Chicken Banjara Kabab

My Dear Readers

Firstly sorry for not writing for a few days. Was really busy with work and school. My kids' school I mean. Honestly I feel as if I go to school too. I guess that's what being hands on parents means... or maybe I am just the helicopter parent. Scary!

Anyways, the recipe I'm sharing today is a classic chicken banjara kabab. as always I've changed and refined it over years but it's great dish equally popular with kids and adults. My 7 year old loves them.

I hope you try it and if you're entertaining you must make it once at least. Your guests will make you serve it again and again. (You can make these kababs in a grill pan or in the oven)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

500 gms boneless chicken breast (Diced into 2*2 pieces)
2 tbsp greek yogurt
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp red chlli powder
1/4 tsp orange food color
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp tandoori masala powder
1 tbsp coriander chopped
1 tbsp mint leaves thinly chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste


Method:

Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, salt, lemon juice and red chili powder. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Roast the sesame and cumin seeds in a sauce pan, allow to cool and then grind to make a smooth flavored powder. In a bowl take greek yogurt. Add the seed powder and the rest of the ingredients along with the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Take it out and let it rest for at least 15 mins before grilling.

(On a grill pan)

Heat grill pan. Arrange the chicken pieces on the skewers. Grill it over slow heat for about 7-10 mins on each side or until tender.

(In the oven)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange the chicken pieces on the greased skewers, oil them and grill for 30 minutes until chicken turns into nice brown in color.

Serve hot with spicy coriander or mint chutney.

Happy Cooking
Ms. J

Garlic Herb Grilled Chicken with Mayo Mustard

Hello My Lovely Readers


I've been getting some very positive reviews about my blog. I've had people call and message me to tell me they tried my recipe and loved it. Thank you. Thank you for the love and support you are giving me. I am indebted.

Today I'm sharing a recipe which is a personal favorite. I love grilled chicken with different sauces to go with it. A big salad served with it is just icing on the cake. It's healthy, it's absolutely delicious and straight on easy to make. A perfect week night dinner.

So let's get started.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
Juice of a lemon
Salt to taste
Few twigs of fresh thyme
5-6 fresh basil leaves
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
5-6 crushed peppercorn
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup sliced red, green and yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup salad leaves of your choice

For the mayo mustard sauce:

2 tsp mayo
1 tsp mustard
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp olive oil

Method:

Take the cleaned chicken breasts and marinate it with ginger garlic paste, lemon juice and salt. Keep aside for a few mins.

For the sauce mix the mayo, mustard, lemon and olive oil. Keep aside for later use.

Heat a greased grill  pan. Grill the bell peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper and keep aside.

In the same pan add the olive oil and grill the chicken with basil, thyme, garlic and peppercorn. A minute and a half on each side. Take it out and keep aside to rest. Once it cools a bit, slice it.

To plate up, lay the salad leaves in plate and top it with sliced chicken. Surround it with grilled peppers and spread the mayo mustard sauce on the chicken.

Enjoy your meal.

Happy Cooking
Ms. J

Veg Stir Fry

Hello My Lovely Readers

I hope you're reading and liking and making my recipes. The topic I'm discussing today is a universal problem. Weight Loss. We all are wanting to lose those last few pounds. And of course our diet really dictates how much of that we achieve. Today I'm gonna share with you a lovely simple and easy stir Veg Stir Fry. It's actually tasty and delicious and rather easy on the weight and so quick to make you'd wanna definitely give it a try. Perfect for those difficult week nights when you don't wanna spend too much time in the kitchen.

So here we go.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients

½ medium red capsicum, diced or triangular shaped
½ medium yellow capsicum, diced or triangular shaped
½ medium green capsicum, diced or triangular shaped
¼ medium broccoli, separated into florets, blanced
6-7 button mushrooms, sliced
5-6 Baby corns, sliced diagonally
6-8 French beans, diagonally sliced and blanched
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt to taste
1 Tsp black peppercorns
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
½ tablespoon light soy sauce
1½ tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
Sliced spring onion greens for garnishing

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining vegetables. Stir fry for a few seconds. Add salt, crushed peppercorns and chilli flakes and sauté for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce and sweet-chilli sauce and sauté for 1 minute.

Serve hot garnished with spring onion greens.

Hope you guys really enjoy it.

Happy Cooking
Ms. J

Sesame Chili Cauliflower

My Dear Readers

I'm writing this post specially for my vegetarian friends. A quick and simple veg chinese recipe. It's hugely popular as take aways but trust me you're so much better making this at home. The crunch and the spice take it to another level. I made this recipe a couple months back for some friends who preferred vegetarian and they absolutely loved it. I'm hoping that you would make it and love it too.

