Chicken Bhurtha

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Kg boneless Chicken

3 onions finely chopped

1 tbsp crushed coriander

1 1/2 " piece chopped ginger

10 flakes chopped garlic

3 tomatoes- chopped

1 big tomato-pureed in a mixer

2 dry red chillies -crushed into pieces

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp dry mango powder

2 tbsp kasoori methi

2 green chillies

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Cut boneless chicken into thin long strips and cut each each of this strip into small pieces.

2)  Heat 4 tbsp oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and fry, add the crushed coriander and the ginger garlic flakes/pieces. Fry them together till the onions are soft.

3)  Add the chicken pieces and continue to fry on high flame till the chicken looks slightly brown. 

4)  Add the chopped tomatoes and the pureed tomatoes, salt and the red chilli crushed along with the other remaining spice powders.

5) Sprinkle some Kasoori methi and continue to cook for another 10-12 minutes till all the water dries and the chicken looks completely done. 

6)  Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    8/10**

Lahori Chicken

Its the Chicken Week on Aysha's Kitchenette. Come back everyday to find an exciting and delicious Chicken recipe waiting for you. Please note that all these recipes are tried and tested !!!

2 tbsp Oil

500 gms chicken -cut into 8 pieces

1 cup curds - hung in muslin cloth for 15 minutes

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp saffron -soaked in 1 tbsp water

1 1/2 tbsp Kasoori methi

For the paste :

2 onions

1 green chilli

4 tbsp oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

6 flakes garlic

1 1/2" piece ginger

1/2 tsp garam masala

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Grind all the ingredients of the paste to a fine mixture.

2)  Mix oil with the chicken pieces and place on a wire rack. Grill for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and keep aside.

3)  Put the paste in a pan and saute it for 2-3 minutes. Add the hung curd, Kasoori methi and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4)  Add the chicken, milk and 1/2 cup water along with the soaked Saffron.

5)  Mix well to coat the chicken pieces with the white masala/gravy. Continue to cook till the chicken looks done and oil comes up.

6)  Serve hot with Rice/parathas.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    8/10**

INGREDIENTS :

Crispy Chicken

Chicken Chicken !!!

Its the Chicken Week on Aysha's Kitchenette. Come back everyday for the next one week to find an exciting and delicious Chicken recipe waiting for you. Please note that all these recipes are tried and tested !!!

INGREDIENTS:

400 gms Chicken Drumsticks

For the marinade:

4 tbsp Oil/Melted butter
1 1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp maida
2" piece cinnamon powdered

Other ingredients :

2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Prick chicken all over with a fork.

2)  Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients of the marinade overnight only and refrigerate it.

3)  Remove the chicken atleast 1-2 hours from the refrigerator the next day before preparing the dish.

4)  Beat eggs in a bowl and add some salt and red chilli powder (1/4 tsp).

4)  Dip each chicken leg in egg and roll it in breadcrumbs.Place this on a small metal tray which is greased with some oil/butter.

5)  Preheat your microwave /your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.


6)  Pour 1 tbsp oil or melted butter on each chicken piece and place it in the hot oven.


7)  Reset the hot oven again at 200 degrees Celsius and bake the chicken for a total of 40 minutes or till done.

8) After 20 minutes of baking, turn the chicken pieces and baste them with a liberal quantity of oil/butter and continue to bake.

9) Serve chicken hot with ketchup or with any dip of your choice.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    7/10**

**   Be liberal with the oil/butter as the bread crumbs absorb it soon and the chicken will not bake well.

Flat Beans Curry

INGREDIENTS:

15 Flat beans chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 small Potato peeled & cubed
1 onion  chopped or sliced
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 small tomato finely chopped
Salt to taste
7-8 small pieces of mutton
2 tsp Oil

HOW TO MAKE:

1)   Heat Oil in a Cooker, add the onions & fry till soft. Add the ginger-garlic paste.

2)  Add the mutton and fry for a minute and then add the spice powders. Saute for a minute.

3)  Add the tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the flat beans & potatoes & salt. Cook them till the vegatables are slightly soft.

