Lemon Rice and Pepper Chicken

Lemon Rice and Pepper Chicken (Microwave Cooking)



Thanks to Tesnima, I have one more recipe that is quick and easy and can be done in 30 minutes.

Lemon Rice


Ingredients

1. Rice – 1 cup
2. Ghee – 1 plus 1 tbspn
3. Mustard – ½ tspn
4. Green Chilly – 3 nos
5. Curry leaves – handful
6. Lemon juice – 2 tbspn
7. Coconut scraped – 2 tbspn
8. Water – 2 cups
9. Peanuts – 2 tbspns



Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. Take a microwavable bowl and place the rice, water and 1 tbspn of ghee. Add enough salt and microwave for 13 minutes while covered.

You can fry the rest of the ingredients (mustard, curry leaves, green chilies, peanuts) in ghee either in the microwave or as normal and add to the rice along with the lemon juice and coconut.

Enjoy!




Pepper Chicken


Ingredients

1     1. Chicken – 800 gm

2     2.  Onions – 1 medium

3     3. Ginger – an inch

4     4. Garlic – 6 cloves

5     5. Green Chilly – 3 nos

6     6. Pepper – 1 tbspn

7     7. Soya sauce – 2 ½ tbspn

8     8. Tomato Sauce – 1 tbspn

9     9. Vinegar – 2 tbspn

       10. Coriander leaves – handful

       11. Oil – 2 tbspn

1     12. Cornflower – 1 ½ tbspn

Wash and drain the chicken well. Add sliced onion, ginger and garlic along with the oil to the chicken. Microwave covered under high heat for 3 minutes. Remove and add the rest of the ingredients and again microwave covered at high for another 3 minutes. Remove and add the cornflower mixed in ¼ cup water. Microwave uncovered at high for 3 more minutes.

Pepper chicken is ready..

Brinjal Pachadi

Realized that I am yet to post one of my favourite pachadi recipe which my mother used to prepare. I now make this frequently and it is very tasty.

Brinjal Pachadi

Ingredients

1.Brinjal sliced in circles - 1 or 2 depending on the size (immerse the sliced brinjals in water and wash well)

For the marinade 

1. Chilly powder - 2 tspn
2. Pepper powder - 1/2 tspn
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
4. Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tspn
4- Salt as per taste

Adjust the above according to the amount of brinjal. Shallow fry the brinjal until well browned.

To prepare the curd

1- Onion - 1 number
2. Green Chilly - 1 or 2 depending on your taste
3. Ginger  a good size

Chop the above and mix into the curd with enough salt. Now add the fried brinjal and mix well.

The pachadi is ready.

Szechuan Chicken - Microwave

Szechuan Chicken

Since the jury is still out on microwave cooking thought I shall try this recipe that I found in the Youtube channel. It is so easy and it turned out tasty too. Thank you Thesnim!

Ingredients


1. Chicken – ½ kg
2. Chilly powder – 1 ½ tspn
3. Garlic crushed – 1 tbspn
4. Dry whole chilly – 10 nos.
5. Sugar – 1 tspn
6. Garlic chopped – 10 cloves
7. Tomato ketchup – 5 tbspn
8. Soya sauce – 2 tbspn
9. Chilly sauce – 2 tbspn
10. Vinegar – 1 tbspn
11. Salt

Method

Mix the above listed items well. Cover the dish and microwave in high power for 8 minutes.

Mix 2 tablespoon of  cornflour in ½ cup of water. Add this into the chicken. Microwave uncovered for 3 minutes  or until the gravy thickens.

Enjoy!

Loaded Fries

First had these loaded fries from KFC and recently from another restaurant which named it Commando Fries which had caramelized onion as topping. It was too good and enough to forget all the calories that you gobble up when you are supposed to be dieting. What is a diet without an occasional indulgence?

Loaded /Commando Fries

Ingredients

1. French fries or potato fried - 1 -2 cups
2. Salad dressing - 1/2 cup (Thousand Island or Caesars dressing)
3. Melted cheddar cheese - 1 cup
4. Onions - 2 fried in butter
5. Pickled Jalapeno - a few (optional)

Method

Lay the fried potatoes on a plate. I used my Air Fryer to fry them which reduced the oil. To fry the onions I mixed two teaspoon of oil with the onions and microwaved it for 8 minutes. Do remember to pause and stir the onions half way through.

Spread the fried onions on top. Drizzle the salad dressing and finally top it with melted cheddar cheese. You can also add the pickled jalapeno for an extra zest.

Enjoy!

Chicken Mini Pies

Chicken Mini Pies

Pie Crust

Ingredients

1- All-purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups
2- Unsalted butter, cold - ½ cup 
3- Salt - ½ tspn
4- Ice water - 3 to 5 tbspn

Method

Combine flour and salt in a food processor or by hand. Cut butter into ½ inch pieces, add to flour mixture, and pulse until mixture forms a coarse meal. Add ice water a little at a time, pulsing or kneading until dough begins to hold together. Set aside in the fridge. 

When ready to make pies, make small balls and flatten with a rolling pin. Cut them into equal shapes.

