Chicken Stroganoff

Chicken Stroganoff made in a pan, a bit different from the traditional method.
Serve - 1  to 2 portions
Ingredients
150 grams of pasta / noodles cooked according to package directions
1 small onion finely chopped
4 mushrooms cleaned and sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
100 grams boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of ready made cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp curd
4 tbsp cream
Chopped fresh parsley or dry herbs for garnishing
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Season the chicken strips with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Cook pasta / noodles according to package directions. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add in finely chopped onion and mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in chicken strips and cook for 5 minutes.  Add in cream of chicken soup and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a gentle boil. Add sautéed mushrooms and onions. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cream and curd. Switch of the gas. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve it with noddles or pasta.

Stirred Fried Eel / Vam in Recheado Masala...

Stirred Fried Eel / Vam in Recheado Masala...
Ingredients
6 pieces of Eel fish / Vam
1 small Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
1/2 tsp Garlic paste
3 tbsp of Recheado Masala paste
1 tbsp Oil
Salt as required
Few strands of Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Take a pan. Add oil, heat it up. Add garlic and sauté it for 2 - 3 minutes. Add Recheado Masala paste and tomato. Stir the masala till the tomato incorporates with the masala. Add the fish and stir fry the fish for 3 - 4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water, cover the vessel and in between stir and cook the fish on a low flame till the fish is tender and the fish is coated with the masala.  Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice...

Recheado Masala paste...
Ingredients
4 dry red kashmiri chillies soaked in vinegar
4 Garlic cloves
1/2 inch Ginger chopped
1 tsp Cumin seed
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
½ tsp Turmeric powder
4 Pepper corn
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick
2 Cloves
1 Cardamom
1/2 tsp Tamarind plup
Vinegar as required (Use the same Vinegar used for soaking the chilli + more)
1/2 tbsp Jaggary
Salt to taste

Method
Add all the above ingredients into a grinder and grind the masala into a smooth paste.

Tanzanian Coconut Rice - Wali wa Nazi and Tanzanian Fish Curry - Mchuzi wa Samaki

Searching for new recipes and cooking it in my kitchen has become an obsession for me. I found this Rice and Fish curry recipe on the net from East Africa ..... So I thought of cooking it and it is so similar to our Indian curry...

Tanzanian Coconut Rice - Wali wa Nazi
Ingredients
2 Cups Basmati rice
2 cups Coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Peas
1/4 cup Carrot chopped

Method
In a big pot mix the coconut milk, water, peas and carrots and salt, and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and boil the rice on a high flame. Then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or till the rice has cooked. Serve with Fish Curry - Mchuzi wa Samaki

Tanzanian Fish Curry  - Mchuzi wa Samaki
Ingredients
6 medium size Tilapia fish  cleaned and washed
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tbsp Oil
2  Onions chopped
2 Tomatoes chopped
3 tbsp a Tomato purée
2 green Chilli  chopped
1 tbsp  Garlic crushed
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
2 tsp Curry powder - recipe given below
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Coriander leaves chopped
1 tbsp Coriander leaves for garnishing
1 tbsp Lime juice 

Method
Pat dry the fish with paper towel, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let them rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oil over medium low heat and add the onions and green chillies. Sauté them till the onions are golden in colour. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. Stir well and cook for about 3 minutes. Add water and  coriander leaves mix well. At this point, add some salt and pepper to the sauce. Mix well.Place the fish over the sauce, cover the pan and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish is completely cooked.Turn off the heat and drizzle the lemon juice over the fish. Then turn the fish very carefully on the other side. Garnished it with coriander leaves. Serve hot with Tanzanian Coconut Rice - Wali wa Nazi

African Curry Powder
Ingredients
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
2 tbsp Coriander powder
2 tbsp Cumin Powder
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Red Chilli powder
Method
Mix all the ingredients together , store it in a bottle.

