Indo-Chinese Cooking : Chilly Chicken

I always loved chinese food, especially Indo-Chinese. When I first came to Germany, J took me to a chinese restaurant, and when the menu cards arrived, I eagerly opened them to find dishes like Manchuria, Chilly Chicken, Ginger Chicken etc etc... But to my surprise I found something like Kung-Pao, Chicken in sweet and sour sauce etc...

I was very much disappointed at the fact that, Manchuria and Chilly Chicken etc, are found only the the Chinese restaurants in India.

Last weekend we have been to our friend's place in Munich, and suddenly the two men J and J wanted to have something spicy and so we decided to make Chilly Chicken, after browsing on net for the recipe, and after mix and match from here and there, we came up with this recipe.

Ingredients:
For Chicken:
Chicken Breasts: 500 gms, cut into bite sized pieces
Cornflour: 1 tbsp
Egg: 1
Salt: to taste
Ajnimotto: 1/4 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp
Pepper Powder: 1 tsp
Oil: for frying

To Finish:
Oil: 2 tbsp
Green Chillies: 8 to 10, slit length wise, acc. to your taste buds
Capsimcum: 1 large, cut into cubes
Onions: 1 large, cut into cubes
Chopped Ginger: 1 tbsp
Chopped Garlic: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Soya Sauce: 2 tbsp
Ajnimotto: 1/4 tsp
Red Chilly Sauce: 1 tbsp
Cornflour: 1 tbsp, mixed in little water
Spring Onions: to garnish

Chilly Chicken : The Steps

How I did it:

1. Mix chicken with all other ingredients, mentioned under 'For Chicken'.
2. Heat oil in a wide pan, and fry the chicken.
3. Keep aside.
4. Take an other deep pan, add little oil.
5. When hot, add green chillies and chopped ginger and garlic.
6. Then add Onions and Capsicum.
7. Add little salt and fry for 5 mins.
8. Add Soya Sauce, and ajnimotto and Chilli Sauce.
9. Fry for 2 mins more.
10. Add the fried chicken pieces and 2 to 3 tbsp of cornflour mixed in water.
11. Mix well and fry for 2 more mins.
12. Serve Hot.

And the Verdict:
Spicy, yummy.. and though it comes under chinese cusine, its truly Indian at heart :)

Continue Reading...

Summary only...

Onion Pesarattu (MoongDal Dosa)

Pesarattu with Coconut Chutney

Whenever we used to visit a udipi restaurant, the first thing that I would order was DOSA. I always used to spend atleast 10 mins on the menu reading all types of dosas available. As far as I can remember only Dosa has such huge variety of variations - Plain Dosa, Onion Dosa, Masala Dosa, Paper Dosa, Rava Dosa, Set Dosa, MLA Dosa and what not :)

One variety which I like in Dosa apart from the above mentioned is Pesarattu. I always used to wonder why is this not mentioned under Dosa category in restaurant menu.

I have been reading all the blogs from past 3 months, and it has been raining Dosas in Blogosphere since the day Srivalli announced the Dosa Mela. I felt very bad missing all the fun becoz of Morning Sickness, but I am glad that I am able to make it before the deadline :)

Onion Pesarattu:
Ingredients:
MoonDal(Whole or Split): 1 1/2 cups
Salt: to taste
Water: as needed, while grinding
For Topping:
Onion: 1, finely chopped
Green Chillies: 5, finely chopped
Ginger: 2 inch piece, finely chopped

Soaked MoongDal and Dosa Batter

How I did it:

1. Soak MoongDal overnight in sufficient water.
2. Grind it to Dosa consistency the following morning, using water as required.
3. Mix salt.
4. There is no need to ferment the Pesarattu Batter as we do it for regular Dosa.
5. Take a Dosa tava and when hot put a ladle full of batter and spread it.



In Process!



6. Mix all the ingredient mentioned under topping, and put a spoonful on the dosa.
7. Put oil on the sides and on the dosa.
8. Let it fry till crisp. There is no need to turn over.
9. Serve Hot with Coconut Chutney.

Yummy!!

And The Verdict:
A very wholesome, nutritious and delicious breakfast... Just Yummyyy!!!

Food Event:
This is my entry for the Dosa Mela event being hosted by dear SriValli of Cooking For All Seasons.

Continue Reading...

Summary only...

