Chicken Manchurian

I know I have been MIA for a while now , but lemme tell you something , I finally unpacked my stuff ( yay me !). I actually wanted to bake a cake to celebrate but I am just too tired from all the unpacking so went through my photos and found one that I hadn't posted . This is a very easy and tasty recipe which I make all the time . It's very flavourful and spicy , I like it very spicy but if you want it mild , you can decrease the amount of chillies used  , so here goes....................

INGREDIENTS


500 gms boneless chicken cut into cubes

for the marinade

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 egg
salt to taste

for the sauce

2 tbsp garlic minced
2 tbsp spring onion chopped
6-8 green chillies chopped
1 tbsp celery chopped
1 tbsp ginger minced
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 4 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and add the chicken cubes in it and set it aside for half hour.
Fry the chicken pieces till they are crisp and done .
In a saucepan , heat a couple of tbsp of oil and add the ginger , garlic , spring onions and celery and saute it for a few min.
Now add the rest of the ingredients except for the cornflour and bring it to a boil .
Reduce the heat and add the cornflour and stir it till it thickens .
Now add the fried chicken cubes and mix it up .
Turn off the heat , garnish with chopped spring onions and corinader leaves if you like .
Serve hot .

Crispy Calamari

Who doesn't like crispy calamari , I haven't met anyone who does not like it . This is a family favourite , it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside but  frying this is a big nightmare (it splatters all over ) , you have to be really careful , we should really make a suit out of the oven mitts to do this , trust me it's that bad but it is so worth it so here goes.........

INGREDIENTS

1 kg calamari / squid cut into rings
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
1 egg with a little water to make egg wash
1 cup or more of panko breadcrumbs

METHOD

In a plastic bag , add the flour and the spices and shake it up to mix well .
Then add in the calamari and shkae it till it flour mix coats .
Shake off the excess flour and dip the rings in the egg wash and then the bread crumbs .
Deep fry it till crispy and golden in medium to hot oil .
Serve it with chilli sauce or Mayo tahini dip.

NOTES

You can use normal breadcrumbs but panko really gives you that crunch .

Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Fool Filling

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes. Remember my last post where I said I was taking a break for a couple of days from all the unpacking , well I am still on it . Never got back to unpacking , just dumped everything in the garage and waiting for some magic where the cartons will unpack by itself ( still crossing my fingers and hoping for it ).
While I am waiting for a genie to grant my wish , I thought I would sneak in a post fit for this month  .Sweet and moist lemony cupcakes with a tangy and tart raspberry fool filling , so here goes..............

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe lemon cupcakes

for the filling

3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup or more icing sugar
1 cup liquid whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar for sprinkling

METHOD

Make the lemon cupcakes according to the recipe given  and leave it to cool .
Using a fondant heart cutter , cut out in the middle .
Now for the filling , mash the raspberries and icing sugar with a fork .
Whip the cream till stiff .
Fold in the mashed raspberries .
Fill the cupcakes with the raspberry cream and sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy.