Chicken Lollipop/Drums of Heaven

Whenever I plan to cook chicken, my only job is to end up cooking it afterwards. Most of the time, my hubby does all the chopping and cleaning. Today my daughter asked me to make some chicken lollipops for lunch. So I had to clean, cut and pull the flesh up to the end of the wing bone. It took me half an hour to finish pulling up the flesh of all the wings.

My daughter and son enjoyed them. No left over pieces were there. My daughter's lunch was only chicken lollipops. :)

UPDATE:
I referred to the vah chef and panlasang pinoy on youtube for the lollipop shaping procedure.

Now on to the recipe.

Ingredients:
Chicken wings - 550 gms (skinless)
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 2 1/2 tsp. (or as per taste)
Food colour - 2 big pinches
Ground pepper - 1/4 tsp.
Lime juice - from a small lime
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp.
Soy sauce - 1 tsp.
Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Egg - 1 (beaten)
Plain flour/Maida - 2 tsp.
Corn flour/corn starch - 2 tbsp.
Oil (to deep fry)

Method:
Clean the chicken wings with turmeric powder. Wash well.
Drain water.
Cut the wings into two and pull the flesh to the end of bone (you can get this well instructed from videos on youtube).
Wash once and drain all the water.
In a big bowl mix all the ingredients except the chicken and oil.
Now add the chicken and mix well.
Cover and marinate for an hour.
Heat the oil for deep frying.
When the oil is medium hot, drop six pieces of chicken and fry till reddish brown colour.
Place the chicken pieces on tissue paper to drain the oil.
Continue with the remaining chicken pieces in batches.
Enjoy with szechuan sauce!

Note:
Wrap the aluminium foil at the tip of the bone which was missing at present.

 

 

Sent off to EP-Garlic and Turmeric and Cook Like A Celebrity Chef events.

Read More

Beetroot Poriyal/Stir Fry

A very simple side dish.

Ingredients:
Beetroot (small-sized) - 3 (grated)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
White whole black gram - 1 tsp.
Bengal gram - 1 tsp.
Dry whole red chilli - 1 (cut into 3)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp.

Method:
Heat the oil and add the seeds and grams.
Allow the mustard seeds to crackle.
Once the grams become golden brown, add the red chilli pieces.
Add the grated beetroot and curry leaves and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add salt and sauté till the beetroot becomes dry.
Sprinkle the coconut and mix well.
Serve with sambar rice, rasam rice, curd rice and whatever rice.

Read More

Murukku

Today I made this murukku for snack time. I hesitate most of the time to prepare this snack.......What ticks me off more is watching my hubby munching on murukkus the whole day without eating any regular meal. Even now he is munching while writing this post. I prepared this murukku with bengal gram flour and yellow split gram flour/moong dal.
I didn't add any black gram flour.

Ingredients:
Rice flour (home-made) - 2 cups
Bengal gram flour/kadalai maavu - 1/2 cup
Yellow split gram flour/paasi paruppu maavu - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp.
Ajwain/Omam - 1 1/2 tsp.
Butter - 2 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil (to deep fry)

Method:
Lightly melt the butter in micro wave. Keep aside.
In a bowl, add rice flour, Bengal gram flour, yellow gram flour, red chilli powder, asafoetida, ajwain and salt and mix.
Add butter and mix evenly.
Pour water little by little and prepare a soft dough.
Cover the bowl with a lid.
Heat the oil in a thick and wide deep pan in medium flame.
Add the required dough in the murukku presser with the star shaped nozzle.
(I pressed the murukku in spiral shape with the help of a Tupperware lunch box)
When the oil is hot, slowly and carefully drop the murukku and deep fry till golden brown.
Place it on tissue paper.
Continue with the remaining flour.
Once the murukku becomes cool, store them in an air tight container.

Note:
Take half a cup of moong dal and dry roast them till golden colour. Cool. Grind them into powder.
Sieve and then measure the flour to half cup.
Sieve each flour separately.

Read More

Vegetable Semiya Upma

It's officially winter since late November and our closets are filled with winter apparel.
 
These days, it's quite difficult to wake up early since the warmth offered by the blanket tempts us to sleep more. Most of the days, I end up preparing a one pot meal for the lunches. Today for breakfast, I prepared this healthy vegetable upma with coconut mint chutney.
 
