Chicken Pickle/Kozhi achar

Chicken pickle.. i think most of u get confused about the title, right? Did she type it wrong.. no guys.Today i thought i can share with u guys something special. That is Chicken Pickle. Kerala is famous of these kind of non-vegetarian pickles.The Fish, Chicken and Beef pickles are the very popular non vegetarian pickles in Kerala. Amma hardly makes any non-veg pickles but my aunt  is an expert in making fish pickle.(Sure i will post the fish pickle ).
For long time i was thinking to prepare this chicken pickle. Whenever i talk about the chicken pickle  my hus used to say u can't make chicken pickle like fish (Tuna, King fish) because chicken texture is so different.really i was in dilemma.one day suddenly he asked what happened? Nowadays not hearing abt the chicken pickle? Anyway u just try it.. So I decided to prepare it in the same day and luckily some chicken was there in the freezer. Frankly speaking i did not know the recipe but i wanted to give it a try. I searched for its recipe but hardly find any.so what i did is i just called my aunt and collected the fish pickle recipe then made some changes and tried this  one and the result was superb. My hus really liked it and he concluded that the chicken pickle is as good as the fish one. (Only if I get a good review from my hus, i try those recipes again.
Really it is a delicious side for rice or roti. No need to make any other curries. Usually for this preparation we are using lots of oil. if u want to prepare the low-fat version, do not add more oil. if u want to keep the same for longer it is good to use more oil. But i don't think we are going to keep the chicken-pickle for that long. Here i prepared it with only one pound of boneless chicken and it is finished within days.
So let me tell u how i made the delicious pickle.

Ingredients
Chicken(boneless)(kozhi kashnangal): 1 lbs
For Marinating the chicken
Salt (uppu) : to taste
Turmeric Powder (manjal podi): 1 tbsp
Ground Pepper (kurumulaku podi):1tbsp
Garam Masala Powder: 1 tbsp
Redchili Powder:1tbsp
For frying
Sesame Oil (nallenna): 5 tbsp
Mustard seed(kaduku): 1 tsp
Red chili(chuvanna mulaku): 4 nos
Curry leaves(curryveppila): 2 sprig
Garlic(vellulli): 10 pods
Ginger(inji): 1 big size
Green Chili (pachamulaku): 3 nos
Asafoetida: 1/2 tsp
Red Chili powder: 3 tbsp
Whole pepper(kurumulaku): 5-8 nos
Whole Fenugreek(uluva): 3nos or Fenugreek powder: 1/4 tsp
Red chili powde(mulaku podi)r: 2 tbsp
Salt(uppu) : to taste

Vinegar(vinagiri): 3 tbsp
Preparation

• Cut the chicken into very small pieces.and pat dry the chicken in the kitchen tissue paper
• Marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric powder, pepper powder and garam masala. Keep it for an hour
• Slit the green chili ,slice the ginger and garlic.

Procedure

• Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the chicken. Do it in batches.
• Transfer  the deep-fried chicken in to a sheet tray and  let it cool for about 5-10 minutes
• Heat 3-4 table spoon of oil  (you can use same oil which is used in the above step)  and add  mustard seeds
• Once it started spluttering add the red chili, whole pepper and fenugreek seeds followed by green chili, ginger and garlic slices. Fry until the g-g-g get light brown color .
• Add the Red chili powder and asafoetida .fry for a minute or two.(if u r using the ground fenugreek fry that too)
• Add the curry leaves into the mix.. saute well.
• Add the fried chicken pieces and the extra oil (if u like to add) and mix all together and heat for 3-5 minute in very low heat.
• Once the mix get cool down add vinegar..Keep the same in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the room temperature.

The delicious pickle is ready to have..

Cook's Tip

• Completely dry the chicken pieces using kitchen tissues
• keep the marinated  chicken pieces for more than an hour.
• use the sesame oil instead of any other oil.
• Always use dry spoon to serve the pickle otherwise the the pickle get moisture and it leads to get the fungal and that spoils the whole pickle
• You can keep the same for 3-4 months in the refrigerator.(Add more vinegar and oil, if you are planning to keep it for long time. Also make sure that all chicken pieces are immersed in the oil-vinegar mixture)

Lime Pickle (Cheru Naranga Achar)

Every one's favorite, right?.. I know this is a must-see item in almost all home’s dining table. Got it?. ya it is every one's favorite side dish -the yummy n tangy Lime Pickle. Today i thought i can share with you guys my grandma’s special Lime Pickle (Naranga achar)Home made pickle always taste good than the store-bought one and the making of the pickle is not that difficult.  

