Ajwain alias Carom Chicken Lollipops

Anecdote

Debita Mookerjea Ray is the first friend I shared my blog content with and her recipe has found its way into my blog this late. Well, she has been giving me the freeze for two whole years and the only reason for the delay is that she was busy stacking up her silver,gold,ensembles,fabric,crockery,handbag,shoes,wallets,scarves,etc etc etc cupboards at home. 

Debs set up ABBOZZO with me. We worked together in this small HR unit and shared many 'jalebi and momo' days together. We did not make much money but we made some fun memories alright. A woman with strange quirks, she is a lively person with a genuine laugh. One quirky instance was that one afternoon we both got into her car for yet another shopping spree (window for me and actual for her) and I bring out my water to quench my thirst like all regular people. But my friend takes out her flask and glugs down Bournvita milk like a cowboy would glug down a pitcher of beer and thinks its a very done drink at our age. A holiday planner at heart, a shopper by habit, an investor with intelligence, a friend who is fun, Debita Mookerjea Ray also rustles up some really creative dishes. This recipe that she shared with me has been quite a hit with my clients and my friends already!

Stuff that you must have

1 packet of chicken lollipops
2 full tsp Ajwain or carom
1 cup yogurt
salt to taste
1 tsp full chilly glakes
2 tbsp grated cheese
1/2 tsp oil

What to do

Marinate the chicken with the yogurt, salt and ajwain/carom for an hour in a wok. Then set the wok onto the low flamed burner and cover with a lid. Take the oil and warm it on the side and add it to the chicken. Let the chicken cook till it is soft. Then add the chilly flakes and increase the heat so that the sauce or the gravy starts to thicken.  Now add the cheese, stir and serve.

How to serve

Set the lolipops on a flat platter. Garnish if you like for some colour with some finely chopped coriander or celery. I had served it with a beetroot puree and some whole wheat crackers.

Trivia

Ajwain or carom is also called Bishop's weed which is strangely a common name for some other plans too. The medicinal property of this plant may have been the source of this tag. 

Grilled aubergine with spicy chickpeas and walnut sauce

I feel really sad for those allergic to aubergine. Cultivated in India, the old world tropical bulb was brought to Europe by Arab traders via Spain. Hence the name derived from an old Arabic word. Honest to its history, I tried this rather Arabic tasting dish recently for a family dinner. The soft romantic old world charm was enjoyed by everyone, old and young.

Take 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 red chilly de-seeded and chopped finely, 2 cms ginger finely chopped, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 400 grams chickpeas rinsed, drained and boiled, 200 gms chopped tomato,1/2 lemon juice and 2 aubergines cut lengthwise. Also, take 200 gms yogurt, 1 garlic clove crushed, 25 gms walnuts and a handful of chopped coriander leaves.

Now heat 2 tbsp oil. Add onions and fry till soft and golden. Add the chilly, ginger and the spices. Mix well. Stir in the chick peas, tomatoes and 5 tbsp water. Boil. Simmer for 10 mins. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Sprinkle oil, salt and pepper to the aubergine. Keep aside for 20 mins. Now grill till cooked.

Mix yogurt, garlic, most of the walnuts, coriander, salt and pepper for the walnut sauce.

Arrange the aubergine slices on a warm platter. Spoon on top the chick pea mix. Drizzle walnut sauce. garnish with coriander leaves and walnuts.

Baby Potato Salad

Anecdote

Shirin claims that we did not get on when we met. This is because I came across as disapproving of her from my working-mother stand point. The tables turned quickly when she deduced that I was a pushy-mother who made her two year old ill child celebrate a birthday party with two hundred odd people when he was unwell! Tch Tch...I was a complete no-no to this Hyde park girl. 

So, you bet we had a rocky start which transformed into a Grand Prix road as soon as we realized that among thin young moms we both hags had each other not to feel out of place. Then on, many other things brought us close - the fact that our boys were helpless characters, the fact that she was married to Mr. Rebecca Bloomwood, the fact that we boasted of lost (non existent really) career opportunities, the fact that she handpicked me for her special birthday bash, the fact that I got along with her other girl friends(phew!) (not easy with so many happening women and all vying for one gorgeous man's attention)...............

