nitu didi

NOT A DROP OF OIL DHABBA STYLE CHICKEN

Posted on January 6, 2013 by nituchugani

“Dhabbas” are little eateries situated in highways in India and Pakistan. They are known for their typical cuisine which is highly spicy and rich in flavour. Today many restaurants have dhabba style dishes in their menus which are inspired from these small roadside eateries. I myself have been to one such dhabba on the road from bombay (now mumbai) to pune. It was quite an experience and the food? Ooh…it was absolutely delicious. Each dhabba ofcoruse boasts of its own secret recipes. This recipe of mine has been taken off the internet and then improvised by me. I have noticed that many of you want oil free recipes so i made this recipe without a drop of oil. I actually did not expect it to taste the way it did and i am very pleased with the way it turned out.
For this i ground a blend of spices which i shall call Nitus Magical Spice Blend… this can be made in a large quantity and bottled.- I used my amazing bullet to make this.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 kilos of chicken with bones, cut into pieces and skin removed
TO BE GROUND TO A PASTE :
6 cloves of garlic, 2 inches piece ginger and 4 green chillies ground to a smooth paste with a little water
SPICES:
3-4 bay leaves
6 curry leaves (thank you Dipa)
1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric powder and red chilli powder
1 tablespoon of Nitus Magical Spice Blend
1 tablespoon of garam masala powder (for my garam masala recipe please click HERE )
1 cup of yogurt blended with 1/2 cup of tomato paste (readymade supermarket bought tomato paste also known in spain as tomate frito)
Juice of 1 lime or to taste
chopped coriander leaves
1 heaped teaspoon of salt or to taste
METHOD:
1. Clean the chicken and put it into a thick good casserole and add 1/2 cup of water, salt and the ground paste,bay leaves and curry leaves.
2. Boil it till the water evaorates and the chicken is half cooked. In Spain we have tender chickens, if the chicken in your country takes longer to cook please add some more water. I just needed half a cup.
3. Once the water has evaporated cook it on low heat till the chicken starts browning a bit in its own. Please take care not to burn. If it starts burning and is still raw please add more water ( i say this because quality of chicken differes from city to city):
4. Once you see the chicken is done (you will know it you try to cut a small piece and its white from inside) add all the spices and cook till you see the chicken will start to stick to the pan. Do not panic!
5. Add the yogurt and tomato puree mixture and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove whatever has stuck. This gives the chicken more taste
6. Cook now for a few minutes till you see the sauce thickening and you can see a few drops of oil. This is the natural fat from the chicken. Check a piece, if it breaks off easily from the bone its ready!! If not add some more water and cook till done.
7. Add the lemon juice and coriander leaves . Check the seasoning and correct.
8. Serve hot with either boiled basmati rice, naans or rotis. The amount of sauce(gravy) you want can be adjusted by adding water accordingly.
NITUS MAGICAL SPICE BLEND:
6 tablespoons of coriander seeds
2 tablespoons of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of nigella seeds (black onon seeds, kalaunji)
1 tablespoon of aniseeds (saunf)
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
Roast all these spices in a pan. Cool slightly and blend. Keep bottled and use whenever you want to flavour your food with a special spice 🙂
NITU DIDI TIP:
This recipe was made without a drop of oil. If you want a richer taste you can add some oil, butter or ghee after boiling the chicken, when its drying in the pan… Add the oil then and then proceed 🙂
Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Chicken, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Low Cost, Magic Bullet, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, NO OIL RECIPES, Quick Recipes, Spices, Step by Step | Tagged chicken, dhabba, healthy, low calorie, nitus magical spice blend, no oil, oil free, spices, spicy | 10 Comments

