Chettinad Style Minty Chicken

It happens sometimes that we think of cooking a dish and suddenly realize that some vital ingredients in cooking the dish are not available. So we are forced to make the dish replacing some ingredients and adding some more. These twists and turns finally come up with a recipe which help sprout a new dish, Thanks to such situations where we venture new recipes and make out a different dish.

This Minty chettinad style chicken is no exception. The tomato puree is replaced by yogurt and to make use of the mint leaves bunch, I decided to add them and give a different flavour to my chettinad style chicken.
Ingredients :
1/2 Kg of Chicken, bone in, Skinless, cut into regular chicken curry size pieces
1 Tbsp Sesame or Olive oil
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
4 - 5 Red Chillies broken into small pieces
8 - 10 Curry leaves
1 big Onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
1/2 + 1/4 cup Mint leaves chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilly Powder
1/2 tsp Home made Garam Masala
1/2 cup Yogurt
a pinch of Black Pepper Powder
Salt to Taste

Procedure :
To cleaned chicken add turmeric, little of each red chilly powder, garam masala, pepper powder and salt, keep aside.
In a skillet, heat oil and add the fennel seeds , wait for the aroma and then add red chillies, curry leaves and fry without burning.
Add Onions and fry till translucent
Add ginger garlic paste and fry till rawness is gone.
Now add the marinated chicken pieces and mix well.
At this time add the chopped mint leaves and fry along with the chicken for a minute or two.
Add Yogurt and keep stirring.
Add garam masala and mix.
No need to add any water as we are making a semi dry version here.
Roast the chicken till done and the masala mixture leaves oil.
Add remaining mint leaves mix for a minute and remove from heat.
Serve hot with plain rice, rasam or sambar

Green Chutney

Yet another simple chutney made with ease is green chutney..with its pungent and powerful flavour its goes well with most of the Indian snacks/tiffins.

Ingredients:
1 bunch Coriander leaves - about 2 cups
1 cup Mint leaves
3-4 Green chilies
1/2 a Lemon juice
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar

Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a blender except lemon juice, with a little water and grind till smooth.
Serve in a bowl, add lemon juice and mix well.
Goes well with Bondas, Dholkas, Dosas etc..

Mint or Pudina Chuntey

Pudina or mint is one of my fav herbs...With all its medicinal values and great flavour this is one herb I wish to have in my fridge to make use off.

I use it in biriyanis, tandoori chicken, kebabs, to flavour my fruit punch, or lemonade, to make mint rice and to make chutney

Growing up always enjoyed my granny's thick spicy version with hot rice. But for upma we need a softer thinner version and also add a spoon of sugar to bring up those minty flavours which i really think go well to lift up mildness of upma.

Ingredients:
1 bunch Mint/Pudina leaves
1 Tbsp oil

To fry:
2 Tbsp Channa dhall
1 Tbsp Urad dhall
1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
1 Tbsp Cumin seeds
2 long Red chillies dry (increase the no. if desire spicy)
3-4 small Garlic pods skin on and crushed gently

Others:
1/4 lemon size tamarind soaked to soften
2/3 tsp sugar or powdered jaggery
Salt to taste
Enough water to grind the chutney.

Procedure:
Add oil to a hot saucepan, when heated add the dhalls and fry till color changes then add all the other frying ingredients and fry for 2 to 3 minutes or they turn the color.
Empty the fried ingredients onto a plate and allow them to cool.

Separate pudina leaves from stems and rinse them thoroughly, strain from water.
Add the leaves to tawa in which we just fried all the other ingredients.
Fry for a minute and remove from heat.
Empty these leaves onto another plate and top it with the soaked tamarind mixture to cool it fast.
Grind the fried dhal and other ingredients mixture to powder along with salt, then add the mint leaves, tamarind mixture along with sugar or jaggery and enough water to make a fine paste.
Check for enough salt, sweet and sour and add more if necessary. Add more water if the chutney is too thick and it is hard to grind.
If everything is OK, then empty into a bowl and serve with upma, idly or dosa.