Stuffed Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1. Chicken whole – 1 (750 gm.)
2. Vinegar - 4tbsp
3. Thread - to tie the chicken
4. Tomato, dhaniya leaves and green chillies for dressing

For Stuffing

1. Big tomato, finely chopped – 1
2. Onions, finely chopped – 2
3. Carrots - 2 and/or beans – 8/10, finely chopped
4. Mutter (as per your taste)
5. Ginger garlic paste – 1, ½ tsbp
6. Red chilli powder – 1, ½ tsp.
7. Haldi – ½ tsp.
8. Green Chillies – 6
9. Salt & pepper (grounded) – taste
10. Chopped dhaniya leaves

Preparation:

Preparing the Chicken:

• Do not the cut the chicken, just ask the butcher to clean the cavity
• Wash chicken, inside out. Please be careful, the inside is to be cleaned thoroughly
• Pat dry with Chicken with a cloth or tissue towel (which ever is available)
• Rub vinegar on the chicken inside out
• Rub pepper and salt to the chicken inside out, immediately after rubbing vinegar
• Leave the chicken in refrigerator for 3 – 4 hours

Preparing the stuffing:

• Boil the diced carrot, mutter and/or diced beans, drain the water and allow them dry
• Heat oil in a pan, till its smoking
• Turn the gas to simmer
• Add onions to the oil to fry. Fry till they are soft. When frying the onions add ¼ tsp. salt
• Add red chilli powder, haldi power, and ginger garlic paste to the pan
• Mix well and stir and at the same time add the chopped tomatoes
• Once they start turning drown – which means they are fried, add the boiled vegies
• Be careful, u might need to add water if required. But do not add too much, as the stuffing must be dry. Once all is fried n dried, place everything in bowl and allow them to cool down

Chicken in the microwave:

• Take out the chicken from the refrigerator
• Stuff the cooled stuffing inside the chicken cavity – caution – don’t squeeze everything in, neither let it stay loosely
• If your entire stuffing doesn’t go inside the chicken, don’t get upset
• Tie the wings of the chicken with a thread, so that it doesn’t fly off
• Also, tie the legs with a thread, in case it decides to run instead
• Rub oil on the outside of the chicken – be generous,
• Place the chicken with breast side facing up on the metal tray. The metal must have been provided with your microwave (use the metal tray not the grill)
• If you have the stuffing left, place it on top and around the chicken
• Add 4 tsp. of oil on top of the chicken, so that it make a small pool of oil around the chicken on the tray
• Pre heat the microwave to 150 – 200 C for 5 minutes
• Place the tray and set the timer for 40 minutes
• After 20 minutes, take out the chicken and turn it. So that the breast is on the tray now
• Continue baking it
• After 20 minutes check for tenderness of the chicken, if leathery, then place the chicken again for another 5 – 10 minutes

Dressing:

• Cut the threads tied earlier
• Place the chicken a ceramic tray
• Cut tomatoes and onions in rings, and place them on top and around the chicken
• Cut green chillies in long slender pieces and place them around the chicken
• Sprinkle dhaniya leafs and add a dash of lemon for taste

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1. Powdered sugar (icing sugar) – 1 cup (note sugar has to be powered or it will burn)
2. Maida – ½ cup
3. Eggs – 2
4. Baking powder – 1 tbsp
5. Milk – ¼ cup
6. Vegetable Oil – ½ cup
7. Cocoa powder – 2 tbsp
8. Amul cream – 2 packets
9. Colour sprinklers – 1 packet
10. Chocolate syrup

Preparation:

Preparation of essence:

• Mix 2 tbsp of cocoa powder with 2 tbsp of icing sugar and keep aside

Preparation of batter:

• Sift maida with baking powder. Keep aside
• Beat eggs and sugar till the eggs turn fluffy and the mixture becomes more than double in volume. Add essence
• Add oil or butter to beaten eggs-sugar mixture in the bowl. Mix well
• Ideally keep on beating till your hands pain. If they don’t start paining check the clock, it should be ideally 45 minutes of beating.
• Fold in maida gradually till all the maida is used. Add milk to get a slightly thinner than a soft dropping consistency
• Grease a deep glass or ceramic bowl (microwave proof) with butter. (Melt the butter first else you won’t be able to grease). Pour the batter in it. Microwave uncovered for 4 minutes. Do not microwave for a longer time even if the surface of the cake does not feel firm and it appears wet after 4 minutes. Let it stand for 4 – 5 minutes. Let it cool for 8 – 10 minutes before removing from baking dish.

Dressing:

• Take Amul cream and hang it in a piece of porous cloth for 30 – 45 minutes
• Mix ¼ cup of icing sugar after extracting the cream. Mix well.
• Layer the cake with the cream
• Sprinkle with colour sprinkler & cocoa powder
• You can also use the cream to decorate by putting it inside a cone and make design using it.
• Also, you can buy a can of whipped cream (expensive though – 350/- to 550/-) and spray the cake with it
• Add chocolate syrup on the top as per taste.

Chicken ko momo, Khursani ko Achar

Chicken Momos and Khursani (Mirchi/Chilli achar) is a speciality from the Hills. These mouth watering delicacies are a staple diet for these people. I present this recipe on behalf of my wife, Chhaya

Ingredients:

Achar:

1. Dry chillies – 8 / 9
2. Tomato – 1
3. Garlic – 8 cloves
4. Salt – ½ tbsp (or to taste)

Stuffing:

1. Chicken keema – 250 grams (request the butcher to add a dollop of fat in the chicken while he is making the keema)
2. Onion – 3 (large) chopped very fine
3. Ginger – 1 inch, chopped very fine
4. Ajena Moto – 1 pinch
5. Maida – 2 cups

Also Required:

Rice cooker to steam the Momos or a Maktu (the utensil used to steam Momos)

Preparation:

Preparation of Achar:

• Wash the dry chillies and tomatoes thoroughly and keep aside.
• Take whole dry red chillies and boil them in water. Take the tomato and cut into half and add it in the water and let it boil. Once the water has come to boil, let it boil for 3 minutes.
• Drain the water; however keep it aside in a bowl.
• Put the chillies, tomato, and garlic in a blender. Add salt along with 3 tablespoon of water. Use the water kept aside earlier.
• Let it run for a couple of minutes. Check for texture and taste. When you open the blender lid, be careful, don’t lean over. It can cause you sneeze continuously, because of the chilli fumes
• If required add a little more water and run the blender if it does not make a smooth paste.
• Once you a smooth paste keep it aside in a bowl

Preparation of Momos:

• Chop the onions very fine and also the ginger.
• Take the keema in a bowl; add the finely chopped onions and ginger. Along with a pinch of ajena moto. Mix it thoroughly. Keep it aside.
• Take the maida and add water and knead into dough. It should be neither too hard nor too soft.
• Make small balls of the size of sparrow eggs. Make small puries out of these and keep them aside.
• Take a little bit – ½ a table spoon of keema which was made earlier and place it in the middle of the maida puri. Rap it in the shape of a leaf. And while rapping it up create some fissures on long the edges. Keep these aside
• Keep the rice cooker ON for 30 minutes before you place the momos in the steaming tray.
• Once you have about 10 – 15 of momos ready. Place them in the steaming tray inside the rice cooker. It generally takes 15 – 20 minutes for them to cook.