Hara (green) Masala Chicken

Here is my way of making this delicious chicken recipe.

Ingredients:

For masala:

Use  1 1/2 tsp of this masala

4 green cardamoms

5 cloves

1 black cardamom

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 stick cinnamon

1 anise star

For the meal:

1/2 kg chicken
1 medium onion 
2/3 cup yogurt 
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

6 curry leaves 

3 tbsp coconut
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 green chilies
3/4 cup mint leaves 
1/2 cup fresh coriander

Method:

Separately, dry roast each of the whole spices in a pan. Let them cool down and grind to a fine masala. You will need only 1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons of it. Remaining masala can be stored in an air tide container.

Combine green chilies, mint, coriander and grind to a paste with 1/2 cup water. Keep aside.

Chop onions and cook them in 3 tablespoons oil until just transparent.  If the onions are fried to brown it can effect on the green color of the meal.

Remove onions from the pan and add cumin seeds for a few mins. You will know they are ready once they start popping and releasing their flavor. Add ginger garlic paste and curry leaves. Cook for a 3-4 mins and stir to avoid burning.  Add onions, chicken pieces, black pepper and masala. Mix well and let the chicken get partly coked from all sides. 

Pour in the green paste, yogurt, add coconut and salt mix well again and cover to cook on a low flame until the chicken is done and the sauce is thicken.


In case you don't like hot food,  use only one or none chilies. If you like hot food go ahead and use 2 chilies :). The most chilies I used for this recipe was 3 big ones and it was hot, but yummy !!!!

Enjoy!

 
 

Flower Bread

Here is one more recipe of a home made round bread:

Flower Bread

Ingredients:

3 eggs

4 cups flour ( I used 2 all purpose, 2 whole wheat)

1 and 1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup oil

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons warm water

Method:

Mix 2 tablespoons warm water with sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, yeast and a teaspoon flour. Let it rest for 10-15 mins in a warm dark place.

Grease and 9 inch round baking pan.

In a bowl mix the flour and rest of the salt. 

Pull the flour to the ends of the bowl and pour in the center the yeast, oil and yogurt.

Start mixing until it forms a dough. Transfer to a floured flat surface and start to knit until the dough is smooth, 10-15 mins. The more you knit the dough, the better and not only for this bread, for most of them unless is stated otherwise!!! 

If you need add more flour to the working area, make sure the dough doesn't stick to the flat surface you are using to knit it! 

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Keep in a warm and dark place until it doubles it size, around 1 or 1:30 hour. I usually preheat the oven little bit  and let the dough rest there. It works great for me :). Do not open the oven until you are ready to use it again. Start the light to check how it is doing if you need to.

Next, you will take the dough and separate one big piece for the center, 8 small for the flower petal, and 6 smaller for the rest of the flower pieces.

Form a round ball  and place it in the middle of the baking dish. Take each of the bigger 8 pieces and roll them out to a rectangle shape, then just roll them and place around the big circle. Do same with the smaller pieces and place them in between the big 8 petals.

Cover with towel and let it rest for 30 min in a warm dark place again. The dough will rise. Brush oil or egg yoke on top if you wish, you can also spread some sesame seeds, or sea salt. IN case you are brushing the top with an egg, do not use cold egg straight from the fridge. It needs to be room temperature. If the egg is cold it will make the risen bread flatten immediately and the bread wont bake well.

Bake in preheated to 350 oven for about 30-35 mins

Before taking it out check with tooth peek if its ready. Insert the tooth peek in the middle of the bred, if it comes out clean the bread is ready, if it's sticky you need to bake it for some more time. Keep checking every 5 mins.

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TIPS:

Make sure you always have extra flour handy in case you need more to form a soft, non sticky dough.

If the dough seems too dry, oil your hands and knit it until it feels smooth. You may need to add some more oil to it, that is fine, just work with very small amount at a time. Enjoy!

LOKUM - TURKISH DELIGHT

This is a sweet we grow up eating, but never made at home. It was always available in the stores in a rose flavor.
A while ago, I found a recipe somebody gave me more than 10 years now, and here I'm trying it out for second time... The result is quite good and just like the lokum I ate as a kid :). I grow to like nutty or coconut turkish delight, but the rose flavor one will always be the one taking me back to my childhood and my home then ...
Here is the recipe:


LOKUM - TURKISH DELIGHT 


Ingredients:
4 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/4 cups cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater
1 cup confectioners sugar
optional: 
food coloring 
pistachios, almond, hazelnuts or coconut flakes


Method:


Oil a 9-inch pan. If it is best to use a square one, but if not available a round one would do as well.


First, combine all 4 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the water, and the lemon juice. Stir well until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils on a medium flame. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage. Remove the pan from the heat.
Next, in a second large heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1 cup cornstarch and the cream of tartar. Gradually stir in the remaining 3 cups of water and make sure  no lumps remain. Stir constantly, until the mixture boils and is a thick, gluey paste.
Slowly pour the hot sugar, water, and lemon juice syrup into the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, for about 1 hour, or until the mixture has become a pale golden color. You need to make sure you have a thick consistency, if it is not, the lokum will be watery once cut and stored (I did have this result the first time I made it )!!!!
After an hour of cooking  add the rosewater and a food color and nuts if using it. Mix well.
Pour the mixture in the greased pan and spread it evenly. Let it cool to a room temperature and let it sand over night to set without covering it. if you cover with foil or plastic wrap, it will create moisture in the pan. We don't want this!!! We need the mixture to settle dry.
Sift the confectioners sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch onto a large cutting board. Turn the Turkish delight out of the pan on the board and cut around 1 inch squares. Make sure the knife you are using is clean every time you make a cut. You can spread some oil on it for easier cutting also. 
Roll each piece in the confectioners sugar or coconut mixture to coat well on all sides.
The lokum can be stored in an airtight container. If you layer it, use waxed paper dusted with sugar to prevent sticking under and on top of each layer.


Hope you like it!!!

Multicolored cupcakes

Makes 9 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 big egg, or 1 1/2 small
1 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare paper-lined muffin cups.
Mix flour, salt, baking soda and powder in a bowl and keep aside. (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and rest all purpose, the flavor didn't change a bit and the moisture was still just right!!)
Cream together softened butter and sugar in a second mixing bowl. Add egg, vanilla and mix well.
Start adding alternatively dry ingredients and yogurt half cup at a time.
The batter will be thick.
Now separate the batter in 4 different bowls and add desired color in each one. Mix well for the color to blend in with the batter.
Now pour little from each color batter in the muffin cups. You can follow same pattern or make different ones.
Bake for 20-25 mins.
Let them cool down completely. Decorate with frosting. You can use store bought frosting or make your own. I find the butter frosting fast and easy to make. You can add some color to it as well, or different  essence.

Butter Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1 table spoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream sugar and softened butter. Add vanilla and milk. Mix well. Decorate the cupcakes :)
This amount of frosting will be enough to partly cover the cupcakes. If you want you can double all and make more frosting to have a bigger layer on top of the cupcake. If leftover, it can be stored in the fridge for some time.
In case you use too much liquid food coloring to achieve desired color be careful not to make the frosting too watery and omit the milk or add a table spoon or two confectioners sugar. 
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TIPS:
This is a basic recipe for yellow cupcakes. You can add 1/4 cup cocoa powder and add 2 tablespoons strong coffee to have a chocolate cupcakes. Or have the batter as it is and separate in 2. One half leave white and the other mix with 1 or 2 table spoons cocoa powder to have a brown mix. Pour white and then brown batter in the middle of the cupcake to have marble like cupcakes.
Change the vanilla with rum, almond, coconut extract and top the cupcakes with frosting and chopped nuts, for almond extract, coconut flakes for coconut extract, or a cherry to go with the rum flavor. ...or make your own combination !!!

Enjoy

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  To make the frosting partly colored, I did placed some food coloring on the  inside part of an empty icing bag. Then I carefully placed  some of the frosting and started to press down until the frosting was coming out and I covered only the top part of the cupcake. My kids like it this way :)
  
  
  
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