CHICKEN MEATBALLS and SPAGHETTI

Hi, Friends.... i'm updating my blog after more than a year.... Lots of excuses creeping up in my brain  for this, but bottom line is I've been lazy to get around working on the hindrances causing me not to update....


Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti Recipe:

A very easy and tasty dish... I usually make it on a sunday afternoon when the kids are at home, so all at home can enjoy it hot when it is at its tastiest best.....

INGREDIENTS:

For chicken meat balls:
1. 1/4 kg chicken mince
2. 1 tsp each of ginger, garlic mince
3. 2 tsp of green chilli mince (use it according to your spice preference)
4. 2 tbsp of ground roasted bengal gram
5. 4 tbsp breadcrumbs.

For the sauce:
1. 5 ripe tomatoes
2. 7 cloves garli
3. 2 medium onions
4. 1 tsp of chilli powder
5. a bunch of basil leaves (i prefer fresh to dried)
6. a pinch of turmeric
7. salt to taste
Oil as per your preference. I used 3 tbspns of olive oil

For spaghetti:
1 packet spaghetti
4 - 5 litres of water
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Method of Preparation:

Meatballs:
1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the meatballs and knead it well.
2. Make balls of the mix.
3. Shallow fry if you precook the mince or deep fry for 5 mins, on a medium flame, if you haven't precooked the mince.

Sauce:
1. Chop the onions and tomato very fine. Garlic needs to be minced.
2. Heat oil is a heavy bottomed pan. Add the garlic and stir fry till the raw smell is no more.
3. Now add the onions and fry till it is translucent.
4, Add tomatoes and fry for 1 minute.
5. Add turmeric, salt and chilli powder, mix well and let the sauce cook.
6. The sauce is cooked when you see oil in all the corners. Now use a blender and make the sauce into an almost smooth paste.
7. Chope the basil leaves fine and add to the sauce, mix well and add the meatballs to it and mix.
8. Let the flavor of the meatballs combine with the sauce. Let it cook together for 5 mins, Keep mixing....

Spaghetti:
You can prepare the spaghetti midway of the sauce preparation.
Boil the water with a pinch of salt and add the spaghetti to it. Let the spaghetti cook till it is almost done. Drain immediately and add a spoon of olive oil and mix so it doesn't stick.

Now add the spaghetti to the sauce and mix well... Alternately, you can place the spaghetti and put the sauce on it..... You can also use red and yellow peppers in the sauce..... Grating cheese on top can also be done. I avoid cheese for the whole portion but for my kids i grate cheese and put their portion in the oven for 2 mins to melt the cheese......

Tomato Rice and Chicken Curry

I like trying out different combinations when preparing non-veg dishes. Biriyani always stands alone without any accompaniments when there are no guests, or else, biriyani with green chicken curry. Ghee rice/coconut rice with green chicken/mutton/vegetable stew. Tomato rice usually is prepared when i'm unable to prepare any vegetable dish or curry, hence one dish meal. Last time, after i had made all the preparations for tomato rice when i remembered that i had chicken in the freezer. So, i decided to make red chicken curry to go with the tomato rice. Posting the recipe for the same.

TOMATO RICE AND CHICKEN CURRY:



Ingredients:

for tomato rice:

1 cup rice (washed and soaked for 15 mins before cooking)
1 large onion (sliced)
3 tomatoes (chopped fine)
50 gms green peas (optional)
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil

for chicken curry:

1/2 kg chicken
4 tbsp coconut
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp tamarind thick extract
1 tbsp vadiyam
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Method of Preparation: (Tomato Rice)

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add onions and stir fry till they turn translucent.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add the green chillies, green peas and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add the tomatoes, fry for 30 seconds and add chilli powder, fry for 1 minute
5. Add the rice, 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles and switch off the flame. Open after the pressure is completely released.

To cook this dish in rice cooker, follow steps 1-4 in a kadai in place of the pressure cooker. Add the seasoning for the rice alongwith the rice in the rice cooker.

(Chicken curry):

1. Grind coconut, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, turmeric and salt into a smooth paste
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add vadiyam and fry for a minute.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes, then add curry leaves.
4. Add chicken and fry for a minute, add the ground paste and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

You can serve this curry with dosa and idli also.

Dill leaves and Mutton (Soya aaku maamsam koora)

In South coconut is used in most of the gravy dishes. Since i like to use less coconut in my cooking, i use lots of onions and tomatoes instead. This is one variation of using greens with meat..... apart from the usually used methi and palak leaves.

Dill leaves and Mutton:





Ingredients:

1/2 kg mutton (curry cut)
3 onions (chopped)
4 big ripe tomatoes (chopped)
1 big bunch dill leaves (chopped)
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
curry leaves
Oil as per your taste, minimum 2 tbsp

Method of Preparation:

1. In a pressure cooker, put together the washed mutton pieces, tomatoes, dill leaves, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, dhania powder, turmeric, salt. Mix well and add only little water.Now close the lid and pressure cook the mutton for 3-4 whistles or till well done.
2. Take a large kadai, add the oil and fry the onions till translucent, add the curry leaves.
3. Now add the cooked mutton to this and keep frying till the water reduces to your liking. I usually let it cook till it is almost dry.

Tastes very well with plain rice and chapathis. Can be eaten with dosas as well.

Pepper Chicken

PEPPER CHICKEN:

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken
1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsp pepper powder (coarsely powdered)
a pinch of turmeric
3 tbsp oil


For paste:

1 medium sized onion (thinly sliced and browned) (To brown onions, fry onion, on medium flame, in oil)
4-5 chillies
1/2 cup coriander
Blend all the above ingredients to a smooth paste and keep aside.
Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a kadhai and add the onions. Fry the onions till they turn translucent.
2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
3. Add chicken pieces and stir fry for a minute. Add turmeric, mix well.
4. Add the paste, mix well and close with a tight lid. Keep stirring every 5 mins. Once the chicken is cooked, add the pepper powder, mix and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander and a wedge of lime.

I have added potato to this recipe, which is optional.

Serve with chapathi, as a side dish with rice and dal or just enjoy it as an appetizer.