Macaroni with curried chicken and mushrooms - to go with your favourite TV program

Vidamatte? Appo nee enne ingarne enge poga vidamatte?


Is there a keralite who does not know this dialogue, or the circumstances under which it was delivered? Mannichitrathazhu must be one of the Malayalam movies I have seen most number of times. I find it thrilling even today, and do try to watch the amazing ending every time the movie is on TV, which is atleast once a month. I remember the first time I saw it, my family was huddled around the TV and not anyone uttered a word. My mother, wise as ever, realized that it would be an impossible feat to get us to the dinner table. She brought our dinner, a delicious macaroni and raita, to the living room :) . And inspite of being spellbound by the movie, I was able to appreciate the delicious meal. I think it makes a great TV dinner, for when that much awaited program is on. And if someone tells you that you should have dinner at the dining table, set an example for the kids, blah blah blah, you know just how to react…( it works, seriously !!!)

Recipe:

Ingredients
1. 450 grms macaroni
2. 400 grms boneless chicken cubed
3. 300 grms button mushrooms sliced
4. 3 large onions
5. 1 large tomato
6. 1 tbsp ginger paste
7. 1 tbsp garlic garlic
8. 3 tbsps red chilli powder
9. 1 tbsp coriander powder
10. ½ tsp turmeric powder
11. 5 cardamom, 5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 tbsp fennel seeds ground together
12. 2 tbsp pepper powder
13. 1 chicken stock cube
14. 2 tbsp soya sauce
15. 1 tbsp chilli sauce
16. 1 tbsp tomato sauce
17. 3 tbsp oil refined
18. Salt to taste


Method:

Cook macaroni according to package instructions till al dente and keep aside.

Heat a pan and dry roast chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and the ground spices till you get a strong smell of the roasted powders. Be careful not to burn the masala powders, or you will have to start fresh. If you do not roast the masala, the curry may have a slightly raw taste of the powders.

Grind the onions and tomato separately adding as little water as possible.

Heat oil in a pan large enough to hold the chicken and macaroni. Sauté the onion paste till it browns lightly. To this, add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for a few minutes till the onion paste darkens. Reduce heat to minimum and add the roasted powders and mix well. Add the tomato paste, chicken, mushrooms, chicken stock and salt and stir it so that the chicken is coated well with the gravy. When the chicken is half cooked, add soya, chilli and tomato sauce. Let it simmer till the chicken is completely cooked. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and tear them into shreds. Transfer the cooked macaroni and shredded chicken back to the pan along with the pepper powder and mix well. Heat for a few minutes and serve hot with a tomato and onion raita.

If you are using chicken with bones, increase the weight to around 650 grms. Once chicken is cooked, remove all bones, shred the chicken, and add it to the cooked macaroni.

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