Royal Chicken curry - a really rich treat

Very often, I end up grilling chicken or making a really dry curry. This time around, I was asked to make something which would have a gravy as my mother would say 'salan'. I am not very good at it and looked up my favourite chicken recipe book The Chicken cookbook by Sharda Pargal and came across this rather rich chicken recipe which I was sure would make a salan and yet be thick enough to please my daughter who hates a salan!! I paired it with naan, palak rice, a cucumber yoghurt salad and kuchumber.

Ingredients
1 kg chicken pieces
3-4 cloves
2 pieces cinnamon 1" each
5-6 black peppercorns
10 curry leaves
3 onions sliced thin
2 medium potatoes sliced into long pieces and fried till golden. (optional)
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 cups thick coconut milk
chopped mint for garnish

Dry roast and grind to a fine paste
12 almonds
10 cashew nuts
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp roasted gram
5 tbsp dry grated coconut
3 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
10 dried red chillies

Method

Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and curry leaves for a minute. Add the onions, fry till almost golden. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for minute or two. Take care not to burn it. Add the chicken and fry for 8-9 minutes until all the redness of the chicken has gone.
Add the turmeric, garam masala, salt and once cup hot water. Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the ground masala paste and stir. Simmer for another 5 minutes
Add the fried potatoes, tamarind paste, coconut juice and cook on a medium flame until the chicken is tender, potatoes cooked and the gravy is thick. Garnish with chopped mint leaves.

Serve with naan or rice with kuchumber and some yoghurt salad.

I made the naan using the recipe posted earlier.

What life without veggies? I love vegetables and have to include them in my meals everyday. Some palak to spice up the rather boring jeera rice and give it a different color and flavor.

Thick yoghurt seasoned with some honey, salt, chopped fresh coriander and grated cucumber cools your senses when you are eating a rather spicy chicken curry.

Kuchumber is what we call the onion tomato salad. This salad goes very well with pulaos, gravies and biryanis. The literal translation of kuchumber is crush and that is how this salad is made by crushing all the ingredients together.
In Mumbai, if someone happens to tell you that I will turn you into a kuchumber, you need to run like hell...since this person is really really mad at you :-)
Here's how you make a kuchumber...you need to keep a proportion of 1 onion to 1/2 tomato for a crunchy texture. Too much of tomatoes will ruin it
Slice the onions thin. Add them to ice cold water for a minute. Drain and squeeze them to remove all the water.
In a bowl add some chopped tomatoes, a small pinch of chopped fresh green chillies, a dash of honey and lemon juice, salt to taste and freshly chopped coriander.
Now add the onion and mix it well with your hands till all the ingredients and mixed well together. Remember to crush it but gently.
Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. The onion will imbibe the flavours of the ingredients and add a crunch to your meal.

Chocolate Pecan Cake

I made this cake for my daughter's birthday in December but never got around to posting it. Until last year, we used to order a cream cake from the pastry shop, but this year my daughter wanted me to bake a cake for her with icing. I am not too much into making a icing/ frosting, the calories just scare me off. So I decided to cover it with a thin layer of ganache. It was a super hit, she just loved it so did everybody else. The flavour of nutty pecan complemented the chocolate ganache layer very well. The pictures do no justice to the wonderful cake since I did not have the camera and had to take it from my cell phone. We had a great time. I made her favourite pasta dishes Baked Canneloni and Pasta with veggies in a combination sauce

Ingredients
180 g dark chocolate, chopped
180 g unsalted butter
4 eggs separated
140 g caster sugar
125 g pecan nuts
200 g plain flour sifted
50 g white chocolate

Ganache
200 g dark chocolate
200 g fresh cream (single cream)
50 g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup

Oven Temperature
180 C

Baking Time
45-50 mins

Method

Melt the chocolate and butter over a low heat and set aside to cool. Divide the sugar into three portion. Grind the pecan nuts along with one portion of the sugar and keep aside. Beat the egg yolks and the second portion of the sugar until thick and light in color. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with the third portion of the sugar until they hold a soft peak. Fold the melted chocolate into the whisked egg yolks, then fold in the ground pecans and flour. Finally fold in the whisked egg whites.
Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tins and bake until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out with a few slightly sticky crumbs, clinging to it. I made the cake in two tins since I did not have one large tin. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave at a low temperature.
Pour the ganache over the cake. Spoon the white chocolate randomly on the poured ganche and swirl it to make a design.

Let it cool completely before it is ready to be cut.


