Chicken Samosa

Ingredients - Wrapper:

Wheat flour                         --   1 ½ cup
All purpose flour               --   ½ cup
Salt                                          --   to taste
Oil                                            --   2 tsp + To deep fry

Ingredients - Filling:

Chicken                                 --   ½ kg
Ginger                                   --   ½ inch piece
Garlic                                    --   3 cloves
Turmeric powder            --   1/4 tsp
Coriander powder          --   1 tbsp
Red chili powder             --   1 tsp
Black pepper powder    --   ½ tsp
Fennel powder                 --   ½ tsp
Salt                                        --   to taste
Onions                                 --   2 medium ones
Green chilies                     --   4  (depending upon your taste buds. The chillies I get here are really hot.)
Curry leaves                     --   2 - 3 springs
Oil                                          --   2 tbsp

Preparation of the samosa:

Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces. Grind ginger and garlic into a paste. Marinate the chicken with all the masala powders and the ground ginger garlic paste.Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes and then cook until done, without adding water. If using a pressure cooker, close the cooker only after water comes out of the meat else, there are chances that it burns. If there are any excess water, keep on a low flame and let it evaporate, so that the whole masala clings onto the  chicken. Let it cool and then shred the chicken.
Chop the onions, green chilies and curry leaves into very fine pieces.
Heat the oil, and sauté the chopped onions, green chilies and curry leaves until the onion turns slightly brown. Add the shredded chicken and stir until it is well mixed and there is no water content.
Mix the flour, oil and salt. Boil a cup of water and add half a cup into the mixture. Stir it with a spoon and let it cool to a temperature to which you are able to touch it. Make a smooth and hard dough adding more water if required. It is actually hard to measure the exact amount of water required.
Keep it aside for 15 minutes. Divide into equal lemon sized balls.
Roll it into an evenly thick round - same as you do for a paratha - as shown below. Cut it into 4 pieces as shown.
Keep the filling in the center of one piece. Fold is as shown into a triangle. Dip your finger in water and spread it on one corner before sticking it on to the other side. This helps to seal it.

Heat oil in a wok (cheenachatti). When it is really hot, reduce the flame to medium. Add the samosas 2 or 3 or more depending on the size of the pan. Turn it over as soon as you add it to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Fry it until golden brown.

Serve hot with some tomato sauce or green chutney.

Recipe Courtesy: Myself 

Kerala Poratta with Beef Varattiyathu

Porattas are the most unhealthy food that you get in any restaurant in Kerala. Still it is hard to find someone who doesn't like this soft, fluffy, layered bread. I am pretty sure that anyone would have had this the most from the college canteens – Don't you guys agree?  Be it for breakfast, lunch, evening snack or dinner, it doesn’t matter what the curry is; this is always welcome.

In restaurants they use dalda instead of oil to get well layered fluffy parottas. I did not have that in my pantry and went with a mixture of ghee and canola oil. You need lots of energy to knead the dough as it really matters when it comes to the softness. Also in order to stretch the dough to the maximum during people kind of wave it in air on to the board(veeshi adikkuka). I did not have practice and did not know to do that, so used my rolling pin to stretch. You can see videos in youtube and try practicing it.

Ingredients – Parotta (Yields – 10 - 12 small parottas):

Maida/All Purpose Flour --   4 cups
Egg                     --   1 large
Milk                    --   1 cup
Salt                     --   To taste
Oil                       --   ¾ cup  (¼ + ½) – I used equal amounts of ghee and canola oil.

Preparation of the parotta:

Take the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add salt. Mix the egg and milk and beat well.

Make a small hole in the center of the flour and pour in the egg - milk mix.

Mix softly to get crumbles.Make sure almost all the flour is wet. Now add the ¼ cup oil in divided portions and knead the dough well. It is easy to knead on a clean flat surface. The dough needs to be kneaded well, say for around 10 - 15 minutes with maximum pressure to get a smooth and soft dough.

Cover and keep the dough with a wet cloth, and let it stand for 4 -5  hrs.

Grease your palms well and knead the dough once again for a minute or two. Make equal size balls out of it.

Apply oil liberally on a board and now roll the balls into its maximum stretch. Make sure not to tear a lot. Small holes are bound to appear and is acceptable for beginners like me.

Take 1 tsp of oil and apply it on the flattened dough. Make pleats as shown and then coil. This is done to make layers.

Roll it again into small circles using your palm, greased well(needs lots of pressure) OR you can use the rolling pin.

Fry it on a tawa on medium flame, applying oil on both sides. Once cooked keep it on a dry towel. When 3 -4 are done, pile it up, cover the parottas with the towel an beat from the sides. This helps to separate the layers.

