Happy 1st Birthday 'Food for Thought' ..... letz start with Stuffed bell peppers

About 365 days back I was completely jobless and my favorite pass time was musing on useless things, and browsing online shopping sites, making trips to the neighborhood departmental store and napping in the afternoons.

Very soon I grew out of it. I wanted to do something ...... totally unsure of what that 'something' was.

I was afraid that I was having ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) .... I think I suffer from it big time. I start everything with a lot of enthu but never get to the end of it. The proof ..... incomplete oil paintings, craft works, half read books and many more. But there is one thing that I do everyday ... eat ! And cook too .....one of the many demerits of living in a servant less country.

After a long brainstorming session and few squabbles with J 'Food for Thought' was born .... a year ago.....

And I believe I have conquered ADD. For the first time I started something and I so love it till date. It has become a part of my everyday life.

This time there is a man behind this woman's success .... J of course. I owe it to him. Definitely to my family too who never gave up on me and encouraged me to put my thoughts into words.

Also to all those loving blog friends who have constantly encouraged me. I would definitely want to mention a line about those who criticized my work too. They just made me more determined to go ahead with an endeavor of doing it better everyday.

Thank you all for being a part of my First Birthday bash. Please enjoy the visual treat of stuffed bell peppers .

Preparation Time 60 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Minced Boneless Chicken - 1/2 pound

Small Bell Pepper - 8

Grated Cheese - 1/2 cup

Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

Finely Chopped Garlic - 1 tbsp

Finely Chopped Ginger - 1/2 tbsp

Chili Garlic Sauce - 1 tbsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Salt per taste

Oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Cut Bell Peppers, remove seeds and brush them with little oil. Keep aside.

2 Drizzle some oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute till they are brown. Add the ginger and garlic and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes.

3 Add the minced meat and stir in with the fried onions, garlic and ginger. Add salt, red chili powder. Mix it well with the minced chicken and fry till the chicken is cooked.

3 Add cumin powder and chili garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

4 Remove from heat and add some lime juice to it.

5 Preheat the oven at 400 degree F.

6 Stuff the bell pepper with this minced meat. Sprinkle cheese on it. (I added less but if you like cheese you can add more too)

7 Put it in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes till the cheese starts melting.

Serving Tips

Serve as an appetizer at room temperature.

Dahi Chicken or Doi Murgh

We are in the last week of January ..... Yeaah everyone knows that. But do you know that I have been able to keep my resolutions. So for all those pessimists who thought that resolutions are made to be broken or that they walk out of the door the very next day, it is indeed BAD NEWS !

Of course I am out of bed by 8am ..... I swear. Weekends are the only exceptions and that's allowed. I breathe my lungs out and get all the oxygen around me .... that is what Pranayama teaches right ? I even tried opening my windows early morning in the middle of the worst winter .... that was the stupidest thing to do.

I have emptied a pack of cereals in two weeks which means that I have not skipped Breakfast. And and I have not shopped anything other than groceries ( that's so not me) ..... Frankly I myself also find it difficult to accept.

And by now you must know my creative side.

Let me stop bragging before one of you asks me to ....

But there is one thing where I fumbled ...... Blogging and visiting all your blogs. Ahhh Obsession. But you like that right ..... me reading your blogs :D So that's one thing that I decided to compromise just for the sake of my blog friends.

But are you really happy for me ? Come one tell the truth .... at least once. No, it won't hurt me.

Any hooo let me come to the recipe and cut my crap before you decide to navigate away from this page.

This is my mother's recipe ...... so if you like it let me know. If you don't blame it on her.

Preparation Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 pound (with or without bones)

Curd - 1/3 cup

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp (per taste)

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Chicken Curry Masala - 2 tsp

Onion - 2 big finely chopped

Ginger - 1 inch minced

Garlic - 5 cloves minced

Whole Black Pepper - 10

Bay Leaf - 1

Whole Cinnamon - 2 inches

Cardamom - 2

Salt per taste

Oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Clean the chicken, remove skin and keep aside. I made this with boneless meat but it tastes even better with bones.

2 Add curd, red chili powder, turmeric Powder, salt and all the whole garam masala/ spices to the chicken. Marinate and keep aside in fridge for at least an hour.

3 Heat oil in a kadhai. When hot add the ginger and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the chopped onions to it and saute till they are brown.

