CARDAMOM (ELAICHI) CHICKEN

Posted on December 2, 2011 by nituchugani

I have literally grown up on this dish. It comes from “Sindh” the province of my ancestors and its a famous way of making a light (i think that is because it has a sauce of thin consistency and hardly any spices) chicken which we even feed convalescents. Its also comfort food for many!!!! I havent been able to figure out exactly why but the delicate flavor of cardamom with black pepper and ginger is all that there is to the recipe!!! If you like the flavor of cardamom(i love it) then you must try this chicken out. I have used boneless chicken thighs because its succulent. This can be also made with lamb or beef.
INGREDIENTS
400 gramos of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat removed and cubed
2 inches piece ginger, grated
6 Nitu Didi  cardamom pods, powdered
1 teaspoon or less of black pepper powder
3 red tomatoes grated
2-3 green chillies, chopped fine if you want some spice
8 curry leaves (the original recipe doesnt ask for it but i put it and it enhances the flavor)
a pinch of Nitu Didi turmeric powder
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
coriander leaves  chopped
water as needed
METHOD:
Heat the cooking oil in a pan and add the grated ginger and let it cook for a few seconds taking care not to burn. Imediately add the cubed chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes till all the water it lets out dries off. Add the grated tomatoes and cook till the rawness of the tomatoes goes off (that you will know when the tomatoes are all mushy and you can see the oil at the sides of the pan) then add the spices, the curry leaves and coriander leaves and green chillies. Add water as you would need and boil for about 10 minutes. The amount of sauce depends on the amount of water added. I would add about 2 cups to this amount of chicken, Serve hot with white rice , or parathas.
PLEASE NOTE: A piece of my home made lime pickle rests on the top of the rice!!!!!!

Posted in Chicken, Healthy Options, Typical Sindhi Dishes | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

BLACKBERRY SOYA CHILLI CHICKEN/TURKEY

Posted on December 1, 2011 by nituchugani

This recipe is a creation of mine blending some very unusual sauces to see how the flavors mingle and taste! I used dark boneless turkey meat for this but you can use whatever meat/fish/seafood you like. I just marinated it for an hour so if you have all the ingredients at home this is a nice quickie on the spur of the moment dish to make. Serve it with white rice or noodles and your meal is complete. You can also add veggies of your choice .
INGREDIENTS:
200 grams of dark turkey or chicken meat, cubed (by dark i mean not the breast)
1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of chinese rice wine or half the amount of brandy
1 tablespoon (or more) of chilli sauce (like sambal olek or similar)
1-2 tablespoons of blackberry jam or any jam of your choice
a little of the following vegetables chopped: red capsicum, onions, green chillies for that extra heat
2 tablespoons of cooking oil for sautee
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
1/4 cup of water
METHOD:
marinated the cubed chicken/turkey in all the sauces and  ginger garlic paste for an hour. Heat the cooking oil in a wok till very hot and pour in the chicken/turkey pieces(leave aside the marinade) and sautee on high heat till cooked. Add the cornstarch to the marinade and mix well. Add the chopped vegetables to the wok and sautee quickly. Add the marinate and cornstarch mixture and stir till thickened. Add water if you would like some more sauce and lastly stir in the jam and mix well. Taste and correct seasoning and serve hot!!

Posted in Chicken, Fusion, Gluten Free, Made in China, Nitu´s Spicy Delights | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

PAN FRIED SPICY MACKEREL

Posted on November 30, 2011 by nituchugani

!!! I am sure you all must be thinking i have burnt my fish!!! Well…i like my fish crispy and my meat well done!! The so called “burnt” part of this picture is actually the masala paste which is coating the fish. I could have added some flour but i did not want to. This is a south indian style of fried fish and is usually eaten with what we call “daal chawal” (soupy lentils and rice). I love the crispiness and the tangy lemony spicy flavour this fish has. I chose to make it with mackerel as mackerel is rich in Omega 3 oils and vitamin b12.
You can use any type of white or blue fish for this recipe….
INGREDIENTS:
1 plump mackerel (mine weighed about 200 grams)
2 flakes of garlic
half inch piece of ginger
juice of half a lime
1 red birds eye chilli or a bit of chilli powder
1 pinch of Nitu Didi turmeric powder
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying the fish
METHOD:
cut the head off the mackerel if you want…or leave it..its upto you. Halve it and remove all the stuff from it and wash it well. Pat it dry . Blend the rest of the ingredients into a fine paste and smear it on both sides of the fish and keep it for an hour. Heat the oil in a non stick fryingpan till really hot and carefully lower the fish into the pan and let it cook for about 2 minutes and then turn it and let it cook for another 2-3 mintues depending on how crispy you want it. Serve with a wedge of lemon. I let mine cook for longer as i like my fish verry crispy. If you dont want it spicy just omit the red chilli or you can add a pinch of chilli flakes. Goes excellent with lentils and rice (daal chawal)!!!

