Dragon Chicken with Vegetables

This Indo-Chinese dish is a very popular chicken starter and can be served as a side dish along with fried rice .

For this recipe I have used boneless thigh pieces .First clean chicken pieces and cut into thin stripes.You can also use breast pieces to make dragon chicken .

While making Chinese dishes I always mix sauces in a separate bowl .It helps me to get an idea how the sauces taste.While cooking ,you can also adjust the sauce level before adding chicken .

Here is the video for Dragon Chicken

Lets start

INGREDIENTS

Boneless Chicken – 500 g, cut into thin stripes
Butter – 1 Tbsp
Oil(fry)
Sesame oil -1 tsp
Sesame (white)-garnish
Spring onion(garnish)

for marination

Ginger garlic paste – 2 Tbsp
Soya sauce ( all purpose) – 2 Tbsp(If using dark soya sauce ,you can use 3/4 tbsp)
Chilly Paste (home made)- 2 tsp
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Egg white – of 1 egg
All purpose flour(Maida)- 2 Tbsp
Wheat flour – 2 Tbsp
Cornflour – 3 Tbsp
Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 tsp
Hot & Sweet tomato sauce (home made) – 1 Spoon
Salt to taste

for the sauce

In a separate bowl mix the sauces well and check the taste .If required add more sauces and mix according to your taste .For this recipe I had used home made chilly paste and hot and sweet sauce .

Be careful while adding salt .

Tomato ketchup – 1 Tbsp +1 spoon
Hot & Sweet Tomato Sauce ( home made ) – 2 Tbsp
Chilly Paste -2 Tbsp
Soya Sauce(all purpose)- 3 Tbsp (If using dark Soya sauce ,you can use 1- 1 1/2 tbsp)
Sugar – 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

for making gravy

Dried red chillies – 2 nos
Ginger finely chopped – 1 Tbsp
Garlic finely chopped -1 1/2 Tbsp
Onion sliced – 1 small
Celery (small cubes)- 2 tbsp
Spring onion (white part)-2 Tbsp
Carrot(stripes) – 1/4 cup
Broccoli -1/2 cup
Green Capsicum(thinly sliced) – around 1/4 cup
Orange Capsicum (thinly sliced )-around 1/4 cup
Red Capsicum (thinly sliced )-around 1/4 cup
Spring onion
Roasted Cashew nuts-1/4 cup

PREPARATION

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the ingredients given under for marination . Set aside for minimum 15 minutes

Heat a non-stick pan and add little oil and 1 tbsp butter (optional). On medium heat add marinated chicken pieces (two batches) and shallow fry until golden and crispy.When done,transfer it to a plate and set aside

Heat pan and pour 2-3 tbsp of chicken fried oil
Add dried red chillies and fry until crisp
Saute ginger and garlic chopped till light golden
Add onion sliced and saute for 1 minute(no need to change color)
Add 2 tbsp celery and white part of spring onion ,saute
Add carrots and saute till it turns soft
Add broccoli ,saute

Mix in the sauce mixture,check for salt
Mix sauce well,if required add more sauce and adjust the sauce according to your taste

When the sauce starts to boil ,add the fried chicken pieces to it.
Cook for few minutes until everything is well combined(If you need little more gravy, mix in some cornflour and water and add to the chicken)

Add orange,red and green capsicum .Mix Well

Add 1 tsp sesame oil

Add Roasted Cashew nuts

Add spring onion and mix well

Finally garnish dragon chicken using some sesame seeds and spring onion

Now the delicious hot and spicy dragon chicken is ready

please subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL ….https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcFgIqJa98yaYmQQQG6fIFg for more recipes

Here is the video for … Homemade Hot & Sweet Tomato Sauce

Hot & Sweet Tomato Sauce

Thank you

Happy Cooking …… Stay Blessed

Banana Bread

Lets see how to make Perfect Banana Bread

Please watch full video

Perfect Banana Bread

Banana bread is a type of bread made from mashed bananas.Always use overripe bananas to get best flavor and super moist bread.

You can enjoy plain banana bread or add in nuts and chocolate chips for variety flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F(175 degree C).

Lightly grease a 8 inch loaf pan and line with a parchment paper.

Ingredients :

Overripe Banana -3 nos(large )
Melted unsalted butter – 4 -5tbsp( or 1 cup oil)
Eggs – 3 nos(or 2 large eggs)
Brown Sugar – 1 Tbsp
Sugar-1 Cup
Coconut oil -1 or 2 tbsp
All purpose flour(maida) – 1 1/4 cup
Wheat Flour – 1/4 cup
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Baking Soda- 1 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Vanilla essence – 1 Tbsp
Milk-1/4 cup

Preparation

Prepare the oven to 350 degree F

In a small mixing bowl,mash 3 overripe bananas using a fork until completely smooth .

