Beetroot Hummus with Pita Chips

     An excellent way to incorporate health into already healthy food. Even those who dislike beetroot would love this hummus. 

Ingredients:
2 cups Boiled and drained chickpeas
2 boiled n chopped Beetroots
4 tbsp. Tahini
3 tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. Lemon juice
A pinch of Paprika

Directions:
1: Put everything in a food processor except        paprika.
2: Blend it adding chickpeas' reserve  slowly.
3: Put it in a bowl; drizzle olive oil over it n         sprinkle paprika over it.

Keema Pav

Getting  praise for the food you make or should I say , for all the creative juices you secreted to the fullest, is always a pleasure.            You tend to put so much love and care in what you cook that you feel enthralled at the beautiful comments and feedback.
                 Keema is a dish for which you can choose either chicken or lamb, though I am a little biased towards chicken.  Perhaps the reason towards this inclination is that chicken is a healthier option as compared to its counterpart.                 

         Keema , as Punabis would say, is a dish of minced meat made in ghee with aromatic spices. This combination emanates aroma which is somewhat divine and can mesmerise you. 

                 

Ingredients :
500 gms chicken mince 
3 tbsp Oil or Ghee 
2 Cinnamon sticks 
3-4 Cardamom 
3-4 cloves 
1 tsp Ginger paste 
1 tsp Garlic paste 
1 tsp green chillies ( chopped ) 
4 Onions ( chopped ) 
3 Tomatoes' puree 
1/2 tsp Salt 
1/4 tsp Red chilli powder 
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 
1 tsp garam masala 
1 tsp Cumin powder 
1 tsp Coriander powder 
1 cup Water 
1 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp Milk
Dollop of butter

Directions:
1: Heat oil over medium heat. 
2: Add bay leaf. 
3: Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and let it release aroma. 
4: Add ginger paste, Garlic paste and chopped green chillies and sauté till golden brown. 
5 : Add chopped onions and sauté till translucent. 
6 : Add tomato puree and cook till it leaves oil. 
7 : Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and sauté. 
8 : Add minced chicken and cook for 5 mins. 9: Add 1 cup water and cook for 5 mins on high flame till it leaves oil. 
10 : Add milk and cook for another 2-3 mins.
11: Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and add a dollop of butter.
12: Serve with Pav or Naan.

Stuffed Chicken With Grilled Peaches and Creamy Potatoes' Pot

This is quite a popular one in my house. My kids can devour the whole dish in minutes.

It's a comfort food demanding extravagant praise ; a culinary delight.

Ingredients :

2 Chicken Breasts (Boneless )

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp Ginger Paste 

1 tsp Garlic Paste 

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Paprika 

1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder 

2 tsp Lemon Juice 

A piece of Charcoal 

500 gms Spinach

1 cup Corn kernels

100 gms Goat cheese 

2 tsp jalapeños 

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black pepper powder 

1 egg ( beaten)

Instructions :

1: Remove skin from chicken breast and wash it.

2: Butterfly the breast and flatten it to about 1/3rd of an inch.

3:Do this by placing chicken Breasts in between 2 plastic sheets and tapping it with a rolling pin.

4:Marinate it in Olive oil,ginger garlic paste,  salt, paprika, pepper and lemon juice.

5:To give it a smoked flavor, heat a piece of coal on gas stove .It should be really hot.

6: Put it in a bowl along with chicken and cover it with foil for some time.

7: For the stuffing, sauté chopped spinach. Add corn kernels, jalapeños, salt ,pepper and goat cheese.

8: In smoked chicken breast, keep stuffing on one side and flip the other side.

9: Seal with beaten egg and grill from both sides.

Serve with Creamy Potato Gold's pot and grilled peaches.

