Thursday, May 23, 2013

Indian Style Chicken Achari Tikka:

Hey guys, I am back again after this hectic schedule with my exams going on. So here is a simple recipe, though it uses a number of spices but the rest of the recipe is fairly simple and In Sha Allah it will turn out lovely.


Ingredients;
1)      Chicken -1-cut into 8 pieces
2)      Ginger paste-  1 tbsp
3)      Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
4)      Turmeric powder- ½  tsp
5)      Vinegar- 2 tbsp
6)      Red chili powder- 2 tsp
7)      Yoghurt- 3-4 tbsp
8)      Tomato paste- 1 tbsp
9)      Shredded coconut-2-3 tbsp
10)   Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp
11)   Mustard seeds- ½ tsp
12)   Nigella seeds- ½ tbsp
13)   Fenugreek seeds- ½ tsp
14)   Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

15)   Oil- as required


Method
1)      Wash the chicken and make a few cuts on each piece of chicken so that it can absorb the marinade.
2)      Mix together chicken, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder, vinegar, red chili powder.




1)      Add yoghurt and mix




1)      Add tomato paste and mix. Put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hrs.




1)      Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2)      In a nonstick pan add coconut, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds and roast till you can smell the aroma of the spices. Turn the heat off.




1)      Cool the spices and coarsely grind in a mortar and pestle (or in a grinder).




1)      Add the spices to the chicken and lemon juice and mix.
2)      Grease a baking tray. Arrange the chicken pieces on the baking tray. Brush the chicken pieces with some oil and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is tender and nicely browned.



Hope you guys will try this recipe and do give me your feedback. Trust me its valuable.
Jazakallahu Khairan





Monday, May 13, 2013

Date- the fruit for heatlh


Allah said to Maryam (A.S) in the Qur’an;
“And shake the trunk of date-palm towards you; it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad, and if you see any human being, say: 'Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.'

Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit.
1)     Dates are a source of protein, dietary fiber and are rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5.and Vitamin C.
2)     The fiber supplied by a few grams of dates has an immense benefit for your health. Dates are also great energy boosters.
3)     There are so many health benefits of dates that it is difficult to list all of them.
4)      Dates are even rich in several vitamins and minerals.
5)      These natural products contain oil, calcium,sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous,manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health.
6)      It is said that consumption of one date daily is necessary for a balanced and healthy diet.

A few Ahadith related to dates;
1)     Sa’d bin Abu Waqqas related that the prophet (S.A.W.S) said:
“Whoever eats seven dates of Ajwah (a special date grown mainly in Madinah) will not be harmed by poison or magic for the rest of the day.”
2)     An-Nasai and Ibn Majah related that the prophet (S.A.W.S.) said;
“The Ajwah is from paradise, and it is an antidote against poison.”
3)     It is narrated in the Sahih that the prophet (S.A.W.S) said;
“The people of a house where there are no dates are hungry”
4)     An Nasai and Ibn Majah narrated in their Sunan that Aishah (R.A)said that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.S) said;
“Eat fresh dates with dried dates, for when Satan sees the Son of Adam eating fresh and dried dates, he comments, “The Son of Adam remained until he started eating the new and the old together.’’
5)     In the Sahihain it is narrated that Abdullah bin Ja’far (R.A) said;
“I saw the messenger of Allah (S.A.W.S) eating cucumbers with ripe dates”
6)     Abu Dawud also narrated in his Sunan that Anas (R.A) said:
“The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.S) used to break his fast on some ripe dates, and if he did not have any, on dry dates. Otherwise, if he did not have any dry dates, he would have several sips of water.
7)     Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi narrated that the Prophet (S.A.W.S) used to eat watermelon with ripe dates, saying;
                “The hotness of this substance (dates) neutralizes the coolness of that (watermelon).



Friday, May 3, 2013

Palak Chana Dal/ Split Bengal Gram with Spinach

Hey people!!!!!
All right so its been ages since i started this blog but then i got busy with a lot of stuff. But here i am, to include you in my journey of food. So today lets start with a simple Indian recipe that includes spinach and split Bengal gram. Its simple yet tasty and is a beautiful addition to our daily diet.You can have this with a nice flat bread or even plain rice .

Ingredients:
onions(sliced)-2 medium
spinach (roughly chopped)-1 bunch
split Bengal gram (soaked in water for 20 minutes)-1/2 cup
garlic(chopped)-6-8 cloves
ginger chopped- 2 inch piece
dried red chilies-3-4turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon.salt to tasteoil- 2-3 tablespoons

Method:
1)Boil the lentils with 2 cups of water and turmeric until just tender.
2)Drain the lentils and keep aside.
3) Heat oil in a wok.Add the red chilies and saute till they change color. Add ginger, garlic and onions and saute till light golden.
4) Add the Bengal gram and saute for a minute or two. Add the spinach and cook until nicely wilted and cooked


5) Add the salt and serve hot.


Hey Everyone!!!!

Hi People!!
If you are a food fanatic like I am, then we are gonna have a good time here Inshallah.I love food and love to cook and eat and be creative with it .I am  an Indian livinf in Saudi Arabia .I have a 9 month old daughter.So if we have readers who are mothers, let us all share and discuss our ideas.Hope you try my dishes and have fun with them .