Thalassery Chicken Biryani

Although Biryani  is said to be originated from Iran to India through merchants and travellers,  in India it has many different versions. It took it's  own version according to the local region.  Each one has it's unique flavour. Thalassery  Biryani is a popular version from Kerala Cuisine. Thalaserry is a city named in Malabar,Kerala.  This Biryani is very popular in  the whole belt of Malabar region  and hence also known as Malabar Biryani.

Kolhapuri Sukka Chicken

Are you ready for a hot and fiery  dry chicken curry, then this Kolhapuri Sukka Chicken is for you.  Kolhapuri is a city situated in South western part of Maharashtra, India.  I assume that the recipe should be named after the city.  Kolhapuri is a very hot and spicy chicken, being born and brought up in India, I have never used so many different spices  in one dish.

Chicken Shawarma

 I can still remember the very first time I had these shawarma.  First things are always special isn'it. It was the very first Eid fair which I attended in UK with my husband.  Since my husband was helping someone in the stall, me and his friend's wife were going through all the shops.  At one point we got very tired and hungry.  Athough there was plenty of food shops, in each and every shop, there was a very long queue.

Crispy Popcorn Chicken

I won't say this is the exact recipe from KFC or Mc donald's but something very similar to that.  Your kids are going to love you if you make them this  crispy chicken.  Probably last week sometime I made this recipe, my little one still keeps asking everyday, Ayeesha did u you made the crispy chicken today.  Yeah! my both little princess calls me as Ayeesha :-(  they never call me as amma or maama.  Anyway that's  a different story , let's come back to the recipe, this is not only something special with kids, grownups also love to munch this.  Before taking this picture I finished almost 5 pieces from the bowl.  You can serve these as a snack or as a side to accompany pizza or burger.

Also don't forget to check out my blogging buddies in the marathon Srivalli, Reva, Monika, Priya Suresh, PJ, Priya Vaasu, Jay, Azeema , Soumya.and Gayathri.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes( approximately)
Serves: 4 Hungry kids

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken- 1/2 kg
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder- 1 tsp
Plain corn flakes- 100 g
Plain flour- to coat the chicken pieces
Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
Egg- 1
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt as required
Oil for frying

Method:
Wash the chicken well and cut them into small pieces.  Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, chilli, pepper, garam masala, lemon juice and salt for 1 hour.  Crush the corn flakes using your finger tips.  Beat the egg with turmeric powder and little bit of salt.  Coat the chicken pieces in flour and dust of the excess flour.  Dip the flour coated chicken in egg and then roll them in cornflakes.  Repeat with all the chicken pieces.  Place the cornflakes coated chicken in container and keep it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
 Heat oil in a pan, shallow fry the chicken pieces in medium to low heat until they look golden brown colour in outside.  Serve warm with ketchup.

Note:
You can also avoid frying and bake it in the oven for 15 minutes on each side at 200 degree Celsius.

Chicken Kebab - Mediterranean Style

These kebabs can be made in no time.  Don't think it would not taste good without spices, it gets the flavours from the herbs and pepper.
  If you can get readymade dried mixed herbs with pepper,  you can use that along with lemon juice for marination and then grill it  or follow the recipe below.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken- 1/2 kg
Garlic pods- 4 finely grated
Parsley- 2 stalk
Coriander leaves- 2 stalk
Green pepper- 1/4 of 1 whole pepper
Red pepper- 1/4 of 1 whole pepper
Black pepper- 1 tsp
Salt as required
Olive oil- 1/2 tbsp
Lemon juice- Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method:
In a blender or a food processor add the green pepper, red pepper, parsley and coriander.  Grind it to coarse paste by adding little water.  Wash and cut the chicken into bite size pieces.  Marinate the chicken with the ground paste and other ingredients for minimum of 2 hours.
 You can also marinate the chicken the previous day you are going to make.  Preheat the oven to maximum.
Insert the chicken pieces in the skewer stick along with green pepper, red pepper and onion if you wish.  Grill the chicken in the hot oven for 15 minutes on each side.
To check the chicken is cooked or not, insert a skewer and if the juice from the chicken runs out clear then it's cooked.  If it comes out pink, leave it another couple of minutes.
Serve the kebabs warm with salad, bread and hummus.