Hey... I am still Existing :)

Firstly I would like to Thank You all for stopping by and asking how I have been and enquiring about my absence. I know it has been long since I have blogged. I took a break for 2 months due to India visit... But the after two months I came to know that I, Cinnamon, am soon going to be Mom Cinnamon :)

And this good news brought along with it Morning sickness... bcoz of which I could not stand any type of smells from the kitchen....

I have been reading all the posts from all the bloggers, though I could not post. Hopefully I will be active again from today.... so watch out for the recipes.

Continue Reading...

Summary only...

Hyderabad Calling :)

Its been long time blogging, I have been quite busy last few weeks.... shopping and packing... why?? Becoz Iam flying to Hyderabad yippee :)
I have 2 months long vacation.. and all I am going to do is eat, shop and sleep... in short Enjoy :)

I will be blogging in between, with the recipes from Mom and Aunts.. but not very often...

Byee for now.. and keep visiting for Hyderabadi Food and recipes :)

Continue Reading...

Summary only...

Layered Parotta with Aloo Gobi

Layered Parotta

I like long car journey's, ... becoz we get to stop at Dhabas for lunch and dinners :)
I enjoy Dhaba food, esp, sitting on the cots and having garma garam food and lassi :), and one of my favorite is the parotta, which is served with some gravy or dal.
Once me and my mom, observed the way the cook at the dhaba, works on the dough and tried at home, but it was never a success.
Recently I have come across this blog here, which showed the step by step process. This has come out very well, just like the parottas, made by a profi.

Parotta:
Ingredients:
Maida: 2 cups
Sugar: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Luke warm water: as needed
Oil: while kneading(1Tbsp) and while rolling(as needed).
Eggs: 1 (optional)

How I did it:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and add eggs(if using).
2. Knead to form soft dough adding sufficient water and oil.
3. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and keep it aside for 1 hr.
4. Divide the dough into equal portions of size of a small.
5. Take a portion and apply some oil on it.
6. On a flat platform apply some oil and roll out the portion to the maximum, as thin as possible and do not worry about the shape.
7. Now fold it, just like making pleats of a saree, and roll it spirally.
8. Repeat this step for all the portions.
9. Heat the tawa, and roll out each portion in the shape of a roti and fry on hot tawa on both side, applying little ghee or oil.
10. Serve Hot!

Parotta, served with AlooGobi

Aloo Gobi:
Ingredients:
Aloo: 4 big, chopped
Gobi: 1 medium, chopped into medium florets
Onions: 2
Ginger Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Green Chillies: 4, slit length wise (adjust accordingly)
Haldi: 1/2 tsp
Salt : to taste
Corriander: 1 small bunch, chopped
For Tadka:
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Dry Red Chillies: 2
Oil: 2 Tbsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai, and add the ingredients for Tadka.
2. Add Onions and green chillies, and fry till golden.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and haldi and fry for few more mins.
4. Now add aloo and gobi and salt and cook covered for 10 mins.
5. Add Garam Masala, and cook for few more mins till done.
6. Garnish with corriander and serve hot!

AlooGobi with Parotta

And the Verdict:
It is long, time consuming process, but the end result is very satisfying... its worth all the hardwork done :)

Continue Reading...

Summary only...

Saffron Rice

Apart from Jeera Rice, Saffron Rice or Kesar Chawal goes well with the wide variety of spicy Indian dishes. It is also very appealing to the eye, with its pleasant color.
As someone rightly said "White rice is nice, but yellow saffron rice is stunning".

Saffron Rice

There have been many versions of Saffron Rice, from the day Think Spice... Think Saffron was announced :) And now this is the time for my version :)

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 1 cup
Water: 2 cups
Saffron: 1/2 tsp
Cloves: 4 - 5
Cardamom: 2
Cumin: 1 tsp
Cashews: 1 Tbsp
Salt: to taste
Milk: 2 Tbsp
Curry Leaves: a few
Ghee: 1 Tbsp
Edible Saffron Color or Turmeric : a pinch (optional)

How I did it:

1. Steep Saffron in warm milk for a few mins.
2. Cook rice with water, cardamom, cloves, salt. Add even the saffron and milk and turmeric or color(if using).
3. Take ghee in a small kadai and add cashews after golden, add jeera and curry leaves.
4. Add this to the cooked rice.
5. Serve hot!

Saffron Rice

And the Verdict:
It is a nice substitute for the routine jeera rice or ghee rice. Saffron adds the rich flavor and color.
I served this with butter chicken, and it was a nice combination!!