FLAPJACKS WITH NUTELLA

Posted on January 6, 2013 by nituchugani

While browsing on the internet i came across a lovely pic of what looked like a granola bar/flapjack type of cookie with a layer of chocolate. I was fascinated and carried on to read the recipe. Aaa…simple enough i thought ! I can easily make this and share it with all of my followers. It was xmas time and i decided to make some for my kids. Oats are healthy and a source of iron and why not eat something healthy and sweet ? So….. this is what it turned out like.. A DISASTER!!! The taste was awesome, very delicious and the kids loved it but i was inconsolable…I kept on taking a bite and saying “what went wrong”??? So… i dont know if it was just a cooking disaster or i did something wrong…but i am being brave enough to post the recipe and ask you all if you make it please do share your pic 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of oats
2 cups of whole wheat flour (aata)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 cup of sugar
200 grams of butter, melted
FOR THE CHOCOLATE:
100 grams of milk chocolate bar, melted in the microwave
5-6 tablespoons of nutella
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 175. Mix the oats with the wheat flour and the salt, sugar, and vanilla essence. Add the melted butter to it and bring it all together to form a ball. Divide into two. Melt the milk chocolate bar and then add the nutella while still hot.
Take a non stick small baking tray and grease it with a bit of butter or oil. Take half of the dough and pat it onto the baking tray pressing it down firmly and evenly. Spread the chocolate mixture on the top with a knife or a spatula. Top with the rest of the dough, cover the chocolate part and press and pat gently this time. Put into the oven to bake for about 20 minutes or till its turned slightly browned.
Remove while hot with a knife cut into squares without removing it from the tray. Once cooled it will harden. Then remove carefully and serve!!
Very delicious…but…as i said… i dont know what went wrong with mine..

HEALTH BENEFITS OF OATS

Nitu Chugani

Posted in Cooking Disasters!!, Eggless Sweet Temptations, Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Jain recipes, Quick Recipes, Tupperware Food | 2 Comments

LEMON PEPPER OLIVE OIL CHICKEN WINGS N POTATOES

Posted on January 5, 2013 by nituchugani

These healthy oven baked wings are no fuss and easy to make. All i do is trim off the extra fat and skin from the wings. It needs no marinating, nothing… It tastes delicious and we all are familiar with the goodness of olive oil. If you want to omit the olive oil, please do.
INGREDIENTS:
500 grams of chicken wings, excess fat and skin trimmed off, washed and pat dried
250 grams of potatoes cut into 1cm thick rounds
rock salt to taste (rock salt is thick salt)
1.5 – 2 teaspoons of lemon pepper (it is a spice, not to be mistaken with black pepper and lemon juice)
2 tablespoons of a good spanish extra virgin olive oil
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 220
Put one tablespoon of olive oil in a good quality non stick baking pan.
Mix the chicken wings with the salt and lemon pepper and then add the potato rounds and the olive oil and mix well with your hands so that the chicken and the potatoes all have a lovely coating of the lemon pepper and oil. Put it into the baking tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes turning the chicken wings half way in between so that they brown and get crispy uniformly.
Serve hot with a salad or some pasta
If you need to buy lemon pepper or dont know where to get it from do message me
Can you use lemon juice and black pepper instead? Well as i say there are no hard and fast rules but yes lemon juice does make the chicken wings a bit soggy and they will take longer to get crispy without the same effect
WHAT IS LEMON PEPPER¿?
Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Chicken, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Quick Recipes, Spices | Tagged baked, chicken, healthy, lemonpepper, nonspicy, oliveoil, quick, wings | 4 Comments

CAULIFLOWER, TURNIP AND CARROT PICKLE

Posted on January 5, 2013 by nituchugani

This wonderful pickle recipe and pic has been sent to me by Mr. Harkirat Oberoi of Gastrnomique L´Affaire . Thank you soo much Harkirat 🙂

Boiled about 2 litres of water and blanched about a KILO each of cauliflower florets, carrot batons and 500 grams of turnip – halved and sliced for a little over a minute and removed to a large towel to dry it completely. Left it to be absolutely dry for about an hour.

Meanwhile prepared the pickle spice blend :
1 black cardamom, a stick of cinnamon, 3 gms saunf(fennel seeds) 3 gms Kalonji (black onion seeds or nigella seeds), 40 gms black mustard seeds (rai), 20 gms methare(fenugreek seeds) 20 gms pepper corns, 20 gms cumin, 3 cloves, a tsp of turmeric, 4 heaped tbsps of red chilli powder – make a coarse dry powder in a mixer – grinder.

Heat a large heavy wok with about 300 mls of mustard oil, to smoke, cooled it and added 50 grams finely grated ginger and about 80 grams well crushed garlic, saute for a minute or so, added the spice blend and 250 grams of shaved jaggery (gurrh).
Cook it on low flame for 1-2 minutes, added a laddle full of salt and about 2 laddles of vinegar, stir well and cook for a minute and as it comes to a boil, add in the veggies and mix them around for a couple of minutes, and remove from fire to cool.

When absolutely cool, fill sterlised bottles and keep them airtight for atleast 2 days of 5-6 hour Sunning, and then enjoy !! You may also go at it right away, who has the patience nowadays to wait for indulgences.

For Jain recipe just omit the ginger and garlic

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Pickles, Spices, Vegan | Tagged jain, pickle, spicy, vegetable. vegetarian | 2 Comments

CHEESE BISCUITS

Posted on January 3, 2013 by nituchugani

These cheesy biscuits are great for an all time snack, an apetiser in a party to go with a simple dip or even something to take along on a journey. They are eggless and easy to make. What type of cheese does one use for these biscuits??’ Well…you can use parmesan, emmental or even cheddar cheese. In the video i used emmental cheese but i am sure any cheese you like will work well.
INGREDIENTS:
250 grams of white flour (maida)
100 grams of grated cheese
a pinch each of salt, pepper, nigella seeds (or sesame seeds or cumin seeds) and paprika
cold butter as needed
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180
Mix the flour with the seasoning and the cheese. Add the butter a bit by bit so you can make a dough. Do not over knead it. Put it between butter paper and then roll into half a centimetre round. Cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or paprika powder. Put it into a baking tray lined with butter paper and bake till slightly browned and crispy.

HEATH BENEFITS OF NIGELLA SEEDS

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Fusion, Jain recipes, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos, Spices, Tupperware Food, Veg Starters | Tagged baking, cheese, eggless, nigellaseeds, salted, savoury, vegetarian | 2 Comments

TOFU TIKKA

Posted on January 2, 2013 by nituchugani

Tikka actually means small pieces, be it meat, fish , chicken or paneer (home made fresh cheese).
The traditional tikka recipes are marinated in a marinade and then skewered and cooked in a tandoor (traditional desi clay oven).
Nowadays tikkas are barbecued, or cooked in an oven , grill or just pan fried. The marinade can vary from city to city and it can be either mild or spicy.
Tofu is healthy and cholesterol free so its a good alternative to paneer. Does it taste like paneer? No… i find its texture different and not at all creamy. Its also lactose free and good for a vegan diet.
One day i shall upload a tikka recipe which is not orangish/red in color ! But as of now lets make do with what i made on New Years Eve for the family.
This makes a perfect starter or a side dish. It can be also used to stuff wraps. All we need is a bit of imagination!!
Which tofu is best? I use firm tofu (the soft silken one tends to break easily). I remove the tofu from its container and wrap it in a kitchen towel and keep it in the fridge overnight so that all the water is absorbed and the tofu gets a little more firmer making it easier to handle
INGREDIENTS:
400 grams of tofu, wrapped in a towel overnight
100 grams of thick yogurt, or soya yogurt or lactose free yogurt
1″ piece ginger
6 cloves of garlic
2 red chillies (optional)
1 tablespoon of tandoori spice powder
1 teaspoon of garam masala
3/4th teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of chaat masala
2 tablespoons of finely chopped coriander leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
METHOD:
Cut the tofu into cubes. Blend the yogurt, ginger, garlic, chillies in a blender (i used my amazing bullet). Put the marinade in a bowl and add all the spices and chopped coriander to it. Pour it over the tofu and add the lemon juice. Mix gently taking care not to break the tofu. Marinate in a container overnight. Next day heat the oil in a non stick pan (i used my ceramic pan) . Put the marinated tofu cubes carefully in the pan taking care not to overlap them. Grill on one side for a minute on medium heat and then turn the cubes to grill on the other side. Serve immediately !

NITU DIDI TIP: For Jain recipe please omit the ginger garlic

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Jain recipes, Low Cost, Magic Bullet, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Quick Recipes, Spices, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged tikka, tofu, Vegan, vegetarian | 4 Comments

HEALTHY OILFREE BROWN CHICKPEA SALAD (KAALA CHANNA)

Posted on January 1, 2013 by nituchugani

This recipe and pic has been sent to me by my friend Sheena Shahani who loves to eat healthy. She made this nutritious salad inspired by the famous “chaat” which is served on the streets of Mumbai (chaat is actually the fast food originated in Mumbai). Brown Chick peas or “kaala channa” are one of Indias umpteen pulses and making them this way without any added oil makes them perfect for a low calorie diet or a vegan, vegetarian and gluten free diet.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of brown chick peas soaked in ample water for 7-8 hours or overnight
1 ” piece ginger, chopped fine
salt to taste
spring onions
chopped tomato
chopped green chillies or capsicum
chopped cucumbers
chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/4 cup of roasted peanuts
chaat masala
black pepper powder
lemon juice to taste
You can also add some sev (bombay mix, sold in desi supermarkets)
METHOD:
Boil the soaked brown chick peas (kaala channa) in two cups water with the ginger for 2 whistles. If you dont have a pressure cooker just cook it with ample water and the ginger till its soft. Drain and season with salt. black pepper, chaat masala and lemon juice. Put it in a dish and then add the chopped vegetables on top giving it a toss and garnish with lots of coriander leaves and the roasted peanutsand the sev (bombay mix)
NITU DIDI TIP :
If you cant get black chick peas (kaala channa) in your city dont worry, you can make the same salad with black eyed peas, normal chick peas, kidney beans etc etc.

For Jain recipes please omit the ginger and the spring onions. You can also add vegetables like grated carrot, cabbage for extra nutrition.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF BROWN CHICK PEAS

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Jain recipes, Lentils, Low Cost, NO OIL RECIPES, Tupperware Food, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged chaat, chick peas, gluten free, healthy, kaala chana chaat, mumbai, nutritious, oil free, Vegan, vegetarian | 1 Comment

DRY CHICKEN MASALA IN A HURRY

Posted on December 26, 2012 by nituchugani

Id rather have my pulse racing than the clock ticking! Unfortunately my clock ticks and my pulse is quite normal !!!
I dont know if i am having an affair with time or a fight:) But it seems i race with the clock everytime 🙂 I wish i had a camera in my kitchen for all of you to see how quickly i churn up my recipes 🙂
One of my hurried recipes which turned out very tasty and took less than 10 minutes to make. A chicken dish made without any added water thanks to my lovely ceramic pan… So…if you are in a rush and need to whip up something quick this just might be what your looking for 🙂
INGREDIENTS FOR 1 HUNGRY OR 2
300 grams of chicken breast,cubed
1 large white onion chopped fine
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1″ piece ginger chopped
100 grams of yogurt (dahi/curd)
3 green chillies chopped fine or less
3 curry leaves, broken (Dipa bless you )
1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric powder , red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds and fennel (aniseeds/saunf) roasted together and pouned slightly ( i used my amazing bullet)
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon of amchoor powder or 1 teaspoon lemon juice
a pinch of spanish hot paprika ( pimienton de la vera) OR a pinch of kashmiri chilli powder
2 tablespoons of spanish olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter
chopped coriander leaves and spring onions for garnish OR the green part of a leek
METHOD:
Step 1 : Marinate the chicken in a little bit of salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice and then proceed to cut all the ingedients while it marinates
Step 2 : Heat the oil in a good quality pan ( i used my ceramic pan) and add the onions, ginger and garlic and a bit of salt and sautee.
Step 3 : When the onions change color add the spices except the amchoor powder and sautee for exactly 15 seconds
Step 4: Add the chicken and the curry leaves and cook on high heat till the chicken cooks… boneless chicken breast does not take time to cook
Step 5: Add the yogurt and mix well and let the whole mixture cook. You will soon see the whole mixture cooking well.
Step 6: Add the chopped coriander leaves , spring onions and take off the flame.
Step 7: Serve immediately with rice, roti or naan
Thats it! Quick and delicious!!
NITU DIDI TIP:
Inspite of adding oil and butter the chicken does not look oily. If you want a richer and oilier recipe just add more butter.
If you want a reddish color, omit the turmeric powder and add more red chilli powder and paprika or kashmiri red chilli powder
If you want it less tart omit the amchoor powder

I always have extra ground cumin and fennel seeds in a jar..makes life soo much easier 🙂
For my video on how to make an excellent home made garam masala powder CLICK HERE

To buy good quality ceramic pans do message me

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Gluten Free, Ideas for meals, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos, Spices, Step by Step | Tagged ceramic pans, chicken, dry masala, fast, hurry, masala, olive oil, quick | 6 Comments

