Chicken Spring Rolls | Chinese Chicken Spring Rolls using Pastry Sheets

What's the first dish that comes to your mind when you hear 'Chinese' ? It must be 'Fried Rice' or 'Noodles', correct? Okay, now what's it that comes to your mind when I say 'Chinese Starter'. For me it's always 'Spring Rolls'. A visit to the Chinese restaurant is never complete without gulping this all time favorite of mine. And yes, not to for get the 'Sweet corn corn chicken soup'. I used to order this every other time, that my dad used to ask me, 'Why don't you try something new at least this time?' :D

My mom used to make these spring rolls for us at home. So I knew it was not a Herculean task, barring the vegetable chopping. I think that's the only time consuming factor in Chinese cuisine. Once that's done, the rest is very simple.  It is one of the all time favorites of Deeps too.. He simply loves them and would be in full praises when I make them. And he did come home very early from office yesterday. I am still not sure which one of these two is the reason, 'Not much work today' (as he said) or 'I am making spring rolls for evening tea today' (as I told him in the morn). Anyways we both enjoyed this little delicacies over a hot cup of tea.

Recipe from Ma

I Took:

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 nos

I Used:

Carrot	-	1 cup (refer notes)
Capsicum	-	1 cup
Beans	-	½ cup
Celery	-	½ cup
Chicken	-	1 cup
Soya Sauce	-	1 ½ tsp
Tomato Sauce	-	1 tsp
Chilly sauce	-	1 tsp
Worcestershire sauce	-	1 tsp
Sugar	-	½ tsp
Pepper powder	-	½ tsp
Ground paste	-	1 tbsp
Oil	-	For deep frying
Salt	-	As needed
Aginomoto	-	A pinch (optional)

To grind:

Ginger	-	1 tbsp
Garlic	-	1 tbsp
Chilly powder	-	1 tsp

The Way:

1. Chop all the vegetables. Clean and cut the chicken into small pieces (like chops)
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the chicken pieces. Add a little salt & pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes
3. Then add the ground paste and onion and mix well (Ignore the previous step for veg spring rolls)
4. After 2 minutes of sauteeing add carrot, beans, capsicum, celery and aginomoto and fry
5. Then mix in salt, soya sauce, tomato sauce, chilly sauce, worcestershire  sauce and the remaining pepper powder and saute in
6. The veggies should become crisp & crunchy. Do not over cook as they again have to be deep fried
7. The filling for the roll is ready. Allow it to cool and dry. Moisture content in the filling will make the wrapper wet which will suck in more oil during frying. Hence best to wait till the filling has cooled down with minimum moisture in it
8. Now off to the spring roll sheets. Defrost them to room temperature before using them. Use the sheets after defrosting as they will dry out & crack if left unattended 
9. Lay out one of the sheet. Place about a tbsp (depending on the size of your sheet) of the filling on one corner. Lesser the filling, the better. Over sized filling have a tendency to break apart in oil

1. Fold over that corner and roll in
2. Fold over both the left & right sides
3. Make sure there is very little or no air pockets when you fold in the sheet, as they can allow oil to get inside the roll
4. At this point you can freeze the rolls if required for future use. Make sure the rolls are placed one aside the other (not on top) & covered suitably to prevent drying while freezing
5. Heat oil in a kadai. Deep fry the rolls. Keep turning the over in oil till the turn golden brown evenly 
6. Place them over tissue paper to drain off the excess oil. Serve with tomato ketchup

Notes:

• You can include more vegetables like cabbage & cauli flower. I had run out of them. So did not use here
• Aginomoto is added to enhance flavor but comes with a list of side effects. So highly recommended to avoid

Linking this to 'Flavors of Chinese Cuisine' event at Julie's 'Erivum Puliyum'

Cheers,

Chitz

Canned Tuna Ularthiyathu | Canned Tuna Fish Stir Fry | Choora Meen Upperi

Tuna fish sauteed with Indian spices

Which type of dishes leaves an enduring image in your soul?? If you ask me that question, I would go back to my childhood memories. From the smell of the tomato ketchup hung in cotton cloth to the fresh fruit being converted to jam & the aroma of wonderful crab curry or the mind blowing smell of authentic Indian sweets being fried in pure ghee and dipped in jeera... Bliss !! How I wish I can go back to that time.. Mind you.. I am talking about all home made here. Yeah, I was one of those lucky souls who have an vague memory or recollection of these fabulous spread of dishes made by my mom and grand mom.

