Spicy Honey Chicken Thighs

The Simple Fried Rice

This is one versatile rice dish, you can have it with a tomato ketchup it still tastes good, top with a nice crispy sunny side egg and it gets better, how about chilly chicken or anything Chinese to match it??well goes without say... sluurrrrp!!! This will rumble any tummy. I make this often for my son's tiffin so that its packed with the vegetables, I do thrown in an egg or some shredded chicken but I go easy on soy, am not much of a fan where my rice gets too colored with it plus I leave out the ajinomoto...give this a go and see how it turns out for you!

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 200 gms
Red Capsicum - 1
Green Beans - 30 gms (less than a handful)
Carrot - 1
Garlic - 5 cloves, minced
Spring Onions - 4
Soy Sauce - 2 tbs
Boneless Chicken or Prawns - 1 cup or alternatively 3 bacon strips
Pepper and Salt to taste

Cook the rice in salted water until slightly under done. Drain water. Cut the carrots, beans, capsicum into thin strips. Chop the spirng onions and keep aside. Heat oil into a large wok, add in the minced garlic and along with it tip in the bacon if thats what your using. Fry till its all crispy then add in all the cut vegetables and fry on high heat till done! Add in the chopped spring onion, pepper and salt. Pour in soy sauce and add in the rice and mix in while over the fire till all is combined. Serve warm.

Chinese Stir Fried Chicken ~ Nan's Chicken

Vanilla Cake for Mum's Birthday!!!!

Chicken Shaslik

Tarragon Chicken ~ One of Nigella Lawson's Best

Do any of those recipes you know, sort of reach out to you? I was watching my share of Nigella Express on television in the afternoon, and she wooed with me with this simplistic recipe. The sort of recipe that involves hardly an effort and yet so elegant to charm your friends for an informal dinner.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast- 4

Shallots - 12  (roughly chopped)

White Wine - 700ml\

Olive oil

Butter

Salt - to taste

Pepper - a generous pinch

Flour

Fresh Tarragon - chopped or torn

Creme Fraiche - 6 tbs

Cream - 2 tbs

Lime Juiced - 1 lime

Preheat oven to 180 C Season the flour.Coat the chicken pieces in the flour.Heat the olive oil in a heavy cast iron casserole, brown the chicken until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate. Add shallots to the pan, add a knob of butter.Turn the heat down low and soften shallots. Return chicken to pan. Slosh in the wine and reduce slightly. Add tarragon and creme fraiche. Cook in the oven for 45 mins.Remove and taste for seasoning. Add lemon juice and a dash of cream. Return to oven for a further 15 minutes.Garnish with some finely chopped tarragon, serve with basmati rice.

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

Something the grandmother made for the grandson, because he was screaming sausages.......Yup my mum made these for Elijah and he helped her make them. Not only was he super excited to make them but he was super super delighted in tasting them hot right from the oven.

Ingredients:

Bratwurst - 8 ( you could use chicken sausages instead)

Bacon Slices - 12

Paprika Powder - 2 tsp

Brown Sugar - 8 tbsp

Mix the paprika powder and brown sugar in a dish and keep aside. Cut the sausages into three pieces and wrap a slice of bacon around each pieces and fasten with a toothpick. Lightly coat the sausages with the paprika and sugar mixture and place them on a baking sheet lined with an aluminium sheet. Bake in the oven till the bacon is browned and crisp, for about 25-30 minutes at 180 C. Serve warm on a platter with paprika and brown sugar lightly sprinkled.

Chocolate Brownie

I'm at home with mum so when I'm with her the its all the more exciting to bake and try something. She is even more excited to try out her set of written and stored recipes. So out of the selected we tried this together, a nice fudgey piquant chocolate brownie.

Ingredients:

Butter – ½ cup
White Sugar – 1 cup
Eggs – 2
Vanilla Extract – 1 teaspoon
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – 1/3 cup
All Purpose Flour – ½ cup
Salt – ¼ teaspoon
Baking Powder – ¼ teaspoon
Frosting:
Butter - 3 tablespoons, softened
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 3 tablespoons
Honey - 1 tablespoon
Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
Confectioner’s Sugar - 1 cup

Preheat oven to 175C. Place wax or parchment paper onto the base of the pan and then grease and flour it. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
To make the Frosting:
Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar and mix well using an electric mixer. Frost brownies while they are still warm. Spread an even layer.

