Foodie's Bar

Parna's Special Egg Curry

2007-01-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Egg is a favourite of many folks. Some like it poached, with or without the sunny side up, scrambled, hard-boiled, soft-boiled.....The list is endless. Besides being high on protein, it is cheap and easy to cook, for non-vegetarians.

Egg curry with toast used to be a staple back home, especially during winters. It brings back many fond memories of childhood. Mom used to make one with loads of peas and onions. Till date i have not been able to make one tasting as wholesome as hers. Over time, having tried many combinations, i finally have one which can remotely taste like that. My husband being an ardent egg-lover made it quite necessary for me to have a handy egg-curry recipe. Here goes then.....

Ingredients

Eggs - 4
Onions - 2 medium sized, chopped
Potatoes - 4 medium sized (peeled and halved)
Green peas - 1 cup
Tomatoe puree - 3 tblsp
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Green chilliles - slit lengthwise
Salt to taste
Turmeric - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Fresh coriander - 1/4 cup, chopped
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tblsp

Pressure cook the eggs and potatoes together through one whistle. Cool and shell the eggs. Sprinkle them with salt and turmeric powder, heat oil and shallow fry them for a minute This helps to seal the the salt and the turmeric, as well as adds a very rich colour. Keep aside.

Now in the same oil add the bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Fry for a minute. Add cumin seeds and when it starts to change colour add chillies. Fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry till they become translucent.

Add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry till the oil starts to leave. Add the tomatoe puree and cook for half a minute. Now add the coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala and stir fry for about a minute. Add 1 cup of water, mix well and then add the potatoes. Moderate the water as per your gravy needs.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Prick the potatoes with a fork to check if they are cooked. Make sure the extra water evaporates. Add the coriander leaves and cook for a minute. Add the peas and eggs. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.

Your egg curry is ready to be devoured. You can have it with steaming rice or roti.

A New Year

2007-01-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Its been a long while, indeed. Moving back to india, house-hunting, setting up a home again, job-hunting, realigning myself...well the list is endless. Even then, laziness is partly to be blamed, coupled with a very tight-schedule that left me with little or no time to indulge myself in writing on this blog.

However, a new year is a good place to start things long lost or forgotten. Or take up something close to your heart or for which one is passionate about. Cooking happens to be one such.

Those of you who still visit this place - thank you for dropping by. Especially a big thank you to those bloggers who have still kept me on their blogroll inspite of this place being dormant for more than 8 months now.

But now that i am back and hope to write more often, lets kickstart with some nice spicy indian grub.

Paneer Jhalfraizee

Paneer or cottage cheese is a one stop item on the menu of many vegetarians. It can also be made at home. Homemade paneer is soft and fragile and many prefer it to the ones sold in grocery stores. But homemade cottage cheese being more fragile, it becomes necessary to mix it with flour, else it has a tendency to granulate.

Ingredients

Paneer - 400 gms
Onions - 2 medium sized
Ginger - 2 inch knob
Bell pepper - 2 medium sized
Tomato puree -3 tblsp (or 3 medium sized tomatoes)
Coriander - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 2, chopped
Red chillies - 2
Oil - 3 tblsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1 1/4 tblsp

Cut the onions into thick slices and separate the layers. Wash, deseed and cut the bell peppers into long strips. Cut the paneer into finger size pieces. In case you are using tomatoes instead of the puree, cut them into thick slices too, lenghtwise.

Chop the ginger into fine juliennes. I prefer julienned ginger to paste. It is your take.

Heat oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds. When they start to change colour, break and add the red chillies. Now add the ginger juliennes and the chopped onions. Fry till the ginger is done. Or if you are using ginger paste, the oil starts to leave and there is a fried aroma of ginger.

Add chilli powder and turmeric powder and mix well. Now add the bell peppers. Cook for two to three minutes. I like my pepper to retain the bright green colour which it starts to lose if over-cooked.

Now add the paneer pieces and toss. Add salt and vinegar and cook for another two to three minutes. Add the tomato puree or the chopped tomatoes in case you are using the latter, and the garam masala. Cook till the excess water evaporates.

Garnish with coriander.

Serve hot either with nan, roomali roti or fried rice.

This recipe has been tried a couple of times and each time it has turned out well. Do give it a shot.

Rotini With Chicken In Red Wine Sauce

2006-02-21T22:05:00.000-08:00

This was the valentine's day special. I know it is long past and moreover it does sound a little corny to celebrate it. But hey! Its just another day to be made special and enjoyed with your loved one :) and reason enough for cooking up something a little off the cuff.

Now, i had a bottle of red wine sitting for sometime, having planned to make a pasta with it. But i could not find, for the life of me, a pasta-recipe which had chicken and red wine in it. Most of them had white. So this is nearly out of my imagination. But it turned out fairly well going by the look on hubby's face.

Ingredients

Chicken Breasts - 4 pieces, cut into bite size (2 pieces for each person)
Onion - 1 large, chopped
Garlic Cloves - 5-6, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper - 2 tsp
Red Wine - 1&1/2 cup (be generous)
Rotini - 3 cups (1.5 cups for each)
White Butter - 1 tbsp (i know its sinful. but it does add to the taste)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tsp
Grated Parmesan - 1 cupful
Flour - 2 tbsp

Heat the butter and the olive oil in a wide bottomed skillet. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add flour and the red wine. Cook for about two minutes. Now chicken pieces and mix. Add salt and pepper. Cook uncovered on medium-high for about ten minutes or till the sauce becomes a little thick and the chicken pieces are cooked.

Simultaneously, in a separate pot heat water, cover and boil the rotini. Add a pinch of salt to it. When it is 3/4 cooked, drain and keep aside.

Now when the chicken pieces are almost cooked and the sauce is thick, add the boiled rotini. Mix well. Serve hot with grated parmesan generously sprinkled over it.

Note: Personally i prefer chicken thighs to breasts, since i find the latter a little chewy. But it is your preference.

Simple Veg Fried Rice

2006-02-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

Well, everyone has their own version of a vegetable fried rice. Some like it with mint some with coconut and some with peas. So this version of the fried rice is really just another brick in the wall, except for the fact, it is very nutritious and hence, healthy, being low on oil and high on veggies.

Ingredients

Carrots - 2 washed, scraped and diced
Green Bell Pepper - 1 big, chopped
Spring Onions - 8-10 stems, chopped
Button Mushrooms - 12-16, chopped
Basmati rice - 1 cup, washed
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Optional

Red Bell Pepper - for more colour and vitamins A, C & K :)
Chives - a handful
Onion - 1 medium sized, if you do not use spring onions
Black Pepper instead of the chilli powder for the health freaks

Method

Cook the rice separately in the rice cooker or the ordinary way you cook it usually.

Cut the mushrooms into nice chunky sizes. Remember it is better to not wash them in water as it leads to oxidisation. Instead wipe them with a moist kitchen towel.

Heat oil in a wide bottomed skillet and add the mushrooms. They are added first since they release a lot of water which needs to be absorbed. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Now add the rest of the veggies one after the other. Stir fry for 8-10 minutes. If you want your vegetables to be crunchy reduce the time. Add salt to taste and chilli powder. Now mix the cooked rice and mix well.

This version of the fried rice has a nice chinese flavour to it without the vinegar and the soya. This is a complete meal in itself. But in case you cannot do without a side dish, try this with a simple chicken curry or a saag paneer.

Cheese And Crab Meat Puffs

2006-01-31T23:22:00.000-08:00

This, i must confess, is inspired by Paula's Home Cooking of Food Network fame. She is a sweet lady in her mid-fifties who struggled through life, initially catering from home, then working in a restaurant and finally writing cookbooks of her own and owning a restaurant, along with her two sons. She is an inspiration indeed. But what draws me most to her recipes is, ease in making them in a very short period of time.

