Thalappakatti Chicken Biriyani

Preparation Time : 20 minutes | Cooking Time : 60 minutes

Ingredients

For the Masala
5 Green Chillies
3 small two inch cinnamon sticks
3 cardamom
3 cloves
⅛th of a nutmeg (Jaadhikai)
1 small piece Mace (Jaadhi Pathiri)
50 grams ginger

Main Ingredients
500 ml Seeraga Samba Rice
750 grams Chicken with bone
Meat to Rice Ratio - 1 Rice 1.5 Meat

Other Ingredients
25 grams Ghee
75 grams Sunflower Oil
50 grams crushed Garlic
50 grams crushed shallots (small onions)
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
½ cup curd
11/2 teaspoon salt
1 hand full Mint Leaves
2 hand full Coriander Leaves
Juice of half a lime

Method
Peel the garlic. Crush the garlic in a mixie without adding any water. Set aside. Crush the shallots in a mixie without adding any water. Set aside.
Grind all the masala ingredients to a very fine smooth paste. Add ¼ cup of water while grinding. Chop the ginger into small pieces and break the cinnamon into bits before grinding.
Soak the rice in water now. The rice needs to soak for half an hour.
Heat Oil and ghee in a heavy pan and add in the Masala paste, crushed garlic and crushed shallots-small onions. Fry on medium flame for a good 10 minutes until the oil separates from the mixture.
Add in the chicken. Add in the chilli powder. The ratio of rice to chicken should be 1 rice to 1.5 meat. Saute the chicken so the masala coats evenly. Reduce the flame to simmer and cover it with a lid and let it cook. Don’t add any water. The chicken will cook in its own juices. Just saute once in 5 minutes so the chicken doesn’t scorch in the bottom. After 15 minutes, the chicken should be done and there should be some gravy too.

Add in the yogurt/curd. Cook with the lid open for 5 minutes.
Remove the cooked meat to a bowl and roughly measure how much liquid is left behind. Mine had about 1.5 cups of liquid. Just measure roughly. It need not be accurate.
We are using 2 cups rice and 750 grams meat. We require 2 times water to the quantity of rice. So we need to add 4 cups water. There was already 1.5 cups gravy that we measured before. So I added 2.5 cups water to the mixture. Add salt. Add in the chopped coriander leaves and the mint leaves. Let the mixture come to a boil.
Add back the meat and let it come to a boil again. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.
Drain the soaked rice and add it to the pan. Wait for it to boil. Add in the lemon juice.
Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for the first four minutes on medium flame. Open the lid. Gently mix once from the bottom, cover the lid again and simmer for 10 minutes on very low flame.
After that time, open the lid and see if the rice has been cooked. Cook for a couple of minutes more if necessary. Switch off the flame and close the pan with a lid. Do not disturb for the next 20 minutes. The rice will get swollen and absorb all the left out moisture. This time is very important. Do not rush.

Enjoy with raitha and salad!

Courtesy - Suguna Vinod

Grill chicken & lettuce salad

Preparation Time : 45 minutes | Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Ingredients
Skinless/boneless chicken breast halves - 2

Marinade
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp 
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Salad
Iceberg Lettuce -washed, rinsed and torn in small pieces.
Salad cucumber - 1
Green/red/yellow peppers - 1/2 each
Onion - 1
Dressing
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tsp
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method 
Marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned above and keep it aside for an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C & cook the chicken on the grill until juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through approximately 10-15 mins. Set the chicken aside. Once it is cool, slice it into thin pieces.


Make the salad dressing with the ingredients listed. Dice the peppers, onion & cucmber. Add the lettuce and the dressing and mix well.  Place the salad in a serving bowl, put the chicken pieces on them and serve immediately.

Palak chicken

After a looong gap I have resumed my blog. I hope to post more recipes and hopefully all of you will continue to provide your valuable feedbacks and suggestions. Here is my 101st post. Happy cooking!!! :-)

Preparation Time : 15 minutes | Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serves / Makes : 6 portions

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg
Palak - 2 bunches
Oil - 4 tablespoons
Onions, chopped - 3
Green chillies, chopped - 4
Salt - to taste
Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Tomato, chopped - 1 large
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teapoon
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Clean, wash and cut chicken into medium sized pieces.
2. Take palak leaves (without the stem), wash it properly and blanch it in boiling water for 4 minutes. Now drain the water and keep it aside.
3. Cool the cooked palak leaves and grind it into a fine paste.
4. Heat oil in a kadai and saute chopped onions and green chillies. Add a little salt.