And this particular dish is very close to my heart. Wondering why & how it got into the list? I was first introduced to this canned tuna by my dad. When I was in high school, he used to go on business trips to Maldives. When he came back, he used to buy and bring this canned fish for us. We were  introduced to this concept of fish in tins first time back then. And when mom prepares this dish, it means that dad is back home after his 2 or 3 week long trip. Still I remember me licking my fingers and having this as an accompaniment to hot piping rasam sadam.

After some years we stopped having this as he no longer went to Maldives.. So it was a while since I had forgotten about it. It was two weeks before, when I went shopping that I found these tins sitting on the shelves and winking at me. Didn't waste a sec. Was very happy to get the old memories rekindled. So here goes the recipe !!

Recipe Source : Ma

I Took : 30 minutes

I Used:

Tuna	-	200 gm (I used canned tuna in oil)
Onion	-	2 no - medium - chopped
Tomato	-	1 no - medium - chopped
Ginger-Garlic paste	-	1 tbsp
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tsp
Coriander powder	-	3 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Garam Masala	-	1 tsp
Coriander leaves	-	To garnish
Mustard seeds	-	1 tsp
Oil	-	As Needed
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Clean & wash the tuna and keep aside
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds
3. When it splutters add the onion and saute till it turns light brown
4. Add ginger garlic paste and fry well till the raw smell fades off
5. Add all the powders - chilly, coriander, turmeric & garam masala and mix well
6. Now add the tomatoes and saute till it gets a bit mushy
7. Add salt and the cleaned tuna pieces and mix well
8. Cook till done. It will turn brown and dry. Sprinkle water in between to prevent the dish from sticking to the pan

Serve with boiled rice or as a sandwich. I prefer it with rasam sadam :)

Cheers,

Chitz

Wheat & Rye Bread - Scaled Flour Method - Scandinavian Bread - Baking Partner Challenge #8

Never in my life had I imagined that I would ever bake a loaf of bread. And little did I knew what was in store when I told Swathi that I wanted to join 'Baking Partners'. That I would have to bake a bread for my first challenge itself.. But it should say, it was lots of fun and even more of knowledge that I gained :) I am happy that I took the challenge and lived up to the first one. But I should admit that I was skeptical till the last moment of how I was going to pull this through.. Had a very busy two weeks that involved some travelling and a marathon of baking that I still was in dilemma deep inside, of how this is gonna work. 

So I woke up yesterday morning ready to bake.. But felt like the weather cheated on me. It was snowing like anything. Then I thought to myself 'This is the price you pay for procrastinating things.. See what happened coz u waited for the nth hour !!' It was shining pretty well for the past two weeks and little did I expect that it would snow. But no. This is not going to stop me. So I whipped up some hot chocolate and set off to work. 

For this month's challenge we were asked to choose from two different methods of bread baking. Tangzhong or Scaled Flour method. First is Asian and the second Scandinavian method of bread baking. I choose Scandinavian as I am residing in one presently and having tasted their bread often, I wanted to know if I could reproduce one :) The taste was not very close.. But it was nice and I enjoyed having it !!

And I would definitely bake the Tangzhong bread, maybe some time in the coming week. Yup, I will post that too. And now without further mumbling, on to my experience :)

Adapted from: Cornercafe

Yield : 1 loaf (23*10*10)

Consume: Best within 3-4 days

Storage: May be frozen to keep longer, defrost before serving

I Used:

For Scalded Flour:

Bread flour     -  100 gm (I used coarse wheat & rye flour) Boiling water  -  100 ml

Main Dough:

Bread flour	-	350 gm (I used coarse wheat & rye flour)
Milk powder	-	20 gm/2 tbsp
Caster sugar	-	35 gm
Salt	-	5 gm/1 tsp
Instant yeast	-	8 gm
Lukewarm water	-	200 ml (adjust as required)
Butter	-	35 gm (chopped into small pieces at room temperature)

The Way:

Scalded Flour:

1. Take bread flour in a bowl. Add the boiling hot water all at once over the flour and stir quickly with a fork until fully combined. There should be no more visible dry flour & it should be a doughy clumpy mixture
2. Set aside for 5 minutes for the dough cluster to fully absorb the heat and the moisture
3. Cover with cling film and let it cool to room temperature (Takes about ½ - 1 hour)

For the Main Dough:

• Sift bread flour, milk powder, caster sugar and salt onto the working surface
• Add instant dry yeast and mix well 
• Make a well in the flour mixture and add the scalded flour mixture
• Then gradually add just enough lukewarm water to form into a slightly sticky, soft dough 
• Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic
• During this kneading, the dough also needs to be thrown onto the working surface once every few minutes to improve the dough structure
• You can pick up the dough to about head-high and throw it down onto the working surface 10 to 20 times, every few minutes between kneading

• Knead in butter until incorporated
• Form the dough into a round ball and place in a large greased bowl and cover with a cling film
• Allow the dough to rise until double in size (1st proofing)
• This will take about 1 hour in warm weather, longer in winter months
• To test if the dough has risen properly, dip a finger into bread or plain flour and poke down into the center of the dough as far as your finger will go and pull out again – the hole should remain if it is ready. If the dough springs back, then it is not ready, continue to prove further.
• Once the dough is ready, roll it out into a long oval shape. Divide it into three equal portions

• Take the first portion and using a rolling pin roll it up (Pic 4). Then roll up from the short end like a Swiss roll (Pic 5 & 6)

• Continue the same rolling process with the other two portions of the dough
• Place the rolled-up dough into the oiled bread loaf mould (23 cm (L) x 10 cm (W) x 10 cm (H))

• Cover loosely and allow the dough to rise to almost the top of the tin, which is the secnd proofing (would take around 45 minutes - 1 hour)  
• Once proofed, bake at 175°C in a preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown

Cheers,
Chitz

Pachai Pattani Vadai | Peas Vadai | Green Peas Fritters

Fritters made form ground green peas & onions mixed with Indian spices

This is yet another tasty simple recipe from the great cook I have ever met.. Hehe, ya my mom.. How intriguing is this fact rite!! Most of the people would give away the 'Best Cook ever known' award to their mom. Somehow, we are so used to their style & taste that we tend to compare any other food that we come across to theirs. And many a times we would also hear or make the comments 'Not as tasty as my mom's' or 'No one can beat my mom's chole poori' ;) 

Everyday the conversation with my mom would not be complete without asking each other what we cooked for the day.. Sometimes we won't have much to talk about. But still we would rattle about for long time about some new recipe or how something that we cooked turned out or what others commented about it. It was during one such conversation that she told me that she had prepared 'Peas Vadai' that day. I was amused. Had never heard of that vadai before. Immediately I asked her for the recipe and jotted it down. But still it took me a month to try it out.. Heights of laziness :D But I was really happy that I did. It was really good :) I enjoyed it with my evening cuppa hot coffee and the movie 'Eat, Pray & Love'

I Took:

Prepartion Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Yield: 8 vadai

I Used:

Peas	-	½ cup
Onion	-	1 no - medium sized - chopped
Fennel seeds	-	A pinch
Garlic	-	2 cloves
Ginger	-	An inch piece
Red Chilly	-	3 no
Corn flour	-	3 tbsp
Garam Masala	-	1 tsp
Salt	-	As needed
Oil	-	As needed

The Way:

1. Grind together peas, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic and red chilly with a little water
2. Add onion, garam masala, salt and corn flour to the ground paste and mix well
3. Make into small patties/vadai shapes on the palm of your hand, from the mix
4. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry/deep fry and serve with hot kaapi/chai :)

Notes:

Can substitute maida for corn flour if required

Cheers,

Chitz

'En' Award - The Liebster

Hello friends.. Look who is happy with the first award.. Yes, I had a pleasant surprise when Nisha of 'My Food Express' told me that an award is waiting for me at her place.  Thank you Nisha for sharing this honor with me. She is a colorful blogger with a variety of dishes at her space. Keep blogging and have fun, Nisha :) And here I am answering the questions and passing on the award to other fellow food bloggies..

About:

The Liebster Award is a recognition that is passed on from one small blogger to another blogger to support and helping each other for the blog growth... It is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. "Liebster" is German for "Favorite". 

Rules:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.  
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.
5. No tag backs.

11 random facts about me:

1. I am a cleanliness freak
2. I love shopping
3. I have a lottt of friends and I do keep contact :)
4. I like exploring new arenas, so my field of interest keeps varying every time
5. I do not like having a routine menu and hence prefer not to repeat the dishes frequently
6. I love travelling and visiting new places
7. I get emotional very fast while seeing movies.. And so you would always spot me with a  hand towel while watching movies
8. I am a lazy perfectionist. Tends to do everything perfectly but sometimes lethargy does take an upper hand
9. I am still in search for the ultimate purpose of my life :D
10. I love mystery, but only in fiction (novels & TV series)
11. I cannot draw or paint, but wish I overcome that some day ;)

11 questions for me from Nisha:

1. If you wish for something ,what would you wish for?

    To visit all the exotic & serene places in Earth

2. What is your Hobby?

    Reading, Watching movies & series, crocheting, cooking, drooling over food sites 

3. Favourite Ice cream?
    Pista - my all time favorite
4. Love to drive/ride a Car/Plane/Helicopter/Bike?
    I would love to ride a car
5. Favourite fruit and vegetable?
    Blueberry & Long Beans
6. Love to buy a ________?
    'Nalukettu' - a traditional Kerala Hindu house
7. Favourite magazine?

    Reader's Digest

8. Describe yourself in a word?

    Systematic

9. Most memorable moment in your life?

    The 4 day girls trip to Portugal

10. If you have a Super Power what will you do?

    Would clean the world  

11. Favourite quote?

    Smile like you've never cried

    Fight like you've never lost

    Love like you've never been hurt

    And live like there's no tomorrow

11 Nominees:

1. A teflon frypan - Quick Picks
2. Amrita Vishal - Sweet 'n' Savoury
3. Asiya Omar - My Healthy Happy Kitchen
4. Gayathri Ramanan - Foody Buddy
5. Meena B - Homely Food
6. Priya - House of Spice 
7. Priya Anandakumar - Priya's Virundhu
8. Priya Elias - The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen
9. Sangeetha Priya - Nitha's Kitchen
10. Shailaja Reddy - Sahasra Recipes
11. Tinku Shaji - Daily Chores

11 questions for you fellow bloggies:

1. If you were allowed to change something about yourselves, what would that be?
2. Your favorite time pass other than cooking
3. According to you which is most important in a blog - presentation, recipe or pictures? 
4. Your ultimate dream
5. Three qualities you would love to see in others
6. One prank that you played on someone
7. Your favorite vacation spot
8. Cooking according to you is
9. Who influences you the most? Like you would always listen to what this person says
10. Your favorite dessert
11. One habit that you cannot change for life

Happy blogging everyone.. Keep smiling and have fun always :)

Cheers,

Chitz

Karuvepilai Era Thokku - Curry leaf Prawn curry

Prawns cooked in coconut-curry leaf paste

Yes !!! It does look like am going overboard on prawns rite?? Well, I got hold of some fresh prawns and I guess I got a little excited.. We do not get much of fresh prawns here, rather  it's always the processed and packed ones. And the zest was more coz I get to peel and devein the prawns all by myself. Yes, now some of you might be thinking, 'Is it actually that great an accomplishment??' 

Nah.. must not be.. But all through my childhood I have watched my mom and grand mom and aunties do that.. And when they did that the general instruction for all the kids around was 'STAY AWAY'..But I was very intrigued and would watch them and ponder on how quick and swift and meticulous they were in that process.. A twist and a pull and a rinse.. And there goes the soft flesh to the pot. I should say that I was a little scared too.. 'Won't the sword like spines on the top of their heads hurt your fingers, if you were this fast????' 

