French Beans Curry

Being myself more into meaty recipes, always tends to stir in me to do the best with the vegetarian dishes. One such dish is the French Beans curry - an awesome side dish with Rotis and Paranthas.  Simple, healthy and flavorful dish to eat. The hot green chillies gives this dish an extra burst of heat. It can be reduced or increased as you wish to. Recipe of this dish can be used with vegetable of your choice - I use this one with Cluster beans and Cabbage too. 

French Beans

Ingredients

1/4 kg Cobra French beans
1 Onion
1 Tomato
3 Green chillies
1/2 cup grated Coconut powder
1/4 Cumin seeds
5 Garlic pods
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste

Directions

Cut the French beans into small pieces. Boil the French beans. Drain the water through a colander and keep it aside. Meanwhile, grind onion tomato and green chillies separately. 

Take a pan and heat up oil in it. Add cumin seeds to it. Let it splutter and then add finely chopped garlic to it. Add onion paste to the pan and saute it for 2 minutes until it turns translucent. Then add green chilly paste and pureed tomato to the mixture. Let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt, turmeric and coriander powder to it. Later add the boiled beans to the mixture and let it cook for 2 minutes. then add the coconut powder to the beans and again let the coconut flavor infuse into the beans mixture. Cook it for 2 minutes and its ready to be served!!
Linking this recipe to coconutty event - Taste of the Tropics–Coconut @ Nivedhanam and Chef Mireille’s

                                                         

KFC Popcorn chicken

Ingredients
200 gms Chicken cubes 
1 cup Plain flour 
1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp Soya sauce
Salt to taste
1/2 Lemon juice
1 tsp Pepper Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder/Mango(amchur) powder
1 tbsp Icing sugar
1 Egg whites
1 tbsp Milk
1/2 cup Bread crumbs
Oil to fry


Directions
Marinate the chicken cubes in ginger garlic paste, soya sauce, salt, lemon juice and pepper powder.
Take Plain flour in some bowl. To this add salt, onion or mango powder, icing sugar and pepper powder. Give it a stir. This is the seasoning mixture for the chicken cubes.
Take egg whites in another bowl Add some milk to this. Whisk it and keep it ready. 
Take bread crumbs in a plate ready for rolling-in the chicken cubes.
Take one chicken cube, coat it with seasoning mixture, dip it in the egg white and roll it on the bread crumbs, dip it back into egg white wash and again roll it on the bread crumbs. Repeat the process with all the chicken cubes.
Take oil in pan and fry these chicken cubes. Once the chicken cubes cook through and turn golden brown. Drain them on the paper towel. Serve them with Tomato ketchup.

China Grass Pudding

China Grass is another name for Agar-agar. It is a Vegetable ‘gelatine’ derived from a number of seaweeds (Gelidium amansii) which are processed by boiling and drying. It is used as a setting agent in Asian countries. 

It is available in powdered form or as dried strands. If using Strands, always cut  them with scissors into small pieces and soak them into water for 10-15 min.

You can try out different versions of this recipe with fruits and dry nuts.

Here is the base version of this recipe

Ingredients


1/2 litre Milk
3 pods Cardamom
4 strands Nutmeg
7 tsps Sugar
5 or 6 Almonds
5 or 6 Kishmish/ Currants
1 packet of China Grass powder
2 Tbsps Milkmaid/Khoya/ Condensed milk (Optional)
Edible colour


Directions


Boil Milk in a pan. Take some milk from the pan and dissolve China grass in it till it melts completely.
Simmer milk on slow fire. Add sugar, powdered cardamom and nutmeg to the milk. Let it simmer till the sugar dissolves.
Mix in china grass and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring it for 5 minutes.
Cool it for 10 minutes and put in a rinsed flat dish.
Set in a cool place or in a refrigerate till it turns firm.
Cut into pieces, mix with fruits and serve it.


P.S: You can divide the  milk into two parts and add different edible colours to them I prefer lighter  one at the bottom and darker one on the top. Seems interesting for children.
I tend to use fruits from my refridgerator, be it any. Cut them into thin slices and arrange at the bottom of the flat dish, so that when you turn it upside down, It sort of gives an absolute presentation.

Mini Chicken Kebabs

 I love reading, writing, phrasing sentences and creating out of the box things. Blogging has always been on my mind since 2008. But never really had time to pin down the things racing in my mind.
This is my first blog entry and that too for sumptuous food. Never really thought my love for food would make me start blog writing.

I am an ardent persuader of experiments and challenges, and when those are made of simple basic things, what better thing could one ask for in life, specially when you are the one having the pleasure of that blended melt in mouth. This appetizer is being sent to Blog Event - Eid Potluck party .
Well, Here goes my first recipe MINI CHICKEN KEBABS (I got this one from Sunita Rodriguez show "Meals on the Run" aired on Food First Channel.


Ingredients
2 Chicken breast pieces
4 to 5 Mushrooms
1 medium Onion
1 Tomato
1 Capsicum (Green, Yellow)
3 Tsp Ginger Garlic paste
4 to 5 Garlic pods
3 Tsp Oregano
Salt to Taste
Olive Oil (Any vegetable oil would do)
Pepper Powder


Directions:
Cut all the vegetables (Onion, Tomato, Capsicums and Mushrooms) and Chicken into cubes of almost same size. Take all of them into a bowl. Add chopped Garlic, Oregano, Salt, Ginger Garlic Paste, Freshly grounded pepper powder, and Oil. Marinate it for 20 to 25 minutes.
Skewer all of them to toothpicks (available in supermarkets). Take oil in a non-stick pan and fry them turning them on all sides.
I prepared this dish early in the morning as the side dish in lunch box for my husband. Glad..he liked it.
Please try this easy and quick dish in your kitchen and let me know how it went.
Hoping to blog many more recipes in coming days  which i try in my kitchen.