Chicken Bread

I simply love baking. Its been a really long time since I actually baked anything. I got this amazing bread recipe from Shab's Cuisine. It is so amazing and simple to make, that I have already made two loaves, with requests for more. I just halved the ingredients. Also, for the filling, I used leftover minced chicken which I cooked for dinner the previous night.  And the filling can be made with anything...not just chicken.

Ingredients:
For the Dough
Plain Flour or Maida: 2 cups
Yeast: 1/2 tbsp
Milk Powder: 1 tbsp
Salt: a pinch
Oil: 2 tbsp
Egg: 2 (1 is for the eggwash)
Castor Sugar: 1tsp
Lukewarm water: 1 cup
Sesame seed: 1 tsp for sprinkling

For the Chicken Filling:
Minced Chicken: 200gms
Green Peas: 50gms
Onion finely chopped: 1
Tomato finely chopped: 1
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2tsp
Corriander Powder: 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder: 1/2tsp
Garam Masala:1/2tsp
Corriander leaves: for garnishing

Method:
For the Dough

• In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, caster sugar, milk powder and yeast. Mix well
• Make a well in the center of this and add a beaten egg and oil. 
• Knead it to make a medium soft dough using the lukewarm water.
• Leave it to rise, for 2 hours or till it rises to double the size.
• Punch it back and divide the dough into two parts.

For the Filling

• In hot oil, saute the onion. 
• Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook a bit.
• Add the dry masalas and salt and cook covered on a medium flame.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.

The assembling

• Dust the working surface with flour. I did this on the baking tray because it is a bit difficult to move the bread once the assembling is done.
• Roll the dough into a rectangular shape.
• Place the filling in the center of the dough horizontally, leaving some space on both ends.
• Cut the edges with scissors, and fold each cut part from each side, so they overlap each other.
• Tuck in the ends.
• Brush the top of the bread with a beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds.
• Leave it to let it rise, for around 20 mins.
• Bake the bread at 200 degree C for 25 mins, or it turns golden.
• Take it out of the oven, and brush butter all over it while it is hot. 
• Enjoy it hot!!

I was really surprised and delighted to receive these awards from my new blogging friend Teenz' Yummy Delights.

 I pass these awards to
Julie
Tina
Mama's World
The Kitchen On the 28th floor

Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Who does not love paneer? Ever since I returned home, I have been making a lot of paneer dishes, because back in Jeddah, the paneer that was available in stores or in resturaunts, was very tough. Once I found an Indian brand of frozen paneer and I stocked up for the whole month!! Inspite of me making so many paneer dishes, I realize that I have not posted any here. Let me start with this one....Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Ingredients:
Paneer cubes (Cottage Cheese): 200 gms
Oil
Green Cardamom: 2
Cumin Seeds (jeera): 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder (haldi): a pinch
Red Chilli powder: a pinch
Capsicum diced: 2
Onions diced: 2 large
Tomatoes diced: 2
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Corriander leaves
Lemon Juice: of half a lemon

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add cardamoms and cumin seeds.
• When they crackle, add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute for about 30 secs.
• Add the capsicum and onion, and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Then add the tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium flame till tomatoes are a bit cooked. 
• Next, add the paneer and mix well.
• Add the garam masala and the salt and cook well.
• Garnish with lemon juice and Corriander leaves.

Grilled Chicken with Garlic Rice

This one is a favourite with my boys. If I ask them what they want for dinner, this is what they ask for. This is a combo that they eat without any complains. The garlic rice was a favourite with my sister and me also when we were kids. Our dad used to make it for us. Both the garlic rice and the grilled chicken is very easy to make. And it hardly takes any time.

For the Garlic Rice:

• Use left over rice, or make fresh if needed.
• Heat ghee or butter, saute as many chopped garlic cloves as preferred. Some people like lots of garlic and some prefer less.
• Add the rice and salt and mix well.

For the Grilled Chicken:

• Marinade the chicken with curd, ginger garlic paste, salt, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, lemon juice and 1tbsp oil, for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. 
• I also added some diced capsicum and diced onions to the marinade, but that is optional.
• Bring it to room temperature before you grill it or barbecue it.

