Kung Pao Chicken

Egg Fried Rice With Vegetables

Tomato Amti (Maharashtrian Style)

Light gravy with subtle flavours...if your looking for a replacement for your regular dal..then give this a try...this Maharashtrian tomato amti is between Tomato Saar and Goan kadvaan...!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup tomato, finely chopped

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp haldi powder

1/2 tsp kashmiri mirch powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

1 tsp oil

1 1/2 cup water

to be blended into paste:

1/4 cup freshly grated coconut

1 tbsp onion

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp water

Method:

• Blend together freshly grated coconut, onion, coriander seeds and garlic into a fine paste.
• Heat a kadai, add oil. Add onion and cook on a low medium flame till onion turns pink in colour.
• Add tomato and mix well. Let the tomato cook well.
• Add kashmiri mirch powder, red chilli powder, haldi powder and mix well. let the masala cook for a minute.
• Add the blended coconut paste and mix well and saute for a minute.
• Add water and bring to a boil on medium flame.
• Add sugar and salt and cook till done.
• serve hot with rice!!!!

Tips:

• You can temper this Amti with ghee too.
• You can add few pieces of potato in this Amti, it taste really good.
• You can temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves. but i like the simple version given abroad.
• The coconut paste has to be blended into a very fine paste.
• Increase the amount of tomato if you want a tangy flavour!!!!

Aam Panha (Roasted Style)

This is a refreshing drink which helps beat scorching dry heat...its a fantastic way to keep the heat strokes away...there are various ways to make it...roasting imparts a distinct flavour to this drink......

Ingredients:

1 raw mango

1/4 tsp black salt

1/2 tsp roasted jeera powder

2 1/2 tsp powdered sugar

5 leaves of pudina-crushed into paste

2 cups water

Method:

• Put deep incisions on the raw mango (4 vertical) on 4 sides.
• Place the raw mango in a microwave proof bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
• Let the raw mango rest for a minute or two.
• Place the raw mango on a open flame and let it roast on a medium low flame.
• Once the raw mango is roasted on all the sides, take it off the flame.
• Remove the dark roasted skin of the raw mango.
• Squeeze out the pulp of the raw mango and discard the seed of the raw mango.Strain the pulp.
• To the raw mango pulp add black salt, roasted jeera powder, sugar, salt, pudina and mix well.
• Add water mix well and serve chilled to beat the summer heat!!!!

Tips:

• If you want to have it immediately use chilled water. You could also add ice cubes, but in such a case just reduce adjust the quantity of water.
• You caould also add coriander paste.
• granular sugar or castor sugar could also be used. just adjust the quantity to suite your taste.
• You could also add a packet of readymade jaljeera powder.
• You could vary the amount of spices given above and also add other spices such as black pepper powder, chat masala.

Honey Glazed Chicken

This Chinese main course is a blend of sweet and spicy....play with the quantity to suite your taste!!!! Reduce the quantity of stock and have it as starter....if you are a veggie add your favourite veggies!!!

Ingredients:

250 gms Chicken boneless, bite size pieces

1 spring onion greens, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 chicken stock cube, mixed in 1 cup of water

2 tsp red chilli flakes

2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp white pepper powder

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp soya sauce

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

Method:

• Wash and clean the chicken. Pat dry the chicken.
• Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the chicken pieces till done. Drain on an absorbent paper.
• In the chicken stock mix soya sauce, white pepper powder, cornstarch and salt.
• Heat a kadai on high heat and add oil. Add garlic and saute. Add the red chilli flakes and saute well. Add the chicken stock blended with other spices. Cook till the sauce thickens.
• Add the fried chicken and mix well.
• Add honey and cook for sometime.
• Turn the flame off and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and spring onion green and serve hot with rice or noodles.

Tips:

• You can also used chicken stock, but somehow i feel stock cubes way convenient.
• In case you are using Indian stock cube you may need to increase the quantity to double. Any imported brand the amount given above will suffice.
• Do not overdo the honey or else it will make the sauce too sweet. Try with 1 tsp and gradually increase to suite your taste.
• you can have this as a dry item too. Decrease the quantity of stock.
• you can increase the amount of chilli flakes for added spice!