That's A Wrap!

It has been a while since I posted a recipe on the blog, mostly because I've been busy eating, working and helping out with my mom's catering business. However, today I was feeling rather inspired. And I had some store bought rotisserie chicken. And then, my mother got me some water chestnuts. Recipe ideas in over drive!
You need ( 4 servings):
- 1 spicy rotisserie chicken breast. Tikka chunks will also do.
- 4 chapatis or any kind of flat bread (no naan please)
- cucumbers
- olives
- cheese
- boiled, peeled water chestnuts
- your favorite dressing. I used the Mama Sita hot sauce.
Spread out the chapati and spread a table spoon of the sauce down the middle. Next, lay out the chicken and cucumbers side by side. Top it off with chopped cheese, olives and water chestnuts. Wrap it up and you're good to go.
The chapati I used is the one made on an upside down wok/karahi and is thinner than a regular chapati.
The wrap is filling, healthy and really  fun to put together. Kids will love it and you can even sneak in some greens. Try it and let me know how it turned out.
Happy Eating!

Home Alone Chicken

The hardest part of maintaining this blog has got to be coming up with names for each post! The recipe ones are even harder because I have to literally dream up names for my experiments.

So we'll call this one Home Alone Chicken because I came up with it when my mum left my Dad, my sister and I home alone for a few days. Finally, we got tired of ordering in and I decided to play 'mum' and here's what I came up with!

Spot the chicken in this picture

You need:

1/2 chicken pieces 

2 -4 tablespoons of yogurt

Ginger and garlic paste

6-8 green chillis

2 large, firm tomatoes sliced

2 large onions sliced

4 potatoes sliced (round)

Salt

Pepper

Marinate with chicken with yogurt, ginger and garlic paste, salt and a few chopped green chilli for at least an hour.In the mean time, fry the potatoes. On a clean, hot non-stick pan, sear the tomatoes and onions, separately ans set aside. For the chicken, heat about 2 tablespoons of canola oil and add the chicken, marinade and all. Keep stirring till it changes color - cover and let it cook for a slower flame for about 15 minutes or until tender. The chicken when done should have a bit of grav ity from the yogurt marinade, don't let it run completely dry. Lastly, fry off some whole green chilli.

When serving layer the dish in the following order - chicken, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and green chilli. Sprinkle with some black pepper and you're good to go with naan or chapati.

I quite loved my creation but my sister thought it was a bit bland - however, that's because she's quite the wuss and won't bite into fried green chilli!

Peri-Peri Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

Everything a recipe/food detail starts with 'healthy', I try to avoid it - because it probably means food that's been stripped of any flavour or personality. But recently, I have decided to get healthier - make the right eating choices and make habits out of them. I bought myself a kilogram of whole chicken breasts, which Mum sliced into single portions for me - we got about 9 pieces. Mum and I have been experimenting and here's one of mine...

I know what you're thinking - prison food looks better than this! But no really, this looks and tastes MUCH better. Please take my word for it - I just don't know how to take pictures

You need:
1/2 chicken breast
1 large potato
1 tsp Nando's Peri-Peri sauce (Hot)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
Olive oil
Salt

Mix the Peri-Peri sauce with lemon and chopped garlic. Pour it over the chicken breast and let it sit for at least an hour.  Make three diagonal slits along the chicken and get the marinade inside.

For the potatoes, peel it and drop it in boiling water. Take it out after 15 minutes and mash it with a fork. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and salt and mix well.  If you think the potatoes are a little lumpy then add about 2 tablespoons of hot water to the mash and stick it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Mash them with a fork once again. Lo-fat, lo-cal mashed potatoes are ready!

Back to the chicken now - heat a teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and add the chicken. Let it sizzle and change color.  I like to cook it slowly by adding just a spoon of water and covering the pan. 5 minutes later your chicken should be ready to go!

Also, my research indicates that the chicken breast is about 135 calories and the mashed potatoes are about 195 calories. That's a 330 calorie dinner - not bad - especially if it has potatoes in it.

Here's hoping there will be many more healthier choices in my life and yours!

Creamy White Sauce Pasta

Pasta in white (bechamel) sauce is my favorite kinda pasta. Rich, juicy and warm - like a big hug from a good looking, sensitive man. Or woman. A bechamel sauce is really simple and really complicated at the same time - I know I've messed it up more than a few times before getting it right and be able to give it my own twists and turns.

You need:

250 g of boneless chicken - cut into bite size pieces
3-4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
1 small finely chopped onion
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of cooking oil
4 tbsp of flour (maida)
2 tbsp of cream
1 cup of milk
1 can of mushrooms
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese or 3-4 slices of packaged cheese ( it's easier to get!)
2 -3 cups of chicken stock
Crushed red chilli
Salt to taste
400-500 grams of pasta - I prefer using 'bigger' pasta shapes like penne or fusilli


Cut the chicken into bit size pieces and mix with Worcestershire sauce, 1 finely chopped garlic, 1 tbsp of flour and some salt. Marinate the chicken for a couple of hours if possible - else 20 minutes will do too.  Pan fry the chicken until its cooked but not browned. Set aside. Fry the chopped mushrooms next so they soak up the flavor of the chicken from the pan. Lastly, fry the onions until transparent and set aside

Here's the tricky part. Stay alert kids:

Heat up a large non-stick pan, and add the oil, followed by the butter. The oil will prevent the butter from burning too quickly. Add the flour and keep stirring with a wooden spoon. Keep going until the flour changes color slightly. Next, add the milk and keep stirring gently. Don't be scared of the lumps you see in the sauce. Keep stirring and rubbing the lumps down with the spoon. Add in the chicken stock and keep going until the lumps are gone. Next, add the the garlic and onions. Make sure the flame is really low. Add the cream and cheese and keep stirring. Next, fold in the mushrooms, chicken and salt. And our sauce is good to go!

Boil the pasta the way you like - I like it al dente, my mother likes it fully cooked. So when cooking for the family, I go all the way.

There's two ways to from here: my way or Mum's way.

I like to dish out the cooked pasta, add a couple of tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and pour the sauce on top of the pasta. My Mum likes to mix the pasta and the sauce on the stove. She says its lets the flavors mix well. We leave the rest to your better judgement.

My mother was quite happy with the way the pasta turned out. Although she did complain about the crushed chilli being unevenly distributed on the dish. Sorry Mum!

Chicken and Potato Curry

What makes a curry, a curry? What is the difference between a 'salan' and a curry? I am not sure. The chicken curry recipe detailed below is one of the first recipes taught to me by my mother. Makes for a great lunch, comfort food and 'dawat' dish.

You need:
1 kg chicken (12 pieces)
1/2 kg potatoes
4 - 6 tomatoes
4 onions
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon corriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
3-4 whole green chillis, cut down the middle
1/2 cup of cooking oil

Heat up the oil in a large pot. Add the sliced onions and fry until golden. Next add the sliced tomatoes and stir and cook for  6 - 7minutes, until the tomatoes and onions make a loose paste. There should be 'loose' onions and tomatoes floating around. Use a blender to create a 'neat' paste if needed. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and stir for another 3-4 minutes. Then add all the spices and continue to cook until the spices are cooked through. Add a little bit of water, if needed. Then, add the pieces of chicken and mix well. When the chicken changes color, add the potatoes and mix well. Then add about 500 ml of water and cover. The amount of water to be added depends how you like the consistency of your curry. I like mine to be a little watered down to go with the rice, and quite thick to go with naan.The chicken and potatoes should be cooked in no more than 15-20 minutes over a low flame. Add the green chillis in the last 5 minutes.

This should serve about 6-8 people easily. Serve it with boiled white rice or naan. This is one of my favorite desi dishes. Quick, simple and can feed a large family in a relatively smaller cooking time. Thanks Mom for teaching me how to cook this!

Super Simple Stir Fry

It doesn't get any easier than this - a vegetable stir fry people who don't like veggies i.e me. Perfect for vegetarians and those on a weight loss plan

You'll need:
1/2 medium head of cabbage
100 gm carrots
100 gm peas
100 gm green/French beans
1/4 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp soya sauce
A pinch of sugar
Salt to taste

Cut the cabbage, green beans and carrot into inch long pieces and set aside separately. Boil the diced carrot and peas until half cooked and drained. In a wok, heat up 1 tbsp of oil and fry the garlic paste for no longer than 30 seconds. Add the cabbage and green beans and keep stirring until they become glossy. Add 1 tbsp soya sauce and the sugar and mix well. Next, add the cooked peas and carrots. Add the remaining soya sauce and stir fry for another couple of minutes. The vegetables should be cooked just enough to release the sugars and give you a good crunchy bite.

This will give you a big helping of delicious vegetable stir fry. Good to eat on its's own or as a side with some  beef/chicken chilli and rice. This is good, you must take the veggie hater's word for it. Thanks mom! For making vegetables taste and lookd good!