Vanilla Cake

Though my parents were not here with us on their 35th Anniversary, I decided to bake this Vanilla Cake to keep my boys happy and in a celebratory mood. My 6 year old boys helped me, so we had a bit of fun doing this.

Ingredients:
Maida/Refined Flour: 100gms
Powdered Sugar: 100gms
Vanilla Essence: 2 tsp
Baking Powder: 1tsp
Milk: 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Butter: 100gms
Egg whites: of 3 eggs

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C
• Sieve together the flour and baking powder.
• Combine the butter and the powdered sugar till it becomes soft and creamy.
• Next add the egg whites to it, and beat well.
• Then, alternately, add the flour and the milk into the egg mixture. Start by adding the flour, and end by adding the flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon
• Mix in the vanilla essence.
• Pour the batter in a greased cake dish and bake at 175 degrees C for 45 minutes.
• Prick a fork or a knife in when it is baking to see if it is done. If the fork or knife comes out clean, then the cake is done.
• Transfer the cake on a wire rack to cool it.

I would like to enter this post to the event Christmas Delicacy hosted by Erivum Puliyumm.

Baked Eggs

These days, whenever I have to cook, there is just one thought running through my head..."will the boys eat this without cribbing". I have to keep looking for new ways to satisfy their taste buds. Thank God for the Internet. For example, when the boys didn't want to eat "normal dinner", but wanted something with eggs, I found this wonderful recipe from this amazing blog. It is actually a breakfast dish, but I made it for dinner anyways, and served it with buttered brown bread. The kids just loved it!!!

Ingredients:

• Eggs: 3
• Tomatoes: 2 chopped
• Onion small: 1 chopped
• Turmeric Powder: a pinch
• Salt: as per taste
• Oil
• Butter: for spreading on the baking dish
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F
2. Heat the oil.
3. Add the onions and saute till translucent.
4. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
5. Mix in the salt and the turmeric powder.
6. Stir for 7 to 10 minutes on medium heat. The tomatoes should not lose their shape.
7. Smear butter all over the baking dish.
8. Pour the tomato mixture into the dish.
9. Gently crack open the eggs, one by one, on the tomato base.
10. Place it in the oven for 20 -25 minutes for a cooked yolk and 15-20 minutes for a softer yolk.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chicken Curry

This dish was made by my brother-in-law. It was so tasty that I had to ask him for the recipe. Even my boys enjoyed it and asked for seconds. I made it exactly like he did, with only one difference....I did not add red chilly powder. It is really simple to make and does not have much spices. This recipe is exactly what he sent me.

Ingredients:

Chicken: 1kg

Ginger: 1inch

Garlic: 6 to 8 flakes

Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp

Onion: 1 chopped

Tomato: 2 chopped

Red Chilly Powder: 1 tsp (optional)

Curry Powder: 2 to 3 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil for frying

Method:

1. Chop the chicken in small pieces.

2. Wash and dry it.

3. First prepare the paste (garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and coriander seeds).  BUT don’t marinate it with the meat. It will be required later not now.

4. Heat oil in a cooking vessel that will be able to fry the chicken at a single time. (Oil can be taken out later so its better If you put adequate oil that will be able to fry all the chicken)

5. Now add the chicken all in a single instance and stir it gently. After some time you will find that water will show up, and it will began to boil. At this time add salt. 

6. Than cover the vessel, lower the flames a bit and let it boil for around 10-15 minutes, but be careful, sometimes it burns at the bottom.

7. Check if there is water in the vessel or only oil. When you see only oil at the bottom and pieces are sticking at the bottom stir the pieces gently. Keep doing this for around 5 minutes while letting the pieces fry.

8. After some of the pieces have turned partially red remove the fried chicken out of the vessel and keep aside.

9. If there is extra oil in the vessel, then discard some.

10. In the remaining oil, saute the chopped onion till it turns slightly brown.

11. Than add in the paste.

12. Stir well, and when the garlic starts to stick to the bottom of the vessel, add the two chopped tomatoes, and cook till the tomatoes are half done.

