Chicken Manchurian

I know I have been MIA for a while now , but lemme tell you something , I finally unpacked my stuff ( yay me !). I actually wanted to bake a cake to celebrate but I am just too tired from all the unpacking so went through my photos and found one that I hadn't posted . This is a very easy and tasty recipe which I make all the time . It's very flavourful and spicy , I like it very spicy but if you want it mild , you can decrease the amount of chillies used  , so here goes....................

INGREDIENTS


500 gms boneless chicken cut into cubes

for the marinade

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 egg
salt to taste

for the sauce

2 tbsp garlic minced
2 tbsp spring onion chopped
6-8 green chillies chopped
1 tbsp celery chopped
1 tbsp ginger minced
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 4 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and add the chicken cubes in it and set it aside for half hour.
Fry the chicken pieces till they are crisp and done .
In a saucepan , heat a couple of tbsp of oil and add the ginger , garlic , spring onions and celery and saute it for a few min.
Now add the rest of the ingredients except for the cornflour and bring it to a boil .
Reduce the heat and add the cornflour and stir it till it thickens .
Now add the fried chicken cubes and mix it up .
Turn off the heat , garnish with chopped spring onions and corinader leaves if you like .
Serve hot .

Spicy Tuna Rolls

It's been a while since I posted anything , frankly was not in the mood for it . The end of the year and the beginning was an emotional roller coaster ride , so many things were happening all around that I was completely lost but now I am back and have to be back because making food and blogging about it is really therapeutic for me .
These rolls are really soft and pillowy to the touch , I got this recipe from Elisabeth from the blog food & thrifts , I make them all the time and decided to give it another twist to it . The basic roll recipe is quite easy and the rolls come out perfect , sweet and soft , so I decided to go with a spicy filling , which seems to work well . It is super easy to make so here goes..................

INGREDIENTS 

for the rolls 

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
olive oil 2-3 tbsp

for the filling 

2 tins canned tuna fish drained
1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1 onion finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
3-4 tbsp or more tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese or goats cheese

1 egg and 3 tbsp water beaten
Melted butter (optional)

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients for the dough and leave it to rise for an hour and a half .
Meanwhile make the filling , in a pan heat the oil and add the tuna and the spices and fry it till the raw smell of the spice disappears .
Add the onions to it and cook it till done . Season it with salt .
After the dough has doubled in size , roll it into a large rectangle .
Spread the ketchup on top and then add sprinkle with the dried spices .
Now add the fried tuna and spread it evenly .
Add the mozzarella and sprinkle the crumbled feta or goats cheese .
Roll it from the longer end like you would roll a swiss roll .
Now cut them into 12 equal pieces .
Arrange them in a baking dish filling side up and leave it to rise for about half hour .
Brush the rolls with the egg wash or butter .
Bake them in a preheated oven for about 25-30 min.
Serve them hot and enjoy .

Mutton in Fried Spices

The recipe I am posting today is an invention test of mine like the Masterchef program and I am happy to report that the curry turned out really delish and also very easy to make too . The aroma itself is mouth watering .Succulent pieces of meat is coated in an aromatic gravy made from whole  spices which is fried to intensify the flavour , so here goes..........

INGREDIENTS

1 kg mutton/lamb cut into medium size pieces
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 inch stick cinnamon
4 green cardamom
3 cloves
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp whole coriander
3-4 dried red chillies
1/2 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion fried till golden
2 large tomatoes
2-3 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped (optional)

METHOD

In a large pan , add the mutton , salt, turmeric and enough water to cook the mutton till done and set aside.
In another pan , add 2 tbsp coconut oil , turn the heat on low and add the whole spices and fry it for a few sec .
Set the fried spices aside and add the remaining oil and add the tomatoes and cook till soft .
Now grind the fried spices , fried onion and the cooked tomatoes to a smooth paste.
Put the ground mixture back into the pan , when it starts to get hot , add the cooked mutton and coat the pieces in the mixture .
Keep on stirring it and cook for a few min .
Add the liquid from the cooked mutton and cook on high heat till the gravy gets thick .
Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve hot with rice , nan or appams.

Spicy Squid Masala

I love squid and my kids love them too , so much that they don't mind the heat in this dish . This is my fav way of making it , no strike that eating it . It is very easy to make , absolutely no skill required and it tastes and looks great so here goes........

INGREDIENTS

1 kg squid washed and cut into rings ( I use the head too )
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
3-6 garlic cloves minced
1/2 inch pc of ginger minced
1 large onion sliced thinly
5-10 curry leaves
2 + 1 tbsp coconut oil
a pinch of garam masala ( optional )

METHOD

In a pan , add the squid , spices , ginger and garlic and keep on high heat .
When the liquid starts to come out from the squid , lower the heat and cook for about 5-10 min .
In another pan , add 2 tbsp coconut oil .
When it starts to get hot , add the curry leaves and the cooked squid while reserving the liquid .
Be careful , because the squid starts spluttering .
Fry it for a few min and then set it aside .
Add the remaining oil and fry the onion slices till golden .
Add the reserved liquid and when it starts boiling , add the fried squid and cook till the water has evapourated , stirring it frequently, sprinkle some garam masala if using .
By now the masala must have coated all over the squid and gives off a nice aroma.
Serve hot with rice or roti and enjoy .