To mashed banana mixture add 1 tbsp brown sugar and mix well .Keep aside .

Dry Ingredients:

Take another medium mixing bowl add all purpose flour(maida) ,wheat flour,salt,baking soda and baking powder .
Mix well ,if needed sieve the dry ingredients .Keep aside.

Wet Ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl add melted butter .Slightly beat butter until soft using a hand mixer or spatula.(option two: add 1 cup oil instead of butter )
Add Sugar and combine well.
Beat in eggs,vanilla essence ,coconut oil and milk (You can add eggs and vanilla first then mix well after that add in coconut oil and milk).
Using a spatula stir in mashed banana mixture until well blended.

Sift dry ingredients through a fine mesh

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture(wet mixture) and stir until the batter is just combined, but don’t over-mix it.

Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch (or similar size) bread loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes

Use edge of parchment paper to lift bread from the pan onto a wire rack to prevent the bottom crust becoming soggy

Remove parchment paper and let it cool completely

Perfect and Delicious Banana Bread is Ready… Enjoyyy

Tips

Do not open the oven before 40 minutes
If the bread is browning too much in the oven ,cover bread loosely with foil
You can replace butter with oil( 1 cup)
To get best moist cake use overripe bananas preferably with black spots
After cooling down ,cover bread using a foil for 10 minutes(to keep it moist)

Thank you

Enjoyyy

Mango Frooti- Fresh and Juicy

Lets see how to make mango frooti at home without any preservatives .

For this recipe I have used 2 sweet mangoes .I prefer to use good variety mangoes which has less fibers like alphonso. Since its not available in my place ,here I am using best available sweet mango for this recipe.Taste may vary as per your choice of mango .

I have added half cup of raw mango,to balance the texture and enhance the taste .If you prefer not to use raw mangoes you wont get authentic frooti taste.

For this recipe I have added sugar directly to the mango mixture ,If you need you can make separate sugar syrup by melting sugar and water.

First you need to wash and peel the skin of mangoes and chop mangoes into small cubes.Discard the seeds.

Lets get started…

Ingredients

Ripened mango (chopped )- 2 cups
Raw mango (chopped) – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1/2 cup(according to your taste)
water -5 cups(as required )

Method

Take a deep pan

Add chopped ripe mangoes and raw mangoes to it.

Add 2 cups water and mix well .

Cover the lid and cook on medium flame for 7 to 8 minutes or till the mangoes become soft.(Method 2: Add chopped mangoes and add 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles)

Once mango become soft add sugar and mix well(depending on the sourness of mangoes increase or decrease the amount of sugar)

Cover pan with the lid and cook for 2 more minutes till the sugar gets dissolved

Turn off the flame and wait for 3 minutes

Strain mango water and keep it aside (don’t discard water)

Allow cooked mangoes to slightly cool down before grinding

Now transfer it to a blender add little strained mango water and blend it into a smooth puree

Strain the puree through a sieve to remove fiber or any big lumps

Add mango water to the strained mango pulp and mix well

If required strain the mango pulp one more time

Add 3 cups cold water and mix well

Adjust the water level as per the required consistency

Check sugar level ,if needed make some sugar syrup .Let it cool and add to the mango juice.

Refrigerate for minimum 4-6 hours before serving

Mango frooti is ready .Serve Chilled

Thank you

Enjoyyy!!!!

Zebra Cake

Beautiful “Zebra” stripe cake made with chocolate and vanilla layers might look complicated,but they are easier to make.

Before making this cake,first step is to make sure your eggs,milk and butter is in room temperature.Because Cold ingredients do not incorporate together as easily. At room temperature these ingredients form an emulsion which traps air.So when you bake ,these trapped air expands and make your cake light and fluffy .

Prepare cake pan

Rub a little butter or oil inside and sides of the tin to grease it.Then line with parchment paper .If you don’t have parchment paper don’t worry ,take some flour and dust lightly ,turn upside down and gently remove excess flour.Flour will stick to the grease adding an extra layer of protection.

I used 9 in round cake pan.

Preheat Oven at 350F(180)

Now lets see what all ingredients you need to prepare this delicious cake.

