas Khas) soaked in 4 Tbsp of water 2 to 3 hours and ground into a smooth paste.
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
1 cup Grated Coconut ground into a smooth paste

To Garnish:
1/2 cup coriander leaves.
1 Lime juice

Steps:
1. In a heavy bottom pot, add oil after heated and then add all the whole spices after the oil is heats up. Fry till color of the spices changes.
2. Add Onions, green chillies curry leaves and cook until the onions turn translucent and fully cooked.
3. Add garlic and ginger paste fry a little.
4. Add tomatoes or tomatoe puree, cook well
5. Now add the turkey peices and salt , mix well.
6. Add all the masala powders except the garam masala powder. 7. Mix well to coat all the turkey peices with the seasoning and the malsalas.
8. Add yogurt, and mix again.
9.Keep adding required amount of water for the meat to cook well
For Slow cooking Place the entire contents into a crock pot, and cook for 4 -5 hrs..and then follow steps 11 - 15.
10. For regular cooking, allow the curry to cook an hour.
11. Check to see if the meat is tendor. At this stage the gravy may still be very watery.
12.Once the meat is tendor add the poppy seed paste, coconut milk and the ground coconut paste.
13. This makes the gravy thick at once. Cook for another 5 minutes or till the raw smell of the poppy seeds and the coconut is gone.
14. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves
15. Remove from heat and add the juice of 1 lime.

This can be served hot with the Italian hard crust bread or our Indian Chapati/Roti/Parota or any seasoned rice.

This is one of my entries for
RCI - Kerala hosted by Curry Bazaaroriginally created by LakshimiK
JFI - Onion created by Indira and this month hosted by Radhi's Kitchen
Thick Spice - Garlic created and hosted by Sunitha's World

Bihari Kabab - for RCI and Think Spice

The only dish I know to cook in Bihari Cuisine is the famous "Bihari Kabab" Never tasted or tried cooking this when I was in India.

But here almost all Indian restuarants have them on the menu.
And why not it lives up the name it has. Exceptionally gr8 tasting kabab. I have seen it in many forms and shapes, Minced meat on Skewers, Minced meat in burger shape, meat strips or just meat cubes.

Whatever is the shape and texture of meat, the ingredients that go into it are the same. The most important ingredient in this is the Bihari Kabab Mix which is readily availabe in all Indian Groceries(Atleast here in Toronto,Canada)

But I noticed that many of you had questions about this Bihari Kabab mix. So decided to attach a picture of the Bihari Kabab mix box. And for those of you who don't get this ready made mix in any grocery store at your place, try making this mix at home. Here are the ingredients that go into this mix.
Corriander, Red chilli, Paprika, Salt, Ginger, Garlic, Musk Melon, Dehydrated Onion, Black Pepper, Bay leaf, Black and regular Cumin, Green Caradamom & Dill Seed.

The other ingredient is the Ginger which is the Spice of this month.

There is'nt any day in my kitchen that I don't use it, starting from the cup of chai I & my hubby sip on every single morning to most of the dishes, and if it is a meat dish it is never complete with this rich spice. Its like NV dish and Ginger go parallel.

Yeah, ginger has been part of cooking from my childhood. Those days when these electric grinders where not so prevelent, my mom and GM used to make the fresh ginger garlic paste to make the curries or Biriyani. I tell you that fresh ginger garlic paste cannot replace any of these ready made ones or our now a days home made fridge stored ones. I also find that our Indian Ginger or garlic our more strong and rich in flavour than the ones we get here.

I still remember my childhood days how during festivals and weddings all our relatives(ladies off course) sit together to peel the ginger to make huge bowls of this Ginger Garlic paste, to cook the Curries and Pulav, chatting with each other and having fun. We children use to watch them and enjoy. So peeling the ginger takes me to those precious memories of celebration and festival.
I make this kabab two methods. One way on the skewers like this

And in the other I add chopped onions, green chillies and shape them like the burgers.

I'm sharing the recipe of the second method.

Ingredients:
2 lb minced meat of your choice.
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 Tbsp Bihari Kabab masala
1/2 tsp tandoori masala
1/2 tsp Seek kabab masala
2 Tbsp Plain yogurt
1/4 tsp plain chilly powder
Salt to taste
1 Big oinion
5 green chillies
1/4 cup -Finely chopped coriandera and mint leaves

Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients except onions and marinate for 3 hrs or overnight.
At the time of cooking add the freshly cut onions, mix and make lemon size balls and flatten them to a burger shape and pan fry or bake them in the oven at 350 C or barbaque them.
Once done on both sides remove from heat and serve hot with mint chutney and Salab.


This is my entry for RCI - Bihari Cuisine hosted by Ghar ka khana
and Think spice - Ginger hosted by Sunitha" World

Paasi Paruppu Payasam for RCI Tamil Festivals

Viji of Vcuisine is hosting RCI this month and the Theme is Tamil Festivals. Well my husband being a Tamilian and I living in Chennai(Madras), Tamil Nadu, for more than 4 years, have some knowledge of Tamil dishes. Mostly the snacks and desserts, that are prepared during the Tamil festivals, because in India during festival season it is customary to distribute sweets and Savouries to nieghbours. I, being a Christian the only Festivals celebrated is Easter and Christmas. And these are not Tamil festivals, though Tamil Christians also celebrate only these. So I don't think I can do write up on any Tamil festivals but I can post one of the Desserts that is popularly made for Tamil festivals- Paasi Paruppu Payasm.

Paasi Parupu in Tamil means Moong Dhall. As I metioned earlier, I got to taste this when our neighbours gave this to me whenever they made this for the Tamil festivals. So I got the recipe from them. There could be minor variations.
This is one easy yummy dessert..
All you have to do is to pressure cook Moong Dhall and add Jaggery syrup to it. For flavour the campanion for the Indian sweets (Guess What?) your right, The beautiful flavoured Spice " Cardamom". Garnish with fried Cashew and Raisins in ghee. Serve warm.

For detailed recipe click here.

This is my entry for RCI Tamil Festivals