Sauteed Fish in Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce



Fish Fillet - 6
Marinade:-
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2Tbsp
salt and ground pepper - to taste
lemon juice - 1 lemon
For the Batter:-
Egg, beaten - 1 No
Paprika powder - 1 Tbsp
Salt and pepper
Cornflour
For the sauce:-
Butter - 2Tbsp
garlic, crushed - 1Tbsp
lemon juice - 2Tbsp
parsley, chopped - 3Tbsp
Vegetable/Chicken stock - 1cup
ITbsp cornflour mixed with 2Tbsp water
Method:-
Apply the marinade to the fish fillet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Mix together the ingredients for the batter except the cornflour and beat well. 
In a frying pan, heat 2Tbsp oil, until steaming hot.
Dip the marinated fish fillet in the batter, coat it with cornflour and place in the hot oil. 
Reduce heat and let the fish cook on a medium flame for 5 minutes on both sides or until the fish gets cooked through.
Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels.
Prepare the sauce. In a wok, heat the butter until it melts. Add crushed garlic and lemon juice and saute for a while until the garlic starts to slightly brown. Add parsley leaves, and saute for 1 minute. Add the stock to this, bring to a boil. Add in cornflour mixed with water, reduce to a low flame and cook while continuously stirring until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. 
Arrange the fish fillets in a serving dish, spoon over the sauce and serve hot.

Republic Day Wishes

Persian Rice with Tahdeeg

Ingredients:-
Basmati Rice - 2 1/2 cups
Egg yolk, beaten - 1 No.
Yogurt - 2Tbsp
Saffron - a pinch
Oil - 3Tbsp
Butter - 5Tbsp
2 onions, 1 chopped and 1 thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
600ml, 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup raisins
2Tbsp tomato puree
coariander, ground - 2Tbsp
few strands of saffron
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:-
Rinse the rice well and strain. Boil the rice in salted water for 3 minutes until it softens but remains slightly crunchy, stirring in between. Drain and keep aside.
In some 2Tbsp hot water, soak the saffron. Add 3 Tbsp of cooked rice to this and keep aside.
In a deep pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the raisins, tomato puree, coriander and seasoning and saute. Add the stock to this and bring to a boil. Add cooked rice, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Keep a large pan with tight lid on heat and add oil. Turn off heat once oil is warm and add the prepared egg-yogurt-rice mixture to the bottom of the pan. This will bake into a delicious golden crust called tahdeeg, which is a specialty of Persian food. Arrange the cooked rice on top of this in a pyramid shape, away from the sides of the pan, finishing with saffron mixed rice on top.
Make 4-5 deep holes in the rice and add a spoon each of butter. Bring to a high heat, cover the pan tightly with a lid. Keep on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Fry the sliced onion in a tablespoon oil, drain and keep aside.
Once the rice is done, remove from heat and keep the pan in a sink of cold water for 1-2 minutes to loosen the base. .
Transfer the rice to serving platter. Garnish with fried onions. Break up the golden crust from the base (the prized tahdeeg) and place it around the rice.

Dil Toh Bacha Hai Jee...

Lyrics(Gulzar) + Music(Vishal) + Sung(Rahat Fateh Ali Khan)
= Awesomeness


Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi

Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi

Walla ye dhadkan bhadne lagi hai
Chehre ki rangat udne lagi hai

Darr lagta hai tanha sone mein ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji

Aisi ulji nazar unse hatt ti nahi
Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi
Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi
Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi
Ra ra ra ..