5. When the onions becomes soft , add ginger paste and garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add chopped tomato and saute till it get mashed.
7. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder .
8. Fry for 2 minutes and add chicken pieces along with garam masala and little hot water.
9. Cook till the chicken is done and the gravy reaches a thick consistency.
10. Now add palak paste to the chicken curry and mix it well.
11. Keep it on low heat for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
12. Serve hot with roti or plain rice.

Chicken mughlai

Preparation time: 40 mins | Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients
Chicken (cut into medium pieces)-1 1/2 kg
Ginger-1 1/2tbsp
Garlic-1 1/2tbsp
Green chillies-4nos
Onions(big)-3 to 4nos
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Chilli powder-1tsp
Coriander powder-1/2tsp
Tomato-2nos
Butter-50 gm
Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)-1/2tsp
Cumin(Jeerakam) powder-1/2tsp
Garam masala-1/2tsp
Cashew nuts-50gms
Egg-1
Fresh cream-1/2cup
Coriander leaves-as reqd

Method
Heat a pan and add 1 1/2 tbsp oil to it. Add chopped ginger, garlic and the green chillies to it. Later, add the chopped onions to it. Once the onions turns slightly brown, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder to it. When the masala gives a nice flavour, add the tomatoes to it. Once the tomatoes are also cooked, switch-off the stove and keep it aside to cool.



When the masala is cooled down, in a mixer grinder, grind it into a thick paste. In another pan, add the entire chicken pieces, masala, with a pinch of salt and half-cup of water. Leave it to cook by closing the pan. In another pan, melt the butter. Reduce the flame and add kasoori methi, jeera powder and garam masala to it. To this, add the cooked chicken with the entire gravy. Soak the cashew nuts in water. Make the cashew nuts to a thick paste and add to the curry. Beat the egg well and mix it with the fresh cream. Add this egg-fresh cream mixture to the curry. Finally, garnish the curry with coriander leaves for additional flavour.

This dish goes well with any indian bread.

(source: Lakshmi Nair)

Cashew pepper chicken

I've bookmarked quite a few recipes of my blogger friends. This is one of them from Sangeetha. It was worth the try and all of us enjoyed it. Thanks Sangee for the lovely recipe. Click here for the details of the dish.

Kerala roast chicken

Preparation time: 30 mins | Cooking time: 45 mins

I came across this recipe from Lakshmi nair's cookery show. The recipe was really mouth watering and wanted to cook it right away. I had a few chicken drumsticks in the freezer and decided to go for it. It came out very good.

Ingredients
Chicken-1medium(cut into 20 pieces)
Kashmiri red chilli powder-1 1/4tbsp
Crushed pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

Gravy
Onion(finely chopped)-7medium
Ginger(finely chopped)-2 1/2tbsp
Garlic(finely chopped)-2 1/2tbsp
Green chillies(finely chopped)-2tbsp
Tomato(sliced)-3big
Corinader powder-1tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder-1tbsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Garam masala powder-1tsp
Tomato sauce-3tbsp
Curry leaves-2 to 3 sprigs(as per your taste)
Oil for frying(preferably coconut oil)
Salt to taste

Method
Marinate the chicken with lime juice, salt and pepper powder for about 1/2 an hour. Make a paste of turmeric powder, red chilli powder along with a little water and mix it with the marinated chicken and keep it aside for 15-20 mins.

You can either deep fry or shallow fry the chicken. Here I have shallow fried. Fry the chciken till done i.e light golden brown(don't make it crispy).

Heat some oil in a pan(you can use the one used for frying the chicken), add garlic, ginger and green chillies and fry till they are light brown in color. Now add the onions and fry till they turn brown. Then add the turmeric, red chilli and coriander powder and fry till they lose their raw smell. Add the tomatoes, salt, garam masala and cook for 5 mins. Now add the tomato sauce, curry leaves and cook until you get a thick gravy. Add the fried chicken and mix well, cook till all the masala is coated well with the chicken.



This goes well as a side dish for rice or even chapatis.

Andhra chicken fry

Preparation time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 45 mins

This recipe comes from our famous chef Sanjeev Kapoor. The original demands green chilli paste & red chilli powder, I added only red chilli powder.

