EASY CHICKEN STIR FRY/ DESI STYLE

This is a very simple to cook and tasty desi style chicken fry...It goes well with rice,chapathies , parottas or bread, with some salad as side dish.. The dish does not contain any tomatoes,but the best flavour is brought out by adding vinegar..Just try it and enjoy the difference... Another plus point is that if you keep some chicken fried this way in the fridge, you can easily transform it into a delicious desi style curry by adding some maggi coconut milk.. For this purpose dissolve 4 heaped tablspoons of Maggi cococnut milk powder into 16 oz of warm water and bring it slowly to a boil..(measurement for 1.400 kgs of fried chicken) Add the chicken fried this way, into this, stir well and simmer for some time till the gravy is no longer runny, but thick.. However it should not be of a coating consistency, but thick enough...Then only will it taste yummy.. Pls try to make a curry this way and enjoy the delicious flavour and taste...It is really scrumptious and goes well with rice, rotis, bread ,palappams ,velleppams,idiyappams etc....ENJOYYY!

INGREDIENTS:-

1) Chicken cut into medium sized pieces--1.400 kgs(washed well with water and little vinegar)

2)Onions sliced--6 large ones

3)Green chillies chopped--2

4)Cardamom, cinnamon and cloves--a few each

5)Coriander powder--4 heaped table spoons

6)Kashmiri chilli powder--1/2 tblsp or less if you prefer

7)Turmeric powder--1/2 tsp

8)Pepper powder--1/2 tsp slightly heaped

9)Garam masala powder--1/2 tsp heaped

10) salt

11) Ginger chopped fine--3 heaped tblsp

12)Garlic chopped --3 heaped tblsp

13)Vinegar-1 tblsp

14)Curry leaves--2 large sprigs.

15) Oil--1/2 cup

METHOD:-Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan and fry the spices cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.. Put the sliced onions, chopped ginger,garlic and green chillies.. Stir fry till everything turns light brown and oil starts to seperate slightly...Now add the powders , salt and curry leaves.. Stir fry till the raw smell disapappers and the masalas are fried well and oil starts to seperate again.. Now add the vinegar ,chicken pieces and mix everything well.. Do not add any water.. Stir the chicken for some time ,about 5 mnts and cover the vessel..Let cook over medium slow fire. stirring now and then..When cooked well, remove the lid and stir fry for some more time till slightly dry and dark brown as you see in the picture.....Serve with rice or roti and salad.

STRAWBERRY LEMON CURD TRIFLE

This recipe is from the " joy of baking"... I found the substitution of lemon curd instead of the usual custard,a yummy change from the usual trifle recipes!Still when I made it I had to make a few changes here and there in the recipe..Instead of pound cake in the original recipe, I used a small tea cake.To soak the cake I used few spoonfulls of unsweetened cold milk that is not mentioned in the recipe....Since the preserve is loaded with sugar we need not add extra sugar to the milk.Moreover I have tried to reduce the sweetness of the sugary preserve by diluting it with little water and brandy .This helps the syrup to seep down into the cake slices.However if you prefer the cake slices dry,pls do not soak it with milk..First I used one small tetra pack of whipping cream.. But it was not sufficient ..I had to whip up one more, for the two layers and to cover the whole thing! Hence you may use two packets for a richer, thicker and creamier topping.Since a considerable amount of sugar is contained in most of the ingredients, I have reduced the amount of sugar in the whipping cream.But for the lemon curd I had to add more sugar..The recipe called for some crushed Amaretti cookies to serve with the trifle.. I didn't have any at home ..Hence omited.

INGREDIENTS:-

1)Strawberry preserve--1 cup

Dilute it with 1/2 cup cold water to make it little thin and less sugary!)

2)Fresh strawberries sliced--225 gms..

(i used 2 small boxes of the fruit)

3)Lemon curd--1 qty(recipe given below)

4)Sugar-2 tbsp(for 2 pkts whipping cream)

5)Vanilla essence--1/2 tsp

6)Heavy whipping cream--2 small tetra packs

7) 1 pound cake or tea cake sliced into small pieces --about 1/2 kg

8) Brandy- 1tbsp

9) a few spoonfulls of cold milk to soak the cake lightly,if preferred

FOR THE LEMON CURD:-

1)Eggs--3 large

2)Grated lemon rind--of 3 large lemons

3)Sugar-3/4 cups or more if you prefer( i had to use 1 cup of sugar as the curd was too sour)

4)Butter-4 tbsp

5) Lemon juice--1/3 cup

6)Vanilla essence -just 1 drop

METHOD:-

First make the lemon curd.. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, put all the ingredients for the sauce except the rind , vanilla and butter... Whisk until blended.. Place the pan in a steel bowl containing hot water over medium flame and cook stirring all the time until thick and the sauce starts to coat the back of a wooden spoon..Switch off the flame and remove the sauce pan from the bowl ..Add the chopped butter.. It will melt now.. Stir in the lemon rind and vanilla as well.Let cool down stirring occasionally to prevent a film from forming on top.Cover with cling film and keep aside in the fridge.

Now whip the whipping cream in a bowl kept over some ice in another bowl ...Beat till thick and double in volume adding sugar and vanilla..Keep aside in the fridge until use.

Stir the brandy into the diluted strawberry preserve..

Now to assemble, take a large pudding bowl and arrange slices of pound cake or tea cake at the bottom.. Use only half the qty now.. Keep the rest aside for the next layer. Sprinkle little cold milk and half the strawberry preserve with the brandy over the cake..Now arrange half the fresh sliced strawberries followed by half the lemon curd and the whipped cream..Repeat the layers once more.. Docorate with some fanned fresh strawberries..Chill and serve!!Enjoyyyy!!