Thenkuzhal Murukku

Recipe sourced: Pratibha Garre ~ chefandherkitchen.com
Ingredients:
4 cups processed Rice Flour
1/2 cup roasted Urad Flour*
1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
1 tsp sesamse seed (i added)
2 ladles (80ml approx.) hot oil (i used 3 tbsps hot ghee)
2 tbsp approx. Salt (i used 1 tbsp) or to taste
Water approx.
Oil for deep frying

Method:

In a bowl take rice flour and roasted urad dal flour and add salt and cumin seeds, sesame seeds to it and mix well.

Meanwhile heat enough oil in a kadai for deep frying.

Add 2 ladles of hot oil in to the rice flour mixture and leave it for 3 - 4 minutes until you can handle dough with hand.

Mix it nicely and divide the portion into 3 - 4 equal parts.

Sprinkle water to each portion separately and prepare dough just before frying.

Using a 5 eyed round holes plain disc in murukku maker and fill the dough in it.

Prepare murukku in a circular motion on top of a wet cloth or on the back side of slightly greased ladles.

Gently drop the murukkus carefully with hand and slip it into hot oil.

Deep fry over medium high flame until crisp and slightly golden in colour.

Drain them into a colander.

Once they come to room temperature store them in a clean dry container.

Tips:

To make roasted urad flour:

Dry roast urad dal in a deep curved pan and stir it constantly till it turns into light golden colour.

Cool it and grind to a fine powder and sieve.

The Thenkuzhal Murukku should be hollow in between like a pipe which indicates that it has come out nice.
If your murukku is hard it means the amount of fat (oil) is not enough in the dough. True, my is hard (not to hard) because i only used 3 tbsps
If the murukku turns very oily it indicates that the amount of fat (oil) you added in the recipe is more.

These are the indicative points which you should remember.

Variation:
You can add around 2 tsp red chili powder to the same recipe and make spicy Thenkuzhal Murukku.

The Ultimate Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Recipe sourced:caribbeanpot.com
Ingredients:
5 lbs chicken wings/drumsticks
2 limes
3-5 scallions
1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1-2 tbsps brown sugar/honey/maple syrup
2 scotch bonnet peppers ~ Thai Bird Eye Chilies 
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
2 thick slices ginger
1 tsp AllSpice powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
10 sprigs fresh thyme ~ dried

3/4 lb wood chips + tin foil + allspice berries (for the smoke pouch)

Method:

Give the garlic, onion, scallions and scotch bonnet peppers a rough chop, then

place in your blender or food processor.

Add the juice of the limes along with everything else (except the chicken wings/drumsticks and stuff for the smoke pouch) into the food processor. 

Pour the marinade over the chicken wings/drumsticks.  Give it a good mix and place the fridge overnight.  Feel free to mix it around if you remember during the night.

Soak the wood chips of your choice with the berries for a few hours in a bowl with water.

Remove the wings/drumsticks from the fridge about 30 minutes before you're ready to grill.

Using a tin foil create a pouch with the wood and pimento berries. 

Seal and poke with a fork so you'll have some holes fro the smoke to escape and perfume the grill.

You can use a propane grill or charcoal grill with better results.

Place the smoke pouch directly over flame, covered with grill and ensured you saw smoke before you got wings/drumsticks into it.

I have two levels on my grill so the wings went on the top rack and the smoke pouch directly below them. 

While they were directly above the heat source, they didn't get raw heat as the heat was low and the smoke pouch shielded them a bit.

You're free to grill these with indirect heat.

With the lid closed i kept the wings on the top level for about 35 minutes.

Remember to move them around so they cook evenly.  I then moved the pouch to the side and moved the wings to the lower level of my grill.  To help them develop some colour and fully cook over the direct heat 325F temperature.

Here is where you must keep a close eye on the wings or they will burn.

Slightly charred edges is perfect but NOT burnt.

The sugars in the marinade will encourage it to burn fast.

I kept them on the lower level for 10 - 15 minutes.  It will depend on the size of the wings you use.

I'd recommend drizzling on some fresh lime or lemon juice just before you remove these jerk wings from the grill.  It will help to brighten them up a bit with that kick of citrus.  Free free to add some water, beer or apple juice to the bag you marinated the wings as they grill.
Remember the raw chicken was in that marinade, so stop using it to baste on after about 25 minutes.
You really need to cook out any rawness.
That smoke pouch will make a huge difference and yes i really want you to marinate the wings overnight for maximum flavor.

~ 

dried

Stir Fried Squids In Special Sauce

Recipe sourced:via Tasty Seafood Recipes by Amy Wong
Ingredients:
400g squids, removed ink sacs and membrane
2 tbsp XO Sauce
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp Char Siew Sauce
1 stalk spring onion, cut into sections
1 red chili, shredded

Marinade:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper powder

Starch solution, mixed well:
50ml stock
1 tsp corn flour

Method:

Rinse squids and pat dry, then score in a criss cross pattern and cut into pieces.

