Indo Chinese Chili Chicken

When an eight year old eats a dish, wipes it clean and declares - "This is the best thing I have ever had!", you gotta write that recipe down and share it with the world. Even if said eight year old is a particularly non-fussy eater. Even if you've only recently shared another recipe called Chili Chicken. 

Ever since I have come back from my holiday in Bombay, I have been going through an Indo Chinese food phase. It might be because my parents live perilously close to a Chinese restaurant in Bombay and I could smell their delicious food. All. The. Time. 

It has taken several iterations but I have got this Chili Chicken recipe down exactly the way I like it. One of the most important factors has been acquiring the right equipment. A wok is almost non-negotiable when it comes to cooking stir fries of any kind. I feel almost like a broken record when I say - High heat, quick cooking time. The shape of a wok is best for stir fries as well and you can get away with using much less oil while cooking a typical Indo Chinese dish. After several months of deliberation, I have recently invested in a large electric wok. It wasn't an impulse buy, I assure you. I have only used it thrice so far, but it works like magic. One of my friends tells me that his electric wok started to warp because he was using it on the highest heat setting all the time. But since I got this thing for its high heat setting potential, I am going to keep going. I will report back on any wok warping in a few months and let you know how it goes! For now, I present to you this eight-year-old approved dish. 

Chili Chicken can be had "dry" or "with gravy"(sauce) in restaurants and food carts around India. This recipe can be adapted for both, but as you can see, I prefer a thick "dry" sauce sticking to the chicken. The amount of chillies, garlic and ginger is up to your personal preference (see notes for ingredients marked *). Chilli chicken is a particularly pungent dish, so if that's not your scene then maybe this recipe is not for you! 

Yield - Serves 4

Prep Time - 45 Minutes

Cook Time - 15 Minutes

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1 comment LABELS: Asian, Indian, Poultry

Chilli Chicken Wings

Back when my hand was broken, we were invited to several barbecues - it being the holidays. We couldn't really manage much more than the easiest and simplest recipes at the time, so we almost always ended up bringing either my favorite Baby Spinach, strawberry, walnut and blue cheese salad or these sticky delicious wings for the grill (sometimes both).  As long as we weren't feeding it to the same people over and over again, we figured we'd get away with it. Both were instant hits and with minimal effort, extremely rewarding!

The flavors in these wings are inspired by the Indo Chinese dish Chilli Chicken which is one of my favorites. I pigged out a lot on them while I was in India a couple of months back. If you are in the northern hemisphere, then it is grilling season for you now (I am SO jealous!) and this is a recipe you absolutely must try. But if you are not planning on firing up the grill, you can still enjoy these oven baked chilli chicken wings. 

Yield - 6 - 8 Servings
Prep Time - 20 Minutes + Over night marinate
Cook Time - 40 Minutes (Oven)

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Asian, Poultry, Snack

Classic Chicken Piccata

I broke my hand, you guys! My thumb to be precise. While playing soccer. How do you break your hand while playing soccer you ask? When you are naturally uncoordinated and suck at soccer - that's how!Turns out I need two opposable thumbs to run this blog - What a MAJOR bummer, you guys! The good news is that I have a few recipes planned for you to keep you entertained while my hand heals. Easy recipes that are full of flavor.

Chicken Piccata is a classic but easy weeknight dish that I cook quite often.  The lemony buttery garlicky sauce hits just the right notes. It is delicious with pasta or with a side salad. This recipe was adapted from Simply Recipes.

Yield - Serves 2

Total Time - 40 Minutes

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2 comments LABELS: Poultry, Weeknight Lifesavers

Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

When I was a kid, my family would go to visit my grandparents in Orissa during summer school holidays. It was a long train ride from Bombay to Bhubaneshwar – it took about 2.5 days by Minar Express. It was the most exciting thing in my young life, something to look forward to every summer. I loved Cuttack back then. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and best of all cousins. 

Traveling through India in a train is one of the most soul nourishing experiences that I am glad I haven’t missed out on. We travelled through the Ghats, down through Andhra Pradesh and up to Orissa. We passed through towns whose names we couldn’t really pronounce but tried anyway and made friends along the way with fellow travelers. We ate railway curries with pickles for dinner and snuck out to sit by the doors when our parents weren’t watching. The train coaches in India have doors that can slide open. I loved sitting at the door with my legs hanging out, while the train rushed through long bridges, while hanging on to something solid .The only fear I felt while my legs dangled off the train was the fear of being caught by one of my parents and getting in serious trouble!

