Chilli Chicken

View Video

This is an old Chinese favorite in all restaurants in India. It's probably made a hundred different ways, here is my version!

Ingredients
1 pound chicken boneless breast or thigh cut in small cubes
4-5 spring onions - sliced(reserve leaves)
2 large green chilli sliced diagonally
1 pod garlic minced
2 tbsps garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp soya sauce
2 tsps corn starch
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp chilli paste
Dash of vinegar
salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp corn starch dissolved in a quarter cup of water.


Add 1 tsp of the garlic paste, soya and cornstarch to the chicken and mix well.

Deep fry on high heat and keep aside.

In the same sauté pan heat some oil and sauté the spring onions, green chillies and garlic

Add a tsp of garlic paste, chilli paste, dash of vinegar and the stock. Bring to a boil.

Add salt if required.

Add a little soya and ground black pepper.

Add the dissolved corn starch.

Add all the cooked chicken and cook for another 30 - 40 seconds.

Chilli Prawns

View Video

Perfect for a snack, appetizer or an accompaniment to a main course, this 5 ingredient delicious is sure to make your mouth water. While prawns and shrimp are very different to a marine biologist, it's used interchangeably in many recipes. You can use anything you like from prawns that tend to be a bit larger to tiger shrimp. Fresh is always best, but I also use frozen quite often to satisfy my families Chilly prawn 'kravings' If possible, leave the tail on, it serves as a handle and also imparts additional flavor.

Ingredients
300gms tail on prawns or shrimp
2 tbsps very finely minced garlic
2 tsps Sambal Oelek or Chilli paste
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp all purpose flour

Salt
Water
Oil
Optional - 4 Spring onions cut in half.

Marinate the prawns or shrimp with the garlic, sambal oelek and the soya. Keep aside for at least half and hour. Make a thick paste with the corn starch and flour and a little bit of salt to taste. You can omit the flour and use double the cornstarch to make this recipe gluten free. Mix the paste with the shrimp. Add a few tbsps of oil and when it's hot, shallow fry the prawns till golden brown on each side. Add the Spring onions and caramelize. Drain on kitchen towels and serve.

Mexican Lasagna

View Video

Inspiration can come from anywhere and I happened to see something similar in my local groceries calendar, I immediately jumped up and tried to create my own version. The results were delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds regular or medium ground beef
• 1 red onion chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 10 tsps prepared or packaged Taco spice (try my Taco Spice recipe, its so easy to prepare)
• 800 ml salsa
• 1 cup water
• 8 lasagna noodles - boil till soft
• 300-400 gms cheese (I used a combination of Jalepeno Pepperjack and Cheddar)
•  2-3 tbsps oil

Ingredients Topping

• 1/2 cup crushed Tortilla chips
• Some salsa
• Some Cheese
• 1 small chopped tomato

Heat the oil and add the onions and saute for a few minutes, 

Add the meat 
Add the Taco spice 
Add 6 tbsps of Salsa
Once the meat is browned, add a cup of water, cover and cook.

In a baking dish, layer half the meat mixture, cover with 4 strips of noodles(you may have to trim the noodles to fit the pan), and then add a layer of salsa followed by a layer of cheese. Follow this with another layer of noodles, the rest of the ground beef, another layer of meat and a final layer of cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, add the crushed chips, some salsa and tomatoes and bake for another 3-5 minutes. You can add other toppings like Jalapenos, Olives, Onions etc.

Simple Lemon, Horseradish & Rosemary Roast Chicken

Sometimes the simplest things in life surprise us with intense flavor.

Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsps Horseradish & Rosemary salt
2 tbsps Olive oil
6 - 8 sliced mushrooms
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Fresh lemon and rosemary for garnish

Simply rub a fresh stuffed chicken with lemon juice, olive oil and a horseradish and rosemary salt. I was lucky to receive a bottle of this salt from Ruby Eats owned by the prestigious chef Lynn Crawford. This shouldn't be too hard to prepare yourself. Add a 1/2 tsp of dried rosemary and kosher salt to 1/2 a cup of coarse salt.

Line the bottom of an oven proof pan with mushrooms. Place the chicken over and roast in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for two hours. It turns out juicy and delicious.

See site for Chicken cooking times.

Maharaja's Mac & Cheese - The Royal Mac & Cheese

 View Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uwy5lxzVLU

Fit for a King or Maharaja, this Mac and Cheese is made with a simple Chicken curry base, embellished with mushrooms and smothered in cream and cheese. This is a perfect way to introduce new flavors to your little ones and also a great treat for grownups. You can substitute any of the ingredients to tailor it to your taste.

