Thai spring roll

Preparation time: 40 mins | Cooking time: 25 mins

This is one of the most favoured starter. Mushrooms, capsicum, sprouts etc can also be used as a filling. I've added chicken in my recipe. Either ways the taste would not be compromised. This is a very succulent dish.

Ingredients
Chicken (cooked & shredded)-1/2cup
Garlic (minced)-3cloves
Ginger (grated)-1piece
Chilli flakes-1tsp
Green onions (sliced into matchstick pieces)-2
Cabbage (shredded or finely chopped)-1/2 cup
Carrot (julienne)-1/2cup
Oil
Spring roll wrappers (thawed if frozen)-1packet

Stir-fry sauce
Light soy sauce-2tbsp
Fish sauce (if vegetarian, substitute vegetarian oyster sauce, or extra soy sauce)-2tbsp
Lime juice-2tbsp
Sugar-1/4tsp

Method
Place 2 tbsp oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium to high heat. Add garlic, ginger, shallots, and chilli flakes. Stir-fry until fragrant (about 1 minute).
(Stir-frying tip: Add a little water to the wok/pan when it gets too dry instead of more oil).
Add cabbage, carrots and cook for 5 mins, then add the chicken. As you stir-fry, add the sauce. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes, until vegetables have softened. Do a taste test for salt, adding 1 tbsp more fish or soy sauce if not salty enough.

To assemble rolls, place a spring roll wrapper on a clean working surface. Place one heaping tbsp of the filling on the wrapper (if using large wrappers, you will need more). Tips: Spread the filling lengthwise along the spring roll wrapper nearer the end closest to you. Also, try not to include too much of the liquid left in the bottom of your wok/pan (a slotted spoon works well for this - drier filling is better.



Lift up the end nearest you and tuck over the filling, roll tightly towards the other end leaving some bit as shown. Now secure the roll by dipping your fingers in some water and wetting both the ends, fold the left and right sides of wrapper over filling, finally "pasting" it shut. To fry spring rolls, place some oil (about 1 inch deep) in a wok or deep-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. Using tongs, place spring rolls in oil, allowing them to fry about 1 minute on each side. Spring rolls are done when they turn light to medium golden-brown (see photo). Place on paper towels (or a clean dish towel) to drain while you finish frying the rest.



Serve spring rolls while still hot with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, or your own dipping sauce. ENJOY!

Grilled Lamb Chops with garlic sauce

Preparation time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients
Lamb loin chops-4 (inch thick)
Chilli powder-1tbsp
Coriander powder-1tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste-2tsp
Pepper powder-1tsp
Chilli flakes-1/2tsp
Oregano-2tbsp
Shallots (chopped)-1/4cup
Garlic (chopped)-1tbsp
Vegetable or chicken stock-2cups
Coriander leave (chopped)-2tbsp
Butter-2tbsp
Olive oil-1tbsp

Method
Mix chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, coriander leaves, oregano, ginger-garlic paste in a small bowl. Coat lamb chops with this spice mixture. Refrigerate the lamb chops for about 8 hours or overnight.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add the stock and chilli flakes. Boil until sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup. Remove sauce from heat. Add butter slowly, whisking until melted.

Preheat the oven to 250c and grill the lamb chops until desired doneness, turning the sides in between.



Place 2 lamb chops and spoon sauce over lamb and serve.

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.

Falafel (Repost)

Preparation time: 25 min | Cooking time: 15 min

This is a repost to participate in the WYF-Tea time snack event.

This is a famous Lebanese delicacy. It can be savoured as a snack or rolled up into a sandwich with a salad.



Ingredients
Dry chick peas-1cup
Parsley-1 bunch
Coriander leaves-1/2 bunch
Onions(medium)-2
Whole cumin seeds-1tbsp
Cumin powder-1tbsp
Coriander powder-1tbsp
Whole coriander-1tbsp
Black pepper-1tsp
Mixed spices(optional)-1/4tsp
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method
Soak the chick peas overnight, drain and wash well. Add chopped parsley, coriander leaves, onions, salt and black pepper. Mix them well and blend it in a food processor to form a coarse mixture. Now add rest of the ingredients and keep it in the refrigerator for about an hour. Divide and shape the mixture into small balls and flatten with your hand. Deep fry until brown. Serve it warm.



Note: Mixed spice is a mixture of traditional 7 spices that is available in the supermarkets.

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.

Vegetable casserole

Preparation time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Kids usually do not favour vegetables, but if you try to do something fancy with it, they somehow relish it. :-) This is one such recipe my kids love. I've used the vegetables of their liking. You could substitute it with any of your choice.

Ingredients
Mixed vegetables-500gms
(Cauliflower, mushroom, carrot, green peas & corn kernels)
Garlic-5 cloves
Mixed herbs-1tsp
Olive oil-1tbsp
Flour-2tbsp
Butter-2tbsp
Milk-1cup
Pepper corns -1tsp
Cream cheese-4tbsp
Shredded cheddar cheese-1cup
Salt to taste

Buttered Bread Crumbs:
Fine ground bread crumbs-1cup
Butter-2tbsp



Method
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
Heat oil in a pan, add the crushed garlic and saute for 5 mins. Add cauliflower, a little salt and cook . Slowly add one after the other vegetables, see to that they are not overcooked(they have to be crunchy) . Add the herbs, crushed pepper and salt if needed, mix well. Place in a baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, combine 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons butter until it makes a smooth paste. Stirring constantly, slowly add 1 cup milk and bring to boil to make a medium thick white sauce. Flavour with salt and pepper powder. Remove the white sauce from the stove and stir in the cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and smooth without lumps.



Pour this mixture over the vegetables and stir together. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the vegetables.

In the microwave or in a small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of butter and stir in the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the top of the vegetable casserole.
Bake at 220 degrees until hot and bubbly, about 30-40 minutes.



Note: For best results serve it hot.

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.

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 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.