Kisko ptaa tha pehlu mein rakha
Dil aisa baaji bhi hoga

Hum to hamesha samajhte the koi
Hum jaisa haaji hi hoga

Hai zor karein, kitna shor karein
Bewaja baatein pe ainwe gaur karein

Dilsa koi kameena nahi
Koi to rokey, koi to tokey

Iss umar mein ab khaogey dhokhe
Darr lagta hai ishq karne mein ji

Dil to bachcha hai ji
Dil to bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil to baccha hai ji

Aisi udhaasi baithi hai dil pe
Hassne se ghabra rahe hain

Saari jawani katra ke kaati
Piri mein takra gaye hain

Dil dhadakta hai to aise lagta hai woh
Aa raha hai yahin dekhta hi na woh

Prem ki maarein kataar re
Taubah ye lamhe katt te nahi kyun

Aankhein se meri hatt te nahi kyun
Darr lagta hai mujhse kehne mein ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Dil toh bachcha hai ji
Thoda kaccha hai ji
Haan dil toh baccha hai ji

Just listened to the remix version....its as good as the original score. Listen to it, you will love it.

Goan Prawns Curry

Goa has some real good seafood dishes. This is one such dish and it has been adapted from Lakshmi Nair's Flavours of India program.

Jumbo Prawns - 1/2 kg
Marinade:-
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Coconut oil
To Grind :-
Onion - 1 No
Tomato - 1No.
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic pods - 4 No.s
Coriander leaves - a bunch
Green chiilies - 4 No.s
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Grind together all these with little or no water and keep aside.

Extract thick milk and thin milk from 1 coconut and keep aside.

Method:-

Wash and clean the prawns, retaining part of the head. Apply marinade.

In a deep pan, add 2Tbsp oil and saute the marinated prawns for a while until the prawns start to get cooked. Remove from oil and keep aside. In the same pan, add the ground paste and saute for a while till the raw smell is gone. Add the sauted prawns to this and cook for a while in open pan. Add thin coconut milk and curry leaves, close pan and cook for 5 minutes so that the prawns get cooked through. Add thick coconut milk and remove from fire.
Serve.


Strawberry Pomegranate Mango Smoothie

Food is such an integral part of our lives...

Food brings up memoirs...

Of shared good times..

happiness....

Maybe thats why no gettogether ever feels complete without food.

Cheers!!!

This smoothie combines 3 fruits.

Fresh pomegranate juice- 2 cups

Strawberry, chunks - 2 cups

Mango icecream, low fat - 1 cup.

Sugar - 3 Tbsp

Blend well in a blender until well-mixed. Serve in tall glasses.

Chicken 65

The name in itself is mystical. What does the 65 symbolize?
The item number in the menu card of the army mess where it was first introduced?
The age of the chicken in days which should be used to prepare the dish?
The year in which it was first created?
Whatever is there in a name, the dish is tasty and a family favourite.
Here is my recipe for Chicken 65.
Ingredients:
Chicken, preferably boneless, cut into small pieces - 1/2kg
Red chilli powder - 2 Tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Garam Masala - 1 Tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Besan (Gramflour) - 2Tbsp
Curd - 2 Tbsp
Soy sauce - 1Tbsp
Curry leaves, roughly cut - a few
Green chillies, slit - 3 Nos
Method:
Marinate the chicken pieces in the rest of the ingredients for 2-3 hours in refrigerator.
Deep fry in hot oil and serve hot with onion rings, Lemon wedges and cucumber.

Weekend Movie Watch - Sherlock Holmes

Anyone who had loved Sherlock Holmes stories would have wanted to see the great man in action, his aide Dr. Watson, their house at 221B Baker Street and Inspector Lestrade. All the characters came out brilliant in this movie version.
An awesome movie...watch it for great direction, cinematography, some great acting by all the lead actors. Robert Downey Jr. fits into Holmes' shoes to the Tee. Jude Law's Dr. Watson turned out better than his book-version. Rachel McAdams sizzle her way through the movie as Holmes' love interest.
Even the action shots were great and intelligent, doing justice to the legendary figure.
Nice to have Sherlock Holmes, re-born.

