Nutty Chicken

I am sitting infront of my laptop and thinking what to write?? I am not getting the flow of words. I am not yet into the blogging mode. Hope things will get improved soon. Weekends are my cooking day. After started working , I usually cook up a storm during weekends and stock up in my refrigerator. I started preparing a chicken dish which can be paired well with Parathas /Rotis. I like adding cashew paste to curries. It gives a rich creamy taste to the dish. Hope you all will like it.

Ingredients:

Marinate: 

Chicken - 1 kg
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Lemon - 1
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Marinate for 1 hour.

Roast & Powder:

Cardamom - 4 pieces
Cinnamon - 4 pieces
Cloves - 4 pieces
Jeera - 1 1/2 tspind:

Grind:

Cashewnuts - 50gms
Ginger - 1 small piece
Garlic - 8 cloves

Fry:

Onions - 4 finely chopped
Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 1 1/2 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes - 2 chopped
Tomato Sauce - 2 Tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil. Fry Onions. When brown add the chilli powder mix and roast. Then add the groundnut paste and fry.  Add the tomatoes and cook till oil separates. Add the meat and little salt. When 3/4 th cooked, add the tomato sauce and the spice powder and simmer. When cooked and thick, add sugar and mix and set down.

Chicken Quiche

Hi everyone, We are meeting after a very long gap. I came back to India and now setting up my home in the Garden city. The past three weeks was very eventful. The most tiring of all was house hunting. We had seen endless number of flats and after a point both of us were so disappointed and thought we had to settle in with what is available. On top of that 'A' hectic work schedule makes everything even more difficult. Now I am back with internet and things have slowly started settling down. I missed going through each and every one's post and now I am catching up with all the posts which I have missed. I will be posting the recipes which I have tried out in the U.S for some time. Theese days I am not cooking anything fancy in my kitchen. Just the basic things to survive. 

Today I am introducing you to chicken quiche : A baked dish which I was eagerly waiting for during my childhood. Asha chechy ( My mom's sister always makes this for me whenever she comes to my granny's house.) Her  deserts are excellent. All her desert's are super duper hit. In my family everybody looks for deserts after every meal. If not every meal , it's a must have during special occassions. I found the recipe for quiche at swapna's cuisine and followed it to the dot. I liked the fact that She used less eggs for the pastry as well as the filling. The dish was liked by my guests and it will top among one of my favourites.

Recipe Source : (http://swapnascuisine.blogspot.com/2010/09/golden-onion-chicken-quiche.html)

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

Maida -200g

Unsalted Butter - 75g

Baking powder-1/4 tsp

Salt-to taste

Ice cold water- As Required 

Method:

Sieve maida, salt and baking powder together. Grate in the butter and mix it with the flour with your fingertips till it resembles coarse sand. Add in the beaten egg and water and gather it into a soft dough.

Roll it out on a lightly floured surface and line it in the tin that you will be baking . Whichever tin you are using, make sure the dough comes a little way up the sides, so that it can hold the filling in.

Filling: 

Ingredients:

Boiled and shredded chicken-1/2 cup

Onion- 2 chopped

Milk- 1/2 cup

Cheddar Cheese- 100g 

Beaten egg- 1

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil- as needed.

Method:

Heat oil and slightly fry the chicken til it is golden brown. Add in the onions and fry till onions have caramelized. Switch off the flame. Add milk, cheese, beaten eggs, salt and pepper and mix well.

Pour into the pastry case and bake for 25 mins or till golden brown.

Macaroni And Chicken

Do you like the idea of making a dish with all the left over items?? I like it. It will clear the pantry shelf and no wastage of food ingredients. When I opened my fridge I saw half a packet of cream  sitting all alone in the corner side. During my childhood I have seen my mom travelling 1 hour to get cream, cheese and other baking stuffs. All those were not available in my hometown. So I just can't accept the thought of throwing away these items. I had few macaroni also available in my pantry shelf. I put together everything and we had a nice dinner !!!

Recipe Source : My own

Ingredients :

Macaroni - 500 gm
pepper powder - 2 Tbs
Boiled / Shredded chicken - 300 gm
Capsicum - 1
Mustard sauce - 2 Tbs
Cream - 1/2 cup
Salt - To Taste

Method :

Boil the macaroni and while it is half cooked, drain the water and keep it aside. Boil the chicken and cut it into pieces. Heat a pan. Add chicken, pepper powder, salt, mustard sauce and capsicum. Cook for few minutes. When it is cooked add the macaroni and pour cream over it. Cook till the cream is fully absorbed. Serve hot.

I have been showered with few awards from Jabeen of Jabeen's corner. I was so happy to receive it. During my initial days of blogging I used to longingly look at the awards in my fellow blogger's space and always wished about getting some. Now my wish has come true. In this joyous occasion I would like to pass on this award to all talented and creative bloggers in the blogosphere.

Margarita Grilled Chicken

Grill, Grill, Grill !!!! That's my motto these days. I am putting the grill to maximum use. Oiless cooking. Sounds so great. This can be served as an appetizer. But we ate it as main course along with bread. I have been thinking of grilling chicken mixing with wine or some other alcohol for a long time. Mixing it with alcohol, sounds interesting, right?? Chicken which gives you a kick. Marinate the chicken breasts overnight in margarita mix. This is a delicious and easy recipe. First I tried to grill one chicken piece because I was little skeptical about being the taste so bland without any masala. And boy I was right. It was very bland to my taste. Then, I added our Indian masala's to it. The effect was an alcoholic spicy chicken. It was too good. Remember, no oil in it !!!

Recipe : My Own

Ingredients : 

skinless & Boneless chicken breast - 4 pieces

1 cup bottled margarita mix

pepper Powder - 1 tsp

Chilli Powder - 2 tsp ( Both depend upon your spice levels)
Salt - To Taste

Directions :

Pour the margarita mix into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken breasts, and press out as much of the air as possible before sealing. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the grill. Lightly oil the grill grate. Remove chicken from marinade, and discard the marinade. Apply all the powders and keep it aside for 2 hours. Grill chicken 4 minutes per side, or until juices run clear.

PS: I didn't marinate the masala for 2 hours because I decided to put in the masala in the last minute. Marination will add the flavor. I used George Foreman Grill.

Corn Meal Crusted Chicken

I had planned to make this post long time ago. But it just got delayed. 'A' used to tell me about George foreman grill quiet often. The grill is known to remove excess fat from the meat. The most common use of a George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine is to cook cuts of meat, but you can also grill vegetables, make quesadillas, and fry bacon on these machines. It's best to fry bacon . You will get a shock when you see the amount of fat stripping from the bacon while you grill it. If you are frying it in a normal sauce pan remember that all those excess fat are going to your stomach. The grill focus on healthy cooking and it has got an easy-to-use grilling function. The smaller version of Foreman's Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine is terrific for preparing fast, low-fat meals--particularly for couples or single people. I love grilled food. You can eat it guilt - free. 

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves, boneless/skinless

 2 large eggs

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dash of salt, if desired

1/4 cup grated fat-free Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

Rinse and drain the chicken breasts. Set two shallow bowls or pie plates on the counter. Place the egg  in one bowl and the cornmeal mixed with the lemon pepper, red pepper, salt, and cheese in the other bowl. Rub the chicken with the lime juice. Dip one piece of chicken at a time in the egg and then coat evenly with the cornmeal mixture. If you have time, place on a wire rack to dry out a little.

Make sure the grill is very hot. Spray the grill fairly heavily with vegetable oil cooking spray, then place the chicken on the grill and spray the top of each piece lightly. Cook for 8 to 15 minutes, turning as desired, until the chicken is tender and lightly browned.

Serve with salsa if desired.

Parsi Red Chicken Curry

Hey, want to have something fiery and hot !!! I am a person who loves spicy food. Parsi red chicken curry , you can make it as spicy as you want. It has a lovely red color. Don't be shocked by seeing the number of red chillies used in this dish. You can reduce the numbers to satisfy your spice levels. The red chillies are de - seeded  to reduce the hotness. It will go well with pulao or fried rice. After moving to the U.S this was the first dish I made when I had some guests. It was a big hit. It has become 'A' favorite. Whenever I make fried rice he force me to prepare this dish. I am a person who wants to try different dishes. But during his b'day I couldn't reject his request and made it. I could see a big smile on his face. 