Ingredients :

All Purpose Flour – 2 1/2 Cup
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder-2 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence – 2 tsp
Eggs-4 (room temperature)
Milk- 3/4 Cup (room temperature)
Sugar – 1 1/2 Cup (Powder sugar and make it fine )
Butter – 1/2 Cup ( 8 Tbsp- room temperature)
Oil – 1/2 Cup

For Chocolate Batter

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder- 4 Tbsp
Milk- 1/4 Cup (room temperature, used 5 Tbsp milk for this recipe)
Sugar- 1 Tbsp

Directions:

Dry ingredients : In a mixing bowl,whisk together all purpose flour,salt,baking soda,baking powder.Now sift the flour 2 or 3 times.Do not skip this step,as sifted flour is slightly more smooth and uniform.

Vanilla Batter:

In a large bowl add butter.Using a hand mixer beat butter until smooth.

Then add Sugar and combine well.

Add eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated .

Add milk and beat everything until creamy

Add vanilla extract and mix well.

Add flour in small batches.

Slowly fold in the mixture using a spatula or whisk.Do not over Mix.The vanilla batter is ready.

Chocolate Batter:

In another bowl mix the Cocoa powder with milk and Sugar.Add half of the prepared batter (vanilla)into this mixture and mix well.Do not over mix the batter.The Chocolate batter is ready.

For this recipe i am using unsweetened Cocoa Powder,if you are using sweetened Cocoa powder skip sugar in the Chocolate batter.

How to make those “Zebra” Stripes :

Now we need to create the layers of the batter on the prepared pan.Begin from the middle of the pan,pour 2 tbsp of vanilla batter then over it add 2 tbsp of Chocolate batter ,then again pour 2 tbsp of vanilla batter. Repeat adding 2 tbsp batter each for the first 5 or 6 layers and then 1 tbsp each until all the batter has been used. Do not stop and wait until the previous batter spreads,it will spread and fill the pan gradually.

Do not fill your pan full,batter may spill over the sides of the pan.if you have extra batter you can use that batter to make cupcakes.

Baking Time:

On preheated oven bake for 35 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean .Do not open the door for the first 25 minutes because the cake will collapse.For me it took 50 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10minutes.

Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen ,place a wire cooling rack over the top of the cake and flip the pan onto wire rack.Now carefully lift the pan off the cake.Gently peel the parchment paper off the cake.Now flip the cake again and let it cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

Enjoyyy !!

Happy Cooking !

Easy Indian Chicken Curry -Beginners Recipe

Chicken Curry

Today i am going to prepare easy chicken curry for beginners.It goes well with any Indian bread,ghee rice,normal rice or pulao.

Ingredients:

For marination :

Chicken pieces – 1/2 kg
Cumin -1/4 tsp
Fennel-1/4 tsp
Pepper -1/2 tsp
Small onions chopped-2
Yogurt- 1/4 cup
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilly Powder-1 tsp(or more)
Coriander Powder-1tsp
Salt as required

For Gravy:

Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1/2 tsp
Ginger – big piece
Garlic -6 cloves
Chopped Onion- 2 1/2 cup
Ginger cut into small pieces- small piece
Green chilly-4 slit
Curry leaves
Tomato – 1/2 cup
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Cloves -3
Pepper- few
Cinnamon sticks -4 small pieces
Cardamom -4
Bay leaves-1
Hotwater-1/4 cup+1/4 cup+1 1/2 Cup
Kasuri methi – 1 1/2 tbsp
Butter as required
Salt as required

Method

Clean and cut chicken pieces and make slits on the outside(i am here taking thigh pieces,cut into two)
Grind ginger & garlic and make smooth paste- 1 1/2 tbsp
Grind cumin,fennel & pepper to make powder
Marinate Chicken by adding ground powder,small onions,yogurt,turmeric -1/4 tsp,kashmiri chilly powder-1 tsp,coriander powder -1 tsp and salt.
Keep marinated chicken in refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add cloves, Pepper,Cinnamon sticks ,cardamom and bay leaves & saute for 2-3 mins,stirring occasionally.
Add chopped onion and saute by adding little salt till they turn translucent.Reduce heat to medium low.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.
Add turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp and saute well
Add Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp and kashmiri chilly -1/4 tsp (or according to your taste) and saute well
Add 1/4 cup hot water and saute till all water gets evaporated.
Add chopped tomatoes and saute well for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup hot water and cook tomatoes .
When oil start to separate from onion mixture add marinated chicken pieces .
Saute chicken well.
On medium heat, cover Chicken and let it cook for 7 to 10 minutes approximately(depends on your stove heat)
When chicken is 3/4 cooked add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of hot water.
Add curry leaves,ginger pieces ,green chilly & kasuri methi.
Adjust salt and spice level
Let it boil for another 2 -3 minutes.
Add garam masala and cook until the gravy turns dark brown in color and the gravy thickens.
Finally add butter pieces and remove from the fire.Keep covered until its ready to serve .
Serve with hot rice or any Indian breads and Enjoy !