Mutton Seekh Kebab

     Yes, this is what we tasted at La brise, Candolim ,Goa. But I am giving it my own twist to give you juicy and delicious mutton seekh kebabs. 
                 Ingredients :
500 gms mutton  mince
2 Onions (finely chopped)
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
3-4 Green chillies (finely chopped)
Few mint leaves (finely chopped)
Few coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala 
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ghee
Coal
Butter for basting

Instructions;:
1: Clean and wash mutton mince.
2: Drain it .
3: In a food processor, add mutton mince,
     Garlic and ginger pastes and chopped            green chillies.
4: In a bowl,  put mutton mince along with rest of the ingredients except coal and butter. 
5: Mix it thoroughly. 
6:  To impart a smokey flavor, put hot coal on mutton seekh(on a foil paper) and cover it with a lid for 4-5 hours.
7: Remove coal and divide the mutton mix into equal portions.
8: With wet hands, put mutton mince on the skewers and grill in hot tandoor. 
9: Rotate it from time to time ; basting it with butter quite often. 
10: Remove from skewers and serve them with onion rings and mint sauce.

Go Goa Gone !!!

                   It's All About Goan Food

Well, connecting to my blog family and friends after a long hiatus.Been a little busy for a while.

                  Summer vacations are meant to be enjoyed outside your house,  so I had to flutter my wings to explore the treasure and diversity of our country.

                   Heading to Goa , I had a thought that I will be middling food at beach shacks. But I really enjoyed it.

            Goan Food is a nice melange of different spices belonging to Portuguese or Arabic or Konkan society.

             Xacuti chicken,Chicken  Cafarel, Vindaloo,Goan Prawn Curry, Crabs, Lobsters, Fish ; all are infused with conventional  pastes and spices. They assimilate all the spices and emanate an awesome aroma.

          There is an array of options ranging from North Indian food , Goan Food , Continental and South Indian food. Their food has a nice blend of East and West.

       Tried some of their cuisine , though only vegetarian.Non vegetarian was solely tried by my family since I happen to be a vegetarian.

          I am trying to impart some twists to some of their recipes to give you a new distinctive flavor. 

                       Enjoy!!!

                       

                     

       

Crispy Chicken Popcorn

Ingredients:
500 gms. Chicken
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Red chilli powder
1/4 tsp. Black pepper powder
2 eggs
1 cup crushed cornflakes
1 cup panko
Oil for frying

Directions:
1: Mix salt,  red chili powder and black powder in flour.
2: Beat 2 eggs and add to half of flour.
3: Whisk to form a thick batter.
4: Cut chicken in bite size pieces.
5: Make a mixture of cornflakes and panko.
6: Dip chicken pieces in flour and then into batter.
7: Roll it into cornflakes mix and deep fry.
8: Drain excess oil and place them on  kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.
9: Serve them with chipotle- mayo dip.

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a rice dish made up of basmati rice, spices and chicken/ mutton or vegetables. Plethora of ways and spices as per each culinary style extracts the richness out of meat / vegetables and rice. Myriad ways to cook it bring myriad flavours.
                                  Biryani has been associated with Mughal era,Awadhi cuisine of Lucknow and dum biryani with hyderabadi cuisine but whichever era it existed in, it has always been enjoyed by everyone. It's a comfort food for all.
           It's a culinary preparation which evolves layering of semi-cooked rice and chicken or meat and letting the rice absorb flavours of spices and condiments.
    Biryani is different from Pulao as the former is made of layers of rice and meat and is cooked on dum. It is slightly curried as it has spices in abundance whereas pulao is not done in layers and is 
drier.

