Sukha Chicken - A Vineet Special !

Yes! I know... it's been forever since I posted anything ( 5 weeks to be precise!)... but in my defence.... my maid disappeared overnight!
She was there one day... helping clean the house, chop the veggies and take care of inhuman piles of ironing... and gone the next! 
Little do most people truly understand the role a good maid plays in the life of a woman.... and if you're Indian, married and have grown to depend on the one person who is actually more useful than your husband around the house on weekends ... you're world gets literally turned upside down when they're gone....

So anyway, now that things have finally gotten under control... Vineet cooks and I clean... (hehe... )... on the weekends that is. His stints in the kitchen are becoming more successful with every passing weekend, and one of Vineets recent master pieces... and believe me I'm not exaggerating when I say 'master piece'.... has been an out-out desi chicken... marinated in spiced yoghurt and stir fried with sliced onions, curry leaves and green chillies... alongside some steamed rice and dal.... its pure perfection! :)

Ingredients: For marinade (For 2 delicious portions)
- 300 g Boneless Chicken breasts
- 3-4 tbsp plain Yoghurt
- 1-1/2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste (fresh!!)
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked Black pepper
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- Salt, to taste

For the stir fry:
- 2 tbsp Olive (or vegetable) Oil
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 dried Red chili
- 1 green chili, slit
- 5-6 Curry leaves
- 1 small bunch Coriander, chopped
- Lime wedges

Method:
1.) Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Cut into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl.

2.) Whisk the yoghurt  along with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken. This marinade is very thick, so dont worry if it seems sticky-ish when mixed with the chicken. Cover and set aside for atleast an hour... two hours is ideal.

3.) Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the cumin seeds, dried red chili and curry leaves. Stir fry for a few seconds. Add the marinated chicken pieces. Stir to mix and cover till almost cooked - about 12-15 minutes.

4.) Uncover the pan and add the sliced onions and slit green chili. Stir fry with the chicken for a minute or two till the onions are cooked through.

5.) Garnish with the chopped coriander and squirt a wedge of lime. Serve immediately along with some plain steamed rice and dal, or with roti's and raita. Yum! :)

Chinese Chicken-Noodle Soup (with its Vegetarian variant)

We spent last weekend in picture-perfect Thailand... eating, drinking, diving, eating, swimming, getting massages, eating, lazing on white sandy beaches, eating... you get the general picture ;)
But we are back to our city lives now... and after a couple of days of being depressed about our vacation coming to an end, we're shamelessly scouting locations for our next holiday :)
While we're at that, we really wanted to go easy on our stomachs and eat light after all the delicious food we stuffed our faces with, so I like a good little girl, I turned to Soup!

Not only are soups filling and delicious, they're easy to make and extremely good for you... And all one needs to do, is patiently allow a bunch of ingredients to bubble away in a basic broth, while you can take a shower, change and generally feel more human at the end of a busy work day.
Inspired from recipes I've been reading on South-east Asian cooking, all you need for this dinner-in-a-bowl is, a bunch of ingredients, a hungry tummy and....  a BIG bowl! :)

Ingredients:
- 250g boneless Chicken
(or 1 chopped carrot + 1 cup chopped french beans)
- 3 tbsp Soya Sauce
- 3 tsp rice wine Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 tsp Sesame seeds,
- 2 tsp Ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 cups Cabbage, chopped
- 6-7 Spring Onions, finely sliced
- 2 cups Chicken or Vegetable broth
- 1/2 packet Chinese pan-fry noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti if you cant find noodles)
- 1/4 cup Coriander, chopped

Method:
1.)  Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl. Add the Soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil, and allow the chicken to marinate in this for about 15-20 mins.

2.) Toast the sesame seeds on a hot pan and grind a little to form a coarse powder. Whisk together the garlic, crushed sesame seeds, ginger, sugar and some vinegar in a bowl. Set aside.

3.) Bring a pot of water to boil on high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt and Cook noodles till tender. Drain.

4.)  Heat the remaining Sesame oil in a large pan. Add the chopped spring onions and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped Cabbage, and saute till the cabbage is tender. (If making this vegetarian, add the chopped carrots and beans at this point, and saute till tender)

5.)  Add the chicken (or vegetable) broth and bring to a full boil. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade, and the garlic-sesame mixture. Reduce heat and simmer till the chicken is cooked.

