Tag: advice

How to cook the perfect curry chicken: the advice of the Indian – Italian Cuisine

How to dose the spices, cook in the right way and do not miss the combinations – because the vegetables do not go there, but the rice does. And a nice bottle of the right wine

According to a recent survey Doxa Advice / Unaitalia is the curry chicken (35.1% of preferences) the most loved ethnic dish by Italians.

To reveal all the secrets is Thomas Myladoor, owner de The Guru, historic Indian restaurant, for 25 years in the capital. If there are many versions of the recipe that circulate and the variations that are made to the dish, the original version, which you could also find in India, is this one – collected by the blog www.vivailpollo.it – the platform that the association of reference of the poultry sector dedicated to chicken lovers.

Masala yes, chili too

What should a beginner in Indian cuisine pay attention to? "Certainly the balance in the use of spices – explains Thomas Myladoor – for this advice I use the masala, a mix that includes a dozen different spices, ranging from chilli to cinnamon, from cumin to black pepper to cloves, wisely dosed and with the right proportion. The only spice that can be used at will is the chili pepper, from you can add according to your tastes. "

Don't burn the spices

Another recommendation is on the cooking of the ingredients: "the tomato must be cooked very well, as if to make a sauce, while the spices are only delicately roasted: if they burn they lose their unmistakable aroma and in that case … I recommend starting over ! "

The rice to combine, the vegetables not to put

The classic rice to be used is basmathi: “it is the tastiest – adds Myladoor – it is important, however, not to let it overcook and pay close attention to cooking. Better to use so much water and then drain it, without trying to put the right water in the pot and then wait for it to be absorbed. "Several recipes combine the chicken curry with vegetables, but according to the expert it is a mistake:" vegetables alter the taste of chicken, should be served separately. "

The wine

To enjoy a perfect curry chicken, you just need to uncork a bottle of Gewurztraminer or Muller Thurgau, aromatic wines that go well with Indian cuisine, very spicy.

Curry chicken: the recipe

Ingredients for 4 people

Chicken bust of about 800 g, peeled and cut into pieces
1 and a half tablespoons of chicken masala (chicken masala)
1 teaspoon of garam masala
3 fresh and ripe diced tomatoes
2 sliced onions
blend together 3 slices of garlic + 2 cm of fresh ginger root
half a glass of coconut milk
100 ml of sunflower oil

Method

Brown the onion and add the chicken masala. After 1 minute add the previously prepared mixture of garlic and ginger; after 2 minutes add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat until a mixed sauce is obtained. Add chicken and salt. Cook with lid at the beginning for 10 minutes and then continue cooking uncovered. While finishing cooking add garam masala and coconut milk. Mix everything and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

The extra virgin olive oil is not all the same: the advice to choose it – Italian Cuisine

How to extricate yourself among the many labels of extra virgin olive oil present in large retailers? Our tips to choose as consciously as possible

Extra virgin olive oil it is not all the same: some derive from monocultivar olives, others from a miscellanea of olives, others are made with olives coming from the European Union. On the shelves of supermarkets the choice is very wide, it is often difficult to understand what kind of extra virgin olive oil we are buying. For this it is fundamental to know how to read the label, which can provide us with the necessary information so as not to make a mistake.

Labels, guarantee of transparency and quality

Each label on the bottle of extra virgin olive oil tells something about him: who has milled olives, where they have been milled and where they have been harvested for the production of that particular oil. It may happen that olives come from one or more countries of the European Union, or that they have all been collected in an Italian region and then processed in a mill in our country. In this case also the words "100% Italian product" appear. Each label then specifies that it is indeed an extra virgin olive oil, "an oil of a superior category, obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical processes ". This information is mandatory, can not be missing if it is an extra virgin olive oil. Beyond that, one must appear nutritional table, with indications of energetic value, fats, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and salt.

The "optional" information

On the labels some information can appear that better define the characteristics of extra virgin olive oil. It can be specified "First cold pressing", or "cold extracted": the first concerns extra virgin olive oils obtained at less than 27 ° C with the first mechanical pressing of olives made using hydraulic presses, while the second refers to extra virgin olive oils, always obtained less than 27th, with a process of centrifugation of olive paste. Optional information may include those relating toacidity of the oil (which can not be higher than 0.8%), taste characteristics and related to the harvesting campaign. All news that help to better understand what type of oil we are buying, to make a choice as conscious as possible.

In the tutorial all the tips to choose and best preserve your extra virgin olive oil.

the recipe and our advice – Italian Cuisine

An excellent digestive to be offered to guests after a hearty meal. Here's how to prepare it yourself with anise seeds

There is nothing more pleasant than a digestive liqueur at the end of a hearty meal.
We prepare the aniseed one at home.

Not exactly anisette

The famous Marche liqueur made with anise called anisette has a particular recipe that is not easy to reproduce at home and is not what we offer in this article.
The anise used in the meantime is not a common anise, but it is the Pimpinella anisum typical of that territory and is a green anise.
Furthermore the anisette is a distillate and consequently provides for times and methods of preparation that are very different from those of a home-made liqueur.

Homemade with anise seeds

Anise liqueur that is prepared with i aniseed you can do it at home with a few simple ingredients.
In addition to anise seeds we suggest you add the peel of an untreated lemon taking care to eliminate the bitter white part.
The secret to a good home-made liqueur is to have patience. The preparation must rest first for 10 days because the ingredients have to macerate in alcohol and then for one month after adding the sugar syrup.
The wait is all in these recipes. Homemade liqueurs can, once opened, be stored for years, always in a dry place away from sources of heat.

The anise liqueur recipe

First of all, pounded 50 g of aniseed seeds so that they release all their oil and aroma into an infusion.
Someone uses thestar anise, but for a more intense aroma and taste, use the seeds.
Wash an untreated lemon very well and remove the peel, only the yellow outer part.
Leave these ingredients to macerate in a jar with the lid together 500 ml of alcohol. Move the container from time to time to distribute the flavors well inside and after 10 days filter everything even more than once to leave only the liquid alcohol.
Separately prepare a syrup by cooking 500 ml of water with 500 g of sugar.
When the sugar is completely melted, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Add the alcohol to the syrup and pour the liqueur into one or more bottles.
After about a month you can consume it.

Other spices

In some recipes in addition to aniseed and instead of lemon you will find the cannella in splint, the cloves and the vanilla bean.
This is a great variation if you love many spicy flavors.
We advise against the use of vanillin powder that you will find in some home recipes.
Best to always use fresh and natural ingredients, especially in preserves and liqueurs.