Don't forget to  check out our bloggers in marathon   Srivalli, Reva, Monika, Priya Suresh, Priya Vaasu, Jay, PJ, Veena, Azeema and Sowmya.

This recipe goes to my own event Any One Can Cook: Series 11.

Maqloobeh With Chicken: Non Traditional Method

Maqloobeh is a traditional Palestinian dish. This was introduced to us by one of my husband's close friend. Maqloobeh is nothing but a rice dish made with rice, meat and layers of vegetables like eggplant, potato and cauliflower . The choice of vegetables varies, but eggplant is a must for a traditional Maqloobeh. This is also called as upside down rice, since it's made in one pot and inverted in a large serving plate just before serving. The look of the dish itself makes you feel festive. A single pot dish packed with flavours and nutrients. With very mild spices, just the juices released from the meat and vegetables makes it so delicious.
 The recipe which I have given here is a bit of nontraditional method. The procedure is almost the same, but I couldn't get eggplant so it comes under the category of nontraditional method. This is a very good meal to sit and enjoy with your family.
Ingredients:
Chicken- 500 g
Rice-  500 g
Onion- 1
Tomato- 1 big one or 2 small one
Broccoli- 1 whole broccoli
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Paprika powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Parsley- 2 stalk
Olive oil- 3 tbsp
Salt as required
Method:
Wash the chicken well, cut it into big size pieces. Rub the chicken with spices, ginger garlic paste and salt. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the chicken pieces and fry them on each sides in medium heat. Then add the sliced onions and stir well. Add some water to the chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked.

Wash the broccoli, separate the florets and put them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Slice the tomatoes and set aside. Wash the rice in cold water and set aside.

Take a large heavy bottomed vessel. Keep it in slow heat, add the olive oil, arrange the slices of tomato at the bottom of the vessel. Then arrange the chicken slices. Then add a layer of rice on top of the chicken. Then add the broccoli florets. Then add the remaining rice, salt and enough water to cover the top of the rice. Keep the heat in slow, cover the vessel tightly and do not open the vessel until the rice looks fluffier. Better to use a transparent cover so that you can keep checking for the rice without opening the vessel. Once the rice looks cooked and all the water is absorbed, switch it off and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes.
Then place a large serving plate on top of the vessel and carefully invert it.
Serve the rice by itself or with salad and stew.
A great dish to enjoy as a family.
This recipe goes to Festive Rice event hosted by Akheela of Torview.

Golden Onion Quiche- Sweet Punch Challenge for September 2010

This is my second challenge with Sweet Punch Team, this time our challenge is savoury by Ria of  Ria's Collections.
 We have to bake a savoury quiche with veg or non veg, as I have all meat eaters in my family I have to make only with chicken. Quiche is something which used to fear to make it , due to the tart base. I never felt comfortable with the blind baking the tart case, and I have gone wrong a few times when I tried it. This time with Ria's recipe, I found that it can be done without blind baking yet delicious and melt in the mouth pastry. Actually I haven't tasted yet, just now I made it and I'm posting it immediately since I'm a bit late with this month challenge.

