Laksa Soup with Sesame Chicken

Jamie Oliver seems to have a spell bounding effect on my cooking and my senses. I find his cooking very therapeutic and also very informative. The ease with with which he connects the dots and one thing seamlessly joins with the other exploring new flavours, textures and yummy meals. This soup is happiness in a bowl and taken from Jamies 15 min meals. It takes good 20-25 min for me to make it but its so worth it. He calls it thai chicken laksa, mildy spiced noodle squash broth. Jamie says that 15 min meals are a mindset so when you want to whip up quick meals you have to keep a kettle ready with boiling water, gridle pan on high heat, large lided pan on high heat and food processor attached with coarse grater for this one.

Ingredients

for chicken
 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 heaped tsp chinese five spice
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 fresh red chilli

for Soup
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
1 butternut squash ( just the neck end) or pumpkin
2 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized ginger
2 green chillies
1 tsp turmeric
half a bunch of spring onions
4 dried kaffir limes leaves
half bunch fresh coriander
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
3009 rice noodles
1 tin coconut milk
2 limes

On a large sheet of greaseproof paper, toss the chicken with salt, pepper and the five spice. Fold over the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken with rolling pin. this will help the chicken cook quicker and absorb the flavours. Place the chicken on hot gridle turning after 3-4 mintues until nicely charred and cooked through.
Pour 800 ml of boiling water into large pan and crumble stock cube.
trim the stalk off the squash, roughly chop the neck end dont peel and keep the seed end for some other day. Grate and tip the chopped pieces into boiling stock. Whiz the garlic, ginger, chilli, turmeric, spring onions, lime leaves, coriander stalks, sesame oil, soy and fish sauce and tip the paste in the stock and add noodles.
Add coconut milk and soon as it boils, taste, correct the seasoning with soy sauce and lime juice, then turn off the heat. 
Drizzle some honey  over charred chicken and squeeze over juice of 1 lime and scatter with sesame seeds
Sprinkle everything with coriander and your quick meal is ready !

Happy Cooking   

Khamang Chiwda

Fried Chicken

Batatyachi bhaji

This is comfort food at its best. Batatyachi bhaji just takes me back on a monday morning when my Mom is making hot fulka's smeared with ghee and the ladle is busy cooking this veggie for my lunch box. This was a personal favourite for all of us. It goes so well with Dosa, as a stuffing for sandwich, the leftovers could also be used for aloo paratha or batawada for the adventurous cooks.

Ingredients

3-4 medium sized potatoes boiled & chopped

A bunch of coriander sprigs

1 onion chopped fine

Turmeric 1 tbsp

Green chillies 2 finel chopped

Amchur Powder (Mango powder) 1 tbsp or Lime juice 2 tbsp

3 tbsp Vegetable oil

Few curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard seeds

Salt as per taste

Recipe

Add the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to see them dance as they crackle.

Fry the onions till they turn soft brown and add the curry leaves, turmeric powder, green chillies and cook it for 1-2 minutes.

Add boiled & chopped potatoes, mix well and add the mango powder/lime juice.

Cover and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes.

Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with hot phulka's

Happy Cooking!


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!