Chicken Seekh Kabab

Ingredients: 
1) Chicken, minced 1 kg
2) Eggs 2
3) Cumin (Jeera) powder 1 tbsp
4) Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
5) Chilli powder 1 tsp
6) White pepper powder 1 tsp
7) Salt to taste
8) Vegetable Oil 4 tsp
9) Cashew nuts(pounded) 4 tbsp (optional)
10) Ginger paste 2 tbsp
11) Onions (chopped) 4 tsp
12) Green Coriander(chopped)5 tbsp
13) Garam masala 1 tsp
14) Oil for basting
15) Butter/oil for brushing

Method:
1. Whisk the eggs, add cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, white pepper powder, salt, and oil.
2. Add to the minced chicken and mix well. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Add cashew nuts, ginger, onions, green coriander, and garam masala.
4. Mix well. Divide into small portions.
5. With wet hands, wrap portions along each skewer.
6. Roast in a moderately hot tandoor or charcoal grill for about 6 minutes until golden brown in colour, or roast in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) for 8 minutes, basting with oil just once.
8. Remove from skewers and brush with butter.
9. Serve hot with lemon wedges and green mint chutney.

Maddur Vada

Ingredients:

Rice flour 1 cup

All purpose flour (Maida) 1 cup

Onion 3-4 small to medium ones finely chopped

Curry leaves 3 strands

Coriander handful finely chopped

Green chillies 3-4 deseeded

Ginger an inch finely chopped

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Oil as required

Salt to taste

Method:

• Grind to a coarse paste curry leaves, green chillies, ginger and cumin.
• In a bowl add all ingredients together with salt to taste and 2 tbsp of oil and mix into a soft dough by adding little amount of water.
• In a pan take oil and on medium flame fry the flattened dough until golden brown, let it cool and serve with some coconut chutney!

Iranian Onion Samosa

Ingredients:

For Filling:

• Onions - 1 1/2 cups chopped thin and long
• Green chillies - 3
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chaat masala - 1 tsp / Lemon - few drops (any one or both)

• Avalakki (optional) - 1/2 cup

• Oil as required

For the casing:

• All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 cup
• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Water as required

For Pasting:

• Mix a tsp of all purpose flour in say 2 tsp of water and make a paste

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients under "For the casing" above, add water little by little until you get a soft dough. Let it rest aside for atleast 15 min.

• In a pan pour oil, saute onion, green chillies, add cumin powder, chilly powder, turmeric, chaat masala and saute again. Rinse avalakki and add.

• Mix it all together on low flame until all is cooked well.

• With the dough use a roller pin and make triangular shapes, half cook the rotis and then fill with the filling and paste it together with the all purpose flour paste.

• Deep fry in medium heat oil at low-medium flame until golden brown.
• Serve hot with green chutney/tamarind chutney if desired.

Classic Chilly Chicken

Ingredients:

500 gm of Chicken pieces

10 medium green chillies slit along its length and de-seeded

6 small onions finely chopped

1 inch of ginger finely chopped

1 tbsp of finely chopped Garlic

1 medium capsicum diced

100gm of spring onions finely chopped

5 tsp soy sauce

3 tbsp water if you want it a little saucy else not needed

Oil as required

Salt to taste

Marinade:

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala or 5 spice powder

4 tsp soy sauce

Salt to taste

1 tsp red chilly powder

Method:

• I marinated the chicken for overnight with the marinade in the fridge but atleast an hour is needed outside at room temperature.
• Cook the chicken in the marinade as is until the chicken is dry or has soaked in most of the marinade and is saucy.
• In a separate pan pour in some oil, saute green chillies then onion and ginger, followed by garlic, capsicum, spring onions.
• Add the cooked chicken in and mix it all together, cook for 3min then add soy sauce and salt to taste.
• Continue cooking until it all comes together, add some water if you want some sauce in it else not needed and cook for few more minutes. Serve hot! ;)

Simla Chilly Chicken

Ingredients:

500gm Chicken breast diced

6 small onions finely chopped

100gm of spring onions finely chopped

7 cloves of garlic chopped

7-10 deseeded green chilies slit along its length

Half a capsicum diced

1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste

A cup of chopped coriander

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp corn flour in half a glass of water

2 eggs

1 cup corn flour to cover marinated chicken

Oil as required

Salt to taste

Marinade:

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp Garam masala (mix of cinnamon, cloves, cumin, cardamom) or could use 5 spice powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

3 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp of salt

Method:

• Marinate the chicken in marinade and set aside for an hour atleast.
• Cook the chicken in marinate until dry, cool it.
• Beat eggs, coat cooked chicken above in eggs first and then in corn-flour and deep fry in oil.
• Keep it aside.
• Use the same oil about 3 tbsp, saute onions, then add ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, garlic, saute.
• Now add spring onions, capsicum and saute.
• Add the fried chicken, coriander, soy sauce and mix it all together for 2-3 minutes on slow flame.

• Finally add corn flour in water mixture cook for 2-3 minutes more or until it all comes together and then serve hot! :)

Fried Rice with Egg

Ingredients:

Cooked rice as required

6 medium sized onions finely chopped

250gm of beans finely chopped

250gm of carrots finely chopped

250gm of cabbage finely chopped

1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp vinegar (optional)

6 eggs scrambled

1/4 tsp of pepper powder

Oil as required

Method:

• In a pan pour in some oil, saute onion, ginger garlic paste.
• Then add all the veggies (you can use any or all the veggies you want to here), sprinkle salt to taste and pepper powder.
• Now add the cooked rice in and mix them all, add soy sauce, vinegar and scrambled eggs in.
• Mix it all, stir for a few minutes on slow flame and serve hot.

