Crispy Chicken Bites

It’s kind of mandatory that there should be snacks served alongside the evening tea. While I do give this ritual the occasional pass, there are days that I try to come up with something & this next dish was the offspring of one such day. This is an altered version of a regular chicken samosa. All you need is some samosa sheets, the following ingredients and some time to get these snacks ready. These crispy bites goes pretty well both as a tea time snack and as an appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken breast finely chopped or shredded
• 2-3 tsp. Soya sauce
• 1 tsp. Chilli garlic sauce
• 1-2 tsp. Pepper powder
• 2 tsp. Tomato sauce
• Coriander leaves a handful
• 2 Potatoes medium boiled
• 1 egg white beaten
• 1 tbsp. veg oil
• Samosa sheets

In a non-stick pan, add oil and fry chicken pieces until thoroughly cooked. This will take for about 5 minutes. Add soya sauce, chilli garlic sauce and tomato sauce and stir nicely. Add pepper powder and sauté for a while. Add more pepper if you require. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, mash the potatoes nicely with fork/hands or masher. Add the chicken mixture to it and coriander leaves and mix well.

Take the samosa sheets and put a tbsp. of mixture with a spoon; brush the sides with egg whites and roll the sheets into your desired shapes and seal the edges with the egg white.

In a pan, heat 2-3 tbsp. veg oil on a medium flame. Add the rolls and fry until brown patches on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel.

Serve with ketchup /tomato chilli sauce or sour and sweet sauce and Enjoyy!!!!

Breaded Chicken With Spinach & Garlic

This next chicken variety was picked up during our stay at the US. Being a baked dish this one is quite the light one & hardly takes that much time in cooking. When paired with some spinach & garlic as sides, this breaded chicken does turn into a yummy main course!!!

Ingredients

• 2  chicken breasts 
• Seasoned Coating Mix (1/2 packet)
• 4 tbsp. parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups  baby spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 250°C.

Place the chicken breast in a Zip lock bag and pound them to ¼ inch thickness.

Coat them in the seasoned mix. Line a baking tray with foil and bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Take from the oven and sprinkle some cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes till cheese is melted.

In a non- stick pan, add oil and sauté garlic for about a minute or two. Add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted.

Transfer the spinach and garlic to a serving plate with chicken and enjoy!!!!

Chicken Fry

There are several variants of this next dish. The following variant of the chicken fry was introduced to me by Deepa Aunty (Sis in law’s mother). An awesome cook herself, she was more than willing & generous to share the recipe with me. I had trying frying chicken with corn flour & plain flour. However this was the first time I was making it with only rice flour. As with all fried chicken, this one too happens to be crispy on the exterior & at the same time juicy in the interior. This is ideally a side dish & can also come in handy for your hubby’s round of drinks. Once again a load of thanks to Deepa aunty for sharing this recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tsp. Ginger garlic paste
• 2 tsp. Soy sauce
• A pinch of salt
• 2-3 tbsp. Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tbsp. chilli powder
• 3-4 chicken drumsticks
• ¾ cupRice flour
• 1 Egg
• 4 tbsp. Veg oil

Grind ginger garlic paste, soy sauce and chilli and kasmiri chilli powder together. Marinate the chicken with this for half an hour or more (I kept it for 2 hour).

Dip the drumsticks in the egg and then in the flour. Heat the oil in a non- stick pan. Fry till golden brown on both sides.

Yuummmmmmyyyyyyy is the only word for this dish!!!! Thank you so much Deepa Aunty J

Chicken Tikka Masala

This next dish is officially a North Indian delicacy. However I tried to have a food fusion of sorts over here. So while the usual accomplice for this creamy thick tomato based gravy would be naan/roti & even plain rice, in my experiment I have made puttu (steamed rice cakes) to go along.

Ingredients

For marination

• 1 kg chicken
• 4 tsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp. Pepper powder
• 2 tbsp. Kashmiri chilli powder
• Salt a pinch
• 4 tbsp. yogurt

For the gravy

• 2 tbsp. veg oil
• 1 cinnamon bark
• 2 cloves
• 2-3 peppercorns
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2-3 green chillies spit (or more)
• 2 tsp. tomato paste
• 4-5 tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 tsp. garam masala
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri chilli powder(or more)
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1-2 cups of water(or more)
• 1 tbsp. kasori methi leaves
• 2 -3 tbsp. fresh cream
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Marinate the chicken for 2 hours or more (or overnight in the fridge).

In a non-stick deep bottom pan, add 2-3 tbsp. oil and fry chicken pieces until brown patch on both sides.

Or you can grill them .Brush some oil on both sides and cook till charred on both sides.

Keep them aside.

Clean the pan and add veg oil on a medium flame. When hot, add all the spices and sauté for about a minute. Add chillies and ginger garlic paste. (Be careful the paste will splutter). Add garam masala powder and chilli powder and sauté for a while. Sprinkle some water if it’s getting dry.

