Kerela Style Pepper Chicken

This recipe was introduced by my sister who had once randomly sent me a text saying that she had made the most wonderful and lip smacking chicken, packed it as office lunch for her hubby dear. Result: co-workers happy and hubby happier and everyone asking for more!! I casually asked her to mail me the recipe which she promptly and excitedly did. But somehow it got lost in all the trash and junk mail or say I was just too lazy to go through it. Then one fine day on her visit to the city, I had the opportunity to actually taste this delight. It instantly took over my taste buds. It was so different from the regular masala chicken that we normally make in our kitchens and surprisingly easy too!! So here goes the recipe…this one would surely leave you drooling for more!!

Ingredients

Chicken - 400-500 gms, cut into medium size pieces

For Marination

•Pepper powder - ¼ tsp

•Lemon juice - 1 tsp
•Salt

For Masala

•Onion - 2 med-large, sliced
•Ginger & garlic - 2 - 21/2 tsp each, grated/crushed
•Green chilli - 1-2, slit lengthwise
•Whole Black pepper - 1¼ tsp
•Garam masala - ½ tsp
•Fennel powder - ¼ tsp
•Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
•Chicken/meat masala - ½ tsp (optional)
•Soya sauce - 1 tsp
•Tomato sauce - 1 tsp
•Curry leaves
•Coconut oil/dessicated coconut
•Salt

Instructions

1.Marinate the cleaned chicken pieces with salt, pepper powder & lemon juice. Crush the whole black pepper (do not powder).
2.Heat oil in a pan & add sliced onion. Let it brown. Add grated/crushed ginger and garlic, green chilli and curry leaves. Let it cook till the raw smell goes, around 3-4 mins. Add crushed pepper, turmeric powder, garam masala, fennel powder and chicken/meat masala (if using). Mix well. Cook for another 2-3 mins. Add soya and tomato sauce/ketchup. Mix well.
3.Add ¼ cup water and salt and mix well. Add marinated chicken pieces. Combine everything well and make sure that chicken pieces are coated with masala. When chicken starts changing the color add ½ cup water & mix well.
4.Let it boil. Reduce flame and cover and cook it till the chicken is done. Check in between, give a stir and add more water only if required. Once the chicken is done, remove the lid, add some curry leaves and continue cooking for another 5-7 mins on low flame, just to roast it a little more. Remove from fire. The dish will get a darker shade once it rests.
5.Garnish with onion & lemon/lime.

Carrot Cake

This is the perfect and easiest recipe for a fluffy, super moist and delicious carrot cake. It is the best companion to a cup of steaming coffee or can be had on its own as well. I have always been a fan of carrot cakes but found it difficult to dish out a recipe. After going through several recipes, I found this one to be the easiest and lip smacking one. Couldn’t have asked for a better cake and to top it, the house fills up with a wonderful aroma!!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Maida/All purpose flour

2 eggs

1 tsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla essence

¾ cup Vegetable oil

1 cup grated Carrot

1 pinch Salt

½ cup Mixed Nuts (raisins, walnuts/almonds)

Mixed Spices (1 piece Cinnamon, 2-3 Cloves, 1 pinch Nutmeg)

METHOD

1.       Sieve together maida/all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.

2.       Combine the sugar and mixed spices in a grinder to make a fine powder.

3.       In a big bowl, take the eggs and beat till frothy.

4.       Add the sugar mixture into the eggs and beat till the texture is fine and creamy.

5.       Now add the dry mixture little by little and keep mixing.

6.       Add vanilla essence and oil to the mixture. Keep mixing.

7.       Finally add the carrots and nuts and gently fold.

8.       Preheat the oven for 5 minutes at 180 degrees.

9.       Grease a baking tin with oil. Now sprinkle maida and tap evenly. This will help in unmoulding the cake easily or you can also use a silicon mould.

Shahi Tukda

No festival is complete without sweets. But as I wanted to make something different and not the regular stuff, I thought of giving Shahi Tukda a try. Since I was making it for the first time, I tried to stick as much as possible to the true recipe and keep it as Shahi as possible. But instead of frying the bread, I have toasted it. You can follow the authentic recipe and deep fry the bread.

