Chicken & mushrooms in red wine

The purpose of the blog is to keep the recipes simple..(for my sweet non- kitchen friendly relative) so here's something I cooked last night, which is simple enough to make a country style dish...

2 onions sliced
6-7 garlic pods cleaned
200 gms boneless breast of chicken, diced
100 ml red wine
2 tsp each of mixed herbs, paprika, black pepper powder
2 tomatoes,chopped, or 3 tbsp tomato puree
Salt to taste
Olive oil for cooking

200 gms mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp butter
1 tsp crushed garlic
Salt to taste

Heat the butter in the pan, add mushrooms, a little salt & sautee till limp. Let the water evaporate. Remove from pan.

In a separate pan, heat the olive oil on medium flame. Add the garlic pods & onions. Cook till the onions are soft & translucent. Add the chicken. Still every few minutes. Once chicken cooked on the outside, add the salt. Cook till all the water from the pan evaporates.

Add the tomato puree. Cook for a few more minutes till the colour turns darker.

Add the herbs, paprika, pepper. Sir in the mushrooms, top it up with red wine.( if required, some water) Let it cook on slow fire till the gravy is reduced unto 25% and the chicken is soft with flavours. Serve with rice, or crispy bread..

Not just Shots..Some Tequila experiments

A few months ago I attended the Jose Cuervo Tequila workshop. I wasn't To enthusiastic about it. As tequila as a drink was limited to just shots and Margaritas. David Dennis, the brand ambassador of Jose Cuervo definitely proved me wrong... Through the workshop he went through the history of the company, the process of how tequila was made ..and of course the better way to have it.
More about the brand on the following link: http://www.cuervo.com/home/
 Getting back to the better way to have it- We were given 2 shot glasses of the Silver tequila. Chilled & Room temperature. All these years we've had it at room temperature.. well that proved why I wasn't much of a fan..Chilled Shot was the obvious winner. Refreshing, and also easily exciting to the palate.

I had an opportunity to challenge David to make a cocktail for me by choosing 2 ingredients. I had just made a watermelon salad with salsa a few days ago. so the ingredients I chose were obvious- Watermelon & Chilly. David thought it was the most difficult challenge he faced. Even then he created some magic of the Ingredients. He muddled the watermelon with some cucumber, added Lots of Tequila, gave it a good shake in a cocktail shaker, & poured it on a glass with chilly coated rim, with a garnish of watermelon stick soaked in tequila.. Truly refreshing..Every Sip had a hit of chilly followed by the sweetness of watermelon & the coolness of cucumber. Have made this cocktail many times later..will post pictures soon.
Also made 2 of the following cocktails recently:

Kiwi Creeper
60 ml Jose Cuervo Silver Especial
20 ml Kiwi crush
Juice of 1 bear lime
Soda water
Stir the Kiwi, Lime Juice with the tequila. Add ice in a tall glass pour the mix & top it with soda water.

Pink Lemonade
60 ml Jose Cuervo Silver Especial
20 ml Grenadine
10 ml Sugar Syrup
Juice of 1 bear lime
Soda water
Put ice in a Tall glass. Pour the juice, sugar syrup, grenadine & tequila. Stir & Top with Soda water.

Lunch with Master Chef Matt Preston

For the first time I'm not posting a recipe. 

I'm not exactly a morning person (I work till late), but this event I really looked forward to.. Got myself up and about early. Probably one of the few days I must have induced ample amounts of caffeine in my system. Got a ride from a fellow blogger Pranav...after a detour we found ourselves at the ITC Parel. We were welcomed with some super Master-chef goodies like apron, gloves, chef's hat. The bloggers table was certainly the center of attention, as we modeled around wearing our memorabilia.     

Kunal Vijaykar hosted the event with Star World India.

 I was still a bit groggy till the head of Star World was announced the TRP statistics of Master-Chef Australia.
The viewership increased by 150% this year. That's when the magnanimity of the show hit me. Ever since master chef started, the foot-fall at my restaurant went really low between 8:30- 10:30 pm. (the home-delivery business doubled during that slot). We weren't that empty even during the cricket world cup!!
My staff (some of them don't even speak English) are hooked to the show too!

 The ITC event was indeed memorable. Matt Preston tossed up a salad (I was thrilled as I had blogged a similar recipe a week before) & made a nice poached egg over a muffin with smoked mayo and avocados.

 Kunal vijayker made some nice local Chat, which unfortunately we didn't get to sample.. but the cameramen behind the scenes had a party with it!!

There was a Q & A with the media, which showed us the more patient side of Mr Preston. (most of us chef's aren't a pleasant lot).
I'm confident to say all of us bloggers had a very memorable day. Specially Harini, a vegan- Matt Preston made a dish specially for her..
A big thanks to Star World & Rushina for making this an absolute fun event.

Beetroot, Cottage cheese & Fruit Salad

2 medium sized beetroots, steamed & cubed

100 gm cottage cheese, cubed

1 apple or 1 pear or ¼ watermelon, cubed

Dressing

Juice of 1 sweet lime

1 tsp  fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 tsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

½ tsp of cumin powder

½ tsp dry mango powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the dressing and keep aside. Toss in the beetroot & fruit in a salad bowl. Add the dressing and mix will. Toss in cottage cheese. Serve chilled with melba toast, or just any toasted bread.

