Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Pizza

When your kid is a picky eater, you got to come up with creative ways to get them to eat meat and veggies. And this recipe is one of them. I started out with just plain chicken an cheese, once my son was eating that well, I experimented with spinach and it was a success too. This is a very convenient recipe and a go-to one for me when I don’t have time to cook; cause you can make the chicken ahead and store in the fridge or use any left over cooked chicken. And spinach takes just few seconds to cook. I hope your children/family likes it too.

Ingredients:

• whole wheat Tortilla - 1
• Yogurt or yogurt based dressing : 1 tblspn (can use Mayo too)
• Spinach - 1 hand full, chopped
• Cooked/baked chicken - Chopped, enough to cover the tortilla
• Cheese - your choice, grated, enough to cover the top
• Salt - as needed
• Oil - 1tsp

Steps:

• In a pan (large enough to fit the whole tortilla) add oil, when hot, added the chopped spinach and sauté. Sprinkle some salt on it while cooking. when the spinach wilts, remove from the pan.
• In the same pan, place the tortilla, reduce the heat to medium high. Spread yogurt on the tortilla.
• Next, spread the cooked spinach with a spoon all over.
• Then add the chopped chicken on top.
• Next add the shredded cheese on top.
• Turn off heat. Slide the tortilla on to a baking sheet and broil on high until the cheese melts (keep watching while broiling to avoid charring).
• Cut and serve.

Quick Chilli Fish - Tilapia cooked Hakka style

Thanks to Costco, Tilapia (fish) has become a regular at dinner time at home. I was bored of eating oven baked and grilled tilapia and decided to do something different with it. Since I always loved hakka cuisine I decided to try making chilli fish, my way. This recipe is  super easy and quick. I hope you like it.

Ingredients:

• Tilapia or any firm white fish, skinned - 1 fillet
• Cornstarch (corn flour) - 1 Tblspn or more
• Salt- 1 tsp + 2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tblspn
• Onion - 1, half of it finely chopped and half cubed
• Ginger - 1/2 inch, finely chopped
• Garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped
• Light Soy sauce - 1 Tblspn
• Chilli Sauce - 1 Tblspn (or to taste)
• Ketchup (Tomato sauce) - 1 Tblspn (Or more)
• Green Peppers (Capsicum) - 1/2, chopped (optional, in these pictures I have not used them.)

Steps:

• Wash, dry and cut the fish into 1 inch pieces.
• Mix together the cornstarch and salt. Add the fish pieces to this mixture, make sure all the pieces are coated. Since we are not deep frying, the fish only needs to be lightly coated. Add more cornstarch if needed.  
• Now, heat oil in a pan or wok. When the oil is hot add the fish pieces. Cook a minute or 2 on each side. Or until they turn golden brown on both sides. 
• Remove the fish from the pan. Let the oil remain in the pan. 
• In the same pan, add the chopped ginger and garlic, saute for few seconds and then add the soy sauce. Let the sauce cook for a minute and then add the chopped onions (ans also the green peppers) and saute.
• When the onions turn color, add the chili sauce, saute and then add the ketchup and saute for couple of mins until the raw smell of the chili sauce is gone. 
• Mix 1 tsp cornstarch with half cup of water and the mixture to the pan. Stir and let if come to a boil. This will give a sheen and add body to the dish. 
• Once the sauce thickens, add another 1/2 cup water (or more if you need a lot of gravy). Add the fried fish pieces to the sauce and bring it to a boil. And then simmer for couple of mins. 
• You're done. The consistency of the dish is totally your choice. If you like your dish to be dry for an appetizer let it simmer a while, till you reach your desired consistency. And if you'd like a gravy, add more water and bring to a boil.  

Mango-Chickpeas Salad

I like chickpeas, so the other day I cooked some chickpeas for evening tea and wanted to do something other than the usual Chickpeas sundal. As I was gazing through my refrigerator looking for inspiration to add to my chickpeas, a bag of frozen mangoes caught my eyes. The poor thing has been sitting in the freezer since last summer and I decided to give it a try with my chickpeas. The result was great. Hope you like this simple, healthy and refreshing salad. 

Ingredients:

• Mango - 1 cup, diced. (Fresh or frozen. Thaw frozen mango before using)
• Chickpeas - 1 1/2 cups cooked (Add a little salt while cooking the chickpeas)
• Onion - 1/2, diced
• Red pepper (capsicum) - 1/2 diced
• lemon juice - from 1/2
• Salt -1/2 tsp or to taste. 
• Dry red chili flakes - to taste

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients together.
• Add salt carefully as the cooked chickpeas has salt already added. 
• Refrigerate for a while before serving.
• You can always add more or less of each ingredient to your liking.

Deep Fried Smelts/ Nethili meen

Crispy, easy and a tasty recipe. This dish can be eaten as an appetizer or as a side with traditional Indian food.

Ingredients:

Smelt fishes

• Smelts or any kind of small fish - desired amount. 
• Salt - 2 tspn
• Chili powder - 1 tspn
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn
• Ginger garlic paste -  1 tbsp
• Corn flour - 2 tbsp
• Lime juice- from half 
• Oil - For deep frying.

