Desserts for Thanks giving

Before we enter into the next month, let me post the photos of the simple dessert table I kept for Thanks giving. It was not extremely formal but met my satisfaction to some level.

Here is how I planned the lunch....

*I started planning 5 days ahead and kept a check list as usual. It included some main points like preparing home made yogurt with whole milk, buying the ingredients, preparing desserts,grinding the masalas, preparing base masala, ghee making , marination time calculation.

*Buying some desserts instead of preparing is a good idea to reduce the stress. I bought an apple pie and some pomegranates to give it a real Thanksgiving look.

*On Monday I prepared the pistachio ice cream.

*I prepared a carrot cake and did icing to honor Jesus, saying 'Thank You'. I baked it by Tuesday and kept it refrigerated to get a even surface. Did the icing with store bought cream cheese frosting and home made colored icing, while the chicken was in the oven on Thursday morning.

I finished setting this dessert table, arranging all the dinnerware, serve ware on Wednesday, that made my job easy on Thanksgiving Thursday.

Keeping a side table solely for desserts and  dinnerware would make it easy.

*Keep all the coke / drinks in refrigerator for better taste, but leave a few in the table to give some idea to the guests.

Thanks giving cake.

Whole roasted chicken for Thanks giving

Last week we celebrated Thanks giving day and we had a good time with our friends. I was not planning a whole roasted chicken until that Sunday. Because, few years back I baked a cornish hen for a Christmas, (but not in a formal way) and Hubby dear didn't like that version as it lacked the juicy finish, but anyhow I finished it off and didn't say a word to anyone about it:) After that I didn't dare to make any whole chicken till the food network TV kindled my passion again. Inspired by Paula Deen's whole roasted turkey, I wanted to bake a whole turkey or chicken. I was a bit skeptical on trying the big bird , so chose a miniature version:) I like the way she narrates a recipe along with her memories. So I wanted to try hers. I followed each and every step from Paula Deen's, but used my own marination. I prepared Indian tandoori masala and kept the bird marinated overnight. I kept the masala in lower note to enjoy the chicken flavor. The roasted chicken came out perfectly and I was extremely satisfied by the meat quality. Believe me, I have never tasted such a juicy white meat in my life and I got addicted to it:) I think the secret lies in baking temperature and the procedure. I am noting down every step I followed for my future use. May be next year I may get the courage to invite more people to share my oven roasted turkey:) I was totally glad to see my friends and hubby enjoying the chicken. Thank you Paula !

The Thanks giving spread included Turkey biriyani, whole roasted chicken, kheema gravy, chicken 65 , raitha , rasam rice and for dessert I made carrot cake, pistachio ice cream and bought an apple pie.
After that meal we couldn't go for the Thanks giving sale that night. So slept a little and got up early and got some of the deals:)

This post reminds me of my mom's whole fried chicken too (which I haven't tried by myself till now) ....:)

Hope you all like my roasted / baked chicken!

Baked whole chicken I made for Thanks Giving day.

Important points before roasting turkey or chicken:

Calculate the number of guests, servings and buy meat accordingly (generally 1 lb or little lesser per person).
Plan ahead and calculate the cooking time of the bird.
Click to see thawing time.
Calculate the time required for baking the chicken or turkey.
Be strictly hygienic, as this recipe involves overnight marination inside fridge.

Ingredients: (I used)

Whole chicken - 7 lb
(Calculate 1 lb for 1 person)
Butter - 8 tbsp
turmeric - 1 tbsp
salt - 2 tbsp
lemon - 2
onion - 1/2 kg
garlic - 6 pearls
herbs - cilantro, mint (handful)
chat masala - 1 tbsp

To make Tandoori masala:

Thick curd - 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
salt - to taste
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
(Instead we can grind 3 cloves, 2 inch cinnamon, 2 cardamom, 1/2 tsp cumin , 1/2 tsp fennel)
white vinegar - 1/2 cup
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red food color - 4 drops (no need)
butter / oil - 4 tbsp

Mix all the items above in a broad vessel. This is the freshly prepared tandoori masala.

