Kanjamolaga (Dried Red Chilli) Chicken

I thought that, to kick this blog off, I'd share one of my favourite recipes from home :) It's become a family recipe after my grandmother found it in a newspaper and modified it, and it's always been one of my absolute favourite dishes. It was the first real recipe I followed, after I learnt to cook - I asked Mom to send it to me so I could make it for New Year's in England!

Having eaten it - and loved it - all my life, the first time I cooked it, I couldn't believe how easy it was. In fact, I was sure Mom had forgotten to tell me half the ingredients! It came out perfect, despite too many kanjamolagas (dried red chillies) and that was when I first realised that it's sometimes the simplest dishes that are the tastiest.

This has always been popular among my friends, and it's my standard dish for pot-luck gatherings. :) Modify the quantity for the chillies depending on what sort you use and how spicy you like it!

Ingredients:
1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
7-10 dried red chillies
4-6 medium red onions, chopped
1 medium-sized tomato
1 small chicken, skinned and cut
Haldi (turmeric)
Salt

Method:
Marinate the chicken with haldi and salt. It doesn't matter how long for...I generally do this before I start chopping the onions. I like it when the quantity of the onions is approx. the same as that of the chicken, since they get all brown and delicious. Heat a little oil in a kadai (wok) and add the saunf and red chillies. When the saunf pops, add the onions and a little salt (it helps them fry evenly). When the onions turn light brown, add the tomato and the chicken together, mix everything together and cook covered, over a medium flame, stirring occasionally. Check for salt. Cook until brown and well done.

Sprinkle a little water over it if it becomes too dry, and if it's not dry enough, cook open for a while until the water evaporates, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't burn.

This is a quick and easy recipe, and goes rrrreally well with daal and jeera rice! Though I'm sure it would be lovely with something unconventional as well, like mashed potatoes.

ETA: Would anyone like me to put up recipes for daal and jeera rice? Let me know in the comments. Oh and it would be lovely if you try this and let me know how it turned out :) Commenting = showing love!

The Purpose

 I love cooking. I do. And, much to people's initial astonishment (hmph!) I am good at it. I always loved making my own snacks at home (usually, something to do with eggs or brownies) and of course I could always make the tea my body demands at regular intervals during the day. But I learnt to actually cook actual food when I left home for the first time, wandered off to England, and decided I didn't really fancy living on fish-and-chips for the next three years. And of course, since my mommy wasn't around to help (read:cook) for me, I had to improvise.

Therefore, aside from when I'm trying to make something very specific (like my aachi's kanjamolaga chicken) I experiment, going by sense of smell and accumulated knowledge of spice flavours. Cooking is an absolute joy. There is nothing really like the joy of creating something, and having your creation be appreciated by others - whether it be a painting, a song, a poem, or a delicious curry. Mmm. *slurp* And if you're a foodie, of course, there's the added joy of eating... :P

BUT...the advantage to following an actual recipe is, you can keep the recipe, and follow it again. And you know you'll be making the same delicious thing you did last time. For those of us who cook by instinct, and don't have a pen handy...well, that's the first and the last time you make that dish. And if your food comes out tasty enough for someone to ask you for the recipe? You look sheepish, and mutter something along the lines of "Umm...I have no idea. *eyedart*"

If you're reading this blog, I'm sure you know the feeling - someone's coming over for dinner. You have nothing in the house. You throw some random ingredients together and somehow, it turns out brilliant! Everyone loves it, but by the next day you have no freaking idea what you did. And of course, you can never make it again. No matter how hard you try. It's never quite the same. It's some tiny key ingredient you've forgotten...a pinch of kalonji or asafoetida, or maybe a couple of curry leaves. Or maybe even that extra garlic paste that accidentally slopped out of the jar. Who knows.

So, this blog's purpose is to document those things I make which turn out good enough for me to want to make them again. And anyone else's 'creations' which they share with me.

Because there are some dishes that should get made a second time. And a third...and a...