Plum and Tomato Chutney

Rather pleased with my experiment. Hence uploading the recipe here.

Ingredients
Fresh Seasonal Plums - approximately 6-7 nos.
Tomato blanched - 1 no.
Sugar Syrup - 1.5 cups
Bay Leaf - 1
Ginger Slivers - 9-10
Red Chilly Flakes - 1 pinch
A pinch of mustard seeds ( black )
Paanchphoron - 2 pinches 
1 tsp lemon juice 
1 tsp salt
Raisins - as per taste and preference

Method
1. Chop Plums and the blanched tomato. Add 3/4 cup water. 1 tsp salt. Boil in a pan.
2. In another pan, heat sugar syrup ( it can be freshly made by mixing 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water and boiling it for a few minutes ) and let it simmer.
3. After the plums and tomato have blended in and become sqaushy, use a masher to further break it down. Simmer this for another 10 minutes. Put in ginger slivers and the bay leaf. Also the paanchphoron and mustard seeds.
4. After 10 mins of simmering, mix the sugar syrup in. Add some red chilli flakes to enhance the taste further.
5. Simmer for another 5-7 mins till the colour starts to show up brighter.
6. Remove from flame and mix 1 tsp lemon juice for tanginess.

Tastes super with plain dal-rice, as a sauce with mutton and chicken roasts or with simple roti and subzi.

Trisha's Oyster Sauce Chicken with Caramelised Onions

Its a simple, easy to cook chicken recipe ready in mins and great to serve guests at a short notice. It's contributed by my friend Trisha and hence the name ! I am documenting it here for her.

Ingredients
1 kg Chicken ( marinated with salt )
5 onions - medium sized cut into ringlets
Pepper - freshly ground - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oyster sauce - half a cup
Red Chilly Padi ( Malaysian ) - 5-6 - depends on your appetite for spice.

Thats it !

Pre-Prep 
Pre-cook chicken ( broil ) such that it is well done and you have about a cup of chicken broth.

Final mixing
Fry the onion in a heavy bottomed pan till it turns brownish and gets caramelized.Make sure you fry in low flame or else the onion may char. Then, add in the chicken pieces and mix well. Add the oyster sauce as well. Cook on low flame for a good 10 mins. Now add the red chilly padi - finely chopped and mix. Leave in pan for another 5 mins.

Note: I like to add some freshly ground pepper powder to enhance the taste.

Thai Chicken Wings

This recipe is from Straits Times. As you can see, am trying to keep the blog updated so that it serves as a rich repository of recipes...wish I could figure out some way of indexing the same.

Ingredients

8 pieces of chicken wings or 10-12 pieces of chicken drumsticks
2 stalks of lemon grass, white portion only
3 cm ginger peeled
6 cloves of garlic
4 shallots, peeled
2 green chillies
5 stalks coriander root
1 tbs palm sugar
125 ml coconut milk
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs light soya sauce


How to Make

1. Blend lemon grass,ginger,garlic, shallots, green chillies, coriander root and palm sugar with coco milk,fish sauce and light soya sauce in high speed till well mixed.
2. Pour the mixture over the chicken wings and leave to marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Pre-heat oven to 180 C and then roast the wings in the oven for 15 mins
4. Flip the wings and roast for another 15 mins
5. Serve with a wedge of fresh lime and rice.


Good for 4 people.
Published on the 12 September 2010.

Bhatti Chicken Grill

The last one for today. Very easy. With a distinct Indian bhatti flavour. Its my mom's own improvisation.


Ingredients

Chicken Breasts ( Recommend at least 2 slivers for serving 4-5 persons )

Marinade
Lemon Juice
Black Pepper
1 large cup Yoghurt
Salt
1 large tablespn chopped garlic fried in hot oil
1 tspn garam masala
Red Chilly Powder ( Kashmiri )


How to Make

This is to be made in 2 steps.

Step 1 : Rub lemon juice, black pepper, salt onto the chicken breast and keep for 4-5 hours.

Step 2 : Make the marinade. Base of yoghurt. Put in chopped and fried garlic, 1 tspn garam masala, red chilly powder ( Kashmiri ), 1 tsp black pepper powder.
Coat the chicken in this and marinate. You can refrigerate (freeze) upto 2-3 days for good flavouring.

On the day you want to serve, remove from freezer and thaw.

Take a shallow baking dish. Cut in some red onion ringlets. Put in at 175Degrees for 45 mins - covered with a foil. Next remove the foil and grill for another 45 mins. Bast with oil or butter from time to time.

Tip : Black pepper should be freshly crushed for good aroma. Garam masala made at home is even better. I will put up the recipe of home made garam masala sometime later.

My Mom's Tomato Chutney

Nani's gone back to Bangkok and then will return to her home. Got a slew of recipes from her before her departure. This one is my husband's favourite. Again, have tried a lot of recipes but this chutney really comes out the best.
I think its a more traditional kind of chutney with a lot of side work before you get into a main form but the extra effort is worth it.

Here goes.