No kidding now, Shirin and Sujjain are one of the most affectionate and genuine people that I have ever met. We spend quite a lot of time together and still look forward to the next plan. They have two lovely homes, one of which is a country home where nature celebrates itself all around you. In one recent get-away in Karjat, Shirin tossed together this lovely potato salad. It was a rainy evening, dark and distant lights were visible from a far-away village, luscious chicken legs were roasting on the grill and this delicious potato salad was made with fresh produce and so much love.

Stuff that you must have

Baby potatoes - 20 pcs or so
A bowl of chopped fresh spring onions
A bowl of pomegranate
2 tbsp mayonnaise or sour cream
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste

What to do


Boil and peel the potatoes. In a separate bowl fold in the mayonnaise and the yogurt. To this add the spring onions and 3/4 quantity of the pomegranate. Add salt and pepper. Now mix this in to the baby potatoes so that the potatoes are well coated with the sauce/dressing. Sprinkle the rest of the pomegranate and serve cold.

How to serve

Just go with the flow. Serve it anyhow.

Trivia

Potato salad is a traditional Christmas meal in Czech Republic and Slovakia. In fact each family preserves their own recipe. It is served as a side dish with fried fish, the carp or white white sausages. 

Chicken grilled in Plum sauce

Koon Chung from Hongkong is a good brand for plum sauce. This sauce is normally affiliated to Chinese cooking, a good dip with rolls and stir fries or duck. It is very advantageous for me to have a couz in Singapore who believes in my food and proactively stocks up my larder for me. Thanks N.

Envy me all you want, but please try this not-at-all-Chinese-but quite-Continental grill with plum sauce. 

Take chicken breast pieces on the bone and create some incisions for the juices to permeate through. Now rub some butter, crushed garlic, a bit of crushed pepper, salt and plum sauce generously all over the chicken. Marinate for 24 hours in your fridge. When you are about to cook it, keep it out at room temperature for an hour or so. Then set it on a baking tin, sprinkle rosemary on the top, you can use the dried variety. Now grill for an hour at 120 degrees. When your needle goes through the chicken easily and the baking tin fills up with juices released from the chicken, spike up the temperature to 250 degrees for the last five minutes or so. This will help give a lovely reddish gold tinge to the chicken and also reduce the volume of the juice by about half. I like to keep a generous amount of juice in the tin so that everyone can keep spooning the juice out as they progress through the chicken. 

Enjoy with some home-made wine!

Flat Beans, Aubergine,Tomato stir fry

I met Nisha through Shalina. We all went to The World dance Centre - Ratika's dance classes together. Nisha and Shalina were fit and happening while my struggles continued. This state remains present continuous as we speak(!). I must say I found Nisha to be a rather quirky person and therefore a fun person right from the start. She has a tea fetish, a privacy fetish, a perfection fetish and I am sure some more if we decide to interview her spouse. All of the above adds to a gorgeously done up home which boasts of professional competence and personal pride. 

At the exhibition that she hosted for peppercorns recently, she taught me this recipe. It is absolutely unique and mouth-wateringly tasty. 

So, you need about 1/2 a kilo of flat beans (papri or sem), 1 large aubergine and 1 large tomato. The beans are to be cut in 11/2 inch rectangles and the aubergine in similar sized cubes. In a warm oiled wok, toss the beans with a dash of salt for 3 mins or so. In the same wok, with the beans taken off aside, toss the aubergine in the leftover oil, again with a dash of salt and a small dash of turmeric for 3 mins. Set this aside too. In the same warm wok, add 1/2 a tsp of oil and throw in the full tomato. Cover and allow it to cook in low heat for 5 mins. Now skin the tomato and squish it roughly. To this add the beans and the aubergine. 

While the above is being done, you need to coarsely blend a bunch of coriander leaves, 1 or 2 green chillies and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. 

Add the coriander chutney to the vegetable medley. Check for salt and stir for 4 mins and you are good to go.

Tex Mex Lasagne

Anecdote

Samantha, the mother of my boy's best friend is someone I live in fear of. Whenever there is a plan of leaving home and running away from parents who have probably garnered up some courage to lecture or to scold on some burning issue, Samantha aunty and Johnny Uncle's house is the best option! They are the best parents in the "whole universe". Their house is the quintessential happy home. Johnny uncle plays football. Sleep-overs at their place are the best! And Samantha aunty makes us amazing food!

Well, on a serious note, agree with all of the above. A piano teacher, a lovely home-maker and a great friend, Samantha is like a gentle zephyr.  Spending time with the Lewises always leaves one with a feeling of calm and goodness. A few holidays, many lunches and dinners, some coffees and get-togethers down, I can vouch for Sam's niceness and her wholesome approach to life. I can also vouch for a bottomless wardrobe where interesting eclectic 'new but old' clothes come out every single time! It is truly like magic!

One such potluck a few evenings back, Sam got this delicious Tex-Mex Lasagne, an improvised recipe from Nigella Lawson's kitchen. It was devoured by all with gusto and delight.

Stuff that you must have

One packet of sweet corn
4/5 tortillas
4 large red onions, 2 chopped finely for the sauce and 2 chopped similarly for the filling.
1 kilo of boiled minced chicken (optional if you want to keep it vegetarian)
4 large tomatoes
1 cup of soaked and boiled kidney beans or 3/4 can of baked beans
A sprig of coriander stalk
2 green chillies
1 tbsp of vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp of sugar
2 tsps of red chilly powder or red chilly flakes
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp tomato ketchup
Salt to taste(optional)

What to do

To make the sauce; Boil 2 tomatoes and grill 1 tomato for 2/3 minutes each. Skin the tomatoes and chop them. In 2 tbsp oil, fry the onions till pink. Pop in the chopped tomatoes. Add finely chopped green chillies. Stir for a min and add finely chopped coriander stalks. Now add salt, pepper, sugar, ketchup and vinegar. Add 4 tbsp warm water. The sauce will taste like tomato salsa. To this add the boiled sweet corn. After 2 mins, take the sauce off the heat and keep aside.

To make the filling; In another warm wok, add 2 tbsp oil. Add the onions and  fry till they are transparent. Add the chicken and stir for 4 mins in low heat. Next add the beans. If you are using baked beans, Just add salt to taste and a dash of chilly powder or red chilly flakes. However If you are using kidney beans, stir in one chopped tomato, add 1/4 cup of warm water, a dash of ketch-up, salt to taste and a dash of chilly powder. For both cases, keep the filling in a low flame for 4/5 minutes. 

To construct; in a round baking dish, place one tortilla and spread out some sauce and some filling, sprinkle some grated Cheddar cheese. Cover with another tortilla. Repeat till you have 4 or 5 layers. Finally on the top sprinkle some cheese.

Bake for 15 mins at 150 degrees C. Serve hot.

How to serve

Layered nicely in a transparent round bowl is just perfect. 

Trivia

There are interesting theories about the origination of the Lasagne. Though famed as an Italian pasta there is a story that it was a Greek word which meant that it was a flat pasta dough cut into strips. Yet again one dates it back to 14th century England as a recipe in the reign of Richard II. 

Quick Brown Soda Bread With Pumpkin Seeds

Quick breads are made using baking powder, baking soda, beaten eggs or other leavening agents instead of yeast. They are 'quick' because they do not need to be left in a warm environment for several hours to rise. As the name suggests quick breads are easy to prepare, but none the less delicious to eat. 

First pre-heat your oven at 400 degree C. Then grease your baking dish, a 5 by 9 inch rectangular or a 3 by 3 inch square will be great. Instead you can use cooking paper to line the baking dish. Now take 3 cups wheat flour, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sweet or normal paprika and 1 tsp baking soda(bicarbonate of soda) and mix well. Gradually add 2 cups of plain yogurt and 1 tsp molasses or malt extract. Stir in as much milk as you need to make a moist dough. I used 1/3 cup milk and mixed the dough with my hands. The consistency is sticky. 

Now wash and dry your hands well and dust them with dry wheat flour. Then keep taking portions of the dough and set it into the baking dish. Repeat process for the complete dough. When done, make a long gash in the centre and throw in pumpkin seeds. Spread some on the top too and set for baking at 180 degrees C for 45 mins or more until brown and crisp on top. Cool on a wire rack for 10 mins.  

Serve hot from the oven. Your kitchen will smell absolutely divine and so romantic, enjoy!

Plum Crumble

I had watched an episode of Nigelissima a couple of weeks back. Always a sucker for the colour RED, her red lipstick, red candles and red luscious plums looked as attractive as it did appetizing. Since then I was on the look-out for some lovely plums which I picked up as soon as I spotted them. In this recipe, I have added a small twist which heightened the sublimity element in the dessert. 

Take about 10 clean plums and cut them into large rounded chunks. In a warm pan melt a tbsp of butter and fry a large stick of cinnamon(my twist). When the cinnamon stick turns dark brown, remove it and add the plums. Toss for 2 mins in low heat and add powdered sugar to sweeten the plums mildly. So, I should say 3 tbsps of powdered sugar should be good but please taste for sweetness. The plums will stew a bit and release some juices. Now set this whole thing, please includes the juices, onto a baking tray. 

Take 3/4 cup of flour(weight watchers, you can use half and half flour and wheat-another twist) in a bowl. Add 3/4 slab of a 100 gram frozen butter and half a cup of sugar. Mix this with your finger tips to get a crumbly consistency. Now take about 6 digestive biscuits in a zip lock bag and bash it on your kitchen counter and  get the biscuits into a crumbly powdery consistency. Add this to the flour-butter-sugar mix well. 

Now pat this onto the plum base, patting it on as you go along. Once set, bake in an oven for 45 minutes at 150 degrees C. Please check for baking and only then take it out. If required bake for some time more at lower heat. The colour should be like it is in the picture.

A lip-smacking seasonal dessert for your dinner party is ready!

Roasted corn and Watermelon salad

Anecdote

While most of us women can boast of being artful dressers, I find this one friend of mine pulling it off superbly. What strikes me in her self-styling is her ability to be different and yet match perfectly with an occasion. Well, this is one of her least important skills as this woman boasts of a large repertoire of life abilities. 

Doctor by profession, a successful practicing pediatrician, she helps me at the oddest of hours, a good cook with a lovely home which boasts of her artistic touches, mother of two promising lads with one doing some self earning already right in the start of college, a happy and social friend who comes all the way to Andheri from Walkeshwar every time that I request her and makes time for friends and relatives for all their important occasions, and...and..and...Bela, a relatively new buddy in my longish life now (sigh!) is someone I admire very much. 

While I am sharing Bela's kick-ass (pardon me but I cannot think of a more suitable adjective) salad with the most intriguing dressing, I must add that the one thing about Dr.Bela Doctor which impressed me the most is that she learnt driving only a few years back and she regularly drives all the way to Karjat come rains, come summer. Wow!

Stuff that you must have

Watermelon - cut into cubes with seeds cleaned out
Roasted corn on the cob
One large green capsicum
150 grams of cottage cheese
A sprig of coriander leaves
2 green chillies
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste(optional)

What to do

For the dressing; in a blender whisk together, crumbled cottage cheese, coriander leaves, lime juice, sugar and green chillies. Give it one quick whisk. The mix will be mildly grainy.

For the salad; take the corn off the cob with a sharp knife. Loosen the corn with your finger tips. Separately cut the capsicum into cubes so that both the watermelon and the capsicum are of the same size. Store in the fridge. When you are about to serve, throw away any extra juice that is released by the watermelon. Now add the corn. Mix in the dressing. Serve with a sprinkle of some more corn on the top. Add salt for taste though you may not require this step.

