Chicken Malai Kebabs

These kebabs have yummy interesting flavors...you can use a griddle pan if you don't have a grill. You can always adjust the spice level to your own taste by cutting down on the number of green chillies....ENJOY!!!

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless chicken, cut into strips

3 tablespoons ginger paste

7 teaspoons garlic paste

1 teaspoon white pepper, finely ground

salt

1 egg

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

8 green chilies, finely chopped

4 teaspoons coriander, ground

1/2 cup cream

1/2 teaspoon mace, ground

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions"

1. If you are using wooden or bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water (read the package directions) so that they don’t splinter or burn on you.
   
2. Mix together the Ginger, Garlic, Salt and Pepper. Rub this mix into the Chicken and set aside for at least 15 minute.
   
3. Mix together the Egg, Cheese, Chillies, Coriander, Cream, Mace, Nutmeg and Cornstarch. Rub this mixture into the Chicken as well. Marinade for a minimum of 3 hours.
   
4. Thread the Chicken strips onto the skewers. If you are putting more than one piece on a skewer, leave them spaced about 1 in apart.
   
5. Grill the kebabs for 5 min, or roast in the oven @ 275 degrees, or place in the rotisserie according to appliance directions.
   
6. If you are using the rotisserie, you may roast them until they are done.
   
7. If you are grilling or oven roasting them, remove them from the heat and place them on a rack to allow the excess liquid to drip off. Then roast again for 3 minutes.
   
8. Serve with coriander-mint chutney, or any other chutney of your preference. 

Cauliflour (Gobi) Manchurian

Cauliflour is my all time favorite vegetable. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Gobi, as it's called in Hindi,  is a winter vegetable and back in India, I used to have my vacation in the winters. That's when I got to come home to all the yummy food. I never really ate bad tasting cauliflour (thank heavens!). 

Gobi Manchurian is an Indian-Chinese dish - let it be known here, that you won't really find 'Manchurian' in any Chinese menu, unless it's Indian-Chinese. I was terribly shocked when I moved to the US, and to my disappointment, no Chinese restaurant here knew what I was talking about when I said 'Manchurian'. I thought I was talking Chinese :) - they looked at me like I was talking Greek.

Gobi Manchurian can be served dry as a snack/side, or with gravy as a main course. The crunchiness of the gobi manchurian, along with the spicyness of the gravy is lip smacking! I have yet to meet anyone who does not 'dish' this dish...

For the Manchurian:

1 medium Gobi (Cauliflower) - broken into florets

3/4 cup All Purpose Flour - Bleached (Maida) 

1 tbsp Corn Flour 

Salt to taste 

For the gravy:

1 chopped green chili 

1 1/2  tbsp Garlic Paste

1 1/2 tbsp Ginger Paste

1 cup finely Chopped Onions 

Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves 

1/4th tsp Ajinomoto (MSG) - optional

2 tbsp Soya Sauce 

2-3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup 

2 tbsp Oil

Directions:

1. Make a pancake like batter with the flour (maida), corn flour and salt using water.
   
2. Add half of the ginger and garlic paste to this batter.
   
3. Dip the gobi florets in the batter and deep fry till golden brown and crispy. Keep aside.
   
4. Heat oil in another pan and add the other half ginger & garlic paste, chopped onions and green chili to he hot oil.
   
5. Now, add aginomoto (MSG - optional), soy sauce and tomato sauce to it.
   
6. If you are serving this at home, wait till its serving time and then toss the fried Gobi and gravy together - this will ensure its crunchiness. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve the gobi manchurian hot.
   

Most Importantly - Please serve with a cool drink :)

Couple of tips:

1. To make this more gravi-ish - add a tsp of corn starch with 2 tbsp of water and add to the onions mixture. Let it thicken and then add the fried gobi.
   
2. I like to chop up green and red peppers along with the onion - it adds such a burst of flavor to the Manchurian. 
   
3. Feel free to add hot sauce to heat things up! I sometimes add hot sauce to the batter so the fried gobi is yummy to eat by itself.
   
4. I mostly skip the MSG - it does add some flavor, but I cook for my kids, and like to skip it all together.
   
5. Mostly served with Lo Mein or Rice! I like to eat it as is!
   

Divine Fudge

I know I spoke about putting a recipe for my favorite vegetable...but you know, chocolate is equally healthy. I'm sure all the choc late lovers will agree with me. And what with the holiday season already here, I feel we maybe already late in putting this recipe up...so ladies (and gentlemen who cook), here's presenting the most 'Divine fudge' ever...

I used Ricemellow Creme here. If you can't find Ricemellow Crème in your natural food store, you can still use regular marshmallow creme with good results. 

Ingredients:

1 9.7-ounce bar of good-quality semi-sweet chocolate (62% Scharffen Berger)

3 cups organic cane sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup lite coconut milk (regular is fine too)

7 ounces Ricemellow Crème (or the marshmallow creme of your choice)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Butter a 13x9 baking dish. Alternately, you can line it with parchment paper. Finely chop the chocolate bar and set aside.
   
2. Combine the sugar, butter, and coconut milk in a thick-bottomed medium-large saucepan. Bring the mixture to an active boil, stirring constantly. 
3. Continue boiling for five minutes over medium heat - if you are using a candy thermometer it should reach about 235F degrees. 
4. Remove from heat, stir in the chopped chocolate. Continue stirring until the chocolate is melted, add then add the Ricemellow Creme, vanilla, and nuts (if you are using them).
   