Ingredients

Crab Meat - 400 gms
Phyllo Dough - 8 sheets (you can get it in your grocery store)
Butter for basting
Salt to taste
Pepper - 1 tsp
Nutmeg Powder - 1 tsp
Poultry Seasoning - 1tsp
Cream Cheese - 2 tblsp, heaped

Mix the crab meat, cheese (since i had some leftover ricoto, i used that instead), salt, pepper, nutmeg and the poultry seasoning together in a bowl. In case you do not have any poultry seasoning, you can add cumin powder instead. It adds a smokey flavour to the filling.

Now take a phyllo dough sheet and bast it with a layer of butter. Then place another sheet right on top of the first one and bast it with butter too. Now cut the sheet into four equal parts. Place a lumpfull of the crab-mix in each square and pull the sides together into a bunch. Now repeat the process with the rest of the other six sheets.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray some non-stick cooking oil either on the tray or on the aluminium foil. Bake the puffs for 25 minutes approximately. The crab meat is soft and the cheese just melts in the mouth. Serve this hot.

Note: Phyllo dough is fragile. It must be kept refrigerated and while using it for the puff, make sure that it is of room temperature, else there is a chance that the sheets might crumble up.

Lemon Chicken In Mustard Sauce

2006-01-26T00:21:00.000-08:00

Those of you who watch Food Network may know Rachael Ray. She has shows like '$40 A Day' and '30 Minute Meals' to her credit. I am quite hooked to her. Firstly, since she makes the most difficult of recipes seem like a piece of cake, literally and secondly cause her recipes are meant to be super-quick meals meant to be on the table under 30 minutes from start to finish. So on my recent trip to the bookstore i got myself one of her books. I inaugurated it today by cooking this up. It turned out fairly well :)

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Breasts - 4
Dijon Mustard - 2 tblsp - heaped
Chicken Stock - 3/4 cup
Sour Cream / Yoghurt - 2 tblsp
Thyme - chopped from 4 stems
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Pepper - 2 tsp
Oil

Marinate the chicken breasts with lemon juice, chopped thyme leaves, salt and pepper and set aside for 30 minutes. Now heat oil in a wide skillet and fry the chicken pieces 5-6 minutes on each side. Keep aside and cover with an alumunium foil. This will help keep the heat.

In the same skillet pour the chicken stock and add the dijon mustard. Mix well, bring it to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 miuntes. Now add the sour cream / yoghurt (since i did not have the former, i made do with the latter). Bring the heat to high and keep stirring till you have a thick sauce. Pour the sauce on top of the chicken pieces before serving.

Serve this with couscous , bread or something which will sop the sauce. I had it with crunchy, day old farmstyle bread.

A New Year And A Meme

2005-12-29T22:32:00.000-08:00

Greeting of the New Year and my sincere apologies to all those who happened to pass by this place. The holiday spirit and then the post-holiday-hangover. I know it sounds mighty lame.

Without further ado, let me go ahead with the You Are What You Eat meme which Sury of (Lima) Beans and Delhi Cha(a)t has me tagged with.

1. Shukto-Bhaat: This is truly a bengali dish which consists of bitter gourd, raw banana and other veggies which one might like to add. This is bitter and usually had as the first course, and specifically during the hot summer afternoons :) It has sauf (aniseed) in it as an ingredient which adds a very nice light flavour. Mom's shukto is the best as per me.

2. Biryani: Well nothing beats the biryani which was dished out near my old office. Chicken rezala and mutton biryani. Absolutely SINful.

3. Chicken Sandwich: With lots and lots and lots of mayonnaise. This is on-the-run comfort food for me. A day out over the weekend, while browsing a bookstore, a stop for a quick grap, usually ends with a nice creamy chicken sandwich. With coffee. But naturally!

4. Mishti Doi: Or sweet curd / yoghurt. Every street corner in Calcutta has at least one sweet-shop called either Poresh Sweets or Annapurna Mishtanna Bhandar or Satyanarayan Mishtanna Bhandar. Believe me, it can be funny to see one lane after other have almost the same name. The other thing common to most of them is their smooth curd and since i do have a very well defined sweet tooth :) at least once a week would be marked by a visit there.

