Pepper Chicken

Pepper Chicken

This one is a favorite dish at home, everyone enjoys Pepper chicken.This goes well with Dosai, Kal Dosai, Pulav,Naan,and Roti.I love to have this with Rasam , this will be a treat to your taste buds.I am presenting this recipe to Rendez Vous with a Foodie hosted by Priya.

Ingredients

1.Chicken- 500 grams (cleaned)
2.Oil- as per need
3.Mustard seeds- 1/2 tbsp
4.Bay Leaf-1
5.Cardamom-2
6.Cinnamon- 2-3 sticks
7.Cloves-5
8.Fennel seeds-1/2 tbsp
9.Curry leaves( washed)
10.Onion- 2(large finely chopped)
11.Tomato-2(medium sized finely chopped)
12.Ginger Garlic Paste- 2 tbsp
13.Chilly Powder-
14.Coriander Powder
15.Turmeric Powder
16.Garam Masala powder
17.Salt as per need
18.Pepper- 2 tbsp (crushed)
19.Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

In a large pan add oil and once the oil is hot enough add  mustard seed.
Once you see the mustard seeds splutter, add from ingredient no.4 to no.9, followed by onion and saute well.Add ginger garlic paste and saute until you get a nice aroma, (at this moment there should be absolutely no raw smell of the onion or the ginger garlic paste).

Now add the washed chicken and mix well , followed by all the ingredients starting from ingredient no.13-no.17 and mix well. Add tomatoes and mix well,cover the pan and allow it to cook.Once cooked, leave the pan opened, add crushed pepper mix well and allow the content to stay on the stove in less than medium flame for about 5-10 minutes.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with white rice.

Vadai-Mixed Dal Vadai

Vadai often referred to as Vada is usually made from Dal/ Lentils.There are two types of vadai , Channa dal ( kadalai paruppu in Tamil) vadai and Urad dal (ulundhu in Tamil) vadai.The one i have attempted is called mixed dal vadai as i have used equal proportion of both the dals. This vadai comes as soft as urad dal vadai and as crispy as channa dal vadai. 

Ingredients:

To Grind

Ingredients 1

• Channa Dal-1 Cup
• Urad Dal-1 Cup
• Ginger-1 inch

Ingredients 2

• Green Chillies( finely Chopped)-2 nos
• Onion  big sized- finely chopped)-1 no
• Coriander leaves( finely Chopped)
• Curry leaves- 1 strand
• Salt- as per taste
• Hing- 1tsp
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

Soak both the dals for an hour and grind coarsely with salt and ginger,to this add the all the ingredients from the Ingredients 2 list, mix well, check for salt at this stage and adjust accordingly.
Heat oil, check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a tiny piece of the vadai mix in to the oil, if it raises up , then the oil is hot enough.
Now make a small ball of the vadai mix, flatten it and make a hole in the center  slowly slide this in to the hot oil, and fry both the sides till you see a nice golden brown and crispy vadai. Repeat the procedure for the rest of the mix. Make sure you fry them in medium flame.

                                                             CRISPY VADAI IS READY!!

Veg Semiya/Vermicelli Pulao/Pulav

Veg Semiya/Vermicelli Pulao/Pulav- i tried this using a new method, usually i make this by frying the semiya/vermicelli and then saute veggies with all the spices and masala and add water to the veggies just enough to cook the veggies and the semiya/vermicelli, typically the way you make veg biriyani.This time I boiled the semiya (just like how you make pasta) without frying them, made the masala separately and mixed them together.It was a super hit, hence sharing the recipe.Hope you guys will enjoy making this version.