4 Add the marinated chicken to the masala and mix well. Add the cumin, coriander and chicken masala. Mix in all the ingredients. Add more salt to adjust the taste if required.

5 Cover and cook. Make sure to stir intermittently else the masala would stick to the bottom of the kadhai.

Add a little water if required. Cook till the chicken is tender. Garnish with a little chopped coriander leaves.

Serving Tips

Serve hot with Naan or Roti

Cornish Hens n Letter to Santa

So here I am back after a short hibernation .... Do you want to know what I did during this period ? I am sure you are all ears for it !! So here is my little secret. Promise me you will not tell anyone and also you won't laugh at it. Well I had been making a list for Santa ..... I am going to FedEx it tomorrow. So you can add your list to mine before I send it off to the North Pole.

My Dear Santa,

I have been an awful good girl this year. So here comes my small wish list for you. I know I no more qualify for sending such things ..... but here is a deal .... I promise a lovely dinner for you and Mrs Claus on new year eve. You can bring your elves and reindeers too.

I am sorry to post it a little late ..... but I am sure it will make it to the North Pole just on time. Please make your elves work a little extra time if needed to grant my wishes. I know you will be busy delivering gifts to all the kids on the cold wintry nights.

I will be keeping your favorite cookies and a glass of warm milk by the Christmas tree. Please help yourself with some when you sneak down my chimney.

1. I wish a real house made of ginger bread.

2. I wish chocolates grew on trees ..... and if I could have a Godiva tree in my backyard it would be wonderful. I promise to share some with the neighborhood kids and my friends.

3. I wish it snows ice creams during winters.

4. And last I wish for a bottomless jar of candies ....... :p

Isn't my wish list a small and sweet one !! I have not been greedy at all. Don't you think this wish list is going to bring joy to all.

I hope Mrs Claus is also helping you with sorting out our mails and with the gift wrapping. I insist you get her with you during this Christmas trip.

Also tell Rudolph that I have a surprise awaiting him.

See you guys soon .....

Hugs,

Satrupa

So here is the little secret recipe from the kitchen of Ina Garten. I followed it as is and the birds were gorgeous.

Thanksgiving weekend with Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks

How was your Thanksgiving weekend ? Did you shop till you dropped ? Did you meet your family and friends over a feast ? Did you roast a turkey ? And most importantly did you have a wonderful time ?
Festivals help us break free from our mundane life. I have no two minds about it. It doesn't matter to me if it is Diwali or Thanksgiving ........ what matters at the end of the day is getting to spend time with your loved ones and celebrating life !! These are the moments that we cherish later in life. And I pity people who build boundaries around themselves ..... There is nothing wrong in embracing and celebrating festivals of other countries/ culture as long as you are appreciating your owns. Festivals just give us another reason to get together with family and friends.
J and I were super enthusiastic this Thanksgiving. We didn't want to miss the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade this year. We were off to New York city at 3 am on Thursday morning (11/24/2010). We reached there when it was still dark and the roads were deserted with the temperature at -4 degrees Celsius. The deserted roads were so not New York style. The parade had been on our Bucket List for couple of years and we were happy to strike it off this year.
We shopped like crazy on Black Friday ..... fourteen hours at a stretch. I won't be surprised if you raised your eyebrow and said "Crazy People". The best thing that I love about myself and J is we live life every moment and we don't mind that little bit of madness.
Came home and slept like a pig. And when I woke up there was a sweet surprise awaiting for me ...... A lovely candle light dinner for two. Courtesy J. It was Thanksgiving Dinner ...... well no roasted Turkey but Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks and Cocktails ....... J's signature recipe which he has mastered over a period of time.
As I bit into the spicy and juicy chicken drumsticks I said my silent prayer and thanked God for everything !!

Preparation Time - 50 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

Chicken Drumsticks - 6

Lime Juice - 2 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric - 1 pinch

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Kasuri Methi Dry - 1 tsp

Plain Yogurt - 5 tsp

Salt per taste

Canola Oil - 2 tbsp

Method of Preparation

1 Remove the skin from the chicken drumsticks and wash under running water. Pat dry using a paper towel.

2 Make incisions in the chicken drumsticks. Take a tea spoon of lime juice. Mix 1 tsp red chili powder and a little salt to make a paste. Rub this paste on the chicken drumsticks and into the incisions.

3 Make a mixture of the remaining ingredients. Marinate the drumsticks with this mixture and keep keep in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

4 Preheat the oven at 450 F. Place the marinated drumsticks on a grilling tray and grill for about 35 - 40 minutes till the chicken is cooked.

Serving Tips

Serve warm. Sprinkle a little chat masala and drizzle a little bit of lime on it.

I would like to thank all my followers and people reading my blog on this occasion. Your comments and suggestions have helped me come a long way and are always an inspiration.

Chicken Marsala & A Milestone

It was only couple of months back when I was a rookie in this blog world. After long hours of discussions and brain storming I and J decided to name our 'Blog Baby' - 'Food for thought' - Meaning something that tickles one's grey cells. Well it tickles our taste buds too .....

After long hours of selecting the layout, design etc I decided to make my first post. I was nervous like a small kid going to school for the first time. I wanted to start the blog with something sweet, so decided to post the recipe for 'Rasgulla'. Like a curious little kid I clicked on my blog every hour to check if I had any visitor. Not to forget I called my parents, in - laws and relatives ..... to make this very important announcement.

I was exhilarated the moment I saw my first follower and then the first comment. The excitement and happiness was nothing less than what I had felt when I got my first salary credited to my bank account.

Time flew and this space of mine became an open book ..... Something like a diary where I could pen down my memories, experience and thoughts without the fear of being judged.More than anything I was loving what I was doing ...... and this is what mattered to me at the end of the day.

If you are wondering why all this nostalgia. Well my friends ..... even to my own disbelief this happens to be the 100th post !!!

And if there is one person who has happily stood by me, encouraged me and has been a gleeful Guinea Pig to my 'food experiments' .....it's J.

I owe it all to my loving husband ........

I would love to say few lines from my favorite movie 'Julie and Julia' for him ....

'You are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life'

(No matter how much I irritate you and fight with you) I still love you :-)

He is the one who has been my friend, mentor and critic ....... So as a remembrance to this happy journey to my 100th post I would love to dedicate this post to J.

I also want to thank everybody who has constantly encouraged me through their loving comments.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves -2

Ingredients

Thin sliced chicken breasts - 3/4 pound

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

Fresh Crushed Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Chopped Mushrooms (Baby Bella) - 2 cups

Marsala Wine - 1.5 cups

Olive oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry using a kitchen towel. Place them on a hard surface (chopping board) and pound them a little.

2 In a plate mix All purpose flour + Oregano + Pepper. Dust the chicken breasts on both sides on this flour mixture.

3 In a wide pan heat some olive oil. Take enough oil to coat the pan. Fry the chicken breasts on both sides for 2 minutes each. This gives a nice texture to the chicken pieces. Remove from heat and keep aside.

4 In the same pan, drizzle little more oil if needed. Add the chopped mushrooms to it. Do not crowd the mushrooms else they won't brown. Add one cup of marsala wine to it. Add the fried chicken pieces too. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium flame. Stir occasionally if required.

5 Add the remaining wine to it and cook for some more time till the chicken pieces get cooked.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with grilled asparagus/ mashed potatoes and red wine.

Notes

Marsala Wine by itself is salty, so add salt only if required.

Make sure you use thin sliced chicken breasts and do not forget to pound them.

Chili Chicken

The 'Lazy Bug' had bit me hard ...... happens to me once in a while. I decided to hibernate for few days, which turned out to be little over a week. Now I have a long list of pending stuff that needs my attention ..... huh ! So I have decided to pen them down here. Don't you raise an eyebrow ..... I know its not of your interest to know about my pending stuff. Really ?? Who doesn't like to peek into the life of others ......... (evil grin). Don't you log into twitter trying to follow even damn soul ? Not to forget Face Book ....... you are considered an outcast if you don't have one.

Ufff ....... I have again drifted from my objective. So now my list of things that are crying out for my attention.

1. Cleaning my closet (J's included).

2. Laundry.

3. Check what's lurking in the kitchen and cleaning my pantry.

4. Plan the menu for the Halloween Party.

5. Decide on my and J's Halloween Costumes.

6. Complete one of the DIY projects that I began last month.

7. Finish writing my New Hampshire Travelogue.

Needless to say ...... these are included along with the daily chores. I know you can't help me in completing all this stuff but you can definitely help me in one ......

How about suggesting me a Halloween Party Menu for a crowd of 20 (kids included) ? Make sure it needs less work but leaves my guests go ga ga about the food.

