Garlic & Basil Butter Mushrooms

Garlic & Basil Butter Mushroom is a simple, yummy and flavourful dish which can be served as a starter and also, it make a great side dish for Fried rice or any rice varieties. The mushroom and bell pepper are sauteed in a butter along with garlic and dried basil to give a aromatic side dish is further tossed with pepper powder and fresh basil leaves to give a delicious taste and flavour.

Ingredients :

2 - 3 Tbsp Butter 
1 Tbsp Garlic pods, finely chopped 
15 - 20 Mushrooms, sliced 
1 Green Bell pepper / Capsicum, chopped 
1 Tbsp Dried basil  
1 Tsp Pepper powder 
Few Fresh Basil leaves
Salt to taste 

Method :

Heat butter in a pan and add garlic pods followed by green bell pepper.

Saute and add the sliced mushrooms.

Cook it for couple of minutes and add dried basil followed by pepper powder and salt.

Cook until the mushrooms get cooked and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve with Fried rice or as a starter. 

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.

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. 

Mango & Pineapple Salsa in Apple Chips

Summer in India is a season to enjoy mangoes and luckily we got this seasonal ingredient as our may month theme in our shhh secretly cooking challenge group. In this May month, I got paired with an amazing blogger Veena Krishnakumar from www.veenasvegnation.com . Apart from the main ingredient ( Mango ), we had to share to couple of secret ingredients and I got Apple and Pineapple as my secret ingredients. Using these three amazing healthy fruits, I prepared a tasty and easy party snack mango and pineapple salsa. Generally salsa is served in a canapes or biscuits, I had given a twist by served these salsa in apple chips as apple is one of my secret ingredient. I have to mention that this snack is a blend of mixed taste, as it contains sweet, sour, spicy, mild masala and mild bitter from apple chips. Innovative and healthy way to serve this for kids or during parties...

Ingredients :

10 Baked Apple Chips ( Click HERE for recipe )
1 Cup Mangoes, Ripe, Finely chopped
1 Cup Pineapple, finely chopped
1 Onion, Finely chopped
1 Tomato, de-seeded, finely chopped
2 Green chillies, finely chopped
Less than 1/4 Tsp Chat masala
A pinch of salt
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

Add the finely chopped mangoes in a bowl followed by pineapple, onion, tomato and green chillies.

Add chat masala and salt to the salsa.

Mix well and keep aside.

Arrange the baked apple chips in a tray and spoon in the salsa on each chips.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Serving Options :

Serve with fresh juice.

Potato Stuffed Grilled Chicken

If you are looking for some interesting whole chicken recipes for parties or get together, then try this easy and delicious grilled chicken stuffed with potatoes and roasted along with cherry tomatoes and sliced onion. I have placed bacon on top of the chicken so that the fat from bacon melts and roast the chicken beautifully and the additional butter is to enhance the taste and crispiness of the chicken. The juice from the stuffed lemon also gives a lovely flavor and it is optional. This can be served with any flavored dip or mint curd chutney.

Ingredients:

1 Whole chicken
1 Tsp Red chilli powder
1 Tsp Cheddar cheese powder ( Optional )
1 Tbsp Crushed Black pepper
1 Tbsp Mixed herbs ( Oregano, Thyme Rosemary, basil and Dill )
2 Tbsp Coarse salt
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Potatoes, cubed
1 Lemon
Handful of Mint leaves
1 Onion, sliced ( I have used white onions in this recipe )
6 Cherry Tomatoes
3 Bacon strips
1 Tsp Butter, for final brushing

Method :

Boil 2 Cups water in a pan and add the cubed potatoes and lemon.

Cook it for 5 minutes and switch off the flame. keep aside.

Clean and wash the whole chicken.

Now add Chilli powder followed by cheese powder, pepper powder, mixed herbs, salt. mint leaves and olive oil and rub it all over the chicken.

Marinate it for half an hour.

Now prick the lemon and place it inside the chicken along with few potatoes and one piece of bacon.

Tie the chicken with thread so that the filling doesn't come out.