Those were the wonderings of a small kid.. Now that I have mastered thy art myself, I do not see or wonder on the risk, rather enjoy it ;) And now back to the recipe, last week I saw a different Chettinad recipe on prawns in Asianet plus channel. I knew I should make it  and share it here. And my instincts were not wrong... Instant hit.. Deeps and I loved it...

Serves: 2 persons

I Took:

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

I Used:

Prawns	-	200 gm
Curry leaf	-	½ cup
Coconut	-	10 sprigs
Shallots	-	6-8 nos (sliced)
Tomato	-	1 no (medium sized - chopped)
Ginger-Garlic paste	-	2 tsp
Tamarind pulp	-	2 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek	-	¼ tsp
Fenugreek-Mustard powder	-	2 tsp
Coconut Milk	-	3 tbsp
Gingelly Oil	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Clean and wash the prawns 
2. Grind together coconut and curry leaves in a mixie by adding a little water. Keep the paste aside
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard and  fenugreek
4. When it splutters, add shallots and saute
5. As the shallots start to change colour, add tomatoes and saute till they become mushy 
6. Now add the coconut-curry leaf paste and saute 
7. When it starts losing water, add ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell fades off
8. Add the tamarind pulp, salt and mix. Add the cleaned prawns and required amount of water to cook the prawn
9. When the prawns are almost done, add the fenugreek-mustard powder and the coconut milk
10. Cook till the prawns are done. Garnish with coriander leaves

Notes:

Dry roast equal amounts of mustard and fenugreek. Grind them in a mixer for the fenugreek-mustard powder

Cheers,

Chitz

Shrimp Quesadilla

'Tat ta da' day - When you mix this and dash in dat and sprinkle those, you get a yummly recipe. Yes, it was that kind of day today. Wanted to eat something other than the usual 'rice and curry and stir fry' combo lunch. I was in a great mood for something spicy and cheesy and non-veggie. And there I was browsing and browsing and browsing... But none seemed satisfactory for my spice buds. That's when I thought, come on... lemme mix and dash and sprinkle ;) 

A quesadilla is like the wrap equivalent in a Mexican cuisine. It's a flour/corn tortilla filled with a savory mixture of cheese, vegetables, meet & other ingredients. An ideal lunch box idea for people on a diet (of course minus the cheese & shrimp, you can substitute with a veggie of your choice maybe bell peppers or mushroom), coz it's both yummy and fills you up for a meal ;) 

I Used:

For the Spicy Green Dip:

Sesame seeds : 1 tbsp
Coriander      : 5 sprigs
Mint              : 3 sprigs
Green chilly   : 2 nos
Ginger           : a quarter inch piece

For the Shrimp:

Shrimp                    : 50 gm
Garlic                      : 1 pod
Lime juice               : 1 tsp
Red chilly powder    : 1 tsp
Pepper powder        : 1 tsp
Cumin powder         : 1/2 tsp
Salt                         : As needed

For Serving:

Wheat Tortilla       : 1 (U can use any tortilla)

Olive Oil               : 3 tsp

Onion                   : 1 (chopped - medium sized)

Parmesan Cheese   : As needed 

The Way:

1. Grind together ingredients under 'For the Spicy Green Dip' 
2. Place the shrimp in a bowl. Marinate it with the ingredients under 'For the Shrimp' and allow it to stand for 30 minutes
3. Then cook the marinated shrimp with a little of water, until done 
4. Heat a pan on medium high. Add olive oil
5. As it heats up, add onion and saute till translucent. Add the cooked shrimps to it and toss around till dry
6. Warm the tortilla in a tava 
7. Now to assemble the quesadilla, place the tortilla. Sprinkle with the grated cheese. Distribute the spicy green dip on top of the cheese. Add the shrimp mixture to it. 
8. Now place this in the tava until it is nicely toasted and the cheese begins to melt
9. Roll it over and serve with tomato sauce or the spicy green dip

Cheers,

Chitz