Ingredients for Pan Frying Bread:

2 slices of bread

2 tablespoons Ghee 

Ingredients for Sugar Syrup:

½ cup sugar

¼ cup water

 ¼ tsp cardamom powder or 1 tsp rose water 

Ingredients for Rabdi:

1 litre full fat whole milk

2 – 3 tbsp Sugar

½  tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp kewra (pandanus) water or 1 tsp rose water or a drop of kewra essence or rose essence

a pinch of saffron/kesar strands 

For Garnish:

12-15 almonds/badam, blanched and sliced

10 to 12 pistachios, blanched and sliced

a few strands of saffron (optional)

METHOD

Preparing the rabri:

1.       In a broad thick bottomed pan or sauce pan or a kadai take 1 litre of full fat whole milk and bring its first boil.

2.       Add cardamom powder and keep boiling till the milk reduced till half the quantity.

3.       Now add sugar and boil for another 10 minutes till the milk becomes thick and lumpy.

4.       Switch off the milk and add saffron strands and kewra water.

     Pan frying the bread slices:

1. Slice the crusts of the bread. Cut them into desired shapes.
2. Heat ghee in a flat pan, tava or frying pan.
3. Place the bread slices and on a low to medium heat toast them.
4. When one side is browned, flip and toast the other side.
5. Flip once or twice more to get an even golden color and browning.
6. Keep the bread slices aside.

Preparing sugar syrup:

1. Mix ½ cup of sugar with ¼ cup water in a pan.
2. Keep the sugar solution on a low heat.
3. The mixture would start to come to a boil.
4. Cook till you get a one thread consistency in the sugar syrup.
5. Switch off the flame. Add cardamom powder and rose water and stir.

Assembling the shahi tukra:

1. Dip the bread slices in the sugar syrup with the help of a spoon or small tongs.
2. Coat the bread slices evenly with the sugar syrup.
3. Arrange the sugar syrup soaked bread slices neatly in a serving tray or plate.
4. Pour the rabri on the sugar syrup coated bread slices.
5. Garnish with sliced blanched almond, pistachios and saffron strands.

Aloo Puri

Aloo puri is a hot favorite in every household. It’s the perfect breakfast recipe for a Sunday morning.  Though it’s a heavy start to the day, but it is more filling and equally loved by everyone. No one can ever say no to this spicy potato gravy served with puffed, deep fried puris.

Everyone has their own unique way of making Aloo Puri but I prefer it without onion and garlic, which makes it apt for pujas and fasts too. 

Ingredients for Potato Gravy:

4-5 large boiled potatoes, boiled

2 big tomatoes, chopped

2-3 geeen chilles, chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 pinch hing

1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

1.       Heat oil in a pan. Add hing and cumin seeds. As they crackle, put in the chopped tomatoes and chillies.

2.       Add all the dry spices except for fennel seeds. Sauté till it becomes a paste consistency.

3.       Now add the boiled potatoes by crushing them slightly with your hands. Sauté for another 2 minutes.

4.       Add some water to make the gravy. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

5.       Now add the crushed fennel seeds and boil for 2 more minutes.

6.       Serve hot with puffed up puris.

Ingredients for Puri:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

1 tbsp oil or ghee

1 tsp salt

Water to bind

Method for Puri:

1.       In a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, carom seeds and salt.

2.       Add the oil and rub with your fingers till crumble like consistency.

3.       Now add sufficient water to knead the dough. The dough should not be too soft else the puris will be difficult to roll out.

4.       Keep aside for 15 minutes.

5.       Now divide the dough into equal parts and make small balls out of it.

6.       Roll it using a rolling pin. If the dough is sticky you can add some drops of oil or whole wheat flour.

7.       Heat oil in a frying pan. To check if oil is hot, you can add small dough and it should instantly float on the top.