13. Add some red chilly powder.

14. Now add the chicken and stir well so that all the pieces are coated with the masalas.

15. Add the curry powder and cook for at least 5 mins.

16. Then add around 200ml water and cover and cook on a low flame, till the chicken pieces are cooked.

17. Wait for five minutes after switching off the gas, before serving. Goes great with steamed rice.

Butter Chicken

Everyone loves Butter Chicken, and so do I. I never found a really good recipe before. This recipe was given to me by a good friend. She brought it home one day and everyone loved it...even my boys. She shared the link for the recipe.

Ingredients:
Chicken: 800gms
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Butter 2 tablespoons
• For the marinade:
Curd 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard oil 2 tablespoons
• For the gravy: 
Butter 50 grams
Ginger garlic paste 2 tablespoon
Green chillies,chopped 4-5
Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) 1/2 teaspoon
Whole garam masala 1 tablespoon
Tomato puree (I used home made puree) 400 gms
Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar 2 teaspoons
Cream 1 cup

Method:
1. Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces of the chicken.
2. Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and set aside for half an hour. 3. Hang curd in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes to remove extra water.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and mustard oil to the curd.
5. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours.
6. Put the chicken onto a skewer and cook in a moderately hot tandoor or a preheated oven (200°C) for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done. 
7. Remove and keep aside.
8. Heat butter in a pan.
9. Add green cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon.
10. Saute for two minutes, add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies.
11. Cook for two minutes.
12. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and one cup of water. Bring to a boil.
13. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.
14. Add sugar and powdered kasoori methi.
15. Add cooked tandoori chicken pieces. 
16. Simmer for five minutes and then add fresh cream.
17. Serve hot.

Apple Jam

My boys love jam. And they love fruits. And they were getting bored during their holidays. So we decided to try making Apple Jam. It is so simple, that I wondered why I did not make it before. My six year old helped me to make the jam and I am happy to say that he thinks it tastes better than the Mixed Fruit Jam that I buy him from the store. :)  

Ingredients:

Apples: 1/2 kg

Sugar: 325 gms

Water: 1 cup

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Glass Bottles: 2 (200gms each)

Method:

1. Sterilize the glass bottles and their lids in boiling water for at least 10 mins.

2. Peel the apples and cut them in cubes.

3. Cook the apples 1 cup water till they are tender. Mash them a bit using a masher.

4.  When the apples are mushy, add the sugar and lemon juice and cook and stir on a high flame, till it becomes thick.

5. Pour the hot jam in the sterilized bottles quickly before it sets. Leave at least 1 cm space at the top.

6. Let it cool and spread it on bread, roti, puri, or eat it just like it is....like my boy!!

Macaroni Chicken Cheeese Bake

Got this wonderful recipe from "Cooking with Chicken. Recipes from East and West". This is a very old book that belongs to my mom. The only difference is that I added carrots, peas and beans along with the capsicum. This recipe was a loved by my whole family, especially the kids, and I will definitely make it again. It is very simple to make. I use macaroni of different shapes so my boys have more fun eating it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chicken (boiled and shredded)
75 gms butter
60 gms flour
2 cups milk
seasoning to taste
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites (stiffly beaten)
1 cup chopped, seedless capsicum
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup mushroom
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup beans
3/4 cup grated cheese
120 gms fresh cream
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 cups boiled macaroni
2 large firm tomatoes, sliced
25 gms cheese
25 gms dry breadcrumbs

Method:
1. Saute all the veggies and keep aside
2. Prepare a white sauce with the butter, flour and milk.
    i. Melt butter over a low flame.
    ii. Stir in the flour. Using a whisk, stir the butter and flour mixture until it bubbles.
    iii. Cook and stir for 2 mins.
    iv. Remove from heat and slowly add the milk, stirring with the whisk.
    v. On a slow flame stir and cook till the sauce becomes thick.

