Baked Chicken and Saffron Rice with Crispy Potatoes

Have to admit, this is a very pretty looking dish. Isn't it?

The chicken can be replaced with Tofu or Panner. Even Cauliflower will be a good substitute.

This recipe is an adaptation from the Chicken Kebobs and Saffron Rice that is so popular in any Mediterranean/Lebanese restaurants.

I used Indian style seasoning to marinate the Chicken, but feel free to use anything you like.

Ingredients:
Marinade for Chicken:
Yogurt/Curd - 1 cup
Tandoori/Chicken Masala/Chicken Tikka Seasoning - 2 Tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 1 Tbsp

Chicken thigh meat - Boneless and Skinless - 2 Lbs
Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
Saffron - 1 pinch
Potatoes - 2 big ones
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Salt to season the boiling water
Cilantro - For garnish

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Clean and cut the chicken into slightly bigger pieces.
Add the chicken to the marinade and let it hang in there for a long as you can in the refrigerator.
A minimum of 6 hours is advisable. (Taste the marinade and adjust seasoning).

Pre-heat the over to 450F and place on a grill rack on top of a baking dish, so the juices can drip down and the chicken will not get soggy. This is a good tip to have crispy chicken and keep it moist at the same time. Bake the chicken, turning it once half way through. 25 to 30 min.
Check for doneness and remove.

Wash and soak the rice for a half hour. Peel and slice the Potatoes into thin round disks. Heat a large pan with water and when the water starts to boil, add salt to the water. The water should be salty like the ocean. Add the rice and cook till it is almost done. (85%).

Add the saffron to some water and let is soak.
In a large pan, season with some oil and lay the potato slices in a single layer. Top with the rice. Remove 1/2 cup of rice and mix with the saffron water. Top this over the rice in the pan. Cover and cook on medium high flame for 5 min and then reduce and cook for 5 more.

Open the lid and layer the outside edges with the grilled chicken and top with cilantro.
Serve with a simple salad of Cucumbers and Tomatoes.

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

This is a slightly upgraded version of the Tomato soup that I had posted earlier in the blog.
Roasting the tomatoes brings out a deep and rich flavor that makes this soup delectable.

If you are short on time, you can use the canned San Marzano roasted tomatoes and those will work just as wonderfully as roasting them in the oven yourself.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 3 large ones
Red bell pepper - 1 large
White/Yellow Onion - 1
Milk - 1/2 cup
Garlic Cloves - 1 bulb
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Paprika - a big pinch
Greek Yogurt - 3 Tbsp

Pre-heat the oven to 450F or higher if possible. Rub the bell pepper with some oil and place it on a foil lined baking tray. Broil of possible. Bake for 15 to 20 min until the outer skin is completely charred and black. Remove the pepper and place in an air tight container.
In another tray, add roughly chopped tomatoes, onion and peeled whole garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil and bake in the oven for 20 min.
Remove the cooled pepper and peel the outer charred skin. Roughly chop and add the pepper along with the other baked veggies to the blender. Cool and grind.

Add to a pan and bring to a simmer. Once it starts simmering, add the milk and the seasonings.
Simmer for a few minutes and serve hot, topped with some beaten greek yogurt.

Tastes best when served with some crusty bread. Garlic bread would take it up a notch.

Dates and Almond cake

This is my first attempt at baking a cake from scratch. It is a very simple recipe, and quite tasty. One does not miss the eggs or the butter in this cake. I made this cake twice in a week, and it was a winner. My mom got me Lion dates syrup from India, and I used this in place of sugar in this recipe. This cake does not require any icing on it, however I glazed the cake with some orange flavored glaze. I adapted this cake from several dates cake recipes I found on other blogs.

Dates - 15
Milk - 3/4 cup
Date syrup - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Flour - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/2 cup
Almonds - 1/4 cup

For Glaze: (Optional)
Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup
Orange juice - 2 tbsp

Heat the milk and dates in the microwave for 3 minutes. This will make the dates soft and help with grinding them. I used Lion dates that were pitted and soft. If using dried dates, soak them in milk over night.

Grind the dates with the milk. Add the date syrup and sugar and grind. If you do not find date syrup, substitute it with sugar. Just use 3/4 cup sugar instead of the date syrup + sugar combination. 

Add the oil to this mixture and whisk well. Mix the flour and baking soda and add to the liquid one spoonful at a time. Mix well. When the mixture is well incorporated, grease a cake pan, and pour the batter into the pan.

