Tandoori / BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

1. Chicken  - 500 gm ( Big pieces)
2. Caraway(Ayamodhakam) - 1/2 tsp
3. Black Salt - 1/4 tsp
4. Curd - 2 cup
5. Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
6. Lime Juice - 1 lemon
7. Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek Leaves)- 1/2 tsp
8. Salt - to taste
9. Mustard Oil - 1 tbs
10.Ginger garlic Paste - 2 tbs

Preparation

First marinate chicken with lemon juice ,salt and oil. Keep it for 15 min

Then add all other ingredients and marinate chicken completely.

Keep the chicken in room temperature for 2 hrs.or refrigerate it over night, then the taste will be good.

Then cook it in the proper BBQ grill.

Serve it with Green Chutney: http://smartmaa.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-chutney.html

Photo Courtesy : Manoj B Ramakrishna

Top 5 baking secrets for your kitchen!

Top 5 baking secrets for your kitchen!

Professional bakers employ techniques perfected over the years to achieve perfect results every single time. Here are some things that you can do in your own kitchen, to get those perfect results!

1. If you want to make bread at home, use Instant yeast or Fast action yeast. This works better than dry yeast and the bread dough proves and rises much better. Try this once and you'll never want to eat readymade bread again!

2. Many bread recipes include salt for taste. Be very careful that the yeast doesn't come in direct contact with the salt - or the yeast will not work. Sieve the flour with the salt or sprinkle salt on the edges of your flour before mixing the yeast into a well in the centre when making the dough.

3. If a recipe calls for beating the eggs with sugar till 'light' or 'double in volume', then try using granulated sugar instead of using caster sugar and beat eggs until the sugar dissolves. This ensures that the eggs are sufficiently beaten and you incorporate maximum possible air into the batter.

4. Professor Gaikwad, Baking Instructor at MSIHMCT Pune, says that "greasing and dusting" or "greasing and lining" of cake tins or trays is a very important step to create perfect baked goods. This is particularly important when you have to un-mould the cake from the tin for frosting or for display. If the recipe calls for 'greasing and lining' the baking tin or tray with butter paper - line both the bottom and the sides of the tin. Then grease the paper once lined. This prevents the cake/cookies from sticking to the paper. If the recipe calls for 'grease and dust', carefully brush the inside of the tin with butter or oil and sprinkle some flour. Shake the tin so that the flour spreads evenly on the inside. Also be very careful to not touch the greased part once it is dusted.

5. Here is a tip if you plan to make one of those fantastic bakery style pastries at home - like the Black Forest pastries. Bake the cake a day ahead; wrap it in cling film and store in the freezer so that they are easier to cut and handle. For the icing use non-dairy whip toppings available at specialty bakery stores or gourmet stores. They are much easier to handle and give a smoother finish to the cake. Fresh cream on the other hand is difficult to handle and more so during summer, so it may split or curdle.

Courtesy:http://food.femina.in/featured/top-5-baking-secrets-for-your-kitchen/

Wheat Idiyappam

Ingredients

Wheat Idiyappam

Wheat Powder (ATTA) - 2cup
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Water - as required to make the dough
Salt - to taste




Preparation

Take a clean cloth  and keep the atta in it then tied it loosely

Then steam this for 15 min

Then make it to cool down

Now boil  the water in a vessel with adding salt

Then make the dough with the water and atta.

Keep it closed for 5 min

Press it through the idiyappam mould of a seva press

Spread the coconut

And steam it for 10 min

Wheat Idiyyapm is ready

KANCHIPURAM IDDLY

Ingredients

Kanchipuram Iddli

Iddly Rice - 2 cup

Urad Dal (Uzhundu parippu) - 1 cup

Fengureek Seeds - 1tbs

Curd - 1/2 cup (Less Sour)

Black Pepper powder - 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds (Jeerakam) - 2 tsp

Asafoetida (Kayam) - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Ginger finely chopped  - 1 inch piece

Cashew nuts - 15  (broken into small pieces)

Raisins - 10

Salt - as required

Preparation

Wash and soak rice,Fengureek seeds and urad dal seperate for 6 hours.

Drain and grind it into a smooth batter with less amount of water as we do for regular idlies till it is fluffy.
 
add salt to taste and allow the batter to ferment overnight.
 
Next day morning add curd and mix well
 
Heat ghee in a frying pan and add black pepper powder and cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds.
   
Then add cashew pieces, turmeric powder, asafoetida, curry leaves, ginger and raisins and fry for a few seconds.
 
Mix it also with the batter (add the remaining ghee also).
 
Now pore the idli batter on the greased idli moulds 
 
Steam it in the idli steamer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar or Onion chutney

WHITE CHICKPEA SALAD

Ingredients

Chickpea Salad

White chickpea - 1 cup
Salad Cucumber - 1
Onion - 1
Pepper Powder - 1tsp
Lime Juice - from 1 lime
Salt - To taste







Preparation

Soak chickpea for 5-6 hours

Cook in pressure cooker

Chopp onion & cucumber  very finely

Mix eveything and add lime juice ,Pepper powder & salt

Mix Well

FUSION SALAD(Fruits +Vegetables)

Ingredients

Fusion Salad



Pomegranate - 1/2
Apple - 1/2
Orange - 1/2
Grapes -10
Salad Cumcumber -1/2
Onion - 1/2
Carrot -1
Corn -1 cup (cooked)
Lime -1
Pepper powder -1tsp
Salt -to taste

Preparation

Chop all veg & fruits

Mix with lime juice ,pepper and salt

We can change fruits and vegetables adding on this salad, depending upon the availability

Very healthy & tasty  salad