That day I was feeling so slothful ,work-shy that I wasn't even in mood of entering inside the kitchen. Therefore asked hubby to go out for dinner. He is such a person who always loves to do experiment with different foods and doesn't want to go to the same restaurants repeatedly. On that day, he drove us to the Goa Portuguesa Restaurant, where we never went before.
The food was extremely good there and the chicken item ( Chicken Xacuti) we tried was completely new to us but we simply loved it.
As usual after returning home, opening my Laptop,when I started my research on the recipe and ingredients for the marvellous dish we had , I found that Chicken Xacuti (Konkani Word, often pronounced as "Shakuti") is a curry, prepared in Goa (India) with complex spicing, including white poppy seeds, sliced or grated coconut and large dried red chilies. It is usually prepared with chicken or lamb. It is also known as chacuti in Portuguese .
I found multiple recipes but almost in all of them the process was very complicated so finally combining two or three of them I made it yesterday for dinner in my own way. I didn't expect that it might turn out so good but one thing I must mention here that it was one of the most laborious preparations I have ever prepared but I was really delighted with the result.
Here is the recipe (I tried to simplify the recipe as much as possible):
Ingredients:
1.For Marinating Chicken:
- Curry Cut Chicken: 500 gm.
- Salt: As Per Taste
- Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp.
2. For Paste 1:
- Onion: 2 large(thin sliced)
- Grated Coconut:1 cup
Take a pan and add little white oil. Fry the sliced onion along with the grated coconut until they become brown in color. Grind them to make a smooth paste. While grinding you may sprinkle very little water.
3.For Paste 2:
- Kashmiri Dry Red Chilli: 2-3
- Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp.
- Coriander Seeds:1/2 tsp.
- Black Peppercorn : 1/4 tsp.
- Poppy Seeds: 11/2 tsp.
- Fennel Seeds:1/2 tsp.
- Cloves:3-4
- Cinnamon Sticks:1
- Nutmeg Powder:1/2 tsp.
- Star Anise: 2
Dry Roast the above ingredients in a pan until full fragrant and grind them to make a powder and keep it aside.
4.For Paste 3:
- Ginger: 1 " (chopped)
- Garlic:5-6 cloves
- Coriander Leaves: 1 Cup Chopped (with stem)
- Tomato:1 Chopped
- Green Chilli: As per your taste (I used only one)
Using a mixer blender grind the ingredients and make a smooth paste and keep it aside.
5. Other Ingredients:
- White Oil: 1 tsp.
- Ghee (Clarified Butter): 2 tbsp.
- Onion: 1 Large (Chopped)
- Sugar: A Pinch (Optional)
- Water: 2 Cups
Process:
- At First wash the chicken properly and marinate it with salt and turmeric powder for about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile make Paste 1, Paste 2. and Paste 3.
- Now heat the ghee in a deep bottomed vessel and add the chopped onion and fry until it becomes tender.
- Add the chicken and fry it on very high flame for 4-5 minutes.
- Reduce the flame and add Paste 2 and mix it with the chicken pieces very well.
- Cook it for another 4-5 minutes.
- Now pour the Paste 3 and mix the paste very well with the chicken and on medium flame cook it for some time.
- Now add two cups of water and cover until the chicken pieces become very tender( you may require more water for this).
- Open the lid and add the paste 1 (coconut and onion paste) and cook for few minutes until the gravy thickens.
- Taste the seasoning and adjust the gravy (at this time you may sprinkle little sugar).
- Cook it for another 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the flame ,garnish it with coriander leaves, sliced lemon and serve it with roti/nun or steamed rice.
Enjoy Your Food....!!
Mango Milkshake is my all time favourite drink specially in Summer. It's very simple and easy to make yet very refreshing and energetic too.
Here is the process:
Ingredients:
- Mango Pulp: 1 Cup
- Milk( Chilled): 2 Cups
- Sugar(Preferably Powder Sugar): 2-3 tbsp.(Or As per your choice)
- Vanilla Ice Cream: 2 Scoops
- Ice cubes: 2-4( optional)
- Chopped Cashews/Saffron Strands: A few
Process:
- Add the mango pulp, milk, sugar, ice cream, ice cubes and blend until very smooth.
- You may add little more milk if it becomes too thick. But make sure that the milk is chilled, until it may curdle.
- Pour it in glasses and garnish with chopped cashews and saffron strands and serve immediately.
Enjoy Your Drink...!!!
The summer season is famous for two reasons, if one is the tremendous heat then definitely the other is the variety of delicious and juicy fruits. This is God's unique creation that most of the juicy fruits are available in the summer season and every fruit has its own unique features to crouch the heat. The summer in India is famous for the King Of Fruits, Mango. Now, it is the end of April and the market is already filled with variety of delicious ripe mangoes, and so do my fruit basket.
