Tehri or Aloo Pulao

Tehri is a popular rice dish cooked with the chunks of potatoes.  It is a famous item in the North Indian daily menu and cooked in every household.  Sometimes this delicious rice preparation is also called Aloo Pulao.  There are various ways to prepare this dish, some add seasonal vegetables, carrot chunks, green peas, etc. which makes the dish yummy and colorful too.  Here is a basic recipe; but you can make variations to adjust to your taste buds. 

Tehri (Aloo Pulao) with Raita
Photo: Seema Iqbal 

Ingredients:
1.  Basmati rice: ½ kg. soaked for 30 minutes 

2.  Oil: 3 to 4 tablespoon

3.  Cardamom: 3 Nos. whole

4.  Cloves: 3 Nos. whole

5.  Black peppercorns: 10 Nos.

6.  Cinnamon stick: 1 inch piece

7.  Cumin seeds whole: ¾ tablespoon (optional)

8.  Onion: 2 No. medium size, chopped

9.  Ginger-garlic paste: ¾ tablespoon

10.  Green Chilli: 2 - 3 Nos. chopped

11.  Curry leaves: 10 to 12 Nos.

12.  Red chilli powder: ¾ tablespoon

13.  Turmeric powder: ¼ tablespoon

14.  Salt: to taste

15.  Potatoes: 3 Nos. medium size, cut into chunks

16.  Tomatoes: 2 Nos. chopped

17.  Water: almost double the quantity of rice

18.  Coriander leaves: 1 cup, chopped

Tehri served in Platter
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Step by step method for easy cooking:

Step 1:

Wash and soak rice in water for 20 – 30 minutes.  Keep rest of the ingredients ready and handy.

Step 2:

In a rice pot, heat oil, add whole Garam Masala (ingredient No. 3 to 6), add cumin seeds (optional) and sauté for a minute.  Then add onion and fry until golden brown.  Now add ginger-garlic paste, green chilli, curry leaves, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt (approximately 1 tablespoonful) and sauté them together for a minute.  Now add one cup of water and when it boils add potato chunks and tomatoes and cook until potatoes are 90% done.

Step 3:

Now add rest of the water and bring to boiling point.  Add rice to the boiling water and slow down the flame after two minutes.  Add coriander leaves, mix only once and cover the rice pot.  Let it cook on low flame, which might take approximately 10 - 12 minutes.

Home-cooked Tehri and cucumber raita
Photo: Seema Iqbal

The Tehri or Aloo Pulao is now ready to serve!  Transfer the preparation to serving plate, garnish and serve with any Raita.  Indian pickle is also a good accompaniment for this delicious dish.

Important and useful tips:

1. Using chunks of carrot and some green peas would add to taste and color.

2. You may also add a 2 cubes of Maggi Chicken Stock for excellent result, but if have doubt in finding Halal product you better avoid it.

3. You may also serve cucumber raita, Indian pickle or any gravy as accompaniment.


The recipe of this rice preparation is also published at: 

     1.  www.homemade-chinese-soups.com

Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken is one of the Indo Chinese dishes (also known as Chicken Chilli) that most of us have craving for, from time to time.  There are plenty of variations of this preparation and each one differs in taste, aroma and appearance.  Some chefs even include crushed cashew nuts to make it real rich and crunchy.  Here I have used a simple method with modified recipe for the ease of home-cooking.  And guess what?  It is very much liked by all at home and has received lots of appreciation from the guests too.  I am sure you all will like it too.  Let’s start… Bon appétit!

