It’s time for festivities. Here are two quick recipes which look good, taste good and add something new to your menu

Tangy chicken

3 pieces of boneless chicken breast

2 tbsps of Szechwan chutney

3 tbsps mustard oil

Salt to taste

2 tbsps of honey

2 tbsps of tomato sauce

1 tsp of soya sauce

1 tsp chillie sauce – optional

Small bunch of curry leaves

2 tbsps roasted crushed peanuts for garnishing

4 tbsps of butter or ghee

Make slashes in the chicken breast and keep aside. Make a marinade with the schezwan chuntey, mustard oil and curry leaves and marinate the chicken pieces with this and keep aside for 20 minutes. Heat ghee in a non stick pan. Place the chicken breasts. Cover with a lid and lower the heat and cook the chicken till tender. Turn once so that both sides are cooked. Add all the sauces and stir gently, turning once again so that the sauce is on both sides of the chicken. Serve garnished with crushed peanuts. Can be served as a snack, starter or as a main course. Add a few stir fried veggies and garlic bread for a full meal.

Mutton keema-chana dal samosas

You can use samosa patties to prepare the samosas or use the following

For the samosa cover/case

2 cups flour – maida

Half cup wheat flour – atta

Salt to taste

3 pinches ajwain

4 tbsps ghee

For the filling:

3 cups of finely minced mutton keema

Half cup of chana dal, soaked for 4 hours

Salt

2 tsps of roasted jeera powder

Half tsp of annar dana powder or amchur powder

1 and a half tsps of garam masala powder

3 tbsps of ghee

Oil or ghee for deep frying the samosas

Drain the chana dal after soaking for 3-4 hours. Heat the ghee and add the minced meat and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Mix in the spices and the chana dal and continue to fry and cook on medium heat. Take out from the pan and add transfer to a pressure cooker. Add just half cup water and pressure cook for 2 whistles so the keema and chana dal are cooked but the mushy. There should be no water remaining in the mixture. Pls ensure this or else transfer to a pan and cook till the mixture is absolutely dry. If you don’t want to use a pressure cooker you can cook the mixture in a non-stick pan, cover and cook on low heat till the keema and dal are cooked and soft. Your mixture is ready.

Now roll out small puris from the prepared dough. Cut each puri into two halves. Working with each half – fold each half into a cone shape. Place a small portion of the filling and seal from the top. Prepare all the samosa and then deep fry in oil on medium heat a few at a time.

Variation: you can use potatoes and chana dal mixture filling for vegetarians