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