Oeufs en cocotte (eggs in pots) and Paris in pictures

When the husband ditched me on my dream trip to the vineyards of Burgundy region, I was really upset. I whined about it to my friends and suddenly a plan materialised. Ananda and Finla decided to join me and emails started flying back and forth with Paris holiday plans. Its high time I accepted the sad fact that the husband and I have completely different ideas of a holiday, which is good, because then you are not forced to do things we don't like. The practical thing to do would be to meet half way and decide on something we both enjoy, but that's lot of work apparently!

I have been in UK for 5 years and have wanted to travel around Europe ever since we came here. I always felt bad for broaching the topic to Ro because I was unemployed and it didn't feel right. Now that I have started working, I think I can start paying for my holidays and it feels great to be able to do that. Thanks to my blog, I have friends who are equally enthusiastic about travelling and food and it makes the holiday even more fun. I spent 3 fabulous days with the girls and we plan on making this an annual ordeal. Greece is up next and I am going to start saving for it right away.

Our plan was to do a bit of sightseeing, but trying out all the French food we whipped up for the blog, and have become so familiar with, was priority. We also wanted to check out some of the famous cook shops in Paris, known for the copper vessels and pastry making utensils and go crazy there. The vineyard trip was on the list, but we couldn't make it because travelling there without a car was slightly difficult (and expensive) and so it was replaced with another day out in Paris. 

Highlight of the trip was the amazing dinner we had at a quaint French restaurant which Finla found after loads of research. Reservations were made and I cant tell you how glorious the food was. I think I'll never forget the food I had there. After a bottle of wine and some cocktails, we stumbled back to the hotel past midnight and yapped away, till we no longer could keep our eyes open. Day 2 was relaxed since the vineyard trip was cancelled and so we took it easy and generally roamed around some markets and streets and also went up the Eiffel tower. Day 3 was spent at the numerous cook shops and we went crazy seeing all the cooking utensils there. They were expensive so we had to choose and select what we really needed. I can still see Finla's excitement at having bought authentic canele moulds- copper ones at that- which would be like a family heirloom :)  We also wanted to check out the famous Sabre Paris store but Monday was their day off (which we painfully found out only after visiting 2 locations) and so that didn't work out, much to Ananda's disappointment as she was planning to go crazy with prop shopping there ;)

In all honesty, Paris failed to amaze me with regard to the city. Its beautiful alright, but when you actually travel around like the locals you'd see that the metros are terribly dirty, smelly and the number of homeless people sleeping in the stations and people begging were scary. Food, I must admit was fabulous- the crepes, the croissants, the pastries and the wines would never be forgotten. I didn't think it was crazy expensive but of course it depends on where you eat. If you stay clear of the touristy areas (which we decided we would) you wont be bankrupt. I found the French people very very helpful, We'd be standing on the pavement with our maps open and there would be passers-by who would tell us how to get to a place. They'd correct the way we were pronouncing names and generally strike up a conversation. This would have usually irritated me (me not being social and all), but when you are in a foreign country, it somehow makes a difference. 

Back to reality after 3 great days, and dreaming of our next trip to Greece. Thanks girls for coming to my rescue when I was down in the dumps and making it a memorable holiday. 

Hotel de Ville (the local administrative office)

Notre-Dame de Paris - perfect example of French Gothic architecture

'Love Lock' Bridge

River Siene

We picked up a few macarons from Laduree, my favourite being the pink peppercorn.

Of course we checked out rival Pierre Herme as well. I must say, I preferred L'aduree better

Jardin du Luxembourg where we enjoyed our macarons. Of course we only saw the main fountain area.

