Indian Chicken Roast - Oven Baked

Ingredients:

1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 Tumeric Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

Marination:

Mix all the ingredients with 2 lb Chicken. Check the spices and add more salt or chilli powder as required. Marinate atleast for 1 hr. Overnight marination in the refrigerator will be great.

Place the chicken pieces on a Aluminium foil covered baking dish(Aluminum foil helps in easy clean up and is optional). Put the marinated Chicken pieces for 375F about 30 mins turn and cook for 20 mins. Increase to 475 and leave 10 mins until it browns.

Makes yummy appetizers too. Enjoy Hot!!

Stuffed Mushroom

 Ingredients:

10 Button Mushroom
1 Garlic pod (minced finely)
1 tbsp Cheese Spread (store bought)
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 String Cheese
Salt to taste

Tip: I used the Rondale Garlic & Herbs Cheese Spread from Safeway. But any cheese spread or shredded cheese can be used.

Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and break off stems. This will give us a mushroom cap into which the filling can be added. Chop the stems finely and keep aside.

In a pan heat oil and add the minced garlic. Once the garlic starts to fry add the chopped mushroom stems. Now add red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste. Cook until the mushroom is 75% cooked and shrinks in size. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese spread or the shredded cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).

In a baking sheet arrange the mushroom caps and spoon in the mushroom stuffing into each cap.  Decorate the top with strings removed from the string cheese. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 -  23 minutes. You'll know the stuffed mushroom is done when water starts to form below the mushrooms in the baking pan.

Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Vegetable Spring Roll - Oven Baked

Makes 10 Spring Roll

1 cup Cabbage (finely chopped)
1/2 cup Carrot (grated)
1/2 cup Spring Onion (finely chopped)
1 tsp pepper powder
10 spring roll sheets
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

Heat oil in a pan and add the cut cabbage, carrot and spring onion. Also add the pepper powder and salt to taste.  There is no need to add water as this is a dry mixture. Keep stirring so that vegetables do not stick to the pan. Fry until the vegetables are 75% cooked. Remove from heat.

The spring roll pastry sheet is available in any Chinese, Korean or Asian grocery stores.

In a single sheet and place a spoonful of the vegetables at the bottom end of the triangle of the sheet. Fold up the bottom of the wrapper and cover the filling and roll. When you are half way through fold the right and left sides and now roll over the entire length of the sheet. Stick the end to the roll with a drop of water. Repeat this for all the remaining spring roll sheets.


Preheat the oven at 350°F  (180°C) and place the spring roll in a baking pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes. I first set the timer for 25 minutes and later turned over the roll and let it bake for another 8 minutes to get a all around brown and crispy roll.

Serve hot.

Garlic Bread

I and my husband have opposite taste when it comes to food. I love to experiment and he resists change. On the whole he prefers mostly south Indian food. But with our anniversary coming up next week, I have been nostalgic about the wonderful 2 years we have spent together.
I wanted to surprise him this Friday night with a romantic dinner. Usually we go out, but this garlic bread and store bought cheese spread with sunny side eggs and roasted chicken was a super hit for our Friday night dinner.

Ingredients:

1 Baguette (Store bought)
4 tbsp Butter
3 tbsp Parsley or Coriander (chopped)
4 cloves Garlic(grated)

Method:

Cut the store bought Baguette into 1 inch slices but don't cut right through. Mix butter, parsley and grated garlic. Spread the butter mix in between the slices and remaining on top of the baguette.
Preheat oven to 325F. Cover the garlic/butter covered baguette in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 10 minutes.Serve with cheese spread, hummus or a dip of your choice.

Jeera Salt Biscuits with Wheat

Jeera(Cumin) Salt Biscuits with WheatIngredients:
1.5 cups wheat flour
1/4 cup oil
2 tbsp sugar(powdered)
1tsp salt
1 tbsp Jeera(Cumin)
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg

Method:

Mix sugar, oil and egg and blend well. Now add wheat flour, cumin seeds, salt, baking powder and form a dough out of it.
Shape the biscuits with a cookie cutter. If you do not have a cookie cutter, make small balls and press it in your palm to make it flat and round. Put on the greased baking sheets and bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes or until light brown.Remove and let it cool. Serve with evening tea or as a snack to the children.

Tip: You can grease the biscuits with butter before baking to add to taste. This is a optional step.

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

3 Bananas(should be really ripe to get that lovely flavor)
1 cup Rava or Sooji or Semolina
1 tsp Baking powder
1.5 cups Milk
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cashew nuts

Method:

Soak the rava in milk for 2 hours. Then add mashed bananas into the soaked rava. Add baking powder, cardamom powder, cashews.
Preheat the oven at 350F for 10 mins. In a well greased oven safe dish pour the rava batter and bake in the oven at 350F for about 30-45 mins. The cake is done when the skewer or knife when inserted into the knife comes out clean. If you think the cake is not done, leave it in the oven for another 5 mins until the cake is cooked.

Tip: You can grease the oven safe dish with ghee(clarified butter) if you prefer. This will make the Banana Cake even yummier. If you are health conscious, skip the ghee and use non-stick cooking oil.