15 July

I recently discovered my love for Roti Rolls. It was a weekend and I had a laundry list of things to do, including cooking, shooting, editing, updating blog, updating Instagram and all that. I usually don't keep all of that on the same day, but it was just another day when I didn't have much of a choice. I wanted to cook something really easy and simple so that I could spend most of the time shooting. I had discovered the beauty of backlights and wanted to do a little experimental shoot. On any other weekend day I would have just cooked a bowl of ramen topped it off with loads of spring onion, a sunny side egg and be at peace. But this time I had to shoot as well. Looking at my pantry an idea occurred to me. There was some leftover Roti from the night before. And I also had some bite sized chicken pieces in the refrigerator. A quick wrap was the answer to question. 

I am from that part of the country where Rolls have almost got an iconic status - the city of joy, Kolkata. We practically ate rolls for any random excuse at least once a week back in the days. Especially when we went to coaching class, to endure the next couple of hours of derivatives and  thermodynamics we needed a happy tummy. There was a Roll and Chop er dokan aka a shop which sold Rolls and cutlets near to our coaching class. No matter how resolute we were of not having street side food, the aroma of the spices and the fried egg on a hot griddle drove us back to the shop every day. We were like giddy teenagers in love, the only difference was this love was not for any human but for those yummy rolls and chops which the shop owner would keep making with extreme dexterity. 

Rolls would always be made with parathas topped with a generous layer of omelette and then came all the wonderful filling ingredients which you wanted. Something like a roadside version of the modern Subway, you could pick and choose what you wanted the filling to be. Though it tasted just heavenly, it was not the most healthy of things. Parathas were oily and so were the chicken fillings. But that is when you shut your guilty feeling and just give in to temptations of good food.

But when you make the same roll at home, you get utterly cautious of how much oil goes into it. Though homemade rolls are healthy but still its something fried. So the calorie conscious folks would still be wary of it. That's when this random discovery made me very happy. It was easy to make (no frying parathas), it was resourceful (you could utilize leftover rotis) and it was healthy (no oil in rotis). I ended up making a marinade with the Mandi masala I had and it gave a lovely Lebanese flavor notes to the wrap. The masala is super easy to make and preserve. 

You can purchase frozen or refrigerated Rotis at Indian grocery stores, or you can make them yourselves at home. Alternatively you can serve this with naan, pita breads or a Western style flatbread or even store bought tortillas. 

Checkout some interesting recipes on my blog:

• Chicken Quiche
• Lebanese Toum - Garlic Sauce

Equipment:

• Skillet/ Tawa
• Skewers

Method:

1. Start by preparing the spice mix. Dry roast coriander, black peppercorn, cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks for about 1 to 2 mins flipping occasionally. Add all the roasted spices in a mixer grinder and add salt, ginger powder, red chilli, turmeric, and nutmeg ( coarsely ground) to it. Pulse it till you get a fine powdered spice mix. It will smell divine at this point! 

Note: This is actually known as Mandi spice mix. Check out my Mandi Chicken Rice Recipe

2. Now to prepare the marination mix, take about 1 tsp of the spice mix prepared above and to it add half a lemon juice and cooking oil. Mix well to prepare a paste.

3. Apply the paste on the cleaned chicken pieces and let it sit for about 1 to 2 hours. The longer the better.

4. Now slice the onions and chop the green chilies and fresh coriander leaves. In a bowl add all the three and add the juice of half a lemon. Add salt for taste and give it a good mix. Let it rest.

5. Now put the marinated pieces of the chicken in skewers. Add some slices of onions as well in between the chicken. Heat a tawa and add 2 tsp oil, let it get heated. Then place the chicken skewers on the tawa in one single layer. Let it cook on medium heat. Flip over every 2-3 minutes for the chicken to cook evenly. 

6. Now for the charred effect, hold each chicken skewer over direct flame of gas, it will sizzle. Keep turning the skewers to get the desired charred edges on your chicken. 

7. In the same tawa add 1 tsp more oil and lightly fry the sliced bell peppers.

8. Now to assemble, spread some base sauce on the roti. Here I have used Honey mustard because I love the flavor it adds to the wrap. Then I added a little amount of tomato ketchup over the honey mustard. Add a layer of chopped lettuce in the middle in a straight line. Add a layer of the onion slices marinated in lemon juice. Now place the fried bell peppers and finally place the grilled chicken pieces and onions. Add some more honey mustard sauce on top if you want. Serve immediately while still hot. Enjoy!

Note: If you are using a day old chapati then thaw it and warm it before assembling the wrap. You can also fry the roti in a tsp of oil and then use for the wrap.

