Aaloo Tikki with a hint of khatta-teekha!

For the last three days, it's been snowing non-stop in this part of the world. The temperature's been fluctuating so much in the last 10 days or so that I don't know how to dress anymore! I can't plan my son's outfits or any of mine for that matter in advance and have to wait till the minute we are ready to head out to figure out what jacket to take, whether to wear leggings or not, weather to carry an umbrella and what footwear to use - snow boots, shoes or regular pumps/flats! In the last 10 days, we've gone from being at 14 C to -6. And worse still, in one single day, from 8 C to -5 C!! And that's all in the day time!

With rain and snow and one short freak hail episode, we're now settling back into a time warp with it being winter at the end of March! My woes are compounded by the fact that all these weather fluctuations are adding to the taste bud chaos! I go from wanting a cool lemonade to an extra hot cup of chai to craving some spicy Indian chaat to keep the chill at bay. Not that I get to indulge most of these cravings though. Yesterday, was a particularly bad day with wind and snow and rain and chilled to the bone just looking out of the window.

It was happenstance that I ended up watching videos of Indian street food vendors. Needless to say, BAD IDEA!! And you know how it gets when the cravings hit, right? And so started a 3 hour process of boiling and mashing and frying and soaking and what not! See for yourself! :)

Aaloo Tikki 

5-6 medium size potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 cup boiled peas
1/2 cup grated paneer
1 tbsp ginger paste
1/4 cup breadcrumbs, use as required
handful of coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp garam masala
Oil to shallow fry

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes.
Mix with peas and grated paneer.
Add all spice powders: salt, cumin, red chilli, garam masala and mix in well.

If the texture of the mixture seems too soft and you think the potato patties may not hold their shape while frying, add bread crumbs till you get the desired consistency.
Note: I like to add the bread crumbs in anycase to add a little crispness to the patties.

Add the coriander leaves and mix in again.
Divide the mixture into equal-sized flatten patties while oil is heating on a medium-high flame.
Shallow fry the patties in batches turning each one over 2-3 times to get an even golden colour all over.

Serve it hot like your neighbourhood chaat waala with spicy green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney and garnish of freshly chopped coriander leaves, slivered ginger and red onions. You can also serve this with a spicy chickpea curry, serve it as a veggie burger or like do a combination like I did, serving it with chickpea curry and tamarind chutney.



Tamarind Chutney
(A sweet and sour chutney that goes beautifully with any Indian snack or as a dip)

200 gms tamarind, soaked in hot water for 30 mins to an hour
200 gms jaggery
handful pitted dates (optional, I didn't use this 'coz I was in a rush to start eating and didn't want to spend time on pitting dates!)
2 tsp ground roasted cumin
1 tsp sonth (dry ginger powder)
1 tsp black salt
table salt to taste
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (add to taste if jaggery is not making it sweet enough for your liking)

Once the tamarind has been soaked in the hot water for a while, pass it through a sieve strainer to get all the pulp out. Use more warm water to get the pulp out completely. Mash it down into the sieve while straining so that you are left with only some fibrous stuff and the seeds which you don't need at the end.

Add jaggery and dates to the tamarind pulp and bring it to a boil slowly.
Add the spices and let the liquid thicken to the consistency you like.
Taste for seasoning and the correct balance of sweet and sour - as per your taste.
Add more jaggery or sugar as needed.

Cool and store in clean bottles. You can store this in your fridge for many months.

This is a fairly versatile condiment. Enjoy with chaat, pakoras, samosas, golgappas, or your choice of stuffed parathas! I have also used this as a dipping sauce served alongside chips or with grilled tiger shrimps and other finger foods. :)

Keema Do-Piaza

The other day, I was desperately craving the Keema Do Pyaaza pizza that Dominoes makes in Delhi. And then I realised that it was the keema I was craving, not the pizza. So I set out to find a good original recipe for keema do piaaza/pyaaza. Would you believe that I couldn't find a single decent recipe anywhere?!! They all seemed to lead me to this one pakistani tv show which was awfully slow and tediously hosted. I simply did not have the patience to sit through the whole 40 minutes to get the recipe! Their printed recipe was in Urdu unfortunately. All the other printed recipes seemed to be for chicken do piaza. So I cooked up a version combining ingredients and styles I thought would give me an end result that would suit our taste buds.


So I found two schools of thought on why this dish is called keema do-piaza. Keema is minced meat (preferably that of lamb or beef), do means two, and piaz/pyaaz refers to onions. Some people claim it is called so because the onions are added in this dish in two separate lots, while others claim that it's because you add only two onions. The former reasoning seems more logically sound to me. 'Coz according to the latter, you would be using only 2 onions irrespective of the amount of meat you plan to use. That doesn't sound like it would give very consistent flavours each time.


The first technique is what I went with. Although to be honest, I did eventually use only 2 onions. :D






Keema Do-Piaza
500 gms keema
2 large onions
1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
2 tomatoes

1 tsp  chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp methi seeds
1 tbsp zeera
3 tbsp oil

Cut 1 onion finely and then brown
Cut the other onion in big chunks
Cut adrak roughly
Add methi and zeera
Add chilli, dhania powder and mix and add little water
Add minced garlic and ginger
Press into the meat while you break it into tiny pieces
Cut tomatoes small and add once oil separates frm keema
Cover and cook till keema is well done
Add water 1/2 cup
Cover and cook on low for a few more minutes

Garnish with fresh coriander and julienned ginger and serve hot with roti or naan.

'Coz I'm still a southie at heart :)

In May this year, I took on a full-fledged South-Indian meal for some of my friends here. I wanted to do a non-curry based meal 'coz that's one stereotype that annoys me no end. I mean, I understand what they mean when they say 'curry' and I have my favourites too but please Indian food is about so much more than the one tomato based gravy that seems to have caught the world's fancy! Anyway, I also wanted to do a specifically South Indian meal 'coz it isn't something people who don't know much about Indian cuisine would have tasted before.

This was my very first attempt at trying a lot of things and so a record here is mandatory from that perspective alone. But since it did eventually turn out to be a relatively successful meal, I've been wanting to post this with relevant pictures as well. Unfortunately, I was too scatter-brained to think of taking photographs of the food on that day and have been waiting to remake them so I could put in this post. And hence the delay. However, as you can see here, that is yet to happen. I'm too lazy to remake all of that or even one dish at a time! So here are the recipes for now and the pictures will come as and when I get around to it. :)

My Menu
Spiced Buttermilk served as an aperitif
Rava idlis with coconut chutney & a tomato-onion chutney
Lemon rice with roasted peanuts
Sambar
Vegetable kurma
Chicken stew in coconut milk
And a lentil & coconut milk-based pudding as dessert

Some of this I've made before and have linked to the relevant posts. You'll find the rest below.

Enjoy on a hot summer day and keep the heat at bay! 

Spiced Buttermilk
1 cup plain yoghurt
3-4 cups cold water
salt
1 tsp cumin powder
2-3 split green chillies
1 tbsp freshly made ginger paste

Blend everything together in a large bowl and chill for a couple of hours before serving.
You can also add some lime rind and a little squeeze of lime juice to kick this up a notch.
Alternatively, add the leaf from a lemon/lime tree. Does wonders to the flavours.

The consistency should be thinner than that of regular milk. Adjust the water content accordingly. And remember to stir well before you serve.









Coconut Chutney
This is my favourite go-to chutney when I want authentic flavours but don't have the time to fry and temper things.


1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup plain yoghurt
1 inch piece of ginger
2-4 green chillies, as per taste
Salt to taste

Grind everything in a blender to a fine paste. You can use some warm water or more yoghurt to help with the grinding but do not make it very runny. It should be a finely ground thick chunky mass. Do a taste test for salt and spice levels. And you're done!




Onion and Tomato Chutney/Chammandi
This was a super-duper raving hit! I was surprised by how much everyone liked it. I had people wiping the last drops straight out of the bowl! So here is the recipe for this super flavourful and simple chutney.

