Chicken Pulao (g.f)

This one-pot meal has everything one could possibly want. It’s got looks, taste, flavour, nutrition, satisfaction and satiation. This is a Bollywood movie of a recipe and all too easy to make, to eat, to love what’s more the leftovers eaten the next day are just as delicious if not better.

The ingredients are bone-in chicken, onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic, green chilies, vegetables of choice, yoghurt, coriander powder, turmeric, salt to taste, garam masala, black cardamom, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, bay leaves and rice.

The ingredients are a bit much but they’re necessary for this recipe to come a full circle.

In a large pot of choice add some ghee and just as it melts add in the whole spices.

Just as the spices become fragrant add in the thinly sliced onions and the slit green chillies.

Add some salt and stir together. We want the onions to soften and colour slightly

Just as the onions get a slight tan add in the chicken pieces and the ginger garlic.

add in the turmeric powder and stir together to combine.

At this stage we want the onions to infuse their flavour with the ginger garlic and chicken and for that, we need to let them all cook together before proceeding. Adding a bit of water prevents the onions and chicken from sticking. Cover the pot and let everything simmer together for 5-8 minutes. Keep checking to see that nothing is sticking to the pot and add some more water if needed. This step is absolutely essential as it fuses all the flavours from the spices into this dish.

After some time you will see all the onions have cooked down to nothing save their delicious flavour. Now add in the tomatoes and the spices that is coriander powder and garam masala.

Stir to combine and add in the yogurt. Mix well and once again cover and let everything cook for another 5 minutes on a low flame.

Now we can add in the vegetables and the rice.

Add some more salt and water and let everything come to a boil before finally covering it and lowering the heat to its lowest possible setting and cooking for about 10-15 minutes or until such time as all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked.

Once cooked let the pot stay covered for a few minutes before serving with some onions and chopped coriander.

This recipe once you’ve assembled all the ingredients is so much fun to cook, as the alchemy of all the flavors unfolds and everything turns into this amazingly unmatched one pot dish which is a must try!

Recipe ingredients

Bone in chicken: 500g
Vegetables of choice : carrots, cauliflower, peas etc 200g
Basmati rice : 200g
Onion: 1 large
Garlic cloves: 5-6
Ginger: 2 inch piece
green chillies: 2-3
Tomato: 1 small
Yoghurt: 50g
Ghee: 40g 
Salt: to taste ( I used 2 tsp)
Water: to cook the rice (I use twice the amount of rice)
 --
Whole Spices
Black cardamom: 1-2 
Cloves: 2-3
Green cardamom: 3-5
Bay leaves: 1 large
Cinnamon: 1 stick
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
--
Powdered spices
Turmeric: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Garam masala: 1 tsp

Recipe instructions

Soak the rice at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Thinly slice the onions and green chillies. Crush or mince together the garlic cloves and ginger. Chop the tomatoes into small cubes.

In a large pot on medium flame heat the ghee and add in the spices just as the ghee melts. Stir them together until fragrant and add in the sliced onions and green chilies with some salt. Cook the onions until softened and just beginning to turn golden.

Add in the chicken pieces with ginger garlic and turmeric. Stir and cover the pot and let it cook down for about 5-8 minutes on medium low flame. Add some water if necessary and keep checking to ensure that nothing burns. This step will not only cook the chicken but also fuse its flavours with the spices.

After about eight minutes add in the tomatoes, remaining dried spices which are coriander and garam masala and yogurt and stir together to combine everything before once again letting it all cook for about five more minutes.

Now add in the vegetables, soaked rice, some more salt and water. Let it all come to a bubble before slowly cooking it all covered on a very low flame for about 10-15 minutes.

Check after the 8 minute mark to see if the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked.

Once done, keep the pot covered and let it rest for a few minutes before serving with onions and some chopped coriander or absolutely nothing because this pulao is so delicious on its own you barely need anything else with it.

