Chicken and Black Beans Fajitas


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Boneless chicken stripsImage

Marinate with : Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, dark soy, 1/2 tsp of gingergarlic paste, lemon juice, yogurt and salt. Image
Let it sit for at least 30 mins, more the better. Lay the strips down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees .Image
For the black beans : minced ginger, minced garlic, minced green chillies, lime and minced herbs (I have mint here). The powder I have in the middle is taco seasoning. If you do not have it, you can mix chilli powder, garlic powder, cocoa and brown sugar. If you don’t want to take that route, you can use channa masala too.Image
Saute the ginger, garlic, mint and chillies. Image
Add the black beans, seasoning, sprinkle some water and cook for a couple of mins. Do not make it dry.Image
Thinly sliced onions
red and yellow peppers
green apples(You can use any vegetable as long as they are light and crunchy, like cucumbers and zucchini)Image

Saute the onions and when they turn light brown, saute the peppers.Image
Add the green apples and add salt and pepper.Image
Warm the tortillas.Image
Now you just have to put everything together. You can serve with condiments like guacamole, sour cream or salsa. But just this is good enough, as you get the sweet and tangy from the peppers and green apples and all those spices from the chicken and beans.Image
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Buffalo Chicken Dogs


My kids are always fascinated by Hot dogs. But they are not allowed to eat red meat , so I make simple chicken Kebabs and make them over as hot dogs. Image
Minced/Ground chickenImage
Tomatoes, onions, green chillies and mint chopped.Image
Heat 2 tsp of oil and sauté the green chilles, mint and onions. Also add a tsp of ginger garlic paste.Image
Add the tomatoes. When the tomatoes soften, add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt.Image
Add the onion-tomato mixture , 1 tbsp. of besan (chick peas flour/gram flour) and an egg and mix well. Add breadcrumbs if the mixture is too loose.Image
Now it is easy to shape the kebabs. Rubbing oil on your palms while rolling helps.Image
Lay the kebabs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes and turn them over and bake for another 15 minutes.Image
Toss the kebabs with some buffalo sauce (just like you toss the wings). You can use regular hot sauce, teriyaki sauce or even coriander/mint chutneys , according to your flavor preference.Image
Serve in toasted hot dog buns with ketchup / mustard or pickled onions and cheese. Have it your way !

Rum Raisin Pumpkin Cake


This is a fusion of pumpkin bread and the Indian Christmas cake otherwise called as plum cake.Image
 
Flour – 3.5 cups
Sugar – 3 cups
Cooking oil – 1 cup
water – 2/3 cup
Eggs – 4
pumpkin – 8 oz can
Baking soda – 2 tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Salt – 2tsp
pumpkin pie spice mix – 4 tsp

If you do not have pumpkin pie spice mix, you can use :

cinnamon – 1 tsp
clove – 1 tsp
nutmeg – 1 tsp
allspice – 1 tspImage

 
For the rum raisin part :

Take 1 cup of raisins. You can also add other dried fruits or dates.Image

 
Coat the raisins with flour.Image
 
Soak the raisins in 1/2 cup of rum and leave it overnight. You can use up to 1 cup of rum.Image
 
Quick roast some walnuts in microwave and chop them.Image
 
Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice mix and salt) together.Image
 
Blend the oil and sugar.Image
 
Beat in one egg at a time.Image
 
After blending in all four eggs, add the pumpkin.Image
 
Add the combined flour in three batches alternating with water.Image
 
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Stir in the rum-soaked raisins and chopped walnuts.Image
 
Grease and dust a cake pan. You can also use loaf pans.Pour the cake mix into the pan and bake at 350 degrees. It took little over an hour to get done. If you are using loaf pans, it will take less time.Image
 
Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream or just the cake on its own.
(You can use mashed bananas instead of pumpkin, but the banana cakes usually come out denser than the pumpkin cakes.)Image

 
 
 
 
 

Tamarind Rice


 

Lemon rice and Tamarind rice are like twins. But I’ve seen more people prefer lemon rice, may be its bright color and the fresh lemon scent helps. But tamarind rice is a comfort food, often offered in Hindu temples. Its used to be a great travel food, as it tastes good in room temperature and it actually tastes better 3-4 hrs after you make it. I don’t know if its still popular in this age of pulavs and fried rice, but I think its a rice dish that we just can’t let go.