One of the best parts of the journey from Bombay to Cuttack was the 2 hour stopover in Hyderabad. Long stop overs were always fun because the vendors would come into the train selling local delights – chai, bhajias, the best darned bread omelets in the world, just about everything. My sister and I always stayed back in the train compartment with my mom while my dad ventured out to replenish our water and food supplies. It was gross injustice back then! The Hyderabad stopover was special though. Hyderabad is well known for its Biryani. The second the train stopped at Secunderabad station, my dad would rush off to get biryani (from somewhere, I never figured out where!) but it always took him what felt like ages to get back. It was quite nerve wracking because I always felt like he was going to miss the train. But he always got back in time with the worlds best ever biryani. It was our little tradition.

The Biryani recipe that I am sharing with you today is nowhere near as good as the one I had on Minar Express while it pulled away from Hyderabad. It is not even the second best biryani in the world after the Hyderabadi one,  that’s my dad’s Sunday special biryani. But I like it enough to make it all the time – the third best in the world – if I may say so myself. 

Recipe adapted from Vahrevah.

Yield - Serves 4

Prep Time - 40 Minutes + Overnight Marination

Cook Time - 45 Minutes

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8 comments LABELS: Indian, Poultry

Chettinad Chicken

Sometimes, you plan your meals and other times the meal pretty much cooks itself with what you have in your refrigerator and pantry. Every now and again you end up with a winner! The recipe I am sharing with you today was definitely a winner! 

I picked up a huge bunch of curry leaves from the Indian store the other day, with the intention of drying up most of it for future use. I have done this in the past and it lasted me ages. I don't know about you, but I can't go through the huge bunches of curry leaves they sell at the market quickly enough and hate the thought of them rotting in my refrigerator. Drying them for future is the perfect solution - when it works! Yep, that's right ladies and gentlemen - I failed. I "over-thank" the drying of curry leaves (yes, you CAN over think drying of herbs) and ended up with a bunch of mold covered leaves which I had to chuck out. Bummer! Well, I am nothing if not determined and persistent, so I WILL try again and I will succeed! 

Luckily though, I used some of the curry leaves while they were fresh to cook an old favorite - Chettinad Chicken. Chettinad chicken is a South Indian spicy chicken curry that will make your heart sing and nose water. About time I posted a delicious soul warming curry recipe around here, don't you think? Chettinad Chicken originates from the Chettinad region from the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. South Indian curries have a very distinctive flavor, very different to the North Indian fare commonly found in Indian restaurants. An important part of this "South Indian" flavor comes from curry leaves. 

Yield - Serves 4

Time - 1.5 Hours

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8 comments LABELS: Indian, Poultry

Minty Cilantro Chicken Kebabs

I have been thinking about getting a George Foreman grill a lot lately. I am attracted to the idea of grilling veggies, kebabs, chicken, just about anything. Paninis for lunch? Sure can do! Just think about it - marinate the meat and then fuggedabouddit. When ready, stick it on the grill and you're done!

Then why haven't I gone and got one already? Should I really buy yet another kitchen gadget that I may realistically only use a couple of times? You know what I am talking about! You see a a new kitchen appliance and it seems to be radiating a glow and all of a sudden the angels start singing. You're convinced that this new gadget will change your world. It will make cooking easy, stress free and healthy. You go out and get it. And it turns out to be less than stellar. You use it a couple of times just because you don't want to admit you were wrong. But then the romance fizzles out. And it gets put away at the back of the kitchen cabinet, using up precious real estate and you slowly forget about it. I present exhibit A - my slow cooker. I was convinced my slow cooker was going to restore world peace. Slowly cook succulent juicy dishes while I was at work and I could come home to a hot meal minus the effort. Unfortunately, it only managed to make me feel like I was eating hospital food. Don't get me wrong, I still managed to make a couple of awesome dishes like this one and this one. But all in all it has fallen short of saving my life. I am not angry, slow cooker; I am just disappointed. So the jury is still out about this George Foreman grill. Do you own one? What do you think about it? Write in and let me know your thoughts!


The Cilantro Mint Chicken Kebab recipe I am sharing with you today would be ideal on any kind of grill - indoor or outdoor. You can also cook it in the oven on the broil setting like I have done here. Vegetarians, don't be disappointed you can try this with paneer (minus the meat tenderizer of course!)

Yield - Serves 4
Prep Time - 15 Minutes + 2 Hours Marination
Cook Time - 15 Minutes

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14 comments LABELS: Appetizers, Indian, Poultry

Butter Chicken

I feel like I am a bad Indian, posting a butter chicken recipe. Usually, I am the one dissing my friends who order it in restaurants. (Is 'dissing' a word now? Because I was totally expecting it to come up with a wiggly red line underneath.) But in my defense, the butter chicken you get in most restaurants are chicken pieces in ketchup and spices. So, yes, I nag my friends. Wouldn't you? If you saw them making a mistake? We do it because we're good people.

I posted my butter chicken recipe a while ago but I felt like the recipe needed a revamp. With real butter. We're going to give our conscience a mini vacation and do it the right way this one time. If you still can't get yourself to stop feeling guilty, I suggest inviting some friends over. Share the butter chicken. And the love. And the calories. Feel better? Good. Would you believe me if I told you that this is a ridiculously easy recipe? It is! 

Yield - Serves 4

Prep Time - 30 Minutes + 1 Hour Marination

Cook Time - 30 Minutes

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8 comments LABELS: Indian, Poultry

Thai Inspired Basil Chicken Stir Fry

Calling this dish a weeknight lifesaver is a bit of an understatement! It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and tastes absolutely delicious. Use Thai basil if you can find it, but regular Italian basil works too if you're not too fussy. You can adjust the spice level by changing the amount of red chilies in the dish. I wouldn't recommend leaving it out all together. For palates with lower heat tolerance, I'd suggest using one chili pepper and discarding the seeds.

Total Time - 20 Minutes

Yield - Serves 2

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Asian, Poultry, Weeknight Lifesavers

Tandoori Chicken

Can we just take a moment and talk about why health food had gotten such a bad rap lately? Healthy food can be delicious, guys! Honest! That's what this post is about. 

We have a Tri challenge coming up next weekend. I am doing a 393 in a team and I am swimming 300 meters. Doesn't sound too impressive but swimming in the sea is hard for a lifelong pool swimmer! Because I want to avoid expiring at the end of my event, I have been training regularly. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays - Swimming training and Tuesdays - Soccer. Phew! And I am loving every minute of it. One of the things I love most about New Zealand, apart from its stunning beauty, is the attitude of the people, their enthusiasm to push themselves just a little bit out of their comfort zone all the time and having fun! This sort of an attitude is extremely contagious, beware! 

Anywho, all this insane training is making me quite hungry for good food. This tandoori chicken with a side of moong bean sprouts salad hits all the right notes and is healthy to boot. What's not to love?

Yield - Serves 2
Prep Time - 15 Minutes and marinate overnight
Cook Time - 40 Minutes

Tandoori Chicken

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Murgh Methi - Chicken Curry with Fenugreek Leaves

Last week, I competed in the Tough Guy/Gal challenge in Rotorua, a 6K obstacle course through mud, cold cold water and mainly...manure! It was my second time at the mud run, I participated last year as well. It was fun enough that I got suckered into doing it again.

This year though, I did not train for it at all, so my ambition really was to not die in the mud. I am happy to report that not only did I manage to complete the course, I also beat my time from last year, which felt really awesome.

For about a day.

The next day I got really sick!

After a week of battling a horrible beast of a cold, it was really good to get back in the kitchen and cook up a luxuriously spiced curry - Murgh Methi (Translation - Murgh : Chicken, Methi : Fenugreek)

I pulled out my trusted Hawkins pressure cooker for this one. I have had it for 11 years now and it's got a screw missing but it is still holding on! If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can cook this in a heavy bottomed lidded pot. If you are using a pressure cooker, I will assume you know how to use one safely.

