Recipes to celebrate the festive season

LAAL MIRCHA CHICKEN

Ingredients

1 kg chicken

2 tbsp onion paste

1 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic paste

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

3 dried red chillies

1 cup chopped tomatoes

½ tsp garam masala powder

10-12 cashew nuts

4 tbsp white oil

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate chicken with all the spices. Heat oil in a pan. Fry cashew nut, dried red chillies and keep aside. Now put chicken, stir and cover. Cook over low heat. Add salt, stir occasionally. When the oil separates, add hot water and cook for some time. Remove from heat. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and dried red chillies. Serve hot.

CHICKEN HONEY KABAB

Ingredients

500g boneless chicken

3 tbsp soy sauce

1/3 cup honey

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp black pepper powder

4 small onions

2 red bell peppers

1 tsp butter

3 tbsp white oil

Method

Slice onions and bell pepper. Mix oil, soy sauce, black pepper and garlic in a mixer. Marinate chicken with half of this paste, sliced onions and bell pepper for 3-4 hours. Place chicken pieces, bell pepper and onion in a skewer and grill.

LABANGO LATIKA

Ingredients

250g flour

½ tsp baking soda

4 tsp white oil

Oil for frying

For filling —

100g mawa

6 tbsp grated coconut

6 tbsp sugar

½ tsp cardamom powder

For syrup —

1½ cup sugar (extra 1 cup)

2 tbsp lime juice

14-15 clove

Method

Mix mawa, coconut and sugar together. Heat pan, pour the mixture and cook over low heat. Stir nicely and when it becomes sticky, remove from heat, add cardamom powder.

Make syrup in two separate bowls. Boil 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a pan. Add lime juice. Make a thin syrup. In another pan, boil 1½ sugar and ¾ cup water with lime juice to make a thick syrup.

Mix flour, baking soda and oil nicely. Add water and make a dough. Take small portions at a time and roll it, place filling at the centre and cover it from four sides. Close with a clove. Fry. Dip in thin syrup first and then in the thick syrup. Remove from syrup after some time.

Photo Courtesy: Sharmila Basu Thakur