About the recipe: It is my grandma’s  recipe. She always prepare so delicious pickles and whatever she makes it tastes 100 times better  than anyone else’s.. Now she is not with us but we always remember her through her special  recipes.My amma  is not that expert as my grandma for making these achars (Pickle) and Chammanthi podis.(Chutney Powders). Like my grandma my valiyamma (Amma’s Sister) is also an expert in making pickles..Her pickles are always demanded one in our family.. When my mom came here last summer, she sent both mango and lemon pickle for us. Especially when you are “expecting”,  you always crave for these pickles.. yeah. I know it is not that good (having too much of pickle) for health but you cannot control it .Anyway i really enjoyed having it even with my breakfast and finished the whole box with in a short span of time.When amma was here she  taught me how to make this pickle.but  whenever I prepare the pickle, i used to call and ask her the recipe. 

Until came here in  USA, I didn’t know that there are differences between lemon and lime. I thought all are same. But when I came here I realized that both are different and they look different, taste different. I think, Lemon is not good for making pickles compared to lime which have more sour taste and less sweet taste.

When we found a bag of lime here in the Kroger I thought of making the pickle because this lime is a seasonal one. So when i saw  i asked my hus and he said yes.. He likes amma’s pickle so much.and also .its hard to find such kerala pickles here in any store.. so i always prefer to make it at home.( we tried the store bought also and found the 2 best pickles -Priya’s Lime Pickle and Bedeker’s Mango pickle ).

I can guarantee this one is  a very easy to make recipe and u can make it in a large quantity  and keep it refrigerated for months.. And one thing u should be careful is that do not use any wet spoons which adds moisture and the pickle very easily get fungus and that spoils the whole pickle..So take small quantity in a container and use that.. And one more thing if u have use the Sesame oil( u can find the same in Indian grocery) ,It gives real and perfect taste and flavor of the pickle and also it helps pickle to last longer 

Ok let me tell you how i made this

Ingredients
Lime:(cheru naranga) 1 pound
Water : for cooking the lime
Garlic(vellulli): 12 pods
Red chili:(Chumanna Mulaku) 5 nos
Red chili powder:(Mulakupodi) 4 tbsp
Asafoetida Powder(Kayam):1/2 tsp
Salt:(uppu) as required
Sesame Oil(nallenna): 1/4 cup
Vinegar(vinagiri): 1 tsp or as required
Mustard Seed (kaduku): 1 tsp
Curry leaves (kariveppila): 2 sprig
Preparation

• In a big pan boil enough water and cook the lime in the boiling water until the lime  become tender.add enough salt also.
• Cut the lime into 8 pieces(slices) and keep the slices in a airtight container for 2 days.Add salt according to your taste. 
• Slice the garlic pods (lengthwise)

Procedure

• Heat the sesame oil in pan.Add the mustard seed,once it started spluttering add the curry leaves and red chili saute for 30 second
• Add the garlic slices into it and saute until it get nice brown color.
• Add the chili-asafoetida salt powder mix into the heated oil...Lower the heat to low.
• Fry all the ingredients until completely fried (dark color).
• Let the mix to cool down and then add the  lime slices into the mix
• After 4-5 hrs add one/2 tsp of vinegar and mix very well. vinegar has to get into all the part..

The delicious pickle is ready to have. Keep it in an air tight container .Keep refrigerated after one week.

Cook’s tip

• Do not overcook the lime.then u can’t make it into slices..
• Soak the lime in salt for 2-3 days in room temperature.. Check the salt  in between.
• If u like u can use more Garlic and chili powder.
• Always keep the pickle in airtight container and keep it in room temperature for a  week.
• do not use any wet spoons which adds moisture and the pickle very easily get "fungus" and that spoils the whole pickle.
• If u want u can use any other oil instead of sesame oil.Here i used Idhayam sesame oil.

Mulakeshya/Mulaku Puli/Green Chili Pickle

Today's special is a kerala special dish. It is a kind of pickle: MulakuPuli (Mulakeshyam - Green Chili Pickle). The name itselt saying the main ingredient of this dish : "Mulaku" is the malayalam word of Green Chili. I don't know how many of you are familiar with this recipe. This is a kerala special dish famous  in Palakkad. 

Another thing is that the main ingredient of this recipe (Green Chillis) used for this preparation are from our own kitchen garden.Do not get confused.We have a small vegetable garden at out balcony.We both like gardening. Our small vegetable garden have Tomato, okra and this chili. When the first chili pepper beginning to grow my hus  started saying that we can prepare the mulakeshyam with this chili.. Frankly speaking, i only heard about the dish but never get a chance to taste the same. I was pretty sure that amma didn't prepare that dish ever. But MIL's side, they prepare it often. Once I was taking to my MIL i just told her about our chili plant and my plan to make the mulakeshya. So she gave me this recipe (also I got the same from my SIL's mom). So my special thanks to my mil and valsala aunty.. When i started preparing this dish i was not sure that it will be so good. But luckliy it came out really good why i was saying this because i got a wonderful comment from my Hus saying that  it's taste same as amma used to prepare at home.what else  i need more than that.. Really i am so happy  because i got a chance to fulfill my hus desire to eat the delicious mulakeshya with our own home grown chili peppers.  another thing is  that i got one more pickle recipe. 

Usually we use the less spicy chili for this preparation. The chillies here  i used was so spicy so for avoiding the hot what i did is,just removed the seeds and veins of the chillis.. If its too spicy we can't get the exact taste. when i was talking about the spiciness, my mil told just pick them before getting matured that way can avoid the spiciness.thats was a new info for me.So yesterday i got the new batch of chilies i picked the young ones, Yes, she was right, it was not as spicy as the previous batch..

About this recipe.Its almost similar to the Puli inji (Ginger Pickle) . but the cooking method is not as hard as the puli inji.the best part is you can keep it for about 2 week in the refrigerator. a very best combination with rice and if u r pickle lover just have it with any dishes (roti, chappathi etc).As i told do not use the very hot chilies.OK lets tell u the recipe in detail.. do not forget to give a try.

Ingredients
Chili: 3 nos
Salt: to taste
Water: enough
Tamarind:a lemon size
Asafoetida: 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder: 11/2 tsp
Fenugreek powder: 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chili powder/Chili powder:1 tsp/1/2 tsp
jaggery: a small piece
For seasoning
Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seed: 1 tsp
Red Chili: 1
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Preparation

Step1:

• In 1 cup of water add 1-2 tbsp salt.(Check the salt level and if u need  add more salt) .Boil the water for 5-7 minutes in medium heat.
• Let the salt water to cool down completely
• Slit the chiles and remove the seeds and the internal parts(if its too hot).Cut the chilies into 4-6 pieces
• Add the chili pieces into the salt water and keep it for about 1-2 hour
• Soak the tamarind into 1/2 cup of water.

Step2:

• Cut the soaked chiles into medium sized pieces
• In a 1/2 cup of water add the chili coriander turmeric fenugreek asafoetida powder and salt,mix well.

Step3:

• Heat oil in a pan.Add the mustard seed,once it started spluttering add the red chili and the curry leaves
• Add the powdered water and stir for 30 seconds.
• Add the tamarind water into it.let it boil for 2 minutes
• Add the chili pieces into it.
• Cook the chiles for 10-15 minutes  in medium heat or until all the water dry out.
• At last add the jaggery. The mulakeshya should be in a thick gravied frm.

The delicious pickle is ready to serve.
Have it with any of ur favorite dish.The rest sholuld be transfered to the air-tight container and keep refrigerated for 2 weeks(if u prepared that much quantity )

Cook's Tip

• Use less hot chilies.If u have only the hot chiles remove the seeds and veins  from the chile use the body part only.
• Soak the chilies for minium of 30 minutes otherwise the chili doesn't get the salt .
• If u don't like the sweetness do not add the jaggery.
• By chance if u added more tamarind add this jaggery it will balance the excess tangy taste from the puli.
• Do not add more water for cooking the chilies..
• According to ur taste add more/less chili powder.

Puli inji/Ginger Pickle/Ginger curry

Today I am going to share with you another traditional Kerala dish.It is Puli Inji - Ginger curry. This is actually considering as a pickle and is one of the main dish in Kerala feast. We mainly serve 2 or 3 pickles in the feast: ginger, mango and lemon. This puliinji is one of them.

There is a story behind the deliciousness of the pickle.I don't know whether you guys heard about the story of Vararuchi who was a member of King Vikramaadithyan's court, (around 300 AD). When he was searching for a girl as his partner, he set four conditions (to find out smart & intelligent girl - :) ). One of the condition was the girl should prepare 101 curry for his lunch. He visited so many home but none of them could satisfy these conditions. At last he reached  a poor peasant's home. An old man and his grand-daughter lived there . He told them about the reason of his visit and explained the conditions. The girl assured all his conditions. You might be thinking that the girl prepared 101 curries for his lunch, No, she just prepared the ginger curry which is same for preparing that many curries!.

We prepare the pickle day before the feast so that we can keep it overnight and will be perfect for the next day's feast. We can use this for a week or two by keeping it in a refrigerator.On Onam festival, Amma used to prepare these pickles on Uthradam day night. I always help her for  cleaning &cutting the veggies. But she never let me  cook any dishes especailly this ginger curry..The important part of preparing  this is frying the ginger and we should be very careful while doing that..if we burn it, the entire curry gets spoiled and loses its taste. In those days I was not that serious about cooking..sure, once she let me do the cooking the next day feast would be in trouble:(. I always enjoy the festivals..because it is a best time to enjoy with parents and family members. 