Dinner was at this fabulous restaurant called Chez Toinette where we had the most amazing French food. Started off with snails (which were yum) and Oeufs en cocotte and went on to the famous Boeuf Bourguignon, Steak au poivre with Potato Dauphinoise and Sea bass with olive oil and thyme

Dessert was of course Creme Brulee at another restaurant (which was not really up to mark)

Day 2 started off with a visit to a farmers market

Breakfast was freshly baked croissants and coffee

Fell in love with the balconies

Eiffel..soaring high. I thought it was a bit over rated. In fact when i saw it from afar I thought it was the BT Tower (like we have in London)
My dream of kissing a guy under the Eiffel Tower is yet to come true. ONE DAY!!! :)

Le Louvre, I thought, was another one of those over rated places, but boy was I wrong. The mere magnificence of the exterior had me floored. I'm kicking myself for not having spent a day at the museum. Next time!

The French Onion Soup which was not that fab, but I HAD to give it a go.

Oeufs en cocotte (eggs in pots) (Recipe adapted from Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking). Serves 1

Butter- 1/2 tsp
Double cream- 2 tbsp
Egg- 1 (or 2)
Salt and pepper to taste
A ramekin that is 3 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches high
An pan containing water

Pre heat oven to 187C.
Take a bit of butter and grease the ramekin
Pour in 1 tbsp of double cream into the ramekin and place into the pan containing simmering water over moderate heat.
When the cream is hot, break the egg into it and pour in the remaining tbsp of double cream over the egg.
top with the remaining butter and chuck into the oven along with the pan of water.
Cook for about 7 to 10 minutes..
Its done when the egg is set but still a bit wobbly. Make sure you don't over cook the egg, or else it would turn hard. (which of course I managed to do)
Take it out of the oven but leave he egg in the water bath for about 7 to 8 more minutes after which you can season, add some herbs and enjoy.

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Fish Molee

This post was supposed to go up on Monday, but like everything else in my schedule, this one also got postponed. Life has suddenly become chaotic. From not doing anything at one point, to coming back home tired after a back breaking day of baking is something I'm truly enjoying, (sans the back aches of course), but in the process I've neglected the blog and have just not been able to blog hop as well. Thanks to all you guys who still manage to stop by and put in a few comments, I promise il come visit you all soon.

Its also been ages since I've actually cooked something nice and even worse, styled and photographed. I'm off to Paris this weekend with a couple of friends and hope to come back with loads of pictures and fun stuff. Its going to be a total foodie adventure, and so I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. Once I'm back, I promise I'll whip up something nice for the blog and make a deal of it here. So till then, here's the simplest fish curry I've ever made...Fish Molee/Molly.

Recipe adapted from Flavours of the Spice Coast by Mrs. K M Mathew

Fish fillets- 250 gms, sliced (I used Tilapia fillets)

Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Onions- 1 cup, finely chopped
Green chilli- 2, slit

Garlic- 1 tsp, crushed

Ginger- 1 tsp, crushed

Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Thin coconut milk- 1 cup

Tomato- 1 small, cut into 4 (i used a couple of baby tomatoes)
Curry leaves- a sprig

Thick coconut milk- 1/4 cup

Salt- to taste

 

Marinate the fish with pepper, turmeric and salt and keep aside for about 10 minutes.

Heat enough in a pan and shallow fry the fish till just cooked, about 1 or 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep aside

Heat oil in a pan and saute onions and green chillies. Cook till the onions have wilted and turns a golden yellow.

Add the ginger and garlic and continue cooking till the raw smell disappears.

Stir in the pepper powder and salt, followed by thin coconut milk and wait for the milk to simmer gently.

At this point add the fried fish and let it cook completely, with the gravy getting thicker and coating the fish.

In goes the tomato and curry leaves. Stir them in and cook till the tomatoes are done.

Finally, add the thick coconut and cook on low heat for a few more minutes and take it off flame.

Serve hot with appam, bread or even rotis.

Notes: The curry is not really spicy, so i will increase the number of chillies to 3 or maybe even 4

It somehow tastes even more fab the next day :)

Any fish of choice can be used. I have tried it with prawns and its yumm

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Macarons {3 ways}

Last week, a couple of us food bloggers went to the Royal Albert Afternoon Tea Tour in association with Breast Cancer Care. It was an afternoon of fun, eating and oohing and aahing the gorgeous, gorgeous vintage style tea sets that were used to serve the cupcakes and tea in. Just a few days before, we were oohing and aahing their collection at one of the department stores and Id seen this one particular cup and saucer set with tiny flowers inside, and I even remember exclaiming to a fellow foodie that some pretty and dainty macarons would just look gorgeous in them.

