Sweet and Spicy Chicken ( oriental style )

Saturday is our usual grocery shopping day and  we buy everything in bulk for the whole week that day. But  sometimes if we have weekend plans we do shopping a day early on friday night and Friday night means S need some non veg, be it chicken or fish  so if we r going to supermarket on friday night, S will dissappear with trolley in between and I have to ring him on his mobile  to find him and most of the time he will be in  hot deli corner where they have a counter for  cooked chicken thighs and wings. If not there he will be cooked meal section looking for Non veg options or in Fish Monger section ! Coming to point, so  we always pick up something every time and a  sweet and spicy chicken wings has been our  favourite choice  for a long time but maybe after eating it repeatedly we  got bored of it and moved onto different options. But recently I tried a sweet and spicy chicken at home and we all loved it and I ended up making the same thing 3 times in few days gap and after the third time I decided to give it a break at least for a month but I did click the picture last time and I wanted to share this recipe as soon as possible as I might forget all about it  and I definitely  don't want to loose this recipe.

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients

Chicken wings/drumsticks/thighs (skinless ) - 500 gm

for marinade

Soya sauce - 1 tbs

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbs

Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 tbs

Sesame oil - 1 tbs

Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Salt

For sauce

Honey - 3 tbs

Soya sauce - 1 tbs

Paprika powder - 1 tbs

Minced ginger - 1 tsp

Minced garlic - 1 tsp

Sesame oil - 1 tbs

Sesame seeds - 1 tbs

Method

• Wash and pat dry the chicken  with a kitchen towel.
• Marinate the chicken with ingredients mentioned under marinade and keep it overnight or at least 1-2 hours.
• Preheat the oven at 180 degree C and cook the chicken for 30 -40 mins flipping the sides in between.
• Take the chicken out and brush it with sauce on one side and cook for 2 mins  and repeat the same on the other side and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Chop some spring onions and garnish the chicken.

Semiya payasam/ Vermicilli Kheer

Semiya payasam is my absolute favourite, it's one of the easiest and tastiest payasam among all, don't you think so? I don't  think anyone can screw this up, but my first attempt on making this was an absolute disaster, I was new to cooking and had gut feeling that it's so simple to make and  didn't even bother to ask my mum or browse online to check it, but my overconfidence came with a price. I had guests coming in and since I was in the beginners stage,  payasams were the only dessert I wanted to attempt but little did I know that roasting vermicilli is important so I ended up with a messy payasam. I don't even remember what kind of mess it was, but I remember one thing, I couldn't serve it to my guests and I didn't even have icecream in stock so S had to run quickly to the nearby shop for ice cream !

Ingredients

Vermicilli  - 1 cup

Milk -4-5 cups

Cardamom powder -1/4 tsp

Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Sugar -1 cup

Ghee - 1 tbs

Sultanas -  1 tbs

Cashewnuts -1 tbs

Salt - pinch

Method

• In a non stick pan roast broken Vermicilli till golden brown in colour.
• Add 3 cups of milk to Vermicilli and cook for 10-12 mins,stirring occasionally to prevent burning .
• Add sugar, rest of milk, cardamom powder and bring it to boil.
• Finally add vanilla extract and turn off flame.
• In another saucepan add a tbs of ghee and roast cashewnuts and sultanas until cashews brown a little bit and sultanas have puffed up.
• Add this to the payasam.

Note

Paysasam tends to thicken as it cools down, add more warm/ boiled milk and give it stir if you like the payasam to be thin.Check the sugar if you add milk.

