Crispy Fried Chicken

Everyone loves chicken,and that too a crispy one is definitely good treat! This is my first version of crispy chicken,there is still more to come.So I guess you could name it Crispy fried chicken 1..;) This chicken is perfect for lunch,dinner or it can be even had as a tea-time snack.Believe me its a must try recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken
1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
pepper powder according to spice level
salt to taste
3/4 cup original corn flakes ground to powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
oil for frying

Method:

1.Marinate the chicken pieces with ginger garlic paste,salt and pepper for at least half an hour.
2.Combine powdered corn flakes,flour,baking powder,salt and pepper.
3.Whisk together milk and eggs.
4. Dredge chicken in corn flakes mixture;dip in milk mixture, and dredge in corn flakes mixture again.
5.Pour oil in deep frying pan ( do not use a non stick pan)  and on medium heat fry the chicken pieces until    golden brown.
6.Serve immediately.

Yellow Rice

Now this recipe is a must try for all those ghee rice lovers.Actually, You can consider it as ghee rice's sister ;). This dish is easy to prepare, tastes great and smells good too!! Try it yourself and lemme know:)

Ingredients:

2 cup rice
4 cup coconut milk
15 shallots chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 cardamoms
cinnamon 2 inch
1 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp refined oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste.

Method:

In a pressure cooker heat oil together with ghee.Add the cardamoms and cinnamon and fry for few seconds.Now add the shallots and saute till they are half cooked and then the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.To this, combine the coconut milk with salt and turmeric powder and bring it to a boil.Now add the rice and pressure cooker it for three whistles.That's it.Now the yellow rice is ready to serve.Tastes great with mutton or chicken gravy!

Eclairs.

Ingredients:

for the case:
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup flour(maida)
2 large eggs,slightly beaten

For the filling:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla extract.

For the chocolate icing:

1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat the oven.
2.Place butter, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the flour, remove from heat and beat well till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
3.When cool enough to touch, beat in the eggs with an electric beater (a little at a time, if not using an electric beater), till the mixture is light and fluffy.
4.Rinse a plastic bag (or icing bag) with water. Fill the bag with the egg and flour mixture and snip a 3/4"-1" hole in one corner.
5.Take an un-greased baking tray and pipe out straight lines of about 3" length, spaced an inch part.
6.Bake in a pre-heated oven in temperature 180C/350F for 30-40 minutes (they stop making a faint sizzling sound). Remove from oven and pierce on the side with a knife and leave to cool. They would sink if not pierced.
7.In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.
8.Mix icing ingredients together over low heat, till well blended and smooth.
9.When puff cases are cool, snip a cut into the top half, enough for an icing nozzle to be pushed in to fill the cream in.
10.Slit the eclairs horizontally half way, till just short of the edge, so they stay joined. Pipe the cream into the cases with and icing gun or polythene bag.
11.Coat the exposed part with the icing, and serve. 

Drums of Spice

As the name suggests,for this recipe a lot of spice is involved.And these spice do not increase the level of hotness but gives more flavour and aroma to the dish.One more thing, a tandoor is required for the making of  this chicken.I used an electric tandoor.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken drums

1 tsp fennel seed powder(sombu/perunjeeragam)

1 tsp cumin powder(jeeragam)

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 tsp ginger garlic paste

400 ml hung curd

chili powder as desired

salt to taste.

2 tbs oil.

Method:

1.Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and form into a paste.

2.Now add the chicken pieces and evenly mix them so they are fully covered with the paste.

3.Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

4.Cook in the tandoor till the chicken is tender and they are browned.

5.Serve with mint chutney.

Quail Gravy

Everyone loves quail at home.So we have it often at our place.This is one recipe that my mother in law makes often and we just drool over it!

Ingredients:

5 quail
3 tomatoes chopped
3 big onions chopped
ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
chili powder 3 tsp
salt to taste
2 tsp khus khus seeds
4 tbs oil
half a cup of water
Cilantro for garnishing.

Method:

1.Combine ginger garlic paste,chili powder and salt and form a paste.
2.To this add the washed and cleaned quails and marinate them for at least half an hour.
3.In a deep pan,heat oil.
4.Add the onions and saute them till they are translucent.
5.Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry them till they are thoroughly cooked.
6.Add the marinated quails and mix them with the onion mixture for few minutes.
7.Add half a cup of water to the quails,cover the pan and cook for around fifteen minutes on medium flame.
8.Grind the khus khus seed with little water in a mixer grinder and add them to the quails.
9.Keep the quail gravy on high flame till the excess water gets evaporated.
10.Garnish with cilantro leaves.
11.Enjoy!

Karee Vadai

Got this recipe from  a blog 'Taste of pearl city'.Made it at home and it was delicious.Thank you Umm Maymoonah for this dish!!
Blog URL:http://tasteofpearlcity.blogspot.in/

Karee Vadai (Meat and Lentil Fritter) My Guest Post on Cooking Varieties

This recipe is my guest post on Cooking Varieties.  Actually I was supposed to do this long back ago with any recipe using Winter Squash, since it was really just the time we moved to India, I couldn't make it.  Ms.Wan was really kind and patience with me, I really appreciate that.
Finally when I was ready to do the post, it was just a couple of days before Ramadhan, so I decided to make some Iftar related recipes, so this kari vadai (meat and lentil fritters).  Thank you Ms.Wan for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Kari Vadai is nothing but fritters made with fritters and lentils.  I have used here Chana dhal which is nothing but yellow split pea.  You can find this in any Indian grocery stores.  This is something which we have for our Iftar with Kanji (Soup).  This vadai can be prepared with uncooked meat also, but I cooked the meat and then used for fritters, since it reduces the cooking time for vadai, aslo you don't have to worry whether the inside is cooked or not and your oil doesn't get spoiled with all the meat fat. Hope you all enjoy this recipe

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Make 15 to 20 vadai's

Ingredients:
Chana dhal (Yellow Split Pea) - 150 g
Boneless lamb- 150 g
Onion- 1 small sized finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Garam masala- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp finely chopped
Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
Salt as required
Oil for frying

Method:
Soak the chana dhal in water for 2 hours.  Finely chop the lamb pieces and marinate with turmeric, lemon juice, salt and 1/2 tsp of garam masala.  Add oil in a pan, add the meat pieces  and cook  until the meat is completed cooked.   Now grind the chana dhal by adding very little water into a thick coarse paste.  Once the dhal looks coarsely ground, add the meat and grind it again.  Meat should also look like coarse pieces in the dhal.  Now add the spices, salt, onion, chopped coriander leaves and ginger garlic paste.  Mix it well.  Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry, once the oil is hot enough to fry, make patties out of the mixture and drop it in hot oil, keep the flame in medium and cook it on both sides until it looks golden brown in colour.  Serve the hot vadai's with green chutney.


Note:
 To check the oil is hot enough, drop a small amount of mixture in the oil, if it comes bubbling up immediately then the oil is ready to fry.
Also if your mixture doen't hold well and it's too crumbly, add some gramflour or all purpose flour to hold the mixture.

Coconut Pudding

Ingredients
• ½ cup tender coconut bits(optional)
• Vegetable oil for greasing a deep glass dish 
• 400ml Coconut Milk

• 6 tablespoons corn flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ cup condensed milk
• chopped nuts
• A small pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Grease a dish and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together ½ cup Coconut Milk and corn flour until smooth.
2. In a medium non-stick saucepan, combine the remaining coconut milk, the condensed milk and sugar. Stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.
3. Add the corn flour and coconut milk mixture slowly into saucepan, while whisking continuously. Now stir in the vanilla essence, tender coconut bits and salt. Cook while whisking vigorously (do not allow to boil), until mixture is very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan. This should take 4-6 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into the greased dish and spread evenly. Let it cool briefly, then cover with plastic wrap/aluminium foil and chill until set, for at least 1 hour.
5.Cut the chilled coconut pudding into desired pieces and sprinkle each with chopped nuts.
6. Enjoy!