Recipe: Chicken Seekh Kebab on Tawa/Pan

I am a big fan of Chicken kebabs, be it Chicken tikkas, Seekh kebabs or Galouti kebabs. I have made various versions of chicken tikkas at home but never tried seekh kebabs as they require grill/tandoor to make. When I came across the recipe of seekh kebab on tawa without an oven, which was very easy to make and the kebabs made very succulent and tasty, I immediately decided to give it a try. You can also try this recipe which requires and let me know how it turned out to be. It takes lesser time to make as no marinate is required, you just have to combine the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, onions and spices. 

Chicken Seekh Kebab:

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 9-10 kebabs

Ingredients:

250 Grams minced Chicken
1 Medium sized Onion
1 Tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
2 Tablespoon  Garam Masala
1 Tablespoon Chilli powder
1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
4 Tablespoon Refined Oil / Butter
1 Green chilli chopped
Salt to taste

Method:

 Mince the chicken.

Add chopped onions, green chilli, garam masala, salt, red chilli powder, coriander leaves, ginger-garlic paste, oil to the minced chicken.

Mix all ingredients well  and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Now, take skewers, wet your hands with little oil.

Take a small portion of the minced chicken and coat it along the skewer and shape it in cylindrical or log shape.

Make sure the mixture is evenly spread.

Now, put some oil on the pan or tawa and place the kebab over it.

Keep rotating it so that all the sides are cooked nicely.

Cook it till it becomes golden brown on all sides.

Serve hot with green chutney.

Enjoy !

Follow below for pictures:

Review: Ahmed Bhai Bry and Dry, Nerul, Navi Mumbai

When craving for some authentic Tandoori Chicken and its weekend too so this combination definitely calls for eating out. Again, my Zomato app helped me out in searching some good restaurant serving some delicious tandoori chicken in Navi Mumbai. After exploring about this place Ahmed Bhai's Bry and Dry in Nerul, the ambience and sitting arrangement with some good reviews about the food attracted me to visit the place.


Ambience: We reached the place around 8:30 pm. To my expectation, the waiting time as communicated to us was about 30 minutes which eventually became 40 minutes. The restaurant has two kind of sitting arrangement - one was Shamiyana and Dastarkhan arrangement while the other one was like an average restaurant with a normal sitting arrangement, ofcourse, nothing much to talk about. We decided to opt for Dastarkhan and Shamiyana sitting arrangement. Shamiyana is more like a private cabin in which your dining space is seperated from others by nice curtains and it gives you an isolated space to dig and only enjoy your food without peeing into others orders and tables ;) Dastarkhan was just like the traditional dining space where you sit on the ground (by ground I mean no chair or couch) and food is served on the table. The ambience was pretty good  and different which I liked about this place.

Food:  This meal has to be full of chicken dishes. So, we ordered Chicken Chilli Milli Tikka, Tandoori chicken and Chicken Dum Biryani followed by Kesar Pista Kulfi to mark the completion of the meal.

Chicken Chilli Milli : This tikka was spicy, nicely coated with spices and flavorful. Served with big dry red chillies coated with the same marination as those of chicken pieces. The tikka was topped up with some cream which added more flavors to it. Overall, the chicken tikka was succulent and delicious.

Chicken Leg Tandoori : My main focus about this dinner was on Tandoori Chicken definitely as this was one reason for visit, which didn't impress me at all. The chicken pieces were nicely cooked and it was juicy but somehow the margination and the amount of oil in it didn't work for me. So I would suggest to skip it.

Chicken Dum Biryani: Aromatic, perfectly cooked rice grains, nicely coated chicken pieces makes a biryani delicious and yes, it is what all I got in the Biryani served to us. They offer you an option to add more spicy rice if you want your biryani to be more masala-laden. Overall, I loved the Biryani served to us.

Kesar Pista Kulfi:  I have a sweet tooth and believe the meal should end with a dessert. So, after so much of spicy food ordered this kulfi. I am very particular about the sweetness of the sweet dish....confused? Well, I mean excess amount of sweetness also spoils the dish. Therefore, this kulfi was perfectly sweet and we relished it completely.

Service: Service is something which they have an immense focus. Be it the manager or the person taking our orders. He was continuously apologizing us for the delay in getting seated or for the delay in order as the place was crowded being a weekend.


Overall, my experience at Ahmed Bhai's Bry and Dry was good and I would recommend this place to experience the different sitting arrangement along with good food.

Total Rating: 4/5

My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion.  