To make the ganache

Melt the cream, butter, golden syrup and chocolate in a double boiler until smooth and glossy.

Wholesome Muffin mix

I use a standard mix for all types of muffins. I prepare the muffin mix and use it whenever I need. It really helps when I have to prepare my daughter's mid morning break tiffin early in the morning. The muffin mix is rather simple and easy to prepare. You can prepare the muffin mix recipe in the following proportion and it can never go wrong.
2 cups flour (substitute plain flour with 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)+ 3 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt. You can also add1/2 tsp cinnamon powder + 1/4 clove. Sift them together. The pre-mix is ready. Freeze it.
When you plan to bake, mix 3/4 cup sugar/ brown sugar to the dry mix in a large bowl and make a hole in the center.
Beat together 1 beaten egg + 1 cup milk/buttermilk + 1/3 cup vegetable/ olive oil/ melted butter in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient and beat until just combined. Pour into the well greased muffin pan until 3/4 full. Bake at 180 C for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

You can add nuts, chocolate chips, dry fruit to make choco chip or choco-nut muffin.\

To make jam muffins add a 1/2 tsp jam between the batter when you pour it in the muffin pan.

For double chocolate or mocha muffins add 2 tsp cocoa/ cofee powder in the pre-mix.

This is one recipe that I keep repeating, making variations . I use whole wheat flour or organic sugar. This is really forgiving recipe so you can try any combinations. The only thing that you need to remember is that when you mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, you should not overmix. Ensure that the mix is just combined and wet. If you beat it too much, the muffins will become tough. I learnt this the hard way but better late than never.

I made whole wheat muffins with organic golden sugar, low fat milk and olive oil. So you see this mix can work with just about any combination.

Wholesome Peanut Butter Blondies

I have this rather uncanny habit of trying to convert cake recipes into supposedly healthier ones. Since I do not have access to whole wheat pastry flour, I just replace the plain flour with some portion of whole wheat flour used to make chapatis. Just have to increase the liquid to some extent. The peanut butter brownie was just perfect with afternoon tea. The flavour of peanut butter was not overpowering. It was just tight. It was a bit dry due to whole wheat but it's fine when you know that what you eating is healthier.

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk depending on how dry it becomes due to the whole wheat flour
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers


Oven temperature
200 C

Pan size
9"" X 13"

Time
25 minutes

Method

Grease the pan and keep it aside.
Melt the butter and sugar together stirring it constantly until dissolved and smooth. Remove it from heat and stir in the peanut butter. Allow it to cool.
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Add one egg at a time to the brown sugar & butter mix and beat well. Add the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk in three rounds.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before serving.

Skewer Grilled Chicken Kebabs in Pita wraps

It's been a quite some time, since I made chicken and I had a strong craving for it. We all like our chicken grilled with some salad on the side. I can never quite decide which type of marinade to make, so I always end up making minimum three different of types, green chutney marinade, creamy garlic and the rather popular tandoori chicken. Grilled juicy chicken in pita wraps with eggless coleslaw and a mix of salad greens is a wholesome and really refreshing meal. Ideal for a relaxed Sunday afternoon when we want something different but not too rich. The photos are not so great, since it was clicked on my mobile.

Marinating the chicken and preparing the chicken skewers
I divided 1 kg of boneless chicken pieces into three portion to make the kebabs
Garlic Green pepper chicken skewers
The white garlic green pepper was the one I liked the most. I marinated it in thick yoghurt mixed with loads of garlic, a sprinkle of dried, chives & mint, followed with freshly crushed green pepper. Proportions do not make sense here...

Green Chicken Kebabs

For the green chicken kebab skewers, I marinated the chicken in a chutney of the following ingredients

1 tbsp lemon juice
1 green chilli
1 cup coriander leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 black pepper
3-4 spinach leaves
salt to taste

Grind the chicken alongwith the chutney and keep it in the fridge until it is ready to be threaded on skewers

Tandoori chicken skewers
The chicken pieces were marinated in Shaan tandoori chicken masala with thick yoghurt and 1 tsp lemon juice.

The chicken needs to be marinated for at least 2 hours. Thread them on the skewer and place on silver foil. Wrap them and place in the fridge until it is time to grill.

The chicken parcels were placed in the preheated oven (220C) for 30 minutes until tender. I learnt this tip from Aayi's recipe, since it ensures the marinade is retained on the chicken pieces and adds a lot of flavour.

