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Showing posts from April, 2012

Chicken chatpat

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Here is my version of chicken chatpat - A spicy chicken curry with a zing. I have amchur powder sitting on my kitchen counter. I want to use that ingredient and this dish came to my mind. The amchur powder and the lemon juice gives a distinct tangy flavor to the dish. This dish on a whole is party in the mouth with different notes of tastes dancing on your tongue. Well the best way to know the taste is to try it yourself :)..What are you waiting for?? Ingredients For Marinade 2 pounds medium sized chicken pieces(around 900gms) 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp amchur powder(dried mango powder) Salt per taste 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder For the curry Marinated chicken 1 1/2 medium sized onion roughly chopped 4 tbsp well beaten yogurt or curd 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder(adjust per spice level) 1 tsp coriander powder 2 tsp garam masala 3 tbsp oil 2 tbsp dry coconut powder(optional) Salt per taste For tempering 1 tsp black cumin s

Chapathi

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I have my own definition for chapathi. For me, chapathis are made using the folding technique where as just rolled out discs are rotis. I might be right or wrong. At the end of the day all that matters is the taste :). Below I am posting my version of "chapathi". Try to use fresh flour as the more the flour sits in you kitchen the more it looses its gluten and sticky tendency and you will end up with dry chapatis. Ingredients 2 cups whole wheat flour(Godhuma pindi) + flour for dusting 3 to 4 tbsp warm milk 1 tsp oil + more for cooking the chapathi Salt per taste Warm water enough to mix the dough(1/4 to 1/2 cup) Ghee Method In a bowl take the wheat flour and salt. Add milk and mix to incorportate milk into the flour. Add in 1tsp oil and mix again. Now add in water little by little to make a moist dough. Knead the dough well until the dough is pliable and soft, approximately about 5 to 7 minutes. Cover with damp cloth and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Tak

Chole Masala/Chana Masala

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Today I am making Chole or Chana Masala which is a popular dish in Punjab region of India. Chole masala is a spicy gravy dish with a citrus note which comes from the amchur powder. This dish goes well with any kind of Indian bread items. It is fairly easy to make and does not take much time to prepare. Ingredients 2 15oz cans Garbanzo beans/Chicken Peas(Kabuli senagalu) 1 medium sized onion ground to fine paste 2 large tomatoes + 1 green chilli + 2 tsp ginger garlic paste - made to a fine paste 2 tsp red chilli powder 4 tbsp oil Salt for taste Spice Mixture 1 tbsp Coriander Powder 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp amchur powder(dried mango powder) Tempering 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric pinch of Hing/Astefodia(inguva) 4 to 5 curry leaves Garnish Hand full of coriander leaves Method  Chop the onions roughly and grind to a smooth paste and keep aside. Take the tomatoes, green chilli and ginger garlic paste in a blender/mixer jar and

Panasa tonalu

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Panasa tonalu is a traditional sweet dish form the place I came from. I have known this dish from the time when my mom's grandmother used to make this for summer holidays for all of us kids to munch on..This dish brings back a lot of childhood memories with my great grandmother. I just wanted to post this recipe as most of our traditional recipes are diminishing these days in the name of diets and other factors. These are dishes I grew up on and I wish future generations will get to know atleast some of our delicacies which I ate growing up. This is a little time consuming recipe yet worth all the effort at the end. Give it a try!! Ingredients 2 cups All purpose flour (Maida) pinch of salt 1/4 cup ghee 1/4 tsp baking soda Oil for frying For Syrup 2 cups Sugar 1 cup water Method In a bowl mix all purpose flour, salt and baking soda. Add ghee to the flour mixture and just lightly mix with the hands. Add little bit of water and mix the flour to form a dough li

Kung Pao Chicken

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Today I attempted to make a popular and classic Chinese dish - Kung Pao Chicken. A little history lesson here... Kung pao chicken is a classic dish in Szechuan cuisine, traditionally made with chicken, dried chillies and peanuts - originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China. This dish is easy and simple to make. Making this at home is way better than a take out or ordering at the restaurant. Try it in your kitchen, play with the ingredients and you will for sure agree with me.. Last but not least, my husband only had one word after he tasted it..WOW!!!! Give it a try guys :) Ingredients 1 pound boneless chicken breast diced into 1/2-inch pieces 2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil 10 whole dry chili peppers 1/4 cup diced green onion 2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp crushed red chili pepper or pepper flakes (I used 1 1/2 tsp of pepper flakes) 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 tbsp water 1/4 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts 1 cup of chopped vegetables -

Potato Bajji/Potato Poppers

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I made some mirchi bajji this weekend and I had left over batter. So I decided to make some potato bajjis. Other good options to make bajjis with this batter will be whole sprigs of curry leaves, pan leaves, raw banana slices etc. Some time soon I will try to post curry leaf bajjis which my mom used to make all the time. For now I only had potatoes on hand and went that route. Below is the simple recipe for a quick snack. Ingredients 1 big Potato peeled 1 1/2 to 2 cups Besan (Senaga pindi) 1 tbsp Rice Flour (Biyyam pindi) 1 tsp Aijwan powder(vaamu podi) 1 tsp red chilli powder pinch of baking soda Salt per taste Oil for Frying Method Cut the potato into thin circles and put them in bowl of water to prevent the potato slices from discoloration. Mix Besan, rice flour, Aijwan, Salt, Baking soda, red chilli powder in a bowl. Adding water, prepare medium thick batter (thick enough to have a generous coating on the potato slices). Line a plate with paper towels and keep

