Electrical Design and Yummy Green Chicken

The burning question here (no pun intended) must be, “What does chicken have to do with electrical design?” and in truth, the answer is absolutely nothing! The thought of Green Chicken came to mind because of the warm days in the middle of winter – I wanted to fire up the barbeque. Many of my camping trips and barbeques would have been less memorable without the inclusion of this dish. If I am going camping with my friends, it is automatically expected that Green Chicken will be on the menu. Having said that, there are some great parallels to be drawn between cooking and design, give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out.

Concept and Philosophy

This led me to think about the whole idea that we all crave the tastiest meals and would much rather have a yummy spiced-up barbequed chicken rather than simply putting the chicken on the fire with some salt. But, we are more than happy at times to pick a bland design solution that does nothing for us except to provide a rudimentary way to complete a design. There is no automation, there is extra work to make it palatable and the end result isn’t good at all.

E3.series, just like this Green Chicken, is spiced-up, helps you make the project memorable and is a lot less work. Enough about the philosophy though, let’s get to the best part, how to make Green Chicken.

We will get nowhere without an ingredient list, or if you want to call it the Bill of Materials. It would be nice if this was created automatically because I for one am not very good at figuring out the quantities of items that go into my recipe; most often it is a pinch of this and a dab of that till it tastes just right. Like any good cook book, your design tool should provide a BOM on demand and not require that you make one manually every time!

The lack of basic information while making a design or a recipe can spell disaster, especially if you are working against a timeline.

Thankfully we have an ingredient list for this recipe, thanks to my wife who wrote it down. For some reason, this chicken was never very green when I made it…until she wrote the recipe down.

Bill of Materials for Green Chicken

It is called Green Chicken because it is green in color – the most unimaginative name for a dish! I am sure this is not a completely original recipe but it is something I made and feel like it is my creation. Green Chicken is categorized as being rooted in Indian cuisine but is not very spicy (unless you want to make it spicy!). It is creamy and earthy and melts in your mouth when cooked appropriately – the best results are when you are overlooking a serene lake and have it cooking over red-hot coals, music playing in the background, and a drink in your hand. I’m personally imagining a nice single malt while cooking and a glass of red wine (Malbec – not too dry) while eating the chicken.

The recipe is described step by step and we will be using the ingredients from some pre-prep later in the process.

Recipe: One step at a time

Step 1: Making Hung Curd

Item No. 17 for our ingredient list

3.5 pounds  (3 to 6% yoghurt) put in a muslin/cheese cloth tie it up and hang to drain (I tie over the kitchen sink on the faucet overnight) for 2-4 hours depending on the yogurt and if you are helping drain the water faster – after the water drains what you have is cream. You can use heavy cream instead (something like Devon Double Cream which I have used before). Using hung curd makes this recipe lower in fat content and better tasting.

You will notice another similarity between design and a recipe the use of units both Imperial and Metric. This is also a challenge for so many design teams to get everything in the correct unit for different regions. An intelligent design tool really goes a long way in making that easy for you.

Step 2: Do you use a butcher?

I usually buy the chicken from a butcher rather than a supermarket so I get it cut to the right size (so much easier and cleaner). If you don’t have a butcher shop close by, a supermarket will work just fine. Chop the chicken into medium-sized pieces for best results. We are going to skewer the chicken pieces at the end so keep that in mind while preparing the chicken.

Step 3: Get the spices ready to use

Item No.18 for the ingredient list

Toasting the whole spices before grinding them brings out the best flavor and texture. Take a medium pan and lightly toast/roast the items 3 through 8 for about 60-90 secs. Once cooled, grind them to a coarse powder in a coffee grinder. Set the spice mixture aside and we will use it for our marinade later.

NOTE – Indian kebob or tandoori preparations have a 2-stage marination process. The first marinade is to break the meat down and add some of the more basic flavors and then the second marinade contains the unique twist.

Step 4: First Marinade

In a large dish, mix Ingredients items no. 9 through 14 and add salt to taste (approx. 3 tbsp.) Mix well to form a paste. Add the chicken to the dish and apply the marinade generously over it massaging the marinade over the chicken as you go. Cover and place the chicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour (60mins).

It is ok to marinate for 30mins if you’re running short on time, and up to 2 hours for maximum flavor. If you are keeping it for 2 hours though, I would wait for a bit before I jump to the next step of making the second marinade.

Step 5: Second Marinade

In a blender/grinder/food processor add ingredient items 1, 15, 16, 17, 18 (from step 3) and blend it all together. The consistency you are looking for is smooth and somewhat like eggnog.

The milk or cream is used to ensure you are not blending ingredients dry. Depending on your equipment you will have to either do it in batches or just stop and mix it so you don’t kill your blender. Don’t add too much liquid though or it will become too free flowing to hold on the chicken. The marinade thickens after it is kept in the refrigerator.

Now all we have to do it add this marinade to the chicken that is already marinating in the fridge. Mix it well and adjust salt and spice if needed

Add more salt if necessary – the marinade should taste a touch saltier than you want the chicken to taste. The flavor of salt and the marinade will mellow after you cook the chicken.

Let the chicken marinate overnight in the refrigerator for best results, but 3-4 hours will do if you are in hurry to consume this heavenly chicken. If you are planning to take it to the lake or camp spot – I would use Ziploc bags and put the chicken and marinade in there and freeze it.

Step 6: Skewer and Grill

Skewer the chicken and to add some flair, cut up some piece of onions, green peppers to add to the skewer. Check for salt and spice – this is kind of your last chance before cooking. Skewering is not necessary and if you want to put it straight on the barbeque then I would manage the size of the chicken appropriately.

Grill it to perfection all the while basting it to ensure it does not dry out – you can use oil or if you have marinade left over then you can always apply that over the chicken at the start. The cook time will vary based on your barbeque but to give you a general idea of time if you were cooking in a convection oven – I would cook the chicken at 425-450 for 15mins on one side, 5 mins on the other and then finish off with 5 mins on the high broil setting. Once off the grill, cover it with foil and let it rest to finish off the cooking process until it reaches 165° Fahrenheit (75° Celsius).

Step 7: Finally, Serve and Devour

At this stage, I am already picking off the pieces as it is coming off the grill and that is the best way to eat it. A pita or naan bread would go very well with the chicken if you were sitting down and eating like civilized folk.

A gourmet starter presentation for this chicken would be served the chicken topped with a little Avocado and goat cheese. The base of the chicken could be a toasted pita or better yet, fried pita.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and let me know if there are some changes we can make to enhance the flavor. It is so difficult to relay what something tastes like in words and that is the same with trying to get your concept for a design translated to someone who is going to build it. The documentation, if not detailed in steps and complete with a list of ingredients and notes, is going to be a back and forth conversation. We have all struggled with this at some point. The right tool for your work can do wonders by increasing productivity and reducing errors.

I love this chicken recipe but you may find it just ok or might not like the whole green Martian theme – whatever the reaction I would like to hear from you. It’s the same with E3.series, I love the way it helps me make great electrical designs and I would encourage you to give that a try too.

Zuken Test Drives are available without the need for any installation on your computer. One try and you’ll feel the difference in power and performance.

Get started here.