After about 30 minutes, you will need to drain the water retained in the chicken skewer parcel. Just poke a few holes in the chicken parcel to allow the water to drain out.

Here is the chicken cooked and ready for the final grilling and browning

You need to baste it with a mix of oil, cream, a tsp lemon juice and some grated cheese (optional for some quick browning) to brown it. Grill it in the oven for about 15 mins at 220 C.

The grilled chicken neatly browned and ready to be wrapped in the pitas




Coleslaw

I just love coleslaw but do not much care for mayonnaise since it has raw eggs. So I make it with thick curds, parboiled cabbage, a dash of mustard sauce, black pepper and a tsp honey. The outcome is a healthy and light coleslaw that goes well with the wraps and is great with burgers too.

A mix of salad greens to add some crunch and freshness to the wrap. I like the rocket salad and iceberg leaves best since they have a contrasting flavour.

Finally the pita wrap. I used the pizza dough to make pita wraps on a stove top grill for making the pitas.

While I remembered to photograph at various step, I completely forgot to click a final photo of the pita lined with the kebabs, coleslaw and some salad greens.





We enjoyed this lunch immensely!!

Sphagetti in Roasted Garlic, Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce

Tired of the same old recipe for pasta, I was yearning to try out something different yet I knew that it should appeal to my daughter. She loves pasta and gets disappointed if it does not turn out right. I came across a recipe which involved roasting garlic and red peppers in a pasta cookbook. It appealed to me and I decided to try it with my own improvements to spice it up.
The result was an amazing creamy yet healthy sphagetti sauce which had a very nice flavour. You can use this sauce with penne too or fusili, it would go well with both.
I use combination of whole wheat & usual sphagetti. Besides being healthy it also looks good on the plate, a combination of light brown and dark brown spagetti complement well.

Ingredients
a packet of brown and normal sphagetti cooked till al dente,
1 large red pepper
2 whole tomatoes
1 whole garlic
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
salt to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
9-10 olives chopped (optional)
9-10 sliced of jalapeno (optional)

The olives & jalapeno is included since my daughter for whom this experiment was being conducted just loves them and cannot think of eating any Italian dish without them.
Place the red pepper, tomatoes & garlic on a baking tray. Spray with a little oil and bake it in the oven at 200 C. Keep checking at frequent intervals. I guess it takes about 20-25 mins. Remove the tomatoes once the skin spilts. You will need to turn the red pepper around so that it is properly grilled and the skin has started to blacken slightly. Place all the roasted vegetables in a bowl and cover with silver foil. Once it is cooled, deskin, de-seed and puree it in the mixer. Add the dried herbs and 6-7 roasted garlic. Give it one whirl and add about 3 tbps olive oil.
Heat a flat bottomed frying pan, add the roasted puree and saute for a minute. Add the boiled sphagetti and turn it around to coat it well.
Serve warm. I also made some vegetable cutlets inspired by Nags recipe for vegetable cutlet and served them too since I wanted some veggies alongwith it.

This is my entry to Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Ruth Daniels and this week it is being hosted by Reeni.

Thin Mints

I read the recipe of thin mints on on baking bites and I knew I had to try it. My daughter was drooling over the pictures on baking bites and must have reminded me so many times about my promise to make them. I wanted to try them out too, since I remember eating biscuits covered with chocolate at a friend's place in Germany. They were heavenly but I never managed to get something similar during my entire stay there. So I was excited when I read about it and I finally made them this weekend.

The photos are not great since I took them from my mobile camera which does not have a very good picture quality so sorry about that.

The dough was too soft (creamed the butter too much, I guess) and I was scared that the biscuits would just spread and my effort would be in vain. But it was not a problem at all, just did not manage a make a perfect round log. Hence you see rather longish cookies in the pictures.

I sliced the cookies, first of varying sizes and then really thin since I become more confident ;-) My advice : Do not be afraid to slice it thin, since you want really thin mints with just a thin coat of chocolate.
The cookies baked in about 10-12 minutes at 180C.
Nicole's advice on using the fork to coat and shake of the excess chocolate worked just fine for me.
I need to figure out a way to stop the chocolate sauce from thickening. I kep adding a wee bit of butter eveytime I felt it was thickening. Did not research well on this :-)

So overall the recipe worked perfectly for me!!

Use the fork to turn it around and tap the fork on the side of the vessel to shake the excess chocolate.

All lined up to allow the chocolate to harden!!

Mmmm they are just delicious, either out of the fridge or at room temperature. I just cannot resist them nor can my daughter!!