Author: Shailaja Nair

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Butter Chicken is a favourite dish from northern India that has become popular across the globe. Traditionally, it is made with a lot of butter and cream, but I have cut the quantity of oil, butter and cream for a healthier but still tasty version of the dish.

Ingredients

Chicken 1/2 kg, boneless cubes

Red chilli powder 2 tbsps

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Ginger 2” piece

Garlic 10 cloves

Oil 2 tbsps

Butter 2 tsps

Cream 1 tsp

Tomatoes 4 medium, roughly sliced

Onion 1 large, roughly sliced

Cashew nuts 8-10

Kasoori Methi 1 tbsp

Garam masala 1 tsp

Apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

Make a paste of the ginger and 5 garlic cloves.

Marinate the washed chicken cubes with 1 tablespoon of red chilli powder, salt, turmeric, apple cider vinegar and the ginger-garlic paste. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the marinated pieces till the surface changes colour. This will take about 2 minutes each side. Keep it aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the oil and add the the onions. Fry the onions till they become transparent.

Add the tomatoes and cashew nuts.

Crush the rest of the garlic and add to the pan.

Add salt, the rest of the red chilli powder and garam masala. Add 2 cups of water and cook on medium heat till the tomatoes become mushy. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

Cool the mixture for about 10 minutes and blend well in a mixer or with a hand-held blender. I use my Braun hand blender.

Strain the blended mixture back into the pan. Add the rest of the butter, the cream, the fried chicken cubes and the kasoori methi. Heat through for five minutes.

Serve with rice or naan.

Easy Chicken Biryani

Easy Chicken Biryani

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Biryani began life among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, say some. Others say it was developed in the royal kitchens of the Mughals. Some historians say that the Arab traders brought it to Kerala. Whatever be the origin of the dish, today it is loved across the world, not only by the Indian diaspora but by all races and nationalities.

While some recipes take hours to prepare, this chicken biryani is a quick and easy recipe that I developed as a busy working mother. It is tasty but you can serve this one-pot dish in less than an hour.

Ingredients

Chicken 1/2 kg, with bones

Basmati rice 2 cups

Onion 1 large, sliced

Tomatoes 2 large, chopped

Yoghurt 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Biryani masala 1 tsp

Cinnamon 1” stick

Cloves 2

Bay leaf 1

Raisins 1 tbsp

Roasted cashews 2 tbsps

Oil 3 tbsps

Ghee 1 tsp

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves for garnish

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken with red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and yoghurt and leave it for 15 minutes.

Soak the rice in water for 10 minutes, drain.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil.

Add the sliced onions and fry till they turn translucent.

Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds.

Add the marinated chicken and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and curry leaves. Add 1 cup of water and cook covered for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed.

Add the rice, raisins and biryani masala and mix well. Cover and cook on a slow fire for about 30 minutes.

By now the rice will be cooked and the chicken will be tender and juicy.

Add the ghee and garnish with cashew nuts and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with raita and garden salad. Or a serving of banana chips.

Kerala Lemon Pickle

Kerala Lemon Pickle

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

It is lemon season and this year has been a bumper crop. A great way to preserve lemons for the rest of the year is to pickle them. This is a spicy pickle that goes well with rice and yoghurt.

Ingredients

Lemons 8

Salt 1 tbsp

Til oil or sesame oil 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp

Ginger 1” piece, finely chopped

Garlic 5 cloves, finely chopped

Green chillies 2, finely chopped

Curry leaves 5-6 sprigs

Red chilli powder 1 tbsp

Asafoetida powder 1/2 tsp

White vinegar 1 tbsp

Method

Wash and dry the lemons.

Take 2 tablespoons of til oil in a wok and fry the lemons in it. Use til oil from the Indian grocery shops. You can’t use sesame oil that you use for salads or for Asian cooking.

Fry the lemons for 2 minutes, stirring all the while. See that the lemons don’t break.

Cool the lemons and chop each lemon into four pieces.

Add salt and turmeric and toss it well.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat it on medium flame. If the wok becomes too hot, remove from the flame and once it cools a bit, return it to the stove.

Add the mustard seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the fenugreek seeds.

Add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies. Separate the curry leaves and add to the wok.

Add the red chilli powder and asafoetida powder. Sauté for a few seconds.

Add the lemons and toss well. Add the vinegar and switch off the heat.

When the pickle has cooled down completely, transfer to sterilised bottles.

Add the rest of the til oil and close tight.

Let it rest for two days. Once you open the bottle, refrigerate it.

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I was trying to come up with a way to use rice flour and remembered some lovely dishes I had in Japan. Thinking of some the sweets made from rice flour, I decided to make a banana cake. The chocolate chips added a delicious but subtle taste.

Ingredients

Bananas 3

Eggs 2

Sugar 3/4 cup (150 g)

Vegetable oil 4 tbsps

Milk 6 tbsps

Rice flour 1 cup (200 g)

Baking powder 2 tsps

Chocolate chips 1 tbsp

Method

Mash two of the bananas well in a wide bowl.