Ingredients:

• Oil- as per need
• cloves-2
• cinnamon-1 small stick
• cardamom-1
• mint leaves-10
• green chilly-2-3(adjust as per your spice level)
• onion- 1 large chopped lengthwise
• ginger garlic paste-1 tbsp
• Mixed veggies (1 cup all chopped lengthwise, like how u cut it for fried rice)
• garam masala powder-1 tsp
• turmeric powder-1tsp
• salt-as per need
• ghee-1tbsp(optional)
• Semiya/Vermicelli- 2 cups boiled

To boil Semiya/Vermicelli:

Add semiya to nicely boiling water, add little salt, turmeric and 1 tsp of oil to it. Allow it to cook, this will not take a long time, mine was done in just 3 minutes.Strain the water and keep the semiya under cold running water for about 30 seconds, allow it to cool and keep it aside.

To Make Veg Semiya/Vermicelli Pulao/Pulav:

Take a pan, add oil when the oil is hot enough add cloves, cardamom,and cinnamon stick , followed by mint leaves and green chillies. Saute the content till you get a nice aroma of the spices , now add onion, saute till it become translucent, add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell fades off.

Now add all the veggies, and mix well and allow it to cook by sprinkling little water, add salt turmeric powder and garam masala, check for salt, at this stage the entire content will look like a mixed veggie masala.Do not over cook the veggies. Now add the boiled semiya to it, and mix carefully.Keep it in the stove for about 3-4 minutes in medium flame.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raitha.

Mushroom Biriyani

Made Mushroom Biriyani after a long time, dint have time to make it as a Dhum biriyani, so just pressure cooked it.No body in my family is a great fan of mushroom,but i still try to buy and cook them at least once in a month due to the nutritional value in it.I either make it as a biriyani or a gravy, will share the gravy recipe soon :)

Ingredients

• Oil-as per need
• Ghee -as per need
• Whole spices(few fennel seeds, cinnamon -small stick, cloves 2-3, cardamom-2, bay leaf-1)
• Green Chillies-4(slit open adjust as per your spice level)
• Onion-3 (medium sized, cut length wise)
• Tomato-2(medium size- finely chopped)
• Mint leaves- 4 stalks
• Coriander leaves-4 stalks
• Ginger Garlic Paste-2 tbsp
• Garam masala powder-1 tsp
• Mushroom- about 30 (cut it in to 4 halves lengthwise)
• Basmathi rice-2 cups
• Water-2 1/2 cups
• Curd -half cup
• Salt to  taste
• Chilly powder and coriander powder(together)- 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Take a pressure pan, add oil followed by ghee, once the oil is hot enough, add the whole spices followed by green chillies,mint leaves, coriander leaves,add onion and saute them well till it turns translucent, now add ginger garlic paste and saute for few minutes till u get a nice aroma, add tomatoes followed by turmeric powder, garam masala powder, chilly, coriander powder and salt.Allow the tomato to cook well, now add mushroom and mix well and cook in medium flame ,do not over cook the mushroom.

To this add water and curd, check for salt, make adjustments if any in terms of salt or spice, once the water boils add Basmathi rice and close the cooker.

Pressure cook for one whistle, put the flame to minimum and leave it on the stove for 5 minutes and switch off.Once the cooker calms down, open the cooker and mix carefully.

                                           Serve it hot with onion raitha.

Banana Bread/Cake

I wanted to make this Banana Bread for a long time and finally made this for the weekend. I had all the ingredients with me handy except for the butter, I just had quarter cup of butter so i substituted another quarter cup of butter with olive oil.

This turned out to be really nice, moist and flavorful bread. The crispy walnut topped on the bread adds an extra taste. I m sure you will enjoy making this recipe like how I did. Not to forget, this is one of the easiest bread recipes.

