Cheat’s Guide to Chicken Ghee Roast

Before I write anything about the recipe, I want to say that it’s been more than a couple of years now since I’ve posted any recipes. My son is a little big boy now and I can manage to find some time to blog again! So here I am back with a recipe. 

Chicken Ghee Roast is another popular dish from my hometown Mangalore. And I must tell you, a Sunday Afternoon lunch with Chicken Ghee Roast and Neer Dosa or even plain Steamed Rice is just divine! So here’s my version of Chicken Ghee Roast- the Cheat’s way. 

Traditionally it is made by dry roasting whole spices and then blending it into a paste. Here’s my version where I use powdered spices which saves a lot of time, however the end result tastes exactly the same. Here’s my recipe for Chicken Ghee Roast: 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Lime
• 1 Sprig Curry Leaves 
• 1/2 Cup Curd
• A Pinch of Turmeric Powder 
• 2 tsp Paprika or Kashmiri Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder 
• 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder 
• Salt to Taste
• 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1-2 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
• 350gms Chicken 
• 1 medium size Onion chopped 

Method:

In a mixing bowl add the Curd, Lime Juice, Turmeric Powder, Paparika (Kashmiri Chilli Powder), Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt and Ginger Garlic Paste. Mix well. 

Now Add the Chicken and allow it to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Heat a pan and add the Ghee ( Clarified Butter) and add the chopped onion. Sauté on medium heat until they turn slight golden. 

Now add the marinated Chicken and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Lower the heat after 10 minutes and cook on low heat for 10 more minutes. 

Now add the Curry Leaves and cook for 5 more minutes or until the chicken is well cooked. 

Sugar Cookies

I always feel like eating or drinking something at around 11 am everyday single day. A hot cup of Masala Chai is great but only if there were some cookies!! So I decided to bake some Sugar Cookies this morning and I wouldn’t have to worry about it for at least a week. I sprinkled some colored granulated sugar on top just to make it look pretty! I made it myself, and it was done under 30 seconds. Just took some sugar and added a drop of food color. A drop goes a long way. I used pink and blue you can use any.

Every time something comes out of the oven, my Labrador dog ZERO can’t resist the smell. When I was trying to photograph the cookies he was trying to get into the frame and was giving me the cutest look possible. But I’m told he shouldn’t be given anything sweet, as it’s not good for him. So he didn’t get any…in spite of his cuteness. I feel so sorry for him.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup softened Butter
• ¾ cup powered Sugar
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Essence
• 1 Egg
•  1¾ cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• Colored granulated Sugar for sprinkling on top of the cookies

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven at 180ºC.
• In a Mixing Bowl add the Butter and Sugar with a Beater.
• Add the Egg and Vanilla Essence and mix again.
• Then add the Flour, Baking Power, Salt and Mix again for 2-3 minutes.
• Make a dough out of the mixture and wrap it in a cling wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
• Sprinkle some flour on the surface where you will be rolling your dough.
• Roll the dough flat about ¼ of an inch and the use the cookie cutter of your choice to cut the cookies.
• Layer your baking tray with Butter Paper.
• Now lay your cookies on top of the sheet.
• Sprinkle some colored granulated sugar on top of the cookies.
• Bake the cookies at 180ºC for about 8-10 minutes.
• Place the cookies on a rack to cool.

 

Counter Madness!!

Is it just me or are there other people out there who love shopping for kitchen and dining products? I know a lot of people who love shopping for clothes. But how about for their kitchen? Each time I walk into a utensils store the gloss on the plates, the shine on the spoons, the curve on the bowl just amaze me. I just feel like buying them all. Sometimes I even daydream of owning a store myself so that I can keep looking at them. Anytime I go to Shoppers Stop or Lifestyle, I just directly walk into the home and kitchen section just to look at them. My poor husband too walks with me from counter to counter. I’m sure he still wonders why I do that. I’d love to answer him if I knew the answer. But alas!!

Ajay (my husband) keeps telling me, buy this buy that; but what he doesn’t know is it’s not about buying them. After walking around for one whole hour, I end up buying one coffee mug or two glasses. It’s probably the lights that fall directly on them, that make each glass look so angelic. A simple ‘Treo’ wine goblet appears like ‘The Holy Grail’ to me. Ajay notices the shine in my eyes when I look at each of it and ends up loading our cart with each of the item that made my eyes stay open. But little does he know, it’s not about loading the cart, but admiring it on the counter. Of course how would he understand when I point on a simple whisk and say, ‘oh…look look, a whisk!!!’ and as I we get closer I start screaming out of excitement and say, ‘ oh look, the even have it in every color!!!’ But I guess, he’d understand me because as each time we pass though the electronics section, he yells with a thrilling voice, ‘oh look, a USB cable!’.

Genesis

I’ve been cooking for 6 years now. I’ve made a journey from not knowing how much salt to add to bringing a smile on my husband’s face each time he eats what I cook. Well nothing could be more flattering! One thing that’s common between my husband and I is we LOVE food!! Nothing can be more comforting than having appetizing food in your mouth. I believe if you want to be a good cook, you ought to love eating good food. It’s very important to know how good something can taste because; only then can you follow or replicate a recipe. You will know how exactly your food should taste once it’s done.

My expedition with food began six years ago when I got married. I knew nothing at all. I remember standing next to my mother-in-law in the kitchen and passing salt and chili powder as she cooked. I just watched her for weeks and the eventually started my own experiments with food. I did watch my mom cook too when I was younger but never tried cooking. By the time my interest grew towards cooking, my mom was no more. But the memories of her cooking are still fresh. The aroma of the tempering she made and the sizzling sound it made when she poured it over the curry still lingers in my mind.

My mother’s a South Indian, a Mangalorean and my mother-in-law is a North Indian, a Punjabi and guess who gets the best of both worlds? Of course me! The added advantage is we live in Gujarat. So I’ve been eating a lot of khaman dhokla as well though not cooked much. Also having eating in various restaurants with my husband I’ve also developed interest in other cuisines. So join me and my adventures of cooking here on my blog – Saffron Chronicles.