Riz cantonnis (mixed fried rice)

This version of mixed fried rice is such a fantastic Chinese recipe. Authentically pork, green peas is used in this recipe but, I have excluded it. This dark color is due to the use of dark soya sauce ( can use light soya sauce if light colored rice is preferred). Here goes the recipe....

Ingredients:
Cooked rice - 2 cups
Carrots - 1 nos
Beans - 50 grams
Spring onions (chopped) - 1 cup
Wood mushroom (dried) - 30 grams
Prawns - 200 grams
Chicken (boneless, skinned) - 200 grams
Egg - 1 nos
Dark soya sauce - 2 tbsp
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Ajinomoto or salt for taste
Oil for cooking

Method:
Chopped carrots, beans, spring onions, finely. Soak wood mushroom in hot water for 2-3 min or till its fully expanded in size and keep aside. Heat oil in a wok and stir in chopped chicken and cook till its done. Similarly stir fry prawns, egg, carrot, beans separately ( one thing at a time) ad keep this aside. Heat oil in a wok, add 1/2 cup spring onions, and all the other ingredients one by one (which is stir fried earlier). Add cooked rice, dark soya sauce, pepper and ajinomoto or salt for taste and toss well. Garnish with remaining spring onions and serve.

Note:
Wood mushrooms are Chinese mushrooms available at Asian stores, supermarkets etc. Can add other veggies like sweet corn kernels, green peas etc.

Cocktail stir fried noodles

Cocktail seafood which was a derivative of stir fried squid was such a great hit, that I wanted to use it as a main course. Nothing could have been better than this cocktail stir fried noodles. Here goes the recipe....

Ingredients:

Wheat noodles - 200grams

Cocktail seafood - 200 grams

Boneless chicken - 100 grams

Eggs - 2 nos

Carrots (chopped lengthwise) - 1 nos

Beans (chopped) - 1/4 cup

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Chicken stock cube - 1 nos

Salt for taste

Dried herbs of choice like parsley, chives, thyme etc.

Method:

Cook noodles in hot boiling water until its done, strain water using a colander and keep the noodles aside. In a wok, heat oil add eggs with constant stirring, add chicken (diced into cubes) and stir till its almost done. Add cocktail seafood, carrots and beans, chicken stock cube, and stir well for a min. Finally add some salt for taste, dried herbs etc. and toss well and serve hot.

Note:

For best results serve this sizzling hot like a sizzler with green salad.

Stir fried spaghetti noodles (Asian twist)

Simple and quick spaghetti noodles with Asian twist. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Spaghetti noodles - 300grams
Eggs - 2 nos
Shredded chicken - 200 grams
Chilly paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Dark soya sauce - 1 tsp
Aroma or flavour cube (tomato) - 1 small
Salt and pepper for taste

Method:
Cook spaghetti noodles in hot boiling water till its done. Strain water using a colander and keep the spaghetti aside. In a wok, Heat oil, add chilly paste, garlic paste and saute for a min. Add eggs with constant stirring, shredded chicken, and stir well. Add aroma or tomato flavour cube, dark soya sauce and stir well again. Add salt and pepper for taste. Toss well and serve hot.

Note:
Can add chilly powder, instead of chilly paste. Can add light soya sauce instead of dark soya sauce. Can try with other flavour cubes as well. Can include some veggies instead of chicken and egg for a veg version. Great way to use leftover chicken, egg, veggies etc.

Masala rice with green flageolets

This one can be prepared in a jiffy and it is quite healthy too as brown rice has been used instead of polished white rice. Brown rice is fibre rich and can make us feel full (so, that the quantity consumed will be less). Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Brown rice (cooked) - 2 cup
Onions - 1 nos
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Aniseed powder -1/4 tsp
Green flageolets - 1 small tin
Salt for taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add finely chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add green flageolets and stir fry for 3 min. Add chilly powder, garam masala powder, aniseed powder and give it a stir. Add boiled rice, salt for taste and stir well till each rice grain is well coated with masala. Serve hot

Note:
Oil and rice used may be of individual choice. I have used boiled rice and olive oil as it is a healthy option. Leftover brown rice can be used for the same.

