Mix Spice Roasted Chicken

I can’t say this bird is super simple! But yes super delicious! This is another variation of my Roasted Chicken recipe. It has so much flavor, so easy to prepare, easy I am saying I did not use whole spices just bought already ground spices. This dish marries well with any side dish or salad.

 Ingredients

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp roasted curry powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1  tsp peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Quarter of a small onion

6 curry leaves

6 dried chilies

3 tbs yogurt

Juice of ½ lime

2 tbs vegetable oil

2-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 kg chicken (I used skin removed)

Instructions

1_In a small pan over medium-low heat, combine the paprika, roasted curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Cook stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, until spices are fragrant.

2_Add the spices to a blender or mini food processor, along with the ginger, garlic, onion, curry leaves, dried chilies, yogurt, lime juice, oil and salt, process until smooth.

3_Using a very sharp knife, make slashes on all meaty areas of chicken. Place the chicken in a large bowl and rub marinate on the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

4_Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) . Place the chicken on a rack, place the rack on the sheet  tray and place the sheet tray in the oven, Spoon any marinade left in the bowl evenly over the chicken.  Cook the chicken for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve with rice, vegetables, salads or roshi ………………………… enjoy!

Barbecue Spiced Roasted Chicken

For me easiest way to prepare a delicious meal is to roast chicken with vegetables. This time I did not use any vegetables just only the chicken. I have a barbecue spice bottle recently which I bought from lily F & B, so thought of using some spice from it. I mixed that spice with more ingredients and the result was amazing. 

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken (I used with skin)

4 tbs barbecue spice

2 tbs cayenne pepper

2 tbs tomato paste

3 tbs vegetable oil or olive oil

Extra oil for rubbing

Method:

1-Preheat oven to 190C. Wash chicken and pat very dry, but studies show that if there is bacteria washing will just spread it through, so you can decide if you want to wash or just clean it nicely. Cut chicken straight from back or if you want you can remove the back bone (I am not sure if that is the name called to the strong bone on back of chicken heehee). Mix all barbecue ingredients other than rubbing oil. Generously rub chicken inside and out with mixed paste, I use quite a bit of paste, which I think is one of the secrets to delicious tasting. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate 2 hour’s. Place chicken breast-side down in roasting pan. Brush 1 tablespoon oil all over the top of the chicken.

2-Roast chicken breast-side down for 30 minutes, turn breast side up. Brush breast side with oil. Continue roasting for another 40 minutes, until cooked through. Best to bake on a charcoal oven, but I don’t have a charcoal oven so I baked in my normal oven. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Carve and serve with a nice salad.

Baked Curried Chicken with Fried Tomato Couscous

Introducing Couscous to Maldivian cuisine, I have never seen or heard anyone cooking Couscous here, but I have seen in a TV channel call TLC some of the world famous chefs cooking Couscous in different ways. Four months before I went to do some shopping at a shopping Center called Agora & to my surprise I saw a small box of Couscous  but that day I did not buy it. Few days back I went again for shopping & bought 1 small box. This is one of the important foods which must stay in my pantry without running out of it.

Fried tomato Couscous

So the big question will be what is COUSCOUS? Couscous is actually a grain food that is comparable to pasta or rice. It is actually made of semolina wheat that's moistened and then formed into tiny grain shapes. Couscous grains are smaller than rice grains and are dusted with flour so that they can retain structure. It can be interesting to know that couscous is staple food of some regions of the world and is considered like the pasta or rice in some countries. Just like pasta and rice, the couscous can be very versatile in terms of preparation and can be used in various dishes and salads, and they can also be used to prepare side dishes. Couscous is also a very good source of protein, Carbohydrates. The best thing about couscous is that it contains no cholesterol.

Baked Curried Chicken

I cooked fried tomato Couscous for Friday’s special lunch and to go with this Baked curried chicken & Copy Fai (kind of Kale leaf) salad.

Ingredients for Baked Curried Chicken

1 kg whole Chicken (skin removed)

2 medium onions (sliced)

7 garlic cloves (chopped)

11/2 inch ginger (chopped)

2 springs curry leaves

12 pcs 2” + 1 whole pandan leaves

2 tsp Cumin powder

21/2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp fennel seed powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

31/2 tbs lonumirus chicken curry paste

1 tsp whole pepper

11/2 tbs tomato paste

2 inch cinnamon

3 tbs chilly sauce

1cup thick coconut milk

2 good pinch of dried rosemary (optional)

1/2 of a lime

Salt

1/3 cup + 2 tsp vegetable oil

Ingredients for fried tomato CousCous

2tbs chopped onion

1garlic clove (chopped)

6curry leaves

1tsp nigella seeds (Kalhu dhiri) optional

1big Tomato (sliced)

1cup water

1/2cup Couscous

2tbs oil

Salt

Method:

Roasted Chicken Curry:_

Make small incisions on the fleshy areas of the chicken (leg, breast). Leave aside.

In a sauce pan heat 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Add onion, chopped ginger, garlic, curry leaves and pandan leaves. 

Saute until slightly golden. Take half of the onion mixture into another bowl & leave aside. Add Cumin powder, Coriander powder, fennel seed powder and turmeric powder fry for 2to 3minutes, switch off flame, but don't take the pan out of stove the slight heat is needed yet. Add Lonumirus curry paste whole pepper & fenugreek seeds crushed with your fingers or a grinder, tomato paste and 1tsp salt. Mix everything together. Add 2 tsp oil and again mix. 

Now line a baking tray big enough to hold the chicken with aluminum foil. Rub this curry paste on and inside the chicken pushing some paste into the incisions and into the cavity.

When you are finished cut 3 strips of pandan leaf from the whole leaf big enough to tie the chicken. If you don't have a big whole leaf you can do as I did. I knotted three small strips to make a big strip enough to tie the chicken. I made three strips like this. Now tie the chicken with the pandan strips squeezing the legs, the wings inside, so that the flavors will remain inside the chicken. 

Cover the tray with plastic wrap or with aluminum foil & leave the chicken in the fridge to marinate for 4 hour's or overnight. Pre Heat the oven to 220C, 15 minutes before baking take the chicken, take out the plastic wrap and sprinkle half of the fried onions which was taken before on to the marinated chicken,  put the tray into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, again take the tray out now some oil will be formed in the bottom of the tray. 

Pour the coconut milk, sprinkle 1/2tsp salt, dried rosemary & put the cinnamon stick broken in to 2into the curry. Being very careful not to tear the aluminum foil mix everything using a spoon or an egg beater, again put the tray into the oven & leave for 15 minutes again take the tray out mix the tomato sauce and using a spoon scoop spoonful of gravy or curry on the chicken. Like this gos on & in each 15minutes take the tray out from oven pour the curry on the chicken. You can taste the curry at this point & add salt if you need more otherwise keep on baking like this for 11/2hour or until chicken is cooked. when cooked take the tray out squeeze 1/2 of the lime on to the roasted chicken.

Method:

Fried tomato CousCous

In sauce pan heat oil, add onion, curry leaves & nigella seeds. Fry for 3minutes until fragrant.

Add the Tomatoes fry for another 2minutes.

Pour water and season with salt, let the water come to boil as soon it starts boiling switch off the flame.

Pour the CousCous & cover the pan with lid. Leave for 5minutes, after 5minutes fluff the couscous with a folk and mix well with the tomatoes......................enjoy a yummy & a healthy meal.

Steamed or Roasted Chicken with Veg

I learnt to cook chicken this way from a Philippines friend, her name is Nancy she is a very good cook. Even beef she cooks in vegetable stock but on stove, I will post it soon, sometimes she even add kankun leaf while she cooks chicken this way. I don’t like Kankun leaves so I avoided it. In this recipe any kind of vegetable can be used. 

This will be a very new way for Maldivians to cook chicken without any curry or chilly powder or paste as Maldivians like spicy foods. But a bit change is good, just give a try I am sure it will not disappoint your taste buds. If you remove the skin of chicken this recipe will be a very healthy recipe.

 

Ingredients:

1kg whole chicken

1cube vegetable stock

4big potatoes (skin peeled & cubed)

2medium carrots (skin peeled and cubed)

1medium onion (chopped)

1/3cup water

3garlic cloves (crushed)

1tsp whole pepper corns

1/2tsp salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 190C. Prepare a baking tray with aluminum foil big enough to cover the chicken. In a big bowl rub salt all over the chicken, I like the skin on when I cook chicken this way but if you like you can remove the skin. 

Place the chicken in the baking tray, put vegetable stock cube, water, potatoes on both sides of chicken, than put 2 garlic cloves and half of chopped onion inside the cavity of chicken, rest of garlic and chopped onion mix with the vegetables, wrap and seal the chicken with aluminum foil nicely so that no steam from inside can escape.

Bake chicken for 45minutes, take the tray from oven open the aluminum foil (be careful hot steam) pop the cubed carrots inside the foil and wrap the aluminum foil.

Again put the tray in oven and roast for another 30 to 40 minutes until chicken/vegetables are soft and chicken is cooked.

Some soup will be formed inside the aluminum foil with the chicken and vegetables, when you eat with rice mix some soup and eat......................................enjoy!

Fihunu Kukulhu (Roasted Chicken)

Ingredients:

1kg Chicken (Skin removed)

4tbs Lonumirus curry paste

2tbs tomato paste

1 tsp salt & more salt

1 cup water

1 big lime 

Method:

Make small incisions on the fleshy areas of the chicken (leg, breast). Mix 1tbs of salt with 1cup of water rinse the chicken with this water even the chicken cavity then leave to drain for ten minutes. 

Mix lonumirus curry paste, tomato paste and salt per your taste. Apply or rub this paste on the chicken pushing some curry paste inside the incisions and inside the cavity.