Chilly Chicken

Ingredients

For the batter

1. Boneless chicken, preferably thighs - Around 400 - 500 gm, cubed
2. Corn flour - 1 tbsp (I used Argo corn starch)
3. Egg - 1
4. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt - As required

For the gravy

1. Onion - 1 small, diced
2. Bell pepper - 1 cup, diced
3. Garlic - 1.5 tbsp, finely chopped
4. Green chillies - 4, slit
5. Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Spring onions - 1 + 1 tbsp
8. Cashews - 10 - 12
9. Chili-garlic sauce - 2.5 tbsp
10. Soy sauce - 1.5 tbsp
11. Vinegar - 2 tsp
12. Sugar - 2 - 3 pinches
13. Corn flour - 1 tbsp mixed in 1/4 - 1/2 cup water, for thickening the gravy ( I used Argo corn starch)
14. Chicken Stock / Water - 2 - 2.5 cups
15. Salt - To taste
16. Vegetable oil - For deep frying
17. Vegetable oil / sesame oil - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Clean, wash and cube the chicken thighs. Combine them with 1 tbsp corn flour, beaten egg, pepper powder and salt. Deep fry in oil until brown, at medium heat. Drain on to a paper towel. Keep aside.

 

2. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil or vegetable oil (you can use the oil that was used for deep-frying the chicken pieces) in a wide pan at medium heat. Stir in the chopped garlic, green chillies. Saute for two seconds and add the cashew nuts. Saute for a few seconds and add the diced onion. Saute for a few seconds and add the diced bell pepper and 1 tbsp spring onions. Saute for a few seconds and add 1/4 tsp chilly powder, 1/4 tsp pepper powder, 2 - 3 pinches of sugar, chili-garlic sauce and soy sauce. Add 2 - 2.5 cups of chicken stock / water.

 

3. Bring it to a boil and add the vinegar and fried chicken pieces. Mix well and cook for a few more minutes. Check for salt. Add the corn flour dissolved in water little by little, stirring well, till the sauce thickens. I used around 1.5 - 2 tbsp. If you want a really thick gravy simmer it for a few more minutes. Switch off. Garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.

 

 

 

Notes:

 

1) If you want dry chilly chicken, you need not add corn flour in water. Or else you can boil the gravy until the chicken gets coated well with the sauces.

2) You can substitute chili-garlic sauce with green chilly sauce or red chilly sauce.

 

Recipe adapted from VahRehVah.com

Chilly Fish

Ingredients

1. King fish  - 1/2 kg or around 3 fillets, cubed ( I used tilapia, you can use any fish of your choice)

2. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

3. Soy sauce - 1 tsp

4. Salt - To taste

Batter

5. Corn flour - 1/4 cup

6. All purpose flour / maida - 1/4 cup

7. Water - 2 tbsp - 4 tbsp ( For a thick batter)

8. Refined  oil - To deep fry

For the sauce

9. Onion - 2 medium, cubed

10. Garlic - 2 tsp

11. Green chillies - 2-3 chopped fine

12. Bell pepper - 1 medium, cubed

13. Celery - 1/4 cup, chopped fine

14. Chilly powder - 1.5 tsp

15. Chilly sauce - 3 tbsp (I didn’t have it so I added red chilly sauce)

16. Soy sauce - 1 tsp

17. Water or stock - 2 cup (I used vegetable stock)

18. Sugar - 1/2 tsp

19. Corn flour - 1 tsp mixed in 2-3 tbsp water

20. Salt - To taste

21. Oil - 2 tbsp

22. Spring onion chopped - To garnish

Method

1. Clean and cut the fish pieces to small cubes ( to 20 pieces or so). Marinate it with 1/2 tsp pepper powder, salt(soy sauce will be a little salty so adjust the salt accordingly) and 1 tsp soy sauce for at least 1 hr.

2. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup corn flour, 1/4 cup maida and a little salt. Add 1 beaten egg to it and then add water gradually. Mix well, remove any lumps and make a thick batter out of it.

3. Heat oil in a deep pan. Dip the fish pieces in the batter and deep fry until golden brown flipping  the fish pieces to the other side in between. It would not take more than 15 mts at medium heat. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry them in two batches or so. Drain the fish pieces on to a paper towel.

4. Heat 2 tbsp of the fried oil in a wide pan at medium high heat. Add chopped garlic, saute for a few seconds. Then add chopped celery. Again saute for a few seconds and add the chopped onion and a little salt. Saute until the onion turns translucent, then add the cubed bell pepper. Saute for a few seconds and add 1.5 tsp chilly powder. Mix well.

5. Add 2 cups chicken stock/vegetable stock or water. Bring it to a boil and add 3 tbsp chilly sauce and 1/2 tsp sugar. Taste check for salt. When the stock reduces to almost 1.5 cup,  add the fish pieces and mix well. Again bring it to a boil. To thicken the sauce add a few tea spoons of corn flour mixed in water. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes and switch off. Garnish with spring onion. This goes really well with fried rice and noodles.

 

 

 

Recipe Courtesy - Lakshmi Nair (Magic Oven)

Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian

Ingredients

1. Cauliflower - 1 large
2. Green chillies - 3, sliced diagonally
3. Garlic - 2.5 tbsp, minced
4. Ginger - 1 tsp
5. Onion - 1 medium sized, diced
6. Green bell pepper - 1/4, diced
7. Red bell pepper - 1/4, diced
8. Pepper powder - 1/4 - 1/2  tsp
9. Tomato ketchup - 3.5 - 4 tbsp (Adjust the sauces according to your taste preferences)
10. Soy sauce - 2.5 tbsp
11. Green/red chilli sauce - 3 tbsp
12. Vinegar - 1 tsp
13. Corn flour - 2 tsp (Mix 2 tsp corn flour in 2 cups of water without lumps)
14. Sugar - A pinch (optional)
15. Spring onion - To garnish (Around 2 tbsp)
16. Cilantro - To garnish, 1 tbsp (optional)
17. Oil - For deep frying
18. Salt - To taste

For the batter

1. Maida/All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
2. Corn flour - 1/4 cup
3. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt - To taste
6. Water - As required

Mix the above ingredients to make a thick batter.

Method

1) Wash and cut the cauliflower to florets. Dip them in the maida batter and deep fry in oil until golden brown. Keep aside.

 

2) In a deep pan, heat around 2 tsp oil and add the minced garlic and ginger. Now add the onion and saute until they turn transparent at medium heat. Do not brown them, they should retain their crunchiness. Now add the bell peppers and saute for 1-2 minutes at medium-high heat.

3) Stir in the soy sauce, ketchup, chilli sauce, vinegar and pepper powder. Mix well and add 2 cups corn flour in water. Check for salt and allow it to boil.

 

 

4) Add the fried cauliflower florets and mix well. Add the cilantro and spring onion, mix well. Switch off. Serve hot with fried rice/noodles.

Tips:

For the dry version of gobi manchurian omit the corn flour in water. Just stir in the fried cauliflower pieces and toss until they are well-coated with the sauces. Serve it along with fried rice/noodles or as an appetizer.

Mixed Noodles

 

Ingredients

1. Noodles - Around 200 gm (You can use any variety of noodles)
2. Chicken breast - one and half, cooked and sliced to strips
3. Shrimp - A handful (I used the frozen cooked ones)
4. Ginger - 1 tsp minced
5. Garlic - 1 tsp minced
6. Green and red bell pepper - 1/4 cup thinly sliced
7. Beans  - 6-7 beans sliced diagonally
8. Bean Sprouts - 1/4 cup
9. Carrot - 1/2 medium-sized sliced to strips
10. Cabbage - 1/4 cup sliced fine
11. Eggs - 2
12. Soy sauce - 2 tsp
13. Worcestershire sauce - 2 tsp
14. Chilli sauce - 2 tsp
15. Vinegar - 1 tsp (I used balsamic vinegar)
16. Sugar - 2-3 pinches
17. Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
18. Spring Onion - 1-2 chopped, to garnish
19. Vegetable Oil - 2 tsp
20. Salt - to taste 

Method

1. Cook the rice noodles as per the package instructions. When cooked, pour them into a colander, put under cold running water for about 30 seconds and set aside to drain. Pour 1 tsp oil and toss gently to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other. You can cut them using scissors if you want.

2. In a wide pan, heat vegetable oil. Add the minced ginger and garlic, saute for a minute. Turn the knob to high heat, add the chopped beans, saute for around 30 seconds and add chopped carrots. Continue stir-frying and add the cabbage, bean sprouts and bell peppers. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds. The veggies should not be over-cooked or else they may lose their color and crispness.

4. Now move all the veggies to the side and scramble the eggs adding a little pepper powder and salt. Mix it with the vegetables, add the cooked chicken and shrimp. Now toss in the cooked noodles, add soy sauce, chilli sauce, worcestshire sauce and  vinegar. Stir-fry until everything is well-mixed and the noodles are coated with all the sauces. Add more sauces until desired taste is achieved. Season with pepper, a little sugar, check for salt and switch off. Garnish with spring onions. Serve hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Fried Rice

   Fried rice is one of the most popular recipes in Asia. This is a versatile dish since you can use any combination of vegetables, meat or seafood that you like. My mother used to make it for us when we were kids and it was a treat for us. Every one have their own way of making fried rice. I got this basic recipe from vahrevah.com to which I have made a few changes. The best rice to make fried rice is left-over rice since each grain will be separate. This delicious dish is extremely easy to prepare. Be careful not to overcook the vegetables, they should be crunchy. Kids will love it.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

 

1.  Cold cooked rice - 3 cup (I used basmati rice)

2.  Chicken breast halves (skinless boneless) - 2 finely diced

3.  Green bell pepper - half finely chopped

4.  Red bell pepper - half finely chopped

5.  Carrot - 1

6.  Beans  - 50 gm

7.  Onion - half finely chopped

8. Garlic - 3 minced

9.  Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

10.  Corn flour - 1/2 tsp

11.  Soy sauce - 1 tbsp or to taste

12. Vinegar  - 1 tbsp

13. Egg - 3 beaten

14. Spring onion - 2

15. Celery - 2 stalks

16. Salt - To taste

17. Sugar - 1/2 tsp

18. vegetable oil or butter - 1 tbsp

 

 

Method

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1)  To the chicken pieces add pepper powder, few drops of egg, salt and corn flour.  Shallow fry them in oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)  Heat 1 tbsp oil or butter in a wide pan. Add chopped garlic, onion and saute till onion turns light brown. Now add beans. Saute at high heat for a minute. 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Add carrot and bell pepper.  Saute for a few minutes at high heat. Add soy sauce, vinegar

and mix well.  Add the chicken pieces (you can chop the fried chicken pieces if you want) . Mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

4) Now add rice and stir fry for a few minutes. Add sugar and garnish with spring onion and celery.  Check salt.  Scramble the eggs in a separate pan and mix well with the rice. Serve hot.

 

 

 

Tips:

 

1.  Vegetarians can avoid egg and chicken.

2. Use left-over rice to make fried rice.

3.  You can use other veggies like green peas, corn, broccoli, bean sprouts, babycorn, mushroom etc.