12 October

Do you also get those sudden cravings when you feel you want to eat something gourmet but don't want to slog in the kitchen? Or you want a quick fix for your weeknight dinners with some protein side? Or just want to have something to pair with your wine on those moody evenings when you just want to sit and binge watch Netflix? All of those emotions I am sure you must have encountered at some time or the other because I have. And especially in this lockdown. 

I always liked a good chicken steak and used to always think, it would be a whole lot of work to make them, right from the point of sourcing good chicken breast to roasting them in the oven. It was just during the lockdown when ordering from restaurant became a no-no and I wanted to make a chicken pizza one day did I try and make the pan seared chicken for the first time. And from then on I have practically been in love with this easy peasy dish. I have made it at least ten fifteen times so far if not more and most of the times just ended up eating them as is even without anything to go with it.

And now I feel stupid that all those times I have been spending a bomb on those chicken steak sizzlers or chicken salads, when I could have easily made them at 1/4th the price I paid. 

The most important part of this recipe is that you need to have the bones removed. The chicken needs to sit flat on the skillet to get properly seared. Bones are a total no-no here. Either you ask the butcher to do it for you or just grab a packet of chicken breast that online grocery stores have these days. Or the last option do it yourself. I just bought the nice and juicy breasts from the online grocery store. 

This easy failproof pan seared chicken is going to change your weeknight chicken cravings. It is so easy that you will feel a bit stupid as to why you spent time in roasting the chicken in the oven for your meals. Just kidding. Every approach has its own benefits. But I really really love this, because it takes a flat five to ten minutes to get the whole thing done. When you are in mood for just some chicken side paired with a a chilled glass of wine, this is just perfect.

I have made at least a gazillion different variations in marination for this dish and everyone just turned out great. Here I am going to talk about one of the basic recipe you can try out at first before you let your imaginations loose.

Tips for making good pan seared chicken

1. Marination time is important. It will help get the seasoning into the chicken.

2. Sear the chicken in a mixture of oil and butter. The butter will help in browning and the oil will help keep the butter from burning. The butter also add a nice flavor to the chicken breasts. 

3. Cook the chicken lid on and on medium flame. It will help cook the chicken to the core.

4. Allow the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes after cooking and before removing from the skillet to cut. This will allow the juices to redistribute and ensure a juicy boneless chicken breast. 

Marination Time - 2 hours minimum

Ingredients for Chicken:

• Boneless Chicken Breast - 1
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon - 1/5th 
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/4th tsp
• Fresh Garlic minced / Garlic Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli flakes - 1/4 tsp
• Rosemary - handful (Fresh / dried) - Optional
• Salt
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Refined oil - 1 tbsp

Ingredients for Chili oil:

• Red Chilli powder - a pinch
• Butter - 1 tsp
• Bird's eye chilli - 1, finely chopped 

Equipment:

• Heavy bottom Skillet

Method:

1. Wash and pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels. Add salt, lemon juice, pepper, red chilli powder, minced garlic and 1/2 tsp of oil. Toss the chicken in the marinade to coat it and give it a leisurely massage. Now put the bowl in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least an hour or two.

Tip: Use freshly cut chicken breast for the maximum juiciness.

Note: You can either use skin-on chicken breast or without skin. Since I don't prefer chicken with skin, I always use the skinless version.

2. Take a heavy bottomed skillet preferably non stick. Heat it on medium. When the pan is hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, slide in the butter. Tilt the pan to coat it with butter. Swirl the butter until melted and bubbly. Add a sprig or two of Rosemary or thyme. This will add a nice flavor to the oil.

3. Shake off the extra marinade and lay the chicken breast flat on the skillet. If you are using more than one breast at a time take care there is enough gap between two and not overcrowd them.

4. Turn the chicken over a couple of time to coat it in the warm oil and butter. This will ensure the chicken will not stick to the pan. Now let it rest on one side and let it brown. It will take about 5-6 minutes. Cover the pan and let it cook on medium.

5. Now turn the breast over and brown the surface in the same way. Spoon some of the melted butter and oil onto the chicken. This will keep chicken moist.

6. Make a deep slit in the thickest portion of the breast to check if its cooked. If not, cover and cook it for some more time.

7. Remove the chicken breast to a plate and rest it for a couple of minutes before serving it or cutting it and using for some recipe.

8. Making the oil : In the same pan add the butter and let it melt. Now once bubbly add the chilli powder and the chopped bird'd eye chilli. Sauté it for 30 seconds on medium. The oil is ready. Now pour it over the chicken breast and serve.

Serve it hot off the pan as is or with a side of buttery mashed potato. You can also use it as pizza toppings, salad, sandwiches, sizzlers, rice bowls, burritos, rolls and practically in anything you want to add roasted chicken.