Enjoy

Vegetable pancake (plant-based, g.f)

These plant-based, gluten-free gems of nutrition that I call vegetable pancakes are popularly called ‘cheela or chilla’ in my country and serve as a popular breakfast item. Delicious and filling as they are, I have tried to make these go a little further with the addition of soaked mung beans that not only add to the fibre but also up the protein and they needn’t only be eaten as breakfast. I often bulk these babies up as I have done here with plenty of veg to make it a lot more filling and wholesome as proper lunch. These are quick, easy and most certainly something different to break from the same old.

The ingredients are chopped vegetables of choice. I have here some mint and coriander, tomatoes, onions and carrots with mung beans, chickpea flour, cumin, dried mango and coriander powder, asafetida, red chilli flakes and salt. You also need enough water to make a batter.

The stars of the show are chickpea flour which makes the base of this pancake, thus making it gluten-free and mung beans that work great if they are sprouted. Soaked overnight also work which is what I have here.

In a bowl add the flour with the spices and some chopped coriander. Pour in water and whisk to a smooth batter.

Mix well and ensure no lumps are formed. The batter should be of pouring consistency. Cover and leave it to rest for at least 15 minutes. This rest period is absolutely necessary for not only the flavours to absorb better but also for the chickpeas flour to absorb water and swell. If the batter thickens after the rest period, add more water to bring it back to pouring consistency.

Add a couple teaspoons of oil to a hot pan and using a clean kitchen towel or paper spread around the pan. This will evenly coat the surface of the pan with oil while absorbing the excess. Ladle some batter on the pan. Make sure the pan isn’t too hot.

Spread the batter in circular motions using the back of the ladle.

while the batter is still wet on the top add in the chopped vegetables and mung beans. Gently press into the batter to ensure they stick. Keep the heat on medium low.

Spread some oil on the edges of the cooking batter to ensure that it doesn’t stick.

Slide a spatula along the sides to check the doneness of the pancakes. I like them a little crisp. These can either be flipped or folded.

I prefer to fold them.

Serve hot with your favourite chutney or dips.

Recipe ingredients 

Chickpeas flour(besan)- 200gms
Cumin powder- 2 tsp
Red chilli flakes- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Dried mango powder- 1 tsp
Asafetida- a pinch
Salt to taste
Water as needed
Oil
Chopped vegetables of choice
Sprouted Mung beans- 100 gms

Recipe instructions

In a clean bowl mix together the flour with spices, salt and enough water to make a pourable batter. Add some chopped coriander (optional) and whisk together to form a smooth batter with no lumps.

Cover the batter and let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Heat a pan on medium-low heat and spread some oil using a kitchen towel or paper to evenly coat the surface of the pan. Spread about half a ladleful of batter using the back of the ladle in an even circle.

Top the pancake with vegetables and mung beans and let it cook for a few minutes. Spread some oil around the edges of the pancake to ensure it doesn’t stick.

Using a spatula, lift the edges of the pancake to check for doneness and fold once cooked to liking. Serve hot.

Note*- the first couple pancakes might stick to the pan but the rest will not once you get the flow of it. Don’t let the pan get too hot or the pancakes will not evenly spread.

Chicken tikka salad

This summer had me realizing all my salad dreams. I don’t know how it came to be but I found myself wanting to eat salad almost everyday for lunch and thusly creating all my favourite preparations into salad forms. Maybe it’s the crunch that I wanted or perhaps the effects of the extreme heatwave and unforgiving humidity had me needing all that was abundant and high in water content. Whatever the case maybe, I am delighted to have actually munched my way through hundreds of lettuce heads this year.

This chicken tikka salad is no different. Abundant with fantastical spices of a traditional tikka and light in its delivery, laid on a bed of raw vegetables, this salad has it all, that is the oomph of traditional flavours with a zingy dressing that won’t make you miss the naan.

