Pani Puri Bandi

Chicken 65

This is my first non-vegetarian post. I've been trying to put this up for quite some time now.., and I have about 8 posts in my drafts that have yet to see the day light.., Yeah I'm turning into quite a bum!! And just FYI I have again started to hit gym.., Only this time around, its not to gain weight., but vice versa. The personal trainer also advised me to go on a liquid diet for a week.. Contemplating.., Lets see.., So todays recipe is that of the Chicken 65. The hardcore non-vegetarian husband of mine loves this dish. I initially used to have a lot of trouble preparing this dish as it involves a whole lot of yogurt and marination and stuff.., But after say about the 5th time., I almost perfected the dish.And I tried using buttermilk (which smells as bad as the yogurt but is definitely better) instead of yogurt which sort of worked.. :) The pieces shown in the snap are a bit bigger., Raj likes them that way., but one can surely cut down on size. So here goes the recipe.., happy reading!! :)

Chicken 65

Serves - 2

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Marination Time - 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a kg boneless chicken breast
• 1 tsp Chilly Powder
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 Egg whites
• 2 tbsps Corn flour
• 2 tbsps Refined Wheat Flour/Maida
• 1 cup Butter milk / Yogurt / Curd
• 1 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 1/4 teaspoon orange food coloring
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
• Oil for deep frying
• 4-5 Green Chillies, finely slit
• 5-6 Garlic flakes, finely chopped
• Some Curry leaves for tempering.

Method:

Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Add chilly powder, black pepper and salt to taste. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice. Cover and marinate for about 1 hour. In a bowl take these marinated Chicken pieces. Add corn flour, egg whites and the Maida. Mix properly. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Fry the Chicken pieces until they are golden brown and crispy. Do this in small batches, over medium-high heat to ensure that the chicken is cooked through. Remove from oil and set aside.

Heat two tbsps of oil in a wide frying pan and when oil is hot, add the green chillies, curry leaves and garlic pieces. Fry them a little. Later , add the garlic and ginger pastes and fry until it turns brown. Lower the heat to medium-low and add butter milk (make sure that it doesn't curdle), food coloring, and salt to taste. After two or three minutes raise the heat to medium and cook until the butter milk mixture comes to a boil. Now add the chicken pieces and stir. Raise heat to high and cook, while stirring periodically, until the liquid is fully absorbed and the meat looks dry. Transfer the contents into a serving plate and add lemon juice. Give it a quick stir. Serve as a starter :)

Chole/ Chickpea in Gravy

Fun weekend!! Yeah couldn't have been better. And two consecutive wins for India.. All the more reason to smile. So getting back to food..., todays recipe is of the very yummy Chole.., Ideally, it is served with Batura or Puri. But I didn't have so much patience so I just made some good old Chapathis. This one has been in my drafts for a long time now., So I quickly want to get

done with this.., Here goes ..,

Chole/ Chickpeas in Gravy:

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: Half an Hour

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Kabuli Chana , Soaked overnight and boiled
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Tea powder Optional
• 3-4 Cloves
• A 1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 2-3 Green chillies (or according to taste)
• A 1 /2 inch piece of Ginger, finely chopped
• 3 tsp Annardana powder / Pomegranate seeds powder
• 1/4 tsp Dry Mango powder / Amchur
• 1 tsp Garam Masala powder
• 1 Potato , boiled and mashed
• 1 Tomato, Finely chopped
• 2 tsp Ghee/ Oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp each of Cumin, Mustard and Fenugreek Seeds

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin, mustard, fenugreek, cinnamon and cloves. Let them splutter. Add the onions, ginger and the green chillies and fry them till the onions turn pink. Now add the chopped tomatoes and the mashed potato and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the Kabuli Chana and add a cup of water. Take the tea powder in a clean cloth and tie up the ends to form a pouch. Drop this pouch into the mixture. This is an optional step. The tea powder just enhances the color of the dish. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Discard the tea pouch. Now, add in the garam masala, anaardana powder, amchur powder and salt as per your taste. Cook for a few more minutes. Serve hot with a squeeze of lime :)

Onion Uthappam

I loveeeeeeeeeee South Indian cuisine.., Maybe being born down south really did its bit.., Well yeah., I'm a sucker for yummy Dosas, Idlis, and all the South Indian tiffins.., not the forget the yummy., yummy and even more yummier Sambar.., Its my all time favorite.. :D So quickly, I'd like to share the recipe of the Onion Uthappam ideally to be served with either Coconut Chutney or Tomato Chutney...

Onion Uthappam

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw rice
• 1 cup Black Gram dal (Urad dal)
• 4 tbsp. Beaten Rice
• 1 Large Onion Chopped
• 4-5 Green Chillies, very finely chopped
• The greens of 2-3 Spring onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 inch piece of Ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tsp roasted Cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• Oil for Shallow frying

Method:

Soak the rice in a container. In another container, soak the Urad dal and Beaten rice together. (Soak these overnight for best results, but if you are running out of time, you can let them soak for about 3 hours.) Grind each of these mixtures separately. Mix the ground batters thoroughly and let them stand for fermentation overnight. When ready to use add some water to the fermented batter to give it a Dosa like consistency. Add the salt to taste. Add the chopped onions, spring onions, green chillies, cumin seeds and chopped ginger. ( For better results, you can saute the onions, chillies, spring onions and ginger for about 5 minutes before adding them to the Uthappam batter ). Grease a frying pan with oil. Pour one large ladleful batter, spread into a thick round. Pour some oil all around and in the centre. Cook till one side turns brown. Then turn the Uthappam around and cook for a few more minutes till the Uthappam is brown and crispy..

Dondakaya Vepudu / Gherkins Fry

The easiest of all the dishes made till now.. Simple curry, simple ingredients and a perfect side dish. I used to hate Gherkins as a kid as I somehow, somewhere heard that I Gherkins slows makes the mind go numb.. And I was scared of all my wits.. It was only after many a lectures that I began to et these Gherkins or Dondakaya as we call them. Over the years, I have grown rather fond of these little green friends of mine. Here is a simple and very easy way of making Dondakaya Vepudu - Gherkins Fry.

Dondakaya Vepudu/ Gherkins Fry:

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Dondakaya/ Gherkins, cut into pieces
• Oil For deep frying
• Salt and Chilly Pwd to taste
• 1/2 tsp each of Cumin pwd and Raw Mango/Amchur pwd

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cut Gherkins and deep fry till they are light brown in color. Simmer and fry for another 5 minutes. Strain and transfer onto a tissue paper to remove the excess oil. Transfer to a bowl. Add the salt and chilly powder. Give it a quick stir. Finally, sprinkle the cumin and raw mango pwd. Serve hot with rice. :D :D :D

Simple Vermicelli

Awww its getting hotter and hotter out here.., And I tend to get so irritated in this season. Nowadays I'm trying to skip staying in the kitchen for too long. So heres a dish which would get done in a jiffy.., and its also very tasty.Vermicelli can be prepared in many ways. You can add in Veggies like potatoes and tomatoes to make a Veggie Vermicelli., You can add pieces of boiled egg and some Chinese sauces to make it a Chinese Vermicelli.., but I love the simple Vermicelli as the flavor of the vermicelli is not over shadowed by the Veggies or the spices.. :) So here goes the recipe of the Simple Vermicelli...

Vermicelli :

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Roasted Vermicelli
• 4 Cups Water
• 1 Onion, Finely Chopped
• 4 Green Chillies, Finely Chopped
• 1/2 tsp each of Cumin, Mustard and Split Moong Dal
• A Few Curry Leaves
• A few sprigs Of Chopped Coriander Leaves
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp oil

Method:

In a pan heat the oil and add in the Mustard, Cumin and Moong Dal. Let them splutter a bit. Later, add in the curry leaves, the chopped onions and the chopped green chillies. Fry them till the onions are pink. Add in the Vermicelli and fry for a minute. Now, add the water and add salt to taste. Give it a stir. Let the Vermicelli cook till the water evaporates completely. Transfer the contents to a serving dish. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot preferably with Mango pickle.. :D... Its so very easy and sooo very delicious..

Variations: You can add groundnuts, Cashew nuts and any other nuts that you are fond of. You can also add finely shredded ginger. :)

Cakes!!

Family Occasions... :D :D :D