Happy Cooking !

Divu’s Art Of Cooking

Falafel

Ingredients:

Dried Chickpeas – 1 1/2 Cup
Roughly chopped half onion(big)
Finely chopped Parsley leaves – 1 1/4 cup
Chopped coriander leaves – 1/4 cup
Garlic – 4 big cloves chopped
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Black Pepper – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds – 1 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp
All purpose flour – 3 tbsp
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder – 1 tsp
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt to taste

Preparation

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them.Let it soak for 18 to 24 hours.
Rinse and drain soaked chickpea.
In a small pan dry roast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant.Place them in a motor and pestle and grind them ,add pepper and grind everything until smooth.
Add half of the chickpeas,parsley,garlic,onion and coriander leaves to a food processor or mixie and blend them. Do not make it completely smooth .Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients.
Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and add grounded spices, salt,baking powder,lemon juice,chilly powder & all purpose flour.
Mix all the ingredients well .Cover and place the mixture in the fridge for about an hour(minimum 30 minutes)
Place a heavy bottomed pan and add vegetable oil .
Grab the mixture and make desired shape (small ball size or patties).
Fry them until golden brown and crispy.(It should be crispy outside and soft & fluffy inside)
Drain on paper towels.
It is served as a sandwich,stuffed in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes,cucumbers & Pickled onion,topped with hummus & tahini sauces or as an appetizer .

Varutharacha kadala Curry(Kerala Style)

Kadala curry is one of the traditional dishes of Kerala. Puttu (steamed rice flour with coconut ) and kadala curry is one of the famous combination breakfast in every Malayalee household.kadala curry or black chickpea curry also pairs well with Appam,dosa or chapatti .

You can prepare kadala curry with out roasting coconut also.I use to make both varieties and sometimes i use fresh coconut milk.

Here i am making a simple and easy kadala curry cooked in roasted coconut gravy,hence the name varutharacha kadala curry.

kadala has to be soaked in water for 8 hours. First we will pressure cook the kadala and then we will cook the kadala in roasted coconut gravy and spices.

Preparation

Soak black kadala (chickpea/chana) overnight in water – 1 1/2 Cup

2. Now we will pressure cook kadala.Mostly takes 2-3 whistles.

Ingredients needed to cook kadala:

Onion sliced – 3 tbsp
Small Onion- 3 sliced
Salt
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves
Ginger chopped – 1 tsp
Green Chilly -3
Water – 2 1/2 to 3 cups

Add the above ingredients and pressure cook kadala until nicely cooked.

3. For dry roasting coconut we need the following ingredients:

Coconut grated – 3 Tbsp
Perumjeerakam (fennel)-1/4 tsp
Cinnamon Sticks small piece
Pepper
Cardamom -1
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 Tbsp
Coriander Powder – 2 Tbsp

In a small pan saute and roast the grated Coconut on medium-low flame.when it starts to change color add fennel,cinnamon,pepper and cardamom.(if you are using whole coriander seed ,add now)

When coconut turns to medium brown in color ,lower the flame and add turmeric,coriander powder and kashmiri chilly powder. Turn off the flame and let it cool.Grind to a smooth paste adding 3-4 tbsp water.

4. Take few cooked kadala and mash with the back of a ladle.It will make the gravy more thicker in texture.

5. Now we will make gravy .

Onion -1big
Tomato cubed -1 big
Curry leaves
coconut pieces(you can add now or while tempering)
coconut oil
Hot water-1 cup(or more)
salt(if needed)

Heat coconut oil in a pan . Add and saute onion until it turns translucent . Now add tomato and curry leaves and saute for few minutes.Add the coconut paste and saute for 1 minute. Then add cooked kadala and 1 cup hot water. Add more water if the gravy is too thick for you.

Let it boil and add mashed chana.Cover the pan and simmer slowly until you get the desired consistency .

6.Tempering

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Dry red chillies -1 big
Coconut slices – 1/4 cup
Small onion -3
Curry leaves

Method: Heat coconut oil ,add mustard seeds and let it splutter.Add dry chillies.Then add coconut slices saute it for few minutes till it turns golden color.Saute Small onion and finally add curry leaves.