Enjoy with the beef varattiyathu. I love to have this with chicken curry or beef roast or vegetable kurma or kadala curry or green peas... the list is never ending J

Ingredients – Beef (Yields – 2 –3 servings):

Beef                                --    ½ kg
Ginger                           --   2 tbsp minced/finely chopped
Garlic                            --   3 tbsp minced/finely chopped
Green Chillies            --   4
Red/Pearl Onions   --    1 cup, finely chopped
Coconut slices/Thengakothu -- ½ cup
Curry Leaves            --   2 springs
Turmeric Powder   --   ½ tsp
Chilly Powder          --   1½ tsp
Coriander Powder --   2 tbsp
Salt                               --   to taste
Coconut oil               --   2 tbsp

For Masala powder: (Can be substituted with 2 - 2½ tbsp of Eastern Meat Masala)

Fennel Seeds           --   1½ tbsp
Whole Pepper         --   ½ tbsp
Cinnamon Sticks   --   2 to 3 - 1 inch sticks
Cardamom              --   2
Cloves                        --  2
Mace                          --  1 – I omitted this as I did not have it in stock; but try not to :)

Preparation of Beef Varattiyathu:

Grind  the ingredients for the masala into fine powder.  Keep ½ tsp of masala aside.

Cut and clean the beef, preferably wash it 6 – 7 times. I also use a tsp of vinegar during my 3rd or 4th wash and then rinse it thoroughly.

Make a marinade with the rest of the masala, 1 tbsp of ginger, 2 tbsp of garlic, ¼ tsp turmeric powder and salt. Apply it thoroughly on the cleaned beef  and keep it aside for half an hour. Pressure cook without adding any water until the beef is completely cooked. It takes around 4 – 5 whistles in my pressure cooker.

  

Heat oil in a pan and add the slit green chillies, remaining ginger and garlic and saute until the raw smell starts leaving. Add the finely chopped pearl onions and saute until they turn slightly golden, on a medium- low flame. Add the remaining turmeric powder, chilly powder and coriander powder and let the raw smell go off. Make sure you do not burn the powders.

  

Now add the curry leaves and the coconut pieces and fry well. Then add the cooked beef and mix well with the onion masala. Let it boil and the water in the meat dry  slightly.

When the gravy/onions start sticking on to the meat, add the reserved ½tsp of masala and fry well until you get a dark brown colour. Make sure you keep on sautéing the beef at this stage.

Add more curry leaves for a good aroma and flavor and mix well. Switch off the flame and close the pan with a lid to lock the aroma. Serve hot with the parottas. This goes well with appam, puttu, any Indian breads or even with simply steamed rice.

Does this really pair with a black label ??? I have never tried – But so says my sweet heart !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Pierre Herme’s Vienesse Chocolate Sables – Chocolate cookies

This is again inspired by Shirley. I just spend some time her blog and finally decided to bookmark the whole site and not the recipes one by one ;)

Ingredients(Yields around 50 cookies):

All purpose flour           --   2 cups
Unsalted Butter             --   1 cup
Salt                                      --  a pinch -  Original recipe calls for Fleur de Sel
Dutch processed cocoa powder   --    ¼ cup
Powdered Sugar           --   ¾ cup sifted
Egg White                        --   2 eggs

Preparation of the cookies:

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix the flour and cocoa powder and keep aside.

Whisk the butter(at room temperature) and salt until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat sugar mix well and the mixture is creamy.Add egg white; as Shirley said,the mixture may curdle a little but it will smoothen out after flour is added.

         

Now add the flour-cocoa mix and whisk until well blended.

Scoop batter into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe into "W" or "M" shaped cookies.

          

Bake for 10 -12 mins.Cool down and store in air tight container. Take care as the cookies would be delicate.

 

Pierre Herme’s Sable Viennois – Danish Butter cookies

I saw these beautiful cookies in Nisha’s blog and then navigated to Shirley’s from there. Loved these beautiful looking easily made cookies and gave a shot. Believe me it was a super hit here.

These beautiful cookies reminded me of the blue colour cookie box from Dubai. The taste was not that perfect as that, but yeah they were yummy.

Here comes that wonderful recipe.

Ingredients(Yields around 40 cookies):

All purpose flour           --  1 cup
Unsalted Butter              --  7 tbsp
Salt                                       --  a pinch -  Original recipe calls for Fleur de Sel
Vanilla essence              --  1 tsp
Powdered Sugar            --  1/3 cup
Egg White                         -- 1

Preparation of cookies:

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F.

Whisk the butter and salt until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat sugar mix well and the mixture is creamy.

Add egg white followed by vanilla essence; as Shirley said,the mixture may curdle a little but it will smoothen out after flour is added. Now add the flour and mix until well blended.

Scoop batter into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe circles on to the prepared tray.

                   

Bake for 10 -12 mins or until golden brown.

Cool down and store in air tight container.

Sharkkara upperi (Banana chips coated with jaggery n spices)

Back home, my father gets this only for onam and vishu and I would be first one to finish it… Always served with sadhya. And whenever we go for a marriage lunch, I loot these from my mom’s plate (ela – banana leaf in which the sadhya is served.)

