Murg Hara Masala, as the name suggests chicken is cooked in hara (green) masala, generally a blend of mint leaves, coriander & green chillies. This dish is famous in Punjabi cuisine and mouth-watering delight. Some parts of India, even spinach is added to the hara masala. This dish can be made both in gravy style or as a starter. The starter is usually called chicken hariyali kebabs, boneless chicken is marinated in the hara masala and are grilled on skewers in a tandoor. In the gravy , chicken is cooked in an authentic style with great combination of hara masala & spices. This recipe is for the gravy version.
Cooking Time: 30 mins Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 45 mins Category: Main Course - Non-Veg
Ingredients:
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| Murg Hara Masala |
Chicken - 500 gms
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Green chillies - 5
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsps
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsps
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 1 Tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Cooking/vegetable oil - 2 Tbsps
Tej pattha (Bay leaves) - 2 or 3
Cardamom - 3 to 4
Cinnamon sticks - 2
Cloves - 3 to 4
Preparation Method:
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- Wash coriander leaves, mint leaves. Along with green chillies, blend them to a fine paste.
- In a vessel, add chicken and all the ingredients, hara masala but for whole garam masalas (tej pattha, cardamom, cinnamon & cloves). Mix it and let it marinade for 30 mins.
- Heat oil in a kadai and add the whole garam masalas. Saute it for a minute.
- Now add the marinated chicken, mix well and cook for 15-20 mins. Stir it regularly to avoid the paste sticking to the kadai.
- Add a small cup of water and simmer it for another 5 mins or until the chicken is completely cooked.
- Turn off the stove, take the dish in a cooking bowl, garnish with sliced ginger sticks and serve hot.
- This dish goes well with steam rice or any Indian breads.
Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. In northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, it is generally called Chhana. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese or curd cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice, vinegar, or any other food acids. It is also commonly known as Indian Cottage Cheese. Dating back to ancient India, paneer remains the most common type of cheese used in traditional South Asian cuisines. The use of paneer is more common in Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to the prominence of milk in their cuisine.
Paneer tikka is a dish made from chunks of paneer or paneer cubes marinated with spices and then grilled in a tandoor. It is a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka and other meat dishes. It is a very popular dish that is widely available in India. When paneer tikka is served with a gravy, it is called paneer tikka masala. The recipe is simple but takes time for preparation. For all those who are wondering how to prepare this dish at him with out a tandoor, there is always an alternative. Generally, the marinated paneer & vegetable cubes are skewed & grilled in a tandoor. However, the alternative for this to prepare at home without tandoor is simply to roast them on a pan or tawa.
Cooking Time: 30 mins Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 45 mins Category: Main Course - Veg
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| Paneer Tikka Masala |
Ingredients:
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For the Tikkas
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Paneer - 500 gms
Bell Pepper - 1 each (Red, Yellow & Green)
Yogurt - 2 Tbsps
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsps
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Ginger & garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsps
Red cooking color - a pinch
Cooking/Olive oil - 1 Tbsp
For the Gravy
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Onions - 2
Tomato puree - 1 Tbsp
Kaju paste - 1/2 cup
Cream - 2 Tbsp
Green chillies sliced - 5
Saunf powder - 1 tsp
Kasuri Methi (crushed) - 1/2 cup
Ghee/Butter/Cooking/Olive oil - 2 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cinnamon sticks (small) - 4
Cardamom - 4
Cloves - 4/6
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup
Preparation Method:
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- Blend onions into a thick paste and keep it aside.
- Slice the paneer into small square cubes or rectangular pieces. Cut the bell peppers too in the same shape.
- In a bowl, place these paneer & bell pepper cubes. Add turmeric, red chilli, coriander, garam masala, jeera powders, ginger garlic paste, salt, red color & yogurt.
- Mix them well so that all the spices are coated very well to the paneer & bell pepper cubes. All olive oil, mix well and let this marinade for 1 hour.
- Heat a pan and add 2 tsps of oil. Spread it along nicely and then add the marinated cubes. Roast them all well on both sides and keep aside.
- For the gravy, heat oil in a vessel and add all dry garam masala ingredients (i.e Cinnamon, cardamom & cloves). Saute them for couple of minutes.
- Add onion paste and cook for 2 mins. Then add tomato puree, green chillies and cook for another 5 mins.
- Now add kaju paste, kasuri methi, salt and saunf powder. Mix well & cook for another 10 mins until the gravy oozes out the oil.
- Keep stirring in regular intervals to avoid kaju paste stick to the vessel.
- Add a cup of water and let it simmer for 5 mins. Then, add the cooked tikkas to this gravy, mix and simmer for another couple of minutes.
- Turn of the stove and take this dish into a serving vessel. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander or curry leaves.
- Serve hot with Rotis, Naans, Chapathis, Bagara rice or Jeera rice. This dish goes particularly well with rotis & naans.
