Indian Style Chicken Nachos

Nachos are a Northern Mexican dish consisting of tortilla chips covered with meat and cheese based sauce. Though nachos are mainly served as a snack, it can be served as a fulfilling main dish if the ingredients added on the top of tortillas are more in quantity. Since I love nachos very much, I decided to try it out at home using Indian spices. Hope you all will like my version of nachos. 

Please don't forget to check out other cool recipes like this:

Pizza Bombs

Chicken Mole Poblano

Stir Fried Prawns in Chilli Garlic Soy Sauce

Croutons

Falafel Fritters

Falafel Wrap

Pizza Bombs

I got the concept of this recipe from Tasty videos, but I tweaked the recipe a bit according to my convenience of ingredients available at home at the time. I have prepared these mini beauties couple of times now, and what pleases me most is seeing my otherwise choosy and fussy 2 year toddler polishing these mini bombs off, 3 or 4 at a time, happily without complaint.  Nothing makes me more happy other than seeing my son delightfully devouring food cooked by me. I am one happy mom !  

Mexican Chicken Rice

The location of our apartment is just fantabulous, for it is at the heart of the city flanked by gourmet restaurants and swanky shopping malls within walking distance. Needless to say, we eat out a lot taking the opportunity of the convenience of the location. One of our favorite haunts for dinner is Chipotle Mexican Grill famed for serving tantalizing tacos and burritos.

 

 

I love Mexican cuisines and for a long time I wanted to try a Mexican dish at home. So to begin with, I started my experimental venture with something very easy in preparation; Mexican Chicken Rice. I believe whoever has a grasp of cooking pulao can cook this dish effortlessly. The process followed in cooking Mexican Chicken Rice is same as that of pulao, the difference remaining only in the ingredients used. Just as we cook pulao, conventionally, with milk or water in some cases, Mexican rice has to be cooked with chicken broth easily available in the market. For people not familiar with the technique of cooking pulao, let me phrase this as simplifying as possible: in cooking dishes like pulao or pilaf where rice is cooked along with the other flavorsome essential ingredients, one important factor to keep in mind is the water and rice ratio. Estimated on 1:2 ratios, normally, 1 cup rice requires 2 cups of water to get cooked. However, the amount of water might vary with the brand of rice you use; but having said that, essentially, more or less most of the rice gets cooked at 1:2 rice and water ratio. So get the quantity right and everything will fall in place smoothly.

For more recipes on rice, please click the links below:

Arroz Con Pollo

Baked Corn Rice

Paneer Fried Rice

Pudina Rice - Mint Pilaf

Pulao with Coconut Milk

 

 

Chicken Chopsuey

Chopsuey is a traditional Chinese dish concocted with an assortment of vegetables and a choice of meats including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and fish. Usually served with boiled rice, chopsuey can be enjoyed in restaurants typically with the hallmark Chinese stir-fried noodles. However, in my preparation I had chopsuey with boiled rice noodles simply because I wanted to curb my intake of oil. Getting really health conscious, you see :o

Chicken Mole Poblano

Chicken Mole Poblano is a Mexican cuisine cooked with chocolate, sesame seeds and almonds. The dark, thick sauce spread over chicken or turkey makes a rich sumptuous treat to savour. As opposed to the much spiced Indian curry, Mole Poblano is very low in spices with the dark color contributed by bitter dark chocolates. Chocolate is essential to the dish, so even if you don't like chocolates (who doesn't btw?) you must add some if you want to concoct Mole Poblano.

I added this recipe to my kitty during our Yercaud trip when we stayed for a night in an exotic resort owned by Mr.Visu Kaliyappa. He had an awesome collection of recipe books gathered from all over the world. Me and my friend took our turns to capture some of the recipes that caught our fancy in our cameras. Along with many other things, this Chicken Mole Poblano is one of the recipes we picked up in our treasure of memories.

Stir Fried Prawns in Chilli Garlic Soy Sauce

It's been days I have not eaten Chinese. On my birthday this year we ordered a takeaway from a popular Chinese chain here. We soon rued our decision at the first mouthful. The gravy in the chicken curry was plain syrup. In a manner of speaking, it was 'disgusting.' I didn't wish to have a birthday dinner end up in discarding foods, so painfully I nibbled all that was on my plate. My hubby doesn't make much hue and cry over taste as being grown up in hostel has accustomed him to anything tasting bland or repulsive. So it's out of his nature to turn up nose at any food. But he too carefully avoided the gravy plucking only the meatballs afloat in the syrup and got done and dusted with his meal.

