Biryani Rice and Chicken

My cousin's daughter planned a surprise party for her mom last week. She's only eighteen so it was a potluck dinner thing. I LOVE potlucks! It's a great opportunity to try new foods and taste other people's "gourmet" dishes. I made some chicken souvlaki. It was delicious! But I had to SELL my dish to everyone. "Have you tried my chicken yet?", "It's really tender and juicy.", "Hey I didn't see you have any of my chicken!".

I'm sure by the end of the night people were turning corners as soon as they saw me coming! My favourite dish of the night was this Biryani Rice dish. I'll call it Sunita's Bestest Biryani Rice. I couldn't get enough of it! I was selling her rice as much as I sold my own. I NEED that recipe!!!

Roti with Dal and Curry Chicken

I went to a West Indian Bakery today and picked up some very yummy baked goods. I couldn't resist buying some Roti. I had some Dal leftover from my son's birthday celebration and thought it would go perfectly with it. In fact my daughter said it was the best Dal she had ever tasted. I think she just liked it because it was served with the Roti. What does it matter as long as she eats it, right?

Anyway, I called my girlfriend and told her how much the kids enjoyed the roti. She immediately offered to drive some of her curry chicken over and I'm glad she did. It was delicious! Did I ever tell you that I think I'm turning Guyanese? I love everything West Indian. I will definitely have to ask her for the recipe.

Tandoori Chicken

Chicken thighs were on sale last week so I decided last night to make Tandoori Chicken. I love Indian food but it's been ages since we've been to my favourite Indian buffet place. It's hard to get out nowadays with three kids and I would never attempt to bring them along.

I lived in Malaysia for two months when I was working and my favourite memories were of eating at the outdoor food stands. The Tandoori Chicken was baked in a clay oven and practically melted in your mouth. Absolutely delicious!

I marinated my chicken thighs with Patak's Tandoori Curry Paste and plain yogourt for about two hours. I think overnight would be better. The chicken was very moist and quite tasty but because I baked it on a baking sheet it wasn't as dry as you would get it in an Indian restaurant.

As you can see I'm still eating the Greek Salad that I bought on Friday.

Dal - Lentils

After my morning breakfast, I had a craving for some Indian food. I decided to make Dal. I have to say that it was absolutely delicious. The dish is pretty easy to make and has alot of different flavours. It's a little bit spicy, a little bit salty but it's the coriander and lime that really makes going back for more.

Dinner for breakfast?

It's only 9:50am and I'm stuffed!! I visited my "mum" today to colour her hair and she made me a Guyanese meal for breakfast. I'm always saying I'm turning Guyanese because I love everything that "mum" makes. Before I met my best friend, I had never really eaten West Indian food before. Now, I'm slowly learning to make my own.

I remember the first time I had eaten at her house my mouth was literally on fire. I couldn't talk for almost 10 minutes because my lips and tongue were numb. Now I add pepper sauce to everything. Even my egg and tuna salad sandwiches taste boring without a little bit of pepper. Mum makes her own pepper sauce and I swear you only need to dip your fork into it...any more and you'll be crying!

Today she served me some channa and jerk chicken. It's very tasty and so easy to make. She made her Channa with some chickpeas and another bean and sauteed it with some onion and pepper. Salt to taste. The jerk chicken is rubbed with some jerk seasoning and baked. It was a very hearty breakfast...don't think I will be having any lunch today.