Succulent Chicken Breast

I've always wanted to be able to cook perfectly juicy chicken breasts. I've been experimenting for the last couple of tries and failed. Mr. Husband would complain that the stuff was too dry. Then I gave in and decided to cheat. I looked up these online recipes and they did help. I like to do my research and read up more than one recipe to confirm the directions. Call me paraniod but I put a lot of heart and effort into my dishes so I want to be sure I am doing the right thing before I start. Anyhow, I'm impressed with the results.

So now I know it. The trick to succulent chicken breasts are twofold: 1) pound the heck out of them 2)cook covered on low heat. How easy was that? But the Indian in me could have never guessed!

Thanks to the cyber world I achieved success with a recipe that was outside my comfort zone. :-)

Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1. 2 chicken breasts
2. Salt
3. pepper
4. Butter, 2-3 tbsp
5. Olive oil, 1 tsp


Directions:
1. Wash the chicken breasts well.
2. Cover them with parchment paper.
3. Pound well untill all parts are even and flat.
4. Make slits using a knife.
5. Rub salt, pepper and olive oil on the side up.
6. Heat a skillet and melt butter.
7. With the smooth part up, add the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook on medium high until it browns slightly.
8. Flip the breasts and cover and cook on medium low heat for exactly 10 mins.
9. Turn off heat and let it sit covered for another 10 mins.

Voila! Yummy juicy chicken breasts are ready. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve over a bed of pasta or cut them up to throw them in a salad or into a rice dish , or as a main with a side of salad and roasted potatoes. The choices are umpteen.

And what  a happy coincidence! This matches my detox diet! Am I happy or am I happy?!

Home made Chicken Soup

I loved this one. It's been adapted from various online sources (too many to list here). I doubted how good it would turn out because the ingredients seemed too simplistic. And that is why I kept looking for the "right" recipe to reaffirm my trust in this recipe. My bad. Little did I know that simplistic recipes too have their charm and can surprise!

Ingredients:
1. chicken cubes ripped apart, 1 can
2. 1 carrot, diced
3. 3-4 stalks of celery, minced
4. Chicken broth
5. Chili garlic sauce, 1/2 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. 1 Bay leaf
8. 1-2 garlic pods, minced
9. 2 Tsp olive oil
10. 1 onion, chopped

Directions:
1. Heat a wok then throw in bay leaf, onion, garlic and stir fry.
2. After 3-4 mins, throw in carrots and celery and cook.
3. When cooked, add in broth, chicken, salt, and chili sauce.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve warm.

Carrot Uttapam (Rice and Lentil Flatbread with Carrots)

Uttapam is a South Indian delicacy made of rice and lentils. In the modern day, Uttapam is also made using semolina as it cuts down on the preparation time yet yields similar results.This recipe is the traditional one.

Ingredients:
1. Carrot, 1, shredded
2. green chili, 2 chopped
3. Onion, 1/2 chopped
4. Rice, 2 cups
5. Urad Dal, 1 cup
6. Salt to taste
7. Oil.

Directions:
1. Soak rice and urad dal overnight with just enough water such that it is covered.
2. Blend rice and urad dal to make a batter. Add water such that the batter is not exactly runny but just about.
3. Add salt to the batter and let it ferment overnight.
Tip: I usually pre-heat oven to 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then leave the batter in the oven for quick fermentation.
4. Mix chili, carrot, and onions into the batter.
5. Pour a ladle of the batter on a non-stick greased pan.
6. When the batter seems to detach from the base, flip and cook on the other side.

Serve warm with Coconut chutney.

Tamatar Nariyal Chutney (Tomato Coconut Condiment)

This one is my favorite. It fits with my diet and adds flavour to my food. What more can I ask for? It's a perfect condiment for idlis, utthapams, dosas, or vadas, often relished at breakfast. There are so many variants of this condiment out there. I have one on my blog too (without the tomato). Check it out here.

Try it to believe it. I bet you will love this one!

