Pasta Salad with Eggs

Here's a healthy dinner Idea. Easy to make and low on carbs. I made this for dinner tonight and loved it.

Ingredients: Serve 1

1 egg ( use golden yolk eggs)

1/4 cup spiral pasta

1 small carrot

5 green beans

1/2 cup cauliflower florets

3 fresh spinach leaves

1 tbsp mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Peel the carrots and cut in to quarters. Break the edges and de-vein the green beans.

Boil pasta and egg in salted water and put a steamer on top and steam the vegs till bite tender but not mashy. Put the spinach at last for steaming. 

Keep the vegs and spinach aside to cool. Peel the shell off the egg and cut in half.

Make sure the pasta is boiled perfectly and soft. Drain the water and keep aside to cool.

Cut the vegs to desired pieces. Add in the pasta. Season with salt and pepper and add mayonnaise. Refrigerate to cool if desired. Place the halved egg on top and serve.

Puddina (Maltese Bread Pudding)

I found out about this pudding on a TV show called Food Safari and wanted to try it my own. I made several changes with dry fruit ingredients as I used things I had at home. The original recipes needs cherries and almonds and sultanas. 

Ingredients:

1 loaf day-old bread
375g sugar
2 tbsp custard powder
2 tbsp cornflour
4 tbsp cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
200g mixed dried fruit (sulatanas, cashew, raisins, cherries, pea nuts etc)
Vanilla 2tsp
4 tbsp whiskey, brandy or sherry (optional)

Method:

Break bread into small pieces and soak in cold water for 15 minutes until soft.
Place the soaked bread in a colander and mash, draining liquid. Or you can do it by hand by pressing against a strainer to remove the water. Transfer the bread to a mixing bowl and add sugar, cocoa, corn flour and custard powder. Mix well. Add in the beaten eggs and mix well.

Add in the dry fruits and, vanilla and finally brandy (if preferred).

Butter an oven proof dish well and pour the bread mixture into this.

Bake in a moderate to low oven (180C) for some 40 to 50 minutes. You will know your puddina is ready when you can stick a skewer into the middle and it comes out clean.

Serve warm or cold.

Trifle

Trifle is one of my favorite Desserts. Its easy is to make and would make perfect dinner party desert. There is no strict method to follow and the amounts of ingredients will differ according to the size of the bowl you are using.

Ingredients: 7'' diameter bowl

Sponge cake to line the base of the bowl

Strawberry jelly 1-2 packets

1 apple peeled cored and sliced to small pieces

Custard about 1 and 1/2 cups made according to the packet instructions

Whipped cream  or Cream Topping 

Shaves of Semi Sweet Chocolate

Method:

Line the base of the cake with Sponge cake.

Dissolve the Jelly packets in boiling water and pour over the sponge cake.

Lay the cut apples in a layer on top of it and refrigerate till set.

Make custards according to the packets instructions and allow to cool. Pour over the apple layer. and allow to set.

Whip the whipping cream to form stiff peaks with little icing sugar or Whip the cream topping to form stiff peaks according it the packets instructions.

Spread over the custard layer and top with Chocolate shavings. Chill covered in plastic wrap and serve Chilled.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry (Hot)

This is not a traditional dish but rather how i make simple chicken curry in Sri Lankan Style with simple ingredients at home. Its quite a hot curry and goes well with side dishes like pol sambal and dhal curry.

Ingredients:

750g chicken cut in to pieces

1 medium onion chopped fine

2 clove garlic minced

1'' lemon grass cut in to 3 pieces

spring of fresh curry leaves 

2 green chilies roughly chopped

2 tsp roasted red chili powder

1 tsp roasted curry powder

2 cardamons

2 cloves

1 tsp of pepper

1tsp salt or to taste

2 tsp white vinegar

1tsp tamarind paste

1 cup coconut milk

2tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp brown sugar

Method:

Marinate the chicken with pepper, salt, vinegar and tamarind paste dissolved in 1/4 cup of hot water.Keep for 30 minutes.

Heat a pan with oil, add the onions, garlic, lemon grass, green chilies, cardamons, cloves, curry leaves and fry till the aroma goes off for a minute or two. 

Add in the chicken pieces (with out the marinade) and stir fry for a minute. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the left over marinade and 1/2 cup water( depend on how much gravy is preferred) and cover and cook stirring occasionally till chicken is tender. Simmer for 40 minutes.

 Adjust seasoning and add coconut milk and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Take off heat and sprinkle sugar and mix well. 

Serve with plain rice.

Profiteroles

Profiteroles are simply choux pastry balls. They can be made to a delicious dessert by filling up with whip cream, pastry cream or even ice cream. I made mine filled with Chantilly cream filling which is basically whipped cream.  Profiteroles are often dusted with icing sugar or topped with chocolate sauce. Here is the recipe for this heavenly dessert.

Ingredients: Makes about 12

60g butter cut in to cubes

150ml water

75g self raising flour (or plain flour)

2 eggs lightly beaten

Method:

Put water and butter in a heavy bottom pan and heat over medium heat until butter melts taking string occasionally. Bring it the mixture to a boil, take the pan off heat and immediately add the flour stirring vigorously with a  wooden spoon. Stir until it forms a soft ball. 

Leave it to cool before adding the eggs. (if the mixture is hot the eggs tends to cook and form strings)

Add the eggs gradually and stir to combine to form a smooth, shiny paste.

Grease the baking trays and lightly sprinkle with water. Put 12 tablespoons of pastry on the tray. (Alternatively use a pasty bag and pipe in the dough without a cap, on to the baking trays. )

Bake in a preheated oven of 220C for 10 minutes and reduce the heat to 190C and bake further 20 minutes or until profiteroles are golden in color.

Allow to cool. Slit the profiteroles and fill in with Chantilly cream. Dust the profiteroles with icing sugar on top. Serve!!!

Chantilly Cream:

150ml whipping cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

1/2tsp vanilla essence

With an electric beater whip everything together until it forms stiff peaks.

Chocolate sauce:

50g semi sweet chocolate/ dark chocolate chopped

7.5g butter

3/4  tbsp clear bee honey

30ml full fat milk

Mix everything together in a bowl and microwave on high for 30secs or melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler and stir to mix to make chocolate sauce.
Allow to cool to room temperature and  drizzle over the profiteroles.

Chinese Style Green Beans

''I wanted to make something Chinese today and found Green beans in my kitchen. So here's a very quick and popular way to make Green beans the Chinese way.''

Ingredients: serve 4

Green  Beans 250g

1tsp fresh minced ginger

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tbsp water

1 tsp corn flour

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/2tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soya sauce

1/2tsp red chili flakes

2 tbsp sunflower oil

salt to taste

Method:

Pick the edges, string and wash the Green beans.

Steam the Green beans until tender but not too soft. Dump the green beans in cold water to cool off. Drain the water and wipe each bean with kitchen towel.

Cut to desired pieces if preferred or keep as it is.

Heat a wok with sunflower oil, add in the minced garlic and ginger. Fry till the raw smell goes off. Add in the Green beans and fry for 5 minutes. 

Mix all other ingredients together to make a sauce and pour over the green beans and toss to mix well. Fry for a minute and take off heat. Season with salt to taste

Serve with fried rice.

Canned Mackerel Stir Fry

''This is an easy and favorite dish of mine frequently made at home with little variations. We, Sri Lankans calls it as 'Saman Thel Dala' even though the its not really Salmon. Canned Mackerels are quick to cook and goes very well with rice, bread or roti.''

Ingredients: Serve 4-6

1 can Mackerel in brine

1 large onion sliced finely

1 tomato cut in to cubes

2 green chilies slit

1 garlic clove minced

1cm ginger grated fine

1 spring of curry leaves

1tsp red chili flakes

1tsp soya sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

salt to taste

1/2 a lime juice

sunflower oil 2tbsp

Method:

Drain mackerel off brine and break in to pieces. Heat oil in a non stick pan, add the onions and fry till translucent. Then add in the minced garlic, ginger, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry for a minute. Add in chili flakes stir. Add tomato and fry for a minute. add the Mackerel and season with soya sauce, salt and pepper. Fry for about 5 minutes till done and squeeze some lime juice to taste.

Aloo Gobhi

Aloo Gobhi means Potato Cauliflower. This is a very popular Indo Pakistani vegetarian dish which is dry and yellowish in color. It can be served with rice, rotis or naan

Serve 4

1 medium cauliflower 

2 potatoes

1 onion sliced fine

2 green chilies chopped

spring of curry leaves

3 gloves of garlic minced

1/2 inch ginger grated fine

1 tomato quarterd

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4tsp turmeric 

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1tsp coriander powder

1/2tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp sunflower oil

salt to taste

Method:

Peel and cut the potatoes in to 1 inch cubes. Wash and cut the cauliflower in to florets. Season both with some salt.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the onion,green chili, curry leaves till the onions turn translucent. Add in garlic and ginger. Fry till the raw smell goes off. Add in the potatoes, all the powders apart from the garam masala, and stir for 30 seconds. add a little bit of water, cover the pot and cook the potatoes till the potatoes are almost cooked. You can test by inserting a fork, if it penetrates but with some difficulty, its time to add in the cauliflower.

Add in the cauliflower and tomato, Check for seasoning. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is soft. 

Make sure there is no gravy left, otherwise keep lid off and cook till the gravy drys out.

Now sprinkle with garam masala. mix well.

Serve.

Crispy Mushrooms with Carrot Ribbon Salad

Mushrooms are a low calorie food rich with B vitamins. I used Oyster mushrooms for this recipe as button mushrooms are hard to find around here. The crispy fried mushrooms along with the citracy flavored carrot ribbon salad would make an ideal appetizer or even as a side dish for a South Asian cuisine.

Ingredients: Serve 4

Mushrooms 250g

2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp of melted butter

1/2cup plain flour

1/3 cup corn flour

about 2/3cup of water

salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Make the batter by mixing baking powder, plain flour, corn flour, melted butter and salt along with water. Beat with a whisk to mix well. 

Heat oil for deep frying. (But make sure NOT to heat it till smoke comes )

Dip a mushroom on the batter and to test whether the oil is ready; put one mushroom to the oil.If it sizzles immediately the oil is ready for frying.

Dip the mushrooms in the batter by batches and deep fry till golden and crisp.

Transfer to kitchen paper towel to absorb excess oil. 

Serve in a serving plate along with carrot salad or plain.

To make carrot salad:

2 carrots washed and skin peeled off.

2 green chillies chopped fine

1 medium size onion sliced

1 tsp rice vinegar

lime juice to taste

salt to taste

pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

Make ribbons by peeling lengthwise of the carrot. Mix the ribbons with the other ingredients and adjust the taste to your liking. drizzle olive oil and serve long with the crispy mushrooms. Enjoy!!!

Guacamole

Guacamole is a Mexican originated avocado based dip which can be served with nachos, crackers or basically with anything you like. It can also used as a spread with toasts. Its very easy to make, very healthy and best served chilled. The tip to avoid Guacamole turning brown is to store it in a air tight container and keep the seed of the avocado in the middle of the dip!! Also keep in mind that its all about the taste, do your experiments with ingredients to your liking!! 

 Ingredients:

3 ripe Avocados

1 ripe tomato chopped

small bunch of fresh coriander leaves chopped finely

1 white onion chopped finely

1 tbp of jalapenos ( or 2 green chillies chopped)

1 fresh lime juice

2 cloves of garlic minced 

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cut the avocados in half, remove the seed and scoop the flesh in to a bowl. Mash the Avocados well with a fork.

Add in the chopped ingredients, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and mix well and mash all together to form the dip.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

If storing, keep the dip in an air tight container or cover the bowl with cling film. Keep one seed of the avocado in the middle of the dip, to avoid the dip from turning brown. Keep refrigerated.

Serve with chips, nachos or crackers of your choice. Enjoy!!!

Here's Guacamole served with Cream Crackers.

Cuttle Fish with Murunga Leaves

Cuttle Fish is a nice delicacy with a high nutritional value. This curry is cooked to a silky coconut gravy with Murunga / Moringa leaves and ideal to serve with rice or string hoppers.

Ingredients: Serve 4

Cuttle fish cleaned and cut in to pieces 250g

1 small onion minced

2 cloves of garlic chopped

2 green chillies slit in half

spring of curry leaves

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp roasted curry powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tomato quarted

dash of corn flour

Coconut milk 400ml

murunga leaves bunch

salt to taste 

2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

 Marinate the cuttle fish with turmeric, chili powder, pepper, dash of corn flour and salt.

Heat a pan with olive oil, add in the onions, curry leaves, garlic and green chili. Fry till onions are golden and translucent.

Add the cuttle fish and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add in coconut milk, fenugreek seeds, roasted curry powder and tomato. Bring to boil and simmer till the curry cuttle fish is cooked. When the curry is done turn off the heat and add in the murunga leaves. The heat from the curry will wilt away the leaves. 

Serve with rice.

Sea Food Pasta

Although I'm not a very big fan of pasta, once in awhile I enjoy Italian Food. Got the inspiration for this recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Ingredients: Serve 4-5

Macaroni 400g

300g prawns 

100g cuttle fish

2 Carrots

1 stalk of Celery

5 leaves of Cabbage

1 onion minced

3 cloves garlic minced

4 ripe large tomatoes 

1 red bell pepper

1 Chicken cube dissolved in 1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp oregano

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

Olive oil

dash of corn flour

Method:

First to make the pasta sauce:

Clean the sea food. Remove head of the prawns and de-vein. Remove shell if preferred. Clean, wash and cut the cuttle fish in to small pieces. Season the prawns and cuttle fish with salt and pepper. Add a dash of corn flour to cuttle fish.

Mince carrot, celery and cabbage in a food processor. Mix with Worcestershire sauce, fennel seeds, oregano and vinegar.Cut the red pepper in the strips.

Put the tomatoes in to boiled water for a minute and put a cross at the bottom with a knife and peel away the skins. Liquidize the tomatoes in a food processor and keep aside.

Heat a large pan with 3 tbsp olive oil. Fry the prawns till they turn orange color. Remove and keep aside. 

Then fry the cuttle fish till they curl for 1-2 minutes and keep aside.

Now add the garlic and onions and fry till they turn golden. Add in the minced vegs and fry till almost turning golden. Add in the chicken cube dissolved in hot water, red pepper strips, and liquidized tomatoes. Mix well. Add in the prawns and cuttle fish and cook on low heat. Season the sauce. (If the sauce seems dry add some boiling water from the paste to the sauce.)

Cook pasta according to the packet instructions. Make sure to salt the boiling water. Once cooked drain the pasta and add in to the Sauce and mix well. 

Serve Warm!!!

Chicken Piri Piri Style

Got the inspiration for this dish from Jamie Oliver. I was lovely but next time I would like to make the chicken bit more crispier by using the chicken with the skin for baking! :D

Ingredients: Serve 4

4 large chicken thighs/ legs

1 yellow or red pepper

1/2tsp thyme

For sauce 

1  red onion

2 cloves of garlic

3 green chillies

1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilie flakes

1lemon (I added zest of lime and juice)

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

A bunch of fresh parsley

salt and pepper

Olive oil 1tbsp

Method: Put the chicken thighs on a chopping board and slash the meat on each side few times. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then put on the griddle pan that is heating up.Cook until golden on each side. 

Make Piri Piri sauce: Peel and roughly chop the red onion  and add to the liquidizer with 2 peeled cloves of garlic. Add the chillies (stalks removed), 1 tablespoon of paprika, the zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ a lemon. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, a good pinch of salt and pepper, the bunch of parsley and a swig of water. Blitz until smooth. 

When the chicken is golden brown,pour the piri piri sauce into a snug-fitting roasting tray.  Add the chicken to the roasting tray with the sauce. Scatter over the thyme, then put the tray on top shelve of oven. Bake in a 210C oven for 10minutes.

  Slice the peppers into strips and add to the griddle pan. Turn the heat down to medium and keep moving the peppers around till gets soft and brown patches occurs. 

Serve chicken on a serving plate with the sauce from the bottom of baking tray spooned over the chicken and with grilled peppers. 

Greek Lemon Chicken with Potato

This is a simple yet a delicious one pot dish. But I had to use lime instead of lemon for the baking as I didn't have any lemon at home, yet the dish was very delicious. 

Ingredients: Serve 4

700g skinless chicken cut in to pieces

Potatoes 300g cut in to quarters/ cubed

Chicken broth 1/2 cup (chicken cube dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water)

Oregano 1 tsp

lemon juice ( I used juice of 1 lime) 1/2 cup

olive oil 1/4 cup

salt and pepper

10 cloves of garlic cloves with shells

Season chicken with salt and pepper and keep for 1/2 hour.

Arrange baking tray with chicken, potato and garlic. Mix together chicken broth, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano.

Drizzle over the chicken and potato.

Bake in a pre heated oven of 210C  for 40 minutes or until chicken are cooked through and golden brown and potatoes are tender, basting occasionally with pan juice.

Gyoza ( Chinese Dumplings)

Saw a cooking programme in NHK and I thought of trying out this dish. It required dumpling wrappers and since its not readily available here, I had to make them from scratch. The original recipe had minced pork but I used canned Macarel instead. I strongly recommend eating Gyoza with a soya sauce based sauce; I made my own twists. :D

Here's the recipe for the dumpling wrappers:

Makes about 30-35

2 cups of plain flour

2/3cups of hot water

1/4tsp salt

Method:

In a large bowl, add in the flour and salt. add hot water 1/2 cup and mix with a fork at the beginning and then knead by hand. Gradually add in remaining hot water and gather the flour to make a ball. Knead lightly. (Add a little more water if required as the water amount needed can be varied)The dough should be able to handle by hand and non sticky.

Cover the bowl with a wet cloth and keep aside for 1 hour. 

Knead the dough slightly and on a on a lightly floured surface roll the dough in to a roll shape with diameter of about 2 inches. 

Cut slices of the dough. Roll and flatten them with help of rolling pin in about 2mm-3mm thickness. (make sure to dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour to avoid sticking) 

 

Roll them in to 3'' or 3 and 3 1/2'' inch rounds or roll them in to a square like shape and cut rounds with a cookie cutter or with a rim of a glass.

Stack the wrappers made on top of each other and cover with cling film. Store in refrigerator, if wanted to be used later on.

Here's the recipe for the Gyoza:

Ingredients (Serves 4)

100g cabbage finely chopped
100g Chinese cabbage finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

1/4 red pepper finely chopped

1 tbsp garlic minced

150g minced pork (I used flaked canned macarel fish)

1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tbsp Chinese soya sauce
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Chinese chille paste
sesame oil
salt

pepper

16dumpling wrappers (round type)
1/2 cup / 100ml water
1 tsp plain flour

sunflower oil

Sprinkle salt on the Chinese cabbage and cabbage in the bowl, mix them lightly, and let them stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Squeeze water out of the vegetables.
Put the sesame oil in a frying-pan, and fry the chopped garlic, ginger and onion lightly.
Put the flaked fish, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, garlic chives, and Japanese leek, ginger in the bowl, add Chinese soya sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp Chinese chille paste mix them together. Add the salt, pepper, and the fried garlic, and mix them until they become paste like.
Scoop the mixture onto a pastry skin with a spoon. Put the mixture on each pastry skin and fold it over. 

Press the edged to stick together and seal. (run a fingertip damped with water around the inside of the wrapper to act as a glue and then pinch the edges together to stick and can even press by the back of a fork to seal)

Lay the prepared dumplings on a lightly floured tray.

Put the sunflower oil in the heated frying-pan, and put the dumplings in a circle. Pour the flour dissolved in water, (1tsp of lour dissolved in 1/2 cup of water)and place the lid on. Keep the flame low. When the water has almost evaporated, pour a little sunflower oil around the dumplings, place the lid on, and turn the heat high. Cook the gyoza until the bottom gets crisp and brown on one side. And turn over to a plate and brown the other side.

Serve hot with soya sauce based sauce.

Hint: mix Soya sauce with tomato ketchup and minced ginger and finely chopped green chili to your taste.

Rava Dosa

''I wanted to try out a quick dosa and found this easy to make healthy dosa made with semolina. Since I don't have a griddle or tawa, I made these small sized dosas on a non stick pan.''

Ingredients:

Semolina 1 cup

Rice flour 1 cup

Plain Flour 1/4 cup

2 green chillies cut finely

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/8tsp pepper

1/4tsp chopped ginger

salt to taste

water to  make a thin watery batter

1 onion chopped.

melted butter or ghee

Method:

Mix all ingredients above except butter/ghee in to a thin batter. Keep for 10 minutes.

Heat hot griddle/ tawa or non stick pan. If using a non stick pan. grease the pan lightly with oil and wipe with a piece of cloth or tissue.

When its heated well sprinkle some onion pieces on to the pan and then sprinkle the thin batter with the help of hand on to the pan, in a way that it makes net like dosa. Allow to cook till its golden underneath and crisp. Drizzle little ghee on top.

It will take a minute or two to be golden and be careful while checking underneath as it will tend to break on the early stages of cooking.

Fold the dosa in half and take off heat.

Repeat process till the batter runs out.

Serve dosa with chutney or Curry.

Carrot and Cheese Sticks

''This is an easy to make snack. Make them and keep them in an air tight container if you like something to munch on in your free times''

Ingredients:

1 carrot 

100g flour

1/4tsp baking powder

1 tbsp grated cheese

1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients above in a bowl with the hand. Knead the dough till the mixture comes together. Add little more oil if needed. Form the mixture in to a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Roll the dough (I rolled them between 2 lunch sheets/ plastic wrap) 2mm thick on a flat board. Cut 10cm long and 3mm wide strips out of the dough. 

Pre- heat the oven to 200C. Bake the sticks for 15-20minutes until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely and store in an air tight container. Enjoy!!!

Chicken Herb Roll

This recipe is from the Sri Lankan Cookery Programme Rasa Saraniya. They were good but I found the roll to be bit hard, the reason i think being I reduced the risen time after putting the filling inside. So I recommend, to follow the recipe exact and see. The rolls has a very mild taste..so next time I will be making them bit more spicy so sure.

Ingredients: Make 12

For Dough:

Plain flour 500g

Instant dry yeast 10g

Sugar 10g

Salt 1 1/2 tsp

Pepper 1/2 tsp

Parsley chopped 2 tbsp

Herbs 1/2 tsp

Chopped garlic 1/2 tsp

Olive oil 3 tbsp

Water 375ml - 400ml

Cheese 50g

Method:

Put flour in a large bowl, add yeast, sugar and mix wit a wooden spoon.

Add water little by little and mix. Add till about 400ml of water.

Add 3tbsp oil and keep mixing. Add salt, chop parsley, pepper, herbs and knead the dough by hand.

Put little flour on the worktop/ board and transfer dough on to it and knead well for 6-7 minutes. This is improve its elasticity. The dough will become non sticky by the end of this stage. 

Grease the hands lightly and make the dough in to ball shape and place back in the bowl to allow to double in size. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place for 25 minutes.

At this stage make the chicken filling. The recipe is shown below.

When the dough has doubled in size, grease hands lightly and make 12 balls out of the dough. Shape each ball by rolling them tightly on top of the worktop/ board until smooth shaped small balls formed. Keep them in a lightly greased baking tray. Caver with plastic wrap and allow 10 minutes to rise again. 

Now with help of lightly greased knife make 'cross' shaped slit on top of each bun. Open the slit with the help of greased fingers to make an opening and a space for the chicken filling to be placed in.

Fill each bun with the chicken filling. Top the filling with grated cheese, bit of pepper and herbs. I topped mine with some chopped capsicum as well.

Now allow 20 minutes to rest again. (I allowed only 10 minutes or so and the rolls came out bit hard)

Now bake on a preheated oven of 210C for 15-20 minutes.

(pre heat the oven to 220C then once the rolls are placed in for baking, reduce the heat to 210C)

Serve with Ketchup. Enjoy!!!

Chicken Filling

Ingredients:

minced chicken 250g

finely chopped onions 1tbsp

finely chopped garlic 1tsp

Oil 3 tbsp

Plain flour 2tbsp

Milk 3tbsp

Grated cheese 2tbsp

little herbs, pepper and salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a non stick pan, add in the garlic and onion and stir for a minute. Add in the minced chicken and stir fry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook till the chicken is done. 

Add plain flour and cook for 2 minutes till the flour is cooked. Add in milk and cheese. Cook till the mixture is dry/ all the moisture is evaporated. 

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before filling in the buns. (keep in the fridge to cool in a hurry)