March 22, 2017

Grilled Prawns using Sukiyaki Sauce with Mayo - Strawberry dip


Sharing my son's favourite dish which is named as "prawn Stick" by him :) The process of the dish is quite simple yet tasty. The prawns are cleaned without discarding the tail part and marinated in the given sauces for a minimum of 45 minutes. More the marination time, the prawns gets the lovely flavour. Though these yummy prawns can be served with any dip, this strawberry dip gives a flavor fight in each bite. The mild tanginess from the dip and spicy taste from prawns compliments each other to give a delicious starter. In this recipe, I have used dried strawberries which can also be substituted with fresh ones.


Ingredients :

40 Medium sized prawns
3 Tbsp Sukiyaki Sauce
1/2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1/4 Tsp Pepper powder
1 Tsp Wasabi Paste
1 Tsp Lemongrass powder
Oil for grilling

For Dip :

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise ( For extra flavour, use flavoured mayo )
2 Tbsp Sukiyaki sauce
10 Dried Strawberries, Finely chopped
Few finely chopped Mint leaves
A pinch of pepper powder

Method :

Clean the prawns leaving the tail part on it and keep aside.

Prepare marination by mixing sukiyaki sauce followed by fish sauce, pepper powder, wasabi paste and lemongrass powder.

Add the cleaned prawns to the marination and mix well.

Marinate it for 30 - 45 mins.

Meanwhile, prepare a dip for grilled prawns by mixing all the ingredients given in "For Dip" and refrigerate till serving.

Soak the wooden skewers in water for 15 mins before grilling.

Take one skewer and insert the marinated prawn placing tail part on top.

Repeat the process for the remaining marinated prawns and keep aside.

Grease the grill pan with oil and place the prawn skewers on it.

Grill it in a medium flame until both the sides gets cooked. ( Brush the marinated juice on top of prawns while grilling )

Once done, remove from the grill pan and place the remaining marinated prawn skewers.

Serve hot with the prepared Mayo - Strawberry Dip.






March 18, 2017

Chicken Shami Kebabs - Guest Post by Supriya Kutty from www.quichentell.com


I am excited to publish a guest post from a wonderful blogger Supriya Kutty from quichentell.com. Her webpage is a must visit space, as it is filled with loads of mouthwatering recipes along with a droolworthy pics. She was so generous to send me a few options of recipes for guest post and being a big non - veg lover,  I chose Chicken Shammi Kebab :) This yummy starter made me really drool after seeing her recipe and its already in my "Must do" list. Thank you Supriya for being my special guest on my page :)

Now over to Supriya......

I'm Supriya Kutty, writer, cook, daydreamer, mom to a teen and wife to a military man. My blog www.quichentell.com has food at its soul, served with liberal helpings of ramblings from a life, lived in many cities and a few countries.

Food is powerful. It arouses emotions, creates memories, and connects cultures, peoples and civilizations. It is linked to nature, to the seasons and to life itself at the umbilicus. In my blog I try to explore this intuitive and organic relationship through the the food that I eat and cook. Beyond the recipes and techniques I want everyone who reads it to taste, touch and feel the food and the ways in which it moves in me.

Guest post recipe...


Delicate, subtle and melt-in-the-mouth, shami kebabs are a universal favourite. Whether you decide to eat them with naan, the traditional way or as finger food with drinks, shami kebabs are so delicious that they disappear before you can say ‘kebab’. 

Having originated in the kitchens of Mughal emperors and perfected by the nawabs of Awadh, it is no surprise that these are mutton (tender goat meat) kebabs, the preferred meat of royal kitchens. Lightly spiced with whole spices, these velvet-textured discs highlight the typical flavour of mutton. But if you want somewhat lighter kebabs that are equally yummy, chicken can be a good substitute, if you use chicken thighs - since they are fattier and hence more flavourful than breasts. Chicken thigh meat yields softer and more succulent kebabs. Requiring normal store cupboard ingredients, these shami kebabs are easy and can be made a day earlier and fried just before serving. They are best paired with thinly sliced onions and mint chutney.


Chicken Shami Kebabs
Makes 24 kebabs

Ingredients :

450 g boneless chicken thighs
60 g chana dal
3 tbsps masoor dal
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
2 black cardamoms
4 green cardamoms
1.4 inch piece of cinnamon
4 cloves
5 black peppercorns
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander
Oil for frying
Salt

Method :

Wash and drain both the dals.

Place the chicken, dals, garlic, ginger and all the dry spices in a shallow bowl that can fit into the pressure cooker. Pour in 100 ml water and pressure cook for 15 minutes (3-4 whistles). 

Once the cooker has cooled, remove the bowl and drain all the water from the pan (you can reserve this fragrant stock to flavour dals or curries), remove all the spices except the ginger and garlic and allow the chicken and dals to cool.

Transfer the cooled chicken and dals to a grinder and grind to a fine paste without using any water. You will have to scrape down the mixture one or two times to get a smooth paste.

Spoon this mixture into a clean bowl, add the chopped chillies, coriander and salt and mix till well combined. You now have a soft, fragrant kebab mixture.

Lightly oil your palms, roll lemon-sized balls with the paste and flatten to make small discs (not too thin). Place these on a wide plate and chill uncovered in the fridge for a couple of hours or covered overnight ( or else they will turn very dry).

Heat 3-4 tbsps oil on a flat pan or griddle (tawa) till hot and cook the kebabs till golden on each side (3-4 minutes on each side), adding a few drops of oil as needed (do not deep fry). These kebabs are delicate so handle them lightly.