Tuna Bread~ As Delicious as it Gets!!

Each time I have gotten this bread baked I haven't got a single decent picture clicked, why? because as soon as its baked, its just waiting to be eaten, you don't believe it? Well don't let this bread intimidate you in any way coz this is my first experiments with yeast and baking bread and the results are fantastic. Another of my mum's recipe's which she said if I tried I would love. I haven't captured a great click, but moments before the grab, this is the least I could get, I promise to bake another one to bring forth this creation more life!!!

Ingredients:
Flour – 2 cups
Eggs – 2
Yeast – 1 1/2 tsp
Milk – 4 tbsp
Sugar -2 tsp
Butter – 1 oz
Salt- 1 tsp
For the Filling
Tuna or any other fish - 200 gms, cooked and flaked
Onion – 1, finely chopped
Tomato – 1, finely chopped
Celery - A dash of celery (optional)
Garlic – 2 pods, finely chopped
Green chilies – 2, finely chopped
Flour – 1/2 tbsp flour
Salt to taste
An egg yolk and little milk to glaze

Prepare the Filling:

In a frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic in oil along with green chilies. Add in the tomatoes and sauté till oil separates. Add the flour and sauté. Add the celery and then the tuna and sauté till everything is blended well. Keep aside to cool.

To prepare the bread:

In a bowl, mix the yeast in the warm milk and sugar and keep aside for about 15 minutes. Into a food processor, add the flour, butter and salt and process for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile in another bowl break the eggs and lightly beat them. Add the milk mixture to the beaten eggs and mix lightly.In a slow and steady stream, through the feed pour the egg milk mixture to the flour to form a smooth dough. Transfer the dough to a well oiled bowl. Cling wrap the bowl and keep in a warm place to rise for about an hour. Once risen, punch the dough down. Turn the dough out to a floured surface. Roll it out to 37.5 x 22.5 cm rectangle. Spread the filling along the length of the rectangle. Roll tightly. Once rolled, place onto a greased sheet shaped like a ring sealing the edges. I shaped mine like a horse shoe. Using a knife or scissors, cut 2/3rd’s the top of the ring down through all around. Leave to rise again. Once risen, glaze the bread with an egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes at 180 C. Garnish with capsicum rings.

Combine mayonnaise, tomato sauce, chili sauce and add little chopped celery(optional) and serve with the tuna bread snack.

Tip: I have tried the same thing with potates, and you would need 200gms of potatoes. First boiled, mashed and then sauteed. You would end with up aloo bread for the vegetarians.

Chili Egg

I was not in the mood to cook, only because I was plain tired. Tired of the chores, tired of doing of my work (I work part time at home as a freelance writer), tired of my hyperactive kid's activities - I could say Beattttt!!!.
Well you - yourself gotto get into the kitchen and rumble something out too right? Well, I had the eggs, and the capsicum. No way was I going to make chapathis - it's got to be bread coz I just don't have it in me to knead and roll out the dough (the brown bread beckons!!!!). So its got to be a quick chili egg.Yup indeed it is!!!

Ingredients:
Hard Boiled Egg - 4 peeled
Onions - 3, finely sliced
Green Pepper - 1 large, sliced thinly
Tomato Paste - 4tbs
Sugar - 1/2tsp
Soy Sauce - 1tbs
Green Chilies - 3, minced finely
Garlic - 2 cloves, sliced thinly
Ginger - 1tbs, julienned
Salt to taste
Black Pepper Powder - a dash
Oil for frying

Into a large wok, pour in some oil and fry the eggs till the whites have a nice golden covering. Keep them aside. Into the same wok, add in the garlic, ginger and the chilies and saute for a minute. Tip in the sliced onions and saute till the onions are nice and transparent. Add in the tomato sauce, soy sauce and pepper powder. Mix everything well. Time to add in the green pepper and saute till about just soft, yet you would want the crunch of the veggie.
Meanwhile, slice the fried eggs into halves and add to the wok and gently coat for about 2minutes. You have yourself a dinner or lunch ready in no time. We had ours with some toasted bread, you could have these anything you wish.Enjoy!!!!

Tip: Remove the seeds from the green chillies if you don't want the dish too spicy

Kerala Style Chicken Fry~ Amma's Way!!

A regular meat dish had with chapathy and a nice salad. Mum made this regularly on her quick dinner days. I did the same, needed to whip up a quick dinner to get my day set, just so that I could have some time off: :)

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg, cut into medium pieces (You could even use only drumsticks which would taste better)

Ginger Garlic Paste - 3tbs

Fennel Powder or Saunf - 1tsp

Kashmiri Chili Powder - 2 1/2tbs

Turmeric Powder - 1/2tsp

Onion - 4 large, sliced thinly

Salt to taste

Coriander Leaves - 1tbs, freshly chopped

Oil to fry

Into a non - stick pot, combine all the ingredients and the chicken with about 1/2cup of water and cook for about 20minutes. Allow the masala to coat the chicken pieces completely. In the meantime, into a large wok or skillet, pour a little oil just enough to fry the sliced onions. Fry them till nice and caramelized and keep aside. Add in little more oil and fry the cooked chicken till nice and golden on all sides. Top the chicken with the fried onions and some freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapathis and a nice salad.

Tuna, Egg & Sweet Corn Wrap~ Smart Lunch

Midday meal is it a problem for you?? Forget the lunch box blues and put a quick fix on this idea for healthy options for a light snack or meal!

Ingredients:
Natural Yogurt - 1 tbsp ( I used the set curd)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
White Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Dijon Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Pepper to taste
Hard Boiled Egg - 1 large
Canned Tuna - 200gms, drained
Canned Sweet Corn Kernels - 200gm drained ( I did'nt use them as my family is not fond of sweet corn)
Flour Tortillas - 4
Cucumber Sticks
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Onion - 1 large, finely chopped

Whisk the yogurt, oil, vinegar, mustard and pepper in a little bowl and keep aside. Then mash the egg and keep aside.In a frying pan, saute the onion in a little vegetable oil till just transparent, then tip in the chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are soft. Add in the drained tuna and fry for about 10 minutes. Once the mixture is cooled, add in the mashed egg and dressing. Onto each tortilla, spread the mixture and place 2 cucumber sticks and wrap them up! Grill them over a skillet or sandwich maker and your packed lunch is ready!

Italian Hot Chocolate

 AJ (my bro) just returned from his trip from Milan, hey he didn't go there for a pleasure trip; but as a part of his studies which he is currently pursuing. So while we were catching up on the culture and the place, he insisted that I concoct this drink? Pudding? It's a thick, dense and a definite chocolate rush  - all in a cup.

From Milan With Love!!

Ingredients:
[Serves - 4 cups]
Whole Milk - 1 cup, separated in 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
Heavy Cream - 1 cup
Cornstarch - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Granulated Sugar - 4 tablespoons
Chocolate - 4 1/2 ounces high quality, finely chopped
Whipped Cream - a cup

Combine the 3/4 cup milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until it starts to bubble around the edges. While the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the 1/4 milk and the cornstarch till smooth. Once the milk mixture starts to bubble around the edges, add the milk and cornstarch mixture. Whisk until it's heated through. Add the chocolate and whisk together, till hot and thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour into mugs and serve with whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate Truffles

If this is to be a Happy New Year, a year of usefulness, a year in which we shall live to make this earth better, it is because God will direct our pathway. How important then, to feel our dependence upon Him!  - Matthew Simpson

Recipe Souce: Joy of Baking


Ingredients:
Semisweet or Bittersweet chocolate - 8ounces (227 grams), cut into small pieces
Heavy Whipping cream (double cream) - 1/2cup (120 ml)
Unsalted butter - 2tbs (28 grams), cut into small pieces
Brandy - 2tbs
Coatings for Truffles:
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder


Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Keep aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil.  Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute or two. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. (If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, place in the microwave for about 20 seconds, or over a saucepan of simmering water, just until melted.) Add the liqueur. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the truffle mixture is firm which could take several hours or overnight.Place your coatings for the truffles on a plate. Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator. Using your hands, or a small ice cream scoop, a melon baller, or a small spoon form the chocolate into round or mis-shaped bite-sized balls.The mixture should yield about 25 to 30 small balls. Immediately roll the truffle in the coating and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm. Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months. Bring them room temperature before serving.

