Shredded chicken and green peas

These days, I seem to be just rushing in and out of the kitchen ... as I can't find the time to make anything very elaborate or time-consuming...

This was a very easy dish to make... you can make it with previously cooked chicken, shredded into bite sized pieces...or boil a few pieces of chicken with a pinch of turmeric, salt and a half tsp of chilli powder.

And you may use green peas, shelled fresh..Make sure that if you get someone's help in shelling the peas, that 'someone' understands that those are not tiny balls to play with , throw in the air or endlessly scoop up and let to escape through the fingers...!!! I shelled some 3 cups' worth, but finally had about 2 cups to cook with....!!!!!!

so to get to the recipe,

Cooked and shredded chicken - 1 cup

Green peas - fresh or frozen - 2 cups

Onion - 1 sliced fine

Tomato - 1 diced

Green chilly - 1

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Sauté the onions till nearly brown in a little oil. Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, garam masala powder and cook till the tomatoes are mushy.. now add the chicken and the green peas. If the peas are fresh, add about a 1/4 glass of water, put a lid on the pot and cook till done. If frozen, just sauté it with the chicken as they will already be cooked and just need to be steamed through.

Now add more salt if needed, and serve with chappatis, bread or any kind of pulao, curd rice etc...

Fried chicken and garlic toast.

I had a more aesthetic picture of this plate, but somehow, this is my favourite..with a tiny hand pushing a fork into the salad...:)

Some fried chicken, fried potatoes , a salad and some garlic toast.. sometimes the simple flavours are very satisfying ..and as you can see, my daughter loved the garlic toast and the tomatoes in the salad..

This recipe is absolutely simple

Lemon juice - 1 small lemon

Soy sauce - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Sugar - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp (more or less according to preference)

Crushed garlic - 4 cloves

Whisk all the ingredients, marinate about 500 gms of chicken and 3 or 4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1 cm thick discs.

In a wide hot pan, add a bit of olive oil, add the chicken pieces and the potatoes, keep a lid on and shallow fry for about 15 minutes a side.

The garlic toast was made by mincing a garlic, mixing it in some soft salted butter .Then I just coat one side of the bread and toast on a hot plate.

Chicken stew for the Side Dish Showdown

The chicken stew I usually make is made with with coconut milk, in a pressure cooker.. this is something new for me...a combination of many stews shown on cookery channels, obviously, with my own take on them..

I am entering this one for Reeni's Side Dish Showdown on her blog Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice . Check the link to get more information on this event.

One rule that Reeni had stipulated, was to think outside the box, and I think that this one really fits that bill... maybe it is not very new in some parts of the world, but to me, the flavours were really new and I am absolutely sure that I will make this a lot more times.

Chicken - 300 gms (about 4 pieces of Boneless chicken thigh)

Please note that I just used the boneless pieces as I had them at hand... you can use the usual pieces with bone.

Chicken stock - 2 cups (or more if you want more gravy)

Celery stalks - 3 nos

Onions - 3 large ones

Garlic - 6 cloves

Mince or finely chop the celery, Onion and garlic

Carrots - 2 (peeled and cut into cubes)

Potato - 2 (peeled and cubed)

Tomatoes - 3 to 4 large one (chopped -you may add canned tomatoes)

You may add any vegetables that you like.

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Masoor dal - 1 tbsp (Orange/yellow lentils)

Black pepper - 1 tsp (cracked)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp (it is a practice in Indian cuisine to use turmeric whenever we cook meat. So if you do not want it, please omit.)

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (use sweet paprika if you do not want the heat)

Worcestershire sauce - 2 tsp

Garam masala - 2 tsp (all-spice or any curry powder maybe used)

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Sugar - a big pinch

Salt to taste

In the olive oil, lightly brown the chicken pieces. Take and keep aside.

Now brown the minced onion, celery and garlic till the oil comes on top. Add the turmeric and chilly powders.

Add the masoor dal and half the chicken stock.

Once the dal becomes soft, add the vegetables, the rest of the stock, chicken, Worcestershire sauce, cracked pepper, garam masala powder, vinegar, sugar and the salt to taste.

Bring the whole thing to a boil, and turn the flame to low, and leave it for about 20 to 40minutes. It depends on how soft or crunchy you like the meat and vegetables...

Garnish with some spring onions or chopped tender celery leaves .

Superb side dish for basmati rice, bread, Aapam, or Parathas... We had both rice and parathas and relished every mouthful .

To add more depth, add some wine to the stew.

Chicken in fried and ground coconut gravy (Kozhi varutharachathu)

The taste of Kerala.... that best describes this particular preparation....

It had been a while since I had prepared chicken this way. This is also a great way to prepare any red meat, crabs, prawns, peas or even mushroom....

During my grandma's days, the coconut paste was ground on the stone and all the spices were added whole. But now, this recipe is the shortcut version, maybe not as spectacular, but can come really close...

Most households in Kerala would have their own version of this recipe, and this is mine...

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Shallots/ cheriya ulli - 5 to 6 nos.

Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Cumin/ small jeera - 1/4 tsp

Saunf/ perum jeerakom - 1/4 tsp

Garlic - 3 cloves

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Dry roast the grated coconut till it is lightly brown, keep stirring continuously, making sure it does not burn. Add the shallots and the pepper corns, both the jeeras and garlic, fry till golden. Add the coriander powder and the chilli powder at last as the stove is being switched off. Otherwise there will be a fierce bout of sneezing and watering eyes...

Let this cool and then grind well, adding about 1/2 glass of water. Keep aside.

Now, the curry

Chicken - 1 kg (cleaned and cut into small pieces)

Whole spices - 3 each of cloves, cardamom,1 inch cinnamon

Onion - 2 nos (sliced fine)

Green chillies - 3 (slit)

Ginger - 1 inch piece (sliced thin)

Curry leaves - 2 stalks (separate leaves)

Tomato - 2 (sliced thin)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Heat oil in a kadai, preferably coconut oil to make the taste as authentic 'Kerala' as possible. when hot, add the whole spices, then the onions, green chillies and ginger and saute till onions are golden brown.

Now add half of the curry leaves and the turmeric powder. Add the tomatoes and saute till the oil comes on top and the tomatoes disintegrate.

Add the prepared coconut paste. Add water according to how loose or thick you want the gravy. Add the salt now.

When the gravy is near boil, add the chicken pieces and bring to a boil. Now adjust the flame to medium or low for about 30 minutes or till the chicken is fully cooked.

Add the garam masala powder, 1 tsp of oil, and the remaining curry leaves.

A great combination with rice, chappatis, appam etc.

Shredded chicken and cabbage

This is a great way to use left over chicken from a roast, a curry or even simply boiled chicken.

If curried, just wipe away the remnants of the gravy and shred it.

Onion - 1 (sliced)

Green chillies - 2 (slit)

Cabbage - 2 cups (shredded)

Celery stalk with leaves - 1 small (diced fine)

Cooked chicken - about 100 gms or a half cup (minimum)

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Soy sauce - 1/2 tsp

Butter - 1/2 t

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

In a non-stick pan, put the butter and a few drops of oil so that the butter won't brown. Add the sliced onions and saute till golden. Now add the cabbage,green chillies, turmeric and chilly powder. Add salt to taste at this point since the chicken will already have salt. Now add the chicken, soy sauce and pepper. Finally garnish with the celery.

If mixed with a bit of mayonnaise, it can be used as a salad or as a filling for bread rolls, in a tortilla or chapati. Add bit of relish or pickled gherkins and spread on toasted bread slices for a superb sandwich.

A chicken pie

Wow.. I am sooo busy now-a-days that I did not realise it has been 5 days since I last posted.

This is something I made a week or so back. I made it the help of the wondorous creation called Aloo Mash..!! That is mashed potatoes in flakes ...

 Minced Chicken - 250 gms - hold it till last

Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves (chopped fine)

Onion - 1 large (finely chopped)

Tomatoes - 2 medium (finely chopped)

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Capsicum - 1/2 (finely chopped)

Salt to taste

Grated cheeses - 1 tbsp (I used cheddar)

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

In a wok saute all the ingredients from garlic onwards till oregano and finally add the minced chicken till all the water is absorbed and chicken is nearly done.

 To the mash, I added ,

Mash flakes - 1 and 1/2 cup

Chicken stock - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1 tbsp

Grated cheese - 2 tbsp

dried thyme - 1/2 tsp

Oregano - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Pepper - according to taste

Now in a baking tray, grease well and layer the minced chicken then add the mashed potatoes on top. Lightly brish the top with melted butter to brown the potato crust. Bake at 180 C for about 20 - 30 minutes. Serve hot with tabasco/ tomato sauce.

Tandoori Chicken

This is a long-overdue post. I had promised one of my cousins that I would send him the Tandoori marinade recipe since it would make great barbecues . But I never got round to mailing him.. Since he does visit my blog sometimes, I thought that it would be easier to just post it here and let him know.. So this is for u..'J'...

Chicken  - 1 Kg(Cleaned and cut into big pieces )

Score the chicken on both sides to the so that the marinade goes deep.

Grind into a paste - 

Garlic cloves - 6-8

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Green chillies - 3-4

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Pudina (mint) leaves - 1/4 cup

To the paste add 

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Curd - 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Chilli powder - 1 to 2 tsp (adjust according to preferance)

Salt to taste

Orange food colour (optional) I do not like the colour.

Marinate overnight if possible.. or for 1 hour. 

BBQ, grill or shallow fry , serve with green salad, raita and bread, rotis etc..enjoy

Chicken Stuffed Buns

I have been bit by the baking bug!!!! After the oatmeal coffee cake I made, the compliments went to my head.. and I have been always fond on savoury items rather than sweet ... so my next adventure in baking was to be in that direction... 

I thought the safest place to find the recipe would be at Raaga's since my coffee cake was also her recipe. 

So I adapted her vegetarian Coriander buns to make my chicken stuffed buns... and as I had hoped, they turned out just great...!!

For the dough, 

Flour - 1 cup

Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1 and 1/2 Tbsp

Yeast - 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Sugar - 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Boiling water - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

I did not add the coriander leaves in her recipe since I was going in for a different taste with the stuffings....

In a large bowl, add the oil,sugar and the salt. Now add the boiling water to dissolve the sugar, add the milk and stir till the mix is luke-warm in temperature. Now add the yeast and wait for a few minutes for it to ferment. Add the flour, the turmeric and chilly powders and mix well. 

Roll well and cover the dough with a damp muslin cloth to let it rise for about an hour.

As for the stuffings, 

Chicken breasts - 2 (cooked with turmeric, salt n whole pepper corns, n finely diced)

Onion - 1 finely diced

Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Capsicum - 1/4 cup(diced)

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Soy sauce - 1 tsp

Tomato sauce - 1/2 tsp

Grated cheddar cheese - 1 tsp

salt to taste

In a pan, add or spray a bit of oil , sweat the diced onion, add the ginger garlic paste, saute for a minute, add the chicken and the chilli powder, saute, toss in the capsicum, the soy and the tomato sauce. Finally add salt . Take off the fire. Let the stuffing cool a bit. Then add the cheese.

Now take the dough and knead , divide into equal sized balls (I made 8 portions) . Flatten it in the palm of your hand, add a tsp or more of stuffing and seal. Sprinkle or lightly press the sesame seeds on top.

Cover the stuffed dough with a damp cloth again and let it rest for another hour. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven (180 C).

baking time is approximately 12-15 minutes.

Serve hot with ketchup.

Comfort food - Chicken and veggies

There are some days when thinking up a dish is very tedious.Even more so when the cooking has to be done with a bit of care. So if there is some kind of bread readily available, this is one meal that needs very little preparation.

Chicken breasts - 500 gms (cleaned and cut into medium pieces)

Marinate the chicken pieces in
Curd - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Keep the chicken in the fridge for atleast a half-hour.

Saute

Onion - 1 large (sliced lengthwise)
Green chillies - 2 (slit)

Toss in some veggies like french beans, potatoes, carrots, green peas ,capsicum etc.. lightly fry them.

Add the chicken and the marinade .

Now add 2 sliced tomatoes to this. Once the liquid starts bubbling, lower the flame to medium and cook with the lid on. Once the chicken is cooked, add

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - according to taste (I like a lot of coarsely ground pepper)
A pinch or dried oregano (optional)

More salt if needed.

Enjoy hot with Kaboos, porottas, chappatis etc.

Corn-flour garlic chicken (dry)

This is a dish that is strictly my own experiment.

Boneless chicken - 500 gms
Butter milk/ beaten curd - 1/2 cup
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Crushed pepper - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Cut the chicken into strips approximately 1 by 2 inches. Add the rest of the ingredients and keep aside to marinate for half an hour.

Corn flour - 2tsp
Dried herbs - oregano, tarragon (optional)
Salt - a pinch

take the chicken pieces from the marinade and evenly coat the corn flour mixture. Refrigerate for 10 minutes for ease in frying. add oil in a shallow frying pan and wait till it is hot. I used about 1 tbsp of oil.Shallow fry the pieces until the chicken is evenly brown.

Take the pieces from the oil and add the left-over marinade to the oil. Reduce till the oil comes on top and coat the fried pieces. THIS STEP MAYBE AVOIDED FOR THOSE WHO WANT THE CHICKEN CRISPY.

Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.

Chicken noodle soup

This is very very easy to make and takes amazingly little time.

Leek - 1 to 2 (sliced fine)
You may use 1 onion and Spring onions instead of the leek
Garlic - 2to 3 cloves peeled and crushed
Tomato - 1 large (deseeded and diced)
Turmeric - a pinch
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp or more to taste
Chicken - 150 gms(cubed/ dice)
Chicken stock cubes - 2(or fresh/frozen chicken stock)
Sausage - 2 (or more)(sliced)
Noodles - 1 packet (I used egg hakka noodled)
Salt - to taste
Soy sauce - 1 tsp

Heat a thick bottomed vessel, saute the leek/onion/spring onion...toss in the garlic and add the chicken, saute for 2 minutes. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder and close with a lid to let the tomato cook through. If the stock is liquid or frozen, add it or add a glass of water and the chicken stock cubes..
Let the soup boil. Now add the noodles and and the sliced sausages. finally add the soy sauce, salt to taste and pepper powder.

If you prefer, beat an egg and add it to the boiling soup while stirring constantly. Have it hot and life will seem very beautiful at that moment...:)

Chicken stew - healthy too!!!

This is a very easy and very tasty dish to make......

Traditionally, this was made minus the tomatoes and the coconut milk was always extracted the old fashioned way...

I used to do this too, but since I have discovered the coconut milk powder,I always use it ..saves time, and the end result is just as delicious.

Chicken - 1 kg (cleaned and cut into small pieces)
Green chillies - 5 to 6 (slit)
Curry leaves - 3 to 5 stalks
Onion - 1 to 2 (sliced)
Tomatoes - 2 to 3 (sliced - make sure the tomatoes are not too ripe)
Potatoes - 2 to 3 (peeled and cut into cubes)
Salt - 1 tsp
Cardamom - full pods - 4 to 5
Cloves - 4 to 5
Cinnamom sticks - 2 ( 1 inch sticks)
Pepper corns - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Keep aside

Coconut milk powder - 5 tbsps
water - 1 glass
coriander leaves - cleaned and chopped
coconut oil - 1 tsp


Put all of the first set of ingredients (chicken to chilli powder) in the pressure cooker . Mix 1 tbsp of coconut milk powder with 3/4 glass of water and add to the lot. Pressure cook till 4 whistles. Take off the stove and leave till steam escapes.

Now, keep on the stove and add the remaining 4 tbsps of coconut milk powder to 1/4 glass of water.Add more salt as required. Switch off the stove before the stew boils.Add the bunch of chopped coriander leaves and a pinch of tarragon (optional). Add 1 tsp of coconut oil.

Superb with aapams, porotta, chappatis ..I love to have it with rice and lemon pickle.

The foodie blogroll

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been included in the Foodie Blogroll...I thought I would act blase about it, but I have to tell this.

And the leftover queen herself has left a comment for my Chicken made easy....and healthy.



Take a peek

Chicken made easy....and healthy

There are many people including a couple of my cousins and my dear sis, who would like to make chicken, but do not have the patience or the ability to know when and how to add the particular ingredients to get the best results...

This is a recipe that will ensure good results...

1 kg Chicken (cleaned, and cut into pieces)
1 onion -peeled, sliced long
4-5 cloves of garlic
8-10 peppercorns crushed
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 potato- washed, peeled, sliced round
1/4 tsp oregano
3 fair sized tomatoes sliced round
1 tsp soy sauce/ oyster sauce
1 tsp paprika,
a pinch of turmeric
chilly powder according to taste
salt

heat the cooking pot, add 1 tsp oil..just enough to turn the onions golden , add the crushed garlic, saute till the smell is pleasant..add the chilli powder and chicken pieces. Once the meat turns white, add all the other ingredients ...yep! ...just toss in everything, turn the flame way down..medium or less...and wait 30 - 45 minutes...

check if the chicken is done ..just check the potaoes..if they are cooked through, it is time. there is no need to add water. there will be very less gravy, but it will taste really good. garnish with spring onions...

This is my own creation..just a change from the usual chicken masala we make.

P.S...If celery is not available, green peppers (capsicum) can be used to give a different but nice flavour.

Roast Chicken - my way

,

I know it is quite perverse of me to post this recipe just when we have to keep away from poultry due to the spreading bird flu hereabouts!!!!



But this is also another way to enjoy a dish I had made some time back....great memories!!!



Chicken - 1 whole dressed and skinned.



Curd - 1 Tbsp

Ginger garlic paste - 2 full tsp

Pepper - crushed - 1 tsp

Lime juice - frm one lemon

Butter - 1/2 tsp softened to room temperature (or 1/2 tsp oil)

Soy sauce - a dash

Salt to taste



Mix all the ingredients and make the marinade. Thoroughly cover the whole chicken inside and out, in the marinade. Keep for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Stuff 1 onion cut into quarters, 1 sliced tomato and some pieces of a celery stalk into the cavity.



Add 1 tbsp of water to the pressure cooker, layer the base of the cooker with onion and tomato slices (it adds to the flavour and prevents the chicken from sticking to the cooker)



I added other veggies like potato , and carrots and pressure cooked the chicken. Turn off the stove after two whistles, wait till the pressure drops and take the chickn out. In a non stick wok, add 1 tsp of oil, spread it well, remove only the chicken and brown it( about 5mints each side should do.) Keep the chicken on a platter.



Empty the veggies and the stock in the wok and reduce the liquid till it is thickened. Arrange the veggies(also tossed in a Zuchini at this point) around the chicken and pour the liquid over the whole.



Enjoy it hot.









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