Egg Puff

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Egg puffs are one of my all time favorite snacks next to mirchi bajjis. Thinking of this snack brings back lot of memories from my college days. In India this tasty treat used to be available only in Bakeries or super markets. If you have a oven at home making this mouth watering snack is a breeze.The process goes like this..   Ingredients 9 hard boiled eggs 1 package of Puff pastries (usually includes 2 sheets for package) Salt Ground black pepper Chat Masala   Method Thaw the puff pastry as per the directions. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line the baking sheet or center rack of the oven with aluminium foil. Take boiled eggs and  cut into half length wise. Sprinkle pepper powder, chat masala and salt on the yolk side of the eggs. Take puff pastry sheet and cut into 9 parts 3 length wise and each again into 3 parts.  Take a sheet place the sprinkled egg, yolk side up, on top of the sheet and pinch the edges applying little water as shown in the picture below. Place

Pavlova

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Here I am making Pavlova -  Australian & New Zealand national dessert.  I have friends come over for this weekend and this was a big hit. Well I never heard of this dessert till late last week. I thought of making creme brulee which calls for egg yolks and I was clue less about what to do with the egg whites. I started browsing and this recipe caught my eye on Joyofbaking.com. So I decided to make this dessert. I have to admit that I was little bit scared to make this as I am not good at baking. But to my surprise this turned out awfully good.  Eating this cake is like eating air.  You do not need flour for this cake..Yes, you read it right...No Flour!! This will be on my list of regular desserts as this one below is FINGER LICKING GOOD!!!!!! Ingredients 1 cup or 6 egg whites(For me I ended up using 8 eggs to make 1 cup of whites) 1 cup super fine sugar (In a blended jar blend the sugar to smooth powder) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp Lemon juice 1/2 tbsp corn starch

Ravva Laddu/Semolina Laddu

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When I think of authentic and simple Andhra sweets one thing that comes to my mind is Ravva Laddu. This sweet delicacy can be made with minimal ingredients on hand and in no time. These laddus are soo yummy and will just melt in your mouth. The recipe below makes 12 laddus if there is no one on your side eating away the mixture while you are making the laddus (Well I am talking about my hubby dear Jajajaja). Give it a try..   Ingredients 1 cup Semolina/Sooji(Upma ravva) 1/4 cup Dry Coconut Powder 3/4 to 1 cup Powdered Sugar(Depending on you sweet tooth) 1 tsp Elaich/Cardamom Powder 5 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee 4 to5 tbsp milk  Cashews and Raisins for Garnish Method Mix Powdered Sugar and cardamom powder in a bowl and keep aside. In another bowl mix Sooji and coconut powder and keep aside. Heat the butter or ghee in a pan. Fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside. To the pan now add Sooji and coconut powder mixture and fry until light golden brown color and frag

Tandoori Chicken

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Tandoori chicken needs no introduction. This is the first and foremost dish I learned to make after I came to states.  Traditionally tandoori chicken is made in clay oven,  but you don't need to build a clay oven to still get great tasting Tandoori Chicken -your over or charcoal grill or regular grill will work just fine. The chicken must cook just until the center is warm enough and the outside should crisp and seal in the juice.  If you are planning for a party or get together the recipe below will be for sure a home run..Enjoy!! Ingredients 4 Chicken quarters Marinade A 1 tbsp Red chilli powder 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp Salt Marinade B 4 tbsp thick yogurt well beaten 1 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1/4 tsp orange food color 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp oil Salt for taste Garnish onion slices 1 tsp chat masala coriander l

Mint sauce

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Simple mint sauce recipe to go with any tandoori item or Indian savory snacks like samosas, puffs etc.. Ingredients 1/2 cup packed mint leaves 1/4 cup packed coriander leaves 1 shallot chopped 1 green chilli chopped 1/2 tsp cumin powder 3 tbsp fresh lime juice 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 2 tbsp water 1 tsp Sugar Salt per taste Method Strip the mint and coriander leaves from the stems and add to a blender along with all the other ingredients. Blend to a smooth paste and take into a serving bowl.

Paneer Butter Masala

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Ingredients 250 gms paneer or 1/2 pound of firm Tofu 2 big onions (sliced) 1 green chilli  1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp red chilli powder 2 big tomatoes (pureed) 16 whole cashews  3 tbsp milk 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder 1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) 1 tsp garam masala powder salt to taste 3 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp fresh cream or heavy whipping cream Pinch of orange food color (Optional)  Method Soak the cashews in milk and set aside for 15 minutes. Then puree to a thick paste along with milk and set aside. Slice the Paneer into bite size pieces and saute in a tbsp of butter till golden brown, remove into a bowl. Add a cup of hot water and pinch of salt to the fried paneer cubes and let them sit in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain the water and keep the paneer cubes aside . Heat 1/2 tbsp of butter in a pan and saute the onions. Let them cool and blend the onion, green chilli and ginger garlic paste

Thai basil Fried rice with Chicken

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Yet another thai favorite made up my wonders list. Thai fried rice taste the best when the rice is one day old. So if you have any left over rice in the freezer this dish is worth trying. My hubby dear is a big, bigger and biggest fan of any kind of fried rice and when it comes to Thai basil fried rice, he loves this dish as much as he love our biryani. So this dish I am making it for him today. Thai basil fried rice with chicken for hubby dear and the recipe for you guys. Ingredients 4 cups cooked jasmine rice or long grain rice (let the rice cool before using it in the fried rice recipe, day old cooked rice make the best tasting fried rice) 6 big cloves garlic 4 to 8 Thai chili peppers (I used 8 because I like it spicy) 4 tbsp oil 1 lbs chicken (cut into bite sizes) 3 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp ground black pepper Garnish 1 cup assorted bell peppers (julienne) 1 Jalapeno (cut into thin rounds) 1/4 onion sliced 4 green onions (sliced)