The Recipes.

I promised R & R that I would cook for them. Cooking for Rebhs is rather simple. A stir fry vege with lots of mushrooms pleasssse and a healthy 5 minute chicken. That's it and I have one happy person on my plate.

Cooking for Rohan is the problem piece, because every time I make something, the demand grows. 

"Why only a main, why not a starter. Why not two starters.What about something to accompany the starter. Cocktails please. And they should be yummy or no holiday for you!"

Yes,do hit where it hurts the most, husband! *Sigh*

So I decided since it was the last full meal I would be cooking for the year, why not go all out and yet keep it simple.

I started preparations during the day itself (shocker!!), so I will give the recipes in the that order, from the most difficult (which, trust me, is easy for most people who make fancy schmancy food!) to the easiest.

Spicy Grilled Chicken stuffed with Spinach & Cottage Cheese, served with Mushroom Sauce.

For the Marinade

6-8 Chicken Breasts (depending on how many people you will be feeding. I used 12)

12-15 fresh red chillies (more or less according to your taste)

5 teaspoons of crushed garlic

10  whole allpice corns

10 black pepper corns

1 tsp of chilli flakes

Juice of 2 limes

4 tbs olive oil

Salt (I used organic rock 'jadda' namak..yes I'm fancy like that! if you do too, please reduce the quantity of salt)

Needle and fat white thread.

For the stuffing

1 bunch blanched spinach

Cottage cheese using this recipe PLEASE SAVE THE WHEY. or you can just simply boil 2 ltrs of milk with 5 tbs of yogurt and juice of 1 lemon/ 2 tsp of vinegar till it splits.

For the sauce

2 packets button mushrooms

Whey from the cottage cheese

1 Glass full of warm milk

1 heaped tsp corn flour

2 bay leaves

3-5 pods of garlic

3-4 pepper corns

Salt and pepper

grated cheddar (optional)

Method

With a pestle or a meat mallet (which I don't possess) gently and lovingly whack the chicken breasts

 till they are flattened (sadistic much!!?!?).

Pound the allspice, chillies, garlic, chilli flakes, pepper and salt. Add the olive oil and lime juice and mix. 

Spread a bit of the marinade on the chicken breasts. Crumble the paneer and spoon it on one side of the chicken. Chop the blanched spinach and spoon a bit of it on the paneer. Roll the empty half on the filled half to make a roll and stitch it with the fat thread. (please don't use coloured thread or you may end up with food looking like this:

There should be enough marinade to pour over the chicken once you have finished tailoring it. (Tailor made food...stitching the chicken...Get it? Get it?? Ok.Bad one) Cover the chicken in foil and stick it in the fridge for two or more hours.

 About an hour before you need to serve it, let the chicken come to room temp, about 15 mins. Cover your tray with parchment/ foil paper and put the chicken in the oven at around 175 degrees C for 45 mins.If you feel they are sticking, add a tbs of oil around the edges. 

While the chicken is cooking, get on to making your sauce.

Warm the whey in a pot and add the chopped mushrooms, pepper, garlic pods and bay leaves. Bring it to a boil. Remember the mushrooms will leave alot of water too! Once the liquid is reduced to a little more than half, add the warm milk and continue on medium flame for about 10 mins. Just before serving, mix the corn flour with a 2 tsps of water and add to the sauce and warm for 3-4 mins so that it thickens. finish with salt and pepper and cheese if desired.

Once the chicken is done, warm a little olive oil in a non-stick pan and cook the chicken for literally 2 mins, just to make it crispy. Please remember to remove the thread. (a bit of a pain, but better than choking on thread! and if someone knows an easier way to do this..PLEASE SHARE!) 

Plate the chicken, pour the sauce on it and serve with mashed potatoes made like this.

Bacon wrapped Chicken with Maple, Basil and Sriracha sauce.

1/2 kg bonless chicken diced into small bite sized pieces

2 packets bacon (you can use chicken bacon too)

3 tbs of Sriracha  readymade sauce (newest thai sauce in the market!)

3 tbs of crushed garlic 

juice of 1 lime

7-8 fresh red chillies

2-3 green chillies

1/2 tsp crushed ginger

12-15 basil leaves

2  tbs olive oil

2-3 tbs maple syrup

salt and red chilli powder

Method

Pound all the dry ingredients in a motar (not the bacon and chicken duh!). Add the maple syrup, sriracha sauce, lime juice and olive oil to make a course paste.

Marinade the chicken for about half hour.

Wrap the chicken with the bacon and cook it for about 15 mins in the oven at 150 degrees c.

Serve with Sriracha sauce as the dipping sauce.

Thai Sautéed Veges

 Ingredients

2 big carrots

1 cup peas

1 packet baby corn

15-20 beans

1 cup roughly chopped red/yellow/green peppers (big pieces)

1 head bak choy

12-15 basil leaves torn

3-4 fresh red chillies chopped

1 tbs vinegar or 2 tbs lime juice

3 tbs coconut milk

1-2 tbs green thai curry paste

1 stalk lemon grass

1 tsp crushed garlic 

1 tsp small chopped ginger

1/2 small onion chopped small

1 tbs oil

Salt

Method

Dunk all the veges besides the bak choy in hot water for about 5 mins and strain.

Warm oil in a nonstick. Add the ginger, garlic and onions and sauté till the onion starts to get pale. Add the chillies, lemon grass, and thai curry paste and fry till the oil separates. Add the basil leaves and then the vegetables including the bak choy and the lime juice/vinegar. Sauté on high flame.

The complete meal: Thai veges, mashed potatoes, chicken in mushroom sauce served with a dirty olive brine martini (shaken not stirred) in a cutting chai glass!