Three Pepper Spagetti with Roasted Chicken




Ingredients:
Spagetti - 1 (16oz) package of spagetti
Oil - 2Tbsp
Chicken, boneless pieces - 250g
Carrot, chopped thin - 1No
Ginger Garlic paste - 2Tbsp
Green chilly, slit - 4 No.s
Onion, chopped - 1 large
Tomato, chopped - 1No
Cilantro, chopped fine - 2Tbsp
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Curry powder - 1tsp
Tomato paste - 2Tbsp
Red, Green and Yellow Bell peppers, sliced thin - 1 cup
Brocolli florets - 2Tbsp
salt - to taste
Method:
1. Boil water in a large pot and prepare spagetti as per the directions given in the package, till tender. Drain in a colander.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil. Saute' ginger garlic paste until fragrant, add the green chillies, chopped onions and cilantro and saute' till onions are browned.
3. Add turmeric, corainder and curry powder and mix well. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute' till tomatoes are done. Add tomato paste, saute on medium heat for a minute and add in the chicken and carrots. Cover the skillet and let the chicken roast on a slow fire.
4. Once the chicken is cooked through, mix in the preapred pasta.
5. Cover and keep on a low flame for 5 minutes.
6. In a frying pan, heat 2Tbsp oil and stir fry bell peppers and brocolli, adding a bit of salt so that the vegetables retain their color.
7. Arrange the pasta on a serving dish, garnish with stir fried bell pepper and brocolli florets and serve hot.

Tender Coconut Pudding

A tropical fiesta. Simple yet delicious.
While coconut as such is grown and widely used over the tropical countries, tender coconut is a phenomenon particularly experienced and relished by Keralites.

Young coconuts used for coconut water are called tender coconuts: when the coconut is still green, the inside is thin and tender, and is often eaten as a snack, but the main reason to pick the fruit at this stage is to drink its water. The water of a tender coconut is sweet (mild) with an aerated feel when cut fresh. Depending on its size a tender contains 300 to 1,000 ml of coconut water.

The meat in a young coconut is softer and more gelatinous than a mature coconut, so much so, that it is sometimes known as coconut jelly. When the coconut has ripened and the outer husk has turned brown, a few months later, it will fall from the palm of its own accord. At that time the endosperm has thickened and hardened, while the coconut water has become somewhat bitter.

When the coconut fruit is still green, the husk is very hard, but green coconuts only fall if they have been attacked by molds, etc. By the time the coconut naturally falls, the husk has become brown, the coir has become drier and softer, and the coconut is less likely to cause damage when it drops, although there have been instances of coconuts falling from palms and injuring people, and claims of some fatalities. This was the subject of a paper published in 1984 that won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2001. Falling coconut deaths are often used as a comparison to shark attacks; the claim is often made that a person is more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than by a shark, yet, there is no evidence of people ever being killed in this manner.

The cavity is filled with coconut water, which is sterile until opened. It also mixes easily with blood, so for these reasons it was used during World War II as an emergency transfusion liquid for patients who had lost a lot of blood.

It contains sugar, fiber, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and provides an isotonic electrolyte balance, making it a highly nutritious food source. It is used as a refreshing drink throughout the humid tropics, and is also used in isotonic sports drinks.

Source: Wikipedia


Ingredients:

Tender coconut juice, fresh or canned - 1 No
Thick coconut milk extract - 2 cups
Fresh milk - 1 cup
Gelatine -
Nestle Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1No
Sugar - 2 Tbsp
Method:
Take the juice from the tender coconut in a pan and bring to a boil. Add gelatine, mix well and turn the heat off. Let cool to room temperature.
Extract the milk from the coconut. Use only the thick first milk.
In a blender, mix together coconut milk, fresh milk, boiled and cooled gelatine, condensed milk and sugar and beat well until everything is mixed together and a foam starts to build on the top.
Pour into pudding dish or individual serving dishes and chill until set.
Garnish with slices of tender coconut scrapped from the fruit.

Shahi Kofta Curry

Indian food has long been synonymous to Mughlai Cuisine. The contributions from the imperial kitchens of the Mughal empire to India's culinary culture is very significant. The cooking style comprises the use of exotic spices and rich gravies simmered to a delicious blend using elaborate cooking methods like slow simmering in clay pots.
This recipe was shared to me by one of my friends and have loved it ever since.

