Chicken cutlets

Ingredients:

1. 500 gms chicken breasts
2. 2 boiled big potatoes
3. 1 inch ginger
4. 2 or 3 green chillies (as per your taste)
5. bread crumbs for rolling the cutlets
6. 2 egg whites
7. 1 tsp. chicken masala or garam masala
8. 1/2 tsp turmeric
9. 1/2 onion cut into very small pieces
10. salt as per requirement
11. oil for frying

Method:

• Boil the chicken breasts in a little water and salt.
• When it is cooked and cooled blend it with a blender or chopper
• Mash the boiled potatoes, salt and the chicken mixture.
• Heat a pan add 2 tsp oil, saute the onions, ginger and green chillies. Add the turmeric and chicken masala and saute for a minute. Add the potato and chicken mixture and mix.
• Remove this mixture from fire. Make small balls from this mixture and then press this ball slightly with your other hand to get into a cutlet shape.
• First dip this ball into the egg white and then roll it in the bread crumbs.
• Follow the same procedure with the other cutlets.
• Deep fry it in oil. Take it out of the oil when it is of a golden brown colour.
• Serve it with tomato and onion salad.

Chickpeas Curry

Ingredients:

1. 250 gms chick peas
2. 3 onions
3. 10 garlic cloves
4. 2 big pieces ginger
5. 2 tomatoes
6. 2 sprigs curry leaves
7. 2 pieces cinnamon
8. 8 cloves
9. 15 to 20 pepper corns
10. 4 small cardamoms
11. 1 tsp. garam masala
12. 1tsp. red chilli powder
13. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
14. 1 tblsp. coriander powder
15. 3 tblsp. oil
16. salt to taste

Method:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight.
• Cook the chickpeas after adding salt and keep aside.
• Grind the tomatoes to a smooth paste.
• Grind all the items from 7 to 14 to a smooth paste.
• Cut the onions, ginger and garlic into small pieces.
• Saute the onions, ginger, curry leaves and garlic. Now add the ground masala paste and saute until the oil starts surfacing out of the masala.
• Add the tomato paste and let it cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked chickpeas and mix and cook for 3 minutes more.
• Serve it with rotis or rice.

Pepper Chicken Masala

Yesterday, when it was time to cook dinner I was going through the contents of my fridge to find out what I could cook. As Cape Town is a place where not much of Indian vegetables are available, it is a daily hassle for Indian wives like me to bring up those beautiful smiles when food is served. My regular phrase is "Curry is a constant worry". Now going back to my fridge contents, I found a small chicken. The regular chicken curry is not exciting anymore so armed with Lekshmi Nair's Magic Oven Recipe book I started cooking Pepper Chicken Masala. It is a fairly easy and good recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 1 small chicken (cut into small pieces)
2. 1 onion cut into big pieces
3. 2 tomatoes (blend to a smooth paste)
4. 2 inch ginger
5. 6 cloves of garlic
6. 1tsp. chilli powder
7. 1 tsp. coriander powder
8. 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
9. 2 tblsp. black pepper
10. 1 piece cinnamon
11. 5 cloves
12. salt to taste
13. 3 tblsp. butter or oil
14. a few curry leaves (optional)
15. 1/2 cup dhaniya leaves (coriander leaves)

Method:

• Grind onions, ginger, garlic, coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and 1 tblsp. black pepper into a fine paste.
• Marinate the cut chicken pieces with this mix for approximately 1 hour.
• Cook the chicken pieces until it is 3/4 th done and the water has all evaporated. The masala must have covered the chicken by now. Keep it aside.
• In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat oil or butter and put in cinnamon stick, cloves, and curry leaves.
• In this put one tablespoon ground pepper (it should be medium ground) and heat until it gives out a fried smell. Now add the tomato paste.
• When all the water has evaporated from the tomato and oil starts bubbling add the 3/4 done chicken and cook until properly done.
• Garnish with coriander leave and serve it with rice or rotis.

Source: Magic Oven Recipes by Lekshmi Nair

Chicken and Vegetable Mix

Ingredients:

1. 2 chicken breasts (boneless) cut into cubes
2. 1 inch ginger sliced thinly
3. 3 garlic cloves sliced thinly
4. 1/2 cup carrots cubed
5. 1/2 cup beans cut 1 inch long
6. 1 cup cauliflower florets
7. 1/2 cup green pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
8. 1/3 cup chicken stock
9. 2 tsp. pepper powder
10. 1/2 tsp. garam masala
11. Oil for stir frying

Method:

• Heat the oil in a wok.
• Add the garlic and ginger slices for 1 minute.
• Add the chicken cubes.
• Saute until the chicken is nearly cooked.
• Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Add the pepper powder and chicken stock and cook it until done.
• Add the garam masala and stir fry for a minute more.
• Serve with rice or rotis.

Noodle Biryani

This dish is a very tasty and fulfilling dish. It has been appreciated by all to whom I have served. Egg noodles are available in most of the fruit and veg city shops in South Africa.

Ingredients:

1. 300 gms egg noodles
2. 1 carrot cut into julienne strips
3. 10 - 15 green beans cut into julienne strips
4. 1/2 a green pepper cut into julienne strips
5. 2 chicken breasts cubed
6. soya sauce as per taste
7. sweet and sour sauce as per taste (optional)
8. 1 tsp. pepper or as per your own requirement
9. oil for stirfrying
10. 1 tsp. chicken masala (optional)

Method:

• Boil the noodles in a microwave for 10 minutes or on a stove until it is cooked and drain the water.
• Meanwhile heat oil and stirfry the chicken (until cooked) and then the vegetables.
• Add soya sauce to the above mixture and then add the cooked noodles and mix. All this should be done on a low fire.
• Add the pepper powder, chicken masala and sweet and sour sauce. Remove from fire when everything has been mixed thoroughly.
• Your noodle biriyani is ready.