 

Talking about Chinese cuisine, the Chinese food that is available in India conform to the Indian taste bud. So they appeal to our palate. But the ones available here are cooked in accordance with the taste bud of the people living here. So it's little different in taste. I guess the Chinese food that we are used to eating in India is different in taste in China too. So you see you cannot ignore the cross-cultural influence.

 

Anyway, enough lecture on Chinese food. It's time to share one amazing stir fried prawn recipe that I cooked in the fashion of Chinese cuisine. Hope you all will like it. Happy feasting!

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan is an Italian delicacy cooked with eggplant, mozzarella, parmesan and basil leaves tossed together. However, in my preparation I gave mozzarella cheese a deliberate miss for health reasons. But if you love cheesy eggplant parmesan, then add mozzarella cheese alternating with parmesan cheese. It would increase the taste manifold.

Croutons

Croutons are small cubes of rebaked breads that are seasoned with spices and used as an accompaniment to different salads and soups. I love my croutons with choco mousse too. In fact, whenever I make a jar of croutons, me and my hubby both taking our turns eat them while watching TV and it all gets polished off within a day. We are one greedy pair!!

Mohinga

Mohinga is a popular Burmese delicacy cooked with fish stock and noodles and served with a variety of accompaniments. Because of my father's association with Burma, some of the Burmese dishes were staple in our home, Mohinga being one of them. After marriage, since the time I first cooked Mohinga, my husband grew so fond of it that nowadays whenever he brings rohu fish from the market, he pleads to have it cooked at least once.

The recipe is super simple and best tried with the back pieces of rohu fish or any other fish of your choice with fewer bones. So far I have cooked mohinga with rohu fish only; using the back pieces for it is easier to remove the sturdy bones sticking from the back than the rickety ones. If you try it with any other fish please don't forget to let me know how it turns out.

Khow Suey

Khow Suey is a Burmese dish made with lots of vegetables, noodles, split chickpeas and chicken. Now you might be feeling curious to know my affinity with Burmese dish. It so happened that my father was born and raised in Burma before they migrated to India. With them came some Burmese dishes into the family cuisines, one of them was often cooked at our home - Mohingar. Mohingar shares the fraternity with Khow Suey, the only thing telling them apart is that Mohingar is based on fishes while Khow Suey is on chicken.

My mother, raised in Siliguri, didn't know a crumb about Burmese delicacies until she got married and became a part of my father's family. She learned the dishes at her in law's place only. Her acquired knowledge passed on to the next generation i.e. us. While I cooked mohingar couple of times after marriage for my hubby who, considering it to be one of the tastiest soups ever tasted in his life, often comes with the plea to prepare it, cooking Khow Suey was a new challenge for me as I had never cooked it before. Keeping our Indian taste bud in mind, I have prepared the dish in an Indianised way adding the spices required for our regular cooking.

Let me assure you here that Khow Suey is tastier than mohingar and every effort of mine went into preparing it truly succeeded in terms of having a fulfilling dinner at night.

Lamb Tagine

Lamb Tagine is a Moroccan delicacy slowly cooked in a funnel shaped utensil called Tagine. Tagine is an earthenware pot consisting of two parts - the upper portion is a domical cover while the lower part is a flat circular plate with low sides and both combined create an array of magnificent tagine cuisines, Tunisian tagine, Chicken tagine to name a few.

Widely popular in North African Province, Lamb Tagine is slowly cooked on low heat. Braised at minimum temperature, the meat lends a wonderful aroma to the sauce mixed with vegetables. Since Tagine is not available in my city, for my preparation I have used a non-stick cookware with a cover that has a properly fitted outlet to let off the steam. It took me about 2 hours exactly before I turned off the gas. But I believe, if you pressure cook the meat with two or three whistles before you set it for marinade and further slow cooking, it would tenderize the meat to the desired consistency within less time.

Semolina Cake

This is actually a Lebanese sweet dessert the recipe of which I picked up from a cookery show telecast on a popular Bengali channel. I tried it at home and the result came out to be awfully brilliant in taste. The best thing about this dish is the time it takes for cooking. That only within 15 minutes such authentic delicious gorgeous cake can be prepared is hard to imagine. This beauty is truly worth the effort. Preparation time: 5 minutes                     Cooking time: 10 minutes Ingredients:                        ü  1 1/2 cup semolina ü  1/2 cup all-purpose flour ü  1 cup milk ü  1/2 cup white oil ü  1/2 tsp turmeric powder ü  1 1/2 tsp baking powder ü  1 cup powdered sugar ü  1/2 tsp cinnamon powder ü  1/2 cup cashew nuts (chopped) ü  1 tbsp chocolate sauce (for garnishing) Method: 1) Pre-heat the oven at 350 degree F/ 180 degree C. Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, mix in all the ingredients and mix for 1 minute till no streak of flour is left. 2) Sprinkle cashew nuts on top. 3) Grease a baking pan and bake the dish for 10 minutes. 4) Garnish with chocolate sauce.

