Fasttrack Chicken Curry

It’s the same old chicken curry with the same old ingredients. However, the method here is a very easy and a quick one. Try this out and you’ll not be disappointed :)

Ingredients

Chicken – 1/2, skinless and cut into medium sized chunks

Curd/ Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Ginger garlic Paste - 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 3/4 tsp

Chili Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander and Cumin Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Tomato - 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Chopped Mint Leaves and Cilantro – ½ - 1 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Curry Leaves – 4 strands

Serves – 2 to 3

Prep time – 5 mins

Cooking time – 20 to 25 mins

Method

1. Wash the chicken thoroughly, put in all the ingredients (except for oil and curry leaves) and mix properly.

2. Take a wok, put oil and let it heat. Once the oil gets heated, put in the chicken mixture and sauté for a few seconds.

3. Cover the wok with a lid and let the chicken cook on medium flame. Cook the chicken until it’s completely done.

Note – Sautee in between for 2 – 3 times.

4. Take the curry leaves, wash them and put them in the microwave till they become really dry and crispy. First set the time for a minute. If it’s crispy enough to crumble, go ahead and crumble the curry leaves. Else, microwave the curry leaves for 40 seconds to 1 minute and crumble them.

5. Add in the crumbled curry leaves in to the cooked chicken curry about 5 minutes before turning off the flame.

6. Serve hot with rice.

American Style Breakfast Biscuits

I first had these amazing biscuits in McDonalds and since then I've been a big fan of these cute little wonders. I wanted to make these at home for a long time now; but alas! However, today I finally decided to make them. They are perfect for breakfast or a snack. You can have these with butter, jam, nutella, eggs, bacon or just by themselves. Am sure you’ll enjoy these bite sized biscuits anywhere, anytime!! J

Ingredients

All-purpose flour (maida) – 2 Cups

Butter – 1/3 Cup, cold and cut in to cubes

Baking Powder – 1 tbsp.

Sugar – 1 tbsp.

Salt – 1 tsp

Milk – ¾ to 1 cup

Note: I did not have baking powder or baking soda while making the biscuits. However, I used “ENO (fruit salt)” as a substitute for the baking powder.

Yield - 23 bite sized biscuits/ 6 - 7 large biscuits

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven at 420 degrees F/ 215 degrees C.

2. In a big bowl, put all the dry ingredients. Add butter cubes and mix everything together. The mixture will be coarse and dry.

3. Add milk (little by little) to the mixture and knead it in to smooth dough.

4. Place the dough on a floured surface and flatten (by either patting it or by using a rolling pin) it out till it is 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits using a cookie cutter or anything that is round (I used a wide water bottle’s cap).

5. Brush off any excess flour on the biscuits. Place them on to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the biscuits for 15 – 17 minutes or until the edges begin browning.

Cinnamon Apple Squares

Whenever I make something with fresh fruits, one can take it for granted that I couldn’t find any other better use for them than turning them in to delicious treats. :)

Hubby and I often become ambitious and buy loads of fruits.  We resolve to eat them and become healthy. But alas! The results are in front of you ;)

Try these mini treats and save your fruits from being dumped in to the waste basket (that is if your story is same as that of ours :)). 

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/ Maida – 1 Cup

Baking Soda – ¾ tsp.

Salt – Pinch (Can be avoided if using salted butter)

Ground Cinnamon – ¼ tsp.

White Sugar – ½ Cup

Brown Sugar – ½ Cup

Salted Butter – ¼ Cup/ ½ Stick/ 4 tbsp.

Eggs – 1

Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp.

Apple – 1 Cup, finely chopped

Walnuts (optional) – ½ Cup, coarsely ground

For the glaze:

Sugar – 2 tbsp.

Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp.

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C.

2. In a big bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients and keep aside.

3. Melt the butter and add sugar, vanilla extract and egg to the melted mixture and mix well.

4. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix well. At this step add the chopped apple pieces and walnuts.

5. Take a cake pan, grease it with butter and pour in the batter. Sprinkle the glaze mixture of sugar and cinnamon evenly on the batter. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

6. Take it out. Allow it to cool. Transfer on to a wire rack for it to cool completely or simply place it on a sheet or plate. Cut in to equal sized square pieces.

CON Malai Mutter Paneer

This dish tastes as if it is actually made in malai (butter). However, it CONS you as it has no trace of butter in it. Try out this low calorie (barring the paneer ;)) dish and con all your loved ones. :)

Ingredients:

Onions – 1 cup, diced in to cubes

Cauliflower – 1 cup, diced in to cubes

Green Chilies – 6 to 7, slit vertically

Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp.

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp.

Paneer – 1 cup, diced in to cubes

Green Peas/ Mutter – ¾ cup, frozen or fresh

Red Chili powder – ½ tsp.

Dhanya and Jeera powder – ½ tsp.

Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp.

Sugar – 1 tsp.

Milk – ½ cup

Salt – To taste

Water – 1 to 1 ½ cups

            

Method

1. Take a saucepan, put it on flame and add oil. Once the oil gets heated, add cumin seeds, upon spluttering put green chilies, onion pieces, cauliflower florets and sauté until the rawness goes. Onions should become a little translucent.

2. Turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool.

3. Grind the onion cauliflower mixture into a fine paste.

4. Put the pan on heat, add a little oil and pour in the paste. Add ginger garlic paste and cook until the gravy loses all its water and sticks together. Keep stirring at regular intervals.

