Chilli Chicken (Indian Chinese)

Dish that originated from India - India's take to Chinese cuisine. Very similar to Kung Pao Chicken.

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 30 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2-3, as a side dish (with rice)

INGREDIENTS
Chicken fillet, 500-600 gms (2 packets of 300 gms), cubed into bite-sized pieces
Dried red chillis, cut into edges (a small bowl)
Green pepper, 1 (medium diced)
Red pepper, 1 (medium diced)
Onion, 1 (medium diced)
Egg, 1
Garlic, 3 cloves (finely chopped)
Ginger, 1 tsp (finely grated)
Salt
Pepper
Soya sauce
Corn flour, 1tbsp
Corn flour water, 1 tbsp mixed with a cup of water
Chicken stock, 1/2 cube
Celery, 1 stick (finely chopped)
Chilli garlic paste, 4 tbsp (to taste)
Sesame seed oil, 3 tbsp
Oil
Cashew nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Sprinkle the cornflour (around a tbsp) and a dash of salt on the chicken cubes. Crack and egg into the mixture. Mix with your hands. Add a dash of pepper.
2. Heat up a frying pan. Add sufficient oil for the purposes of deep-frying. Carefully place the chicken cubes in the oil. Turn over. Once the chicken cubes are cooked, drain the oil and set aside.
2. In the same frying pan, heat up the sesame oil. Thereafter, saute the dried red chillis in this oil. Add the garlic and ginger paste and saute.
3. Toss in the cashew nuts (optional). Thereafter, add the onions in and saute until the onions are translucent. Add in the peppers and celery. Toss in a dash of pepper, some chilli powder and soya sauce to taste. Add in garlic chilli sauce over the mixture liberally. Mix well.
4. Now, pour approximately 1 cup of water (mixed with the chicken stock) into the mixture. Let the mixture boil and leave to simmer. Taste. Add in more pepper, soya sauce and garlic chilli sauce (if desired).
5. Place the chicken pieces into the mixture. Now, very carefully, add in a spoonful of the corn flour water and mix well. If required, add in another spoonful of the corn flour water (around 4 spoonfuls of corn flour water will be added if the measurements above are followed closely). Toss the mixture well. There you have your delicious Chilli Chicken dish. Enjoy!

TIPS
Note: Instead of chicken fillet, use chicken thigh if you prefer the meat to be more tender.

Adding the corn flour water gives the mixture a starchy feel, which is usual in Chinese stir-fry dishes. Be careful not to add in the corn flour water too quickly or too liberally, else the sauce will be coagulated and you are left with a mess of chicken! Ideally, some sauce should be left behind.

Indian Style Macaroni

Spicy Macaroni - Adding an Indian touch to non-Indian cuisine.

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 25 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as a main course

INGREDIENTS
Pasta Macaroni, 2 cups
Tomatoes, 3-4 medium (diced - medium sized cubes)
Tomato puree 3 tbsp
Onions, 1 1/2 medium (diced - medium sized cubes)
Ginger paste 1 tsp (very finely grated)
Garlic, 2 cloves (finely chopped - optional)
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Salt (to taste)
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Cilantro (a couple of sprigs - for garnishing)
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil water and cook pasta (adding oil and salt) until the pasta is al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Next, heat up the oil on low heat in a wok or pan. Fry the mustard seeds till they pop. Now add in the cumin seeds.
2. Add the onions to the mixture and fry till the onions turn translucent.
3. Add in the ginger paste, garlic (optional), turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Saute for a while.
4. Throw the tomatoes in. Add more water if mixture is too dry at this juncture. Add in the tomato puree. Simmer for a while. Taste the mixture. Add in more garam masala, pepper, salt or chilli powder as desired (if required).
5. Mix in the cooked macaroni. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

TIPS

Note: You can use garlic chilli sauce instead of tomato puree. It will be slightly spicier with a hint of vinegar. Instead of tomato puree or any extra sauce for that matter, you can simply use more tomatoes (juice will seep from these tomatoes). If the mixture is too dry, sprinkle drops of water into the mixture.

NUTRITION FACTS

Vegetarian option, yet tasty.

Seasoned (Tadka) Dal (also spelt as Dahl/Daal/Dhal)

Nutritious and easy to cook dish that is the staple food in many Indian households.