Uzhunnu Vada / Medhu vada/ urad dal vada

Whenever we go to South Indian restaurants here, vada always finds a way to our table. But sometimes they disappoint us when its not hot and crunchy as we want, but neverthless we enjoy it the way they serve with their 2 delicious chutneys and sambar , I am drooling just thinking about it. Lately I have been on a deep frying mode. Even S who is not a fan of deep fried things loves this so I wanted to make this badly before that deep frying phase dies out. Lil A calls this Vada Crispy doughnut and he too loves it and even if he bites to a chilly he never complains about it.He usually dont eat even the mildest curry but if its something he likes he will drink water and makes ZZZZZZZZZZZZ sound and still eat it :) 

 I made these Vadas for a tea get together at my home and all Vadas disappered in a few minutes, my considerate friends were repeatedly asking me to save few for S before they finish it, so yea expect that 2 ones which I saved for S, all were gone and one of my friend who joined later didn't even know that we finished Vadas even before she came as there was no trails left :)

Ingredients ( makes 12 vadas)

Urad dal /uzhunnu parippu  - 1 1/2 cup

Shallots - finely chopped ( 1/2 cup)
Green chillies - 1-2
Ginger (finely chopped ) - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs(torn into pieces )
Peppercorns crushed - 1 tsp (optional )
Water - Few tbs
Salt
Oil for deep frying
Water in bowl ( for making the palm wet )

Method

• Soak urad dal in water for 1-2 hours.
• Grind them adding a very little water to a thick batter.

• 

  
  
• Add chopped shalots, green chillies, curry leaves, peppercorns  and salt.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai or saucepan on medium high heat and when the oil is hot ,wet your palm with little water and scoop a little batter with the other hand onto the wet palm  and make a hole in the middle of the batter with your finger and slowly slide it  into the hot oil and deep fry them until golden brown.
• Serve it with coconut chutney, tomato chutney or sambar .

Parippu Pradhaman / Mung dal Kheer

The only time  I cook  exclusive Kerala sadya items is for our festivals Onam and Vishu and most of the dishes which I make for sadya's are not regular things in my kitchen, to be honest I cook these kind of food only twice in a year thats one reason you cant find many  Kerala special sadya items here. Every year during Onam and Vishu when I see my other blogger friends posting sadya items I too get excited about cooking a full fledge sadya and end up cooking an elaborate feast even if it is just us but after a long day of cooking I wont be in a mood to take out my camera, but this time I was dedicated. Even though I had to cook  for  8 adults and 3 kids I kind of preplanned everything and did a lot of things a day ahead.Even then photographing them was quite challenging, I didn't have the time for  styling it nor taking  pictures in different angles so I just went ahead and clicked few items. If I wait for good pictures  I am sure it will never happen. So this time I am aiming to post all the sadya items before Onam in september, oh yes I have still plenty of time but I am starting slowly so maybe for Onam at least few of my friends might find this helpful.

Making Parippu pradhaman is  quite a task back home as we take freshly squeezed  coconut milk from 1-2 coconuts  but here making  this hardly takes any time as coconut milk is readily available in tins. Did I tell you that this is my first attempt on Parippu paradhaman. Since  I was not fan of this payasam  I never kind of made it myself, but last year when my mum in law visited us she made this payasam for us and as I stood beside her watching her  making this without much effort  almost like an instant payasam without the fuss of extracting coconut milk impressed me , that's why I gave it a thought of trying it myself this time and believe  me I am in love with this payasam now and I am already  looking for another occassion to make this payasam some time soon.

Ingredients

Mung dal/ Cheri payar parippu - 1/2  ( 1/4 + 1/4 )

Jaggerry - 200-225 gm

Thick coconut milk - 1cup
Thin coconut milk - 4 cups
Salt - pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp
Cahewnuts - 1 tbs
Sultanas/ Raisins - 1 tbs
Water - tbs
Ghee - 1 tbs

Method

•  Roast 1/4 cup of mung dal till its golden brown in colour 
• Roast the other 1/4 cup to a lighter shade, this is for some biting bits in payasam rather  than a completely mushy version.
• Mix 1 1/2 cups of thick coconut milk with 2 1/2 cup water for thin coconut milk and a pinch of salt.
• Pressure cook the dal with thin coconut milk for 2-3 whistles.
• Meanwhile melt jaggerry adding a tbs of water and strain to remove any impurities.
• Add melted jaggerry bring it to boil  and finally add  thick coconut milk and turn of the flame just before it starts to boil.
• In a pan add ghee and  cashewnuts  and sultanas and  roast until cahews are slightly borned and sultanas have plumped.
• Add this to the Payasam.