You can get your own here : Hawkins Pressure Cooker

Yield : Serves 4

Prep Time : 10 Minutes

Cooking Time : 45 Minutes

Methi Chicken Curry

Ingredients

1 LB (1/2 Kilo) Chicken Thighs, Bone in

1 Large Onion, diced

1 Medium Tomato, diced

1 Cup Frozen Fenugreek Leaves

1 inch piece Ginger, minced

6-7 Cloves Garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons Yoghurt

1 Teaspoon Garam Masala Powder 

1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder (Kashmiri)

1/2 inch piece Cinnamon

3-4 Cloves

1 Lemon, Juiced

1 Teaspoon Shah Jeera (Optional)

1 Teaspoon Sugar

4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

Method

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2 comments LABELS: Indian, Poultry

Chicken Korma

Korma is a rich Mughlai dish of meat or vegetables, slow cooked in a rich sauce of yoghurt, cream and nuts. Korma was introduced in India by the royal Mughal kitchens. The ingredients are therefore generally rich and extravagant. Saffron, the queen of spices gives this dish the extra oomph.

Nuts, poppy seeds and tahini are necessary ingredients in a korma as they help bind the yoghurt so it doesn't split during the long cooking process. If you have ever tried to cook with yoghurt you will know exactly what I mean! If you don't have poppy seeds, you can skip it. Use just a handful of cashews instead.

Now I am going to tell you something that you probably don't want to hear - there is no right way of making korma. It is open to interpretation within the general cooking style. You can use different spices, different nuts and you can add different amounts of coconut milk or not at all. Interestingly, coconut milk was only introduced into kormas when this dish was incorporated into Indian cuisine. The korma I am cooking today is the stuff you get in restaurants. Rich and mildly spiced but full of flavor!

Chicken Korma

Ingredients

1 kg Boneless Chicken breasts (or thighs), Cleaned cut in small bite sized pieces

1 inch piece - Ginger

3-4 Cloves - Garlic

2 - Medium Onions, Halved and Sliced
3 Tablespoons Yoghurt (greek lite)
1/2 Cup - Coconut Milk (Optional)
1&1/2 Cups - Evaporated Milk (quantity can vary depending on your preference)

1 Teaspoon - Salt

3-4 Tablespoons-Oil

Spices:

2 pods - Black Cardamom
2 pods - Green Cardamom

1/2 inch piece- Cinnamon

1/2 inch piece - Mace (Hindi: Javitri)

3-4 Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon Garam masala
1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Meat Tenderizer

1 Teaspoon White Pepper Powder
Few Strands - Saffron

Nuts and Seeds:
12-14 Cashews
1 Tablespoon - Poppy seeds (optional)

1 Teaspoon - Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste)

Note : Don't let the long list of spices intimidate you. If you don't have all of it, you can make do with just a few good quality spices. Check out my post on essential Indian spices.

Method

Marinate the chicken in the yoghurt, add some salt, meat tenderizer, white pepper powder and tahini and combine well. Marinate overnight if possible. If you don't have that kind of time, do this first and then prep the ingredients. It will be about half an hour before you add it in the curry. If I am using chicken breasts like I am here, I always add a bit of meat tenderizer. This is not necessary if you're cooking chicken thighs.

Put the cashews and poppy seeds in a microwavable bowl.

Cover it with water and microwave on high for about a minute. Cover and let it soak for about 10 - 15 minutes. Skip this step if you are not using poppy seeds. We'll add the cashews in at a later stage.

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2 comments LABELS: Indian, Poultry

Ma's Home cooking: Chicken Curry

I am taking you back to my mom's kitchen today with her recipe for chicken curry. Technically, this dish should be called murgi'r jhol. Mostly though, it is very simply referred to as "Murgi" or "Chicken".

This is not the kind of chicken curry that you will find in "indian restaurants". This is the kind of curry that you will taste in a bengali home on a lazy sunday afternoon, served with rice and a refreshing cucumber - onion raita. A curry around which memories are made.

This curry needs love, attention and time. You want to cook it nice and slow. The more patience you have with it, the more you will enjoy it in the end. Pressure cooking this curry makes the chicken fall-off-the-bone tender. I use my trusty 10 year old Hawkins Pressure Cooker!

