Chicken in Red Wine Sauce (Coq Au Vin)

SERVES : 4
PREPARATION TIME : 12 Hours
COOKING TIME : 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:
12 Chicken Quarter Legs (medium size with skin)
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Crushed Black Pepper Corns
2 Cups Dry Red Wine
2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 Cup Onions (sliced)
1/2 Cup Celery Sticks (sliced)
1/2 Cup Carrots (sliced)
8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
4 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Whole Black Pepper Corns
2 Cups Chicken Stocks
2 tsp Unsalted Butter
12 Yukon Gold Creamer Potatoes
12 Pearl Onions
4 Button Mushrooms
1 tsp Chopped Parsley
Salt to taste

PREPARATIONS:
Take a chicken quarter leg, remove skin and debone the leg (care should be taken so that while deboning, the thigh and the leg remain intact and do not cut it through). Debone all the legs same way. Now marinade them with salt, crushed black pepper corns, 1 Tbsp olive oil and the red wine. Roll all the legs into cylindrical shape. Cover and refrigerate them over night.

Remove the chicken from refrigerator and take out the chicken pieces from the marinade. Roll them in the seasoned flour (flour mixed with salt) one by one. Keep aside the marinade.

Peel, wash and keep the potatoes in a bowl of water. Peel, wash the pearl onions. Turn the mushrooms (optional) and keep in a bowl of water.

COOKING:
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place dusted chicken legs in the skillet and cook for three minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet.

On the same skillet saute chopped garlic, add onions and saute till light brown. Now add carrots, thyme, whole black pepper corns and bay leaves. Saute for another five to seven minutes. Add chicken stock and the remaining marinade. Cook for ten minutes on low medium heat.

Now slide the sauteed chicken legs into the skillet, cover and cook for approximate eight to ten minutes. When chicken is being cooked, boil the peeled potatoes into salted water and keep aside.

Remove the cooked chicken legs, add unsalted butter to the liquid and stir till all the butter is melted an incorporated. Cook the sauce for one more minute. Strain the red wine sauce in a bowl.

Just before serving heat a small skillet, pour half of the red wine sauce. Add the onions, mushrooms  and cook for a minute. Add the chicken pieces and potatoes. Stir for another minutes. Serve hot topped with red wine sauce and garnish with chopped parsley.

Chicken Kabab Dal

Chicken Kabab Dal

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
3 oz Masoor Dal
3 oz Toor Dal
3 oz Eggplant (cubed)
3 oz Red Pumpkins (cubed)
6 oz Tomatoes
3 oz Onions
2 tsp Ginger
2 tsp Chopped Garlic
1 tsp Turmeric
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Corns
40 ml Tamarind Pulp
1 tsp Kasoori Methi (dry methi leaves)
1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin Seeds
3 Whole Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/2 tsp Black Cardamom Seeds
1 oz Coriander Seeds
10 ml Cooking Oil

For the Kababs:
1/2 lb Minced Chicken (preferably white meat)
1 tsp Saunf Powder
2 oz Finely Chopped Onions
1 oz Ginger- Garlic Paste
2 Chopped Green Chillies
2 tsp Cilantro (Chopped)
A few Mint Leaves
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Egg ( white only)
Salt to taste

Method:

For the Kababs:
Combine chicken mince, onions, saunf powder, green chillies, coriander, mint, egg and mix well. Divide into 16 equal portions and roll into a 2" long Kababs between your palms.

Bake for 7 - 8 minutes at 350F in a preheated oven. Remove and keep aside.

For the gravy:
Wash the dals together a few times and soak for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onions, ginger, garlic, whole red chillies and saute over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes till the onions change color.Add the dals, vegetables, tomatoes, turmeric, salt and black peppercorns. Stir to combine and add one liter water.

Cover and cook till the lentils and vegetables turn soft. Keep aside to cool.
Put the mixture in a blender and make a smooth puree. Return the pureed lentils to fire and add tamarind pulp, roasted cumin, kasoori methi and kababs. At this point you may add some water if needed. Bring to boil. Add the Kababs now and simmer briefly.

Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro or any micro greens of your choice.