Little did I know that two days later I'd actually get the exact same cup and saucer from Royal Albert in my goody bag at the tea party. I HAD to make macarons and I even had a clear idea what colour and how Id style and photograph it. I am very pleased with how they have turned out and even had a small afternoon tea party at my place. The tea tour will be heading to different locations around London, so please do drop by, enjoy some tea and cakes and support the great cause.

Thursday 12th and Friday 13th- Bloomsbury Square

Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th- Parsons Green

I always follow the basic macaron recipe from Ottolenghi (Recipe here) which fetches me around 22 to 24 medium sizes macarons. For a full, detailed post on macaron making, follow this link. The fillings are for 12 macarons. I always halve the batter and add two colours. I get around 12 macarons in each colour.

Pineapple cheesecake filling

The filling for the purple one was Pineapple cheesecake a really pleasant one made with the Castello Pineapple Halo, a soft cheese coated in pineapple and almonds. Castello has this fabulous range of cheese which go great with white wine. My favourite however is the pineapple flavoured one which works great as cheesecake (trust me on this, I tasted it at the Castello event and loved it). So inspired by that I made the cheesecake filling for the macarons. It was a hit. (I added some yellow colour to emphasise the pineapple bit)

Castello pineapple halo cheese- 1/3 rd cup, at room temperature
Double cream- 1/4 cup
Honey- 2 tbsp

Whisk the double cream till soft peaks form.
Fold in the soft cheese slowly, till well mixed and no traces are seen.
Add the honey (or icing sugar) and mix well.
Refrigerate till ready to use.

Raspberry jam buttercream filling 

 

The pink macarons made specially for Breast Cancer Care were filled with raspberry jam filling. This is a really easy one and quite versatile because you can use any jam and make it into a filling.

Butter- 4 tbsp, at room temperature
Raspberry jam- 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract- a drop (optional)
Icing sugar- 2 tbsp (add more if you like it sweeter)

Whisk the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl, till light and fluffy
Add the jam and vanilla and continue whisking till they all come together.
Refrigerate till ready to use.

Cardamom cream cheese filling

 

I love cream/ soft cheese fillings and frosting and my macaron fillings are almost always cream cheese based. I used the Lactofree soft white cheese for this and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it tasted. Lactofree products are perfect for those who are lactose intolerant and doesn't have to give up dairy altogether. I had the privilege of tasting some of their products and you wouldn't even be able to make out the difference. Check out the website for more details.

A couple of us were invited to Preeti's place for an Indian themed lunch and while breaking my head on what to take for her, Suchi came up with the idea of the tricoloured Indian flag theme. The party was just two days after Indian Independence Day and it was the perfect theme. It looked gorgeous when put together and I filled it with cardamom to give it an Indian touch. Personally, I find cardamom to be an over powering spice, and I prefer it in the mildest possible dose, so this was not really my favourite. I did get good reviews about it though.

Cream cheese- 1/2 cup
Icing sugar- 3 tbsp
Vanilla extract- a generous splash
Cardamom powder- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp (powder the cardamom seeds to make enough)

Whisk the cream cheese and sugar gently using a wire whisk. Make sure it doesnt become too loose.
Fold in the vanilla extract and cardamom and continue mixing till they all come together.
Do a taste test and add more cardamom if required.

With thanks to all the brands for inviting me to the events and for the samples.

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Mixed fruit salad with rose water and pistachio

Its over guys, its over. Summer is on its way out and I can already feel the slight chill in the air post 5pm. Although it was a pretty decent summer, I feel it ended too soon and I am not willing to let go as yet. I think the coming week is the last of 20C weather we'd get to enjoy. Sigh!

