Pull Apart Bread Loaf - Chicken Filled

Pull Apart Bread Loaf is kinda cute name  and the bread is just as its same suggests. Some pics truly inspires you to cook and couldn't resist myself when I saw one such post from a friend Reshmi Mahesh who blogs at Easy Cook.

Spicy Red Chicken Curry

A busy month kinda coming to an end in a week. Kids finish their exams today and  though it is a  reason to celebrate,  a surprise chicken curry is always adds delight.Hence,the Spicy Red Chicken Curry ...

Jodhpuri Murg

Cooking is fun ...so it is to tempt people around you. Smart phones have made life much easier and that means more scope to spread the temptation thro pics .. do not be surprised that I might get killed one day for this ...This recipe came up from one such conversation on Whatsapp Messenger... don't we all love this app??

Chicken Pie

I wake up from a short nap ... & here I have my son waiting with a request for Chicken Pie. While I made a mental note of ingredients available to execute his request..........he rolls out what exactly what should go into the Pie. Hmmm......on that nice thought we made this.

Butter Chicken

I wish I had an option to make life easier - if someone could just chart out a menu for me ............thinking what to do - choosing who likes what - even when the family is small ................is not an easy experience for me. I do manage with a lot of shortcuts...........and here is one such Butter chicken - spicy but tasty. 

Lasagna - My way :)

LASAGNA - is comfort food for me. Not that it is any easier to make, the process itself is stage wise just as it is layered to bake. Every layer is special....and when the kids love it - I can be dead sure there won't be any leftovers.

The pantry clean up exercise was on and as a result, some store bought stuff/packs got used up. 

There are varied recipes for lasagna & have tried many versions that I found online.But for now,this is how I made it, hence the title.

Step 1: THE WHITE SAUCE

This is Bechamel, that I made as instructed on the pack to make the white sauce. Add a dash of grated nutmeg to it. set aside. Keep it covered, whisk in between so that it doesn't gather a thick layer.

Step 2: THE RED SAUCE

• Pound together a 1/4 tsp each of fennel & cumin seeds.Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the powder to it. Now add about 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic and 3 medium sized onions finely chopped.Saute until they turn pale.
• Add a teaspoon of tomato paste,mix well. Add 2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped. Add salt as appropriate and let the tomatoes cook well.
• Now add 300 gms of minced chicken, on high heat cook well.This doesn't take long as the mince cooks real fast , add 3 tablespoons of tomato and basil sauce. Garnish with crushed pepper and chopped parsley or fresh coriander.

Step 3: THE LAYERING

•  Boil water with salt in it and add the lasagna sheets to it. I usually cook this till the sheets loses the stiffness. Remove and place them on a kitchen towel to dry out the water on the sheets.The sheets would cook completely while baking between the layer of sauces and cheese.
• I have used a square shaped oven proof dish and smeared it with butter at the bottom. First layer is the red sauce. Place the lasagna sheets to fit the dish. 
• Cover the sheets with a  layer of white sauce - Two tablespoons of Sun dried tomato Alfredo sauce & sprinkle Parmesan cheese on it.
• Fill in the red sauce as it covers all sides, lasagna sheets, white sauces and Parmesan cheese. 
• Now for the last layer of red sauce - use it completely- cover it up with grated mozzarella cheese & sprinkle dried oregano on it.

Preheat oven at 180 degrees celsius ( on a gas oven) and set it to bake for about 15 - 20 minutes. Once the cheese has melted - switch off the oven and switch on the grill , keep a watch - till the cheese starts to brown , not more than 4 minutes.

Let it rest for another 15 minutes before serving. 

I could not manage more pics of the servings as my son gets quite restless when I take pics - he just can't wait.............yet that's the slice.!! 

The love for lasagna started from reading Garfield, I found this cute pic from Google images and the Garfield quote I quite remembered :) His quotes and the related expressions are always cute !

When the lasagna content in my blood gets low, I get mean.

I link this post to Christmas Delicacy hosted by Julie & Bake with your Heart hosted by Khushi.

Chicken Green Fried

Chicken Green Fried - What a name !! I just couldn't think of anything else .Well, the name comes from the ingredients that these pieces of chicken are cooked in curry leaves , mint,coriander and green chilly ...... aren't  they green?

Chicken Puffs

Snack time is fun.......and usually we end up snacking on all kinds of rich food, despite our best efforts to cut down on them. There was a pack of Puff pastry squares  in the freezer,some cooked chicken breast - so got down to do the puffs a little differently...........and all I did was bake it in a cupcake pan.

PORIYAL - Chicken Roast

When Chicken took over the menu for the day - I decided on making this recipe which was shared by my friend Susan Thomas.This is one of her mom's signature dish called "Poriyal". Susan managed to get this right and very willingly shared every lil detail of this recipe ............

The best part however is that this recipe has very very basic ingredients.Besides, it needs loads of patience & love ........trust me - that's the only way it works. :)

Green Chicken Curry

Cooking chicken is truly an adventure. It can take many many twists and turns and when it comes to making curry - I did this version in a hurry over the busy weekend. A perfect curry to go with rotis or just plain rice..........either ways its a delight!

Ingredients:

500 gms chicken

1/4 cup fresh grated coconut

2-3 green chillies

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

Less than 1/4 cup - mint leaves

A small piece of ginger

2 pods of garlic peeled

A few curry leaves

1/4 tsp of fennel seeds

Salt to taste

A pinch of turmeric

About 8 kernels of cashewnuts( ground to a fine paste)

A tsp of fresh cream

1/4 Pepper powder

Step 1: Boil the pieces of chicken in  a wok with a little water,salt and turmeric.

Step 2: Grind together to a fine paste  - coconut,green chilli,mint,coriander fennel seedsginger and garlic .

Step 3: Add the ground green paste to the chicken and let it simmer - adjust salt at this point.

Step 4 : Check if the chicken is cooked and add the cashew paste and mix well.Let it simmer on slow heat.

Step 5: Add pepper powder for garnish and the frsh cream too. heat a tablespoon of oil and fry the curry leaves in it - Pour it over the chicken and serve hot !



Well, the thickness of the gravy could be adjusted by adding hot water. Spice could also vary to individual taste,add green chilli chopped or pepper powder to make it spicier. Enjoy!

PEPPER CHICKEN

Vacation is barely 10 days away & I am decluttering the wardrobe and my kitchen too. Last nite while browsing I came across this lovely recipe on this blog http://spicesnaroma.blogspot.com/2011/05/pepper-chicken-chicken-milagu-varuval.html . I had all the ingredients in my kitty and decided the menu for today. As am using up my available stuff - I have made slight variations...........however, this chicken is AWESOME!!!!! just as this picture.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Thighs - 375 gms
• Shallots chopped - 1 cup
• Garlic - 6 pods crushed
• Ginger - 1'' crushed
• Green Chilly - 3
• Curry Leaves - a few
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
• Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt as appropriate
• Crushed pepper - as appropriate
• Oil for cooking.

 
Step 1: Marinade chicken with a little turmeric and salt and set aside.

Step 2:Heat oil and fry the chopped shallots until they become pale . Add crushed ginger, garlic and green chilli with a little  curry leaves. Saute them until the oil appears at the sides of the pan.
Step 3: Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix well. Fry for a minute.
Step 4: Add marinated chicken and mix in onion garlic ginger and spice mixture.Reduce heat and keep it covered and let it cook in its own juices.
 Step 5: Stir occasionally until the chicken cooks well . Now add in crushed pepper.Mix well and fry until the chicken pieces get a brown tinge .Toss in a few more curry leaves .

Now that prompts me to make Tomato Rasam and rice for lunch :))