Chefs Nectar

Master Stroke, “Chicken Ala Kiev”

Ingredients for making the Chicken Ala Kiev

⅓ cup butter
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 eggs
3 tbsp water
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried dill weed
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup dry bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
½ lemon, sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Method of making the Chicken Ala Kiev

Combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. On a 6×6 inch piece of aluminum foil, spread mixture to about 2×3 inches. Place this mixture in the coldest section of your freezer and freeze until firm. This can be done ahead of time.
Remove all fat from the chicken breast. If using whole chicken breasts, cut them in half. Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of waxed paper and using a mallet, pound carefully to about 1/4 inch thickness or less.
When butter mixture is firm, remove from freezer and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place one piece of butter on each chicken breast. Fold in edges of chicken and then roll to encase the butter completely. Secure the chicken roll with small skewers or toothpicks.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with water until fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, dill weed and flour. Coat the chicken well with the seasoned flour. Dip the floured chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Place coated chicken on a shallow tray and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In a medium size deep frying pan, heat vegetable oil to medium-high. Fry chicken for about 5 minutes then turn over and fry for 5 minutes longer or until the chicken is golden brown. check weather cooked or not cut into one of the rolled chicken breasts to make sure it doesn’t have a pink interior. Serve immediately, garnished with a sliced lemon twist and a sprinkling or parsley.

Please Note

Above illustrated pic is a new version with veggies and risotto, created by me for my Love on the special occasion of Valentine’s day !!

STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS

Ingredients for making the green beans

1 lb green beans washed, trimmed, and cut to half their length
6 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 -1 tsp salt
vegetable oil for frying
ice for water bath

Method of making

Blanch the Green Beans (optional)

To preserve the color of the beans for the final dish you will want to blanch the beans. If you aren’t worried about the color you can skip this step.
In a large bowl, fill with ice and add water to the ice. Add water to your wok, enough to cover all the beans. Bring water in wok to a boil and add green beans. Cook for 30 seconds and immediately remove and put into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Fry the Green Beans

Remove water from wok if you blanched the green beans. Add a shallow amount of oil to the wok, about 1/4 inch deep. Once oil is hot, add green beans and fry for about 1 minute, or until the skin just starts to wrinkle. Careful to not over-fry or the beans will lose their crispness.
Remove green beans and put them on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up some of the oil. Drain all but 1 tbsp of the oil out of wok and place wok back on the stove.
When wok is hot, add in garlic and cook on high heat until the aroma of garlic comes out and it begins to brown. Add green beans back in and stir fry with garlic. Season with salt. Cook until beans are cooked to desired done ness and have incorporated the garlic flavor (about 1-2 minutes). Eat while hot.

Healthier technique

If you choose to, start by blanching the green beans as described in step 1 otherwise you can skip this step.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok. Once heated, add green beans. Stir fry them for a few minutes at high heat.
Add about 1/4 cup of water to the wok, cover it with lid, and steam the beans until they are almost cooked. Remove cover. Add about 3 tbsp of oil and continue cooking until beans start to wrinkle.
Remove beans and place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil. Drain all but 1 tbsp of the oil out of the wok and place wok back on the stove. then repeat the above step to get the desired dish as per your liking.

Chefs Nectar, “Rava Dosa”

Ingredients for making the Rava Dosa

½ cup fine rava (sooji or fine semolina)
½ cup rice flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 green chillies, chopped
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
½ inch ginger, finely chopped
8 to 10 curry leaves, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) – optional
½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 to 2.5 cups water or add salt as required
oil or ghee or butter for cooking rava dosa

Method of making the Rava Dosa Batter

Take ½ cup fine rava, ½ cup rice flour and ¼ cup maida in a bowl.
Then add ⅓ cup chopped onions, 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped), and ½ inch ginger (chopped).
Also add ½ tsp crushed black pepper, ½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera, 8 to 10 curry leaves (chopped) and salt as required.
Add 2 to 2.5 cups water. Depending on the quality of rava or sooji and rice flour, you can add less or more water – from 1.5 to 2.5 cups water. I added 2.25 cups water.
Whisk till smooth without any lumps.
If the batter looks thick or has a medium consistency, then add more water. If the batter looks very thin and runny, then add some rice flour.
Cover and let the dosa batter rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Once the batter rests, you will see that the rava and the flours have settled down and the water will be floating on top.

Making of Rava dosa

Before preparing dosas, mix the batter very well. Spread some oil on the tawa. Do make sure that the tawa is hot.
With a ladle pour the dosa batter. Start from the edges move towards the center.
If there are big or small gaps, then fill them lightly with the batter.
On a medium-low to medium flame, cook the dosa.
When the top side looks cooked, then sprinkle ½ to 1 tsp oil on the top and sides.
Spread oil all over the dosa with a spoon.
Rava dosa takes a little longer time to cook than regular dosa.
Cook till the base is golden and crisp.
The more you cook the dosas and the more golden it becomes, the more crisp it will be. You can even cook both the sides if you want.
Fold and then serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.
The flours settles down at the bottom of the batter. So you have to stir and mix the batter very well every time you make dosa. In case the batter becomes thick after making a few dosas, then add some water and stir again.

