Baked Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

12           chicken wings
3/4 tsp    caraway seeds
1/2 tsp    pepper
3/4 tsp    ground cumin
3/4 tsp    ground coriander
4             garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp        paprika
1/2 tsp     salt
2 tsp        brandy
2 tsp        lemon or lime juice

Methods

1. Defat the chicken wings by cooking them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Using a large mortar and pestle, grind together the bay leaf bits, caraway seeds, pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic, mustard, paprika, and salt for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the brandy and lemon or lime juice to the pulverized herbs and stir into a thick paste. With a pastry brush, cover both sides of each wing with the herb paste.
5. Arrange the chicken wings on a baking sheet. Bake until the skin turns deep brown and is quite crisp approximately 15 minutes.

vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients
100 g       Mashed potatoes
50 g         Boiled green peas
25 g         Chopped onions
2 no         Chopped green chilli
100 g       Bread crumbs
10 g       Red chilly
10 g         curry powder
5 g         Turmeric
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil as required

Method
1.	Mix mashed potatoes, green peas, chopped onions, chopped green chilli, red chilli powder turmeric powder and salt.
2.	Soak the bread in water and squeeze all the water by pressing bread between the palms.
3.	Mix bread and potato mixture and knead to make a smooth dough .
4.	Take small quantity of this mixture and make ball form.Then flatten it on a smooth surface in a balls
5.	When you are done with the potato mixture, roll each of the cutlet in bread crumbs .
6.	Heat oil in a pan  deep fry
7.	Deep fry the cutlets until golden brown.

The Lankan

Malai Chicken

 What is Malai

Malai is Souh Asian term for Clotted cream or Devonshire cream. It is made by heating non-homogenized whole milk to about 80°C (180°F) for about one hour and then allowing to cool. A thick yellowish layer o fat and coagulated protein forms on the surface, which is skimmed off. The process is usually repeated to remove most of the fat. Malai has about 55% butterfat. Buffalo milk is thought to produce better malai because of its high fat content.

Clotted cream

Clotted cream  is a thick cream made by indirectly heating unpasteurized cow's milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms 'clots' or 'clouts', hence its alternative name 'Clouted cream'.

Ingredients:

•  500 g   Chicken • 2 tsp     Ginger-Garlic Paste • ½ tsp    Chili Powder • 100  g   Cashew Nuts • 1 tsp     Garam Masala • 50 g      Curd • 50 g      Oil • 50 g      Cream • 3           medium Onions • 5           Green Chilies • 1           Lemon (juiced) •             A bunch of Coriander Leaves •              Salt (to taste)

Method

• Marinate chicken with salt, ginger-garlic paste, and lemon juice. Mix well and keep aside for 15 minutes. • Grind the cashew nuts into a fine paste. • Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the onions. • Add in curd, chili powder, green chilies, garam masala, salt, and cashew paste. Blend well. • Put in chicken and cook until done. • Garnish with cream and coriander leaves. • Serve hot.

Cook with Chef Duminda

Chocolate mousse

Ingredients

• 100g     dark chocolate
•   50g     caster sugar
• 300ml  double cream
• 1           egg white
• 2 tbs     Amaretto or other liqueur
• white or dark chocolate shavings, to garnish

Method

1.  If you want a quick recipe for making chocolate mousse, this is it.

2. Start by chopping the chocolate into small pieces.

3.  pour half the cream into a small saucepan, and heat it it till it begins to boil. Take it off the        heat, and toss in the chocolate pieces.

4. The chocolate will gradually melt, and keep stirring while it does. Place a medium sized bowl over a large bowl of iced water and pour the chocolate mixture into the medium bowl.

5. Add to it the remaining cream and liqueur. Whisk the mixture with a handheld electric blender, until you have soft peaks,

6. and then take the bowl out of the iced water and from the iced water. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white with the electric blender until it has stiff peak and then gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time.

7. Gently stir the egg white into the chocolate mixture, and then pour into chilled  glasses. Sprinkle each glass with chocolate shavings and serve, or chill for up to two days. This recipe makes make enough to serves four people.

prawn biriyani

Ingredients:

• 500 g     Basmati rice
• 500 g     large prawns shelled and deveined
• To marinate prawns: 1 cup yogurt
• Juice of 1 lime/ lemon
• 1/2 tsp   turmeric powder
• 2 tbs      garlic paste
• 1 tbp      ginger paste
• Salt to taste
• To fry: 4 large onions sliced thinly (divided into 3 equal portions)
• 3 large tomatoes chopped finely
• For dry masala/ spice mix
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2" piece of cinnamon
• 5 cloves
• 5 pods green cardamom
• 10-12 black peppercorns
• 2 dry red chillies
• For wet masala: 2 green chilies
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• To garnish: 1 tbsp saffron strands
• 3 tbsps warm milk
• 3-4 tbsps fresh chopped coriander
• 4-5 tbsps cooking oil

Method

• Wash the rice. Soak it in warm water for 30 minutes.
• Cook the rice till amost done. Drain remaining water (if any) and keep aside.
• Marinate the prawns in the ingredients mentioned under "To marinate prawns".
• Heat a griddle or flat pan on a medium flame and gently roast all ingredients mentioned under "For dry masala/ spice mix" till they start to become slightly darker and give off a faint aroma.
• Peel the cardamom pods and remove seeds. Throw skins away. Now grind all the roasted ingredients to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.
• Grind the ingredients mentioned under "For wet masala", to a smooth paste in a food processor.
• Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan till hot and then fry 1 of the 3 portions of sliced onions till crispy and golden. When done, drain and remove from the oil and keep aside on paper towels to garnish biryani later.
• In the same oil, add the remaining sliced onions and fry till soft. Now add the tomatoes and fry till soft.
• Add all the dry and wet masala ingredients prepared earlier and fry till the oil begins to separate from the whole mix.
• Now add the prawns and all the marinade to this spice mix. Stir and allow to cook till the prawns are done. Do not overcook as the prawns will get rubbery in texture. Season with salt if required. Remove from fire.
• Soak the saffron strands in 2-3 tbsps of warm milk.
• Take a large, deep baking dish/ ovenproof dish (it MUST have its own cover) and grease lightly with cooking oil. Layer the rice and prawn as follows: rice - prawn - rice. End with a layer of rice.
• Pour the saffron infused milk all over the top of the last layer of rice.
• Garnish with the crispy fried onions, chopped corainder leaves. Cover the dish and seal tightly.
• Bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve hot with a raita and green salad of your choice.