6-7 ripe tomatoes
2-3 red onions
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp curry leaves (optional but good to add it)
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
3-5 tbsp oil
1-2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

Cut the onions into thin slices.
Chop up the tomatoes into tiny bits.
Heat about 3 or more tbsp of oil and fry the onions till they reach a nice golden colour. Sprinkle a little salt while the onions are getting done since this helps caramelise them nicely and also quicker.
Add the tomatoes once the onions are golden.
Stir the whole mix and let it cook on a medium flame till the tomatoes have let out their juices and the mixture looks soft and mushy. You can add the sugar at this stage if the tomatoes are very sour.
Use a food processor to grind this cooked mushy mixture into a smooth paste.
Heat the oil again in the same wok/frying pan and add splutter mustard seeds.
Add the asafoetida and curry leaves and mix.
Now add the coriander powder and chilli powder, if using. Turn the heat down to low when you do this so that the coriander and chilli powders don't char.
Add the tomato-onion paste to this and turn the heat back up.
Check for seasoning. The chutney is ready to be served once you see the oil sizzling around the edges of the paste.

Have it on toast, sandwiches, idlis, or as a relish with grilled food of your choice.


Lemon Rice
1.5 cups cooked and cooled basmati rice (cook with salt)
1/3 cup roasted peanuts
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp black gram/lentil (urad dal)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 dried red chillies
1 small red onion, chopped fine (optional)
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 pinch asafoetida
handful of curry leaves or coriander leaves

Heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds.
Add the asafoetida and black gram. If using curry laves, add them now and quickly stir it in.
Add the turmeric to flavour and colour the oil.
Dump in the rice and peanuts and mix really really well. Make sure every grain of rice gets coloured by the turmeric flavoured oil.
Add the coriander leaves, if using, now.
Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute the juice. Do a taste test to check for seasoning. You can add more salt or lemon juice if you need more.
Serve hot!

Optional: You can sprinkle some freshly grated coconut and coriander leaves on top as garnish before serving.


Chicken Stew - Kerala Style
A very mildly-spiced chicken stew in coconut milk. Usually had as a breakfast accompaniment with Aapams (a kind of savoury pancake) or Idiyappams (a type of rice noodle cake) in Kerala. It can also be made as a vegetable stew by replacing the chicken with any combination of vegetables - potatoes, carrots, beans, cauliflower etc.

3 cloves
1 small piece of cinnamon
4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 slit green chilli
1 onion diced thickly lengthwise
1 Tbsp ginger paste
1Tbsp garlic paste (optional)
2 chicken breast pieces cut into bite size pieces
200 ml coconut milk
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Heat the oil and drop the whole spices in as it gets hot. This will flavour the oil subtly.
Add the ginger and garlic pastes and saute for a few minutes. Also add the slit green chilli now.
Once the pastes feel less raw, add the onions and stir fry till the onions are transluscent.
Add the chicken pieces and saute till it starts changing colour.
Now add the water and let it cook on the med-low heat till the chicken is done. The water will not cover the chicken but this is okay. The water is just to ensure that the chicken doesn't loose all moisture and that the spices don't stick to the bottom and burn while the chicken cooks.
Once the chicken is completely done, turn down the heat to very low and add the coconut milk.
Let the whole mix warm through but do not let it come to a boil or the coconut milk might separate.
Turn off the heat and add salt as per taste.

The whole process takes about 20 mins including the chopping etc and your chicken stew is ready to serve with plain rice or aapams!


Parippu Payasam (Pudding made of whole green moong lentil)
While growing up, I had a dislike for anything dal-based. Kids can be strange like that! :) But since I got married and moved away from the delicacies from the south, I have a new found appreciation for these flavours like never before. This is one of my more recent favourites from the desserts of Kerala.

1.25 cups whole green moong dal
2.5 cups whole milk
200 ml coconut milk
1/2 cup cashews and raisins mixed
200 gms jaggery
1 tsp cardamom powder

Pressure cook the lentils in 4 cups water on a medium high flame till you hear 5 whistles. Take it off the heat and let the steam escape completely before you open the pressure cooker.
Put it back on a med-high flame, add 2 cups of milk and bring to a simmer.
Add the jaggery in 2 batches stirring often to make sure it dissolves completely and doesn't settle at the bottom and burn.
Check for sweetness before you add the second batch of jaggery.
Add 1/2 cup milk more if you think the consistency is thicker than you'd like. Add the cashew and raisins.
Once the jaggery has completely dissolved and the pudding has reached the desired sweetness levels, take the pan off the heat and add the coconut milk.
Bring it back to a low simmer on a very low flame, making sure not to let it boil or the coconut milk might separate.
Sprinkle cardamom powder to finish.
This dessert can be served warm or chilled, anyway you like.