SAFFRON AND GINGER TEA

Posted on December 26, 2012 by nituchugani

We all know how terrible it is to have a sore throat and congestion. If you are just begining to feel a bit queasy and dont want to resort to medication a few home remedies might help. The comfort of a cuppa chai, and that too a therapeutic one! Ginger is one wonder herb… it has such fantastic medicinal properties and combined with other ingredients this cup of chai is a true home remedy. Its best to have this chai as soon as you start feeling the start of a sore throat and a bit of uneasiness.
For those of you who dont have a cold and yet enjoy a flavoured cuppa chai..do try out this recipe !
I made this for my son this christmas when he drove from the capital and came home feeling quite ill. He sipped this piping hot cuppa chai and immediately felt the congestion in his chest easing out slightly. This is not a 100% remedy if you are really sick (then you will need proper medical attention and medication) this is just a slight help.
The milk is optional if you dont like milk in your tea (i made it with milk)
The combination of ginger, peppercorns and cardamom help clear the throat and clear congestion
Saffron is a good natural cure for depression and is a good for all over well being if taken in a small quantity daily.
Now shall we make a cuppa chai?
INGREDIENTS FOR 1 CUPPA CHAI
2 cups of water
1″ pc. ginger bruised
2 black whole peppercorns
2 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
2 strands of Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron
1 tablespoon of sugar, brown sugar or jaggery
1 tea bag or tablespoon of indian chai ( this is which i used)
a tiny pinch of salt
1/4 cup of whole milk, or skimmed milk, or semi skimmed or soya milk
METHOD:
Put the water to boil and when it starts boiling add all the whole spices and ginger. Let this boil for about ten minutes till you get an excellent aroma. Then add the tea and it boil till it reduces to half its quantity. Add the sugar and then the milk and bring it to a boil and simmer for a few minutes more.
Strain into a mug and serve immediately with a smile and a hug 🙂

To buy Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron do contact me

HERE IS THE VIDEO OF HOW I MAKE A CUPPA MASALA CHAI

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Home Remedies, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos, Saffron, SpanIndian, Spices, Typical Sindhi Dishes | Tagged chai, cures, ginger, healthy, home remedies, saffron, tea | 2 Comments

EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY FROSTING

Posted on December 26, 2012 by nituchugani

I must thank Nikhita Lalwani who just turned 14…of tenerife for sending in her lovely cupcake picture. She made these chocolate cupcakes from my recipe but created her own unique frosting out of white chocolate. I have always found white chocolate a little difficult to work with where frosting is concerned. i tried many brands of white chocolate but always found it to be unsmooth and difficult to frost cakes or cupcakes with. Well thank you so much Visha, you have really given us a fool proof solution with your recipe !
FOR THE CUPCAKES (this has been taken from my recipe )
INGREDIENTS:
125 grams of white yogurt
3/4 cup of sugar
75grams of dark chocolate bar (70% cocoa) melted with 2 tablespoons of milk in the microwave
1/2 cup of ordinary cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1.5 cups of white flour , sifted
1.75 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoons of soda bicarb
4-5 tablespoons of milk if needed
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Mix the room temperature yogurt with the sugar and meanwhile melt the chocolate bar with the milk and add to the yogurt. Mix well and then add the baking powder and baking soda and let it get frothy (will take about a minute) . Add the sifted flour slowly alternating with the oil and then lastly add the salt and the milk if the batter is too thick. Lower the oven to 180 degrees and put the batter in a greased tin and bake till done. It should take about 30-40 minutes. Cool and then slice!!!
She just filled the mixture into cupcake cases and then baked them in a cupcake tin for about 10-15 minutes till done and then cooled them.
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE N STRAWBERRY FROSTING
2 x 75 grams of white chcolate bar
1/2 cup of whole milk
1 few drops of strawberry essence
a few drops of pink food color or red food color
METHOD:
Break the white chocolate into pieces and melt it in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir it and add 4-5 tablespoons of whole milk and put it back in the microwave and melt for another 30 seconds and check is the mixture is smooth. Mix well and if not smooth microwave again for another 30 seconds till smooth. Mix it well and add another 4 tablespoons of milk to the melted white chocolate and mix well .Add the essence and color and mix well. . Let it cool and thicken for about half an hour. With a spatula apply it on the cooled chocolate cupcakes.