Let me warn you this ain't for the faint hearted !!!!

Recipe Source : My Mom

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg

Grind: 

25 small de - seeded kashmiri chillies

25 gms cashew nuts, soaked,

8 cloves garlic

1 small piece ginger

1 tsp jeera

Apply half the ground paste on the meat with 1 1/2 tsp salt and keep for 1 hour.

Fry : 4 onions chopped finely (Here onions are very big so I used 2)

3 tomatoes chopped

2 Tsp tomato sauce

1 tsp sugar

Method :

Heat oil. Fry onion till brown. Add remainder of the ground paste and saute well. Now add the tomatoes and saute. Add the meat and cook. When 3/4 th cooked, add the tomato sauce and simmer. When cooked add the sugar and mix and set down. 

Chicken Crumb Fry

I am introducing my family's favourite snack. It is passed on from generation to generation. My granny , mom and then it's passed on to me and my sisters. I can't say how I love simple and easy recipes. Lot of memories passed through my mind while making it. When I was small, I used to wait for weekends to come so that I can spend time at my granny's house. We will excitedly pack our bags on Fridays and with a heavy heart will leave with dad on Sunday evening. I miss those days very badly. I used to ask mom why weekends are always short?? So when time came for me to join the college , I was staying at granny's house and she used to pamper me with loads of home-made delicacies. 

Here I am taking you to this deliciously mouth-watering adventure. Aah, I could already taste the flavours. Simple enough, I thought. And boy was I right ! Don't believe me? Well, you'll just have to try it out then.

Recipe Source: Mamma (My maternal grand mother)


Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg

Egg - 1

Chilli Pwder - 1 Tbs

Soya Sauce - 2 Tbs

Tomato Sauce - 2 Tbs

Maida - 2 Tbs

Bread Crumbs - 2 Tbs

Method

Take each chicken piece and coat with the above mix and keep for 3 - 4 hours. At the time of frying, again mix together, equal quantities of maida and breadcrumbs. Dip each piece in beaten egg, then roll in the above mix and fry.

Chicken Biriyani

I have suddenly been bitten by the blogging bug. These days flipping through food blogs have become one of my favorite pass times, whether I make something out of it or not is a different question. The recipes should look really impressive and kinda easy to make, for me to come to that - "Try-it-out" mode. It's been quiet a long time that I am thinking about making Biriyani.It is something I ate with enjoyment, I had never dreamed that one day I would make these! As usual I asked my mom about the recipe. I religiously note down each and every step. I read through the whole thing and I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about whether I can make it or not. Finally I rolled my sleeves in the afternoon and got down to start the preparation. So here is a virtual feast for all my friends out there with a chicken Biriyani.

Recipe Source : My Mom

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1kg

2. Chicken - 1.5 Kg

3. Garlic - 1 Handful

4. Ginger - 7 Big Pieces

5. Green Chilly - 10 

6. Tomatoes - 3

7. Curd - 1 cup

8. Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon

9. Nuts - 1 Cup

10. Raisins -  1 Cup

11. Ghee - 1 Cup

12. Onions - 1 Cup

13. Coconut - 1 cup

14. Cardamom - 5 Each

15. Cinnamon -5 each

16. Cloves - 5 each

17. khus Khus - 2 Tablespoon

18. Jeera - 1/2 tsp

19. Lime Juice - 4 Tablespoon

20. Salt - To Taste

Method:

Rice:

Grind nuts and raisins. Boil the rice. Add cardamom, cinnamon, lime juice and paste of nuts and raisins to the cooked rice.

Chicken

Grind garlic, ginger, green chilly, tomatoes and apply on the chicken by adding curd, salt and turmeric powder. Cook the chicken in this paste and make the gravy very thick. 

Garnishing Layer:

Fry the onions first and when it turns light brown color add coconut and khus khus.

Put half portion of rice, ghee, and garnishing layer in the baking dish. Add chicken on top of it and put the balance rice. Add little ghee and 1/4th cup milk. Bake for 15 minutes at 180 deg c.