Bharwa Luki (Stuffed Bottle Gourd)

Bharwa Luki (Stuffed Bottle Gourd)

For Stuffing 

Ingredients

1 cup paneer crumbled

Scooped out Bottle gourd pieces 

1 tablespoon gram flour

1 Green Chiili chopped

1/4 tsp Ginger paste

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Oil

Method

Take a pan, add oil and add the scooped out pieces of the bottle gourd, sprinkle salt.  Sauté the scooped bottle gourd till the water dries up. Then add the rest of the ingredients , mix, sauté it for few minutes. Take it off the gas and keep it aside. 

Preparing to Stuff the Bottle Gourd

Ingredients

2 long Bottle gourd

Stuffing 

2 tbsp Oil

Method

Take the bottle gourd and cut the bottle gourd into round pieces about 2 inches in length. Scoop out the inside part of the bottle gourd leaving a layer at the base so that the stuffing does not come out. Take a pot, add water and salt. Boil scooped bottle gourd for 5 minutes. Drain the water out. Stuff the bottle gourd and keep it aside. Heat a shallow pan, add oil and heat it on a medium heat. Place the stuffed bottle gourd on the oil and shallow fry until the filling and the bottle gourd gets a little golden brown from the sides and center.

For the Gravy

Ingredients

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

2 tbsp Cashew paste

2 Tomato Grated 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp  Red chilli powder

1 tsp Garam Masala powder

2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder 

2 tbsp Curd beaten 
 2 tbsp Milk

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Ghee

1 tbsp Coriander leaves finely chopped

Method

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan; add in ginger paste. Sauté it for few minutes. Add the cashew paste and sauté on low  heat for 3 minutes until the raw smell goes away and is lightly browned. Next add the tomato grated, coriander powder, cumin seed powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, sugar, salt and garam masala powder. Stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add curd and milk. Give the gravy a boil. Finally place the stuffed bottle gourd into the gravy. Add 1 cup water.  Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, simmer the gravy. Gentle turn the bottle gourd pieces so that the stuffing does not come out. Cook  the bottle gourd pieces till the gravy reduces a bit and the bottle gourd pieces are tender. Garnish with coriander leaves... Serve it with roti and paratha... 

Chicken Pie

Chicken Pie

For the Pastry
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of All purpose flour
3 tbsp Butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
Salt to taste
3/4 cup  Cold water

Method
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly mixture is formed. Add the water little at a time to make a dough. Keep the dough covered for 30 minutes in the fridge.

For the filling
Ingredients
250 grams of Chicken Kheema
1 chopped Onions
1 tsp Chopped Garlic
1/4 tsp chopped Ginger
1 tsp Chopped Chillies
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
1/2  tbsp oil
1 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp All purpose flour
1 cup of Milk
2 Eggs beaten
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method
Take a pan, add oil, heat the oil. Add chopped garlic, sauté it for few minutes, add the onions, ginger and chillies. Sauté it till the onions are translucent in colour. Add the Kheema, add salt and pepper powder. Cook on a slow flame covered, stirring it occasionally till the water from the Kheema has dried up. Keep the cooked Kheema aside.  Take another pan. Add butter and let it melt. Add all purpose flour. Sauté it for few minutes. Remove the pan from the flame. Add 1/2 cup milk and whisk it till no lumps remain, add rest of the milk and keep it back on fire whisking it continuously till the white sauce has thickened. Add the beaten eggs and mix it in the White sauce. Add the white sauce to the Kheema and mix it well. Cook it for 2 minutes. Switch off the gas. Add the coriander leaves. Keep it aside.

For making the Pie
Dough
Kheema filling
12 cavity Cup cake pan
Oil for apply into pan
1 Egg beaten to brush the Quiches

Method
Take half the dough. Roll the dough out on a platform 1/4 inch thick. Take a cookie cutter and cut out 12 round circles. Apply oil into the cup cake cavities. Place each circle in each cavities. Gently pull the dough to cover up the cup cake cavity. Add one to two  spoons of the filling into the cavity. Roll out the remaining dough and cut 12 circles to cover the cavities. Wash the top with egg wash. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 30 to 35 minutes till golden brown in a pre heated oven. Take it out from the oven, cool it a bit and serve.