Lime Chicken

Sundays are usually the days I like to prepare some special dish (well… not all Sundays though….haha). Today I prepared a very simple yet delicious recipe. I used lime as the main flavor imparting ingredient for this dish. The dish takes only about half an hour to prepare. So you won’t miss out on your favorite Sunday movies, and yet be able to prepare a lovely meal for your family.

It’s summer and a tangy flavor is something I prefer during this season. Do you? 🙂

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

Cooking oil – as required

Chicken – around 800 g

Dried Oregano – 3 tsp

Garlic – 5 cloves, crushed

Onion – 1 medium, chopped

Red Pepper – ½, chopped

Garlic Chili Sauce – 2 tbsp

Red Chili – 2 small, sliced

Lime – juice of 2 limes

Salt – as required

Step 1: Add the chili garlic sauce, oregano and salt (add very little amount of the salt) to the chicken. Mix well and marinate for 10 minutes or so.

Step 2: Heat oil in a pan. Lightly fry the chicken and keep it aside.

Step 3: Heat 1 tbsp of oil in another pan. Add the crushed garlic, followed by the onion, red pepper and chili. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Add salt as required. Cook or another 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 4: Serve hot with freshly baked bread or as a standalone dish.

To print this recipe click here:

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Fried Pomfret with Tangy Tomato Sauce

As I said earlier, I’m not a big fish eater but Pomfret is something I can rarely say no to. This is one recipe I prepared some time ago and really loved the way it turned out. For any fried ingredient, the sauce is the one that makes a difference and adds in to the flavor…and if it is home-made, even better!! Healthy and delicious as well!

Good and tasty food is something which really makes my day. I’m sure this recipe will make yours too. So go ahead and try it out without any second thoughts 🙂

Enjoy 🙂

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Cooking oil – as required for frying the fish

Pomfret – 2 or 3 fish cut into pieces

Paprika – 3 tsp

Turmeric – 3 tsp

Salt – as required

For the sauce:

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Tomato – 1 large, finely chopped

Spring onion – a small bunch, chopped

Garlic – 3 cloves, chopped

Lemon – juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon

Coriander leaves – a handful

Salt – as required

Step 1: Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and saute for few seconds. Follow by adding the mustard seeds and tomato. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2: Add the spring onion and mix well. Add the lemon juice and mix. Add some salt as required. Add the coriander leaves. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl.

Step 3: Marinate the fish with paprika, turmeric and salt for around 10 minutes. Add oil to the pan. Shallow fry the fish on both sides so that they are lightly browned. Keep them aside.

Step 4: Serve the fish with the tangy tomato sauce and some freshly baked bread.

To print this recipe click here: Fried Pomfret wtih Tangy Tomato Sauce

Spicy Limy Drumlets

Today is my day off! After such a long time I’ve taken leave on a work day …. it’s such an awesome feeling…no work and all play! There hasn’t been a day in the past two years (almost) when I’ve taken a leave to relax at home ….I was either traveling or busy with other chores. But knowing myself, I still found myself getting drawn to my office laptop today and ended up replying a few emails 😛 😀

Anyway, what better time could I find to work on my blog than today? There has been a couple of recipes lying in my notebook, so I guess I have to be more regular 😉

I have cooked quite a few appetizers lately, some really quick ones….mostly with chicken. So here’s another one. It’s the easiest recipe I’ve prepared till date with just four ingredients (including the chicken). This recipe is just perfect for a quick spice up at any time of the day 🙂

Enjoy your weekend 🙂

Preparation Time: 5 minutes (excluding marinating time)

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 1 to 2

Ingredients:

Cooking oil – as required

Chicken drumlets – 5

Lemon chili sauce – 1 to 1.5 tbsp

Paprika – 1 tsp

Sesame seeds (optional) – 2 tsp

Salt – as required

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients with the chicken (add some salt as required) and marinate for an hour or two (half n hour at least).

Step 2: Shallow or deep fry the drumlets one or two at a time on medium high flame until they are deep red brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate with kitchen napkins to soak off the excess oil.

Step 3: Serve hot with your favourite sauce and enjoy your favourite TV show 🙂

A few tips:

If you don’t have lemon chili sauce, just apply some lemon juice along with chili sauce to get a similar flavour.
You can mix chili and tomato sauce together as well to get a tomato based spicy flavour.

To print this recipe click here: Spicy Limy Drumlets

Fried Chicken with Almonds

Fried chicken is one of the best thing in the world! I can have it any time, any day, anywhere!! And the best part is…. it doesn’t need too many ingredients and can be prepared within minutes. Even though I say this, I have hardly prepared fried chicken at home till date. Yes this is my second time cooking fried chicken in my kitchen….I had cooked this recipe one time earlier as well. But I needed to fine tune it a bit before posting here 🙂

I used almond paste for this recipe, which gave a very unique nutty flavour to the chicken and the marinade made the chicken soft as well. I simply loved this recipe and will definitely prepare it again!! And yes, you should too… so check out the recipe below and get set go 🙂

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 3 to 4

Ingredients:

Cooking oil – as required for frying

Chicken – 450 g, cut into medium-sized pieces

For the marinade:

Almonds – 70 g, made into a paste

Garlic paste – 2 tsp

Seasoning Mix – 2 to 3 tsp

Paprika – 2 tsp

Chilli sauce (optional) – 1 tbsp

Oil – 2 tsp

Salt – as required

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients of the marinade and add it to the chicken. Mix well and marinate it for few hours.

Step 2: Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry the chicken on medium high flame. Transfer to a plate with tissue paper placed on it to soak off the excess oil.

Step 3: Serve hot with your favourite sauce.

To print this recipe click here: Fried Chicken with Almonds

Tomato Chicken

Last few days were quite busy and fun….busy as we had guests at home and fun of course as there was lots of chatting, going around and yes cooking! But most of the cooking I did last week was the usual normal Indian dishes. So yesterday after a long time, I thought of trying something different and was ready to devote some time to the dinner preparation.

I had some minced chicken in stock but the main aim was to use the tomatoes lying in the fridge since the last few days. I also cooked some vegetables by the side so as not to compromise on my body’s daily requirements. It was a great meal overall. The dish had a sweet and sour flavour and was very soft. I will definitely prepare this dish again!

How did you spend the last few days? Any interesting stories or recipes… please do share 🙂

Enjoy your weekend 🙂

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: Around 45 minutes (takes lesser time if vegetables are cooked while the chicken and tomato are being baked)

For the baked chicken in tomato – around 30 minutes (including baking time)

For the vegetables – 12 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Olive oil – around 2.5 tablespoons

For the baked chicken in tomato:

Tomato – 5, large

Chicken – 300 g, minced

Chili sauce – 3 to 4 tsp

Garlic paste – 2 tsp

Paprika – 2 tsp

Butter or margarine – 1 to 2 tsp

Pickled chili – small amount, for garnish

Salt – as required

For the vegetables:

Tomato juice – around 1 cup

baby corn – 1 cup, cut into small 1/2 inch pieces

sweet corn – 1/4 cup

Red pepper – 1/2, cut into cubes

Whole pepper – a few

Red chili – 1 to 2

Dried parsley – 1 to 2 tsp

Salt – as required

Step 1: Cut a circle with a sharp knife carefully on each of the tomatoes and discard the circled part. Scoop out juice and seeds from the inside of the tomato and place it in a separate cup. I used this juice to cook the vegetables. Set the tomatoes aside.

Step 2: Preheat oven at around 180 degrees C for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non stick pan. Add the garlic paste. Follow by adding the minced chicken, chili sauce and paprika. Add salt as required. Cook for few minutes until the chicken is cooked. Set aside. Let the chicken cool down a bit.

Step 3: Grease the outside of the tomato with a bit of butter or margarine. Now add the cooked minced chicken in each of the tomatoes to make it full leaving a little space for garnish. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish greased with oil. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake it for around 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are medium baked.

Step 4: While the tomatoes are baking, heat the rest of the oil in a non stick pan. Add the tomato juice and pepper. Cook for around 1 to 2 minutes. Follow by adding the baby corn, sweet corn, red pepper and chili. Cook for around 10 minutes or so until you have a thick consistency.

Step 5: Add the dried parsley and salt (as required). Transfer to a serving bowl. Check the tomatoes. Once they are done, transfer to a serving tray.

Step 6: Serve hot with freshly baked bread. You can also serve the baked tomato chicken as an appetizer per your preference.

To print this recipe click here: Tomato Chicken

Thick Vermicelli Soup

Last weekend was again a good break from the daily monotonous life. We took a short break from work and visited Macau. Macau is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People’s Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. The country is mainly known for its casinos. I must admit I have never seen such grand hotels till date. Almost every hotel and casino we went to were magnificent and striking! It seemed like we were transported to a rich man’s land and yes it was!

Macau was previously administered by Portugal from the mid 16th century until late 1999 and it was interesting to note the Portuguese influence there – a lot of churches and old buildings built-in Portuguese style and even the cuisine has quite a lot of Portuguese dishes. We tried quite a few along with Chinese dishes as well. During the day time, we went for sight-seeing around the city and visited places like the A-Ma temple, Ruins of St. Paul’s and few other churches, the local markets and the science centre. And every night it was time for casinos! And even though we didn’t win a lot of money, we felt rich by simply being there 😀

My favorite spot in the city was ‘Senado Square’ – it is a paved area in the centre of the former Portuguese colony of Macau, enclosed by the buildings of the Leal Senado, the General Post Office and St. Dominic’s Church. The square is paved in the traditional Portuguese pavement (information from Wikipedia). The place looked beautiful, especially at night with the fountain and the nearby buildings lit up. I can go on and on about the trip but I’ll stop here and instead post some pictures for you to enjoy 🙂

I wanted to prepare a Portuguese dish (influenced by the ones I had tried in Macau) and post it but didn’t have the time yet to test it. So that will come a bit later. For today, I’m posting a vermicelli soup recipe which I had prepared few days before the trip. I remember I wasn’t in mood for anything spicy that day but instead wanted something light and filling. Hence soup seemed to be the best option and I decided to use the vermicelli I had in stock to make it thick and satisfying to the stomach. I prepared the soup with chicken and few vegetables, and added some light spices to add in extra flavor. I served the soup with some wholemeal bread and we enjoyed this light dinner 🙂

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: Around 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Olive Oil – 1 tbsp

Vermicelli – 100 g (2 small packets)

Chicken – 200 g, cut into 1 to 2 inch long thin pieces

Egg white of 2 eggs

Carrots – 1 large, cut into thin discs

Ginger – 2 tsp, shredded or cut into thin long pieces

Parsley or Coriander leaves – 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Dried Mint leaves – 2 tsp

Paprika – 2 tsp

Chili powder – 1 tsp (optional)

Cumin powder – 2 tsp

Chicken stock – 1 cup

Salt – to taste

Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a U-shaped vessel or pan. Add the onions and ginger and stir for around 30 seconds.

Step 2: Add the carrots followed by paprika, chili powder and cumin powder. Mix well and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 3: Add the chicken and mix well with the rest of the ingredients. Cook for a minute or so.

Step 4: Add the chicken stock followed by the vermicelli, dried mint leaves and parsley/coriander leaves. Let it cook for another 2 minutes or so until you start getting the aroma. Add the egg whites now. Mix well. Check for salt and add only if required.

Step 5: Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot as a standalone dish or with freshly baked bread.

To print this recipe click here: Thick Vermicelli Soup

Baked Cabbage Kofta and Eggplant in Tomato sauce

I’ve started making baked dishes since last year and I’m slowly growing an affinity towards it. You may ask why? Well for the obvious reasons… it is a healthier option as it requires less oil compared to cooking (for many recipes), saves time (I can keep the ingredients for baking and watch my tv show or do other chores) and gives the dish a very unique taste – be it fish, meat or vegetable 🙂

Talking about vegetables, let me tell you I have always been a chicken and meat lover. I can literally count days when there was no chicken or meat in my meals. Even on days I didn’t have company, I remember going to my favorite restaurants alone to enjoy the dishes I like the most 😀

However, with time I’ve realized that having vegetables is important for one’s diet and nowadays I try to balance it out by cooking vegetables as well at home! For this dish, I baked cabbage along with potato, corn and some sauces and herbs. I also had some eggplant in the fridge and so I cooked them separately with tomato sauce and a few other ingredients. After cooking for the last few years, I’ve realized that vegetarian food could also be very tasty if prepared with the right ingredients and in the right way 🙂

Have a great weekend and hope it’s accompanied with good food 🙂

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (all inclusive)

Cooking Time:

Baked Cabbage Kofta – 40 minutes (including baking time)

Eggplant in Tomato sauce – 15 minutes

Serves:

Baked Cabbage Kofta – Around 4 to 5

Eggplant in Tomato sauce – 2

Ingredients:

For the Baked Cabbage Kofta

Olive oil – 1/4 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (for brushing)

Cabbage – 1 medium, chopped

Corn – 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Ginger and garlic paste – 2 to 3 teaspoons

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon

Dried Parsley leaves – 1 teaspoon

Chili Lime powder – 1 teaspoon

Potato – 4 medium, boiled, skin peeled and mashed

Salsa – 1 tablespoon

Salt – to taste

For the Eggplant in Tomato Sauce:

Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon

Eggplant – 4 small, cut into discs

Tomato sauce or puree – 2 tablespoons

Sesame seeds – 2 teaspoons

Onion – 1 medium, sliced

Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons or as per preference

Coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon, chopped

Water – 1/2 cup

Salt – to taste

Baked cabbage:

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the ginger garlic paste followed by the chopped cabbage. Cook for around 3-4 minutes.

Step 2: Add the cumin powder, dried parsley leaves and chili lime powder. Follow by adding the corn, mashed potatoes and salsa. Add some salt for taste. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a big bowl and let it cool for some time. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Make small balls or squares (shape it as per your preference) from the above mixture. Brush each of them lightly with some olive oil. Place them on an oven tray covered with aluminium foil. Bake for around 20-30 minutes at 180-200 degrees C until you get a nice golden brown kofta.

Eggplant in Tomato Sauce:

Step 4: While the koftas are being baked, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and eggplant. Cook for 3 minutes or so until the it is soft and starts changing its color.

Step 5: Add the tomato sauce or puree and mix well for another minute. Add the sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Add 1/2 cup of water after few seconds. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until you have the desired consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Check your koftas now. Once they are done, transfer to a serving dish.

Step 6: Serve both koftas and eggplant hot with fresh bread of your choice.

Devilled Chicken

A food blog without an Italian recipe? Well… here it is 🙂

The only Italian recipe I’ve ever tried is pasta. Not sure if the dishes I made were authentic Italian….probably it was a fusion one… haha… The other day my husband decided to cook pasta. So this seemed to be a good chance to try some authentic Italian dish to go along with it.

To tell the truth, I was scared to try cooking an authentic Italian dish. I was under the impression that it’s very tough. I always thought it’s a very exotic cuisine and the way the Italian chefs emphasized on the precision of the ingredients and the exact method of cooking them, it made me nervous at the thought of cooking it. But after I tried out this dish, I realized it’s not rocket science. I followed the same method as I did for cooking any other cuisine. After going through the ingredients, I start imagining what would the dish taste like with all the ingredients and whether I could add or subtract anything to alter the taste. And this has always worked for me 🙂

After browsing through several options I decided to make this one because it seemed simple and had a hint of spice which is my preference.

Try it out in your kitchen and let me know if you like it 🙂

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 to 30 minutes (excluding marinating time)

Ingredients:

Chicken – 600 g, cut into large pieces

Olive oil – 2 tablespoons

Lemon Zest – Zest of 2 lemons

Lemon Juice – Juice of 1 large lemon

Butter – 1 to 1.5 tablespoons

Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed

Chili – 2 dried red chilis, seeded and finely chopped

Parsley – handful, finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Step 1: Mix the Olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, chili and garlic in a bowl.

Step 2: Place the chicken in an oven proof dish. Add the mixture of Step 1 to the chicken along with salt and mix it well so that it has evenly spread on all sides. Cover the dish and keep it in the fridge for 30 to 40 minutes.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. After chicken has been marinated for around 40 minutes, place it in the oven and grill for around 15 to 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

Step 4: Transfer the chicken on to a serving dish and place them side by side in a row. Mix the butter and parsley together and place them evenly on the chicken towards the center. Serve hot either with pasta or bread.

Lamb Cutlets in Moroccan Style

I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time but was caught up with a lot of stuff! My friend is visiting me for the first time and has kept me busy with all the chatting and going around 🙂

Okay coming back to today’s post, it’s December….my favorite month of the year! It’s almost time for Christmas and New Year and everyone is in a holiday mood. And there’s so much food everywhere. I was so confused the other day at the supermarket about what I should buy! It seemed to be overflowing with choices. Finally I decided to buy some lamb cutlets and make a nice meal at home 🙂

I chose to make it Moroccan style as I was in mood for some spiced up food. The recipe is pretty easy and quite safe too for first timers. It could be served as an appetizer or as a main course with flavored rice or fresh bread.

Happy Holidays!! 🙂

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (excluding marinating time)

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons

Lamb cutlets – 4

Parsley – 1 handful, chopped (optional – for garnish)

Salt – to taste

For the marinade:

Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon

Lemon – juice of 1 lemon

Ginger – grated, 2 teaspoons

Dried Mint Leaves – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon

Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Chili powder – 1.5 teaspoons

Paprika – 1 teaspoon

Black pepper powder – 1 teaspoon

Step 1: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with salt (to taste). Pour it on the lamb cutlets and mix well so that it is evenly spread on all sides. Keep aside and marinate it for half an hour to one hour.

Step 2: Heat oil in a grilling pan. Place the marinated lamb cutlets on the pan ensuring they are not sticking to each other.

Step 3: Cook the cutlets well for both sides for around 15 to 20 minutes until well done.

Step 4: Garnish with Parsley leaves. Serve hot with flavored rice or fresh bread.

Kai Lan with Garlic and Sauces

Recently, few of my friends told me that I don’t have any vegetarian recipes on my blog. And it’s true 🙂 I haven’t posted any vegetarian recipes yet on my blog. I did suggest vegetarian alternatives for few of the recipes I’ve posted… not sure if that’s counted as vegetarian 😉

My first choice of vegetable was Kai Lan (Chinese broccoli) since it is easy to cook. It is widely used in Chinese and other South East Asian cuisines. I mixed some cauliflower with it and cooked it the usual way with garlic and sauces. Addition of cauliflower gave a nice combination of green and white color to the dish making it colorful and attractive.

I had fun cooking this one… hope you enjoy it too 🙂

Preparation Time: 25 to 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Cooking Oil – 2 tablespoons

Kai Lan – 300 g, the leaves separated from the stems

Cauliflower – 320 g, cut into small pieces

Ginger – 1.5 teaspoon, grated

Garlic – 3 to 4 cloves, chopped finely

Cornstarch/Cornflour – 2 to 3 teaspoons mixed with 3 tablespoons of water

Salt – to taste (as required)

For the sauce mixture:

Dark Soy Sauce – 1 tablespoon

Oyster Sauce (optional) – 1 tablespoon

Rice wine – 2 teaspoons

Sesame oil – 1 teaspoon

Cornstarch/Cornflour – 1 teaspoon

Sugar – 1 teaspoon

Water – 3 tablespoons

Mix all the ingredients of the sauce mixture together in a bowl and keep aside.

Step 1: Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add ginger and garlic and fry for around 30 seconds.

Step 2: Add the cauliflower and Kai Lan stems and add rest of the oil. Cook for around 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 3: Add the Kai Lan followed by the sauce mixture. Add the cornstarch/cornflour mixture and cook until the Kai Lan and the cauliflowers are soft but not mushy. Add salt as required.

Step 4: Serve hot with rice or noodles.

A few tips:

You can add vegetables like carrots and corn to the Kai Lan instead of cauliflower.
You can also add a teaspoon of chili sauce to the sauce mixture if you want to give it a spicy touch.