Review: Biryani Guru, CBD Belapur

Weekends are mostly eat out day and a happy day for me as it mostly becomes a " no cooking day". I love exploring new restaurants in or near my area. This time, I was in search of some authentic Mughlai cuisines. So, my search began on Zomato, after checking out few outlets the name"Biryani Guru" caught my attention. After reading the reviews and checking out the menu, we decided to visit the place and give them a try. As they name was very catchy so my expectation from the place was already heightened. Well... "Biryani Guru" justifies the name or not will check out...

Ambiance: We reached this place around 8:30 pm. As expected, it was moderately crowded so we found a table for us easily. The outlet is of decent size with almost 8-9 tables. ( I guess) The decor of the place is retro style with Beatles and Harley Davidson logos. Lots of photo frames of musicians and artists. Overall, the it is decently placed but for me frankly speaking, this was a kind of mismatch. Call it old-fashioned styling sense but for me somehow a place serving Biryani and muglai dishes must be designed with some antique theme. But, anyways the food quality can overrule this easily.

Service: Service was quick and good after the staff attending us was replaced by another knowledgeable staff. The first person attending us was not very updated about the menu and the description of the items stated on the menu. As they have clearly stated that tandoori items take time to get cooked so be patient, so the wait for of 15 minutes approx.

Food: My main focus is always on food because I strongly believe that if food wins your heart you can ignore all the other drawbacks if you find any. So, below are the things we ordered for our meal:

Masala Chass: They have both the option of glass masala chass and bottle also. I had this bottle masala chass at Bhagat Tarachand for the first time and liked it and the design of the bottle too. At Biryani Guru, this was a complete hit. Perfectly thick and not too thin exactly as I like the. So, I would list it under "must have" category.

Chicken Lasooni Tikka: I love tikkas and I am a big fan of Chicken and Paneer tikka. So it, has to be on my order list. We ordered this Chicken Lasooni Tikka. The looks of the tikka were tempting. It was mildly spicy and flavorful. I like the fried garlic pieces which were sprinkled and gave the tikka extra garlicky punch which I liked. There was three variety of chutney provided so I enjoyed this with the green chutney and would recommend to trying this one.

Tandoori Chicken: Tandoori chicken is my another favorite. At most places I order this dish so how can I miss ordering it at "Biryani Guru". Tandoori chicken was not up to my expectations. I had better and delicious Tandoori at many places than this one. Somehow the tandoori masala used lacked that "waooo" factor.

Chicken Tikka Dum Biryani: Okay, so this was the time for the "hero's entry".. as Biryani has to steal the show, after all, it's the "Biryani Guru". We ordered Chicken Tikka Dum Biryani which comes in a beautiful and eye-catching pot( I missed clicking the picture). Well, Biryani is something which I had at numerous places. But the first bite itself was a complete disappointment. The rice was over cooked and lacked that richness that the authentic biryani rice have. The goodness of the biryani is greatly decided by the quality and the perfectness with which the rice is cooked which lacked completely here. The masala in which the chicken pieces were cooked was decent nothing much to talk about. So, this actually spoiled the show.

I was totally in love with this mango chutney which was placed on my table and I was not able to stop myself from licking it :P

So, this was my dinner experience at Biryani Guru. Some good some bad, overall a decent place.
I will not call this place a value for money as I felt the place is slightly overpriced.

 Will I go Again: Maybe Not.


Total Rating: 3.5/5

Enjoy !!

My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion. 

Recipe: Spicy Chicken Wrap - Healthy and Tasty !!

I am a lover of wraps because I believe they are full filling and kind of complete meal in themselves. Making wraps have no fixed rules you can add as many veggies, sauces, cheese or  meat to it to make it richer or healthier. These days I am exploring the healthier version of the food. As definitely by  adding cheese, butter, mayo to the dish do make wraps and sandwiches yummy but what if we don't add it...Well, you can still enjoy it. Find the simple and easy recipe to make the chicken wrap at home without much hassle.

Chicken Wrap :
Serves 4 wrap
Takes 40 minutes

Ingredients:

400 gms Boneless Chicken Pieces
1 Tomato
1 finely chopped onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp Everest Chicken Masala
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder( adjust acc to your taste)
Salt as per taste


For Toppings:
Coriander leaves
1/2 Sliced Onions
1/2 cup Cabbage


Method:

Make regular wholewheat chapatis/ rotis.
Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds after 1 min add onions.
Saute onion for 2 mins add finely chopped garlic. Saute for 5-7 minutes till the colour change to golden brown.
Add all the masala and allow it to cook for 8-10 minutes.
When the color of the masala changes and it starts leaving the pan add the chopped tomato cubes.
Allow it to cook till the tomatoes are cooked and have become mushy. Add the small chicken pieces and salt.
Allow it to cook till the chicken are done. Cook till the water evaporates and the mixture turns dry. Just make sure you don't make it too dry so that you can still enjoy some gravy which would act as the sauce.
Let the mixture cool for some time.
Spread the mixture on the chapati and top it up with some cabbage and onions. (You can add other veggies too as per your preference)
Roll it up and you can grill it on Tawa or Sandwich maker. I did it on Sandwich maker .
You can brush some oil over the roll before grilling. (Optional)

The step wise pictures are as follows:

And your wraps are ready. Enjoy it with some chutney or sauce of your choice.

