Murgh Malai Tikka
Succulent pieces of chicken coated in creamy, rich and
flavorful marinade, threaded in bamboo skewers and finished in
the oven. Some tangy chutney on the side. Just take one bite,
I promise you will want more.
Here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
450 grams chicken thighs (cut into bite sized pieces)
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A pinch of nutmeg powder
1/3 cup hung yogurt
1/3 cup processed cheese
1/4 cup fresh cream
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Other Equipment:
5-6 bamboo skewers (soaked in water)
Instructions:
In a bowl marinate chicken with ginger garlic paste,
lemon juice, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder and salt.
Mix everything very well, let the chicken marinate for
30 minutes.
For the creamy marinade: In a separate bowl combine hung
yogurt, cheese, fresh cream, nutmeg powder, black pepper
and salt. Go easy on the salt as the cheese also has
salt content. Add this creamy marinade to the chicken
and make sure all the pieces are coated in this
marinade. Let the chicken marinate for 4-6 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
Thread the pieces of chicken onto the bamboo skewers
gently.
Place the skewers onto a grilling rack in the oven.
Brush the chicken with the extra marinade if left. Also
brush melted butter on them. Cook in the oven for at 250
degree Celsius for 15 minutes. Don’t forget to turn them
half way through. Baste the pieces of chicken with
melted butter every 15 minutes to get juicy Malai
tikkas. Use a skewer to check if the Tikkas are
thoroughly cooked. The chicken should have slightly
charred edges.
Serve with green chutney for kebabs and tikkas. Enjoy!
Spicy Potato Wedges
How many times have we ordered this at a restaurant? Did you
know how easy it is to make potato wedges?
Well next time you have friends over, make these and show off
your cooking skills!
**Note** There is a very specific way of cutting these wedges,
so don’t forget to check out the video too!
Ingredients:
3 medium sized potatoes (cut into wedges)
Tomato ketchup for serving
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
For seasoning:
¼
¼
¼
¼
½
¼
teaspoon
teaspoon
teaspoon
teaspoon
teaspoon
teaspoon
salt
black salt
black pepper
coarse red chilli powder
paprika or Kashmiri red chilli powder
dry mango powder (Amchoor powder in Hindi)
Instructions:
Cut the potatoes into wedges and soak them in cold water
for 30 minutes to get rid of the excess starch.
Fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add
in a generous pinch of salt and add in the wedges.
Parboil the potatoes till they are about 60% done or
till fork tender. This should take around 3-4 minutes.
Strain the wedges, pat dry them using a kitchen towel
and let them air dry till there is no moisture left on
the wedges. This step will ensure a crispy exterior.
Fill a pan with oil enough to submerge the wedges in.
Once oil is hot add in the wedges, 5-6 wedges at a time
depending upon how big your pan is. Fry them for about
3-4 minutes on medium high heat or till they have
lightly browned and have become crispy.
For the seasoning, in a bowl combine all the above
mentioned dry ingredients and mix them well. Sprinkle
the seasoning on the fried potato wedges. Serve with
ketchup on the side. Enjoy!
Vegetable Cutlets
Are you expecting any guests this weekend? If yes then make
these veggie loaded cutlets ahead of time. If you are not
expecting any guests, then too make these cutlets and gorge on
them all by yourself! The best part is that these can be
frozen for up to one week, you can just defrost and fry them
whenever you are hungry. Plus these cutlets are super healthy
and packed with nutrients from beet and carrots!
Ingredients:
2 cup carrots (grated)
5 cups beet (grated)
6,medium sized potatoes (halved and boiled)
1/4 cup green peas (lightly pulsed or crushed)
10-11 Cloves of garlic
3 green chillies
1 inch piece of ginger
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon homemade masala*
2 teaspoons dry mango powder
¼ cup fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
1 cup of oats lightly pulsed or crushed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt to taste
5-6 tablespoons vegetable oil
*Homemade masala
Ingredients
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 inch cinnamon
1 green cardamom pod
2-3 Cloves
Instructions
Roast on a dry pan for 30-40 seconds and grind into a fine
powder. Store it in an air tight container.
Instructions for the vegetable cutlets
Using a food processor or a grinder, pulse the chillies,
garlic and ginger into a coarse paste. Do the same with
green peas; lightly pulse it.
In a pan heat 1.5-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add in
cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds.Add in
the pulsed ginger garlic and green chillies. Cook it for
30 seconds or till the raw aroma goes away.
Add in carrots and cook for a minute.Now add in the
beet. Cook this for a minute.
Now add in the dry spices; red chilli powder, turmeric
powder and salt. Mix everything well.
Add in the pulsed green peas.
Cover the mixture with a lid and cook for 5-7
minutes.Don’t forget to give it a stir during intervals;
you don’t want the mixture to burn.
Once the veggie mix releases a nice aroma, add in the
homemade masala and dry mango powder. Combine everything
well and add in the mashed potatoes. Do a quick taste
check and add more salt if required.
Add in the chopped coriander leaves and keep the mixture
aside.
To make the cutlets:
Onto a plate spread some oats and cornstarch. Give it a
good mix.
Using ice cream scoop or big spoon, scoop out some
potato mixture on to your palms. Gently roll it into a
ball with your palms, press it down to flatten it. For
the coating place the potato mixture patty on the plate
with oats and gently press so that the oats stick to the
cutlet.
In a fry pan heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil and fry the
cutlets for 2 minutes on each side or till it is nice
and crispy.
Sprinkle some chaat masala on top and serve. Enjoy!
Patatas Bravas with Garlic
Dip
I am sure you must have come across this dish in those quaint
little cafes or even at Tapas restaurants. I was a bit
skeptical when I had ordered this dish for the first time, but
when I tried it, I was totally amazed. The best part was
dipping those little cubes of fried potato in the creamy
garlicky sauce and popping them into your mouth. And let me
tell you, I kept doing that till it was all over! But I have a
recipe for it; you too can now make it at home!
Here is the recipe
Ingredients:
4 medium sized potatoes (peeled and cubed)
Coriander leaves (chopped)
To season boiling water
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ red chilli powder
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic (bashed)
Salt
For spicy seasoning mix
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
¼ teaspoon coarse red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste
For the garlic dipping sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
5 tablespoon tomato ketchup
¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
10 cloves of garlic (fine paste)
Juice of half a lemon
Instructions:
Bring water to a rapid boil; add in bay leaf, bashed
cloves of garlic, red chilli powder, smoked paprika and
salt.
Add in the cubed potatoes and boil till 90% is cooked.
Transfer potatoes on to a clean plate or a wire rack.
Let it dry completely.
In the meanwhile using a mortar and pestle crush the
remaining cloves of garlic into a fine paste.* Add the
garlic paste to the mayonnaise along with red chilli
powder, smoked paprika, lemon juice and salt. Mix
everything well, keep aside.
To make a spicy seasoning mix, combine the mentioned dry
ingredients well. Keep aside.
After the potatoes have completely dried, fry them in
batches using vegetable oil. Fry the potatoes for 2-3
minutes on medium high heat till they are crispy and
golden in colour.
Sprinkle the fried potatoes with spicy seasoning mix and
top it with the garlic dip. Garnish with chopped
coriander leaves. Enjoy!
*Note* sprinkle a pinch of salt on the garlic while crushing
it; it helps in releasing the juices of the garlic.
Shrimp Skewers
Shrimp is one of my most favourite foods. Be it shrimp curry
or shrimp fried rice, I can never say no to it. Here is a
simple but delicious recipe for shrimp skewers. Fresh shrimps
marinated in a beautiful garlic and butter marinade with a
hint of lemon and coriander. Magical!
Here is the recipe
Ingredients:
500 grams shrimp (large, cleaned and deveined, tails on)
½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
½ teaspoon coarse red chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
10-12 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil ( reserve some for greasing
grill pan)
1 teaspoon butter (melted)
Juice of half a lemon
For grilling:
Bamboo skewers
Instructions:
In a bowl combine butter, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil,
garlic, chopped coriander, dry spices, salt and lemon
juice.
Add in the cleaned shrimp into the marinade and mix
well. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
Put the skewers through the shrimps, 3-4 in each
depending upon the size of the shrimps.
Brush the remaining vegetable oil on grill pan. Grill
the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Garnish with additional chopped coriander. Enjoy!
Valentine's Day Special: Meal
for Two
Brown Rice Pulao with Chicken Kebabs and Chocolate Trifle
It is Valentine’s Day tomorrow and everyone wants to make
their SO feel a little extra special. Well just cook them this
dinner and dessert recipe that I am about to share with you!
For the chocolate trifle
Ingredients:
2 chocolate cupcakes (I used store bought)
1/3 cup fresh strawberries (roughly chopped)
Whipped cream
Instructions:
In a small bowl throw in the cupcakes and crumble them
using a fork. Keep aside.
In a trifle cup or a small glass layer some strawberries
in the bottom. Layer with whipped cream. Now add some
crumbled cake. Repeat the process by adding strawberries
again till the cup is full. Add an extra helping of
whipped cream and a small piece of strawberry on the
top. Refrigerate for an hour at least before eating.
For chicken kebabs
Ingredients:
350 grams boneless skinless chicken (cut into chunks)
8 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1 green chilli (optional)
1/3 cup unsweetened yogurt
¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder (this adds colour,
less heat)
¼ teaspoon spicy red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
A pinch of carom seeds ( Ajwain in Hindi)
½ a lime
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard oil
Instructions:
In a food processer roughly pulse ginger, garlic and
green chilli. Make sure that there are no big pieces
left.
