Chilli Chicken

Hello everyone

Hope u had wonderful new year.... I was busy with other things in life..its been long time since my last post..lots of things to catchup from fellow blogger sites...

My recipe is all about indianised version of Chili chicken. It goes very well schewan fried rice!!!

Ingredients:

1 lb Boneless chicken
8 Red chillies (slit it sideways)
1 onion (Cut to bite size or dice it)
1/2 tbsp pepper powder (Adjust to taste)
1 egg
2" ginger chopped to fine pieces
10 garlic flakes chopped to fine pieces
Cashew nuts
1 tbsp & 2 tsp corn flour
salt
oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chili garlic paste
Dry sherry (optional)
Chicken broth (optional)


Preparation:

Marinate chicken with 1 tbsp cornflour, salt pepper and egg. Mix it and leave for 30 mts. Deep fry until chicken is almost cooked say 75%. Remove from heat and reserve.

Heat oil in a pan. Add red chillies fry till the oil turn almost brown. Add Ginger and garlic and fry for few mts. Add diced onion and cashew nuts, fry till translucent. Add pepper powder, soy sauce and chili garlic paste. saute for couple of mts. Add 1 cup of water or 1 cup of water with 1/4 cup of dry sherry. Bring to boil. Add fried chicken and cook for 5 mts. Meanwhile, mix the remaining cornflour with half cup of water. Add this mixture to the gravy. cook till the mixture is thickened. Remove from heat..Serve hot with Fried rice...

schewan chicken Fried rice

Chinese fried rice is one of my all time favourite dish. I love the way its made in fast food shops. Even though i like the Chinese version made here, I still prefer our Indian version. This is one such recipe which is done again and again in my kitchen...






Ingredients:


1/2 kg Boneless chicken
1 egg
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup carrots, cabbage cut to juliennes
1 onion
1 capsicum cut to juliennes
8 garlic flakes finely chopped
1" ginger finely chopped
1 bunch spring onions
2 tsp redchilli paste
1 tsp tomato sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste


Preparation:


Red chilli paste: soak about 10-15 dried red chillies for 15 mts. Grind to a fine paste.


Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and ginger pieces. saute for few mts. Add chicken pieces and fry for 5 mts in medium-high heat, Add capsicum, carrot, cabbage and cook for few more mts. Once the veggies are half cooked,move them to the corner of the pan. Break the egg and scramble it. once it is cooked mix it with remaining veggies. Add the remaining ingredients except rice and saute for 5 mts or till the raw smell vanishes. Finally add the cooked rice and mix thoroughly. Adjusts salt. Saute in high heat for 5 mts. Remove from heat. Serve hot with any chinese side dish!!!!

Chicken biriyani and Peanut chicken

Biriyani is my all time favourite dish... Weekends are incomplete without Biriyani.. Its such a important part of my cooking. I try out different recipes, though my favourite is biriyani made my mother... This recipe is from Vah chef from YouTube..It looked colourful and tasted very good...




Ingredients:

Gravy:
whole garam masala ( 3 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1" cinnamon stick)
1 onion
salt
1 tbsp g&g paste
1 lb chicken
2 tbsp biriyani masala
3 green chillies
3/4 cup mint leaves and coriander leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup yogurt
2 tbsp oil

Rice:
2 Cups RICE
Shahi Jeera
OIL
salt

Garnish:
Food colour
1/4 mint leave and coriander leaves
cashew nuts
fried onion

Preparation:

Gravy:

Heat oil in a pan. Add whole garam masala and Sliced onions. Saute till golden brown. Add salt and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 5 more mins. Add chicken pieces, chopped green chillies and Biriyani masala. Chicken will start oozing out water, at this stage add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook till chicken is tender.

Rice:

In the meanwhile, Boil 6 cups of water. Add salt, oil and shahi jeera to the water. Soak basmati rice for 45 mts. Add the soaked rice to the boiling water. Cook till 75% done. Remove from heat and strain the remaining water.

Assembly:

First layer should be gravy. Add rice on top of it. Add 1/4 cup mint leaves and coriander leaves and fried onion. Again, add the remaining gravy and rice on top of it. Finally, sprinkle the food color water, remaining gravy( if any), cashew nuts and fried onion. Place this back on the stove at low heat. Cook for 30 - 45 mts. Make sure it is on low heat...Remove from heat. Mix slightly without breaking the rice...Serve hot!!!




Peanut chicken fry:

This recipe was adapted from Chef. Damodaran's TV show... New combo of peanut and chicken was different yet tasty!!!!



Ingredients:
1lb boneless chicken
1/2 onion
1/4 cup peanut paste ( one handful peanuts, roasted and ground to paste)
2 tsp redchilli powder
3 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp pepper powder
2 green chillies
few curry and mint leaves
1 tsp tamarind paste

Preparation:

Marinate chicken with peanut paste, tamarind paste,redchilli, turmeric, coriander and pepper powder, salt and chopped onion. Leave for 30 mts. Heat oil in pan, add curry leaves and mint leaves. Add marinated chicken and cook till tender. It should be a dry fry. Once the oil oozes out and water is evaporated. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot!!!

Chicken soup

Chicken soup is available in many versions... All time favourite is home- made spicy chicken soup. This is considered as best remedy for cold. The soup will be in watery consistency rather than the thicker versions available in Chinese cuisine.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb chicken

1 onion finely chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)

salt to taste

Pepper powder

oil

Preparation:

I always use chicken with bones to enhance the taste of soup. Combine all the ingredients in pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water. Cover and cook for 1 whistle. Remove from stove top. let it cool down. Open the cooker, the chicken should be fully cooked. Use a strainer and strain all the liquid from cooker. If u prefer, add few cooked chicken pieces. Garnish with coriander. Serve hot with Garlic bread!!!!

Asian Stir fry

Chinese is my favourite cuisine after south Indian cuisine. Names of the dish might be different, basically they are made up of same sauce with different ingredients. I always try to make chinese curries and fried rice, to avoid restaurant trips.. In this economy its better to stay indoors and enjoy restaurant style home made food. Its very easy to prepare this curry if u have minimal ingredients. Lets see how its made....



Ingredients:

4 chicken Thighs
12-15 baby mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup broccoli, steamed
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp crushed black pepper
2 tbsp light cooking oil
salt to taste

Preparation:

MARINATE chicken with salt, turmeric and chilli powder, and set aside for half an hour.

HEAT oil, and saute onions and garlic till fragrant. Add in mushrooms and fry till lose moisture and turn brown.

ADD chicken, cumin powder and crushed black pepper, soy sauce, tomato paste and mix well to incorporate spices. Let chicken fry for 5-10 minutes, turning once, till it starts to brown. Add about a cup of water, cover, and let simmer till chicken is cooked through. Add more water if it begins to dry up. Add broccoli and cook for another 5 mts. Remove from heat, add peanuts.



Serve hot with Egg fried rice..

Spicy chicken curry

Every time, I look for some new recipes to cook with chicken..U cook chicken every w/e and u don't want the "same old chicken gravy " expression from ur other half...I am in constant search for recipes..I found this recipe from Sailu's kitchen.. I loved this recipe, my friend who came over for dinner loved it too..

Sailu, Ur recipe is Tried, Tasted and Certified:Excellent!!!!

I adapted the recipe from here...

Ingredients:

Marinate:
½ kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces
3 tbsp curds
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your spice level)
¼ tsp turmeric pwd
salt to taste

Make a paste:
6-7 cashewnuts
4-5 tbsps milk

Dry roast and make a fine powder:
1” cinnamon
10-12 curry leaves
3 cloves

Rest of the ingredients:
3-4 tbsps oil
2 big onions finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp black pepper powder (adjust to suit your spice level)
¼ tsp cumin powder
coriander leaves for garnish

Preparation:

Dont get deceived by this big list of ingredients..the curry tastes very good.. Do give it a try...I didn't do any change to the recipe just followed the footsteps of sailu...

1 Marinate chicken pieces in chilli powder, turmeric powder, curds and salt for 20 mts.
2 While the chicken pieces are marinating, make a paste of cashewnuts and milk. Keep aside.
3 Dry roast cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves for 1 mt and make a powder of them. Keep aside.
4 Heat 1 1/2 tbsps of oil in a cooking vessel. Add the onions and saute till pink. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute further for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
5 Add coriander pwd, cumin pwd, pepper pwd and combine well and fry for another minute.
6 Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine well and cook till oil separates.Turn off heat. Cool and grind the cooked masala. Keep aside this masala paste.
7 Heat 1 1/2 tbsps oil in a cooking vessel and add the marinated chicken and cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes, reduce heat and cook covered for another 4-5 minutes.
8 Add the ground masala paste, cashewnut paste and ground powder of cinnamon,cloves and curry leaves and combine well. Cook till chicken pieces are soft and you get the desired curry consistency. Adjust salt.
9 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Round shaped Chicken Kebab

Chicken kebab is a perfect party food. When I was in Aberdeen, I was surprised to see loads of kebab shops...in every corner..they serve kebab with pita bread and veggies. After Fish & chips, kebab is the most liked fast food in UK. I never liked the taste of it. I was going through Sailu's site and found this awesome recipe. My hubby was overwhelmed by the taste of it. My friends appreciated me for making such a wonderful dish.

Thanks Sailu...Ur recipe is Tried,Tasted & Certified: Excellent.

I made this chicken kebab as a appetizer,The plate was empty within few minutes..The picture doesn't do any justice to the taste of the dish. I had no time to take further pictures coz 'hungry eaters' waiting for appetizer.. Next time sure to get good click of the kebab!!!

(Recipe source)

Ingredients:

1/2 kg boneless chicken pieces, cleaned and washed
1/4 kg onions finely sliced
8-10 fresh green chillies
5-6 dry red chillies (adjust according to your choice)
15-20 garlic flakes
3″ piece ginger chopped
small bunch coriander leaves, chopped
4 tbsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
2″ cinnamon stick
3 green cardamoms
5-6 cloves
20 cashewnuts
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Preparation:

I didn't do any modification, Just followed the recipe as mentioned by sailu!!!

1.Heat a tbsp of oil in cooking vessel. Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, cloves, Cinnamon, red chillis and cashewnuts and stir for a minute till a nice aroma emanates the whole kitchen. Be careful not to burn the spices. Cool.

2 .First grind the roasted ingredients along with ginger, garlic and green chillis to a coarse paste. Next add the chopped raw onions, coriander leaves, chicken and salt and grind further to form a smooth paste like shown in the picture above.2 Add a tbsp of oil to the ground mixture and mix thoroughly before shaping into small lemon sized balls.

3 .Heat oil for deep frying. Once its piping hot, reduce flame to medium and place these balls in the oil and fry them to a crisp, golden brown color.

4.Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chutney.

Ginger Chicken

Ginger chicken reminds me of my college days. I usually take college bus everyday. During our final year we get off in afternoon...We used to take private bus and get off at a stop called Hopes college (Coimbatore)Its like a student hub. U can see students wandering all around the place...Restaurants, copiers, Internet cafe what not... When we felt hungry, me and my friends used to go to a restaurant. I don't remember the name. I love ginger chicken and chickoo ice cream served at this restaurant... I could never find the same taste in any restaurant. I tried to reproduce the same taste but could only reach halfway!!!!
Enough of story...Lets look at the ingredients..

Ingredients:
Chicken - 2 lbs
Ginger - 21/2 " piece
Onion - 2
Tomato - 3
Green chillies - 8
Jeera - 2tsp
Red chillipowder - 3 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Cardamom - 4
Cinnamon - 2
Cloves - 4
Curry leaves,coriander leaves
Lemon - 1 tbsp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Clean and Cut the chicken to bite size pieces. Marinate the chicken pieces with 1 tbsp lemon juice and salt for 1 hr. Fry sliced onion in 1 tbsp of oil until translucent and grind it with green chillies, ginger and Jeera . In a heavy bottomed pan, heat 3 tsp of oil, fry bay leaf,cloves,cardamom cinnamon and then add grounded onion mixture..Add salt and fry till oil separates.Now add turmeric,red chilli and coriander powders to this mix and fry for few more minutes.Finally add chopped tomatoes.Once tomatoes are well cooked ad the marinated chicken pieces and mix very well.Cover and cook it under medium heat. Don't add water.After chicken is well cooked, add the chopped coriander and curry leaves .

Saag Chicken or Chicken Palak (chicken in spinach sauce)

Chicken and Spinach is very good combo. Chicken has high protein and spinach is very good source of fiber.. which makes the combo a "hearty meal". I learnt this recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Kazana. He is great chef, I love his TV shows. I found amazing pickle from Sanjeev kapoor's Kana kazana... wow... See if u can find this brand of pickle in Indian grocers. U don't wanna miss the wonderful taste of the pickle...

Coming back to chicken palak, its easy to make recipe and tastes so good. This is usually available in restaurants as Saag chicken and i have never come across this recipe in any of my friends house. I make chicken palak whenever i am bored doing the same chicken gravy every week....Just for a change!!!

Ingredients:

chicken 2lbs
spinach 1 bunch
Tomatoes – 2 medium
chopped Onion – 1 medium
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 4 cut in to 2 pieces
Salt to taste
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- -1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1tsp
oil -2tbsp
Whole garam masala:-Cinnamon – 1 inch piece Cardamom – 3 Clove – 4
Cumin – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves for garnish



Preparation:

Boil water and add cleaned spinach. Let it cook for 10 mts. Remove the spinach leaves and grind it to smooth paste.

Heat oil and add whole garam masala and cumin, followed by onion and green chillies. Fry till the onion changes to light brown color. Add ginger garlic paste, once the raw smell vanishes add chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy. Add all the masala powder and fry for few minutes. Add Chicken pieces and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook for 10 mts. Chicken takes about 10 - 15 mts to cook. Once the chicken pieces are tender, add ground spinach paste. Let it cook for five minutes. Squeeze lemon juice to the chicken gravy and remove from heat. Mix thoroughly and leave it for 1o mts... Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it with roti or naan..

Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is one of the must haves in Non-vegetarian items.. My Hubby could finish even 3lbs of chicken 65 at a stretch.... Big appetite huh... But it tastes so good and u will never know how much u ate!!! Kids will Love'em!!! Its a great party food...

Ingredients:

1lbs Boneless Chicken cut into small pieces

1/4 cup yogurt

1 egg

1 tbsp rechilli powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp Garam Masala or 2 tbsp Shakthi Chicken 65 powder

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Marinate chicken with above ingredients... except oil.. we all know ... Egg is used to bind all the ingredients to chicken. Sometimes while deep frying the mixture will be separated from chicken and doesn't taste good. I usually use chicken 65 powder to enhance the flavour. If u don't find it u can skip it .. no worries.. Cover the marinated chicken with thin foil and store in the refrigerator for 3 hours (minimum). Remove from refrigerator 15 mts before frying. U Will see water over the chicken which u can filter it or squeeze out of the chicken.


Heat oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot (not pipping hot) add the chicken pieces and fry for 15 mts. This is the tricky part... Chicken usually takes 10 - 15 mts to cook. If u over cook it, will be hard. U have to take when its slightly soft but cooked perfectly. U get this by practice. If u press the chicken it will be soft and u cut it u can see white color throughout which indicates perfectly cooked chicken.The chicken turns to golden brown.. Remove from oil.

Serve hot with piece of Lime and onion!!!

Chicken Chukka Fry

There are so many dishes in chicken in all cuisine!!!! After coming abroad ,my all time favourite is chicken coz I don't eat red meat... Mutton is so expensive and we buy it for few special occasions. Anytime, anywhere Chicken is my motto!!!. My hubby wanted to have chicken fry for dinner, so i was thinking about making simple chicken chukka to go with Rasam rice.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken Breast Boneless

1 onion chopped

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Paste:

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 bunch coriander

2 tbsp pepper corns

3 cloves

3 Cinnamon sticks

1 cardamom

1/2 onion chopped

4 garlic cloves

1" ginger

4 greenchillies

Preparation:

Grind the ingredients mentioned in paste with 2 tbsp of water. Grind to smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan, add onion and fry till translucent. Add chicken pieces, salt and ground paste. Cover and cook for 10mts. If the chicken is too dry add 1/2 cup water. Once chicken becomes tender, open the lid and let the gravy thicken. All the water should be evaporated and chicken would change to slight brown color. Chicken should be dry without any gravy!!! Remove from heat..

Serve hot with Rice and Rasam.

Note: Adjust greenchillies and peppers according to ur taste.

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung pao chicken, Chinese pronounced as gong-bao-ji-ding is a classic dish in Chinese cuisine. Ambassador is a Chinese restaurant in Houston, famous for its spicy Chinese recipes. The place is thronged by Indians and Americans!!!! The food is so delicious and they make it spicy according to ur taste... We are one of the regulars to the restaurant and we always order Kung pao chicken for main dish!!!!

I have lived in Aberdeen for more than 3 years, never heard of this dish in any Chinese restaurants ( only 2 Chinese restaurants and few takeaways..its a small city)) !!!. I was introduced to this dish by my hubby and I love it!!!!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 7 to 8 ounces each

Marinade:
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Sauce:
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar

Other:
8 -10 dried red chili peppers
3 cloves garlic
2 green onions (spring onions, scallions)
4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn or black peppercorn, optional
1/2 cup peanuts or cashews

1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
a few drops sesame oil, optional

1/2 cup chopped Bell pepper, carrot, celery

Preparation:

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine with the marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for 25 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce and vegetables: In a small bowl, combine the dark soy sauce, rice wine ( can be found grocery shops in international section), and sugar. Set aside.Cut the chilies in half so that they are approximately the same size as the chicken cubes. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut the green onion on the diagonal into thirds.

Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Stir-fry until it turns white and is almost cooked. Remove from the wok.Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the chili peppers and the Szechuan peppercorn if using and vegetables .

Stir-fry briefly until they turn dark red and veggies are cooked.Add the sauce to the wok. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken back into the pan. Stir in the peanuts and the green onion. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot.

Serve hot with Fried rice!!!!

Chettinadu Chicken or Mutton Rasam (soup)

Chicken Rasam is one of Chetinnadu specials!!! I learnt this rasam from a chef who is working in Gourmet Kama restaurant in Aberdeen. This recipe can be used for both mutton or chicken. This rasam or soup would be one of the best remedies for cold. I personally prefer mutton for this recipe!!!!. Mutton Rasam and chicken chukka is a combination to beat!!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken or mutton ( with bones)

5 shallots ( chinna vengayam)

1 tbsp pepper powder

1 tbsp cumin powder

1 tomato

2 greenchillies

5 flakes garlic

1' ginger

1 tsp redchilli powder

1 tsp dhaniya powder

2 cloves

1' cinnamon sticks

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp lime juice

oil for seasoning

salt to taste

Preparation:

Use small pieces of chicken or mutton with bones. Boneless meat doesn't give much flavour to this rasam!! Gringdginger and garlic to a fine paste.

Heat oil, add cloves and cinnamon sticks. Add shallots and fry for few minutes. Add Ginger garlic paste, fry till the raw smell vanishes... Add tomatoes and greenchillies and fry for 1o mts. Transfer this mixture to a cooker, along with chicken or mutton. Add Spice powder and add 2 cups of water( alter according to ur taste, u can have it slightly thicker consistency for rice, whereas for the soup it has to be watery). Leave it for minimum of 6 whistles ( cooking time depends on quality of the mutton). Remove from heat, once the pressure is down add little bit of lime juice ( optional) and Garnish with cilantro...

Serve hot with crushed pepper!!!!!

Note: U can filter the rasam, and have it as a soup!!!