Traditional chicken qaly is a dish whose preparation requires specific ingredients and adherence to a particular method.
Traditional chicken qaly is a dish whose preparation requires specific ingredients and adherence to a particular method.
For preparation, you need 1 chicken (weighing from 1 to 12 kg), 1/2 cup of yogurt (dahi), 2 medium onions, finely chopped, 1 cup of grated tomatoes, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cardamom pods (elachi), several cloves and peppers, 1/2 teaspoon of whole cumin, 3-4 whole green chilies, 1/4 teaspoon of saffron, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric (arad), 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of ginger/garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of ghee/oil.
First, the chicken must be divided, washed, and dried in a colander. Then, all the spices and salt are added to the meat and thoroughly mixed. After this, the tomatoes, yogurt, and whole green chilies are incorporated, and the meat is left to marinate.
Meanwhile, the onions are fried in ghee/oil until they achieve a beautiful light brown color. The fried onions are removed from the oil and allowed to cool. Then, the crispy onions are crushed with the back of a spoon and sprinkled over the marinating chicken.
The seasoned meat is placed in a pot along with the oil in which the onions were fried and cooked slowly until the juices evaporate and the meat becomes tender. If an exotic appearance is desired, several whole prunes or a dozen whole blanched almonds can be added during the last 10 minutes of cooking, or both.
If you plan to cook the qaly with potatoes, they should first be fried in oil and then added during the last half hour of cooking. Before serving, the dish is garnished with coriander and mint leaves.
It is also noted that lamb can be used instead of chicken, but in this case, an additional teaspoon of ginger/garlic and 1/2 cup of yogurt must be added.
The market offers many types of kebabs that have a very pleasant taste. However, it can be difficult to achieve the same crispy and soft texture when cooking at home. For this reason, we suggest a recipe for paneer yogurt cheese kebabs, which require minimal effort to prepare but surpass other types of kebabs in taste.
These yogurt kebabs are slightly crispy on the outside and very tender inside. They can be enjoyed on rainy days when you crave something spicy. They are convenient to prepare as a snack with tea, an appetizer for a party, or a treat for guests, and we will tell you a simple way to make them.
To prepare the yogurt kebabs, you must first prepare the yogurt: it should be hung in cheesecloth for several hours to remove excess liquid. The thicker the yogurt, the better the kebab dough will turn out.
Next, you need to prepare the mixture: in a bowl, mix grated paneer cheese, thickened yogurt (hung curd), and mashed potatoes. Add besan, breadcrumbs, green pepper, ginger, cilantro, red pepper, garam masala, chaat masala, and salt, mixing all ingredients thoroughly.
After that, small portions of the mixture are formed into round or flat patties. If the dough seems too soft, you can add a little more breadcrumbs.
To cook the kebabs, heat a little oil in a pan and fry the kebabs over medium heat on both sides until golden and crispy.
Hot paneer yogurt cheese kebabs are served with green sauce, sweet tamarind sauce, and onion rings. Additionally, they can be eaten hot with tea; they are especially delicious in rainy weather.
Pro tip: to make the kebabs crispier, you can coat them in breadcrumbs before frying.
According to industry observers, the Independence Day weekend, despite falling on a Saturday, continues to increase booking demand and travel in annual terms across various platforms and among hotel companies, with this demand extending into the first half of the following week.
Jain added that currently, the highest demand is for city hotels within the group, but resorts and leisure destinations are expected to become more active as the weekend approaches.
Rajiv Mehta, Secretary General of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), forecasts a 15–20 percent growth in hotel bookings as tourists head to nearby tourist destinations. According to him, the Independence Day weekend has gained significant importance from the perspective of tourism and hospitality.
Mehta also noted that even if Independence Day falls on a Saturday, people still travel to nearby tourist spots. He mentioned that while residents of the National Capital Region travel to Uttarakhand, Himachal, or Jaipur, which are within driving distance, a similar trend is also observed in South and West India.
The PeekABoo Trends tracker from Cleartrip confirmed a sharp surge in spontaneous bookings for the last few days, which aligns with Mehta's comments. The tracker showed that 72 percent of bookings were made four days before Independence Day, indicating a preference for spontaneous short trips.
According to the tracker, youth, or Generation Z, aged 25–34, accounted for 23 percent of bus bookings and 32 percent of flight bookings, thereby stimulating travel demand. Furthermore, the tracker demonstrated a 21 percent increase in hotel bookings compared to the previous week.
Cleartrip concluded that these trends indicate that young travelers are maximizing the weekend through quick, flexible, and often spontaneous trips, with buses becoming a particularly popular choice for such short vacations.
Among cities, Delhi emerged as a key market for this weekend, recording a 53 percent increase in bus bookings and a 9 percent rise in hotel bookings, according to the tracker.
Meanwhile, the online travel portal MakeMyTrip announced on Friday a partnership with the Ministry of Tourism to launch excursions led by local experts in over 60 cities, with bookings starting on Independence Day. The portal expects this collaboration to help Indian tourists explore 'Incredible India,' allowing them to pre-book local guides.
