Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is one spicy and mouth-watering dish. There are many variation for this dish, but its usually deep fried, hot and spicy. It's quite simple to make and is one of my favourite chicken recipes.

The chicken is first marinated then fried in oil. A separate gravy is made in which the fried chicken is mixed. This particular recipe I got from vahrevah.com...

Here's what all you'll need:

For Marinating the chicken:
  - Boneless Chicken - 1/2 kg
  - Ginger-garlic paste (Make fresh) - 2 tsp
  - Pepper powder - a pinch
  - Salt to taste
  - 1 egg
  - Corn flour - 2 tsp
  - Oil for frying

For the gravy:
  - Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
  - Curry leaves - 4 to 5 leaves
  - Ginger (chopped) - roughly 1/2 tsp
  - Garlic (chopped) - roughly 1 tsp
  - Coriander leaves for garnishing
  - Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
  - Green chilies - 3 to 4 or check the spiciness and add how much ever u want..
  - Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp or check and add more/less if u require
  - Salt to taste

How to make:
Cut the chicken into small cubes. Make sure the chicken is dry before applying marination.
Add salt, a pinch of pepper powder, ginger-garlic paste and cornflour. Mix well. Now add the egg and mix well again. This egg coats the meat and keeps the juices in...
Now fry these chicken in oil until they turn light golden brown. As they are small cut pieces they tend to cook fast, so do be careful and don't over cook. Keep these fried chicken aside for now...

Now we make the gravy sauce for the chicken 65:
In a big sauce pan, heat 2-3 tbsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and chopped ginger & garlic. Saute until the raw smell of the garlic goes.
Now add chopped green chillies, curry leaves, pepper powder, chilli powder and salt. Cook for a little while. Then just before adding the fried chicken add a little water and then only toss in the chicken. Mix well.
That's about it. Garnish with coriander leaves... squeeze some lemon juice on to it...

(A point to be noted here is to be careful with the salt u add. The fried chicken will already be having salt. So be careful while adding salt in the gravy!!)




Adding red colour would give it an even yummier look. I restrained from using it in this thou, so mine looks more like simple masala fried chicken.
My mom makes this another way.. using yogurt or leban. A thick gravy kind of chicken 65. That one, I feel, is even better than this and goes great with ghee rice! :)
I'll put up that recipe of chicken 65 too when i make it... :)

My husband and I aren't much of a beef or mutton eater. It's chicken and fish for us. Lately, I've been trying to add veggies into our meals. But honestly, I'm losing on that part... my husband is not a big fan of veggies either. And I'm not so familiar with yummy veggie recipes. If any of you know, please do comment and let me know. I'd love to try out some new vegetable recipes...

That's all for now... catch u later! :)

Kerala Fish curry with coconut

Recipe adapted from ethnicindiancuisine

Ingredients    

1. Fish - 500 gms
2. Grated Coconut - 1 Cups
3. Ginger - 1 inch piece
4. Pearl Onion - 1 no
5. Red Chilly Powder - 3 tsp
6. Coriander Powder - 3 tsp
7. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Green chillies - 3 or 4
9. Kudam Puli or Tarmarind - 2 small
10. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
11. Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp
12. Salt - to taste

Preparation

1. Any kind of fish can be used for this. Clean and cut the fish into pieces.   
   
   
2. In a blender, grind ginger, coconut, pearl onion, chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, a couple of curry leaves and just enough water to make a smooth paste.  
    
3. Pour the ground mixture into a clay pot, add the rest of the curry leaves, kudam puli, green chillies, salt and required amount of water(depends on how thick you need the gravy to be) and bring it to a simmer on medium heat. 
     
4. Now add the fish pieces and mix well. Cook on medium-low till the fish pieces are cooked.   
5. Drizzle coconut oil over the curry and keep covered.  
    
6. Serve hot rice.

The original recipe had 2 cups of grated coconut but I felt that it was a bit too much.  This is not a very spicy curry, you can add more chilli powder depending on your taste. Be careful though. If you reduce the amount of coconut, you won't have to increase the amount of chilli powder.

Coconut-Coriander Chutney

Here is a simple recipe for the coriander-coconut chutney..

What all you'll need:
- 1 cup Grated Coconut
- A handful of coriander leaves
- 1 or 2 Green chilies
- 2-3 small onions
- Salt to taste
- Yogurt or lemon juice (1 tsp)
- Mustard seeds
- A few curry leaves

How to make:
Grind the coconut, coriander leaves, green chilies and small onions into a fine paste or to your desired consistency. Add salt and yogurt/lemon juice. Mix well.
Pop Mustard seeds in a pan with a teaspoon oil. Add curry leaves. Give it some 10-20 seconds and pour in the coconut-coriander mixture. Switch off flame.
Check taste and add salt or yogurt/lemon juice if needed.