Ingredients:
1. 1 large semi ripe tomato, chopped.
2. 1/4 cup shredded or grated coconut
3. 1 green chili
4. 1 dried red chili
5. A fistful of chana dal
6. A fistful of urad dal
7. tamarind pulp 3-4 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
10. Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
11. Curry leaves, a couple
12. Oil, 2 tsp

Directions:
1. Heat a wok and add one part of the oil.
2. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let it sizzle.
3. Add green chili, red chili, urad dal, and chana dal.
4. Let it fry until the lentils turns brown.
5. Add coconut and fry more.
6. Next add the tomatoes and cook until it looks dry.
7. Let this cool.
8. Add into a blender and add salt, and tamarind pulp and blend to a smooth paste.
9. To temper, heat the rest of oil in a wok, when the oil is hot add in curry leaves and mustard seeds.
10. When the start to seeds pop, the temper is ready. Pour it into the paste.

Voila!

Makai Vada (Corn Flour Fritters)

Have you heard of Methu Vada? This is a counterpart from the corn family. It's a Gujarati delicacy and my MIL's recipe. Deep fried in oil, this one is a snack that you'd occasionally want just for a change.

1. 5-6 green chili, shredded
2. 4-5 cloves of garlic, shredded
3. A big handful of cilantro, shredded
4. 2 tsp coriander powder
5. 1 tsp red chili  powder
6. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
7. 4-5 tbsp yogurt whisked.
8. 4 tbsp jaggery
9. An inch of ginger, shredded
10. Salt to taste
11. Corn flour 200-300 gram
12. Some water
13. Oil for frying

Directions:
1. Mix jaggery with the whisked yogurt.
2. Make a dough of corn flour with ingredients 1-10.
3. Oil your palms.
4. Pinch out small round balls of the dough (1 cm in radius) and then flatten by pressing between your palms
3. Deep fry until brown.

Serve warm or cold.

Oats Khichdi (Oat and Lentil Stew)

In my quest to cook with Oats, I am discovering new and easy recipes. I am loving this new side of culinary feasts that I had missed on for so long.
This recipe is is a combination of Oats and Moong Dal. In South India, this dish is known as Pongal and traditionally cooked with rice.
It is a great dish because it can be devoured any time of the day, requires minimal ingredients, and can be prepared in a jiffy!
For the traditional Khichdi recipe, check this out.

Ingredients:
1. Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
2. Curry leaves, 3-4 twigs
3. Ginger, 1 inch, minced
4. Oil
5. Cashews (optional), a fistful
6. Peppercorn, crushed, 3-4 (optional)
7. Oats, 1 cup
8. Moong dal, 1/2 cup, steamed/cooked through
9. Water, 1.5 cup
10. Salt to taste
11. Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
12. Hing, a pinch
13. Green chili, 1, chopped
14. Spinach, a bunch, chopped

Directions:
1. Heat a non-stick wok.
2. Add in oil. When the oil is hot, add in cashewnuts, cumin seeds, hing, ginger, curry leaves, peppercorn, and green chili.
3. When they turn brown and the cumin starts to sizzle, add in oats.
4. Then add water, turmeric, and salt and mix well.
5. Cook for about 5 minutes until the consistency is thick and oats absorbs most of the water.
6. Add spinach and moong dal.
7. Mix and adjust the seasoning.

Serve warm.

Thanks to Rak and Sailu for this delicious and healthy recipe.

Oats and Tomato soup

In allegiance to Oats, this one is fanasty food for health freaks hands down. And good timing on this one as the temperature dips below freezing. A warm serving of home made soup soothes likes none.

Thank you IndusLadies for this recipe.

Ingredients:
1. 1 green chili
2. 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled.
3. 2 big tomatoes
4. 1 carrot, peeled
5. Salt to taste
6. Pepper to taste
7. Vegetable broth
8. Oats, soaked, 1 cup

Directions:
1. Pressure cooker carrots, garlic, chili, and tomatoes. Add salt.
2. Let it cool.
3. Blend it to a smooth consistency in the food processor.
4. Transfer to a wok and let it come to a boil.
5. Check the flavour and adjust with pepper and salt. Add broth to reach the desired consistency.
6. Add on oats.

Serve warm.

Healthy Homemade Vegetable Soup

A figment of my imgination, this recipe is goodness revealed. No sugar, No diary, No gluten. A wholesome and nutritious one pot bowl of comfort.