4) Add some water & close the cooker to pressure cook for 3-4 minutes. Once the cooker opens, you can dry the water and serve hot with parathas or plain rice.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

April Showers & the Guest Post(Omani Halwa)

Last week was eccentric in terms of weather.In the midst of rising mercury,we witnessed an overcast sky all week,with a pleasant climate and some glorious april showers in the weekend. With the rain pouring for a few hours, the surroundings transformed into an alluring scene cheering us to the core and reviving the blissful memories of our past. How often can we get to see this bewitching climate when the sun's heat is tormenting us in these days usually?

The effects of this soothing and heavenly weather have partially continued this week too. I am glad that we are almost at the end of april yet to experience the wretched summer's heat even though it is inevitable and I am already dreading it.

The frenzy of elation in the last week has been noteworthy. My first guest post was published on this inspiring space called Healthyforbetter. Shruthi, the charming author has been captivating with her lens and allows the viewers to have a peek in her world of healthy living describing her journey towards leading a healthy life. She has been my classmate and a close friend of mine since my University days and we graduated together in the year 2006.

The imagery that she creates & shares on her blog have been captivating and she has constantly been mastering the art of snapping top notch pictures with her DSLR. You must visit her pinterest account and marvel at her fine clicks. She has also been using the instagram to share her clicks these days.

I had been extremely delighted when Shruthi asked me to write a post for her beautiful blog. Since she cherishes traditonal cultures, I opted to try the Omani Halwa and share it on her space.

If you are someone who also loves to delight in tradional tastes, then you should tour this utterly splendid space and enjoy reading - Healthyforbetter - Omani Halwa.

Chicken Pasta

Pick your pasta from a variety of shapes available. All of them appeal to me. Make a salad out of them or make a meal. Either way, they are enticing.

Pasta has become an integral part of my weekly meal plan as it doesnt consume more time to cook and it serves as a wholesome meal for us. I usually prepare it this way even though it can be prepared in several other ways.

INGREDIENTS :

1 packet (1/2 Kg) pasta (any shape)

For the gravy:

2 tbsp Oil
1 onion sliced
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 small capsicum cubed
1/2 carrot chopped fine or cut in strips
5-6 Beans chopped
Handful of peas
Handful coriander leaves
1 tsp ginger+garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 medium sized boneless chicken pieces (cut them into small sized cubes)
Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

The gravy:

1)  Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, chicken cubes & vegetables and fry them till they are soft.

2)  Add the ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and saute for a minute.

3)  Add the chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves. Add some water to this and simmer till the tomatoes are soft and oil comes up. Keep aside.

For the Pasta

 1) Boil 1 litre water in a vessel and add the pasta to it. Cook till the Pasta is soft. (Preferebly follow instructions given on the pasta pack so that you are aware of the average time that the pasta can take to cook)

2)  Drain the water from the pasta and mix in the cooked gravy with it.

3) Place this on the stive till the extra water evaporates and the pasta is ready.

4)  You can grnish with some chopped spring onions/grated cheese/sliced olives.Serve Hot with Ketchup!!!

 RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**   Pasta should not be overcooked. Just cook them till they are soft. Follow the instructions on the pack.

** Vegetarians can omit the chicken and follow the same recipe for a healthy veggie pasta.

Kheema Paratha (Minced Meat Flat breads)

Kheema Paratha is an extension of my previous post "spicy minced meat" (Kheema we call it in Hindi). Last weekend I decided to alter this recipe slightly so that I can use the leftover Kheema as a major ingredient in another recipe.

Well, its all about creating a variety in your menu if you are the person deciding on what to cook everyday. Sometimes my mind is blank after a long day in office and sometimes my menu is pre-planned. I decided to try this paratha on a weekend so that I can execute it easily later on when needed.

So what did I alter in my recipe? I added 3 more onions to the same recipe, and reduced the minced meat to 2 tablespoons so that the onion dominates the dish and the minced meat is hidden. If you are someone who hates to chop onions, then I warn you that you need to buck up to chop a bowl full of onions.

You can also strike out the vegetables (peas/potatoes etc) from it. But if you wanna have them, you can -so that you can make the parathas look more healthy. But yes, dont forget to remove the green chillies or else chop them fine and reduce the red chilli powder so that the parathas dont turn out very spicy (This depends on your taste and how spicy you want them).You can reduce the ginger-garlic paste also and make it only 1-2 teaspoon so that the onion taste is dominant. This is the filling. The paratha is very simple.

