Chicken sandwich

While sitting down to write this post, I was thinking of the different recipes I would like to post today. A conversation two days back with a friend on packing lunches for children gave me the inspiration to write this post. It is very important that we send a healthy lunch to school for our children everyday. I personally discourage the potato chips, soft drink and sweets in children's tiffin. Sandwiches can be made easily with available ingredients . It is not time consuming and children get a balanced diet. Here is my version of chicken sandwich which I would like to share.

Ingredients:

1. 2 slices of sandwich bread
2. 1/2 chicken breast
3. Butter or any spread
4. 2 cocktail tomatoes
5. 1 leaf of lettuce
6. 1 tsp. of green pepper cut small
7. 1 tsp. creamy salad dressing or mayonnaise
8. 1/4 tsp. chicken masala
9. 1/2 inch ginger and a few small slices of onion

Method:-

• Cut the chicken breasts into small cubes.
• Saute these pieces along with onion and ginger in a little oil until cooked. Add the chicken masala and remove from fire.
• When this is cold use a hand blender which has chopper attachment and mince the chicken in it.
• Add the salad dressing to this chicken mince and keep it aside.
• Butter the slices of bread. Layer the lettuce and then put a spoonful of chicken mixture on it. Now layer it with cut cocktail tomatoes and green pepper.
• Close the sandwich with the other buttered bread slice.
• Sandwich is ready. These sandwiches should be cut into two diagonally or straight into two halves.

Dum Aloo (Baby potatoes in yogurt sauce)

Dum Aloo is a very popular North Indian Recipe. It is a curry in a rich sauce. Prepared in a number of ways aloo dum is one of the Indian ready to eat curries found in the South African supermarket shelves. Baby potatoes are found in abundance in our fruit and vegetable shops so why do we need the curries with preservatives in it. Here is a version of dum aloo which does not take much of an effort. When I talk about Indian shops, in Cape Town they are found in the Rylands area and there is a shop near Salt River also.

Ingredients:

1. 15 baby potatoes, skin off


2. 2 medium sized onions sliced thinly


3. 1 tblsp. tandoori masala (available in Indian shops)


4. 1 tsp. turmeric powder


5. 2 green chillies chopped


6. 200 gms. plain yogurt


7. 3 cloves


8. 3 cardamoms


9. 1/2 inch cinnamon whole


10. 8 to 10 pepper corns whole


11. 1 tsp. cumin seeds


12. Oil for frying


13. salt to taste


14. coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Fry the sliced onions and drain it on a kitchen towel, keep it aside.


• Shallow fry the baby potatoes and keep it aside.


• Grind the fried onions, tandoori masala and turmeric.


• Mix the grounded mixture with yogurt, green chillies and salt.


• Put in the baby potatoes and coat it with the mixture and marinate it for 3 hours.


• In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tblsp. oil and put in the whole spices at items 7 to 11 and saute for half a minute.


• Put in the marinated potatoes along with the yogurt sauce and let it cook on low fire, until the potatoes are fully cooked. The vessel should be kept covered during the cooking process,


• Remove and garnish with coriander leaves.


• Serve with rotis, purees or rice.

Plain Rice

Today, I thought of sharing with you one of my tips to save energy as South Africa is facing an energy crisis. I cook rice everyday.Everyone who cooks long grain rice knows that it takes a lot of energy as the time needed to cook rice varies from 30 to 45 minutes. Many people tell me that when they cook rice it sticks or turns mushy. I buy the No Name brand of rice from Pick n' Pay. This is not an ad for Pick n' Pay nor do they pay me any commission for it. I buy this brand because it is fairly easy to cook and takes less time and the desired result.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup long grain uncooked rice
2. 4 cups water
3. 1 tsp. salt

Method:

• Boil the water in a kettle.
• Wash rice in cold water 2 or 3 times.
• Pour the boiling water into the rice, add salt and let it remain on the stove on high for 10 minutes.
• When the water bubbles, off the stove and keep the vessel covered for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
• Now drain the rice in a colander. You get non sticky, and properly cooked rice.
• This saves energy a lot if you cook rice on a daily basis.

Unniappam

When I went to Kerala in December, thought of bringing a appakkara (Unniappam chatti) along with me to South Africa. I remember my school days, when mum used her imaginations to cook for us some snacks, when we returned back from school with our tummies grumbling. But the same joy cannot be provided to my children here in South Africa as some of these beautiful vessels are not available here.

Yesterday, I thought of taking out my appakkara and try my culinary skills with it. I rolled out my first batch of unniappams and then called out to my son who was playing outside with one of his friends. He took two unniappams out to share with his friend. Within two minutes I saw a group of his friends outside my door hoping to get some as well. My son came inside and started with all the names of the kids who were there for the unniappams. So there went my two batches of unniappams. But what a pleasure to see the smiles on those little faces when each one got his share. Below is my version of unniappams. The unniappams in the picture are not as brown as the ones usually got as I ran short of jaggery.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups fine rice flour
2. 1/2 cup cake flour or all purpose flour or maida (I am thinking of the different names of the flour available in different countries)
3. 3/4 cup jaggery syrup
4. 2 bananas
5. 1 tblsp. thinly fried coconut pieces
6. a pinch of salt
7. oil for frying

Method:

• Mix together rice flour, cake flour, salt and jaggery syrup.
• Add mashed bananas and fried coconut pieces.
• Slowly add water and make it into a thick batter but of a pourable constituency.
• Heat the appakara (vessel) and pour oil to make the holes 3/4 full.
• When the oil is hot enough pour the batter into each of these holes.
• Slowly turn the unniappams to cook it thoroughly.
• When it is golden brown, drain it on kitchen paper towels.

Prawn Korma

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg. cleaned medium sized prawns
2. 4 green chillies sliced thinly
3. 2 medium sized onions sliced thinly
4. 1 inch ginger sliced thinly
5. 4 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
6. 2 tomatoes sliced
7. 50 gms of tamarind juice
8. 3 tsp. of coriander powder
9. 2 1/2 tsp. of chilli powder
10. 1 tsp. of turmeric powder
11. 1 tin coconut milk
12. curry leaves (optional)
13. 1 tblsp. oil
14. 1 tsp. mustard seeds
15. salt according to taste

Method:

• Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds.
• Put in items from 2 to 5 and curry leaves and saute until slightly brown.
• Now add all the powder spices i.e. coriander, chilli and turmeric and saute for 1 minute.
• Add 1/5th of the coconut milk with 1 glass water and the turmeric juice.
• Add the cleaned prawns and salt, let it cook on low fire. When the prawns are half done add cut tomatoes and cook until fully done.
• Add rest of the coconut milk and let it simmer until the gravy is of the required constituency.