Chicken Ghassi

Ingredients:

Chicken 1 kg curry cut

Coconut grated
Onion - 2 medium cut in 4 pieces
Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
Coriander Seeds - 3-4 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 tb sp
Black Peppercorn - 8-10
Clove - 3
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 10-12
Tamarind - lemon sized ball
Oil - 2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Coconut Milk

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with salt, lemon, salt and little red chilli powder. Keep in freeze for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a hot pan, put 1 tsp oil, dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, peppercorn and fennel seeds. Roast until fragrant....keep it aside and allow to cool....
3. Roast coconut in the same oil until fragrant.....Grind coconut, roasted spices, tamarind and 2 medium sized onion into a smooth paste
4. In a pan, put 2 tsp oil and 2 tsp ghee....add finely chopped onion....saute till golden brown.
5. Add above ground paste and saute till it starts releasing oil.
6. Add marinated chicken.. Saute well and cook covered for 10 minutes so that chicken pieces as coated well with masala and it is now cooked.
7. Add coconut milk, salt to taste and sufficient water so that it has little thick consistency....Boil for 5 minutes.

Dulce De Leche

Wikipedia says that "Dulce De Leche" is South American Confection prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk. Literally translated, it means "candy of milk" or "milk toffee" or "candy jam". This can be used with cakes, jams or even as "bread spread". I came across Dulce De Leche when I was looking for recipe of Banoffee Pie. The most basic recipe for this "milk toffee" calls for slowly simmering milk and sugar together stirring continuously for long hours until the mixture thickens and caramelizes.

At home, usually Dulce De Leche is prepared by boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for 2-3 hours. But there is also a simpler or faster way to make it by using the pressure cooker. This is the method I used to make this delicious Dulce De Leche.

Ingredients:

Nestle Milkmaid / Amul Mithaimate Tin - 1 No.

Method:

1. Take 8 or 10 ltrs. pressure cooker and fill it halfway with water
2. Remove any plastic wrapper / cover from condensed milk tin, if any. Ensure that the can is not opened at all.
3. Submerge the can fully, horizontally in water. Ensure that water is covering the can completely and is at least 2-3 inches above the top of the can.
4. Cover the cooker lid, place the whistle / weight and pressure cook on medium  to high heat until one whistle. In my case, this took around 20 minutes 
5. After the whistle, lower the heat to low and continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes with cooker lid as well as whistle still on (there will not be any more whistles while cooking on low heat)
6. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to drop.
7. Open the cooker lid, remove the can carefully (remember that the can will be very hot)
8. Allow the can to cool completely (it might take 1 to 1.5 hour)
9. Once can cools, open the lid and relish your Dulce De Leche
10. This can be stored in refrigerator for about 7 days (it will get thickened further after refrigeration. So, you can heat it in microwave for 1 minute or so before using it)
11. You can also use 1 tsp vanilla essence before refrigeration.

Tip:

1. During my first attempt, I used a smaller cooker and even if I lowered the heat to low after first whistle, it continued to whistle and then I turned off the gas after 3 whistles. I found that the final product was not caramelized properly. Probably, I could have continued cooking it further for 2-3 whistles
2. Increasing or reducing the cooking time will make the final product thicken more or less. Adjust cooking time as per your taste in subsequent attempts

Prawn Pulimunchi

Ingredients

Prawns - 500 gms

Onion - chopped lengthwise - 1

Dry Red Chillies - 10 to 12 

Coriander seeds - 1.5 tsp 

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp 

Fenugreek/Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp 

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp 

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp 

ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp 

tamarind - 1 lemon sized ball

Curry leaves - 1 handful

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in water for about an hour and extract the pulp.
2. Dry roast the chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds and turmeric
3. Heat little oil in a pan and roast the onions, ginger garlic paste.
4. Use little water and grind the tamarind, roasted ingredients and onion, ginger garlic to a fine thick paste.
5. Now take a heavy bottomed pan, keep on low heat, add oil and the curry leaves.
6. When they splutter, add the paste, salt and bring it to a boil.
7. Add the prawns and cook for 10 mins.
8. Serve hot with rice.