MICROWAVE COASTAL MOSHOLA MURGI

 

CHICKEN; ONCE A LOVE; THEN THOROUGHLY DISLIKED; NOW IT'S REVIVING THE LOST POSITION!

Yes, for quite sometime, I am trying to make friends with chicken. Until 2019, I was getting home mutton a lot and lamented when it could not get the desired taste. Gradually, we have accepted how much of a pricey variety we buy, it cannot get us the taste of the Kolkata mutton; its a different breed. The senior loves lamb, I miss the fat in it. I do not understand the difference between goat & lamb here, both seems same or it seems the goat meat may be just a bigger size of the lamb. The sheep meat has the coveted fat but it smells. In the younger days, I used to salivate reading about "bhyarer mangsher shurua" in Molla Nasiruddin's tales; which I assume may be something like sheep meat stew. After tasting sheep meat, I have lost interest in having all that I have read in Arabian Nights or Molla Nasiruddin's stories. I cook for hours with all the required spices, yet cannot get rid of the horrendous smell. Or may be my nose is too sensitive. On many occasions; Cristine or the man told they got no smell; all three of them including the son too could have carp fish which I could not tolerate after a single bite. So, a light curry with chicken and potatoes is good for me, the family loves. Moreover, my clients want it on a regular basis, so we have to eat! Foremost, Chicken is healthy; at this time, we are unable to go vegetarian. This particular spicy one; MICROWAVE COASTAL MOSHOLA MURGI is easy to make!

NOT AN ARDENT FOLLOWER OF THE FAMILY KITCHEN; BUT A LOYAL LOVER OF THE FAMILY BENGALI RECIPES!

I mean, I do not mind tampering the method of cooking a dish that the family had followed all this while. Like, I must do a "thor ghonto" regular but like the family veterans, I will not cook it for hours. Instead of soaking it in salted water for hours and then cooking it in a wok all along; I pressure cook the chopped banana stem, and cooking it thereafter gets super simple. I do not mind if Cristine cuts the cabbage or spinach or shred the radish or gourds a little fat with a manual shredder; I cook happily with it and we all eat without a noise. This cannot happen in our mother's world or did happen in her mother's hay days. With a "boti", the Bengali cutter, they would shred vegetables so fine, we cannot think of, neither I am so particular. The world has gone too far, my family veterans do not wish to move with time; can anyone imagine they do not allow tetra pack milk in their homes? Mid 2019, I fed my brother and mother CHICKEN COOKED IN MICROWAVE, they liked but was not comfortable with the idea. If I suggest, taking these steps may ease her workload, our mother simply shun, the brother is also got to be like her, he has not seen how hard the world is outside of one's doorstep; I so wanted him to get out and explore! Any way, I keep experimenting with the faster means of cooking; though I too believe slow cooking gives the best result!

WHAT IS THIS COASTAL SPICE MIX? HOW DID I PREPARE THIS CHICKEN WITH COASTAL SPICES IN THE MICROWAVE?

I really do not know if the spice mixture I used in this RECIPE is AUTHENTIC COASTAL SPICE MIX or not! Few years back, I did an egg & a mutton curry with a similar spice mix taking inspiration from certain Konkani or Kolhapuri recipes. I hardly study in details or have in depth knowledge about anything! Where do I have the time or patience to? All day I was happily busy! I walked to the Indian Market for raw produce; did all the shopping, ate at Aunt's Kashmiri stall, butter naan & dal tarka; with a less sugar bubble tea bought from the brother's shop! I loved my lunch today, only that the place is unhygienic!

Now I am having a fruit bowl tossed with salt & red chilli powder and trying to share with my readers a wonderful, easy CHICKEN RECIPE done in the MICROWAVE! The SPICE MIXTURE was good, the NON-VEG DISH tasted good. However, it felt, had we cooked it on the stove top, it would have tasted better. All day, I think about food, if only people at home respected my passion and ate wholeheartedly! Anyway, I keep doing what I want, at times it can be a pleasure activity like repeated repotting my plant kingdom. 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE COASTAL STYLE SPICE PASTE :

SHREDDED COCONUT : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

SLICED ONION : 1/2 MEDIUM TEA CUP

GARLIC CLOVE : 5-6 [BIG] OR 8-9 [SMALL]

DRY RED CHILLI : 4-5

NUTMEG : 1/2

CINNAMON STICK : 2-3 ONE INCH STICK

CLOVE : 2-3

GREEN CARDAMOM : 2-3

CUMIN SEED : 1/2 TSP

CORIANDER SEED : 1/2 TSP

FENNEL SEED : 1/2 TSP

BLACK PEPPERCORN : 1/2 TSP

BAY LEAF : 1 [SMALL TO MEDIUM]

OIL : 1 TBSP

INGREDIENTS FOR TODAY'S MICROWAVE CHICKEN :

THE SPICE PASTE

CHICKEN : 500GM [MEDIUM CUT]

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

PLAIN YOGURT : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

OIL : 2 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Break further the nutmeg! Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and add to it all the ingredients required for the spice mixture. We will stir cook them at minimal heat for 6-7 minutes.

We will transfer the spice mix to the blender and let cool. We will blend it to a paste, pausing in between. No problem if it remains a little coarse.

Add the spice paste to the chicken that has been cleaned and washed thoroughly. Also add to it the plain yogurt, salt, turmeric and 2 tbsp oil.

Fold in well and keep it aside for 2 hours. Thereafter, put the microwave proof bowl inside, cover it with a microwave proof lid.

Cover cook for 12 minutes at 300 power. Take out, remove the cover and stir.

Again cover cook for 12 minutes at 300 power. Take out, remove the cover and give a stir.

Cover cook again for 10 minutes at 300 power. Take out, remove cover and give a stir.

Cover cook for 13-15 minutes at 600 power. We should be done.

Please remember, every machine is different! We must know through trial and error, the exact time required for the cooking!

We can enjoy it with both chapati & rice. You can see, I did the plating with "aloo potol er dalna, dal, choto maach er chocchori", means its for rice to go with!