Chicken 65

Hi ladies this time it is a spicy starter post. But before that I just wanted to ask a question. Have you checked out this website CupoNation.in while online shopping. It gives you the best deals on various things of your choice. This publishing website offers variety home and kitchen related discount coupons too for a number of leading online retailers in India like flipkart, snapdeal, homeshop18 and many more. See this site and try it next time when you do your online shopping.

Now coming back to today's recipe. Kids will love this and won’t be able to stop munching. You can marinate the chicken and keep in fridge and fry it as required. It serves well as a party starter or evening snack or as a filling with mayonnaise, thinly sliced onion and capsicum to make chappathi rolls. Try as any and enjoy. 

Ingredients

1. Chicken breast - 500 gms (cut into small bite size pieces)
2. Ginger - 1 small piece
3. Garlic - 2 cloves
4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
6. Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp (Increase if you need it more spicy)
7. Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
8. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Rice flour - 2 tsp
10. Lemon Juice -1 tbsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Egg - 1 (optional)
13. Oil for frying

Method

• In a mixer add ingredients from 2 to 11 and grind well to a very smooth paste.
•  Mix the above marinade with beaten egg. (Avoid this if you don;t want to add egg).
•  Put the marinade on the chicken bite sizes and mix well. Keep in fridge for 3 hrs (or atleast 20 minutes).
•  Heat the oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Deep fry until golden brown. Maintain the heat at medium so chicken gets enough time to cook inside. It’ll be ready in 6-8 minutes.
• Serve with tomato sauce.

 There are chances that it’ll be over by the time you go to take the sauce. J

Quiche

Most of the quiche recipes contain lots of cheese and butter. I was eager to try one quiche but these guilt feeling ingredients refrained me from trying it. Then yesterday I tried this not much buttery and no cheese quiche which tasted nice. It is a healthy breakfast for your family. Here I've tried sausages as main ingredient. You can make it more healthy by choosing your favourite ingredient and loading with cheese if your kids like it.

Ingredients
For the base pastry

• Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
• Butter - 10 gms (frozen)
• Olive oil - 3 tsp (frozen)
• Ice cold water - as required
• Salt to taste

For filling

• Sausage - 2 
• Onion - 1 medium
• Egg - 1 
• Milk - 2 tsp
• Oregano - 1/2 tsp
• Any pizza cheese (as required) - I didn't use

Method
For the base pastry

• Rub frozen butter and frozen oil out into the wheat flour.
• Add salt to taste
• Add required amount of cold water to make a dough. Cover it with aluminium foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For filling

• Mix together milk and egg. Add salt and pepper as required.
• Add grated cheese to egg-milk mix. Keep aside (If you're not using cheese, omit this step)
• In a hot pan add little oil and followed by chopped onion. Add salt to taste.
• Add chopped sausage pieces and stir fry. 
• Add oregano and pepper powder. Stir fry until done and keep aside

Finally

• Preheat oven at 180 degrees centigrade.
• Take the refrigerated dough and roll it into the size of your pie/tart dish.
• Butter the base of the tart dish
• Press the rolled out dough into the dish and cut off the extra at the rims. 
• Put the filling into it and pour the egg- milk-cheese mixture. 
• Bake in preheated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 25-30 minutes

Prawns Thoran

This is an easy way to eat something tasty on a lazy day (if you've some cleaned prawns). I had some cleaned shallots in my fridge so things were very quick. Just had to mix and love all ingredients and put it on flame. Enjoy with hot rice. 

Ingredients

• Prawns - 250 gms
• Shallots - 1 cup + (3 for tempering)
• Chopped ginger - 1 tbsp (chopped)
• Green chilli - 5
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Kudam puli - 2 pieces 
• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Coconut oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method

• Clean the prawns. If they're big one cut each one into 2 to 3 pieces.
• Slice shallots and green chilli. chop ginger .
• In an earthenware (or any kadai) put together all the ingredients and mix well with your fingers.
• Keep on flame and let it cook for 6-10 minutes (Prawns actually take only 2-3 minutes to cook. you can adjust the cooking time according to your taste)
• Switch off the flame
• Temper as below

For tempering

• Heat oil in a pan
• Add mustard seeds. 
• When it starts spluttering add sliced shallots and saute until brown. 
• Pour over the thoran. 

Creamy Chicken Curry

This is one creamy chicken curry without coconut milk or cream. I've used cashew nuts for making the gravy thick and creamy. It adds to the taste too. It was a great side for appam and also for ghee rice. 

You need

1. Cinnamon - 1 small stick
2. Cardamom - 3
3. Bay leaves - 1/2 of 1
4. Cloves - 4
5. Chicken - 500 gms (cut into medium size pieces)
6. Onion - 4 medium
7. Ginger - 1 small piece (2 tsp when chopped)
8. Garlic - 2 cloves
9. Green chilli - 4
10. Coriander powder - 3 tsp
11. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
12. Tomato - 2
13. Cashew nuts - 15 nos.
14. Oil for sauteeing
15. Boiled water (as required)
16. Salt to taste

Method

• Soak cashew nut in water for 30 minutes
• Heat a thick bottomed vessel
• Add little oil. When it becomes hot add sliced onion, chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli
• Saute until it turns pink and transparent.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool
• Once cool take half of this mix, and grind to get a fine paste adding enough water.
• Again keep the vessel on flame, add little oil and ingredients from 1 to 4
• Add the chicken pieces. 
• Saute until all juice that oozes out from chicken dries up.
• Add coriander powder and pepper powder. Saute for 10-15 seconds
• Add onion paste and remaining half of sauteed onion. If the gravy seems thick add boiled water.
• Add chopped tomato. Add salt to taste
• Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes on low flame.
• During this time grind soaked cashew nuts into a fine paste adding enough water.
• After 20 minutes open the lid, add this cashew paste, mix well. Simmer for 2 minutes and switch off
• Serve with appam or rice

Puff Pastry Pie

Again I had some broken puff pastry sheets and couldn't make it into a puffs. The below one is not a recipe, it is just a method I tried at home to make a pie. Thought I would do some ad for puff pastry again. It was a surprise hit at home. 

You need 

• Puff pastry - 6 pieces (I get small square ones here)
• Any filling of your choice (Here I used chicken manjurian as the filling)

Method

• Oil the base of the baking dish
• Line the baking dish with puff pastry sheets. I used a loaf pan of 19.5 cm x 9.5 cm. 
• Fill it with the filling of your choice

• Cover the top with the remaining pastry sheets and brush lavishly with beaten egg.

• Bake in a preheated oven at 150 degree centigrade for 15-20 minutes or until done. 

Spicy Sausage Stir Fry

This is a slightly spicy sausage stir fry which is good for making chappathi rolls and sandwiches. There aren't much ingredients but the combination of onion, sausage and spring onions with spices gives it a very special taste. 

You need

• Sausage - 5 (chopped into tiny pieces)
• Onion - 4 small (sliced)
• Garlic - 2 cloves (chopped)
• Spring onion - 1/2 a bunch chopped
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Oil for sauteeing

Method

• Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel
• Add chopped garlic. 
• Add sliced onion when garlic turns slightly brown.
• Add salt to taste (remember sausage contains salt. So add accordingly)
• Now add the chopped sausage, chilli powder and pepper powder.
• Saute well for 5-7 minutes
• Add chopped spring onions, saute for a minute
• Serve with chappathi or in sandwiches. 

