Tag: microwave recipes

Honey Glazed Turkey Platter

Honey Glazed Turkey Platter

On By mencanmakehomesIn quick and easy recipes, Urban Cooking10 Comments

Thanx a lot for the amazing response we have to this wonderful new initiative from my loved one. Do check this out too and follow, there will surely be great posts rolling here ..  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmtCkBgnsCo 

https://www.facebook.com/gunnmaymarwaha

This was my first foray into cooking a turkey dish. Quite tangibly so, I was unaware of the outcome and had my fingers crossed. While being used to the extremes of a soft seafood bite to hard red mutton, turkey was quite a compromise. Roasting it in my oven was a safe bet, but I did manage to conjure up a recipe which was lip smacking and quite a treat for a chilly winter evening. Read on and enjoy the journey to a gourmet delight !! 

Ingredients of Honey Glazed Turkey
Honey Glazed Turkey Platter

….need to know (food details)

  • Number of people served : 3 to 4.
  • Preparation time : 2 1/2 hours.
  • Serving size : 2 to 3 chunky roasts are a great treat.

….and we need (ingredients)

  • Turkey pieces, 500 grams : Turkey has a thicker and firmer meat than chicken. It stronger flavor and a darker meat. Turkey is rich in proteins, amino acids and minerals like zinc. Not many find connoisseurs in India but can be sought and bought whenever required.
  • Salt, 3/4th teaspoon : Use the Himalayan pink salt for authenticity and it’s minerals.
  • Butter, 1 tablespoon : Butter is the best grease for a grill. While some oils also do the trick but nothing separates the meat from the bones like butter and gives it a perfect browning.
  • Dried Herb Mix, 3 teaspoon (Ground Mustard, Paprika, Pepper Black, Sage, Thyme) : All herbs are a fantastic essence. Dried herbs differ largely from the original harvest by the fact that they are more earthy and the fresh ones are moist and strong.
  • Chopped Garlic, 1 teaspoon : Very few of my dishes skip garlic 1. due to its amazing health benefits & 2. because it provides the right amount of pungency with almost every veggie and meat. All hail the ‘King Pungent’ !
  • Onion chopped, 1 medium : As in Red Onions for us Indians, strong, acidic and bitter. That’s what a good red onion is supposed to be. They are also good sources of Vitamin C and Iron and are good for hair, skin and help in weight-loss. 

….time to cook ‘n roll (preparing instructions)

  • Mix all the dried spices well in 1/3rd of the salt. Pound lightly in a mortar and shake to mix well. Do not grind in a mixer. That makes the spices hot and loose their flavor. Classical is the best in this case.
  • Now melt the butter and mix with honey. Warmth of butter will easily dissolve the honey at room temperature. Do not use refrigerated honey.
  • Apply this butter honey mix well on the turkey. Since turkey is best enjoyed with skin so you need to lift the skin lightly and apply the butter honey mix there too.
  • Take the spice mix and sprinkle well on all the turkey pieces. Cover well. Dried spice mix will stick well to the honey butter mix as well.
  • Wrap the turkey in an aluminium foil and place it in a baking plate.
  • Now pre heat the microwave for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
  • Place your tray inside the microwave at a raised level. This allows for a more uniform roasting.
  • Grill the turkey for 2 hours at 400 degrees.
  • Serve hot with your favorite ketchups or chutneys as have been listed in the previous menus.

Storage : No way Jose !!!!

Missing Something ? : Only thing that can be added here would be freshly chopped rosemary if available !!

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Fish Rechiado / Roopchand

Fish Rechiado

On By mencanmakehomesIn quick and easy recipes, Urban Cooking11 Comments

Thanx a lot for the amazing response we have to this wonderful new initiative from my loved one. Do check this out too and follow, there will surely be great posts rolling here ..  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmtCkBgnsCo  https://www.facebook.com/gunnmaymarwaha

Rupchand or Roopchand is a medium to big size fish which occupies your platter well. I always need courage to cook it, not because it is not tasty (which it certainly is plentifully), rather due to its hefty size. I like to cook fish whole, especially good looking ones and this is a pretty fish indeed. However, cooking whole means no leftovers. And that makes for a really big treat 😀  !  So here’s the one which I absolutely love when there’s a good couple of hours of eating strength left in me.