Variation: You could also make this entirely in coconut milk if you want. In which case, skip the whole milk.

Note: So I told my mom about this and she says, "Eh? Green Moong? I've never heard of any payasam using green moong!!" So, I will now change my stand on this and call it a non-authentic version but still a very authentic tasting dessert! :D

My home, my pizzeria!

The other day when my hubby was travelling, the little fellow at home insisted on having pizza for dinner. Generally, I'm super lazy to plan to go out for dinner on a weekday and that too without the hubby. Instead, I usually prefer to order in the food. However, pizzas here are not the best when delivered home and worse, they're barely warm soggy sops by the time they get here. And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's a soggy pizza! Highly Unappetising!

Since the little boy refused to eat anything else that day, I thought I'd give pizza-making a try. Even if the crust wasn't as crispy or yummy as it's supposed to be, atleast it'll be hot and have cheese melting over meat and veggies over a sauce I know we like. :) I mean it can't be as bad as the soggy stuff we would otherwise end up paying thrice as much for, right! So out came trusty ol' Google and a few key strokes later, I had a recipe I was happy to try out. It didn't involve large waiting times for the dough to rise etc so it looked perfect  to me. Besides, mamma and son had fun deciding on favourite topping combinations and the whole house smelled like pizza hut! In all, a satisfying meal and a super evening.

We're waiting to do this with Daddy now! :)

Mini Pizzas (Makes about 4 medium sized pizzas)

For the pizza base
250 gms all purpose flour (or strong bread flour)
20 gms semolina
1 tsp superfine sugar
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp olive oil
5 gms dried yeast
150 ml warm water

For the sauce
1 can tomato pulp or 2 cups freshly made tomato puree
1 large onion, chopped fine (optional)
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced fine
1 tsp oregano or italian seasoning
6-8 fresh basil leaves (optional) or dried basil
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp of tomato ketchup


To make the base:
Mix all the dry ingredients together and slowly stir in the water to form a soft dough. The dough should not be sticky so stop adding water once all the flour has come together.

Knead the dough on your counter for a good 10 minutes making sure to press the dough down with the heel of your and hand and pulling it back together. This will help the gluten get working. Knead till the dough turns soft a smooth to touch.

Smear oil all over a bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with cling film and let the dough rise for 45 minutes. And in the meanwhile, make the sauce.


Once the dough has almost doubled in volume, punch it back down and knead again on a lightly floured counter top for another  few minutes and then cut into 4-5 equal chunks.


Roll out chunks into smooth balls and press into disk shapes. Then roll out with a rolling pin into 1/2 inch thick disks and set aside on a floured baking sheet for another 10-12 minutes to rise again while you organize all your toppings and preheat the oven to 230 C.

To make the sauce:
Add oil and garlic in a pan and let it heat up slowly together so that the oil is infused with the garlic flavour.


Add the chopped onions once the garlic starts turning a light golden shade.


Add the tomatoes once the onions are soft. Add your choice of fresh or dried herbs and condiments, salt and pepper. Let the tomatoes cook on a medium-low flame for 15-20 mins. till the sauce thickens nicely.


Add the tomato ketchup and check for taste. Add sugar if the sauce feels too tart/sour. Your sauce is now ready to be spread out on pizzas or use as a base for any of the tomato-based pasta sauces.




To assemble the pizza:
Spread a thick layer of the sauce.
Sprinkle a little bit of cheese as a base.
Arrange your choice of veggie and meat toppings.
Sprinkle some oregano and/or chilli flakes.
Sprinkle more cheese to seal it all in.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or till the edges of the pizza base have started turning golden.


Enjoy your hot and crisp home-made pizza with a tall glass of lemonade!

Note: Choice of pizza toppings are varied and really up to your imagination. Here's a small list of things that you could use. I used very basic things that were available at home that day - a much smaller subset of the list below.

(Veggie)
Sliced onions
Stir fried slides mushrooms
Sweet corn nuggets
Chopped bell peppers in different colours
Pitted olives
Sliced Peperoncini
Fresh tomato slices
Tofu
Paneer
Pineapple chunks
Sundried tomatoes
Jalapeno peppers
Green chillies
Red kidney beans, cooked
Chickpeas, cooked
Smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
Mozzarella
Feta cheese
Dried oregano
Chilli flakes

(Non-veg)
Porc Salami
Leftover grilled chicken breast
Meatballs, halved
Italian sausage chunks
Keema
Peperoni slices
Shrimps coated in butter, garlic and basil

Note2: The whole process took me about 1.5 hours from start to popping things in the oven - including the time to let the dough rise, making the sauce and cutting up the veggies. I started around 6:30 p.m. and by 8:30 p.m. we were biting into our first crispy slice. So even though it looks like many steps, don't get put off by it. It really doesn't take too long, even if like me, you're making the sauce and prepping the veggies at the same time. 

My day today.... and a dessert!

Today was one of those days in life that one is likely to remember for a long time to come. Not just because of the prep time that went into it but also the resulting good cheer that came from the effort. And even though I was bone tired by the end of it, everyone had a good time and I did too! Generally, I'm too high strung on such occasions, trying to make sure everything's going as per 'my' plan and being a little anal about things, to really enjoy myself . But today was a milder form of that  for me (atleast by my normal standards) and so I had time to breathe and step back to take it all in as well! :)

What am I talking about, right? :) I volunteered to cook lunch at home for some (read 16!) of my friends and I did a specifically South Indian meal for them. I'd say about 99% of them had never conceived of an Indian meal that did not have some sort of "Curry" as a component. And it was my intent to educate them on the finer non-curry aspects of this highly varied cuisine. 

One would think that since I am south Indian myself, it would be a piece of cake. But I seriously haven't worked this hard on a meal ever! I needed it to be an accurate representation of southie food and yet keep the spices mild enough for the palates here. Add to that the fact that I wanted to make things that can be recreated by anyone here even without all the special spice mixes etc that I generally bring back from home every trip. My idea was to be able to show people that they can comfortably cook Indian here! Errrr.........Yeah! Remember when I told you I am generally anal about some things? This was me doing my best impression of it! I do try and make things more n more complicated for myself. My 7th grade Maths teacher and my darling husband will both vouch for it! ;o)

The lunch did turn out fab ultimately. Everything came out quite well and it was so satisfying to see all that effort bear fruition when almost every bowl was wiped clear off food! :) On second thoughts..... maybe I didn't make enough for everyone!!! YIKES!

I'm too exhausted right now to work out the recipes I eventually used for everything and post them here, but I promise to get it up soon. In the meanwhile, here's a very quick and scrumptious dessert you can do in under 20 minutes. It has nothing to do with anything I made today though! :)

Peach & Strawberry Vanilla Parfait (Even though it wasn't a frozen dessert, I want to call it a parfait 'coz of the texture)

1 cup thick plain yoghurt

5-6 Tbsp vanilla sugar 

2-3 pieces of peach halves from a can

Use as many strawberries as you like!

A few sprigs of mint for garnish

Whip the yoghurt in a bowl so that it becomes nice a creamy.

Add the vanilla sugar and blend it in with a spoon till the sugar dissolves.

Slice up the peach halves into thick slices that are small enough to fit your glass or container in which you will set the dessert.

Do the same with the strawberries.

To assemble: Take a glass and spoon in some of the yoghurt. Next, place a layer of the peaches on top and then spoon some more yoghurt on top. Take care to let the golden colour of the peaches show through the side of the glass. Repeat the layers alternating between strawberry and peach till you're happy with the portion size. Garnish with more strawberries and a mint leaf.

Cool in the refrigerator for an hour or so before serving.

Note: I get the vanilla sugar here in little sachets but you can make some at home yourself by sticking a whole or half vanilla bean in a pot of sugar (keep it closed) for a few days.

Enjoy!

The 'Bada' Adventure!

We managed to finally venture out of Romania for a break over the last long weekend. This was a huge deal! In the last 2.5 years of our stay here (longer for the hubby), this is the first time we've managed to step into Europe. Why? Well, 'coz we were just THAT disorganized about getting ourselves a Schengen visa!

