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 .

Chicken Dum Biryani

Since it's the festive season I thought why not post a recipe of a biryani coz that is what we make for every occasion . Everyone has a different way of making them and this is one of my fav ways . Here the chicken is marinated in an array of aromatic spices and yoghurt is added to make the chicken more tender and  juicy . The aroma is itself to make you salivate and the process of cooking it in dum meaning slow-cooking  makes the rice so aromatic and you get to taste the flavour of each and every spice in the rice . Trust me it's soooooo good so here goes..................

INGREDIENTS

1 kg chicken cut into medium size pieces
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
3 large onion finely sliced
3 green chillies chopped
1 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 cups yoghurt
half a lemon cut into wedges

dry grind
7 cloves
4 cardamom
1/2 inch pc cinnamon
2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1/2 kg basmati rice
8 and 1/2 glasses of water

for the bouquet garni
7 cloves
2 bay leaves
5 green cardamom
1/2 inch pc cinnamon

10 strands of saffron
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup oil
2 tbsp ghee

METHOD

Heat oil and fry the sliced onions till golden in a deep bottomed dish
Grind them and set aside
Rub the ginger and garlic paste all over the chicken .
Add the chilli powder , salt , half the mint and coriander, lemon , green chillies , ground spices and the ground  onions in the same pan with the oil .
Add the yoghurt and the chicken pieces and leave to marinate 4 hours or preferably overnight .
Soak the saffron in the milk and set it aside
Now bring the whole thing to boil and turn it down and simmer till the chicken is done .
Meanwhile bring the water to boil and add the spices for the bouquet garni and salt to taste.
Add the washed and drained basmati , bring it to boil till the rice is almost done .
Now strain the rice and set aside .
Remove the chicken with its juices in another bowl and add a tbsp of ghee inside the pan .
Add half the rice in the bottom and sprinkle with the safffron milk then add the chicken with all its gravy on the top of the rice  .
Add a little of the chopped coriander and mint on top .
Now add the rest of the rice , then the rest of the coriander and mint .
Now pour the rest of the saffron milk and the ghee .
Cover it tightly with a lid and cook on very low fire for about half an hour or till the aroma wafts around the house .
Serve it with pomegranate raita and enjoy :).

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

I was fortunate enough to travel to many places and even better had the opportunity to try out the different cuisines too and this one is from my childhood memory of travelling to Thailand with my parents  . It is quite a colorful place and the best thing about it is the air is filled with all sorts of aromas of the various street food and lots and lots of wonderful fruits . This is something I had eaten from there and just loved it but back then there was no google to find out what goes into it ( OMG , I feel so old writing "back then" :(  ).

Ok so now back to the future, I have started making them and my family just loves it . It is spicy and sweet and very delicious and this is my version of making them . Here we like things spicy , so my version is on the spicy side with a very small touch of sweetness so here goes.......

INGREDIENTS

500 gms boneless chicken cut into strips

for the marinade

1/2 creamed coconut or 1/2 cup warm water + 3 tbsp cocnut milk powder
1 tbsp red curry paste
1and 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp yellow curry powder
a pinch of red chilli flakes
1 tsp or more fish sauce ( fish sauce is used instead of salt , so add it according to your taste )
1 tbsp peanut oil or any vegetable oil

for the peanut sauce 

2 spring onions ,white part only chopped
2 fresh red chillies chopped finely
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp red curry paste
2 heaped tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup creamed coconut or 1/2 cup warm water + 3 tbsp coconut milk powder
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and mix it with the chicken
Marinate it for 2 hrs or more .
In a pan , heat the oil and add the onions , garlic and red chilly
Add the red curry paste and saute for a few min.
Now add the rest of the ingredients and simmer it for a few min.
If the mixture seems thick , add a little water and turn off the heat .
Puree this mixture if you want it smooth or leave it as it is .
Skewer the chicken pieces and grill it till done .
Serve with some steamed rice and enjoy .

Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken

This recipe is my personal favourite , this is something my mom makes and now I make it very often as my kids are really fond of it . This is a very flavourful dish and the aroma is just mouth-watering . The chicken is first marinated with yoghurt and spices and fried and drizzled with a nice sweet and spicy sauce , all the flavours are really well balanced in this dish so here goes.....