So on a warm-ish Saturday I made this mixed fruit salad to enjoy the best of British bounty. The strawberries were sent across by Sweet Eve Strawberries - one of the best I've actually tried. They are British born and bred and deliciously sweet and full of flavour. I am not very lucky when it comes to strawberries as the ones from the stores are never really sweet. But the Sweet Eve strawbs were a welcome change- almost all of them were really sweet and I kind of finished half of it at one go. With the rest I whipped up a nice smoothie and this summer salad which was a hit. The pistachio nuts add that extra crunch and the next time I do this, I'll try it with other fruits and a generous sprinkling of almonds or so.

Rosewater is one extract I've never really tasted or experimented with and was pleasantly surprised by the Nielsen Massey rose water which did lend a very Moroccan flavour to this salad. That said, it can be a very over powering flavour and not a favourite of many (the husband included). A very small quantity goes a long way and so watch how much you put in. I had guests over last weekend and I made some poached peaches with rose water and served it with vanilla ice cream and pistachio nuts. it was divine! 

Recipe adapted from here

Strawberries- 100 gms

Mango- 1 ripe, peeled and sliced into cubes

Peach- 1 ripe, diced

Rosewater- a splash (optional)

Caster sugar- for sprinkling

Pistachio nuts- enough to sprinkle, chopped fine

Mix together the fruits in a large bowl.

Add a splash of rosewater and toss well.

Divide the mix between two or 3 bowls

Sprinkle the caster sugar followed by pistachio nuts and serve cold.

Notes: Add any fruit of choice, except maybe bananas

If not for rosewater a splash of Marsala wine or Sherry would be good

With thanks to Sweet Eve Strawberries and Nielsen Massey for the samples.

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Beans thoran and Mooru kachiyathu

I decided that this year was going to be the year I learn how to make all those sadya dishes that I see around all the blogs and draft it here..maybe I'll have them all documented in time for onam and make a feast. That's highly unlikely, but its nice to think I may do it.

A friend of ours was relocating to India (a while back) and we decided to do a session at ours before she left. The husband decided to cook crab and for the two of us in the gang (yes me and this other friend) who didn't eat crab, I made beef fry. I actually suck at making mallu food which is why I rarely make them when I have people over. Even something as simple as a moru kachiyathu I can ruin, leave alone avial and such. But with crab masala as a main dish, I had no choice but to do a mallu centred meal. It was an elaborate two day expedition and the final outcome..was just about average I would say. Not even close to what my mother-in-law in Kottayam makes (on a regular basis).

The reason I'm posting two really simple recipes here is because each time I need to make these, I have to open recipe books and blogs and do searches and stuff. This way, I can just fall back on my blog and not waste time. That said, I still do end up searching for different versions of the same and pinterest-ing for photography inspiration. Do the same preparation with kale, Brussels sprout, asparagus etc. 

Beans thoran (beans sauteed with a spicy coconut mix)

Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Green chilli- 2, slit

Small onions- 2 to 3, roughly chopped

Garlic- 2 cloves, optional

Oil- 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves- 2 sprigs

Dried red chilli- 2

Green beans- 250 gms, finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Water- 1 tbsp

Into a grinder throw in the grated coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, green chilli, small onions and garlic. Pulse once or twice, just to mix it well and don't grind to a paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a heave bottomed pan and splutter mustard seeds.

Throw in curry leaves and dried red chilli and saute till they turn slightly crisp.

Add to it the coconut mix and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes, just to get rid of the rawness.

Finally, add the beans, salt and water, mix tem all together, close with a tight lid and cook on medium-low heat for about 7 to 10 minutes. I like it a bit crunchy, so i don't cook it longer than that. But feel free to do so.

Turn off the heat and leave the pan closed till ready to use.

Serve with rice and mooru kachiyathu.

Moru kachiyathu (spiced buttermilk) Recipe adapted from here

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds- a pinch

Curry leaves- a sprig

Dried red chilli- 1

Small onions- 2 to 3, roughly chopped

Ginger- 1 tsp, peeled and grated

Green chilli- 1, slit

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Whisk together the buttermilk with salt. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds followed by fenugreek seeds.