5. Baked Fish: It could be Pomfret or Bhetki or Tuna or Salmon. Anything goes as long its a seafish. A friend of mine used to make the to-die-for baked pomfret over charcoal fire. Those were some of the best fish i have tasted.

6. Onion Cheese Dosa: There was a shop at a place called rashbehari avenue in Calcutta which used to make these super yummy onion cheese dosas. They were light and filling, both at the same time. But alas! My last visit showed that they had closed shop and started chinese instead. I am also pretty partial to plain idlis. I think they are wholesome and mouthwatering. During my stay in Bangalore, i also happened to taste masala idlis being sold at a roadside kiosk. They were piping hot, super delicious and to be had sitting on the sidewalk. Idlis with chutney never had tasted so divine.

7. Neem Begun: Or Neem and Eggplant / Brinjal. Like shukto this is also to be had at the beginning of all the other courses. Most people i know cannot simply palate the bitter taste of neem. But i really love it and can have loads of it with plain rice. This is another one to be had during the hot summer days.

8. Steamed Pork Momos: A small shop at the end of a dingy lane going through houses which badly needed a coat of paint, not to mention some cementing, used to sell some of the best momos i have tasted. This was also the hangout of some pseudo intellectual type kids who would sit there for hours, burning cigarette in hand. The steamed momos are best had with a sauce served along with it. It is HOT and makes one sweat. But trust me, you shall go back begging for more.

9. Chicken Quesadilla: I have tried this in many places, but one of the best to be had is at this small joint at Powell station. It was cheesy and melted in the mouth as soon as one popped it inside the mouth.

10.Walnut Brownie: This is one dessert which always reminds me of home, New Market and Nahoums. The hard crusty brownies which this shop (which is more than 30 years old) sold somehow in some remote way, reminds me of the winter days long ago, christmas and a sense of anticipation. And maybe of a time which no longer is.

Well there goes. Sury my apologies once again for the delay. And as for the rest of you folks, i hope to be more regular from now on.

Adios.

PS: I started working on the above post sometime last year. But now is 17th January, 2006, 12.50 am. So, if anyone knows how to change the date-time stamp in blogdrive, please do let me know.

When It Rains........

2005-12-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

It is time to have khichdi. That was the tradition back home and as we all realise at some point in time that the more we move away from home, the more we try to hold on to small bits and pieces from childhood. And memory. But i digress :)

So, brishti meant khichdi, papad, anchar and either fish fry or thick fluffy omelletes and on days when mom was feeling generous - mutton curry. Absolutely delicious and to die for. But the first thing i truly did not like about california was - it doesn't rain here when it should - and has no distinct monsoons to speak of. What a disgrace. All those beautiful wet green colours missed. However as an apology, the end of fall and onset of winter is usually marked with occasional showers which makes the hills in the distance cover with morning mist and urges one to dive right back into the blanket and have garam garam chai, pakodi and khichdi.

Heres how i make it.

Ingredients :

Basmati rice - 1/2 cup (you can also use boiled/unboiled rice, depending on you absolutely)
Masoor dal - 1/2 cup (the basic idea to make a tasty khichdi is to give an amount of dal equal to the amount of rice)
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
Beans (or any other veggie you prefer or otherwise would not have like carrots)
Potatoes - 2 medium sized, cut into pieces of 4
Peas - 1 cup, washed with warm water
Salt to taste
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 2 (preferably coarsely ground)
Cloves - 3-4
Bay leaves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Ghee - 2 tsp (for the calorie conscious - you can do away with this)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Wash the dal and rice in a bowl and keep it soaked in warm water. It helps both to cook a little more quickly.

Heat some oil in a big wok. Add the bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. When they start spluttering, add the onions. Fry till pink. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry well. Now add the potatoes and fry it till they become slightly orange tinged. Add the peas and the beans (or add the veggies in the order required, depending on which veggies you are using). Fry for two minutes and add the tomatoes. Mix well and fry for another two minutes. For khichdi, you don't want the tomatoes to be mashed, but nicely cooked but intact. Now add the rice, dal and 3 cups of water. If you like your khichdi slightly fluid (as i do), add another cupful after the rice is half cooked. Stir occasionally.

