Kadai Chicken

Chicken Tandoori

The chicken is so tender and delicious it simply melts in your mouth. I am not a big fan of spicy food so the measurements for spices should be altered according to you taste.This makes a perfect dish with friends and laughs to share with!

Ingredients -
1 kg chicken legs and breast
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
red chilly powder (as per taste)
2 tbsp garam masala
Salt per taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup Yoghurt plain
Butter to coat the chicken

Mix the spices, paste, youghurt and juice and rub it on to the chicken evenly.
Make the horizontal incisions on the chicken so the paste get absorbed by the meat.
Put the chicken in a bowl covered with cling film and marinate it for atleast 3 hours.
Coat the marinated chicken with butter and transfer the contents on to a baking tray.
Add this to the preheated oven 200 degrees C for 30 minutes after which the chicken acquires this lovely color and juices run clear without any pink flesh in it.
Garnish with coriander and lemon rings.

Happy Cooking!

Vaalache Bhirde

This recipe is from my favourite blogger One Hot Stove, who  has a wonderful way with words and definately with food. I imagine her kitchen to always smell of mouth watering food, storage filled with goodies and garden lush green with herbs, vegetables and magic bean plant.

The recipe for Vaalache Bhirde is so clearly given and easy to follow it just makes one squeak in pleasure!

The only cumbersome part was the wait for Vaal to sprout.

Sprouting the vaal

I soaked about 2 cups of Vaal in water for about 18 hours and then tied them in a damp cheese cloth for 2 days. I kept sprinkling some water on the bag so the cloth was moist all throughout to help the sprouting.

The tiny sprouts shoot right from the cloth and you can heave a sigh of relief :)

You will have to peel the cover of these Vaal seeds, which comes off fairly easily. I did enjoy doing that one evening while being perched in front of my telly. Make sure to throw away the discolored ones.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp of tamarind soaked in warm water for 10-15 min

Half cup of oil

2 Onions chopped in chunks

2 Garlic cloves crushed/chopped

2 Green chillies

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Pinch of asafoetida

5-6 curry leaves

1tsp Tumeric powder

1/2 tsp coriander and cumin powder

1 tsp of jaggery

1 cup dessicated/frozen coconut

Recipe

Extract the juice from the tamarind and throw away the rest

Make a coconut paste as follows

Fry 1 large onion cut in large chunks until slightly browned. Add garlicand coconut alongwith green . Stir around until coconut is fragrant, then blend to a fine paste using a little water as required. 

 In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Temper the oil with mustard seeds, tsp cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves. Add 1 small onion, minced finely and fry it for a few seconds. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt to taste.
Add the peeled sprouts and stir well. Add 1/2 cup water, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts are just tender.
Add the coconut paste, tamarind extract and of jaggery. The tamarind and jaggery take out the bitter taste fromt he sprouts. Add some water if the curry looks too thick, i liked mine a bit thick. Simmer the curry for 10 minutes. Taste for the balance of flavors and add a little more tamarind/jaggery/salt if required.
Garnish with minced cilantro.

Happy Cooking!

 

Bruuuuussschetta

This is a wonderful, scrumptious Italian dish. These simple to make tomato topped toasts are a lovely way to get the taste buds tingling. My brother says 'If there was food in heaven this would sure be one of them' :)

Serves 4

1 small oval shaped loaf of white bread (ciabatta or bloomer)

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp chopped basil

4 large ripe tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

8 stoned black olives

55 gms mozzarella cheese sliced

salt and pepper

Dressing

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp clear honey

1. Pre heat the grill and cut the loaf of bread diagonally to give thick pieces. Toast the pieces under hot grill for 2-3 min until golden.
2. Beat garlic, butter and basil together in a bowl and spread onto each half.
3. Blanch the tomatoes and peel the skin the away. Chop the flesh of tomato and mix with puree and olives. Divide the mixture between the slices of bread.
4. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and drizzle over the thick slices of bread. Arrange the cheese on top and season with salt and pepper.
5. Return them to the grill for 1-2 min or until the cheese melts.

Happy Cooking!

Mushroom Risotto

This dish is a vegetarian delight. Coming from India where there are ever so many choices for the vegetarian palate, this is a veggie must have! The risotto rice has a unique creamy consistency once cooked and also has a wonderful ability to soak up liquids.

