Indo Chinese - Schezwan Chilli Sauce

Every Asian cuisine has an individual flavour of chilli sauce. First of my posts in the sauce series is one such variety - the Indo Chinese version of Schezwan Chilli sauce. As the name denotes this sauce takes inspiration from the Schezwan (also known as Sichuan) province in China where it is known for it spicy cuisine. As in any other Indo Chinese recipe this too has been adapted to Indian taste buds. This is such a versatile sauce that goes as a condiment with other finger food (such as Chicken Lollipop) or as a base sauce to prepare Schezwan noodles or fried rice. Am sure this can be used to make other stir fried dishes as well. So without much further ado...

Ingredients

1. Kashmiri Chillies - 1 cup
2. Minced Garlic - 1/2 cup
3. Minced Ginger - 3 table spoons
4. Minced celery sticks - 2 table spoons
5. White vinegar - 2-3 table spoons
6. Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
7. Tomato sauce - 2 table spoons
8. Sugar - 1 tea spoon
9. Salt - 1 tea spoon

Method

1. Soak the chillies in hot water for about 30 minutes.
2. Chop up the garlic, ginger and celery into tiny mince.
3. Once soaked blend the chillies into a smooth paste (with the stalks out but the seeds still intact). If you would like your sauce to be less spicy take away some seeds before you blend them.
4. Heat a wide sauce pan pour the oil and saute the garlic until it slightly turns colour.
5. Add the ginger and celery and saute for a few minutes until the oil separates.
6. Add the blended chilli paste and saute in medium to low heat for about 5-10 minutes until water evapourates. Keep stirring while this happens to ensure the sauce doesn't burn.
7. Close the sauce pan with a lid and let it simmer for another 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
8. Remove the lid, add the vinegar, tomato sauce, sugar and salt and simmer it for another 5 minutes. Feel free to play around with these ingredients until you get your preferred taste - something spicy, tangy and just a hint of sweetness.
9. By now the sauce should be well cooked with oil separating out.
10. Let it cool to room temperature and store it in an air tight glass bottle. 

This can be refrigerated for at least 2 months or frozen (in a ziploc bag) for many more months.

Enjoy!!

C

Chicken Lollipops

Chicken Lollipop known by many different names - Chicken Drumstick, Drums of Heaven etc., has been huge hit recently at home while we visit an Indian restaurant nearby. My kids call it "the lollipop restaurant". This is an awesome indo-chinese appetiser (entree) that I tried ages ago and almost forgot about it since not many restaurants outside India served this delicacy. So after a few visits was inspired to recreate it at home. It took a few tries and knowing what part of chicken was best to use. This goes best with Schezwan sauce which will be coming up soon at Chetty's Kitchen.

Ingredients

1. Chicken wings - at least 4 per person (unless you want a dog fight at home). I bought 16 for the four of us. Make sure you buy the smallest chicken wings possible and the one without the shoulder piece or the winglet.
2. Corn flour - 1/2 cup
3. Plain Flour (Maida) - 1 cup (the ratio between Cornflour to Maida should be 1:2 whichever measurement you use)
4. Egg - 1
5. Ginger garlic paste - 1 table spoon
6. Salt - to taste
7. Lemon juice - 2 tea spoons
8. Light Soya sauce - 2 table spoons
9. Kashmiri chilli powder - to taste
10. Red food colour - 2 pinches (totally optional)

Method

1. Take a chicken wing and feel out the 2 bones. There will be one thin bone and a thick one. Run a knife around the thin bone, scrape the flesh and remove the bone (by twisting it out).
2. Run the knife around the remaining bigger bone and scrape the flesh down.
3. Push the flesh down towards the other end of the bone and roll it up into a ball (loosely). The lollipops are formed now.
4. In a large bowl mix the ingredients for the marinade - ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, soya sauce, kashmiri chilli and salt.
   
5. Marinade the lollipops in the above mix for at least 30 minutes.
6. While the chicken is being marinated prepare the batter with the egg, corn flour, plain flour, kashmiri chilli powder, salt and food colour. Prepare a fairly thick batter by adding water slowly. 
7. Heat a deep sauce pan / kadai with vegetable oil. Enough oil to have at least 3 to 4 cms depth. Once hot move the heat to medium / low heat.
8. Dip the chicken lollipop in the batter and roll it smoothly to maintain the ball shape and immerse them in the hot oil.
9. Cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes occasionally turning them around.
10. Drain and serve hot with a spicy Schezwan sauce. You can decorate the bone tips with aluminium foil if you would like.

The result is a crunchy on the outside but juicy on the inside Chicken Lollipop!!

Enjoy!!

