Black Pepper Crab

 

Black Pepper Crab - a dish I have not eaten anywhere else but Singapore until now. I always thought it was a very complicated dish to prepare and stayed away for a very long time. Thanks to these lockdowns I was getting these urges and memories of those yummy dishes I garnered strength to try it out. It turns out that it's not super complicated to prepare. They say it can be prepared using any type of crab but to get the real impact it has to be a mud crab. Thankfully the seafood shop nearby had this and they also cut and cleaned it for me as well. Which otherwise is a story by itself. 

Ingredients

1. Mud crab - 1 for 2 people (I got 2) cut in quarters
2. Black Pepper - 50 gms
3. Garlic - 1 whole garlic (minced)
4. Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
5. Red onion - 1 (thinly sliced)
6. Butter - 50 gms
7. Chicken stock - 1 cup
8. Oyster sauce - 3-4 table spoons
9. Kecap Manis (Sweet soya sauce) - 3-4 table spoons
10. Dark Soya sauce - 1-2 table spoons
11. Sugar - 1 tea spoon
12. Corn flour - 2 tea spoons
13. Curry leaves - a handful

Method

1. Crush the black pepper into a coarse powder (not smooth)
2. Dry roast the crushed pepper in a wok for about 10-15 seconds (until you can smell the pepper).  Preferably use the same wok you will use for further steps and keep aside.
3. Deep fry the crab pieces until they turn red using any vegetable oil and set aside.
4. Transfer the oil and whatever remains to a container.
5. Melt the butter and add the minced garlic, ginger and onions and saute them for about a minute.
6. Add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, kecap manis, dark soya sauce, sugar and the crushed pepper.
7. Keep stirring until this mixture comes to a boil.
8. Add the curry leaves and toss it up.
9. Add the corn flour mixed in water and stir for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
10. Add the deep fried crabs and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve hot as an entre.

Dragon Chicken

 

Dragon Chicken - an "Indo Chinese" dish that caught my attention very recently. The term dragon could be because of how the chicken would look like or what your mouth could feel like after a few  bites. :) When I did a bit of research I was determined to try this rather sooner than later. This is very similar to Kung Pao chicken that is very popular in the US of A. This is an interesting recipe with a medley textures, flavours and colours. It's juicy, crunchy, spicy and a tinge of sweetness. So here's my take on this dish.

Ingredients

1. Chicken breast - 500 gms
2. Eggs - 2
3. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
4. Dark soya sauce 
5. Black pepper powder - 1 table spoon
6. Corn flour - 2 table spoons
7. Maida / All purpose flour - 1 table spoon
8. Red food colour (optional) - 1 pinch
9. Red onions - 2
10. Red Capsicum - 1
11. Green Capsicum - 1
12. Garlic (minced) - 2 tablespoons
13. Chilli jam (optional - can substitute with Chilli sauce if needed) - 2 table spoons
14. Kashmiri red chillies - 5 or 6
15. Dried red chillies (spicy one) - 5 or 6
16. Cashews
17. Sesame seeds - 2 tea spoons
18. Sugar - 1 tea spoon
19. Tomato ketchup - 2 table spoons
20. Chives (or spring onions)
21. Salt to taste
22. Vegetable oil

Method

1. Slice the chicken breast into very thin strips. It is important you cut it in strips and not diced.
2. Make a batter with eggs, ginger garlic paste, pepper powder,1 table spoon of soya sauce, salt to taste, food colour, corn flour and maida.
3. Marinade the chicken strips in this batter - at least for 30 minutes.
4. Cut the onions and capsicums in strips.
5. Deep fry the chicken strips in small batches.
6. In a large wok heat the oil (I use the same oil used for frying the chicken).
7. Toss the garlic, chillies and cashews for about a minute.
8. Add the onions and capsicums and stir fry them for about a minute.
9. Add 2 table spoons of dark soya sauce, chilli jam, tomato ketchup, sugar and mix well.
10. Add the chicken and toss well to mix the chicken with the sauce.
11. Add a few table spoons of water and toss well.
12. Add  the sesame seeds and chives to garnish and give it a quick toss.