PREP TIME 10 Min + 20 Min (soaking - but soak overnight if possible)
COOK TIME 30 Min (with a pressure cooker, longer if without)
READY IN 60 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2-3 with other complementary side dishes

INGREDIENTS
Masoor Dal (Red beans)- 1/2th of a cup
Mung Dal (Yellow beans) - 1/2th of a cup
Water - 3 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1 med., finely chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1/4th tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - to taste
Salt - to taste

For Seasoning (Tadka):
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida (also known as hing) - pinch
Curry Leaves - few (optional)
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
Green Chillis - to taste, slit
Lime Juice - to taste
Cilantro - Finely chopped for garnishing purpose

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all the dals, rinse with water at least 3-5 times. Soak for 20-30 minutes.

2. Drain out the water and put it in a pressure cooker.

3. Add water, salt into the pressure cooker. Cook the dals on medium heat and wait for the whistling (3 times). If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can use a saucepan instead, but you may have to cook for up to 30 minutes longer.

4. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the oil on medium flame. Once the oil is hot, add in the turmeric powder and the asafoetida.

7. We can then add in the onions and a little salt thereafter and saute the onions till they turn translucent.

8. Once done, the dry powders such as cumin powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder can be added.

9. Roast the powders for approximately 10-15 seconds.

10. Stir the above mixture into the dals, check the salt and water consistency and allow it to boil for 4-5 minutes. At this stage you can add in more water if required, depending on the dal consistency you desire.

11. Pour in a serving dish and set aside.

12. For the tadka, take a small frying pan and heat up the oil on medium heat.

13. Once hot, add in the mustard seeds and allow them to pop.

14. Add in cumin seeds, curry leaves (optional), green chillis, garlic, ginger and cook for a few minutes.

15. Top the dals with this tadka. Top further with lime juice and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves.

TIPS

Note: I have replaced the usage of ghee with sunflower oil instead, which is a lower fat version.

Lime juice can be replaced with lemon juice.

Soaking the dals overnight is useful in helping to shorten the cooking time if you do not have a pressure cooker.

NUTRITION FACTS

A healthy vegetarian dish which provides the requisite proteins required for a balanced diet.

Chicken Biryani Recipe (Sindhi Style)

INGREDIENTS
500-750g  Chicken ( small-med cubed with bones , can be substituted with mutton)
500-750g Basmati Rice ( about 3 cups , washed and soaked for 20 minutes)
1 Cup Plain Yogurt (whipped)
3 med size onion (finely sliced)
3 med size tomato (chopped)
2 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste
3-4 Small Green Chillies
1 Packet Biryana Masala (Any Biryani Spice Mix thats available)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
3-4 tablespoon Oil
Water as needed
Corriander/Parsley f(chopped),  for garnishing


DIRECTIONS
1. Fry the onions in oil on medium heat until golden brown. Add meat, garlic & ginger paste, and stir fry for 10 minutes.

2. Add any Biryani Spice Mix (incase  you dont have a biryani mix it can be substituted with assorted indian spices), yogurt, ginger, green chillies and stir. Fry for 5 minutes.

3. Add one glass of water. Cover and cook on low heat until the meat is tender. When the meat is cooked there should be about two cups of gravy. (If more increase heat, if less add water).

4. Shift the cooked meat to a larger pot. Spread tomatoes, green corriander and mint leaves over the meat Do not mix meat and the green masala. Cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.

 5. Separately: In 12 glasses of hot water, add some salt. Add soaked rice, boil until the rice is more than half cooked. Remove and thoroughly drain. Spread the cooked rice evenly over the meat. Do not mix the rice & the meat. Cover and cook on low heat until rice is tender. Mix before serving.

TIPS
-Ensure mixture is covered in step 4 to ensure rice is cooked and flavour is absorbed
-Do not mix it completely until serving if you wish to have a difference in color of the biryani rice.

Aloo Gobi

आलू गोबी recipe
PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 15-20 Min
READY IN 30 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 cups of cut cauliflower (small to mid size florets)
2 medium potatoes (cubed into bite sized pieces)
1 med size onion (chopped)
1 med size tomato (chopped)
1 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder(haldi)
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tablespoon garam masala (indian spice blend)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
Water as needed

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan (low heat)
2. Add the onions,ginger garlic paste,cumin seeds (jeera),salt,turmeric powder,chili powder,garam masala , mix well , cook for 1-2 minutes
3. Add the tomatoes,cauliflower and potatoes , mix well
4. Cover the pan and cook for 10 to15 mins , stir occasionally and sprinkle some water to ensure the mix doesnt stick to the pan, check with a fork to see if its done (cauliflower should be soft).
5. Turn heat to high for 3 to 4 mins, stir and mix. Your aloo gobi is ready to be served!

NUTRITION FACTS