Cheese Corn Balls

Cheese Corn Balls

Serves: 4
Time required: 45 minutes

Ingredients for the cheese corn balls:
5 oz Boiled Sweet Corn Kernels
7 oz Gruyere Cheese, grated
6 oz Potatoes, boiled and mashed
3 oz Green Bell Peppers cut into very small pieces
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp White Pepper Powder
1/2 tsp Cornstarch
1 tsp All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Oregano
4 Tbsp Japanese Panko Breadcrumbs
Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for the batter:
4 tsp All purpose flour
1 tsp Cornstarch
Salt to taste
water as required

To prepare the corn cheese balls:
In a bowl, combine the cheese, potato and chopped bell peppers. Add the sweet corn kernels to the mixture. Add salt, white pepper, oregano, cornstarch and the all purpose flour. Mix thoroughly. Divide and shape the mixture into small sized balls. Set aside.

To prepare the batter:
Mix all purpose flour and cornstarch with sufficient water to make a batter of thick consistency.

To make the corn cheese balls:
Dip the corn cheese balls in the batter and roll them in the breadcrumbs. Keep them in the refrigerator for about ten minutes. Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the corn cheese balls.
Serve hot with green chutney or any kind of sauce of your choice.

MALPUA

MALPUA


Ingredients:
Milk - 500 ml
Khoya / Mawa (grated) - 2 oz
Semolina - 2oz
All purpose flour- 3 oz
Saunf - 0.2 oz
Desi ghee (clarified butter) to deep fry - 1 lb
For Sugar Syrup
Sugar - 1 lb
Saffron - a few strands
Water - 650 ml
For Garnish
Pistachio Nuts (chopped)- 1/2 oz

Method:

1. Boil milk to reduce to coating consistency (reduce by half). Cool it to room temperature.

2. Now add grated khoya, semolina, shifted flour and saunf to make a smooth batter of medium thickness. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

3. Put sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to boil. Now simmer till it forms one string sugar syrup.

4. Dissolve saffron in 2 table spoon of hot milk and add to the sugar syrup.

5. Heat ghee in a shallow flat bottomed non stick fry pan. Now pour a small ladleful of batter to form a small pancake. Fry on low to medium heat.

6. Turn it over when it starts to change color slightly. Fry till the pancakes are light golden brown on both the sides. Transfer the pancakes into the sugar syrup.

7. While serving remove the pancakes from sugar syrup and serve hot garnished with pistachio nuts.

CAULIFLOWER IN TOMATO SAUCE ( GOBI MAKHANI)

CAULIFLOWER IN TOMATO SAUCE
( GOBI MAKHANI)
SERVES : 4
PREPARATION TIME : 25 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 45 MINUTES


INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Lb Cauliflower
1 Tbls oil
2 tsp dry Fenugreek leaves
2 tsp Ginger
2 Tbls Manufactruing Cream
2 tsp Honey ( optional)
2 tsp Unsalted Butter
1 tsp Chopped Cilantro ( for garnish)
 Salt to taste

FOR TOMATO SAUCE ( MAKHANI GRAVY)
1 Lb tomatoes
½ oz ginger paste
½ oz garlic paste
1 tsp red chilly powder
10  no cloves
10  no green cardamom
2 tsp salt

PREPARATION
Cut the Cauliflower into florets. Wash in cold water and keep aside. Wash and cut tomatoes into quarters. Scrape, wash and cut ginger into juliennes.

COOKING
Heat oil in a not stick frying pan. Put Cauliflower,  stir.  Sprinkle salt, stir and cover. Cook Cauliflower  stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan  and keep aside.

Put tomatoes in a sauce pan , add water ( 1 cup) . Add ginger and garlic pastes, red chilly powder, cloves, cardamom and salt. Reduce to a sauce consistency  over low heat. Remove from fire and put in a blender and blend well.

Melt unsalted butter in a sauce pan. Saute ginger juliennes for a few seconds. Pour tomato sauce into the pan.  Add dry fenugreek leaves and boil the sauce .  Now add cauliflower and boil for 2 more minutes. Reduce the flame to simmering point.  Add cream , stir. Add unsalted butter and stir till it melts and blended with the sauce.  Add honey and check the seasoning. Serve  hot garnished with chopped Cilantro .  You may serve this with rice or any Indian bread as vegetarian entrée.

Shrimp in Light Green Curry

Shrimp in Light Green Curry
PREPARATION TIME: 15 Minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 Minutes
SERVES: 4
Ingredients
2 lbs Tiger Shrimp
3 oz Onions
3 oz Tomatoes
4 oz Cilantro
6 Green Chillies
2 cups Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Cinnamon Sticks
12 cloves
2 Tbls Tamarind Pulp
2 Bay Leaves
Salt to taste
PREPARATION:
Shrimp: Remove Shell, devein and wash the shrimp. Pat dry and marinate with salt and turmeric powder.