Now time to nurse my neglected blog ........ hope you enjoy the Chili Chicken Recipe.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes
Serves - 4
Ingredients
Boneless Chicken Thighs - 1 pound
Dry Red Chili - 2
Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup diced
Onion - 1/2 cup diced
Egg - 1
Corn Flour - 1 tsp
Crushed black Pepper - 1 tsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Chili Garlic Sauce - 2 tsp
Chinese Salt - 2 pinches
Salt per taste

Sugar - 1 pinch
Oil for cooking
Method of Cooking
1 Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Add egg , corn flour, pinch of chinese salt and a pinch of salt. Mix well to coat the chicken pieces. Heat oil in a kadhai, deep fry and keep aside.
2 In a skillet, heat some oil. Add the dry red chilies. Add the onions and bell pepper and fry for 5 minutes till the onions look transparent.
3 Add the soy sauce, salt and a pinch of Chinese salt and pinch of sugar. Stir fry for 2 minutes.Add the chili garlic sauce and mix well.

4 Combine the fried chicken pieces with the onion and bell pepper sauce mix. Stir fry for some time. Add a pinch of crushed pepper.

Serving Tips

Serve warm

Notes

Chinese should be cooked at high flame. Make sure you stir well to avoid burning the food.

Variation

Add Cashew nuts if you want. If you want the chili chicken with a little gravy, mix 1/2 tsp of corn flour to water and add it to the end product and simmer for a minute.

Other Names

Chili Chicken - Indo Chinese Chili Chicken, Bell Pepper - Capsicum, Chinese Salt - Ajinomoto.

Stuffed Chicken Buns ....

The world perceives me as an educated, intelligent and independent modern woman .... in short 'Aaj ki Naari'. Well I prepare business plans for my multinational clients, give presentations without fumbling a bit, carry my own baggage and fly from one part of the world to another. So these probably qualify me as an intelligent woman .... if you may think so. I am ok with it if you think otherwise too.

But coming to the term 'Independent' I have my own apprehension.Independent means getting to do whatever and whenever without any interference or intervention. In case your mind has started wandering too much let me clarify ....... I am treated equally by my husband, parents, in-laws and out-laws too. My boss takes every word of me.

A little bit of self introspection and soul searching tells me that I prefer to curb my own independence. I secretly admire that dependency. You may ask how ...... there is a laundry list of things that points at the fact that I love leaning on people around me.

Since we are all foodies let me start with an example from the kitchen. I fail to independently decide what dinner I need to prepare when the guests come over. I seek the opinion of J most of the times. Cleaning or butchering the chicken is absolutely not my cup of tea. J has to do the prep work for me before I start cooking that bird. Dependency again !

I look for his confirmation when I try that halter neck top at Macys ...... not that it makes any sense to him or would give a piece of his mind. I ask him before promising my girl friends for a night out. I tell my boss that I would discuss with my hubby before confirming on any onsite assignment. These are some stories after I got married. Not that I had all the freedom before. It was even worst .... here at least I can fight with J to get things done my way.

Mom would tell deadlines. I can't visit my friend across the street without her permission. I need the consent of my parents for going to the college picnic...... sometimes relatives too. Mom decides what dress I have to wear for my friends birthday party ...... the list just goes on.

NO, I am not complaining ...... I choose not to be independent. Too much of freedom would probably make me feel isolated and lonely. On any given day I would still want to look into the eyes of J for an affirmation for the smallest thing I want to do. Or call my parents and in-laws across the continent before taking an important decision. It is such a wonderful thing to have people around you to lean on and look up to.

And not to forget friends ..... they are also culprits. They have bugged me to post this recipe from the day they heard about it. No freedom in choosing the recipe I can post on my own blog ..... My friends decide it for me :-)

So stuffed chicken bun for all you buggers (read as close friends) there .........

I volunteer to lean on people and curb my independence.

Preparation Time 90 minutes

Makes - 6 medium size buns

This recipe preparation involves 2 steps

1. Preparing the Stuffing

2. Preparing the Dough for the buns.

For the Stuffing

I used the left over 'Chicken Fry for my stuffing. Just shredded it a little bit before stuffing it. You can find the recipe for the stuffing here.

Ingredients for the Dough

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

Yeast - 1 tsp

Luke warm water - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Egg - 1

Method of Preparation

1. Take luke warm water in a bowl. Add the salt and sugar to it and dissolve. Add the yeast to this water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes till you see the froth on the top. If their is no froth then discard the water and start all over again.(The froth happens only if the yeast is active).