Add the eggs and mix well. I use an electrical whisk, my trusted hand-held blender Braun.

Add the sugar, oil and milk and whisk for two minutes.

Add the rice flour and baking powder and mix with a wooden or rubber spatula. Then whisk at high speed for a few minutes. In the case of rice flour there is no gluten and so you can whisk well to get in as much air as you can.

Line a round baking tray with greased butter paper and pour in the batter. Slice the remaining banana and arrange on top of the batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and bake the cake at 170 degrees C for 45 minutes. Check after 35 minutes and stop when a toothpick poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Orange Cake

Orange Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This citrus cake has a kick from the local oranges, kinnows, I used. Kinnows are available mid-January to mid-February in northern India and Pakistan. This year, the fruit is particularly juicy, maybe because of the pollution-free days that the region enjoyed for a long time due to the pandemic lockdowns. Use seedless kinnows for the best taste. Otherwise, ensure that you remove all the seeds or your cake will taste bitter.

Ingredients

(Serves 5; 10 slices)

Orange or Kinnow 1 large, seedless

Sugar 3/4 cup

Vegetable oil 1/2 cup

Eggs 3

Flour 1 3/4 cup

Baking powder 1 tbsp

Method

Chop the orange roughly. If it is not the seedless variety, ensure that you remove all the seeds.

Grind in a blender and keep aside.

Add oil and sugar to the pan of a stand mixer and mix for about two-three minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Sift the flour and baking powder together.

Take the pan off and add the flour in using the fold and mix method.

Pour into a greased baking loaf pan.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and bake at 170 degrees C for 40 minutes till a skewer poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool and slice.

Serve with a side of marmalade for those who want a more citrusy taste.

Tangy Tomato Basil Soup

Tangy Tomato Basil Soup

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 3 Comments

I have been trying to get the taste of this soup from my favourite restaurant in Singapore. After a lot of experimentation, I have come up with a version I love.

Ingredients

Tomatoes 4 large

Potato 1 large

Spring onions 5

Fresh basil leaves 10 sprigs

Paprika powder 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Pepper powder to taste

Butter as needed

Method

Steam the potato, tomatoes and spring onions in a pressure cooker.

Skin the tomatoes.

Add the steamed vegetables to a blender and blend well.

Heat in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the basil leaves, paprika powder and salt. Adjust the water content and boil for five minutes.

Serve with a blob of butter, salt and pepper.

Bacon and Tomato Bread

Bacon and Tomato Bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

This bread is a meal in itself. It does not need any butter or cheese, it is moist enough and the flavours of bacon, tomato and herbs blend in beautifully in every bite.

Ingredients

Water 1 1/3 cup

Olive oil 4 tsps

Bread flour 4 cups

Sun dried tomato in oil 1/2 cup, sliced

Bacon 1 cup, cooked

Italian herbs 1 tbsp

Salt 1 tsp

Sugar 4 tsp

Instant yeast 1 1/2 tbsps

Method

Add all the ingredients to the pan of the bread machine in the order given.

Use the Basic cycle.

Cool in the bread machine pan and slice. Serve with Tangy Tomato Basil Soup or Tomato Soup and a green salad.

Suji ka Halwa

Suji ka Halwa

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This sweet dish made from semolina flour, ghee or clarified butter, and sugar is a favourite with most people. Its richness is also why it is good for you. It helps protect you from the chilly winter cold. Ghee is also said to boost your immunity, protecting you amid the current pandemic.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

Suji or semolina 1 cup

Sugar 1/2 cup

Ghee 5 tbsps

Cashew nuts 1/4 cup

Raisins 2 tbsps

Water 1 cup

Method

Heat the ghee in a frying pan.

Add the semolina and fry on medium heat till it changes colour and the smell of roasting suji pervades the kitchen.

Add sugar and fry for a minute.

Add the water and stir till the water evaporates.

Fry the cashew nuts and raisins in 1 teaspoon of ghee and add to the halwa.

Food is Money: Mogford Prize for Food & Drink Writing

Food is Money: Mogford Prize for Food & Drink Writing

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hurry up, the deadline is January 13, 2021.

Started in 2013 by Jeremy Mogford, this is a short story competition that focuses on food, drink or both. The ninth edition of the competition opened on November 4, 2020 and ends on January 13, 2021. The prize is £10,000. There is a £15 entry fee.

The contest is open to writers around the world. So polish up your stories and send them in before noon on January 13, UK time.

For more details and to enter the competition, go to https://www.mogfordprize.co.uk/how-to-enter/

Best of luck!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is a favourite recipe that I use to make in the bread machine. It is a slightly denser bread that goes well with soups and stews. The slight sweetness of the raisins cuts the spiciness of a stew.

Ingredients

(For 1 lb loaf)

Milk 3/4 cup

Bread flour 2 cups

Cinnamon 1 tbsp

Yeast 3 tsp

Brown sugar 2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Raisins 1/2 cup

Method

Add all the ingredients to the bread machine in the order given and use the Basic setting.

Cool the bread in the pan and slice when cool.