Honey Glazed Spicy Chicken Wings

Chicken and spice kinda go hand in hand ..........usually churning up a lovely dish in the end. This dish has gravy in it but it coats the wings pretty well and the honey garnish adds a glaze and cuts through the spice....How much spice and how much honey is a personal choice.....keep it subtle i shall say :)

Malabar Prawn Roast - Mom's style

I love signature dishes.The whole intrigue of the recipe is the person who has made it or makes it and the love and effort they put in it to make the family meal delightful and memorable.A simple no fuss prawn roast ,I call it Mom's style because it comes from a very loveable person Geetha aunty whose son Vijesh shared this recipe with me.

Chicken Quesadillas

To be honest here - my knowledge of world cuisines is poor..though its been a fun learning experience when I moved abroad. Hubby dear makes it a point to try everything edible from our regular home food when eating out. So, I have eaten this years ago in a restaurant that caters to Mexican cuisine. This effort is towards my participation in the Mexican cuisine event.......wow!

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 ...

Carrot and Corn Rice

It was my day to empty my refrigerator, the way hidden stuff comes out ,gets used or makes its way to the bin. However, this dish is just an innovation of my leftovers with very basic ingredients, which now has become an instant filler when nothing crosses your mind. 

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.

Spicy Tangy Fish Curry

After a horribly windy day...........am enjoying the calm from my kitchen window.I have Cream Dory Fillet with me and thought of this tangy curry for lunch on this winter afternoon.

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. 

Mutton Curry

Mutton seems to have dominated our table this week, its been a long time and so after the Spicy Mutton Fry, I made the curry with some potato cubes in it..........

Spicy Mutton Fry

Red meat do not usually make it to our kitchen esp., due to diet restrictions. Therefore an occasional portion of lamb is what I cook just when the family expresses the need for it.

The options are plenty to roast, to fry, to bake to grill so on and so forth..........however, I chose to have it cooked dry.Somehow - this is how I like it for 2 reasons: One, the masala coats the meat quite well and that enhances the taste.Two, there won't be leftovers ............:)

Baked Chicken

It is so easy to bake these chicken drumsticks with right amount of spice and seasonings - marination time is all that it takes........

What i usually do is - I mix them all and place them in the baking pan  and set aside .
All we need is :

5- 6 chicken drumsticks

half a cup of yogurt

2 tablespoons of chicken masala ( store bought)

1/4 tsp kasoori methi

salt as appropriate

3 teaspoons mustard oil

2 small onions cut into cubes

1 potato cubed or cut into wedges

Garlic whole

2 tablespoons of barbeque sauce

Mix the chicken masala, salt , kasoori methi into the yogurt and add the mustard oil & the barbeque sauce.
Slit the chicken drumstick, leaving the skin on is optional - I have tried both ways and it tastes better with the skin on. Coat the marinade on the drumsticks and toss the cubed potatoes in it.
Line the baking pan with an Aluminum foil and place the drumsticks - fit in the potato cubes, place the cubed onions in the available space and do the same with garlic as shown in the pic.Remember , do not peel garlic.

Cover the pan with another aluminum foil and set aside for an hour or two. Preheat oven and set it bake for about 45 minutes. Take it off the oven , remove the foil and bake again. At this point the garlic and potato would cook in the chicken juices.

When the juices get absorbed, switch off the oven and switch on the grill for another 5 minutes or turn it off when the onions start browning.
Serve hot with rotis or bread and garlic sauce.

Methi Paneer Biriyani

When kids are home, cooking is always a challenge. So, lunch for the day was Methi Paneer Biriyani. With a bunch of ingredients at hand , an easy dish to put together. A lovely lunch on this winter afternoon.

 Ingredients:

• 3 Medium Onions sliced
• 3 Green chilly chopped
• 2 tsps Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 Bunch Fresh Methi leaves chopped
• Some fresh coriander leaves chopped
• A few mint leaves chopped
• Spring onion for garnish
• 1 small tomato chopped
• 1 cup yoghurt
• Salt as appropriate
• A tsp of turmeric
• 2 tsps of Biriyani masala
• 200 gms Paneer cubes
• 1 large potato boiled & cut into cubes
• Half a cup of frozen peas
• Whole masalas - cloves,cardamom black and green,cinnamon,pepper corns,Jeera and saunf
• 2 cups basmati rice
• water 
• oil 
• Ghee,melted butter or shortening

So, we start in this order:

1. Heat oil with a tsp of shortening and toss in the whole spices , as they crackle add sliced onions and saute them till they turn pale. Now add ginger garlic paste.Fry until the onion starts to brown. Add tomato,green chilly , turmeric powder and salt. Cook well until the oil separates.
2. Over to the greens - add chopped methi leaves and stir for a minute, then add coriander and mint leaves.Let them fry well as they have to get over the raw smell.
3. Add biriyani masala ( I have used the brand Eastern) and yoghurt. Mix well , add water to get them all into a gravy consistency, adjust salt. Now add potato cubes and let it cook for 2 minutes, add paneer cubes and the frozen peas. Lower heat and let it simmer. If at this point, the gravy is sour add 2 tsps of brown sugar or  a tsp jaggery to balance the taste. If the gravy is not spicy enough add pepper powder to adjust the spice. Sprinkle a pinch of kasoori methi,take off the heat and keep it covered.

Wash and soak the basmati rice, while the water is set to boil. Add whole spices such as cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom and whole pepper to the water along with salt and two tablespoons of lemon juice.

Add rice and let it boil, ensure that it cooks to a point where its is half cooked. Drain rice immediately.

In an oven proof bowl, spread half the rice for a layer, sprinkle biriyani masala, few drops of ghee or melted butter, some fried onions and a few mint leaves. 