Tip: You could opt to coat the truffles with different coating such as nuts, shave chocolate, confectioner's sugar, toasted coconut flakes. The option of liqueur could either be omitted or a choice between Grand Marnier, Kirsch, Rum, Bourbon, Kahlua could be used.

Sausage Fried Rice Served with a Crispy Sunny Side Up

It's been pouring the whole day, the climate only lulls you to snuggle under your bed-covers, or maybe just do some cozying up by reading a book with a nice cup of coffee to be by your side. I was not wanting to cook anything at all, but you gotto you know especially with my toddler around, who could be finicky with what he'd like for the day. This is a recipe I had bookmarked in my usual routine of blog hopping by Sig with a little of my variation too. And it only lead to me making everyone happy for dinner..:)

Ingredients:
Long grain Basmati Rice - 1 1/2cups cooked and cooled
Sausages - 1/2 cup diced
French Beans - 1/2 cup cut into 1 inch pieces
Shallots - 1/4 cup thinly sliced
Light Soy Sauce - 2 tbs
Ground Pepper and Salt to taste
Eggs - 1  fried per person
Spice Paste
Shallots- 2
Garlic - 5-6
Dried Red Chilly - 2
Galangal/Ginger - 1 inch


Grind the shallots, garlic, red chillies and ginger with a little water to form a smooth paste. Into a wok, add vegetable oil swirl the wok and when hot, add the sausages, fry till brown, remove and keep aside. Fry the shallots till crispy brown, remove and keep aside. Then add the beans, fry till done, remove and keep aside. Add the ground spice paste and sauté till the liquid is evaporated. Tip in the cooked rice and coat well with the spice paste. Then add the soya/ tamari sauce and pepper and mix the rice well. Then add the beans and sausages to the rice, cook on medium heat for another 3-4minutes and serve onto a plate. Then into the same wok, add oil enough to fry the egg, break an egg to get a nice crispy sunny side up, season with pepper and salt and carefully mount onto the rice.

Carrot & Pumpkin Curry

When the meats out and the veggies in....is when I get the grumpy looks from people at home. But sometimes you really can't help it, it's a forced effort....my son happily eats his veggies, while the rest of the household eats grumpily...this is an easy recipe I fished out from the book "Essential Thai - everday dishes for you to enjoy". Easy to cook up, with familiar flavors and worth the effort....

Ingredients:
Galangal - 1 inch sliced
Garlic cloves - 2 chopped
Vegetable Stock cube - 1
Carrots- 4 peeled and cut into cubes
Pumpkin - 220gms peeled, de-seeded and cut into cubes
Thai Yellow paste - 3tbs
Shallots - 5 chopped finely
Coconut milk - 400ml
Fresh/ dried basil

Into a pan, pour about 150ml water and put in the stock cube and bring to a gentle boil. Add the galangal, half the garlic and simmer for 3minutes. Add the carrots and pumpkin and simmer till tender. Meanwhile heat oil into a pan, sauté shallots and remaining garlic for 2-3minutes. Add the Thai paste and continue to stir fry.for 1-2minutes. Stir the shallot mixture into the pan and add the coconut milk and basil. Simmer for another 3minutes, serve hot sprinkle some tasted pumpkin seeds.

Lunch with a Book and Chicken Sandwich

I just joined Just Books, I love books and love the smell of new books...it's  been on my mind to join a library and I did that....to satisfy my excitement of starting on my new book and to satisfy my hunger pangs...I got on to make something that's easier to manage, while reading my book so that  I don't have messy fingers flipping the pages. Had some boiled shredded chicken already in my fridge, an apple, light mayo....and potato chips....and some orange juice to wash it all down.

Ingredients:
[Serves 3]
Boiled chicken - whole boneless chicken shredded
Apple - 1 chopped finely
Onion - 1 medium chopped finely
Garlic - 2-3 grated
Light mayonnaise - 4tbs
Tobasco - a dash
Lettuce to pile your bread
Pepper and salt taste
Burger buns/ Brown bread/ Pita bread

Into a pan sauté the onions till pink. I sautéed the onions because none of us like the raw onion taste except in a raita. Add in the garlic and sauté in the pan for a minute. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl. You may use more mayo depending on one's taste. Serve onto a bed of lettuce as a salad, or pile your bread and lettuce for filling the sandwich.

Late Night Party Snacks

It was my Husband's birthday two days back and my brother and me immediately thought of  a plan to make his day special. We invited about 12 of his friends over and decided on a late night gathering at our home. Since all of them confirmed on a late arrival, which is as late as 10.30pm...I could only think of some snacks to keep us all alert and awake for the night. My snack menu for the party comprised of Chiken Tikka Cocktail, Stuffed Eggs, Green chutney and Carrot Sandwiches, Cocktail Sausages, Potato chips with garlic and chilly dip, Mushroom and Potato pie, Warm Orange Tea and Raspberry Souffle.

Chicken Tikka Cocktail

Ingredients:
Chicken Tikka - 24 pieces (I ordered this from a local tandoori restaurant and had them home delivered)
Thousand Island Dressing - 1/2cup
Half a Green Bell pepper - diced into cubes

Chop the chiken tikka into small pieces and plop in the thousand island dressing and diced pepper and mix well. Serve immediately. This can be refrigerated and used for a sandwich filling for the next day as well.

Stuffed Eggs

Ingredients:
Hardboiled Eggs - 24 halved lengthwise
Cheese spread - 4-5tbs
Mayonnaise - 1/4cup
Tobasco Sauce - a couple of dabs
White pepper - a pinch
Onion - one small finely chopped
Small green pepper - finely chopped (reserve some for garnish)
Prawns  - 200gms (I used frozen prawns)
Lemon juice - 1-2tsp
Salt to taste
Lettuce leaves

Thaw the prawns. Into a pot, pour water enough to cover the prawns and bring the water toa boil. Once the water the starts to boil, put in some pepper and salt to season. Take the prawns out in 2-3minutes, or else the prawns would become rubbery. After they have cooled a bit, chop them up.

Into a another bowl, using a teaspoon scoop out the egg yolks and add the mayonnaise and mix well. Add the tobasco sauce and white pepper and combine well. Then add in the chopped pepper, onion and prawns and combine again. Taste and adjust the seasoning and then add the lemon juice. Fill each egg white with the filling and garnish with a green pepper and arrange the eggs on to a bed of lettuce leaves.

Mushroom and Potato Pie

Ingredients:
Mushroom - 250gms
Potato - 5-6 diced into cubes
Carrot - 2-3 diced into cubes
Green chilly - 2 finely chopped
Onion - 2 medium sized finely chopped
Garlic - 3-4pods finely chopped
Hot and sweet tomato sauce - 4-5tbs
Salt to taste

For the Bechamel Sauce
Flour - 4tbs
Milk - 2cups
Butter  - 2tbs
Cheddar Cheese grated - 1/2cup
Nutmeg grated - 1/4 tsp
Pepper - 1/4tsp
Salt to taste

Fry the potatoes and carrot and remove onto absorbent paper. Then saute the garlic, onion and chilly. When the onion becomes transparent, add the Hot and sweet tomato sauce and fry for a minute. Tip in the mushrooms and fry till it becomes nice and soft. Add the fried potatoes and carrot and mix well. Check on the seasoning. Empty into a greased pie dish and top with bechamal sauce and grated cheddar cheese and bake for 35minutes at 120C.

For the roux [White sauce/ Bechamel Sauce]
Into a heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter, add in the flour and stir continuously till it forms a soft paste and bubbles. Careful not to brown the roux. Mix in the milk and keep stirring till the roux thickens. Add salt to taste, pepper and grated nutmeg and mix well.