Steve's Experimental Chicken Curry

My husband loves experimenting with different spices and mixing flavours. Tonite he cooked an amazing, lip smacking chicken curry dish which was infused with goan & south indian spices.

Ingredients:


500g Chicken 
2 potatoes (cut into cubes)
1 tablespoons Ginger/Garlic paste
2 small cinammon sticks
2-3 slit green chillies
1 onion chopped finely
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2-3 kokum fruit pieces
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tin coconut milk
2 tablespoons curry powder (see below how to make it)
Few curry leaves
Fresh chopped coriander for garnish


The curry powder is a mix of tumeric, red chillies , coriander seeds, perppercorns, cumin seeds and salt. Grind together , this powder can be stored and used in different curries.


Method:


1. Marinate the chicken in ginger/garlic paste and salt and leave for couple of hours. You can leave it overnight.


2. Heat some oil and fry onions till lightly brown. Add the mustard seeds,cinammon sticks,curry leaves & chillies, make sure not to burn the onions. 


3. Add chicken & potatoes , fry for a bit and then add the curry powder. Mix well until the chicken is coated well.


4. Add coconut milk, stir. Little water can be added if required. Season with salt.


5. Once the gravy starts to thicken add the tomato puree. Cook until chicken is tender.


6. Garnish with coriander and serve with pitta bread or rice.

Mushroom, Spinach & Herb Spanish Omelette

This is an easy breakfast dish or for a quick lunch. Takes only 10-15 mins to cook and will serve 2 people.

Ingredients


4 eggs
2 knobs of butter
4-5 large button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms
2 flakes pf garlic
handful of spinach leaves
pinch of chilli powder (can be omitted)
pinch of basil & oregano powder (If you have fresh herbs it can be used)
5 tablespoons of grated cheese 
Salt to taste
Crushed pepper and chilli flakes for garnish.


Method:


1. Turn the grill on and leave to heat. Beat the eggs, chilli powder and a pinch of salt. 


2. In a frying pan melt the butter until it begins to bubble , evenly coat the pan. Add the garlic and then add mushrooms,toss for few seconds. If you are using tinned mushrooms this step can be omitted. Don't overcook the mushrooms, after few seconds remove from the gas, and transfer to a bowl.


3. Melt some more butter if required and pour the eggs , swirl till it sets at the bottom.Quickly scatter the mushrooms & spinach and press them down until completely submerged into the egg.


4. Sprinkle the herbs & cheese and cook for a few mins until the bottom of the omelette has set.


5. Transfer the pan to the grill to cook through. Once the top is golden and the centre of the omelette is set. Allow to set and then cut into wedges and serve.


6. Before serving crush pepper and sprinkle chilli flakes.




Tips:


You can use any leftover veg and meat. Also you can use bacon, chorizo and olives.
Tomatoes and peppers can be use too.

Tuna Cutlets

This is a quick and easy snack or starter recipe...great for parties or even as a tiffin filler. Can be made in advance and fried when required.


You will get approx 18 cutlets using the below ingredients..


3 white potatoes
1 tablespoon oil
1 Onion
1 Tomato
2 Green chillies ( add more if you like it spicy)
3 flakes of garlic
1 tablespoon vinegar or lime juice.
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder ( can be omitted if you wish to go mild)
1 can of tuna ( can use fresh if you prefer)
Handful of finely chopped fresh Coriander leaves
Semolina (Rava) or breadcrumbs to coat
Salt according to taste




Method


1. Boil the potatoes until soft and mash. The tip to see if potatoes are cooked always pierce with a fork.


2. In a pan heat some oil, add finely chopped garlic and chillies, then add onion and tomatoes.


3. Add the dry masala powders and then the tuna ( if using the canned stuff make sure all liquid is drained).


4. Add the vinegar/lime juice and stir well. Season with salt accordingly.


5. Take off the gas and add freshly chopped coriander.


6. Add this mixture to the mashed potatoes and shape into small balls.


7. Roll each ball into the semolina/breadcrumbs and shape. Align on a flat dish. This can then be freezed or kept in the fridge and will stay for atleast a week.


8. When required, shallow fry and serve hot with side salad and ketchup.

Ready to be fryed

Shallow Fry the cutlets

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach & Philadelphia Cheese

This is a quick easy recipe which can be stuffed with a variety of alternatives

This recipe serves 2 people

Ingredients:
2 Chicken breast
Handful of baby Spinach leaves
4-5 Tablespoons of Philadelphia Cheese ( Low Fat )
White flour to coat the chicken breast
Butter
2-3 cloves of garlic
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Split the chicken breasts down the middle, making a pocket in each, and spoon the cheese onto it. Add wilted spinach.
3. Close the pocket to contain the cheese & spinach, and then wrap each chicken breast and seal it using a toothpick. Dip the breast in flour .
4. Heat the pan , add a knob of butter, add finely chopped garlic and shallow fry the breasts enough to seal the juices.
5. Place the chicken in a non-stick ovenproof dish and bake for 20–25 mins until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the juices run clear when tested with a skewer
   1. .
6. Leave to cool slightly and then cut the chicken in half to expose the melted cream cheese. Simply serve with the mixed salad.

Tips:

Instead of coating the chicken breasts with flour you can wrap them with bacon or parma ham.

The breast can be stuffed with ham too.

The pan in which you have fried the chicken in can then be used to make a sauce. Just add some stock or wine and reduce until thick.

Goan Fish Platter

A feast for any fish lover...

This is one of my Goan specialty

The platter consists of a variety of fish marinated in a goan masala called 'recheado'.

The fish on this platter are Kingfish, Pomfret, Salmon and Prawns.

Kingfish (Vison) is the most common goan fish delicacy.

 Recheado is a very aromatic, flavorful and quite hot Goan masala that can be used for marinating, stuffing and frying any kind of seafood. Recheado means "stuffed" in Portuguese.

Recheado recipe

12 dried red chilies (Kashmiri are recommended )
10 black pepper corns
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon sugar
3-4 tablespoons white vinegar or red wine vinegar
small ball of dried tamarind or juice of one lime

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 

Grind all the above ingredients into a smooth paste. This masala can be stored in an air tight container for days. 

You only need to use a tablespoon or depending on your requirement. 
Apply salt and the above ground masala, you can leave the fish marinating for sometime. Shallow fry until cooked.


TIPS:


For a variation before frying the fish you can coat it with Semolina (Rava) to give a crispy batter coating.


I also add finely chopped coriander and red onion along with the recheado masala when stuffing the pomfrets, it gives a crunch to the dish.