And the recipe, well, Rechiado is an amazing concoction which I first came across during a binge with friends in Goa. I was absolutely led by it’s umami essence and a fragrance that would fill a shackk or a room for hours.

So, here’s my treat !! Read on ….

Recipe by Ingredients Fish Rechiado
Roopchand Fish
Roopchand Fish
Fish Rechiado
Fish Rechiado / Roopchand

 

….need to know (food details)

  • Number of people served : This is a 4 guest fish for sure.
  • Preparation time : 30 minutes
  • Serving size : Half platefuls would be a great treat.

….and we need (ingredients)

  • Roopchand fish, 1 full, cleaned and slit, 1400 grams approx. : Roopchand is sometimes called the Indian piranha, quite unfairly though. It is white and sweet and has chunky meat portions and bones that are easily separable. It is good in omega acid and proteins as well. It looks so pink and pretty and hence the nomenclature. Some also call it the fake pomfret or the chinese pomfret. 
  • Vinegar, 2 tablespoon : Vinegar preserves the flavors in my dishes very well, so I don’t mind frequenting it. Prime reason for it’s preservative qualities are the amounts of acetic acid and anti bacterial present in it. And yes of course, the sour essence is brought out very well with vinegar. It is an amazing preservative.
  • Curry Leaves, 1 tablespoon : There isn’t a household in India which does not have a curry leaves plant. They have high amount of calcium, carbohydrates, fibre, iron, phosphorus, Vitamin E, B, C and A hence helping heart, hair, skin and fighting infections. Here I add them for their extreme spicy aroma. One old friend from Bangalore once told me, if the South Indians would have their way, they would even add curry patta in Chinese food 🙂 
  • Salt, 3/4th teaspoon : Use the sea salt for authenticity and it’s minerals.
  • Sugar, 1 teaspoon : Gets necessary sweetness to the dish adding fibre and aiding digestion too.
  • Lemon juice, 1 teaspoon or from 1 average sized lemon : Sour and acidic, with a good amount of citric acid, we add lemon here not just to enhance the sour essence but also to use it’s hydrating and digestive qualities.
  • Dried Red Chilies, 6 : Dried red chillies have a sharper, earthier essence then the fresh green ones. They are a good source of Vitamin C, A and E hence beneficial for skin and hair.
  • Turmeric Powder, 1/3rd teaspoon : Turmeric gives a great orange color and a mild bitter taste to the pickle here. It is a wonderful antioxidant and anti inflammatory. I grow them in tubs in my backyard. They test your patience coming up, but they are amazingly pretty as a plant.
  • Cumin seeds, 1/3rd teaspoon : Cumin has the classical earthy and nutty essence. Cumin is also extremely popular due to it’s aid to digestion, immune system, respiratory system and being a source of iron.
  • Garlic, 10 cloves : The King Pungent. Pungency is the reason why we use this allicin rich clove which combats sickness and common cold.
  • Black peppercorns, 8 : Good proportion of salt and pepper are great anti oxidants too.
  • Ginger, 1 inch : Unmistakably earthy, the ginger adds the heat quotient in the dish. The gingerol in ginger is a strong anti nausea and anti inflammatory agent.
  • Cloves, 4 to 5 : Cloves is extremely beneficial for it being anti cancer, anti diabetic, pain killing and breath cleansing properties. It has a distinct pungent, bitter essence.
  • Cinnamon, 1 inch : Again an amazing sweet taste and flavor enhancer, cinnamon is also an anti oxidant, anti inflammatory and sugar controlling ingredient which I often use in meats.