5. Pour the fudge into the prepared baking dish, and let cool. 
6. After 5 minutes or so, I use a spatula to make a swirl texture on the top of the fudge (optional). You can let it set at room temperature, but I like to let it cool in the refrigerator overnight, where it sets up nicely, making it simple to slice into 1/2-inch cubes. 
7. Tip: A thin knife is best for cutting, or (even better) a large pizza cutting wheel.

Makes a couple hundred tiny fudge bites - a little goes a long way! And pop into your mouth...mmmm...mmmmm...mmmmmm...

ENJOY!!

Crashed Hot Potatoes

Since we started this journey with potatoes, I figured I'd do one more potato side before going onto my favorite vegetable. You'll never believe how crispy and yummy these turn out!  :) This is coming from a girl who doesn't have too much regard for the potato.

Now the ingredients for this side haven't been quantified...the seasonings are to your taste, and the amount of potato is based on how much you'd like to make.

Ingredients:

New Potatoes (or other small, round potato)

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

And whatever herb you like - Chives/ Rosemary/ Thyme....

Method:

1. Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.
   
2. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until they're fork-tender.
   
3. Next, generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan. This will mean the difference between the potatoes sticking and not sticking, so don't be shy here.
4. When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheet…
   
5. Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes…
   
6. Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you don't want to absolutely smash it into the pan—you want it almost to resemble a cookie.
   
7. Repeat until all are flattened. And really, I don't know why you couldn't use the bottom of a glass for this step if you don't have a potato masher. The surface might not be as textured and interesting, but I think it still might work.
   
8. Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil.
   
9. Next, salt your crashed potatoes with Kosher salt. You can use regular salt, but I'd really recommend using kosher. It adheres to the potatoes more easily and really flavors them nicely without getting too salty. Remember: potatoes need salt. Don't skimp!
10. Be generous with fresh ground black pepper.
    
11. Now, you can grab some chives…or thyme…or whatever herbs you have available. Whatever herb you use, just chop it pretty finely and sprinkle over the top.
12. Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutes……Or until they're golden and crispy and sizzling.

ENJOY!!

Please note that the recipes on this blog are a mix from different websites and books, with my own versions, and some are originally mine. I cannot claim all of these recipes as mine...

Mango Raita - Coorgi

Raita is a yogurt based side, can be sweet, savory, or a mix of both, with vegetables/ fruits mixed in. Served mostly with a Rice dish like biryani or pulav, or just eaten as is...YUMMY!

This recipe is contributed by Akshat Tyagi - Thanks Akshat!

Ingredients 

Grind Together to a fine paste:

1/4 coconut 

2-3 green chillies 

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Other Ingredients:

4-5 Ripe Mangoes, Cut into big chunks.
1/2 tsp Oil for seasoning
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
2-3 cloves Garlic sliced
2 whole dried red chillies
I litre Yogurt
Salt and sugar, to taste

Method:

1. In a pan , heat the oil and add mustard, curry leaves, garlic and red chillies.

2. To this add the ground paste.

3. Give it a single boil and add the mangoes. Keep on flame for 5 more minutes, remove from fire and allow to cool down. 

4. When cool add the yogurt, salt and sugar to taste.

Spicy Potato

I'm starting the recipes with one of my least favorite vegetables...the potato. The reason I despise it being, we were served potatoes morning, noon and night, in some form or the other, at the hostel I lived in - for 15 years! Who wouldn't grow weary...But then look at the irony in my life - my husband's favorite vegetable is...no points for guessing - the potato. When I started cooking for thespicebox and wanted to include potatoes in the weekly menu (there are peoplewho LOVE potatoes), I didn't want to have just the regular Aloo Palak and Aloo gobhi - I came across this recipe for spicy potatoes - if you like spicy, and like potatoes, then this is THE potato dish for you! Here goes:

Grind below ingredients into paste

8 whole hot red chili pepper, dry

3 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)

10 whole peppercorns

1 piece mace

2 sticks cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons coconut flakes, grated

Other Ingredients

Oil for frying

4 cups baby potatoes

3 cups tomatoes, chopped rough

4 tablespoons oil

1 piece cinnamon (1 inch)

4 whole cloves

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

3 whole bay leaves

1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing pwd)

1 cup onion, grated

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 cups milk, 2% lowfat

salt (to taste)

1. Heat Oil in a kadai and deep fry the potatoes on a medium flame till they are cooked and golden brown in color.

2. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

3. Blend tomatoes to a smooth paste in a mixer.

4. Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, bay leaves and fennel/aniseed.

5. When seeds crackle, add asafoetida powder and onions and saute till they are golden brown. 

6. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a few seconds.

7. Add the prepared paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

8. Add tomato puree and salt and ry again till the mixture leaves oil.

9. Add milk and potatoes and cook on low flame so the gravy thicken.

10. Serve hot.

Most importantly, ENJOY!!

thespicebox

When Sid and I started this venture, we knew we'd be succesful. What we didn't anticipate is the ever growing list of folks asking for recipes. I decided to start this blog, not just to promote thespicebox business, but to also share what I have learnt - this is to all those folks out there, who love Indian food, but either don't have access to thespicebox (based in NJ only), or are looking for a change in their everyday food routine. thespicebox provides recipes that are for everyday use, and are becoming ever so popular even for catering.



Looking for your comments, suggestions and most importantly your kudos...



Bon Appetit!!



~ thespicebox chef