Honey Mustard Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken

A while ago, we received a festive hamper that contained a large bottle of organic honey and some delicious looking mustard.  It remained in my kitchen cupboard, waiting for me to get inspired to use it in my culinary endeavours.  Well, last week was the auspicious day and I finally used the honey and the mustard extravagantly to create a memorable baked dish.

900gms skinless chicken, jointed, washed and drained; 1/4 cup prepared mustard; 1/4 cup honey; 2 tbsp curds; salt and pepper to taste; 2 cloves garlic, minced; a few basil leaves- I used Italian basil which grows in my garden, chopped; salt to taste; 1 tbsp olive oil.

Garnish: More Basil Leaves according to taste.

Whisk the honey, mustard, curds, olive oil,  salt and pepper to a smooth consistency.  Stir in the garlic and chopped basil leaves.  Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the mixture over the chicken.  Make sure all the pieces are covered.  Cover and keep aside for 20 minutes.  Bake in preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 45 minutes to 1 hour until chicken is cooked and juices run clear.  Garnish with the basil leaves.  Rest for 10 minutes. Serve with a salad for lunch or dinner. 

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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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Apple Rose Cake

                                                               Apple Rose Cake 

I love baking cakes and especially cakes that have a creative twist to them.  Today baking is an art and the internet is full of fantastic recipes and cakes that are works of art.  Some are simple, some very intricate and there are enough and more recipes to choose from.  I particularly like to browse through Pinterest and save them to my various boards.  This is a combination of a couple of cakes  I enjoyed baking and giving as a gift to various people. 

The Recipe:

2/3 cup brown sugar; 1 2/3 cup white caster sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon powder; 1 cup butter; 4 medium eggs; 3 tsp vanilla essence; 3 cups flour; 3 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 cup milk; 2 apples- Wash and cut the apple into quarters.   Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half  as thin as you can. Keep in 1 cup water with 1/4 tsp salt for 5 minutes to prevent the slices from going brown.  Drain and  use as required.

2 x 9 inch round pans, greased and lined

Makes 2 Cakes

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Keep aside till required.

Beat caster sugar and butter at room temperature till creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time and then beat in the vanilla essence.  Add the sieved flour and baking powder to the batter 1/2 cup at a time, gently stirring to incorporate the mixture.   Divide the batter into two portions.

1. For The Apple Rose Cake: Cake Number One

Pour half the batter of portion number 1 into one of the greased and lined pans.  Arrange slices from half an apple on the batter, gently pressing to position the slices.  Sprinkle 1/4 of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the sliced apples.  Pour the remaining half of the batter from portion number one over the apples and  cinnamon mixture and layer with slices and sprinkle with 1/4 of the cinnamon.   Bake in pre heated oven at 175 Degrees Celcius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted in cake comes out clean.  Cool completely and arrange the roses and leaves on the cake attaching them with honey or icing to stay firmly in place.

How To Make The Roses:  See the video on how to make the roses.  It's pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgetvGCoEFQ&list=FL6DSUpL_0eJvs5jBwg33_Kw

 For Roses:  1 red apple; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp water.

Wash and cut the apple.  Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half very thin.  Place in a small saucepan with the sugar, honey and water.  Bring to the boil and simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the slices are soft.  Take out the slices and cool on a plate.

For the Pastry:  1 cup plain flour, sifted; 1/2 stick butter- 55 gms approx; 3 tbsp cooked apple water.

Knead the sifted flour, apple water and cut butter until smooth.  Shape into a ball and cut into two pieces.  Roll out each piece into a rectangle.  Cut into strips 1 inch in width and 8-10 inches in length.  Take a strip and place 5 to 6 cooked apple slices on it overlapping each other.  Roll from one end to another into a rose.  Repeat with all the strips until the cooked apple slices are used up.  Make a few leaves too.    Place the roses  in  cup cake cases.  Arrange leaves on baking paper  and bake  both together in a preheated oven at  175 Celcius for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and glaze with honey using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.   Arrange on Apple Rose Cake when cool.

2.  For The Apple Cake:  Cake Number Two

To see how to arrange the sliced apple go to  

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/294422894367566766/

Pour all  the batter of portion number 2 into one of the greased and lined pans.   Sprinkle 1/4 of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the batter.  Arrange slices from remaining apple all around  the batter, gently pressing to position the slices to look like a rose.     Sprinkle remaining cinnamon mixture over the top and gently tap the pan to release any air bubble in the mixture.   Bake in pre heated oven at 175 Degrees Celcius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted in cake comes out clean.

Serve both cakes warm or at room temperature with Vanilla Ice cream for an unforgettable experience.