6.) Add the noodles and stir in half of the chopped Coriander. Switch off heat.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with remaining coriander. Add some sweet-chili sauce if you like ( I love it!) and Eat up! :)

*A quick note about the chicken/ vegetable broth... It's basically 2 stock cubes dissolved in 2 cups of hot water, or a can of ready to use broth.*

Tandoori Chicken

Ahh! Tandoori chicken.... we made this at home for the first time ever last night...and i'm still dreamy eyed... Spicy, juicy and deliciously scorched in parts, this is probably the yummiest version of cooking chicken the healthy way.

Ingredients:
- 700 g Chicken, mixed parts like thighs, drumsticks and breast pieces
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1 large Lime
- 1 cups strained/ hung Yoghurt
- 2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
- 4 tbsp Everest Tandoori chicken masala
- 1 tbsp red Chilli powder
- 2 tbsp Butter (melted)


Method:
1.) Wash and clean the chicken. Trim any skin or visible fat with a pair of sharp scissors. Rub the chicken pieces with the salt and lime juice and set aside in a bowl for 15 mins.

2.) Strain the yoghurt using a thin cotton fabric to remove most of its water content (about 30-40 mins). Whisk together the hung yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, tandoori chicken masala, chilli powder and a little salt. Pour over the salt & lime rubbed chicken pieces.
Cover and marinate for atleast 2 hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

3.) Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the 'grill' on your oven. Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken and set it on a wire-rack. Drizzle some of the melted butter over the chicken and grill till its nicely browned (about 12-15 mins each side)

4.) Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes. A few rings of sliced Onions, a big squirt of lime juice, and Eat up!


If you cant find the Tandoori chicken masala, you can make some of your own. You need:
3 tbsp ground Cumin + 2 tbsp ground Coriander + 5-6 ground Cloves +1 tsp ground Cinnamon + 1 tsp Turmeric powder + 1 tsp red Chilli powder.

Spiced Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Shallot Chutney!

Ingredients: (For Chicken)
2 Skinless Chicken breasts
4 tbsp Olive oil
1 long red fresh Chilli, chopped
1 tbsp chopped Garlic
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Fennel seeds
6-7 Basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Red wine Vinegar
1 tsp Brown Sugar (or white)
Salt, for sprinkling, to taste

Method: For Chicken
1.) Heat 2 tbsp of the Olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped red chillies, followed by the chopped garlic, turmeric, cumin and fennel seeds. Add the chopped Basil. Stir fry for a few seconds.
2.) Slosh the red wine vinegar in the pan and add the brown sugar. Switch of the heat. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and allow the mixture to cool down.
3.) This mixture is now the marinate for the chicken. Wash the breast pieces and pat them dry. Using a sharp knife, make 3 to 4 slits diagonally in the thickest parts of the chicken. Coat the chicken with the marinade using your hands. Rub the marinade into the slits cut in the chicken. Transfer into a metal or glass bowl, cover and marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, or if possible, overnight.
4.) Pre-heat the grill to the highest temperature setting. Lay the chicken on metal wire racks and grill for about 12-15 mins on each side.
5.) Allow the chicken to rest for about 3-5 mins inside the oven before serving.

TOMATO- SHALLOT CHUTNEY

Ingredients: For Chutney

1/2 cup Baby onions, halved

1/2 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp chopped Garlic

1/2 cup Red wine Vinegar

2 tsp Castor sugar

2-3 tbsp Soya Sauce

2-3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Method: For Chutney

1.) Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped garlic, followed by the halved baby onions. Sautee till the onions are browned.

2.) Add the red wine Vinegar. Stir in the castor sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow the mixture to thicken.

3.) Add the halved cherry tomatoes, Soya sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Cook till the tomatoes soften. Switch off heat. Cool before serving.

Spoon a generous amount of chutney over the Chicken and serve along side some crusty bread. Best enjoyed with a glass of White wine :)

Real Thai, by Real Thai

Vineet and I are BIG fans of Thai food and have been wanting to cook Thai for a long time now. Although we love the commercially popular, red, green and yellow curries and raw papaya salads of the Thai world, I wanted to try something different ... something that real Thai's cook in their kitchen's regularly... put simply, almost a Aloo-gobhi-daal-chawal equivalent of Indian food.
Sudapim and Panintra, my Thai friends from work, offered to teach me... they shopped for all the ingredients, noted down and very patiently explained how things were done :) This is 100% aunthentic... and I quite enjoyed playing sous chef this time around...
Quantified to feed 2-3 persons, the Thai line-up for this post is:
1.) Thai Raw Mango Salad
2.) Chicken Basil
3.) Thai Chicken Soup
4.) Sudapim's Stir fry Garlic-Shrimp!

