Chicken Lollipop / Mock Drumsticks

"............spiced pulled back chicken winglets."

Chicken lollipops has always stayed among the top list of yummy appetisers while visiting an Indian restuarant. But I always shyed away from the idea of making it at home as sometimes you get to a notion that some stuffs are meant only by a professional chef. Its was the Matha Steward Show that got me on my spritis to give this sizzling appetised a try.

You'll Need...

Chicken Winglets.... 1 lb

Chilli Powder... 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder... 1/2 tsp

Ketchup... 1 tsp

Salt... to taste.

Egg White, lightly beaten... 2 no:s

Bread Crumbs... 1 cup

Oil... for deep frying

Here Is How...

1. In a large non-reactive mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for chilli powder to salt to make up the marinade. Set aside.

2. Cut the wind as the two joints to yield three pieces and discard the tip portions of the wings. Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, loosen the meat around the middle joint & push the meat down gently, scrapping the bone, to about three-forths of the length. Turn the meat inside out around the big joint to form a "drumstick".

3. Transfer the chicken in to the marinate pan and toss to combine well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for one to two hous, or overnight.

4. In a small bowl, place egg whites with a pinch of salt and beat until smooth. Place bread crumbs into another small bowl. Dip the pieces of chicken into the egg mixture and then in the mixturebread crumbs. Allow your chicken to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before frying.

5. Meanwhile, pour enough oil in to a deep skillet and set over medium-high heat and deep fry the "drumsticks" till crispy & golden brown. For heatier cooking options, either arrange the "drumsticks" in a large baking tray & bake for about 25-30 minutes in a 400F oven until crispy & golden brown or grill the "drumsticks" over hot coal for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown, or . Serve with desired dipping sauce.

Chatti Pathiri ...... "The Malabar Lasagnia"

Sometimes the best of modern cuisine borrow ideas for the dishes & entrée from traditional cooking.... Chatti Pathiri a.k.a Chatti Pathil a.k.a Adukku Pathiri was just another strange name, that belonged among the rather long list of yummy sounding Malabar dishes, described to me by my friend "Famitha" who hails from the malabar region. Nothing... yes nothing gets my friend excited... not even fashion... and not even our usual gossip talks are good enough to gets her this excited than when talking about malabari food :). You Rock Girl!!! So this time she went ahead and described chatti pathiri as - the malabar lasagnia, similar as to the of layer upon layer of soft chapathi with the deliciously seasoned meat masala, eggs, cashew & raisins between the layers, and baked crispy perfection. I couldn't wait to get into the kitchen and try my hands in making Fami's chatti pathiri.

Traditionally, the baking of chatti pathiri is done in a sealed container with the coconut husk coals at the bottom and more on its lid which also has the added virtue of imparting a very delicate coco-nutty scent of its own to the dish baking crisp in the container. Although the traditional method of preparing them calls for placing them on hot coals, chatti pathiri may be prepared on regular oven or stove-tops.

You don't have to give up good tasting food to eat healthfully. Some smart choices can made in the original chatti pathiri recipe which would not only keep the calories under check but also save you a ton of time too. Rotisserie Chicken : shredded meat from the store bought rotisserie chicken may be used in place of the fried chicken called forth in the recipe. Egg Whites : each whole egg may be replaced with two egg whites. Tortillas/Chappati : the store bought tortillas/chappati makes a good alternative to homemade ones. Furthermore the chatti pathiri can be assembled ahead of time and stored in the fridge and then baked just in time for any feast. Fresh-baked chatti pathil would fill the house with tempting aromas, whetting appetites for any happy feast.

"Happy Holidays!!!"

You'll Need :

For Ottada....
All Purpose Flour(Maida)... 2 cups
Egg, lightly beaten... 1 large
Salt... to taste.

For Erachi Pundam....
Onions, chopped... 1 large
Ginger, grated... 2tbsp
Garlic, grated ... 2 tbsp
Green Chillies, chopped... 4-5 no:s
Chilli Powder.... 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder... 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala... 1 tsp
Chicken, shredded... 1/2 kg
Curry leaves... 1 sprig

Between The Layers....
Eggs, beaten.... 6 no:s
Cardamom Powder... a pinch
Sugar (optional)... 1/2 tsp
Salt.... to taste.
Ghee... 200g
Shallots, sliced... 4 no:s
Cashews... 100g
Raisins... 100g
White Poppy Seeds(Khus-Khus)... 25g

For Ottada:

1. With a electric mixer over medium speed, beat the all purpose flour, egg and salt with required water to blend into a thick batter.

2. Set a flat non-stick pan over medium-high heat & make about 10-12 round thin crepe/dosa of uniform size (approx. about the same diameter as that of the baking dish). This forms the "Ottada" that makes the layers of the chatti pathil. Keep aside.

For Erachi Pundam:

1. Marinate the chicken in chilli powder, turmeric powder & salt for about 30 minutes. Heat oil and shallow fry the marinated chicken pieces till golden brown. Let cool & shred the fried chicken into fine pieces.

2. Set a bottom heavy Saute Pan on medium-low heat, heat oil and saute onions, minced ginger, garlic & green chili with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook till translucent or golden brown.

3. Add curry leaves, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder stir. Also stir in the shredded chicken. Sprinkle garam masala and roast for 5-10 minute and remove from heat. This forms the "Erachi Pandam" (Chicken Masala) that goes between the layers of the chatti pathil. Keep aside.

For Egg Mixture :

1. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cardamom powder, sugar and salt.

2. Heat ghee a small omelet pan & saute the thinly sliced shallots till golden brown. Remove from heat & cool and add it to the whisked eggs. This form the "Egg Mixture" that goes between the layers of the chatti pathil. Keep aside.

Assembling The Layers :

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use about 1 tablespoon butter to grease the side of a round cake pan(8-inch) or any flat-bottomed oven proof dish.

2. Now start assembling the layers of the chatti pathil, starting with an initial layer of "Ottada" at the bottom of the pan... top it with a generous layer of "Erachi Pandam".... pour a layer of beaten "Egg Mixture".... sprinkle a few cashews, raisins & khas-khas.

3. Repeat the process by adding layers of Ottada, Erachi Pandam, Egg Mixture, Cashews, Raisins and Khas-Khas, in the order, till its done. On the top of the final layer, arrange a generous layer of cashews and raisins as garnish.

4. Close the pan with aluminium foil and bake in a 350°F oven for about 35-40 minutes till the sides have turned crispy & golden brown. Remove from the oven and keep aside for a few minutes till cool to handle.

5. With a sharp knife, loosen the sides of the chatti pathiri from the pan and unmold the chatti pathil onto a serving plate. Serve hot either as a starter or as a main course.

Kansas Chicken.... A Diffrent Chicken Curry!!!

Wondering whats with that name - Kansas Chicken??? What has Kansas, the central most state in United States Of America got to do with the name of an Indian Chicken Curry??? Well its not everyday that you get to scratch your head to name a yummy dish that you just finished making. :) But don't get me wrong on this, its not that I turned the magic wand and came up with this dish myself but its from the pages of my "Recipe Diary". Today I can say that I'm comfortable with cooking and to go a step further I have "iDayz", a food blog to my credit too. But it has not always been so, in the days before my wedding there wasn't a though as cooking that would get me all tensed up. Not that I was totally ignorant to cooking all those years but the though of not having my mom & beloveds around me to clear my seemingly endless doubts that would sprout each time I decide to put my culinary skills to test. And then, as most of you would have had it, I decided my best way would be write down every possible recipe that come my way from the mom & aunts. And when the time finally came to put my culinary skills to test I turned up my recipe diary, right to this recipe which Yeah this was the very first dish that I cooked for my sweet-heart. Simplicity to cook... yet so very different from the usual bandwagon of chicken curries.

You'll Need:

For The Marinade:
Chicken, boneless pieces...
Yogurt.... 4 tbsp
Turmeric... 1/2 tsp
Salt... to taste.

For The Masala:

Onions, finely chopped... 2 medium no:s
Ginger, finely chopped.... 1 inch piece
Garlic, minced.... 5 to 6 cloves
Green Chillies, finely chopped... 2 no:s
Garam Masala.... 1 tsp
Chilies Powder.... 2 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder.... 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder(a little)... 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes, pureed... 2 medium no:s
Curry Leaves... 2 sprig
Oil... as required.

Here Is How:

1. Marinate small pieces of chicken with curd, turmeric & salt for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Transfer the marinated chicken pieces, along with the marinade, into a wok and heat on medium-low heat till water starts oozing out and the chicken reaches a half-boil. Remove from the heat and strain the chicken pieces from the chicken stock and reserve the stock for later use in the recipe.

3. Pour the oil into a saute pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the half-boiled chicken pieces and shallow fry till they starts to brown slightly. Keep the chicken pieces aside.

4. Into the remaining oil, add the chopped onions & salt. Stir & saute until the onion is translucent. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies and let them sweat for a minute or two. Add chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and stir till the raw smell goes and then add the pureed tomatoes and keep stirring till oil separates.

5. Add the reserved chicken stock and bring to a simmer & then add the fried chicken pieces. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken are just cooked through. Remove the lid, stir once or twice, taste for salt, and serve.

Recipe Source : Dearest Daisy Chechi

Indo-Chinese Chicken Manchurian

Ask me my favorite childhood cuisine and without missing a beat, I would have told its Chinese and it had literally remained unchanged right into my adulthood, or I should rather say until I had the taste of Chinese thats served here in the US. So what I had been my fav all these year was "Indo-Chinese" which are immensely popular with Indians. Indo-Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. In India, people frequent Chinese restaurants which serves the spicy adaptations of Chinese food which has naturally evolved out from the marriage of Indian spices with classic Chinese recipes & cooking techniques.

You'll Need :

Boneless Chicken.... 1/2" pieces

Corn Flour... 1/3 cup
All-Purpose Flour (Maida).... 1/2 cup

White Pepper Powder 1/4 tsp
Water (approx) 1/3 cup
Salt... to taste.
Dried Red Chili.... 3-4
Onions, sliced.... 3/4 cup

Garlic Ginger Paste.... 2 tbsp

Green Chili, finely chopped... 4-5 no:s

Chili powder.... 1/2 tsp

Soy Sauce... 2 tbsp

Ketchup... 1 tbsp

Chili-Garlic Sauce.... 2 tsp

Ajinomoto(optional).... 1/4 tsp

Carrot Strips.... 1/4 cup

Bell Peppers.... 1/2 cup

Scallions (Sping Onions).... 2 no:s

Chicken Stock..... 3 cups

Salt.... 1 tsp

Vegetable Oil... 1/4 cup

Here Is How :

In a bowl mix maida, corn flour, salt and pepper by adding water to form a fine batter. Add the boneless chicken cubes into the batter and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the chicken cubes covered with batter until golden brown and cooked. Set aside.

Heat the oil in bottom heavy wok over medium-high heat. Add dried red chillies till they turn dark and stir-fry the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and onion with a bit of salt till the onions look glossy. Now add the chili powder & stir for a minute and pour the sauce mixture of soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, tomato sauce and chicken stock. Sprinkle ajinomoto (MSG) which give the food authentic Chinese flavour. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the deep fried chicken pieces and cook for 3 minutes till the chicken is fully cooked and absorbs the sauce. Simmer till the sauce thickens and becomes translucent. Add the bell peppers, carrot strips & spring onion and turn around a few times. Delicious Chicken Manchurian is ready to be served.

Spicy Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken....1 lb
Pepper Corns... 1 tsp
Onions, finely chopped... ½ cup
Ginger, minced fine.... ½ inch
Garlic, minced fine.... 4 pods
Yogurt.... 1 ½ tbsp
Turmeric powder..... 3/4 tsp
Chilly powder.... 1 ½ tsp
Coriander powder..... 2 tbsp
Garam Masala..... 1 ½ tsp
Varutharacha Paste.... 2 tbsp
Curry Leaves... 2 sprigs
Oil..... 1 tsp
Salt.... to taste
Green Chillies, finely chopped..... 5-6 no:s

Before i start telling you how to go about this recipe let me tell how the same came around. We were just getting to end a not so happening day with no particular plans for the night and things would change once you answer that ringing phone. Well you just got to know that some of your friends would just drop by and you suggest why not have dinner here??? Phewww!!! the next thing you know the we are running around the house, fixing up things around from the not-so-great menu to the coffee table in the living room. Voilà you scratch-up you survival instincts and comes up with some dish that will run through the night. Yeah you guessed it... the same happened and I'm delighted that i came up with this recipe since i had baked chicken in the fridge. Sometimes you get asked for the recipe and that just make your day. I'm sure everyone of you would have been through these moments... Enjoy!!!

I call it Spicy Baked Chicken and since I cook without actually measuring out the ingredients, the measurements included here are just estimates. Feel free to tweak it according to your taste. This recipe is great for all the weight-watchers in us. Comments Appreciated.

Here is How:

Make a batter of chilly powder, turmeric powder, yogurt & salt. Coat the chicken pieces in the marinade & let it marinate for around an hour or two. Make sure that you do not leave out yogurt for the above marinade as it help in keeping the baked chicken moist in the baking process.

Preheat the oven to temp of 350F. Meanwhile place the marinated chicken pieces on a baking mesh/rack, placed over the baking tray. The Baker's Rack would help the fat from the chicken to drip down into the tray thus making it a more figure friendly which is the best part;). Bake the chicken pieces for around 25-35 minutes, till the chicken is cooked. Remove from oven and keep aside.

In microwave safe container, microwave onions, ginger, garlic & green chillies with a pinch of salt for a minute till onions are translucent. Heat oil in a large Dutch Oven over medium heat and add the microwaved onions, ginger, garlic & green chillies and saute for a couple more minute till onions are deep golden brown. Add all the spices and add diced tomatoes & cook till oil separates from tomatoes. Add the chicken & add varutharacha paste** to the pan and mix well to coat in gravy. Bring this to a simmering boil, sprinkle garam masala & remove from flame.

Recipe Source : My Creation.

**Varatharacha Paste : is made by dry roasting various spice & grated coconut till dark brown, which is then dry grinded to form into a thick smooth paste. This paste can be stored in the refrigerator for upto 6 months. Again the fully prepared & ready-to-use varatharacha paste are now available at your local malayali grocers under the brand name "Saras Varutharacha Paste".

Kottayam Style - Nadan Chicken Paalu Curry

Strangely enough an impressionable memory of having this very authentic dish was not very long ago. Thanks to my ma-in-law's kitchen i should say that I've been hooked to a whole gamete of kottayam specialities . And after running our telephone meter with many an isd calls... here is my effort to recreate this central kerala speciality.

Ingredients:

Chicken....1 lb

Pepper Corns... 1 tsp

Onions, finely chopped... ½ cup
Ginger, minced fine.... ½ inch

Garlic, minced fine.... 4 pods
Turmeric powder..... 3/4 tsp

Pepper powder.... 1 ½ tsp
Dried Red chili ...... 1 no:s
Coriander powder..... 2 tbsp
Garam Masala..... 1 ½ tsp

Curry Leaves... 2 sprigs

Coconut Milk... ½ cup
Salt.... to taste
Oil..... as required

Green Chillies, finely chopped..... 5-6 no:s

Here is How:

Heat oil in a large Dutch Ovenover medium heat. Add onions & pinch of salt. Now stir in ginger, garlic & green chillies and saute for a couple of minute till onions are deep golden brown. Add all the spices and add diced tomatoes & cook till oil separates from tomatoes. Add the chicken to the pan and mix well to coat in gravy. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Reduce the heat to low, add coconut milk & curry leaves. Bring this to a simmering boil & remove from flame. Sprinkle garam masala & stir in.