The next layer should be the gravy that is let to rest. Spread it over the rice evenly. Top it up with the remaining rice and repeat the same garnish.Also add on fried cashew and raisins too.

Cover the dish with a cling film and microwave on high for about 6 minutes. Else, bake it in a preheated oven for about 10 - 15 minutes. This process helps to cook the rice completely and ensures that they do not turn sticky.

Serve with  a garnish of chopped spring onion, coconut chutney and yoghurt salad.

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?

Pizza

Leftovers ................. One could work wonders with leftovers.They are always handy on a lazy day and if disguised they become a family favorite too. Pav Bhaji is one such dish that has helped me disguise it in many ways and kids have just loved it.

Pasta with Mushrooms

Cooking is fun as long as someone decides whats to be made................:P
Stuff like instant noodles, pasta,upma etc.. usually comes handy when you just don't want to cook anything- yet, a meal on the table is a must. It makes it all the more complicated when one likes this and the other likes something else...........the balancing act is worse than thinking what to cook........lol !!
On one such boring day - I made this pasta with mushrooms......This is quite easy to make and tasty as well.

Since this is one of days of compulsive cooking - the measures are as appropriate to the quantity of pasta...........and the steps are as follows:

1.  Boil pasta  and set aside - don't throw away the water.....
2. Shred the boiled chicken breast and just saute them in a pan with some pepper and set aside.
3. Pound  a tsp of fennel and a tsp of cumin together.
4. Heat oil in a wok,  add a tsp of fennel-cumin powder.Toss in some chopped garlic,chopped onions and fry well.
5. Add sliced mushrooms and  some salt and fry well.
6. Now add the shredded chicken - add some pepper powder or chilly flakes........toss them all together and then add half a tsp of dried oregano.
7. Increase the heat and add the pasta and mix well. If it is too dry - add the water saved from the boiled pasta.
8. Garnish with chopped parsley or fresh coriander ( both tastes good) Serve hot !!!!

Additional garnish  : Store bought pasta sauce,Alfredo sauce,Tomato & basil sauce,  spinach,spring onion,mozzarella cheese or the same baked in white sauce and cheese - The variations are plenty.

However, for a lazy day - this is a good fix for a short, healthy and fulfilling meal as long as it is eaten warm

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. :)

Sprouted Moong Pulao

Sprouted Moong( Green Gram) Pulao - I made this up...........why because - I had these stuff handy& had to make a quick fix dinner for kids ........................Thanks to the Moong that I had soaked and forgot to cook ,therefore they sprouted:) Then there was left over rice from lunch..........Other ingredients I guess are just part of every kitcken. Somethings just fall into place when you least expect them to....necessity definitely is the mother of invention:))

Over to the recipe..............

Ingredients:

1 Cup - Sprouted Moong
11/2 Cup rice cooked
1 Medium onion finely chopped
1tsp Ginger garlic paste
3 Tbsps Oil
1/2 Tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp Jeera
A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp Chilly powder
A pinch of Garam masala
1-2 Dry red chilly
A few curry leaves
Salt as appropriate
Water as required

Step 1: Boil Moong in a pot some water and a little salt. Keep water minimal and once done,do not throw the water.Do not over cook,the moong should be crunchy to bite.
Step 2 : Heat oil in  a wok,add mustard seeds,jeera,hing whole red chilly - stir lightly. Add the onions and curry leaves.Saute well. Now add ginger garlic paste,turmeric,red chilli powder and the garam masala & fry until the raw smell fades away.
Step 3: To this add the boiled moong along with the water,add salt - adjust to taste. Stir on a high flame. Add rice and toss well. A teaspoon on Ghee /butter at this stage will add to the taste.

Linking this post to The Kerala Kitchen - October 2011 hosted by Khushi

CHICKEN CUTLETS

This lazy evening I was wondering what to make for dinner.............and peeped into the fridge and found this small pack of chicken breasts. Well............all I could think of at that moment was the chicken cutlets.And this is how I made them :)

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts - 250 gms
2 Medium sized onions finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
2 tsps finely chopped garlic
2 tsps finely chopped ginger
3 medium sized potatoes - boiled & grated
Salt as appropriate
3/4 tsp Ground pepper
A pinch of garam masala
A pinch of MSG or Ajinomoto as commonly known -
Oil for Frying.
1 Cup of Bread Crumbs
1 Egg beaten

Step1: Boil chicken breasts with a little salt and turmeric.Let it cool and shred it to bits in a food processor or any other convenient manner.
Step 2: Heat oil & fry onions,green chilly,ginger & garlic until they are pale and about to brown.
Step 3: To this add the shredded chicken and fry well on high heat. Once the water content in the chicken evaporates, add salt,pepper, garam masala and the MSG. Mix well.
Please note, use of MSG is optional & not an essential ingredient here, I use it because I love the flavor it adds to the cutlets.
Step 4: Take off heat and add the mashed potatoes, ensure it has mixed well with the rest of the ingredients.Let it cool.Adjust salt at this point.
Step 5: Make a ball with the mixture, flatten it out. Dip it first into the egg mixture , then into the bread crumbs. Coat the crumbs well and shape the cutlets. Shape the rest of them in the same manner.
Step 6: Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry these cutlets on medium heat  till they brown on either sides. When done they would be crispy  like this....

Makes about 14 - 15 cutlets ........they are nice as snacks ....am happy that made my dinner for the day with buns. I have tried the veg version of the same recipe - substituting the chicken with finely chopped carrots, beans  and cauliflower & green peas. To coat the cutlet use cornflour or all purpose flour dissolved in water instead of the beaten egg.