Served hot with coconut chutney or dosa podi or any chutney of your choice.

Chefs Nectar,”Cottage Cheese Nuggets”

Ingredients for making the Cottage Cheese Nuggets

for paneer marination:

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder / lal mirch powder
½ tsp pepper, crushedsalt to taste
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
8 dices paneer /Cottage Cheese

Ingredients fo making the Batter

¼ cup corn flour
2 tbsp maida / plain flour / all-purpose flour / refined flour
½ tsp pepper, crushed salt to taste
½ cup water, for batter
½ cup panko bread crumbs / crushed corn flakes
oil for deep frying

Method of making the Cottage Cheese Nuggets

firstly, in a large mixing bowl take 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp pepper and salt to taste.
also add 2 tbsp coriander leaves and 1 tbsp lemon juice. mix well to form paste.
coat the prepared paste to paneer cubes.
cover and allow to marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
meanwhile prepare maida batter by mixing, ¼ cup corn flour, 2 tbsp maida, ½ tsp pepper and salt to taste.
add ½ cup water and prepare lump free, flowing consistency batter.
dip the marinated paneer into maida paste and coat well.
now coat with bread crumbs covering all sides. use panko bread crumbs / crushed corn flakes as they give nice texture.
deep fry the paneer nuggets in hot oil. alternatively, bake in preheated oven at 180 degree celsius for 12 minutes.
fry on medium flame, stirring occasionally till it turns golden brown.
finally, serve crispy paneer nuggets with green chutney or tomato sauce.

“Chicken Medallions with Beet mash and steamed vegetables”

Ingredients for making the Chicken Medallions

1 chicken breast
1 garlic clove
1 tsp mixed herbs (no salt added)
1 ¼ cups beets (cooked and chopped)
1large potato
20 gms broccoli
20 gms green beans
20 gms red yellow bell peppers
a tiny bit of salt
a tiny bit of black pepper
1 ½ tsp olive oil (extra virgin)

Method for making the Chicken Medallions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Peel and roughly chop garlic. Score the chicken, add to a bowl and combine with garlic, oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Leave to marinate (Tip: try stuffing the garlic pieces inside the cuts you’ve created).
Once oven is hot, add the chicken to a lined baking tray and roast for 20 mins or until browned. Meanwhile, peel and cut potato.
Then add to boiling water for about 10 mins, or until soft. Heat a pan on medium heat, add all the vegetable and let it blanch for some time. Season with salt and pepper (you can add other spices, like nutmeg if you want).
Once potatoes are ready, drain, add beets and either mash by hand or with a blender. Season with salt and pepper with little butter and cream to make it more delicious.
Arrange the steamed vegetable on the edge then de-mold the beet mash, arrange chicken medallion on the top of the veggies.

Please Note

For making the chicken medallions just cut the chicken breast from the center, and slit it in between. Make a roll of one part and similarly do it with the other portion as well.

Chefs Nectar,”Paneer Kathi Rolls”

Ingredients for making the Paneer Kathi Roll

2 cups paneer cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small red pepper thinly sliced
1 small green pepper thinly sliced
1 medium red onion thinly sliced

Ingredients for Marination

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ginger grated
1 teaspoon garlic pressed
1 tsp 2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon kasoori methi
1 teaspoon salt

for serving

6 to 8 kawan parathas cook per package instructions
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Mint Cilantro Chutney

½ cup cilantro
¼ cup mint leaves
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut frozen or dry
1 garlic clove
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 to 2 small green chiles
1 tbsp lemon juice
seasoning to taste
1 teaspoon sugar

Method of making the Paneer Kathi Roll

Marinate the paneer- Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add paneer and mix well.
Make the filling- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add onions, peppers and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add marinated paneer and mix well. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the heat off. Add cilantro.
Chutney – Blend all the chutney ingredients using 2 tablespoons of water to make a smooth sauce. Note: Add more water as needed, little at a time.
Cook the Parathas- Heat a non-stick griddle pan. Remove the kawan paratha from the plastic wrapping and place on the griddle. Cook on medium high heat for about to 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side or until both sides are golden brown, pressing gently with a spatula. Enjoy hot!
Assemble Kathi Roll- Spread 2 teaspoons of chutney on cooked paratha. Add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the filling in the middle. Add few sliced onions and cilantro on top. roll the sides up to the middle. You can use small toothpicks to hold them together.