Ingredients
4-5 large, succulent and ripe red tomatoes
1 tspn chopped ginger
2 small cups sugar syrup (can be made immediately before the chutney. Instructions given on how )
4-5 dates
Half a small cup of raisins
1/2 tspn lemon or orange juice
Mustard seeds
Fennel seeds
Curry leaves ( optional )
Jeera - roasted - 1 tspn
Saunf or Fennel - Roasted - 1 tspn
1 dry red chilly


How to Make.

There are 4 stages of making this tomato chutney.
1 - The tomato puree base
2 - The sugar syrup
3 - The Final garnish or "Chhonk" ( as called in Hindi..cant remember the English equivalent right now )
4 - The Magic sprinkle

1- The tomato puree base
a) Take the tomato and cut into large pieces.
b) In a pan, put in the tomato pieces in some water, add in 1 tspn ginger chopped and a tiny pinch of salt.
c) Set to boil in low flame
d ) Use a whisk to flatten out the tomato and blend it in, as it simmers on low. Should get done in about 15 mins

2- THe Sugar Syrup
Using 2 cups of white sugar and 2 cups of water, make a syrup over low flame till it thickens somewhat. A very thin, runny consistency is to be avoided for the sake of good flavour.

Now in this hot syrup, put in the dates, raisins and simmer for 1-2 mins.

After this, add the tomato mixture prepared earlier.

Mix well while simmering in low heat.

Add in 1/2 tspn lemon or orange juice to make it tangy.

3. The "Chhonk"
In a little oil in a wok, put in mustard seeds, fennel seeds and curry leaves. Let the seeds splutter. Put in the chutney.


4. To enhance the flavour further - use the magic sprinkle.
1 tspn roasted cumin seeds, 1 tspn roasted fennel seeds, 1 dry chilly - grind into a dry sprinkle. A few pinches of this enhances the taste of the chutney.

Tip : Can do the same recipe with RAW MANGOES except you have to steam the mango pieces to soften them a bit and throw away the water in which you have steamed or boiled the mango pieces.

Vegetable Manchurian from Nani's Wok

For sworn non-vegetarians like myself, its a big relief to find a vegetarian recipe which is a delight to make and eat. It has a unique, tangy gravy with Manchurian balls made with cabbage and carrots.

Here goes.

Ingredients

1 medium to small sized fresh cabbage
2 tender carrots
1 tabspoon grated ginger
Chopped coriander leaves
Chopped green chillies
1 large onion - chopped into cubes
1 green capsicum - chopped into cubes
1 cup tomato puree
3-4 cloves of garlic - chopped.
2 tabspn Cornflour
1 tbspn Plain flour
2-3 tabspoon Ketchup
2 tbspn Light Soya sauce
Few drops of dark soya sauce
Salt
Sugar
Black pepper
Oil for frying.


How to Make

Grate the cabbage and the carrot and rub salt on this mixture. Set aside for 15 mins. It will release water. After 15 mins, squeeze out the water ( which u can use later in the gravy ). Now put in grated ginger, 1 tspn green chilly (optional ) and 1 large spoon of coriander leaves. Add cornflour and flour both ( this is my mom's special tip to ensure that the manchurian balls dont become too sticky ). Add Salt and some sugar. And mix with hand.
Scoop out balls and put in the fridge for 20 mins. Take out and fry into manchurian balls.

The Gravy
In a hot wok, heat oil. Put in the diced onions and capsicums ( you can add red ones as well if you want ). Fry well. Put in some green chillies chopped ( as per taste )
and enough chopped garlic. Saute well.
Put the tomato puree and well as the tomato ketchup.
Saute in low for a while.
Now add black pepper powder, salt to taste and some sugar.
Add in the soya. The dark soya is only optional.
Put in hot water depending on your requirement for gravy. Some of the gravy is absorbed by the balls so have enough.
Simmer for 1-2 mins.
Add in the some cornflour diluted in water to thicken the gravy. Simmer for 1-2 mins and its done.
Garnish with spring onions.

Yummy Chicken Curry

So no big deal in a chicken curry but this one got slurped up by the kids and was really yummy. Am gonna make it again and again.
If you make it exactly the way its written, can guarantee you will swear by it -

Here goes.

Ingredients
1 kg Chicken ( Boneless is even better )
Lemon juice
Vinegar Black pepper
Salt
3-4 Onions
4-5 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoon chopped ginger
(Make a paste of the onion, garlic and ginger )
2 Tablespoon cashews - make a paste.
3 medium tomatoes - make a puree after blanching in wok
Oil
Butter


How to Make
1. First - Marinate the chicken for a good 6-7 hours with lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper and salt ( as per taste )
2. Take a wok, heat oil and put in the marinated chicken. Saute lightly for 15-20 mins and cover for 5 mins till tender.
3. In a separate wok, put in 2-3 tbspn oil and 1 large spoon of butter. Put in the onion-ginger-garlic paste. Saute untill brown.
4. Put in tomato puree.
5. Saute well.
6. Put in 1 tspn Kashmiri chilli powder ( optional, not recommended if making for kids ) Saute well.
7. Put in the cooked chicken and saute well.
8. Put in 2 hot cups of tea, as per your gravy requirement.
9. Sprinkle garam masala and simmer for 5-10 mins
10. Garnish with coriamder leaves.