Ingredients:

Raw Banana                 --   2 big
Jaggery syrup             --   ¾ cup(Might need around 7 -8 blocks)
Dry ginger powder    --   ½ tsp
Cumin powder             --   ½ tsp
Sugar                               --   3 tsp
Rice                                  --   5 tbsp
Cardamom powder  --   made from 3
Oil                                     --   To deep fry

Preparation of chips:

Peel the banana and cut it into half – length wise. Now cut them into ¼ inch thick pieces.  Transfer them into a bowl of  water to soak them as and when you cut it.  Apply oil on your hands / wear a gloves while cutting the banana to avoid stains. Once you are ready to fry, drain the water completely.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. The oil should be really hot before you fry. Test by dropping in a piece of banana. It should sizzle and come up. Reduce the flame to medium and add the first batch. Make sure that it is not overcrowded.Fry until golden brown.

Drain it into a colander kept on plate to collect the excess oil. Transfer this onto a paper towel and let it cool.

Dry roast the rice until it pops. Let it cool and then grind it into a fine powder along with sugar.

Meanwhile prepare the jaggery syrup by adding quarter cup of water to the jaggery. When the jaggery is completely melted, strain into another vessel to remove any impurities. Now boil the syrup by adding the ginger powder, cumin powder and powdered cardamom. Let it reach a sticky consistency. Switch of the flame and add the fried banana into it. Stir well so that the jaggery is coated on all the pieces.

Now add the rice & sugar powder and mix well until the chips are coated. This helps to the chips not to stick on each other.

Let it cool. Store in an air tight container. This stays good for almost a month.

Varutha Upperi / Banana Chips

The Kerala special banana chips; anyone would be ready to munch it anytime. I have never seen anyone at my home making this chips. We always get it from the store – Kumaran chips – shop located below the over bridge.

Last time when we prepared the sadhya, I felt that varutha upperi and sharkara upperi (fried banana chips dipped in jaggery syrup and garnished with spice powders – recipe coming soon) was missing and wanted  to give a try. Yeah – that was a success.

Ingredients:

Raw Banana             --   2 big
Turmeric powder   --   ¼ tsp
Oil                                  --   To deep fry
Salt                                --   To taste
Water                           --   1 cup

Preparation of chips:

Peel the banana and cut it into four – length wise. Now cut them into small not so thin and not so thick pieces.  Transfer them into a bowl of  water mixed with the turmeric powder, to soak them as and when you cut it.  Apply oil on your hands / wear a gloves while cutting the banana to avoid stains.

Once you are ready to fry, drain the water completely. Make salt water by adding required amount of salt in a cup of water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. The oil should be really hot before you fry. Test by dropping in a piece of banana. It should sizzle and come up. Reduce the flame to medium and add the first batch. Make sure that it is not overcrowded.

When the chips are almost done, ie the oil stops bubbling; reduce the flame to low and  sprinkle the salt water carefully. Make sure that you do not burn yourself with the splashing oil. You can keep the pan covered until the oil is calm.

Stir once and drain it into a colander kept on plate to collect the excess oil. Transfer this onto a paper towel and let it cool.

Store in an air tight container. This stays good for almost a month.

NB:

1. The oil should be really hot before you add the bananas and then simmer to medium once you add them. So you need to switch between high and medium through all the batches.
2. Reduce the amount of salt water sprinkled for the next batches as the oil should already be having salt in it.

Chocolate Macarons

I was always perplexed seeing these beautiful macarons everywhere. And now I am able to make some not-so-bad (look wise) macarons. Long way to improve – Need to learn the basics in piping and drawing circles of same size.

Ingredients:

Macaron Batter :

Powdered Sugar             --   1 cup
Powdered almonds       --   ½ cup
Unsweetened powder  --   3 tbsp
Large egg whites            --  2
Granulated sugar           --   5 tbsp

Chocolate Filling:

Heavy cream                  --  ½ cup
Light corn syrup           -- 2 tsp
Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate -- 4 ounces
Butter                                 --   1 tbsp

Preparation of macarons:

Line two baking sheets with parchment/foil paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip ready.

Grind the powdered sugar with the almond powder and cocoa so there are no lumps. If you have whole almonds, grind it along with granulated sugar, so that you get fine powder. If you try to grind almonds separately, it releases oil and becomes a paste. So take care.

Beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white,scrape the batter into the pastry bag/zip loc.

  

Pipe the batter on the lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart. I was not able to make all in the same size and hence had to adjust it while sandwiching. Tap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top and let it rest for 15 - 20 minutes. This helps to flatten the macarons and develop the foot.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 350º F .Bake the macaroons for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

To make the chocolate filling:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan. When the cream just begins to boil at the edges, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth. Stir in the pieces of butter. Let cool completely before using. I did not have enough chocolate in hand and hence the consistency of the filling was a lightly thin. You can see in the clicks that the sandwiched macaroons are sliding down. :)

Assembly:

Spread a bit of batter on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together.

Let them stand at least one day before serving, to meld the flavors.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Courtesy: http://www.davidlebovitz.com