Enjoy!!

C

Salem Thattuvadai Set

 

There are so many triggers for nostalgia and to me food definitely comes up in the top few. There was this street snack I used to enjoy as a high school kid usually after a tuition class or a weekend trip to the "shopping complex".  The Salem famous Thattuvadai Set. This such a simple yet tasty and healthy thattai sandwich. A thattuvadai or thattai is a thin crispy  deep fried snack made with rice flour and urad flour. This is also known as nippattu or chekkalu in neighbouring states. This healthy sandwich involves 2 chutneys (red and green) and a some crispy vegetables. I was never a big fan of beetroot and that too raw....no way. However just in this one instance even raw beetroot tastes great. This was one snack which I haven't tried (does 30 years count as long?) a long time. Fast forward to last week I found these yummy crispy thattais made by one of my friends here. So without further ado here comes the recipe.

Ingredients

Red Chutney

1. Dried Kashmiri chillies - 3 to 4 (for the colour)
2. Dried red chillies - 2 to 3 (for the heat)
3. Sliced Red onions - 1
4. Garlic cloves - 4 to 5
5. Tamarind (softened) - 1 teaspoon
6. Tomato - 2
7. Salt to taste
8. Vegetable oil

Green Chutney

1. Coriander leaves - 1 cup
2. Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
3. Green chillies - 8-10
4. Grated coconut - 2 table spoons
5. Salt to taste
6. Ginger - 1 inch

Salad

1. Carrot
2. Beetroot
3. Onion
4. Green Apple (this was my twist - raw mango is used typically)
5. Lemon
6. Chopped Coriander leaves 

And of course a lot of thattais. Preferably the bite sized mini ones.

Method

Red Chutney

1. Blend all the ingredients of the red chutney together to a smooth paste.
2. In a wide sauce pan heat 2 to 3 table spoons of vegetable oil and saute the paste for a few minutes until oil separates.

Green Chutney

1. Blend all the ingredients of the green chutney. (Yup nothing more just blend).

Salad

1. Slice the onion into thin slices.
2. Slice the remaining vegetables in equal amounts.
3. Mix them up in a bowl.

The Set

1. Take a thattai and smear it with the green chutney. Repeat as many as needed.
2. Place the salad on the thattais and sprinkle lemon juice over along with chopped coriander leaves.
3. Take thattais and smear it with the red chutney and place on top of the salad.

Best served on a piece of newspaper to get the authentic feel and consumed as quickly as possible.

Enjoy!!

C

Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

Here's one of my favourite spicy and tangy Indo-Chinese soups that can warm up your body and mind. As in any soup the broth is what that makes or breaks it. While I've tried a different home made and store bought broths - here's a version which worked out well for me.

Ingredients

Broth

1. Chicken with skin and bones. I used about 6 large chicken drumsticks.
2. Garlic - 1 bulb smashed
3. Ginger - 100 gms - cut and smashed
4. Spring onion twigs - a few bumches
5. Black pepper - 1 table spoon
6. Salt - 2 table spoons

Soup

1. Chicken broth - 4 cups
2. Carrot - diced - 2 table spoons
3. Cabbage - diced 2 table spoons
4. Green chilles - diced - 2 table spoons
5. Vinegar - 1/2 cup
6. Dark soy sauce - 2 table spoons
7. Corn flour slurry - 1/3 cup
8. Eggs - 2  egg yolks and 3 egg whites beaten
9. Seasme oil - 1 table spoon
10. Cooked Shredded chicken - 1/2 cup 
11. Spring onions - diced - 2 table spoons

Method

Broth

1. In a large sauce pan or vessel boil the chicken for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Drain the chicken and the water.
3. Fill the same sauce pan with water, transfer the chicken, add the garlic, ginger, pepper and salt.
4. Bring it to boil and then simmer it for about 30 minutes.'
5. Take the chicken pieces out, let it cool and then remove the flesh out with hands or fork.
6. Put the bones and skin back in the broth and let it simmer for another hour or so.
7. Drain the broth out into a container.