Processing the whole chicken:

Buy a whole chicken with skin. Let us assume that we are buying the chicken a few days before Thanks giving:)
Carefully remove the organs kept inside chicken in the pouch. I save the giblets and liver in freezer for later use.
Now keep it in freezer till we need it.
The day before cooking, remove the bird from freezer and put it in a big bowl of water or leave in refrigerator till it thaws.
It should finish thawing before we go to bed:)

Marination:

The chicken was marinated overnight in Indian Tandoori masala in refrigerator.

12 hours before baking, take the thawed chicken, wash and clean it.
Pat dry in kitchen paper towels.
Take a handful of tandoori masala (or any marination) and rub all over the skin. Then carefully put your hand inside the breast skin (without tearing the skin)
and rub more marination inside too. Likewise do for the back side too.
Pull the skin evenly and cover again. (Never do the raw stuffing overnight, as it will contaminate the bird). Place the bird along with excess marination in a big bowl and cover the lid tightly using aluminum foil. Using vinegar is a must for keeping the bird safe.
Keep the chicken marinated a whole night or 10-12 hours in refrigerator.
The next day morning take out the chicken and place it in a plate to drain excess marinade. Now stuff the prepared stuffing.

Stuffing:

I stuffed 2 onions thinly sliced, garlic 6 pearls, cilantro, mint.
Take a handful of stuffing and fill the bird loosely.

Tie:

Drain the excess masala in a plate , do the stuffing and tie before baking.

Buy a thick cotton thread and cut it into required lengths.
Place the chicken with breast side up.
Tie the legs as shown in photo.
With another long thread tie the whole bird , so that the wings also stay intact.
Tying is a must to get a beautiful shaped baked chicken. Otherwise the limb will go in every direction and we won't get a presentable version.

Baking the whole chicken:

First 30 minutes should be baked with an aluminum foil wrap to prevent darkening.

After 1 hour. Onions and remaining marinade are poured around to increase moisture.

After 3 hours of baking the chicken was almost done. Check now.

Preheat the oven to 350 deg C.
Now place the chicken in a sturdy baking pan with handles.
Cover the breast portion of chicken with a small piece of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After that remove the foil.
Now pour the remaining marinade to the pan.
I added few sliced onions to increase the moisture in chicken.

Basting:

Keep a basting brush ready.
Bring 1 stick butter to room temperature and 1 tsp salt to it.
Every 20 minutes pull out the rack and apply some butter to the chicken.
After that scoop the juice collecting in the bottom and drizzle over the chicken.
This makes it very very juicy.
Then continue baking.
Don't turn it over.
I prepared a 7 lb chicken and so I needed 3 hours.
Allow 20-25 minutes for 1 lb chicken at 350 deg C.
Higher or lower temperatures will yield brown or dry meat.
After 1 hour the chicken will start roasting and it will get a beautiful red color all over.
After the prescribed time, the chicken will get a gorgeous golden brown color.
Now again apply a coat of butter all over the chicken.

Checking:

Pierce a knife to the breast (close to tied limb) and we will see a clear juice running out of it. (Baking thermometer can also be inserted near thighs, without touching bones. But I didn't use it).
That's it ....... the chicken is roasted!
If not done, the cover and bake the chicken for another 20 minutes. It will not be necessary....I assure you:) .
Switch off and take out the roasted chicken with pan.
Remove the threads using a pair of scissors.

Setting time:

After 3 hours and 20 minutes the whole baked chicken was ready to serve.

Prepare a serving plate with some lettuce or any leaves as base.
Take out the roasted chicken using two spatulas and place on the plate.
The remaining liquid can be used in making gravy and onion over briyani.
Again cover the chicken with a new piece of aluminum foil and let the juices settle for 20 minutes. This will make carving easy.

Whole roasted chicken is ready!

Serving suggestion:

Thanks giving day is always a turkey day too! Turkey briyani with whole baked chicken.

Before carving squeeze juice of one or two lemons over the roasted chicken and sprinkle chat masala over it.
Serve with any kind of rice or bread.
I served Turkey biriyani along with roasted chicken.
Roasted chicken tastes great with hot sauce as a dipping and some lemon wedges.

Note:

The white meat will be very moist,tender and juicy just like the red meat, if prepared with the above said procedure and butter.
Marination / stuffing can be varied according to taste without altering butter quantity and procedure.

Left over:

The left over chicken can be sliced and wrapped in individual servings and kept frozen for future use.
I like using left over chicken in wraps and curries.