Serve with thinly sliced onions, lemon wedges and mint chutney.
  

Thank you Supriya Kutty for sharing this delicious kebabs to my lovely readers. 



March 15, 2017

Vazhaipoo Vadai Kuzhambu / Banana Flower Vadai Kuzhambu


Sharing one of my most favourite kuzhambu prepared using Vazhai poo which I have been relishing from childhood. Still remember those days of fighting with my brother to grab the first set of piping hot vadas. Few foods make us nostalgic and this is one for me :)

Vazhaipoo, which is called Banana flower / Banana Blossoms in English has lots of health benefits too. Though the cleaning part is little tough, there is absolutely no compromise in taste. One of my blogger friend Sujitha from sujithaeasycooking.com had posted the perfect way of cleaning this blossoms. Click HERE to view the detailed video.

This is one of the popular veggie in South Indian cooking in which lots of varieties like Kootu, Poriyal / Stir fry, Vadai, Usli etc can be prepared. In my today's recipe, Vazhaipoo vadai is prepared and soaked in a tangy masala gravy to give a delicious kuzhambu. This goes perfect with hot rice and also can be served with Idly or Dosa. Soaking vada in kuzhambu makes the vadai more tasty and juicy.


Ingredients :

For Vadai :

1 Cup Chana dal
1 Cup Finely chopped Vazhai poo / Banana flower ( I have used one full medium sized flower in this recipe )
1 Cup Finely chopped Onions
1 Tsp Saunf
3 Green chillies
1 Tsp Ginger garlic paste
Few coriander leaves 
Salt to taste 
Oil for deep frying 

For Kuzhambu :

2 Tbsp Gingelly oil 
1 Tsp Saunf 
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 
1 Bay leaf 
1 Laung
2 Onions, Finely chopped
1 Tsp Ginger - garlic paste
1 Big Tomato, finely chopped 
Few Curry leaves 
1 1/2 - 2 Tsp Chilli powder ( Adjust according to taste ) 
2 1/2 Tsp Coriander powder 
1/4 Tsp Garam masala powder 
Salt to taste 
Lemon sized Tamarind soaked in a cup of water 

Method :

Wash and soak Channa dal for couple of hours.

Then, drain the water and grind it little coarsely ( like masala vadai ). keep aside. 

Grind ginger garlic paste along with green chillies and coriander leaves into paste and add it to the ground channa dal.

Add chopped onions followed by saunf, finely chopped vazhai poo / banana flower and the required amount of salt.

Do not add water to the mixture. 

Divide the mixture into small equal sized balls, shape them into roundels ( cutlet or vada shape ) and keep aside. ( Instead of round shape, the mixture can also be made into kofta shape too ).

Heat oil for frying and gently drop the prepared shaped vadas.

Deep fry them in batches in a medium flame until it gets cooked and turns crispy. 

Once done, remove and keep aside. 

For kuzhambu :

Extract juice from the soaked tamarind and keep aside. 

Crush cinnamon stick, laung and saunf coarsely using mortar and pestle. Keep aside. 

Heat oil in a pan and add the crushed masala along with the bay leaf and curry leaves.

Add finely chopped onions and saute till it gets translucent.

Add ginger - garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.

Now add the chopped tomato and cook till it turns soft and mushy.

Add turmeric powder followed by chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt.
Mix well and add 2 tbsp of water. 

Cook till the oil separates from the gravy.

Now add the tamarind extract along with a cup of water.

Adjust salt at this stage and let it boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off.

When the kuzhambu gets its consistency, garnish with curry leaves and switch off the flame. 

Now add the fried vadas and let it soak for sometime.

Serve hot. 


Serving Options :

Serve with hot rice. 



Note :

Coconut paste can also be added in this kuzhambu to get extra taste and richness.


March 10, 2017

Egg & Rice Baked Muffins


This is one of an interesting and healthy breakfast recipe which is prepared using eggs, bell peppers and rice. Mixed herbs and chilli flakes along with a grated cheese are added as the seasoning to this muffins. In this recipe, I have used three varieties of Bell peppers, since it was given as my secret ingredients by Shobana Keshwani in Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge group.

According to our February month challenge, we have to choose either Colorful recipe or Fusion cooking. Me and my partner Shobana, an amazing blogger from www.shobhasfoodmazaa.com chose colourful recipes as our theme. Check out her page to view an interesting, healthy and colourful Idlies prepared by her for this theme.

To enhance the flavour in this recipe, variations can also be made by adding garlic powder, shredded chicken, bacon, sausages, veggies like broccoli, mushroom etc. Adjust the quantity of the red chilli flakes according to taste bud and also this can be replaced with finely chopped green chillies. To make it more healthy, replace white rice using brown rice. This recipe can also be served as Kids lunch box recipe or evening snacks.


Ingredients :

4 Eggs 
1/2 Cup Coloured Bell Peppers, Finely chopped 
1/4 Cup Cooked Rice 
1 Cheese cube, grated
1 Tsp Mixed Italian herbs, dried
1 Tsp Red chilli flakes, adjust according to taste bud
Salt to taste 

Method :

Beat eggs in a large bowl.

Add finely chopped bell peppers followed by cooked rice, mixed herbs, red chilli flakes, salt and grated cheese.

Mix well and fill the silicon muffins cups or greased muffin tray with 3/4th of the egg batter.

Bake it for 20 - 25 minutes or until the center of muffins are cooked and no longer runny in a pre heated oven at 180 degree C.

Once done, remove from the oven and serve hot.


Serving Options :

Serve with Tomato or Red chilli sauce.