 You can use any leftover vegetable or curry in the wrap. You can have it as any meal as per your preference.

Please share your feedback/suggestions and comments.


Enjoy !!

Recipe: Sambar - Yummy and Healthy !

Sambar is one of the main items of South Indian cuisines. Sambar is served in various combinations with rice, idli, dosa, etc. I am a big sambhar lover and can have it as soup in my any meal. It is very nutritious as the pulses are loaded with lots of vegetables and at the same time it is  tasty too. Lots of people make Sambar in a different style. I am sharing my version of Sambar, hope you will like it. And yes, feel free to get in touch if have any questions or suggestions.

Sambar
Serves 4
Takes 40 minutes

Ingredients:

 1 and 1/2 cup Tur Daal
2 Tomatoes
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 finely chopped onion
2 cup bitter goud
1 brinjal
1/4 cup tamarind
2-3 cloves garlic
1 carrot ( medium sized)
3 tsp Everest Sambhar Powder
1/2 Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
 1 tsp red chilli powder( adjust acc to your taste)
Salt as per taste
Pinch of Hing powder

For Seasoning:
1 and 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
7-8 Curry Leaves


Method:

Soak daal for 10 minutes. Pressure cook daal and add 1 tomato, turmeric and salt to it. Make sure it is cooked.
Heat some oil in a pan and add cumin seeds after 1 minute add onions, fry for next 2 minutes.
Add chopped garlic, tomatoes, and all the vegetables you want to add to sambar.
Add sambar powder, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder. Cook the vegetables for 15 minutes at low flame.
Now add all the cooked vegetables to the cooker containing tur daal.
Pressure cook daal along with vegetables again for next 10 minutes.
Open the cooker and add tamarind or lemon as per the taste.
Add tempered mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Taddaaaa.... Tasty sambar is ready. You can adjust the consistency as per your taste. I like the soupy one. Now, enjoy the delicious sambar with idli or dosa.

Restaurant Review: Bademiya - Colaba, Mumbai

                                                             Image Courtesy: Google

Bademiya is more than a restaurant, it has actually become a landmark of that area. One of the famous veg/non-veg restaurants of Mumbai, which actually started from a small street stall. It is one of those restaurants which are part of Mumbai's nightlife. I have been to Bademiya twice, one was at normal time around 8:30 pm so the place was crowded as expected, but the next visit was at 2:30 pm and to my surprise I was unable to park my car. The area was so full and everyone was there to taste the divine food offered at Bademiyan. Okay, so let's talk about the experience:

Ambiance: It is an open street kind of restaurant where people take the food from the counter and enjoy it in open. Now, they have arranged an area where they have put some chairs descent enough to sit and eat. Frankly, not at all fancy, but worth the food you actually taste.

Service: In both my visits, service was excellent. Right from the time you order food, it is served and at last when the person comes to offer you water to wash your hands (which touched me the most). The service was quick, the staff was courteous. Even, that late at night they were on their toes, smiling, running after orders which was really awesome. This kind of service lacks, even in most of the high end restaurants. So, I am very impressed with the service, they are really doing good work here.

Food: Ahhhh... Bademiya is one of those restaurants about which people say "Colaba gaye and Bademiya mein nahi khaya". I tried non-veg both the times. Kebabs always win my heart. They are just superb. So, I would highly recommend to try their kebabs. As they are well cooked, rich in flavor and full of taste. I tried chicken bunna which was disappointing, not at all up to the mark, so not my recommendation list. Rest, seekh kebab roll was a hit. Rumali rotis are good in size and fulfilling. I tried their Chicken Baida Roti, which his staff suggested us, it was nice crispy, big roti filled with minced chicken, but some garam masala was very prominent in taste which was not very pleasing  but it was ok overall.

Things I tried: Chicken Reshami Tikka, Seekh Kebab roll, Chicken Tikka, Seekh Kebab, Chicken Baida Roti, Chicken Bhunna and Rumali Roti.

Will I visit again: Yes

Total rating: 4/5

                                                    Chicken Reshami Tikka

                                                    Chicken Seekh Kebab Roll

                                                      Chicken Seekh Kebab Roll

                                           Chicken Bhunna and Rumali Roti

My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion.