OVEN COOKED PEPPERY CHICKEN & AAMCHOOR ALOO

Its a beautiful, sunny morning.. you never can predict the weather here however.... it was cloudy an hour back. I did wake up healthy after a "dahi poori" session around 8pm yesterday, in fact feeling refreshed very much. Ask me why? There are a couple of reasons you know. Until 1am I was listening to the iconic Ustad Rashid Khan, I am his fan and can listen to him for hours.... "albela sajan ayoo to yaad piya ki aaye".... the Indian community in the island is smaller than that of the bahargaon.... I can understand it is difficult to arrange sessions with such talents every year or do I miss them? I saw him on stage some 4 years back. Another reason of joy was to get some fresh "data" in a local Chinese shop yesterday, amazing na? My side of the family cooks the hard stem either with potato & jackfruit seeds or with potato and prawn. I am going to cook with prawns in few hours from now, hopefully to blog about it once I am back from Kolkata. I do have Bengali themed chicken recipes in hand to share, but I felt that can wait and this vegetarian and non vegetarian snack combo OVEN COOKED PEPPERY CHICKEN & AAMCHOOR ALOO should go up today. 

I was surfing my Google photos and found Bengali fish recipe pictures from 2017-2018 which I am yet to blog about, okay I will. The mother too is causing irritation trying to relate everything that is Indian here to Bengal or Bengali.... I severely dislike it.... "dekh Bangali money hocchey" I am like "stop it mani, there is a country called India, of which Bengal is a state, a state which will become a non-entity if they do not live in the present, even Tagore cannot save them".... People migrate there from different states, build palace even selling "khaini" and the "amra Bangali" do 'doshta-pachta apish" and give big talks, calling people "unpar-gawar, uncultured".... totally oblivious of the fact that the majority of Bengalis work "under" these "uncultured"..... we have to realise, accept and do something. I am with Bengal's cultural & food circuit, not with those who at all times deny themselves to be a part of a sovereign State called India. I was telling the mother that she and her son are influencing each other very wrongly. I will not give in to that, I have my father and husband's ideologies working inside too. I told the mother when it comes to talent, appreciate the quality wholeheartedly, do not be regionalistic. "Bengalis anyway do the "bambooing" act most on each other, look at the brotherly feelings among the people of other states and learn.

From Ustad Rashid Khan, I have now reached Kaushiki Chakroborty, she inherited the qualities of her father in the right amount. Each day, I have to listen to music, from one genre to another, among the few genres I love.... raps, loud music is not for me. Once back from Kolkata, I should be able to sit with music in a lonely home, at times would visit my music teacher for a therapy. Yesterday, my entire time outside was spent listening to music and walking from this store to another. On my way back, I saw three dedicated, elderly souls practicing outside our condominium around 8:30pm, my mother-in-law has a bag full of complaints at all times, it irritates me way too much..... all day she is sitting at home, watching television and complaining. Such kinds actually die long before they are brain dead. They have not seen the hardships of people actually. I enjoy being with positive, spontaneous people, they help me go on with life! Three of such kinds you can see below.

Do not you think I should share the combined vegetarian and non-vegetarian snack recipe of OVEN COOKED PEPPERY CHICKEN & AAMCHOOR ALOO done using freshly ground black pepper and dry mango powder in the marination today? I think these two snackers required the simplest marination I have ever used in my kitchen. Kids who enjoy cooking can prepare them too, at this home the mumma has to do it. Although they fall under the snacker category, we had them for dinner a month back, the rest got toasted butter bread, I had that salted tomato

INGREDIENTS FOR THE OVEN COOKED PEPPERY CHICKEN :

CHICKEN LEG OR BREAST OR BOTH : 5-6 PIECE
FRESH COARSELY GROUND BLACK PEPPER : 1/2 TSP
LEMON JUICE : 3-4 TBSP
GINGER EXTRACT : 1TBSP
GARLIC EXTRACT : 2TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED [SEA SALT PREFERRED]
OIL : 2-3TBSP + 2TBSP TO BRUSH

INGREDIENTS FOR THE AAMCHOOR ALOO :

POTATO : 2-3
AAMCHOOR / DRY MANGO POWDER : 2TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 1TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP
LEMON JUICE : 2TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 2-3TBSP + 1TBSP TO BRUSH


PROCEDURE :

Let us do the PEPPERY CHICKEN  first.

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly. Pat dry.

Marinate with 2-3tbsp of oil, lemon juice, ginger and garlic extract, fresh coarsely ground black pepper and salt as required.

Fold in very well. Keep refrigerated in an air tight container for 5-6 hours or overnight.

Take out an hour before cooking. Grease an oven proof tray with oil. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer. Pour over the marinade evenly.

I work with a convection mode microwave oven, I used the microwave+grill mode.

I took the chicken pieces along with the marinade in a greased oven proof plate! Then I placed the low height wired stool inside & on top of it the plate!

I cooked in the microwave+grill mode for 15 minutes; paused & brushed oil! I turned over, brushed oil & cooked for 5-6 minutes; again turned over & cooked for 3 minutes! We should be done.

Now let us do the AAMCHOOR ALOO / Potato with Dry Mango Powder.

I am a diabetic who loves potatoes! I peeled, washed & cut the potatoes lengthwise!

 I then marinated them with the aamchoor / dry mango powder, turmeric + red chilli powder, lemon juice, salt as required.

The marinated potatoes are to be kept aside for an hour or so. We will then place them in a single layer on a greased grill proof tray.

We will place the low height wired stool inside with the plate atop if using a convection mode microwave oven. We will then cook in microwave+grill mode 10 minutes; pause & brush oil; cook for another 2 minutes!

Always serve & have them hot & fresh.