Dr Amrita Banerjee, a Dental and Oral Surgeon in London, advising about the use of sensodyne toothpaste to prevent Teeth Sensitivity. This advertisement is in Bengali (and has been on all the Bengali channels on Television.
Fried spicy lamb kebabs
Fried lamb kebab is a very tasty and succulent starter! It is quicker that the kebabs made in the oven and can be made with little preparation.
- Cuisine: Indian
- Serves: 4
- Preparation: 10 mins
- Cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
- Lamb mince 500 grams
- Garlic paste 1 tablespoon
- Ginger paste 1 tablespoon
- Corinader leaves, finely chopped 2 tablespoon
- Green chilles, finely chopped 2-3
- Cumin powder 1/2 tablespoon
- Coriander powder 1/2 tablespoon
- Garam masala powder 1/2 tablespoon
- Paprika 1/2 tablepsoon
- Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon
- Cornflour 2 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
- Sunflower oil to fry the kebabs
Method:
1. Wash the lamb mince, drain and mash it well.
2. Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, corinader leaves, green chillies and mix it well.
3. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, paprika, salt and cornflour.
4. Mix all the ingredients well.
5. Divide it into equal parts and flatten them to form kebabs.
6. Heal 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan and add the kebabs to it.
7. Cook on each side for 5 minutes on high flame and then cook for 10 minutes on medium flame.
8. The super tasty fried lam kebabs are ready. Serve them with green chutney and cucumber raita.
9. You can also serve them on a wrap- it tastes great!
Please find the recipe for green chutney in my previous blog. Try these lovely kebabs and please leave a comment on my blog if you like them!
Roast Poussin (baby chicken)
This is a very simple recipe of Roast Poussin (baby chicken) and does not need a lot of preparation. It is indeed a quick dish as you don’t have to make a separate gravy for the roast. It is super tasty and can be accompanied with roast potatoes, runner beans and a piece of warm bread or your own choice of boiled or roast vegetables.
- Cuisine: Amrita’s recipe
- Serves: 4
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Baby chicken, deskinned- 1
- Onion, chopped- 1 large
- Carrot, peeled and chopped- 1 large
- Bay leaves- 2-3
- Oregano- 1/2 tablespoon
- Chicken stock cubes- 2 cubes in 350 ml of hot water
- Salted butter (melted)- 3 tablespoons
Marinade:
- Olive oil- 1 tablespoon
- Lemon juice- 1/2 tablespoon
- Garlic powder- 1 tablespoon
- Paprika- 1 teaspoon
- Ground Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
Method:
1. Pierce the chicken with fork all over.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade, pour it over the chicken and rub it well. Leave it aside for 30 mins.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degree centigrade.
4. Spread the chopped onion and carrots on an oven tray.
5. Place the chicken on it and add oregano and bay leaves.
6. Add the chicken stock and melted butter to the tray.
7. Place the tray in the middle shelf of the oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken on the tray and place it in the oven for another 30 minutes.
8. Finally, turn the chicken again and put in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degree centigrade.
The chicken id ready to be served! I made some air fried potatoes to go with it- definitely a great combination!!
Spicy slow cooked Pork
This is a super-delicious recipe! Tried something new and it worked very well, hence sharing the recipe with all of you!! You can also use the same recipe for lamb or chicken.
- Cuisine: Amrita’s recipe
- Preparation time: 10 mins
- Cooking time: 4 hours 30 mins
- Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- Pork shoulder
- Sunflower oil- 4 tablespoons
- Onion- 2 medium onions (sliced)
- Tomatoes, chopped -1 can (400 grams)
- Garlic paste- ½ tablespoon
- Ginger paste- ½ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
- Garam masala powder- ½ tablespoon
- Cumin powder- ½ tablespoon
- Coriander powder- ½ tablespoon
- Fennel powder- ½ tablespoon
- Cayenne pepper- ½ teaspoon
- Paprika- ½ teaspoon
Method:
1. Remove the fat from the pork shoulder and wash it well.
2. Rub it with salt and black pepper.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the pork shoulder until slightly brown.
4. Heat oil in a deep non-stick pan and add the onions.
5. Saute the onions until golden brown and add garlic and ginger paste to it.
6. Saute for 1-2 minutes and add the chopped tomatoes to it.
7. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, fennel powder, cayenne pepper and paprika.
8. Cook until the oil starts to separate from the tomato paste.
9. Add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
10. Add the pork shoulder to the slow cooker.
11. Add the sauce over the pork shoulder.
12. Cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high setting.
The pork is soft and juicy and tastes great with a bowl of rice. You can also serve it with roast potatoes or some boiled vegetables!
Sweet and spicy chinese pork
Sweet and spicy pork is dry and tastes great with normal or sticky rice. It was a great success at my house! It looks special and is an absolutely brilliant dish!!
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Preparation time: 10 mins
- Cooking time: 20 mins
- Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
Marinade:
- Diced pork- 500 grams
- Cornflour- 3 tablespoons
- Soya sauce- 2 tablespoons
- Oyster sauce- 1 tablespoons
- Ground black pepper- 1 teaspoon
Sauce:
- Red bell pepper, sliced- 1 large
- Garlic, chopped- 1 tablespoon
- Ginger, chopped- 1 tablespoon
- Oil – 2 cups of oil to deep fry the pork
- Red chillies, chopped- 1 or 2 (for spicy pork)
- Soya sauce- 3 tablespoons
- Honey- 2 tablespoons
- Ground black pepper- 1 teaspoon
Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients well and marinate the pork with them.
2. Leave it aside for an hour.
3. Heat the oil in a deep seated non-stick pan and deep fry the marinated pork until golden brown and fully cooked.
4. Drain on a kitchen towel and leave it aside.
5. Heat oil in a wok, add the garlic, ginger and red chillies and saute for 2 minutes.
6. Add the soya sauce, honey and ground black pepper and cook it until it becomes thick in consistency.
7. Add the pepper and the deep fried pork in the wok and mix it well with the sauce.
8. Serve it hot with plain or sticky rice.
Tip: You can also replace pork with chicken.
Please try it and leave a comment if you enjoy this recipe.
Cheesy tortilla basket
This is a very quick lunch, snack or finger food recipe. It is very easy to make and is ready in no time! Also, you would not need a lot of ingredients for this.
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 20 minutes
- Servings: 12 baskets
Ingredients:
- Tortilla baskets- can buy it from any supermarket
- Bell peppers- green, yellow and red (chopped)
- Tomato, chopped- 1 cup
- Olive oil- 2 tablespoons
- Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
- Cayenne pepper- 1 teaspoon
- Paprika- 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Cheddar cheese, grated- 2 cups
- Olives for garnishing (if you like)
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add the chopped bell peppers.
3. Saute the peppers for 5 minutes and add the chopped tomatoes to it.
4. Add black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt to taste.
5. Cook for 5 minutes or until it is dry. In the meantime, put the tortillas in the oven for 5 minutes.
6. Switch off the gas.
7. Remove the tortillas from the oven and pour the pepper and tomato mixture into the tortillas.
8. Add the grated cheese and put it back in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt.
9.Remove it from the oven and add olives to garnish the baskets.
10. Serve it hot as a snack or finger food or with salad for lunch.
Spicy Turkish Lamb Kebab
Turkish kebab is my family’s favourite.These kebabs are a simpler version of the kebabs you can get in the restaurant but tastes very much like them. So, here you go with a very easy recipe to make these kebabs.
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 15 minutes
- Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- Lamb mince- 400 grams
- Onion, grated- 1 small
- Garlic paste- 1 tablespoon
- Ginger paste- 1 tablespoon
- Parsley, chopped- 1/4 cup
- Red chilli paste- 1/2 teaspoon
- Cumin powder- 1 tablespoon
- Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
- Paprika- 1 teaspoon
- Sumac- 1/2 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
Method:
1. Wash and knead the lamb mince well.
2. Add the grated onion, garlic and ginger paste, chopped parsley and red chilli paste and mix it well.
3. Add the cumin powder, black pepper, paprika, sumac and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients.
4. Make equal sized balls and store it in the fridge overnight in a closed box.
5. Remove it a couple of hours prior to putting it in the oven.
6. Place it in the skewers and flatten them.
7. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree centigrade.
8. Put the skewers in the oven for 7 minutes.Turn it over after this and cook for 8 minutes.
9. The lamb kebabs should look slightly brown but not very dry.
10. Kebabs can be served with salad, hummus, pitta bread or rice.
Boxing day special soup
Christmas dinner is always very special and I love to cook a big dinner every year with the entire family coming to ours! This year, it was very different as it was only the three if us! It was still very enjoyable under the weird circumstances and we tried to make it fun in every possible way! I did not bother cooking a Turkey this year, after the plans changed suddenly. I cooked a whole chicken and of course the vegetables and all the accompaniments to go with the big feast!
On boxing day, people experiment with different kinds of dishes. Some make turkey curry, people definitely make turkey sandwiches/toasties, some just have the Christmas dinner again with the left overs.
I decided to try something different as it is very cold outside and soup is my family’s favourite! We had it with some roast potatoes left over from the Christmas dinner! It was indeed a delicious meal. I think I will do it every year from now and hence wanted to share this with all of you!!!