I don't always use yogurt for chutney. I prefer chutney's without yogurt. Some people add half an inch of ginger to it when grinding. Try this out with tamarind. But make that a thick paste. Tamarind chutney's go best with vada. Next time I make them I'll put it up...

Different Moist Chocolate Cakes I've created so far...

I had been searching for the perfect moist chocolate cake and since having found it, ( http://coloursofourworld.blogspot.ae/2013/01/moist-chocolate-cake.html ), I have tried lots of different variations with it. Nothing drastic... just adding colours or excluding the cocoa or mixing with different icings...
I always had to make sure it'd not be too chocolatety, nor too fudgey...

Here are some of my creations:

This is one of my earliest creations. Its Moist chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting. Those chocolate balls are chocolate butter cream. I had first given the cake an icing of chocolate butter cream and then the whipped cream. And made some balls with the left over butter cream.... spread some cake crumbs on the sides. Those days getting to finish one cake was a big effort for me, so the decoration part would more or less be for the name sake.... wouldnt have much of an interest in it...

Here's a slice for u :)

It had tasted good :) My husband's cousin and wife had come that day from Muscat.... and lucky me, I had somebody who could actually understand the love for cakes and chocolates! :) Every time I make one of these I start wishing she was here...


This was my next experiment with the moist chocolate cake....A 3-layered cake...

Two of them being chocolate and one vanilla. This one has been topped with chocolate ganache, some honeyed corn flakes, grated chocolate (galaxy fruit & nuts) and strawberry...
This cake was so so soooo yummy. I totally fell in love all over again with this moist cake! :D

And here's a slice of that one too for u :)

And here is my latest experiment with the moist chocolate cake recipe....

I made it when my in-laws were here. It didnt turn out as good as the others in taste thou coz I went a little low on the batter and added flour to it at the end... which just made it a bit harder than what it was suppose to be and kinda dry. This one also I made into 3 layers: vanilla, chocolate and in the third one I added red colour. My red colour comes out pink :)
Frosted it first with whipped cream and then with chocolate ganache. Messed up on the piping work at the borders and tried to cover that up with some chocolate chips :P

Anyway, heres a slice for u :)

I've quit on making cakes and desserts. I'm the only one who has a sweet tooth here. And can u imagine a cake staying in the fridge for more than 2 or 3 days?!? No way! And so, they somehow end up in my tummy. And that is why I've said tata to cakes for now...

A few days back I saw a pic of cheesecake with jelly which my husband's cousin sister, Shamna, in Qatar, had made... I love cheesecake and jelly combination... have never made them myself thou....
I'm in quite a bad dilemma... If I get the recipe from her, then I'm sure to want to make it... and if I don't ask then that pic is going to have me go bake some or the other cake... hmm... should I ask?

Oh well... anyway, I hope you liked these cakes of mine. And don't worry, they're not fattening. They are just teeny meeny slices after all :D

Tata then! Catch u later.... :)

Masala Dosa

The greatest mistake is to continue to practice a mistake - Bobby Bowden

I can't believe I'm putting up a post on making dosa. I must have tried a million different tips for making dosa. And it took me like forever to finally get it right!
As usual I got my perfect recipe when I was browsing thru the net.

 

There are some lucky people who get it right in the second or third try... but I wasn't one of them. I tried and tried... got fed up of the rubbery idlis and dosas. The reason I still went on to find the ultimate recipe which might help is coz I love dosas so much. I love crispy dosas with coconut-coriander chutney. And, Alhamdulillah, I got it from this site, http://www.veggiebelly.com/

This is what you'll need:
- 1 cup of ponni rice (or any such similar medium grained rice)
- 1 cup idli rice
- 1 cup urud daal
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (uluva)
- 1 teaspoon salt

The ratio of rice to urud daal is always 2:1.
With the above measurements u can get dosas for about 8 servings.

Wash both the rice and place them in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with water so that the water is about 2 inches above the rice. Let it soak for about 8-9 hours. Do the same with the daal and fenugreek and place in a separate bowl.

After the required hours of soaking you will notice the daal has swelled up and the rice will be easy to break with your fingers...

Grinding:
You should grind the daal first and then the rice.
Put the daal+ fenugreek into a grinder and grind into a smooth, fluffy paste.  If u can't grind it all in one go, then divide into small portions and grind. Add more water as and when needed. The final result should be a fluffy smooth but thick paste. Pour it into a large bowl.

Now grind the rice the same way. The rice should be ground to a smooth but slightly gritty batter. And pour that also into the large bowl. Mix the two. Cover the bowl loosely. It should not be air tight.

Now this is the part which you have to get right. The fermentation. If the batter does not ferment properly then the dosa/idli won't come out well. This is what went wrong for me.

