October 25, 2017

Creamy Butter Chicken Using Macadamia Nuts


Macadamia nuts are delicious buttery flavoured nuts which is generally used in baking, Ice creams and Chocolates. These nuts have lots of health benefits and also available as in the form of Oil, which can used in salads and regular cooking. Apart from cooking, macadamia oil is also useful for healthy skin and hair care. In this recipe, I had used these tasty nuts in the replacement of cashews to give an exotic touch to our regular butter chicken. This gravy goes well with rice, pulao, roti or naan.


Ingredients :

For Marination :

250 gms Boneless Chicken, cut into strips
1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala 
1/2 Tsp Chilli powder 
1/4 Cup Fresh cream 
Salt to taste 

For Gravy :

2 Onion, chopped 
3 Tomatoes, chopped
5 - 6 Macadamia nuts ( It has strong flavour so add accordingly ) 
1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste 
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1 Tsp Chilli powder 
1 Elachi 
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 
8 Tbsp Butter 
Salt to taste 
1/4 Cup Fresh cream 
1/2 Tsp Dried fenugreek leaves 
Few Coriander leaves

Method :

Marinate the chicken strips using the given ingredients for 30 minutes. 

Heat 3 Tbsp butter and fry the marinated chicken pieces. 

Once done, remove and keep aside. 

Add the remaining butter to the same pan and add elachi followed by cinnamon stick, onion, ginger garlic paste, tomatoes, macadamia nuts, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. 

Saute it for 5 - 10 minutes and grind into fine paste by adding water. 

Now add the ground masala to the pan and add the chicken pieces along with fresh cream and fenugreek leaves.

Add the remaining butter and cook it for 3 - 4 minutes. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve hot. 


Serving Options :

Serve with Rice, Pulao, Roti or Naan. 


October 1, 2017

Vankaya Tomato Pachadi / Brinjal Tomato Chutney


Pachadi is one of the popular recipes in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Many years back when we shifted to Telangana, I was confused with the name of Pachadi as in Tamil Nadu we call it as Raita. In Andhra and Telangana, chutney varieties are known as Pachadi and there are wide varieties of pachadi which can also be served with rice. The authentic Andhra Thali has a minimum of two varieties of chutney which is generally served with hot rice and ghee or with Ragi Sankati (Ragi Mudde). To my surprise, I have seen people still using a Mortar and Pestle to prepare Pachadi and even I believe that dishes made out of mortar and pestle enhance the taste and gives a delicious flavor.

My today's recipe is also one variety of Pachadi using Brinjal and Tomato which was given as my secret ingredients in Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge. This month's theme was Andhra Pradesh recipes and I was paired with an excellent blogger and an amazing food photographer Kriti Singhal Agrawal who blogs at Krispy Kadhai. Personally, I admire her food styling and food photography. Check out her wonderful page to hop into wide varieties of interesting recipes and also to check a delicious Andhra Pradesh recipe prepared by her using the secret ingredients given by me.


Vankaya Tomato Pachadi is one of a simple and tasty chutney variety which goes perfect with plain rice or roti. The brinjals and tomatoes are cooked separately and added in a thalimpu which is further made into pachadi using a Mortar and Pestle. The same recipe can also be prepared using mixer jar, but personally I feel, grinding using mortar and pestle enhance the taste and also gives a delicious taste.

Ingredients :

6-7 Brinjals, cut into small cubes
2 Tomato. finely chopped
6 Green chillies, sliced
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tsp Mustard seeds
1 Tsp Cumin / Jeera seeds
1 1/2 Tsp Urad dal
A pinch of Hing
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 Sprigs of Curry leaves

Method :

Add chopped brinjal and tomato pieces in a pan and cook it for 5 minutes in a low flame by adding little water.

Once done, remove from the flame and keep aside.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds followed by cumin seeds, urad dal, hing, green chillies and turmeric powder.

Fry it for a minute and add the cooked brinjal-tomato mixture.

Add salt and let it cook till the mixture gets mashed.

Once done, transfer the brinjal - tomato pachadi into Mortar and Pestle and grind it coarsely.

Alternatively, mixer jar can also be used to grind it according to the desired consistency.

Transfer it to a bowl and serve.


Serving Options :

Serve with hot plain rice or Roti.