Ingredients
Chicken(cut into small pieces)-400gms
Onion(finely chopped)-1
Ginger garlic paste-1tbsp
Desiccated coconut/grated fresh coconut-2tbsp
Coriander powder-1tbsp
Red chilli powder-2tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Garam masala powder-1tsp
Coriander leaves (finely chopped)-2tbsp
Pudina/mint leaves(finely chopped)-1tbsp
Curry leaves-10 to 12
Yogurt-3tbsp
Cashew nuts-10(optional)
Salt to taste
Oil-3tbsp

Method
In a pan, dry roast desiccated coconut. Cool it. Add yogurt, ginger garlic paste, chopped coriander leaves, chopped mint leaves, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder & garam masala powder. Mix well.



Add chicken pieces & coat with the marination. Season it with salt. Keep aside for 1 hr.



Heat oil in a pan. Saute chopped onion & curry leaves. When the onions turn brown, add the cashews and fry for 2 mins. Now add the chicken along with the marinade and cook on low flame stirring occasionally. (It would be better to use a pan with wider circumference that allows the chicken to cook evenly). This goes well with rice or any Indian bread.

Peri-Peri Chicken

Preparation time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 45 mins

Once again a happy new year to all of you. I hope everyone had a nice holiday. I'm starting off my new year with a delicious Portuguese chicken dish. I apologise for not following your posts as I was busy with my family and friends.

Peri-Peri or Piri-Piri is a type of chilli found in Mozambique (Africa) described as African bird's-eye chilli. The Portuguese-themed chicken restaurant Nando's, originated in South Africa. The restaurant uses piri-piri in many of its dishes, and helped popularise them worldwide. We visited Nando's a couple of months back and really enjoyed the chicken. The recipe is quite simple and thought of making it.

Ingredients
Chicken-1kg

Marinade
Fresh red hot chilli peppers-6 or 10
Lemon juice-4tbsp
Olive oil-4tbsp
Red chilli powder-1 tbsp
Garlic(chopped)-1tbsp
Paprika-1tbsp
Fresh or dried oregano-1/2tsp
Salt to taste

Method
Cut the chicken into large pieces.

Grind and mix the marinade ingredients into a smooth paste. Rub marinade onto the chicken and allow to marinate for at least thirty minutes (or overnight if possible) before cooking. This marinade works well on other grilled meats.



Preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Transfer the marinated chicken to a roasting tray and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, until cooked through, basting regularly with the remaining peri-peri marinade.

Butter naan with chicken kurma

Ingredients
All purpose flour(Maida)-250 gm
Low fat yogurt -2tbsp
Warm water-2tbsp
Milk-2tbsp
Oil-2tbsp
Egg-1(optional)
Active dry yeast-1tsp
Sugar-1tbsp
Salt as per taste
Baking soda/baking powder-1/2 tsp

Method
Dissolve yeast along with sugar in lukewarm water and leave it for 5-10 mins for the yeast to be frothy. Mix the dry ingredients (maida, baking soda and salt ). To this add milk, yeast, oil, yogurt and knead it well until you get a very soft dough(add water if needed). It will be very sticky initially but by continuous kneading and by adding very little flour, it will become non sticky. Do not add more flour because naan will become hard.

Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth for 4 hrs(better to keep it in a warm place), by then it would be double in volume. Knead the dough and divide into equal portions. Flatten and mould into typical 'pear' shape naan.
Preheat oven to 450F/230C and bake for 10 mins. Brush with butter and serve.

OR

Heat an iron griddle on the stove and transfer the naan onto the griddle. Wait until it starts to bubble on the top side. Cook the other side in flame and brush it with butter.

Serve hot with your favourite gravy.

Preparation time: 25 mins | Cooking time: 60 mins

Chicken Kurma
Ingredients
Chicken (cut into small pieces)-750gms
Ginger-1 1/2"piece
Garlic-5 to 6 cloves
Low fat yogurt-1/2 cup
Onions(sliced)-2
Tomatoes(chopped)-2
Chili powder-2tsp
Coriander powder-2tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Grated coconut-1/2cup
Cloves-3
Pepper corns-10
Cinnamon-1" stick
Fennel seeds (saunf)-1/2tsp
Cashew nuts/almonds-10 to 15
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Oil-3tbsp
Salt to taste



Method
Blend ginger, garlic and yogurt to a fine paste. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown. Add the yogurt paste to the onions and fry till brown. Add chili powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Fry for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry for another 4-5 minutes. Add chicken and salt. Cook under low flame for 40-45 minutes or till the chicken is cooked by covering the pan. While the chicken is being cooked, blend coconut, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, fennel and nuts to a fine paste. Add the above paste to the cooked chicken and bring to a boil. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

This dish tastes good even without cashews or almonds. I have added them just to give a creamy texture to the gravy and enhance the flavour.