Chilli Chicken - an indo chinese cuisine
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Ingredients - group 1: (for marinating chicken)

1.  Chicken bite-size cubes: 500- 600 grams (boneless preferred)

2.  Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tablespoon

3.  Cornflour: 2 tablespoon

4.  Pepper powder: 1/2 tablespoon

5.  Red chilli powder: ¾ tablespoon (adjust to your taste)

6.  Salt: to taste

7.  Egg: 1 No

Ingredient group 2: (for frying marinated chicken)

1.  Oil: 1 cup

Ingredients - group 3: (for preparing masala base)

1.  Oil: 2 - 3 tablespoon

2.  Dry red chilli: 2 Nos. cut into big pieces

3.  Chopped ginger: 1/2 inch piece

4.  Chopped garlic: 5 - 7 cloves

5.  Onion, medium size: 2 Nos (diced)

6.  Capsicum: 1 No (diced)

7.  Green chilli (chopped): 2 Nos

8.  Red chilli powder: 1/2 tablespoon

9.  Pepper powder: 1/2 tablespoon

10. White vinegar: 1 - 2 tablespoon

11. Dark soya sauce: 2 - 3 tablespoon

12. Sugar: ½ tablespoon

13. Ajinomoto (MSG): ½ tablespoon

14. Salt: to taste

15. Coriander leaves:  ½ cup (chopped)

16. Water: 1 cup (can adjust to your desired consistency)

17. Cornstarch: 3 tablespoon (mixed in ½ cup of water)

Ingredients - group 4 (for garnishing)

1.  Coriander leaves: 2 tablespoon (roughly chopped)

2.  Green chili: 2 - 3 Nos (slit lengthwise) 

Home cooked Chilli Chicken - closeup shot
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Method:  Step by step method for easy cooking

Step 1:  Wash chicken and keep aside to drain water completely.  Keep rest of the ingredients ready and handy.

Step 2:  Marinating chicken.

In a mixing bowl add boneless chicken dices, ginger-garlic paste, cornflour, pepper powder, chilli powder and salt and mix it well.  Now add egg, mix again and marinate for 30 minutes.  (ref. ingredient group 1)

Step 3:  Frying the chicken.

Now take a heavy-bottom frying pan, add oil and heat it. (ref. ingredient group 2).  Once the oil is hot, fry the marinated chicken until it is done.  Remove the fried chicken pieces from oil and keep aside.

Step 4: Preparing masala base.

Take a wok (chinese cooking pan) and add 3 tablespoon of oil and heat it.  Add red chilli cuts, chopped ginger and garlic and sauté them for 1 minute on high flame.  Now add onion and capsicum dices, green chilli, red chilli powder, pepper powder, white vinegar, dark soya sauce, a pinch of sugar, ajinomoto, a pinch of salt and sauté until the onion dices turn to golden brown.  Add chopped coriander leaves and 1 cup of water and bring it to boiling point.  Now add cornstarch water spoon by spoon to get desired consistency on medium heat.  (ref. ingredients group 3)

Step 5: Now add already fried chicken and turn stove to high flame.  Keep mixing and tossing it for 2 – 3 minutes.  The Chilli Chicken of Indo Chinese style is now ready to serve.  It’s that easy!

Step 6: Serving.

Transfer the preparation from wok to a serving bowl or plate, garnish with roughly chopped coriander leaves and slit green chilli (ref. ingredient group 4) and serve.  Goes very well with paratha, chapati, naan, any type of roti and even with rice preparations.

Important and useful tips:

1. Use only fresh ingredients for alluring aroma and taste.

2. During step 3, don’t put all the chicken into oil at once, but fry them batch by batch.

3. You can adjust the quantity of water as per the texture and consistency you desire, at step 4.

4. Using a teaspoonful of store-bought chilli-garlic sauce will add to taste and color during step 4.

5. Since this dish has a Chinese touch, it requires the use of MSG (monosodium glutamate) which is commonly known as Ajinomoto. You may avoid it if you don’t like.

6. To prepare Dry Chilli Chicken add very little of water instead of a cup full at step 4, also reduce water ratio for preparing cornstarch mix.

7. Step 3 and Step 4 can be cooked simultaneously if your stove has 2 burners. 

8. Be careful while adding salt because ingredients like vinegar and soya sauce contains some salt in it.

This Chilli Chicken recipe is also published in:

   1.  www.coastaldigest.com

   2.  www.seemaiqbal.blogspot.com