DAY 25: BAKED CHICKEN ALA MAMA

Now this is something that is going to get passed on to my Zeke and Zene too, because its part of every celebration at home, i have seen my mum making this since i can remember , and it is always tasty and really easy , infact its the 1st dish that i learnt from my mum that i got right at the very 1st shot,we'll i have modified and un-butterfied it, but the essence is the same..

It's great to eat ,really healthy and can be had with bread , pulav rice or just some plain salad ..
My mum used to fry potatoes on the side , which were finger-lickin good, but im baking garlic and tomatoes to mix with my salad...
What am i celebrating today ..well..LIFE!!!!!!

Baked Chicken Ala Mama
1 1/2 kg chicken full with skin
Curd
Garam masala
Salt
Lime juice

Marinate the chicken by rubbing all the above ingredients on to it and leave it overnight in the fridge

Stuffing
Chicken liver minced
1 slice toast cut into pieces
1 onion minced
1 chili
little peas
7 cashews lightly fried
10 kishmish lightly fried
salt

In a non stick pan, add a little olive oil and cook the onions and the chili, when its nicely done add a tiny pinch of garam-masala ..
Then add the peas and really cook well..
Add the chicken liver last and salt... when you feel its all done, add the cashew and the kishmish , and toss it around....add the toast and let it soak in all the juices..
let it cool completely.

Take the chicken out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking, then in the hollow of its stomach, fill in the stuffing and stitch the opening of the cavity ...
I wrap the chicken in tin foil ,so it kind of does not get too dry and also is kind of steams , then open it when its nearly done so that its browns up
Bake it for about an hour and a half...then pierce it with a blunt knife and if it goes through smoothly, then open up the foil and increase the temp to 200 degrees , pour a little olive oil over it and brown the chicken...

Take it out and have it piping hot with some salad and some baked tomatoes and garlic on the side
We just did....happy and happy

"Baked Chicken ala mama" only from "Maria's Kitchen", have a great weekend guys....

FRESH SUPER SEXY PASTA IN MINUTES

Every time I'm cooking at home , what always weighs heavily on my mind , are my vegetarian friends, have just 1 of those " species" actually, Jaya...ha ha ha
And she always offers to get her own food, which is sweet , but i think its also because she does not really trust me with vegetarian stuff, which i know completely changed since Sunday...
Promised to make her fresh pasta with vegetables, i did not really measure all the veggies but will give you a detailed account of how i made it

Spaghetti
Olive oil
Butter
Broccoli
Red and Yellow Peppers
Cherry tomatoes
Garlic
Pine nuts
Fresh Basil
Baby carrots
Fresh birds eye chili
Dried oregano
Chili flakes
Keya all purpose seasoning
Rock salt

Boil the spaghetti with some rock salt and a little olive oil and keep aside..
Cut all the vegetables exactly like you would like to eat them, i normally like the broccoli and carrots chunky and the peppers in slivers..Dunk these vegetables in boiling water for less than a minute and keep aside..
In a really hot non-stick add a little olive oil and mix in a dash of butter..
Add the garlic and the birds eye chili and toss it till your kitchen has that lovely waft of slightly burnt garlic, at this point add the All purpose seasoning (Jaya got me tons of seasoning for my birthday )and the chili flakes, if u feel you need to add a little Olive oil please do , and then add the pine nuts and roast them for about 30 seconds ...
Add the cherry tomatoes and toss them around till the get ever so slightly cooked...
Then add all the vegetables and give it a good stir..
Add the spaghetti now and toss it all around, in fact play with it like you were a kid with spaghetti and toss it all around till the spaghetti and the seasoning and the vegetables are all intertwined and happy...
I then put in a packet of dried oregano that you get when you order a Dominoes Pizza , i love it...ummmmm....
And the final kill ...is the fresh basil.... oh i so so love basil, so i put in quite a lot, let the leaves just about change colour and if you can inhale the lovely aroma , and want to dive into the dish ,you are done , grate a little Parmesan and serve piping hot....(if you want this to be slightly sinful , just add a tsp of Kraft cheese spread to this piping hot mix)
I saw Jaya's plate being attacked by the girls , so don't really know if she had a her fill..

But this pasta i now make for Arshad and Me nearly every time we have a late night...
If u want to add any choice of meat or some salmon to it , it just gets tastier..
I love this , but then I'm kind of very partial to pasta...Or rather to FOOD in general...

Enjoy "Fresh super sexy pasta " only from "Maria's Kitchen"....

BAKED TOMATOES WITH THYME

Since i was cooking lotsa meat , i thought i should also do some vegetarian stuff , but did not want it to be normal, so pulled out my "Nigella "cook book and found this really tasty and easy recipe with tomatoes...

500 g wine cherry or other baby tomatoes
rock salt
sugar
thyme
olive oil

I used normal tomatoes, just washed them cut them in half, placed them in a baking dish cut side up, sprinkle , salt , sugar and thyme, and then a drizzle of olive oil....
Put them in the oven at 170 degrees and kept checking on them till it was nice and done about 20 minutes , i then kept them 3 minutes extra just for fun, it turned out wonderful and was all over , i did not get to taste even 1 piece, but was told by people of great food passion that it was a winner , so going to make it often...
Actually its great to have as part of a whole meal , with salads etc..
So try it out , its simple takes less than 5 minutes and your loved ones will kiss your finger tips..

Thanks "Nigella Lawson" for making cooking sooo sexy and fun...

Tomatoes only from "Maria's Kitchen"

DAY 24:GOODBYE HOLIDAY'S

It was just the most wonderful day and way to spend the last Sunday of our summer vacation, wanted to meet all my friends and their babies and just wanted to hang, behave silly, laugh, bitch, eat and drink... and that's what we all did and more...

The Mad Friend's
Mini and Kabir
Jaya and Sanju
Shaheen and Roshan
Anusha and Victor
Vediti and Julius
Shamim and Kerman
Sandy and ...
Amito
Junky
Kunal Khemu (yup, the cute actor)

The Kid Gang
Zeke and Zene
Vivaan and Saira
Kabir and Gia
Arsalaan and Ayatal
Suhani and Seher
Myra
Burzin

The Menu

Starters
Chicken sausages in soy , mustard and maple syrup
Babaganoush
Guacamole

Our Poison
Malibu with fresh coconut water and mint
Beer


Main Course
Lamb shanks in olive oil and feta cheese
Prawn Curry Rice
Mussels in white wine and cream
Baked green peppers stuffed with mince
Vindaloo smeared fish
Potato salad with Rochette leaves
Baked tomatoes with thyme
Baked garlic in olive oil
Salad with onion, cucumber and tomato and mint
Pasta with pine-nuts and basil

Kids lunch
Baby burgers
Penne with bolognaise sauce

Dessert
Pavlova with fresh cream and fresh summer fruits
8 Minute Choco lava cakes with ice-cream
Mango Tarts

Gosh it was a crazy afternoon and it also rained , which was the icing on the cake, there was great conversation lotsa laughs, faux-pas by me and my home was filled with laughter and loved ones just like i love it, it was not perfect because i don't like perfect, it was real and amazing, my friends were stuffed and satiated and happy and there was no place for even green-tea..
We passed out after that and could not even eat dinner..
Since this was a last minute thing , i forgot to call i few friends that i would have really liked to...
But this is not the last time , so waiting for another opportunity to hang with my mad , wonderful , beautiful, hot ,fun and crazy girl-friends , the men in their lives and all our collective naughty gorgeous kids..

Good-bye Holidays, see you soon..
Till then , stay happy and loved ...
Because that's the only way , life was meant to be, the rest does not really matter....

P.S. The photos are all done by Arshad , there are many not there, because the dish got over ,before he remembered to click it ,for all of you....enjoy only from "Maria's Kitchen"

DAY 23:HIS HIGHNESS DRUNKEN PRAWN PUFFINESS

I tried this out a few days ago and its a great snack and with salad its like a yummy meal, and really easy, i love prawns and always buy them every week and De-vein them and keep them in small packs, today i have just been out and up to my eye-lashes in ingredients....

Handful frozen prawns
1 slice bread
2 tbsp maida
1 red eye chili
salt
1 diced onion
a small dash of beer

Put all the above ingredients in a mixer , but please see that its chunky and not a smooth mash, heat a non stick pan and add a little vegetable oil to it, meanwhile, make little uneven balls of the mash and shallow fry it, it cooks really quick....
Take it off the fire , onto a plate of your favorite salad greens and have them nice and hot with a ready made , sweet and hot chili sauce, they are fluffy, yummy and really tasty..

Made in a great hurry and piping hotilicious only from "Maria's Kitchen".

P.S. if u do not want to throw the rest of the beer out, or use it as a conditioner for your hair , please feel free and drink it, what better way to celebrate a Saturday afternoon...ha ha ha ....hic...ooops..si scuzi..

DAY 22:STUFFED POMFRET EAST-INDIAN STLYE

Today was buying uniform day, woke up late and then had a hurried breakfast and went to buy uniforms, was glad to bump into Mini who i have not met in ages because she has been busy shooting and holidaying in the mountains and Anusha, who makes the best mutton in the world..
Got back to everybody wanting food.. like yesterday, so took the easy route out, put the kids in front of the tv and while they were busy with really irritating , bad accented and bad vocabulary "doremon"
I quickly made this...

1big sized pomfret
1 lime
1 red chili
1 onion finely diced
1 tsp east-Indian bottle masala
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp haldi
1tsp garlic pounded
2tbsp freshly grated coconut

Clean the pomfret thoroughly , and then make a small marinade of the salt , haldi, chili powder and the juice of 1 sour lime , and rub it well into the fish and keep it aside...
In a non-stick, add a little oil , then the garlic , onion ,chili, salt and east Indian bottle masala, cook really well, when it is fully done , add the grated coconut , give it a stir and take it off the fire, let it cool completely..
Now take the pomfret slice it in middle , so that there is a nice big cavity to put the stuffing, fill the cavity with the stuffing , and tie it with some thread so that it does not open, heat a non-stick pan , put 2 tbsp of vegetable oil , till its nice and hot, put the fish on the pan on high fire, and turn it within a minute, then put the flame on medium and cook either side for about 10 minutes on the whole or till it is well done , it should be juicy and not over done and dried..

We having it with some lime squeezed over it and some finely sliced onions on the side, dal and rice ...oh! and papad and pickle, the ultimate lazy afternoon lunch, piping hot , basic and really tasty , straight from ,"Maria's Kitchen" with lotsa love.....

P.S. Today's photograph has been done by the very talented actor "Arshad Warsi "

DAY 21:AVOCADO TOAST

Woke up a little late today and made pancakes for breakfast, and was wondering what to make for lunch..
Meanwhile i went shopping and found lovely ripe avocado's that were begging me to pick them up...
By the time i got back after bargaining for my veggies and fruits , i was really ravenous and wanted to have a nice wholesome snack, so this is what i did..

1 ripe avocado
2 Cherie tomatoes
1 green chili
very little coriander cut into smithereens
little mint
salt
a pinch jeera
2 pods garlic smashed
a pinch of chili powder
a little squeeze of lime
olive oil
2 slices wholewheat bread

I put the whole wheat bread in the toaster...
and in the meantime, scooped out the avocado in a bowl, added all the above ingredients to it and mashed it together , i actually like it spicier but did not make it too spicy as i thought the kids would have a bite...
Well i was wrong ,they ran away like they just saw the green monster on toast ha ha ha,
before you put all the mashed ingredients onto your bread , add a drizzle of olive oil, then just lay it out thick on the toast and bite into it, scrumptious and gooey is what it feels like ,and fresh and yummy and very very tasty , and takes less than 5 minutes..

So a bite of freshness straight from "Maria's Kitchen"

DAY 19:KANGKONG WITH CHICKEN.

I have decided that on Sunday, I'm going to be a good Catholic and keep the Sabbath holy , so hence no cooking for the blog, yesterday i was feeling the need for some answers in life and so took my kids and went to Mount Mary's to pray and just ponder, Zeke ,Zene and me bought coloured candles and went and paid our respects,prayed and felt very very blessed, protected and wonderful..
We then went to our favorite haunt "Candies"to stuff our faces with all we love, i was so happy when Zene said ,"mama you make these muffins and i love your muffins"...so in the middle of sandwiches and chocolate tarts, and running for pee pee and she's not sharing etc etc
I decided to go vegetable shopping at Pali Market, i went mad buying Thai spices and then i spotted "morning glory " a veggie that i simply adore, i really felt like "Kylie Kwong" in China, unbelievably happy but still well behaved , very unlike me ha ha ha , did not want to frighten the vendor with overwhelming happiness at the sight of these greens you know ,wanted to scream like a hooligan and do a cartwheel , but did not scream as i have kind of grown out of my hooliganish behavior and i don't yet know how to do a cartwheel, but decided there and then, that that's what I'm making Monday evening, because i like having light dinners....

Kangkong with Chicken
1 clove finely sliced
1 birds eye chili
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 chicken leg
5 tbsp oil
150 g morning glory
50 g mushroom

Mix half the garlic, chili, soy sauce, fish sauce and a little oil and marinate the chicken and keep it aside...
Heat 2tbsp oil in a wok until its smoking, add the chicken and cook it for about 8-10 minutes or till it is cooked but succulent..
Add the remaining oil to the wok, and when it is crazy hot , add the morning glory and cook for about a minute tossing it, add the soy sauce, chili, fish sauce, mushrooms and continue to cook till it is soft and a beautiful edible green, stir in the chicken , add salt and pepper and , have it nice and hot....

I used chili oil in my marinade , because i like it HOT...
This dish tastes fresh and clean and like something you would eat at an exotic diner , also i did not use too much oil , and like the fresh taste of greens infused with the really well-flavoured chicken, basically i love ,love ,love kangkong ha ha ha

So with lotsa love and tender care "Kangkong with Chicken "piping hot from "Maria's Kitchen" !