Sendind this to Surabhi's event @ Pragyan's Let's Party Fusion food

Fish in Coconut Gravy

Here it is weekend and this is one of the favourite curries we have with steaming hot rice. I love this combination for the flavour of coconut, the tanginess of kudam puli (gamboge) and the spices. My mom and my mil don't make this often, but I try this here on most weekends. It is creamy, not that spicy and full of flavours. Have a great weekend

You need

1. Fish - 500 gms (I used kingfish)
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Garlic - 2 cloves
5. Ginger - 1 small piece
6. Grated coconut - 1 cup
7. Chilli powder- 2 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Coconut oil (for sauteeing and for final stage)
11. Kudam puli (gamboge) - 2 pieces

Method

• Grind together all ingredients from 6 to 9 into a very fine paste adding water
• In a vessel heat oil and add mustard seeds
• Once it starts spluttering, add fenugreek seeds
• Add chopped ginger and garlic.
• Saute until they turn light brown.
• To this add the above coconut paste. If it is thick add water. 
• Add salt to taste
• Wash kudam puli and tear it into small pieces. Add to the gravy.
• Once the gravy starts simmering, put the fish pieces. Cover and cook on low flame for 20 minutes. 
• After 20 minutes drizzle a little coconut oil on top. Switch off and keep covered for 5 minutes.
• Serve with rice. 

Fried Fish Masala

I was bored to make the usual side dishes for chappathi and tried this fish dish. It went really well with it. It is simple but has a little bit of oil in it as it requires frying the fish first and then sauteeing it with masala. Otherwise it is a finger licking one. I used king fish pieces to make this.

You need

• Fish pieces  - 100 gm (bones removed and cut into small pieces)
• Onion - 1 big
• Tomato - 1 medium
• Ginger - 1 small piece
• Garlic - 2
• Green chilli - 1
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp + 1 tsp (for marinating) (see Note)
• Coriander powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp (for marinating)
• Oil for sauteeing and frying fish
• Salt to taste

Method

• Marinate the small fish pieces with chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside for 20 minutes. 
• In a frying pan heat oil and fry the fish pieces.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel
• Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chilli and chopped onion
• Saute until pink and transparent.
• Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. Saute until the raw aroma leaves.
• Add chopped tomato. Add salt to taste. (Remember you've marinated fish with salt)
• Add the fried fish pieces. Stir fry on low flame for atleast 10 minutes (the longer the better)
• Serve with chappathis

Note: Adjust your spices according to your spice levels

Spicy Prawns Fried Rice

Everytime I make this my husband and kid starts eating the prawns from the pan itself. This time I begged them to leave a few for taking some snaps. So I had to pick some and keep on top to say it is a prawns fried rice. This is a spicy rice and you can vary the pepper according to your spice level. Also you can substitute prawns with cooked shredded chicken and make it a chicken rice.

You need

• Prawns - 1 cup of medium size prawns.
• Basmati rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Carrot - 1 big diced
• Beans - 20 nos. diced
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Ginger - 1 medium size 
• Green chilli - 3
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Spring onion - 1 bunch
• Pepper powder - 2 tsp
• Soya sauce - 2 tsp
• Oil for sauteeing
• Salt to taste

Method

• Clean the prawns and cut it into small pieces
• Cook basmati rice in enough water, add salt and allow it to cool really well. (Avoid overcooking)
• In a thick bottomed big vessel heat oil
• Add finely chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies
• When the colour changes add finely chopped onions and saute until pink & transparent.
• Add diced carrots and beans. Add soya sauce. Lower flame and saute until they're cooked but yet crunchy.
• To the above add prawns and saute. (It takes only 2-4 minutes to cook prawns)
• Add pepper powder and salt to taste (remember you've used soya sauce above. It contains salt, so add salt here accordingly)
• Finally add the cooled cooked rice and chopped spring onions. Mix well on flame. Stir fry for 2 minutes. 
• Serve warm with any chinese side dish like manjurian

Appam and Chicken curry

I was into snack making for the past few days. I think my blog is totally lacking in the breakfast area. So decided to celebrate "breakfast mela" this whole week. The other reason is I'm totally drained of recipes. My head is not working so I think I'll cling on to lovely breakfasts for a while until I get all my screws tight and my little imaginations and searches starts working. My husband says breakfast is the important meal of the day, so make it as heavy as possible. But I know he is a foodie and wants to enjoy appam, dosa, idli or anything that doesn't bite him backwards. Hope you all are into a beautiful week and off your monday blues. It was appam and chicken curry today for breakfast and I'm sharing it with you all.

For Appam
You need

• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3 tsp + 2 tbsp 
• Yeast - 1 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Cooked rice - 1 handful
• Salt to taste

Method 

• Soak the rice in water for 2-3 hrs.
• Grind together the above ingredients with water and make it into a smooth batter.
• I usually use an aluminium pot to pour in the batter. It requires 8-10 hrs for fermentation. Leave overnight for fermentation. In the morning add 2 tbsp of sugar and mix well. Keep it aside for 15 mins. The batter will be ready for making beautiful laced appam. If the batter is too thick you can add a little milk and use

You can a use an appam chatti (readily available in all indian utensil stores) to make round lacy appams........ enjoy!!!!

For chicken curry
You need

• Chicken - 1/2 kg cut into medium pieces
• Chopped ginger - 3 tsp
• Chopped garlic - 3 tsp
• Green chilli - 3 (slit lengthwise)
• Onion - 4 big (sliced)
• Potato - 2 medium sized (cut into cubes)
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Thin coconut milk - 2 cups
• Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
• Oil for sauteeing
• Salt to taste

Method

• In a thick bottomed vessel, heat oil.
• Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic and slit green chillies.
• Saute until the raw aroma leaves
• Add sliced onions and saute until they become transparent
• Add all your powders. Saute until raw smell goes
• Add potato and chicken pieces and saute for 10 minutes on low flame. 
• Pour in thin coconut milk and add salt to taste. 
• Cover and cook until chicken is done. 
• Add thick coconut milk and let it simmer for 1 minute. 
• Switch off the flame.
• Serve with appams

Bread cups with filling

At times I think we should be named "snack family". Everyday we need something to munch on in the evening. So this is today's teatime snack. It is quite easy to make. Bread cups will be ready in 10 minutes. If you want to make a quick filling, try making a scrambled egg. You can make the filling of your choice. Do try. Have a great weekend. 

You need

• Bread slices - as required
• Oil for brushing

For filling

• Frozen vegetables - 1 cup
• Boneless chicken - 1/2 cup
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tomato sauce - 2 tsp
• Soya sauce - 1 tsp
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Salt as required
• Oil for sauteeing

Method

• Cut circles out of the bread slices.
• Brush some oil on both sides of bread circle and put it in a muffin hole
• Bake at 150 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Your cups are ready

For the filling

• Cook boneless chicken and tear into small pieces
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add chopped garlic. When it turns light brown, add the thawed vegetables and cooked chicken pieces
• Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
• After 2 minutes add chilli powder and pepper powder. Saute. 
• Add tomato sauce and soya sauce. Saute again
• Add salt as required (remember soya sauce contains salt)
• Stir fry for a few minutes until dry

Allow the filling to cool a bit before spooning into the bread cups. It is a yummy starter or a great snack after school.

Chicken Ball Curry

This is a simple chicken curry which has small gooseberry sized chicken balls in a thick gravy. Usually in koftas you use chicken mince. Here I've used cooked chicken and ground it in a mixer. Grind the chicken very well so you can make the balls tight, otherwise there is a chance that they'll break when you put it for frying. My son enjoyed this curry with his morning appams and his rice at noon. So I can confidently say this is a versatile curry. I've used the same gravy to make Paneer Peas masala which I posted sometime back. Do check that too.

You need

• Oil for frying and sauteing
• Salt to taste

 For the chicken balls

• Boneless chicken - 1/4 kg (I used one chicken breast)
• Onion - 1 (chopped)
• Chopped ginger - 1 tsp 
• Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
• Chopped green chilli - 1 tsp
• Cornflour - 2 tbsp

For the gravy

• Onion - 3 big
• Tomato - 1 big
• Chopped ginger - 3 tsp
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp (increase/decrease acc. to your tolerance)
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Milk - 1 cup

Method
For making chicken balls

• Cook boneless chicken pieces with salt
• Grind cooked boneless chicken in a mixer very well
• In a thick bottomed vessel pour little oil and saute chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli.
• When they turn light brown add chopped onion. Add salt. 
• Saute until it becomes transparent and then light brown.
• Leave it to cool. 
• When cool put in mixer and grind along with the already ground chicken (just a small rotation is enough)
• Move the above into a bowl and make small gooseberry size balls out of it.
• Roll in cornflour and deep fry until golden brown.

