Coconut Baked Chicken

Any dish that is made in coconut milk is so flavourful. Today’s chicken dish is just succulent, high in flavor and has all the right spices in it! Everything depends on the thick creamy sauce. If you are a fan of Thai food or a fan of our authentic Kerala stew, then you should try this out.

Coconut Baked Chicken recipe is adapted from @swahilifood , do check her page for the original recipe which is equally good, among her other amazing recipes. Here is my version, it is super easy and a winner all the way!! I hope you get to try it out, trust me you will love it!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (or Chicken thighs)

For Marinade
Salt 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder 1 to 2 teaspoon
Turmeric half tsp
Chillie powder 1/2 teaspoon

To make the sauce
Butter 1 teaspoon
Oil 1 tablespoon
Cardamom 3 to 4
Cinnamon stick 2
Cloves 3 to 4
Peppercorns 1 tsp
Bayleaf 1 to 2
Minced ginger 1 tsp
Minced garlic 1 tsp
Chillie flakes 1 teaspoon
Turmeric 1 tsp
Coriander 2 tsp
Garam masala half tsp
Chillie powder or paprika 1 tsp
Coconut Milk 1 can
Chopped Coriander leaves - a bunch

 

Method:
Butterfly the chicken. Marinate the chicken well with the spices. Make sure there is enough salt. Fry the chicken in a pan with butter and oil on both sides of the chicken till the skin turns brown. Then keep aside the chicken in a baking dish.

To make the Sauce:
Remove the excess oil from the pan, leaving a little. Add the cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns and bayleaf and saute it. Then add the turmeric, minced ginger & garlic, chillie flakes, coriander powder and garam masala and saute it for a minute. Gradually add the coconut milk. I didnt have to add the whole can, I used 3/4th of it. Just warm it up and add chopped coriander leaves. Everything lies in the sauce. Taste and see of you need to add more spice. Pour this over the chicken. Cover the dish with foil and bake it at 200 degrees C for 45 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake it for another 10 minutes and serve it with bread, Chappati or rice.

Notes:

If you are using Chicken thighs the baking time will be less.

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Garlic

Roasted whole cauliflower with parmesan and garlic looks good on any table. Whole baked cauliflower can be a vegetarian main dish or a healthy low carb side dish. Its quick to make and high in flavour and no work needed! And it is drizzled with garlic parmesan sauce to enhance flavour. This is my favourite go-to cauliflower recipe and I hope you enjoy making it!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 small or meduim head Cauliflower

1/3 cup Olive Oil

3 cloves crushed garlic

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp or more Sea Salt 

1/4 tsp Black pepper

1/2 tsp Chillie flakes

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a small bowl, make the garlic parmesan sauce. Whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons (28.3 grams) grated Parmesan (half of the total amount), chillie flakes, basil, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper.

Place the trimmed cauliflower head upside down (core side up) onto a dutch oven or a baking try. Drizzle half of the sauce over the cauliflower, tilting it to let it drip down the core and all around. Flip over and drizzle the remaining sauce over the top. Use a pastry brush to brush on any that had dripped down to the pan or didn't spread well.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and pierces easily with a skewer, knife or fork.

Sprinkle the top of the cauliflower with the remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Continue to bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is browned.

Above picture is copyrighted Tickled by Inspirations

Nutella and Orange Swirl Buns

I recently discovered that Nutella and Orange are a deadly combination and super addictive. These buns are so delicious and fun to make… and they are so pretty to look at! The dough for this recipe was so soft and moist and it came out so perfectly! And I must say that it is easy to make even though the process seems long. Please do try. This is a huge hit in our home and I look forward to baking more of these soon...  

This recipe is adapted from Anna Banana and I added my twist to it... 

Yield : 8 to 12 buns depending on the size

Ingredients

·      60 g unsalted butter cubed

·      250 ml milk 

·      15gm yeast

·      500 gm flour

·      100 gm caster sugar

·      1 egg

·      1 tsp salt

·      Nutella 5 to 6 tablespoon or more (please be generous with it!)

·      Orange Zest 1 to 2 tablespoon

Instructions

1.    Heat the milk in a small saucepan until lukewarm. If you are using dried active yeast, transfer about 150ml of lukewarm milk into separate jug and add 1 tsp of sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and add active yeast. Stir it and set aside for 15 minutes to activate it. 

2.    Add cubed butter to your lukewarm milk, swirling the saucepan every now for the butter to melt and set it aside.

3.    In a bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with hook attachment, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Once its mixed, add yeast, egg, milk and butter mixture. Mix together for 2 minutes on low speed. Increase the speed to high and mix for further 6-8 minutes until the dough is not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough onto lightly floured surface, roll into a ball and place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm and let it rise somewhere warm for 2 hours or more until its doubled in size.

4.    Remove the dough from the bowl into a lightly floured surface. Gently knock out the air from it and stretch it into rough rectangle shape. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into large rectangle.

5.     The longer edge of the rectangle should be facing you and spread the Nutella over 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving 1/3 clean. (please be generous with the spread). Then sprinkle the orange zest over the Nutella spread. Fold the clean part of the rectangle towards the middle, then fold the other end of the dough on top of that. Using a rolling pin, roll it over the rectangle to flatten it out and to stretch the dough a bit. (please head to my Instagram page @tickled_by_inspirations, to see the process, it is saved in the highlights)

6.    Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to trim the edges of your rectangle. Slice the rectangle in half, then each half in half again, and again until you have 8 long strips of the dough. Starting at one end of the strip, rolling, tucking the end underneath. Place the rolled bun into baking tray lined with some baking parchment. Repeat the same process with all of the remaining strips.

7.    Cover the buns loosely with some cling film and set them aside to prove for at least an hour.

8.    Preheat the oven to 175C. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 18 minutes or until golden brown and risen. Enjoy! Eat it warm.

Tips:

You can freeze these buns

You can sprinkle hazelnuts on the buns before baking for a nutty texture.

I hope you will enjoy baking these beauties and do drop a mail or a comment and let me know how it turns out!! Have a great and safe weekend!

Above pictures are copyrighted by Tickled by Inspirations

Bow to Bao Buns

Bao buns are soft, fluffy and pockets of steamy goodness. They go perfect with any meat or vegetables like mushrooms with pickled vegetables, fresh herbs and your favorite sauces. It can be served as a side or as the main meal itself.... And what I love about this bread is that it doesn’t collapse under the pressure of steaming. These buns just made me swoon and are a family favorite now. These are easy to make with readily available ingredients. Try it out and trust me, you will keep making it!

Yield 14 to 16 buns

INGREDIENts

·         1/3 cup warm water

·         1/2 cup warm milk

·         1 tbsp active dry yeast

·         4 tbsp sugar, divided half

·         2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

·         2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·         1/2 tsp baking powder

·         1/4 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1.       Combine warm water, milk, active yeast, sugar and oil. Whisk to let yeast and sugar to dissolve then let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast activate.

2.       Meanwhile in a stand mixer and a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. You could make with your hand too if you prefer.

3.       Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Blend on a low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together then on medium speed until it becomes a dough shape. Keep on kneading for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be elastic and really soft and not stick to your fingers or on the mixing bowl.

4.       Once the dough is ready, shape it into a ball and place it back to the bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes triple size, about 2 hours. Let it sit for longer if needed as it had to rise well. 

5.       Place the raised dough on a working surface and roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle flour only if you need to. Cut the dough 3 1/2-inch circle with a ring mold or glass or a wine glass. This recipe will make 14 o 16 baos.

6.       Lightly brush or spray oil on one surface of the baos and fold in half as a half moon shape. Gently press each bao with a roller and place on a parchment paper or coffee filter lined steamer so that it won’t stick to the bottom. Cover with a lid and let it rest for additional 30 minutes.

7.       Meanwhile get your steamer ready. Carefully place the steamer with the baos on top of boiling water wok/pot. Make sure water is not touching the baos. Cover and steam for 8 to 12 minutes. Please be careful when you open the lid of the steamer. You can serve this bao as a side or serve with a filling like I did!

I hope you all will enjoy making these and do keep me posted if you try. Have a great weekend everyone!

Above pictures are copyright to Tickled by inpirations

Churros Recipe to transport you to Spain and Mexico

Churros will always be my favorite comfort sugary snack. It not complicated to make… pretty straightforward. And it’s best to have it fresh and slightly warm! They are made with simple pantry-staple ingredients and fried to perfection…  And don’t let the deep frying scare you. Unfortunately I couldn’t take a video on how to fry it but do check online on how to do so. As long as you have a piping bag, a metal star tip and the enthusiasm to make a great treat, then you can make churros at home without breaking a sweat. So here is the recipe 

Ingredients

·         1 cup water

·         1 cinnamon stick

·         1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced into small cubes

·         1 Tbsp  granulated sugar

·         1/4 tsp salt

·         1 cup all-purpose flour 

·         1 large egg

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         Vegetable oil, for frying

For coating

·         1/3 cup to ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

·         3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1.       For the coating whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish, set aside.

2.       Heat about 1 1/2 inches vegetable oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. While oil is heating prepare batter.

3.       Add water, cinnamon, butter, half teaspoon of vanilla extract, sugar and salt to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

4.       Add flour reduce heat to low and cook and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until mixture comes together and is smooth (a few lumps in it are fine).