      Ingredients:
Oil.                        1/4 cup
Bay leaf.                2nos.
Cumin seeds.        1 tbsp
Onion.                   6 ( sliced)
Tomatoes.             4(finely chopped)
Green chillies.       (4-5)(finely chopped)
Garlic paste.          1 tsp
Ginger paste.         1 tsp
Cinnamon.             2 sticks
Cloves.                   5-6
Cardamom.            5-6(crushed)
Coriander powder  1 tsp
Garam masala.       1 tsp
Salt                         2tsp
Red chili powder.  1.5 tsp
Ginger julienes.      1 tsp.
Basmati rice.           1.5 cups(soaked for half an hour and drained )
Water.                       3 cups
Yogurt.                      2 tbsp
Coriander leaves.      2 tbsp(chopped)
Mint leaves.              2 tsp(chopped)

Directions:

• Soak rice for 1/2 hour
• Heat oil in a thick bottom pan
• Add bay leaf , cinnamon , cloves,cardamom and fry for a while
• Add cumin seeds
• Add onion slices and stir fry until it turns translucent 
• Add green chillies garlic and ginger paste and sauté for a while
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry till it leaves oil 
• Add salt , chili, coriander powder,garam masala and mix it properly 
• Add chicken and fry it for a while 
• Add water and bring it to boil 
• Add coriander and mint leaves along with rice and cook on medium heat for  15 to 20 minutes 
• Serve with raita and onion rings 

Grilled Cottage Cheese Steak With Stir Fried Veggies

Ingredients:

250 gms. Cottage Cheese 

1 tsp. Oil

1/4 tsp. Salt

Pinch of Black Pepper Powder

1/4 tsp. Garlic paste

For veggies:

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Garlic paste

10-15 Baby corn(cut lengthwise)

2 Carrots(cut diagonally)

250 gms. French beans(cut into 1"-2" long strips)

1 Capsicum(diced)

1 Red pepper(diced)

1 Yellow Pepper(diced)

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black pepper powder

1/4 tsp. Light Soy Sauce

1/4 tsp. Oregano

Directions:

1:Cut cottage cheese into round shape.

2:Marinate it in a mix of oil ,garlic paste, salt and black pepper powder.

3:Keep it for 10 -15 minutes.

4.Heat oil in a wok.

5:Add parboiled veggies.

6:Stir fry them and add garlic paste.

7:Add salt,pepper,soy and oregano and stir it  for 2-3 minutes on high flame.

8:Grill cottage cheese and serve with stir fried vegetables.

Honey glazed grilled chicken

   
               Tender and juicy grilled chicken breast can leave anyone craving for more.  A simple technique of grilling can help you lock in the juices of all the meat. Quite a lot of people find this simple technique, to hold on to its juices ; so complex that they are confounded by it. 
                                                       But whether you use basting with marinade as a softening technique or grilling it under a brick or on a bbq grill- the result is moist, flavourful and succulent chicken. 

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast(boneless)
6-8 basil leaves(chopped)
1/4 tsp. thyme leaves
1 sprig rosemary
1/4 tsp. black pepper(fresh ground)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic paste
1/2 tsp. ginger paste
 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup white wine

Directions:
1: Whisk all the ingredients of marinade and add chicken to it.
2:Marinate for atleast 2-3 hours and grill.
3.serve with sauteed vegetables or potato corn salad.

                          

Garlic Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka,as we all know means chunks of chicken marinated in spices and char-grilled.It is quite a popular dish which has been modified since ages to suit one's taste.

Garlic chicken tikka is one such variation.
          This tikka is so popular that even foreigners don't mind indulging into this gastronomical delight despite being spicy.
But who can ignore this dish which is so comforting and soothing to your sensory system.
  Spices and garlic make an awesome combination. Baking in tandoor enhances its flavor and imparts heavenly aroma. So indulge into this regal existence now.

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
4 chicken breast ( boneless- cut into tikkas)
200 gms. Yogurt
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. Kashmiri Mirch
10 cloves garlic(crushed)
3/4 tsp. Ginger paste
3/4 Garam masala powder
1 lemon's juice

Directions:
1:In a bowl, whisk yogurt along with all the ingredients except chicken.
2: Add chicken pieces and marinate for at least 4-5 hours.
3:Put it on skewers and bake it in hot tandoor or grill it in a pre heated oven at 180° C., often basting in between with butter.
4: Bake or grill till it is slightly brown .
5: Squeeze lemon juice over it.
6: Serve with mint sauce and onion rings.