8.       Place the puri in the frying pan and press it with a skimmer, puri should puff right away.

9.       Turn puri over. Puri should be light creamy brown from both sides. Take the puri out and place it on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

10.   Serve puri with Aloo. You can store the puries in covered container after they cool to room temperature.

Kadai Chicken

Kadai Chicken is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes. This north Indian dish carries the wonderful flavor of capsicum that takes chicken to an altogether different level. 

Kadai means wok which is used in the Indian kitchen to prepare various dishes. Chicken is cooked along with capsicum and other spices in the kadai. This mildly flavored dish can be altered as per your palette. I have added cream in this dish. You can add cashew nut paste or even milk. Serve it with naan, roti or even rice.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken with bone or boneless

3-4 large onions

3 large tomatoes

1 tbsp cumin seeds

3-4 cloved garlic, crushed

1 inch ginger, crushed

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 large capsicum, sliced

3-4 green chillies, slit

3-4 tbsp cream

1 tsp kasoori methi, crushed

Salt to taste

Method:

1.       Add onions in a blender and grind coarsely. Keep aside.

2.       Take oil in kadai or wok. When it heats up, add the cumin seeds. Let them crackle. Now add the coarsely grinded onions. Sauté till brown.

3.       Now add crushed ginger, garlic and slit green chillies. Sauté for another 2 minutes.

4.       Add finely diced tomatoes along with crushed coriander powder, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder and salt. Sauté till the oil seperates.

5.       Now add chicken and sauté with the mixture for 15-20 minutes. Add some water and cover. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes till the chicken is properly cooked.

6.       Now add sliced onions and capsicum. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cream. Simmer for 5 minutes.

7.       Garnish with kasoori methi and garam masala powder. Serve hot with roti, naan or rice.

Kale Chane ke Kebab

Who doesn’t like soft melt in the mouth kebabs? Presenting to you Kale Chane ke Kebab. Completely vegetarian and made with only 2-3 tablespoons of oil. It’s a completely guilt-free and healthy recipe.

I had made the same recipe with Rajma aka red kidney beans. But this time I had a big bowl of boiled kale chane and I wasn’t interested in eating the regular curry. So I came up with this one. It dished out to be excellent, tasty and soft. They would definitely be a hit in get togethers and can be made in under 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 cups Kale Chane, boiled and drained

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp coriander powder

1 chopped green chilli

2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Salt to taste

Method:

1.       Wash and soak kale chane for atleast  4-5 hours.

2.       Pressure cook them giving 6-7 whistles.

3.       Now drain the water n let the chane dry on a kitchen towel.

4.       Gring them in a food processor using minimum water.

5.       Add red chilli powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, chopped coriander, chopped green chillies and salt. Mix well

6.       Now using your hands, make round balls and press them down slightly, giving them a tikki shape.

7.       Heat oil in pan and shallow fry the tikkis.

8.       Serve hot with mint or coriander chutney.

Apple Pie Sandwich with Caramel Sauce

Last week I was craving for apple pie but was too lazy to make it or go out and eat. Then I saw this recipe on Masterchef and I jumped to try it. Apple Pie Sandwich. It’s so easy to make especially if you want to eat one right away. It can be had as a dessert or a quick snack too. I have paired it with homemade caramel sauce. You can serve it alone with a sprinkle of sugar.

Ingredients for Apple Pie Sandwich:

2 big apples, peeled and chopped

2 tbsp butter

1 cinnamon stick

2 tbsp sugar

2 slices bread

Ingredients for Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ cup cream

Method for Apple Pie Sandwich:

1. In a large saucepan, cook peeled and chopped apples over medium heat for 10 minutes or until apples are tender. Throw in the cinnamon stick too. Add butter and sugar into the apple mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Spread 2 slices of bread. Grease them with butter. Add the apple filling and cook on a slightly hot griddle until golden brown from both sides.
3. Sprinkle with caramel syrup or powdered sugar, as desired.

Method for Caramel Sauce:

1. Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.
2. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown  liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.
3. Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.
4. Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Again the mixture will bubble.
6. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.
7. Remove from heat. Allow to cool down before using.