Chilly Chicken For Fire Eaters

Sometimes I think the only reason people come to visit me when I go home, isn’t to go huggy kissy on me but to eat Latha’s food. Sigh!

But hey, who cares as long as I get to do the honors first :D

This is (she claims) her original recipe for chilly chicken. And I have to agree. I’ve never quite had the same taste elsewhere. But a note of warning: You might want to adjust the spice level, because her’s always leaves me gasping for water after the first few bites.

And since I like gasping I follow her proportions to a T :|

;)

Anyway, You’ll Need:

For The Marinade:

Boneless chicken cut into small cubes – 2 lb

Maida/All purpose flour – 3 tablespoons

Cornflour – 2 teaspoons

Chilly powder – 1 ½ teaspoon

Freshly ground pepper – ½ teaspoon

A small pinch of red food color – optional

A small pinch of ajinomoto – optional

Egg – 1 large

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tablespoon

Soy sauce – 1 tablespoon

Tomato sauce – 1 ½ tablespoon

Juice of one lime

Salt to taste – Add less than the quantity you normally use, because Soy Sauce is salty. You can add more later after you mix everything.

For The Butter Fry:

Unsalted butter - 1 ½ teaspoon

Green chillies slit lengthwise - 10

Curry leaves – 15 leaves

Method Of Preparation:

- Combine all the marinade ingredients together (except chicken)

- Check the salt and spice proportion

- Add chicken and mix well

- Refrigerate for 30 minutes

- Deep fry on low to medium heat – I burnt them this time :(

- Remove and keep aside

- Now in another pan, heat the butter

- Add the green chillies and curry leaves and fry for two minutes on medium heat

- Remove and empty the contents on to the fried chicken

- Toss well and serve

My Favourite Mallugirl's Microwave Kalakand

I’m a die-hard fan of microwave sweets! :D

Anything easy and tasty is welcome. ;)

And thanks to Mallugirl, my friends and I pigged out this weekend.

Love ya Mallugirl!

The only ‘customization’ I did was cook it for an extra minute or two, and add macadamia nuts instead of pistachio

:D

Check out her original recipe here.

Homemade Chocolate Fudge

My aunt makes these amazingly drool-worthy cakes and chocolates! I remember how, as kids, we used to wait for holidays just so that we could lay our hands on them.

Sigh!

Then many years later, my cousin Jolnah came home to spend the weekend with me. Now Jolnah is the 'choco-aunt’s' daughter. We were reminiscing about old times when she said she could make homemade chocolate that tasted as good as her moms.

Now, who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

I literally hustled her into the kitchen. There she proceeded to mix and stir and chop and heat. Until, at the end of her labored efforts we were rewarded with a warm, gooey, chocolaty mush.

She told me that it would take a few minutes to harden.
(I believed her :D) And so we waited. … And waited

Until finally, after 3 hours she suggested that MAYbe we should keep it under the fan instead.

So we did. And waited… and waited some more

When S and T came home we told them this was liquid chocolate… and they bought it, the silly things! :D

Anyway, we decided that the next morning it would’ve hardened... so there!

But on Day 2 – t’was the same old goo

Lol! I don’t remember what we did with the ‘remains’ but to this day I pull her leg about her famous ‘liquid’ chocolate.

Anyway, here’s one of my favorite recipes for homemade chocolate. Err, don’t worry… I won’t leave you holding on to chocolate goo this time… hopefully :D

You Will Need:

Milk powder – 2 cups

Cocoa powder – 10 level tbsp

Vanilla essence – 3 drops

Chopped almonds/cashew nuts – 3tbsp

Instant coffee powder – 4 level tsp

Sugar – 2 cups

Water – ½ cup

Unsalted butter – 8tbsp (chopped)

Method Of Preparation:

- Mix the milk powder, cocoa, coffee powder, vanilla essence and nuts in a dish

- Take a small flat dish/tray and grease it with 1/3tsp of butter

- In a separate pan, combine the sugar and water and heat it on high flame

- When it begins to boil, lower the heat to ‘medium’ until you get a ‘single string consistency’
* You will get this consistency 3 to 5 minutes after the sugar has completely dissolved. To check this stage just dip a spoon in the syrup and let it cool for few seconds. Take a drop of the syrup from the spoon with your fore finger tip. Press your fore finger tip your thumb and slowly bring the two fingers away from each other. The syrup drop should form a thin thread between your fingers.*

- Add the butter, stir for a minute and switch off.

- Immediately add the rest of the ingredients and blend well

- Pour into the greased tray and cut into small squares after 5 minutes.

Marshmallows

You will need:

Gelatin – 30 gms
Sugar – 450 gms
Water – 300 ml
Food color (preferably raspberry) – a pinch
Raspberry essence – 2 drops


Preparation method:

1. Soak and dissolve the gelatin in 150 ml of water for 8-10 minutes

2. Combine sugar and the remaining water in a pan and boil for 12 minutes

3. Add the gelatin mixture to it

4. Remove from flame and add the color and essence

5. Whip thoroughly till it foams

6. Pour into a ghee/butter paper lined dish

7. Allow to set for hours

8. Cut into bite sized pieces, roll in powdered sugar and enjoy

Wicked Rum Truffles

I love to cook what I love to eat :D
And chocolate is something I base my entire existence on.

This recipe, in particular is one of my most prized possessions simply because of the way it comes together within minutes to create a finger lickin’ sensation. You have to taste it to know what I'm talking about ;) trust me, you won’t be disappointed. But be warned, this thing packs quite a punch, especially if you go overboard with the rum.


You will need:

Dark cooking chocolate - 400 gms
Milk chocolate - 400 gms
Honey - 80 ml
Butter - 150 gms
Fresh cream - 200 ml
Raisins - 150 gms (optional)
Rum - 30 ml (add more if you want to get drunk)
Cocoa powder/drinking chocolate/chocolate dust - 3 tbsp


Preparation method:

1. Melt 400 gms dark cooking chocolate and milk chocolate with honey and butter over a double boiler

2. Heat the fresh cream seperately till it reaches boiling point and pour over the chocolate mixture

3. Combine well until it has a lovely velvety texture

4. Fold in the raisins and rum

5. Allow it to set

6. Shape into small balls

7. Roll them in cocoa powder, drinking chocolate or chocolate dust just before you serve

Luscious Marble Cake

I started my foray into the world of baking with the Marble Cake. It’s a simple and easy to make dessert where you can’t go wrong unless you’ve seriously screwed up the measurement of each ingredient ;) Try it when you have the urge to eat something light and chocolaty.

You will need:

Eggs – 5
Butter – 250 gms
Maida – 250 gms
Sugar – 250 gms
Cocoa/coffee – 4 tsp (mix the powder with half of 1/4th cup of milk)
Milk 1/4th cup
Baking Powder – 2 tsp
Vanilla essence – 2 tsp


Preparation method:

1. Let the butter soften at room temperature

2. Powder the sugar

3. Separate the egg whites from the yolks

4. Cream together the butter and sugar

5. Add the egg yolks to the above mixture

6. Beat well

7. Sift the flour along with the baking powder onto a clean dry dish (sift 3 or 4 times to get rid of the air pockets)

8. Add this to the butter mixture

9. Add the vanilla essence

10. Beat the egg white till stiff and add

11. Now separate the mixture into two halves

12. To one half add the cocoa (or coffee) and mix well


Layering the cake pan:

You now have two colored mixtures - one light and creamy and the other a dark chocolaty.

Scoop the mixtures alternatively into the prepared cake pan, making inch-wide alternate stripes with the cream and dark dough so that you have a cream strip followed by a dark strip

Repeat till you cover the entire pan

When you’ve lined the pan, take a fork and lightly run it in a zig-zag motion over the mixture.

Classic Coconut Pudding

I love the taste of coconut. Maybe it’s my heritage kicking into gear. Whatever the reason, I can’t help succumbing to the flavor of coconut. So its only right that the next dessert on my list is the flavorful coconut pudding, oh so light and creamy… perfect for a hot summer day and every other day besides ;)

You will need:

China grass – 10 gms
Water – 1 cup
Tender coconut water (preferably fresh) – 1 cup
Condensed milk – 1 tin
Milk – 1 tin (use the condensed milk tin to measure the milk)
Sugar – 6 dessert spoons
Chopped tender coconut white – 1 ½ cups

For the garnishing:
Desiccated coconut – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 2 tbsp


Preparation method:

1. Soak the china grass in water for a few minutes

2. Heat the mixture till the china grass is completely dissolved

3. Pour the tender coconut water into it and

4. Meanwhile, combine the condensed milk, milk and sugar in another pan and mix well

5. Add this to the tender coconut mixture along with chopped tender coconut whites

6. Mix thoroughly and refridgerate

7. Garnish with desiccated coconut and sugar just before serving.
(to make the garnish lightly fry the desiccated coconut in a dry flat pan till it turns golden brown. Add the sugar just before putting of the flame. Mix well and sprinkle over the pudding just before serving.)

Sinful Chocolate Mousse

If you have a free day some week and lots of patience, you might just want to try this mouth-watering mousse. It’s a slightly messy thing to make, but worth every stir of your ladle. I usually make it in large quantities because it disappears like magic.

You will need:

Eggs – 3
Gelatin – 3 tsp (dissolved in ¼ cup of water)
Milk – 300 ml
Sugar – 7 tbsp
Cocoa – 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
Cream – 250 gms
Chocolate ice cream – 200 gms
Fresh strawberries sliced into two – 1 cup (optional)


Preparation method:

1. Heat the ice cream on a very low flame to liquefy it. DO NOT let it boil. Switch off and keep aside

2. Separate the egg yolks from whites

3. Combine the gelatin mixture, sugar, cocoa and egg yolk and milk thoroughly in a small heavy bottomed pan

4. Set the pan on the stove and stir continuously on low flame till the custard coats the ladle

5. Remove from the fire and cool to room temperature

6. Add the melted ice cream, stirring continuously

7. Chill in the freezer till its thick, but don’t allow it to set completely

8. Take it out, add 200 grams of cream to it and beat well

9. Chill again till thick

10. Add stiffly beaten egg whites and the vanilla essence and blend well (I use the food processor for each step)

11. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate it till it sets

12. Whip the remaining 50 gms of cream with 1 tbsp powdered sugar till it forms soft peaks

13. Leave to chill

To serve:
14. Dole out scoops of mousse into small bowls

15. Top them with the chilled cream

16. Garnish with strawberries

Chocolate Sorbet

This is something that you can prepare and freeze for ‘a rainy day’. But, somehow, whenever I’ve made it, it’s disappeared before I could say ‘sorbet’. :P

You will need:

150 gms Dark chocolate (roughly chopped)
115 gms + for garnish Plain chocolate
1 cup Castor sugar

Preparation method:

1. Mix the dark and plain chocolate in a food processor and process for thirty to forty seconds till they are finely chopped

2. Combine castor sugar and two cups of water in a saucepan and cook on medium heat stirring continuously till sugar melts

3. Cook the sugar syrup for another two to three minutes and remove from heat

4. While its still warm, pour the sugar syrup over the chocolate with the foor processor till running

5. Continue to process (covered) for one or two minutes till the chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth

6. Strain the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and freeze in a refrigerator

7. Process this frozen mixture again in a food processor until smooth and freeze again

8. To serve allow the frozen mixture to soften for five to ten minutes and serve in scoops garnished with grated chocolate.

Fried Ice Cream

Fried ice cream is something of an acquired taste. But I’ve ‘acquired’ it :D and hence it’s here to stay on my recipe-ent section. But before you turn away and say “yuck”, try it first. You might just be surprised.


You will need:

1/2 litre Vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup Cornstarch
2 tbsps Refined flour (maida)
2 tbsps Powdered sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla essence
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
2½ cups Corn flakes (crushed)
4-5 Walnut kernels (crushed)
Oil to deep fry


Preparation method:

1. Prepare a batter of coating consistency, with cornstarch, refined flour, powdered sugar, vanilla essence and cinnamon powder

2. In a large plate mix together crushed cornflakes and crushed walnuts

3. Divide the ice cream into four scoops

4. Quickly dip each in prepared batter

5. Roll each ball in cornflakes mixture so that the balls are coated generously

6. Place them on a freezer safe plate in a way that they don’t touch each other

7. Return them to the freezer for two hours or until frozen solid

8. Heat sufficient oil in a wok

9. Remove the ice cream balls from the freezer

10. Fry the ice cream balls one at a time for fifteen seconds or till golden brown
(here’s where you have to be very quick and VERY careful. If you fry for too long the whole thing will melt, leaving you with an unholy mess in your hands.)

11. Drain on absorbent paper

12. Serve immediately.

Basic Cheese Cake

I have this uncanny ability to love everything that is fattening. So it should come as no surprise to know that another firm favorite of mine is the classic cheese cake. I’ve tried various recipes, but this one stands out as the clear winner. If you like it you can try variations like cocoa or strawberry crush.

You will need:

1/4 cup Glazed cherries or fresh fruits

For the cake
1 1/2 cups Cream cheese
1 cup Castor sugar
3 Eggs
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

For the crust
1/2 cup Cashewnut powder
1/3 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Butter


Preparation method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C

2. For the crust mix together all the ingredients (preferable with your hands and not a spatula)

3. Spread in an eight inch baking dish and set aside

4. Cream together cheese and sugar till smooth and lump free

5. Separate the egg yolks from the whites

6. Lightly beat the egg yolks and mix it well into the cheese and sugar mixture

7. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla essence into the mixture

8. Using a whisk or hand blender beat egg whites till it forms soft peaks

9. Fold in the beaten egg whites into the mixture

10. Pour the mixture over the crust lined in the baking dish

11. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 30 minutes or till the center is firm and stiff

12. Cool and refrigerate.

13. Serve chilled with fresh fruits or glazed cherries