Chicken 65

This evening my husband had to go to Bangalore for two days, leaving my toddler boy and me alone in a new city like Chennai, where I don't know anybody. It was an unexpected tour, and since I would be bored alone, I decided to cook something from the many blogs I have visited. I thought of making chicken. In most of the recipes I saw, the masalas had to be grinded, and I was feeling very very lazy to do that. And my son was crying because his dadda did not take him along. He even put on his pants on his own so that he could go with dadda.

The recipe which I thought was the easiest was Chicken 65, from Bong Mom. The marinade smelled so good, that I was sure the end result would also be good. While cooking, my boy said "nice smell mums (he calls me mums now. Don't know why)". He loved eating it.

I marinaded the chicken for about an hour with:

Vinegar

Ginger garlic paste

Salt

Pinch of Turmeric powder

Pinch of red Chilli powder

Soya Sauce: 2 tsp

Corn flour

Sambar powder: 2-3 tsp

Then, in hot oil, I fried curry leaves, mustard seeds and chopped garlic.

Next, I added the chicken pieces and fried them. I covered it and cooked it on a low flame till it was ready. Like the recipe suggests, I did not add water.

I am really thankful to Bong Mom for posting this yummy dish. It tasted great!!

Yam with Garlic

I like yam and I had not eaten it for a very long time. Every vegetable shop I go to in Chennai, has yam, so I decided to buy some. I remember my mom making a very tasty yam dish, so I called her up and asked her how to make it. In this recipe we use kalo jeere, which is an important ingredient in Bengali dishes. It is better know as kalaunji or nigella seeds Ingredients:

Yam: 250 gms

Garlic: 5-6 flakes

Kalo jeere/kalaunji/nigella seeds: 1 tsp

Red Chilli: 2 torn in bits

Turmeric powder: a pinch

Salt: as required

Method:

1. Pressure cook the peeled, cut, cleaned yam without salt.

2. After it has cooled, mash it nicely.

3. In hot oil, add the kalo jeere, torn red chillies and garlic and saute them.

4. Add the mashed yam and mix well.

5. Add the salt and the turmeric powder.

6. Cook a bit and no water should be added.

My First Award

This morning I got a wonderful surprise for my blog. Suma Rajesh has awarded me with the "BLOGGING FRIENDS FORVER AWARD". I really appreciate that. This is my first award. I am very happy. Thank you so so so so much Suma. It means a lot to me.

The following rules apply to this award:
1. Only 5 people are allowed to receive this award
2. 4 of them followers of your blog.
3. One has to be new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to who ever gave you the award.

Since my blog is relatively new, I am not very sure if I have any followers, but still, I choose:

1. skribles

2. Solai Chidambaram

3. Illatharasi

4. SriLekha

5. Sireesha: she is new and in France.

Orange Fish Curry

My sister got this recipe from a friend and she insisted I try it. I am glad I listened to her. She said that the paste should be preferably made using a stone grinder, but a mixie is fine if there are no stone grinders lying around. Fortunately for me, my land lady has two stone grinders and so she let me use one. Yippee!! I made it and I must say that it tasted great. This tastes great with rice and dosa. Unfortunately I could not take a picture with the rice or the dosa.

Ingredients:

Fish (I used Seer): 500 gms

Onion: 1/2

Garlic: 5-6 flakes

Curry leaves: 2 sprigs

Salt

Oil

Make a paste of the following ingredients. The paste should be bright orange colour. It should not be thin at all. It should be very thick. Wash the mixie or the grinder and retain the water from that so that it still has the flavour of the paste.

Coconut: a bit more than half (grated)

Onion: 1/2

Ginger: 1/2 inch

Green Chillies: 2

Coriander powder: 1tsp

Chilli powder: 4 tsps

Turmeric Powder: a pinch

Tamarind water: 7-8 tbsp

Method:

1. In a kadhai, fry the curry leaves, garlic and the other half of the onion.

2. On a very low flame, add the paste. Then add the water from the paste and cover it and simmer it.

3. When it starts bubbling, add the fish to it, and cook on a very low flame for a long time.

I am submitting this recipe to CURRY MELA HOSTED BY SRIVALLI

Carrot Roti

I was inspired to make this roti for my 34 month old son from Sireesha. I grated the carrot and added it to the dough. I did not add any spices. Instead, I added some left over dal that I had while kneading the dough. I am not much of a roti maker, so was happy to see that the rotis fluffed. My son likes to put butter on his rotis and roll them to eat, so thats what I did..... And my son who is a carrot hater, happily ate the rotis.

Mallai Chingri (Prawns in Coconut Milk)

This dish has been a childhood favourite. My sister and I love the way mom cooks it. I tried to make it my way, but it was not that good. Finally I asked my ma for the recipe and I made it. Even my baby loved it. This is again a Bengali dish and I think most of the Bengalis love it. I have not put the amount for the ingredients as it depends on the quantity of the prawns.

Ingredients:

Prawns (big medium or small)

Potato

Onion

Tomato

Coconut milk

Ginger

Garlic

Turmeric Powder

Red Chilli powder

Salt

Garam Masala powder (cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamon)

Method:

1. Wash, peel and devein the prawns. Chop the onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.

2. In the hot oil, first add the ginger and garlic and fry for a minute.

3. Then add the onion and fry a bit more.

4. Next add the tomato. Fry a bit and then add the salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Fry till the smell of onion disappears.

5. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.

6. When it starts to boil, add the prawns.

7. Cover and cook on medium flame, till the prawns are soft.

8. Just 2 minutes before turning it off, add the garam masala powder and let it simmer.

This is best eaten with steamed rice.

Yummy Squash

I feel in love with this vegetable when I was studying in boarding school in a nice, quiet hill station called Kurseong. My 34 month old boy who only likes to eat potatoes loved this one. People have different ways of cooking it, and mine is as follows (of course I got it from my mom)... It is very easy to cook.Ingredients:
Squash 3
Onion 1
Potato 1
Tomato 1
Garlic 2-3 flakes
Turmeric powder
Red Chilly powder
Salt
Method:
1. Peel and cut the potato and squash in thin strips.
2. Chop the onion, garlic and tomato.
3. In hot oil, add the garlic.
4. When it is cooked a bit, add the onion.
5. When it has a glazed look, add the tomato and fry.
6. Add the salt, turmeric powder and red chilly powder and fry sprinkling water.
7. When this looks a bit cooked, add the potato and squash.
8. Fry for a bit, and then add water and cook. Cook till both the potato and the squash are soft ad feel cooked. It can be kept dry, or more water can be added for gravy.

Baingan Bharta (Brinjal)

This is a simple baingan bharta recipe. I learnt it from my mom. Except for the brinjal roasting part, everything is very easy. The bhartas I have eaten are normally full of masalas. This does not need too much oil or spices. Ingredients:

Brinjal 1 big

Onion 1

Tomato 1

Turmeric powder

Chilly powder

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Salt

Oil

Method:

1. Wash the brinjal and pat it dry. Rub a bit of oil on the whole thing.

2. Keep it on a grill on the gas top and turn it around to roast it.

3. When it is completely roasted, the skin of the brinjal will start to peel and the rest of the vegetable will look cooked.

4. Let it cool, then peel it.

5. Remove the seeds if necessary as many people don't like them. Mash it nicely.

6. In hot oil, fry the onions, and then add the tomato.

7. Next, add the salt, turmeric powder and red chilly powder and fry well. Sprinkle water if needed.

8. Add the brinjal and mix well. Let it cook for some time.

9. Add coriander leaves to garnish.

My favourite Dal

Normally when we make dal, we first pressure cook the dal and then temper it. When I get bored of doing that, I make this dal, where I fry everything first and then pressure cook with the dal. It is yummy, looks good, and smells amazing. This can be made with Masoor Dal as well as Tur Dal. I prefer Tur Dal. It is very simple. Ingredients:

Tur Dal

Onion

Tomato

Garlic

Chilly

Cumin Seeds

Coriander powder

Cumin powder

Turmeric powder

Red chilly powder

Salt

Oil or Ghee

Method:

1. Wash the Dal and keep aside.

2. Heat oil or ghee in the pressure cooker.

3. When it is hot, add cumin seeds.

4. When the cumin seeds splutter, add the slit green chillies, garlic and onion. Add them one by one frying each a bit.

5. Add the tomato. Fry well.

6. Add the ground spices and salt.

7. Fry for sometime sprinkling water.

8. Add the dal and mix well.

9. Then add water as per the required amount, and pressure cook it.