INGREDIENTS

1 kg chicken drumsticks / whole chicken cut into small pieces
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 inch pc of ginger
1and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 cup yoghurt
salt to taste
10-12 green chillies sliced in half
10 curry leaves
3-4 tbsp tomato ketchup
50 gms butter
Oil

METHOD

Remove the skin and wash and dry the chicken
make a paste out of the ginger and garlic
Mix the ginger and garlic paste with the yoghurt , salt and the spices .
Marinate the chicken with this mixture for about 4 hrs or preferably overnight
Heat oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken till done
Heat butter in a pan and melt the butter
Add the green chillies and the curry leaves and saute for a few sec
Add the tomato ketchup and the chicken and stir to coat the chicken well
Now add the reserved marinade liquid and cover and keep on low heat for about 5 min .
Serve hot .

Chicken In Dry Roasted Spices

This dish is a typical one you can find in the small restaurants of Kerela. The aroma of this dish just wafts around the place , it is really droolworthy . The spices used here are dry roasted and this intensifies the flavour of the dish . It is cooked in these spices and then fried . It is perfect for those cold evenings .This is quite a spicy dish so if you don't want it this spicy , just reduce the chillies .

INGREDIENTS

1 kg chicken , skinned and cut up into pieces
3 tbsp whole peppercorns
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 inch pc cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 inch pc fresh ginger grated
3-4 cloves garlic chopped
2 green chillies
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (optional)

METHOD

Dry roast the whole spices till you get a nice aroma .
Then add the chilli powder and the turmeric and roast it for a few sec.
Grind the roasted spices with the ginger , garlic and green chillies .
Add the soy sauce and the vinegar to it .
Add salt to taste
Marinate the chicken in these spices for about an hour .
Now cook the chicken on the stove top till half done .
In another pan heat some oil for shallow frying and fry the chicken pieces till done while reserving the marinade.
After the chicken pieces are fried ,transfer them to a serving dish and pur the reserved marinade on top of the fried chicken and garnish it with the chopped coriander leaves if using any.


NOTE

The reseved marinade should be thick like a paste , if there is more water , then heat it on the stove till it becomes a thick paste taking care not to burn it .

Asian Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup is a good way to have a healthy , fulfilling meal , it is easy to make too. This is a nice filling soup with asian flavours .It is spicy and sweet and quite aromatic . This is my type of comfort food and I hope You enjoy it too , I got this recipe from a fav cookbook of mine so here goes......

INGREDIENTS

250 gm dried egg noodles soaked in water
500 gms boneless chicken diced
a bunch of spring onions sliced
1 inch pc of ginger chopped
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
2 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp thai red curry paste
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 small red capsicum
2 cubes chicken stock with 850 ml water
175 ml coconut milk or 2 tbsp coconut milk powder mixed in 175 ml warm water
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the chicken and stir fry for 5 min or till lightly brown.
Add the white part of the spring onions , garlic and ginger and saute for a few min.
Add the stock , coconut milk , curry paste , peanut butter and soy sauce .
Season to taste with salt and pepper .
Bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 min stirring occasionally .
Add the pepper , peas and green part of the spring onions and cook for a couple of min .
Drain the noodles and add them to the soup and heat through .
Serve immediately.

Chicken Masala

How many of you have just opened the fridge door and stared into it for a long...long....really long time and didn't have a clue what you were doing there in the first place , this dish just came into my mind while staring at the fridge . I just had some chicken breasts in the fridge and some of the usual stuff and tried out this dish , well what do you know it came out delicious . It was easy to prepare and cooked pretty quickly too . This can eaten with chappathis and can also be made into sandwiches too, so here goes.....

INGREDIENTS

500 gm boneless chicken
6 green cardamoms
2 cloves
1 inch pc of cinammon stick
2 bay leaves
3 whole red chillies
2 tsp coriander seeds
saffron  a pinch dissolved in 2 tsp warm milk ( optional)
1 large onion chopped finely
1 large tomato chopped
2 green chillies chopped
ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
2 tbsp oil

METHOD

Heat the oil in a pan and add the chicken pieces on high heat for about 5-6 min and set aside
In the oil add the whole spices and when they start to crackle add chopped onions and saute till brown .
Add ginger and garlic paste and red chilli powder .
Add chopped tomatoes and cook till it turns into a thick paste.
Now add the chicken , green chillies and saute till chicken is cooked .
Add saffron if using any  and stir.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

TIP

Since saffron is very expensive I sometimes make a fake one and it is pretty easy and almost does the work , it is 1/4 tsp of turmeric mixed in  1 tbsp of rosewater and 2 tbsp of milk .

Crispy Fried Chicken

Season's greetings to everybody , so now there goes 2010 with all the resolutions that was never kept , diets that were not followed through and promises that were broken, hopefully we don't have to make any new ones as we have the old ones  to follow through and hope this time it get's done so HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE  : D .
Today I have to decided to post a family favourite ,which is made very often in my house . Nobody seems to get tired of this one and it is always a permanent fixture at my parties . The best thing is it takes no time to make it at all and it is quite easy too, no need of marinating the chicken a few hours or anything , here the chicken is cooked in all the spices and then batter fried crisp so here goes..........

INGREDIENTS

500 gms small chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp ground coriander
salt to taste
approximately about half a cup of self-raising flour

METHOD

Remove the skin from the drumsticks and wash the chicken thoroughly .
In a deep pan add the chicken along with the salt and all the spices and about 1/2 cup of water and cook till the chicken is done .
Now remove the chicken pieces and add the self-raising flour in the liquid from the cooked chicken and make it into a thick and smooth batter. Add in more flour if necessary.
Now dip the drumsticks in this batter and deep fry them till golden.

Butter Chicken

This is one most popular dish and it is absolutely delicious . Almost everyone orders it whenever in an Indian restaurant . There are many versions of it and here is mine , it is quick and easy , so here goes............

INGREDIENTS

500 gms chicken
1/2 cup yoghurt
4-6 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin powder
juice of half a lemon
salt to taste
200 gms canned tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 inch cinammon
2-3 tbsp cream
2-3 whole green chillies
1/2 tsp garam masala
Chopped coriander for garnish (optional)

METHOD

In a blender add the yoghurt , spice powders , ginger and garlic and blend it well.
Marinate the chicken in this mixture with salt for a minimum of 4 hours or preferably overnight.
In a deep pan heat a tbsp of oil or ghee and add the chicken with all it's marinade
Cook till the chicken is done , meanwhile in another saucepan add the canned tomatoes with all it's juices and a piece of cinammon stick and boil it till it becomes thick .
Now strain the tomatoes and add it to the chicken and add the ketchup .
On low heat add the green chillies and finally add the cream .
Serve hot with rice or roti.

Chicken Shawarma

Shawarma is one fast food which we won't be guilty of eating because it is quite healthy compared to the other fast foods and it is quite popular too world wide .I learned this trick from the foodnetwork channel on how to cut the meat just like the ones you can get from the shawarma vendors on the street . the chicken is first marinated and layered and baked in a dish and the pita  is coated with a nice tangy tahini sauce . Many type of fillings are used like pickles, green leafy veggies and even french fries , personally I don't like pickles so I omit them but traditioanlly pickles are served along with it ,so here goes my version........

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts sliced into halves horizontally
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup thick-set yoghurt
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
4 pita breads
lettuce a bunch
3 cucumbers sliced
1/4 cup tahina paste
juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup yoghurt
salt to taste
2 garlic cloves minced
a dash of hot sauce for each sandwich (optional)

METHOD

Mix the yoghurt with the minced garlic cloves , paprika,vinegar ,cardamom powder,salt and pepper .
Marinate the chicken in this mixture and arrange the chicken pieces in a layer in a small baking dish for a min of 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Add 2 tbsp of olive oil on top of the chicken and bake it for 30-40 min in a 200 c oven.
After baking you get one big chunk of chicken . Remove this from the baking dish and slice them horizontally ,as you slice you get shavings of chicken just like you would at a shawarma stall.
Next make the tahina sauce by mixing the tahina paste,yoghurt,garlic ,lemon juice and salt to taste. If the sauce is too thick add a little more yoghurt.
Spread the tahina sauce on the pita bread , add the chicken shavings , lettuce and cucumber along with a dash of hot sauce of you like .
Roll up the pita bread and grill it or you can have it as it is.