Chicken/Beef or Lamb, minced - 1/2kg
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2tsp
salt - to taste
Cook the above ingredients in a pressure cooker. Strain the meat and reserve the stock.
For the kofta:
Grind the cooked meat in a food processor. Remove and keep in a large bowl.

Grind together the following ingredients in the same processor.
Onion, chopped - 2 No.s
Green chilli - 2 No.s
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
Coriander leaves - a handful
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Add this to the minced and ground meat. Add an egg yolk to this and mix well.
Form into small balls the size of a tennis ball.
Dip in egg white and breadcrumbs and deep fry in hot oil till brown on all sides.
Drain on paper towels.

For the gravy:
Nestle cream / Fresh cream - 1 cup
Cashew nuts - 5-6 No.s
Raisins - 1 Tbsp
Soak the nuts for some time in water and Grind together the nuts and raisins adding little bit of cream if needed.

Saute' the following in a pan adding 1 Tbsp oil.
Onion, sliced - 2 No.s
Capsicum / Green Bell Pepper, sliced - 1 No.
Green chillies, slit - 4 No.s
Curry leaves, a sprig

Boil the reserved stock along with the cream and ground nuts and bring down the flame to simmer.
Slowly add the fried koftas and the saute'd ingredients to this and mix well taking care that the koftas dont break apart. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with piping hot parathas.

Health Bytes :-
1. Use lean white meat such as boneless chicken.
2. You can bake the koftas instead of deep frying. Do not coat the koftas with egg white an bread crumbs.
Instead, bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 450F. Turn the kofta and bake again for a10 minutes. Repeat this until all sides are lightly browned.
3. You can substitute the cream with low fat milk or thick coconut milk. The gravy can be thickened by adding 1 Tbsp cornflour mixed with 2Tbsp water.

Blondies or Butterscotch Brownies

I am passionate about baking.

The whole process of mixing, baking and serving up the baked goodies are a source of comfort to me. Baking combines some of the sweet little pleasures of life...the taste of the batter, aroma of cookies getting cooked, my girls' happiness while trotting in and out the kitchen waiting eagerly for the oven door to open....I love the entire process more than the actual end-product by itself.
I have a very sweet and special guest at my home and so I have resorted to cooking some of the sinful delights since she deserve the best of everything. This is one such dish, this combines butter, brown sugar, white chocolate and pecan nuts. I have followed the recipe from
http://www.joyofbaking.com/

The ingredients:

3/4 cup (75 grams) pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
3/4 cup packed (160 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure
vanilla extract
3.5 ounce (100 grams) bar of good quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped or 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips

Method:-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square baking pan.
Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until brown and fragrant. Remove from oven, let cool, then chop coarsely.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg and brown sugar until light and frothy (2-3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract and then the melted butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then, on low speed, beat in the flour mixture until incorporated. Fold in the chopped pecans and chopped white chocolate.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until the top of the brownies are dry, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Store, covered, for two to three days. Can freeze for longer storage.
Makes about 16 brownies.

Pineapple Fried Rice

This is a classic Thai dish almost always served in scooped out pineapple shell.