P.S. Zeke did this photo ... n i'm a proud mama..eat, love,pray ,laugh n hug...good night !

DAY 18:FAST NON GREASY PANEER

When in doubt , i just make Paneer, its wholesome and tasty and really quick and easy, so after we watched Nadira Zaheer Babbar's children's play "Jungle Dhoom.com", which Zeke and Zene enjoyed ,because it had kids dressed like animals and they sang and danced, they were really cute .
So the next thing on the agenda ," food ", its just too hot to eat out ,so i got some paneer from "punjab paneer " on the way home and this is what i made....of course with hazaar instrucions from Zeke and Zene who think they are both chefs, so its really cute and funny, the stuff they come up with, and it always ends with , "good you listened to me na, i know how to make this "

300 g paneer
1 big onion
3 tomatoes grated
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp haldi
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 capsicum
salt to taste

In a non stick i added a little oil , then added the onion that i ran through the mixer, cooked it really well , then added the grated tomatoes and the haldi, coriander powder and the garam masala, added a little salt and cooked this till looked nice and thick and had a lovely orange colour, added cubes of paneer and the capsicum , cooked it for just over 8 minutes and , served it hot and piping with some fresh roti.....
Ok i did put a little home-made ghee over it for that special comfort feeling...
It is all over , which is why the photograph has such a small serving...
I use paneer in pizzas, kheema , pasta ....basically anything that needs a little more homey feel to it..Paneer also reminds me of my friend Jaya's daughter Gia, when i first saw her she looked like this chubby piece of paneer, completely chomp-able ha ha ha
This was the fastest dish i have made in 2 weeks, fresh , hot Paneer , straight from "Maria's Kitchen"

DAY17:WHITE CHOCOLATE WITH ARSHAD AND IAN WRIGHT

Woke yesterday morning with chocolate on my mind, and Zeke and Zene really wanted to have chocolate mousse again ...
And as, Arshad had invited Ian Wright and the Travel and Living crew that has been following him around shooting him,home for dinner, i knew that that i would be like a hurricane in my kitchen ..
So while i was wondering what to make , i decided that if it was mousse ,it had to be white chocolate mousse, because Arshad loves white chocolate.
So i just followed the same recipe but used an imported variety of white chocolate..
We'll to begin with i had to hunt for fresh cream , which i then got from Waterstones which is 45minutes away from home, the chef was sweet enough to let me have some , because the Parsi dairy fresh cream that i normally use was not available that morning...
Then i decided that this White Chocolate Mousse needed pretty long stemmed glasses, so i again left the house to search for that, which i found , but they would be delivered at 2pm...
Sitting in the rick , i knew what i was making for dinner, so the menu is

Starters
Hummus with lavache
Maple syrup and mustard chicken sausages
Beer batter fried prawns

Main course
Honey glazed chicken
Vindaloo mutton
Payaa
Dal

Dessert
White chocolate mousse
White mountain chocolate muffins
Mango Tarts

So i got home and turned my kitchen upside down , with my helpers Vijay and Mary, while Baghi kept Zeke and Zene busy and out of my kitchen, it was crazy but great fun, we finished making all the dessert and marinating all the meat...
By 3 it was time to take Zeke and Zene to watch a ' day i met the prince", which a friend Asif is doing and , it was fun and took my mind off the cooking that still had to be done, and the bonus is that you get to meet "The Sashi Kapoor" who exudes so much of calm and niceness , i love his smile and his crooked teeth , and its soooooo wonderful to see him at Prithvi watching budding talent......
Suddenly i realised that i had broken my champagne glasses and needed glasses and did not have long slender spoons for my long slender mousse glasses...ha ha ha yup..
So decided to go shopping again with Zeke and Zene in tow, we got out they were hungry and took the longest time to eat their chocolate croissants, and then fell asleep in the rick ...
Well , to cut a long story short , i got funky pink glasses , found my spoons , bought mangoes and came home and we cooked and finished everything by 8.30 , even the flowers arranged by Chinmaya were beautiful , lit the candles, and my aroma essence pots with lavender ,ran for a bath and was ready just as Arshad opened the door for Ian and his crew..
Ian and Arshad entertained us all ,Phil their camera guy is lovely, met Jessie who used to do sound with me on MTV after eons, Zeke played the "devil's march "on the piano, Zene was cute as a button, Amit took photos(hope i get to see them before the year ends ha ha ha ) and Sandy had us in splits and Sambo giggled, missed MY girls Mini, Jaya and Shaheen......
It was a fun filled and mad evening, but i forgot to shoot the food , so I'm sorry but you are just going to have to believe that i made all this.....
It was a feast that I'm happy i cooked for the ones i love.........in "Maria's Kitchen"

P.S. did not do anything today, but write this blog......too knackered...