All posts filed under: Poultry & Eggs

Baked Pesto Chicken

It’s already March and I still haven’t put up a pesto recipe! That’s Pesto Blasphemy in my books. You all know my heart skips a beat when I talk about Pesto. Every time I see good basil leaves in the market, I’m rushing home to make pesto. Because of my obsession with it, my friend even ribs me and asks me when I’m making pesto ice cream?! The flak I receive for my addiction, has led me restrain myself from spamming the blog with all things Pesto! BUT this recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen is so easy and so brilliant and tastes so Ah-maze-ing that I had to share. This recipe requires no prepping or marinating and it’s ready in under 40 minutes. It’s also way healthier than a sauté/ pan fried option. The olive oil in the pesto is all you need to moisten and bake this baby. I must have made this innumerable times just because it looks so impressive when you plate up. I’ve bookmarked this one, to churn out something fabulous when …

Chicken Chops Masala – Like Mumma makes

My horoscope this weekend prophesied that I would take a long drive and even have a picnic. Boy was I skeptical! I hardly get my a** out of bed earlier than noon on a Sunday, so I was pitting my practiced laziness against the schemes of the universe. We went out for a party on Saturday night and like with all parties came home in a more than happy daze and flopped into bed. I challenged the universe to beat the combo of my hangover + laziness! I got a call at 9:00 AM in the morning… groan. I rolled over and half blinking looked at the screen. It was my sister. I picked up the call, knowing that leaving it unanswered would just lead to a barrage of calls until I wished the phone would self destruct. Would I please drop her to her exam center? – she had to take an MBA admission test. Since I was the one who goaded her to apply, I had to give in. I didn’t even have …

Herby Chicken Salad on Multigrain Bread

I bought a lovely multigrain loaf from Bliss Chocolates. Yes, yes…they now bake loaves, pita, lavash, foccacia and a host of other yeasty delights. And their packaging is quite nice as well and you know I’m a sucker for such things anyway. After I polished off half a loaf with just olive oil and some balsamic vinegar, I was left thinking how wonderfully this bread would lend itself to my chicken salad. I know it’s winter and a Chicken Salad is more of a light summery meal. But in Bangalore, the sun still shines nice and bright and the skies are awash with my favorite shade of blue. It’s not fair is it? 😛 This basic recipe has many tricks up it’s sleeve. a. You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge, the flavors just get better. b. So needless to say, it’s a great picnic staple! c. Serve it on some cucumber roundels and you have a fancy cocktail snack at a party! d. I ate this for lunch, so yes …

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Was the chicken a jerk? I thought ‘jerk’ was reserved for the masculine gender, so shouldn’t the rooster be the jerk? On the other hand, why is the poor poultry being subjected to name calling in the first place? Ha ha ha … this recipe name always cracks me up. I know it’s juvenile to laugh at such things but my brain is wired in weird ways! So coming to the point…nobody is a jerk here (except maybe the gas connection guys – but that’s another story)! Jerk is a style of Jamaican cooking where the meat is generally dry rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican Jerk spice (courtesy: Wiki). The inspiration for this, was the fact that I had a bottle of All-spice and the rest of the ingredient list (including Demerara sugar) available in my pantry. I know! Sometimes I surprise myself! So I proceeded to make the mixture and marinated the chicken overnight. I cooked it for lunch this afternoon and maybe was a bit overenthusiastic …

Okonomiyaki or "As you like" – Japanese Pizza

Featured in Foodgawker.com on 20th Nov 2012 Featured in Tasteologie.notcot.org on 20th Nov 12 Featured in BitchinKitchen’s Twitter feed on 28th Nov 12 I must confess, I had never heard of this thing till my trip to Stuttgart this summer. I know Stuttgart and Japan are miles apart, but the story starts there. The co-resident’s friends, let’s call then D and E decided to make Okonomiyaki for dinner. Now E had travelled to Japan for her summer break and fell in love with this dish. The dish being a savory omlette/ frittata/ pizza made out of flour, eggs, cabbage, veggies and pork and topped off with mayo, sweet sauce, fish flakes and seaweed. It’s so popular in Japan that there are more than 30,000 specialized Okonomiyaki restaurants. The restaurant provides you with ready okomomiyaki batter and you add in whatever your heart desires and proceed to grill it on the grill pan in front of you. Then you decorate it with the condiments of your choice and proceed to polish off your Japanese pizza! Unfortunately …

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

It’s been a Greece obsessed month. Started with Tzatziki, then to the Cucumber Cooler and now to the famous Souvlaki. Maybe it has more to do with summer and the fact that Greek cuisine is so suited for hot balmy weather. When you scrutinize their cuisine, it’s filled with light and fresh recipes packed with flavor. Lemons are abundantly used, as are olives, yoghurt, herbs and cheese. Souvlaki is actually Greek fast food – Meat on a skewer. But unlike the fast food of the west (burgers and fries), this one is a lot more healthy, wholesome and delicious! Greeks generally use pork/ lamb for souvlaki but chicken is popular as well. The grilled skewers can be eaten as a starter or combined with Pita, tzatziki, lettuce and tomatoes to make a super sandwich! The most refreshingly light and filling lunch for a hot day! Now to complete the picture ….I’m on a Greek island overlooking the aquamarine ocean and have a gorgeous Greek God for company …. Sigh! (Yes, I remember I’m married already, …

Green Goddess Frittata (Spinach, Broccoli and Mushroom)

Frittata is a variation of an omelette and is derived from the Italian word fritto meaning to fry. The difference between an omelette and frittata are four fold. (A) Ingredients are combined with the beaten egg mixture before cooking, unlike an omelette where its tossed on top before the omelette is fully cooked. (B) The mixture is cooked over a very low heat, but for a longer period of time (10-15 mins) compared to an omelette (4-5 mins). (C) The frittata is not folded over like an omelette, but grilled briefly to set the top (D) and finally a frittata is for sharing, unlike an omelette which is a one person dish. So after getting all technical on you, I’d like to conclude by saying – it tastes just like a fat, fancy omelette or a baseless quiche. Both of which are fully acceptable and appreciated with gusto in my home. I would serve the frittata cold with some toasted baguettes for a fuss free lunch. It’s also a great option to lug around for …

Simple Chicken Curry for Complicated Days

There are days that are easy, breezy and simple. And there are days that can grate on your nerves that burrowing your head deep into a pillow seems like the only way out. Unfortunately, even that option is but a distant dream when you have to finish gazillion things in the limited span of 24 hours. It’s not every day that I spin through life in a haze. I actually like my little routines of measured slowness. (Now the definition of slow for an Aries can be very different from the rest of the world, but nonetheless!). And there have been more days than I can count on my fingers, that ordering takeaway is the norm. But when everything seems to be spinning out of control, I crave desperately for a home cooked meal. (Mommy…can I come home?). Oh wait, driving there is going to take me a good part of an hour, eating there another, and driving back another hour! I can’t spare three hours in a time strapped continuum. Famished, cranky and hungry …