Lagan ka Murgh (Slow Cooked Creamy Chicken)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Comfort food can mean so many different things to so many different people. Personally for me, comfort food is are those dishes that remind me of my mothers cooking. And not just the taste of her food, but everything that went along with it: the warmth of the stove-top light against the rising steam of whatever was bubbling away on the stove, the sounds of the metal pots and pans, and the smells, oh those smells. The freshly ground spices, toasted aromatics and swirling fragrances seemed to fill every corner of the house and even though I use all the same spices in my own cooking, they just don't seem to smell the same when she's not here.

 

But every now and then when I'm cooking, and the stove-light is on and metal lids are clinking and clanging away, I get a whiff of those old-time memories and it makes me so happy. This dish did that for me. I don't know if it was the traditional slow-cooked method of the chicken or if I was just really missing her at that moment, either way, this was my comfort food.

 

All the heavy memory-lane references aside, this is actually a very easy 'beginner-Indian-cooking' meal as the main technique is slow-cooking over a low flame. I'm blessed to have my mother visit often, alhamdulillah but for those in-between times when I'm really craving her food, at least I know I can turn to some of my own comfort food.This recipe comes from my dear friend at Zaiqa who's recipes almost always makes my mouth water, masha'allah. Make sure you take a look over there for lots more delicious recipes!

Lagan Ka Murgh (Slow-cooked Creamy Chicken curry in Aromatic Spice)

White Poppy Seeds1 tbsp (I used the black ones I had on hand)
Cashews – 1/8 cup (confession, I didn't do this and it was still delicious!)
Warm milk – 3/4 cup
Chicken – 8 chicken leg pieces ( boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces)
Thick Yogurt – 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Canola oil – 4 tbsp
Onions – 3, medium sized, finely sliced
Cloves – 4
Green cardamoms – 4
Dried Bay leaf – 1
Tomato – 1, large, pureed
Garam masala powder – 3/4 tsp
Cilantro – 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Method:
1. In a small cup, add poppy seeds and cashews. Pour in warm milk and let soak for 20-25 minutes. Later puree it into a smooth paste.(I didn't do this step but wish I had, and plan on doing it next time insha'allah. That being said, the dish was still delicious)

2. Marinate the chicken with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well and keep aside for 30-40 minutes.

3. In a lagan or any thick bottomed vessel at medium high heat, pour oil and as soon as it is hot, add the sliced onions, two pinches of salt and fry while stirring constantly until they are golden brown in color. Add cloves, cardamoms and bay leaf. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and mix well. Add the prepared cashewnuts+poppy seeds+milk puree, and the tomato puree and mix well. Simmer, cover and let it cook slowly for 30-40 minutes. Keep stirring it every once in a while. You will see the oil will start to leave and the gravy will get thicker. Once done, sprinkle garam masala powder and chopped cilantro. Mix well and serve immediately.

Homemade Samosas

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

 

One of my biggest pet peeves is searching high and low for an authentic recipe and then finding things like Pad Thai made with spaghetti noodles or enchiladas topped off with mozzarella cheese. I have no problem with using substitutes when you're in a pinch but then please call it what it is, a sorry excuse of an imitation and not the real thing. A bit too harsh? You'll have to excuse me, I'm just so fed up with finding yet another FABULOUS samosa recipe that starts off with....(cue horror music)...an egg roll wrapper, ugh!

My ranting and raving is further justified by the fact that I grew up in a house where samosas (filling and wrapper included) were all made from scratch and lovingly shaped into imperfect fat squares, masha'allah. The accompanying chutneys (all homemade as well) were as varied in taste as they were in color: spicy green chili chutney, tangy black tamarind chutney, roasted coconut and cumin chutney, and the list goes on.

Yes, the dips are important. The filling is even more important, but the thing to trump them both is the dough itself. A complex mixture of both crispy and chewy. Thick enough to hold the savory filling, but thin enough to fry to a golden-brown perfection without any burned edges. For all these reasons you simply cannot use a spring roll/egg roll wrapper! I know what you're thinking, "but it's just so much easier!" Well you can quit your complaining 'cuz this recipe has a grand total of three ingredients (four if you count salt) and will come together before you could defrost a pack of spring rolls. 

The filling and shaping part are totally up to you. Traditionally you'll find vegetarian (potatoes and green peas version) or a non-veg (ground beef) versions. But I've also tried everything from green lentils to ground chicken and can happily say I've never met a samosa filling I didn't like! As usual, I urge you to use whatever you have. When it comes to shaping them you again have free rein to do whatever you like. My mother makes one big rectangle, plops spoonfuls of filling about 1" apart on the bottom half of the rectangle and then folds the top down over it. Using her fingers, she gently presses the dough down around the filling and then cut them into individual squares (adding a little brush of water in between the spoonfuls helps the dough stick better). I tried a little different technique, as you can see below (detailed instructions found in the recipe below), but in the end, I don't think it's the shape that matters when the final result is an authentic homemade treat. 

 

Samosa Dough

(makes about  10 - 12 samosas, depending on size)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 cup cold water, more if needed

1. Add melted butter and salt to flour, mix well. Slowly pour in half of water and mix with your hands. Continue to add the rest of the water, or more, until a soft, smooth dough forms.

2. Knead the dough by hand 10 minutes, or in a mixer for 5 minutes. Leave in a lightly oiled bowl, covered, until ready to use.

3. To shape and fill: break off golf ball sized rounds of dough, roll into a 6" circle. Cut in half, lengthwise. Using your finger, gently wipe the straight edge of the half-circle with water and fold over, pressing flat sides together. Carefully lift up, you'll now have a cone to fill. Either hold in one hand and fill with other, or place in a narrow glass while you fill. Using water to carefully seal up the last side.

Samosa Filling

2 potatoes, cooked, peeled and cubed

1 half of a medium onion, finely diced

2 green chilies (adjust to desired heat)

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon garlic & ginger paste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to desired heat)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

1. Add a couple teaspoons of oil to a pan set over medium heat. Add mustard, fennel and cumin seeds and cook until they begin to pop. Add garlic & ginger paste and cook 30 seconds. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

2. Next add in potatoes, chilis, turmeric, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, until potatoes are coated with spices. Add lemon juice and cook until liquid has dissolved (my potatoes were a bit undercooked, so I added water to finish off the cooking). Mix in chopped cilantro at the very end.

3. Lightly mash everything up. Set aside to cool.

* The chutney pictured was quickly whipped up from tamarind paste, sugar, cumin powder all thinned out with some water.

Garlic & Ginger Paste: The Real Deal

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Garlic and ginger paste is crucial to Indian cooking, particularly south Indian cooking. While many other cuisines around the world use fresh garlic, Indian cooking takes it up a notch by including grated ginger as well. The zing and almost spiciness of fresh ginger compliments the aromatics and depth of flavor of garlic. Your dishes will be severely lacking without them but please, if there's just one thing you do when it comes to cooking, MAKE THIS YOURSELF.

I know you can buy pre-made pastes but that'd be akin to throwing in a couple sweaty socks into your dish because really, thats what they taste like. I know because I've tried it (buying pre-made paste, not the sweaty socks). With the jarred stuff, the flavors are so off, so skewed, so chemical that it'd be better to avoid it in the first place.

Not only does the fresh, real stuff taste so much better, it ends up being much cheaper than a small jar of the gross, sweaty sock paste. Sure, it may take a few minutes to do, but it'd be so worth it. Even if you're not a fan of ginger in your food, then go ahead and do garlic only but please, whatever you do, avoid the pre-made paste!

Homemade Garlic & Ginger Paste

amount of each varies, but stick to a 2:1 ration of garlic to ginger, as the ginger has a stronger taste and a little goes a long way

1. peel garlic cloves (can be made easier by soaking in warm water for a while before) and rough chop in half.

2. peel ginger (the skin peels off like a dream by simply using a spoon) and chop into 1/2" pieces.

3. Throw everything into a food processor and blend until smooth. You can add some water to help things along. Imediatly store in a labeled jar.

