Roasted Cornish Hens

This is a picture from the thanksgiving we had at my sister-in-law's place. She made roasted Cornish hens, and I had to share the recipe.

Wash the cornish hens and pat dry.
Marinate with the marinade of your choice.
Cook in a 400F preheated oven for about 40 min.

Refer to my Roasted chicken recipe for marinade ideas.

Bar-B-Q

We had gone on a camping trip in the Dragoon mountains in Arizona. It was a blissful and fun filled 3 days. Perfect company and the beautiful solitary stone house in the mountains made this trip unforgettable. We brought along marinated food in ice boxes for the barbecue.

For the Chicken Skewers:

Chicken Breast meat - Cubed

Green bell peppers, Red onion, Red bell pepper - Cubed

For the veggie skewers:

Potatoes, Green and red bell peppers, red onion, Paneer - Cubed

We also had marinated chicken breasts and frozen veggie burgers.

Marinade:

Red chili powder, salt, tandoori masala, lime juice, ginger garlic paste and yogurt.

Marinate the veggie and meats separately.

Soak bamboo skewers in water, and pierce them with the marinated meats and veggies separately.

Soaking prevents the skewers from getting charred.

Heat up the barbecue and spray or brush with oil. Cook the skewers by turning them until done.

Beans Carrot Poriyal

This is one of the dishes i make almost every week. It's really quick and i also use short cuts for this.
I use the frozen french cut green beans and match stick carrots. Cutting the carrots and the beans is the only work here, and by using the short cut, that work is eliminated. Hence, my love for this recipe.

Thin cut carrots - 3 to 4
Thin cut green beans - 1 lb
Onion - 1/2
Green chilis - 3 to 4
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 3 cloves
Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Tadka:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Channa and urad daal - 1 tsp each

In a pan, add the oil. Add the tadka ingredients, and when the seeds splutter, add the garlic, onions and green chilis.
Cook till the onions are soft, and add the carrots. When the carrots are cooked half way, add the beans.
Cook till soft, and add the salt, and coriander powder.
Add the grated coconut and remove from heat.

Palak Chole

Garbanzo/Chickpeas - 1 lb 

Onions - 2

Tomatoes - 3

Green Chilis - 2

Grated ginger - 1 inch

Crushed garlic - 2 cloves

Spinach leaves - 2 cups

Milk - 1/2 cup

Red chili powder - 1 tbsp

Chole masala - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Soak the chickpeas for 8 hrs and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles until soft.

Alternately, you can use the canned ones, but make sure to drain and wash them well before using.

In a pan, add the oil and the cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the onions and green chilis.

Fry till soft, and add the ginger and garlic.

When fragrant, add the tomatoes.

When soft, add the salt, chili powder, chole masala (or garam masala). Fry till the raw smell disappears.

Add the chickpeas and 1/2 cup water.

Add the milk for creaminess and the spinach.

When the spinach is wilted, turn off the heat and serve.

Spinach and mushroom pizza

My first post on this blog was a pizza. Here's another - Mushroom and spinach pizza with fresh mozzarella. The fresh cheese makes all the difference here. It tastes Delicious.

Pizza Dough: Refer to my Broccoli and Bell pepper pizza

Toppings: Frozen spinach - 1/2 Box

Sliced Button Mushrooms - 1/2 lb

Red onion sliced - 1 small

Marinara or pizza sauce - 1/2 cup

Fresh mozzarella - 1 ball

Black pepper, Red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese  - for topping

Spread the dough on a pizza stone or an aluminium foil.

Spread the marinara sauce on the dough.

Top with the mushrooms, onions, thawed spinach and the sliced fresh mozzarella.

Sprinkle with the black and red pepper and the parmesan cheese.

Bake in a pre heated 400F oven for 12 to 15 min until the crust is golden brown.

Aloo matar - Potato peas fry

Simple, yummy and quick to prepare. There are hundreds of variations of potatoes, and each as delicious as the other. This one goes well with rotis, stuffed in samosas, or as a side dish with rice.

Potatoes - 4
Onions - 2
Green chilis - 3
Peas - 1/2 cup
Jeera powder - 1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sha jeera - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cardamom and cloves - 2 each
Cilantro - For garnish

Peel and cube the potatoes and boil for 12 to 15 min. They should be cooked through but not too soft.
Chop the onions and chilis.
In a pan, add oil and add the sha jeera, cinnamom, cloves and cardamom. When the jeera splutters, add the onions and green chilis. Fry till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste, peas and cook till peas are soft.
Now add the chili powder, salt,  garam masala, cumin powder and amchur powder. Fry till the raw smell disappears and add the potatoes.
Serve hot.
Fry till well mixed and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Chicken Dum Biryani

Who doesn't love Biryani. I would be really surprised if there was such a person. There are so many versions of biryani. Each region has it's own style of making it. Here's the dum version, and I really don't know what region it belongs to. It's a common assumption that biryani is really difficult to make. But it is one of the simplest dishes out there.