Hungary and Budapest had to be our first stop 'coz it's just too close to not do! Fun times accompanied by some violent discussions on what we could do and what we should skip. Add to that the fact that the little fellow insisted on calling the place the Yummy city! He figured that since the country was called Hungary, the city must be called "Yummy"!! :)

Hungary is mostly flat lands. Coming from Transylvania and the Carpathian region, the change in scenery is even more obvious. About 15 minutes after we crossed the border, the hills gave way to absolute flat lands with not a single indentation in sight. The joke we had going was that when they found a hill in Buda, they immediately went and built a castle on it 'coz it was such a novelty. Okay, it doesn't sound as funny now, but it gave us quite a few smiles on our long drive. :)

So Budapest is actually two tiny cities that lie on either side of the Danube river that cuts right through the middle of the city. One side is called Buda and the other is called Pest, hence Budapest. :)

Buda is the hilly side and has the UNESCO World Heritage site, which houses the Royal Palace and the Mathias Church and other buildings of historical significance. Interestingly, King Mathias Corvin is also a very popular figure within Romania. He was infact born in Cluj-Napoca in Romania and had a fairly tumultuous journey to the throne of the Kingdom of Hungary, which is sad to have started at the age of 12! With large parts of Romania having been part of the Austrio-Hungarian empire, the popularity of common figures wasn't a surprise but it was quite interesting to see statues of the same heroes in another country.

Pest, on the other hand has always been the more commercial and trade-related region. It has the Parliament building (which is a beautiful piece of art), the National Opera, and St. Stephen's Basilica (which reminded us of St. Paul's Cathedral from a distance - we couldn't actually visit the Basilica 'coz there was just too much to squeeze into 1.5 days!).

This being our first trip to the city, we decided to do all the touristy things the place has to offer. So we went on an evening music and dinner cruise on the river, took the sightseeing bus around town and made it a point to eat the Hungarian Goulash Soup and Veal Paprikash. Both of which were yummy and reminded us of meat curries from back home!!! And ofcourse I bought Paprika - both powdered and the actual chillies! :) There are a few city walking tours that sounded really great but we couldn't risk them with the kid in tow so we've left it for hopefully another time. :)

Here are some pictures.

Mathias Church on the Buda side

Chain bridge and St Stephen's Basilica on the Pest side viewed from the funicular (vertical train)

The Synagogue in the Jewish quarter

A One-dish Chicken & Rice Bake!

I'm a complete sucker for recipes that are one-pot meals. You have your meat, veggies and carbs all cooking together in just one dish, getting done together AND having to clean up just one dish! Ah! Such pleasure to not have to worry about stuffing things into the dishwasher or worse, cleaning it all in running water after a lovely meal.

Now, this meal that I'm going to post today does take 2 dishes for me, one for the stove top and the other for the oven. But if you have a large enough iron skillet that will hold the rice, veggies and chicken all together, you'll be able to use just that one utensil to get this meal on the table.

Finish eating, chuck leftovers (if you're lucky enough to have any!) into the fridge and then catch a movie! A perfect close to an easy evening. :)

A baked dish of chicken, rice & veggies
1/4 cup plain flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp paprika
6-8 Chicken legs (with skin)
1-2 tbsp oil
1 medium sized red, green or yellow bell pepper, diced small
1 medium sized carrot, diced small
1 large onion, chopped small
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup uncooked rice
2.5 cups chicken broth or stock
1/2 tbsp Tex-mex seasoning or Italian seasoning or whatever spice you'd like to flavour the rice with
1/4 cup sweet corn

Combine flour, salt, pepper and cumin powder in shallow plate. Roll drumsticks in flour mixture to coat.

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown drumsticks over medium heat, turning several times to brown evenly all over. Drain and set aside.

In the same skillet, saute the peppers, onion and carrots until tender. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the rice, corn, salt and tex-mex seasoning. Continue sauteing for one more minute.

Transfer to a baking dish and add the broth.

Arrange browned chicken drumsticks on top of the rice mixture.

Cover and bake at 350 F / 180 C degrees for 45-55 minutes till the rice is done.

Then, uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked and rice is tender but still fluffy.

Happy eating!