Butter Chicken/ Murg Makhani

This is a Dish from Indian Punjab Region.

Ingredients:

First marination:

Chicken 1kg

1tsp black pepper

Salt

2 tbsp lemon juice.

Second marination:

1 and 1/4 cup plain yogurt/curd (if there is excess water hang yogurt in muslin cloth for 15 minutes to remove water)

1 full tsp red chillie powder

salt to taste

3 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp butter

For Makhani gravy:

1 tbp ginger and garlic paste

4 tbsp butter

3 cardamoms

3 cloves

1'' cinnamon stick

2 onion roughly grinderd to small pieces

2 tbsp SHAN tandoori BBQ mix powder (or red chilli powder 2 tsp, salt, 1/2 tsp garam masala, pinch of red food color, 1/2 tsp dried powdered methi leaves)

Tomato pureed 2cups (fresh tomato liquidized)

2 tbsp honey

1 cup fresh coconut milk

Method:

Wash and cut the chicken to desired pieces. Drain the excess water.

Apply the first marination ingredients to the chicken and mix thoroughly and keep for 1/2 hour.

Mix all the second marination ingredients in a large bowl. Apply chicken pieces to it and marinate for 3-4 hours or over night in refrigerator.

If was kept over night, remove from fridge and keep it out till reach room temperature/ defrost.

Pre heat a oven to 200C and cook on a oven dish till almost done for about 15 minutes. (line the chicken pieces on the dish and if there is no enough space, cook in two batches)

Drain the liquid from the cooked chicken pieces and keep the liquid and chicken pieces aside.

Heat a large pan and heat butter in it.

Add cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and stir for 1 minute.

Add in ginger garlic paste and onions and saute for 2 minutes.

Add tomato puree, Shan tandoori mix, and marination liquid oozed out from chicken while baked.

Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes till the sauce thickens a bit.

Add honey and stir.

Add chicken pieces and simmer for 5 minutes till oil starts to separate.

Add coconut milk and simmer further for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.

Banana Cake

''A rich and moist healthy cake''

Ingredients:

Plain Four 120g

Butter 120g

Eggs medium 3

Sugar 100g

Baking powder 1 and 1/2 tsp

Vanilla essence 1tsp

Milk 2 tbsp

One grated zest of orange

White chocolate pieces 50g

Cashewnuts 50gs chopped

Banana 3 ripe

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180C

Grease and line a 9'' diameter baking pan.

Soften the butter in a large bowl and beat with sugar until creamy.

Add in eggs and beat well. Then add in the vanilla, orange zest and milk and beat.

Sift flour with baking powder in the the bowl.Fold in.

Cut bananas in to cubes and fold to the mixture along with cashew nuts and White Chocolate.

Spoon the mixture to the baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let is cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then cool on wire track.

Serve as it is or lightly spreaded with vanilla icing.  

String Hoppers with Rice Flour

 ''A popular main course in Sri Lanka and served for breakfast or dinner with curry dishes or sambals''

Ingredients: (Serve 6)

500g rice flour

salt to taste

boiling water

Method:

Roast the flour well and sieve it into a bowl. Add salt and enough boiling water to make soft but not sticky consistency.

Fill String hopper mould with dough.

Squeeze on to very lightly greased string hopper mats or watties.

Steam until breads of water begin to drop from sides of string hopper cover. 

Remove from mats.

Continue until mixture is used.

Serve with curries or coconut sambol.

Apple Streusel Slice

Ingredients (serve 10)

180g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored, diced

Streusel topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
30g butter, softened

Real Honey Corn Flakes 2tbsp

Method 
 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 3cm deep, 18cm x 28cm slab pan with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, in 2 batches, mixing well after each addition.

2. Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon over butter mixture. Fold through using a large metal spoon. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan. Top with apple.

3. Make topping: Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until it forms clumps.Add in the corn flakes. Crumble mixture over apple.

4. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan. Cut slice into squares and serve.