Indian Tandoori Chicken……

Tandoori chicken is probably the most popular non-vegetarian dishes on an Indian menu . Tandoori Chicken is loved by people the world over. The nicest thing about this dish though, is that it’s really easy to make!

Chicken is marinated overnight in a spicy yogurt marinade then grilled either in an oven or in an outdoor grill.

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds chicken, cut into pieces

OR

8 chicken drumsticks washed & skinned .

MARINADE:

Yogurt – 1 cup, well beaten

Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp

Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

Red Chili Powder – 1tsp

Paprika – 1/2 tsp

Tandoori Masala – 1 tbsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp

Red Food Color – 2 drops, optional

Directions

Remove skin from chicken pieces, and cut slits into them lengthwise. Place in a dish and add the lemon juice .
Give it a good mix and let it sit while getting the marinade ready.
Pour all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Add the marinade to the chicken and give another good mix. Make sure all the pieces are well coated with the yogurt mixture.
Store in the refrigerator to marinate overnight or minimum of 4 hours for best results.

Pre heat an outdoor grill for medium high heat, and lightly oil The grill plate .
Cook chicken on grill until no longer pink and juices run clear.

OR

Pre heat your oven to 420 *F , While it is heating, line a baking tray with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray or smear with cooking oil. Lay the pieces on this foil and drizzle lightly with cooking oil.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, then turn pieces and bake for another 15 minutes. Test chicken to see if cooked & juices run clear .

Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges and serve with Mint chutney .

It is best served with long grain basmati Rice , Onion, lemon wedges and cucumber salad and eaten with Tandoori Rotis or Naan

NOTE:

To make the Tandoori chicken, clean the chicken thoroughly then using a sharp knife cut slashes in the flesh all over the chicken to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place the chicken in a non reactive large, shallow dish.

To get the perfect taste of a authentic Tandoori chicken it is best to Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight after marinating the chicken. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Chicken thighs also work very well for this recipe in combination with or as an alternative to the chicken drumsticks.

You can use boneless chicken for the same recipe as well.

This dish can be prepared a couple of days in advance up to the point of marinating and kept in the fridge in an airtight container.

Tandoori Masala can be bought at any Indian grocery store or you can find home made recipe here at my friend Sonal Gupta’s blog .

BASMATI RICE AND PEA PILAF (PEAS Pulav )

This pulau is simple & It is light, quick to prepare and truly delicious. It is very mild and fragrant, and great as a side dish, or main course . Fragrant, sweet cloves add rich, spicy flavour to this simple rice dish. It can be served on its own with raita or with roasted chicken , tandoori chicken or any curry of your choice .

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil.
4 to 5 whole cloves
1-inch stick cinnamon.
1 medium onions sliced thin (about 1 cup)
2 cups basmati rice
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 teaspoon cumin powder
4 cups water
salt to taste
1 tsp chili flakes ( optional )
Food color of your choice ( optional ) 2 drops .

Procedures :

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cloves and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add onions and cook, until translucent ( around 5 mins.) . Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until nutty, about 2 min. Add peas and cumin powder and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute longer. Add water and salt bring to a boil and reduce to lowest heat. Cover with lid and allow to cook till all the water is absorbed, about 10-12 minutes. At this time you can add food color of your choice if using any . Serve hot with daal or raita.

This recipe serves 4 people

Beautiful Ham burger Buns ….

THE BEST. Soft, and golden-yellow simple buns are perfect for burgers, but also fine for any kind of sandwiches . This recipe can be used to make hot dog buns too.. I even made braided bread with the same leftover dough …

Ingredients :

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons butter
1 large egg { I replaced it with 1 heaping tablespoon of whole organic flax seed, blend until it becomes a fine meal. Add 1/4 cup cold water blend 2-3 minutes until thickened and has the consistency of eggs. Each 1/4 cup of Flax seed mixture will replace one egg in baking }

3 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour { I used bread flour }
2 TBS sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 tablespoons melted butter ( for brushing the buns )

Directions :

1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.
2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s doubled .
3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 10 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3″ across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.
4) Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.
5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.
6) Cool the buns on a rack.

Yield: 10 large buns.