So let's get started.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Yields: 2 servings


Ingredients

½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup  milk
1 teaspoon  baking powder
1 teaspoon  garlic powder
½ head cauliflower (medium sized florets)
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 tablespoon  sesame oil
1 tablespoon  chopped garlic
½ cup  soy sauce ( I prefer light soy, you could use either)
¼ cup  rice vinegar
1 tablespoon  sugar
2 tablespoons Sriracha (You can't really substitute it with another hot sauce. It's easily available at any supermarket)
1 tablespoon  cornstarch slurry, mix 1/2 tbsp cornstarch and 1/2 tbsp water
Sesame seed, garnish to taste
Spring onion, chopped, for garnish


Method

Make a batterby mixing flour, milk, baking powder and garlic powder. Add the cauliflower florets and toss to coat. Deep fry cauliflower until golden brown, remove and drain excess oil.

Heat sesame oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sriracha. Bring the sauce to a boil then add the cornstarch slurry. Let the sauce thicken.

Add the fried cauliflower and toss to coat in sauce.Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Hope you enjoy this easy and delicious recipe.

Happy Cooking
Ms. J

7 Layer Dip

Hello my dearest readers

So today the recipe I'm going to share with you is my signature dip at most of my parties. My guests expect it to be there on my menu and I've been told they really look forward to this one. It's a classic Mexican Dish with it's first layer as the re-fried beans. But over the years chefs have played along with different takes on each layers. I tried it a few years back and over time have come up with this refined recipe.

I've completely omitted the Guacamole in it as my husband doesn't like it and later realized it was better to leave it out as firstly the perfect avacados are not easy to source and secondly it was just too much of a hassle to make sure they're absolutely at the right stage. Not too ripe or unripe. I thought it best to leave out. 

All the layers are home made although you could use some store bought stuff as well and just assemble it. If making everything from scratch you could make some of it in advance like a day before and put it together later. I'll let you know details in the recipe notes.  This recipe could look daunting but believe you me, once you get to making it, it'll take you hardly anytime to get pro at it. It's a great dish to have at your party and makes a big batch easily. So let's get on with it.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Assembling time : 15 mins
Yields: 18-20 servings


Layer 1:

Re-fried Beans
(Store bought is just fine but this is a simple process to make it at home)

1 Cup Soaked Kidney Beans (Soak it overnight)
Taco Seasoning
1 Bay leaf
1 medium sized chopped onion
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Boil soaked kidney beans in a pressure cooker with a bay leaf to make it soft. Once cooled mash it with a hand masher. (Remove and throw away the bay leaf)
Heat oil in a a pan. Add onions and saute till soft. Add the mashed beans and taco seasoning. Let it cool.
This can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.


Layer 2:

Sour Cream
(Store bought is just fine but this is a simple process to make it at home)

200 ml Fresh Cream (Only the thick part not the liquid milk that comes with it)

2 tsp Lemon juice

In a bowl take fresh cream and add the lemon juice. Do not stir it. Keep it in the fridge to chill for an hour. Take it out after it chills completely, mix it and keep it to chill in the fridge again till you need to use it to assemble the dip.

Layer 3:

Salsa

(This can also be used just as is with tortilla chips and makes for a great dip at parties)

2 diced Tomatoes 

2 small Onions diced 

1 small Green Pepper 

1 cup Coriander

1 Jalapeno, seeded

2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Juice of 1 Lime

3 small Cloves of Garlic

1 tsp of Sugar

1/2 tsp of Cumin

1/2 tsp or Oregano

Salt to taste

Method

Add all of the ingredients into a food processor, pulse until you reach a chunky consistency. Pop it in the fridge to use while assembling.

Layer 4

1 Cup Grated Cheese of your choice. 

(I personally like to use a combination of Cheddar and Regular Processed Cheese.)

Layer 5

1/2 Cup Spring onions

Layer 6

Black Olives

(P.S: I've left out the olives in the dish I made this time as my husband isn't very fond of it. Hence you can't see it in the pic. But it adds a lot of character to the dish so unless you don't really like it, do add it)

Layer 7

1/2 Cup Chopped Tomatoes

Assemble it layer wise and there! You have an impeccable dish to serve. You could pair it with Tortilla Chips or Pita Bread or Garlic Bread. The choice is your and list is endless.