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Stuffed To The Gills

Stuffed Capsicum

This is a lovely recipe that can be made with left over mince.  While growing up, we had mince on more than one occasion and it remains one of my favourite foods today.  The aroma of mince being cooked is enough to send me into a frenzy and coupled with capsicum, this is literally to die for.  Those who have eaten it will vouch for it.  So add it to your list of Absolute Must Recipes To Try!

The Recipe:

2 green or yellow capsicums.  I used one of each.  Wash the capsicums and slice off 1/4 from the top.    Reserve the tops to cover the stuffed capsicum.  Gently de seed with a sharp knife retaining the shape of the capsicums.

Mince:

1/2 kg mince; 2 onions, chopped; 2 spring onions, chopped; 3 flakes, garlic, minced; 1 inch ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced;  few coriander leaves, chopped; salt to taste; 2 tbsp oil for frying; a handful of green peas; 2 slices stale bread, crumbled.

Wash and drain mince.  Heat oil and add chopped onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, corriander leaves and minced chillies.  Stir fry on medium heat until onions are golden browm.  Add the mince and fry till brown.  Add peas and 1/4 cup water and cover and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste and the crumbled bread.  The bread will soak up all the liquid.  Cool.  Keep aside while you make the white sauce

White Sauce

 White Sauce:  1 whole egg; 1/2  cup chicken stock; 1/2 cup milk; salt & white pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste; 1 dsp flour; 1 small onion minced.

      Heat oil in non stick pan.  Fry the minced onions until glazed and transparent.  Add flour and stir fry for a minute till crisp.  Lower flame and slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring all the while to avoid lumps.  Next add the milk and keep stirring until thick and creamy.  Add the whole egg and gently mix.  Season with salt & white pepper.  Pour the sauce into a pyrex dish.  

a    Take a few spoonfuls of the mince and stuff it into the hollowed capsicum, to the brim.  Top with the sliced off lid.  Repeat with second capsicum.  Place capsicums in the dish on the white sauce and sprinkle remaining mince around it.  Bake at 200 Celcius in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until done.  Serve hot with crusty bread.

Grilled Masala Fish

Fishy Flavours

There's nothing easier than Grilled Fish.  All you need is one large fish enough to serve two or three persons.  Get your fishermonger to scale and gut it.  Then it's all yours.  Recently I won an electric grill, so decided to make one of our usual fish recipes.  The grill won a standing ovation and we now know what to do when surprise guests turn up.

The Recipe:

1 medium pomfret, scaled & gutted, keep whole with fins and tail.

For Marinade:  2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice; salt to taste; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tbsp chilli powder.  Mix to a liquidy paste.

Wash fish thoroughly with water, salt and turmeric.  Drain on kitchen towels.  Marinade ( in refrigerator) in the above mixture overnight.  Next day bring to room temperature.  Plug in the grill and adjust settings to 240 Centigrade.  Place a banana leaf on the grill with a little oil on it.  Place the fish on preheated grill (until desired temperature is reached) and grill 5 minutes each side.  Serve hot with lemon wedges.  The aroma wafting on the air is bound to bring the household into the kitchen, awaiting the moment to attack.

Christmas Pie

 Effortless Christmas Pie

I have been having a blast this season baking and cooking to my hearts content.  I have tried out new recipes and baked a variety of cakes to give away to friends and also sent a couple to Bangalore in my daughter's suitcase.  And another went to Germany with a friend's niece.  Some time ago I came across this pie recipe which which seemed very easy.  Somehow I have never had the confidence to make pies.  This recipe instructed the reader to just throw everything in a blender and dump it into a dish and bake it.  That's about all I did  (except that I played around with the ingredients)and the result- a golden yellow, astonishing concoction with the bottom like a pudding, the centre like a cake in texture and a crusty, chewy  top.  The fragrance made my house smell like Christmas and when I scraped the dish, I wish I had made more of this Effortless Christmas Pie.

The Recipe:

1/4 cup flour; 2 large eggs; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 1/2 cup coconut milk powder; 1/2 cup desiccated coconut; 1/4 cup almond meal; 60 gm salted butter at room temperature; 1/2 cup caster sugar; 1 cup low fat milk; 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg.

Blend all the above ingredients together except the nutmeg till well mixed.  The mixture will be a pouring consistency.  Pour into greased and floured pyrex dish.  Sprinkle the grated nutmeg on top and bake in pre heated oven at 180 degrees centigrade for exactly 45 minutes.  Skewer inserted in centre should come out clean.  Serve piping hot with icecream or custard.  It's also scrumptious on its own.