Add all the remaining ingredients except buttermilk and sauté till the onions turn light brown.

Pour in the buttermilk, and on medium heat keep stirring till you see steam coming through the spatula. If you are not careful, the mix can curdle.

Serve hot.

Notes: If using yoghurt, dilute it with water to make a loose mix.

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Chocolate and hazelnut laddoo (truffles)

First of all a huuuuge thanks to all those who left comments on the ad post. I am a wee bit embarrassed and at the same time overwhelmed at the outcome. Its weird watching myself on telly and I hope I get used to it soon :)

Those who attended Bloggers' Buzz beginning of this year might remember Devnaa who sponsored a box of sweets for the goody bag? Or let me put it this way, those of you who attended BB will not forget Devnaa and that amazing box of Indian-inspired sweets in the goody bag. I remember a lot of you writing back and saying that was the best part of the goody bag- the well packaged, colourful box with delicate chocolates. Started by brother-sister duo Roopa and Jay Rawal, the journey of Devnaa began at their kitchen table with praises flowing in about Roopa's home made sweets. They decided to take this interest further by starting Devnaa, a collection of sweets and desserts combining authentic Indian recipes and artisan chocolate techniques. 

Now, I am not a big fan of Indian sweets and desserts, with maybe gulab jamun and gajjar ka halwa being an exception. So in all honesty I was not too excited about the box of chocolates. But of course I had to give it a try and must say I wasn't too disappointed. I mean i did have a few favourites like the saffron and pistachio caramel and the cinnamon praline, and my not so favourite were the ones with ginger. Ginger or not, I think the whole concept of Devnaa is quite interesting.

They also sent me their cookbook and ingredients for two recipes. I have bookmarked a whole bunch of recipes from the book, but like a million other recipes I have bookmarked, God alone knows when they will actually make an appearance on the blog. The recipes are pretty descriptive, but being a big fan of food photography, I would have liked some better pictures. I mean desserts are so pretty to photograph and I would have loved to see some cool styling and stuff. 

These chocolate and hazelnut laddoos did not disappoint, but i would def try them with dark chocolate next time. Gave it to some friends at a party and they loved it. They are really easy to make a do a good job of being pretty, presentable and tasty. Do some cool packaging, and they would double up as return gifts for guests. 

Recipe adapted from Devnaa- Indian Inspired Desserts

 

Condensed milk- 200 gms

Cocoa powder- 1 tbsp

Milk- 2 tbsp

Milk powder- 100gms

Milk chocolate- 100 gms

Chocolate-hazelnut spread- 1 tbsp (say like Nutella or equivalent)

Hazelnuts- 60 gms, slightly roasted and crushed or chopped finely

Dessicated coconut- 20 to 25 gms (optional)

 

Mix together the condensed milk, cocoa powder and milk in a saucepan and heat gently. (It would make it a lot more easier if you sift the cocoa powder into the condensed milk, because it was a bit of a trouble for me with small bits of cocoa powder dotting the mix. I had to use my spatula to break them down and still couldn't manage to do it all. So my mix was speckled with cocoa).

Keeping the heat on low-medium, add the milk powder and stir until the mixture starts forming a smooth dough that comes away easily from the sides of the pan. This may take about 4 to 5 minutes. Make sure you don't leave it unattended and that you keep stirring till you get the desired consistency.

Take the mix off heat and leave aside to cool in the refrigerator. The recipe called for just leaving it aside to cool, but still warm and pliable. I did as mentioned, but the dough was just too loose to work with. So I chucked it into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, and waited for it to become completely cold (like with truffles) and then it was easier to handle.

Scoop out 1 tbsp of the dough at a time and roll into a smooth ball. Mine were slightly bigger in size so I got a total of 12. Leave on a tray lined with baking paper.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a microwave.

Stir in the chocolate-hazelnut spread and make sure that the mix is not too hot, but warm and runny. If it hardens up when you are ready to dip, then just give a burst or two in the microwave and stir again to mix well.

Arrange the chopped/crushed hazelnuts on a plate.