Thanks giving wishes and Prayers !

Wishing all my readers, friends and family a blessed , prosperous and happy Thanks giving!

Thanksgiving Pictures Comments - Photobucket

Thanksgiving Pictures Comments - Photobucket

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our walks of life, for your comfort, your companionship, your guidance, your love, and your presence. Thank you for safeguarding us and protecting us. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, family,  health and your grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.
Amen.
(Prayer inspired by American Catholic website).

Happy Thanks giving and thank you all!

Basundi (easy and traditional methods)

Basundi - a milk based dessert.

Basundi may seem a simple dessert with lesser ingredients but the traditional version calls for lots of time, a heavy bottom vessel.....and lot and lot of energy.

Recently I decided to make this for him in the traditional way here. But the milk was kind of sticky all the time and I took a very long time in getting a cup of this yummilacious dessert. So I replaced that version next time and and made us 2 cups of more delicious basundi in just 10 minutes. Hope many can use this recipe in this holiday season to get their favorite basundi quickly.

Ingredients:

Whole Milk - 1 liter
sugar - 12 tsp
saffron - few strands
cardamom - 8
almond - 5
cashew - 5
pista - 5
Lot of time and a heavy bottom vessel:)

Method:

Pour the milk to a heavy bottom vessel and heat till it boils.
Then reduce the temperature and let it evaporate.
Gather all the cream (பாலேடு) appearing above. Keep aside. Again go on heating(for 1 and 1/2 hour or more) in low flame with constant stirring, till it gets a very thick fluid stage.
If we go on heating we will get paalkova. So stop at this liquid stage.
(If we are using 6 cups of milk, then we will get 2 cups of basanthi).
Then add the gathered creamy layers along with finely chopped nuts, sugar, saffron and cardamom powder.
Switch off. Let it come to room temperature and keep refrigerated for 2-3 hours before serving.

Basundi is ready!

Easier version:

This quick basundi version will come handy when we want to present a rich dessert with limited effort.

Ingredients:

Sweetened Condensed milk - 1/2 cup
whole milk - 1 1/2 cup
paneer (Indian cottage cheese) - 4 cubes
cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
pista, cashew, almond - each 5

Method:

Bring the milk to a boil and wait few seconds till it looses its raw smell.
Switch off.
Add the condensed milk and mix well.
Crumble the paneer and mix with the above.
Add the coarsely crushed nuts and saffron .
If needed add more sugar and refrigerate.
Quick basundi is ready!

Serving suggestion:

keep refrigerated for 2 - 3 hours and serve chill after a hot lunch.
Serve in ice cream bowls.

Idiyappam and Paaya

After posting the idiyappam recipe, I couldn't resist raving about this  famous combo, 'Idiyaappam with aattukkaal paaya'. It resembles the famous Nihari dish and has some history behind. click to read. Traditionally the paaya should be cooked overnight or 6-8 hours. But I am narrating a simple process.

Preparing 'paaya and idiyappam' together is a time consuming process for me. I always plan the paaya for lunch with some ghee fried rice and save some paaya for dinner......So that I can leisurely indulge myself with my idiyappam process by evening:)

Idiyappam with aattukaal paya (goat leg curry).

Here is the link to both of my recipes. Enjoy!

Idiyappam
Paya

Tips:

I suggest using white raw rice flour(pacharisi mavu) for making idiyappam to serve with paya. That will yield very soft idiyappam (like the street foods) while the red rice flour idiyappam is good to go with sugar.

Idiyappam

I don't know what took me so long to post this dish. Idiyappam is a very popular main course dish in South India, next to Idly. Idiyappam is always recommended for easy absorption and hence a quick energy. It is preferred by elderly people, children and for those in convalescent period.It is a rice based dish.
Nowadays instant idiyappam (sevai / dried rice noodles) is more popular because of time constraint. Anyways preparing idiyappam from scratch yields a very good quality version. Xav loves home made idiyappam than the instant one, so I have to master this art for our Saturdays:)

Idiyappam squeezed on idly plate. My idiyappam press is also on picture:)

There are many kinds of idiyappam presses in India. I use my murukku nazhi with idiyappam plate, but if we need to make more number of idiyappams, the above tripod style press is more convenient (I had one like this in Madras...couldn't carry it here..hmm...So kitchen gadget lovers should buy this one...hi..hi).I got this image from this website.

Idyappam with store bought samba red rice flour. I used double horse brand red rice flour.

Petal-soft idiyappam waiting for its matching side dish.

My favorite combo:  shredded coconut + sugar with idiyappam.

Hubby's choice:  Idiyappam with  coconut milk and sugar.

For 3 big size idiyappam:

Ingredients:
Raw rice flour (pacharisi) - 2 cup
(puzhungal arisi flour can also be used. But the flavor will be different).
water - 1 1/2 cup
salt - 1/4 tsp
ghee / oil - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Dry roast the rice flour, till it gets a sandy texture.
Store for future use or start preparing right now.
Bring water to rolling boil with salt, ghee.
Pour over the roasted flour and mix to get a soft chapati dough stage.
Divide into 3 equal portions.
From one part, take a handful and stuff inside the idiyappam press (idiyappam nazhi).
Grease a idiyappam plate or idly plate with a drop of ghee / oil.
Squeeze the strings in continuous fashion. Place inside idly cooker or idiyappam steamer.
(I use pressure cooker for both idly and idiyappam.Pour 2 cups water in the cooker.Leave the bottom-most plate empty and keep the idiyappam plate above it, as shown in picture. This will ensure the idiyappams to get cooked without getting wet. I keep it for 10 minutes in high steam without putting the weight valve).
Likewise steam all the idiyappams.
The whole process will take 1 hour.
In the mean time prepare the side dish and serve hot.

Serving suggestions:

Serve idiyappam as dinner or breakfast.
The popular side dishes are lamb paya (aattukkaal paaya), mutton kulambu, vegetable kuruma, shredded coconut with sugar, coconut milk mixed with jaggery solution and cardamom or sugar.
Idiyappam with paya is more popular in Tamilnadu.

Tips:

Dry idiyappam are commonly available in market as instant idiyappam. They are easy to make, but the home made ones are definitely more delicious.
Ready-made idiyappam flours are more easier, as they are already double roasted and hence we can start preparing the idiyappam immediately.
If we want to make our own flour, then soak 2 kg of raw rice for 2 - 4 hours. Drain and let dry in shade for 1 hour. Then grind in the nearby mill or your mixie to a fine state. Roast it at home to get the sandy texture, let cool completely and store in air tight container for 2 months.
I prefer buying plain white rice flour.

Inippu sundal

Sundal / sprout stir fry is a healthy Indian-snack.While all the other sundals remain spicy there are a few variations too.  Karamani and green gram are more suitable for making a sweeter version. It can be classified as a healthy dessert because of the benefits of red cow peas.

Other names: thattam payaru inippu sundal , karamani, red cow peas, red chowri, red chawli, azuki beans, small red beans.

Sweet karamani sundal.

Ingredients:

Red cow peas - 1 cup
jaggery - 1 cup (or less)
freshly shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
cardamom - 2
ghee / coconut oil - 1 tsp
cashew - 4
raisin - few

How to cook the cow peas?

Add twice the measure of  water to the unsoaked karamani (red cow peas) and pressure cook till 2 whistle. Then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.
If soaked overnight: add enough water to cover karamani (red cow peas) and pressure cook till 1 whistle. Then reduce heat to minimum and cook for 5 minutes.
Soaked red chowri can be cooked in stove top too. But it will require more water and time.
Dry roasting the bean reduces the cooking time in stove top method.

Method:

Wash and cook the red chowri beans. Drain the excess water from cooked dhal. The water can be used in making curries, soup, rasam etc.

In a separate vessel add 1/2 cup water to jaggery and dissolve it by heating. Pour the clear jaggery solution to a bowl and discard the sediments.

Heat the oil / ghee in a wok and put the cashews, raisins. Let the raisin puff in minimum heat. Pour the jaggery solution and heat till it gets thick.Add the cooked beans and reduce heat. Wait till it looses the excess moisture and turns grainy.

Switch off and sprinkle the cardamom powder, shredded coconut. Mix well.

Sweet Sundal is ready!

Serving Suggestion:

Serve as snack.
It can be wrapped inside a chapati and served as sweet rolls.
Excess inippu sundal can be kept frozen and used later for making  boli / sweet paratha, susiyam or stuffed kozhukattai.