Chicken Chukka

Chicken Chukka is a spicy 'dry-gravy' chicken dish which is very popular all over India. Don't know about the origin or nativity of the dish; but its found equally enjoyed by all Indians. Now, this recipe is my mom's and we love as it is. You can play with your own ingredients to please your tongue and hey,, you are the boss of your kitchen; who's gonna ask? ;)

Ingredients:

Chicken 1 (I used of 800gm)

Red Chilli powder 2 tsp + 1/2 tsp

Vinegar 1 tbsp 

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Onion 500gm (3 cups)

Tomato 1 3/4 cups

Ginger garlic paste 1 + 1 tsp,

Green chilli 3 or more to taste 

Garam masala 1/2 tsp,

Pepper powder 1+1/2 tsp

Curry leaves 1 sprig & 

Coriander leaves 1/4 cup
Oil 1/4 cup

Method:

Marinate chicken in red chilli powder(2tsp),salt,pepper(1/2tsp) ,ginger garlic paste(1tsp)and 1 tbsp of vinegar for atleast half an hour. 

Fry those marinated chicken pieces in oil.

Take out the chicken. Now in the same oil, saute onions  . Add  ginger garlic paste and saute  till onion turns slightly brown

Throw in tomatoes  & green chilli .. Saute for a few more minutes till the tomato is cooked.

Now add the spices; ie; red chilli powder (1/2 tsp) and turmeric.Saute for a few seconds so that the raw smell disappears.

Add chicken to it alongwith 1/4 a cup of water. simmer till the water dries up.Check the seasoning and make variations according to ur taste..  You can add 1 or 2 tsp of lemon juice if needed. Throw in curry leaves (i sprig) and coriander leaves to garnish.

Bangalore Chicken Kebab

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  I feel so lazy to blog these days and my broken cameras and slow-slow laptop added to the core. Yes, my cameras :( its more than four months now since i've dropped them.  Actually I do all these photoshoots in a hurry that both my cameras fell from my hands to broke. That too in a week. The photos I post here these days are either from my drafts or mobile clicked. I browse net through my phone or IPad. But blog editing is not possible in that. I don't know why. If anyone of you can resolve it , please let me know.

  
  

  Chicken Kebab is a famous dish of Bangalore , I guess. My brother-in-laws, who studied there, has always been a great fan of these kebabs. These are not the usual north-indian kebabs made of meat mince, but deep-fried chicken pieces. This one is my Jeeju's special. He tried this recipe and as this turned out to be so delicious that he clicked a pic and sent it to me for my next post. So here is the recipe for you guys.. Enjoy and let me know how it turned out !

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  Ingredients

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Chicken 1 kg, cut into  8 pieces

  
  

  Marinade :

  
  

  
  

  Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

  Yogurt 2 tbsp

  Garam Masala ½ tsp

  Cumin powder  ½ tsp

  Orange color pinch

  Turmeric pinch

  Chili powder 2 tsp

  Coriander crushed or powder 2 tsp

  Salt 1 ½ tsp

  Vinegar 1 tbsp

  Egg 1

  Corn Flour 4 tbsp

  
  

  
  

  Method

  
  

  Marinate chicken with all the ingredients except oil. Keep for a minimum of 2 hours. Deep fry these chicken pieces untill it turn lightly brown and crisp outside and tender inside. Serve with onion rings.

  
  
  

  
  

  

  
  

Sausage Masala

Ingredients: 

Olive oil

Sausages 4-5 

Carrots 1/2

Onion 1 large

Ginger 1 tsp

Garlic 1 1/2 tsp

Tomato 1 large

Green Chillies 3-4

Red Bell Pepper (capsicum) 1/2

Green Capsicum 1/2

Carrots p

Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

  

Method:

Cut the sausages into 1" pieces and vegetables into square pieces.

In a small bowl, mix Red Chili, Coriander and Turmeric powders with Ginger paste and 1-2 tablespoons of water.    You can also use 1-2 teaspoon of Curry Powder in place of Red Chili, Coriander and    Turmeric powders

Heat a little olive oil and fry sausages till golden brown. Remove from the pan and fry the bell peppers (capsicums) and carrots. Dont overfry it, crispiness should be there.Keep them aside with the fried sausages.

Add more oil, if required, add the finely chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add the big pieces of onions with garlic and green chilies. Saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add the spice mixture (paste) in the pan and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Add Tomatoes, saute for 1-2 minutes and cover the pan till the tomatoes are mushy and leaves oil from corners.

Add all the vegetables with Sausages, give a nice stir, add the salt and water. Cover the pan till the gravy becomes thick and all the vegetables are completely cooked.

• Serve hot with plain Rice or Chapati.
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recipe courtesy 

Green Devil

 Being a child is the most beautiful and wonderful phase of one's life. They are all about having fun. No worries about the future, no regrets about the past; but always keen to explore a new world of their own everyday.

We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it -George Eliot.

Its true that we all still miss our childhood. If I ever get a chance to own a Time Machine, I would have asked it to take me back to those carefree childhood days. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Life has moved on.. we grew up, got jobs, married, have kids but still there's a corner in our minds where we still adore our childhood memories. I like to go back to those days in my mind on a relaxing afternoon.

Those special bond and relationship we have with the toys that shared our childhood with us is amazing. How we protect them from other naughty boys ,how we snatch them from the guests' kids who wanted to take them along and how we showed it to others to make them jealous. I still remember when once my cousins and sisters shared a bundle of toys brought by my uncle from B'lore and there was a small one left for me. I felt so upset and when my uncle saw this he scolded them for not asking his permission before sharing them and that he bought all those for me. Hurray!!! I was so happy that I took all of them and I still remember my sisters' faces.lol !! ( I hope they won't read this). Those were a small carrom board, a wooden ring toy and other two. All these memories still bring a smile in our faces.

Now, its our time to cherish our kids' childhood days so that they might bring a glow to their faces whenever they think about them. Time passes by and we never realize that they are not gonna be with us for entire life and its only their Bachpan (childhood) that we can spend with them. Bubbles in the bathtub , freshly baked brownies, a good movie with a pack of chips, offering 2 bucks to go to the groceries to pick up anything they want or a surprise visit to the ice cream parlour.. this is all what they need and you can see that glow you need on their faces.

 I wanted to post this recipe for Halloween; but missed it. This is such a wonderful recipe that I can't wait for the next one ;) The photos didn't come out well as I dropped both my cameras and this is clicked with my mobile.

The chilli twist in this recipe is just wonderful. Avocados are so healthy as it provides 20 essential nutrients. It keeps a check on cardiovascular diseases as well.  Choose a well flavored avocado, such as a knobbly, dark-skinned Hass, for this slightly spicy, hot and sour smoothie. Cucumber adds a refreshing edge, while lemon and lime juice zip up the flavour, and the chilli sauce adds an irresistible fiery bite. This is one little devil that is sure to liven up even the most lethargic days.

Ingredients:
Courtesy: 75 smoothies by Suzannah Olivier
(Makes 2-3 glasses)

Avocado 1 small ripe
Cucumber 1/2
Lemon juice 2 tbsp /30 ml
lime juice 2 tbsp/30 ml
Caster sugar 2 tsp
Salt a pinch
Apple juice or water 1cup
Sweet chilli sauce 2-4 tsp
Ice cubes
Red chilli curls, to decorate (optional ) avoid for kids

Method:

Halve the avocado and use a sharp knife to remove the stone (pit). Scoop the flesh from both the halves into a blender or food processor.

Peel and roughly chop the cucumber and add to the blender or food processor, then ad the lemon and lime juice, the caster sugar and a little salt.

Process the ingredients until smooth and creamy, then add the apple juice or mineral water and a little of the chilli sauce. Blend once more to lightly mix the ingredients together.

Pour the smoothie over ice cubes. Decorate with red chilli curls and serve with stirrers and extra chilli sauce.

Chocolate Muffins- Dark & Chocolatty

Someone has said somewhere ' Without children, your house is clean and your wallet is full; but your heart is empty'. It's absolutely true. I can't think of a day without children. When they were off to grandma's place for vacations, we were found rattling around the cottage having very little things to do or no work to finish off. The empty nest would rather eat us, even if the situation is not going to be the same for so long-not more than a week or two. It may take a few days to get used to not hearing the sound of your child's footsetps in the house or that silence at the dinner table. It is then that we realize the importance of children in our life and that they are the most beautiful gifts one can ever have in his life.

In India, Childrens Day is celebrated on 14th of November, the birth-date of Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India). I've never thought of celebrating  or never gave importance to this day other than wishing my kids, whereas  they did never forget to give me a card on Mothers Day. So this year I wanted to plan something special for them on that day. Insha Allah ! A mere hug can bring smile on their lips as a result of which their eyes light up and their face gives off a glow that is expansive enough to reach you and effortlessly make you reciprocate a sense of well-being. So what if we could offer a handful of surprises on their very special day. Who else is there to join me? I'll be posting a few wonderful kids-friendly recipes these 2 weeks and hope you'll defenitely send me your feedback and suggestions regarding this.

Its a must try recipe from  Ina Garten . The texture and flavour of these cupcakes can help you win the hearts of your li'l ones on their very special day coming up.

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup good cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
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Method:

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Preheat the oven to 170 C. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.

 Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.

 In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee.

 In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

 On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount).

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.