Chicken Cigars

One of my favourite hosts on Food Network is Rachael Ray.
I like the way she cooks and talks!
This recipe comes straight from her kitchen.

It is usually served as an appetiser.
But in our home it is not uncommon to make a meal out of appetisers.

So we had this for one of our quick night dinners!

The only changes that I made were-
Substituting Parsley with Cilantro.
And Grilled Seasoning with chicken tandoori masala.

I used Athens Phyllo dough Pastry sheets.

To make a vegetarian version of this dish I think Soya granules would be a nice choice and also grated paneer would go well.

For making these you will need-

1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper pwdr
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons Red chilli powder
2 teaspoons Chicken Tandoori Masala
2 tablespoons chopped Cilantro
4 sheets phyllo dough
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt

Method-

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place chicken in a bowl and mix with spices and Cilantro and salt.
Place a piece of phyllo on a nonstick cookie sheet, butter it and top with a second sheet.
Divide the chicken in half.
Form a 1-inch thick log the length of the long side of the phyllo dough.
Roll the log in phyllo tightly.
Cut the chicken filled phyllo into 4 "cigars" and brush with a dab more butter.
Repeat to make a total of 8 chicken and phyllo roll-ups.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden.
And its ready to serve.

I served it with Thai Sweet Red Chilli Sauce.

And now its time for the Awards-

Archana of TriedandTested Recipes was really very kind in forwarding these awards to me-

The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.

“The Rocking Girl Blogger Award is for bloggers who “are girls or women who blog and who Rock!!!“

I dont think that I really deserve these Awards but nevertheless they are a great source of encouragement.

Thanks Archana for being so thoughtful.

And Now I would like to pass on these Awards to all those bloggers in the blogosphere who have not received them yet!

Enjoy!!

Kaale chane ki chaat

Grams and Pulses are so very nutritious and healthy to eat. So I try to incorporate them in various forms, to suit the taste buds of my hubby dear. One such recipe is that of Black grams in a spicy and tangy form called 'Chatpate Kaale Chane'. They remind of my favourite Mumbai Street Food. Though this one is not so popular, but I just love it. And it is so easy to make too.
So whenever I soak Black grams to make 'Rasewale Kale chane ', I surely make it a point to soak a little extra for making this chaat for an evening snack or morning breakfast.

For making Kaale chane ki chaat,
You will need-
2 cups boiled kaala chana(Bengal Grams)
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
1 Green chilli, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp Chaat masala
1/4 tsp Black pepper pwdr
1/4 tsp Red chilli pwdr
Cilantro to Garnish
Juice of a lime.

I usually soak the grams in the night and then the following evening I boil them in the pressure cooker with a good amount of water till they are nice and soft. Dont worry even if you cook them for longer time because they really can never get mushy!

To make the chaat, take the boiled grams in a big bowl.Put in the chopped onion, tomato and green chillies.Add all the dry spices and salt.
Sprinkle lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro.

And I bet you cant resist yourself from digging a spoon into it to get the nice tangy-spicy taste.

Peas Pulao with Sai Bhaji

'Sai Bhaji' is a traditional sindhi dish that is made with Spinach, yellow split peas(chana dal) and a combination of everyday vegetables like onions, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bottle gourd and so on. We love to have this dish with Peas pulao.

This dish is also very easy and quick to make if you have the vegetables at hand. And when I am not in the mood of making chapatis and I have spinach at hand, I quickly dish out this healthy combo.

To make Sai Bhaji, I used-

1 bunch of fresh Spinach

1 cup Yellow Split Peas(chana dal), soaked for 1/2 an hr in water

1 big Onion, chopped

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1 big Potato, chopped

1 cup chopped Bottle Gourd

2 Green chillies, chopped

1/2 tsp grated Ginger

1 tsp chopped Garlic

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric Pwdr

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Pwdr

1 tsp Coriander Pwdr

1/2 tsp Cumin Pwdr

1/2 tsp Garam Masala Pwdr

1 tbsp oil

Salt

Method-

First of all clean the spinach, remove the stalks and wash well and then chop it and keep aside.

(You can also add methi leaves and dill leaves if you have them. Wash and chop them and add with the spinach.)

Heat Oil in a Pressure Cooker. Add the cumin seeds.

After they splutter add ginger, garlic and green chillies.

Then put in the onions and saute well.

Add the tomatoes next.

Also add salt, turmeric and all the powdered masalas at this stage.

Do not overcook the tomatoes.

Put in the potatoes and bottle gourd.

(Sometimes I use potatoes only. As we are not very fond of bottle gourd and eggplant. But you can also add carrots and green beans)

Also add the chana dal at this point.

After roasting all the veggies and the dal for sometime, put in the spinach.

Saute for a couple of mins and add 1/2 a glass of water and put the lid of the cooker and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

Let the pressure drop on its own.

Then open the lid and churn the vegetable with a wooden churner, till the vegetable is well blended.

And its ready to serve.

For the Peas Pulav-

1 cup Basmati Rice

1/2 cup Green peas, selled and rinsed.

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of Turmeric

Pick and rinse the rice and soak it in water for 1/2 an hour.

Heat Oil in a pan. Splutter the cumin seeds. Add turmeric.

Put in the green peas. Saute.

Drain the water from the rice.

Add the rice to the pan and saute well for 5 mins.

Then add water and salt.

Let the rice cook on medium flame till it is nice and fluffy.

Serve it hot with Sai Bhaji.