Hope you give it shot and let me know how it goes ;)

Happy Cooking

Ms. J

Paneer Tikka

Hello

So today I'm going to write my recipe of Paneer Tikka. It's a vegetarian's delight. Easy to make and you can marinate it well in advance and grill it at serving time to show off your amazing time management skills.

I'm a mother of two who always need me when they are around. That really leaves me with very little time to actually spend in the kitchen making stuff from scratch. Hence you will find a lot of my recipes have a "prep before time" or quick time around kind of thing.

Try making this simple recipe. Your family and guests are going to really love it.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Yields: 24 Tikkas (6 skewers)

Ingredients

250 gm Paneer (Cottage Cheese)

2 Tbsp Gram Flour

1/2 Cup curd
2 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 Tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
1 Tsp garam masala
1 Tsp Veg Oil
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
2 Capsicum (cut into big dices)
2 Onion (cut into big dices)

Method:

Dry roast the gram flour for a minute. Keep aside to cool.

In a bowl mix the curd along with ginger, garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, lemon juice, oil and salt. Add in the gram flour. Mix well.

Add the paneer pieces and the capsicum and onion. Gently give it a stir so that the marinade coats the paneer pieces well. (At this point you could keep it marinated for about an hour or so)

Heat a pan. Grease it. Skewer paneer, capsicum and onion alternatively. Grill on a hot pan.

Serve it hot with mint chutney.

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Hello

Everybody loves a moist, rich chocolate cake. It brightens people's mood and their day. The recipe I'm sharing today is a cake, if decorated well, would be worthy of a lovely birthday party and leave it plain, you can have it with your tea or coffee or just like that 'cause don't we all love chocolate!

I made it this year for my hubby's birthday and the kids sprinkled it with their favorte sprinkles and that's it. I didn't really need to do much to make it look pretty. And oh man! it tasted heavenly. If you are a chocolate lover you must absolutely must try it out. It is one of the easiest chocolate cake recipes and I promise it would be your go-to cake for ever.

So go ahead, an occasion isn't needed for a decadent, rich , moist chocolate cake. Let me know how it goes.

Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Yields: 12 slices

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup hot black coffee


Chocolate Ganache


1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Method:

Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom, and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C).

Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Add hot coffee to mixture. Mix well.(The coffe only enhances the chocolate flavor)

Divide batter evenly between cakes pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache Preparation:

 Bring heavy cream to a simmer on the stove top, stirring occasionally. Just as soon as you see a simmer, remove from heat and poor over chocolate chips.Make sure all chips are covered.

Place lid on chocolate chips to trap the heat and let sit undisturbed (no mixing) for 5 minutes. Remove lid and swirl the chocolate chips with a whisk starting in the center and working outward until smooth. Let it cool a bit before using it on the cake.

Assembling the cake

Once cakes are cool, remove cake domes from top with a large serrated knife. Place first layer of cake on cake plate. Spread some ganache on top in an even layer. Add second layer of cake and add ganache on top in an even layer. Add final layer of cake on top and spread the remaining gaanche on top and on the sides.


Finish off with sprinkles or other decoration.

Hope you and your family enjoys this cake as much as mine does.

Happy Cooking!

Super Quick Honey Chilli Chicken

Dear Reader,

I was having some relatives over last evening. But my silly sinus won't spare me. I knew I had to be quick in the kitchen to prepare few tit bits to nibble on and get out soon before my headache would re-appear. So I decided to make Chicken Pizza (recipe will be updated later) for the kids and my super easy and quick Honey Chili Chicken. Added in some dips with chips and a salad. A few drinks and whoa. Perfect evening.

I'm jotting below my recipe for the super successful Honey Chili Chicken, Hope you enjoy making it and eating it.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Yields : 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast (thinly sliced. Only then will it cook perfectly so quick)
1 Tsp Ginger Paste
1 Tsp Garlic Paste
Salt to taste
2 Tsp Oil
1 Tsp Garlic chopped
1 Tbsp Schezwan Sauce
1 Tbsp Honey
Spring onion to garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic. Add chicken strips, ginger garlic paste and salt. Saute it for a min. Add the schezwan sauce and honey. Saute it for another minute.

Remove it in serving dish. Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Soya Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Dear Reader

So last night after I made the rich chicken tikka masala for my family, I wanted to go a little light on my tummy. But I was short on time as I like to sit with my kids and eat dinner. I knew I had to quickly stir up something... and in times like these my super quick Soy Ginger Chicken Stir Fry comes to my rescue.