Indian Christmas Pudding

Princess Pudding Recipe From Jayanthi Pichamuthu

Christmas is the time for celebrating the birth of a baby boy 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.  It is a time for bonding with family and friends, exchanging gifts, goodwill and fellowship with all.  As always in India any and every festival is an occasion for pound parties, pot luck, get togethers, carol singing and enjoying food together.  Every household will be in a flutter planning for various events and using the choicest of ingredients.  We make vast quantities of goodies like fruit cake, kal kals, ladoos, diamond cuts, macaroons, chakkulis, mixture, savoury nuts and what not to be distributed to family, friends and neighbours.  Dinners are spectacular with every expert cook serving the best.  This is a phenomenal recipe that I got from my niece.  It is so simple, yet extravagant and the best part is that it can be made effortlessly in vast quantities for the perfect Christmas get together.  Surpass yourself with this unexpected Indian Christmas Pudding.

The Recipe:

1 1/2 litres full cream milk; 6 slices white bread, crusts removed- blend into fine breadcrumbs; 250 ml tin of condensed milk or to taste ;  100 ml thick cream; 1/2 cup almond meal; a few drops rose essence- optional.

Boil milk on medium flame till thick.  This takes about 10 minutes.  Lower flame and add the bread and condensed milk, stirring constantly..  When it is thickened enough (about 5 minutes) stir in the almonds gently and ensure there are no lumps.  Finally stir in the cream and the essence.  Remove from flame and cool.  Refrigerate overnight.  Serve chilled garnished with (or without) raisins, nuts or anything you fancy.  This is a rich and creamy dessert that you can serve as thick or as thin as you like.

NB:  I used low fat milk. 

Mushroom Magic

Mushroom Masala

Going through my recipe book, I came across this long forgotten recipe that is a quick and delicious one to make.  Simple, and tasty, it could be polished off by one person in a sitting.

The Recipe:

1/2 kg button mushrooms; 2 spring onions, minced; 1 tbsp curry powder (I make my own); salt to taste; 1 tbsp oil.

Soak mushrooms in salted water for 15 minutes.  Drain.  Heat a nonstick pan and add the oil.  When hot, lower flame and add the curry powder and salt.  After 30 seconds add the mushrooms and spring onions.  Increase the heat and cook on high flame for 5 minutes till dry and the mushrooms are cooked.  Serve hot as a snack.  I like to eat this while watching a movie at home.

Two In One

Falooda Trifle Pudding

My sweet tooth has been very active these past few weeks.  What with friends and others presenting us with delectable home made goodies and other popular sweetmeats of the season, I have been spoilt for choice.  In the midst of all that, Ranita made her usual coffee brownies, so decided to explore unknown territory and combine two of my favourite desserts- Falooda, a popular Indian Dessert and Trifle,  a  family favourite.  The result- extraordinary (even if I say so myself).  But then, you have to make it and taste it for yourself.

The Recipe:

For The Trifle: 1 slice cake or brownies of any kind; 2 tbsp nuts per person; 1/2 an apple, cubed; 1 scoop ice cream per person (optional); a few red icing hearts for decoration.

For The Coffee Brownies:  250 gms salted butter; 250 gms dark chocolate, chopped; 3 tbsp nescafe (instant coffee) dissolved in 1/8 cup of hot water; 1 cup brown sugar; 4 eggs lightly beaten; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 1 cup self raising flour; 2/3 cup chopped nuts.

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and line a 12" by 6 inch rectangular baking tray.

Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Add coffee and sugar and stir until sugar has almost dissolved. Remove from heat and keep aside. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Fold in the flour and nuts. Bake for 25 minutes or until skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in tin and cut into  squares. 

For the Falooda :  2 tbsp angel hair pasta; 1 cup cold milk; 2 tsp rose water; 1/4 cup red jelly (follow instructions on packet and reserve left over for the family to eat); 1 tsp sabza (basil seeds); 2 tbsp MTR Badam Mix;

Boil the pasta is a large pan of water for 15 minutes until done. Drain under running water and keep aside. Clean and soak the sabza in 500 ml water for half an hour. Drain just before use in a strainer. Mix the milk, MTR Badam Mix and rose water together. Chill in refrigerator.

To Assemble:  I decided to make individual Falooda Trifle Puddings for everyone.

Take a pretty glass and place the coffee brownie at the bottom.  Press firmly into place.  Scatter the nuts on top evenly, followed by the apple.   Then pour the falooda over the layers.  Decorate with the red hearts.  Set in the fridge and serve really cold with a scoop of your favourite ice cream.

Leftover Pie

Five Star Pie

It's fascinating to see what one could make from leftovers languishing in the refrigerator.  I had some pasta,  mince, mint rice (rice cooked with 1 sliced onion and a bunch of mint leaves) and a piece of dry cheese.  Oh and some chicken soup too.  Put them together in layers, pour the soup over and you have a gorgeous  Five Star Pie.

The Recipe:

For The Mince: http://www.fromthefryingpan.blogspot.com/2013/07/family-trade-mark.html

2 cups leftover pasta- whatever you have will do.  I used spaghetti; 1 cup mince; 1 cup chicken soup; 1/2 cup of Mint Rice;  50 gms of dry cheese, sliced thin; salt and pepper to taste.  Baby tomatoes for garnishing.