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients except the fish into a paste. If the mixture is too thick, add a splash of amount of water to make it creamy. Taste to see if you need more salt or chili powder.(Once you fry the fishes, you won't be able to able any more salt to them).
• Mix in the fish. Let it marinate for 10 mins.
• In a pan or wok, add enough oil for deep frying, when oil is hot, add about 4-5 fishes at a time. 
• After 2-3 mins, turn the fishes and let it cook for another 3 mins. (If oil gets too hot, slightly lower the heat.)
•  Take the fishes out of the oil and lay on a sheet of paper towel or newspaper to drain any left over oil.

Oven baked Tandoori Chicken (Whole)

Thanksgiving (Canadian) is usually celebrated with turkey, but my husband and I are not big fans of turkey meat, so we decided we will start a new tradition of an Indian thanksgiving with Tandoori chicken :) . I've always wanted to roast a whole chicken instead of cut pieces and this was a good opportunity for me to try it, and it was awesome. Its real simple. Just marinate and bake.

Here are some things you need to know before you start: 

• You have to marinate the whole chicken over night for the best result.
• Use yogurt (Curd) that is thick. 
• You need at least 1 hour to bake, so plan before you start. 

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken skinned - 1

Initial rub:

• Salt - 1 Tspn
• Lemon juice - from 1/2
• Chilli powder - 1 Tspn (optional, if you like it spicy)

For Marinate:

• Yogurt (Curd) - 3 Tblspn
• Ginger garlic paste- 1 Tblspn
• Tandoori chicken masala powder* - 2 to 3 Tblspn based on how spicy you want it (I suggest you taste the powder first, yes! taste it, to see how salty and spicy it is)
• Coriander powder - 1/2 Tspn
• Salt - 1/2 Tspn 
• Corn flour - 1 Tspn + 1 Tspn (For top coating)
• Oil - 2 Tspn

* Or use 1 tspn each of cumin powder, chilli powder, garam masala, dry fenugreek leaves and 1/2 tspn of red food colour.

Final Touch after baking:

• Lemon juice - from 1/2

Steps:

• Clean chicken well and pat dry with a paper towel or clean dish cloth.
• Pierce the chicken with a knife, push it really well into the chicken, not just the surface so that the marinate will get into the flesh. You may want to do some deep cuts in the chicken's breasts as they are white meat, the toughest.
• Mix the ingredients of the initial rub together and spread all over the chicken and into the cuts and pierces.
• Next mix the ingredients of the marinate.
• Spread the marinate well all over the chicken again and inside the cavity too. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Next day:

• Take out the chicken from the fridge and keep it out for about half hour at least to come to room temperature (preferably 1 hour)
• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Now, dust the marinated chicken with corn flour using a stainless steel strainer for even coating. This will give you a nice crisp layer on top. 
• Drizzle oil all over the chicken.
• Place chicken breast side down on a rack* and bake. This will ensure even cooking all over at the same time.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then flip the chicken around and bake for 20 minutes. Then again flip it and bake for extra 20 mins.
• After the 65 mins, raise temperature to 425 F and bake for 5 mins for the final browning on the top. Not for too long or you will dry out the chicken.
• Remove from the oven and squeeze a fresh lime or lemon all over the chicken.
• Cover the cooked chicken with aluminium foil for 5 to 10 mins to rest before you serve.

* - I used a cooling rack, I placed it on a foil covered baking pan so that the dripping does not stain the pan. If you have a roaster with a rack at home use that. 

If you do not have a roaster or a cooling rack to bake on, don't worry, place chicken on a foil covered pan and remove the drippings from the chicken each time you turn.

Quick n Easy Prawn (Shrimp) Dry Roast

I love prawns for 2 reasons. One for the taste (obviously) and the other for its quick cooking time. Trust me this is the simplest, yet tastiest recipe I've come up with so far. I came up with this when I was cooking in a hurry one day and have stuck with it ever since. It takes less than 10 mins depending on how much prawns your cooking. No chopping onions or tomatoes or sautéing them endlessly. The best thing is you can make as little as 5 prawns too. 

Also, check out my recipe for Quick & Easy Chicken.

Ingredients:

• Prawns/Shrimps : Desired amount.
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tblspn 
• Salt - 1tspn (adjust according to amount of Shrimp)
• Chilli powder - 1 tspn (adjust according to amount of Shrimp)
• Oil - 2 tblspn
• Curry leaves - 1 strand (optional, but gives real good aroma) 

Steps:

• Clean and wash prawns. Drain water.
• Add the ginger garlic paste, salt and chilli powder to the wet pawns and mix well.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• When the oil is really hot, add the prawn mixture. Sauté, the prawns will let out moisture. Close and cook for 3-5 mins till the prawns are done. Don't over cook prawns, they will become like rubber.
•  Open lid, and reduce heat to medium high and let the water dry up. Occasionally sauté.
• When it dries up, you will find that the mixture sticks to the bottom, its good, we want it to. 
• Raise the heat, add a splash of water, it will loose the dried up mixture, scrape the dried mixture well and mix with the prawns and sauté. 
• Add curry leaves, turn off heat.