3. When the sauce has thickened, add seasoning and beaten egg yolk and cook, stirring constantly, till it becomes a little thick.

4. Add the veggies, 3/4 cup grated cheese and chicken shreds.

5. Whip the egg whites till they are stiff and fold them into the mixture.

6. Cool and add the whipped cream and ketchup.

7. Check for seasoning.

8. In a large greased pie dish, put one cup of the boiled macaroni, then pour half the mixture on it and spread evenly.

9. On top of this, arrange the tomato slices, overlapping each other.

10. Do the same with the remaining macaroni and mixture.

11. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs.

12. Bake in an oven for 40 mins.

13. Serve hot.

Besan Halwa

Every evening I keep wondering what snack to make for my boys before they go to play. I was looking around for something new, and I came across Besan Halwa. It was something I have not tried before and it looked very easy to make to. And the best part is that my boys loved it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Besan (Bengal gram flour)

3/4 cup Ghee
1 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water (approximately)

Method:
1.Heat water and milk in a pan. Stir in cardamom powder. Set aside.

2.Heat ghee in a shallow frying pan. Add besan and roast in the ghee for 10 minutes, or until it smells nutty and fragrant.
3.Add the sugar and stir. Pour in the milk mixture gradually. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. Add water as needed. Cook the mixture for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently till the halwa pulls away from the sides of the pan.
4.Serve hot, or spread the mixture into a rimmed plate and allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.

Mutton Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh must be the most famous Kashmiri dish. Unfortunately every restaurant makes it differently. I looked for the perfect recipe in a lot of books, and all over the net, but I got different versions everywhere. All the recipes had onions, tomatoes and required the mutton to be marinated. Finally I got this original recipe from a Kashmiri. It was just great!! There is no need for onions or tomatoes or marination. And it is very simple to make.

Ingredients:

Mutton: 250 gms

Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch

Kashmiri Red Chili Powder(will give a good colour): 1 tbsp

Fennel/Sauf Powder: 1tsp

Ginger Powder: 1tsp

Whole garam masala: Cloves, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Black cardamom: all a few pieces

Curd: 1/2 cup

Mustard Oil  as needed

Method:

1. Heat mustard oil in a pressure cooker.

2. Add the asafoetida and then the whole garam masala.

3. When it starts spluttering, add the mutton.

4. Fry the mutton till it looks reddish. Lower the heat.

5. Dissolve the red chili powder in a few spoons of water and add it to the mutton, and let it cook in the chilly powder for 5 mins.

6. Next add the Fennel powder and the Ginger powder. Mix well and then add curd.

7. Simmer it till the oil separates from the curd.

8. Add water and pressure cook till the mutton becomes soft.

9. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Aloo Palak....My Way (Spinach with Potatoes)

Feels good to be posting after a really long time. I have been very busy with my two boys. Now that both of them are in school, I have a bit of time on my hands to blog mor often.
Todays post is about Aloo Palak. I generally make palak in a very simple way. Today I decided to make it differently.

Ingredients:
Palak/Spinach:   2 bunches
Ginger: Finely chopped
Garlic:  Finely chopped
Onion:  7 to 8 Baby/Madras onions
Potatoes: 2 medium Diced  
Chilly: 2 Slit
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Corriander leves: 3 tbsp Chopped
Cream: 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Corriander powder: 1 tsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Salt: As per taste
Oil: As required

Method:
1. Blanch the spinach: Put the spinach in salted boiling water for 2 minutes and then put it in cold water.
2. Fry the diced potatoes for a 3 minutes. Keep aside.
3. In hot oil, add the cumin seeds. When it crackles, add the chopped ginger, garlic and slit chillies.
4. Saute for a bit and then add the baby onions.
5. Let it fry till the onions change colour.
6. Add the potatoes, salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder and  corriander powder.
7. Mix well. Add little water. Cover and cook on a low flame till the potatoes are soft and the water has been absorbed.
8. Add  cream and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Add the spinach and corriander leaves. Cover and cook on low flame till the spinach is cooked.
10. Serve with rice or roti.
8.