Spicy chicken bell pepper fusilli with cheddar cheese

Is it strange that when I sit to write a commissioned work, I tend to drift and focus on something else😓? 

That's what is happening now. Maybe it's panic or maybe it's just the apprehension of "what if the client doesn't like my work" or "why am I not getting an idea to write" and sometimes even, "I am so bored of writing the same thing again and again. Lemme think of something new..."... and the list goes on. Maybe all people involved in writing face this or may be not. I honestly never bothered to find out. 

At least this situation worked to get me to finally do something with this post - that has been pending for far longer than it should have.

This bell pepper fusilli turned out so good when I made it that it was hard to resist the urge to gulp it down even before the photoshoot was complete.

Here's how I went about it 😀.

What I used:

1. Fusilli boiled in water with salt: 4 cups
2. Salt: as per need
3. Butter: 2 tablespoons
4. Vegetable oil: 1 teaspoon
5. Diced onion: 1
6. Garlic: 3 cloves
7. Ginger paste: 2 teaspoons
8. Garam masala: 2 teaspoons
9. Meat masala: 3 tablespoons
10. Chopped green or red chillies: 1-2
11. Minced chicken: 2 cups
12. Chopped parsley: 2 tablespoons
13. Cubed bell pepper: 1 medium-sized
14. Grated cheddar cheese: 3 tablespoons

How I made it:

1. In a wok or skillet, melt the butter on low flame with a teaspoon of vegetable oil.
2. Add the garlic and then ginger paste.
3. Next goes in the onions and chillies. Also add some salt.
4. When the onions turn translucent, add the meat and garam masalas. 
5. Once they have cooked, add the minced chicken. Mix well and cook till the chicken is fully done and the chicken stock has evaporated. This might take a while if cooking with pan closed.
6. Once chicken is done, add the bell pepper and parsley. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes till the bell pepper softens.
7. Then add the fusilli and toss the contents well so that the fusilli absorbs the taste of the chicken mix. 
8. Add the cheddar on top and keep aside for 10 minutes before serving.

This was a really quick-to-make dish and trust me, it finishes as fast as you make it.
It's true.. best things come in small packages 😇.

Semiya/vermicelli payasam

Anyone who has lived in Kerala for a while would know the simplicity and elegance of the semiya payasam. The soft toasted semiya/vermicelli in a pool of milk makes this one of the few milk dishes that I just adore 😋.

That's not all. It's simple to prepare as well 😉. 

On those days when one needs a quick dessert, semiya payasam it is 😋.

What I used:

1. Semiya/vermicelli toasted till brown in ghee: 2 cups
2. Milk: 1/2 liter
3. Water: 1 cup
4. Sugar: as per need
5. Boiled sago pearls (optional): 3 tablespoons
6. Cardamom: 5 pods
7. Cashews, dried grapes and almonds toasted in ghee: as per need

How I made it:

1. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat the milk with water, sugar and cardamom. You can adjust the sweetness with the amount of sugar.
2. When the milk starts to boil, reduce the flame and add the toasted semiya/vermicelli.
3. Boil till the semiya/vermicelli starts to soften. This takes about 20 minutes or so.
4. Then add the dry fruits, mix the contents well and keep the pan covered. The semiya/vermicelli will cook further in the warmth of the hot milk.
5. Keep aside for 20 min before serving.

This traditional dessert tastes just as good when served chilled 😋😋. Enjoy!

Rava/semolina dosa

It was a friend of mine who is an air hostess (a very health conscious girl who closely monitors her health stats) who introduced me to the rava dosa. 

It was at a time when I was constantly thriving on takeouts due to various reasons and she was totally into home-made food. One evening, when all we had was rava and my valuable opinion was to dial a takeaway, she said "There is rava, salt and water in the kitchen. Let's make rava dosa". And I liked it and it was easy to make. This, till date, is my instant breakfast option on my famine-stricken days.

Over the umpteen times that I made this dosa in various combinations, I have a few varieties that I particularly liked. Here is one 😀. 

What I used:

1. Rava/semolina: 1 cup
2. Wheat flour (optional): 1/2 cup
3. Salt: to taste
4. Chopped coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons
5. Chopped onions: 2 tablespoons
6. Water: enough to make a smooth batter
7. Oil: to glaze the pan

How I made it:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a loose batter, with dosa batter consistency - smooth enough to flatten on a pan, yet not too thick.
2. Heat a flat pan or tawa on high flame.
3. When the pan is hot, glaze it with a few drops of oil and spread a ladle of the batter evenly in any desired shape. When the batter has moderately solidified, turn the dosa on its other side to evenly cook both sides. Ideally both sides should brown a bit.

Once that's done, it's the beginning of a smooth breakfast or any other light meal 😋😋. It's one's choice whether to have it by itself or as a combo with some delicious curries or chutneys. 

Pepper chicken fry

Hello!

At times, the little things are what makes any day a BIG DAY!

This particular day, I was pondering on how to make use of the few chicken pieces hibernating in my freezer when I came up with this recipe. Since I rarely cook chicken and sooo wanted the sweety, spicy, chewy, juicy contentment, I couldn't afford to let this go wrong. So I carefully sorted the ingredients that I felt would bring about the flavors I needed.

The result led this to being my kudos moment for coming up with a recipe that turned out fine in the first attempt. It came out lovely! A word of caution is that the dish is a tad bit oily. Once in a while, an excess of coconut oil can't be bad, especially for Keralites :D :D

What I used

1. Fried chicken pieces (marinated in a mix of chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder): 1/4 kg
   PS: Ensure the chicken pieces are not fried to become hard. Fry till they are medium cooked.
2. Finely diced (round shape) shallots: 1 cup
3. Garlic: 5 halved cloves
4. Salt: to taste
5. Coconut oil: 1/4 cup
6. Pepper powder: 2 teaspoons
7. Curry leaves: 1 sprig
8. Green chillies: 3
9. Honey (to be added at the end): 1/4 cup

How I made it

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute the shallots with curry leaves, garlic, green chillies and the required amount of salt on medium flame.
2. When the shallots soften, add the pepper powder. Mix well and after 1 minute, add the already fried chicken pieces.
3. Mix the contents well. Cook for 5 minutes with the pan covered. Then remove the lid and stir the contents well to get rid of any remaining moisture.
   PS: You can stop at this stage if you like the dish spicy.
4. For a bit of extra sweetness, turn off the stove and add honey. Mix everything well.
   Now, it's time to get the serving plate :D :D

That's it!

It went really well with chappathy and served as a snack by itself with the evening tea :D :D