Falafel Vada Pav

Yesterday at night show we watched 'Dirty Picture' starring Vidya Balan, Nasiruddin Shah, Imraan Hashmi and Tushaar Kapoor. Based on the life of a South Indian seductress of yesteryear whose life was cut short by a tragedy, the movie showcases Vidya Balan at her best. She is truly a great performer with a lot of boldness and courage that would put many of her contemporaries to shame. With the elan she essayed the role of Silk Smitha and put on considerable weight to justify her character was worth admiration. In an era of size zero and well-toned bodies, Vidya proved herself to be quite gutsy in showing off her pot belly, an act that many Indian leading heroines would flinch from. Coming back to the recipe, Vada Pao is a quintessential fast food of Mumbai. A batata vada placed between two silces of pav is what makes this magic dish. But in Falafel vada pav instead of putting in batata vada made from potato, I have used Falafel and it turned out to be an exotic dish of its kind. Ingredients: (serving 2)                  Cooking time: 10 minutes 2 Falafels 2 pavs 1 cup of coriander leaves (chopped) 1 tsp tamarind pulp Salt to taste 3 dry red chillies 2 tsp butter Method: 1) In a blender make a paste out of coriander leaves, tamarind pulp, salt and red chillies. This green chutney would lend the dish a nice flavour. 2) Roast the vada pavs lightly on butter. Then dab a dash of green chutney on each slice of the pavs. Place one Falafel between two slices. Wrap it and eat. 3) Have pleasure.

Falafel Fritters

Falafel is a Lebanese street food popular throughout the Middle East. It is basically a deep fried patty or balls made from chickpeas and served in pita or wrapped in flatbread. You may check out my other recipe on Falafel - Falafel Wrap which itself works as a full meal. Falafel Fritters are best eaten with hummus, salad or sauces. Ingredients:                           Cooking time: 30 minutes ü  100 gm chickpeas (soaked overnight and boiled in pressure cooker with 3 whistles) ü  2 medium sized onions (quartered) ü  2 tbsp of semolina ü  1 tsp of garlic paste ü  1 tsp chilli powder ü  1 tsp turmeric powder ü  1 tsp coriander powder ü  1 tsp cumin powder ü  1 tsp black pepper powder ü  1 tbsp parsley leaves (chopped) ü  1 tsp salt ü  A little bit of water ü  1 tsp cooking soda ü  White oil for deep frying Method: 1) Mix in all the ingredients above (except semolina and soda) in a blender and make a paste. Please note the paste should be dry enough to make balls out of them. Adding too much water might make the paste soggy and as a result the balls would fall apart while deep frying. 2) Mix 2 tbsp of semolina and 1 tsp cooking soda with the paste. Make small round balls from the paste and flatten keeping them between your palms. 3) Deep fry them in a wok. 4) Falafel is ready for serving.

Falafel Wrap

Falafel is a Lebanese dish popularly sold in the street joints of Cairo. I have already shared the recipe of Falafel Fritters. In this post I will share the recipe of Falafel Wrap. It's superb yummy. 

Ingredients: (Serving 2)                                     Cooking time: 20 minutes

6 Falafel Fritters

2 round parathas

1 onion (chopped)

1 tomato (chopped)

Few strands of celery (chopped)

Mayonnaise according to taste

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp black pepper powder

Salt to taste

(Note: You may use coriander leaves or parsley if celery is not available)

Method:

1) In a bowl mix in tomato, onion, celery, black pepper powder, salt and lemon juice.

2) Through the middle of a paratha arrange 3 falafels and 1 tbs of onion-tomato mixture. Squirt a spoonful of mayonnaise on top. Wrap it and eat.

3) Have Bliss.