Alternately you can fry all the spices and veggies in a pressure cooker and then add the rice and dal and pressure cook them through one whistle. It is quicker, but the previous method definitely tastes better.

Before serving add 2 tsps of ghee and mix. The above proportions serve 2.

I had it with fish fry and anchar. Also - please to note the snowman plates. These are especially for the holiday season :)

Baked Tuna

2005-12-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

On a whim, and after watching someone make it in a jiffy (30 minutes), last friday i suddenly got inspired to bake some fish. Dragged my roomie to go to a fish shop and buy some. Fortunately there was some fresh Tuna just lying there, begging to be eaten :) So tuna it was, along with some australian red wine.

Ingredients:
Tuna fillet - 1 Pound (that was waaay too much for the two of us)
Garlic - 4-6 cloves, chopped finely
Salt - to taste
Ground Pepper - 1 tsp
Parsley - a handful, finely chopped
Lemon zest - you can grate the rind of the lemon for it.
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tsp

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the fillet into 1-1.5'' cubes. Cover it with the oil, salt, parsley, ground pepper, garlic and lemon zest. Mix well. Put it on a baking tray and bake till it is done as per your preference - medium-rare or well done. I prefer the latter, so it took me approximately 25 minutes to bake. Put it up on the serving plate and squeeze some of the lemon juice for added flavour.

Alternately you can grill the fish by putting it through skewers and grilling it on a grilling pan. Since i didn't have the pan, i baked. This is also a good starter.

Thats it! Zimple ain't it?

ps: Sury your frenchbeans with grams and coconut were super delicious :)

The Bong And His Fish

2005-11-28T23:41:00.000-08:00

Like the jokes about sardars, gujjus and the mallus, there are many fish jokes associated with a bong, though if you ask me now, i won't be able to relate one to you. Having said that, i love my fish. Back home it was part of our daily meal. A lunch on a saturday (sunday being a meat / chicken day) was absolutely unthinkable without it. Sometimes there would be as many as three fish dishes. Also, coming from the east and the ganges being near, the people there are more of a fresh water fish eater than the sea-variety, although an occasional pomfret would grace our table. As indeed we are a fishy lot, any fish-related post should have atleast two dishes mentioned, if one truly wishes to show the right kind of respect :)

Moong Dal With Fish Head

Half fish head, preferably Rohu (you can use the entire head, if the fish is small, say where one gets 6-8 steak pieces, an inch thick)
Moong dal - 1 & 1/2 cup (200-250 gms)
Onion - 1/3 rd of a medium sized
Green Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 4-5
Cinnamon - 2 inch stick
Red Chillies - 2
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp

Boil moong dal with salt and sugar. Don't let it melt. Cover the fish head (cut into two pieces ) with salt, a pinch of turmeric and lemon juice. You can do without the lemon juice, but it adds a nice tangy flavour to the fish. Let it stay for 15-20 mins.
Now heat some oil in a wok and deep fry the fish heads. Keep away. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a wok and add the red chillies and the cumin seeds. When it starts spluttering add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. After 30 seconds add the onion. Fry till it turns pink. Add the ginger and the garlic paste. Fry them till the oil starts leaving the sides. Now add the boiled dal along with the water. Bring it to a boil. Add the fish heads. Turn the heat to medium and cover, stirring occasionally. When the pieces are soft, break them with the ladle. Simmer till the extra water is absorbed.

Simple Fish Curry

Fish Steaks - 4
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Green Chillies - 2-3 slit through the middle and chopped
Black Cumin / Kali Jeera - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Fresh Coriander Leaves - 1/3 cup, chopped

Cover the fish pieces with salt and a pinch of turmeric. Let it stay for 15-20 minutes and then shallow fry them for 2-3 minutes on both sides.

Heat 2 tsp of oil (you can also use the oil left from frying the pieces). Add green chillies and kali jeera. Let it splutter for a minute or two or till the chillies are fried. Add the cumin and the coriander powder. Immediately add 1/2 cup of water or enough to make a nice curry, salt and a pinch of turmeric. Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Now add the fried fish pieces to the curry. Cover and again let it simmer for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander.