Kariveppila chicken (chicken with curry leaves)

Preparation time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 45 mins

As the name suggests, curry leaves dominates all other ingredients :). This was introduced to me by my cousin and she made it so simple with just chilli powder, salt and curry leaves. It was very tasty. The curry leaves brings out its flavour to this dish. In order to add a little punch to this, I made my own version.

Ingredients
Chicken (cut into medium pieces)-1kg
Ginger-garlic paste-2tsp
Coriander powder-2tsp
Chilli powder-2tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Garam masala powder-1tsp
Curry leaves-6 to 7 sprigs
Oil(preferably coconut oil)-5tbsp
Salt to taste

Method
Marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, all dry masalas and half of the curry leaves for about 2 hrs. Heat about 1tbsp oil in a pan(preferably one with a larger circumference, this would help chicken cook evenly), add the chicken along with the marinade and cook (do not add water).



When the chicken is half done, add the rest of the curry leaves with the remaining oil and cook until the chicken is brown on all sides.

Chicken satay with crunchy peanut sauce

Preparation Time : 1 hour | Cooking Time : 20 minutes

This is a Thai dish which is not very spicy. I've had this a couple of times in restaurants and always wanted to make one myself. It is a very good starter. At home the kids usually enjoy it without the sauce though these both go hand in hand.

Ingredients
Chicken breasts(boneless)-4
Fresh red chillies(chopped)-1
Soy sauce-2tbsp
Thai fish sauce- 2 tsps
Lemon juice-1 tsp
Garlic (crushed)-4 cloves
Ginger (crushed)-1 inch piece
Brown sugar-2 tsps
Honey-2tsps
Oil-2tbsp
Salt to taste

For sauce
Peanut butter-3tbsp
Onion (chopped)-1small
Ginger (crushed)-1/2inch piece
Garlic (crushed)-4cloves
Soy sauce-1tbsp
Coconut milk-4tbsp
Lemon juice-1tbsp
Honey-1tbsp
Oil- 1tbsp
Salt to taste

Method
First slice each chicken breast horizontally so that you have two thinner slices and then cut each of these into three or four strips lengthways.

Take the chicken strips in a bowl. Add salt, soy sauce, Thai fish sauce, lemon juice and mix. Add garlic, ginger, brown sugar and honey and mix. Let it marinate for an hour preferably in the refrigerator.(The more the better)

Heat oil in a griddle plate. Thread the marinated chicken strips onto satay sticks and place on the griddle plate. Pour some of the excess marinade over the chicken and cook. Turn the satay stick on the griddle to cook the other side.

For the peanut sauce heat oil in a pan, add the onion and saute. Add ginger and garlic to the onion in the pan and continue to saute. Add soy sauce, peanut butter and two tbsp of water. Mix and add coconut milk, lemon juice, salt and honey. Add fresh red chilli and mix. Take the peanut sauce off the heat.
Serve the satay with the sauce immediately.



Note: The sticks have to be immersed in water for about 15mins before cooking. You can also cook this without the satay sticks.

Chicken badami

This is an exotic dish which I learnt from my mother-in-law. It would serve as an ideal dish for any party. It reminds me of my brother-in-law because it is his favourite and relishes it to the last drop (in the literal sense :-))

Ingredients
Chicken-1kg
Onions(medium)- 3
Tomatoes(big)-2
Yogurt-4 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder-3 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Almonds( badam)-20
Cloves-3
Cardamom-2
Cinnamon- 2 small sticks
Chopped coriander leaves- 1 tbsp
Oil-3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method
Clean the chicken well and cut them into medium pieces. Marinate this with turmeric and yoghurt for about 3 to 4 hours.

Heat oil in a vessel, add all the whole garam masalas. When they splutter add the finely sliced onions and saute until light brown in colour. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 mins. Add the chilli powder and fry until it loses its raw smell. Now add the chicken along with the marinade, mix well and saute for about 5 mins. At this stage add the blanched & chopped tomatoes, mix well and cook along with a little water until the chicken is 3/4th done. Now add the fine paste of blanched almonds to this , cook on slow flame taking care that it does not stick to the bottom of the vessel. When the chicken is done, garnish it with chopped coriander leaves. Serve it with any Indian bread or ghee rice. Enjoy!!!