Chicken (Leg meat) - 2 pounds (Cut into cubes)
Rice - 1.5 cups
Slit Green Chilis - 6
Chopped Mint Leaves - 1 small bunch
Chopped Cilantro - a few sprigs
Jeera - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Biryani masala - 1.5 tbsp (I use Shan bombay biryani masala or MDH Hyderabadi Biryani masala)
Fried Onions - 3/4 cup
Yogurt /Curd - 1.5 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Saffron disolved in 2 tsp milk - a pinch

Mix the chicken, chilis, mint and cilantro (leave some aside for garnish), jeera, salt, chili powder, biryani masala, 1/2 the fried onions, yogurt and oil.
Marinate for a couple hours.
Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 hr.
In a large pan, heat about 10 to 12 cups of water. When the water starts to boil, add salt generously, like you would for pasta. Add the rice and let it cook till half done. The rice will breaks but will not be soft.
Drain and keep aside.
In a thick bottom pan, layer the marinated chicken and add the rice on top. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions, mint and cilantro.
Drizzle the saffron on top.
Close lid tight. If the lid is not tight, place a cloth on the pan and close the lid. This will prevent any steam from escaping.
Cook on high heat for 5 min, and reduce to low. Cook for 1/2 hr to 40 min.
Open and check for doneness of rice and chicken.
Serve hot with raita or the side dish of your choice.

Panasatonalu

A very traditional and a special Andhra Pradesh sweet treat. It tastes similar to the sweet version of Shankarpara. I guess the difference is in the shape. Panasa tonalu mean jack fruit strips. Sorry I dont have pictures of how I made them. I just missed taking pics. But I will upload more pics when I make this the next time.

All purpose Flour/maida - 2 cups

Ghee or clarified butter - 1/2 cup

Salt - a pinch

Sugar - 2 cups

Oil - To fry

Water

In a bowl, mix the maida, salt and ghee. Add water and knead it like a chapati dough.

In a flat bottom pan, add sugar and a cup of water. Melt the sugar and cook it to a one string consistency.

In a pan, heat oil for deep frying.

Mean while, make lemon sized balls of the dough and roll out like a chapathi.

Leave upto an inch around the sides, and make vertical slits in the roti. Be careful to leave an inch intact around the edges.

Now, join the edges by rolling the roti. the edges will be sealed, but the strips in the middle will be apart.

Fry this in oil, and remove them into the sugar syrup. Leave for 5 min and remove.

Cool and store for upto a week. If they last that long.

Spinach and cheese pinwheels

I made this appetizer for our office christmas party, and it was a huge hit. I wanted to do something with the puff pastry and I looked up this recipe in the Pepperidge Farms website. It is really easy and tastes good served at room temperature.

Puff Pastry sheet - 1 (I used the trader joe's brand)

Egg - 1
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese - 1/2 cup
Grated Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
Green onion - 1 chopped
Garlic powder - 1 tsp
Frozen chopped spinach - 1 box

Thaw the spinach and squeeze of the water form it. This will prevent the pinwheels from getting soggy.
Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mix egg and water. Set aside.
Mix Monterey cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion and garlic powder.
Place the pastry on lightly floured surface. Brush with egg mixture. Top with cheese mixture and spinach.
Roll up the sheet starting on one side until it's rolled all the way. Place it in the freezer covered for 1/2 an hour.
This will help in cutting the sheet, else it will get messy when u try to slice it up.
Now, cut the roll into 1 inch rolls and place on a baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tandoori chicken

This is for all the chicken buffs out there. Tandoori chicken needs no introduction and it's one of the easiest chicken recipes. Here's my version:

Chicken Legs - 6

For the rub:

Red chili powder - 1 tbsp

Salt

Cumin powder - 1 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tandoori masala - 1 tbsp

Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Red food color - a pinch (Optional)

Marinate the chicken with the masalas above, and leave the marinate on for a couple of hours.

If you are grilling, cook these on the grill for about 7 to 8 min on each side.

In the oven, preheat to 425F and layer them in a single line on an aluminium foil.