Chefs Nectar, “Chicken Kathi Roll, Indian Specialty”

Ingredients of Chicken Kathi Roll

2 Whole Wheat leavened bread
2 Egg Whites
2 tsp Coriander, chopped
3 tsp Oil
To garnish Onions and Pepper, sliced
For the Filling :
150 gram Chicken Tikka
Cottage Cheese (optional)
2 tbsp Onions, chopped
2 tsp Coriander Leaves, chopped
2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1/4 cup Tomatoes, chopped
A pinch of Turmeric Powder
to taste Salt and Chilli Powder
1 tsp Green Chillies, chopped
To shallow fry Oil

How to Make Chicken Kathi Roll

Prepare the crepe:
Mix the egg whites with the coriander.
Heat oil in a non stick pan. Dip each phulka into the egg white mix and place on the pan one at a time till it turns color. Keep aside.
Prepare Tikka mixture:
Put the prepared chicken tikka into strips.
In a pan heat the oil and add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, chopped tomatoes, turmeric, red chilly powder and green chillies.
Now, add the chicken tikka strips, sliced onions and pepper juliennes.
Cook a little and add chopped coriander.
Divide the tikka mixture between the 2 atta phulkas and roll them.
Serve with mint chutney and salad.

Chefs Nectar, “Cheese Garlic French Loaf”

Ingredients for making the Cheese Garlic French Loaf

14 ounces (400 grams) loaf French bread, (or Italian), sliced in half horizontally (lengthwise)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt, (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried parsley,

Method of making the Cheese Garlic French Loaf

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (baking paper), or foil. Arrange bread on baking sheet, cut-side up.
In a small-sized bowl, combine together the butter, garlic, fresh parsley and salt. Mix ingredients together until well blended. Evenly spoon the garlic butter mixture evenly over both bread halves right to the edges. Top with the cheeses and sprinkle with the dried parsley.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Broil for about 2 minutes, or until the top is golden and crispy.
Slice and serve warm.

Chefs Nectar,” Butter Garlic Two Pepper Prawns”

Ingredients for making the butter garlic two pepper Prawns

15 to 16 Big Sized Prawns Or 25 Medium Sized Prawns
2 Garlic Pods Or 20-25 Garlic Cloves chopped finely
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 tbsp Butter
1 t/s Rock Salt or Salt as required
2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder
½ Lime Juice
1 tbsp red bell peppers
1 tbsp yellow bell peppers
1 tbsp green bell peppers
1 tbsp burnt garlic

Method of making these heavenly sea blossoms (prawns)

Take Fresh Prawns clean them under tap water. Clean the Prawns remove the black thread which is the spine of prawns. Now keep them aside with some salt mixed in it. Wash the prawns again. Also please keep the head and tail intact of prawns as it looks beautiful with them.
Take a pan or wok add olive oil and butter. Keep the gas on medium heat add chopped garlic.
Saute them for a minute. Add rock salt and black pepper as desired.
Its time to add cleaned and washed prawns. Saute gently all.
Cover the pan with a lid for 2 to 3 mins on low heat. Keep stirring in between else it might stick at the bottom.
Remove the lid and keep the heat on medium mode. Check once prawns are cooked Squeeze Lime juice on it. add all sort of bell peppers in it mixed well adjust the seasoning once again.
Your Butter Garlic two pepper Prawns are ready.
Serve hot as a starter or meal, arrange as illustrate above in the pic.
Garnish with burnt garlic on the top enjoy with any sort of beverages as an snack or along with main dish.

Please Note

1. Calorie conscious people can replace butter with Olive oil or any other herbal organic oil.
2. Vegetarians can also make similar recipe with Mushrooms and Fried Tofu or Paneer. I am sure it will taste great and for sure you will fell in love with it.

“BBQ Chicken Wings with Herbed Potatoes”

Ingredients for making the BBQ Wings

10 pcs Chicken wings
1/2 tsp ginger garlic powder
1 large potatoes, cut into wedges
20 gms chopped tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh herbs ( parsley)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp oregano

Method of making the BBQ Wings with grilled potatoes

Bring a well-salted pot of water to a boil, then add the potatoes and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
Heat grill to medium-high and oil grates. In a large bowl, mix together salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then stir in olive oil. Add potatoes and toss gently to coat. Grill potatoes, flipping once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add herbs to oil mixture, then return potatoes to mixture and toss again.
for BBQ Wings
Marinated the chicken wings with marinated ingredients smoothed the mixture with olive oil keep aside.
Set the Oven at the temperature of 220 degree Celsius and cook the chicken wings for 15 to 20 minutes or till done.

for plating

arrange the grilled potatoes as a base in the plate and set the bbq wings on the top garnish with any micro herb or basil leaves, enjoy this heavenly dish with your love ones at any occasion.