Add tomato paste and sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and 1 ½ cups of water. Add chicken stock cube; cover and cook till the tomatoes are done. This will take 10- 15 minutes.

Turn of the heat and let the gravy cool. Grind them into a paste.

Transfer the paste into the same pan and heat it again. Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Add chicken pieces and kasori methi leaves. Cover and cook for about 10- 15 minutes. The gravy will get thicker.

Add cream and stir for a minute. Check for salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it hot with naan/roti/plain rice

Pista-Strawberry Mini Cakes

Ok so this dish turned out to be successful only on my third attempt. So if this doesn’t come out well the first time, don’t you get disheartened. This is actually a cake recipe but for a change I have made these mini treats in my muffin pan. You can store these mini treats in a tight container for about a week.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½  cup ( 125 g) granulated sugar
• ½  cup ( 125 ml) milk, at room temperature
• ½  cup ( 125 ml)  Veg oil ( canola is fine)
• 1 cups (150 g) plain flour
• ½  tsp. vanilla essence
• ½  tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. pista essence
• 1 tsp. strawberry/raspberry essence

Lightly grease the cupcake trays or line with cupcake cases.

 In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Using electric mixer or wire whisk, beat until the mixture is creamy and light in colour.

 Add milk and oil, and continue beating until well blended.

 In a separate bowl, combine and mix flour, vanilla and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat just until the batter is smooth and the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. 

 Divide the mixture into 3 equal portions. Keep one portion plain. Add pista essence to one portion and raspberry essence to the other one and mix well.

 Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C.

 Scoop 1 heaped tablespoons of plain batter (you can also use a ladle) into the middle of cupcake cases. Then scoop 1 tablespoons of pista batter and pour it in the centre on top of the plain batter and then 1 tablespoon of raspberry batter onto the top of pista batter.

Please note that you don’t stop and wait until the previous batter spreads – Keep going!!

Bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven.

Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool. Remove the cases and enjoy!!!!!!

Pineapple Short Cakes

This is a simple treat which should appease both the kid & adult crowd alike!!! While the following procedure calls for the regular baking steps, this can also be prepared with the instant cake mix that is available. The only thing you would have to note during this is where they call for use of water, substitute it with pineapple juice. The sweet factor for these shortcakes are quite subtle, so one need not worry about any excesses here!!

Ingredients

• 125 gms plain flour
• 250 gms granulated sugar
• 5 eggs separated
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence
• 1 cup pineapple fined chopped ( I used Delmonte Canned pineapples)
• 1 cup whipped cream

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Grease a 9 inch round cake pan and line with a parchment paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl 3 times.

In a bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar with a help of a hand mixer/electric mixer until its pale yellow in colour.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites till stiff peaks form. Add egg whites to the yolk mixture; add vanilla essence and ½ cup of pineapple and beat for a minute until combined.

Now, carefully stir in the flour and do not beat. With a spatula or a spoon, fold in the flour until combined. Don’t just stir, but fold. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t have any flour mixture left. Take your time and fold in… It takes around 5- 8 minutes.

Pour into the cake pan and bake for about 15-20 minutes until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Meanwhile when the cake is cooling, to the whipped cream add the rest of the pine apple bits and mix completely. Chill for an hour.

OPTION 1-When the cake is cool enough to handle, with a cookie cutter, cut the cake into small circles. You will get a small miniature cake. Divide that cake and spread a tbsp. of cream in the middle and top with the other half. Just like sandwiching the cake with cream.

Option 2- You can just spread the cream on the cake and serve it just like that.

Now how easy was that!!!!! Easy, tasty !!!!! 

Palak Paneer

This next dish is a personal favourite. While in the authentic palak paneer the spinach (palak) is pureed, over here I have just gone for chopped spinach. Additionally I have added yogurt to add a little tanginess to this dish. Healthy and tasty (Especially for the weight watchers) – this palak paneer is best tasted when served with rotis/ plain rice.

Ingredients

• 250 gms Paneer cut in cubes (soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes)
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. chilli powder
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tbsp. veg oil + 1 tbsp.
• 1 bunch spinach finely chopped
• 1 Onion medium finely chopped/ julienned
• 2-3 green chillies split
• 1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• ½ cup yogurt beaten
• 1 veg stock cube/ Salt

In a bowl, put paneer cubes, turmeric, chilli powder and a pinch of salt and marinate for 10 minutes.

In a non- stick pan, add oil and fry paneer cubes lightly till brown patches on both sides. Keep them aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tbsp. oil, add cumin seeds and sauté for a minutes. Add onion till translucent. Add ginger- garlic, chillies and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add garam masala and veg stock cube/ salt.

Add chopped spinach with ½ cup of water; close the lid and cook for about 4-5 minutes till the spinach is cooked. (You can puree the leaves as well. I prefer chopping them).

Add yogurt and stir nicely. Check for salt. Add paneer cubes and stir for another 2 minutes.

Serve hot with Plain rice/ rotis.