5. Once the gravy is ready, add red chili powder, dhanya jeera powder and cook for another 5 minutes.

6. Now add green peas and paneer cubes. Mix well and add water. Let it come to a boil.

7. Add milk, sugar and salt and let it cook until a desired consistency is acquired.

8. Turn off the flame and serve hot with roti/ rice.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Story behind these muffins is the same. Bananas in my house were sitting idle without being put to any use. So I thought, ‘Hmm, let’s make some banana muffins’.

These muffins are an absolute delight. Try them and you won’t be disappointed. :)

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/ Maida – 1½ cups

White Sugar – ¾ cup

Unsalted Butter – 1/3 cup

Baking Soda – 1 tsp.

Eggs – 1

Ripe Bananas – 2 ½ - 3, mashed

Salt – Pinch (if using salted butter, salt can be avoided)

Vanilla Extract – ½ tsp.

Milk Chocolate Chips – ¼ cup

Hersheys Chocolate Syrup – ¼ cup

Coffee Decoction – 1 tbsp.

Yield – 12 muffins

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together butter (melted/ at room temp), sugar, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, soda. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Beat together well. Add the mashed bananas (Make sure that the banana is well mashed and gets properly mixed with the batter).

3. Add in the chocolate syrup, coffee decoction and chocolate chips in to the mixture and mix well.

4. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C.

5. In the meanwhile, Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup ¾ full.

6. Bake the muffins for 25 – 30 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted.

7. Cool the muffins and serve with a hot cuppa coffee. :)

Palak ke Gatte ki Sabzi

 

Gatte ki sabzi was one dish I wanted to try for a very long time. And there was this day when I decided to finally try it out. I thought I’ll try it out with spinach and below is what I made.

Ingredients

For Gatte

Besan/ Chickpea flour – 1 ¼ cup

Rice flour – ¼ cup

Spinach – 1 cup, cleaned and chopped

Curd – 1 tbsp.

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp.

Chat Masala – ½ tsp.

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp.

Chili Powder – ½ tsp.

Dhanya and Jeera Powder – ½ tsp.

Ghee – 1 tsp.

Water – 4 cups

Salt – to taste

 

For the gravy

Tomato – 2 cups, chopped

Curd – ¼ cup

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp.

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp.

Red chili powder – ½ tsp.

Green chilies – 3, slit vertically

Garam masala – ½ tsp.

Chat masala – ½ tsp.

Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves – ¼ cup, chopped

Salt – to taste

Sugar - pinch

 

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients in the gatte section (except water) and make dough.

 

          

 

               

 2. Keep the dough aside for 5 minutes. In the meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Once the water comes to a boil put small portions of the dough in to the water.

 

 

3. Put in the whole dough (divided in to small portions) in to the water. In about 2 minutes the small lumps will start floating. Keep the gattes in the water for 5 – 7 minutes.

4. Take out all the gattes and place them on a plate (don’t throw the water).

 

 

5. Take a pan, add oil and once it’s hot add the cumin seeds. Add the green chilies and chopped tomatoes. Sautee for about a minute.

6. Add in the ginger garlic paste, salt, dhanya jeera powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, red chili powder and mix well.

7. After 3 – 4 minutes, add curd and mix well. Pour in ½ the water (in which gattes were boiled) and bring it to a boil.

 

 

8. Add all the gattes in to the gravy and mix well.

9. Pour in rest of the water and let the gravy cook (covered) until a thick creamy consistency is reached.

10. Turn off the flame, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with either rice/ roti.

 

Rava Idli

Rava idli is my favorite form of idli. Mom used to make it once in a blue moon and I would be the happiest person then.

Post marriage when I was in the learning stage (well, I still am), rava idli was one thing I really wanted to learn. I made it a few times and it only got better with each passing time. So here I am, posting the recipe of one of my favorite dishes.

Ingredients

Rava – 2 cups

Split chana dal – 1 ½ tsp.

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp.

Oil – 1 tbsp.

Green Chilies – 1 tbsp., chopped

Grated Carrot – 1 cup

Green Peas – ¼ cup

Curd – 5 tbsp.

Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves – ½ cup, chopped

Eno/ Fruit Salt – ½ tsp.

Salt – to taste

Water – 1 cup

Ghee – for greasing the idli molds

Yield – 15 small idlis

Method

1. Take a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds and chana dal. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add green chilies and rava.

2. Saute for about 5 – 7 minutes (until the rava starts giving out an aroma). Turn off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.

3. In a big bowl, mix grated carrot, peas, curd, cilantro, rava mixture and salt. Add water if required to attain a batter consistency. Let the mixture stand for about 15 – 20 minutes.

4. In the meanwhile, take a pressure cooker, add 4 – 5 cups of water and let it come to a boil.

5. Take the idli molds, grease them with ghee/ oil and pour in scoops of the rava batter. Add eno/ fruit salt to the batter just before putting it in the molds.

6. If you wish to garnish the idlis with cashews, place a cashew on the mold first and then pour the batter. (I forgot and put the cashews on top of the batter ;))

                                                

7. Stack all the molds and lock them. Place them in the pressure cooker with boiling water. Put the lid on and steam cook for 20 minutes.

8. Take the molds out and scoop out the idlis. Serve hot with fresh coconut chutney and sambar.