Place the potato stuffed chicken on the baking tray and place the remaining potatoes along with the sliced onions and cherry tomatoes on the tray.

Now place the remaining bacon strips on top of the stuffed chicken and grill it in a pre heated oven.

After 15 mins, remove the chicken and brush butter on top of it.

After half an hour, slowly turn the chicken other and grill it again.

After 45 mins, brush the remaining butter and continue to grill.

Altogether, grill the chicken for 1 hour 15 mins.

If  the chicken turns black on top, place an aluminum foil while grilling.

Once done, Remove from the grill, apply 1 Tsp butter and remove the tied thread.

Slice and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve it hot with any flavored dip or Mint curd chutney.

Stay tuned for more recipes using leftover grilled chicken......

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus makes a delicious appetizer with a minimal number of ingredients. The fat from salty bacon gets melted and beautifully roasts the bacon and asparagus to get the crunchy texture. Very simple and exotic starter to serve with any flavored dip.

Ingredients :

10 Medium sized Asparagus
7 - 8 Bacons
8 Bok Choy
1 Tbsp Pepper, crushed
4 - 5 Cherry Tomatoes ( I have used for garnishing but can also be used while baking )
15 Spring Onion leaves

Method :

Take a baking pan and arrange Bok choy leaves on it. Keep aside.

Take 2 Asparagus stalk and wrap it with a Bacon.

Tie both the ends using Spring onion leaves.

Repeat the process for the remaining asparagus.

Now arrange the bacon wrapped asparagus on the bok choy bed.

Sprinkle crushed pepper on top of it and bake it in a pre-heated oven for 15 - 20 mins at 180 degree C or till the bacon turns crunchy.

Remove and garnish with cherry tomatoes while serving.

Instead, arrange the sliced cherry tomatoes along with the wrapped asparagus and bake it together.

Serve hot with any flavored dip.

Crispy Okra / Crispy Vendakai

Crispy Okra is a delicious and crunchy accompaniment for Dal rice, Sambhar rice, Curd rice or any variety rice. This can also be served as evening snack with hot tea. Cashews can also be added along with peanuts to make it more tasty.

 
Ingredients :

25 Okra / Lady's finger / Bhendi / Vendakai 
2 Tbsp Besan flour
1 Tbsp Rice flour
1/2 Tsp Red chilli powder 
1/2 Tsp Coriander powder
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder 
1/4 Tsp  Jeera powder 
1/4 Tsp Chaat Masala
Salt to taste
Handful of Curry leaves
1/4 Cup Peanuts

Method :

Wash and wipe the okras using kitchen towel.

Cut and discard both the ends of okra.

Cut the okras into 4 vertical pieces and keep aside.

In a large bowl, add Besan flour followed by Rice flour, Jeera powder, Coriander powder, Chilli powder,
Turmeric powder, Chaat masala and Salt.

Mix well and add the chopped okras.

Cover it with plate or lid and shake it well so that the masala powder gets coated well with the okra.

Leave it aside for 5 minutes and mix it again.

Heat 1 - 11/2 Cups Oil in a deep pan and fry the masala coated okras in batches on medium flame.

Once done, fry the curry leaves and peanuts.

Mix everything in a bowl and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Sambhar rice, Curd rice or any variety rice.

Red Wine Infused Lamb Chops

My today's post is a special recipe, which I had prepared few days back for a Raksha Bandhan Celebration, in order to treat my brother virtually, who loves such type of cuisines. As I was down with fever, this post was getting delayed but posting it today with full happiness. Yeah ! Got a lovely chance to cook and serve this recipe for a second time for my little brother with full of love and affection. What else can make a sister happy :) He absolutely loved this and gobbled up the majority of pieces ;)

This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite Chef. Gordan Ramsay but made few changes according to our taste bud. Delicious and flavorful starter prepared with a minimal ingredients. This recipe is little time consuming as the meat takes time to cook in a lower flame. Grilling method is used in this recipe for the extra smoky flavor and while grilling, pour the leftover sauce to get a juicy chops.