5.       Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.

6.       Add the rest of the vanilla extract and egg to flour mixture then blend immediately with an electric mixer. Blend until mixture comes together and is smooth (it will separate at first but keep mixing it will come together).

7.       Transfer to a 16-inch piping bag fitted with a rounded star tip (no bigger than 1/2-inch). 

8.       Carefully pipe mixture into preheated oil, into about 6-inch lengths, cut end with clean scissors.

9.       Let it fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to dry briefly then transfer to cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.

10.   Repeat process with remaining dough (frying no more than 5 at once). Serve warm with chocolate ganache or caramel sauce for dipping if desired.

Above pictures are copyrighted by Ticked by Inspirations

Creamy Garlic Salmon with Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes

This pan seared Salmon in a creamy garlic sauce with sun dried tomatoes, spinach and parmesan is packed with so much flavour, looks fancy and is quite easy to make! And the best part of it is, it’s all cooked in one pan. This is one of the best salmon recipes I have tried and came out so well. And I can vouch that this dish will be wiped out clean!!

The recipe is adapted from here and I have tweaked it a bit from the original... so here it is and I hope you try it out!


Ingredients

§  3-4 salmon fillets

§  2 teaspoons olive oil

§  2 tablespoons butter

§  5 cloves garlic, chopped finely

§  1 small yellow onion, chopped finely

§  1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable broth

§  4 to 5 ounces (150g) jarred sun-dried tomato in oil, drained of oil

§  1 cup heavy cream or light cream or add more depending on how much sauce you want

§  Salt and pepper, to taste

§  2 cups baby spinach leaves

§  1/2 cup grated Parmesan

§  1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon filets on both sides with salt and pepper, and sear in the hot pan, flesh-side down first, for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Once the salmon filets are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.

2. In the same pan, melt the butter in the remaining leftover cooked juices. Add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add onion and stir fry until translucent. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and fry for 2 to 3 minutes so they release their flavors. Then pour the vegetable broth, and allow the sauce to reduce down a bit. 

3. Reduce heat to low, add the heavy cream, and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season the cream sauce with salt and pepper to your taste.

4. Add the baby spinach and allow it to cook in the sauce. Then add the parmesan cheese (the best part to take the sauce to the next level). Allow cream sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through. 

5. Add the grilled salmon filets back into the pan; sprinkle with the parsley, and spoon the sauce over each filet. Serve the creamy garlic salmon over steamed veg, brown rice or cauliflower rice or pasta, simple quinoa or just bread. Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can add a dash of white wine to the sauce for more flavor, instead of or along with the vegetable broth.
• You can substitute cream with coconut cream or light cream. 
• And instead of sundried tomatoes you can roast capsicums and add to the cream.

Above pictures are copyrighted Ticked by Inspirations

Recipe for Chocolate Pie

The winter is taking its course in our part of the world… and the baking season has started. Chocolate Pie was always in my mind but I never got to try it out for some reason.... until last week I came across this recipe which is stress free! The Chocolate Pie recipe is adapted from "Baker by Nature" .… this is currently one of my favorite make ahead recipe because it tastes even better the following day. I call it as my "Gone to Heaven Chocolate Pie." It is very decadent, rich, silky smooth, dreamy and you will have your share finished in the blink of an eye…. And the texture is just perfect. This is my first ever chocolate pie and as you can see the tart shell doesn’t look perfect to look at and that is because I didn’t use a proper pie dish or tart baking tin. Other than the looks it just tasted divine.

You can serve it with whipped cream or strawberries / raspberries with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes, or just dusted cocoa powder! Either way it is going to taste divine!

I hope you get to try it out. Leaving you with some pictures to just tempt you to try and make.... Meanwhile click here for the recipe from "Baker by Nature".

Above pictures are copyrighted by Ticked by Inspirations.

Recipe for the festive season: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Holidays and traditions go hand in hand and baking will always be my favorite tradition in our household. But I think the tradition is not much in baking but rather the memories and love wrapped up in all those baked goodies and I will keep baking every year to share my love.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are my family’s current favorite this Christmas…. It’s soft, tender, mildly fudgy and covered with snow dust… and that crinkle on that cookie makes it look so pretty, festive and a crowd pleaser. The dough for this cookie can be easily made but I have to warn you that it’s fairly sticky dough so you have to roll the cookie dough into the powdered sugar and shape it so that it doesn’t stick to your hands. This cookie is a winner and I hope you get to try it out. 

So here is wishing all my readers a Happy and Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2019!! Lots of love and hugs coming your way!!

Please click here for the recipe. This recipe was super easy for me and I hope you enjoy making these!! Enjoy the chocolate goodness!!

Above pictures are copyrighted Tickled by Inspirations