Light Whole meal bread and a recipe review !

Reviewing a recipe from  baking mad's website that has so many awesome recipes was quite challenging for me. I was lost in middle of all those great recipes so I have been postponing this review for sometime now and finally  this Light whole meal bread  made it to the list. It had already some great reviews  on the website so I was confident that this bread was going to taste great. What attracted me most was, it was so easy to put together, literally a one bowl bread  and it was under kid's recipes so there is no need to say that even a kid can make this bread ! When the bread came out of the oven I couldn't resist eating a slice and even before the bread had cool down I cut a slice and ate the hot bread just as it is. Usually I like to eat my bread with some spread on it but believe me the hot bread which comes out straight from the oven don't need anything, it tasted like  one awesome toasted bread and in the morning it became the softest bread ever with a great texture and tasted really good !

Ingredients
Very strong Whole meal bread flour - 250 gm ( I used Allison's)
Very Strong bread flour - 250 gm ( I used Allison's )
Easy bake yeast -  1 1/2 tsp / 7 gm ( I used Allison's easy bake yeast's 1 sachet )
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Runny honey - 2 tbs
Sunflower oil - 3 tbs
Warm water -  1 1/4 cup /225 ml

Method

• In a mixing bowl take flours,salt,yeast.
• Add honey, sunflower oil and warm water to it and knead it well until you get a smooth dough.
• Shape it and put into a greased loaf tin and allow it to proof with a cling wrap until double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 220 degree c and then immediately lower it to 200 degree C .
• Bake the bread for 30 minutes.
• If the bread is cooked  you will hear a hollow sound when you tap on bottom.

Disclaimer - This is not a sponsored post.
With thanks to Baking Mad for sending me some baking products.

Sticky Toffee pudding, A guest post for Manju @ Manju's Eating Delights !

Manju's Eating Delights is one of my favorite blogs which I check out on regular basis whenever she updates it, we both share the same passion when it comes to baking and cake decoration  and that's what brought us so close together.Whenever I update my FB status with cake related doubts or suggestion she never fails to respond and always pour down with her suggestions.The one thing which I like most about blogging is the way friends help each other with tips and suggestions  and Manju is one among them. I owe it to Manju for making an about me  page and recipe index on my blog :) 

When she asked me to do a  guest post as she is busy settling down in her new house I was so happy to help her out .I have been brainstorming for a recipe for few days now but she helped me out and  choose that a  cake would be apt  as it speaks about friendship. I kept bugging her again  whether she want this or that but unlike my hubby who never gives me an answer when I ask for a choice, she gave me a reply and made my job easier ! 

I have made this sticky toffee pudding before as well  and usually if I am not very happy with the taste of a cake I never make it again, so should I say that this is a delicious cake/dessert  indeed ? The plus point of this pudding is its a warm pudding so it can enjoyed and eaten even when the weather outside is chilly or freezing.

If you would like to see the recipe and explore her blog head on to her space and while you are there also take a look at her beautiful beautiful cakes ,especially her  Carousel cake and baby crib cake  and  you may also want to read her house warming ceremony post with beautiful pictures of rituals and also her valentines day dinner post which she posted 2 years ago which  left me dumbstruck :) One day I would definitely like to meet her and taste her amazing food but till then I will have to satisfy with the virtual treats which she  shares with us :)

Chicken Dumplings /Chicken Dimsum /Chicken Momos

I remember eating these beauties from a restaurant called  Mainland China in Pune. Nobody would think of making them at home if you have so many such Chinese eating outs around. But in London where we live we don't have good Chinese, so we have almost given up eating Chinese  these days .

Recently my  hubby who is a great sea food fan  found  a Korean shop nearby for buying fish and while exploring the shop, I found this cute bamboo steamer, which reminded me of the dumplings served in bamboo steamers in restaurants. I didn't even have an idea how to make dumplings when I picked the bamboo steamer, but while  I was flipping the pages of my old recipe book (with cut outs from news papers and magazines and some recipes which I wrote down from TV shows  ) I  found a dumplings recipe. So with basic idea from the book I made my own dumplings ! They taste so delicious and I have been making them quite often  but never got to click it , so this time I made it especially for clicking it. Here we get to buy ready made dumpling pastries in that Korean shop, they are rolled very thin in round shapes and makes my  job easier, but this time I made everything from scratch , which is a bit time consuming but totally worth trying !