Ingredients:
1. Carrot, 1, peeled
2. Cauliflower florets, 1/2 of a cauliflower
3. Brocolli head, 1
4. Green onion, 1 bunch, copped
5. Garlic cloves, 2, minced
6. Zuchini, 1, cut up
7. Salt to taste
8. Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
9. Vegetable broth (optional), to desired consistency.
10. Olive oil
11. Celery Stalk, 1, chopped

Directions:
1. In a hot non stick wok, add olive oil, green onions, and garlic.
2. Saute until brown.
3. In a pressure cooker, boil ingredients 1-6 and celery (green onion and garlic from the steps above).
4. Let it cool.
5. Blend in a food processor.
6. Tansfer back to the wok and and salt, pepper and broth.

Serve warm. Garnish with chopped green pepper.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Instant Oats Dosa (Flatbread)

"Oat is a breakfast cereal. The only meal that can be put together with Oats is Oatmeal."

This  statement is clearly a myth and this myth has now been busted in my life. Gone are the days when I shrugged off the probability of cooking meals with Oats as it was was considered to be a "morning" food.

When I originally put myself on this gluten-dairy-sugar free diet, I was skeptical of relishing any other grain than rice because I was most exposed to two grains while growing up - wheat and rice. If Wheat goes away, I thought, only rice remains.

On my mother and Mr. Husband's insistence, I bought a big bag of rolled Oats from the supermarket thinking that it will either end up getting donated, eaten as oatmeal, or worst case rot then get thrown away.

When I started getting bored of rice, I fell back on besan or chickpea flour to make Cheela. Oats was still not in the picture. I hated the taste of chickpea flour in a flat bread. I started to think what my alternatives were through the process of elimination. OK, my mind sparked, I've got Quinoa! But that turned into a Boo Boo because I've recently developed an allergy to it. I had a stomach ache all night and swore never to ingest Quinoa again! Sigh. I was running low on ideas and zeal at this time. Then it suddenly struck me that I had a big bag of Oats in the pantry and I instantly remembered Priya's versatile recipes with Oats. Then, I googled some videos on Indian recipes with Oats and started to like the thought of cooking with Oats. And I am not disappointed.

The good thing about Oats is that it is high in fibre and neutral in taste. This makes it a perfect and choicest ingredient for several recipes. Unlike chickpea flour or besan, Oat is very submissive and accommodating to any flavour that you may want to impart to it for your final outcome. Being bland actually works in favour of Oats (at least for me)! Spice it up or sweeten it, Oat will be at your disposal!

This recipe was found on youtube. It was easy to make and tasted great with a side of spicy vegetables.

Ingredients:
1. Oats and Urad dal (in the proportion 2:1)
2. Salt to taste (optional)
3. Water

Directions:
1. Make a dry powdered mixture of Oats and urad dal.
Note: I am told that this mixture lasts several months when stored in an air-tight container.
2. Mix with water and salt until you get the desired consistency.
3. Pour a ladle on a lightly greased non-stick pan. Flip and cook on both sides.

Serve warm as dosa or as a roti.

Oats Upma

As you know, a healthy gluten-diary-sugar free diet is changing my eating as well as cooking habits.  I've been on the lookout for tasty yet fitting recipes for my well-being without having to kill myself over finding the ingredients. Luckily enough, there is a plethora of cooking tutorials on youtube and recipes on the internet. The recipe below has been clearly copied and I take no credit for this work. Also, I want to thank one of my blogger friends, Priya,  who inspired me to cook with Oats. She is the one who introduced me to the versatility of this super-grain. Thanks, Priya!

Ingredients:
1. Onion, chopped, 1
2. Garlic pods, 2, minced
3. Green chili, 2, minced
4. Carrot, 1, diced
5. Green peas, 1 cup, frozen
6. Green beans, 1 cup, frozen
7. Oats, 3-4 cups
8. Salt to taste
9. Hing, a pinch
10. Lemon juice to tatse
11. Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
12. Oil
13. Curry leaves from 3-4 twigs
14. Chana dal/bengal gram, a fistful
15. Mustard seeds (optional)


Directions:
1. Dry roast rolled oats.
2. In a non stick wok, add oil.
3. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
4. Add in turmeric powder, hing, onions, garlic, green chili, curry leaves, and bengal gram.
5. Saute until they turn brownish.
6. Add in carrots, green peas, beans and water. Let it boil.
7. Add in lemon juice, salt to taste.
8. Slowly add in oats, mixing thoroughly.
9. Reduce the heat and keep mixing until all the water is absorbed by the oats.

Believe me this tasted as good if not better than the traditional Upma. I do not regret any bit of it. 

