Yes, we need to bid farewell to 2022, and what’s better than a party?
A get-together with your loved ones at home will make the event more memorable. To enjoy the party, you, the host, need to join in rather spending the day cooking up a storm in the kitchen. So, here are some easy-peasy party recipes that will keep your other hand free for champagne or cocktail glasses to say cheers for a new beginning. From chicken balls to cheesy vegetarian garlic bread, TNIE lists out some recipes to make your house party a scrumptious affair.
Strawberry banana muffin
Delicious fluffy and moist strawberry banana muffins are light and airy, with the perfect amount of sweetness and tart flavour.
Ingredients
Egg: 2
Vanilla essence: 1 teaspoon
Ripe bananas: 1 cup (mashed)
Melted butter: 113 gm
Flour: 295 gms
Sugar: 160 gms
Baking powder: 1 1/2 teaspoon
Baking soda: 1/4 teaspoon
Ground cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
Salt: A pinch
Fresh strawberries: 1 cup (cut into small pieces)
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°c. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and keep it aside. Melt the butter and let it cool to room temperature. Whisk together egg, vanilla essence, mashed banana and butter. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt. Gently fold in the berries. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over-mix. Spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only halfway to avoid. Place in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Decorate with berries. Can be stored for a few days at room temperature.
By Devi Nair, a home chef and baker
Vanilla panna cotta with mango jelly
Celebrations are incomplete without a dessert. The Italian dessert made with plump mango pieces with a creamy texture is swoon-worthy
For Vanilla Panna Cotta
Ingredients
Milk: 2 cups
Gelatin: 2 tbsp
Fresh cream: 2 1/2 cups
Sugar: 1 1/2 cups
Vanilla essence: 2 tsp
Method: Mix all ingredients and heat on low flame. Don’t boil it. When cooled to room temperature, add vanilla essence. Pour the mix into serving glasses and refrigerate.
For Mango Jelly
Ingredients
Mango pulp: 100 grams
Gelatin: 2 tbsp
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Coconut milk: 4 tbsp
Water: 1 cup
Method: In a mixer, blend mango pulp and coconut milk together. Soak the gelatin in some water. Combine water and sugar in a pan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add soaked gelatin to this mix. Remove it from the heat and mix it into the mango-coconut mixture. Now, take the refrigerated panna cotta serving glasses and pour the mango jelly and garnish with some ripe mango cut pieces.
By Priya Kolassery, a home chef
Roasted turkey salad
Wondering what to do with the leftover turkey meat from your Christmas feast? Then simply roast it with a few mild spices and turn it into a healthy salad bowl.
Ingredients
Turkey meat: 100 gm
Butter: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Pepper: 1/2 tsp
Lime: 2 (juice)
Olive oil: 2 tbs
Honey: 1 tsp
Lettuce: 1 bowl (roughly shredded)
Tomatoes: 2 (wedges)
Kiwi: 1
Apple: 1
Olives: 1 tbs
Orange: 1 (de-seeded)
Method
Marinate the turkey meat with butter, salt pepper, and lime juice overnight. Later preheat the oven to 180 deg Celsius and roast the turkey for about 45 minutes or until it gets cooked well. Preferably use foil to cover it so it will not get dry and the meat juice can be preserved for a nice salad dressing later. At the last stage or before 10 minutes of roasting, add tomato wedges to the oven. Remove from the oven and let it cool. For salad dressing, take roasted meat juice, lime juice, honey and olive oil drop by drop and mix well using a blender or a whisk. Check the seasoning. In a bowl take the veggies and fruits as per your choices. Cut the meat as per your choice and mix gently. Gently add salad dressing and enjoy.
By Govind Gopalakrishnan, former executive chef of Club Mahindra, Alappuzha
Chicken kabab ball
For all the chicken lovers out there. Snack on these meaty balls with your sauce of preference and savour it with pudina chutney.
Ingredients
Chicken keema: 1/2 kg
Ginger and garlic paste: 1 tsp
Pudina paste: 2 tsp
Coriander leaves paste: 2 tsp
Green chilli paste: 1 tsp
Crushed chilli: 1/2 tsp
Egg: 1
Sunflower oil: for frying
Bread crumbs: As per need
Method
Mix chicken keema, green chilli, ginger-garlic, coriander and pudina pastes, crushed chilli and salt. Knead the mixture well with your hands. Keep it aside for half an hour. Roll the mixture into small balls. Dip them in beaten egg and bread crumbs. Deep fry the balls in the oil. It goes well with
pudina chutney.
By Priya Kolassery
Cheesy vegetarian garlic bread
This cheesy garlic bread is simple to prepare. Loaded with cheese and crunchy crust and soft bread, each bite will be delicious.
Ingredients
Maida: 2 1/2cup
Milk: 1/2 cup
Water: 1/2 cup
Yeast: 1 tsp
Sugar: 1 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp
Mozzarella cheese:
200 gram
Oregano: 1 tsp
Chopped garlic: 2 tsp
Salt: As per need
Olive oil: 2 tbs
Method
In a saucepan, boil water and milk together. Add yeast when the solution turns warm. Add sugar, salt, and olive oil and knead maida with this mix. Knead for 10 minutes and cover with a wet cloth. After an hour, knead the mix for 15 minutes and roll it in a thick shape to fill inside an 8x8 baking tray. Draw horizontal and vertical lines on the thick flattened knead. Fill the cracks with shredded mozzarella cheese. Spread oregano, and chopped garlic, and cover with a wet cloth for an hour. Remove the cloth, and bake the tray at 200 degrees celcius for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
By Priya Kolassery
Curried chicken sandwich
Crave for some spicy bite at the late-night party? The home-cooked curried chicken stuffed into sandwich bread is a perfect choice.
.Ingredients
Boneless chicken
breast: 1
Boneless chicken leg: 1
Kashmiri chilli powder: 1 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
Coconut milk: 1 bowl (thick)
Coconut oil: 1 tbs
Onion: a few cut pieces
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Lime juice: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Sandwich bread
Method
Marinate the chicken pieces that are cut into smaller ones with all the masala powders, salt, lime juice, and coconut oil. In a pan, grill it on medium heat by flipping the meat in between. Add some onions. Once it’s done add thick coconut milk and cook it on very low heat. Let the coconut milk boil and get cooked with the chicken turning to a dry consistency. Check the seasoning. Toast the bread in a pan, and fill it with the spicy dry chicken. And serve hot.
By Govind Gopalakrishnan
Inputs: Steni Simon, Mahima Anna Jacob