Saturday, April 7, 2007

Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirchi ka salan

ingredients
onion-1
long green chillies-20
tamarind
sesame seeds-2 tbsp
coriander seeds-1 tbsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
red chillies-2
ginger-1 inch
garlic-6 to 8 cloves
peanuts-1/2 cup
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
mustard-1 tsp
curry leaves-10 leaves
oil-2 tbsp

Step 1.Wash & slit18 to 20(large) green chilies lengthwise keeping the ends intact. Deep fry the chillies in oil for a minute & keep aside.

Step 2.Dissolve 2 tbsp tamarind in 1/2 cup of water & extract the thick juice & keep.

Step 3. Dry roast 2tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tbsp coriander seeds & 1 tsp cumin seeds. Grind the roasted coriander, cumin & sesame seeds alongwith 2 dry red chillies, 1 inch piece ginger, 6 to 8 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup roasted peanuts to a paste.

Step 4.Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan & season with 1 tsp mustard & 8 to 10 curry leaves. Then add 1 onion chopped & when golden , add turmric pwd & ground masala paste & fry. Now add the tamarind paste & 1/2 cup of water & bring to boil & cook on low heat for 10 mins. Now add the fried green chillies & simmer on low heat for about 10 mins & serve hot as a side dish for chappatis!

how to cutup whole chicken

This is a basic method for cutting up and disjointing a whole chicken with the least amount of waste.

1.Remove the legs
Place the chicken breast side up on a solid cutting board.Pull one leg away from the body and cut through the skin between the body and both sides of the thigh.
Bend the whole leg firmly away from the body until the ball of the thighbone pops from the hip socket.Cut between the ball and the socket to separate the leg.Repate with the other leg.

2.Divde the Legs
Place the chicken leg skin side down on the cutting board.Cut down firmly through the joint between the drumstick and the thigh.

3.Remove the wings
With the chicken on it's back,remove wing by cutting inside of wing just over joint.Pull wing away from body and cut from down through the skin and the joint.Repeat with the other wing.

4.Cut Carcass in half
Cut through the cavity of the bird from the tail end and slice through the thin area around the shoulder joint.Cut parallel to the backbone and slice the bones of the rib cage.Repeat on the opposite side of the backbone.

5.Remove the breast
Pull apart the breast and the back.Cut down through the shoulder bones to detach the breast from the back.cut back into pieces by cutting across the backbone where the rib end.

6.Cut Breast in half
you may leave the breast whole if your recipe requires.To cut in half,use a strong,steady pressure and cut sownward along the length of the breastbone to seprate the breast into two pieces.

Pictures shows a whole chicken cut in 10 pieces.
a.Legs,b.thighs,c.wings,d.part of back portion,e.tail end of back portion,and f.breasts.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

MedhuVada



Ingredients
whole urad dal - 2
cupsonions - 4 finely chopped
green chillies - 7 finely chopped
coriander leaves - 1 small bunch finely chopped
jeera - 2 tsps
salt to taste
oil for deep frying.
Preparation:1. Soak urad dal in water for about 4-5 hours/overnight. Drain water completely.2. Grind urad dal in a mixer/blender without adding water to tight paste. The batter must be thick that when you make vada's they should not run out of shape.3. Remove and add salt, jeera, chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and mix well.




4. Heat a deep pan with oil. For making the vada's you can use your hands or a thick polythene sheet. Back at home in India, we use plantain leaves to make these vada's.6. Take a small ball of batter on to your left hand, pat into round shape and make a hole in the center.7. Drop gently into hot oil from the sides.



Fry till golden brown turning them both sides.8. Serve hot with coconut chutney.