Ingredients
For pastry
Plain flour - 1 cup
Warm water - as required
salt
oil
For filling
 Boneless chicken - 100 gm
Cabbage - 1/2 cup ( finely shredded )
Carrot - 1/4 cup ( grated  )
Beans - 1/4 cup (finely chopped )
Spring onions - 4 ( chop greens and whites separately )
Ginger - 1 tsp ( minced)
Garlic - 1 tsp (minced )
Soyasauce - 1 tbs
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt
Pepper

Method

• In a bowl take plain flour, salt, oil and add warm water and  make a smooth dough by kneading well .Cover the dough with a cling film and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
• Cook boneless chicken adding salt, pepper and little water.Once cooked shred the chicken .
• In a big wok add oil and throw in whites of spring onion, saute till soft.
• Add ginger,garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Add shredded veggies, salt, pepper, Soya sauce, sugar and cook until the veggies are done.
• Finally add shredded chicken, greens of spring onion and turn off the flame.
• Meanwhile make balls out of the dough and roll it out as thinly as possible dusting with some flour.I used a bowl to cut out a perfect shape.
• Place the filling in the middle and fold it like the picture below.

• Steam the dumplings for 7 minutes.I steamed it in a bamboo steamer by sprinkling some flour on it.
• Serve the dumplings with sauce of your choice.I used sweet chilli dipping sauce.

                           

Mango cheese cake

I am a Mango fan, a die hard fan ! I am not a fruit person, my hubby on the other hand is a fruitoman and he eats all kinds of fruits and the contradiction in our case is, my fruit loving hubby doesnt like mangoes and me who doesnt eat fruits can eat 3-4 mangoes in a go ! Till now I haven't seen any one who doesnt like mangoes so S might fall be a  rare species, but the good thing is when we buy mangoes I get to eat most of it as lil A is also not much into mangoes :) Should I say I was gleamed when I saw cheeses cake as this months  Baking partners challenge by Swathi of Zest south Indian Kitchen. And among the recipes given there was this Mango cheese cake. I didnt have to think twice to pick my choice so here I am with my Mango cheese cake inspired from  Divine taste .

Ingredients

For crust

Digestive biscuits -300 gm

Butter - 75 gm 

For filling

Cream cheese - 200 gm ( I used one tub of  philadelphia full fat cream cheese)

Mango pulp - 1 cup

Double cream - 1 cup

Icing sugar sugar 125 gm

Gelatin - 10 gm ( 1 sachet )/ Agar agar 1 1/2 tsp/ 6gm

Water - 3-4 tbs for gelatin or 1 cup if using agar agar

For mango glaze

Mango pulp - 3/4cup

Gelatin - 5 gm (1/2 of sachet )/ Agar agar - 1/4 tsp

Hot  water - 1/4 cup

Method

1.Powder digestive biscuits in a mixie/food processor to fine crumbs.

2.Melt butter in a microwave and add melted butter to the biscuit powder and mix well, the biscuit powder will be little moist now.

3.Spread the mixture into a loose bottomed 8 " cake tin and spread evenly. Press them down with a spoon and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4.Allow gelatin to bloom in 3- 4  tbs of boiling water , if using agar agar add the powder  to 1 cup of boiling water and simmer it for about 5 minutes until it has dissolved completely.

Add mango puree to agar agar /gelatin and mix.

5.Meanwhile in bowl add cream cheese, icing sugar and mix. Add double cream and beat it in a standmixer or with a beater until soft peaks are formed. Add mango puree with gelatin/agar agar and fold it into the cream cheese mix.

Spread it evenly on top of the refrigerated biscuit base and chill again 1 hour.

10.Prepare the mango glaze by dissolving gelatin/ agar agar in hot water or  boiling in water .Add this to the mango puree.