Of course there are days when these succulent pieces of chicken wrapped in naan or stuffed between a couple slices of bread do the needful, but on days when you’re looking for something light and yet special this tikka salad is an uncompromising substitute.

the ingredients are simple. Chicken, yogurt, cumin, pepper, ginger and garlic paste, red chilly powder, fenugreek leaves, lemon. yogurt and your favourite vegetables for salad.

Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces. In a bowl marinade the chicken with lemon, fenugreek leaves, ginger garlic paste, cumin, pepper, red chilli powder and yogurt. Add some oil and mix.

Once mixed, cover and let rest for at least ten minutes before cooking.

In the meantime we can make some dressing for the salad with some yogurt, black pepper, cumin powder, salt, garam masala and lemon.

Prep the vegetables for the salad by cleaning and chopping them into bite sized pieces. You can use whatever vegetables you like to eat raw.

I like to grill the chicken for tikka only because I love the stripes but it’s not needed. A regular skillet works just as fine if not better. Cook the chicken on both sides until well cooked and slightly charred for the smoky resonance.

The vegetables I’ve used here are lettuce, onions, carrots and cucumber. It’s really up to individual preference here. I have tried substituting shredded cabbage for lettuce and it works just as well.

Drizzle the yogurt dressing on top and enjoy.

This is a simple recipe with such complex flavours that you’d never realize it took you barely thirty minutes to put together this fabulous meal.

Chicken tikka salad

Ingredients

Chicken - 200-350g
Yogurt- 50g
Fenugreek leaves- 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon- 2 tsp
Cumin powder- 1 tsp
Black pepper- 1 tsp
Oil-2 tsp

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For the dressing

Yogurt- 1 tbsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
black pepper- 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
Lemon- 1/2 tsp

--
for the salad

lettuce- 1 head
carrots- 1 medium
Cucumber- 1 medium
Onion- 1 small
Coriander leaves

Recipe instructions

Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and mix into a bowl with lemon, fenugreek leaves, dried spices, yogurt, ginger garlic paste, salt and oil. Mix well and let rest at room temperature for ten minutes.

In a small bowl mix together the yogurt, garam masala, cumin powder, black pepper, salt and lemon to prepare dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wash, clean and prepare the vegetables by choppin into bite sized pieces.

Heat a grill or skillet and lay the marinated chicken pieces. Cook on both sides for at least 5 minutes or until completely cooked and slightly charred and smoky. Let cool for a few minutes before adding to the vegetables.

Lay the cooked chicken over vegetables and drizzle with the yogurt dressing.

Serve.

Post workout potato and egg salad

Are you in no mood to cook anything but still want to eat something delicious and nourishing especially after a rigorous workout that has sapped your will to cook? Are you in a mood for a hefty crunchy salad that oomphs it up with a dressing so deliriously flavourful with a kiss of the piquant that is just as easy to carry in your lunchbox and eat while sitting at your work desk?

If you are nodding your head to al these questions then look no further because I have a salad which is just the right mood. High protein, low fat and full of colourful veg that is the fiber you need.

This is my easy boiled potato and egg salad with a spicy dressing which has no step by step pictures because it is really is that easy.

Ingredients

Eggs: 2 hard boiled
Potatoes: 1-2 medium
Vegetables: carrots, capsicums or peppers of choice, onions.
Coriander: 1 small bunch chopped
Lemon juice: 1-2 tsp
Mayonnaise light : 1 tbsp
Grain Mustard: 2 tsp
Yogurt: 2 tbsps
Salt to taste
Pepper: 1/2 tsp
Paprika: 1/2 tsp
If you want it spicier add some extra red chilli powder or crushed red peppers.

Recipe instructions

Cube the boiled potatoes and slice the vegetables either into thin shreds or into bite sized pieces. The vegetables you use are up to you.

Boil the eggs and cube or slice them.

Make the dressing by mixing into a bowl the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, spices, salt and lemon juice. Mix well with a spoon. The dressing will be thick and deliciously coat all the ingredients of your salad.

In a large bowl tumble in the vegetables and eggs and drizzle over the dressing. Toss the salad to coat evenly.

This salad can be eaten immediately or packed into a lunch box for a delicious healthy meal.

Venetian carrot cake

In case anyone was wondering about my exile and the painfully invisible void I’d left in the world of food blogs, then let me tell you, it was only temporary..and though I might not be back with a bang, I am back with a gluten free (gasp) venetian carrot cake, the credit for which as much as I’d like to take isn’t mine to take at all but Nigella Lawson’s, and it’s her recipe I’ve adapted to make this unbelievable sphere (albeit sort of flat) of damp richness.

This is a carrot cake and it’s unapologetically..umm carroty? and absolutely gluten free, which is to say it does not require any flour, and as hipster as it sounds, we can take some solace in that it’s not vegan..though I promise nothing. On days of rage, I’ve been known to torture myself with vegan food stuff. But that’s another story for another torture chamber, because right now let’s marvel in the blistering warmth of this buff coloured cake, which sings to your soul and pleases your senses with such luxurious notes, that you’re left wondering whether you should eat this cake or marry it.

So without further ado, we’ve the ingredients. Sugar, olive oil, vanilla extract, beaten eggs, almond meal, shredded carrots, pine nuts, lemon, lemon zest, raisins and rum (not pictured)

Just because a cake’s got almond meal which sometimes you don’t readily get at your grocery store, does not mean you put off baking this amber coloured love disc. You’ve only to blitz almonds to get almond meal you know. It’s rocket science, but you can get around to it.

before we get started, put the raisins in with the rum and bring to a boil and let simmer gently for 3 minutes, after which turn off your heat and let the raisins plump up and cool.

into a bowl of choice, add olive oil and sugar

and beat it for at least a couple of minutes. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable activity, I assure you.

beat until you’ve incorporated the sugar with the oil

mix in the eggs

followed closely by vanilla extract

and the zest

and lemon juice

mix well, until you’ve a summery ripple of golden ooze that speaks radiance in shiny ribbons.

tip in the now cooled swollen raisins along with any rum that’s it’s been standing in.

finally the almond meal

and the grated carrots

mix well, until everything’s incorporated and there’re no dry pockets.

scrape the mixture into a prepared cake tin. This is a springform pan

prepared simply means you’ve oiled the sides and the bottom and stuck a wax/butter/parchment paper on the base and oiled it as well.

now, with the careless abandon of abundance, strew the top with pine nuts

liberally or not..entirely up to you and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean. As long as it’s sticky and not runny, you’re good.

once done, let it cool before you devour..always a good practice.

and behold! the answer to dreary winter months, the saviour of one too many dinnerless nights..or just a sponge to wipe your tears, while you wallow in the dull ache of loneliness in your bed. A cake of such splendour and sumptuous depths that you’d kick yourself for sharing it. It’ll light you up on the inside, and how can it not?

_________________

Ingredients

carrots-2 medium (about 200g)
pine nuts -3 tbsp
raisins-75g (1/2 cup)
rum- 60ml
sugar- 150g (3/4cup)
olive oil (regular)- 125ml (1/2 cup)
eggs-3
vanilla extract- 1 tsp
almond meal- 250g (2.5 cup)
lemon- 1/2 (zest and juice)

______________________________________________

Preparation

In a saucepan bring to a boil the rum and raisins and let simmer gently. Turn off the heat and let them stand and cool. Grate the carrots and absorb any excess liquid with a kitchen towel.

Into a bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until well mixed. add in the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and juice and the now cooled rum and raisins, and mix well. Finally fold in the almond meal and grated carrots.

Scrape into a prepared cake tin, and cover the top with pine nuts. Bake 180°C for 40 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean. As long as it’s sticky and not runny, you’re good. Let it rest for at lest ten minutes before removing it from its cake pan. Let it cool completely and enjoy

Orange torte (gluten free)

I was dying to make something citrusy, something with a bright yellow colour, something that would remind me of sunshine and fill the house with summer smells of freshness.