It is a very delicious pickle. The best part is that it is good for digestion too That's why it is included as a member of the heavy feast:)). Amma used to prepare this pickle in many different ways.Sometimes mom do not use jaggery..if u r not using the jaggery/sugar you can enjoy the real tangy taste of the tamarind in the curry. Sometimes amma used to add Pearl onions while frying the ginger..But this version can not be kept for long time.Usually i prefer to prepare this curry on festival time especially Onam and vishu..but this time i just prepared it as per my husband's request.Usually you can keep the ginger pickle for a week or two in the refrigerator...Never use wet spoons, it will get fungal.If u get a chance, try this puliinji, rice and curd. very delicious combo... We like it very much.

Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Cost of the item:0.99 usd/pound
Ingredients
For frying
Oil for frying
Ginger       -2big root
Green chili -10 nos
For the curry
Tamarind     - one lemon size
Chili powder - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water   - 1/2cup
Jaggery - small portion
For seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chili - 2 nos
Curry leaves - 1spring
Preparation

Step1:

• Cut the Ginger and green chili into very small pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan.fry the Ginger and green chili until get nice brown color.keep the fried Ginger-green chili mix on a kitchen tissue paper(u can avoid the excess oil).
• Once it gets cool, grind the fried Ginger chili mix and make a nice powder. Do not add water while grinding

Step2 :

• Extract the tamarind juice
• Mix the chilipowder coriander powder and the tamarind juice. Add 1/2cup of water.

Step4 :

• Add the Grinded Ginger into the tamarind-chili juice and mix well

Step5:

• Heat oil in a pan add the musatrd seeds,once it started spluttering, add the red chili and curry leaves,sauté for sometime.
• Add the Ginger mix into the oil. Cook it until the gravy thickens.
• Add the jaggery  and just heat for 30 seconds .

The delicious puli inji is ready.enjoy the feast

Cook's Tip

• Cut the ginger into very small pieces..if u do not have time to cut the ginger jush crush it using the mixer then fry it.Go not make a paste ..just crush it..
• Make a nice powder of the fried ginger using the mixer(let the fried one to  cool down)
• you can add sugar instead of jaggery.

Kadumanga -Raw mango pickle

"Kadumanga" is  a kind of pickle -made from the raw mango,prepared by cutting the green mango into small pieces and adding the home made pickle masala.Its a kerala dish and it has a very imporatnt role in Kerala sadhya(feast).Usually this kadumango is one of the pickle (others are Naranga - Lemon Pickle and Puliyinji - Ginger curry) served in sadhya...And also it has very unique taste,this is  best combination with kanji( rice soup) or  with rice and curd ..super combinations right?...If you are running out of time, just prepare the rice and have it with this pickle.

Usually you can find fresh mango in any of the grocery shop.Better to use the  raw mango(pacha mango) for this pickle preparation.  Half-ripe mango won't give that much taste.Actually the  sourness of mango make the pickle more tastier. if you prepare this with couple of mangoes, u can keep it even for a month or longer...One thing you have to keep in mind is that keep it in an air-tight container and also do not use wet spoons for serving.Let me write about the today's special - "kadumanaga"-the kaduku style mango..Means very small pieces like mustard seed (kaduku) .If you try to cut mango as small as possible the kadumanga taste better...

Ingredients

Raw Mango - 1 no

Oil - 3 tbs

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Red chili-2 nos

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chili - 3 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Preparation

Step1: Cut the mango into very small pieces...Make as small as possible,try to make all the pieces almost same size.

Step2:Add salt to the cut pieces and keep it aside for 3-4 hour.

Step3:Heat oil in a pan,add mustard seeds,once it started spluttering add red chili and curry leaves; saute for sometime.

Step4:add asafoetida powder,fenugreek powder and red chili powder..fry it for sometime..

Step5: let the mix to cool down.then add the cut mangoes into the mixture and mix well...keep it in a airtight container...

The Kadumango is ready to have..Its best combination with Kanji(ricesoup)

Cook's tip:

• While frying the chili powder ,be careful..do not let it burn so fry it in a meduim heat...
• Let the fried mix to cool down then only add the mangoes into it otherwise the mangoes will lose its freshness because of the heat.
• If you cut the mangoes in very small pieces it will give more taste to the pickle...Try to cut all pieces in similar shape.
• Use "Sesame Oil" for more taste

Sending this entry to Think Beyond the Usual - Fruits hosted by Nithu's kitchen
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