Posts filed under 'Eating'
Traditionally, tandoori dishes are cooked in a tandoor, an oval shaped clay oven with a small fire in the bottom. The heat rises gradually but ultimately reaches a much higher temperature than a barbeque.
A tandoor is normally used to cook naan bread, meats and kebabs (meat or paneer). The bread is stuck to the sides, the kebabs stood vertically and whole chickens rested on a grid over the fire.
For domestic cooking, a tandoor is not really convenient but the meat dishes can be reproduced on a barbeque or in the oven. The bright red appearance of tandoori meats which you may see in Indian restaurants is produced by a food dye which really isn’t necessary to enhance the look of your tandoori dishes.
I have a great fondness for tandoori style food. It has flavour, without being “hot” or high in calories or too filling. In fact it’s an ideal dish summer or winter, if you fancy something a little different. As a bonus, it doesn’t take hours to prepare. Of course you can take all the effort out of it and use a pre-prepared mix, but I think they have less flavour and you can’t use them for anything else, whereas if you use the individual spices, you can make other dishes as well.
You can easily make tandoori chicken (whole), tandoori lamb chops (pork would be more unusual, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use it, if you prefer) and lamb tikka (kebabs) but my personal favourite is chicken tikka because it’s so quick so here’s my own recipe.
This recipe serves two people - multiply it for as many people as you want.
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts
- 1 small tub Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- tsp ground turmeric
- tsp ginger powder
- tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
Mix the spice powders and garlic into the yogurt. You can use low fat yogurt if you prefer. You can also use fresh ginger or ginger paste from a jar rather than ginger powder but go easy on the quantity as it can be quite over-powering.
At this point you can also mix in the salt and lemon juice but if you do so, don’t leave the chicken to marinade for more than about 20 minutes or it will become very dry when cooked. If you want to marinade it for a longer time, add the salt and lemon juice just before you cook the dish or sprinkle on to serve.
Thread the chicken onto skewers and either barbeque or cook under a grill using medium heat until the chicken is slightly browned and cooked through.
For a light meal, serve with salad, pitta or naan bread and lemon wedges or for something more substantial with rice and dahl.
Liz Canham:
As well as a love of Asian cooking and travel as you can see in her Asian Food and Cookery and Travellers’ Tales websites, Liz seeks to help newcomers to the world of internet marketing with tools, tips and training from her Liz-e-Biz.com website.
April 9th, 2008
Australians and New Zealanders maintain an ongoing “controversy” over who concocted the famous Pavlova. The Aussies lay claim to it but the Kiwis think very differently. Each claim it as one of their national dishes. Firstly, how do you pronounce the word Pavlova. Here we go: pav-LOH-vuh with the emphasis on the LOH part of the word.
The word Pavlova is taken directly from the name of the famous ballerina, Anna Pavlova. There is no argument about that fact. Anna Pavlova visited Australia in 1926 and then came back again in 1929 visiting New Zealand as well on this second visit. She was billed as the greatest dancer of all time. As can be imagined, she was very light on her toes.
Back at that time there was a very creative chef working in the kitchens of the Esplanade Hotel in Perth, Western Australia. To celebrate the visit of Anna Pavlova he created a meringue-style dessert which was very light and airy. His delightful dessert was considered to be lighter than air, just like Anna’s performances were. Consequently his invention was called a Pavlova - that is the Australian version of how the Pavlova got it’s name.
Now the Kiwis debate the fact that an Australian invented the dessert. They say it was being made in New Zealand as far back as 1919, although it was not called a Pavlova. The chef in Perth included a small amount of vinegar in his recipe and it is the vinegar which gives the meringue its soft marshmallow centre. It seems the New Zealand version lacked vinegar in the recipe. The dispute continues but that is enough debate for me….
Let me tell you more about the Pavlova and then you can make one yourself. It certainly has the appearance of a very large meringue, measuring as much as 9″ to12″ in diameter. Pavlovas can stand anything up to 3″ in height. They consist mainly of egg whites and sugar and they are cooked very slowly in the oven. When they have cooled they are topped with whipped cream and then very colourful fruits are arranged on the top of the cream. The whole creation is quite spectacular and most usually quite rich and sweet. There are several variations of the Pavlova recipe. I use this one:
Ingredients
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon white vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 cup of caster sugar
1 cup whipped cream
Fruit to decorate
Method
Line a baking tray with foil or baking paper. On the foil or paper draw a circle with a 22 cm (9″) diameter. In a glass or china bowl beat egg whites, vanilla and vinegar (or lemon juice) until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar, one tablespoonful at a time. When sugar is fully dissolved into egg mixture pile it onto the baking tray, keeping the mixture within the circle. Smooth the top but leave a slight hollow in the central area.
Bake at 120 degrees centigrade (250 degrees fahrenheit) for approximately 1 and 1/4 hours. When cooked, the Pavlova should be a very light beige colour. Turn off the oven. Leave Pavlova to cool in the oven.
When cold, top with whipped cream and decorate with fruit. Colourful fruits are good to decorate Pavlovas, ideas being sliced banana, strawberries, kiwi fruit and passion fruit. Passion fruit is particularly nice, in my opinion, as its tartness complements the sweet Pavlova so well.
If you are making the Pavlova in advance then store it in a cool dry place, not in the fridge and then decorate just before serving.
Jean Morrison is, by day, the owner of Heritage Ceilings and, after hours, maintains Cheap And
Easy Recipes a website for people who want hearty food that is easy and cheap to make. Her recipe website is anecdotal reflecting back to incidences in her life as far back as school cooking lessons with the infamous Miss Haughton
April 8th, 2008
Famous bakers and serious home cooks have always known to make a perfect cake always use cake pans made exactly for that job. Just as gourmet chefs require certain tools for proper cooking, cake pans are the way to go for successful cake baking. There are many designs to choose from and one is just right for you.
Choices for cake pans include round and square. Round pans are the most common choice for layer cakes. Once these were covered with flat rims, protecting them from being flavored during wood-fired baking. They have not changed in design much since the renaissance. Round baking pans will uniformly cook the batter and prevent a too thick crust. Also the straight sides promote uniform rising.
Square cake pans are used for many recipes in the kitchen including brownies and cakes. Nice to have in a persons baking supplies. They sometimes are made out of silicone. Silicone bakeware is non-stick and flexible, very easy to work with.
When looking for cake pans always consider one that releases the cake easily from the pan. Covering up holes left in the cake with frosting is sometimes hard to do. Pans that conduct heat evenly so that the crust has a uniform color is a “must-have” feature to.
When shopping for cake pans it is a good idea to purchase two or more of the same size. This way when baking a two or three layer cake they will be easier to assemble and put frosting on.
Comparison shop when looking for baking items. Online shopping is fast and fun and the right baking pans are sure to be found.
About the Author
Curtis Miller is an author and publisher of Kitchens-4u
Your source for quality kitchen items.
April 2nd, 2008
Next Posts