Add marinade and mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Blanch squids in boiling water for 1 minute.  Remove and drain.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok.  Stir fry chopped shallot and garlic until fragrant.
Add XO sauce and char siew sauce and stir fry briefly.
Add squids, red chili and spring onion, stir fry for 2 minutes over high heat.
Pour the starch solution and stir-fry quickly until the gravy has thickened.
Serve immediately.

Steamed Sea Bass With Bean Sauce

Recipe sourced: via The Complete Fish Cookbook by Clare Ngan
Ingredients:
800 - 900gm Golden Pomfrent ~ changed to Seabass
2 stalks spring onion, cut into segments
3 - 4 stalks Chinese celery, cut into segments

Sauce (mix well):
2 tbsp soy bean paste
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced red chili
1 tbsp sugar ~ used brown sugar
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking wine ~ omitted, used lime juice, when fish is cooked just squeeze some lime juice

Garnishing:
Some coriander
Some red chili shreds

Method:
Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok, then add sauce, stir fry till fragrant.  Remove and keep aside.
Rinse fish well and pat dry, make a cross on each side of the fish.
Place the white part of spring onion and celery on a steaming plate.
Put fish on the plate and pour sauce over.
Put in the steamer to steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle spring onion segments and steam again for 5 minutes.
Remove, garnish with coriander and red chili.

Kerepek Masin

Bahan-bahan:
2 cawan tepung penaik
2 sudu besar tepung ubi kayu
Secubit soda bikarbonate
2 sudu besar minyak sapi dicairkan
1/2 sudu teh biji jintan hitam disangai
1/2 sudu teh biji jintan putih disangai
Garam secukup rasa *dibancuh bersama
Air Sejuk secukupnya *
Minyak untuk menggoreng secukupnya

Caranya:

Masukkan tepung penaik, tepung ubi dan soda kedalam mangkuk besar, kacau sehingga sebati.

Panaskan minyak sapi sehingga cair.

Masukkan minyak sapi kedalam tepung, gaul dan ramas sehingga menjadi serbuk roti.

Masukkan air sedikit demi sedikit dan uli sehingga menjadi doh yang lembut.

Rehatkan doh lebih kurang 30 minit.

Ambil sedikit doh dan leperkan, gelek sehingga nipis.  Guna pemotong piza dan potongkan memanjang.

Panaskan minyak, goreng dengan api sederhana sehingga kekuningan.

Angkat dan toskan minyak.

Samosa

Bahana-bahan kulit:
3 cawan tepung gandum @ plain flour * bertanda disatukan, sebatikan
1/2 sudu teh baking powder *
2 1/4 sudu besar minyak sapi, dicairkan
1 - 11/2 cawan air +/- air sejuk (air batu)
1/2 sudu teh garam halus
1/2 sudu teh gula halus (jika suka)

Caranya
Masukkan tepung dan baking powder ke dalam mangkuk besar, masukkan garam dan gula,

Kacaukan sehingga sebati.

Cairkan minyak sapi, tuangkan ke dalam mangkuk berisi tepung tadi.

Gaul sehingga menjadi serbuk roti.

Tuangkan air sedikit demi sedikit dan uli sehingga menjadi doh yang lembut.

Tutup dengan kain dan rehatkan dalam 30 minit.

Sementara itu bolehlah dibuat inti.

Inti Kentang dan Ayam

Bahan-bahan:

4 biji ubi kentang direbus empuk, buangkan kulit, sejukkan sebelum diparut.

2 biji cili hijau dicincang / hiris

1 biji bawang besar dihiris halus

2 biji bawang putih ditumbuk *dijadikan pes

1" halia ditumbuk *

Serbuk ketumbar

Serbuk jintan manis

Cili kisar kasar

Hirisan daun ketumbar

Hirisan daun bawang

Isi ayam dicincang

Garam secukupnya

Minyak untuk menumis dan menggoreng samosa secukupnya

Caranya:

Masukkan sedikit minyak dikuali tumiskan, bawang besar sehingga layu.

Masukkan cincang ayam dan pes bawang putih dan halia, kacau sebati.

Masukkan serbuk ketumbar, serbuk jintan manis dan serbuk cili kisar, kacau rata dan tutupkan.

Supaya isi ayam masak.

Masukkan hirisan cili hijau, kacau rata.

Masukkan garam secukup rasa, kacau sebati.

Angkat bila isi ayam empuk, masukkan parutan ubi kentang yang direbus tadi dan kacau sebati.

Jika kurang garam bolehlah ditambahkan.

Caranya membungkus samosa:
Ambil sedikit doh, bulatkan dan leperkan.
Canai sehingga menjadi bulatan.
Potongkan bulatan kepada 2 bahagian.
Kepitkan menjadi seperti bentuk kon.
Masukkan inti dan tutup dengan kemas.
Susun di pinggan sebelum digoreng.
Setelah siap semua bolehlah digoreng dengan api yang sederhana.