Note: Blanching is the process of immersing a fruit or a vegetable in boiling water for a short interval. In this recipe I have blanched the tomatoes and almonds which helps to remove the skins easily.

Now the accolades.....
I am very happy to receive this appreciation from Sushma which is a great encouragement for me. Thank you Sushma and all the rest of my visitors for your valuable comments. They matter a lot to me.







I would like to pass on this award to Sangeetha & Preeti.

Jamaican jerked chicken

Cooking time: 60 min

Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats are dry-rubbed or marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. I combined a couple of recipes to suit our taste. It has spices different from our Indian counterpart but it is no less in taste.

Ingredients
Chicken-1.5kg
Onions(roughly chopped)-2
Red chillies (seeded and roughly chopped)-3
Garlic cloves-2
Ginger-1small 4cm piece
Thyme-1tsp
Allspice powder-½ tsp
Cinnamon-1small stick
Nutmeg-1/2tsp
Cider vinegar-100ml
Light soya sauce-100ml
Honey-1tbsp (optional)
Black pepper
Salt to taste

Method
Place the onions, chillies, garlic, ginger,cinnamon, nutmeg and thyme in a food processor and grind until well blended. Add the allspice, vinegar, soy sauce and honey(optional) and mix again until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Deeply slash the chicken quarters and place them in a large shallow dish. Pour over the sauce and chill for 2-3 hours or overnight.



Preheat the oven to 200C. Transfer the chicken to a rack and sit it inside a roasting tin. Pour over any marinade from the dish and roast for 40-45 minutes, basting occasionally with the marinade juices in the roasting tin, until the chicken is cooked through and blackened.

Crispy chicken wings

Cooking time: 60 mins

A very easy recipe and one our favourites. It can either be oil fried or baked. I took the healthier route ;-).

Ingredients
Chicken wings-4
Chilli powder-1/2tsp
Ginger-Garlic paste-1tsp
Lemon juice-1tsp
Egg(beaten)-1
Bread crumbs
Salt to taste

Method
Marinate the chicken with egg, salt, ginger-garlic paste & chilli powder for about 4-5 hours.

Roll on breadcrumbs and place them in an ovenproof dish greased with oil. Spray some oil over the chicken.



Pre-heat the oven to 220c. Bake the chicken for about 45 min turning it over once until they are golden brown.

Chicken Enchiladas

Preparation time: 45 mins | Cooking time: 45 mins

We like to try new cuisines and once had an opportunity to have Mexican food. As their food is not very bland I was very fond of it. I wanted to try it out at home and it was a indeed a great family dinner.

Ingredients
Flour tortillas-4
Onion-1
Garlic-2cloves
Tomato puree-1cup
Oregano-1/2tsp
Pepper powder-1/2tsp
Olive oil-1tbsp
Cheddar cheese(grated)-1cup
Sour cream-1/2cup
Salt to taste

For filling
Boneless chicken(diced)-250gms
Mixed peppers(diced)-1cup
Onion(diced)-1
Chilli flakes-1tsp
Olive oil-2tbsp
Salt to taste



Method
Sauce
Heat the oil in a pan, add onion, garlic & saute for 5 minutes. Now add the tomato puree, oregano, pepper powder and salt, bring this to boil. Cool the mixture and grind it to a fine paste.

Chicken filling
Heat the oil in a pan, add the chicken pieces and cook until 3/4th done. Add onion, mixed pepper, salt & the chilli flakes and saute for 10 minutes. Add about a tbsp of the sauce kept ready and mix all of them together.



Heat oven to 200c/400F/Gas mark 6. Oil a large ovenproof dish.

Warm the tortillas slightly and divide the filling between them. Spread it down the centre of the tortillas and roll them up and put it in the dish, seam side down. Pour over the sauce then sprinkle on the cheese.



Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese has melted.

Serve with the sour cream poured over the tortillas.

Chicken chops

Preparation time: 15 min | Cooking time: 35 min

I don't know the origin of this recipe but learnt it from my mother-in-law. It is a dry dish that goes well with chapatis and rice. This is easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients
Chicken-1.5kg
Onions-3
Pepper (capsicum)-1
Ginger/Garlic paste-2tsp
Coriander powder-3tsp
Chilli powder-2tsp
Garam masala-1/2tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Dry roast all (except turmeric powder) the masala powders. Clean and cut the chicken into medium pieces. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and half of the roasted masalas and keep it aside for a while.