The buttery pastry, tandoori chicken filling, cheese and the Italian seasoning... Oooooh! I just have to wait a few more hours until Iftar :-(
If you want to start baking with Sweet Punch click here.
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
Plain Flour- 200 g
Butter- 100 g ( frozen)
Baking Powder- 1/4 tsp
Egg- 1 beaten Lightly
Cold water- 1 or 2 tsp
For the filling:
Tandoori chicken shredded- 1/2 cup( I used 2 to 3 thighs of chicken)
Milk- 3/4 cup
Cheese- 1/2 cup( the actual recipe suggested cheddar, I couldn't get that so I have used emmentaler)
Eggs- 3 lightly beaten
Onion- medium sized sliced thinly
Red, Yellow and Green Pepper- 1/4 of each chopped
Italian seasoning- 1/4 tsp( mixture of dried herbs like dried red pepper, garlic, black pepper, oregano)
Salt and Pepper for seasoning as required
Oil- 1/2 tbsp
Method:
For The Filling:
Shred the chicken from the bone completely. Slice the onion thinly and chop the peppers. Heat the oil in a pan, add the chicken and fry for 2 minutes, since it's already cooked it dosen't need much time. Add the onions, keep the heat in medium and stir until the onion reaches golden brown, take care not to burn the onions. Finally add the chopped peppers and take it off from heat.

In a large bowl mix together the eggs, milk, cheese and seasoning. Then add the chicken mixture and mix well.
Keep it separately
For The Pastry:
Preheat the oven to 200 degree celsius. Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl, add the grated butter, rub between your finger tips to resemble like a fine bread crumbs. Add the beaten egg and bring the dough together, if it didn't come like a dough, add a few drops of cold water and bring the dough together. Roll out the dough to fit your baking tin size, carefully lift the dough and slide it inside the tin and press the edges.

Pour the filling inside the pastry case and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set and pastry looks slightly brown on sides.
Serve the quiche warm with some side salad.

Kethal Chicken Curry

This recipe is from Suhaina's Blog, she describes this as her one of  her favourite which she first tasted in India and an very expensive curry in Restaurant. This is almost like regular chicken curry but a bit spicy. This goes very well with rice, bread and roti's.
Ingredients:
Chicken- 1 full chicken chopped into bite size pieces
Onion- 1 big sized chopped finely
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder- 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Fennel powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt- as required
For Seasoning:
Oil- 1 tbsp
Crushed dried red chilli- 5
Garlic cloves- 7 finely minced
Curry leaves- 1 stalk
Method:
Wash and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Mix it with all the ingredients and cook until the chicken is completely cooked.
In another nonstick pan, heat the oil. Add garlic, chillies and curry leaves, when it releases a nice aroma, add the cooked chicken along with the gravy. Stir well and coat all the masalas and cook until all the water evaporates and the chicken looks like semi gravy.
Serve the curry with rice or bread.
This recipe goes to Show Me Your Curry by Dil Se.

Along with this recipe I'm also sending
Green Chicken Curry
Chicken Kurma
Curry Leaves Chicken
White Lamb Kurma
Kola Urundai Kulambu to  Cooking With Seeds - Fennel Seeds by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes.

Whole Wheat and Grilled Chicken With Harissa Paste

Normally I use Bulgur wheat for this recipe, this time i have used whole wheat with harissa. After knowing the goodness the whole grains just couldn't resist it. Find more information about whole grains here.
Harissa Paste
 Harissa is a chilli paste , very popular among Tunisians , Algerians and Moroccons. It's a blend of smoked pepper and spices like cumin, coriander and chilli. It might vary among different ethnic people. Harissa can be used with couscous, bulgur or even to marinate the meat.
   The Blend of smoked pepper with spices burst with flavours in your dish.
Recipe For Harissa:

Ingredients:
Red Bell Pepper- 1
Dried Red Chilli- 2
Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
Olive oil- 1/2 tbsp
Garlic cloves- 3
Salt as required.
Method:
Preheat the oven to maximum, smoke the pepper until the skin blackens out. Take it out from the oven and allow it cool down completely. Let it cool down completely. Remove the dark parts from outside. Blend it along with the remaining ingredients by adding some water.