Yield - Serves 4

Prep Time - 15 Minutes + Marinating

Cook Time - 45 Minutes

Ingredients

Chicken thighs- 1 kg, bone in, skinless

Onions - 2 -3 medium chopped

Potatoes - 2 medium, quartered

Tomatoes - 2 chopped

Green chili - 1

Ginger - ¾  inch crushed

Garlic - one whole head, crushed

Sugar - 1 teaspoon

Oil - 4-5 tablespoons

Marinade

Yoghurt - 3 tablespoons

1 Lemon - Juiced

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp

Tempering

Bay Leaves - 2 to 3

Whole Black Pepper - 1 tsp

Cloves - 4

Cardamom - 2 to 3

Cinnamon - quarter inch piece

Method

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Weeknight Lifesavers : Easy Thai Red Chicken Curry Recipe

The recipe for Thai red curry that I am going to share with you today is the easiest and most delicious dish you can bring together in under 30 minutes, including prep time. It is one of my go-to dishes to cook in a hurry so I always keep the ingredients handy. Kaffir lime leaves combined with store bought red curry paste gives this dish an authentic fragrant flavor that will leave you wanting more!

Yield : Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Thai Red Chicken Curry

The ingredients might sound a bit exotic if you are not used to them, but I can usually find everything I need in my local Countdown/ Woolworths.

Ingredients

Chicken breast - 0.5 LB sliced thin*
Carrots - 2 large, sliced diagonally
Bamboo shoots - 1 cup
Onions - 0.5 chopped
Garlic - 2-3 cloves chopped fine
Red curry paste -2-3 Tablespoons
Fish sauce - 1-2 teaspoons
Kaffir lime leaves - 4-5 leaves, chiffonade**
Coconut Milk / Cream - 1 can
Palm sugar or Brown sugar - 1 tsp
Basil leaves - a small bunch, leaves torn (optional)
Salt
oil - 1 tablespoon

* Slice the chicken as thin as you can. Partially frozen chicken is easier to slice.
** You can use lemongrass if you don't have lime leaves. You will find packets of frozen kaffir lime leaves in asian grocery stores that last in your freezer forever. They thaw out in under a minute and still retain their flavor!

A quick glance at the ingredients:

(Yes, that's homebrand coconut cream. Now don't get all snooty with me!)

(Slice the chicken nice and thin)

(Kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade: Cut and discard the thick stock from the center of the leaves, roll them and with a pair of kitchen shears slice them into thin ribbons)

Now let's get started!

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2 comments LABELS: Asian, Poultry, Thai, Weeknight Lifesavers

Healthy Chicken Salad - No Mayo!

Love a good juicy chicken salad sandwich but don't like mayonnaise? Step away from that store bought jar of nastiness, this recipe is just the thing for you! Greek yoghurt with a smidgen of mustard makes a great healthy base for this chicken salad.

Yield - Makes 2 Sandwiches

Time - 10 Minutes

No Mayo Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts

Ingredients

Chicken breast - 1, cooked and shredded
Walnuts - handful, chopped roughly
Dried Cranberries - Handful, chopped roughly
Scallion - 1 sliced
Low fat greek yoghurt - 3 to 4 tablespoon
Mustard - 1 squirt
salt

Method

In a bowl whip together the greek yoghurt, mustard and salt

Add the shredded chicken, walnuts, cranberries and scallions and toss with the dressing

Refrigerate till ready to use.

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No Butter "Butter" Chicken

Butter chicken has reached almost cult status within the Indian food genre and though I absolutely love the richness of this mouthwatering dish, I don't believe in adding unnecessary cholesterol in my recipes. I like eggs and bacon thankyouverymuch and that usually takes up our cholesterol limit on most days. So, when I do crave it, I make a lighter version of "butter" chicken.

No Butter "Butter" Chicken

Ingredients

1 and ½ Lb Skinless and boneless chicken thighs

½ cup Yoghurt

½ tsp Red Chili Powder

1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

1 tsp Tandoori Chicken Masala

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

6 tsp Tomato Puree

½ cup Mava (Optional)

½ cup Milk

½ Onion, very finely chopped

1-2 tbsp Kasoori Methi

3-4 Cardamoms

1” Cinnamon

2 Bay leaves

A few Sprigs Cilantro, chopped fine

Butter/ Oil to cook

Salt

Method

·    Clean the chicken and cut in bite sized pieces

·   Mix the yoghurt, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, tandoori masala, 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, salt and marinate the chicken in it over night

·    Grease a broiler-proof dish and pour in the marinated chicken

·    Broil for 5-10 minutes

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Indian, Poultry