This is part of the everyday food at home. It is simple and utterly yumm.

I usually cook fish and related dishes in mustard oil. The sharp taste of the oil enhances the flavour of the fish. There is nothing more welcome than the smell of fish fried in mustard oil. But for those who like seafish more, the smell can be a little intimidating. But aah! You gotta try it to know.

Both the above dishes are best served with hot steamed rice.

Baigan Bharta

2005-11-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

Baigan bharta reminds me of cold winter days when we used to snuggle under the blanket and mom would have to ask us to come for dinner a hazaar times, since we were reluctant to move out of the cosy confines of the blanket. A goan friend once told me their recipe of making it with coconut in it. This i believe, is the north indian way, and if not, put it down to my own :)

Ingredients
Brinjal / Baigan - 1 big sized
Tomato - 1 medium sized, thickly chopped
Garlic - 4/5 cloves, chopped
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Oil - 2 tsp (mustard oil if possible. else, vegetable oil)
Salt to taste
Green chillies - 2/3
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (only if you like your food very hot)
Asafoetida / Heengh - 1/2 tsp

The baigan roasts best on a flame. But in case you have a cooking range without one, as i do, it roasts just as well. The time taken being a little longer. Also, one can clean up later quite easily. So, roast the brinjal well. When the juice starts coming out of the vegetable, consider it done. Make sure that all sides are uniformly roasted. Let it cool. Now, peel off the charred skin which should come out easily. Mash the deskinned brinjal randomly with a knife.

Take a wok and heat the oil. Add chopped green chillies and asafoetida powder, stir for 30 seconds. Add chopped garlic. Fry for a minute. Add chopped onions and fry till it turns pink/brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Now add the brinjal and mix well. Add salt and red chilli powder. Mix and you are done.

This one really goes well with plain roti and dal.

Coriander Chicken

2005-11-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

This recipe has many variations. Personally i have tried two. This particular one was passed down to a friend of mine through her mom. It is tried, tested and much appreciated :)

Ingredients:
Chicken - 800 gms.
Onion - 1.5 medium sized finely chopped
Tomato - 1
Green chillies - 3-4 (depending on how spicy you like your food to be)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Fresh coriander - 2 bunch
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 5/6 cloves
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tblsp

Make the chicken pieces as desired, preferably mid-sized. Separate the leaves of the coriander from the bunch and wash well. Make a paste of the leaves, green chillies, red chilli powder, ginger, garlic, tomato and salt by adding a little water.

(note: always cut the ginger into juliennes. It helps the blade of the grinder while making the paste)

Marinate the chicken in the paste for at least 2 hours. Refrigerate. Now heat 2 tblsp of oil in a wok and add the chopped onions. Fry till it turns pink/light-brown, depending on the variety of onion. (i prefer red to yellow or white). Now add the chicken pieces, without the marinade. Turn them slowly and mix. Add the marinade. Cover and cook on medium heat. Keep turning the chicken occasionally. When it is half done, open the lid and cook on medium-high flame, so that the excess water is absorbed.

Have it with plain paratha, tandoori roti or basmati rice.

Chicken Satay

2005-11-22T00:37:00.000-08:00

This one is an easy starter. There is a sauce to accompany it, but while trying it out i found that without the sauce, it tastes just as good. Specially goes down fantastically with drinks.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts - 4 big pieces, preferably boneless
Lemon Juice - 2 Tblsp
Oil - 1 Tsp
Soy Sauce - 1 Tbslp
Salt to taste
Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp

Cut the chicken into 1 inch square pieces. Marinate it with the lemon juice, salt, soy sauce, chilli powder and oil. Let it stay for at least two hours. The more the time of marination, the lesser the cooking time. Heat a non stick frying pan with 1 tsp of oil and add the chicken pieces. You can brown it to give it a rich brownish-red colour. But actually it takes 5-7 minutes to cook. Since the actual cooking time is short, the main time being taken by marination, you can fry the pieces immediately before serving and in batches.

Do try it and give me your feedback.