Chappathi wraps (Tandoori chicken filling)

I'm such a great fan of Indian wraps simple because chappathi and roti can be prepared in a jiffy and any leftover food can be altered and used as a filling (I love to make the fillings freshly and try and make them that way most of the time). Tandoori chicken is such a classic Indian recipe, I make them as often as possible as it is healthy too. When there is some leftover tandoori chicken I shred them and use them in noodles, fried rice, wraps and rolls, sandwich, biryani etc. This can be a great filling for wraps and rolls. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Chappathi - 2 nos
Tandoori chicken - 2 nos
Lebanese cucumber -2 nos
Onions - 1 nos
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Chilly paste - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
In a wok, heat oil, add onions sliced horizontally, garlic paste and saute for a min. Add chilly powder and paste and stir well. Add tandoori chicken shredded, pepper powder, salt for taste and toss well. Now the Tandoori chicken filling is ready. Place this filling on a chappathi. Slice the Lebanese cucumber (can use any cucumber) and place them on the filling. Wrap well using a aluminium foil and enjoy.

Note:
I had used 2 tandoori chicken thigh pieces. Can add any pickled veggies or salad.
Click here for tandoori chicken recipe and chappathi

Masala brown rice with veggies

This one can be prepared in a jiffy and it is quite healthy too as brown rice has been used instead of polished white rice. Brown rice is fibre rich and can make us feel full (so, that the quantity consumed will be less). Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Brown rice (cooked) - 2 cup
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Aniseed powder -1/4 tsp
Carrot - 1 nos
Capsicum - 1 nos
Oyster mushroom - 1 hand full
Sweet corn - 1 hand full
Salt for taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add carrots sliced lengthwise, diced capsicum, oyster mushroom (roughly teared), sweet corn and stir fry for 3 min. Add chilly powder, garam masala powder, aniseed powder and give it a stir. Add boiled rice, salt for taste and stir well till each rice grain is well coated with masala. Serve hot

Note:
Oil and rice used may be of individual choice. I have used boiled rice and olive oil as it is a healthy option. Leftover brown rice can be used for the same.

Mixed stir fried noodles

I usually roast 2 chicken at a time, one to be served hot and the other one to be used the next day to prepare some classic leftover recipes like fried rice, stir fried noodles etc. This one is a mixed noodles simply because it has mixed ingredients like prawns, chicken, egg etc. And this was stir fried. Hence the name Mixed stir fried noodles. This one was spicy due to the usage of leftover Asian spicy prawns. On the whole this was a complete leftover noodles. Here goes the recipe....

Ingredients:
Wheat noodles - 200 grams
Carrots - 1 nos
Capsicum - 1 nos
Leftover Asian spicy prawns - 4 nos
Leftover Roasted chicken - 100 grams
Eggs - 4 nos
Chicken stock cube - 1nos
Salt (optional) for taste
Pepper for taste
Oil for stir frying


Method:
Bring lots of water to boil in a stew pot. Add noodles and cook till done. Strain using a colander and keep aside. Cut thin strips of carrots, dice the capsicum and keep aside. In a wok (kadai) add oil and stir fry eggs, leftover roasted chicken and vegetables. Now add leftover Asian spicy prawn, chicken stock cubes (can dissolve in little water and then add) and stir fry. Finally add cooked noodles, salt and pepper and stir for 3 min or until the noodles is hot. Serve hot.

Note:
Instead of leftover Asian spicy prawns and leftover roasted chicken, fresh and newly prepared Asian spicy prawn and roasted chicken can be used in the recipe.

Curd rice ( Mosranna/Thayir sadam)

Curd rice is quite a popular dish and is served just as a complete comfort food or as part of mini meals, executive thali meals, etc.
I usually prepare that every Saturdays along with papad, pickle, and some other variety rice (like tomato rice, lemon rice, tamarind rice, vangi bath, bisibele bath, veg biryani etc.). I simply love this as it is so satisfying. This is so cooling in nature and perfect for a hot summer lunch. Here goes the recipe....

Ingredients:
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Thick curd - 4 tbsp
Onion - 1 nos
Green chillies (finely chopped) - 2 nos
Carrot (grated) - 1 tbsp
Grated ginger - 1/4 tsp
Hot boiling water - 50ml
Salt for taste

For the seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprigs
Dry red chillies (optional)- 2 nos
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Add hot boiling water to the cooked rice and mix well. Add the curd and continue to mix well. Now add chopped onions, green chillies, grated carrot and ginger and mix well. Add salt for taste and mix again. Finally do the seasoning. Mix well and serve with pickle

Note:
For variation, can add coriander leaves instead of grated carrots, or can even add pomegranate seeds if sweetness is preferred. Also can exclude carrot and make it simple curd rice.

Chappathi wraps (scrambbled egg filling)

Kids at home can always be fussy eaters. They may say a big ' NO NO' for the chappathi that is made at home or even a simple egg burji (scrambled egg). They are not very happy with the so called health food which is green, fresh and nutritious (expectations are always a treasure! If you think your child loves to eat healthy and nutritious fresh and green veggies.... count yourself to be lucky!). Instead, fried and frozen food are preferred by them. But, when simple things are made to look differently, they always want to eat such food. They are either fascinated by the looks of the food or they like things differently, I'm not really sure!!!??? This one is simple wrap with easy and quick scrambled egg as a filling. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
Chappathi - 4 nos

For the filling:
Onions - 2 nos
Tomatoes - 2 nos
Green chillies - 2 nos
Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Eggs - 8 nos
Salt for taste
Oil - 4 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add finely sliced onions and saute for 3 min. Now add red chilly powder, chopped tomatoes and fry for a min. Now add the beaten egg with constant stirring and cook till oil separates. Finally add chopped green chillies, pepper powder, salt for taste and stir well. Now the filling is ready. Place 1/4 th of the filling on one chappathi and wrap it using aluminium foil or wrapping paper.Follow the same for remaining chappathi. Serve hot

Note:
I have used whole wheat flour to prepare chappathi and also did not add any oil while preparing them. Can add oil if required. Top with some tomato ketchup as kids would like it that way.

Chappathi wraps (Mix filling)

Whenever there is some leftover chicken, I try and do some leftover recipe like fried rice, noodles, wraps and rolls etc. I made this chappathi wrap which was different from chappathi-egg wrap as there was no egg layer on the chappathi. I have used a whole wheat flour to make chappathis healthy. All other ingredients are used keeping health in mind like egg white, boiled and shredded chicken, sweet corn, capsicum, mushrooms and onions. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Chappathi - 2 nos

For the filling:
Chicken (boiled and shredded) - 1 cup
Egg white of 2 eggs
Oyster mushrooms - 100 grams
Sweet corn - 50 grams
Capsicum - 1 nos
Onions - 1 nos
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
All spice powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Chicken stock cube - 1 nos
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt for taste (optional)

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add egg white and stir well. Now add onions, ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Add chilly powder, shredded oyster mushrooms, diced capsicum, Sweet corn and give a good stir. Add the remaining ingredients and stir fry till its done. Now the filling is ready. Place a chappathi on a work table, place the filling, wrap it using a aluminium foil or any wrapping paper and serve.

Note:
Chicken stock cube that I used contained salt , so I did not add any salt. All spice powder is made of many spices and is available at supermarkets. Can substitute All spice powder with kebab masala, chawarma masala, garam masala etc. Chilly powder can be substituted with chilly paste and soya sauce may also be added (I excluded it, to make my wrap healthy).

Chappathi - Egg wraps (Corn, mushroom and boiled egg filling) and an award!

I couldn't really figure out how would someone even feel like stealing, copying or duplicating. I really want to vent out my anger here cause someone has copied my images from this blog. I have my copyrights and I have also expressed and explained clearly in my blog about copyrights. But, just this morning someone did copy an image of my rava kesari. I really don't mind when someone likes my recipe, tries it by themselves and then links back to my original post. That also clearly means giving the credits to me. After having found out someone has copied my images, it was really pain full and disappointing.

After all the disappointment, I was again bounced back with joy due to this award. My friend Suja passed this circle of friends award. I would thank her for all the support and love that she has given me. I would like to share this award with all my friends. My ever lasting gratitude to all of you'll for all the support and love that you'll have given as friends.

My vegetarian and eggitarian friends may be looking for veg and egg versions of chappthi - egg wraps. Here is one...


Ingredients:
Chappathi - 1 nos
Egg whites - 2 nos
Oil - 1 tsp

For the fillings:
Mushroom (oyster mushrooms)- 200grams
Sweet corn - 100 grams
Boiled egg - 1 nos
Onions - 1 nos
Chilly powder- 1/2tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Garlic paste - 1tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt for taste

Method:
For the filling:
In a wok, heat oil, add sliced onions, garlic paste and saute for a min. Add chilly powder, mushrooms, stir fry till its done (no need to add water as the mushroom would leave some water). Now add steamed sweet corn, salt and pepper, stir it. Add sliced boiled egg (I excluded the yolk, to make it healthy), give a good stir. Now the filling is ready.
In a wok, heat 1tsp oil , add the egg whites when the oil is really hot. Place a chappathi over it and press slightly. The egg white may ooze out from sides, not to worry. Turn of the flame after 1min. Now place this on a work table, place the filling , wrap it using a aluminium foil and enjoy.

Note:
Can use one egg with yolk, instead of 2 egg whites. Can just add the eggs or whisk them and then add. Great way to use leftover chappathi, eggs and mushrooms.
Looking for non-veg version? click here for Asian chicken filling

Chappathi - Egg wraps (Asian Chicken filling)

Chappathi - egg wraps are great for kids (as they always like something new and different), travelling food, snacking, Picnics (easy to carry and handle), etc... why is it not just chappathi wrap but called as chappathi egg wrap??? Because a layer of egg is stuck to the chappathi. I have used only the egg whites to keep it healthy. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Chappathi - 1 nos
Egg whites - 2 nos
Oil - 1 tsp

For the fillings:
Boneless chicken - 200grams
Onions - 1 nos
Capsicum - 1nos
Chilly paste - 1tsp
Dark soya sauce - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt for taste (optional)

Method:
For the filling:
Dice the boneless chicken and keep aside. In a wok, heat oil, add chopped onions, and garlic paste a saute for a min. Add chilly paste, chicken and stir fry till its done (can add little water if needed). Now add the diced capsicum or bell peppers (green), dark soya sauce and stir it. Add salt if required (I did not add salt as the dark soya sauce that I used had salt in it). Now the filling is ready.
In a wok, heat 1tsp oil , add the egg whites when the oil is really hot. place a chappathi over it and press slightly. The egg white may ooze out from sides, not to worry. Turn of the flame after 1min. Now place this on a work table, place the filling , wrap it using a aluminium foil and enjoy.

Note:
I have used maida chappathis (replace wheat flour with white flour). Can use one egg with yolk, instead of 2 egg whites. Can just add the eggs or whisk them and then add. Great way to use leftover chappathi and chicken.

Roasted chicken biryani

This biryani with Roasted chicken (Indian style) was such a great hit. This was far easier than what I had imagined. I just marinated chicken for about 12 hours and followed the same method as in the recipe for Roasted chicken (can reduce the cooking time depending upon the chicken). Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Roasted chicken - 1 nos

Grind to smooth paste to get the masala paste:
Tomatoes - 2 nos
Mint - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 3 nos


Other ingredients:
Basmati rice - 5 cups
Onions - 3 nos
Ginger - garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Chilly powder - 3 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cloves - 6 nos
Cardamom - 4 nos
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Bay leaves - 2 nos
Mace - 2 nos
Aniseed - 1/2 tsp
Dried plums with pits - 2 nos
Screw pines or Kewra/ketaki flower (optional) - just for flavour
Chicken stock cube- 1 nos
Food colors (optional) or saffron strands - 1 pinch
Salt for taste
Ghee - 1 cup

Method:
Soak basmati rice for 30 min then cook it in hot boiling water along with salt until its almost done (not fully cooked), strain water using a colander and keep the rice aside. In a wok, Add 1/2 cup ghee, when hot add all the whole spices like cloves, cardamom, Cinnamon, bay leaves, mace, aniseed, kewra and stir till the aroma is released. Now add finely sliced onions and fry till golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a min. Add turmeric powder, and chilly powder and stir for 1/2 min. Now add coriander powder, pepper powder, garam masala powder, dried plums with pits and ground masala and cook till oil separates. Now add Roasted chicken pieces, enough salt and stir well. Just see that the final masala is dry and the ghee is floating on top. Now this is done. Take a baking try, grease it with ghee and spread a layer of rice, top it with a layer of masala, then again a layer of rice, then masala, then finally cover with rice and pour the remaining ghee all over it. Pour some colored water if you wish your biryani to be colorful. Cover with aluminium foil and bake at 200 degrees Celsius/400 degree Fahrenheit for 15 min and its done. Garnish with fried onions, cashews, saffron etc. Serve hot along with raitha.

Note:
Can use leftover roasted chicken. The ground masala paste may not smell good initially, not to worry (its due to strong smelling mint and chilly mixture). As final biryani will taste and smell good. Biryani can also be microwaved.
Click here for veg biryani
Click here for Mutton biryani
Click here for Fish biryani

Healthy Plats (Chawarma/Shawarma)

Healthy food is something that has gained so much of importance these days. People are hunting for healthy recipes, which can let them along with their family members stay fit and healthy. Any food which is packed with carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre and healthy fats (rich in omega-3 fatty acids like olive oil) are simply healthy when consumed in right propotions. Here is one...

Ingredients:
Pita - 1 large
Stir fried chicken - 300 grams
Egg Salad - 1 cup

Method:
Place the pita on hot tawa, and heat it for 30 secs or until its soft. Place it on a serving plate. Top it with stir fried chicken and egg salad. Now the healthy plat is ready. Enjoy the meal

Note:
Can smear some garlic -mayonnaise paste or hummos or sesame seed paste etc on the pita. I have excluded it to keep the plat healthy.

Chawarma/Shawarma (chicken liver filling)

I usually do some pepper fry of liver meat (of chicken, goat etc). I had some leftover chicken liver and was wondering what I could do with it (as the quantity was quite less). I usually try out unusual fillings for chawarma and just thought of using this chicken liver as a filling. It came out really well. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Pita - 2 nos
Mayonaise - 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1/4tsp

For the chicken liver filling:
Chicken liver - 100 grams
Onions - 1 nos
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Salt for taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add finely chopped onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Add chilly powder and give a stir. Add chicken liver, chopped green chillies, pepper powder and stir well. Add salt, water (if required) and cook till oil seperates. Now the chicken liver filling is ready. Place the pita on a hot tawa for 30sec (or till it is soft). Mix mayoniase and garlic paste well and spread about 1 tbsp on each pita. Place the chicken liver filling, and wrap it well. Place it on a sandwich maker or tawa/ pan and heat it, till its stiff and gets that shape of a roll. Wrap it with a aluminium foil sheet or any wrapping paper and serve hot.

Note:
Can add pickled veggies, salad, french fries etc. for variation. Great way to use leftover chicken liver.

Chawarma/ Shawarma( Shish taouk masala filling)

Chawarma with Shish taouk masala filling was such a great hit here. I added some extra pepper powder to make the Shish taouk masala spicy and dark brownish in color. The French fries were also spiced up by added salt, pepper and chilly powder. On the whole the spicy filling with the creamy mayonnaise - garlic paste went really well and the chawarma was indeed a super hit. Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:
Pita - 2 nos
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 1/2 tsp
French fries - 2 handful
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp

Shish taouk masala for the filling
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
In a pan, heat oil, add the Shish taouk masala and pepper powder and stir fry till the chicken is well browned and coated with the peppery layer, turn off the flame and keep aside. Sprinkle some chilly powder, pepper and salt on the french fries, mix well and keep aside. Heat the pita on a tawa or pan. Place it on a work table, spread 1 tbsp mayonnaise - garlic paste on each pita. Place the peppery Shish taouk masala on the center along with the spicy french fries. Roll it well. Place again on the tawa or sandwich press, and heat for a min or till it gets its shape. Wrap it using a aluminium foil or wrapping paper. Serve hot

Note:
Can include some pickled veggies or salad also for the filling. Mix the mayonnaise and garlic paste to get the mayonnaise - garlic paste. Excellent way to use leftover Shish taouk masala

Plats (chawarma)

Those who love chawarma, and want to have lots of it... can always try this plats . They are sandwiches made with pita. Quite heavy as there is a rich filling inside usually made with hummos, mayonnaise - garlic paste, chicken or meat or turkey or falafel etc., with some french fries, pickled veggies, salad etc. Filling is placed on one pita, then another pita is placed on top to make these plats. The fillings and combinations can be many. There are variety of plats like hummos chawarma, steak, taboule (Lebanese salad ), fatouche (Lebanese salad), salad, hummos mutton, chicken liver, minced meat etc. In this I have used chicken filling. Here goes the recipe....

Ingredients:
Pita - 2 nos
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1/4 tsp
French fries - 1 handful
Boneless chicken - 200 grams
Onions - 1 nos
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Chicken stock cube - 1 nos
Dark soya sauce -1 tbsp
Green chillies - 1 nos
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt if required for taste only

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, Add finely chopped onion and stir fry till golden brown, add ginger - garlic paste and saute for a min. Add the chilly powder and give it a stir. Add diced chicken cubes and saute for a min. Add finely chopped green chillies, chicken stock cube, pepper powder, dark soya sauce and give a good stir. Add salt if required (little water can be added if required). Cook till its done or till oil seperates. Now the chicken filling is ready. Place one pita on a work table. Spread mayonnaise-garlic paste, place the chicken filling, some french fries. Place another pita on top. Serve this with pickled veggies or salad.

Note:
Mix mayonnaise and garlic paste to get mayonnaise-garlic paste. I did not add salt as the chicken stock cube that i used had salt in it (moreover dark soya sauce also has salt). Excellent way to use leftover chicken .

Shish taouk masala

Shish taouk is a typical Persian grill. Shish is skewers and taouk is chicken. Its usually some chicken marinated with yogurt, lime juice, ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste etc. I had some shish touk in hand. Moreover, I always love to try out different recipes Indian style which is usually spicy, tasty, colorful, aromatic and full of flavour. This shish taouk masala would be fantastic filling for chawarma, wraps, rolls, burritos etc. At home, It was preferred to be served with rice, and rasam. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Shish Taouk - 2 nos
(skewered chicken)
Onions - 1 nos
green chillies - 2 nos
ginger - garlic paste - 1 nos
chilly powder - 2 tbsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
pepper powder - 1 tsp
salt for taste
oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add finely chopped onions, and fry till golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Add chilly powder and give it a stir. Add shish taouk, garam masala, finely chopped green chillies and stir for a min. Finally add salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Note:
Excellent way to use leftover shish taouk.

For shish taouk:
Marinate boneless chicken cubes with ginger-garlic paste, lime juice, yogurt, tomato paste, paprika powder or chilly powder, olive oil and salt. Skewer and grill on a charcoal barbecue or electric barbecue ( can even use the oven). Cook till its done.

Markouk sandwich ( Indian twist)

I brought this bread from the Lebanese supermarket. This was very similar to pita in taste, but it was more flat and thin, without any pockets (can't really fill anything), extremely large. It was perfect for making wraps and rolls. But I somehow felt like making a sandwich which is also very common in Lebanese food. This one reminded me of lasagna simply cause it appeared that way. Here it goes...

Ingredients:
Markouk- 1 nos
mayonnaise - 4 tsp
garlic - 1/4 tsp

For the minced meat filling:
Minced meat - 200 grams
Onions - 1 nos
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt for taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add finely chopped onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Add chilly powder and give a stir. Add minced meat, chopped green chillies, garam masala powder stir well, so that lumps are not formed. Add salt, water (if required) and cook till oil separates. Cut the markouk bread into rectangular shapes using pair of scissors. Place one sheet, spread 1 tsp mayonnaise-garlic paste, add the minced meat filling. Top this with one more sheet. And again spread mayonnaise-garlic paste, meat. continue the same method to get 4 layers, now the sandwich is ready. Heat it using a tawa or sandwich maker. Enjoy the sandwich.

Note:
Mix the mayonnaise with garlic paste to get the mayonnaise-garlic paste.

Chawarma /Shawarma(minced meat filling)

Chawarma or shawarma is a common Arabic wrap. Thanks to my Lebanese friends here again for I got to learn a lot about Lebanese cuisine. Usually, Pita bread is filled with some spread, salad, pickled veggies, french fries, chicken or meat etc.. This meat or chicken is usually on a rotisserie (helps in uniform cooking), behind this is an eletric oven , and the meat gets cooked with this heat. But, there is no hard and fast rule that the meat has to be cooked this way. The filling can vary. Even the spread can vary, like some prefer a hummus spread, some prefer ground seasame spread, some prefer mayonaisse, garlic spread etc. Chawarma is one meal with which I could try out different combinations, fillings etc. I even use some leftover meat, chicken etc. Here is one...

Ingredients:
Pita - 4 nos
French fries - one handful
Mayonaise - 4 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1/2tsp


For the minced meat filling:
Minced meat - 200 grams
Onions - 1 nos
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 nos
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt for taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, add finely chopped onions and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a min. Add chilly powder and give a stir. Add minced meat, chopped green chillies, garam masala powder stir well, so that lumps are not formed. Add salt, water( if required) and cook till oil seperates. Now the minced meat filling is ready. Place the pita on a tawa for 30sec (or till it is soft). Mix mayoniase and garlic paste well and spread about 1 tbsp on each pita. Place the minced meat filling, french fries and wrap it well. Place it on a sandwich maker or tawa/ pan and heat it, till its stiff and gets that shape of a roll. Wrap it with a aluminium foil sheet or any wrapping paper and serve hot.

Note:
Can add pickled veggies, hot chilly sauce ( if you like it spicy)etc. for variation. Great way to use leftover minced meat.