Mongolian style Chicken stir-fry

Ingredients:

500gm thinly sliced chicken breast

Oil as required

4 medium sized onions thinly shredded

1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1 tbsp Cumin seeds

2 tbsp Soy sauce

Corn flour as needed

2 tbsp Jaggery powder

Water

Salt to taste

Coriander to garnish

Marinade:

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp cloves powder

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Salt

Method:

• Marinate the chicken for atleast an hour with all the above mentioned ingredients of the marinade. Coat the marinated chicken with some corn flour.
• In a separate pan, pour in oil and stir fry the marinated chicken and keep aside.
• In the same pan, pour a little more oil if required and saute onion, ginger-garlic paste, cumin seeds.
• Then add soy sauce, jaggery and some water keep stirring until it all comes together, now add the stir fried chicken and mix it all together until the desired dryness or sauciness is reached.
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot! :-)

[I have used Chicken here but in real any meat of your desire can be used]

Chakli

Ingredients:

500gm of rice flour

100gm of Besan flour

2-3 tsp of red chilli powder

Salt to taste

2 pinches of baking soda

Water as required

Method:

• Slightly fry the rice flour for 5-6 min on slow heat.
• Transfer the rice flour and Besan flour into a mixing pan add chilli powder, salt, baking soda and make a dough out of it with adequate water.

• The dough should be of right consistency, i.e., if you use it in the chakli maker and squeeze out it should flow freely and not break. If it breaks then more water needs to be added to loosen the dough and so on.

• Squeeze out desired shapes and deep fry in boiling oil. The oil should be boiling hot so the chakli gets fried soon and does not suck in oil.

Note: if you want the Chakli snack really soft you could add some clarified butter.

Chicken Vindaloo

Ingredients:

500g (1/2kg) chicken boneless diced

2 medium onions (1 1/2 pureed & 1/2 chopped finely)

9 small cloves garlic

1 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilli powder, or to taste

1 tsp ground cumin

3 cloves

1 tblsp vinegar

1 tblsp jaggery

2 tbsp oil

2 medium potatoes diced/sliced

Salt to taste

Method:

• Roughly chop 1 1/2 onions, combine in a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients listed except for chicken, potatoes & coriander. Blend until smooth.
• Combine chicken in a bowl with spice mixture. Marinate for about 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Slice remaining onion. Add oil in a saucepan and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add marinated chicken pieces with the masala & potatoes. Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked & tender, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with coriander and serve with Naan or rice!

Caramel Custard Pudding

Ingredients:
4 cups full cream milk (approx 1 liter)
7 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation:
Prepare a mould/ pudding cups for the custard by greasing very lightly with butter.
Heat 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 tsp of water in a pan till it melts and turns golden brown. Pour this caramelised sugar into the pudding mould/ pudding cups and swirl to coat the sides of the mould. Keep aside to cool.
If baking, preheat your oven now to 180 C.
Mix the eggs and remaining sugar together in a large bowl and blend till all the sugar has dissolved. Now add the milk, vanilla essence and nutmeg and blend again.
Pour this mixture into the mould/ pudding cups you are using, to fill them 3/4 of the way to the top.
If baking: Place the mould/ pudding cups in a large, deep baking pan. Pour hot water into the baking pan till it is about 1" below the rim of the moulds.
If steaming in a pressure cooker: It is advisable to use one mould in this case. Place the mould in the pressure cooker - elevate the mould with a pressure cooker ring (or overturned flat-bottomed metal bowl). Pour water very carefully into the pressure cooker till it is about 2" below the rim of the mould.
If baking in an oven: Cook for about 45 minutes or till the custard is firm. Test by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean the pudding is done.
If steaming in a pressure cooker: Cook for half an hour and then check for doneness as above.
When cooked, cool the pudding and then chill in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
To serve, place a plate over the mould/ pudding cup, hold firmly in place and turn over gently. The pudding will turn over onto the plate, caramel side up! Pour some of the remaining caramel (if any) over the pudding and serve.

Chicken Bhuna

Ingredients:

250g of skinless boneless chicken diced

3 tablespoons oil

1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder

Tomatoes: 100g puree and 1 diced finely

1/2 teaspoon ginger paste

1/2 garlic paste and 3 cloves chopped

2 medium onions: 1 pureed and 1 chopped finely

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

2/3 teaspoon cumin seeds

Fistful fresh finely chopped coriander

1 teaspoon paprika/red chili powder

3 whole cardamoms crushed

Salt to taste

2 small green chilies, deseeded and chopped

Method:

• Rub garam masala and little salt over chicken and leave aside to marinate for few minutes while you prepare other ingredients.

• In a pan, heat oil in which add the chicken, fry for a minute, remove excess oil leaving only about one tablespoon in it, simmer the flame add half of the tomato puree and let is cook on simmer, cover the lid and keep stirring every 5 min.

• In another pan,  add the excess oil from frying chicken add cumin, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped tomato and sauté it after adding every ingredient for few seconds. 

• Add the turmeric, paprika/chili powder and cardamom pods and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

• Add pureed tomato, onion & chopped coriander stir it. Add water as needed to have the curry thickness of your choice.

• Reduce the heat and simmer stirring regularly

• Add the salt to taste
• Add the chicken pieces cooking in the other pan along with tomato puree and cook together until they mix well.

Serve hot with rice or naan! Bon apetite!