300 - 400 gms elbow macaroni. Cook in salted water according to the package instructions.
1/2 red onion chopped
8 oz chopped boneless chicken
1 cup fresh mushrooms chopped
1 tsp cumin or jeera powder
1 tsp coriander or dhania powder
1/2 tsp turmeric or haldi
salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
250 gms softened cream cheese
3 cups shredded cheese(mozzarella and cheddar)
Optional: 1 pinch of red chilli flakes

Saute the onions and when it's golden brown, add the chicken and cook. Add the powdered spices and salt and follow with the heavy cream. Let the cream come to a boil and then add the cream cheese. This will form a lovely golden rich sauce. When the pasta is cooked, drain and fold into the sauce. Add 1 cup of the 3 cups of shredded cheese and a pinch of red chilli flakes(optional). Pour into oven proof dish and cover with the rest of the two cups of cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 mins. Serve immediately.

Follow this recipe and others on youtube.com/kravingsblog

Nihari or meat stew

View Video

I’ve been married to my muslim husband for close to 15 years. I had heard stories about the traditional nihari which is a gravy made from a special cut of beef with large bones. Traditionally this dish is cooked for hours by the women of the family that take turns to stir the meat. The result is a delicious gravy with melt in your mouth meat that is served on special occasions.

I must have heard "why don't you make Nihari" many many times but never tried it for fear of failing. Then the inevitable happened. I opened the refrigerator and saw a bag marked "Nihari meat". I then realized that it was time for me to sink or swim. I immediately called my good friend Lubna who translated a recipe from her family cookbook and written in Urdu. For that I am truly grateful. I've amended the recipe to make it easier, if you're brave like I had to be that day, give it a try.

This is an absolute favorite in my household and over the years I've changed this recipe a bit to make it my own. What once seemed like a Herculean task, I can now prepare wih my eyes closed and I hope that the video makes this easy for you to tackle.

5 pounds Nihari meat - Marinated in 2 tbsps ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice & salt

(Nihari meat is cut in big chunks and contains large pieces of bone. You need these bones for the gravy, you can remove these later. You can also use bone in mutton or lamb)

2 tbsps ghee

2 medium red onions sliced

3 black cardamoms

3 star anise

5 cloves

2 tsps each turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder and fennel powder

1/2 cup tomato paste

Salt

Water

For the garnishes

Julienne of ginger and garlic

Sliced chillies

Chopped Coriander

Lemon and/or lime wedges

Fried onions

Heat a few tbps of ghee or clarified butter in a saute pan bit enough to hold all the meat. Add the onions and then the whole spices and saute till the onions are nice and golden brown. Remove from the pan to make room for the meat. Sear the meat on both sides and then add all of the powdered spices. Add the tomato puree, salt and  some water and cook for about a half hour. You can continue cooking this on a low flame for about 6 hours or like me, transfer this to a crock pot and leave it on low for 6 hours to overnight. The result is this delicious intense flavour and is fall of the bone delicious. Serve with an assortment of garnishes and let your guests pick and choose what they like to top their Nihari with. You can eat this with rice, but it's best eaten with rotis or naans.

Saag Gosht

View video

This is also known as Palak Gosht, Hara Gosht or Lamb Saag but what’s in a name? This is really just meat cooked in a delicious spinach gravy till it’s fall apart good.

2 pounds Lamb leg or shoulder with bone (can use mutton or beef)
salt
pepper
Juice of one lemon

1 medium red onion sliced
5 cloves garlic sliced
1 inch stick ginger sliced
3 green chilies chopped
1 tsp each coriander, garam masala, chili and turmeric powder
2 bunches young spinach
Salt

Pepper
1 cup water(add more if required)

Marinate the meat with salt, pepper and lemon juice preferably overnight. Saute the meat till golden brown. In another pan, saute the onions, add the ginger and garlic and then the chillies and fry till cooked. Add all the powdered spices. And mix. Then add the washed spinach. Cook till the spinach wilts and reduces in volume. When the spinach is cooked, remove the mixture, let it cool and then grind it. Return the ground spinach paste to the pan, turn on the heat and add a cup of water. Add the meat. Cover and cook for an hour stirring at intervals. Add salt and pepper to taste and some more water if required. Serve with rice or rotis!

How to make Tandoori Chicken

View Video

There's nothing like the taste of a delicious Tandoori Chicken drumstick, fresh off the grill. Marinate them Tandoori style and you have a winner on your hands. You can make the marinade a day ahead and marinate the wings overnight.

Tandoori Marinade
350 gms plain yoghurt
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tbsp each cumin, coriander, chaat masala, garam masala, pepper, fenugreek leaves, turmeric & black salt
2 tbsps each ginger and garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp red food color
1/2 cup chopped coriander

10 chicken drumsticks
To make the marinade, just mix all the ingredients together. Marinate the chicken overnight and cook on a hot grill for 10 - 15 mins on each side. Brush with oil in between to keep it from sticking to the grill. View Video