The final recipe is below.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Filling:

2 tbsp Minced Mutton 
5 Onions chopped fine
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
A pinch Garam Masala powder
Salt
1 small potato finely chopped (optional)
2 tbsp peas (optional)
1-2 tsp Giner+Garlic paste
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
1-2 green chillies (finely chopped & optional)

For the dough:

3/4 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/4 cup all pupose flour (maida)

1 tsp oil

salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

The filling:

1)  Heat Oil in a pan, add the chopped onions & minced meat together and fry till onions are soft & there is no moisture in the pan.

2)  Add the ginger+garlic paste and the spice powders,green chillies & salt. Fry it all for a minute. If you are adding the vegetables, you can do it at this stage.

3) Cook for another 5 minutes so that the minced meat is cooked well and fully dry. Garnish with coriander leaves and allow to cool.

The Paratha:

1)  In another bowl, mix the 2 flours together with water and oil. And knead the dough as for a normal parantha.

2) Make 8 small flat rounds and roll out very small chapathis (the size of your palm).

3)  Take some filling and place in the centre of any 4  flattened chapathis. 

4)  Place each of the other 4 chapathis on the filling and flatten lighlty the edges with your hand and continue rolling out each one to make a paratha .

5)  Roll out carefully without tearing.

6) Roast the paranthas on a skillet with some oil till crisp and lightly browned on both sides.

7) Serve hot with some delicious tomato pickle /a bowl of curds sprinkled with some chaat masala.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    8/10**

Spicy Minced meat

 This space has been quite desolate for a while. Hectic schedule & a busy mind being the prime reasons.

Anyways, we are enjoying some peachy weather here with the gloomy sky keeping away the scorching sun from tormenting us & forcing the temperatures to drop to very pleasant numbers.

I just realised that this was the best time for me to post the spicy minced meat recipe. Simple & easy to cook after a hectic day at office.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 Kg Minced Mutton
2 Onions chopped fine
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder
Salt
1 small potato finely chopped
2 tbsp peas (optional)
1 tbsp Giner+Garlic paste
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
1-2 green chillies

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat Oil in a pressure cooker, add the chopped onions and fry till onions are light golden.

2)  Add the minced mutton and fry with the onions till the moisture in it is almost dried.

3)  Add the ginger+garlic paste and fry for a minute. Then add the spice powders & salt. You can add very little water in this stage so that the spice powders can mix well and cook for a minute.

4) Add the potato and peas. This step is optional. If you do not want to add them, you can avoid it.

5) Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the green chillies and close the cooker. Pressure cook this for 2-5 minutes maximum.

6) After the cooker opens, you can add the coriander leaves and cook till all the water dries and oil comes up.

7) Serve hot with Rotis / flat breads or with spaghetti.

 RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    8/10**

**   You can also add finely chopped capsicum along with potatoes/peas in step 4.

**  If you do not want to pressure cook the Kheema, just add some water to it and continue to cook till it dries completely.

**  If you like to add coriander powder also, you can add 1/2 tsp in step 3 along with the spice powders.

Instant Noodles

INGREDIENTS :

2 small packets Instant Noodles (Maggi or Indomine or any other brand)
2 tbsp Oil
1 onion sliced
2 small tomatoes finely chopped
1 small capsicum cubed
1/2 carrot chopped fine or cut in strips
5-6 Beans chopped
Handful of peas
Handful coriander leaves
1 tsp ginger+garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 medium sized boneless chicken pieces (cut them into small sized cubes)
Salt to taste
2 sachets of the instant noodle spice powder mix

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, chicken cubes & vegetables and fry them till they are soft.

2)  Add the ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt & the instant noodle spice powder mix and saute for a minute.

3)  Add the chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves. Add some water to this and simmer till the tomatoes are soft and oil comes up.

4) Add 1-2 cups water to this and bring to boil. Break the noodles into half and put them into this gravy. Close lid and allow them to cook till soft and till the consistency of the dish has reached as desired.

5)  Serve Hot !!!

 RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**   Noodles need not be overcooked. Just cook them till they are soft.