Filling

1. Small rounded pie crust - 6 pieces
2. Cooked chicken, cut in small pieces - 2 cups 
3. Butter - 2 tbspn
4. Milk or cream - 1/2 cup
5. Corn flour - 2 tbspn
6. Onion diced - one small
7. Cubed vegetable mix ( used carrot,beans and peas) - 1 cup
8. Seasonings - a pinch each (I used pepper, Oregano and Rosemary)
9. Salt - to taste

To make pie

Boil chicken with pepper and salt. Saute the onions and add cornfour. Saute and add the vegetables and seasonings along with the cream. Cover and boil along with the cooked chicken until the sauce thickens. Use a  muffin tray or individual cups and line one set of pastry. Fill it with the sauce and cover it with the second set pf pastry. Do an egg wash if you are using eggs. Bake at 230 degrees for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tomato Rice

Another recipe to save.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients

1. Rice - 3/4 to 1 cup
2. Onion thinly sliced - a small one
3. Ginger chopped - 1 tspn
4. Green chilly sliced - 3 nos.
5. Tomato chopped - 3 Nos.
6. Chilly Pdr - 1 tspn
7. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn
8.Garam MAsala - 1/2 tspn
9. Asafoetida - a pinch
10. Curry leaves and coriander leaves - a few
9. Whole urad dal and channa dal - 1 tspn each

Method

Boil rice with enough salt and keep aside. In a pan, take 3 tablespoon of oil (gingelly oil is best) and fry both the dal. Saute onion and green chilly. Add the powders and fry for a few seconds and then add the chopped tomatoes.  Fry until it becomes soft. Add the leaves and the rice. Fry for 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chilly Beef

Found a good recipe for Chilly chicken which I tested and found to be very good. Thought I shall try the same recipe with beef and it turned out good.

Chilly Beef

Ingredients

For marinade

1. Beef (thinly sliced) or chicken (in cubes) - 1/2 Kg
2. Soya Sauce - 2 tblsn
3. Vinegar - 1 tbspn
4. Pepper powder - 1 tspn
5. Chilly powder - 1 tspn
6. Flour - 2 tbpsn
7. Cornflour - 1 tbspn
10 - Egg - 1 (optional)
11- Ginger/garlic paste - 2 tspn



To make sauce

1. Onion thinly sliced - 1 number
2. Ginger and garlic thinly sliced - 2 tbspn
3. Spring onion leaves and Celery leaves - 1 tbspn each (optional)
4. Soya Sauce - 1 tspn
5. Tomato Sauce - 3 tbspn
6. Chilly Sauce - 2 tbspn (optional)
7. Cornfour mixed in water - 1 tbspn
8. Onion cut into cubes - 1
9. Capsicum cut into squares - 1

Method

Marinate the beef/chicken in the mentioned ingredients and leave it in the fridge for minimum one hour.

Fry the beef/chicken in oil and keep aside. In the same oil saute Onion, ginger and garlic. Once well sauted add the fried item and saute well. Add the leaves and the sauce. After frying for a while add the cornflour and water. Finally add the cubed onion and capsicum. Let it cook for a while. Check the water and add more hot water if you need gravy.

Enjoy with butter nan!

Butter Nan

Butter Nan

Finally, I found a recipe which worked for butter nan. It is soft and tasty.

Butter Nan

Ingredients

1. Flour - 2 cups
2. Milk - 1/2 cup (warmed)
3. Yeast - 1/2 to 3/4 tspn (mix in 1/2 cup of warm water with a teaspoon of sugar)
4. Egg - 1 number
5. Curd - 1 tbspn
6. Sugar - 2 tspn

Method

Knead the flour well and leave it aside for minimum 2 hour or more depending upon the room temperature. The dough will feel sticky but that is fine.

Once the dough has risen pat your palms with some flour and divide it into equal balls. Roll it and cook it on a tava. Apply butter on both sides while each side has been cooked.

Enjoy!

Dahi Potato

There are many potato fans and in my household all of them are. Potato in any form and they relish it. Came upon this recipe and found it to be good with chappathi or even rice.

Dahi Potato

Ingredients

1. Potato (baby potatoes are desirable else cubed potatoes) - 1/2 kg
2. Curd - 3/4 cup (not sour)
3. Chilly powder - 1 tspn
4. Dried mango powder - 1 tspn
5. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tspn
6. Chopped onion - 2 medium
7. Sliced green chilly - 2
6. Sliced ginger - a few pieces
8. Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tspn
9. Whole spices - 3 cardamom, 2 cloves, a piece of patta, 2 red chilly, 2 bay leaves, 1 tspn of cumin seeds
10. Fenugreek powder - 1 tspn
11. Coriander leaves - a few

Method

Mix the curd, chilly and mango powder and keep aside.

Shallow fry the potatoes until slightly browned and keep aside. In the same oil, fry the whole spices and then add the chopped onions. Fry until brown and then add the ginger/garlic paste. Fry until the raw smell leaves. Add the mixed curd and keep stirring it until the water evaporates and oil separates. Add some water and cook covered for a while. Add the potatoes along with sliced chilly and ginger and cook until potatoes are done. Sprinkle the fenugreek powder and coriander leaves if you are suing. Finally sprinkle the garam masala and switch off the fire.

Enjoy!