Pakistani Penne

Yup. You got that right, a Pakistani twist on the penne pasta. If you're Pakistani, you've had the signature 'desi qeema noodles' - if you're not Pakistani, then try this Pakistani-Italian fusion 'cuisine'.

You'll need:
1/2 kg lean minced beef
3-4 large onions finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
5-6 chopped green chillis
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
3 tablespoons soya sauce
Salt to taste
500 gm packet of penne

Heat up about 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan or pot and add the minced beef. Keep stirring until the mince changes color - which should be about 3 - 4 minutes. Add in the onions. ginger, garlic, chilli powder, soya sauce and salt. Be careful with the salt because the soya sauce is already salty. Stir the ingredients together for another 3-4 minutes and add about 1/2 cup of water. Lower the flame and cover the pan. Add the tomato puree some 10 minutes later. Cover it again, add some water if and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes. Add another 3 tablespoons of oil and stir over a high flame for 3-4 minutes or until the oil rises to the top of the pan.

Boil pasta according to packet instructions. Add some butter and soya sauce to the drained pasta. Mix in some of the cooked minced beef to the pasta and layer the rest on top.

Try the pasta with some chilli sauce or even some Peri-Peri sauce. This is a classic pasta dish in my family. It's simple and the minced beef recipe is quite multi-purpose. So while the rest of us like it with pasta, my Dad likes it with naan. Hope you enjoy it!

Simplest Masala Chicken Ever

Don't panic - there is no need for a barbecue set or that special cut of chicken to make this chicken delight. Regular utensils and chicken cuts work.

You need:
1 large chicken (1.5kg) - cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
4 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of red chilli powder
Salt to taste
2 cups of chicken stock

This is easier than you imagined. Mix together the ginger, garlic, vinegar, chilli powder and salt into a marinade. Rub the marinade over the chicken and let it rest for at least an hour,if not two.

In a large wok/karahi heat up 1/2 cup of cooking oil. A 'handi' or pot works well too if you don't have a wok. Add the marinaded pieces of chicken to the oil and keep stirring at a high flame until the chicken changes color. Once that's done, add 1/4 cup of water, lower the flame and cover the chicken. Allow it cook for ten minutes before checking on it. Uncover and raise the flame, stir the chicken around until it is cooked.

Remove the chicken from the wok. Add the leftover marinade to the wok and let it cook/fry for no more than a minute. Next add the chicken stock and let it simmer until it thickens. The gravy makes a nice addition to the chicken tikka - goes well with the naan.

Serve the chicken with naan and raita. My mum usually makes peas and carrots to go with it. And I add on the garlic fried potatoes.  And a big cold bottle of Pakola goes well with everything!

The Best Winter Soup In The World - Shorba

 

The origins of this hearty soup is shrouded in mystery. Well, just a little bit maybe. The thing is I have never had this soup anywhere except in the homes of my maternal side of the family. No other Arab or other person I know has heard of it; never had it in any Middle Eastern restaurant either.This Shorba is a Ramadan classic. There is no iftari in my house without this soup.
PS: I promise to work on taking better pictures

You need:
100 gm Spaghetti/Noodles
2 cups of Masoor Dal
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
Pinch of 'tatri'/citric acid
Serves 6-8 people.

Soak the washed dal in warm water for an hour. Boil about 3 glasses of water and add the soaked dal. Let it cook until the dal becomes like a thick paste. Add half a glass of water at this stage and add the salt, red chilli powder and the tomato puree. Stir for about 5-7 minutes. Next, add another 3 - 4 glasses of water and let it reach a gentle boil. Then break up the spaghetti into thirds and add to the soup. Let it simmer on a slow flame for about 10-15 minutes or until the spaghetti is tender. Serve hot, of course. This soup is a meal in itself.  Try it and let us know how it turned out

The Easiest Chops In The World

You need:
2 kg lamb/goat chops
Crushed black pepper
2 cloves of garlic
Salt to taste
Cooking oil

Heat up about a liter of water in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, lower the flame and add salt and garlic. Add chops and let the chops cook over a slow flame. Add a couple of pinches of crushed black pepper after the chops have been cooking for 20 minutes. Let them cook for another 20 minutes. Raise the flame and add about 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Let the remaining water evaporate and add a teaspoon of black pepper. Gently fold the black pepper into the chops - be sure not to break the meat with too much 'spooning.'

These chops will just melt in your mouth - no more tough chops, just gentle beautiful chops. Serve them with naan or French bread and mint yogurt. And don't forget to credit by mom when you try this recipe!