Spicy Fried Chicken Drumsticks in Coconut Gravy

This is a typical South Indian malabar stew but with a twist , usually the meat is cooked raw in the gravy but here the chicken is marinated and fried and then put in the gravy . The chicken is spicy and crispy and the sweetness of the coconut is well balanced because of it . All the flavours blend together very well . It goes very well with steamed rice, appams , chappathis and even crusty breads, so here goes ..........

INGREDIENTS

12-15 chicken drumsticks
10-12 small shallots or sambhar onions
3-4 garlic cloves
1 inch pc ginger
5-6 green chillies
5-6 dried red chillies
1 tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
6-8 whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 inch pc cinammon stick
4-6 green cardamom
3-5 cloves
10-15 curry leaves
2 medium onions sliced
2 green chillies split lengthwise
1 tomato chopped
2 cups hot water
4 tbsp coconut milk powder
1 tbspn coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
oil
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

METHOD

Grind the sambhar onions/shallots,green chillies , red chillies ,ginger, garlic ,vinegar into a paste and add the turmeric powder and salt to taste and add this mix to the chicken and marinate it for 2-4 hours .
Deep fry the chicken pieces and set aside .
In a deep pan , heat a tbsp of  oil and add the whole spices .
Add the curry leaves, sliced onion and split green chillies and saute them till the onion turns soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes and the reserve mixture if any and fry them till the tomatoes turns soft .
Add the fried chicken and mix it all together.
Dissolve the coconut milk powder in the warm water and add  it to the chicken and heat it till it  boils .
Add the coarsely ground peppercorns and garam masala
Lower the heat and simmer  for about 10 - 15 min till the gravy turns slightly thick .
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot .

Chicken sauce curry

Today I am going to post a recipe which is one of my many favourites that my mom makes . She used to make this almost all weekends and the aroma of this dish is just droolicious  . My sister and I used to fight for the leftovers and now my kids too love it as much as we do .It is spicy ,sweet and sour and you can feel all the flavours .This dish works very well with a vegetable pulao or just steamed rice is fine too, so here goes.....

INGREDIENTS 

1 kg chicken skinned and cut into pieces
3-4 cloves garlic
1 inch pc ginger
5-6 green chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 dried red chillies
1 tbspn cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbspn coriander seeds
1 cup yoghurt
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 tbspn oil

METHOD

Grind the ginger, garlic and green chillies coarsely
In a deep pan add the chicken , turmeric ,salt to taste and the ground mixture with a little water and bring to boil and cook till the chicken is almost done .
In another pan dry roast the spices till it gives off a nice aroma and grind it .
In a saucepan heat the oil and add in the yoghurt and the ketchup and whisk it really well , add the ground spices ( add the ground spices depending upon the level of hotness you want ) and salt to taste . When it starts to bubble , take it off the heat and add it to the chicken and mix it well .
Bake in a 200 c oven for about 45-50 min.
Garnish it with fried onions and chopped coriander leaves (optional).

Chicken and Vegetable stir-fry

For a change I thought I will post something different today , something spicy  . This dish is very easy to prepare and requires very little time . Everything is done at a high heat , only get all the ingredients ready and the only work required is to throw it all in a pan . The aroma of the dish itself is very mouthwatering ,so here goes .............

INGREDIENTS

500 gms boneless chicken cut into strips
1 tsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbspns vegetable oil
250 gms french beans cut lengthwise
1 large carrot julienned
1 large capsicum julienned
250 gms button mushrooms quartered
3 spring onions chopped
3-4 garlic cloves minced
2 tbspn tomato ketchup
a dash of hot sauce
1 tbspn green chilli sauce
1 tspn soy sauce
1 maggie chicken stock cube
1 tbspn sesame oil (optional)
a bunch of coriander leaves chopped  (optional)

METHOD

Marinate the chicken in 1 tspn soy sauce and salt and pepper for 15 min.
In a large pan heat 1 tbspn oil and saute the marinated chicken till done , remove the chicken from the pan .
In the same pan add the rest of the oil and then add white part of the spring onion and minced garlic and saute it for a few seconds , then add the rest of the vegetables .Take care not to over cook it , the vegetable should be crisp .
Then add in the sauces and the chicken stock cube and fry them for a few minutes.
Add in the chicken and toss it with all the vegetables .
Drizzle the sesame oil on top and garnish it with the green part of the spring onions and the coriander and serve hot .

TIPS


To make this dish even more tastier you can batter fry the chicken .