Serves 2
Whole Wheat and Grilled Chicken:

For the Chicken:
Ingredients:
2 Chicken Thighs
Harissa paste- 2 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
Salt as required

For The Whole Wheat:
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat- 1 cup
Carrot-1 medium sized chopped finely
Beans- 1/2 cup chopped
Celery- 2 stalks chopped
Harissa paste- 3 tbsp( you can vary it according to your taste).
Salt as required

Method:
Wash the chicken well and marinate it with the harissa paste, salt and lemon juice for 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 250 degree celsius. Cook the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes on each side. To check wheather the chicken is cooked, insert a skewer and if the juice from the chicken runs out clear, it's cooked. If it's pink, cook it for some more time until the chicken is done.
 To prepare the whole wheat, soak the whole wheat in water for 1/2 an hour. Boil all the vegetables in a large pan or a rice cooker with 6 cups of water. When the vegetables are boiling, drain the whole wheat completely and add it to the vegetables, now add 1 tbsp of harissa paste and salt. Cook until the water is completely dried out and the wheat is cooked.
Serve it with the grilled chicken, some fresh salad and with pickles on side.
This recipe goes to Two For Tuesdays

.

Chicken Satay

Satay is originally invented by street vendors in Indoneasia, which has now become even the nationaldish of Indoneasia. These satays  are also very popular in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, which is now gaining it's popularity all over the world. Satays are marinated chicken or beef grilled and served with sauce. To read more about different Satay click here.
 Particularly for chicken satay if you use thigh of chicken, it's much more tender and flavourful.
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
Chicken Thighs- 6 or Chicken Breast- 1
Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Sesame oil or sunflower oil- 2 tsp
Soya sauce- 1 tsp
Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
Salt- as required
For The Sauce:
Dry roasted peanuts- 1/2 cup
Coconut milk- 1/2 cup
Sesame oil- 1 tbsp
Dried red chillli- 2
Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Palm sugar- 1/2 tsp
Salt as required.

Method:
Carefully remove the chicken from the thigh bone by running a scissors in the middle or use a chicken breast by cutting them into thin long strips. Dip about 6 to 7 wooden skewers in water for more than five hours this stop burning the sticks when you are cooking.
Marinate the chicken with all the chicken ingredients for about 1 to 2 hours. Take the chicken strips and insert them into the skewers. You can grill them in a griddle pan or you can cook them in the oven.
To cook it in the oven, preheat the oven to 220 degree celsius and grill them for 20 minutes on each side.
To make the sauce blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender to a coarse paste.
Serve the chicken and sauce with lime wedges on side.

This recipes  goes to my own event Iftar Moments:Hijri 1431 and to Muhibbah Malaysian Monday

Oats and Sago Kanji

Kanji is a type of porridge which we normally used to have during ramadhan after breaking our fast. In South India it's very common to have this type of kanji. Almost in every mosque they prepare this and people have it after breaking their fast. This is very light and keeps you satisfied.
Normally this is prepared using rice, vegetables, lentils and meat. In this recipe i replaced rice with oats and sago, which was really good. This would be so good to have immediately after breaking fast.
Ingredients:
Rolled Oats- 1/2 cup
Sago- 2 tbsp
Yellow split moong dhal- 2 tbsp
Chicken or minced meat- may be 50 gms( you just need very little)
Onion- 1 small sized chopped finely
Garlic pods- 4 to 5
Tomato- 1/2 medium sized chopped finely
Green chilli- 2 slit lenghtways
Carrot- 1 small sized chopped finely
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- 4 to 5
Coconut milk or whole milk - 1/2 cup
Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves- 2 stalk finely chopped
Oil- 1/2 tbsp
Salt- as per taste
Method:
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add methi , cumin seeds and finely chopped garlic pods. Add the finely chopped onions and chicken and saute well. Add all spice powders and mix well. Now add the carrots, tomatoes, oats, sago, lentils  along with the coconut milk, coriander leaves, curry leaves, salt  and 4 cups of water. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistle.
Serve the kanji warm by itself or with some bread.
This recipe goes to the event Cooking With Seeds Sago hosted by Kitchen Samraj originally started by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

This recipe also goes to my own event Iftar Moments: Hijri 1431

This recipe also goes to Souper Sunday

Chilli Chicken

This chicken recipe is one of my favourite which my mom used to prepare. It's also my dad's  favourite. My mom used to make these for weekends, it's just a simple indochinese style recipe.
My dad used to like these type of recipes with green pepper, mushroom or paneer. Although he is thousands of miles away from me, i'm sure he'll feel happy by seeing this post .
This recipe goes to the event I Love My Dad Event by  Tasty Appetite.

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken- 1/2 kg
Ginger Garlic Paste- 2 tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
White pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala-1/4 tsp
Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
Soy sauce- 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup- 2 tsp
Onion-1 finely sliced
Green pepper- 1/2 chopped
Red pepper- 1/2 chopped
Yellow pepper- 1/2 chopped
Spring onion-3 chopped
Cornstarch-1 tbsp
Salt as required
Oil-2 tbsp
Method:
Wash and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Marinate the chicken in lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, salt and garam masala  half an hour before making. Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai or nonstick pan, add all the chicken pieces, keep the flame in medium to low. Keep stirring the chicken without sticking to the bottom, cook the chicken without covering the pan, once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan, to the same pan add the remaining oil, sliced onion and fry it till it turns lightly brown. add all the pepper and stir fry it for 2 minutes, then add all the chicken pieces, white and blackpepper powder, soy sauce and ketchup, stir well so that the chicken gets coated in the masala completely.
Finally add 1 tbsp of cornstarch and simmer till it becomes saucy, switch off the flame.
Serve the chicken warm with chappathi's or parathas. It also goes well with rice flour roti's.

Curry leaf Chicken Curry

When my grandmother said if you have curry leaves in your food, you'll get nice long flowing hair, i used to adore curry leaves. I never leave curry leaves in any of my food. When i was in college my friends and college mates used to think i'm a freak about curry leaves. Curry leaves from everybody's plate will be on my plate at the end, i used to sit and finish it on my own :-) I can sense what you are thinking about me now, that's ok:-)
Anyway this recipe, i got it from one of my Srilankan friend from UK.

Ingredients:
Chicken-500 g
Fresh Grated Coconut-2 tbsp
Fresh Curry Leaves-2 stalk( please use fresh curry leaves for this recipe, the dried  one will  not give any flavour)
Green Chilli-3
Fennel seeds-1 tsp
Yogurt-1/2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Cinnamon-1/2 inch stick
Oil-1 tbsp
Salt- as required
Method:
Wash and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Marinate the chicken in yougurt,ginger garlic paste and fennel seeds. Dry fry the coconut and curry leaves until the coconut looks bit dry without changing the colour of the coconut. Grind the coconut and curry leaves along with the green chilli in a blender to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon stick, then add the marinate chicken and turmeric powder. Cover the pan and  cook the chicken in medium heat. When the chicken is almost done, add the ground mixture and salt, stir well. Cover and cook till oil separates and floats on top.
If you want a dry gravy, cook till all the water evaporates and the gravy looks dry.
Serve the curry with rice or roti's.
This recipe goes to Cooking With Seeds- Fennel Seeds by Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes.

Butter Chicken

This recipe is adapted from varehvah.com suggested by one of my friend. It tasted great ,it goes well with roti or naan,also there is something special about this recipe,when i was looking for a bowl to serve,i  saw this bowl. My aunt gave this as a gift to me so i would like to say thank you for this  beautiful gift.