In a bowl combine vegetable and mustard oil, keep aside.
In a bowl combine the spices, carom seeds, ginger garlic
and green chilli paste, lime juice and yogurt with
chicken. Mix well and keep aside for 30 minutes at
least.
Heat grill pan over medium high heat, brush it with the
oil. Place chicken skewers one by one. Cook for 4-5
minutes on each side, till completely cooked.
For brown rice pulao
Ingredients:
3 cups of cooked brown rice
1/3 cup French beans (cut into small pieces)
1/3 cup carrots (chopped)
¼ cup green peas
1/3 cup red onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
½ inch piece ginger (finely minced)
¼ cup unsweetened yogurt
¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon biryani masala
¼ teaspoon sugar (optional)
Salt to taste
Whole Spices (Garam Masala)
2 cloves
½ inch cinnamon
2 green cardamom pods
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions:
In pan heat oil, add in whole spices (garam masala), let
it sizzle. Add in onions. Sauté till translucent, add in
ginger and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add in dry spices and stir quickly so that the spices
don’t burn. Add in carrots immediately, sauté for a
minute. Add in French beans, sauté again. Add in
biriyani masala, stir well.
Add in ¼ cup of water, let it come to a light simmer.
Now add in green peas.
Add in yogurt. Mix well, add rice and season
accordingly, add in sugar to balance the taste. Toss
gently and serve. Enjoy!
Piri Piri Chicken Popcorn
Almost everyone loves munching on popcorn; be it in a movie
theatre or while taking a stroll in the park. So KFC here in
India has this chicken popcorn in their menu. I was quite
skeptical when I first heard about it, but it was damn
delicious when I tried it. Small chunks of deep fried chicken
coated with a seasoning mix, I could eat this forever. Then I
wanted more of it, I might be a little extreme at times, but
unfortunately or fortunately that’s how I roll! So I decided
to make it at home and added a slight twist! I used piri piri
seasoning in this recipe. I got mine from a local supermarket,
but you can make this at home too! I have added the recipe for
piri piri spice spice mix; make sure to scroll down till the
end of this post to find the recipe!
Ingredients to make popcorn
Nice, right ?
Eating them off a plate is too mainstream, so I got these
little popcorn boxes! They look so adorable!
Here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
300 grams of chicken (cubed into 1 inch pieces)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
½ teaspoon Italian mixed herbs
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste*
½ cup all purpose flour with a pinch of black pepper,
red chilli powder or paprika and salt
1 cup cornflakes (crushed)
1 quarter of a lime
Salt to taste
Any vegetable oil for frying
Piri Piri spice mix** (store bought or homemade)
Instructions:
Begin by marinating the chicken with lime juice,
Kashmiri red chilli powder, black pepper powder, Italian
mixed herbs, ginger garlic paste and salt. Keep aside
for 10 minutes.
Combine black pepper, red chilli powder or paprika and
salt with the all purpose flour.
To coat the chicken: using two forks grab a piece and
dust in the flour, shake of the excess flour. Dip the
piece in the egg wash and roll it in the crushed
cornflakes. Fry on medium heat for at least two minutes,
till golden brown.
Sprinkle some piri piri seasoning on the chicken popcorn
and enjoy!
Note* for the ginger garlic paste I used 6-7 big cloves of
garlic and 1 inch piece of ginger.
Note** you can make piri piri spice mix at home, although I
used store bought spice mix.
Here is the recipe for piri piri spice mix
Ingredients:
2
1
1
1
1
1
½
1
1
teaspoons cayenne pepper or any red chilli powder
teaspoon chilli flakes
teaspoon onion powder
teaspoon garlic powder
teaspoon black pepper
teaspoon oregano
teaspoon dry tamarind powder or dry mango powder
teaspoon sugar
teaspoon salt***
Instructions:
Combine all the spices well and store in an airtight
jar.
Note*** you can always control the amount of salt in your
seasoning. Adjust it as per your taste.
Cheesy Garlic Bread
What is better than some ooey gooey stringy cheese on a warm
piece of bread? Underneath the cheese there is a distinctive
combination of garlic and parsley with a hint of dried herbs.
Sounds delicious already, right?
Let’s make it!
Ingredients
Throwing in parsley garlic and some olive oil into my food
processor.
Spread the mixture evenly on the baguette.
Ready to go into the oven.
And it is finally done!
Ingredients
1 Baguette
8 cloves of garlic
1/3
rd
cup parsley (tightly packed)
1/4th teaspoon dried basil
1/4th teaspoon dried Italian herb mix
1 tablespoon pickled green jalapenos (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon pickled red jalapenos (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded processed cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven at 250 degrees C for 10 minutes. In
the meanwhile combine olive oil, garlic and parsley with
a pinch of salt into a food processor and make a smooth
paste. Add more olive oil if required. Add this paste to
the melted butter and set aside.