Hot & Sour Soup

1. In a sauce pan, saute the chillies, carrot and cabbage for about a minute in seasme oil and vinegar.
2. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil.
3. Once boiling add the corn flour slurry and bring it to boil.
4. Add the soya sauce and mix well.
5. Add the shredded chicken and mix well.
6. Stir the soup mix well that the broth is rotating around.
7. Add the beaten egg mix and twirl it around with a folk.
8. Serve hot with a dash of spring onions as a garnish.

Enjoy!!

C

Paneer Do Pyaza

Paneer do pyaza yet another dish that I picked up in Bangalore. Really dont remember how I landed up with this dish. Must have been bored with the typical paneer butter masala or paneer mutter masala in the restaurants and picked this weird Italian sounding dish. If you knew me well in those days I didn't understand what "pyaaz" meant. So here it is from our Persian cousins where Do Pyaza literally mean a curry with 2 types of onions. It's one of those versatile curry bases that you can prepare a multitude of do pyazas - chicken, okra (bhindi)... pretty much with any chunky piece of food. 

Ingredients

1. Paneer - 250 - 300 gms
2. Red Onions - 3 large ones
3. Green chillies - 4-5
4. Tomatoes - 2-3
5. Ginger garlic paste - 2 table spoons
6. Lemon juice - 1 table spoon
7. Cumin seeds - 2 table spoons
8. Green cardamom - 4-5
9. Cinnamon sticks - 3-4 small ones
10. Cloves - 5-6
11. Bay leaves - 2
12. Cumin powder - 1 tablespoon
13. Coriander powder - 1 table spoon
14. Garam masala - 1 table spoon
15. Kasoori Methi - 1 table spoon (crushed)
16. Turmeric powder - Half teaspoon
17. Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 table spoon
18. Vegetable oil - 4-5 table spoons
19. Ghee - 2 table spoons
20. Salt to taste
21. Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Chop 2 onions into fine mince and 1 onion in cubes and set aside in different containers.
2. Heat a large kadai and pour 1 tablespoon of ghee and 2 table spoons of vegetable oil.
3. Sautee the cumin seeds (1 table spoon), green cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves until the fragrance comes out.
4. Add the finely minced onions and saute with a pinch of salt until they turn brownish.
5. While the onions are sauteed finely dice the tomatoes and set aside.
6. When the onions are brown add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes until the raw paste smell clears off.
7. Add the diced tomatoes and saute for about 10 to 15 minutes along with turmeric powder, cumin powder, garam masala, kasoori methi and the kashmiri chilli powder. 
8. While the masala gets sauteed dice up the paneer into bite sized cubes - but not too thin or small.
9. Add about half a cup of water and simmer the masala adding salt to taste. By now it should result in a mushy masala gravy.
10. Once the masala has reduced to your preferred consistency remove the cinnamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves and transfer the content to another bowl.
11. In the same kadai pour the remaining ghee and vegetable oil and wait until it heats up.
12. Once the oil is hot add the green chillies, 1 table spoon of cumin seeds and the diced onions and sautee for about a minute or so.
13. Add the diced paneer and sautee for about 2 minutes until the ingredients mix well with the paneer.
14. Pour the masala (done in step #10) over the paneer and sautee for a minute or so with but more water as per the consistency preferred.
15. Switch off the heat and add the 2 table spoons of lemon juice and stir well. Be careful not to stir it too much else the paneer will break.
16. Garnish with chopped coriander and voila restaurant style Paneer Dopyaza is done. Serve with warm roti/chappati.

Enjoy!!