This is what I learnt from veggiebelly.com:

"If you live in a warm climate leave the batter over night in a warm place (about 8 hours) to ferment. Ideal dosa idli batter fermentation temperature is around 90f or 32c.

If you live in a cold climate, turn on the pilot light of your oven. (do not turn on your oven!). Place the batter bowl on the lowest rack, farthest away from the light. The light will give the batter enough warmth to ferment. Leave the bowl in the oven for about 10 hours for dosa batter to ferment. Sometimes, the batter may take up to 18 hours to ferment in colder climates.

The fermented batter should be frothy, and almost doubled in volume. "

This info was just what I wanted! May God bless her! :)




If  the fermented batter is too thick, add a little water. For dosas, the batter must be of pouring consistency, but not too runny.

Add salt to the batter and we're ready to make our dosas..

Heat a 9 inch non-stick skillet on high heat. Pour a ladle (1/4 cup) of batter on the pan. Using very little pressure  swirl the ladle in concentric circle to spread out the batter.
It should not be too hot or else the batter will thicken and stick to the ladle.  I don't add oil before pouring in the batter coz it really is not necessary. The dosas don't stick to it. But u can add if u really need it.

Cook on medium-high heat till the dosa starts turning golden brown.

At this point you can fold the dosa over in half or (for masala dosa) put a little masala in the centre and fold from both sides or roll it into rolls. For extra crispy dosas, flip over and lightly brown the other side.

Taste ur first dosa and adjust salt accordingly.

Now for the masala part: 
I like making the masala with potatoes. Some people add carrot to it too. You can add if u prefer that.

What all you'll need:
- 1 big onion cut into fine cubes
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 lemon
- Pepper to taste
- 1 or 2 green chilies finely sliced
- salt to taste
- Vegetable oil

Clean potatoes and put in pressure cooker with a cup of water. On the first whistle reduce flame. And on the second whistle remove from flame. Check whether the potatoes are properly cooked. Peel skin and mash the potatoes. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds. After the cumins are done with their flutterings ( :) ) add the onions and fry until they start turning golden brown. Add green chilies. If you r adding carrots add them now.After that's done cooking add the mashed potatoes. Mix well. Switch off flame. Squeeze in some lemon juice (According to ur taste). Add pepper and salt.
That's about it for the masala part.  Its quite simple.

Plain dosa goes well with coconut-coriander Chutney and Sambar

If you still find that u can't make the perfect dosa, check out this link: http://www.veggiebelly.com/2011/03/perfect-dosa-recipe.html. It has lots of do's and don't and questions answered. Maybe it might help u.

I make this batter for idli and use it the next day for dosa by adding a little water to loosen it. Idlis require thicker batter.

Ok then.. I'm gona put a full stop to this post. It has been long enough as it is :)
Catch u later.
Tata for now... :)

Chicken Manchurian

Ingredients - Marinate

1. 250gm boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
2. 1 tbsp. corn flour
3. ½ tsp. salt
4. ½ tsp. black pepper powder
5. pinch of sugar
6. 1 tsp. soya sauce
7. ½ tsp. ginger/garlic paste
8. ½ an egg (beaten)
9. pinch of red chili powder or flakes (optional)

Set this aside for about half an hour. Then fry until golden, do not over fry otherwise the chicken will turn hard. Remove and set aside.

For Sauce

1. 1 tbsp. chopped onions or spring onion
2. 2 tbsp. oil
3. 1 tbsp. ketchup
4. 1 tsp. tomato paste
5. ½ tsp. ginger
6. ½ tsp. garlic
7. salt to taste
8. 1 tsp. sugar
9. ½ cup chicken stock
10. 1 tsp. corn flour mixed with water to form a light paste
11. 1 whole red chili, slit
12. ½ tsp. black pepper
13. splash of soya sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oil, add the whole red chilli, ginger and garlic pastes followed by the spring onion.
2. Fry for a minute then add the tomato paste, ketchup, sugar and salt/pepper.
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes, and then add the stock. Let it come to a simmer, lower the heat and add the corn flour paste.
4. The sauce will instantly start to thicken. Once it is of a good thick consistency, add the fried chicken and a splash of soya sauce.
5. Stir together and adjust salt, simmer for 3 more minutes on low heat, then turn off the heat and serve with fried rice.

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients

1. 3 tbsp oil
2. pinch of salt and pepper
3. 1 tbsp onion, chopped
4. 1 tbsp spring onion chopped  
5. ½ green capsicum, chopped
6. 1 cup mixed vegetables - diced
7. ¼ tsp. garlic paste
8. splash of soya sauce
9. 2 egg
10. 2 cups cooked rice (boiled with salt and a tsp. of oil, then drained and cooled completely)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil, add the garlic, onions and spring onions and sauté for a minute.
2. Then add the egg, salt and pepper and scramble it.
3. Now add the mixed vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes.
4. Once the vegetables are done, add capsicum and stir fry for a minute. Make sure not to over cook vegetables.
5. Add the cooked rice and fry for few minutes
6. Splash some soya sauce on it, then put the heat on very low and cover the pan.
7. Remove from fire after few minutes. 
8. Serve with Chicken Manchurian or Chilli Chicken!