Take a pan add the marinated chicken and salt, cook until the chicken is done. In another pan add oil and the onion wedges (cut into 4 and split each layer). Now add the remaining roasted masalas and saute for 2 minutes. Add the chicken to this and mix well. The onions should not be over cooked. Then add the pepper wedges and cook for 5 - 10 min.

Chicken Dopiaza with jeera rice

Preparation time: 20 min | Cooking time: 45 min

In Hindi, "do" means two and "piaza" means onions - hence the origin of the name of this dish, which has prominent flavours of onion. I recently happened to see a cookery show in which they add onions in two different ways to the curry. This is another interpretation of "do-piaza".

It is a very aromatic dish and goes best with parrotta, chappathi & jeera rice etc. It is an authentic dish to treat your guests at home.

Ingredients
Whole Chicken(cut into medium pieces)-1
Onions (cut into rings)-4
Tomatoes (cut into 4)-2big
Kashmiri chilli powder-1tbsp
Garam masala powder-1tsp
Roasted cumin powder-1/2tsp
Kasuri methi-3/4tsp
Ginger (julienne)-1tbsp
Green chillies (cut)-4
Cashew nuts-50gms
Coriander leaves-1tbsp
Oil-1 1/2tbsp
Salt to taste

For paste
Onions(chopped)-3
Tomato(chopped)-1
Garlic(chopped)-1 1/2tbsp
Ginger(chopped)-1tbsp
Chilli powder-1/2tsp
Coriander powder-1/2tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Method
Boil all the ingredients under the paste section with a little water until they are cooked well. Cool it and make a paste of it using a mixer. Now take a pan, add the chicken, the paste, 1/2tsp of garam masala, salt and cook until the chicken is done.

In another pan heat some oil, add ginger juliennes and green chillies and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add the onions cut into rings and saute until it is transparent. (do not over cook the onions). Now add the tomatoes and then add cumin powder, remaining garam masala, chilli powder and kasuri methi(should be roasted and crushed with hand) and mix well. To this add the cooked chicken along with the gravy. Mix all of them together and then add the cashew paste(soak the nuts in water for 1/2 hour before grinding) and cook until the gravy boils. If you do not prefer a thick gravy you may add a little hot water to loosen the consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Here I've shown it along with jeera rice which is a quick recipe to make.



Jeera Rice
Ingredients
Basmati rice-1cup
Cumin seeds-1/2tsp
Butter or ghee-1tbsp
Water-2cups
Salt to taste

Method
Heat the butter in a vessel, add the cumin seeds, when they crackle add the rice(washed and soaked for 1/2 hour) and saute for 5 minutes. Now add salt and hot water and cook until the rice is done.

Chicken Shawarma

Preparation time: 30 min | Cooking time: 60 min

This is a Lebanese dish. My husband keeps talking about relishing Lebanese foods when he was in Dubai. He had only praise for their dishes. I got a chance to taste it at a restaurant in Bangalore. It became my favourite too. The ingredients were readily available here and that's how I tried it myself.

Ingredients

Chicken thighs-4
Malt vinegar-1/4cup
Mixed spices(a traditional 7 spices)-1/2tsp
Ground cardamon-a pinch
Yoghurt-4tbsp
Oil-1/2tbsp
Salt & pepper to taste

Method
Slice the chicken into small cubes. Marinate using all the above ingredients for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. Put the chicken with the marinade in an oven tray and bake covered in a hot oven for 30 mins, turning once. Uncover and put back in the oven for 5 more minutes, or till the chicken is well cooked. If desired, pour out the fat for a healthier option. Serve with sliced tomatoes, onions, and chopped parsley, rolled in a pitta bread topped with tarator, hummus and toum.

Note: Mixed spice is a powdered mixture of allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, fenugreek & ginger in equal quantity.

Tarator
Ingredients
Tahini (sesame paste)-1/4cup
Lemon juice-1 to 2tbsp
Water-1 to 2tbsp
Chopped parsley-1tbsp
Salt and pepper
Crushed garlic(optional)-1clove

Method
Mix all the above ingredients together, keep stirring till you get a nice smooth sauce, add the chopped parsley and serve.