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

I was fortunate enough to travel to many places and even better had the opportunity to try out the different cuisines too and this one is from my childhood memory of travelling to Thailand with my parents  . It is quite a colorful place and the best thing about it is the air is filled with all sorts of aromas of the various street food and lots and lots of wonderful fruits . This is something I had eaten from there and just loved it but back then there was no google to find out what goes into it ( OMG , I feel so old writing "back then" :(  ).

Ok so now back to the future, I have started making them and my family just loves it . It is spicy and sweet and very delicious and this is my version of making them . Here we like things spicy , so my version is on the spicy side with a very small touch of sweetness so here goes.......

INGREDIENTS

500 gms boneless chicken cut into strips

for the marinade

1/2 creamed coconut or 1/2 cup warm water + 3 tbsp cocnut milk powder
1 tbsp red curry paste
1and 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp yellow curry powder
a pinch of red chilli flakes
1 tsp or more fish sauce ( fish sauce is used instead of salt , so add it according to your taste )
1 tbsp peanut oil or any vegetable oil

for the peanut sauce 

2 spring onions ,white part only chopped
2 fresh red chillies chopped finely
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp red curry paste
2 heaped tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup creamed coconut or 1/2 cup warm water + 3 tbsp coconut milk powder
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and mix it with the chicken
Marinate it for 2 hrs or more .
In a pan , heat the oil and add the onions , garlic and red chilly
Add the red curry paste and saute for a few min.
Now add the rest of the ingredients and simmer it for a few min.
If the mixture seems thick , add a little water and turn off the heat .
Puree this mixture if you want it smooth or leave it as it is .
Skewer the chicken pieces and grill it till done .
Serve with some steamed rice and enjoy .

Spicy Prawn and Mushroom with Egg Noodles

Have you guys heard of the floating book shop called the Logos Hope . It is a ship full of books and can you believe this all of the people who work there are not paid , they work voluntarily , just like it's name their main purpose is to bring hope to people . The money they make selling books is used for charity , what a noble idea it is right ? .In this day and age where selfishness and blatant disregard for others are the most common traits , people like these are very rare to find and everyone can learn something from them .

 They have all kinds of books on board and I  love to read books and especially how a new book smells ( I know it's weird ) ,I'll read anything but  my most favourite kind of books are cookbooks . I love to flip through the pages and drool  at the beautiful pictures . As a little girl , this ship used to come to our city once in a year and I used to bug my parents to take me there and came back a happy girl from there with a load of books and most of them used to be cook books , cooking was passion even then too . Sadly all good things have to come to an end ,the ship then stopped coming .Then something wonderful happened a couple of months back , the ship was scheduled to come here and you can imagine my excitement over that news , I just couldn't wait for it to get here and show my hubby and kids . Oooooh ! I really felt like a little girl again and took my hubby and the kids there and as usual bought a whole load of books and came back , going back there I had such wonderful memories and above all that I could show my kids my favourite place .

Ok enough of my blabbing , I am not boring you anymore , I just mentioned it because the recipe I am posting is from one such book I bought from there , it is a wonderful book with all easy recipes and noodles being my favourite I had to make this , it is spicy and aromatic and just yummy so here goes........

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp oil
1 onion chopped
1 fresh red chilli chopped finely
1 tbsp thai red curry paste
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
250 gms prawns
400 gms canned button mushrooms
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
225 gms egg noodles
fresh coriander chopped

METHOD

Heat the oil and add the onions and chilli and saute for a couple of min.
Add the curry paste and the lemon zest and saute for a couple of min .
Add the prawns , mushrooms, lemon juice , fish sauce and the soy sauce .
Mix it all up and cook till the prawns are done .
Cook the noodles in boiling water for a few min and drain and toss it in the prawn mix.
Add the coriander and serve hot .

Beetroot In Spicy Tamarind Sauce

This from my mom's recipe collection .I think it's probably the dramatic color or something , this was the only veg I used to eat as a kid and now my son is the same way , he is a very picky eater but he will have this one even though it is very spicy for him . This dish is very spicy and tangy and the sweetness of the beetroot balances it out beautifully so here goes............

INGREDIENTS

2 medium beetrot , peeled and chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 small ball of tamarind soaked in 1 cup of warm water
1 small tomato chopped
2 green chillies chopped
1/2-1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste

for tempering

1 tsp whole mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

METHOD

Heat the oil for tempering and add the seeds and the curry leaves till it crackles.
Add the onions and ginger and garlic paste and sautee till the onions turn soft
Add the spice powders and salt and sautee it for a few sec.
Add the chopped tomatoes and sautee it till it turns into a thick paste .
Add the beetroot and the green chillies and mix it all up .
Now squeeze the pulp in the soaked water and add the water to the beetroot mix .
Bring to a boil and then simmer it till it turns to a thick gravy .