- Cuisine- Amrita’s special
- Serves- 8
- Preparation time- 10 minutes
- Cooking time- 20 mins
Ingredients:
- Chopped tomatoes- 2 cans (400 grams each)
- Onion, sliced- 1 large
- Garlic, chopped- 4 cloves
- Boiled potato- 1 large
- Carrots- 1 cup (or left over after Christmas dinner)
- Parsnips- 1 cup (or left over form Christmas dinner)
- Single cream- 1/4 cup
- Pepper- 1/2 tablespoon
- Paprika- 1 teaspoon
- Oregano- 1/2 tablespoon
- Oil- 1 tablespoon
- Water- 2 cups
- Salt to taste
To garnish:
- Shredded Chicken or Turkey
- Spanish Chorizo, diced into small cubes
Method:
1. Heat oil in a deep seated pan and onion and garlic.
2. Saute it for a couple of minutes until soft.
3. Add the carrots, parsnips, tomatoes and potato to the pan.
4. Add 1 cup of water, oregano and paprika and cover it with a lid.
5. Cook on medium flame for 10 minutes.
6. Let it cool down.
7. Transfer it to a grinder and blend it until smooth.
8. Pour it back in the pan, add 1 cup of water, pepper and salt and bring it to a boil.
9.In the meantime, saute the shredded chicken or turkey with the chorizo in a small pan.
9. Switch off the gas, add the cream to the soup and stir it well.
10. Serve the hot soup in a bowl and garnish it with the chicken or turkey and chorizo (if you like it).
Mum’s special chilli chicken
This is my mother’s famous recipe and has been successful on every occasion for years. Me and my sister had this for all our birthdays with chicken fried rice for years.
It is my favourite Indo-chinese recipe! I feel very nostalgic whenever I make it- reminds me of home!!
- Cuisine: Indo-Chinese
- Preparation time: 1 hour
- Cooking time: 1 hour
- Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the chicken stock:
- Chicken pieces- 3 big pieces
- Onion- 1 large (cut into 4 chunks)
- Garlic- 3-4 cloves
- Carrot- 1 (cut into large chunks)
- Bay leaves- 2-3
- Cloves- 4-5
- Cardamoms- 4-5
- Whole black pepper- 4-5
- Water- 2 litres
Chilli Chicken:
- Chicken with bone or boneless- 2 Kg
- Soya sauce- ½ cup
- Cornflour- ½ cup
- Chicken stock- 1 cup
- Green chillies, finely chopped- 5-6 (if you want it to be spicy)
- Green pepper, sliced- 2
- Oil-1 cup
I don’t use salt as the soya sauce is very salty. If you want, you can add salt after tasting at the end.
Method:
1. Chicken Stock:
- Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook till there are 3 whistles. If you are using a pan, then boil it to a boil and simmer for 2 hours on a medium flame.
- Pass the stock through a fine sieve. Let it cool down.
- Tip: You can freeze any extra chicken stock in small pots.
2. The stock should be luke warm but not hot. Add the cornflour to the stock and mix it well. Add the soya sauce and the chicken pieces to it. Marinate for a few hours in the fridge or at room temperature.
3. If marinating in the fridge, then the chicken needs to be at room temperature before cooking it.
4. Heat 1 cup of oil in a deep seated non-stick pan.
5. Add the marinated chicken to the pan and cook it on medium flame for 45 minutes.
6. Increase it to a high flame and fry the chicken for 15 minutes or until the gravy has thickened.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a different pan and saute the green chillies and the green pepper.
8. Add the cooked chicken with gravy to the pan and fry for 5 minutes.
The super-tasty chilli chicken is ready. I usually serve it with chicken fried rice or chicken noodles.
Tip: Remove the chicken from the bone after passing the stock through the sieve. I shred the chicken and use it to make fried rice or noodles as it is already cooked and soft.
Special spicy pork masala
This is a really tasty recipe if you enjoy pork! It is very tasty and can be served as a main course with hot steamed rice or chapati (Indian flat bread).
- Cuisine: Amrita special
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- Pork- diced or stir fry strips- 500 grams
- Red onion, sliced- 1 large
- Tomato puree- 2 cups
- Garlic paste- 1/2 tablespoon
- Ginger paste- 1/2 tablespoon
- Turmeric powder 1/2 tablespoon
- Garam masala 1/2 tablespoon
- Garam masala- 1/2 tablespoon
- Red chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Oil- half cup
- Water 1 cup
Method:
1. Heat oil in a deep seated non-stick pan and saute the onion until golden brown.
2. Add the garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato puree and ginger paste and cook until the oil starts to separate.
4. Add turmeric, garam masala powder, red chilli powder and the pork.
5. Fry the pork with the onion and tomato paste for 10 minutes on a medium flame.
6. Add water and salt to taste. Cover it with a lid and cook on low flame for 1 hour, stirring from time to time.
7. Fry the pork on high flame for 5 minutes.
8. The pork masala is ready to be served with steamed rice.
If you like this recipe, please share and leave a comment on my blog.