Not only we eat this as a fruit but also use it to prepare various dishes, from sweet to pickle whose core ingredient is Mango.
I couldn't restrict myself to make this Mango Yoghurt after seeing one of my dearest friends Moumita Chatterjee's (A Wonderful Cook by Passion) beautiful recipe. In this scorching heat it turned out a real hit at my home and I have decided to prepare it again.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Hung Curd: 2 Cups
- Mango Pulp:4-5 tbsp.
- Condensed Milk: As per your choice( I used 1/4 cup)
Process:
- Pre-heat oven at 180C .
- Mix the yoghurt, mango pulp and condensed milk smoothly..
- Check the sweetness of the mixture and pour it into a Oven proof bowl.
- Bake it for about 18-20 mins, or until it sets.depending upon the oven.
- In between don't forget to check the consistency of the yoghurt.
- When it is almost done take it out of oven and let it cool down.
- Refrigerate it for half an hour and enjoy your chilled Mango Yoghurt or Aam Doi.
Enjoy Your Food...!!
Mousse is a form of a creamy French dessert, typically made from egg and cream. But this time I made it in a real simple and easy steps doing almost nothing. Watched the process in one of my most favourite cooking channels.
Here is the process:
Ingredients:
- Dark Chocolate: 2
- Fresh Cream: 1 cup
- Whipped Cream:1/2 cup
Process:
- Melt the dark chocolate using a double boiler or simply cut them into very small pieces and heat in microwave oven for just few minutes until the pieces melt.
- Then Heat the fresh cream in the similar way in the microwave oven for just 2-3 minutes.
- Add the fresh hot cream into the melted chocolate.
- Whisk it very well and you will found that the melted chocolate will change its color soon and looks very shiny.
- Now add the whipped cream into the melted chocolate and using a electric mixer on full speed mix it for 3 mins. If you are mixing it with hand mixer , mix it for 6-8 mins.
- Pour it in a glass bowl ( you may use a piping bag too) and put it inside the refrigerator for 15-20 mins and serve.
Enjoy Your Food...!!
Once there was a little girl , who every day after returning from school used to request her mom to make some salty snacks for her. She was always unwilling to take healthy foods like, milk, fruits etc. :P. The only reason for which her mom used to fight with her. But her father couldn't tolerate her sad face and he always used to bought some salty snacks like "chop","singara" from nearby shops and very obviously her mother didn't allow her to eat those.
Therefore sometimes the Mother prepared those salty chatpata snacks for her at home in a healthy way. Samosa or Singara was one of them.
Now the girl has become a wife and a mom too and it has been a long time she didn't eat home made singara, specially those which her MA used to prepare. So few days ago, on a nice windy evening she wanted to give a nice tea treat to her Man and her little girl and prepared the veg samosa, exactly in the same way her Mom used to prepare. But there was a little problem. There is a typical process to fold samosa which she didn't know and then the hubby helped and gave her instruction how to prepare them. In this way, their homely tea party had become illustrious..!!
Now I should give a short introduction of this Indian Snacks to those who don't have any idea about this. A samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a Savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, cauliflower, peas , ground lamb, or ground chicken. Even it can be improvised by using chowmein to create Chinese Samosa. The size, shape and consistency may vary, but typically, they are distinctly triangular and served with chutney or ketchup.
Here is the process of making Singara at home:
Ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
- Oil (Moyan): 2-3 tbsp.
- Salt :To Taste
- Baking Powder: A pinch.
- Cauliflower: 1/2 cup (Cut in small florets)
- Potato: 1 (cut in small cubes)
- Roasted Peanut: 8-10
- Green Peas: 1/4 cup
- Nigella Seeds (kala jeera): 1/2 tsp.
- Salt: As Per Taste
- Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp.
- Sugar: A pinch
- Chilli Powder: 1/4 tsp. (as per your taste)
- Dry Red Chilli: 1
- White Oil : Enough for deep frying and making the stuffing
- Water: As per need.
Process:
- Mix the salt, baking powder and oil to the flour.
- Now gradually add water into the flour and start kneading. Knead till dough becomes smooth and firm. Don't make it very tight. The dough should be soft yet firm. Cover and keep aside for half
an hour.
- Now add 2 tsp. of oil in a kadhai and add the dry red chilli and nigella seeds for tempering.
- When the nigella seeds start to splutter add the chopped potatoes and cauliflower florets.
- Toss on high for few minutes, add turmeric and salt.
- Now add all the spices and peas, mix well and toss , sprinkle a little
water.