Ingredients:

• Banana- 2(ripe)
• All purpose flour- 1 ½ cup
• Butter-1/4 cup
• Olive oil-1/4 cup
• Sugar-3/4 cup (u can use either brown or white sugar, I ve used white)
• Egg- 2
• Walnuts- Chopped (handful)
• Baking powder-1 tsp
• Baking soda-1/4 tsp
• Cinnamon powder-1 tsp
• Vanilla essence-1 tsp
• Salt-1/4 tsp

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
• Toast the chopped walnuts and keep it aside.
• Sift all the dry ingredients together.
• In a bowl melt butter slightly, set aside.
• Mash the bananas using a fork.
• In a bowl beat the eggs , add olive oil, vanilla essence, to this add the butter and mashed banana, mix them all together.
• Now add this to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula.
• Grease a loaf pan and spread the mixed content evenly.
• Spread the walnuts on top of the mixture and bake it till it turns in to a nice golden color (this took about 35-40 minutes in my oven) 
• Once done allow the bread to cool , and then cut them like how you cut the bread and serve it..:)

PEAS PULAV/PULAO

Peas Pulav/Pulao is the rice that is flavored with whole spices and is cooked with peas, served as a main dish. Easy to make, I usually prepare this when i have too many gravies on the menu as this is a mild rice which goes well with raitha and gravy. 

Ingredients:

• Oil -as per need
• Ghee -1 tbsp (optional for diet conscious people)
• Whole Spices (cinnamon-1 stick, cloves-2, cardamom-2 and bay leaf-1 and few fennel seeds)
• Cumin Seeds- ½ tbsp
• Onion (big)-Cut lengthwise
• Green Chillies- 3(slit opened)
• Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
• Green Peas- handful
• Garam masala powder- 1 tsp
• Basmathi Rice-1 cup (washed)
• Salt –As per taste
• Mint leaves -10
• Coriander leaves- few strands chopped finely
• Curd-2 tbsp
• Water-1 ½ cups

Method:

Take a pressure pan, add oil and ghee, once oil is hot enough add the whole spices,cumin seeds,followed by mint leaves,coriander leaves and green chillies.Add onion and saute well till translucent.Add ginger garlic paste and saute till you get a nice aroma.Add the green peas and mix carefully followed by garam masala powder and salt.Now add 1 and a half cup of water , two table spoons of curd and mix the content, check for salt at this stage.Add the washed Basmathi rice and pressure cook the content till you hear 1 whistle and simmer down the flame, leave the pan on the stove for 5 minutes and turn off the stove.Once when the cooker is calm,release the vent and change the whole content to a serving dish.Mix the content carefully without breaking the rice.

Peas Pulav is ready to be served, serve it hot with raitha and gravy of your choice.

Gougère / Cheese Bun

Gougère or Cheese bun is from the French cuisine,it is a baked savory usually served as an appetizer.This would look like a bun, but it is a nice and crispy hollow bun.I happened to make this when i was looking out for recipes with thyme leaves, as i had some in my refrigerator.This is a very easy recipe which can be made in few minutes if you have all the ingredients handy.

Ingredients

• Water-1/2 cup
• Butter- 4 tbsp
• All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
• Eggs-2
• Salt as per taste
• Sugar-1 tsp
• Grated cheese- 1/2 cup
• Thyme leaves (fresh or dried) -1 1/2 tbsp ( you can even try adding a different herb of your choice)
• Coarsely ground black pepper- 1 1/2 tbsp (adjust as per your spice level)

Method

Pre heat oven to 400 degree F, butter the baking pan and keep it aside.

In a sauce pan add water, salt,sugar, and butter and bring them to boil, reduce the flame and add the flour,stir until it becomes a nice and soft ball.

Remove this from the flame and set aside for few minutes.To this add egg one at a time and stir quickly,at first this would look a little lumpy, as you mix it well, it becomes a nice smooth mass.

Add 3/4 th cheese, thyme leaves and coarsely ground pepper and mix well. 

Use a ice cream scoop/spoon/pastry bag with a wide tip to make small rounds just like a small bun , top each buns with the remaining cheese.This makes about 12 buns.

Bake it for 10 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 350 degree F and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until they become nice golden colour.

                   Nice and crispy Gougère or Cheese bun is ready to be relished..:)