Squid Thoran

I had some squid leftover and was craving for the typical kerela non-veg lunch  . This dish is very common in  Kerela and is made as an accompaniment with rice. It is very easy to make with just a few ingredients and by 10-15 min the dish is done so here goes.......

INGREDIENTS

500 gms squid
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 to 1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
1/2 freshly grated coconut
2 inch piece fresh ginger
2-3 shallots
2 green chillies
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black peppercorns
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 dried red chilllies
a few curry leaves
1 tbsp oil for tempering

METHOD

In a pan add the squid , turmeric ,salt and red chilli powder and 1/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer till the squid is cooked through.
Meanwhile grind the coconut with the green chillies, shallots and ginger coarsely.
In another pan heat the oil for tempering and add the mustard seeds , when it starts to splutter add the curry leaves and the dried red chillies .
Add the ground coconut mix and the corinader powder and saute them for a min.
Then turn up the heat and add the water from the squid . Keep adding the water till it evapourates , this is done to give a flavour to the dish .
Then add in the squid and toss tem together . Finally add the ground peppercorns and serve hot.

Crispy Fried Chicken

Season's greetings to everybody , so now there goes 2010 with all the resolutions that was never kept , diets that were not followed through and promises that were broken, hopefully we don't have to make any new ones as we have the old ones  to follow through and hope this time it get's done so HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE  : D .
Today I have to decided to post a family favourite ,which is made very often in my house . Nobody seems to get tired of this one and it is always a permanent fixture at my parties . The best thing is it takes no time to make it at all and it is quite easy too, no need of marinating the chicken a few hours or anything , here the chicken is cooked in all the spices and then batter fried crisp so here goes..........

INGREDIENTS

500 gms small chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp ground coriander
salt to taste
approximately about half a cup of self-raising flour

METHOD

Remove the skin from the drumsticks and wash the chicken thoroughly .
In a deep pan add the chicken along with the salt and all the spices and about 1/2 cup of water and cook till the chicken is done .
Now remove the chicken pieces and add the self-raising flour in the liquid from the cooked chicken and make it into a thick and smooth batter. Add in more flour if necessary.
Now dip the drumsticks in this batter and deep fry them till golden.

Hot and Sour Vegetable Soup

The best way to beat the winter blues is by having a  nice , hot and steaming bowl of soup . It is a wonderful pick -me-up if you are tired or simply under the weather.  This soup recipe is something I make very frequently in my house because it is very easy and very flavourful and light on your waist too. It is hot , spicy , tangy and you can feel all the flavours in your mouth . It is quite a spicy soup , so you can adjust the amount of chilli sauce you put in according to your taste , personally I like it quite spicy so here goes .............

INGREDIENTS

500 gms mushrooms , stalks removed and finely chopped
2 medium carrots peeled and finely chopped
6-8 garlic cloves finely chopped
5-6 spring onions finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp green chilli sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp water
1 egg beaten

METHOD

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil or any vegetable oil in a deep saucepan .
Add the all the vegetables except the green part of the spring onions .
Saute it for a couple of minutes .
Add in the chicken stock and all the sauces and bring to a boil .
Simmer it for 10 - 15 min .
Add the cornflour mix and this will make the soup slightly thicker.
Add the beaten egg in a slow and steady stream to the soup simultaneously stirring the soup with a fork as this will give the ribbon effect to the egg in the soup .
Add salt and pepper to taste and the green part of the spring onions and serve hot.

Meatball Sandwich

Who doesn't love meatballs and it is even better in a sandwich with cheese oozing out of it . Mmmmmmm that is one mouthwatering sight for the eyes . My kids absolutely love them and it is very easy to make too . Whenever I make spaghetti and meatballs I freeze half of the meatballs and use it for sandwiches . Here too I have used the same recipe and stuff it in a baguette and top it with cheese and pop it under the broiler till the cheese melts , so here goes ..........

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe spaghetti with meatballs
baguette or hot dog rolls
provolone cheese or gouda cheese

METHOD

Halve the baguette or hot dog rolls
Fill in the sauce and the meatballs
Top it with cheese
Pop it under the broiler till the cheese melts or bake in a moderate hot oven till the cheese melts.

Butter Chicken

This is one most popular dish and it is absolutely delicious . Almost everyone orders it whenever in an Indian restaurant . There are many versions of it and here is mine , it is quick and easy , so here goes............

INGREDIENTS

500 gms chicken
1/2 cup yoghurt
4-6 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder
juice of half a lemon
salt to taste
200 gms canned tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 inch cinammon
2-3 tbsp cream
2-3 whole green chillies
1/2 tsp garam masala
Chopped coriander for garnish (optional)

METHOD

In a blender add the yoghurt , spice powders , ginger and garlic and blend it well.
Marinate the chicken in this mixture with salt for a minimum of 4 hours or preferably overnight.
In a deep pan heat a tbsp of oil or ghee and add the chicken with all it's marinade
Cook till the chicken is done , meanwhile in another saucepan add the canned tomatoes with all it's juices and a piece of cinammon stick and boil it till it becomes thick .
Now strain the tomatoes and add it to the chicken and add the ketchup .
On low heat add the green chillies and finally add the cream .
Serve hot with rice or roti.

Melting Moments

Just like it's name these biscuits just literally  melt- in- your- mouth . These biscuits taste really good and I mean really goooooddd. The biscuits are buttery and fluffy and crumbly and the filling is very fresh and lemony and the best thing is it is really easy to make and looks great too , so here goes...........

INGREDIENTS

125 gms butter softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn flour

For the filling

45 gms butter
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

Beat the butter ,vanilla  and the sugar till light and fluffy
Mix the two flours together and add  them to the butter mix in two parts
Roll teaspoonfulls of dough and place them in the baking sheet 1 inch apart .
Lightly pat down the balls with floured fork .
Bake for about 15-20 min in a preheated 160 c oven.
Stand 5 min before lifting onto wire rack to cool
Now make the filling by mixing all the ingredients together in a smooth paste.
Sandwich the biscuits with the filling .
Dust with extra icing sugar before serving if you like.

TIP

Unfilled biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for a week .Filled biscuits can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days .

Creamy Hot Chocolate

What better to have on a cold , wintery night than a cup of warm , comforting  and creamy hot chocolate and my kids and I really needed it last night .I saw this recipe a long time ago on Nigella's show and have been making it ever since . the creamy , sweet hot chocolate is complemented by the subtle hint of cinammon in it , it is the perfect comforting drink especially when you have a cold , so here goes.......

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of full cream milk
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp honey
a pinch of cinammon powder
2 ounces of dark chocolate

METHOD

In a saucepan , mix all the ingredients together and bring it to a boil taking care to whisk it the whole time .
Top it  with marshmallows or chocolate shavings or even better whipped cream , yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

TIP

To make it a tad more spicy , you can add red chilli flakes , it tastes great , trust me .