Hummus
Ingredients
Dry chickpeas (to be rinsed and drained before use) soaked in water-1cup
Garlic crushed-2 cloves
Tahini (sesame seeds paste)-1/4cup
Lemon juice-2tbsp
Salt & pepper

Method
Drain the chick peas and rinse well, then put in a saucepan with plenty of water and cook over high heat till it starts boiling, then lower the heat and simmer covered for about one and a half hours, or until the chick peas are soft to the touch. You may pressure cook it which is a better option.
Drain the cooked chickpeas and put in a food processor with all other ingredients till they become a soft paste. Empty in a flat dish and decorate with some parsley leafs and drizzle with good quality olive oil.



Toum
Ingredients
Garlic clove crushed-6
Oil (not olive oil)-1/4 cup
Mayonnaise-2tbsp
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Method
Place garlic in bowl. Add salt and lemon. Add a little oil at a time to the garlic and mix with spoon until the oil stops being absorbed. Keep adding the oil until it runs out. Now add the mayonnaise and mix. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Once complete refrigerate it.

Egg fried rice with Szechuan Chicken

Preperation time: 15 min | Cooking time: 10 min

Fried rice is a prominent Chinese dish that has gone through a lot of innovations as it moved to other parts of the world. For instance, the fried rice from a chinese restaurant in India would be indianised and so forth. In this recipe I've used basmati rice instead of small grain rice or jasmine rice which they use.

Ingredients
Cooked rice-1cups
Chopped carrots-1tbsp
Chopped mixed bell peppers(capsicum)-2tbsp
Chopped spring onions-2tbsp
Chopped garlic-1tsp
Eggs-2
Soya sauce-1tsp
Oyster sauce-1/2tsp
Salt & pepper as per taste.
Oil

Method
Take a wok, add oil and on high flame, add chopped garlic and the vegetables and saute for 5 minutes. Scramble the eggs and add it to this mixture. Mix them well. Season it with salt and pepper. Now add the rice and the sauces, mix it well on a high flame until the rice is hot. Sprinkle the spring onions in the end. Serve hot because fried rice is best eaten that way.

Note: It is always better to use cold rice.

Preperation time: 10 min | Cooking time: 40 min

Szechuan Chicken Ingredients
Chicken breasts(small peices)-500gms
Ginger-garlic paste-1/2tsp
Chopped ginger-2tsp
Chopped garlic-1tsp
Chilli flakes-1tsp
Egg-1
Soya Sauce-3tbsp
Chilli sauce-1tbsp
Tomato ketchup-1tbsp
Onion-1
Tomato-1
Spring onions for garnishing
Corn flour-2tbsp
Pepper-1/2tsp
Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Take a bowl, add the ginger-garlic paste, salt & pepper powder, a tbsp of soya sauce and a egg. Mix well and marinate the chicken in this for about 3 hours. Deep fry the chicken until cooked. Keep it aside.



Heat oil in a pan, add chopped ginger, garlic and onions(thinly sliced) and saute for about 2 minutes. Add chilli flakes and chopped tomatoes, saute for 5 minutes. Now add all the sauces and cook until it is well blend. Add the fried chicken to this and mix well. At this stage you can garnish with spring onions and relish it as dry Szechuan chicken or mix a tbsp of corn flour in a cup of water and add to the chicken mixture to get a thick gravy. The consistency can be adjusted as per individual taste.

Saucy fried chicken

Preperation time(marination): 30 min | Cooking time: 20 min

This is an accidental dish if you ask me :-). One evening there was some chicken left and I was bored of making the routine curry's. I decided to go for my own recipe. I used my cooking skills to bring out a tangy dry chicken dish. It was an instant success in my family.

It is a good starter and also a good accompaniment with the main course.

Ingredients
Chicken-1/2kg
Ginger-garlic paste-2tsp
Coriander powder-2tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2tsp
Chilli powder-1tsp
Soya sauce-4tbsp
Red chilli sauce(optional)-2tsp
Salt to taste
Oil-3tbsp

Method
Clean the chicken and add ginger-garlic paste, masala powders, 2tbsp of soya sauce and chilli sauce. Mix well and keep it aside for half an hour. Take a pan and add the chicken and cook until it is almost done. Now add oil and remaining soya sauce. Fry the chicken until it is brown in colour.

Note: The amount of soya sauce can be varied as per individual tastes. Any other sauces can also be added. I added some oyster sauce in the dish shown.