Thai style fried rice stands different from Chinese fried rice with the addition of ntraditional thai ingredients like Pineapple, cashew nuts and raisins. The resulting taste is sweet and sour.
Ingredients :
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Pineapple, fresh or canned, chopped - 1 cup
Onion, chopped - 1small
Spring onion, chopped - 1cup
Green Peas, cooked - 1/2 cup
Red, Green and Orange Bell Pepper, chopped - 1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1Tbsp
Egg - 1 No.
Boneless chicken, cooked and shredded - 1 cup
Pepper powder - 1Tbsp
Curry powder - 1Tbsp
Soy sauce - 3 Tbsp
Fish sauce - 2Tbsp
Pineapple juice - 3Tbsp
Cashew nuts - 2Tbsp
Raisins - 2Tbsp
Method:
1.Boil water in a vessel, add salt and 1tsp lemon juice. Add rice and cook till done. Drain.
For fried rice, it is always better to use cooked rice refrigerated overnight. This will make the rice less sticky while preparing fried rice.
2.Heat 1Tbsp oil in a wok. Fry the cashew nuts and raisins and keep aside. Add chopped onion, spring onion, green peas and bell peppers and stir fry for 1 minute. Take it out of oil and keep aside.
3.Beat the egg with a little soy sauce. Heat 1tsp oil and gently scramble the egg. Remove from wok and keep aside.
4.Add little more oil if needed, saute ginger garlic paste until slightly brown and fragrant. Add chicken and pepper powder and saute on high heat till slightly browned. Add curry powder, fish sauce and soy sauce. Add pineapple and saute for 1 minute on medium heat. Add rice to this, mix in the pineapple juice and stir well. Add the stir-fried vegetables and egg until everything is mixed in well. Check seasoning and salt and adjust if needed.
5.Serve in a carved Pineapple boat and garnish with Cashew nuts, raisins and spring onions.




Banana Egg Pie / Mutta Marichathu


This is an easy and delicious malabar delicacy, prepared mostly for ramadan fast breaking or as a tea time snack.
The high protein content of the dish makes it an ideal food for breaking the day long fast and supplying the body with immediate energy.

Ingredients:
Indian Plaintain / Nenthrapazham - 2 No.s
Eggs - 4
Sugar - 3Tbsp + 1Tbsp
Ghee - 2Tbsp
Cashewnuts - 2Tbsp
Raisins - 1Tbsp
Cardomom Powder - 1tsp


Method:
Slit the banana lengthwise into 4 slices and cut into small pieces.
Heat a wok and add the ghee. Add banana to this and fry for a few minutes until the banana turns a golden brown color. You can also add 1tsp sugar to this.

Add cashew nuts and raisins and fry again until they are done. Meanwhile, beat well the eggs, sugar and cardamom powder.

Take a thick bottom pan and grease with ghee. Transfer the fried banana into this and spread over the dish. Pour the egg mixture on top of it. Keep the dish on fire on a low heat, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.


Slice into squares and transfer to a serving dish. Serves 6.

Tandoori Chicken


Clay ovens or Tandoor were used in India by local people from time immemorial to prepare breads. These cylindrical shaped ovens were set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal. They could reach temperatures of about 900 degree Fahrenheit and could retain this temperature for long time. Tandoori chicken started its glorious journey when a chef at a local restaurant in Peshawar, Moti Mahal, tried to cook chicken in this oven, where the heat generated by charcoal or wood, burning within the tandoor exposes the food to both live fire, radiant heat cooking and hot-air convection cooking.

The result was tender juicy meat with a smoked crispy outside that seals in all the juice. This together with the exotic flavors of the Indian spices, made this dish the ambassador of Indian cuisine all over the world.

Moti Mahal soon gained popularity and was adored by main of the great Indian leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru who was so impressed by the innovative dishes like tandoori chicken and its derivatives like Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka etc that he hosted many of his state banquets at the restaurant.

The restaurant still enjoys the reputation of being the founder of many such signature Indian dishes and has branched out all over the world spreading authentic Indian cuisine across the globe. Try out Moti Mahal for some authentic Indian food.

My recipe for Tandoori chicken.

Serves 4.

Chicken whole legs or thighs, cleaned and skinned - 1kg

Fresh Ginger - 3 Tbsp
Fresh Garlic - 3 Tbsp
Pepper corns - 2 Tbsp
Yogurt - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2No.s
Red food color (optional)

Make slashes along the fleshy part of the meat. Rub in some red chilli powder, turmeric powder, lemon juice and salt and keep aside while you prepare the rest of the marinade.

Grind together ginger, garlic and pepper corns in yogurt. Place in a bowl. Grind tomatoes and add to the bowl. Add tomato paste, kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, tandoori masala, garam masala, lemon juice and mix well. Coat each of the chicken pieces with this marinade and refrigerate overnight. 4 hours before grilling, add oil to the marinated chicken. Grill on both sides until done.