Pour the tempering over the curry .

Varutharacha kadala curry is ready.

Serve hot with Puttu/Appam/Chapatti or Dosa

Varutharacha Kadala Curry YouTube Video

Homemade Mint Lemonade

This homemade lemonade is very easy and simple to make at home.It’s so refreshing and perfect for Summer days.

We use to take this juice after having heavy food,as it helps in easy digestion.

Ingredients needed for Mint lemonade:

Mint leaves- 1/2 cup
Ginger – 1 tbsp
Crushed ice cubes – 1/2 cup
Lemon – 1 (skin removed)
Sugar -6 Tbsp( or Honey )
Salt- Pinch
Water – 2 – 2 1/2 cups

1.Wash and clean the mint leaves.

2.Remove skin and seeds from lemon .

3.Add all the ingredients and 1/2 cup water to a blender .Pulse a few times to break up the ice.Grind them all by adding remaining water and blend to smooth juice.

4.Taste the sweetness and add more sugar or honey if needed.

5.Serve this refreshing summer drink immediately.

Mint lemonade

Chicken Cutlet / Kerala Style

Chicken cutlets is an all time favorite snack loved by all age groups.Cutlets are made with cooked and shredded chicken,potatoes,bread crumbs and spices.

Its an time saver snack as you can make chicken patties ahead of time and keep refrigerated until ready to use. In this post lets learn how to make yummy and crispy deep fried cutlets.

My youtube channel link for chicken cutlet :

Preparation

Here i am using boneless chicken thighs (1.25 lbs/567 g). I always buy chicken which are fed on vegetables and grain and are free of antibiotics. Broiler chicken always causes allergic reactions on my skin.

1.Cleaning & Cutting

Cleaning and Cutting Chicken : Add chicken pieces in a large bowl add lemon juice,salt and water.Let it sit for 3-5 minutes.After that rinse your chicken thoroughly and cut chicken pieces in to small cubes.

2.Cooking and Shredding Chicken

Now lets cook the chicken. Ingredients :

Cubed Chicken-1.25 lbs(567 g)
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Pepper
Salt as required
Water – 1/4 cup

Do not add more water because chicken releases a lot of fluid when cooked.If there is excess water left you can either open the lid and cook chicken until all water evaporates or store liquid for future use(soup).

Cool the cooked chicken and mince or pulse it in a blender.Do not make it into a paste.

Pan fry the shredded chicken until all water get evaporated.

3.Lets make Bread Crumbs

Take Bread Slices ( 5-8 slices)
Trim out the edges .
Pan roast( or oven) the bread slices until golden brown.
Pulse it in a mixie or blender.

4.Seasoning the bread crumbs

Add pinch of salt,pepper,garam masala and crushed curry leaves(pan roast curry leaves and crush it using your hands) and mix well.

5.Cook and mash Potatoes

Potato -2 Big (here i used russet potato)

Mashed Potatoes Potato cooked and mashed -2 Big (i used russet potato) Mashed Potatoes

Cook Potatoes in a Separate pan or cooker.When cooled,mash the cooked potatoes well.

Ingredients for making masala:

Finely Chopped Onion -1 1/2 cup
Ginger – Small Piece
Garlic minced – 5 big
Green chilly chopped – 2-3
Curry leaves Chopped
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder -1/2 tsp( as required)

6.For making masala :

Heat pan and add oil.
Saute Onion, garlic, ginger,green chilly, and curry leaves.
Lower the flame and add turmeric,kashmiri chilly and salt.
Turn off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.

Final Mixing & making patties

In a large bowl add mashed potatoes
Onion masala mix
Shredded chicken
Garam masala – 3/4 Tbsp
Pepper – 1 tsp(as required)
Lime juice – 1/4 tsp
Add salt if required.
Mix everything well using hands.

Divide the mixture into equal lime sized balls and flatten it between the palms to give it shape or use a round mold.(You can mold the mixture into desired shape.)

Lets make Cutlets

For making cutlets we need eggs- 2 nos

Beat eggs using fork.
For seasoning add salt and pepper to egg mixture.
Dip each chicken cutlet/patties in egg mixture and then roll it with bread crumbs.
Heat oil in a deep fry pan.(use generous amount of oil )
Fry the cutlets until golden brown.(Do it in batches)
You will get around 26 small sized cutlets with this measurements.
Serve chicken cutlets warm along with tomato sauce.