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken-1/2 kg
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp
Onion-1 chopped
Tomato-1 chopped
Green chilli-2
Cashewnuts-5 nuts
Kasoori methi-1 tsp
Cream-1 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup-1/2 tbsp
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Salt as required
Oil-1 tbsp
Method:
Wash and cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Add 1/2 chilli powder,coriander powder and 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste to the chicken and mix well.Heat a non stick pan and add the oil,when the oil gets heated add the chicken and shallow fry it,do not cook completely( if you don't want to fry grill the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes on each side,set the oven temperature to maximum).
Remove the chicken from the pan and set  aside.Add the chopped onions and ginger garlic paste in the oil ,add water to remove the things sticked at the bottom of the pan,this gives a special taste,as told by Vah chef and cook it in the medium heat,add the tomatoes,remaining chilli powder,coriander powder,green chilli,cashew nuts and kasoori methi;add some more water and cook till all the tomatoes get mashed well.Switch off the flame, Leave the mixture to cool down for a while and blend it in a blender.
Heat the pan again add the ground sauce and add the chicken pieces to the sauce,allow it boil. Now add about 1/2 tbsp of tomato ketchup to the sauce,then add cream and salt. Allow it to cook for few minutes,finally add garam masala and switch off the flame.Serve hot with roti or naan.

Broccoli Pastry Pie

Recently i have been trying to use lots of broccoli in my cooking,as broccoli is rich in vitamin C,K and A and as well as dietery fibre,broccoli also reduces the risk of heart disease.It also contains multiple nutrients which potent anti cancer properties. A single serving provides more than 30 mg of calcium.A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of prostrate cancer.

This Broccoli pastry pie is made with broccoli pastry and chicken filling,if you are a vegetarian,you can make a vegetarian filling which is saucy.
Ingredients:
For the pastry
Plain flour-250 g
Butter-120 g
Egg yolks-2
Broccoli grated-1/2 cup
Iced water-2 tbsp
For the filling
Boneless chicken-200 g
Green peas-1 tbsp
Carrot-1 medium sized chopped
Onion-1
Ginger garlic paste-1 tsp
Green pepper-1/2 chopped
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder-1 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp
Chicken stock or water-1 cup
Flour-1/2 tbsp
Salt as required
Oil-1/2 tbsp
Method
For the pastry:
First prepare the pastry,grate the broccoli finely leaving the stalks,if you use the stalks it might be a bit hard for a smooth pastry,so use the stalks for some other purpose.
In a food processor add the flour and butter and pulse it until it looks like breadcrumbs,with the machine running add the egg yolks and then 1 or 2 tbsp of ice cold water until the dough just combines,take it out,and bring together like a dough,do not knead too much,wrap it in a cling film and put it in the fridge.
If you don't have a food processor make it using hands,but don't work on the dough too much.
For the filling:
Heat oil in a pan,add the finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste,saute till the onion becomes transparent.Now add the spices and chicken,cook till the chicken releases water,add the finely chopped vegetables,chicken stock or water and flour.Add salt for taste. Cover the pan and cook till it becomes thick and saucy. If you are using a shop bought chicken stock cubes ,do not add flour,but always try to use fresh chicken stock which is much healthier and flavourful.
To make the Pie:
In this recipe i have used muffin tray to make mini pie,but you can also use regular,pie dish.
Take the pastry out from the fridge and knead in the grated broccoli gently into the pastry.
Preheat the oven to 190 degree celsius. Roll out the pastry in between two baking paper or cling film ,cut them into circles to fit the muffin tray.Place the filling inside the pastry and cover it with another pastry.Seal the edges tightly. Bake it in the preheated oven for 20to 30 minutes .
The sauce from the filling itself enough for the pie to serve ,so you don't have to make any separate gravy.

Serve the pie with fresh salad or steamed vegetables.

Burger bun

After trying out so many recipes for burger buns,this one was really.It may not be like shop bought one but better than that.This recipe for burger bun is adapted from Rosa's Yummy Yums.
Although you can get a nice and cheap burger buns from super market, there are two reasons to make your own bread, first it's healthy,tasty and fresh; second you feel satisfied.
When you make your own bread ,you know what's in your bread.With this recipe i have also added a recipe idea for the buns,but you can make your own burgers using non vegetarian or vegetarian.

Ingredients:
White bread flour-450 g
Butter-30 g
Dried yeast-1 tbsp
Sugar-50 g
Salt-1 tsp
Egg-1
Luke warm water-250 ml
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp of water for glaze
Sesame seeds for sprinkling on top
Method:
Combine flour,sugar,salt and yeast; add melted butter,egg and water mix it into a smooth dough. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl,cover it with a cling film or tea towl and allow it to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Take the dough,knead it ,divide the dough into 4 to 5 equal size balls,flatten the balls,place it in a baking tray and cover it ,allow to rise for another 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 190 degree celsius.Glaze the buns with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.Bake it in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or golden on top.Take it out from the oven,transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Burger recipe idea:

Burger bun-2
Cheese slices-2
Grilled boneless chicken-2 flat pieces to fit the size of the bun
Lettuce leaves-1 tbsp shredded
Tomato -1 sliced
Cucumber-4 to 5 pieces sliced
Herb Mayonaise-1 tbsp
Method:
Slice the burger buns into half,spread the mayonaise on one slice, arrange the lettuce leaves,tomato and cucumber.On top of that place the chicken,and on top of it cheese slice,cover with the other slice of the bun.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius,place the buns covered inside the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese melts.Serve warm.

Green Chicken Curry

Green chicken curry is made with a blend of spices and herbs like coriander and mint leaves in a coconut based gravy.

Ingredients:

1 full Chicken

Coriander Leaves-1 tbsp

Mint leaves-1 stalk

Green chilli-2

1 Black Cardamom

1 small piece of cinnamon stick

1 piece of star anise

1 tbsp of coconut
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of fennel seeds
3 tsp of ginger garlic paste

1 onion

1 tomato

Salt as required

2 tbsp of oil

Method:

Wash the chicken well and cut them into small pieces.Fry the coconut,cumin,cinnamon and fennel seeds in a dry pan slightly until they are slightly browned, grind it along with green chilli,coriander and mint leaves.

Heat oil in a pan, season it with cardamom and star anise,add the ginger garlic paste and finely chopped onions and fry it until they are golden brown,add the tomatoes and cook until they are well mashed.

Add the chicken and leave enough water to cook the chicken, when the chicken is nearly done add the ground paste and leave it simmer until oil floats on top of the gravy.

Serve hot with rice or roti's.
This recipe goes to Cooking With Seeds- Fennel Seeds by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes.

Chettinad Chicken Curry

Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of chettinad region of South India in Tamilnadu.Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiceist and most aromatic food in India. The secret of their aroma is they always use freshly ground spices like saunf(fennel seeds),whole black pepper corns,staranise,cloves,cardamom,cinnamon,dried red chilli,nutmeg.
Mostly the dishes accompany with rice ,dosai,adai and idiyyapam.To read more about chettinad cuisine
 click here.

The recipe which i made here is also made with a blend of aromatic freshly ground spices.This curry goes very well with rice,dosai,idli's and also chapathi's.
Ingredients:
Chicken-1 kg
Onion-2 medium sized
Tomato-2
Ginger garlic paste-1 tbsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder-2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Oil-1 tbsp
Curry leaves-a few stalk
To grind
Whole black peppercorns-2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Fennel seeds-1/2 tsp
Nutmeg- 1 small piece broken
Cinnamon-1/2 inch stick
Cloves-1
Cardamom-2
Method:
Dry fry all the grinding ingredients until it releases nice aroma and slightly browned.Grind it into a smooth powder.
Heat oil in a pan fry the curry leaves until crisp without burning, take it out , crush it into a coarse powder.
Heat oil in a wide kadai,add the finely chopped onion and ginger garlic paste,keep the flame in slow, cover the pan and cook till the onions are soft and brown. Now add the tomatoes, cover the pan and cook till the tomatoes get mashed up.
Add the turmeric,chilli and coriander powder,saute it for a while,then add the chicken pieces,add enough water to cover the chicken. Cover the pan and cook the chicken,when the chicken is almost done add the ground paste and salt.
Cook till oil floats on top,finally add the curry leaves and serve.