Saffron Rice with Butter Chicken

Food Event:
This is my entry for the Think Spice : Saffron event being hosted by dear Sunita of Sunita's World.

Continue Reading...

Summary only...

Butter Chicken / Chicken Makhani and FAHC : Donate Smiles

One of my colleague/friend from Prague, visited us for dinner yesterday, and I had to prepare something which is mild, with less spices, as suitable to his taste buds!
Then the dish which came into mind was Butter Chicken... it is so mild and tasty at the same time. One advantage in this recipe is that, it can be made as mild or as spicy as one wishes without altering the actual taste.
This dish is among the best known Indian foods all over the world.

Butter Chicken/Chicken Makhani

I have adapted this recipe from chef Sanjeev Kapoor's popular food show "Khana Khazana" on Zee TV :) From the time I was little young, I used to sit in front of TV, by the time the program starts, with a pen and paper and note down the ingredients and method carefully :) I really like the way he makes the show and recipes interesting!!

Ingredients:
Chicken, boneless: 800 gms
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp, adjust accordingly
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste
For Makhani gravy
Ginger Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp
Green chillies: 2, chopped, adjust accordingly
Butter: 3 Tbsp
Green cardamoms: 2-3
Cloves: 4-5
Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
Tomato puree: 400 gms
Red chilli powder: 1 Tbsp, adjust accordingly
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Honey: 2 Tbsp
Kasoori methi: 1/2 tsp
Fresh cream: 1 cup
Red Food Color: a pinch
For Marination
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 Tbsp
Yogurt: 1 cup
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Lemon juice: 2 tbsps
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Butter: 2 tbsps

How I did it:

1. Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and leave aside for half an hour.
2. Hang yogurt in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes to remove extra water.
3. To this add red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and butter.
4. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours.
5. Put the chicken onto a skewer and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done.
6. Remove and keep aside, for further use.
7. Heat butter in a pan. Add green cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
8. Saute for two minutes, add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies.
9. Cook for two minutes. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt, red food color and one cup of water.
10. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.
11. Add honey and powdered kasoori methi.
12. Add cooked tandoori chicken pieces.
13. Simmer for five minutes and then add fresh cream.
14. Serve hot with Naan, Parantha or Steamed Rice.
    

Butter Chicken/Chicken Makhani

And the Verdict:
My guest was all pleased, and he loved the chicken. It was mild and tasty and finger licking :)

Please DO take a moment to read the following :

Feed A Hungry Child - Donate Smiles:


Feed A Hungry Child is a non-profit organization formed by V.K. Narayanan of My Dhaba. This is a mission to come together and fight against Poverty and Hunger. Visit this page to learn more.

What is it All About :

feedahungrychild.org is a not-for-profit charitable organization formed in a collaborative effort of the like-minded people from all around the world. It aims to replace the empty plates of the underprivileged children and replace them with ones of food. While FAHC addresses the holistic needs of each children it supports, it believes illiteracy, malnutrition, and other concerns can only be addressed when hunger is appeased.

Immediate Mission:

* Join the fight against global poverty.
* Help feed hungry children one by one.

Larger Vision: feeahungrychild.org aims to improve the lives of a good many underprivileged children in their efforts to support themselves, their families, and their communities by giving them the chance for better food, better education, better healthcare, and other welfare.

How can I help? With the help of volunteers, FAHC has begun its support to a pilot batch of 14 children and their families since April 2007 out of which 8 children are girls. Please see the event report for details. This year we are also fundraising to support more children, so would be extremely grateful of any help or contributions you can give to FAHC. Funds from FAHC programs go directly to the children and their families. We do not have any paid employees or any other direct administrative expenses.

This year FAHC is also fund raising to support more children by “Donate Smiles” drive and the goal is to raise $3,360 by October 23, 2007.

If you want to make a one time donation, click on the ChipIn widget below to donate securely via PayPal online. You can win some fabulous prizes for the donations equal to or more than $25.
More info on prizes click here

So Chip In and Spread Smiles!!!

Updated on 25th October:

A big Thanks to every who participated in this noble cause, and gave donations generously!!! I congratulate all the volunteers who encouraged this act and who sponsored the gifts.

Please click here to know about the results and the winners!

I once again Thank everyone who made this a big success!!

Continue Reading...

Summary only...