Oil the pie dish and arrange ingredients in layers starting with the spaghetti, then the mint rice, followed by the mince.  Pour the soup all over the mince and let it seep down on to the spaghetti.  Arrange the cheese on top and bake in a preheated oven at 150 Degrees Centigrade or till cheese is brown and bubbly.  Garnish with baby tomatoes and serve hot.  Watch your favourite TV programme as you tuck into this delicious Five Star Pie.

Black Forest Shake

Black Forest Shake

It feels wonderful to get up in the morning everyday and look forward to my Black Forest Breakfast Shake.  I have been on it for 8 years now and love it.  Tastes so good and I could rhapsodize on it for hours and hours.  Mix and match, play around with it, enjoyed by all who taste it, I am addicted for life to this low calorie Chocolicious Shake!

The Recipe:

250 ml low fat milk; 4 large scoops Herbalife F1 Dutch Chocolate Flavour; 1 tsp chocolate sprinkles; a few black cherries, stoned;  a dollop of low fat cream.

Blend the Dutch Chocolate and milk together.  Pour into a tall glass.  Garnish with black cherries, chocolate sprinkles and a dollop of low fat cream.  Absolutely Chocolicious!

Grilled Jeera Chicken

Grilled  Chicken On A Bed Of Rice

Grilled Chicken is an easy recipe for a lazy weekend or party.  All you have to do is prepare the chicken and marinade it overnight and let the magic work itself into the pieces.  This is  delicious and one that will charm its way into your guests hearts forever.

The Recipe:

1 medium sized chicken, skinned and cut into medium pieces;  1 inch ginger, crushed; salt to taste; 3 tbsp vinegar; 1 tbsp jeera powder; 2 tbsp oil.

Mix all the ingredients together and keep overnight in the refrigerator.  Next day, set oven for grill setting and grill at highest option for 5 minutes each side.  Serve hot as a starter or on a bed of ginger rice or garlic buttered rice with a curds salad.  

Nothing But Breadfruit

BreadfruitLast week while shopping for vegetables, I was very excited to see a large, green vegetable that looked very familiar.  It turned out to be one of our favourite childhood vegetables - breadfruit -  and so we bought it. The vendor had no clue as to what it was and was quite pleased when we told him the Kannada name for it.  Bread fruit is a smaller cousin to the jack fruit, usually eaten as a vegetable and can be used as a replacement for potato, in curries, cakes and dough nuts and also as a substitute for flour.  However we like it fried or dipped in batter and fried.  A delicious snack for all ages at any time.

The Recipe:     

1 breadfruit; oil for frying

For Batter :        1 cup water; 1/4 cup gram flour; salt to taste; chilli powder to taste; 1 tsp rice flour; 1 tsp cornflour; 1/2 tsp baking powder.  Mix all ingredients to a smooth liquidy batter. 

Cut the breadfruit in half, quarter it and remove the pith in the middle .  Slice into large pieces and soak in salt water for 5 minutes.  

1.  Drain thoroughly and deep fry half of the slices to a golden brown.  Serve hot with sauce  or as it is.

2.  Dip the remaining breadfruit slices in the  batter and deep fry in hot oil  till crisp and brown.  Serve hot with sauce or just as it is.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

New Year's Chicken

Ma's Roast Chicken

Christmas and New Year are an occasion to join with family and close friends and eat comfort food. One of my favourite recipes is Ma’s Roast Chicken which we would beg her to make time and again. Invariably our Christmas or New Year Menu would include this and over the years it has become a firm favourite with my family too. However this year I included sweet potatoes along with the vegetables and it was a roaring hit. Happy 2013 and let’s drink to this year being a prosperous, happy and healthy one.

The Recipe:

1 medium chicken (1.5 kg), skinless and jointed, wash and drain; 1 cup mixed vegetables like carrots, French beans, cabbage boiled; 1 tbsp minced ginger garlic; few coriander leaves, chopped; 3 medium onions, sliced fine; 1 corn on the cob, cut into three pieces; salt and 2 tbsp olive oil for cooking.
3 sweet potatoes, skinned, washed and pressure cooked for two minutes. Mash and keep aside for serving.
Heat olive oil in large pan. Stir fry onions till transparent on medium heat. Add ginger garlic and fry till fragrant. Add the chicken and cook till meat is seared all over. Transfer to pressure cooker , add ½ cup water, corn and salt and cook for two minutes after the whistle. Cool and serve with sesame seed sliced bread, mixed vegetables and mashed sweet potato. A veritable feast and a good way to start the New Year. To Life, to life!  Prosperity, Peace And Good Health.