Coconut Chicken and White Wine Curry

Feeling the need of pulling warms clothes out of the wardrobe as winter is slowly setting in in Bangalore. With winter comes a range of problems including rough skin, dandruff and the constant shivery feeling. Fortunately and genetically I am blessed with good skin and never had to bother about pimples or acnes. Even during my adolescence when most of my friends suffered from recurring pimples and acnes as reaction to sudden changes of puberty, I could hardly recollect a day worrying on this. However, my skin is a bit sensitive to change of weather. After spending dry winter in Pune when suddenly I moved to humid Kolkata, I developed rashes all over my face. Sometimes during summer in Kolkata, I used to develop blisters on my face. It would all start from a simple scratch mark as if someone has scratched my face with nails. Then the scratch would swell up into red blisters. In USA once when I applied winter care lotion of an internationally reputed brand, my skin suffered eruptions to a degree I have never seen before. I remember attending an invitation of my hubby's friend and feeling embarrassed due to my dreadful skin condition. The winter care lotion reacted badly after one or two application leaving my face with a burning sensation and red scaly patch. Looking literally roasted in oven, I was worried sick if I was to have any permanent scar due to that allergic reaction. But thanks to the almighty, it got healed on its own once I quit the use of that winter care cream and from then on no matter how reputed that brand is, I don’t touch its skin-care products. One or two such aberrations apart, my skin hardly gave me any problem. For me, dandruff has been a constant headache and it aggravates every time in winter. I have undergone treatments in beauty parlours, applied dandruff shampoo three times a week and plenty of other things meant to cure me of white scales, but in vain. Dandruff would be gone for a week or two and return happily again. Somewhat out of desperation and annoyance at spending thousands upon futile treatments in beauty parlours, I scouted the cyber world in quest of a home remedy which is easily applicable with long-standing effect. For last two months, I have been dedicatedly using two remedies with a fruitful result. One is application of henna mixed with fresh yogurt and another is egg yolks mixed with dollops of honey. I must confess these two home-based remedies are bringing forth positive outcome. My hair fall has reduced drastically over last two months. Now back to the recipe, Coconut chicken and white wine curry is good to be rounded up for dinner if you want to eat and cook something different from the traditional Indian chicken curries. I have used pudina powder in my preparation, but you can use curry powder also. Ingredients:                               Cooking time:40 minutes ü  1 kg boneless chicken ü  1 large sized onion (chopped) ü  1 tomato (turned into paste) ü  1 cup of white wine ü  1 cup of coconut cream ü  2 tbs of whipping cream ü  2 cups of chicken stock ü  5-6 green chillies (optional) (turned into paste) ü  3 tsp pudina powder ü  2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) ü  1 tsp ginger paste ü  2 tsp black pepper powder ü  salt to taste ü  White oil for cooking Method: 1) Rub salt and black pepper powder on chicken pieces. Heat oil in a non-sticky cooking pan. When oil becomes piping hot, brown the chicken. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and keep them aside. 2) Now into the same oil, add onions & chopped garlic. When onions turn translucent, add tomato and green chillies paste. Sauté for 1 minute. Add ginger paste, pudina powder. Sauté for few minutes. 3) Add wine. Sauté for a while before adding coconut cream, whipping cream and chicken stock. 4) When the mixture comes to a boil, slide in the chicken pieces. Cook covered on medium heat till chicken is cooked through and gravy thickens. Check salt.   5) Serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Jurikhois

This recipe of Chicken Jurikhois I came across at Chef's page in Sananda, a popular Bengali magazine. The snapshot of the dish looked tempting enough to turn me on for making an attempt. With a mind open to new recipes, I gave it try last night for dinner. I slightly modified the dish to suit my tastebud, but more or less I have stuck to the original recipe. The output was appetizing and both me & my hubby gobbled it with pleasure.

Ingredients:                                      Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

500 gm boneless chicken

50 gm all purpose flour

250 gm button mushroom (diced)

50 gm butter

2-3 tbs of olive oil

2-3 shallots (Shallots are small red onions)

1 cup of dry white wine

1 cup of heavy cream

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp of oregano

2 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp paprika

salt to taste

Preparation:

1) Mix in ginger powder, salt, black pepper, paprika & all purpose flour. Toss the chicken pieces in this mixture and rub well.

2) Now heat butter with a drizzle of olive oil in a non-sticky pan. Lightly fry the chicken pieces in batches one after another and take them off the heat. Keep aside.

3) Now into the same pan fry shallots till they turn translucent. Add button mushroom & stir cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chicken. Cook covered on medium heat for 10 minutes.

4) Pour wine into the pan and cook chicken & mushroom till they turn soft. Put the lid on and keep the heat on medium.

5) Add salt, oregano & cream. Cook covered for 5-8 minutes.

6) Sprinkle lemon juice before serving.

Chicken Stock - Easy Recipe

Preparing chicken stock involves an easy process if you have a pressure cooker handy. Just give the right ingredients in right amount and you have a nice aromatic stock ready within a jiffy.

Ingredients:                                                 Cooking time: 15 minutes

500 gm chicken (you can use the unused parts of chicken like necks, wings, bones, backs etc.)

1 carrot (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

Fresh coriander leaves or cilantro (chopped)

7-8 black peppercorns

3-4 cloves

3-4 cardamom

1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

6-7 cups of water depending on your need for thickness

salt to taste

Method:

1) Put all the ingredients together in a pressure cooker. Tighten the lid and cook on low heat till three whistles.

2) Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and chicken pieces and a sieve to strain the stock carefully.

3) Chicken stock is ready.