Slice the baguette into half. Using a brush or a spoon
smear the parsley-garlic mixture on the baguette. Fold
it in the aluminium foil and pop into the oven for 10
minutes at 200 degree C.
Open the baguette, the parsley-garlic mixture smells
delicious now. Top the baguette with chopped red and
green jalapenos, basil and Italian herb mix. Add
mozzarella and processed cheese over it. Season with
pepper and go easy on the salt as processed cheese
already has salt. Pop the bread back into the oven, this
time open. Place it on the top rack for 7-8 minutes at
175 degrees C, or till the cheese melts. Keep an eye as
oven temperatures may vary. Enjoy!
Roasted Baby Potatoes
My love for potatoes knows no limits. I love the aroma of
freshly baked potatoes with garlic. Sprinkle some cheese over
it, yes that’s it.
I made these a couple of days ago.
I binged on these potatoes, don’t judge me okay?
The ingredients you need to make these delicious potatoes.
I ate this whole thing! #sorrynotsorry
Here is the recipe
Ingredients:
20-25 baby potatoes
4 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
5 teaspoons smoked paprika
5 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste
1.5 teaspoons oil (for frying)
Parsley (chopped)
Instructions:
Wash the potatoes thoroughly to get rid of any dirt.
Cut the potatoes into halves and soak them in cold water
for 10 minutes to get rid of extra starch.
Pat dry the potatoes and transfer them into a clean
bowl.
Add in all the spices; dried herb mix, black cracked
pepper, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and oil. Toss well
and keep aside for 10 minutes.
In the meanwhile preheat your oven at 200 degrees C for
10 minutes.
Heat a pan on medium high flame with 1 teaspoon oil.
Drop in the potatoes, just to develop some colour.
Transfer the potatoes into the baking tray after they
develop some colour. Roast them in the oven at 170
degrees C for 8-10 minutes and again at 150 degrees C
for another 10 minutes until fully done.
Transfer the potatoes onto a dish, top it with some
parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Fried Chicken In Sweet And
Spicy Sauce
In my whole life, I have not come across a person who would
say no to fried chicken. Chicken is always delicious and
frying it makes it all the more drool worthy. Well this is my
go to recipe whenever I have friends coming over for a party.
I always make a really big batch of this, but it takes a blink
of an eye to finish this. Something spicy to go with beer and
at the same time sweet and sticky enough to keep licking our
fingers! I have made this same sauce for a previous recipe
too; ‘Buttermilk fried chicken’. I hadn’t posted a recipe for
this sauce there, so here it is now. Buttermilk fried chicken
can be enjoyed with a dip or a sauce but once you make this
sweet and spicy sauce, you will want to have it all the time!
Yummmmm!
Check out my YouTube channel here!
Ingredients
500 grams of boneless and skinless chicken, cut into
bite sized pieces
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
5 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup of corn starch
Salt and pepper to taste
Toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle
Oil for deep frying
For the sauce
6-7 cloves of garlic, finely minced
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons dried red chilli paste
5 tablespoons chilli garlic sauce
1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
5 tablespoons white vinegar
2-3 tablespoons honey
Salt to taste
Instructions
In a bowl combine soy sauce, egg, corn starch, minced
garlic, salt and pepper with pieces of chicken. Mix well
so that there are no lumps. Keep aside.
Heat oil enough to submerge the chicken. Drop in the
pieces one by one. Make sure you don’t put in too many
at once; it will just drop the temperature of the oil
resulting in uneven cooking.
Fry the chicken for 10 minutes on medium heat till they
develop a golden brown color.
Transfer chicken on to a plate lined with clean paper
towels. Fry the second batch and keep aside.
Put the wok on high heat and drop in all the pieces of
fried chicken for double frying. This will ensure that
the chicken remains crispy even after we toss it in the
sauce.
Now we prepare the sauce for the chicken to be tossed
in. In a pan melt the butter and add the minced garlic
immediately. We don’t want the butter to brown. Sauté
the garlic for 30-40 seconds till it releases a nice
aroma. Now add in dried red chilli paste. Sauté for a
bit and add chilli garlic sauce, Kashmiri red chilli
powder. Cook for 50 seconds; add in Worcestershire
sauce, white vinegar and salt. Cook for another 40
seconds and add in the honey. You may adjust the heat
and sweetness depending on your preference.
Toss in the double fried chicken into the pan with the
sauce. Make sure each piece is coated well. Transfer the
chicken onto the serving plate; top it with toasted
sesame seeds for that extra crunch. Enjoy!