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  • Tamarind water
    (Soak tamarind preferably overnight to get the most out of it. If in a time crunch, soak it in hot water and take the juice filtering out the seeds and other solids) Image
  • Red chillies, Urad dhal, channa dhal, mustard seeds, peanuts, vellam/jaggery/brown- sugar, curry leavesImage
  • The ingredients in the picture below are to make a flavor enhancing pixie dust that you sprinkle at the very end. The quantity of black pepper could be alarming, but you need only 1 tsp of this powder for 1 cup of rice. If you are still not a fan of heat, reduce the black pepper and increase channa dhal and coriander seeds. Be careful with fenugreek though, more can make the powder bitter. This powder can also be used in curries like sambar or vegetable sides. Sprinkle at the very end for a fresh flavor. 

         Black pepper, Coriander seeds, fenugreek and channa dhalImage

  • Fry the ingredients in the above photo in 1 tsp of oil. Let them cool down completely. Grind it to a smooth powder. Store in an air-tight container for later use.Image
  • Heat about 3 tbsp. of sesame oil and add the ingredients in the order below :

         mustard seeds
         urad dhal
         channa dhal
         red chillies
         curry leaves
         peanuts

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  • When the peanuts get roasted slightly, add the tamarind juice.Image
  • Add turmeric powder, Asafoetida , jaggery and salt. Bring to a good boil.Image
  • Allow it to reduce and lower the heat.Image
  • You know its done when the oil separates. This quantity is good for 10 – 12 cups of rice. Allow it to cool completely and store it an air-tight container. Doesn’t have to be refrigerated.Image
  • Cook 1 cup of rice and mix with 1 tbsp. of the prepared wet mix. Finally sprinkle 1 tsp. of the powder and mix well.Image
  • No matter how many new cuisines we expose ourselves to and how many new tastes we get introduced to, some foods scream ” Home”, “Warm” and “Comfort”. This is one such rice. Enjoy !Image
     
     

Dhum Biriyani (simplified)


There are more than hundred ways to cook biriyani. This is just one of them. I have combined various steps and tips from many recipes I have tried over the years to simplify the recipe. This is a well tested , fool-proof recipe that guarantees yummy biriyani with authentic taste, flavor, color and texture.
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There are usually three layers in Dhum Biriyani.
1. Rice
2.Meat with gravy
3.Garnish

First, cook the rice. I do not prefer Basmati rice for biriyani. The best option is to use biriyani rice(kichadi samba) or Jeeraga samba. If not, regular raw ponni rice can also be used. 
  1. Soak 3 cups of raw rice in water for 30 mins

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2.  In a pan, heat up 2 tbsp. of ghee and 2 spoons of oil. Fry Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom and Fennel.

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3. Stir in the soaked rice and mix well so that each grain is coated with oil.

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4.Usually I use 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice for regular cooking. But for biriyani I only use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. (You can use coconut milk or chicken stock instead of water).
Add salt , cover and cook.
 
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5. Rice is cooked al-dente. (It takes about 10 -13 mins). When we cook in dhum later rice will be cooked thoroughly. This way we can make sure, the rice doesn’t get mushy and the grains stay separate at the end. So the first part, preparing the rice is done.
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6. Now to make the meat gravy : Cut and clean chicken pieces.
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7. Chop : Onions, Tomatoes, Green chillies,  Mint, Curry leaves, Coriander leaves(optional)

You will also need: ginger garlic paste, plain yogurt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala

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8. In a wok , heat up 2 tbsp. of ghee or butter and 2 spoons of oil and fry the same spices :
Bay leaves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves and Fennel. Saute onions, green chillies, curry leaves and 2 tbsp. of ginger garlic paste.
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9. Saute mint and add the tomatoes.
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10. When tomatoes soften , add chicken. When chicken begins to change color, add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala.I would add very little coriander powder. If you have a good chicken curry masala, you can add that too.
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11. Add a cup of plain yogurt. Add salt. Taste the curry and add more chilli powder or salt as needed.
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12. Cook until you get a thick gravy. Chicken should not be overdone.
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13. Now for the third part of garnish: Thinly sliced onions  and Mint leaves chopped
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14. In a pan, heat up a spoon of oil and sauté the onions. when the onions brown , add the mint.
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15. Now we have everything we need to start layering the biriyani.
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16. In a baking dish, add a layer of rice. Then add a layer of meat and sprinkle some sautéed onions and mint over them. Repeat layering like this until you have used up all your rice, meat and garnish.
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17. Roughly for 3 cups of rice, you should be able to repeat the layers atleast 3 times. Cover the dish tightly with foil.Place the lid over the foil. Make sure its sealed tight. Else, the rice and meat will lose moisture and we will end up with a very dry biriyani. Bake in the oven at 300 degrees F for 1 hour.
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18. You can serve the biriyani as such with layers or…Image
 
Mix the layers well to get the traditional look. If you do not have an oven, you can layer the biriyani in the electric rice cooker and set it up in “warm” mode (instead of “cook”) for an hour.Image