Healthy eating? Bring it on!

Hearty Home Made Vegetable Soup

Thanks to my gluten-diary-sugar free diet, I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new recipes. This recipe is not mine or someone else's but an amalgamation of various recipes suited to my imagination and pantry availability. It is a warm soothing one pot fare that acts as a perfect satisfying meal on a cold lonely winter night.

Ingredients:
1. 1 carrot, diced.
2. green onion, 1 bunch, chopped
3. tomato, 1 chopped
4. Celery stalks, 2, chopped
5. Broccoli heads, 2-3 minced
6. Garlic, 2, minced
7. Dried peas, boiled, a cup
8. Salt to taste
9. Black pepper, freshly ground
10. Oregano
11. Basil
12. Vegetable stalk
13. V8 Vegetable cocktail soup.
14. Water, to the desired consistency
15. Olive oil

Directions:
1. Add oil to a non-stick wok.
2. Saute garlic and let it brown.
3. Add in green onion, carrots, basil, oregano and saute.
4. Add in broccoli, celery and let it soften.
5. Add in tomato, water, vegetable stalk, juice, pepper and salt.
6. Boil. Adjust the seasoning and consistency with water or juice.
7. Throw in the dried peas and mix well.

Serve warm.

Stir fried veggies with Charred Salmon

On a Glueten-sugar-Dairy free diet, I am finding life in colourful vegetables, fish, chicken, and a side of rice.This diet has steered me and introduced me to some new recipes. All is well that ends well. And everything is for a reason. Follow on...

1. Mushrooms, sliced
2. Cucumber, diced
3. Broccoli florets
4, Spinach, fresh
5. Soy sauce
6. Garlic chili pepper sauce
7. Salt
8. Oyester sauce
9.Carrots, diced.


1. Stir fry all veggies
2. When the change start to colours, add in ingredients 5-8. Check the flavours and adjust seasoning.
Serve warm with salmon or just by itself.

Seared Salmon and Sauteed Spinach

On a diet lately, I am experimenting outside my comfort zone. And I am finding success and savoury sensations. The below is adapted from a youtube video. Healthy and tasteful, this one is easy to make too!
1. Salmon (skinless, boneless)
2. Spinach, fresh
3. Honey
4. Balsamic vinegar
5. Olive oil
6. Soy sauce
7. Garlic chili pepper sauce
8. Honey

1. Cook salmon on both sides, set aside.
2. Saute spinach, set aside.
3. Make a dressing of ingredients 5-8.
Lay a plate with a bed of the sauted spinach, top with the seared salmon, then drizzle the dressing over it generously.

Serve by itself or with a side of steamed white rice.

Bon apetite!

Bharela Bhindi (Stuffed Okra)

I've been out of touch lately. Blame it on school, work, fitness routines, and then some not so pleasant stuff. I don't want to talk about the gore part but all I can say is that it taught me/was a refresher of good lessons. Never compromise your personal ethics even how compelling the influence may be, and just keeping going. So long as you can answer your conscience, you do not need to answer anyone else. Never ignore health. Cherish the people who are your well wishers especially those who make your life a positive one to lead.

Here's a recipe that Mom and I cooked up together. It took a lot of time but did not feel like work because we split the load. Mom, you are such an angel. I love you, Mom!

Ingredients:
1. Okra
2. Oil
3. Salt
4. Fennel powder
5. Turmeric powder
6. Cumin powder
7. Coriander powder
8. Red chili powder
9. Mustard seeds
10. Cumin seeds
11. Hing

Directions:
1. Wash and pat dry the okra
2. Chop off the head and tails.
3. Make a slit on one side.
4. Make a spice mix of ingredients 2-8.
5. Stuff it into the slits.
6. Heat a wok, add oil.
7. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, hing and cumin seeds. Let it crackle.
9. Add in the Stuffed okra and cook until al-dente.

Serve warm with Roti bread.

Undhiyo or Gujarati Mixed Vegetables with Chickpea Flour Dumplings

Undhiyo is a Gujarati  mixed vegetable dish with steamed chickpea flour dumplings. This was the first time I made and tried this dish. I had only heard the name before that. My MIL taught me how to make this dish. Long story short - First prepare the dumplings then cook the vegetables and finally mix them together.

Some people like to add Plantain to the dish but I was advised otherwise from my MIL.  The steamed dumplings are often referred to as Muthia and is also consumed as a tea time snack. The dumplings can be made in many ways, one variant is described here.

The dish is cooked in a generous amount of oil and requires a lot of work. But I loved the flavours and the excitement of making something different from the mundane.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
1. 1 yam, peeled, cubed
2. 1 sweet potato, peeled, cubed
3. 2-3 potatoes, peeled, cubed
4. 1 round eggplant, cubed
5. 2 carrots, peeled, cut in rings
6. Snow peas/Navy beans/Fava Beans (Sem or Surati papdi), de-veined and split, 1 pound
7. 7-8 cloves garlic, shredded/crushed
8. a handful of cilantro, shredded, finely chopped
9. 2-3 green chili, crushed
10. Besan or chickpea flour, 3-4 cups
11. Methi or fenugreek leaves, chopped, appx 2 bunches
12. 2 tsp red chili powder
13. 2 tsp coriander powder
14. Salt to taste
15. 2 tsp turmeric powder
16. Tomatoes, 1, cubed
17. Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
18. Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
19. Garam masala

Directions:
1. Make a moist dough of ingredients 10-15 with oil. Then add water to make a smooth dough.
2. Make cylindrical balls of the dough and steam. Set aside and cool.
3. Heat a generous amount of oil in a deep bottomed wok or pressure cooker.
4. Add mustard and cumin seeds to the oil and let it crackle.
5. Next add ingredients 7-9 and stir fry for a minute.
6. Now add ingredients 1-6 and some water.
7. Close the lid of the pressure cook and let the vegetables cook.
8.  When the vegetables are cooked, add red chili powder, salt and garam masala.
9. Throw in the steamed dumplings and chopped tomato.
10. Mix well.

Serve with hot Rotis

Gazar ka Achaar (Carrot Pickle)

This is one thing I've had some many times. I've dreamed of making it and asked many people for the recipe. To each one, their own (recipe). But when it came to taking action, I was a lazy bum. Whenever I would go somewhere for a meal that happened to include this pickle, it just made me happier. It is a crunchy and savory accompaniment to any Indian meal.

Recently, I went to an Aunt's house. She was kind enough to give me an entire jar of this pickle that she had prepared at home. I was on cloud nine. Seeing my love for this pickle, when I came home, my MIL made it for me. Here is her recipe:

Ingredients:
1. Carrots, 4-5, peeled and then juilienned
2. Jalapeno peppers, about 2 fist fulls, julienned
3. Oilve oil, 7-10 tbsp
4. Rai or mustard powder, 3-4 tsp
5. Turmeric powder, 2 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Sugar, 1 tsp (optional)

Directions:
1. Wash and pat dry the carrots and jalapeni peppers. Then pat dry.
2. Mix everything together.
3. Leave at room temperature for a couple of days.
4. Store in an air tight jar in the fridge.
It will last for more than a couple of weeks.

Serve as a side with Roti, vegetables, or Rice and lentil soup.

Lahsaniya Batakha - The Original

Remember this recipe? That was my imagination of Lahsaniya Batakha.

This one is my Mom-in-laws recipe - the original and authentic Gujarati version. I fell in love with it. I am sure you will too -  especially if you like garlic. It is easy to make and scores high on taste. When you are looking for something that can be done up in a jiffy yet will flirt with your tastebuds, go for this recipe!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1. 6 potatoes, peeled, diced
2. Garlic, 8012 pods or 1 full flower, shredded
3. 1 green chili, shredded
4. 2-3 Dried red chili, broken
5. 1 tsp mustard seeds
6. 1 tsp cumin seeds
7. 1/4 tsp heeng
8. Oil
9. Coriander powder, 2 tsp
10. Red chili powder, 1 heaping tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Turmeric powder, 2 tsp
13. Onion, 1 minced (optional)
14. Fresh Cilantro, a handful, chopped

Directions:
1. Heat a pressure cooker.
2. Add oil and mustard seeds and heeng.
3. When the seeds splutter, add cumin seeds and let it sizzle.
4. Throw in garlic and let it brown.
5. Add in onion and fry for a few minutes.
6. Add turmeric powder and potatoes.
7. Add coriander powder, red chili powder, salt.
8. Add some water and close the lid of the pressure cooker.
9. Allow 2-3 whistles to below.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve warm with Roti.