I love desserts that have a citrus note to them and this torte was no exception. This sunny disc of luscious flavours is a gluten-free torte which I adapted from Stephanie Jaworski of joyofbaking.com . she has such a wonderful collection of fabulous recipes and it’s all explained in such perfect details that it’d be impossible to go wrong, and this torte was no exception. I came across her clemetine torte and knew that I had to make it.

I just want to emphasize on the luxuriousness of this cake and that it’s one of the best things to come out of my kitchen. It’s pure tasteporn..I mean it.

Since this is an orange torte you need oranges, almond flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract (I used a vanilla bean), sugar and eggs.

Before I start, I’d like to mention that these oranges need a good boiling because you want these golden beauties soft, soft, soft. I boiled these oranges a day in advance, and boiled them for about 1 hour until they were soft. Let them cool and store in fridge to use next day.

Also a word on almond flour/meal- please don’t get put off or think ‘meh this needs almond meal, who’s got that’? well I didn’t. I simply made it at home by blitzing almonds in a grinder until it resembled flour. It took me about 2 minutes. You can do it and you should, because this cake is extraordinarily delicious and moist and dense and orangey and you’d probably go to hell if you didn’t try this recipe.

ok moving on..

take a clean blender or food processor

throw in your oranges

crack in the eggs in the most clumsy fashion

add in the vanilla (I’m using a vanilla bean, but please use good vanilla extract if you want, I just happen to have a truckloads of these beans)

Once it’s all in

blitz to mix. It will turn into a golden pond of citrus love in a matter of seconds.

admire your handiwork and realize it resembles a milkshake and that you’re lactose intolerant..shed a few tears and get back to work.

in a separate large clean bowl.

dump in your almond flour/meal (whatever you call it)

add the sugar

in with the baking powder

don’t forget the salt

it’s all heaped in. good!

mix using a wire whisk. It’s just easier

mix well like so. I put a spoonful in my mouth and it tasted great already.

Now tip in your orange+egg+vanilla mixture

mix until it all comes together. Don’t be too vigorous.

let that rest a bit and prep the pan. Take a springfoam pan and using its base as guide, cut out a round piece of parchment paper. It’s not geometry, you needn’t be precise. (Again, don’t be put off by this step. It takes a mere minute and it’s important for the cake)

take a bit of melted butter and spread on the base of the tin.

like so.

this enables the parchment to stick better. Flatten it out well so that there are no air bubbles.

Brush the sides as well. I took an extra precaution and lined the base with aluminum foil to prevent any leakages. I have trust issues with this pan, and in return it doesn’t love me back.

Tip in your batter. Tap it a bit and bake @ 190℃

take it out after and hour. Check with toothpick in case it comes out clean and LET IT COOL COMPLETELY! I’m sorry for yelling but this how I yelled at the man who kept trying to eat it.

once completely cooled, very carefully and gently remove the base pan and peel off the parchment paper. Just be a little cautious. It’s a wonderfully moist cake so don’t be too heavy-handed with it.

cut yourself a piece and fall in love.

Note: this cake tastes best after a couple of days of making, and for best results you have to let it be undisturbed overnight.

Ingredients

Oranges : 450g (boiled until soft, best to do a day in advance)

Eggs: 6

vanilla extract : 1 teaspoon or vanilla bean.

Almond flour/meal : 250 g (if you can’t buy it, then grind the same wight of almonds until it resembles flour)

Sugar: 230 g

baking powder: 1 teaspoon

salt: a small pinch

How to: In a blender or food processor, blend in the oranges, eggs and vanilla.

In a separate large bowl mix in the almond flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Pour in the batter and mix well.

Line your springfoam tin with parchment paper after greasing the base and sides. To prevent leakages line the outside base with aluminium foil.

Pour in the batter and bake at 190℃ for 45-60 minutes. Check with toothpick to see if it’s baked. Mine took one whole hour.

Note: Around the 40 minute mark I covered the top with aluminum foil as it was getting a little brown.

Here’s another delicious picture. Enjoy!!

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