….time to cook ‘n roll (preparing instructions)

  • Pick a cleaned fish from the market, the guys will slit it for you too. It’s a medium to big fish with medium to thick bones. Cleaning at home will make a you clean a lot more than you expect.
  • Rub it with sea salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice and set aside for 30 minutes. Make sure that the salt mix gets deep in its  cuts.
  • While that’s been done, grind the red chilies, cumin seeds, garlic cloves, peppercorns, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, vinegar, sugar and salt into a coarse paste. Using a mortar and pestle would be better since that would be cold grinding and wouldn’t evaporate the essence. Grinding it this way will also require any additional water. Apply this paste well to the fish.
  • Preheat the microwave for 5 minutes and then place your fish on a grilling tray. Grill your fish for 20 minutes on medium heat (about 180 degrees), turning 3 to 4 times.
  • Served smoking. Again as I always say, keep checking your fish to keep it soft and edible. Too much cooking and you’ll give it a funeral 😦   🙂

Storage : Since it’s a big fish and cooked with vinegar, you may refrigerate for 2 days reheating once. Thereon, it’s texture will start getting leathery.

Missing Something ? : Dress them up with basil, I did so !!

Lamb Shanks Grilled with Coriander

Lamb Shanks Grilled in Coriander

On By mencanmakehomesIn quick and easy recipes, Urban Cooking15 Comments

When the season is your reason you give in to your inner person. That’s true for all natural instincts, cooking and eating included 😀

Monsoon in the air, crazy gluttony was seeking my attention. I’ve always preferred red mutton over the white chicken (no competition to my love for seafood though) . Now draw a vision of moist air in the town and amazing fragrance of coriander and mutton slowly percolating in the nooks of your house, teasing and tingling your sense. Yes ! that’s what I am sharing with you all today. Enjoy and for once, give in to your slurpy sin !! 

Lamb Shanks Grilled with Coriander
Ingredients of Lamb Shanks Grilled in Coriander
Grilled Lamb Shanks
Lamb Shanks Marinated
Lamb Shanks Marinated with Veggies Wrapped
Lamb Shanks Marinated with Veggies

…need to know (food details)

  • Number of people served : 2 shanks per guest would be great
  • Preparation time : 10 minutes to ready + 60 minutes slow grilling

….and we need (ingredients)

  • Lamb shanks, 4 to 6 : I consider lamb shanks to be a prime cut of mutton. It’s amazingly tender to the bone after you cook it patiently for an hour or so. 
  • Coriander, chopped, pasted, 1 bunchfull, around 250 grams : Again, this comes straight from my garden. Gives a orangy zest, coriander is again a blood regulator.
  • Butter 200 grams : Butter is the best grease for a grill. While some oils also do the trick but nothing separates the meat from the bones like butter. Hey ! did you know, India is the largest producer of butter in the world.
  • Lettuce, torn 6 to 8 : Lettuce is amazing in summers (though hard to find in this season). It’s so hot in Delhi in summers that all my lettuce dries up (if any is left) by early march itself. It has over 90% water and very low fiber. It gives us Vitamin C, potassium, calcium to us adding the mild peppery and crunchy flavor to the salad.
  • Garlic cloves, 8 to 10, 2 per shank would be a better proportion : Garlic is my King Pungent, I add it here for the flavor. garlic is great to combat common cold and sickness.
  • Veggies chopped, 1 cup, I use carrots, turnip greens, broccoli, beans and peas : All these vegetables come directly from my garden. A good mix of them are low in fat and high in fiber. They are also a great natural mix of essential minerals and bring amazing essence of earthiness to this dish.
  • Salt & Pepper to taste : Use coarse salt for authenticity. Good proportion of salt and pepper are great anti oxidants too.

….time to cook ‘n roll (preparing instructions)

  • Melt the butter and whip it for 10 seconds. Add 2 pinches of salt and 1 pinch of black pepper powder and whip for 30 seconds more.
  • Add the coriander paste in it and mix well till it blends into a green butter paste.
  • Now take the lamb shanks and make deep cuts in the soft meat.
  • Pour the butter paste made earlier and coat the shanks well enough to let the butter fill the shanks well. Remember, the better the butter seeps in, the better and sooner would your shanks cook.
  • Now chop the veggies into 1/2 inch cubes (all except the broccoli) and the broccoli in average size florets and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper each over them.
  • Now take an aluminium foil roll and cut out 10 inch by 10 inch squares of them and lay them across your kitchen slab.
  • Put a portion of veggies in each square and place a lamb shank each in the midst.
  • Grate the garlic and drop equal portions among each shank vegetable mix.
  • Now pour the remaining butter (if any) equally to coat the shanks well and make wraps of each portion.
  • Pre-heat your microwave now at 180 degrees for 3 minutes.
  • Place all your shank wraps (aluminium foils) in a grilling tray and place in your oven. It will be better if you place a stand beneath the tray to bring your shanks nearer the grills which would generally be at the top of a microwave.
  • Put the microwave in grilling mode and set your timer for 60 minutes.
  • Wait patiently and enjoy the fragrance floating in your kitchen while the shanks go cooking slowly and for long.
  • Make sure that they are cooked well before you decide to serve. If the butter has flowed in well, then the cooked meat would separate from the bones without any effort. If required, bring to this level by increasing your cooking time by 10 minutes or so.

Storage : I don’t think you’ll leave much leftover after your appetite has been sufficiently teased for around an hour by the fragrance of the slow cooking shanks 🙂 .

Missing Something ? : Please don’t change much here else you’ll miss the simplicity and authenticity. And moreover, what am I asking you to use 🙂

Rock Lobster in Garlic Sauce

Rock Lobster in Garlic Butter Sauce

On By mencanmakehomesIn quick and easy recipes, Urban Cooking13 Comments

I am self-confessed seafood fanatic. Based out of a location in India which may be one of the furthest points in the country away from sea, this can be sometimes challenging. So when ever I decide to conjure up a seafood dish, I make sure it counts. Seafood cooking doesn’t take much time, what is expended is the process of cooking and the right flavors for it. This dish is downright spectacular in taste and you’ll find forks scooping out every bit of it and scaling off the platter in minutes after you serve it ! So cook on !!

How to clean a lobster
preparing a lobster
cutting and splitting a lobster tail
cooking a rock lobster
dressing a rock lobster
how to dress a rock lobster
Rock Lobster in Garlic Sauce

….need to know (food details)

  • Number of people served : 2 to 3
  • Preparation time : 30 minutes

…..and we need (ingredients)

  • Rock lobster 1 (about 500 to 750 grams) : The rock lobster is a very light food and hence good to help weight loss. It is also readily available around the year in the local fish market.
  • Lemon juice of 1 lemon : Besides the Vitamin C benefits to the hair and skin the lemon juice takes away the brackish smell off the seafood.
  • Olive oil 4 tablespoon : Light, odourless, this is the best drizzle oil for most sea and tropical foods. Believe me it’s not so light in benefits. Olive oil is a great antioxidant, helps the heart and is anti inflammatory too.
  • Kosher salt or Sea salt 1/3rd teaspoon : Away from the table salt, these salts are good with meats and bring out the flavors best.
  • Garlic chopped cloves 5 to 6 : Very few of my dishes skip garlic 1. due to its amazing health benefits & 2. because it provides the right amount of pungency with almost every veggie and meat. All hail the ‘King Pungent’ !
  • Black pepper crushed 1/4th teaspoon : Hot and mildly pungent, black pepper is good for digestion, skin, respiration and is a good antioxidant too. On tables across the world salt n pepper are partners in relation.
  • Butter 6 to 7 tablespoons : Butter is the best grease for a grill. While some oils also do the trick but nothing separates the meat from the bones like butter.
  • Chopped parsley and tomatoes 4 tablespoon : Parsley is the best mouth freshener and tomato is the right natural condiment with seafood.

….let’s cook ‘n roll (preparing instructions)

  • Every step in this dish is a chef’s delight. Starting with the buying of a lobster and preparing it for cooking.
  • When you have a lobster at hand, start with splitting open the lobster through its head to its tail and scooping out the tomally (i.e. the greenish-yellow stuff inside). I have a full blog on how to cut and prepare a lobster for cooking. That blog will tell you the specifics on splitting and preparing a lobster.
  • Now place the lobster open side up on a platter and sprinkle sea salt and ground pepper on it. Drizzle olive oil over it and place inside a preheated microwave oven.
  • Move the lobster in the grill (microwave) for 2 minutes only and then take out the platter.
  • Now dress the lobster with butter and garlic and place the platter back in the grill.
  • Move the lobster in the grill for 7 to 10 minutes more. By then the butter would be well melted and greased within the lobster.
  • Take out now and dress with tomatoes and parsley and serve hot.

Storage : Naaaaaah !!

Missing Something ? : You can’t miss anything here. There are just 3-4 primary ingredients. 1 iteration that can be done is that during the final minute of grilling you can dress and garnish the platter with tomatoes and parsley to make them mildly cooked.

rose garden, roasted cauliflower

Rose Garden / Grilled Cauliflower

On By mencanmakehomesIn quick and easy recipes, Urban Cooking15 Comments

Like all my recipe, each one being relished several times over in my home, this one stands out in the category where my kid son prepared this one for his friends for their visit. I guess some of the “surrender to the pallet” also rubbed upon him. With the kids, the 1st preference is not taste but the looks of what they are offered to eat. This one has very catchy looks and great taste and it took an eye wink to prepare it. You will love the roses concept offered here and it’s a name you would want to chant while serving !! Finally, need I mention ? There is no rose in the dish 🙂 

Grilled cauliflower
quick meals

…..need to know (food details)

  • Number of people served : 2 to 3 sparkling eyed toddlers or 2 grown ups
  • Preparation time : 1 hour to marinate + 30 minutes to prepare
  • Serving size : It will be a race as to who can gobble more

….and we need (ingredients)

  • Cauliflower florets 8 to 10 medium to small (would be around 500 grams) : I would introduce cauliflower as an undergraduate cousin of the post graduated broccoli. Cauliflower is a very nutritious vegetable which helps fight cancer, heart diseases, inflammation & excessive weight. 
  • Beetroot juice 1 cup : With a unique and strong flavor anything of beetroot catches the eye of the kids due to it’s rosy accent. This juice is also a power packed cup of health. It’s a strong detox, manages blood pressure and sugar and is good for digestion.
  • Potatoes boiled and chopped in halves, 4 to 5 : With virtually no sodium, no fats and no cholesterols and packed with potassium and Vitamin C  this fibre rich tuber veggie is undoubtedly one of the most famous ones across the globe.
  • Salt ‘n pepper : Ask your taste buds for their saline history 🙂
  • Chaat masala 1/2 teaspoon : Blend of spices, this masala by name is meant to tingle your taste buds sour. Favorite with the kids.
  • Coriander chopped 2 teaspoon : It’s the most famous garnish in India. No one in the race clearly.

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

  • Wash and pat dry the cauliflower florets. Dry them well else the the color would not come out as pretty as expected.
  • Warm the beetroot juice for 2 minutes and then decant it into a small mixing bowl.
  • Add salt and pepper to it and mix well.
  • Put the cauliflower florets into this juice such that they drench well.
  • Keep them covered & soaked for 1 hour, preferably under refrigeration.
  • Get some toothpicks to stake. Pierce and stake the cauliflower florets with the toothpicks from one side and further stake them over the semi cut boiled potatoes.
  • Place the platter in a well heated grill and grill them for 20 minutes. Check midway to confirm the softness of the florets. I like mine a bit crunchy so 20 minutes were good enough. Do not overcook else the potatoes below will get spoiled.
  • Serve hot after sprinkling chaat masala and further garnishing with chopped coriander.
  • Prepare to collect the toothpicks from the empty platter after 10 minutes 🙂

Storage : Small helping won’t need storage. Do not plan to store please.

Missing Something ? : You can change the garnish from coriander to parsley and from chaat masala to garam masala for a mature gathering.