For the gravy

• Heat little oil in a pan
• When hot add chopped ginger and sliced onion.
• Saute until they become light brown. Put the flame on low.
• Add chilli powder and turmeric powder. Saute until raw smell goes. 
• Switch off the flame and let it cool
• Chop tomato and put in a mixer.
• Put the above sauteed onion mix also with chopped tomato in mixer and grind to a smooth paste.
• Switch on the flame and put a thick bottomed vessel on flame.
• In this pour the onion-tomato paste and let it simmer until most of the water dries up. Stir occasionally.
• Add cumin powder at this stage and stir again. 
• Add milk and mix well. Put in the fried chicken balls and let it simmer on low flame for 5 minutes. Switch off
• Serve with rotis 

Kappa vevichathu and meen curry (Cooked tapioca with fish curry)

The very special favourite of almost all keralites. Eventhough amma makes it rare at home now, I make it here almost all weekends. These kind of food keeps us close to the native land.  So enjoyed another weekend with this lunch and a beauty sleep. Have a great week ahead!

You need

1. Tapioca/Kappa - 1/2 kg
2. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
3. Green chilli - 3 
4. Garlic - 3 cloves 
5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt to taste

Method

• Peel the brown and pink skin of tapioca
• Cut into small pieces. Remove the fibre in the middle
• In a deep vessel cook the tapioca with lots of water and salt. 
• Once cooked well, drain all the water.
• Mash the tapioca.(I didn't mash as we like it as pieces)
• Grind together all ingredients from 2-7 and mix to the above. 
• Cook covered on slow flame 5-7 minutes. 
• Temper with below

For tempering

• Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Shallots sliced - 3 nos.
• Dry red chilli - 2 nos.

Method

• Heat oil
• Once hot add mustard seeds and let it splutter
• Add sliced shallots and let it turn light brown.
• Add dry red chilli and mix and switch off the flame.
• Pour over the cooked tapioca. 

For fish curry

1. King fish/Any fish of your choice - 1/2 kg cut into small pieces
2. Coconut oil - 2 tsp
3. Mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Garlic - 2 cloves chopped
6. Ginger - 1 small piece chopped
7. Green chilli - 1 chopped
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tsp
10. Kudampuli (Gamboge) - 2 pieces
11. Water - 2 and 1/2 cups

Method

• Heat oil in a curry chatti (An earthern ware used in kerala. It gives the curry the special taste than the once made in a normal vessel)
• Add mustard seeds and let it splutter
• Add fenugreek and let it turn light brown.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli.
• When the above ingredients turn light brown, add turmeric powder and chilli powder. 
• Add salt to taste at this stage and mix well.
• Add water and kudampuli (gamboge). Let it boil.
• Check for taste and adjust the salt and tangyness. (Add more kudampuli if required.)
• Add the fish pieces and lower the flame. Let it cook with the cover little open for 15-20 minutes. 
• Leave it open on slow flame for 5 minutes. You'll find a layer of oil on top. It depends on the fish you use for cooking and the oil added. 
• Serve with kappa or rice. We love it with dosa/idli/appam/ANYTHING!

Notes:

• I use kashmiri chilli powder to make fish curry. It makes the curry less spicy at the sametime thick and colourful.
• Kudampuli/Gamboge is the special ingredient for this curry and can be found in Indian stores. You won't get the same taste if you replace it with tamarind. 

• Fish curry gets it great taste when made in earthen ware, but you can try this in a normal nonstick pan as well