You can also make it in the conventional oven. Pre-heat oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit. Place the pieces of chicken on a baking tray and cook it for around 25 - 30 minutes until done.

Healthy Tartar Sauce

Skimmed yogurt - 1/2 cup
Low fat mayonnaise - 1/2 cup
Cucumber (peeled) - 1No
Green chilli - 2No.s
Garlic clove - 1No
Onion - 1No

Finely chop cucumber, green chilli, onion and garlic. Mix 1 Tbsp vinegar to this and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let cool.

In a serving bowl, add yogurt and mayo. Take just the prepared and cooled veggies, leaving behind any extra vinegar and add to yogurt/mayo mix. Stir well, add salt and serve.

Fish N Chips


A staple food of the Great Britain. Easy and Simple and suitable just for the day when you want something refreshing without much fuss.


All you need is
Fish Fillet (King fish, Hamour, Butterfish, Cod or Haddock) - 1/2kg


For the marinade :-
Paprika or Mild red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Lemon juice - juice of one lemon
salt - to taste


Clean and pat the fish dry. Apply the marinade on the fish and keep it in the fridge for 15 minutes while you prepare the batter.


For the batter :-
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Cornflour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Egg White - 1
Soda / Sparkling water - 1 can (enough to make the batter)
Yellow food colour


Mix together cornflour, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Add soda to this gently, mixing continually. Whisk the egg white until frothy but not too stiff. Add egg white and lightly mix in to the batter. The batter should be bubbly and light.


Heat oil in a wok. Dip each fillet of marinated fish in this batter so as to completely coat the fish. Place it in the hot oil and cook both sides for 3-4 minutes on medium low heat. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel.


For a healthier version, you can place the fillets on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and cook 12-15 minutes until cooked through and golden.


Ideally served with potato chips and tartar sauce.

New Year!!!! New Hopes!!!

So what are your resolutions this year? I found this list impressive.

1. Remember that leadership isn't about your position. It's about your influence.
2. Get fit like a pro athlete.
3. Lift people up versus tearing people down.
4. Protect your good name. An impeccable reputation takes a lifetime to build. And 60 seconds to lose.
5. Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.
6. Remember that even a 1% daily innovation rate amounts to at least a 100% rate of innovation in 100 days.
7. Believe in your dreams (even when others laugh at them).
8. Measure your success, not by your net worth but by your self worth (and how happy you feel).
9. Take an intelligent risk every 24 hours. No try-No Win.
10. Read "Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist".
11. Watch "Man on Wire".
12. Regardless of your title at work, be a team builder.
13. Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.
14. Say "please" more.
15. Say "thank you" more.
16. Know your Big 5: the five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.
17. Read your Big 5 every morning while the rest of the world is asleep.
18. Read "As You Think". At least twice this year.
19. Be willing to fail. It's the price of greatness.
20. Focus less on making money and more on creating value.
21. Spend less, save more.
22. Leave everything you touch better than you found it.
23. Be the most positive person in every room you're in.
24. Run your own race.
24. Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals.
25. Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.
26. When you travel, send love letters to your kids on hotel stationary. In time, they'll have a rich collection to remember your travels by.
27. Read "Atlas Shrugged".
28. Be a problem solver versus a trouble maker.
29. Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things-but at mastery.
30. Honor your parents.
31. Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It's one of life's best sources of happiness.
32. Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).
33. Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.
34. Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.
34. Underpromise and then overdeliver.
35. See part of your job as "a developer of people" (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).
36. Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you're real, they'll fall in love with you.
37. Be authentic versus plastic.
38. Read "The Alchemist".
39. Remember that life wants you to win. So get out of your own way.
40. Consider that behind every fear lives your next level of growth (and power).
41. Eat less food.
42. Drink more water.
43. Rest when you need to.
44. Read "SUCCESS" magazine.
45. Write your eulogy and then live your life backwards.
46. Demand the best from yourself.
47. Remember that the more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.
48. See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to grow (and therefore, as a precious gift).
49. Be obsessed with learning and self-development.
50. Become comfortable alone (you are the only person you get to be with your whole life).
51. Smile. It's a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.
52. Reflect on the shortness of life.
53. Be bold when it comes to your dreams but gentle with those you love.
54. Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile. Be successful yet stay hungry.
55. Read "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin".
56. Be of deep value to this world.
57. Own beautiful things but don't let them own you.
58. Use excellent words.
59. Laugh more.
60. Don't complain, gossip or be negative.
61. Plan as if you'll live forever but live as if you'll die tomorrow.