11.Pour the mango glaze over the set mango cheese filling and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

12.Carefully remove the loose bottom, cut and serve !

Unniappam

                              

                               

Paniyaram pan for making uniappam 

Recipe source - Amma ( makes 35 small uniappams)

Ingredients

Raw rice  - 1  cup 

Plain flour / Maida - 1/4 cup 

Banana small - 1 ( I used 1/2 of the  banana which we get here ,which is big )

Cardamoms pods - 4 nos

Coconut flakes/Thenga kothu  - 1 -2 tbs 

Jaggery - 175 gm

water - as required ( about  1/4 cup + 1/8 cup to melt jaggery )

salt - pinch

Baking soda - 1/8 tsp

Ghee - 1 tbs

coconut oil for deep frying

Method

•  Soak the rice in water for  for few hours.Drain the water.
•  Grind the soaked  rice  with 1/4 cup water addding cardamom pods in a blender.
• Add in half of the banana, plain flour,salt  and blend it with the batter until mixed.
• Melt jaggery in a saucepan adding little water, strain and remove impurities.
• Pour the melted jaggery to the batter and mix with a spoon , please make sure not to cook the batter. Batter should be like an idli batter and not  too loose. 
• Roast coconut flakes/thenga koothu in 1 tbs ghee and add it to the batter
• Add baking soda to the batter and mix.
• Let the batter  rest for an hour for the  flavours to mingle.
• Add oil to each hole of paniyaram pan.
• Keep the oil on a medium flame and pour 1 tablespoon of batter to each hole.When it starts to leave the edges of the pan, flip them over once and fry till golden.Takes about 2-3 minutes. 
• Allow the unniappams to cool down ans eat them the same day ,but it tastes better the next day.

Serving suggestion - You can eat just unniappams but try eating uniappams with some banana, love the combination !

                             

Malabar Chicken Biriyani

Malabar biriyani is probably the first thing which I started serving  my guests, it has taken atleast one round among most of my friends . In malabar there are different ways to make biriyani , all versions are yummy, some are just with green masalas with no spice powders and some with fried chicken, some with little masala  etc etc, My version is a fusion type with  green masala,  other spices and homemade chicken masala.

If you look carefully u can see  that the  rice I used for this biriyani is slighlty different from the usual long grain basamathi rice, we use a small variety of biriyani rice/jeerakasala /kaima rice and this is one of the precious things which I pack  from India every time. I always use try to use this rice for making malabar biriyani and I think the rice  makes a difference in the taste !

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg ( with bones )

To marinate 

Red chilli powder - 1 tbs

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tbs

Chicken masala - 2 tbs ( I used homemade one)

Green paste

Ginger - 1 small piece

garlic - 5-6 cloves

Green chillies - 5

Coriander leaves - handful

Mint leaves - a handful

Salt

For gravy

Onions - 6 medium(thinly sliced )

Tomatoes - 2

oil or ghee ( I used oil )

Fried onions ( from one onion)

For rice

Biriyani rice - 3 cup

Ghee - 2 tbs

Onion - 1 (thinly sliced lenghtwise )

Cinnamon sticks - 2-3 sticks

Cardamom pods - 4-5 

Cloves - 4 

bay leaf - 2

Star anise - 2

Fennel - 1 tbs

Peppercorns - 1tsp (optional )

Lime juice- 1 tbs

Salt

Boiling Water - 5 1/2 cup

Fried onions - from( 1 onion)

For garnishing 

Ghee - 1 tbs

Cashewnuts - 1 tbs

Sultanas /raisins - 1 tbs

Method

1. Soak the biriyani rice in some water for 1/2  hour - 1 hour.
2. Drain the rice  completely and allow it to dry.
3. In a pan add some oil and fry two medium onion (thinly sliced)  until golden brown. Drain it to a paper towel.half of this for layeribng rice and half for  chicken masala.
4. Meanwhile marinate the chicken with all the ingredients mentioned under  marination and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
5. In a big wok add oil /ghee( use the same oil used for fried onions) and saute thinly sliced onions . Saute until they are brown, it may take upto 30 minutes.Walk away from  onions and come back once in while and give it a stir.
6. Once onions are well browned add mainated chicken and fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes to seal the juices of chicken .
7. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until slighlt mushy.
8. Add half of the  fried onions to the masala  and cook covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
9. Meanwhile in a heavy bottomed pan add 2 tbs ghee and throw in the whole garam masala and fry till a nice smell comes, add in the sliced onions and saute the thinly sliced onions for rice until they are soft and light brown.
10. Add the rice, lime juice , salt and fry the rice for few minutes until rice becomes lighlty  brittle.
11. Add 5 1/2 cups of boiling water, salt and cook till the water has all been abosrbed .Takes about 5-6 minutes.Fluff up the rice with a fork gently.
12. In a oven proof dish layer rice, chicken masala, fried onions and repeat the layering .Cover the dish tightly and pop them into a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 15 - 20 minutes.
13. In a pan add ghee and fry cashewnuts until brown, fry sultanas/raisins until they puff up and keep it aside.
14. Once the biriyani is out of the oven garnish the biriyani with some more fried cashewnuts and sultanas.
15.  We serve it hot with some coconut chutney, raita, pappad, pickles and cabbage thoran but you can
    even enjoy the biriyani on it's own  !

                             

Chutney podi/chutney powder

As per my knowledge chutney powder/ chutney podi is more of a South kerala thing and me being from North kerala/malabar  we dont make this at our home. But I have lived 8 long years  in Ernakulam / Kochi , little more than I lived in my home town Kannur, so I was introduced to chammanthi podi/chutney podi by my friends there, especially during 2  years of hostel life ! I was one of the hosteller who  used to go home very less as it was a long 7-8 hr travel in train but other friends who were not too far used to  go home every weekend with all their laundery and come back on a monday morning with some pickles or chutney podi. But those pickles or chutney powder will be all gone in 2-3 days and  the rest of week when the food in hostle becomes too horrible we had to rely on the pickle sachet from local shops !

When I saw this month's cook out in   Kerala kitchen  hosted by Nagalakshmi, I was happy join in and  try this recipe from Edible garden .

Ingredients

Grated coconut - 2 cups

Whole redchillies - 5 -7 numbers ( original recipe calls for 15,but I only used 5 which

                                                      was just the right for our spice level)

Ginger - 2 inch piece(sliced)

Curry leaves - 3 springs

Urad dal - 2 tsp

Black pepper - 1 tsp

Shallots- sliced ( 1/2 tsp)

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind -a small piece

Salt 

Method

1.In a frying pan add grated coconut, ginger, curryleaves, urad dal, back pepper, shallots and roast until the coconut turns slightly dark  brown colour .

2.Turn off the flame and add tamarind, salt and hing. Mix well and allow it cool down.

3.Once they reach room temperature, grind them into powder and store in an airtight container.

  Serve with rice, idly or dosa !

                         

Pepper Mutton

Pepper mutton is one such  recipe which never lets me down, especially because I use peppercorns grown back home in our backyard. I bring atleast 1/2 kilo of sundried peppercorns from  India every year  and freshly crush  it for pepper based recipes.

Atleast some of my FB friends knew that Nisha who blogs at Look who is cooking too came down to our place  during easter holidays and I prepared this for our dinner to go with Malabar chicken biriyani (recipe will follow soon ), since she wanted to know the recipe I am dedicating this post to her  :) The picture might not be a good looking one as it was shot just  before the sunset in a hurry but  this recipe is a keeper ! We had a great night that day. Do u want to see what she  brought for us that day  ? An  amazing tres leche cake, it was an  amazing dessert and nearly  half of the cake was gone  the same day and the rest we finished the next day. Little A who generally dont eat cold things also had  fair  share of the cake !



Ingredients

Mutton/ Lamb   - 500 gm

Onions - 2( large)

Tomato -2

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbs

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

Pepper powder - 1 tbs

Coriander powder - 2 tbs

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Whole garam masla

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cardamom - 2 pods

Clove -3

Bay leaf -1

Star anise -1

Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Pepper corns

Curry leaves

Salt

Method

1.Marinate the mutton with red chilly powder,tumeric powder, coriander powder,cumin powder,pepper powder and half of the ginger garlic paste and keep aside for 1 hour.

2.Pressure cook the mutton for 5-10 whistles adding 1/2 cup of water until they are cooked.

3.In a saucepan take some oil , sputter cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Add the whole spices and stir for few seconds.

4.Add finely chopped onions and saute until it becomes brown in colour.

5.Add rest of the  ginger garlic paste and saute again until the raw smell goes. Add chopped tomatoes and saute until it is well cooked and mushy.

6.Add cooked mutton  cover  and cook  in a lowflame for a few minutes.

7.Finally add freshly crushed peppercorns, garam masala and curry leaves.To make the mutton  dry ,cook for few minutes uncoverd until the mutton  is well coated in the gravy.

Doughnuts with Chocolate glazing ,a guest post for Merry tummy

Few weeks before when food bloggers met in London for Bloggers buzz  I was happy to meet  some new bloggers , Shwetha is one such blogger who blogs at Merry Tummy and I must say she was the star of the event who won the bloggers buzz  competion with her innovative recipe, French crepe cake with blueberry sauce and mango mousse to fit the purple and yellow theme of the competion , isnt she clever ?? When she received  50 pounds worth Hotel chocolat's gifts some of us were even  pulling her legs to share the chocolates  :)

Doing guest posts for friends is always a pleasure, so I was delighted when she asked me to do one for her, I was a bit tied up when she asked me but she gave me ample time so finally after a little delay here I am with the guest post for her blog.Thank u Shwetha for giving me opportunity to do guest post at your blog :)Those who haven't been to her space before do check out her blog, she has some nice vegeterian recipes,eggless bakes  and great Tuesday tips which is really useful. If you are looking for an eggless cake, u should definitely check out her blog .Its difficult to pick a favourite one when it comes to cakes but her eggless Blackforest cake is one of my favourite which look stunning  !

Coming to todays post its  a Chocolate dougnut which I tried from Rias collection , my first attempt on doughnut and I should say I was pretty happy  and it vanished from our kitchen pretty soon :) If you would like to see the  full recipe and some step by step clicks and our chit chat session  please head on to Merry Tummy :)

Hydrebadi Chicken curry

I like to expeiment different styles of chicken curry as I get bored of eating same kind of Chicken curry after few times.On the otherhand S is a person who can eat same thing everyday and never get bored off. Anytime anyday if I ask him which chicken curry to cook ,there will only one reply Nadan chicken curry or Malabar chicken curry which by the way has never found its way to my blog yet !

We both love Andhta cuisine especially Hydrebadi Biriyani, Andhra thali etc so this time I choose hydrebadi chicken curry for a change .This recipe is again adapted from Anjum anad's book and now I have a next door neighbour and friend who is from Andhra and  she too  prepares her curry almost the sameway  like Anjum Anand's recipe, so I can call it maybe an Aunthentic Hydrebadi Chicken curry ?? or maybe not as they both mentioned only 1-2 onions but since I like gravy, I used more onions and it tasted delicious ! 

Recipe adapted from Anjum's New Indian

Ingredients

Chicken - 750 gm
Onion - 4
Tomato - 2 ( blaAddnched and pureed )
Bay leaves - 2
Cardamom pods - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbs
yogurt - 3/4 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tbs
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Green cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Hard Boiled eggs - 2
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - few
Salt

Method
1. In a saucepan add oil and fry cardamom pods and bayleaves for few seconds.
2.Add chopped onions and saute until they are brown and soft.
3.Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes.
4.Add chicken and brown them for few minutes.
5.Add redchilly powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder,salt,yogurt,tomato puree and cover and cook until chciken is done.
6.Stir in garam masala ,lemon juice and cook for a minute or so and switch off the flame.
7.Serve the curry with slices of hard boiled egg and garnish with some finely chopped coriander leaves.

This curry goes well with rice and roti.

Note
Original recipe calls for cashewnut paste, but I didnt use it, if you like rich gravy you can grind 30 gm of cashewnut into paste and add to the gravy.