C

Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread introduced to me by the United States of America most probably in the form of a muffin and then as a slice of bread (or cake?). Many a times this has worked as breakfast accompanied with coffee. Not sure if there would be anybody who would not like it unless they have some sort of aversion to banana. So today was the day for me to experiment on banana bread - from scratch. After the one sided World Cup final - there was not enough reason to watch it - so why not bake.

Went through a few recipes on the internet - each having it's own slight variation. Eventually arrived upon a mix and match of options from here and there. Nothing like the power of convenience. :-) So here it comes...

Ingredients

1) Banana (Ripe) - (enough to make about a 1.5 cups of mashed banana)
2) Nuts (I used a mix a walnuts and pecans) - 1.5 cups

3) All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 & 3/4 cups
4) Butter - 150 gms (Melted and cooled)
5) Sugar - 1 cup
6) Vanilla Essence - 1 tea spoon
7) Baking soda - 1 tea spoon
8) Baking powder - 1 tea spoon
9) Eggs - 2
10) Cinnamon powder - 1 tea spoon


Method

1) Pre-heat oven to 150 Deg C

2) Chop the nuts roughly.
3) Mix sugar, butter and vanilla essence using an electric mixer for about 10 minutes.
4) Add the egg and beat the mix for a few minutes.
5) Add all the remaining dry ingredients and give it a good stir with the electric mixer and finally with a wooden spoon.
6) Transfer the contents to a baking pan covered with baking paper. Garnish with some nuts.
7) Bake it in the pre-heated oven for about 80 minutes

Note: Check about every 5 to 10 minute after the 50th minute with a toothpick. If it's not cooked well you could see the mix sticking to the toothpick.
8) Remove the dish from the oven and cool it for about 10 minutes.

Banana nut cake done.


Happy Baking!!

C

Banana Nut Bread

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Sweet corn chicken soup - one of those soups that gives a meaning to "Chicken Soup for the Soul". It has all the goodness in it to bring your spirits up - especially on a gloomy cold night. After tomato soup this would have been one of my earliest memories of soup consumption - especially in a restaurant. There's something about the smell, the texture, the consistency and of course the flavour. So without much further ado - here's how to prepare sweet corn chicken soup - restaurant style - at home.

Ingredients

1. Sweet corn - fresher the better. If not a frozen packet would do just fine. (2 cups)
2. Chicken - Boneless - either thigh or breast pieces - thinly sliced or cubed
3. Chicken stock - either store bought or stock made out of boiling chicken with bones for about an hour.
4. Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
5. Garlic - minced (1 tablespoon)
6. Corn Flour - 50 gms
7. Eggs - 2 (beaten)
8. Milk - 1/2 cup
9. Sesame oil - few tablespoons
10. Spring onions (for garnish)

Method

1. Take about 3/4th - 1 cup of the sweet corn and pulse it to create a rough / chunky mixture.
2. In a large sauce pan or wok heat the sesame oil and saute the chicken and garlic for a few minutes. Saute until the pinkness is vanished in the chicken.
3. Add the vinegar and give it quick toss.
4. Add the sweet corn (whole and the chunky mixture) and saute for a few minutes.
5. Add the chicken stock and milk and bring it to a boil.
6. While the chicken stock is boiling, create a corn flour slurry by mixing water to the corn flour - about 1/4 cup.
7. Once the stock has come to a boil add the corn flour slurry and let the soup thicken up for a few minutes. I like my soups thick - so if the consistency is not thick enough for you, prepare more corn flour slurry and add it to the soup.
8. Once the soup is thick enough pour the beaten eggs in a circular fashion around the soup and stir it around in ONE direction with a fork. This should create the "egg flower" - which BTW is also another name for this soup in Chinese restaurants.
9. Simmer the soup for 2-3 minutes.
10. Serve hot with a garnish of spring onions.

Note: Some people like to have this with a bit of chilli vinegar mixed for a bit of a tangy and spicy flavour. If you would like it - just chop of a few green chillies in a few tablespoons of vinegar before you start this process.

Restaurant style - Indo Chinese - Sweet Corn Chicken soup ready!!

Happy Cooking!!

C