Malabar Chicken Biriyani


An original recipe followed by my mother and me since a long time. Adored by many of our friends and relatives, this is a dish which stands alone by itself and I find it an excellent choice for parties.

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 whole cut into pieces
For marinade
2 Tbsp red chilli powder
1 Tbsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

oil for pan frying

For gravy
6 large onions, sliced thin
3 Tbsp ginger-garlic-greenchilli paste
2 tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp curd
2 Tbsp coconut, grated
2 Tbsp cashewnut
1 Tbsp almonds
1 Tbsp kus-kus (poppy seeds)
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp mint leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp garam masala

garnishing:
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 Tbsp cashewnuts, broken into halves
2 Tbsp raisins, soaked & drained
2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves

for rice:
3/4 kg basmati rice
Juice of 1 lemon
1 handful mixed spices
salt to taste

for dum:
1 cup pure ghee
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp rose water
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp saffron
1 Tbsp pineapple essence

Cooking procedure
Clean the chicken pieces and rub the ingredients for the marinade into the pieces. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Shallow fry in hot oil until slightly browned but not crispy. the idea is to make the masala stick to the meat well.

Gravy:

In a deep pan, heat half-cup oil and half-cup good quality ghee.
Add the sliced onions and saute until nicely browned.
Add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and saute again for 5 min until the raw smell is gone. Add the powders and garam masala and saute for a minute on low fire.
Now add the tomatoes and little salt and saute until well done.
Add the chicken pieces and saute for 5 minutes on high heat.
Add the curds and ground coconut-kuskus-cashew-almonds and saute again for some time. Now, add the chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves and while steaming, turn heat off. Put some more garam masala on top and keep it tightly closed.

Preparing Rice:

Wash the required rice (1/2kg rice for 4 persons) and soak for about half an hour. Drain.
Take a large enough (almost double the size of cooked rice) vessel and take water in it.
Add salt and mixed spices (some elaichi, cloves, cinnamon, pepper) and keep the vessel covered and boil it.
Now add the drained rice and cook in open pan, stirring in between.
Test for salt and add if the water tastes less salty.
It will be cooked in 10-15 minutes.
Test the grains for readiness by chewing.
It should be JUST cooked and not very well cooked.
There should be enough water during this process and the rice should be freely flowing, not congested.
If water is less, add some more boiled water.
Once cooked, drain the rice immediately using a colander.
This should be immediately used with the masala for the dum.
You can remove the whole spices if you wish.
Aso try adding some lemon juice to the water while cooking so that the rice remains seperate.

Garnishing:

In little oil or ghee deep fry thinly sliced onions (1-2No) until crisp and brown and keep aside. Now fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.

Dum:

Take a heavy bottomed vessel and brush some ghee in it.
Put a thin layer of rice so as to provide a barrier to the meat.
Arrange the meat pieces and masala over it.
Put the rice on top of it.
To the hot milk add some yellow color, pineapple essence and saffron strands and pour on top of the rice.
Now pour some 2tsp rose water above it.
Pour some 3-5 Tbsp of ghee over the rice.
Put 1tsp garam masala over it.
Sprinkle the garnishing prepared above and put some chopped coriander leaves.
Cover the vessel and seal well with roti dough so that steam doesnt go out.
Keep on a slow fire or oven for 10-15 minutes. Ideally, heat should come from above the pan also, which is done by placing charcoals on the lid, but this step can be omitted.

Enjoy!