Pepper Chicken

Pepper Chicken is loved by my family. In this intense summer heat we should avoid packing lunch boxes with cooked or raw tomatoes as they might get spoiled and spoil the entire food. But this is a very good option and it's yummy too, kids love this!  Even while  traveling you can carry this chicken dish and eat them with Parathas or bread :)
 

INGREDIENTS:

• Boneless chicken - 500 gm (cut into bite size pieces)
• Lemon - 1
• Ground pepper pods -1Tsp for marination ,+3 teaspoon for preparation
• Mustard oil - 1 Tbsp of mustard oil for marination purpose
• Garlic Paste - 2Tsp for marination
• 4 tsp of white oil
• Poppy seeds- 1 Tablespoon
• Onions -2 (cut into small pieces)
• Tomatoes- 2 (cut into small pieces)
• Green-chilly Paste-5-6
• Curry leaves- 10-12 leaves
• Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
• Ginger Garlic Paste- 1 Tbsp

PROCEDURE:

Step 1: Marinate 500 gm of boneless chicken (cut into bite size pieces) with lemon juice, salt, 1Tsp of pepper powder. garlic paste and mustard oil. Preferably keep it marinated in the refrigerator overnight otherwise at least for 6-7 hours.

 

Mustard oil is used for good binding. In the absence of  this oil you can use butter also.

Step 2: 

             >Take 3 - 4 tsp of white oil in a frying pan and fry the curry leaves and the cinnamon stick.

             >Then add the poppy seeds and fry it for a while.

             >Now fry the cut onions till golden brown.

             >Then add 1 Tsp of the chilly paste ( you can use chilly sauce instead too )

Step 3:

> Now add 1 Tsp of Ginger - garlic paste & Fry till its raw smell goes away. It takes around 10     minutes on medium flame.

>At this point add the tomato pieces and fry them till they get soft and properly cooked.

Step 4: 

When you see that oil is separating at the sides of the pan. Only then add the marinated chicken. 

            

NOTE: Those who do not like their curry leaves to be crispy can add the leaves now instead of frying them in the beginning along with the cinnamon.

          

Do not add any water. Cook in medium flame till the chicken is completely cooked and all the water evaporates. It takes around 20 -25 minutes to get dry.

                    

Last  Step: Switch off the stove and add 3 tsp of pepper powder and mix it properly. 

YOUR PEPPER CHICKEN IS  READY !!!

Orange & Honey Chicken

Hi friends its been a long time since I posted. Oranges are a winter fruit in most countries, It has such a unique flavor of it's own which gives the anything an amazing flavor. 

I opened my refrigerator and saw a full packet of oranges lying in my crisper,So I thought of making something tangy and orangey & came up with this recipe. If you don't know what to do with those extra pack of oranges...here it is:

ORANGE & HONEY CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:

• 500gms of boneless chicken cut into pieces
• 2 cups of Orange juice
• 2 Tsp of green chilly paste
• 4 Tbsp of maida (refined-All purpose flour)
• 1 tsp of rice flour
• 1 Tbsp of sugar 
• Salt according to your taste

 

For marinating the chicken you require:-

• 1 Tbsp of soya sauce
• 1 Tbsp of ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp of garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp of Honey
• 1 tsp of oil 
• 1 tsp of chilli flakes 
• 2 tsp of salt

MARINATE chicken for half an hour

                     

PROCEDURE:-

Add 2 Tbsp of maida and 1 tsp of rice dust in the marinated chicken and fry these in High flame till golden brown & keep it aside.

Take a another wok (or) pan and boil 2 cups of orange juice (which we squeezed from the oranges)  2 tbsp all purpose flour (or) cornflour and the green chilly paste. Add 1 Tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt.

Boil these in medium heat till the bubbles appear.

Keep stirring 

This is how it will look while boiling & after if starts boiling you add the fried chicken and toss it nicely.

For a nice look I have glazed the dish with little honey। If you want you can also sprinkle sesame seeds from top😄

~TADA!  IT IS READY !~

Hope you all try it out & let me know if you like it! :)

Tomato Pickle

Hi friends its been a long time since I blogged..I missed cooking So much! Was sick this year and was bedridden. But I'm Back now! My Heartiest & Warmest Greetings to all of you this Spring. It's My first post of 2015. 

Hope You like it.Today I'm going to share with which all of you a recipe was taught to me by my mother, & has been passed down in our family for generations :"Tomato Pickle"The best tomatoes are found during winter,when they are ripe, red and juicy inside. So make them during winter season :)

                                        

Ingredients:

• Ripe tomato- 1 kg
• Refined oil- 250 gm
• mustard powder- 2 tsp
• Jeera powder-2 tsp
• Turmeric powder-1tsp
• Red chilly powder-3 tsp
• Vinegar-1 cup
• Ginger- 75 gram
• Garlic- 100 gram
• Green chilly-25gram
• Curry leaves-12-15 leaves                                                         
• Sodium Benzoate-1 tsp
• Sugar- 2 tsp
• Salt -according to your taste

 <<Garlic cloves & curry leaves

I weighed each & every ingredient <carefully>

~My ripe tomatoes that I washed and dried before cutting them~

Procedure:

• Cut the tomatoes into small pieces (as shown in the picture) and keep it aside. -Medium sized tomato-into 6 pieces

                                 

• Heat oil in a pan, add red chili powder, cumin seeds powder, turmeric powder, mustard powder,

                                   

Grind the cumin seeds and mustard seeds into a powder (instead of readily available powders, for better taste)

• Grind ginger, garlic and green chili along with vinegar in a mixer grinder and keep it aside.

• Heat  oil in the pan, then add the red chili powder, cumin powder, turmeric and mustard powder. 
• Fry the spices in the oil for 5 minutes in low flame. Then add the ginger and chili paste which we made earlier. Cook in low flame for around 15 minutes.

    This is how the masala(spices) looks after it is ready

• Now at this stage add the chopped tomato pieces, curry leaves, sugar and salt. 

                                     

• Stir this really well.

                                     

• Let it cook for 1 hour till the oil leaves the side of the pan.

Caution:Keep stirring now and then so that the tomatoes do not get burnt and stick to the bottom of the pan.

• Keep on stirring so that all the spices are properly mixed and blend with the tomatoes.

• You will know that it is done when the tomatoes are soft and mushy and the gravy is thick.
• Lastly add Sodium Benzoate, & cook for 5-10minutes

                                 

As I prepared almost 3 kg of tomatoes, it took 2 hours to cook in medium flame. Slow cooking is best for making this kind of pickle.

Eat the pickle only after 3-5 days. If you are not adding sodium-benzoate then no need to wait you can consume immediately. 

~ENJOY~

Beetroot

This is an easy and healthy recipe. I personally am not a huge fan of beetroots but it's really good for people who are anaemic (having a low Hb count, like me), So I make it for health reasons. Surprisingly the end product tastes pretty good. ^_^

Ingredients :

• Beetroot - 2 medium sized (cut into small pieces)
• Potato- 1 big (cut into small pieces)
• Frozen green peas- 100 grams
• Green chillies- 2-3
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• 1 pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• Garlic- 9-12 pods (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp of red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder
• 1 Tsp of ghee for cooking

Procedure:

Take some ghee (clarified butter) in a nonstick pan. When its heated add the cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering add the asafoetida and green chilly. Then add the chopped garlic. When it starts to get little brown add the beets and potatoes. Cook it in medium flame adding the chilli powder. Cover the pan and cook it for almost half an hour  in low flame. If required you can add 2-3 tsp of water if the veggies seem too dry. Now open the lid and with the ladle feel the veggies. It should be properly boiled and should also be a little crunchy. (don't overcook it). Before turning off the flame add garam masala and mix it properly. Give 16 min standing time before serving. Sprinkle little coriander leaves from the top before serving. 

~ENJOY~

Chinese chili chicken

Hey everyone! This is my recipe for chili chicken, which is Chinese inspired. It's an all time favorite of my family, Whenever they're in a mood for something Chinese and there's chicken in the freezer, I go "It's time for some chili chicken". 

I've been making this since my high school days. It was the one of the first recipes I had learnt in my life. Before I got married the only thing I was really confident about in serving was my chili chicken and noodles. Hehehe. Hope You folks like it!

Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken-500 grams
• Eggs-2
• Corn Flour- 4 Tbsp
• Dark Soy sauce- 4 Tbsp
• Garlic-6-8 pods (chopped)
• Green chillies- 6 (thinly sliced)
• Spring Onions /Shallots -2 twigs
• Red Onion- 1 (chopped)
• Sugar- 1/2 tsp
• Vinegar- 1 tsp
• Oil- 2 Tbsp
• Tomato sauce- 2-3 Tbsp
• Capsicum (green bell peppers)- 2 medium sized 

                 

Procedure:

• Cut the chicken into medium sized chunks and keep it aside
• Beat the eggs in a bowl with corn starch, black pepper powder,salt and soy sauce. Beat them all together really well.
• Add the chicken pieces into the egg mix.
• Coat all the chicken pieces well with the mixture and keep it aside for least for 20 minutes .
• Heat sufficient oil in a pan and shallow fry the chicken, until they are golden brown.
• Heat some oil in another pan, & add the green chillies, chopped garlic and onion & saute them for 2 minutes, Then add soy sauce, tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar into the pan.
• Add the chicken to this mixture and cook for 5 minutes
• Lastly add the green onions and shallots from the top and give it a stir.

And It's Ready. 

~ENJOY~

Panch Mishali Tarka Dal

This is a type of  Indian lentil Soup, Also called "Panch Ratna Dal", "Panch-mel Dal" or "Panch Mishali Dal" which basically means 5 pulses/lentils (a dal made using 5 lentils) soup.

This dal has 5 types of pulses (lentils) in it. Masoor dal (red lentil), chana dal (Split bengal dal), urad dal (Vigna mungo), kali dal (split black gram) and mung dal (Split Green mungo beans) 

I soaked the lentils (dal) for almost 3-4 hours in lukewarm water. Then boiled it in a pressure cooker with salt, 2-tej pattas (bay leaf) and 1 chopped onion.

Ingredients for tarka/ Chaunk (Tempering) :

• 3 tomatoes 
• 2 onions 
• 7-8 garlic pods
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 Tsp of chilly powder
• 2 tsp of cumin seeds 
• A pinch of asafoetida 
• 1 tsp of garam masala powder 
• 3 tsp of ghee or refined butter

Procedure:

In a kadai (or) pan pour 2 tsp of ghee. When it's hot add cumin seeds and hing (asafoetida) when the seeds starts spluttering add the 2 chopped onions and cook till it gets deep brown then add the garlic pieces, turmeric and chilly powder. Cook it for 1 min and add the tomato pieces along with required amount of salt. Cook till it melts . Now add the boiled dal and mix properly. If the consistency is too thick add some warm water . Let the dal come to the boiling point. Lastly add 1 tsp of ghee and a spoon of garam masala from top. Boil for another 2 minutes and turn off the stove. Garnish with coriander leaves on top. 

Enjoy it with roti or naan.

PS: What is dal? (Indian Lentil Soup) >>Wikipedia

Vegetable Cutlets

During chilly evenings with pouring rain and a pleasant breeze, Winter evenings with Hot steaming tea....watching the sunset, This is a snack that will lift up your spirits & accompany your tea :) Eat them while hot along with your tea! Hope you try this out this winter! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 beetroots (the bulbs) 
• 4 medium sized carrots 
• 1 big potato
• 100 grams of green peas
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 2 tsp of chilli powder
• 1 onion
• 4-5 pods of garlic
• few twigs of coriander leaves
• Bhaja (fried) masala ( powdered spices of dried red chilly, bay leaf,coriander,cinnamon,cumin seeds)
• 1 tsp of clarified butter or ghee
• Besan (chickpea flour)or gram flour
• Breadcrumbs 
• Oil to fry 

Recipe:

• Boil the vegetables first.
• Mash the boiled vegetables nicely while adding salt, chilly powder, and turmeric powder to the mash.
• Take 1 tsp of oil in a pan and fry chopped onion and garlic. Now saute  the mashed veggies for 2-3 minutes and add 2 tsp of bhaja masala(See above) and a spoonful of clarified butter from top & give it a good stir.
• Let this mixture cool down for sometime.
• Meanwhile prepare a batter with chickpea flour (besan) and salt and water.
• Take a separate plate and spread out the breadcrumbs over the plate.
• Take little portions from the mixture which you prepared earlier and make small round shaped balls and flatten it out in your palms into cutlet shapes (like above)
• Keep these flattened cutlets in the refrigerator for an hour.
• Heat some oil in a pan.
• Dip the cutlet in the batter and roll it in the breadcrumbs and fry them in medium flame.

P.S.:  In absence of breadcrumbs you can roll it in semolina also.

Serve it with sauce of your choice 

Tomato Rice

Hi friends, How are you all, with the onset of winter. Now you'll find tomatoes in abundance everywhere. In the southern part of India, tomato rice is a rice preparation that is seen very often in packed lunches. Eating tomatoes is very good as it is rich in vitamin C which is great for hair and skin. Here in the south we find rice cooked in many interesting ways with tamarind, lemons, cabbage, carrots, beetroot. The basic spices for all these rice dishes remain the same but only the main ingredient used is different.

Today I'm going to share with you all my "tomato rice" recipe!

Ingredients:

The spices I've used

• 
  

• 400 gms of long grain rice
• 1 Tsp of red chilly powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala 
• 100 gms of onions (thinly sliced)
• 300 gms of tomatoes (chopped) 
• 1 Tsp of cumin seeds
• 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp of aesofotida (hing)
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tsp of oil
• 10-12 curry leaves 
• 2 dry red chilly
• 2 tsp of baked Chana dal ( Futana)
• 2 Tsp of peanuts 
• 1 tsp of raisins
• Cashew nuts ( optional)

Procedure:

1.Boil the rice and keep it aside. Spread nicely so that it does not get sticky.

2.Fry the peanuts and keep it aside.

3.Heat some oil in a pan and once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dried red chillies, asafoetida, curry leaves into the oil.

4. Now add the chopped onions into the same pan and fly till golden brown.

5.Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook in high flame for 2-3 minutes.

6.Now add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder.

7.Lower the flame and cook for almost half an hour till oil separates. The tomato mixture will reduce and look like in the picture below.

6. Now add the boiled rice  and chana dal (futana) (or) you can even add cashew nuts to the mixture and mix it properly.

Garnish with raisins and serve with curd or papad (nachos/tortilla chips)

ENJOY~