C

Creamy and Spicy Chicken Pasta

It's a common misconception that pasta is typically bland. There is whole range of pasta dishes that can prepared spicy to suit our taste buds. My introduction to pasta was in the form of a masala version of macaroni and cheese that my mom used to prepare. After a few decades I found a version in one of the Italian restaurants (Johnny Carinos to be specific) in USA. A version was posted a while ago (ignore the images though). Since then we have been trying out different spicy variations of pasta. Here is one such recipe inspired by Tasty. So without further ado...

Ingredients

1. Olive oil - 3 to 4 table spoons
2. Boneless chicken breast chunks - 600 gms
3. Mushrooms (I used the brown swiss mushrooms) - 150 gms
4. Diced Onion - 1
5. Minced garlic - 1 whole garlic 
6. Thinly sliced sundried tomatoes - 3 to 4 table spoons
7. Chicken stock 500 ml
8. Plain flour (Maida) - 1 tablespoon
9. Heavy cream 350 ml
10. Pasta (I used Farfalle any variety other than spaghetti (or noodle like) will work) - 300 gms (1 packet)
11. Shredded parmesan cheese - 100 g
12. Cayenne Pepper - to taste as per your spice levels
13. Black pepper - to taste
14. Chopped Parsley for garnish

Method

1. Boil and drain the pasta as per the instructions on the package. Add a pinch of salt.
2. In a large sauce pan heat the olive oil and saute the diced chicken with a bit of salt and pepper       for about 5 minutes until cooked to about 3/4ths - just until you don't see anything pink. 
3. Move the chicken out to a separate bowl.
4. Add some more olive oil and saute the garlic, onions, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.
5. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Note that the chicken stock will come with a bit of salt too.
6. Once the onions are carmelized (brown in colour) add the chicken stock and heavy cream and bring it to boil.
7. Add the plain flour to thicken the sauce and simmer it for about 5 minutes.
8. Add the boiled and drained pasta and stir it well.
9. Add the grated parmesan cheese and stir well.
10. Garnish with chopped parsley and bit of parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Enjoy!!

C

Andhra Style Ginger Chicken

When it comes to chicken curries each state (probably even districts) seems to come up with a variation that's a specialty to that area. While I don't know which district this came from - ginger chicken curry is definitely a favourite of mine while dining at an "Andhra style" restaurant. As the name denotes this is a chicken curry with a slightly stronger tinge of ginger in it which gives a punch to the curry. I am sure this can also be enjoyed in a semi gravy style simply by reducing the amount of water.

Ingredients

1. Red onions - 3
2. Tomatoes - 2
3. Ginger & Garlic paste - 2 table spoons
4. Ginger juliennes - 50 gms
5. Fennel seeds - 1 table spoon
6. Cumin - 1 tea spoon
7. Cardamom seed - 1 tea spoon
8. Coriander seeds - 2 table spoons
9. Poppy seeds - 1 tea spoon
10. Cinnamon sticks - 1 or 2
11. Kashmiri red chillies - 4 or 5
12. Cloves - 3-4
13. Chicken with bones - 1kg (diced)
14. Gingelly oil
15. Curry leaves

Method

1. Dice the onions roughly and saute them in gingelly oil with a pinch of salt.
2. Dry roast the spices (Ingredients #5 - 12) for about a minute until the aroma comes out.
3. Let it cool down to room temperature and then blend it to a nice powder.
4. Once the onions are golden brown add the tomatoes and saute them until they get mushy.
5. Add the ginger garlic paste and half of the ginger juliennes and saute them until oil separates.
6. Add the diced up chicken pieces and mix it well.
7. Add the powdered dry spices and mix it well.
8. Cook in a medium flame with a lid on for about 20 minutes. Add a cup of water to the level of consistency you prefer.
9. Add the remaining ginger juliennes with curry leaves and simmer for a few minutes. 

Enjoy!!

C

Prawn Scampi Pasta

Pasta as you probably know comes in different shapes and forms and sauces. I hear I had shared a spicy and creamy version roughly about 8 years ago. This version is not as complicated in terms of ingredients or the process. Of course a more traditional version involves a few more ingredients but I customized this to my preference (in other words what I had in my pantry). A great dish for what they call as a week day dinner fix. Simple, quick and tasty. A more traditional recipe will involve a few more ingredients such as white wine, parsley, Italian herbs etc.,  which I have not used. So without much further ado...

