Peppered Chicken

It is strange how certain smells...tastes…reminds you of certain time period in your life...certain people…certain incidents…

This is one of those preparations which reminds me of one of my good friends…the times we spent together…laughing, chatting, eating, listening to music….inspired by whose preparation I tried this...

Ingredients:

·         Chicken – 2 pounds cut into bite size pieces (Boneless skinless)

·         Ginger paste – 1 tea spoon

·         Garlic paste – 1 tea spoon

·         Pepper Corns – 1 tea spoon coarsely crushed

·         Red Chili powder – 1 tea spoon

·         Crushed red pepper – 1 tea spoons

·         Onion – ½ cup chopped fine

·         Olive Oil – 2 table spoons

·         Cumin powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Clove powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Cinnamon powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Coriander powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Fennel seeds – ½ tea spoon

·         Turmeric powder – ½ tea spoon

·         Curry leaves – 8-10

·         Mustard seeds – ½ tea spoon

·         Lemon – ½ a medium (add per taste)

·         Salt – 1 table spoon (add per taste)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add oil.  Let it heat and then add the Mustard seeds to it.  Let them splutter.  Add Curry leaves and Onions.  Sauté till the Onions are translucent.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the Chicken.  Sauté them till u can smell the fragrance.  Add Chicken and sauté with the rest of the ingredients for 1-2 minutes.  Close the lid and let cook for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat.  Chicken breast meat cut into bite size pieces cook really fast.  Then, open the lid and sauté till all the water has evaporated.  Squeeze half a lemon before serving.  Serve it hot with chapatti, Nan, rice or Fragrant Ghee Rice.  This can be served as an appetizer with a glass of good Cabernet or Port. 

Hatch Chilli Fish / Tofu

My husband loves spicy food.  On one of our trips, we found roasted hatch chillies and fell in love with them.  They are so flavorful and makes any preparation finger licking good J  Below is one of the fish preparations.  It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is very easy.

Ingredients:

·         Hatch chillies – 1 cup (roasted and coarsely pureed)

·         Garlic paste – 1 table spoon

·         Salt – 1 table spoon (add per taste)

·         Fish / Firm Tofu – 1 pound cut into desired pieces (I used Sole)

·         Onions – ¼ cup chopped finely

·         Butter – 1 tablespoon

·         Cumin powder – ¼ table spoon

·         Cinnamon powder – ¼ table spoon

·         Clove powder – ¼ table spoon

·         Water – ½ cup (add per desired consistency)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add butter.  Let it melt.  Then add onions.  Saute till translucent.  Then add Hatch chillies, Garlic paste, Cumin Powder, Cinnamon powder, clove powder and water.  Cook covered till it comes to boil.  Then, add the fish and salt.  Cook covered for 10-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Serve it hot with Fragrant Ghee Rice

Note:

·         You can substitute firm or baked tofu for fish.

·         Please remove the seeds of the Hatch Chillies if you think they are very spicy.

Simply Easy Pomogranate Salad

My husband reminded me today that it has been a loooonnnngggg time since I posted any recipes on my blog.  Work and life has taken over all my time :)  I have still been creating and cooking quick and easy recipes..I need it more now than ever!! 

Here is a quick and easy salad recipe that goes with any dish or by adding some grilled chicken, you can make it a meal in itself.

Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce - 4 cups shredded or chopped finely
• Pomogranite seads - 1.5 cups
• Carrots - 1 cup shredded or chopped

For the dressing

• Agave Nectar - 1 tea spoon (you can also substitute this with Maple syrup)
• Lemon Juice - 1 table spoon
• Salt - 1/4 tea spoon
• Nutmeg powder - a pinch
• All spice powder - a pinch

Method:

Mix all the salad ingredients in a salad bowl.  Whisk the ingredients for dressing and toss it with the salad just before serving.  Else, the salad will wilt.  Simply delicious as a side to any main dish or add a few pieces of grilled chicken and this can be a delicious and light meal in itself!!

Moong bean curry (Whole Green Gram) - Crock pot style

Yet another recipe for those evenings when you get back home from work and smell the sweet fragrance of 'no cooking tonight..dinner is ready'!!

Ingredients:

• Moong - 3 cups (dry)
• Onion - 1 medium sliced
• Garlic  - 3 pods crushed
• Ginger paste - 1 table spoon
• Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1 tea spoon
• Garam Masala powder (Curry powder) - 1 table spoon
• Tomatoes - 2 medium coarsely chopped
• Salt - 1.5 table spoons (add per taste)
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
• Water - 7-8 cups
• Kasoori Methi - 2 table spoons
• Cilantro - 2 table spoons

Method:

To a Crock pot, add all the above ingredients and turn it on slow cook for 8-9 hours.  Hot Moong bean curry is ready to eat. This goes really well with chapati, roti or just plain rice or Fragrant Ghee Rice.

Note: 

1. For a non-spicy version, take some aside before adding chili powder. Continue cooking for 30 more minutes to get the raw smell of the Chili powder.
2. You can find Sambar Powder in most of the Indian Grocers.  Every brand makes it a different way.  For this recipe, you can use any brand.
3. When using Sambar Powder make sure that you compensate for the chili powder used in it.  Some brands add chili powder to the Garam masala.

Onion Bhaji

Onion bhaji reminds me of those monsoon nights back home.  When it is pouring and cold outside, we would all cuddle up and eat those hot onion bhajis mom made.  I can almost smell them!!

Ingredients:

• Besan (chickpea flour) - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4th of a cup
• Baking soda - 1/2 tea spoon
• Red chili powder - 1 tea spoon (add per taste)
• Green chilies (optional) - 2-4 finely chopped
• Cilantro - 2 table spoons
• Onion - 2 cups - sliced long and thin (I used the red onions)
• Peanuts (shh...this is my secret ingredient) - 2 table spoons
• Jeera (Cumin seeds0 - 1 tea spoon
• Salt - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Water - about 1-2 cups .  Adjust per consistency. The consistency should be that of a pancake batter.
• Oil to fry - about 2 cups (I used Canola and Olive oil is a little difficult to fry with)

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients to form a batter of pancake consistency.  Heat oil in a deep frying pan.  You can check if the oil is ready to fry by dropping a few drops of the batter in it. If the batter rises up, the oil is ready for frying.  With a table spoon, scoop the batter and drop it in the oil slowly without splattering.  Turn the heat to medium.  Fry the bhajis till golden brown.  This takes about 3-5 minutes.

Serve it hot with hot and sour sauce or tomato ketchup.

Zucchini Chutney

This is one of the recipes I came up with when I was out of coconut :) I raided the fridge to find a substitute and man..did I find it!! Healthy, refreshing and pretty close to the original with coconut.

Ingredients:

Zucchini - 2 medium sized chopped blender size

Chana dal /Split yellow gram- 2 table spoons - roasted till golden brown

Garlic - 2 medium sized pods
Coriander  - 1 cup washed and coarsely chopped

Green Chilies - 6-7 (add per taste)

Salt - 1 table spoon (add per taste)

Tamarind paste - 1 tea spoon

Water - 1 cup (adjust per thickness)

For seasoning:

Olive oil - 1 table spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
Curry leaves - 10-12

Method:

Add all the ingredients in the 'Ingredients' section except Green chilies to a blender and grind it till the chutney mixture is almost fine.  Take some aside for the non spicy version.  Add the Green chilies and blend it till the Green chilies are mixed well.  Dish out the chutney into a serving bowl. To season it, to a small sauce pan on medium heat, add the Olive oil.  Once the oil is heated, add the mustard seeds, let them splutter. Add the curry leaves and take it off the heat.  Add this seasoning to the chutney.  Zucchini chutney is ready to be served!!  It goes really well with any kind of dosa, roti, chapati, etc.  I served it with Ragi (finger millet) dosa that day.

Note: Due to Chana dal, the chutney thickens when you leave it for a few minutes.  Adjust the water per thickness needed.

Garlicky Cornish Hen

Hello All, sorry for such a long silence.  Life has been a little bit crazy.  Well, no complaints though.  This recipe for Cornish Hen is very simple and easy and takes less than 30 minutes to make.  I like the Cornish Hen with skin on.  You can remove it if you do not like it.  I personally think that the skin adds amazing flavor!

 

Ingredients:

Cornish Hens - 2 (each cut into 4-5 pieces)

Garlic paste - 3 table spoons

Salt - 2 table spoons

Black Pepper - 2 table spoons (crushed)

Turmeric - 1 tea spoon

Amchur (dry mango powder) - 1 tea spoon

Cumin powder - 2 tea spoons

All spice - 1 tea spoon

Olive oil - 2 table spoons

Water - 1 cup

Method:

To a non-stick pan on medium heat, add the Olive oil.  Once the oil is heated, add the Cornish hens, Salt, Turmeric, Garlic and water.  Let it cook covered on low heat for about 20 minutes till the chicken is fully cooked.  Open the lid, add all the remaining ingredients and mix in well.  Add a little more water if necessary.  Stir fry it till all the water is evaporated and the chicken is fried till slightly brown.

Note: You can substitute Cornish Hen for Chicken.