Bake for 15 min on each side and turn half way.

Check for doneness and cook till the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve with lime wedges and garnish with cilantro

Oats dosa

Oats dosa is a simple instant meal packed with nutrition. Here's how I make mine:

Oats - 1 cup (ground coarse)
Rice Flour - 1/2 cup
Sooji rawa - 1/4 cup
Ginger - 1 tsp grated
Green chillies -2 chopped fine
Spinach leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
Salt - to taste
Water

Mix all the ingredients with water, to the consistency of a dosa batter.
Heat up a girdle and make thick dosas and serve with the chutney or sambar of your choice.

Broccoli stir fry

Here's a simple stir fry for a quick veggie boost. It goes well with everything from pasta to grilled cheese. When I boil pasta, I tend to throw in the broccoli at th end. This is a quick and easy way to get the broccoli cooked, without any extra effort.

Broccoli Florets - 2 Cups
Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
garlic cloves - 2
Salt - to taste

Blanch the broccoli or steam it to your desired texture. I like mine a little on the soft side.
In a pan, add the oil, and the red pepper flakes and crushed garlic.
When the gralic starts to sizzle, add the broccoli, salt and some black pepper.
Stir fry for about 5 min and serve hot.

Gobi Paratha

I remember having Aloo, gobi and methi parathas made by my mum when we were in Madhya Pradesh. I love to have my parathas with yogurt and lime pickle. And the more filling in them, the better they taste. Although it gets harder to roll them out. Here's the recipe for the phool gobi, or the cauliflower paratha. I know a lot of people who dislike the taste of cauliflower. But this is one recipe that everybody will love. 

For the filling:

Cauliflower grated - 1 small

Onion - 1/2 Red chopped fine

Ginger grated - 1 tsp

Green chili - 2 chopped fine

Citantro  - few sprigs chopped

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste 

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Amchur powder - 1 tsp

Regular roti dough 

Squeeze the water out of the grated cauliflower.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Roll out a thick roti with your hands and place some filling in the center.

Seal th ends and make it into a ball again, and then roll out.

Cook on a girdle with some oil and serve hot.

If you dislike the smell of raw cauliflower, you can cook the mixture in a pan till the raw smell disappears and then continue with the recipe.

Kodi vepudu - Chicken Fry

This post is dedicated to my mom's chicken curry. Although everybody in my family made it the same way, I loved my mom's version over all the others. The difference probably was in the masala that she made. I like many of the store bought brands, but I have to say the home made masala beats them all. Its is really simple, and the result is a finger licking kodi vepudu.

Masala:

Coriander seeds: 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Black Peppercorns - 1 tsp

Cardamom pods - 1 tbsp

Cinnamom pieces - 1 tbsp

Cloves - 1 tbsp

Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp

Curry:

Onions - 2 (Medium)

Green chilis - 2

Tomatoes - 3 (Small)

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Chicken - 3 lbs (Leg meat)

Coconut powder - 1 tbsp

Red chili powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Salt - To Taste

Ground Masala - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp

Cumin - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - a few

Cilantro - For Garnish

Method:

Wash and cut the chicken and marinate it with some of the red chili powder, turmeric, salt, Ginger Garlic paste. 

Dry fry all the masalas till fragrant and they start to get dark. Coll and grind.

Dice the onions, green chilis and tomatoes really small.

In a pan, add oil and cumin seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the curry leaves, onion and green chilis.

Fry till the onions start turning golden brown. Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry till fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and fry till they are softened.

Now add the chicken and mix well.

Fry till the chicken loses its pink color. Add the rest of the chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, coconut powder and the ground masala. Fry till the chicken is cooked the oil starts to seperate.

Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Spiderman Cake

I made this cake for my son's 4th B'day. It so happens that he's never had his birthday party on his actual birthday which fell on a weekday every year. He is a huge Spider-man fan. Which 4 yr old kid isn't :)  I baked this cake at 12 in the night, so he would not see it. I still remember the delight on his face, when he found out his mommy had made it for him.

I used a box cake mix for this, and a whipped vanilla icing.
I got food colors, and mixed them in with the icing.

This is how I decorated the cake:

Bake the cake in a round pan and let it cool.
Carve the bottom portion of the cake to resemble an oval face.
Now, cover the cake with the red colored icing. I did not have piping bags, so I used ziploc bags.
Use the blue colored icing to outline the mask, and fill the eyes with the white icing.

This cake was super easy to make. Next time, I plan to try a super mario cake. That being his current muse :)