Vegetables: Peel, wash and chop onions. Wash and chop two teaspoons of cilantro for garnish and keep the rest for paste. remove stems, wash, slit and deseed green chillies. Blanch, remove skin and chop tomatoes. Put cilantro, green chillies, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds and cloves in a blender and make a fine paste.

METHOD:
Heat oil in a cooking pan. Add bay leaves and stir. Add chopped onions and sauté till golden brown. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Add cilantro paste and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Now, add marinated shrimp and sauté till the oil leaves the spices (this means that the spices are properly cooked). Add the tamarind pulp and fresh coconut milk. Simmer on a low fame for 3 more minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve hot with rice or any Indian Bread garnished with chopped cilantro.

Mushroom Cilantro Masala

TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb Fresh Button Mushrooms
2.5 oz Cilantro
½ cup Canola Oil
8 oz Onions
1 oz Ginger
2 Jalapenos
1 oz Ginger Paste
1 oz Garlic Paste
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 lb Tomatoes
1 oz Red Bell Peppers
2 tsp Indian Spice Mix (Garam Masala)
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Clean, wash and chop cilantro. Peel, wash and chop onions. Scrape, wash and julienne cut ginger. Remove stems, wash, slit, deseed and chop jalapenos. Slice 1 ½ ounce tomato and blanch, peel and chop rest of the tomatoes. Remove stem, wash and cut bell peppers into halves. Remove the white pith and seeds and dice. Slice off earthy base of the stalks of the mushrooms and wash in cold water just prior to cooking.

Method:

 Heat oil in Kadhai (a typical Indian iron pan) or in any cooking pan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat until light brown. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and sauté for a minute.  Add julienned ginger and dissolved red chili powder in 2 tablespoons water. Stir for another minute. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until the fat leaves the mixture. Add mushrooms, bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Add bell peppers and stir for a minute. Adjust the seasoning. Add sliced tomatoes and cilantro and stir gently for another minute. Sprinkle spice mix and stir. Remove and place on a dish and serve with rice or any Indian bread as a vegetarian entrée.

DUM MURGH BIRYANI

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
1.5 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 lb Basmati rice
5 oz Refined oil
salt to taste
whole Garam masala
(8 green Cardamom, 4 black Cardamom, 8 Cloves, 4 sticks Cinnamon, 4 Bay leaves, a pinch of Mace)
4 oz Onions
1 oz Ginger paste
1 oz Garlic paste
1/5 oz Chilli powder
2/5 oz Cumin powder
2/5 oz Coriander powder
1/5 oz Turmeric powder
1/5 oz Garam masala powder
8 oz Yogurt
2/5 oz Ginger juliennes
1/5 oz Mint leaves
A pinch of Saffron dissolved in luke warm water
30 ml Manufacturing cream
10 ml Clarified butter
10 ml Rose water
3/5 0z Cilantro (for garnish)

Preparation

The Chicken: Clean, cut into cubes and keep aside.

The Rice: Pick, wash in running water and soak in a handi for 30 minutes. Heat enough water in a handi to cook the rice, add salt and half each of the garam masalas, bring to a boil. Strain the rice, add to the boiling water and cook until rice is almost done, not completely cooked. Now drain the rice and spread on a tray to cool it fast, so that there is no in-cooking of the rice.

The Vegetables: Peel, wash and slice onions and deep fry till light golden brown. Spread the onions on a paper kitchen towel to absorb extra oil. Clean, wash and chop Cilantro and keep it aside for garnish. Clean and wash mint leaves.

The Masalas: Mix all the powdered masalas in 75 ml of water and keep aside.

The Yogurt: Whisk in a bowl.

The Oven: Pre-heat to 375 F.

Cooking
Heat refined oil in a handi, add the remaining whole garam masalas and saute over medium heat until the masalas begin to crackle. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and saute for a minute. Now add the masalas dissolved in water and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken pieces and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the golden fried onions and stir the chicken for another minute. Now add the beaten yogurt and stir. Add approx 100 ml of water to the chicken, bring to a boil, then simmer until chicken is three fourths cooked. Adjust the seasoning.

Assembling
In the handi with the semi-cooked chicken sprinkle juliennes of ginger, mint leaves, half the saffron water and rose water. Spread the rice on top of the chicken. Sprinkle on the rice the remaining saffron water, rose water, clarified butter and the manufacturing cream. Cover the handi with a lid and seal it completely. Put the sealed handi on dum in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

To serve remove the lid. Mix the rice with the chicken to certain extent and while doing so, care should be taken so that rice do not get mashed up.

Serve the biryani hot on a rice dish, garnish with chopped cilantro.