i had this post in my draft for a long time. i think its finally time to publish one by one!! I and my hubby are big fans of Middle east food.. we just love it. its very easy to prepare compared to our Indian food and i think its much more healthier. During our vacation to the Middle East we both were eating like some crazy people who came from the land of NO food! LOLs!!!

i just make this once a month and refrigerate it.  during lazy day s i just buy some kubboos and grill a chicken and eat it with hummus.. yumm and healthy  and easy too!

Before going for a long vaccation i wanted to make something special for my hubby yesterday i decided to make pepper chicken and chicken cutlets.. all the masalas might no be the exact because i was busy with a sick kid and in the midst of packing for my vaccation! Here goes 2 recipes and a bye for now to all till i come back!

Pepper chicken

1/4 kg chicken
1 large onion
1 large tomato
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies
5 cardamoms
2 1″cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1 Tbsp coriander pdr
2 tbsp crushed pepper corns
1/4 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp cumin pwdr
1/2 tbsp red chilli pwdr
1/2 tbsp garam masala
2 springs curry leaves
1 handfulof fresh chopped coriander
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
oil for frying
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add mustard cumin to it. After that add cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and cloves to it. When the aroma comes add the onions, ginger garlic paste. curry leaves, and green chilli and saute for a while. Add tomatoes to it. Then, add the coriander, cumin pdwr, red chilli pwdr, garam masala and salt and mix well. Add the chicken to the frying pan and mix well, and cover and cook the chicken is cooked through. When the chicken is almost done, add the ground pepper into the mixture and mix well. GArnish with corriander leaves!

Today i was in a mood to cook something different.. so i was browsing through some chicken recipes and i came across this. I found it very interesting when i read the recipe but i didnt add the ingredients as much as the recipe owner wrote down coz i thought if its less spicy then i dont have to make another dish for my kiddos! LOL! Here goes the recipe :

Ingredients
5tbsp oil

For the Spice Paste:
1½tbsp cumin seeds ( i used 1tbsp)
8-10 dried hot red chillies, broken into halves ( i used 6)
3 tbsp coriander seeds ( i used 2tbsp)
1½ tsp fennel seeds ( i used 1tsp)
1½ tsp black peppercorns
1½ tsp white poppy seeds ( i didnt use this coz i didnt have it!)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
4cm/1½in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1½-2tsp salt

You also need:
3 bay leaves
5 cardamom pods
2.5cm/1in cinnamon stick, broken
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1½ tsp urad dal
15-20 fresh curry leaves, if avaliable
2 meduim-sized onions (175g/6oz), peeled and finely chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
one 1kg/2¼lb chicken, skinned and cut into smallish serving pieces (breast halves into 3 and legs into drumsticks and thighs)

Method
1. Make the spice paste: In a small frying-pan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over a medium-high heat. When hot add the cumin seeds, chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and poppy seeds. Stir and fry briefly until lightly roasted. Now put these into a clean coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Empty into the container of an electric blender. Put the garlic, ginger, turmeric and salt into the blender as well, along with 6-8tbsp water. Process until you have a fine paste, pushing down with a rubber spatula if needed. Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 4tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves and urad dal. Stir and fry briefly until the urad dal turns red, then add the curry leaves if using. Stir once or twice and add the onions. Fry the onions until they are soft and just lightly coloured. Now add the spice paste. Continue to stir and fry for about 4-6 minutes, adding a little water to prevent sticking. Add the tomato. Stir and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the onion and spice mixture. Stir until they are well coated, then add 600ml/1pt/2½ cups water, just enough to cover. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken pieces. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and reduce the sauce until very thick. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Replace the chicken, fold gently into the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes before serving.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/chettinadpepperchick_5134.shtml

It really came out good and it was really spicy!!! i ended up making another dish for my kiddos!! Hope u guys like it!