Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients

·         Long grain Basmati rice – 3 cups

·         Cooked Chicken pieces – 1 cup

·         Onion, thinly sliced – 1

·         1 Spring Onion, finely chopped

·         Carrot, finely chopped – 1 cup

·         Cabbage, finely chopped – 1 cup

·         Capsicum, finely chopped – 1 cup

·         Oil/Butter – 4 tbsp

·         Soy sauce – 2 tbsp

·         Tomato sauce – 1 tsp

·         Salt – to taste

·         Pepper Powder – as required

Method

1.      Boil the Basmati rice with a little salt and 1 tsp oil, till each grain is separate and almost cooked. Drain and allow it to cool. Or cook it in a rice cooker (add 4 and half cup of water for 3 cups rice)

2.      Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add onions and saute till translucent.

3.      Add all the vegetables (except the green spring onions) along with salt and stir fry for around 5-7 minutes till it almost cooked but crispy.

4.      Next add the precooked chicken pieces (be cooked with salt and pepper powder) and sprinkle pepper. Stir fry around 5 minutes.

5.      Add half of the green spring onions and stir for a minute and keep everything aside. (spring onions cook really fast and so it is added only at the end.)

6.      Heat another wok or Frying Pan and add 2 tbsp of oil/butter.

7.      Add the cooked rice and stir-fry for a few minutes so that it gets a light brown color.

If you want to reduce the amount of oil or butter, you can skip steps 6 and 7. Instead, add the boiled rice directly without frying to the cooked vegetables and chicken.

8.      Stir in the cooked vegetables and chicken and combine everything gently.

9.      Make a hollow at the center and pour the beaten eggs. Scramble until the egg sets. Break and mix with rice. Season with salt and pepper.

10.  Blend in soy sauce and tomato sauce.

11.  Mix everything gently till the rice is evenly coated with the sauces. Fry the rice on medium-high for another 2 minutes. You can sprinkle some more pepper powder.

12.  Garnish with remaining green spring onions.

13.  The Fried Rice is ready to be served hot.

Beef fry

Ingredients

1.      Cubed Beef – 1/2 kg

2.      Thinly Sliced Onions – 1 big

3.      Curry Leaves – A sprig

4.      Coriander Powder – 2 tsp

5.      Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp

6.      Meat Masala Powder – 1 tsp

7.      Salt – to taste

8.      Oil – 2 tbsp

For Marination

1.      Minced Garlic – 3 or 4 cloves

2.      Minced Ginger – 1 tbsp

3.   Garam masala Powder – 1 tsp

4.      Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp

5.      Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

6.      Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

7.      Pepper Powder – 1 tsp

8.      Curry Leaves – A sprig

9.      Vinegar -  1 tbsp

10.  Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

1.      Marinate the beef with all the above ingredients and keep it aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2.      Pressure cook the beef with 1/2 cup water. The cooking time varies depending on the beef used. I pressure cook it on medium heat for 2 whistles. So pressure cook accordingly (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cover and cook the beef in any big pan for around 45 minutes to 1 hour).

3.      Meanwhile heat oil in a non stick pan and sauté onions, and curry leaves until the onions become translucent.

4.      Reduce heat and add red chilly powder, meat masala powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder. Saute for 2 minutes.

5.      Open the pressure cooker and transfer cooked meat without any liquids to the above pan.

6.      Continue stirring the beef so that the masala gets coated on the meat. Add salt if needed.

7.      Roast the meat on medium low heat for 10-15 minutes till it is completely dry and turns into a dark brown color.

Steamed Chicken fry

Ingredients :

Chicken – ½ kg (small pieces)

Onion – 2 sliced

Ginger -garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Chilli powder -1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Curry leaf – a few

Salt

Oil – 2 tbsp

Lemon juice – 2 tsp

Method :

Marinate chicken with all powders, garam masala, slat, and lemon juice and keep for 1 hour.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a cooking vessel and add onion, curry leaf and ginger garlic paste.

When onion become slight brown add the marinated chicken and close with a lid, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

In between stir 3 or 4 times.

When its cooked add 1 tbsp of oil and fry it without lid. 

Gabril's 7th Birthday cake

Ulli Theeyal

Ingredients :

Button Onions sliced into thin pieces-  10 nos

Grated Coconut -1/2 cup

Tamarind -small lemon sized

Red Chilly Powder -1 tsp

Coriander Powder- 2 tsp

Cumin Powder -1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida(Kaayam)-a pinch

Fenugreek Powder(Uluvappodi)- a pinch

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves-  a few

Salt - to taste

Oil - as needed

Method :

1. Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water and take the extract from it.
2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a small pan and saute coconut and fenugreek seeds till brown.Add chilly powder,coriander powder,cumin powder and turmeric powder and stir fry till it gives an aroma.
3. Keep aside and cool.Grind it to a smooth fine paste by adding enough water.
4. Heat 2 tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds,curry leaves and whole red chillies and allow it to splutter.Add asafoetida,salt into it,and saute for a while .Add chopped onion and saute it till it becomes soft.
5. Add tamarind extract into it and allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes.If necessary add water.Now add the ground paste into it and simmer for furthur 4-5 minutes.
6. Serve hot with rice.

Cumin chicken curry

Ingredients :


Chicken -1 kg (small pieces)
Ginger - 1 tbsp (sliced)
Garlic - 1 tbsp ( " )
Onion - 2 ( " )
Curry leaf - 15 nos
Chilli powder - 2 tsp 
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp 
Cumin ( Jeera) - 1 tsp 
Coconut - 1/2 cup (grated)
Oil - 2 tbsp 
Mustard seeds - a few 


Method :


Splutter mustard seeds in oil. 
Add onion , ginger, garlic and curry leaves. 
When onion becomes slight brown, add spices and stir for another 2 minutes.
Add chicken, salt and one glass water in  to it and cook chicken . 
Make a fine paste of coconut and jeera with little water .  
When chicken is cooked (after 20 to 30 minutes) ,add the pasted coconut-jeera , and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. 
The dish  is ready .
It goes well with  rice, bread  and chapathy. 

Strawberry cake

Ingredients :

·                                 2 1/4 cups sifted flour

·                                 1/4 teaspoon salt

·                                 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

·                                 1/2 cup butter

·                                 1 1/2 cups sugar

·                                 2 large eggs

·                                 1 teaspoon vanilla powder

·                                 3/4 cup fresh crushed strawberry, unsweetened

m         Method: 

1.                1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.                2 Sift together: flour, salt, and baking powder.

3.                3 In a separate bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

4.                4 Beat for a total of 3 minutes.

5.                5 Then add flour mixture to creamed mixture, alternating with strawberries.

6.                6 Beat for two minutes.

           7 If batter is too thick add 2 or 3 tbsp milk and mix well. 

77         8 Pour batter into two 8-inch round greased and floured cake pan.

8.                9 Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cake tests done.

9.             10 Turn out on to wire cooling racks to cool.