Chicken Tikka BBQ

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Chicken drumsticks or cut-up pieces – 3 lb(1.5kg), skin on*
  
• Tikka Spices (From Shan ready spices) – 4 tbsp
• Chili powder – 1 tbsp
• Cumin powder – ½ tbsp
• Garlic - 1 tbsp, crushed or paste
• Ginger – 1 tsp, grated or paste
• Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
• Yoghurt – 2/3 cup
• Canola/vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

Methods:

• 1. Wash and pat-dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel.
• 2. Mix in all the ingredients for the marinade and marinate chicken in the mixture for minimum of 2 hours to up to 24 hours, in the refrigerator.
• 3. On the day of the grilling, take the chicken out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature, at least for 1 hour, before cooking. Mix in half a cup of oil, coating all the chicken pieces evenly.
• 4. Grill on a BBQ Grill till they are cooked through, turning every 5/7 min. Save the marinade for basting. If the chicken pieces seems dry then brush a little of the marinade on them, before each turn.**
• 5. Serve hot with a side of garden salad.

Hints:
* You can use skinless, but the skin on chicken stays more moist while grilling
**Alternatively, to barbecuing, you can also cook them in the oven. In this case, preheat oven to 350°F(180° C), spray a baking tray with olive oil spray. Do not add the 1/2 cup of oil to the chicken. Instead, place the chicken pieces on the tray and spray some more oil over the chicken pieces. Bake for 60 min, turning the pieces every 10 min.
***Once the chicken is cooked through, broil (top grill of the oven) the chicken, 5 min on each side, till the chicken turns crispy. ( If your oven does not have a separate grilling section, then just turn on the top heating coil only of your oven to brown and crisp the chicken.) Pay extra attention while broiling. Since the chicken is already cooked through it will burn very quickly if you leave it alone, even for a while.

Roasted Baby Eggplants with Beef Stuffing

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Ground/Minced beef - 250 gm (1/2 lb) , can be substituted for chicken or turkey or even fish*
  
• Baby Eggplants - 8 pc (when buying, ensure all of them are similar in size, about 3 inches long)
  
• Peas - 1/2 cup, cooked.
  
• Onion - 1 lrg, finely chopped, divided in half
• Garlic cloves - 2, finely minced (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)
  
• Ginger paste - 1 tsp (can be substituted for ginger powder, but the fresh one tastes better)
• Tomatoes - 3, finely chopped (can be substituted for a can of diced tomato)
• Ketchup - 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Chili flakes - 1 tsp (or to desired heat)
• Italian seasoning - 1 tsp (optional, can be substituted for fresh herbs)
• Italian cheese blend - 1/2 cup (or only Parmesan cheese will be fine)
  
• Salt & pepper - to taste
  

Methods:

• 1. Wash and pat dry the eggplants with a paper towel. Using your knife, cut the tip of each eggplant in a zigzag manner to create a top/lead. With a spoon, scoop out the internal flesh of the bottom part, to create a cavity for the filling. Make sure the wall of the cavity is about 1/2 cm thick, otherwise when stuffed, the eggplants will break while cooking.
• 2.Meanwhile, in a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add half of the chopped up onions. Saute till they turn translucent. Add the garlic and the ginger paste to infuse the oil with their fragrances.
• 3. Add the minced beef, chili flakes, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Saute on medium heat till the beef turn brown. Taste for salt to make sure its the right amount, taking into account that the Soy sauce is salty.
  
• 4. Add the scooped up flesh of the eggplants and stir in till cooked through. Remove from heat and let it cool.
• 5. Once the beef has cooled down, mix in the cheese.
  
• 6. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the bottom parts of the eggplants**. Scoop each eggplant with the beef mixture. Top them with the cut out leads and bake for 30 - 35 min on 400°F (200°C) or till the eggplants are cooked through.
• 7. While the eggplants are roasting, make your sauce/gravy to go with it. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the remaining half of the chopped up onions. Saute till translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes, ketchup, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning***. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and simmer on low heat for about 30 min or till the tomatoes melt in and make the gravy thick.
  
• 8. Pour the gravy on a shallow dish and sprinkle the peas on top. Once the eggplants are done, arrange them on the bed of the red sauce and serve with pasta or rice.
  

Hints:
* If using fish, then on the 2nd step, while cooking the stuffing do not add any ginger as it will over power the flavour of the fish. However if you like ginger, then you are welcome to use it. The types of fish that I have tried, which tastes good in this recipe are Tuna, Salmon and Crab meat.
** Remember that the stuffing has enough seasoning, so salt the eggplants, taking that into account. I personally do not salt my eggplants, as I like the sweet flavour of it when it is roasted.
***If you are using fresh herbs instead of the dried herbs, then do not add them at this stage. Once the gravy is fully cooked, just before adding the peas, stir in the freshly chopped herbs. This will ensure the fragrances to be intact.

Roasted Turkey Breast with Herb-Garlic Butter

Servings : 4

Ingredients:

• Turkey Breast - 1, 5-6 lb, cleaned up and brined*
• Butter - 1/2 cup, at room temperature.
• Garlic cloves - 4-5, crushed
  
• Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped finely
  
• Italian/ Flat-leaf parsley - 1/4 cup, chopped finely
• Capers - 2 tbsp, chopped finely
  
• Ready made Pesto - 2 tbsp
• Salt & Pepper to taste.

Methods:

• 1. In a bowl, mix in the butter, garlic, cilantro, parsley, capers, pesto, salt, and pepper to make the herb-garlic butter.
• 2. Prepare the turkey breast, by cutting a slit, on each side of the breast, horizontally, to create a cavity for the spiced butter.
  
• 3. Also, on the top of the breast, make 4-5 slit marks, on the skin of the breast.
• 4. Take spoon full of the butter mixture, and generously rub it in the cavity created, stuffing the cavity with the butter on each side of the breast.
• 5. Rub the remaining butter on the top of the breast and also below the breast, on the underside.
• 6. Place some vegetables** of your choice, on a roasting tray and place the turkey breast on top, so that it sits perfectly.
• 7. Bake on 400°F(200°C) for about 1.5 hours. Check the turkey by inserting a knife on the deepest part, if the juices run clear, your turkey is cooked through.
• 8. The juices from the turkey will seep down to the vegetables and flavour them. However, there might be too much of over flowing juice that need to be reduced. So, once the turkey is cooked, take it out of the oven, remove from the roasting pan and place it on cutting board. Cover with a foil and let it to rest for 20 min.
• 9. Meanwhile, return the roasting tray with the vegetables back in the oven and roast for 20 more min. This will allow the vegetables to soak up all the juices and become crispy on the edges.
• 10. Once cooked, serve the turkey with a serving of the roast vegetables and freshly baked bread rolls.
  

Hints:
* Brinning means, soaking the turkey in a solution of water , salt, and sugar. You can also spice up your brine by adding other spices. I have used a simple solution of water, salt, and whole black peppers, and soaked the turkey breast in the solution for 2 days, refrigerated.
** I used a combination of Idaho potatoes, broccoli, baby carrots and one large onion quatered. Once peeled and cleaned, sprinkle some salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil over the vegetables before placing them on the roasting tray.

Chicken Boti

Servings : 6 - 8

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 4-5 lb (2 kg) bone-in, cut into small, 1.5 inch size, pieces,
• Fresh Tomato - 4-5, cut into long thin strips
• Green Capsicum/bell pepper - 1 lrg, cut into thin strips
• Onion - 1 lrg, cut into long thin strips
• Whole Green cardamon - 5 pcs
• Whole cinnamon - 1.5 inch stick,
• Whole black peppers - 6-7 pcs
• Whole Cloves - 1/2 tsp
• Anise seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Dried Bay leaf - 1-2

Spice mixture:

• Fresh Garlic clove - 4, crushed
• Fresh Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
  
• Coriander powder -2 tsp
  
• Chili powder - 2 tsp (the dish is meant to be hot, but you can use less up to your preference)
  
• Paprika powder - 1.5 tsp (Paprika is not hot, but adds a distinct smokey flavour and colour)
• Ground Nutmeg - 1 tsp
• Ground Hot-spice - 1 tsp
  
• Lemon/lime juice - 2 tbsp
• Salt - 1 tbsp (or to taste)
  

Methods:

• 1. Cut the chicken into small, 1.5 inch long pieces, leaving the bone-in (you can use bone-less, but the bone-in chicken tastes better). Wash and pat dry with a paper towel.
• 2. Prepare the spice mixture and rub it in the chicken, coating all the pieces generously. Cover and marinate in a sealed dish, in the refrigerator for about no more than 24 hours (minimum 1/2 hour).
• 3. The next day, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and leave to come on room-temperature for about 1/2 hour, before cooking.
• 4. Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a non-stick wok, add the cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, anise seeds, bay leaf and the whole black peppers. Saute till the seeds start popping, add the onions.
• 5. Saute the onions till they turn translucent and a little brown on the edges. Add the chicken and saute on medium heat till they turn crispy on the outside and reaches a dark reddish-brown colour.
• 6. Add the tomatoes and the capsicums , stir in to mix everything.
• 7. Cover and cook on low heat for about 30 min or till the tomato blends in and creates a thick, sticky gravy*, stirring occasionally. Before turning the heat off, taste for salt, as by using the tomatoes the salt ratio will be down, so you might need to add a bit more salt depending on your taste.
• 8. Serve with Naan bread** and a simple salad.

Hints:
* If you want more gravy or a thinner version, then when you add the tomatoes, add a cup of hot water and don't add the capsicums yet. After the 30 min, once the tomatoes have melted down and gravy gets rich and thick, add the capsicums on top. Cover and turn the heat off and let to rest for about 10 min before serving. This will allow the capsicums to be softer but still stay crunchy.
** You can also serve it with the Polao or simple rice, in which case I like to make the chicken with the thinner gravy.

Stir Fried Spaghetti

I came up with this dish one day, when I wanted to have some Asian inspired stir-fried noodles, and had to do good with whatever ingredients I had available that will be close to it. The result was far away from any Asian noodles, but still it was sooooooooooooo yummy that I had to share.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti - 1 lb (450 gm)
• Chicken breast fillet - 1, deboned and cut into thin strips
• Baby Spinach Leaves - 2 cups
• Fresh Roma tomato - 2 large, each cut into 8 cubes
• Breakfast beef sausage patties - 4, cut into bite size cubes.
• Garlic powder - 1 tsp
• Salt & Pepper - to taste
  

Methods:

• Place the cut-up tomatoes on a baking dish, sprinkle some oilve oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper on top, and broil/grill for 5- 10 min, untill they shrivel up. You can also use roast tomatoes instead, if you like.
  
• Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti as instructed on the package. Drain.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non stick-pan, add the chicken, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Saute till they are cooked through and browned a bit.
  
• Add the sausage pieces and saute for 3-5 more min, till they crisp up.
• Add the pasta and stir fry with the chicken and sausages for few more min (3-5).
• Just before taking it off the heat, stir in the roast tomatoes and the spinach. Turn of the heat and stir to mix everything up evenly. The residue heat will wilt the spinach down.
  
• Serve and enjoy.