It's a wholesome dish. Veggies, chicken and tons of lovely flavor. With very little ingredients it takes just a few mins to whip up and is so healthy that you'd be having this every night. I picked up this recipe a few years back just browsing through some cook books and over these years I've played around a bit and made it suitable to my Indian palette.

Hope you guys enjoy it. Do let me know your reviews.

Prep Time       10 minutes

Cook Time      5 minutes

Yields              Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts (Cut into thin Strips)
• 2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp of Chopped Ginger
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, grated
• 1 tsp of Granulated Sugar (Optional)
• 1 tsp of Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp Vegetable Oil
• Juice of 1/2 of a Lemon
• I medium onion, diced
• I capsicum, diced
• 
  
• Method:
• 
  
• In a bowl whisk together soya sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, sesame oil and lemon juice. Add the chicken strips, mix it around to make sure it’s all well coated, cover and let it sit while you chop your veggies. (In my refrigirator one would always find some marinated chicken breast in ginger garlic paste ready. It's always a good idea to have that handy as it makes any chicken dish more tender and juicier).
  
  Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chicken. Takes a couple minutes for it to cook since it is thinly sliced. Add the onion and capsicum. Stir it for just a few seconds. Serve hot.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
• 
  

Easy and Super Tasty Chicken Tikka Masala

Dear Reader

So finally Friday is here. Gosh weekends feel like such a blessing. To kick start the weekend I thought why not make the one dish that never lets me down. Chicken Tikka Masala, I've finally mastered this recipe after a few trial and errors. It might not be the classic mughlai recipe but it's my take on it. One thing is for sure is that you are going to absolutely fall in love with it. Eat it with rotis, naans or with just plain rice. It's gonna make your day.

It's the most favorite dish of my kids and a complete hit with my hubby. It's easy to make and if you like you could make the tikka masala well ahead of time as a meal prep and even freeze it upto two weeks. Just add freshly made chicken tikkas and there, you're ready to go to serve a dish worthy of a restaurant. I'm sure it'll make your family happy at the dining table. Go ahead... give it a shot.

Prep Time: 10 mins 
Cook Time: 30 mins
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
(Chicken Tikka)

2 Chicken Breasts
2 Tsp Ginger paste
2 Tsp Garlic paste
1/2 lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/2 Tsp Chili powder
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Coriander powder
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala powder


(Chicken Tikka Masala)

2 small Cinnamon sticks
1 Bay leaf
2 Cardamom
3-4 Peppercorns
2 Onions roughly chopped
2 Tomatoes roughly chopped
1/2 Tsp Chilli powder
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1/2 Tsp Coriander powder
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala powder
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Milk

Method:

Cut the chicken into medium size cubes. Add in the ginger, garlic paste, lemon and salt. Mix well. Add in chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder and the garam masala powder. Keep aside to marinate for at least 4-5 hours. Overnight is better. Hence you could actually prep it a day before and keep it refrigerated.

Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the marinated chicken with a little water. Cover the lid and cook till tender. Once cooked, keep it aside.

Heat half of  the oil oil in a separate wok. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and the peppercorns. Add in the onions. Stir it for a couple of mins till they become slightly soft. Add the tomatoes and rest of the spices. Roast it for 5-6 mins .Let it cool completely.

Blend this mixture in a food processor until finely ground to a paste. ( At this point, you could freeze this masala for a couple weeks in the freezer).

Heat the remaining oil the same wok and return the mixture to it. Add the cooked chicken to it and cook for a few mins. Add milk to it in the end for a creamy texture.

Serve with hot naans.

The wobbly first step

Hi Dear Reader

So here I am starting my blog on cooking. Something that I feel so passionately about. It is no wonder that I run a catering/meal services business. I can say I've been in love with the kitchen for as long as I can remember, but that would be a lie. It's not like I've been cooking since forever. I loved baking... cakes... since I was a little girl. I remember baking those simple vanilla and chocolate cakes with my mum.

The real trigger, however, was when I started cooking for my family... my (very fussy) husband and son and then came along my ever encouraging daughter. That's when I realized how much I loved cooking. Inventing new dishes and stirring up the age old recipes. From the French to the Thai, Indian to the American fast food, everyday is a like an adventure.

So I thought why not share my day to day adventurous cooking and it's results with a whole lot of you out there who like me love reading about Food.

I would be updating my recipes, some originals, some inspired and some with a twisty take on the classics. One thing is for sure. They'd be easy to make with one ingredient that'll stay constant: Love.

Hoping to receive your encouragement in my latest endeavour.

Lots of love
Ms. J