Classique Moroccan Chicken

Chicken With Cous Cous

Chicken with cous cous tastes much better than it sounds.  I was quite curious as to how it would taste and to my surprise it was really good- feedback received from daughter number two.  I googled cous cous and found out it was similar to rawa or soji  so used that instead.  This is a baked dish, quite dry , low in calories and goes well with chappathis or bread of any kind.  For those who like it watery add more soup. 

The Recipe:

1 kg chicken jointed, washed and drained; 1/2 cup coarse  rawa ( soji) ; 1 cup hot water; 1 chicken soup cube; 1 large onion, chopped; 5 garlic cloves, minced; 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp coriander powder; 1 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin) powder; 6 dates, pitted and chopped fine;  1/4 cup almond flakes; 1 stick cinnamon; 1 tbsp honey; 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder; salt and pepper to taste;  stir fried vegetables of your choice to serve.

Dissolve the  soup cube in the hot water and pour over the soji or rawa.  Cover and keep aside for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and add 1 tbsp oil and keep aside till required.  
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a nonstick pan and stir fry onions and garlic till golden brown.  Stir in the coriander and cumin powder, dates and almonds and cook for two to three minutes or till soft.  Stir in the rawa mixture and add the chicken pieces and cinnamon stick to it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.   Mix together until all the chicken pieces are coated and transfer to a large baking dish.  
Whisk the honey, ground cinnamon, a dash of salt and pepper, remaining cumin powder and olive oil and pour over chicken.  Bake in a preheated oven at 200 C or 400 F for 40 to 45 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with a metal skewer.  Remove from oven, keep covered for 10 minutes and serve with vegeables of your choice.

To Attend My Low Calorie Cooking Class CLICK HERE 

 

 

Arabic Rice

Arabic Rice

I loved this rice from the minute I ate it a few years ago in Bangalore and made up my mind to get the recipe by hook or by crook.  I can't tell you how many recipes I've tried from www.google.com and how often we ate the many versions of  Arabic Rice.  To cut a long story short, I was going through my list of recipes last month and decided to google the internet once more and I found what I had been searching for.  Here it is, modified by me.  I cooked and froze about 6 boxes for the family to use while I am travelling or too lazy to cook.

The Recipe:

1 kg skinless chicken, jointed, washed and drained; 250 gms Low G. I. brown  Basmathi rice, washed and drained; 1 large tomato, quartered; a fe carrots; 6 cloves garlic, crushed;  1 lemon juiced; rind of 1 lemon; 1 tsp pepper to taste; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 stick cinnamon; 3 cloves; 3 cardamoms; 1large onion sliced; 500 ml water. 3 boiled eggs for garnish, halved.

Mix the spices, garlic, lemon juice, rind, pepper powder and olive oil in a bowl.  Marinade the chicken in half of this mixture for 30 minutes.  Next, boil the chicken and carrots in 500 ml water and simmer for 5 minutes.  Take the chicken and carrots out and keep warm.  Measure 500 ml stock to cook the rice and keep the remaining aside.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non stick pan and stir fry half the onions till glazed.  Add the rice and gently stir fry till coated with oil.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in another non stick pan and  fry the remaining onions till golden brown.  Add the remaining lemon and olive oil mixture and stir fry for 2 minutes.  Add to the rice and mix well.  Transfer to rice cooker and add the 500 ml stock.  Cook till done.  Transfer to large pyrex dish and layer the chicken and rice.  Pour the remaining stock over and bake for 15 minutes at 200 C or 400 F till the chicken on top is brown.  Garnish with carrots and boiled eggs and serve with a mint and cucumber yoghurt.  This is one dish I could eat everyday.  Mmmm...

To Attend My Low Calorie Cooking Class CLICK HERE

Baked Seer Fish With Gravy

Baked Seer Fish With Gravy

This is a wonderful recipe to serve at parties and to make an impression.  It is not only a visual treat and  a gastronomical delight- it is easy to prepare.  Just get everything ready the night before and throw it in the oven the next day.  Multi task and get everything done together.

The Recipe:

1 small seerfish ( about 900 gms), gutted, washed and drained. Slash the fish on both sides to enable the marinade to go in.

Masala Paste:1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 1 dsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp jeera powder; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp chilli powder or more to taste; 2 tbsp vinegar.
  Mix all the ingredients together into a thick paste.

3 large potatoes, parboiled and sliced thickly.

Rub the masala paste inside and all over the fish and potatoes.
Marinade the fish and par boiled potatoes in the masala paste  overnight.  Next day bring to room temperature and bake fish and potatoes in a pre heated oven at 200 C or 400 F for 20 minutes each side.  Test with a metal skewer for doneness.  Rest for 10 minutes, garnish with greens and tomatoes and serve hot with boiled rice or any bread. 

To Attend My Low Calorie Cooking Class CLICK HERE

https://plateculture.com/where-to-eat/optimummm-indian-cooking-workshop

Multi Grain Garlic Bread

The other day I walked into a supermarket and the smell of freshly baked bread lured me to the bread section.  I succumbed to a crusty, brown, delicious looking multi grain bread and brought it home to make garlic bread.  I came across this recipe on Facebook ( RECIPE30. com ) and decided to try it out.  The result- another soon to become family favourite and oh so easy to make.

The Recipe:

1 long loaf of multi grain bread; 1 small bunch of parsley, washed and wiped dry; 1/4 cup olive oil; 5 large flakes garlic; some cheese for garnishing; salt to taste.

Grind the parsley, olive oil, garlic and  salt to taste.  Slice the loaf in half lengthwise and then cut each in half.  Spread liberally with the parsley mixture.  Then, join the halves together, wrap in foil and bake in a preheated oven at 200 C or 400 F for 10 minutes.  Remove, open out , sprinkle with cheese and bake again  without foil for 10 minutes at the same temperature.  Enjoy as a snack or serve with pasta or salad.

NB:  I sprinkled the cheese and serve it immediately as the heat is enough to melt it.

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Guilt Free Basil Vanilla Silk

My sister Anu has been cooking up a storm this week and made a delectable Qatari Hissu Drink which she shared on her Facebook Page called "FoodPrints."  We all loved it and this is my version of the ever popular sweet basil drink which is good for the respiratory and digestive system.

To Attend My Low Calorie, Healthy Cooking Class CLICK HERE