Ingredients :

2 Medium sized Onions, Finely chopped
4-5 Green chillies, Finely chopped
1 1/2 Tsp Chilli powder
Salt to taste
500 gms Lamb Chops
1 Cup Red Wine
1 Tsp Oregano
2 Tbsp Oil

Method :

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions followed by chopped chillies.

Fry them till the onions turns light brown color.

Add the chops and Mix well.

Now add Chilli powder followed by Oregano and Salt.

Add one cup of red wine and mix well.

Simmer the flame and cook it for 45 minutes or till the chops gets cooked.

Remove the cooked chops and reserve the sauce.

Heat grill pan, brush it with little oil and place the cooked chops.

Pour the reserved sauce and grill it for 5 minutes in a medium flame.

Remove from the flame and serve hot.

Gobi Pakora using leftover Tomato - Chilli chutney

One of my favorite part of cooking is giving makeover to my leftover recipes. It gives me, the immense joy of not wasting the food and creating something different. On those series, my recent makeover recipe was Gobi Pakora using leftover Tomato - Chilli chutney. I had just half a cup of chutney in my fridge, after using it for breakie which wouldn't had sufficient for next serving. So, used those spicy chutney in my bajji / pakora batter and prepared hot and tasty snack. As the chutney contains required amount of spicy, I did not add extra chilli powder to the batter. The garlic flavor and tangy flavor from chutney blended so well to give a flavorful and tasty pakoras.. This is a perfect evening snack to serve with any variety of chutney and Coffee / Tea. Instead of gobi, any veggies can also be used like Aubergine, zucchini, bread etc...

Ingredients :

10 - 15 Gobi / Cauliflower Florets
6 Tbsp Besan Flour
1 Tbsp Corn Flour
5 Tsp Tomato - Chilli chutney ( Add extra teaspoon for more spicy )
Salt to taste
Few Coriander leaves, finely chopped
Water, as needed
3 Green chillies, slitted for Garnishing
Few curry leaves, for Garnishing

Method :

Clean Gobi florets and boil it in a salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Do not over cook.

Drain and keep aside.

In a bowl, add besan flour followed by corn flour, Tomato - Chilli chutney, finely chopped coriander leaves and salt.

Add water little by little and prepare thick batter consistency . ( The batter should coat the veggie )

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry them in a batches in medium flame.

Remove and drain the excess oil in the kitchen towel.

Fry the slitted chillies and curry leaves too for garnishing.

Garnish with the fried ones and serve hot with chutney.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with chutney and coffee / Tea.

Lemony Chilli Grilled Chicken

Are you a chicken lover? Then this recipe is for you...

Grilled Juicy chicken with a spicy-lemony flavor will be a sure hit in your taste buds. Marination is very important in this recipe, the more time you leave chicken to swim in the marinade, the yummiest and delicious chicken is guaranteed. These yummy grilled ones can be served as a starter with Salsa ( will post soon ) and mayo. This is also a perfect evening snack to munch with family on weekends. Adding marinade while cooking the chicken will enhance the flavor and tastes amazingly good.

Ingredients :

• 4 Chicken Thigh cutlets
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 4 Green chillies, crushed
• 1 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 3 Garlic pods, crushed and chopped
• 2 Spring Onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Method :

• Combine Lemon juice, crushed green chilies, soy sauce, honey, chopped garlic, spring onions, coriander leaves and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
• Add chicken pieces and stir to combine. 
• Refrigerate for 3- 4 hours or over night, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the chicken pieces and reserve the marinade.
• Place chicken on lightly oiled grill and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Flip the other side and cook for another 5 minutes or until the pieces gets tender and cooked.
• Brush with reserve marinade in the last minutes of cooking.
• Remove and serve Hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Salsa or Mayo.

Easy Fried Chicken and Avocado Dip

I used to prepare this very simple fried chicken for my kid as finger food without the addition of lemon juice... Very easy n simple to prepare and used to prepare this only for him as we have other  chicken curries n briyani to eat... My husband always complains that I prepare very little of these fried ones... So bought some chicken breasts few days back n prepared this fried chicken n Avocado dip for him as a surprise treat for his dinner..... We have lovely memories with the Avocado fruit too.... Avocado's reminds us of our trip to Kurumba Resort.... Tasted this for the first time there as creamy soup... since then we guys had fallen in love with this flavourful fruit...  My hubby is not a great risk taker in tasting foods.. so when I do some innovation in recipes...its like writing an exam for me :) (chemistry paper was equally difficult for me!!!!) and his reactions are like exam results...sometimes I do get distinction... sometimes I pass and sometimes arrears
 ( have to try that till I get pass mark ;) ) he he.... But his words, appreciation and support means a lot to me...He is so supportive and helps me alot in blogging....

And coming back to my recipe....Served this for our dinner and enjoyed alot... The best compliment is he loved the Avocado dip sooo much that he ended up used this as spread over crispy ghee dosas :)

Ingredients :

For fried chicken :

• 1 Chicken Breast, cut into long strips
• 1 Tsp Pepper powder
• 2 Tsp Lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 1 1/2 Cups Cornflakes, crushed
• Oil for frying

For Avocado dip :

• 1 Avocado
• 1/2 Cup Thick Curd / Yoghurt
• 1 Green chilli
• 2 Garlic pods
• 1/2 Tsp Jeera
• 1/4 Cup Mint leaves / Pudina
• Salt to taste

Method :

For Fried chicken :

• Clean, wash and cut the chicken breast into long strips.
• Add pepper powder, salt and lemon juice.
• Mix well and marinate it for 1 hour. ( at least half an hour ).
• Now take each strips and roll it with crushed cornflakes.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry them in a medium flame.
• Do not fry them in a high flame, cornflakes gets fried soon and becomes black.
• Once fried, remove from flame and drain them in a kitchen towel.
• Serve hot.

For Avocado Dip :

• Cut and scoop the flesh of avocado.
• Add everything in a blender and blend them to a fine paste.
• Serve it with the fried chicken.

Linking this with Yashodha's Kitchen " My first event - Thanks Giving "

Divya's " 60 Days to Christmas " and Priya's " 60 Days to Christmas "

Paneer Rolls

Ingredients :

2 Potatoes, boiled
1 Carrot, grated
1 Cup Paneer, Crumbled
1/2 Cup cabbage, chopped finely
3 Green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Coriander leaves
1 Tbsp Coarsely powdered Groundnut
cornflakes, powdered
salt to taste
oil for frying


Method :

Boil potatoes and grate it, keep aside.
Add grated potatoes, carrot, cabbage, paneer, green chillies, coriander leaves, powdered groundnut and salt in a bowl.
Mix well and prepare like roll.
Roll it in cornflakes powder.Heat oil in a pan and deep fry this roll in batches.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Linking this recipe with Master Chef Contest" @ Divya's Page

Paneer Tawa Roast

Ingredients :

100 gms Paneer, cut into big cube
1 Bunch Spring onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Tbsp Chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil

Method :

Add spring onions, chilli powder, lemon juice and salt in a mixie, grind into fine paste.
Mix with paneer cubes and marinate it for 3 hrs.
Heat tawa and place paneer pieces. Roast it adding little oil in a medium flame.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Linking this recipe with Master Chef Contest" @ Divya's Page

Chicken Balls/Cutlet

 
Ingredients :

2 Potatoes, Boiled and mashed
1 Big onion, finely chopped
4 Green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Pudina, Finely chopped
250 gms Boneless chicken
Salt to taste
2 Eggs
Cornflakes, powdered
Oil for frying

Method :

Boil potatoes, peel and mash them.
Mince the boneless chicken in a processor.
Now add chicken, onion, potatoes, green chillies, pudina and egg, mix well.
Beat eggs separately,
Make balls or cutlet shape from the chicken mixture.
Dip in beaten egg and roll it in powdered cornflakes.
Deep fry in a medium flame.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Linking this recipe with Master Chef Contest" @ Divya's Page