NOTE / TIP : Make sure not to over cook anything. Fried rice won't taste good otherwise.
This is not a spicy fried rice. If you want you can add more pepper powder or chilli flakes.

Vendakka ( Okra ) Curry

In my quest to find a way to bring more veggies to our diet, I thought of making one of my mom's old recipe. She puts omelet at the end to the curry.




INGREDIENTS

1. Vendakka - 1 cup
2. Garam masala - 1 tsp
3. Onion - 1/2
4. Curry Leaves
5. Ginger - 1/2 inch
6. Garlic - 2
7. Thin coconut milk - 1/2 cup
8. Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup
9. Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
11. Cashew nut - 10 (optional)
12. Oil - 2 - 3 tbsp
13. Salt - to taste

PREPARATION

1. Heat half Oil in a pan and fry Okra for a few minutes. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
2. In the same pan heat the rest of the oil and sauté onion, ginger , garlic and curry leaves for few minutes. Be careful not to let the onion turn brown.
   
   
   
3. Now add chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and sauté for few minutes.
4. Now add okra, salt and thin coconut milk and cook for few minutes.
5. If you are adding cashew, grind it with thick coconut milk and add to the curry. Cook for few more minutes and your curry is done!

Dahi Vada

Hey guys! :)

It's been a long time since I last posted. I've been a bit busy of late... and when I did get the time, I was lazy... :)

My in-laws had come a month back so I'd got out all my love for making beautiful food with a relish. Tried out lots of stuff.. mostly sweet dishes... but a lot of times it was just that... good to look at... :P

But these vadas, they were a smashing success!

The first time I had dahi vadas were from a Pakistani neighbour's place back in Saudi. They were soooo good, I asked my mom to make it when I got back home. Dahi vada was something new at my home. I don't remember anyone making them back home in Kerala either. Not in my place...

My mom took the recipe from aunty and since then Dahi vadas have always been a must-have dish during Ramadan....

That was a long time ago... when I was in the 3rd grade I think...
After getting married this is the first time I've tried it.

For the vada you'll need
- Urud daal - 1 cup (you'll get around 20+ medium vada's)
- cumin seeds - 1 tsp
- 3-4 curry leaves, finely chopped
- chopped onions - 2 tbsp (optional)
- salt to taste
- Oil for frying
(Actually for the vada all u need is urud daal and salt. The cumin seeds, curry leaves and onion adds extra taste. That's the best part of cooking at home after all. You can make it as you like it)

For the Dahi
- Dahi (add water to thin the yogurt.. I use the Almarai Leban we get here in the gulf)
- A handful of coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- green chillies 1-2 (this depends on how hot ur chillies are. If 2 are not enough add more)
- salt to taste

For garnishing
- Coriander leaves
- Urud daal - 1 tbsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder
- Chaat masala

How to make:
- Wash and soak the daal in water for about 4-6 hours.
- Grind it into a smooth paste. Don't add too much water for grinding. It should be a thick, smooth paste.
- Add salt, cumin seeds, onion and curry leaves. Mix well.

Heat oil in a large pan and drop spoonfuls of batter into it. Fry until it turns gold drown. Do make sure the oil is hot before dropping the batter in.
Take the hot vadas and put them in a mixture of cold water and salt for 2-3 minutes. Then squeeze out the water and keep aside...
Make small vadas.... once its soaked in water and then later the dahi, it'll swell up and be twice its size... unless, ofcourse, its BIG dahi vadas you want....

Now for the dahi part:
Blend together the cumin seeds, green chillies, coriander leaves and yogurt. Add salt (according to your taste) to the mixture.

Now arrange the vadas in whatever dish u want to serve it in and pour the dahi mixture over them.
For garnishing u could simply use coriander leaves. I roasted some urud daal in oil and poured over the dahi vada. If u like something crunchy this is a good option. I love it with chick peas too.
Then I just sprinkled some kashmiri chillie powder and Chaat masala on top to give it that spicy look of the Indian food :)

These vadas turned out really soft and everyone loved it. I like collecting such simple snack ideas. Easy to make for guests. There was this recipe I came across a few days back for making stuffed dahi vada: http://cooking-goodfood.blogspot.ae/2012/03/stuffed-dahi-vada.html. It looks yum yum....planing to try it out soon... :)

Tata for now... will catch up later when I have some other beautiful yummilicious food and recipe... :)