Egg & Potato Sandwich

This sandwich may just look like plain Jane. But its a delicious & a wonderful breakfast/ snack & its really simple to make. My dad used to make this often for breakfast.

You'll need :-

hard boiled eggs, peeled & cut into round slices
boiled potatoes, peeled & cut into round slices
slices of bread
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
salted butter

You could toast the bread or keep it plain. Apply butter on the bread slice. Layer with potato slices. Sprinkle salt. Next, layer with egg slices. Again sprinkle with salt & pepper. Finish off with a buttered slice of bread.

Hmmmm..... thats my favourite snack !!!!!!

Grilled Chicken

Just like the tandoori chicken, this recipe has the unique flavour of bafat powder. If you do not have an oven, you could even fry the chicken on an open pan with very little oil.

2 chicken drumsticks with thighs attached
4 flakes garlic, crushed to a paste
1 inch piece ginger, crushed to a paste
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
salt, to taste
2 tsps vinegar
3-4 tsps bafat powder
2 whole potatoes with jackets on, cut into half
some onion rings
few slices of tomatoes
2 tbsps of freshly chopped corainder leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges
2 tbsps butter

Clean & wash chicken legs & make slits all over. Pat dry with a tissue or a towel.

In a mixing bowl, mix ginger-garlic paste, yoghurt, salt, vinegar, bafat powder. Smear this paste all over the chicken pieces. Rub well into the slits.
Make small gashes on the potatoes with a knife & rub some of the marinade paste onto the potatoes. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours or better overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Place chicken on baking tray & bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove & put a tbsp of butter on the potatoes. Turn over the chicken pieces & bake it for another 15 minutes. Baste the chicken with some melted butter if it turns too dry. Turn over the chicken pieces once again & bake for another 5 minutes or until some portion of the chicken gets mildly charred.

Place the chicken legs on a serving tray. Place the baked potatoes besides the chicken legs & put on some butter on the potatoes. Garnish with onion rings, tomato slices, lemon wedges & corainder leaves.

Serve hot.

Bafat Powder

Bafat powder is used by us in a many dishes, both veg & non-veg. The fragrance of this masala itself is so very appetising & it adds a very beautiful flavour as well as colour to the dish. This masala can be found in Mangalore stores in India. You could also make it at home & store it in a bottle. Below is the recipe :

2 1/2 kg long red chillies
1/2 kg short red chillies
250 gms corainder seeds
150 gms cumin seeds
50 gms mustard seeds
50 gms black peppercorns
50 gms turmeric
50 gms cloves & cinnamon

Dry all the above ingredients in the sun for 3-4 days. Powder & store in an airtight container.

Dal Makhani

I've been feasting on this dish at restaurants. This time, thought of giving it a try at home & it turned out just perfect... Yummy !!!!!!!!!!
My family relished it & the kadhai was cleaned in a matter of minutes.
Well..... here goes the recipe....

1 cup whole black urad dal
1/2 cup red kidney beans (rajma beans)
1 tbsp gram dal (chana dal)
2 big pinches of fenugreek seeds
1 big onion, finely chopped
1 big tomato, finely chopped
1-2 green chillies, slit lengthwise & then finely chopped
3-4 flakes garlic, finely chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup cream
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt, to taste
Handful of chopped corainder leaves

Soak all dals overnight with fenugreek seeds. Pressure cook till soft & done. Release pressure from the cooker & open it. Let it cook on medium flame for more 20 mins. Smash the dals using the back of the spoon. Pour in the yoghurt & cream. Stir & set aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Put in the butter & stir. Once the butter has melted, add in the cumin seeds & let them sizzle. Next add the onions & saute till they turn transparent. Add the chopped ginger, garlic & green chillies & saute till the entire mixture turns a little brown. Add the tomatoes & salt. Saute till oil leaves from the sides of the pan. Add the turmeric powder & chilli powder. Saute for a minute or so. Add the cooked dal to the kadhai & mix well. Let it come to a boil. Add the garam masala powder & corainder leaves. Mix well. Simmer on low flame for 10-12 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Garnish with a dollop of butter & some fresh cream & serve hot.

Beef/ Lamb With Crushed Peppercorns

This one comes from one of Maya Kaimal's cookbooks. I just love her recipes & this one is really mind blowing.

1 3/4 lbs beef or lamb, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp corainder powder
Salt, to taste
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp coarsely crushed fennel seeds
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground cardamoms
Oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps minced ginger
2 tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
Chopped corainder leaves, for garnishing

In a medium saucepan, combine meat with water, corainder powder, salt, vinegar, turmeric powder, cayenne pepper, fennel seeds, ground cinnamon, cardamoms & cloves. Bring to a boil. Next reduce heat to low & simmer until meat is just cooked through. Drain meat & reserve the cooking liquid.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Add onions. Fry till they turn light brown. Add ginger, garlic & crushed peppercorns. Cook for a minute. Stir in the meat. Add the reserved liquid, a few tbsps at a time. Stir constantly on moderate heat until meat is coated with the sauce. The curry should be moist & not runny or dry.

Garnish with chopped corainder leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice or chapatis.

Meat Kababs

Kababs & Cutlets are somthing that was always stocked in the freezer by my mom. So whenever, we were hungry, we would pop out a couple of them, fry it & sandwich it between 2 buttered slices of bread & relish it. I will keep sharing a few recipes on cutlets & kababs from my moms diary. Meanwhile, here's my own version.

1 lb finely minced meat (beef/ chicken/ lamb)
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp chopped onions
1 small tomato, chopped fine
2-3 green chillies, chopped fine
3 flakes garlic, chopped fine
1 inch piece ginger, chopped fine
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp corainder powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp garam masala powder
2 eggs
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
handful of chopped corainder leaves
Oil, for frying

Beat eggs with salt & pepper. Heat oil in a pan & scramble the eggs. Set aside.

Marinate the mince with all the masala powders & salt. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Put in the ginger & garlic. Fry till they turn brown. Add the sliced onions & green chillies. Fry till onions turn brown. Add tomatoes & fry till they turn soft. Set aside to cool.

Mix the chopped onions, corainder leaves, scrambled eggs & the fried masala into the marinated minced meat. Mix well in a mixing bowl. Cover & keep in the refrigerator for 30 mins.

Shape into kababs & shallow fry till they turn brown.

Squeeze lemon on the kababs & serve hot.

Stewed Chicken

This recipe comes from my mothers files. The preparation is really simple & the end product is really delicious. Do try it out & let me know.

500 gms chicken (preferably with bones), cleaned & cut into a pieces

1 whole black cardamom
2 small green cardamoms
2 pieces of cinnamom
2-3 cloves
2 petals of star anise
6 whole black peppercorns

2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
3-4 green chilles, slit lengthwise
1 inch piece of ginger, julienned
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp vinegar
salt, to taste
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
chopped corainder leaves, for garnishing

Heat oil in a vessel. Put in the black cardamom, green cardamoms, cinnamom, cloves, star anise & peppercorns. Fry for sometime till you get a nice aroma of the whole spices. Add in the onions, green chillies, ginger & garlic & fry till the onions become soft & transparent. Add the turmeric powder, chicken pieces, vinegar & salt. Cover the vessel & simmer on very low flame, stirring occassionally till the chicken in cooked. Do not add water. The chicken should cook in its own juices.

Garnish with corainder leaves & serve hot with plain boiled rice.

Madras Beef Curry

I found this recipe on www.mamtaskitchen.com. Tried it yesterday & the results were fantastic.

1 kg beef, cut into cubes
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
8-10 curry leaves
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
1 inch ginger, crushed to a paste
2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
salt, to taste
3 tbsp vineger
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 cup water
Chopped corainder leaves, for garnishing

Marinate the beef cubes with corainder powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt & vinegar. Mix well & set aside for approx. 2 hours.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds & allow them to splutter. Next, add the curry leaves & let them sizzle. Add onions & the ginger garlic paste. Stir fry till onions turn golden brown. Add the meat along with the marinade & stir fry until the meat is well browned. Add tomato puree & water. Bring to a boil. Cover & simmer on low heat until beef is tender & cooked.

Garnish with corainder leaves.

Sweet Egg

This comes from my dad's recipe book. Its one of our family favourites.

4 eggs
1 small onion, finely chopped
3-4 medium sized ripe red tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

Heat oil in a pan. Put in the onions & saute till light brown. Add in the tomatoes & salt & saute till it becomes into smooth paste. Just sprinkle some water if it starts sticking to the pan. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder & sugar & saute for another minute or so. Spread the mixture evenly on the pan & break the eggs carefully into it. Cover the pan & simmer on very low flame. Cook till the yellows of the eggs turn pink. Turn off the heat.

Serve hot with plain boiled rice or chappatis or bread.

Drums Of Heaven

6 Chicken Winglets
1 small onion, cut into big squares
2-3 spring onions, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 - 4 green chillies, sliced diagonally
Oil for deep frying + 2 tbsp oil for cooking
Salt, to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp white wine (you can use any variety of wine, if you do not have white wine)
3-4 flakes garlic, sliced
1 tbsp soya sauce

For the batter :
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp maida or all purpose flour
salt, to taste
sugar, to taste
a pinch of black pepper powder
1 egg
a little water (optional)

Prepare the batter by mixing the ingredients. Marinate the chicken winglets in this batter for 30 mins. Deep fry till done.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add garlic, onions, spring onions, chillies & pepper. Saute over medium flame till onions turn light brown. Add the fried chicken winglets, soya sauce & white wine. Stir fry briskly for a minute or two on a high flame.

Serve hot.