“Manage the heat, let the meat cook, and you'll get fantastic results”. Chefs all over the world follow this technique to cook meat as the result of this formula is something very appealing to eyes and tasty to eat. A large population of India follow non-vegetarian diet which includes meat, chicken, eggs, and seafood like fish, oysters, crabs etc. Every chef has a secret recipe to cook non-vegetarian cuisines. A clever mix of spices, paste with fresh meat cooked on a low flame enhances the taste of the recipe. No matter whether it’s the lunch/dinner at home or a train travel! These meaty recipes can be enjoyed during train travel. You can order non-vegetarian food in train and relish your group journey. Let us know about the basic ingredients of cooking a chicken/mutton recipe which makes it super delicious.
6 Essential Ingredients to cook a Non-veg Delicacy
Spices: Indian cooking culture includes a blend of fragrant spices like turmeric, cumin, cardamom, pepper, coriander, mustard, cassia, cloves, etc. Every non-veg delicacy needs these spices to make the recipe flavorful.
Onions: A mandatory ingredient without which one can’t think of cooking a non-veg recipe. Onions are used for marinating meat along with spices. The marinated meat imbibes the pungent flavour of onion and adds extra flavors to the final product.
Garam Masala: A special masala prepared by dry roasting all the spices and blending them to a fine powder. This special masala is added in every gravy or dry dishes (Veg/Non-Veg). Apart from elevating the taste, it helps in digestion of food.
Curd: Well, curd is an optional element while preparing non-veg delicacies. It is basically used for marinating the meat. It also adds value in taste when the meat is cooked with a perfect combination of curd and fat.
Ginger-Garlic Paste: A fine paste of ginger and garlic will multiply the flavour and aroma of the meat.
Chillies: Green chillies are the base ingredient. They add extra punch of spicy flavour to the chicken.
(Chilly Facts: India is a home to the most deadly chilly of the world. It’s the Bhoot-Jholakiya and the most unique chilly called as “Kashmiri Mirch” grown only at Kashmir.) The latter is used as a colouring agent in Indian cuisines specially curries).
Recommended Read: How to Order Non-Veg Food In Train?
Diversified ways of Cooking Non-vegetarian Recipes (Traditional and Modern method)
Traditional Method:
There are many ways to cook chicken or mutton. These are the two most-loved varieties in India. Before the machine age, they were cooked in earthen pots using the above mentioned ingredients. Sometimes, chicken was fried in deep hot oil and cooked in thick onion gravy. You will be shocked to know that some of the lost recipes were cooked through underground method. The meat was marinated with heavy spice quotient and buried underground. It was taken out after 7 days and the meat was found cooked which was served with chapattis. After this method, people used to make an underground natural oven which was coiled with burning coal and the marinated meat was wrapped in banana leaf and put inside the oven to bake. It was covered by sand and bushes. The meat used to take an hour to two to cook and release its aroma and flavors.
Modern Method:
The modern method includes cooking meat in electric ovens and grillers. There are many brands available in the market which roast and grills meat in minutes. As a result, hundreds of non-veg recipes were evolved with different cooking styles. The advantage of modern method over the traditional method was the difference of time consumed in cooking meat. The electric oven or grillers took lesser time to prepare variety of non-veg cuisines. Tandoori chicken, grilled chicken, chicken tikka, kebabs, fried chicken, and stuffed chicken are few varieties. Just marinate and set the temperature to view the magic. You will get a glazing and scrumptious meat recipe as an output.
Types of Non-Vegetarian Recipes and How to Order them in Train
CHICKEN CURRY:
If you’re looking for an easy way to cook chicken with special flavours and taste, then chicken curry is the easiest and tastiest recipe to prepare. It’s the most basic chicken recipe cooked in spiced onion gravy. This recipe can be cooked even without marinating meat. If you’re a non-veg lover and confused on what to cook for lunch or dinner, it is the best option. It is also loved recipe by bachelors/students because of its easy cooking procedure.
Tip: Do not use boneless meat. Use chicken with bones as the bone imparts a rich gamy taste when mixed with spices and chillies.
CHICKEN KADAHI:
This is a Pakistani savory which anyone will love to have till the last bite. It is very popular in north Indian states of India. It is prepared for “Shahi Dawat” or a “Luxury Dinner”. If you want to treat your guest with royalty and serve something extra-ordinary in taste, appearance and colour, then this recipe is for your taste bud.
Tip: Cook the chicken in low heat. Serve the chicken in small Kadai (bowls) garnished with thin strips of ginger and coriander. It will give the dish a royal look.
CHICKEN BUTTER MASALA:
A dish which is listed on the top of every restaurant or a road side Dhaba menu! It’s the tastiest chicken curry variety as it is prepared with butter as a basic gravy ingredient. Knobs of butter are used to prepare this awesome dish. When chicken is cooked in pure butter, onion and tomato puree, it releases all its flavors and fat. It is also cooked by frying chicken till it changes its colour to golden brown and then by adding it to the spicy and buttery gravy.
Tip: Cook the chicken till it is tender and juicy. Be generous in using butter or else the taste may not enhance.
HANDI CHICKEN:
It is the basic chicken curry served in earthen pot or cooked in earthen pots. It tastes awesome as the procedure to cook in earthen pots makes it rich in taste.
Tip: Use freshly pounded ginger and garlic. They release their best flavour during cooking. Do not use the packaged ginger-garlic paste available in the market. They contain third-class preservatives.
ANGARA CHICKEN:
This is a special variety of chicken curry which is cooked either in tandoori form or in rich spicy gravy. A burning piece of charcoal is wrapped in an aluminium foil and placed in the middle of the pan. Pure desi ghee is dropped on the coal which creates a dense smoke in the pan. The pan is immediately covered to let the chicken absorb the smoky flavour. After 10-15 minutes, the charcoal is removed out of the curry.
Tip: Use pure desi ghee to add an aromatic touch to the recipe. Handle the burning coal carefully.
MUTTON CURRY:
A comfort food served with hot and steaming plate of Basmati rice. Every state has variation in the recipe. It can be Andhra, Hyderabadi, Goan or Kerala style. It is one of the recipes where tender pieces of mutton are cooked in spicy, flavorful, and warming onion-tomato gravy. It’s a perfect dish for Sunday afternoon. It is garnished with ginger and fresh coriander leaves.
Tip: Do not use stale mutton for the recipe. It won’t taste well. Buy fresh mutton pieces and enjoy Sunday mutton.
MUTTON ROGAN JOSH:
Kashmiri chilli or Kasmiri laal mirch is the main ingredient for the recipe. The basic paste is prepared by grinding onion, ginger, garlic, semi-boiled Kashmiri mirch and fragrant spices. Mutton is cooked in this red colored paste and the attraction of this recipe is the red color and special meat pieces. It is prepared by selected pieces of mutton.
Tip: Soak the red Kashmiri chillies in hot water to make a red chilli paste. Prefer to use natural Kashmiri chillies rather than red chilly powder.
MUTTON KORMA:
It is one of the best mutton recipes to try. It was loved by the Mughal rulers. The traditional Awadhi Mutton Korma is a family feast full of spicy flavors. It’s a wholly royal recipe and the Kewra extract is used extensively for the recipe. The color of the fried onions decides the colour of the final curry. It proves the overall flavors and taste of Mughals were varied and interesting!
Tip: Cook the recipe on low flame instead of cooking it in a pressure cooker. The taste will be different when cooked on a low flame.
You can order these delicacies in train and enjoy them at your seat. Call 8102888111 or download our mobile application to order food on train journey. Happy Journeying!