How to serve

A simple plating on a solid platter does it all. The colours of the salads provide a natural charm.

Trivia

Did you know that corn always has an even number of rows on each ear?

Thai Cabbage Salad

Cabbage has been historically appreciated as a salad vegetable like in Sauerkraut and kimchi. And who does not enjoy a classic Cole-slaw with their burger? 

This salad is very unique especially because it boasts of a rather unusual dressing. So going straight to the recipe for the dressing; take half a cup of coconut milk, 2 tbsps fish sauce, one lime rind and juice of one lime. Mix them all and keep it aside.

Finely chop cabbage to make about 2 cups. Blanche in warm salted water for 4 minutes or so. Drain well. take chopped shallots(4 green ones or even one large red onion), 5 pods garlic and 2 red bird eye chillies. Toss in warm oil till brown and crisp. Separately roast 2 tbsps peanuts and saute with a touch of salt and red chilly powder. 

Now add the dressing to the cabbage. Mix with 1/4th the shallot fry and peanuts. Set in a salad plate and top with the remaining fried shallot and peanuts. 

Serve with Vietnamese rolls or some Laksa. 

Paneer Kalimiri or Peppered Cottage Cheese

Ishani has been advising me to try this lovely easy creation for a long time. Pepper being a source of vitamins, A and C coupled with fresh and crunchy vegetables, makes this dish appetizing in looks, taste and health. 
Last Sunday we were spending another lovely day with the Talwars who love simple and fresh food which do justice to quality produce. 

All you need is coloured peppers, all three colours,  red-green-yellow, one each, a large onion, about 300 grams of fresh cottage cheese and some salt and home-milled pepper powder.

Chop the vegetables in round rings and the cottage cheese in cubes.In a hot wok or sauce pan, add about 2 tbsps of olive oil. Layer the onions, sprinkle salt and pepper powder. Now layer all the coloured peppers and sprinkle salt and pepper. Cover with a lid for 2/3 minutes and keep the flame low. The onions begin to caramelize and the peppers start to soften. Top with cubed cottage cheese. Sprinkle salt to taste and generous amount of pepper powder. Again cover with the lid for 4/5 minutes while your flame is low.

Enjoy as a side dish, a warm salad or a main course item. 

Beef Bafad

Use medium to small pieces of beef. for a kilo, you will need 8 dried red chilies, 8 peppercorns, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, vinegar and salt to taste ,4 boiled potatoes, 2 onions, 3 green chilies  2 cups coconut milk, 7 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger pc,

Cut and wash the beef and marinate with ginger garlic paste. Grind together red chilies  coriander seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, peppercorns,cloves, cinnamon and mustard seeds. Keep coconut milk handy. Chop onions, green chilies  ginger and garlic. Now in hot oil , brown the onions. Then add ginger, garlic and chilies  Add the beef pieces and fry. Add the dry masala now. Stir fry for 3 minutes.Now add coconut milk and allow the meat to cook in low heat. You can also cook in a pressure cooker. Once the meat is soft, add vinegar and boiled potatoes.

best had with rice or 'sannas'. 

Black Grape Cake or Jeweled Cake

I was driving past a fruit cart and the gleaming black grapes caught my attention. My mother really loves these and she was telling me the other day how much she misses them in Kolkata. Well, I made a mental note to carry some in the my next trip, along-with the usual white onions for Baba, and the idea of baking a cake with them came my way.

So, all you need is half a kilo of black grapes, 1/5 cups of flour, 4 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 small lemons, 1/2 cup of sugar,1 tsp vanilla essence, a pinch of baking powder and 2 eggs.

Beat the eggs well. Add the sugar and beat some more till the sugar dissolves. Add the oil and beat for another minute. Now add the vanilla essence, lime juice and grated lemon rind. In the side sieve the flour and add the baking powder. Now mix the wet and dry ingredients and fold in the batter together. If a bit stiff, add a little milk just to make your movement easy.

By now ensure your oven is preheated. Now in your baking tin ready with baking paper, pour a bit of the battera nd spread it out. Throw in the grapes randomly. Continue in layers till the batter is finished. Right on top jewel the cake with some more grapes. bake at 140 degrees for 45 mins or till it is cooked. Use the usual needle testing method. The colour is light and soft. 

BBQ'ed Chicken sticks

Tara and I were driving to Crawford market, my first time, and discussing new ideas for starters with chicken. Lo behold, this lip smacking starter was born! I included it in a menu for a Saturday night party at a successful couple's and many of their guests asked for the peppercorns contact. Yay!

Marinate boneless chicken pieces(Chilly chicken sized) with Bar-B-Que sauce (Kraft, the best and Fun Foods pretty good too) , generous amount of cayenne pepper seasoning and salt. Keep in the fridge for 24 hours.

At cooking time, warm olive oil in a wok. Add crushed garlic. When the garlic turns light brown, add in the chicken. Stir fry at low heat on a covered wok for 15 minutes. Keep stirring every 2/3 minutes. The chicken will cook in its own juices. In the last minute, increase the flame and stir fry till chicken is dry and golden brown in colour and of course well-cooked and soft. Keep the chicken aside till it reaches room temperature.

On small sized wooden skewers or tooth-picks, add cheese cubes, length wise cut half black grapes and chicken pieces, all one each.

You are ready, now get to the Margarita!

Breakfast Toast Cups

Kavery discovered this recipe and Ishani tried it. I am late in the band wagon. It was high time and it is also a lovely day, wish all of you a happy Gudiparwa, 2013. A simple quick-to-do breakfast for a happy family.

Apply olive oil or butter on the muffin tray. Take FRESH bread and fit it into the tray like in the picture below.

Stick it into the oven for 8-10 mins at 150 degrees.

Till then, stir fry finely chopped onions. once pink, add in baked beans. Another 2 minutes of stirring and you are done with that. Now take some beaten eggs and garnish with salt and pepper. Once the bread gets slightly crisp, take them out. Fill each cup with beans, the beaten egg, some bacon or ham or sausages chopped and crisped and lastly some flaked Parmesan or any grated cheese for that matter.

Put the tray back into the oven and toast for 10 more mins or so. Once done the toast cups come out of the muffin cups cases easily. Serve hot.

Spicy cod rice

I am a huge fan of one-pot meals. They are great for today's on-the-go society. You get your carbs, veggies and proteins in one large pot, and yet no one is complaining! Sharing this lovely recipe, a one pot spicy cod rice.

So take some 12-14 cod pcs (can use deboned Rawas instead) and lightly salt it. Now take 2 tbsps flour, 1 tbsp cumin powder and 1 tbsp of coriander powder and mix them well, they are all dry. Now coat the fish well and set them out on a baking paper on a tray. Store in the fridge for 30 mins.

Till then de-shell peas(can use frozen ones), chop red carrots in julienne pieces, finely chop bird eye red chillies and spring onions. Also fry a few cashews till golden but do not over fry them.

Now boil a cup and a half long grained rice, please avoid over cooking the rice.

In well warmed oil in a large pot or wok, shallow fry the fish till both sides are golden brown. Set aside. To the same warm oil, add the spring onions and toss for 1 min. Then add the carrots, peas and the red chillies. Fry for 2 mins. Next add the cashew nuts and toss everything together. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp sweet chilly sauce. Now add the rice and stir well. Add salt to taste remembering that soy sauce is salty on its own. Finally add the fried fish and once again give the pot a nice big toss.

Make this your Sunday family meal. It is lip smacking and wholesome.

Banana bread

So, Tara has a beautiful friend called Ekavali who bakes in a jiffy! The stuff that she dishes out are 'to die for'.

Enough for me to pile on to her famous banana bread recipe. It is truly amazing! Just get baking asap-it is divine.

Take 2 eggs, 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of butter(soft 100 grams works out well), 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder(optional though I recommend) , 1 banana.

Chop the banana into small bits. beat the egges, not separately with a hand beater. Add in everything. Mix well with a spatula and beat with the spatula for 20 mins or so. If required add 2 tbsp milk to ensure easy movement.

Put in a bread baking tray. bake at 200 degrees for 25 mins or so. Of course, check for complete baking with the old fashioned needle prick.

Enjoy!

Cream Kadai Chicken

Anecdote

Sharmita and I are actually quite poles apart. The main difference is that she is slim and trim, ahem, let’s not go that way about yours truly. We almost never agree on movies. We also most often disagree on food as we almost always like different restaurants. We dress quite differently, of course with such different body types, what did I expect?

Having said that we are rather different, we are also pretty similar. Our views about child rearing are almost identical. We are two women who worked together on an equal footing and never fought. We support each other largely, almost often, in our quest for woman power, the battle being drawn against the spouses most often. And most importantly, there have been many moments of shared happy banter in the last 12 years.

Sharmita claims to be a non-cook, well her husband says she never cooks any vegetarian dishes after he has turned vegetarian!. Well, this statement being as unfounded as it sounds, Sharmita is not much of a kitchen person yet loves to throw parties and serve home-made meals. This is one recipe which she had been advocating to me since two years, a specialty of her mother, and I take my hats off to both the ladies, it is an outstanding one!

Stuff that you must have:

Chicken, a kilo, curry pcs

Ginger, 2 inches

Garlic, 8 odd pods

Turmeric powder

Tomatoes, 2 big ones

Pepper powder

Lemon juice, a tsp

Green chillies, 2

Kashmiri chilly powder

Cardamom, 3pods

Onions, 1 big

Garam masala powder

Kasuri methi

Cream, 1 cup

Salt

What to do:

Step 1

Marinate the chicken with 11/2 tsp ginger paste, 11/2 tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp pepper powder, 1 tsp lemon juice. Keep aside for 6 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Take 2 tomatoes and cut into big pcs. Chop 1 tsp ginger and garlic respectively and finely. Take the green chillies, cardamom, ½ tsp Kashmiri chilly powder and a cup of water. Cook everything together for 3  to 4 minutes. Grind to a paste. This is your tomato paste.

Step 3

Shallow fry the marinated chicken till it is slightly brown

Step 4

In a warm wok, add oil. Now add 1 tbsp chopped ginger and 1 large chopped onion. Fry till golden brown and soft. Now add 2 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp pepper powder, ½ tsp Garam masala powder and ½ tsp Kasuri methi. Fry the masalas for 2 minutes in low flame. Now add the tomato paste from step 2. When it simmers, add the chicken post step 3and cook till the chicken is soft.

Step 5

Pour a cup pf fresh cream and serve garnished with coriander leaves.

How to serve:

A very North Indian or rather Afghani tasting gravy dish, it is best served with Roti or Paratha. Methi infused roti would be really nice. Though we have already used methi in the gravy, the fragrance is subtle.

Trivia:

Use of cream in Indian curries, especially in meat dishes dates back to Moghul era. This in turn was largely influenced by Afghani and Middle eastern cuisines.

Barbecue Chicken Salad

Kavery gave me a lovely book on salad recipes. Till I realised that i was allergic to chicken, I ate it almost every night and I would always look around for good chicken recipes. This one is a superb one and you just must try it. 

Place 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsps tomato sauce, 1 tbsp clear honey, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and i tsp mustard powder in a shallow bowl and mix it together. Season it with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Pre heat oven to 200 c. Place the chicken on a roasting tin. Spoon over any remaining marinade and roast in the oven for 40 mins until cooked through and lightly charged in places. Cool for 5 mins.

Arrange lettuce leafs,4 grated carrots, 6tbsps of sweet corn and a half thinly sliced red pepper on the serving plate. To make a dressing mix sour cream and chives in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Thickly slice each chicken breast and arrange on the salad serve with dressing.