Posted in Healthy Options, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Something's Fishy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

CRISPY SPICY CALAMARI

Posted on November 29, 2011 by nituchugani

Whoever has been to Spain and is a seafood eater has definitely tasted fried calamari… squid rings are batter fried till crispy and then served with a wedge of lemon. Each person has their own recipe for crispy batter fried squid. In Spain we call it “CALAMARES ALA ROMANA”!! In the supermarket today i saw baby calamari and wanted to make it in an indian way…with spices and a lovely gravy so i bought some and when cleaning it i thought of making a snack out of few of them…My own version of Calamares ala romana… ofcoruse these were not rings….i cut them up into bite size pieces but i wanted to experiment all the same….so….. this is what i didi!!!!
INGREDIENTS:
100 grams of chopped up baby calamari, cut it into bite size pieces
white flour
Sprinkling masala (spice) which i made by taking half a teaspoon each of Nitu Didis cumin powder, red chilli powder and paprika powder…i mixed this up together and put it into a shaker.
oil for deep frying
lemon for squeezing
METHOD:
clean the calamari and chop it into not too big pieces so you can pop each piece into your mouth!! Pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Heat the oil for deep frying and coat each piece of calamari in white flour and then just deep fry till crispy. While still hot sprinkle withe the masala which you have mixed!!! Serve with wedges of lemon and a nice chilled drink!!
This is soo yummy and sooo easy 🙂

 

Posted in Floury Matter, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Something's Fishy, Spanish Tapas | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

CHICKEN BIRYANI WITH SPICY GRAVY

Posted on November 28, 2011 by nituchugani

 

This biryani recipe has been created by me from the memories of a biryani i used to eat in Hongkong with my father on sundays. There are soo many ways to make a biryani which is mainly layers of colored basmati rice with cooked chicken, meat or vegetables etc. in between. Each region of India has its own particular biryani. Nowadays with fusion cooking soo much in style one can create a different biryani everyday!!! I have actually used non indian seasoning such as oregano and smoked paprika in this!! The result??? It was awesome, flavorful, spicy, non oily and a very different tasting biryani. If you want to do something different with your regular biryani recipe do give mine a shot. I like my food spicy so please do cut down on the chilli content and even if you dont like too much spice you can cut down on the amount of the spices.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 kilos of chicken with bones cut into pieces
300 grams of basmati rice
FOR THE MARINADE:
1 cup of white yogurt
juice of 1 lime
10 flakes of garlic
2 inch piece ginger
6 green chillies
1 inch piece of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds, cloves
6 cardamoms
4 peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 good pinch of Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron
1 teaspoon of salt or more to taste

METHOD:
Roast all the spices except the saffron and the oregano in a pan for a minute and then put into the blender with the yogurt, ginger garlic, green chillies and blend into a smooth paste. Add salt, lime, saffron , oregano and marinate the chicken pieces in this for at least 6 hours or overnight. Then pressure cook it till it is just about done. If you dont have a pressure cooker then cook it in a saucepan with about a cup of chicken stock till its done. Remove the chicken pieces from the gravy and keep it aside. Add 3-4 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika to the gravy,. You should have at least 2-2.5 cups of gravy. Taste it …it should be spicy and flavorful. If you want it spicier you can add some extra garam masala powder and chilli powder

FOR THE RICE:
Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Bring 2-3 litres of water with salt to boil and add 2 bay leaves, 1 piece of cinnamon and 6 cloves in it and boil it for 5 minutes then add the rice and cook till rice is 75% done. Drain the rice into a platter and color it with your choice of food color. It can also be left without coloring.

TO ASSEMBLE:
1 onion chopped fine
2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of chopped coriander leaves, put half into the gravy and leave half for garnish
In a pan melt the butter and sautee the chopped onion till it starts getting brown taking care not to burn, Add the chicken pieces and just cook them a bit till they turn a bit brown (see pic). Keep it aside.
FINAL TOUCH!!
in a deep bottomed pan or oven proof dish put a layer of the rice and then sprinkle some gravy over it and scatter some chicken pieces and a little coriander leaves. Add a layer of rice again and gravy and chicken and repeat till all the rice and chicken is used up and you have a cup or more of gravy. Sprinkle the top layer with coriander leaves and cover and cook in a low flame till thoroughly heated or oven till heated. Serve with the gravy which you have heated up and a raita
FOR THE RAITA.
to white natural yogurt add chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander and mint leaves and green chillies and salt to taste
VARIATIONS: you can substitute chicken for lamb, beef , fish or vegetables
you can add nuts and raisins if you wish in between the layers of rice
You can also sprinkle some saffron flavoured milk on the top..for that just soak a pinch of Nitu Didi Pure spanish saffron in 2-3 tablespoons of hot milk and pour on the biryani
ITS AN EXCELLENT BIRYANI WORTH MAKING

 

 

 

 

Posted in Indian Restaurant Dishes, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Rice is Nice | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

MUSHROOM SPAGHETTI CARBONARA “AL BRIE”

Posted on November 27, 2011 by nituchugani

This is my vegetarian version of the popular dish “spaghetti carbonara” . I have given it my own twist by trying to cut down on the calories as the original carbonara is made with cream and beaten eggs. Ive also flavored it with “brie” as i had some left over in the fridge which had gone a little hard. The result was quite amazing and i was taken aback and thats why i decided to share the recipe with all of you. It was a sunny sunny day in valencia when i took out the pic and i had the sun shining throughout my home…so thats why the pic is the way it is….. I am a cook….not a professional photographer!!!! So…for all of you who dont wanna eat meat…try carbonara the Nitu Didi way!!!!
INGREDIENTS:
3 bowls of cooked pasta of your choice al dente,  i used spaghetti
1 bowl of mixed mushrooms, chopped fine
1 heaped tablespoon of white flour
2 cups of milk ( i used semi skimmed milk)
60-100 grams of brie cheese, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of butter
METHOD:
Heat the butter in a pan and add the flour and mix for a few seconds and then add the milk stirring continuously to prevent any lumps. Cook til the mixture thickens and then add the mushrooms and let it cook till the mushrooms are done. Season with salt and pepper and then add in the brie cheese and cook till cheese melts. Add the pasta and mix it all well till the sauce coats the pasta. Serve hot.
NITU DIDI TIP: you can use any cheese of your choice and can lessen or increase the amount
you can use cream instead of milk…if using cream omit the flour. Sautee the mushrooms in butter and add cream and the cheese and then the pasta.
if you dont like mushrooms you can use any vegetable you like 🙂

 

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Pasta | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

DISASTER CHOCOLATE CAKE (YUMMY)!!

Posted on November 26, 2011 by nituchugani

This recipe comes from a vision  i had but did not turn out anything like the vision….I wanted to bake a cake with a crunchy nutty topping!! Well as you can see it did not turn out like that but the taste was awesome!!! The chocolate cake is the basic chocolate cake recipe i use but i shall write it down anyways so you dont have to search for it on the website.
FOR THE CAKE:
125 grams of white natural room temperature yogurt
80 grams of oil
160 grams of sugar
2 eggs
100 grams or a bit more of ready made chocolate syrup
375 grams of white flour
2.5 teaspoons or 1 envelope of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 200 degrees and then prepare the cake batter by mixing all the ingredients together. Lower the oven to 180 degrees and then put the cake batter into a pregreased and flour dusting pan and bake till done. About 30-40 mintues or till an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
TOPPING:
1 cup of crushed nuts of your choice, i used peanuts
1 cup (a little less) of sugar
6 big tablespoons of milk
2 teaspoons of butter
METHOD.
heat the sugar in the pan with the milk and let it change color ( MY MISTAKE….i think i should have let it browned much more) and then add the nuts and the butter and mix it well and pour it on top of the COOLED CAKE… you have to pour it immediately so that it doesnt harden. It will harden on the cake
MY MISTAKE: i should have let the sugar and milk brown a bit more or in fact much more… then it would have been a nice toffee color (or so i think) i shall do that next time …Or if any of you do please do share your recipe and the pic with me on my facebook page

 

Posted in A Piece of Cake???, Cooking Disasters!! | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

CHICKEN CUTLETS

Posted on November 24, 2011 by nituchugani

Here is a wonderful way to use up left over chicken breast from a roast chicken or an innovative finger food thats fun for kids and grown up alike!! I made these from left over oriental style roasted chicken and it was wonderful. I just shaped them up into fancy shapes to show you what fun you can have with these yummy cutlets
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of cooked chicken breast minced
1/2 cup of boiled and mashed potatoes
1 small  egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon each of Nitu Didi cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder
red chilli flakes to taste
a few drops of lemon juice
a few mint and coriander leaves chopped
salt and pepper to taste
a little breadcrumbs if needed(if the mixture is too moist)
METHOD:
mix the above ingredients and put it into the refrigerator for a few hours. Shape into desired shapes and either deep fry or shallow fry till crispy. Use breadcrumbs if the mixture is too moist and you cant shape it.

NITU DIDI TIP: you can also add some grated cheese to this
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Posted in Chicken, Tupperware Food | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

OIL FREE VEGETABLE SOUP

Posted on November 23, 2011 by nituchugani

This chunky vegetable soup is packed with vitamins and the goodness of seasonable vegetables. Tho frozen vegetables are handy and readily available throughout the year i somewhat love fresh vegetables and their taste. You can make this with the vegetables of your choice and preference. I will also add an “oriental” twist to this for those of you have asked me for a hot and sour soup. You can also blend this soup in the blender but i love to keep it the way it is and i simply love the clear flavorful broth. You can also add some olive oil to this. There are so many ways to make/change this soup so if you all do have variations do let me know!! I did not add any rice or pasta to it because then the stock gets a bit thicker and i love thin soups!!!
INGREDIENTS:
1 litre of ready made stock ( i used chicken stock, you can use any stock) OR…water and stock cubes of your choice
4 cups of chopped mixed vegetables like cabbage, celery, courgette, mushrooms, beans, white radish, turnip, swede, carrots, onions, etc. the amount of each vegetable depends on your preference…all the vegetables should be chopped into chunks or diced fine also on preference
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
heat the stock/water with stock cubes in a pot and add all the vegetables acording to cooking time (the ones that take longer to cook go in first and then the other ones later) cook till the vegetables are cooked but still crunchy. Season with salt and pepper.
VARIATIONS: for hot and sour oriental soup omit the salt and add soya sauce, white vinegar and sesame oil to taste
for a heartier soup you can add pasta or rice of your choice and add more stock as the pasta/rice uses up the stock to cook
you can blend this soup to make a puree and then add cream to make a creamy vegetable soup
for a minestrone kind of soup you can add some canned tomatoes
for the non vegetarian version you can add some chicken, ham  or even some beef ribs…
for an  exotic flavour you can add curry powder, grated ginger, lime leaves and even a tiny bit of coconut milk
Please do enjoy this hot bowl of soup and its variations and let me know!!

 

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, NO OIL RECIPES, Soups-hot and cold, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

DAAL (INDIAN STYLE LENTILS)

Posted on November 22, 2011 by nituchugani

In India we have a huge variety of lentils of all colors, and sizes!! Since we have such a huge population thats vegetarian lentils are a daily source of protein for them. You can cook daal in so many ways.-…with vegetables, without… spicy, bland…just simply boiled with a simple tempering etc etc. In Spain most Indian restaurants serve one of two varieties of daals only the most popular one bieng tarka daal. The simple yellow split lentils are soaked , cooked and then a rich tempering is done. Its easy, delicious and makes an excellent side dish with meat or a main dish for a pure vegetarian vegan meal.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of yellow lentils soaked for 4 hours in ample water
1 tomato chopped fine
1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon of Nitu Didi cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida (optional)
a pinch of Nitu Didi turmeric powder
a pinch of chilli flakes
a few curry leaves( optional)
chopped green coriander leaves
3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
water as needed
salt to taste
METHOD:
Boil the lentils in ample water till done until they are soft. If there is too much water you can discard some , it all depends if you want a more soupy daal (to eat with rice) or a thicker one to eat with naan or parathas. Once that is done set it aside. Heat a deep pan and add the butter or olive oil and then add the asafoetida and when that begins to change color add the cumin seeds and then the ginger garlic paste and once that is cooked a bit (one minute) add the chopped tomatoes and the salt and spices and let it all cook till its all well mashed. Add the boiled lentils and some of the water which the lentils have been boiled in and cook adding the coriander leaves for about 3-4 minutes. Correct seasoning. This can be made to the texture you want by adding more or less water and dont forget as its kept it does get a bit thicker.
Enjoy Indian restaurant style TARKA DAAL
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Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Lentils, Vegan | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments