Almond Kulfi (Indian Ice cream ) - A short cut

Whenever I do grocery shopping with my list , Inspite of the weather my man will stand in the Ice cream aisle and will try to accommodate a bunch of packs in his hand. After seeing me he will tell 'Oh, no honey ....some Ice cream packs were falling from the aisle while I opened and so I am arranging them ...hi..hi'.
Ok, you can guess the next scene. Myself reminding him of his diet plans and stuffing them back leaving only one for the whole month.
Can you imagine , if such a man is allowed to see the famous Indian Kulfi Icecream in Indian grocery store? That happened last month and he bought me a lot of kulfi forgetting my grocery list.
They were very teeny tiny packs with just a scoop in it and he took just a day to finish all of them:(
Then considering his thirst on them and health benefits I decided to make a low fat version of kulfi that too without an icecream maker and less effort.
Hence I infused some short cuts to get that authentic kulfi and the taste was very very similar to the original one. Now a days I am also in  LOVE with ICE CREAMS :)
Here goes the Lazy chef's Kulfi.



Ingredients:
Low fat Icecream - 2 cups
Almond - 1/2 cup
Pistachio - 5 (garnish)
Cardamom (Elakkai) - 5
Condensed milk - 4 tbsp
Saffron - a pinch

Method:
Soak almond overnight or in hot water for 4 hours.
Peel the skin and chop it in a blender/ mixie for just two pulses to chop it into big pieces.
chop the pistachio into small pieces.
Powder the cardamom and discard the skin or add the skin in the tea.
In a mixing bowl put the condensed milk, ice cream , cardamom , chopped almond and mix well.
Mix saffron in a spoon of milk and add it to the ice cream. Mix well.
Put it in kulfi molds (get from Indian grocery stores) or simply keep in lidded container.
Keep frozen for an hour or more.
(I got mine ready in just an hour).
Garnish with pistachio while serving.
Kulfi Ice cream is ready.

Serving suggestions:
Makes nearly 500 ml of Kulfi Ice cream.
Serve as dessert.

Events:
Sending this Almond Kulfi recipe to FF: Summer Treat event happening in Indian Khana.

Chicken 65

Last week I made this chicken 65 as side dish for plain rice and sambar.
Chicken 65 can be the very best choice of all the chicken lovers. After marriage I slowly introduced a lot of chicken items to Xav. Before that because of restaurant food and bachelor life he had an aversion towards most of the food, especially the non veg. In some restaurants the chicken 65 won't be fully cooked inside and people start hating it. Yes, we should be careful in selecting the restaurants .
The first item I made was 'Chicken thokku' and the next one was 'Chicken 65'. From that moment of tasting the flavorful and well cooked home made chicken 65 , he became a fan of it. I will narrate my stories with fish and mutton later:)
I love to make this chicken 65 just because I can see him around while frying it. He loves to taste some pieces immediately after frying , even before the lunch time or my photo session..... ha ha. See how this aromatic chicken 65 has changed my man:)
The biggest challenge I face is to get a 'Chicken 65 masala powder' just like chennai version. So I made my very own masala at home.
I have been researching many versions and found the following very useful. I got this recipe from a chef near my dad's house.
So here is a Chicken 65 made without store bought masala.
The story behind the name 'chicken 65':
I heard two versions on how the name chicken 65 could have originated.
1. I read in a magazine that it is a kind of kebab / dry fry served in restaurants of Bombay during the period 1965 and hence the name.
2. Some people say that the suitable chicken used for the recipe would have grown for 65 days and hence got the name.
Any way when it comes to eating I ignore all stories and focus on my plate. How about you guys?

Enjoy the fool proof restaurant version of chicken 65.




Chicken 65:
Ingredients:
skinless boneless chicken - 1/2 lb (1/4 kg)
(thighs are the best here. Breast will yield a dry chicken 65)
Red Chilli Powder - 3/4 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Egg - 1
Corn flour / all purpose flour - 1 tsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
curd / plain yogurt - 2 tbsp
Red food coloring - a pinch
garam masala - 1 tsp
Lemon juice / vinegar - 1 tbsp
Oil for deep frying _ 250 ml

To grind:
Ginger - 2 inch
Garlic - 4 pods

Method:
Wash and clean the chicken in running water.
Then again apply a tsp of Turmeric powder and wash it again. Drain the water. Pat dry it with paper towels.

Cut the chicken into 2 inch squares.

Grind the ginger and garlic to a fine paste.
In a mixing bowl add everything above except oil and chicken.
Blend it into a homogeneous mixture with a fork.Check for salt.

Then add the chicken and mix well.
Keep aside for the chicken to absorb the masalas for 1 hour or more .
(We can keep this in refrigerator overnight also - best way).

In a deep skillet heat the oil to smoking point.
Fry the chicken pieces in small batches in low heat until they are fully cooked.
Remove from oil and place on paper towels to remove excess oil .

Place it on serving bowl.
Squeeze a full lemon over the fried pieces (to make it soft) and serve with sliced onion and lemon wedges.
Chicken 65 is ready!

Tamilnadu style chicken 65 I made for a party ( Aug 2013)

Serving suggestion:
Serve as starter or side dish with any rice dish.
Goes well with plain rice and sambar / rasam.

Note:
Overnight marination inside fridge is my secret behind best juicy chicken 65.
If doing so, add 1 tbsp white vinegar per pound while marination to ensure freshness of meat.