manjirichitnis - Travels for Taste

Angel Hair Pasta and Prawns in Thai Red Curry and white wine sauce

August 29, 2012 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

I loved the name of this recipe by Chef Delia and hubby was also so excited about eating that we went to supermarket that she endorses and got us some really nice White Cooking wine and vermicelli pasta which I used as ”Angel Hair”. The other thing about this recipe that I found appealing was that it was easy to make, serves 2 as a main meal if prepared with suggested quantities and is a really satisfying dish to both cook and eat!

Why is it called Angel Hair ? Capellini Pasta literally means Angel Hair – because this pasta is the finest, thinnest… and when boiled it opens up and is so delicate , almost like how an Angel’s hair would be! Since it is a very light pasta it pairs well with sea food and is sold in nest like shapes that open up into silky strands on boiling …ummm perfect !

Ok my cheat sheet for this recipe , I used Thai red curry paste from a bottle but you can make your own too.As with other types of pasta, it is generally cooked until it is al dente, or firm to the teeth.

I love this angel hair pasta as it cooks really fast and the sauces are taken up so well by the strands.

Serves:2

Marination Time: 4 hours Preparation Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time:25 Minutes

Ingredients:

175gm Angel Hair Pasta.
2 packets of prawns.
2 tablespoons light olive oil.
4 large tablespoons Thai Red Curry Past.
4- 5 large garlic cloves skinned and very finely sliced.I love the skins so I kept them, they add a diferent twist and crackle that I cannot resist!,
2 large tomatoes skinned,de-seeded and chopped.This was the first time in my life I skinned tomatoes and must say it was fun 🙂
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
200ml dry white wine
For the garnish – 3 tablespoons fresh coriander finely chopped,fresh lime thinly sliced.

Method:

Marinate the deveined prawns in the Thai Red Curry Paste and set aside for as long as you can before cooking the meal, as suggested by Delia for 4 hours in a fridge is ideal.
To start with the sauce ,add oil in a pan and the chopped garlic, fry till i is a beautiful golden brown and the kitchen starts to give away a delicious aroma that tantalises your senses…ummm , then go in the pan the lime zest and juice , the tomatoes and wine and on a high heat cook and eventually reduce for about 8 minutes.
Now add the prawns and mix well on a high heat, then reduce to a low flame and let this bubble again for 3- 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat once prawns are well cooked and cover and keep warm till the pasta is done as we have to be ready to serve this immediately when the pasta is ready , being thin it does not stay very easy to scoop out and handle once boiled.
In a large vessel boil water with salt and cook the pasta , it is done in 3 minutes precisely.
In bowls ready for serving spoon out the pasta ,whatever water comes with it , wil be soaked up by the pasta and the sauce.
Serve the prawns in the Thai red curry paste and white wine sauce on top of the Angel Hair Pasta.
In one word – Perfect !

Finito;)

Now for some pics- hover over each pic for a description, pics are followed by credits to the sites which inspired this blog post,Cheers Folks and do drop me a line if you liked this recipe and made it for your family 🙂

And last but not the least my sweetheart, my patient hubby for buying me the ingredients and for being my time keeper for this dish, I am eternally in love with you …..

Spicy Chicken curry

August 20, 2012 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

Sunday Special Lunch – A Family Tradition

What a Sunday Roast is to a traditional English Family Sunday Lunch is what the combination of Spicy Chicken Gravy and Jeera rice or layered Chicken Biryani is to my family. My sister and I, have been brought on such wholesome, hearty, home-made totally from scratch – delicious food.

All these divine yet easy to recreate dishes, which my parents have always cooked with great passion and a lot of effort are what fuel my desire to share them with all of you.

My Aai and Baba ( Mum and Dad in Marathi) who wake up early every Sunday morning and work as a team to produce this brilliantly tasty chicken curry. Saturday morning my Baba would take me with him to te butcher to buy fresh chicken curry pieces. After coming home he would very patiently explain to us how he marinates the bird using all the freshly ground pastes and purees that Aai used to prepare while he was out shopping. On Sunday morning they would again team up to cook us the most amazing lunch. My best memories of Sunday morning are of waking up to the aromas of food wafting through the house.

Keeping the tradition alive

Few years ago when my husband and I moved to London, I was determined to keep this Sunday family tradition alive. I cooked the chicken adding my own twists and trying my best to recreate the same flavour that my parents seem to get spot-on every single time! So, when they came to London to visit us shortly after we had moved here, I was super delighted that they would cook this special Sunday family meal for us. As promised they cooked us their Sunday special while hubby and I eagerly took notes, clicked pictures and took in the whole energy they bring to this whole process.

This recipe is a spicier version of our traditional Sunday Chicken curry. The bord is cooked in thick gravy bursting with flavour. My Baba loves serving this with Jeera Rice and a beautifully simple Maharahstian Kakdichi Koshimbir in Dahi – Cucumber yoghurt raita. I hope you will enjoy cooking up this dish and hopefully creating happy family memories of your own.

Spicy Chicken – Chitnis Family Sunday Special recipe

manjirichitnis

My family’s Sunday Special Chicken curry recipe

5 from 4 votes

A spicy and easy traditional Indian chicken curry recipe

Print Recipe

Cook Time 25

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

For marinating overnight

1.25 Kilos Chicken – curry pieces / 1 medium sized whole
25 gm fresh coriander
1 tbsp toasted Dhane/coriander seeds
1 tsp Toasted Jeere/ Cumin
3 cloves Lasun/Garlic
15 gms Aale/Ginger
2 Dry Laal Mirchya/ Red Chillies
2 Dry Kashmiri Laal Mirchya/ Red Chillies
2 Hirvya Mirchya/ Spicy Green chillies
2.5 tsp Halad/Turmeric powder
2 tsp Meeth/Salt
1 tbsp Tel/ Cooking Oil

Tomato-Onion Mix for the gravy

1 tbsp from the marinade above
2 medium Ripe Tomatoes
2 medium Kaande/Red Onions/ Bombay Onions
2 cloves Lasun/Garlic
10 gm Aale/Fresh Ginger
5 gm Fresh coriander leaves

For the Phodni/ Tadka

2 tbsp Tel/ Oil
1 tbsp Sajuk Tuj/ Pure ghee
2 Tamalpatra/Bay Leaves
1 small piece of Dalchini/Cinnamon stick
Pinch Hing/Asafoetida
3 tbsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Halad/ Turmeric powder
3 tsp Laal Tikhat/ Extra Hot Red chilli powder
1 tsp Meeth/ Salt – or as per taste

Garnish

One dry red Kashmiri chilli and one green chilli sautéed insome oil /ghee
Few fresh leaves of coriander to tear and scatter on top

Equipment

Large heavy bottomed pot with Lid/Pressure cooker/ Instant Pot / slow cooker
Spice grinder
Blender
Knife
Chopping Board

Method

Wash the chicken curry pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. I always use chicken without skin
Make a thick paste in the mixer-grinder/ blender using all theingredients , asfmentionedabove for the marinade.Ensure the consistency is that of a thick paste and not a watery mixture
Using a sharp knife make small cuts to the chicken flesh to allow the marinade to really penetrate inside the chicken, this will ensure that each piece is flavourful and not just from the outside
Apply the marinade onto the washed chicken curry pieces, season with some salt and a splash of oil. Mariante overnight in the refigerator
The next day get the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator about an hour before cooking
While the chicken is coming to room temperature, make the puree usingall the ingredients as mentioned above for the tomato and onion mixture. Ensure this mixture it is not watery. Set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or a pressure cooker
When the oil is hot, add the asafoetida, sauté the bay leaf and cinnamon stick (dry red kashmiri chilli at this stage is optional)
Add the garam masala, coriander powder and sauté
Then add the onion-tomato mixture and cook for under two minutes until the mixture thickens
Now add in the marinated chicken stir and some water, mix well. Add the red chilli powder turmeric powder and salt
Add just enough water to allow for a thick gray. Stir , cover and cook on a medium flame until the gravy begins to boil
Cover and cook until the chicken is totally cooked through and the oil seperates, this shoud take approximately 20 minutes on a low flame. Stir occasionaly to ensure the gravy does not dry out In the pressure cooker this takes two whistles – for a large bird three whistles
Garnish with roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves and the fried red kashmiri chilli and green chilli
Serve hot with a side of pipping hot jeera rice and some cucumber raita

Loved this recipe? For more chicken recipes try some more of my creations:

Kadhi – Punjabi Kadhi meets the sweet Gujrati kadhi

August 20, 2012 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Kadhi is another of my favourite dishes to be made when I want a Typically Indian meal with steaming hot rice fluffy and begging to be eaten with a bowl of home-made kadhi with crunchy pakoras(potato and onion fritters)

Kadhi is basically a spicy gravy made with curd and Bengal gram flour and there are two versions, this one made in the Northern part of India called ”Punjabi Kadhi” or the Gujarati Version – where the garnishing is done using long red chillies and it is a delicacy served in most weddings – well traditionally at least, nowadays weddings have ”world cuisine” another dilution of tradition … There is also another version called Sindhi Kadhi where tamarind pulp is added and so are few chopped veggies !

This is another recipe that I should have uploaded eons ago! It was much liked when I uploaded the pic on my Facebook album ”Food and How much I love it” Humm, how much more ”foodie” can one get, I wonder… 😉

Manjiri Chitnis