It is that time of the year in India where Durga puja and Navratri festivals have begun, where the celebration of good over evil is celebrated and the goddess is welcomed home. During these festivals food is a very important part of the celebrations, be it street food, home made delicacies or even restaurants. This year due to Covid no festival or holiday will be celebrated in the usual way, and many will not be able to gather with friends and family, or be a part of the grand parades, gatherings and enjoy the street food stalls. Still, we can surely recreate these memories and enjoy them with loved ones in our homes. I am going to share one such fun food recipe with you – Mughlai paratha.

I will be sharing a vegetarian and non vegetarian version, and also substitutes for vegan options. Be sure to watch my videos for both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions, as this recipe has a few parts that are a bit more involved.

Tips

Soft Tofu can be used instead of paneer in the filling

Heavy cream can be replaced by coconut cream

Nuts are optional.

All three versions will require the same dough with different fillings .

Ingredients for dough .

2 cups- Plain flour

1/2 tsp- Salt

21/2 tsp- oil

Warm water as needed to make a soft dough .

In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt, oil and mix well. Gradually add warm water to make a soft dough. Cover and set aside to rest.

Ingredients for Vegetarian filling.

1 cup – grated paneer (tofu for vegans)

1 cup-grated cauliflower

1/2cup- crushed frozen peas

1/4 cup- grated carrots

1 medium potato- boiled and mashed

1/4 cup -onion finely chopped

1/2 inch-ginger grated

2 cloves -garlic grated

1-2 green chillies chopped

1 tsp- chilli powder

1 tsp- coriander powder

1 tsp- cumin powder

1/4- tsp turmeric powder

3 tbs – toasted crushed peanuts (optional)

3 tbs- raisins chopped

1-2 tbs- have cream (coconut cream for vegans)

1 tsp-Mango powder/ Amchur or lime juice

1 tsp- garam masala

2 tbs flour + water to make paste

2 tsp – oil

Salt to taste

Heat a pan on a medium flame and add oil. Next add the onions and saute until golden on the edges. Add the ginger, garlic , green chilli and saute for another 30 seconds. Add the carrots, cauliflower, peas and saute this for a minute, then add the turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt to taste. At this point add the nuts and raisins and stir well. Now add the paneer and mashed potato and mix everything again. Taste and adjust the salt at this point.

Remove the filling in a plate and mix in the garam masala and cream and mix everything well, letting it cool down to room temperature.

NON VEGETARIAN

Non –Veg filling

1 pound -ground lamb/chicken

1/2 cup- chopped onions

1 inch – ginger grated

3 cloves- garlic grated

1-2- green chillies chopped

1 tsp- chilli powder

1 tsp- coriander powder

1 tsp- cumin powder

1 tsp- garam masala

1/4 tsp – turmeric powder

1 tsp- lime juice

1 small- red onion sliced

2 beaten- eggs

Heat a pan on a medium flame, add onions and saute until golden. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies and saute for 30 seconds. Add the meat, all the dry spices , chilli powder, coriander, cumin , turmeric , peanuts , salt to taste and cook until all the moisture is dried up. Now add the garam masala and turn off the flame. Let the filling cool down completely before rolling the paratha.

Rolling and cooking the paratha ( watch the video for a better view of this part )

Meat paratha– Take a little larger than golf ball size dough and roll it into a fairly thin flat oval. Add 4 tbs of meat filling in the center and spread it out a little vertically also spread 2 tbs of the beaten egg onto the meat and a few chopped red onion and now cover the filling by folding all four sides one by one, sealing all the meat and edges .

Vegetarian paratha -Take a little larger than golf ball size dough and roll it into a fairly thin flat oval. Add 4 tbs of veg filling in the center and spread it out a little vertically and now cover the filling by folding all four sides one by one, sealing all the edges with paste made with flour and water.

Heat a pan on medium high flame with 4 tbs of oil and put the paratha in the pan and fry on both sides until nice and golden brown. Cut into pieces and serve with ketchup!

Shahi Chicken Korma… what is Shahi? A term for royal in reference to the imperial court of Mughal Empire. What is korma? a mildly spiced meat or vegetable dish often made with yogurt, cream or nuts or all three for special occasions. All this can sound intimidating but with little prep and patience you can make this dish and give yourself and friends a tour of the royal tastes. This chicken korma is perfect for a special occasion or a weekend treat as it is very rich in texture.

Making the korma will require a few easy preps that you can do ahead of time, lets walk through them.

Brown onions

To make the the crispy brown onions, thinly slice one large onion ( i use a mandolin ). In a deep pan or small wok heat 2 inches oil on medium low flame for deep frying . Once the oil is hot add the onions and fry them on a low medium flame. Carefully watch them as they should turn golden brown and crispy not dark brown, or your korma will taste bitter. Drain on paper towel and let it cool completely. Store them in an air tight container until ready to use.

Cashew Paste

Take 6 to 7 unsalted raw cashews and boil them for about 4 to 5 minutes Once slightly cool make a smooth paste of it in a blender with the help of just a few table spoons of water ( I used just 3 tbs). Store in a container in the fridge until ready to use.

Garam Masala

2 inch- cinnamon stick
5 -6 -green cardamoms
5-6- cloves
3 -4 -peppercorns

Grind all these whole spices in a coffee grinder to make your garam masala spice mix powder. I usually make this fresh but you may store in an airtight bottle to use for any recipe that requires garam masala. This is the garam masala i use for when i want a good fragrant one.There are store bought ones but they have a lot more ingredients that i think over power this dish.

The above steps were the only major pre prep that is required to make this dish.

Ingredients

2 Pounds of Chicken cut in to 2 inch pieces . I used bone in chicken as i find it helps keep the chicken moist, more flavorful and tender. If you prefer boneless thats fine too, just adjust your cooking times (boneless tends to cook a lot faster).

1 cup – crispy brown onions

1 tbs- ginger paste or grated

1tbs- garlic paste or grated

2 tbs- cashew paste

3 tbs- plain greek yogurt

1/3- cup of heavy cream

1/4- cup cooking oil

11/2 tsp- chilli powder

1 tbs- corriander powder

1 tsp-cumin powder

1 tsp- of garam masala

2 pinches of saffron

1 -bay leaves

5-peppercorns

2-3tbs -rasins

1tbs- sliced almonds

1tsp- sliced pistachios

1/2 cup- water if needed to adjust the consistency

salt to taste

Method

Heat a Dutch oven or any heavy bottom pot on a medium flame with the 1/4 cup of oil. Once the oil is heated, add the bay leaf and pepper corns and saute for a few seconds before adding the chicken along with the ginger garlic paste. Sear on medium high for a couple minutes.

Once the meat is seared add the chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and stir well . Cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes on a medium low flame. While that is cooking, in a blender add the brown onions with the greek yogurt and blend to make a thick paste.

After 7 to 8 minutes of cooking add the brown onion and yogurt paste to the chicken along with salt to taste and stir well. Cover and cook for another 7 minutes on low medium heat. Uncover and add the cashew paste, cream, raisins, almonds, pistachios and saffron. Cover and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Once done sprinkle a tsp of the garam masala that you made and and the optional 1 tsp of rose water if you have. Serve hot with naan or rice . Enjoy the royal experience!