Potato & Radish Salad

It has been almost 4 months since I've posted anything..am in a process of redesigning the blog. (Learning some technical aspects of blog designing). Posting a couple of salad recipes. Photographs will follow soon..:)

3 steamed & diced potatoes

1 small white onion, chopped

3-4 iceberg leaves torn in bits

Dressing

1 medium white radish, grated

½ tsp mixed herbs

3 tbsp yogurt

Salt & pepper to taste

Optional Garnish: Parmesan cheese, olives, alpha-alpha sprouts

Put yogurt in a salad bowl, whisk in the seasoning. Add the grated radish, onions. Mix well. Toss in the potatoes, followed by iceberg. Optional- top it with cheese, olives and pinch of alpha-alpha sprouts.

Beetroot Cake

Something i learned living with Chef Julie in Australia.

100 gm Walnuts, toasted & roughly chopped
350 gm grated beetroot
250 gm flour
2 tsp baking powder
300 gm fine sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
250 ml vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease an 8" cake dish with butter or oil. In a bowl mix together salt, flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder & keep aside.
Whisk eggs in a separate bowl till thick consistency. Gradually add in the sugar, while beating the mix. (you can use a hand blender). Once the sugar has blended in, gradually add oil, while beating the mix till thick. Stir in the flour and mix with a spatula till everything is incorporated to a thick batter. Add the walnuts and beetroot to the batter and mix well. Pour into the cake dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool and turn the cake upside down on a plate.
Can be served as tea cake.

Bombay Chaat menu

menu options for the Sister in San Fransisco, who doesn't like to be named!!:

Appetizers:
Green Channa Chaat
Sev Puri
Stuff Dal Alu Tikki
Dahi Vada
Dahi Samosa Chaat
Fruit Chat

Main Course:
Capsicum Chat
Pao Bhaji
Tawa Pulao
Channa Bhatura
Choley Pao
Potato & Pomegranate Salad
Raita

Dessert:
Kulfi (hopefully you get your hands on some)
Jelebi Rabdi
Gulab Jamun
(these are just options, make sure you do 30 mins cardio next day)

More recipes shortly.

Potato onion gratin

100 gm butter, melted
1 kg new potatoes, thinly sliced
3-4 onions, sliced in thin rings
10-12 large garlic pods
2 cubes cheese, grated
100 ml fresh cream
1 tsp crushed black pepper
2 bay leaves

Preheat the oven. Grease an oven proof dish. Line the bottom with sliced potatoes, top it with a few onion rings, brush with butter and lay a few garlic pods. Repeat this process up to 3 layers. Pour in the fresh cream and top it with cheese, crushed pepper & bay leaves..bake the above for 50 mins on 180 degrees. 

Hearty Chicken stew

This dish can be had with garlic bread, herb rice or even the local brun pao.
 3- 4 tbsp olive oil
pinch of saffron, soaked
4-5 garlic pods, crushed
2-3 bay leaves
3-4 white onion, sliced
50 gm dried thyme
50 gm dried rosemary
salt &  crushed pepper to taste
1.2- 1.5 kg chicken pieces, cleaned and seasoned with salt pepper & olive oil.
100 gm bacon, chopped
200 ml white wine
100 ml fresh cream

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Stir in the chicken and cook till brown and soft. Remove chicken and keep aside. In the same pan, fry the bacon with the onion, bay leaves & garlic till the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the balance seasoning with white wine. Add the chicken & simmer till it all blends in. Stir in the cream and serve.
Optional: garnish with parley & some nutmeg.

Capsicum Chat

I remember parents making this frequently when we were kids..it was novelty then..During my stay in Australia I added this dish in the Indian restaurant I managed..I recently had the chilly version of this at Mini Punjab.

3 medium green capsicums. De-seeded & sliced into thick strips.
100 gm besan (chick-pea flour)
salt, turmeric, ajwain, red chilly powder
pinch of cooking soda
oil to fry

Topping:
1 bowl beaten yogurt
Sweet tamarind chutney
spicy coriander chutney
Red  chilly powder, dry mango powder, cumin powder for seasoning
1 boiled potato, cubed
1 small bowl of boondi

Make thick batter with besan, salt, chilly, turmeric, ajwain, soda & water. Coat the capsicum strips & deep fry till golden brown. Soak the pakodas in tamarind chutney. Soak the boondi in water for 2 minutes, squeeze out the water. Mix the potato & boondi with a little chilly powder & dry mango powder.
set the capsicum pakodas on a flat serving dish. Sprinkle the potato boondi mix. Pour the yogurt,coriander chutney, season with cumin.

Aalu Took..Sindhi style

I'm back after hibernation...this is for my roomies & cousins living far away...very simple recipe..here it is.

1/2 kg old potatoes, skinned cut in large chunks. If they're medium potatoes..in 3 chunks. (will put up the pictures shortly)
Salt, red chilly powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder.
lots of oil to fry.

Fry the potatoes with salt in low heat till soft. drain & cool. Press the potatoes into a small disc and fry again till crispy & golden brown in color. Remove the potatoes in a serving plate. Sprinkle the powdered masalas and serve with either Sindhi curry & rice or Sai Bhaji (recipes coming shortly after the next trip home).

Cheers.