Dip the rolled dough balls into the melted chocolate, trying to coat them evenly on all sides, followed by generously rolling them in the chopped hazelnuts.

Carefully place them back on the same lined baking tray. Continue with all the dough balls and chuck the tray back into the refrigerator till the chocolate hardens, say about 30 minutes.

Serve them at room temperature.

Notes: I generously rolled the dough balls in hazelnuts, so I didn't have enough to roll the entire batch. So i used dessicated coconut and did the same rolling process.

Feel free to use chocolate of any type for the dipping...dark, white, flavoured etc.

With thanks to Devnaa for sending me the book and the ingredients to make two recipes from the book.

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The New Finish Quantum TV advert

Sooooo.... here it is finally. My first ever TV appearance for the New Finish Quantum ad. I am not going to ramble on, but instead let the video speak for itself. 

It goes on air tomorrow morning at 8.45am on ITV during the Lorraine breakfast programme, and although I'm a bit nervous at how the reactions are going to be, I cant help being all diva-like and excited about it.

Over the next couple of weeks Danny and I will be sharing some exciting tips on the Finish Facebook page, along with some cool competitions and such so don't forget to like the page and join in on all the fun.

Thanks a bunch for all your support, and yes, please do let me know your honest opinions. Hope you like the ad (and will switch and see the difference) ;)

xx

Nisha

PS: Camera adds 10 pounds, so it's technically not my fault that I look all chubby and well fed :)

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Sponsored review: Twinings Moroccan mint tea mojito

 

Both Ro and I enjoy a good cuppa tea every once in a while. Mostly weekends, we try making all these different types of tea and enjoy it with some biscuits and such. I particularly love experimenting with it..like making a macaron flavour with it, different flavours of iced tea's with it, the occasional masala chai and our favourite the mint tea.

I received a couple of boxes of Twinings tea to review and after enjoying some with our biscuits and cakes, I decided to try something new. I had never made a cocktail with tea, and my love for everything cocktail made me try this Moroccan inspired mojito. Its such a cool recipe..i mean it combines my favourite mint tea with rum and really, what's not to like about that?

 

I also absolutely love the whole Afternoon Tea idea. I find it incredibly romantic, to dress up and go to a fancy hotel for some tea. I have been wanting to throw a tea party at mine for a long time, but haven't had the time to do it. But I did whip up some macarons for an afternoon tea-ish session with friends beginning of summer. I served them with Twinings Earl Grey (my favourite), English Breakfast and Assam tea- all great tea's. The English breakfast makes a mean mint tea as well. But be careful to not let it steep too much, or else your mint tea is gonna taste bitter. I have wasted waaay too much tea with that mistake.

Recipe adapted from here (Makes 2 to 3 glasses)

 

Twinings English Breakfast- 2 bags
Boiling water- 1 1/2 cups
Cardamom pods- 20, crushed
Sugar- 3 tbsp (adjust accordingly)
Mint leaves- 10 to 15
Lemon juice- 3 tbsp
White rum- 3 oz
Ice

 

Into a measuring cup put in the tea bags and bruised cardamom pods.
Pour enough boiling water to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid in total.
Seep for about 2 to 3 minutes, remove the tea bags, but not the cardamom and store in the refrigerator till ready to use.
Meanwhile, muddle the mint and sugar together in a cocktail shaker and keep aside.
When ready to serve, add the tea mix to the cocktail shaker, followed by lemon juice, rum and some ice cubes.
Shake away and then pour into individual glasses, top with a sprig of mint, a lime wedge and some ice and you are good to go.

 

Notes: The drink was not sweet at all, so the second batch i made, I used sugar syrup (1/4 cup) instead of sugar and added it to the tea mix when it was still warm. The mint leaves were muddled on its own.
Add more rum if you want it super boozy :)

With thanks to Twinings for the samples

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Caribbean Jerk marinated poussin- a post in association with Schwartz

I know.. 3 posts in a week. Pat on the back for me right?