(Note: depending on your ratios, the mixture may turn a slight green color from oxidization. No worries, its still safe to use! I store mine in the fridge, but my mother doesn't and hers has also always been fine at room temperature)

One Ingredient Wednesday: Dill Rice

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Welcome to a new weekly feature we'll be trying out here at the MWK: One Ingredient Wonder. It's pretty self explanatory; I'll be taking a simple recipe or idea and showing you how you can spruce it up with just one ingredient (maybe two, but let's not tell anyone that part yet!). We'll keep it to Wednesdays for now because, well, because it was originally going to be "One Ingredient Wonder Wednesday" but then I thought that'd be too much cheesiness for the site, so we're just gonna keep it to a three word title ;)

Sometimes all you need to take a dish from good to great is just one ingredient, and in this case, that's dill. Fresh is always better when you're talking about herbs but I've never had luck with finding good quality fresh dill and have been using the dried kind for years. But one word of advice y'all, spend a little and go for quality on this one. I'll admit to buying some dollar store garlic powder when I'm in a pinch but don't do that with the dill weed. Trust me, it's worth the extra few dollars for it.

My mom adds dried dill to some daal (lentil) dishes but when it comes to dill rice, I give credit to my aunt who first introduced us to this very fragnant and easy dish. She's a fan (and Masha'allah, a great cook of) persian food where she first tried dill rice and then introduced it to the rest of us. I can't make it as good as hers but even if you botch up the recipe, it's still going to be much better than just plain white rice.

Dill rice pairs perfectly with lamb or roasted veggies. Try it out this coming Eid for a nice change to your usual rice dish! (sorry there's no 'after' picture...we were hungry and hunger trumps taking pictures!)

Dill Rice
1 cup long grain rice (Basmati)
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 tblsp oil of choice
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tblsp dried dill weed
2 cups water

1. Saute onions in oil until translucent. Add rice, garlic poweder and salt. Mix around until rice is coated with oil and cook until grains start to become slightly translucent, 3 - 4 minutes.

2. Add dill and mix to combine. Pour in water and allow rice to come to a boil. Then turn down to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and water is gone. Fluff with fork and enjoy hot!

Saag aur Gosh ka Salan (Spinach & Beef Curry)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Spinach and beef sound like such modest and unassuming ingredients, until paired together, that is.Where I come from, this is perfectly served with steaming white rice. Where my husband comes from, that would be almost blasphemous as spinach is only served with fresh paratha or naan (flat bread). Either way, this is an ordinary dish with very extraordinary flavors.

I prefer a pressure cooker to cook the beef just because its quicker, but you can also cook it in a regular pot for at least an hour, or until beef is tender. Make sure to reserve some liquid from either method to add to your final product.

Frozen spinach can be used but use fresh when you have the chance. And if you get your hands on a really big pile of fresh spinach, go ahead and cook up some for these little guys too.

Saag aur Gosh ka Salan (Spinach and Beef Curry)

1 large onion, chopped, divided
4 - 5 chili peppers,finely chopped (adjust heat to your liking, we like it hot around here)

2 lb bag of prewashed spinach leaves

1 lb beef stew,cut into 1/2 -1" cubes
1 tblsp garlic and ginger paste, divided

1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder (read note above about heat!)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice (or the juice of half a lemon)

1. In a pressure cooker (or a large pot) add half of the chopped onion to a couple tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add your cleaned and washed beef stew. Add half a tablespoon of garlic and ginger paste, half a teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Cook until browned on all sides. Add enough water to cover your meat and cook per pressure cooker instructions until tender (if using a regular pot, add double the amount of water and cook for at least 1 hour until beef is tender).

2. In a separate pan, preferably a wide and open one, add the rest of your onion, chopped chilis and garlic/ginger paste to some oil over medium heat.Cook until soft and translucent, about 2 - 3 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make sure your spinach is well washed and dried. Any trace amounts of dirt ruin the entire dish. Add your spinach all at once and slowly mix or turn leaves until all are wilted. Once the spinach has all cooked down, add your cooked beef and 2 - 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Add turmeric and chili powder and allow everything to cook together for 5 minutes. Keep adding the beef broth to keep the pan wet.

4. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add cilantro and lemon juice. The lemon juice is optional, but I always add it to any green dish as I feel it brightens up the whole flavor. Serve hot with rice or bread.

Spicy Fish

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I've never been into seafood all that much and it's taken me all these years to figure out why: it's boring. I have a hard time enjoying food that is seasoned with only salt and pepper and seafood seems to be exclusively prepared that way in restaurants. Sure, you get the occasional lemon juice here or fatty deep-fried crust there, but on the inside, its just a very plain and very boring fish.

So when I came upon an exciting recipe for salmon, I ran with it. I now make all my seafood with staple Indian spices. Oh, and I don't hold back either, so if the amounts are a bit much for you, feel free to halve them, but don't go blaming me for bland fish!

 

Spicy Indian Style Fish
4 fish fillets (I used a package of Swai fillets, but any firm fish would do)
2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tblsp red chilli powder
1 tblsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground corriander
1 tblsp chopped cilantro (reserve half for garnish)


1. Pat fillets dry to ensure the spices adhere better. Then sprinkle each side with your spice mix. Allow to sit at least 1 hr with spice, no more than 3.

2. In the last 30 minutes of marinating, add lemon juice, cilantro and oil, turning to coat both side.

3. Grill (or pan fry in medium high heat) for 4 minutes each side, or until cooked. Garnish with reserved cilantro and serve with hot rice.

Vada

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

We try not to eat a lot of fried foods in our house, but every now and then, a little something flies under the radar. In this case we can console ourselves by the fact that these little snacks are made from lentils and have no added sugar or fat. I think its safe to say this is probably the healthiest deep-fried food around!

Lentils are a staple of Indian cooking and a variety are used in the day to day cooking. South Indian cuisine, from which the snack originates, is made up of a colorful array of lentils. Vada are made from the white lentil, known as mash ki daal or urid daal.

These are so easy that you're probably going to be turned off by the simplicity of ingredients and steps. But trust me on this, the final product is so complex in flavors and textures that you'll never look at a lentil the same way again.

These are best served with a spicy chutney , or you can do as we did during all our childhood visits to India and dunk them in some ketchup. Make to sure to eat these warm while they're still crispy. The batter can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for at least several days. Also, a big thanks to my mom for reminding me that some of the most delicious food can also be some of the simplest. Love ya, Mommy!

Vada 


2 cups maash ki daal (white lentils)
1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
1/2 an onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 - 4 chopped green chilis (more if you like it spicy)
salt to taste
pinch of baking powder

1. Soak your daal over night, or at least 4 hours.

2. Drain and place in food processor and process until pasty. Add onions, cilantro, peppers and spices and combine well. Allow to sit for 15 minutes or so.

3. Drop rounded tablespoons into medium high oil; you want it hot enough to get a crispy exterior but not so hot that the inside stays raw. Drain on paper towels afterwards.


a note about the shape: you can just plop in the spoonfuls and allow them to puff up and spread out a little on their own. But the vade of my childhood were donut shaped and I just had to replicate those. My mom advised shaping into little patties and poking a hole in the middle with wet hands but it just didn't work for me. I opted for a much more technically advanced method and stuck the end of a chopstick into the frying vada ;)

Spinach Bhajiya

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

These tasty snacks go by many different names: bhajiya, pakoras, or even fritters. In my house they're known as "The Things to Quickly Throw Together when Unexpected Company Drops By". My mom could whip up a batch of these in minutes, masha'allah.

It was under her watchful eye (as she ran around getting the tea cups and plates ready for those unexpected guests) that she taught me how to make these family favorites. "Not too many onions", "more red pepper", "thats too much water!" and so on. Sure, its an easy recipe that requires dumping ingredients in one bowl and giving it a good stire. But theres a lot more intuiution involved: ration of spinich to batter, consistency, how large to make each bhajiya, etc. But thats the case with any recipe and I promise it won't take long for you to figure out all those details, especially if you end up making them as often as we do!

Spinach Bhajiyah
1 cup besan (gram flour)
1/2 cup frozen spinach, defrosted (don't drain, use the liquid to thin your batter)
1/2 onion, sliced or chopped to your liking
3/4 tsp garlic & ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or as much heat as you can handle!)
1 tsp salt (more to your liking)
water

1. Mix everything in one bowl and slowly start adding water, mixing after each addition, until batter is thick but can easily drop from a spoon.

2. In a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat and drop batter by the tablespoon. Allow to cook on each side at least 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove on slotted spoon and drain. Serve with a sweet imli (tamarind) or spicy chili chutney.

Aaloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Aaloo Gobi: the quintessential Non-Indian's Indian Food. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this dish referenced, ordered and reviewed by people who were not of any Asian background. And there's nothing wrong with that, except that I'm Indian, and I don't eat aaloo gobi. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've eaten aaloo gobi (years?) . But I can tell you how many times I've cooked it : zero. That is, until tonight.

Somehow or another we ended up with lots of cauliflower in the house and after many unsuccessful attempts to get the kids to eat it raw, I decided it was time to cook it up into something more exciting than the only other cauliflower recipe I have. And that brings us to the very first time I made aaloo gobi.


I know for a fact there are many versions of this recipe floating around. Do as you like, add more of one thing, less of another. All measurements are approximate as I rarely measure spices in any dishes, especially Indian ones. Just taste as you go and personalize to your liking. This goes best with warm parathas or naan, but rice will do as well.

Aaloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) 
(serves 2 adults)


1 potato, peeled and cubes
1/2 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut up
1/2 onion, diced
1 tblsp garlic and ginger paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder (I doubled this amount, as we like it hot around here)
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste


1. Saute onions in a couple teaspoons of oil until translucent. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, garlic and ginger paste. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


2. Add cubed potato, turmeric, red chili powder and garam masala. Stir until coated. Add enough water to come up half-way up potatoes. Cover and bring to simmer. Allow to cook until potatoes are half-way cooked.


3. Add chopped cauliflower (remember to salt as you go). Stir to combine all ingredients and cook until everything is tender, about 10 minutes. Add water as necessary.

Punjabi Chicken

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

My mom is hands-down the best cook I know, masha'allah (then again, doesn't everyone think of their mothers cooking that way?) She's also the one who raised me to love cooking, particularly cooking for others, and to this day is my teacher in all things food-related. May Allah reward and protect her, ameen! So when she recommends a recipe then you know its gotta be good. She saw this one for Punjabi Chicken on skewers on some cable channel and we both got busy in our respective kitchens, grinding spices and marinating chicken. Kitchens that are hundreds of miles apart, but hearts that are much, much closer. And as always is the case, her's turned out better than mine! I served this with vegetable biriyani, another one of my mothers classic dishes. I'm haven't mastered the recipe yet so I'm not comfortable posting that, but here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Punjabi Chicken
1 whole chicken breast (~2lbs), chopped in cubes
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic & ginger paste
1 tsp red chilli powder (more if you like it hot)
1 tblsp garam masala (recipe below)
2 tsp yogurt or sour cream
1 tblsp lemon juice
3 tblsp oil

1.Mix all ingredients together and marinate at least 3 hours or overnight.

2. Thread onto soaked or oiled skewers (add veggies if you like) and grill or cook under broiler. Turn after 5 - 7 minutes. Add another squirt of lemon juice before serving.


Garam Masala
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp cloves

Grind in a spice grined and store in cool and dark place.

Amm ke Achaar (Pickled Mango)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem


If you look over yonder to the right side of this blog, you'll see a list of other food sites I particularly enjoy. I don't go posting every food-related-anything on that list, but only those sites that really hit that spot (eh, taste bud?) for me. Sites that I've personally tried and loved, which is why I added Mona's site. Sharing the same background as the writer, I'm constantly swimming in a sea of warm, fragrant memories every time I browse her recipes, and this one was no different. The Indian version of pickled fruits or vegetables is nothing like the American or European version. The former is loaded with smoky spices, aromatic herbs and layered with burn-your-tongue chilies. Eaten alongside with every meal, even breakfast, achaar is a staple at South Indian tables. This was my first attempt at making homemade achaar and though its only been a couple days since I made it (the longer it sits, the better it tastes!), if the first-day flavor is any indicator then this is going to be one spicy and delicious achaar insha'allah!



Mango Pickle
(I made 1/3 of this recipe but would highly reccomend making the whole batch if you're an achaar lover)


Ingredients:
Unripe and Sour Green Pickle Mangoes – 3, large
Dry Roasted Black Cumin Seed Powder – 1 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds – 2 tsp
Dry Red Chillies – 4
Turmeric – 1/3 tsp
Curry leaves (fresh) – 6
Green Chillies - as per your taste, chopped or slit (optional)
Canola oil – 3 tbsp

1. With a damp towel, wipe the raw green mangoes clean and dry them with a paper towel throughly. Throughly dry your hands and knife. Carefully, peel the skin, deseed them and cut into very small pieces.

2. In a flat glass container with a tight lid, put the cut raw mango pieces and add salt and turmeric and mix well. Cover the lid tightly and put the container aside for 24 hours in a cool dark place.

3. The next day, you will see that the mango pieces have released a lot of juice. In a pan on medium high heat, pour oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies. As soon as they begin to pop, remove from heat. Let it cool completely. This is the tempering/baghaar.

4. After the baghaar has cooled off completely, pour it into the container with mango pieces, and also add red chilli powder, black cumin seeds powder and green chillies, if using, and mix well. Adjust the salt and red chilli powder according to your tastes. The Achaar is ready. You can now relish upon it. Store it in a glass jar with an air tight lid. It keeps very weel if kept away from water. Always use a dry spoon when you have it and keep it covered and refrigerated.

Masha'Allah

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

For the past week or so, I've been basically bedridden, unable to move without wincing in pain (tahooran, insha'Allah!), so my mother was here to help out - may Allah reward her! - and wow, all I can say is, there truly is nothing like food from your mothers hands. Here's just a small, tiny peak at some of her amazing meals, masha'Allah. Her leftovers can only last so long, which means I'll have to start cooking soon so insha'allah you can expect some regular posts from now on.

Oh, and how could I forget...jazakAllah khair to all the warm wishes and duas from you all. I'm truely touched and pray Allah rewards you all for your kindness, ameen!

Making Up!

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be posting my nightly meals but I have good reason for missing a night: hunger. Pure, simple, raw hunger. Sometimes we're scarf down the meal so fast I completely forget to take a picture and then I try to make up for it by writing paragraphs about seemingly boring yet highly valuable information. But just to recap, last night we had a slow-cooked spicy rice, chappali kabobs and steamed vegetables dressed in a homemade vinaigrette. Tonight we finished the leftovers, alhamdulillah.

So in the spirit of making ammends I offer you not one, but two recipes - one savory and one sweet. Insha'allah we can call it even now!




Chicken Kabab
This is based on my aunts recipe who makes the meanest chicken kabobs (love you, R. Aunty!). Of course, hers are much better but I'd like to think my version isn't too shabby)

2 lbs boneless, skinless ground chicken breast (I run cubed breast through my food processor, be careful not to over process of you'll end up with chicken paste - ew)
1/2 - 1 cup finely chopped cilantro (based on your liking)
2 tsp garlic/giner paste
2 tsp olive oil
squirt of lemon juice
salt to taste
(add 1 tsp chopped green chillis if you like some heat)

1. Blend all ingredients together in small bowl. Allow to marinate together for 1 hour.

2. Lightly oil hands and shape chicken mixture into 3" logs; arrange on a lined and oiled baking sheet.

3. Place under broiler for about 7 minutes on each side. Keep a watchful eye on these, chicken breast can dry out very quickly.

* I throw in some vegetables under the broiler alongside the chicken to round out the meal.




Chocolate Chip/Cinnamon Sour Cream Cake
(I half the recipe and bake in a loaf pan, the reculting butter crust is delicious and perfect with a hot cup of tea!)

1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar, then mix in the egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate bowl. Alternately add sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture. Beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter. Mix last 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon together in a separate, small dish.
In a greased 9″x13″ pan, pour in half of the cake batter. Sprinkle the top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and half of the chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top, sprinkling the top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.