THAI RAW MANGO SALAD

Ingredients:

2 medium raw Mangoes

1 large Onion

1 small bunch Coriander, roughly chopped

5-6 tbsp Roasted Peanuts, coarsely ground

3-4 tsp dried Shrimp

1 red Padi Chilli

2 tbsp brown Sugar

1 tsp Fish sauce

2 tsp Soya Sauce

1 Lemon

Method:

1.) Wash and dry the mangoes. Peel using a vegetable peeler. Cut into thin-match stick- like strips. A traditional Thai technique to make these shredded mango strips is to hold the peeled mango in one hand. Using a sharp knife, make quick dices in the flesh length-wise. Then hold the knife parallel to the surface of the mango, and shave off the shredded pieces. Transfer into a bowl. Set aside.

(This can be tricky and I almost diced my thumb off a couple of times... so if you tend to be as clumsy as me, then stick to the safer option of actually cutting them normally...Will take slightly longer, but at least you have all fingers intact!)

2.) Peel and cut the onion in half. Slice finely, to more or less match the size of the mango strips. Add to the shredded mango.

3.) Finely chop the Padi chilli, shred the coriander leaves by hand and add to the salad bowl. Add the dried shrimp and toss gently.

4.) For dressing: Heat a non-stick saucepan. Dissolve the sugar in about 1/2 cup of water and bring to a full boil. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce and continue to boil till the sauce thickens and becomes sticky. Add the coarsely ground roasted peanuts. Switch off heat and allow the sauce to cool a bit.

5.) Pour the sauce over the salad and toss gently to mix well. Garnish with a few sprigs of coriander and sliced red padi chilli (if you can handle the heat!).

CHICKEN BASIL, THAI STYLE

Made with Minced chicken (kheema), and enjoyed with some piping hot steamed rice!

Ingredients:
250g Chicken, minced (kheema)
1 bunch Thai Basil leaves (sweet basil), torn
3-4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Sugar



Method:

1.) Heat the oil in a thick bottomed wok or kadhai. Stir fry the minced garlic. Add the chopped padi chilli followed by the roughly torn basil leaves.

2.) Add the Fish sauce, Oyster sauce and sugar, followed by the minced Chicken. Add the Soya sauce and continue to stir fry till the chicken is cooked. Enjoy with steamed rice.

Warning! The contents of the pan might suddenly catch fire while you stir fry... Don't panic - like I did - and just lower the flame and let the fire go out naturally :)

THAI CHICKEN SOUP (Tom yum kai)

Tom yum soup is a kind of Thai soup that is known for its broth which is both savoury, spicy, and sour. This soup is incredibly flavorful, very light on the stomach and extremely healthy. Sudapim's only special instruction is to not 'stir' the soup as it boils - That might be to allow a slow release of all the flavors of the soups ingredients.

Ingredients:

5-6 Chicken drumsticks

2 large Tomatoes, cut into large chunks

8-10 button Mushrooms, cut in half

1 large onion, cut into large-ish chunks

1-1/2 Knorr Chicken/Vegetable soup cubes

3-4 Lime leaves, cut into thin strips

2 stalks, Lemon grass, bruised

1-1/2" pc of Ginger, sliced into rounds

2 Lemons

2 tbsp Fish Sauce

2 tsp roast Garlic

1 bunch Coriander,roughly chopped

Method:

1.) Heat 3-4 cups of water in a thick bottomed pot. Add the chunks of Onion, Tomatoes and Mushroom, and allow the them to simmer in the water. Dissolve the Knorr soup cubes into the simmering broth.

2.) Bruise 2 stalks of lemon grass using a mortar pestle or the blade of your knife. Add it to the soup, followed by the ginger.
3.) Cut the lime leaves into thin strips and add it to the pot, along with the fish sauce and roasted garlic.
4.) Bring the soup to a full boil. Reduce heat and add the chicken drumsticks. Keep boiling till the chicken is tender and cooked.