The local vegetable markets are loaded with fresh vegetables, fruits and greens. Moreover, there are more varieties of greens available. But then, I still end up scratching my head wondering what to cook for our meals...

Ingredients:
Semiya/vermicelli - 2 cups
Onions (small) - 3 (sliced)
Ginger - 1 inch (chopped)
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup (winter carrots, green peas, capsicum, beans)
Green chillies - 2 (slit)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Coriander leaves (chopped) - few
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
White whole black gram - 1 tsp.
Bengal gram - 1 tsp.
Oil
Salt (to taste)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
 
Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and roast the vermicelli till golden colour. Remove from pan and keep it on a plate.
In the same pan, pour a little oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram and Bengal gram.
Allow the mustard seeds to crackle and Bengal gram and black gram change into golden colour.
Now add the onions, green chillies, curry leaves and ginger.
Sauté till the onions turn translucent.
Now add the mixed vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add turmeric powder as well.
Now pour 4.25 cups of water and sprinkle salt.
Allow the water to boil in medium flame.
Now add the semiya and mix.
Cover and cook till the vermicelli is soft and the water becomes dry.
Add the coriander leaves and mix well.
Cover and keep aside.
After 4 minutes, serve hot.
 


Coconut mint chutney

Ingredients:
Coconut pieces - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - a fistful
Green chillies (very small) - 2 to 3 (or as per taste)
Ginger - a small piece
Tamarind - a small piece
Salt (to taste)
Oil

To temper:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Oil
Curry leaves - few
 
Method:
Sauté the mint leaves in a little bit of oil for 3-4 minutes.
When the leaves become warm, grind them along with the coconut pieces, green chillies, ginger, tamarind and salt.
Pour very little water while grinding.
Temper them.
Serve with upma.

Read More

Cottage Cheese & Green Peas in Spicy Masala Gravy

Ingredients:
Cottage cheese - 200 gms (cut into cubes)
Green peas (fresh) - 1/2 cup
Onion (small-sized) - 3 (finely chopped)
Tomato puree - from 3 desi tomatoes
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mint leaves - from 5 stalks.
Coriander leaves - few
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Roasted and ground cumin - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

To grind:
Ginger - 1 inch (peeled)
Garlic - 7 cloves
Mace - 1
Kalpasi/black stone flower - 3
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cloves - 2
Desi cinnamon - 1 medium stick
Green cardamom - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Black peppercorns - 4
Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp.

To garnish:
Coriander leaves - from 5 stalks

Method:
Grind all the ingredients coarsely from the list "to grind". Keep aside.
Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add coarse spices and sauté till the raw smell fades away.
Add the curry leaves and sauté.
Add the onions and sauté till they are translucent.
Chop the coriander leaves and mint leaves.
Add the leaves and sauté for a minute.
Add the tomato puree and sauté till it releases oil.
Add the powders (chilli, coriander, cumin, turmeric) and mix well.
Now add the green peas. Add salt.
Pour 1 to 1 1/2 of water and allow the peas to cook.
Cover with a lid and cook.
Meanwhile shallow fry the cottage cheese cubes in a tawa.
Once the peas are cooked, add the cottage cheese.
After a minute, reduce the flame and add the coriander leaves which is meant for garnishing.
Pour thick coconut milk and mix. Switch off the flame immediately.
Pour the gravy in the serving bowl.
Serve with roti, chapathi, naan, dosai and white rice.

Read More

Colocasia Masala Fry/Seppankizhangu Masala Varuval

Ingredients:
Colocasia/Arbi/Arvi/Seppankizhangu (big) - 5 pieces
Shallots - 10 to 12 (chopped)
Garlic - 4 cloves (crushed)
Green chilli (big) - 1 (slit into 4)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cinnamon - 2 small sticks
Cloves - 3
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil - 2 tbsp.

Method:
Cook the arbi till it becomes soft. Cool and peel the skin. Chop them into thick circles.
Heat the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon and cloves.
Allow the mustard seeds to crackle. Add the shallots, garlic, green chilli and curry leaves and sauté.
When the shallots change colour, add the coriander leaves and turmeric powder and sauté.
Now add the chilli powder and salt and sauté.
Add the chopped arbi and mix well.
Fry till the both sides of arbi become crisp.
Serve as a side dish for rasam rice or whatever.

Read More