Note :

For slightly smaller buns, divide the dough into 14 pieces instead of 10. Bake the buns for 12 to 15 minutes, instead of 15 to 18 minutes
For Slinger buns Divide the dough into 24 pieces, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Brushing buns with melted butter will give them a soft, light golden crust. Brushing with an egg-white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1/4 cup water) will give them a shinier, darker crust. For seeded buns, brush with the egg wash; it’ll make the seeds adhere.
I made 6 rolls out of the dough and with the rest of the dough made 1 braided loaf and 1 small puppy shaped bun for my younger one .

<img

“Rustic Spinach , Dill Feta , Havati cheese Bread”

In the beginning I would get scared with the idea of working with yeast and thinking of baking a bread would scare me . I still remember my first home baked bread and how hard like it came out . My elder brother would make fun of my bread and said we should start selling bricks as he said those breads were as hard as bricks . But I got over with the fear of bread making and realized that if you have get the basic of proofing the yeast then you can bake a perfect bread a home .

This bread was more of an experiment and it sure did not disappoint me 🙂 bringing this bread to Angie’s Fiesta Friday to share with all … As well as my second entry for Fiesta Friday Challenge #1

For the Bread we will be needing :

1 box (10 oz) chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup fresh Dill ( chopped along with tender stems )
1 cups lukewarm water ( more if needed )
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup crumbled Havati cheese OR Goat cheese
OR
1 cup cheese of your choice
2 1/4 teaspoons sugar
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour ( I used whole wheat bread flour )

Instructions :

Mix the yeast, salt, spinach, dill & cheese and sugar with the water in a large bowl or a stand mixer. Mix in the flour either using a spoon if by hand or the stand mixer with dough attachment. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses, approximately 2 hours.
At this point you can either use the dough, or store in the fridge for later use (up to 7 days).
When ready to use, divide the dough in half and transfer to a liberally floured surface. Shape each half of dough into a ball by tucking each side under itself. Allow to rest and rise on the floured surface for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty boiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash a cross or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.
Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.

You Are Missed Each & Every Moment ….

To my dear angel in ?heaven

I wake up in the morning
And I look up to the sky
I wonder why he took you
before I could say good-bye

Another year has come
and you are still so far away
You’re always in my heart
each and every day.

I realize that you’re gone
Then comes the fears and then the tears
And life just seems so wrong

I glance up at the heavens
And I know you’re flying by
My Angel is watching over me
And I am happy as I cry….

May 19th will never be the same for me and I struggle with how to mark the day . It has been 5 years since Sunil have passed on . Every May I approach this day with apprehension . I wonder why I still don’t understand that He will never come back to us . 5 years without the person who gave my life meaning and filled my heart with unimaginable amount of love.

None of us ever imagined having to say good-bye so soon, so suddenly .
Your death still takes my breath away and I still cannot get over the fact that you are not coming back to us . Should I ignore the day and just go to work like normal and hope it will be distracting? Should I take the day off and spend it hiding under the covers? Should I go spend the day with loved ones and rely on each other for support? Shouldn’t I be used to this by now? Each year, on this day, I reflect on what I have lost, what I have gained, and what I have learned since the last time I heard you call my name.

We loved the life we had with you. You were important to so many people & we miss you each and every day. The world isn’t the same without you . This day brings up so many emotions about our past and what our future may have been if you were here with us . Friend’s have asked me if I have “gotten over” your passing away . How do I explain it to them that I will never be able to “get over” you . I am trying to reconcile myself to it. I am trying to move forward in my life but it is not easy . Some days I sit and cry over wondering how I would get everything done and keep my life together? I realized I have to find a new normal for me without you in my life .

You are gone but I can still feel you around me . You can be found in laughter, especially the laughter of our children. I feel & see your determination and discipline in Victor . I see you in Vic’s love for math and computer skills . Shulin has started looking a lot like you and he has your smile and sense of humor. You are greatly loved and missed each and every day .

Each year on your anniversary , We plant a fruit tree in your memory . This year three of the trees have fruits in them .

We think of you, and We pray that your soul is at peace. We love you a lot and miss you each and every day & I am grateful that I had been loved and cherished by a really great guy like you ..