2. Once the yeast water is ready, add it to the flour and knead it to make a soft dough.

3. Keep the dough in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Cover it with a damp cheese cloth. You will notice that the dough will rise and double in size.

4. Punch the dough and knead again. Keep it back for about 10-15 minutes again. Cover with a damp cloth.

5. Pinch out equal size balls from the dough. Keep it on a baking tray. Grease the tray before keeping the pinched balls on it. Keep these balls aside for 10 minutes.

6. Now take the balls and make a depression such that it looks like a small bowl. Stuff the shredded chicken and ball it in.Repeat to stuff all the balls

7. Beat the egg and brush it on top of the buns.

8. Preheat the oven and bake these buns at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until you see the buns turn golden brown.

Serving Tips

Serve at room temperature. You can store them in an air tight container for 3 days in your refrigerator. Warm it in your microwave and enjoy.

Notes

Do not use hot water or cold water to mix the yeast. Else the yeast will die and the dough won't get fluffy. Use fresh yeast as much as possible.

Variation

You may stuff the buns with any thing you like. You can add oregano to the dough when kneading it.

Instead of egg washing the buns, brush it with milk for a vegetarian bun.

Chicken Fry

I am so not a movie person .... I am pretty picky about the movies I watch. If the movie doesn't hold my attention for the first 15 minutes I simply choose to dump it.I don't care even if it's a Tom Hank's or Brad Pitt's movie. On the contrary, if I like something I never get bored of it and can watch it for ever !! I know some people think that's ridiculous but sorry that's how it is.

Of the few movies that could make their way to my good books is 'Julie n Julia'. I fell so much in love with the characters of the movie that I went ahead in buying the DVD. Thanks to J who persuaded me to watch it when I was so not in the mood for a movie.

Every time I watch the movie I step into the shoes of Julie Powell - She is a government employee by day who is not so happy with her job but has to keep it for the heck of it. She loves cooking, that is something where she finds true happiness and which is so much a stress buster at the end of a busy boring day. She jumps with joy with the little happiness she finds through her way to cooking and gets equally upset when things don't work out her way. She cries like a child when her Beef bourguignon gets burnt. Well I am so much like her in my real life. That's how I feel. And with J telling me the same I have started believing that.

Also did I mention that she blogs about food and jumps with excitement seeing the first comment on her post. Julie believes that the world would come to a stand still and her readers would terribly get upset if she doesn't write.

Today I was so not in the mood to post anything on my blog. But then there was this strange belief that my blog friends and readers would be waiting for my post. Not sure if that is true at all !! So here I am .... I have ignored the pile of clothes that are crying out to be folded and kept in the closet,given a blind eye to the dust that has set on the books and given a deaf ear to J's demand for pakodas on this rainy eve.

Not sure if any body out there is waiting to read my blog but here I am writing ......the truth being it brings solace to me.

Preparation Time - 40 minutes

Serves - 3

Ingredients

Boneless Chicken - 1/2 pound

Egg - 1

Corn Flour - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilies - 2

Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

Chopped Garlic - 1 tbsp

Chopped Ginger - 1/2 tbsp

Ginger Garlic Sauce - 1 tbsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Cashew Nuts - 1/3 cup

Salt per taste

Oil for cooking.

Method of Preparation

1 Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces. Wash and pat dry.

2 Add corn flour + 1/2 tsp red chili powder and egg to the chicken. Mix well to coat the chicken.

3 Heat some oil in a Kadhai and shallow fry the chicken. Remove to a paper towel and keep aside.

4 Take about 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. When hot, break the dry red chilies and add to the oil. Add chopped garlic and ginger and fry on medium heat for 5 minutes. Next add the cumin powder and remaining red chili powder and mix well.

5 Add the fried chicken to it and mix well. Add the cashewnuts too. Add salt per taste.

6 Add the chili garlic sauce to it and stir well to coat the chicken pieces. If it is too dry, sprinkle a little water to it.

7 Saute till all the flavors mix and remove to a serving plate. Sprinkle lime juice on top of it and mix well.

Serving Tips

Serve as a starter at room temperature.

Notes

Do not over fry the chicken, else it may become rubbery.

Variation

You may increase or decrease the amount of chili garlic sauce to make it more / less spicy.

Adding cashew nuts is also optional.