Pizza Dough made easy

The day I learnt making Pizza Dough, Pizza has slowly started becoming something like a staple diet for me ;). I know ... I know... that might be another reason for me to put on some extra kilos but I can't help it. I have been using a basic recipe for quite sometime and here it goes....

For each large pizza......

Prep Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

1 package/7 gm instant dry active yeast

1 cup warm water 

1/2 tablespoon sugar

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Mix water, yeast, sugar, and a 1/2 cup of the flour into a mixing bowl. Stir well and leave it aside for 20 minutes. It will get bubbly. Make sure to use a little large bowl as when the bubbles form, it may overflow. 

To the "bubbly" mixture mix olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour, and mix  until it's together enough to turn out on to a work surface to knead.

Knead for about 10 minutes (I used the kneader machine), while adding more flour a little at a time, to produce a soft, elastic and slightly sticky dough. 

Form the dough into a ball , drizzle a few drops of oil and coat the top of dough to prevent the surface from becoming dry. 

Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size. 

The dough is ready to use. Put your favourite topping and have fun.

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Chicken Chilli: The Healthier Way

Whenever I wanted to have Chicken Chilli in a restaurant, I used to get an authentic Chinese Style. I do not want it!! I miss the one which was quite common in the Streets of Patna where I was born and brought up. Now I live in Sweden and when one day I was recollecting my memories of that chicken s´chilli, I though of just giving a look on the internet. While browsing through, I stumbled upon a video in which the famous Indian Chef Sanjeev Kapoor has demonstrated how the Banarsi Chicken Chilli is made. I tried it and yeah, it was the same I was looking for. Same taste and same memories.
Here I just try to put down how I made it while following his video. A major variation was that I never fried the chicken, I used oven instead and baked it.

Chicken Chilli: The Healthier Way

Preparation Time: 30 Mins
Cooking Time : 45 Mins

Ingredients:

- Marinade

• Chicken Breast - 450 grams
• Eggs - 2
• Chilli Sauce - 2 Table Spoon
• Soy Sauce - 2 Table Spoon
• Salt to taste

- Onion - 2 Medium cut into medium sized pieces

- 1 clove Garlic
- Ginger Powder - 1 Teaspoon
- 1 small Onion
- 1 piece Green capsicum
- 1 piece Green chilli
- Sunflower Oil- 2 tablespoon
- 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Sweet Chilli Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chilli Sauce

Instruction:

Mix the ingredients of the marinade and refrigerate for about 30 mins.
Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees.
While this is happening, heat the oil in a sauce pan.
When the oil heats up, put the ginger and garlic and let it fry till garlic turns golden brown
Add onion, and stir fry till it becomes transparent
Add green capsicum and green Chilli.
Bring out the chicken from refrigerator and let it stay in room temperature while you prepare the oven.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the marinaded chicken on the baking tray. Bake it for 20 mins. Bring out the chicken pieces and re-dip in the leftover marinade of an extra coating. Bake for 10 mins.
Mix the baked chicken in the sauce prepared earlier. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with Tandoori Roti/ Naan/ Plain Rice/ Fried Rice/ Noodles. My 1st preference is Tandoori Roti/Naan.

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Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani has been my speciality for a long long time ;). My wife is a fan and so are few of my friends. This time I tried my hands at the Hyderabadi version of it and ya, as always, it was too good.

Total Time: 1 hours

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (excludes marination time)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Marinade

• 1 Kg Chicken Breast cut up into 2” pieces
• ½ cup Yoghurt
• 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 – 3 tsp Chili Powder (or to taste)
• 2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 3-4 Chillies split into two
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Garam Masala Powder

4 Medium Sized Onion 
1 cup Sunflower Oil
½ tsp of saffron strands
½ cup milk
4 cups Basmati Rice which has been soaked for 15-20 minutes

Spices for boiling rice

• 6 Cardamoms
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
• ½ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 tbsp of Oil
• Salt to taste ( Mind it!! There is some salt put in the Chicken Marinade as well)

Method:

After washing the chicken it is very important that all the water has been drained away from the chicken.

Mix all the ingredients of the marinade and marinate for at least 1 hour.

Soak saffron in hot milk till rest of preparation is going on.

In a pan heat oil and fry the onions until light brown.

Cook Rice along with the spices till it is half cooked. I cooked it in Microwave for half time time I usually do.

In Biryani Rice and Chicken is cooked together. So, we arrange chicken and rice in layers. Separate both rice and chicken in two parts. 

Grease the base of a heavy bottom with oil and  arrange the chicken pieces and sprinkle some oil on top of the chicken. 

Arrange ½ the boiled rice on the chicken pieces, sprinkle some oil, ½ the fried onions and ½ the saffron milk.

Repeat the above two steps for the last 2 layers, i.e, arrange the last layer of chicken. Spread the rest of the rice, sprinkle all the oil, fried onions and the saffron milk.

Now, seal the the container and make it air tight so that the steam doesn't escape while cooking. 

You can use Aluminium sheet to do this. Take 2 sheets of aluminium foil and place it on top of the sauce pan and then cover it with the lid. 

Put a heavy object (I used a hammer which did a decent job) on the top of the container, so that the steam doesn't escape easily.

Cook Biryani for 8-10 minutes on high until stream escapes from the foil seal.  Then reduce the heat to medium and another 20 minutes. 
 Remove from heat and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before opening it.

Mix the rice and serve it hot with raita.

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