- Cover and cook till potatoes and cauliflowers are done. Lastly add the roasted
peanut.
- Turn off the flame and keep aside the mixture to cool.
- Now take the dough, divide into few small balls .
- Roll the ball thin to a
circle ,preferably like an elongated circle.
- Cut into half.
- Take one half. Brush a
little water into the half of the straight edge, and form a cone.
- Fill the cone with
mixture.
- Seal the top perfectly. Use little water to seal properly.
- Repeat the process for each of the balls.
- Deep fry them carefully on medium flame. Don't over fry.
- Soak the excess oil using a Tissue Paper or Kitchen Paper Towel.
- Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.
TIPS:
Make sure to serve the Samosa's hot as it does not taste good if it cools down.
Fruit Custard is one of the easiest desserts which can be prepared in minutes. It's very healthy and tasty too. Those kids, who don't want to eat fruits, this is the Best way to include fruits in their diet. In this respect I am a lucky Mom because my daughter never complain to eat fruits and she loves custard also.
Here is the simple process of making Indian Style Fruit Custard:
Ingredients:
- Vanilla Flavoured Custard powder(you may choose any other flavour too) :2 tbsp
- Milk :500 ml/
- Sugar :As required
- Fruits:Anything of your choice( Apple, Banana, Pears, Dates, Strawberry, Pomegranate, Kiwi, Orange or any other seasonal fruits) But try to avoid pine apple and mostly watermelon, as they ooze water.
Process:
- Mix the custard powder with 3 tbsp. of milk and whisk thoroughly until there is no lump.Your custard paste is ready.
- Boil the milk in a thick bottomed vessel and bring it to boil.Add sugar and mix properly.
- Add the custard paste into the milk and Stir continuously .
- Cook it until the milk becomes thick. Be careful while thickening the milk and stir continuously so that it cant stick to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the flame.
- After it comes to room temperature, refrigerate it. It will become more thick when chilled.
- Meanwhile cut your fruits in small cubes.
- Before serving, arrange the fruits in a bowl or cup and pour cold custard on top of it .
- Serve Chilled.
.
Enjoy Your Food...!!!
During the scorching summer considerable amount of good quality Pointed Gourd (Potol) is found all over India & therefore it's obvious that various preparations of this vegetable will be found in every house.Alu Potoler Tarkari or Alu Potoler Dalna is one of the common Bengali Preparations .I became so nostalgic while I was making this curry on Last Sunday.Because, It has been a long time I didn't eat this curry prepared by Maa. Most of the time, she makes it for dinner and serves with roti. It's a very easy, humble and delicious curry. Like her other preparations most of the time she doesn't use onion and garlic in this curry.But I love her onion version most. So this time I made it adding onion .
Here is the simple recipe:
Ingredients:
- Potol(Pointed Gourd):5-6
- Potato:2 (Medium)
- Onion: 1 (paste, thinly sliced)
- Ginger: 1 tsp.( Paste)
- Tomato: 1 (chopped)
- Cumin Powder:1/2 tsp
- Turmeric Powder:1 tsp
- Salt: As per taste
- Sugar: 1/2 tsp
- Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp
- Dry Red Chilli:1-2
- Red Chilli Powder:1/2 tsp
- Garam Masala Powder: 1/2 tsp
- Oil: 2 tsp
- Ghee: 1/2 tsp.
- Water:1 cup.
- Lightly skin the Potol( don't peel off all the skin, see the picture) and cut laterally into two equal halves. If its too large, then cut into 3 pieces.
- Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into medium cubes.
- Wash them and heat little oil in a kadhai.
- Add the potol and the potatoes and fry them until potatoes become golden yellow and the potols are slightly fried. Add pinch of salt and turmeric powder while frying them.
- Turn off the gas and keep them aside.
- On the same kadhai heat some fresh oil and add the cumin seeds and the dry red chilli for tempering. When the cumin seeds start to splutter add the sliced( or paste) onion. On medium flame fry the onion until translucent.
- Add the chopped tomato and cook until it becomes mushy.
- Then add the ginger paste ,turmeric powder, salt, sugar, cumin powder, red chilli powder.
- Cook it for 2-3 minutes and then add the fried Potato and the pointed gourd.
- Mix them with all the spices very well and cook until oil starts to release from sides.
- Now pour the water into the kadhai and cover. Cook on medium flame until the potatoes and potol become soft and boiled properly.
- Uncover , taste the seasoning and increase the flame little to adjust the gravy.
- On a separate pan heat ghee and add the garam masala powder. Fry it just for 1 min.
- Pour it on your curry and serve with rice or roti.
Enjoy Your Food..!!
