Amitabha's Kitchen Chronicles

During my various meals at some of the exotic Bengali eateries as well as during conversations revolving around food, I used to often come across the mention of Chicken Dak Bungalow. Dak Bungalow, dak-house or dâk-bungalow was a government building in British India under Company Rule and the Raj. This dish has its origin in the way the chicken used to be cooked for the Sahibs with the limited resources and ingredients. The recipe I use is definitely not as simple as made in those bungalows :). I have made some changes and adaptations in the method and also added some processes learnt elsewhere. Readers may try this and let me know any feedback that you may have. Credit also goes to Poulami's food  blog Ingredients (serves 4-5 adults): Chicken : 800 gms - 1 kg (cut into medium size pieces) Potatoes: 4 / 5  medium size (a bit smaller size. I prefer using them whole) Egg: 4-5 (one for each) Onion: 2 large, sliced. Ginger: 2...

Biryanis are probably one of the purely Indian Subcontinental dishes having the most variety. Hardly do we come across a dish with such rich variety and innovative mixes. Hyderabadi, Awadhi, Kolkata, Malabari, Yakhni and the list goes many more and preferences are equally distributed. Biryanis vary by region, by ingredient and by origin. For a quick read, visit http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biryani Early Nov we went on a short vacation to simply unwind and relax from the daily humdrum. And the location was apparently unlikely to many, Vizag. This being one of our most favourite cities has a different charm, Hudhud or no Hudhud. The damage to the city was saddening to see, but the come back was more heartening. We saw that the city was almost back to normal. Coming to the relaxation part, the photograph should be worth the explanation. Countless cups of coffee, sitting on the balcony, with feet up on the wall and DURING THE DAY TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK!! During our stay, the good...

Hello people, I am Ranita, a very lazy blogger. I am not a lazy gourmet though, and when I dished a particularly decadent brunch, I had myself thinking that this needs to be shared. So I asked my dear friend Amitabh, if I could publish in his blog, and he kindly obliged. So loading my system with caffeine to tide over the weariness of typing, I plunged: My dish is called Chicken and veggie Frittata . Frittata is italian for open omellete. This dish is healthy, filling, easy to prepare and will earn you applauds gallore. Feel free to congratulate me. Ingredients: 7 eggs, beaten 1 cup chopped cilantro 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (You can substitute any variety you choose) 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (You can substitute boneless grilled chicken) 1 cup chopped baby spinach (Heart Healthy, people!) 1 medium sized potato, sliced circular, with the skin on. Half cup thinly sliced red onion 1 cup boiled peas 2 teaspoon of garlic and green chilli paste (Or to your taste) 2 tablespoon ...

This is my own experimental recipe. It turns out really tasty (depends if one like the burnt / grilled taste of meat) Ingredients: Chicken 750 gms Curd: 250 gms Lemon: 1 large Everest / Sanjeev Kapoor's meat masala: About 2.5 tsps Ginger garlic paste: 2 tbsp Salt to taste Oil: About 2 tbsp For the gravy: 2 Medium sized onions 1 large tomato Process Step 1: Wash and drain all water from the chicken. Apply the juice of the lemon and salt as per quantity and mix nicely. Keep it aside for 30 mins Meanwhile, mix the curd, ginger garlic paste and masala and whisk well Apply to the chicken, mix well and keep it in the refrigerator Marinate the mix overnight or atleast for 7-8 hrs Step 2: Chop the onion and tomatoes and keep aside Take the marinated chicken and grill the pieces well Heat oil in a pan, add a little (1 tsp of sugar) and allow it to melt (it will become deep brown) Add the tomatoes and fry them till it melts Add the onion and fry till oil starts floating at the corners and th...

Ingredients: Marinade ½ Kg Chicken 8 tbsp Curd Salt 1 tsp Paprika 1 pod Garlic 4" Ginger Grind curd, garlic, ginger into smooth paste. Marinate the chicken in this mixture for ½ hrs, add the salt & paparika too. 3 tbsp Oil 2 Onions (ground to paste) 5 tbsp Butter 5 tbsp Tomato Puree 4 Green Chili (finely chopped) 2 tsp Chili Powder 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder Salt For Garnishing: Chopped Coriander Fried Cashew (Kaju) Egg- cut the hard boiled egg in circles Method: - After marinating cook the chicken in the same curd mixture till tender. When tender keep aside. In a pan add oil; fry the onions till the oil leaves the sides. Add butter, tomato puree, chopped chili, add the cooked chicken, chili powder, garam masala powder, salt (if required), cook for about 10 mins & garnish with the garnishing items.

Ingredients Quantities Chicken (whole) 1 (1 kg); Butter 4 tbsps; Salt to taste; Pepper Powder ¼ tsp For The Stuffing Onions 2 medium sized; Mushrooms 5-6; Pear 1 medium sized; Apple 1 medium sized; Chicken Liver 2; Cashewnuts 6-8; Walnuts (shelled) 2 tbsps; Oil 3 tbsps; Salt to taste; Pepper Powder ¼ tsp; Bread Crumbs ½ cup; Milk ½ cup; Eggs 2; Butter for basting Method of preparation Take whole chicken with skin. Remove neck and clean the inside. Wash it thoroughly and wipe dry. Apply salt inside and outside. Peel, wash and chop onions. Wash and chop the mushrooms. Wash and grate the pears and apples. Wash and cut the chicken liver into small pieces. Chop the cashewnuts and walnuts. Break the eggs and beat them lightly. Preheat the oven to 200° C. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onion, chopped fresh mushroom and stir. Add grated pear and apple to the onion and mushroom mixture. Add liver and cook. Add salt and pepper powder and stir. Add chopped cashewnuts and walnuts. In a bowl take b...

Ingredients: Marinade 1 chicken whole (8 pieces) 1 cup curd 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp garam masala powder 1 /2 tsp turmeric powder 4 green chili(chopped) 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste For gravy: 2 big onions, chopped 3 flakes of garlic 1" cinnamon 3 cardamom 1 tsp whole black pepper 3 cloves 2 dry red chilies 1 tsp cumin-coriander seeds 8 almonds (skin removed) handful of coriander, finely chopped 1 tsp garam masala salt Method: Clean & wash chicken, mix all the masala's with curd, then add chicken to it and marinate for 3-4 hrs. Roast cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cumin-coriander seeds,cardamom, red chili; fry onions & garlic. Grind the roasted spices, fried onion & garlic, almonds, make a fine paste. Heat oil, add chili pwd & marinated chicken, add the fine paste, stir for 4 mins then add water, check if salt is requires, if yes add salt, cook till the chicken becomes tender, garnish with coriander & garam masala.

Ingredients: Roast Chicken 2 Chicken breasts A large tomato A medium sized onion 5-6 large cloves of garlic 1 or 2 green chillies (Depends on how spicy you like it) Oregano Chili flakes (If you have. Giving it a go is also fine) 1.5 tbsp of Soya Sauce Juice of 1 lime 2 tbsp thick curd (avoid the water absolutely) 1 egg (Whisked nice and fluffy) [I liked it, but one may avoid it too] Salt to taste Port / Any red Wine Grilled Vegetables: Carrots Capsicum Cauliflower Green peas French Beans Onions Tomatoes Garlic Bread Brown Bread (as it was readily available at home) (A lady suggested me to use French loaf as they taste mightily good) Process : Chicken : Blend Sl 2 to 5 in a mixer and take it in the mixing bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and beat it nice till well blended. Add the chicken breasts (do not forget to pierce the chicken pieces well by using the fork like a shovel:) ) and leave it to marinate in the refrigerator. About 8 hours minimum does good justice to the marination. ...