Well, truth be told.. loads of pending posts and me being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my blog (OH MY GOD did I just say I was a perfectionist???), I end up taking a looot more time on a post with editing and re-editing and sometimes even re-cooking (is that a word?) and re-shooting. In spite of all this Ro finds grammatical and spelling mistakes in my posts. Seriously..he cant just say the picture is nice, or that dish was so yum , you should make it again or generally something nice about me.. but no, he says my grammar is rubbish and i need to pay someone (Jane, you in particular actually) to edit my post. Of course if i could pay someone to do my job, then I would have done that in the beginning itself wouldn't I? Anyway, who needs compliments from the husband when I have all you lovelies sending me all the encouragement and push needed to carry on blogging. Big hugs :)

Coming to the recipe. I first tried jerk chicken at the Nottinghill Carnival and liked it. Not loved it , but liked. That was around 4 years ago and then it was recently at Manjiri's place that I tried it again. She was enthusiastic enough to make the spice from scratch, but I was just plain lazy and picked up the Schwartz Jamaican Jerk spice blend off the shelves to give it a go. One word..loved it! Makes life so much more easier and it tastes absolutely fine. The recipe I followed was from the Schwartz website and it was a really simple one at that. I jazzed it up a bit and served it with rice and beans (again Caribbean in Nature), but its not really necessary. You can find other chicken recipes from Schwartz here

Caribbean Jerk marinated poussin (Recipe adapted from here)

 

1 small poussin/ chicken- 500 gms

Schwartz Jerk spice blend- 1 1/2 tbsp

Soy sauce- 1 tbsp

Vinegar- 1/2 tsp (optional)

Vegetable oil- 1 1/2 tbsp

Onion- 1 small, roughly chopped

Garlic- 5 pods

Lemon- 1 half

Mix together the spice blend, soy sauce, vinegar and vegetable oil in a bowl.

Check for salt and add if necessary.

Place the chicken and garlic pods in roasting tray and pour over the marinade.

Rub it into all parts of the chicken. Try and get it under the skin if possible.

Keep aside for about 30 minutes. I skipped this part and baked it immediately.

Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and add it into the tray.

Pre-heat over to 200C and bake the chicken for 30 minutes.

Take the chicken out once the 30 minutes is up and baste with the juices from the tray.

Scatter the onion around and on top of the chicken and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes more. If you want, you can turn the chicken up side down. I didn't.

During the last 10 minutes or so, you can change to grill mode and broil it to get a charred effect.

Check if the chicken is done by poking the fleshiest part with a knife or skewer and if juiced run clear you are good to go.

Notes: Feel free to use cut chicken- legs, thighs anything.

The garlic gets roasted nicely and emits some great flavour, but not a must. Same with onions and lemon.

Its not a spicy dish (as opposed to the actual) one, so add some chilli powder if you want it hot.

Here is the recipe for the jerk chicken spice from scratch.

Rice with beans (Recipe adapted from here)

 

Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp

Onion- 1, finely chopped

Green chilli- 1, slit

Garlic- 2 cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Rice- 1 cup, washed and drained

Kidney beans- 200 gms, drained

Coconut milk- 1/2 cup

Chicken stock- 1 1/2 cups

Thyme- 1/2 tsp

Kidney beans- 200 gms, drained

Salt- to taste

Heat oil in a chefs pan and fry the onions till they soften and turn a bit brown.

Add the chilli and garlic and saute for a minute or two.

Throw in the rice and stir it slowly, making sure it is well coated with oil.

Pour in the coconut milk followed by chicken stock, and also stir in the kidney beans.

Bring to a gently boil on high heat. You can check for salt at this point and add if required.

Then reduce heat to low, put on the lid and let it cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or till all the liquid has been absorbed.

Open the lid and sprinkle thyme.

Keep closed for another 5 minutes after which you can fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

Notes: The coconut milk I used was from powdered coconut and I may have diluted it too much, the taste of coconut was not obvious at all. Do use a good can of coconut milk for this recipe.

Replace kidney beans with gungo peas or black eyed peas.

This is a post in association with Schwartz

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