5.) Switch off the heat and add the lemon juice and coriander and allow the soup to rest for a few minutes. Tom YUM, Indeed! :)

SUDAPIM'S STIR FRY GARLIC-SHRIMP

This is something chef Sudapim concocted herself... It's a super quick and very yummy stir-fry shrimp, flavoured with basic Thai sauces - fish sauce, oyster sauce and Soya sauce (What's not to like, right?)  The thai padi chilli, adds a lot of heat, so have a glass of chilled water on stand-by! :)

Ingredients:

12-15 Prawns/ Shrimp, shelled & chopped

1-1/2 tbsp Vegetable oil

2-3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp roast minced Garlic

1 red thai padi Chilli

1-1/2 tbsp Soya sauce

1 tbsp Fish sauce

1 tbsp Oyster sauce

1 small bunch Coriander, chopped

1 lime, to squeeze

Method:

1.) Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Stir-fry the chopped garlic and padi chilli.

2.) Add the Fish sauce, the Oyster sauce and the Soya sauce, followed by the roast garlic.

3.) Add the chopped shrimp. Stir fry and cook for a couple of minutes. 

4.) Garnish with copped coriander and a squirt of lime juice.

Mushroom-Sundried Tomato-Carmalised Onion puffs

Whew! What an awesome day! I say this, not only because it was a Sunday, but because I got to spend the afternoon doing my most favorite thing, Baking! :)
I have been curious about frozen puff pastry for a long time now, but had never gotten around to using it. From the packet instructions that I read standing in the shopping aisle, it seemed very easy and totally do-able. So I decided to give it a shot. I created two fillings for the puffs - one Vegetarian, with Mushrooms, caramalised onions, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, and the Non-Vegetarian with Bacon,chicken, mushrooms, seasoned with dried thyme and cracked black pepper.
The results were pretty awesome (if, I may say so myself! :) and I am looking forward to the feedback from friends from work who I intend to feed tomorrow!

Ingredients for Mushroom-Sundried tomato & Caramalised onion puffs: (Makes 6 puffs)

2 tbsp Olive oil
4-5 Button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
4-5 slices Sundried tomato (from a jar)
3-4 fresh Basil leaves, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Black pepper, cracked
Salt, as per taste


Method for filling:
1.) Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan. Saute the sliced onions and garlic till the onions are nicely browned.
2.) Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to saute on a medium flame. When the mushrooms are almost cooked, add the chopped fresh basil. Stir for a few minutes, and add the sun-dried tomatoes. Add the cracked pepper. Add salt and mix. Turn off the flame.
Allow the filling to cool to room temperature.

Ingredients for Chicken-Bacon-Mushroom Puffs: (Makes 6-8 puffs)
4-5 Bacon rashers chopped into 1" pieces
100g boneless Chicken, boiled
3-4 Button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp cracked Pepper

Method for filling:
1.) Heat a frying pan. Saute the bacon pieces till they're nicely browned and crispy. No oil is needed at this stage.Set aside the sauteed bacon on a paper napkin.
2.) Add the oil to the pan. Saute the onions till brown. Then add the mushrooms. Add the cooked chicken and a few tablespoons of water.
3.) Allow all the contents to cook together, so all the flavours mix nicely. Add the dried Thyme and pepper and mix well. No salt is needed in this mixture, as the bacon is pretty salty. Set aside and allow the filling to cool.

ASSEMBLING THE PUFFS

Ingredients:
1 Pkt ready-to-use frozen Puff pastry
1 Egg, lightly beaten

1.) De-frost the frozen puff pastry (about 45-60 mins). While the pastry defrosts, get on with making the fillings as described above.
2.) Once the pastry is thawed, transfer onto a clean surface to roll. Dust the surface with some plain flour(maida) and dust the pastry dough with flour to keep it from sticking.
3.) Roll out into a sheet about 3-4 mm thick. Cut out a circle (or rectangle, if thats what you like), using a cookie cutter. I used a steel bowl with a sharp ridge for this.

4.) Use a teaspoon and lay out some of the filling in the centre of the circle. Brush some beaten-egg around the edges as shown in the photo.

 5.) Fold one half over the other to form a 'half moon' shape. Pinch the edges together using your thumb and fore finger.

6.) Use a fork to seal the edges. This helps to keep the puff 'closed', to keep the filling from spilling out.





7.) Chill the filled puffs in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 220 deg.C
8.) Lay the filled puffs onto a non-stick baking tray and brush with some of the beaten egg, and bake @ 220 deg. C for 18-20 mins till puffed and golden brown. The beaten egg will add a nice 'glaze' and help the puffs take on a nice colour as they bake.

Enjoy these fresh from the oven. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat by placing in a hot oven for 10-15 mins. Avoid micro-waving as that makes the puff chewy (from previous experience). Enjoy!

Palak Chicken Curry

Just got back from work a little while ago. I had a bunch of fresh Spinach that I was wondering how to put to use when Vineet suggested we make Palak Chicken Curry... So while he stepped out to go pick up some chicken from the shopping complex next door, I got the rest of the prep done...and in about 25 minutes, dinner was served! Apologies for the quality of the photograph...but I really was in a hurry to eat ;) !

Ingredients:
450g Boneless chicken
2 medium Onions
2 medium Tomatoes
1 medium bunch Spinach
2 large cloves Garlic
1/2" piece Ginger
1 green Chilli
Whole Spices:
1 Black Cardomom + 3-4 Cloves + 3-4 Black peppercorns + 1/2 Bayleaf + 1/2 tsp Saunf (fennel/ aniseed)
Powdered Spices:
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder + 1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder + 1-1/2 tsp Kitchen King Masala + 1/2 Mutton masala or Garam masala, whatever you have at hand.

Method:
1.  Puree the Onions, Ginger and garlic till chunky. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, and sautee the whole spices till fragrant. Add the pureed onion-ginger-garlic mixture. Fry on a medium-high flame till light brown.

2.  Meanwhile, wash the Spinach leaves and put them into a microwave safe bowl with a little water. Cover with a lid and cook for about 2-3 minutes till the leaves are wilted and cooked. Open lid and allow the boiled spinach leaves to cool for a few minutes.

3. Puree tomatoes and add along with the slit green chilli to the browned onions in the cooker. Cook for a few minutes, and add the dry spice powders and cook for another minute. While the tomato puree cooks, puree the boiled spinach leaves till nice and smooth.

4.  Cut the chicken into curry-sized pieces, and add to the onion-tomato gravy. Stir gently, to coat the chicken nicely in the masala. Cook for a couple of minutes till the chicken pieces are formed. Add the pureed spinach leaves along with 1/2 cup of water, and Salt.

5.  Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Allow pressure to drop. Open cook for a few minutes if you wish to thicken the gravy.

We enjoyed this with fresh warm Rotis and Boondi raita along with some chopped onions spiked with a squirt of lime juice. Yum! :)

Chef's Salad & Buttermilk Roast chicken

CHEF'S SALAD

Ingredients:
Iceberg lettuce - torn roughly
Purple cabbage - roughly chopped
Cherry tomatoes - quartered
Avocado - chopped into cubes
Chicken sausage - cubed
Feta Cheese - crumbled

Dressing:
2 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil + 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard + Salt

Method:
1. Toss all the chopped veggies and chicken sausage together. Set aside.

2. Whisk the ingredients of the dressing together and pour over the veggies. Toss lightly to mix well. Serve Chilled!

BUTTERMILK ROAST CHICKEN

Ingredients:

6 nos. Chicken drumsticks

3/4 cup plain Dahi (preferably sour)

1 large Garlic clove - bruised

1-1/2 tbsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Pepper powder (coarsely ground)

1 tbsp Honey

Pinch of Salt

Method:

1.  Take a ziplock bag. Add the dahi, garlic, cumin powder, pepper powder, honey and salt and squish around in the bag.

2.  Put the chicken drumsticks into the marinade and seal the bag. Leave to marinate in the fridge for atleast 2-3 hours. ( I marinated the chicken for close to 6 hours)

3.  Preheat the oven to 220deg C. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. 

4.  Shake off the excess marinade and arrange the drumsticks onto the baking tray. Cook in the oven for about 30-45 mins - till the chicken is tender and slightly scorched in parts. Enjoy along with the Salad and Garlic bread.

GARLIC BREAD: 

For garlic butter -

2 tbsp softened Salted butter + 1 Garlic clove - grated + 1/2 tsp Extra Virgin olive oil + 1/2 tsp Pepper powder + 1/2 tsp Oregano flakes + pinch Salt.

Mix all the ingredients well and spread onto a thickly cut slice of bread (fresh or grilled) of your choice. Happy Eating!!