Oven-roasted full chicken ( നിര്‍ത്തിപോരിച്ച കോഴി)

Thanksgiving usually calls for a Roast Turkey. But we decided to switch the bird and add a few Indian flavours.

Difficulty level: Difficult
Preparation time: 15 min + 12 - 14 hrs for marination
Cooking/ roasting time: 1 hr. 45 min
Makes: 1 full chicken

Ingredients:


Chicken: 1 whole, (about  4 lbs.)
Lime juice: 2 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder: 4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Meat masala: 2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Onion: 2, cut into thick pieces
Salt: to taste
Water
Kitchen twine

Clean the chicken well (taking care to remove the niblets and anything unwanted in there) and remove the skin completely. Clean well again, and massage the lime juice uniformly over the chicken. Keep aside.

In the meantime, make a paste of chilli powder, turmeric powder, meat masala, ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder and salt, adding oil and enough water.

Apply the masala paste uniformly over the chicken, taking care to get it all over the bird(even inside). Refrigerate overnight, or 12- 14 hrs.

Allow the chicken to rest at room temperature for at least 2-3 hrs. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

In a roasting pan, spread a thick layer of the onions and lay the full chicken on top,taking care to tie the legs securely with the kitchen twine. Roast it for 1 hr. 45 min. to 1 hr. 55 min - depending on your oven. What you should be looking for is an internal temperature of more than 165 F( make sure you insert the thermometer into the thigh, without touching the thigh bone).

Remember to cut off the twine. You can carve it and serve warm.

The chicken, before it went into the oven

Quick Roasted Paneer Kababs

A few days ago, my son asked me if he could eat Paneer for dinner. I came up with this recipe for him. It is quick and not too spicy.

You can definitely add more heat to the dish to please your individual palette.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min + 30 min. for marinating
Cooking time: 10-15 min
Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:


Paneer: 200 gms, cut into-bite sized pieces
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp
Egg masala powder: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tsp + 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste

In a bowl, mix all the spices with 1 tsp oil and enough salt. Combine well to get the spices uniformly distributed. Add the paneer pieces and mix everything together well with your fingers. Keep aside for atleast 30 min.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil on a high flame. Add the paneer, all at once, and reduce the flame. Cook the paneer on every side, turning every 2-3 minutes.

Serve warm with mint or coriander chutney.

Sweet Paneer Tacos

Tacos are a Latin American specialty, where you have some combination of meat held in a Tortilla. I decided to create a Taco with Paneer. While my initial thoughts were to make a savory filling, I ended up trying a sweet version.

I don't usually make many sweet main courses and I was just pushing the envelope a bit. I must say I was surprised at how well it turned out. I should perhaps look at other non-savory main courses


Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Makes: 12 tacos

Ingredients:


For the filling:
Paneer: 200 gms, cut into 1/4" cubes
Oil: 1 tbsp
Onion: 1/4 of a medium, finely chopped
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp
Tamarind-Date chutney: 4 tbsp + 2 tbsp for drizzling on top
Salt: a pinch
Cilantro: chopped, 1/4 cup
Cucumber: cut into cubes, 1/2 cup

For the tacos:
Chapathi dough: 1 cup

Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onion until light brown. Add the turmeric powder and cumin powder. Saute for a minute. Add the paneer and saute for 3-4 min. Add the salt and 4 tbsp tamarind-date chutney,  mix well. Add the chopped cilantro and mix to distribute it uniformly. Allow to cook for 3-4 min on a very low flame.

In the meantime, roll out thick chapathis (similar to puris) and make them as you would normally do.

To assemble the Tacos, take a chapathi and fold it in the middle to look like a taco shell. Add a few pieces of cucumber, top it with the paneer filling and for a final touch drizzle more sauce on top. Dig in while it is still warm.

Indo-Chinese Sesame Potato

This is a dish that I came up with one evening as I was wondering what to make. It actually turned out quite well.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:


Potato: 1 1/2 cups, chopped (3 small nos.)
Onion: 1 small, finely chopped
Oil: 2 tbsp
Green chillies: 3, cut in half length-wise
Toasted white sesame seeds: 2 tsp
Soy sauce: 2 tsp
Chilli paste: 3 tsp
Tomato ketchup: 2 tsp
Cilantro: 1/4 cup, chopped
Salt: to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet, and on a medium-high flame saute the potatoes until light brown (the potatoes should have completed 80% of its cooking at this stage) in colour. Drain and keep aside.

To the same oil, add the onions and sesame seeds, saute until light brown. Add the green chillies and saute for 2-3 min. Add the sauces and mix well. Add the fried potato and mix until everything is combined well. Add the chopped cilantro and more salt, if needed, at this stage. On a medium-low flame, continue to cook for 4-5 min, stirring occasionally.

Serve warm with chapathi or naan.

Roasted Chicken with Cilantro

This is a simple recipe for Chicken that I came up with.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:


Chicken tenderloins: 6 (about 350 gms), cut into bite-sized pieces
Cilantro: 1 1/2 cups (about half of a big bunch)
Green chillies: 4
Pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Onion: 1/2 of a medium, thinly sliced
Oil: 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 3/4 tsp
Salt: to taste

Grind the green chillies and cilantro; keep aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the cumin seeds. After 2 min, add the onion and saute until it turns light brown. Add the pepper powder and saute for a minute. Add the ground cilantro paste and saute for 2 min. Add the chicken  and mix well. Add salt to taste, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the lid and allow any water left to evaporate completely. Continue cooking until it gets nice and roasted.

Serve warm with rice or chapathi.