Serves 4

850 ml vegetable stock

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

400g mushrooms, sliced

40 g butter

4 shallots chopped

250 Risotto rice

2 tbsp white wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

salt and pepper

1. Pour the stock into saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat, add garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add rice and cook stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then pour in wine and lemon juice and stir until liquid is almost absorbed. Add ladeful of the simmering stock and cook, stirring until its absorbed. Keep adding stock ladleful to be absorbed before adding next.
3. When all liquid has been almost absorbed, stir in the mushrooms, lemon rind and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking until liquid has been absorbed , then remove from heat and stir in parsley and coriander. Serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!

Carrot Cake

This is a  knock-out winner with everybody and its simply irresistible. It makes most of the natural sweetness of carrots and looks so tempting with a simple icing and walnut decoration. Its a perfect mood lifter for the dull Sunday evening and a must have dish for those midnight kitchen raids :)

This recipe serves 6

Ingredients

Butter for greasing

100 gms self raising flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

125g soft brown sugar

2 eggs beaten

5 tbsp sunflower oil

125 g carrots grated

1 banana chopped

25 gms chopped and toasted walnuts and almonds

Icing

40 g butter softened

3 tbsp soft cheese

175g icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp orange

grated rind of 1/2 orange

walnut pieces to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C or 375 degrees F. Grease a 7 inch square or a medium cake tin and line it with baking paper
2. Sift the flour, salt, mixed spice and nutmeg in a bowl.Stir in brown sugar, then eggs and oil.Add the carrots, banana and chopped nuts and mix all of them well.
3. Spoon the mixture into prepared cake tin and level the surface. Transfer the tin to preheated oven and bake for 55 min or until golden & firm to touch. )The cake might feel tender but firms up as it cools down) Remove from oven and let it cool, when cool enough to handle turn the cake onto wire rack and leave to cool completely
4. To make icing, place the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and orange juice along with the rind and beat it all together until creamy. Spread icing on top of the cold cake and scatter the walnut pieces.

Your cake is ready to be devoured.

Happy cooking!!

Devils food cake

This is Chocolate nemesis. Absolutely sinful and a forget me not cake which you would end up dreaming about in the middle of the night as well. Easy to make but I find for baking using the exact mentioned quantity and bake ware really the essence of a great baked product. This is Nigella's recipe and here is where i found it Devils cake

Ingredients

• 50g/2oz best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• 100g/4oz dark muscovado sugar
• 250ml/8fl oz boiling water
• 125g/4½oz soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
• 150g/5oz caster sugar
• 225g/8oz plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 free-range eggs

For the frosting

• 125ml/4fl oz water
• 30g/1oz dark muscovado sugar
• 175g/6oz unsalted butter, cubed
• 300g/10oz best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped ( any sweet dark chocolate you prefer)

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line the bottoms of two 20cm/8in sandwich tins with baking parchment and butter the sides.

Technique: Greasing and lining cake tins

Put the cocoa and the dark muscovado sugar into a large bowl and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.

Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a separate bowl, beating well until pale and fluffy; I find this easiest with a freestanding mixer, but by hand wouldn’t kill you.

Stir the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in another bowl and set aside for a moment.

Dribble the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar – mixing all the while – then crack in one egg, quickly followed by a scoop of the flour mixture, then the second egg. Keep mixing after each addition.

Incorporate the rest of the flour mixture little by little, then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping the bowl well with a spatula.

Divide this fabulously chocolatey batter between the two prepared tins and put in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Take the tins out and leave them on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then turn the cakes out and set aside to cool. ( The cakes do not come out fluffy as you might expect them)

Technique: Testing to see if a cake is cooked

As soon as the cakes are in the oven, get started on your frosting. Put the water, muscovado sugar and butter into a pan over a low heat until melted.

When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is hit with heat, then leave for a minute to melt. Once melted, whisk until  smooth and glossy.

Set the frosting aside for about one hour, whisking now and again – when you’re passing the pan – by which time the cakes will be cooled, and ready for the frosting.

Set one of the cooled cakes, with its top side facing downwards, onto a cake stand or plate, and spread with about one-third of the frosting. Top that with the second cake, regular way up, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling away with your spatula. You can go for a smooth look, but I never do and probably couldn’t.

Happy Cooking !