Ingredients

1. Pasta (500 gms). I used spaghetti but you can use pretty much any type of pasta. Preferably the noodle type ones (spaghetti, linguini, angel hair etc).
2. Prawns (or Shrimp for in the United States) - 200 gms
3. Garlic - 10 cloves (finely minced)
4. Butter - 100 gms
5. Olive Oil - 2-3 table spoons
6. Red chilli flakes - to taste
7. Lemon juice - 2-3 table spoons
8. Coriander - chopped for garnish (better if you use parsley)

The Method

1. Cook and drain the pasta as per the package instructions with a teaspoon of salt. Ensure it is not too soft and mushy.
2. Heat a large wok and melt the butter. Add the olive oil once the butter is melted.
3. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute without letting it burn. Turn down the heat if needed.
4. Add the prawns and red chilli flakes and saute until the prawns turn pink. Add salt to taste.
5. Add the lemon juice and toss it up for about a minute.
6. Add the cooked pasta and toss it in until the sauce is evenly mixed.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander (or parsley) leaves and serve.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi also known as Bendakkai, Vendakkai, Okra or even Ladies Finger to a few was the least preferred vegetable when I grew up. I detested it even more when I was forced to eat it as being good for your brain and for your mathematical skills!! However all that changed when I had Bhindi masala in Bangalore. If you have been following my posts I can't thank Bangalore enough for opening up my taste buds especially for North Indian food. So here is my re-creation of Bhindi Masala - hope you like it and try it.

Ingredients

1. Bhindi/Okra - 1 kg
2. Red Onions - 2
3. Tomatoes - 2
4. Tomato paste - 1 table spoon
5. Ginger garlic paste - 1 table spoon
6. Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
7. Kashmiri Chilli - 1 table spoon (or less as per your level of spiciness)
8. Cardamom / Elaichi - 1 table spoon
9. Turmeric - 1/2 tea spoon
10. Kasoori methi - 1 table spoon
11. Cashews - 7-8
12. Garam masala - 2 table spoons
13. Milk - 1/2 cup
14. Salt - to taste
15. Coriander / Cilantro (chopped) - for garnishing
16. Any form of vegetable oil

Method

1. Slit the bhindi along the slides and cut the head off. 
2. Heat a large sauce pan / kadai with vegetable oil and sautee the cumin seeds for a few seconds.
3. Add onions and garlic and sautee until they become soft and mushy. You can add a pinch of salt to quicken the process.
4. Add cashews and cardamom and sautee for a minute and set aside to cool down.
5. In the same pan heat about half a cup of oil and shallow fry the okra for about 10 minutes until they brown up on the sides, filter the oil and set aside.
6. Blend the tomato and onion mixture into a smooth paste and filter the contents into a bowl.
7. In the same pan (remove a bit of excess oil) and saute the filtered onion tomato paste along with ginger garlic paste, tomato paste and turmeric powder.
8. As the oil separates add the garam masala and crushed kasoori methi and mix it well.
9. Add the milk and bit of water to required consistency (should not be too watery) and bring it to a boil.
10. Add the shallow fried bhindi and mix it well for about a minute.
11. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with roti / rice.

Enjoy Cooking!!

C

Chicken Manchurian - quintessential dish that features in every Indian restaurant that serves "Indo-Chinese" cuisine. I do not remember any visit to a  (Indian) Chinese restaurant that did not have A "manchurian" in the order. It could be Gobi (Cauliflower) or Paneer or most often as the case is - Chicken. It usually comes in 2 variations either as "Dry" which is served as an appetizer (entree/starter) or "Gravy" which is usually served as an accompaniment to fried rice or noodles. So here is the gravy version. If you would like the dry version just follow the notes below (step #7).

Ingredients

1. Chicken breast fillet - 500 gms
2. Minced garlic - 2 table spoons
3. Minced red onions - 1 large onion
4. Corn flour - 3 table spoons for batter and 1.5 table spoons for sauce
5. Plain flour (Maida) - 1/2 cup
6. Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
7. Eggs - 2
8. Soya Sauce - 2 table spoons
9. Vinegar - 1 table spoon
10. Sugar - 1 tea spoon
11. Spring onions - 1/2 cup for garnish

Method

1. Thinly slice the chicken breast fillets. Make sure you don't cut them into cubes.
2. In a deep bowl mix the chicken with eggs, corn flour, plain flour, chilli powder and salt (about a tea spoon). Do not add any water. You should just have a thin coating of the batter on top of the chicken.
3. In a large wok heat about 2 cups of vegetable oil (or enough to deep fry).
4. Deep fry the chicken pieces in a few batches. It should take about 30 seconds to a minute for each batch. This is where the thinly sliced chicken pieces come in handy.
5. Transfer the excess oil into a separate bowl and use the same wok with a few table spoons of oil left.
6. Saute the garlic and onion until the onion turns slightly brown.
7.  Add vinegar and soya sauce mix it up well. (If you want the dry version avoid step #8 and add about 1 table spoon of corn flour slurry for the smooth texture).
8. Pour about 2 cups of water (or more if you need more sauce) and bring it to boil.
9. Mix the 1.5 table spoons of corn flour in half a cup of water and bring it to boil until the sauce thickens. (Adjust the water or corn flour slurry to desired thickness of sauce)
10. Mix the deep fried chicken pieces and mix it up for about a minute.
11. Serve hot with diced up spring onions as garnish. As mentioned above a good combination with noodles or fried rice.

Happy Cooking !!

C