Chicken Vindalooo!!

Hi All...If you are a connoisseur of non vegetarian food and you live in India, Goan food is definitely something you must have tried. Goa has been my second home and I am conversant with every nook and crannies of this place.

I love the beaches, the food and the atmosphere.The Goan food is primarily categorized into the food with Portuguese influence and the one with the local Hindu taste. When we come back from Goa the pantry gets stocked up with the authentic Balchao and Vindaloo pastes.These pastes actually helped a person like me to satisfy my Goan food craving taste buds to be satiated in a jiffy.

That being said I have seen my Mom prepare the most Yummy tasting Goan curries and Pickles right from scratch. She would follow the entire procedure of proper marination and slow cooking.But I would name myself as one of the most Laziest person, I try to find shortcuts for everything and this recipe is an example of one of my lazy efforts.

I changed this recipe by using chicken instead of pork.Its a multi-step recipe,so lets get started.






Ingredients:

Dry powder:
1" cinnamon stick
2-3 cardamom pods
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 cloves.

Dry roast these and grind them to a fine powder.

8 oz chicken breast cut into cubes.
1 medium onion finely sliced
1/2 tsp cumin seeds.
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp tamarind paste( Readily available in the Indian grocery stores)
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar.

Preparation:

Set the dry ingredients aside. Fry the chicken cubes in oil and brown it up cooking it partially.Remove and drain them on a paper towel. Add some more oil and add the onions, and 2 tsps of the dry powder. when the onions about nice and soft add the ginger garlic paste. Add the spices, vinegar and the tamarind paste. Add the chicken and some water. Put the lid on and simmer for about 7-8 minutes.

Finally add some chopped cilantro....Yooohooo...Ready to eat!!!

Happy eating!!

Chick pea curry!!

Ok this is one of my favorite, favorite legume. Also called as Garbanzo beans,chana, bengal gram or chole.This legume is just as versatile as its name. There are a 100 different ways to prepare this. This simple chick peas curry is my favorite and is usually had with rice, samosa or the very sinful Bhature( Deep fried Indian Bread).

Nutritionally Chickpeas can be classified as a 'Super Food', no wonder it is substituted by Vegans and Vegetarians as a source of Protein.

Chick peas is rich in Proteins and minerals like Zinc, magnesium and Iron.This Super food is also a great choice for Diabetics due to its low Glycemic index( Slowly rises the blood sugar levels and prevents Insulin spike). It is a source of good carbohydrates, coz' its packed with fiber.

Chick peas is not only consumed as a whole legume, but also in ground form as Chick pea flour or gram flour.The flour is used as a coating for fishes and as a base for the vegetable fitters and onion bhajiyas.

Here is a simple recipe for a curry called as Chole or Chana masala.



Ingredients:

1 cup chick peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium roma tomato ground into a paste
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tbsp EVOO

Preparation:

Add oil, when the oil is nice and hot add the cumin seeds.add the onion and the GG paste. Mix well till the onion and translucent and browning on the edges.

Add the tomato paste,turmeric, Red chilli, Garam masala and corainder powder. when the paste starts showing the oil seperation our paste is good and cooked. add the chick peas and about 1 and 1/2 cup of water. Add salt and let it come to a boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes and serve. I served it to my husband with Rice and myself had it with a big salad.

I am Back!!!!

Hey Guys I am back after a long hiatus with all my application work for my graduate studies done.oh yeah it's been really time consuming, but I now feel without any work.

I have utilized this month of January for evaluating and accessing many important issues in my life. It is high time I needed to address them. For more of my musings in relation to this check out my new Blog here

Well that said and done I have tried a handful of new recipes and have taken lovely pictures which I am so excited to share with everyone, but there seems to be a problem in the software installed on my computer. So I'll need to reinstall it. I baked a low carb chocolate cake for my husband yesterday...It was his birthday!!!!

I could not believe the outcome, it was really fantastic and tasted YUMMMMY....I think the only problen being the icing on top...It wasn't great tasting....But nevertheless my Husband was really happy and next time I'll make this and share it with all you guys.

I'll see ya'll with my latest recipes soon...Till then Take care!!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Wishing all you people out there a really happy and prosperous new year!!! I know I am really late in posting my new year wishes but I have been really busy with the impending graduate school deadlines.Yes! I plan to continue my education this year....Hence a lot of stuff happening on the educational front....

Well eating wise I have been really laid back in the holidays but now its back to eating healthy food....And of course time for some new recipes too....

So wishing all of you a year full of hope, happiness, good health, cheer and prosperity!!!!

Happy Living!!!!

Vegetarian Chili

Its been getting really cold here in Knoxville,TN. I a have been hearing and reading so much about chili that I finally decided to give it a try.And to my husbands' utter horror I decided to make a vegetarian one. All the way along during the preperation he kept telling me that I should change my mind and add Turkey or at least Chicken. But had I not tried this he wouldn't have realized that vegetables do exist and they taste good too. This was an easy recipe full on taste and amazing flavors coming from each of the ingredients.



This time I decided to take pictures of the procedure too they aren't many.Here's the ingredients u'll need.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of minced soy.
1 28 0z can of diced tomatoes.( I used Hunt's chili tomato)
3/4 cup Green bell peppers
3/4 cup Red bell peppers
3/4 cup yellow bell peppers.
1/2 cup corn
1 whole onion chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 jalapenos chopped
3/4 cup black beans
3/4 cup red kidney beans.
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
EVOO
salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Firstly add some EVOO in a pot and fry and break the mince soy till it nice and brown.




keep aside.add some more oil and the onions, garlic and jalapenos.Add some salt and pepper to season the first layer of the dish.Fry till nice and soft.Follow this by adding the peppers .



After about 2 minutes add cumin powder, chilli powder mix and then add the tomatoes. Give it a good stir and then add cocoa powder this adds a good texture and color.Now add the remaining ingredients i.e corn, beans,mince soy.Adjust seasoning.





Cover and cook the chili for about 30 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro and chips.

Enjoy...Happy Eating!!!

Yummmy Low carb pizza!!

It was really necessary for me to come up with a recipe which did not involve fish,this seems to have eventually turned into more of a fish recipe blog.Ok now a lil' reflection on pizza. When I was a kid it was a delight to gorge on a pizza.It was something which did not seem to be a sin then. But now the mere thot of having a slice drives through a series of guilts and condemning oneself.Ever since my husband has been low carbing I have been trying various recipes for him which could be made low carb.This recipes is just one of them.I have been trying various low carb recipes from Linda's low carb website. The recipes of the crust is hers. The toppings are purely inspired by the pizzas made at home.Yum. Just a word of caution the crust is made up of Flax seeds and need to be consumed carefully as they may be a lil' heavy on digesting. So go lil easy.Here's all you'll need for this recipe.

 

Crust:

1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon granular Splenda
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons oil


Mix the ingredients; add the onions, eggs, water and oil. Pour the batter on a parchment lined baking dish roughly forming a circle. Bake at 325º 15-20 minutes.

Topping:

1/4 cup homemade tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
green bell pepper rings
baby spinach
sliced olives
mozzarella cheese

Start by spreading the tomato sauce followed by layering chicken,spinach, bell pepper rings and sliced olives.Top it with cheese and some italian herbs.

Enjoy...

Happy eating!!

Tuna Patties.

I have lived all my life in Mumbai i.e until my marriage. And after having grown up in Mumbai few can escape the rich and tasty Maharashtrian seafood. Actually I remember all the aunties would gear up early morning on wednesdays to get hold of the freshest catch. After surviving the ordeal of finding the best fish in the hustling bustling fish markets, they would come home to prepare their amazing curries. The smell of these curries effusing from each of their kitchens. Heaven!! I am really lucky to have My Mommy because though we are non- maharashtrians she can cook the most amazing authentic maharashtrian food. Lucky to have you mom!!! Okie. But after marriage I was surprised to find that my husband was totally repulsive to fish, not only that he hated the smell of it.Since my survival depends on fish I decided to slowly convert him too. Simply started off by explaining to him the nutrition and blah blah. After a series of arguments and counter-arguments, victory was on my side and he decided to give it a try. And the result today he enjoys Fish more than I do. I am so proud of myself.Today I am sharing this simple and easy Tuna patty recipe.It wont take much time in the kitchen and you can enjoy it with your family in no time.Excellent as a snack too.



1 6 ounce can Tuna drained
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped celery
¼ cup chopped scallions
1 clove chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tbsp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

Mix all the ingredients and chill for about half an hour. Heat the oil in the pan and shape the mixture into patties and fry. Make sure not to turn the patties too early as there’s a high chance of them breaking. Brown well. I served them with some nutty cabbage. Yum ready to eat.

Happy eating!!