indian food

Choriz Pao (Chorizo sausage with Portuguese home made buns)

Goa Sausage Chilly Fry
1 packet – Dorelli’s Spiced Chorizo Portuguese Sausage (available online or at UDAYA Supermarket at Martins village)
2 Large Brown Onions – chopped
2 Large Potatoes – Chopped in cubes

Take the sausage out of the packet, slit open and extract the picked spiced pork

Place in layers the chopped onions, chopped potatoes and sausage meat, in a large cooking pot. Cover and allow to cook for 40 mins stirring frequently. Add ½ cup water if you like a little gravy,

Pao
A Portuguese home made bread. I make this using LAUCKE crusty bread available in our supermarkets

1 portion of Laucke crusty bread mix
350 ml warm water
2 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp Sugar

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and allow to prove for 10 mins
Mix frothy yeast mixture with the flour and mix in dough mixer for 6 minutes.

Be careful not to exceed the water by more than 30ml.
Allow mixed dough to rise for 1 hr in a large oiled bowl covered with cling film.

After it has doubled in size de gas the dough.

Divide into two and make 15 balls and place in an 9inch rectangular oiled baking tray.

Cover with clingfilm (oiled) and allow to rise for 1 hr.
Preheat oven Fan forced 200*C or regular over 220*C for 22-25 minutes

Choriz Pao

Pao

Biriyani

INGREDIENTS
1. Chicken – 3/4 kg
2. Basmati Rice – 3 cups
3. Mint – ½ cup
4. Cilantro- ½ cup
5. Onion - 2 medium sized or 1 large sized (thinly sliced)
6. Tomato - 1 (large sized, thinly sliced)
7. Green chili- 2
8. Ginger garlic paste - 1½ tbsp
9. Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
10. Red chili – 2 ½ tbsp
11. Salt – to taste
12. Lemon juice – ¼ cup
13. Oil – 4 tbsp
14. Ghee – 2 tbsp

WHOLE SPICES
1. Bay leaf- 2
2. Star anise- 1
3. Clove – 3
4. Cinnamon stick – ½
5. Cardamom – 1
NOTE
* 1 cup = 235 ml

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash chicken and keep it aside. Wash and soak basmati rice for 20 – 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan add whole spices in it when aromatic add thinly sized onions and green chili. Saute well.

Now add ginger garlic paste to it and saute till the raw flavour goes.

Now add sliced tomato, mint and cilantro. Saute well for a minute. Now add turmeric powder, salt and chilli powder. Saute for a minute till raw smell goes.

Now add chicken pieces and saute well and add lemon juice. Mix well and cook for few minutes. Now add 4 cups of water. (1:1 ½ ratio of rice and water). If your chicken looks dry add 4 ½ or accordingly. Measuring and adding right quantity of water is very important. Give it a stir and allow the mixture to boil well.

When the water is rolling boil add soaked rice without water. Give it a gentle mix and cover it with a lid and cook for 5 minutes in medium flame. After 5 minutes you find the rice is cooked 50% and it looks a little dry. Add ghee and cover the biryani pot with a lid. Now place the biryani pot over a tawa and cook for 15 minutes in low to medium flame.

My biryani pot lid seals well so I dint place any weight over the lid. (Weight meaning placing a pot of water helps lid to seal tight and cook the biryani evenly.) After 15 minutes when biryani looks done fluff the rice gently from the sides and serve it hot with raita of your choice! If your biryani is not cooked in 15 minutes leave it for some more time till it looks cooked.

Finger Licking Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:
4 – 6 lamb shanks (preferably the smaller ones and cut by the butcher into threes)
8 – 10 dried bay leaves
1 whole head of garlic, sliced
Chilli flakes (as per taste - I use 1 tablespoon)
1 or 2 jars of Romana or Toscana pasta sauce (Aldi’s gourmet range)
½ - 1 cup of pre-fried onions
Olive oil or butter
½ - 1 cup of water (you don’t want this dish to be runny)
Method:
Heat olive oil/butter in a deep pan
Toss bay leaves in the warm oil before adding garlic (until aromatic) and meat for browning.
Add pasta sauce, chilli flakes, garlic, onions – stir well.
Add water, stir well.
Cook covered. I use a ‘pressure cooker’ so it only takes 25 minutes - top to tail. If baking will take at least an hour – ensure well sealed!

Shepherd’s Pie with a Twist

Ingredients:
1 kg beef mince
1 large brown onion
6 cloves of Garlic (fresh or flakes) sliced
1 or 2 birds eye chillies (additional chilli flakes optional)
1 small Zucchini (halved or quartered and sliced)
½ Pumpkin
2 carrots
Shallots
2 – 3 tablespoons oil
Freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste
Grated cheddar and parmesan cheese

Method:

Topping:
Bake or pressure cook pumpkin and carrots
Mash with salt and pepper to taste
Mince:
Heat oil in a pan
Sauté the garlic till lightly golden
Add onions and cook till translucent
Add mince and lightly brown
Add in the chillies and the sliced zucchini
Raise heat, stir well – cook for 7 or 8 minutes or until the zucchini is cooked through.

Spread the pumpkin and carrot mix over mince, top with cheeses and bake till brown.
Serves 4 (approx.)

Tomato Chicken

Ingredients

Masala to grind - 10 Kashmir Dry Red Chillies (soaked in water);

1 whole pod of Garlic; 2” piece of Ginger

To Cook
800 gms Chicken – Chopped in cubes or small pieces with bone
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1/3 Bottle Tomato Ketchup

Method
Stir fry ground masala in butter, Toss in chicken pieces, roll in masala. Cover and cook in a large pot for 20 minutes
You can add some water to keep it moist. Once chicken is cooked, add vinegar and tomato ketchup, cook for another minute.

Yummm, Enjoy with pulao rice and some raita.

Lemon Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients
For the cake:
½ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
grated lemon zest from 1 medium-size lemon
½ cup sunflower grape seed or canola oil

For the glaze:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup of powdered sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray, rub inside surface of pan with a paper towel to cover evenly with the spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper lightly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs - stirring until well blended.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt and zest, mixing to just combine.

Add the oil and stir well. Don’t worry, at first it will seem to separate, but keep stirring till smooth.
Pour the batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (every oven is different, so check with the toothpick test rather than the time). Be careful not to overbake though.

Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; then turn it out of the pan onto the rack.

Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and stir until smooth. With a pastry brush, gently pat the glaze all over the cake. Just keep going over the cake till the glaze is gone. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in.

Allow cake to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired and serve.