Top 10 Iconic Chicken Dishes From The Indian Kitchen

On World Chicken Day, we list out some of the most iconic chicken dishes from the Indian kitchen. One cannot ignore their status given their popularity across the world.

1. Chicken Tikka Masala: Tikka means pieces, chunks or bits. Prepared by grilling the pre-marinated pieces of chicken and adding it to a gravy made out of spices, onion, tomato, cream, and coriander. Today it has been dubbed as the most popular Indian dish in the world.

2. Chicken Kebab: originated in the Middle East and influence of the Mughlai cuisine in India, there are many versions of the kebab. The chicken kebab is cooked on a skewer over a fire. Accompanied with onion rings and green chutney, Kebabs can be paired with almost anything, even with a beer.

3. Butter Chicken: Originated in Delhi, straight from a Punjabi kitchen, butter chicken is marinated overnight, roasted and cooked in tomato puree, cream and masalas. One can hardly resist the buttery smokey gravy. Served with naan, chapattis, or steamed rice.

4. Chicken Biryani: Legend has it that Mumtaz Mahal felt that the soldiers were under-nourished so she asked her chef to prepare a special dish, which provided balanced nutrition and that is how biryani was discovered. Today, a popular cuisine in the whole of India. 

5. Chicken Chettinad: A famous dish from Tamil Nadu. Prepared by tossing the chicken with southern spices and coconutty paste.

6. Chicken 65: Originally a dish introduced in 1965 by A.M Buhari of the Buhari Hotel chain. The dish happened to be the 65th serial number on their menu and hence the name.  This dish is popular in Hyderabad.

7. Chicken Vindaloo: The “Vindaloo” style of cooking is of a Goan origin, influenced by the Portugal cuisine. This spicy hot delicious dish is made with titillating flavours of mustard with turmeric, ginger, garlic, coconut vinegar and brown sugar. Served with roti, paratha or naan. The cuisines of Goa is one of the major attraction for the food lovers in India.

8. Chilli Chicken: When the Chinese came to India, they left us with Hakka noodles and chilli chicken. Considered as an invention of the early settlers in India, it is one dish that completes our Chinese food cravings.

9. Chicken Ghee Roast: A dish from the Mangalorean kitchen, this is a fiery red and spicy dish. The ghee-roasted spices make all the difference to this homely south Indian recipe. Have you tried it?

10. Chicken Tandoori: Looks like kebab but is not, and originated in Peshawar. Prepared by marinating the chicken in yoghurt, lemon juice, spices and cooked in a tandoor at a high temperature. Goes well with a glass of chilled beer and cocktail too!

That's the end of the list. Now don't chicken out and try them all. 

7 Easy Herbs to Grow in Your Kitchen

Wouldn't it be convenient to have your own indoor herb garden in the kitchen so you can pick up fresh herbs for your mouthwatering cuisines? Whether you're living in an apartment or condo, with a lack of outdoor space, here are 7 herbs you can grow indoors easily all year round.

1. Lemongrass

Keep the fresh lemongrass stalk in a jar of water. Leave it in the sunlight. Change the water every day till it grows about 2 inch tall and then transfer it to a pot.

2. Cherry Tomatoes

Take a pot and plant some cherry tomato seedlings. Add a supporting stick and cover with the soil. Water regularly.

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3. Coriander

Sow coriander seeds in a pot. It best grows in direct sunlight though partial shade is preferable. Don’t over-water the plant. You’ll soon see little shoots of coriander that can be plucked and used.

4. Fennel

Plant the fennel bulb in a container with about a cup of water. Leave it on your windowsill where it gets direct sunlight. When the roots grow strong you will notice new green shoots, then you can transplant it into a big pot.

5. Onion Chives

Plant onion bulbs in a small pot which has a hole to drain out excess water. Cut about one-third growth off the plant to stimulate new growth. Provide sufficient sunlight. Water frequently.

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6. Mint

If you have the leftover mint stalk with roots, plant them in a pot. Water frequently. Make sure it receives plenty of sunlight. Clip growing tips monthly to encourage new growth.

7. Parsely

Cut the stem of parsley near the base of the plant to promote re-growth. Place in a glass of water in bright sunlight. Transfer the cuttings to a big pot when roots appear.

A Simple Guide to Wine and Food Pairing

A wine lover will always take some time to study what kind of dish needs to be paired with what wine. On a day-to-day basis, they have several questions crossing their minds like for instance, "If I am preparing chicken for my next meal, does it matter whether it is baked, grilled, or fried when I’m deciding what wine to serve with it?’’ Practically there are few wine choices that will ruin a meal, but good choices can raise the experience of a meal making it more enjoyable. If you're a wine lover too, here is a complete list of rules you need to follow when pairing food with your favourite glass of wine.

- White wines tend to pair better with lighter foods such as green veggies, fish, and chicken.

- Red wines tend to pair better with bold flavoured meats such as red meat.

- Sparkling wine pairs with a wide variety of foods because it acts as a palate cleanser.

- Sweetness in food should be less than or equal to the sweetness in wine or else there's a chance of stripping the wine of its sweetness leaving a bitter taste.

- Like sweetness, acidity in food should be less than or equal to the acidity in wine. If it is not, the wine will taste flat and lifeless.

- Highly salty food work well with wines that have high effervescence. Salty shouldn’t compete with acidity in wine. Use sparingly as necessary to keep sharpness in the meal.

- When it comes to matching textures, think alike. Match the texture of the food with the texture of the wine. Light food is best paired with a light wine and heavy food with heavy wine.

- The wine should have the same flavour intensity as the food. Wine overall body should be equal to the food overall body. Ideally the flavours in the wine should not overpower those in the food.

- Match aromas and flavours.

- Match the wine with the sauce than with the meat.

-  Pair grilled or charred foods with wines that have been aged in oak as these foods will tame that oaky intensity and to bring out the fruit flavours of the wine instead.

- Pair fried or fatty foods with wines that are high in acid or tannin.

- Pair sweet wines with salty foods. The combination makes sweet wine taste less sweet and more fruity, and salty food taste less salty and more savoury.

- Pair foods of a particular region with wines from the same place. For instance, if you want to pair with an Indian wine, try to find one from the same region as the food.

- Avoid pairing acidic wines with creamy sauces. This combination will usually clash. You can think about it this way, if you squeezed lemon juice into a cup of milk, would it taste good?

- Avoid pairing spicy food with highly alcoholic or tannic wine. The reason is that the heat of the food will actually intensify the alcohol and the tannins in the wine, which in turn will make the dish seem even spicier. Instead, pair it with wines that have some residual sugar or off-dry, acidic white wines. Doing this will cool down spice and creates balance between the food and the wine.

- Avoid wines heavy in tannins(bitterness), but medium or mild bitter wines can be balanced with fat or sweet food.

- When in doubt, sparkling wine goes with everything. Some of its traditional favourites are caviar and soft cheeses like Brie. So trust the bubbly. It won’t be wrong with anything.

Caviar pairs well with a white or a sparkling wine.

- More often than not, White, Sparkling and Rosé wines create complementary pairings.

- Wine tannin levels should be equal to non-vegetarian food fattiness levels.

- Wine acidity levels should be equal to vegetable-based food fattiness levels.

For those of you who think that's a lot of information to digest, we recommend you to follow your personal preferences. For most rules, there’s always an exception, so experiment with different food and wine combinations to see how your taste buds respond to a particular pairing. Remember that no pairing recommendation will ever be successful unless you actually enjoy what’s in your glass!