Chop the almonds, and top the cake with the chopped nuts.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. If the cake is not cooked through, the knife will have some batter on it.

Cool and remove.

Powder some sugar, else use a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Mix the orange juice into the powdered sugar. The glaze should be runny, and you should be able to pour in onto the cake with a spoon. Use more juice if required.

Drizzle the glaze onto the cake with a spoon. Cool and serve.

 

Chicken Kebobs

Chicken Skewers:
Chicken Breast meat - Cubed
Green bell peppers, Red onion, Red bell pepper, Tomatoes - Cubed
Marinade:
Red chili powder, salt, tandoori masala, lime juice, ginger garlic paste and yogurt.
Bamboo Skewers



Marinate the veggies and the chicken overnight if possible. The chicken gets really flavorful if it marinates for long.
Soak the bamboo skewers in water.
Pierce the meat and veggies alternatively onto the skewers.
Preheat the oven to 425F and cook them for about 1/2 hr, turning them halfway.
Pop them under the broiler for 2 min, to get the charred taste.

Kottu Parotta

This is my favorite dish to order in a restaurant in Chennai. I love the way they break up (kottu) the parathas in the roadside eateries using the iron spatulas. I skipped the egg in this recipe, as I did not have any on hand. Scrambling an egg in the end would make this more authentic. Typically kottu parotta is made with salna, a spicy sauce cooked using chicken or mutton. This can be substituted with a couple table spoons of any chicken or mutton gravy on hand. I am sure that this will taste good even without this.

Parottas - 3
Onion- 1
Green chilis - 4
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Capsicum - 1
Tomato - 1
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Salna or chicken/mutton gravy - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 tbsp

Cook the parathas and tear them to bite sized pieces after they cool down. I used frozen kawan parottas for this.
In a flat bottom pan, heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Add the curry leaves and slit green chilis.
Add the sliced onion and capsicum. Fry till soft and add the tomato and ginger garlic paste. Fry till the tomato is wilted. Add the salt, coriander and cumin powers and soy sauce. Add about a 1/4 cup of water. Cook till the water evaporates and add the gravy. I had left over chicken gravy, and I used that here.
Add the torn parotta pieces, mix well and check for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with raita.

Onion Vada/ Garelu

This recipe is for the Andhra version of the Vada, called Garelu. They are thin and crispy, and are made with onions, chilis, cilantro and other ingredients. The Tamil Nadu version of the vada is thicker and denser, with out the additional ingredients. It's usually served along with other breakfast items like idli or pongal.

Urad daal - 1 cup

Onions - 2

Green chilis - 4

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Cilantro - a few sprigs

Black peppercorns - 4 to 5

Salt - to taste

Ginger - 1 inch

Oil - to fry 

Soak the urad daal for 4 to 5 hrs. Grind with very little water. The batter should be thick, so as to shape the vadas. If the batter is a bit runny, the vadas will turn out oily. Leave the batter in the refrigerator, until you are ready to make the vadas.

Finely chop all the other ingredients. Add these to the batter just before frying the vadas. The onions will make the batter runny, if left for longer. 

On a plastic sheet, take a golf ball sized dough, and flatten it. Dip your hands in water, to help with the shape. Make a small hole in the center, to ensure that the dough is cooked through.

Heat a pan with oil to fry the vadas. When the oil is heated through, drop the vadas in, 4 or 5 at a time and fry them till golden brown. Drain onto a paper towel.

Serve with peanut or ginger chutney.

Thai panang curry

Chicken/Tofu - 1/2 lb
Broccoli florets - 1 1/2 cups
Red bell pepper - 1
Onion - 1
Jalapenos - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Portabella Mushrooms - 1 1/2 cups
Baby corn - 1 cup
Panang curry paste - 2 to 3 tbsp (I used store bought)
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Mint and coriander leaves - 1 cup

Cube the vegetables (onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, mushrooms, baby corn) and the chicken/Tofu. Thinly slice the jalapenos and ginger. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, add the chicken/tofu and fry till golden brown on all sides. Season with salt and black pepper during this process. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add some more oil and fry the onions, jalapenos, ginger, bell pepper, mushrooms and baby corn. When the vegetables are half done, add the broccoli and the tomatoes. Cook for a couple minutes, and add the chicken. Add the soy sauce, panang curry paste, salt, coconut milk and 1 cup water. Close lid and simmer till it reaches a slightly thick consistency. Add the chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with rice.

Note: Use any Thai curry paste instead of the panang curry. The same recipe will work to make any of the Red, Green or Yellow Thai curries.