Chicken Pickle

This is my second Tried and Tested event. Tried and tested is something special for me because this is the first ever event i participated after starting my blog . Tried and Tested is originally started by Zlamushka of Spicy Kitchen. This month host is Kitchen Chronicles and the blog to try the recipes is Sailu's food with excellent recipe ideas. What a nice concept created by Zlamushka. Thank you for Zlamushka for starting this interesting event and thank you for the kitchen chronicles for hosting this month's event.
Sailu's food has nice Andhra recipes. When i think about andhra the first thing which comes to my mind is the pickles. Our ancestors have found some brilliant way of preserving the pickles in a natural way.The lemon in the pickles stops the bacterial formation and the oil acts as natural preservative.
Although my picture may not look as good as Sailu's original picture but the taste and smell was so mouthwatering.To see the original recipe click here.

Ingredients:
Chicken-1 kg with bones
Ginger Garlic Paste-11/2 tbsp
Chilli Powder-1/2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder-1/2 tsp
Oil-4 tbsp
Salt as required
Lemon-3
For the spice mix
Coriander seeds-3 tbsp
Cumin seeds-11/2 tbsp
Poppy seeds- 1 tbsp( not the black one used for bread,this is a different one available in asian groceries)
Fenugreek seeds-1 1/2 tbsp
Cloves-6
Cardamom-1
Cinnamon-2 inch
Star anise-1
For the seasoning
a pinch of fenugreek seeds
curry leaves-a few stalk
dried red chilli-3
15 cloves of crushed garlic
oil-3/4 cup
Method:
Dry roast the spice mix ingredients separately and make them into a fine powder.Take the juice of 3 lemon, heat them for 3 minutes and leave it to cool.
Heat 4 tbsp of oil add the chicken,ginger garlic paste,chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt and cook them in high heat for 5 minutes,then reduce the heat to medium and cook the chicken until all the water dries out,stir the chicken in the middle so that it doesn't gets burnt.
Heat the 3/4 cup of oil in a separate pan , add the seasoning ingredients and then add this to the chicken and then add the spice mix to the chicken ,cook for further 15 minutes. Finally add the cooled lemon juice, combine well. Let it cool down,fill them in a air tight container and refrigerate.

Chicken Kurma

Kurma is a well known dish ,it doesn't need any introduction,but still i'll explain it briefly. Kurma is a mildely spiced coconut based gravy, it can made with only vegetables or with lamb or chicken. In this recipe i have used chicken, you can replace the chicken with lamb or vegetables.This curry can be served with rice,roti's or naan.

Ingredients:
Chicken-1/2 kg
Onion-1
Tomato-1
Grated coconut-2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Cinnamon Stick-1 small stick
Cardamom-2
Cloves-1
Cuminseeds-1 tsp
Fennel seeds-1/2 tsp
Whole black peppercorns1/4 tsp
Curry leaves-a few stalk
Salt as required
Oil-1/2 tbsp
Method:
Wash the chicken well and cut them into bite size pieces.Dry roast the coconut and the whole spices until the coconut is slightly browned. Grind the mixture into a smooth paste by adding some water.
Heat oil in a pan, season it with curry leaves,add the finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste , cover the pan and cook till the onion is soft and light brown in colour, stir in between when you are cooking the onion,do not burn it.Now add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are mashed up.
Then add the turmeric,coriander and chilli powder and saute it for a while,now add the chicken stir well with the gravy and add enough water and cook the chicken.
When the chicken is nearly done add the ground mixture and leave it to boil until oil separates on top.
This recipe goes to Cooking With Seeds- Fennel Seeds by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes.