Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo is the name of the popular dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine, in which the meat is marinated in soy sauce, garlic and vinegar, browned in oil and simmered in the marinade. The combined flavour of garlic, pepper and soy sauce bring forth a super delicious taste.
My Filipino friend often makes this dish when I visit her. I must say, she is an expert in preparing this dish and I am a great fan of Chicken Adobo.  

Thanks to my Phillipino friend Arlyn Schwing for teaching me this delicious yet simple Filipino dish.    

I too prepared it a couple of times. I simply love it :-):-)

Ingredients:

Chicken wings: 12-14 (or 1 kg)

Olive oil          : 2 tbspn

1 big onion      : quartered and diced

4 garlic           : minced

Soy sauce       : 1/2 cup

Vinegar           :1/2 cup( preferably white vinegar)

Water             : 1 cup

Bay leaf          :3

Pepper corns   : 1 tspn

Pepper powder: 1/2 tspn

Green chillies   :2 

Sugar              : 1 tspn    

Method: 

• Take olive oil in a sauce pan. When hot add the dices onions, green chillies and garlic.( if green chillies are too spicy, then reduce the quantity of  pepper )

•  Stir for a while till the onion softens and then add the Chicken wings. Stir the chicken in the oil for a while. cover and cook for 5 mins on medium heat.
• Then add soy sauce n vinegar. Let the chicken simmer there for 10 more mins. Add the bay leaves, pepper corns, pepper powder and sugar . Pour a cup of water . Cover and cook for about 20 mins with stirring occasionally. 

• Uncover and simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened, and chicken is tender and gets a brown coating on it, about 10 more mins.
• Do not add salt as the soy sauce has sufficient of it.
• It is served with steamed rice

Note:

•  The longer the chicken is cooked in the sauce, the more tastier it becomes
•  Green chillies are not added in the traditional recipe

        

Cooking time : 40 mins

Grilled Mushrooms

Grilled Mushroom is a super simple and super-delicious Party/Barbeque snack. 

Thanks to my friend Sheetal Menon for this recipe.. enjoy..:-)

Ingredients:
Mushrooms             : 250 gm
Krauter butter/
herb flavored butter : 150 gm
salt                           : just to taste
pepper                      : just to taste
garlic grated             : (optional)
Parmesan cheese      : about 50 gm

Method:

• Wash the mushrooms and pat them dry
• |Scoop out the inside of the mushrooms (this can be done by carefully pulling the stem out)
• Place the mushrooms on an aluminium foil and fill it up with krauter butter only till half(do not over fill )
• Sprinkle with pepper and salt.
• If required grate some garlic cloves all over the mushrooms for extra flavour
• Lastly grate the Parmesan cheese all over the mushrooms
• bake it at 180 degree celsius for 15-20 mins or until the mushroom turns golden brown on top 

Preparation time- 10 mins 

Baking time - 20 mins

Badam Katli

Quick badam katli 

Another quick sweet treat which can be prepared in no time. Simply mix all the ingredients, warm it up, knead it, roll it and cut it. Thats it :-) Isn`t it super easy!!

Do try it and let me know.

Ingredients:

Badam (Almond) powder- 200 gm 

Powdered Sugar - 100 gm 

Cardamom powder- 1/4 tspn

Like warm water 

Ghee- 1 tspn

Butter paper or wax paper 

Method

1.Take badam powder, powdered sugar and cardamom powder in a bowl and Mix them well

2.Microwave the mixture for 30 sec to 1 min to warm up the mixture

3.Then start kneading the mixture by adding spoon by spoon Luke warm water. Takes about 3-4 tspn of water to make a tight dough which can be rolled using a rolling pin.

Just apply a tspn of ghee to the dough

4. Take the dough on wax or butter paper and start rolling out. Cut into diamond shape .

Note

1.  Its important to heat the mixture either on microwave or stove top because the sugar melts slightly and helps inbinding
2. If you don`t have wax paper, can even take the dough on a plate but make sure you grease the plate before using

Recipe source: BhavanasKitchen.com

Stuffed Capsicums

Ingredients:
Capsicum medium size     : 7-8
potatoes, boiled                : 2 big
matar/green peas              : 1 cup
paneer cubes                    : 1 cup
corn kernels                      : 3/4 cup
onions, finely chopped     : 2 medium
onions, coarsely chopped : 1 big
tomatoes chopped            : 1 

Dry powder:
chilli powder                        : to taste
coriander powder                 : 2 tspn
aamchur/dry mango powder: 3/4 tspn
turmeric powder                   : 1/2 tspn
salt                                        : to taste

Method:

• Heat about 3 tbspn oil in a skillet. When hot add the corn kernels and green peas together. 
• add salt, red chilly pwdr , turmeric, aamchur powder and 1 tspn coriander powder. 

• Saute for 2-3 mins on high and then add finely chopped onions, paneer cubes and mashed potatoes together. cook till they are done( for about 5), keep aside

• wash the capsicum, remove the center stem of capsicum and gently shell out the seeds from within
• Fill the hollow capsicums with the above made mixture with a spoon. Keep aside

• Now heat some oil (3 tbspn) in another wide bottom pan. Add coarsely chopped onion n saute for a while. Add red chilly pwdr, turmeric, salt and 1tspn coriander pwdr. 
• Then add the tomatoes n cook until a gravy texture is formed

• Gently place the stuffed capsicum in the pan

• cover n cook until done (takes abt 12-15 mins to cook on medium heat)

Note:

• For golden brown colour around the capsicum, separately fry the stuffed capsicum before adding into the onin-tomato gravy and rest procedure remains the same

Recipe credit: Pooja Minothra

Sprouted Methi Stir Fry

Sprouted Methi (Fenugreek seeds) Stir Fry

Ingredients :

Methi(Fenugreek seeds) : 1 cup
Grated coconut     : about 3 tbspn
salt to taste

for tempering:

oil                               :2-3 tbspn 
mustard seeds          : 1 tspn
cumin seeds          : 1 tspn
curry leaves           : few
garlic                      : 2 pods minced
tumeric                   : 1/4 spn
red chilly powder      : 1/4 tspn
jaggery (optional)  : to taste

Method:

• Wash and soak methi seeds in excess water overnight. In the morning tie it tight in a muslin cloth for 24 hours in a warm place.

• Take oil in a skillet and prepare for tempering 

• when the oil is hot add mustard, cumin, curry leaves and garlic, saute for few secs and add turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Put the sprouts into the skillet. stir it to mix well. Put a lid on and allow to cook in a very low flame. stir occasionally. it may take upto 15-20 mins to cook. Finally add freshly grated coconut turn off the gas.

• Have it as it is or with Roti.

Note:

• Use asafoetida (hing) instead of garlic for a different  taste.
• Do not add water while cooking methi to avoid the bitterness. 

Coconut-Hing chutney

Ingredients:
Grated coconut     : 1 cup
hing/asafoetida     : 1/4 tspn + 1/8 tspn
green chilli            : 4 medium spicy
salt to taste


for tempering:
oil                    :1 tbspn + 1 tbspn
mustard seeds : 1 tspn
curry leaves    : few
channa dal      : 1/2 tspn
urad dal          : 1/2 tspn
red chilly        : 1(optional)


Method:

• fry green chilly and 1/4th tspn hing in 1tbspn of oil and blend it along with freshly grated coconut and salt.
• give tempering in the small skillet.
• in about 1 tbspn oil add mustard seeds, add channa n urad dal ,then on low heat add curry leaves and 1/8th tspn hing.
• stir and turn off the gas.
• Pour this over the chutney . Serve with dosa and idli.

Note:

• Prepare the tempering just before serving

Recipe Shared by: Sumangala Kasbekar

Grilled Mushrooms

Crispy Rava fritters

Ingredients:
Bombay rava  :  1 cup
water              : 2 1/2 cup
salt                 : 2 tspn
food colour     : just a pinch (optional) (mine was too much by mistake)

Method:

• Keep the water to boil. Add salt and colour into it.
• Add rava into the boiling water with continuous stirring so that no lumps are formed
• cover with a lid and cook for few more mins till the rava is cooked completely
• Turn off heat. leave it for 5-10 mins
• after cooled, put some batter into chakli mould and den directly press it on a plastic sheep
• Make sure to dry completely in proper 3 sunlight
• store it in a  dry air tight container
• just before having, deep fry in hot oil. Enjoy the crispy rava fritters

Honey Cake

'Honey Cake' Just this name, takes me back to my school days. It was my favourite cake when I was a child, especially the one from Iyengars bakery. On Sundays, when my father took me out, I would never miss a chance to convince him to buy me my favourite cake along with my favourite egg puff . ;-) Today there are varieties of cakes in market but still honey cake has its own place and it will always be my fav one.

I got this recipe from a facebook member, Mrs Alee Venkatesh. After viewing so many positive reviews about this recipe, I decided to put it in my 'Must Do' dish list. Thanks to her for this easy and wonderful cake recipe. 

No doubt the cake came out to be too good but I felt the sponginess in the cake was missing.

Cake Ingredients:

Maida - 1.5 cups
sugar - 1 cup
plain thick curd - 1 cup
baking powder - 1 1/4tsp.
baking soda - 1/2 tsp.

Oil or butter - 1/2 cup (I used butter)
vanilla essence - 2 tsp.
honey - 3 tsp

Ingredients for Soaking the Cake
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dry coconut (powdered)
Pinch of cardamom powder
2/3 cup water

Method:

• In a pan add water, honey, dry coconut & cardamom powder and bring it to boil for 10mins. Keep it aside to cool

 

• Sieve together maida, baking powder and baking soda(make sure no lumps are present).
•  In a large mixing bowl, take all the cake ingredients, mix well to combine and set aside for 3 mins.

•  Pour this cake batter to a greased baking tray & bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg. C for about 30-35 minutes or until done and little brown on the top.

• When done, remove from oven, pour the honey mixture on top of the cake & allow it to soak for approximately 30minutes

• When cake is completely cool, cut into pieces & serve.

Chicken Adobo

Jhatpat Maida Halva

I call this Halva as Jhatpat Halva because if all the ingredients are ready, you make it just under 15 mins.Thanks to Krupa Naik for sharing this delicious Halva recipe..

Ingredients:

 All purpose flour   - 1 cup

 Sugar                     - 1 cup

 Ghee                      - 3 to 4 table spoon

 Water                     - 2 cups

 Green cardamom - 2 to 3 powdered

 cashews                - 2 spoon , chopped

you can also add a pich of any food colour of your choice in the mixture.

Method:

• Take a bowl add all purpose flour (maida), sugar, cardamom powder, and water ( 1:2 ratio for 1cup of flour 2cups of water) and mix it well.. see that no lumps are formed.

• Now take a wide pan ( non-stick will be better) heat it, add ghee, when the ghee is hot pour the above mixture, keep stirring continuously till becomes semi-solid ( when the mixture stop sticking to pan) 

• Now pour the prepared mixture into a greased plate.
•  tap it neatly and cut into cubes or any shapes you like and garnish with cashews and keep it aside for 2 to 3 hours so that it sets properly. 
• Yummy halwa is ready to eat

Egg chat

Ingredients:

Egg                      :5

any salted biscuit : 1 pack

onion                   : 2+ 1 finely chopped

pepper powder    : 1/4  tspn 

dark soy sauce    : 1 tspnc
tomato ketchup   : 1 tspn

hot chilli sauce    : 2 tbspn

Shev                    : 

coriander leaves    : finely chopped

salt and chat masala: to taste

Method:

• Hard boil the eggs, peel and slice with a slicer ( if you don't have the slicer just slice with a sharp knife)
• place slices of 1 egg in each plate
• prepare a masala : stir fry chopped onion in little oil  till they turn little brown. Then add pepper powder, tomato ketchup, chilly sauce and dark soy sauce. very little salt

To arrange :

• Place the egg slice in a plate .
• drop a spoon of the prepared tangy sauce on each egg slice 
• Take 4-5 Monaco biscuits or any salted biscuit. crush n sprinkle all over the plate
• add finely chopped onion on the slices
• sprinkle chat masala all over
• sprinkle sev all over and lastly garnish with chopped coriander leaves.