Green Chicken Pulao

My mother never has to look at recipes to know just how to optimize on a single marinade and incorporate it into several different varieties. Green chicken pulao (rice) is just that perfect example. As she made this, I noted it all down. I love her little lessons. She goes real fast!! I had to be quick enough to ask her questions at the right time and make remarks as necessary. This dish is fairly easy if you have that stuff lying around. I tend to make the green masala and freeze it (another good idea from my mother). This way I always have the masala to make a quick Indian meal.

Green Chicken Pulao

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into pieces

Marinate this chicken in green masala
1 cup yogurt

Rice:

1 cup long grain basmati rice

1 teaspoon whole cloves

3 medium red potatoes, cut in chunks

1 medium diced onion
1/4th tspn turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tspn cumin powder

salt to taste

1 tblspon vegetable oil

Boil potatoes in a large pot till about moderately tender (around 15 mins the fork should easy slide in, but the potatoes should not be too soft). In a mixing bowl, mix together yogurt, chicken &  green masala. Let marinate for 30 mins in the fridge. At the same time, in another pot, add onions and sautee till soft. Add cloves, and the balance of the dry spices (including salt); satuee the onions some more till all the spices blend. Add chicken, mix well alltogether. The yogurt should make a nice creamy blend. No need to add extra water at this point. The chicken should start cooking now. Keep a close eye on the chicken curry, if it tends to dry a bit, then you may add some water. Add rice after 15 mins or so, cover & cook for another 20 mins. The rice should fluff up when cooked and the chicken should be tender. Serve with raw onions marinated in lemon & salt.

Spicy Meatballs with Rice Pilaf

"Dinner in 45 mins?" That's the question I ask myself everyday right before I am about to leave work. My husband hates grocery shopping. I on the other hand, absolutely love it. Therefore when I do go food shopping (yes I always drag him with me) I tend to buy in bulk and foresee what can I cook in a jiff when I am bored of eating the regular stuff. The regular stuff for after work dinner has been pasta or tuna. Recently, I grew tired of tuna just as fast as I had fallen in love with it. Also, there are a billion different ways of cooking chicken breast, but it didn't seem interesting enough to satisfy my pallet tonight. Believe it or not, meatballs always present a challenge to me. Even Indian kofta's elude me. Regardless, practice makes perfect. I did not cook the rice below, I bought that pilaf pre-made. Though the meatballs are my creation and much to my happiness, freaking delicious!

Serves 4.
Ingredients:
* 1 lb ground chicken
* 1 medium onion/diced super fine
* 2 medium garlic cloves/pressed with a garlic press
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
* 1/4 teaspoon italian seasonings
* 1/3rd cup bread crumbs
* 1 egg
*Salt & Pepper to taste
*Olive Oil

**Rice Pilaf/premade
***Equipment: A grill pan. You can make these anyway you feel like, baked, fried, in sauce.

In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients.


Mix real well. Oil your palm with the olive oil.
Seek a handful of mixed spiced ground chicken between the palm of your hands. Roll the ground chicken and press gently with the pal, to flatten it and make it a bit oval.

Grill on the grill pan approximately 5 minutes atleast on each side. Make sure that they are well done. Mine took more than 5 minutes on each side. I even had to tilt them on their skinny sides just to make sure they cooked all around. I supposed if you used to make these in a sauce, or bake them they would cook evenly. Serve with Rice Pilaf that you enjoy.