Spicy Kung Pao Chicken

So, after years and years of being busy I finally found some time to blog. I kind of felt obligated to share my success with certain recipes with friends and readers around the world.  

I will start with another favorite recipe of mine, Kung Pao Chicken!

As soon as I posted picture of it on my facebook account, I started getting request from friends to share the recipe. 

So here it is. 

Inspiration: 

After being struck with flu last week, I had lost my appetite. Suddenly I found myself craving for something super spicy that has no carbs (moderate carbs are  a OK) in it. In addition to being quick and easy it is excellent leftover the next day that you can eat with asian salad or fried rice/noodles. If you have all the ingredients available it takes minutes to make it. My family loves it for weeknight dinner. Though I have to confess that my daughter likes my fried noodles more than the Kung Pao. 

History of Kung Pao:

Here’s one more fun fact about Kung Pao Chicken: it’s allegedly named after Ding Baozhen, a late Qing dynasty official who was the head of Shandong province and later the governor of Sichuan province. The name “Kung Pao” is derived from his title, “Gong Bao,” which means “palace guardian.” During the Cultural Revolution, Kung Pao Chicken became a politically incorrect dish because of its association with Ding Baozhen. Until the 1980s, most menus listed it as “fast fried chicken cubes” or “chicken cubes with seared chiles.” Not exactly appetizing names, huh?

Variations:

My variation to the recipe is using store bought kung pao sauce (any brand is fine) but I added my own Indo-chinese twist to it by adding Ching’s dark soy sauce and Sambal. For kids I added few extra greens in it. You can make vegetarian variation by replacing it with Indian cottage cheese (Paneer) or Tofu (Extra Firm one). When you start cooking make sure that heat is on maximum high and you have all your vegetable precut and sauce bottles open. Chinese cooking is always on high heat (this save the nutrient content) and timing is the key ingredient.

 
The secret to making legit Kung Pao Chicken are these little babies. Sichuan peppercorns. Sad, I couldn't find them in the local grocery stores. I had no time to go to local asian market to buy them. But the next time you are there don't forget to pile on them. They go well with our Indian stir fry of spinach , mustard or Kale.

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Breast ( cut into thin strips) around 3-4 pound.

Dark Soy sauce ( 1 tbsp for marination and 2 tbsp for stir fry)

Ginger Garlic Paste ( ½ tsp for marinating, 1 tbsp for stir fry)

1 egg

2 tbsp Corn Flour

Canola Oil, 1 tbsp for shallow frying  and 1.5 tbsp for stir frying

4 cloves of chopped garlic

Dry Red Chilies ( 6-8 long one without stem)

Fresh Vegetables cut into small chunks: Green and Red bell peppers, Small button Mushrooms, Broccoli, Celery, Spring Onions, Sliced Sweet Yellow Onions

Handful of Skinned peanuts (get the best one from Asian stores)

Sauces per your taste: Ching’s Dark Soy Sauce , Sambal, Ching’s  Chili Vinegar , Kung Pao Sauce (store bought, Any brand)

 

Process:

 

1.       Marinate the Meat : Boneless Chicken Breast cut into thin strips and marinated in soy sauce, chopped garlic, salt and pepper, egg and corn flour for at least 2 hours. You can skip 2 hour marinating if you are in hurry. Skip this process for Paneer or Tofu. You can directly fry them. 

 

2.       Shallow fry with Canola Oil : Use Canola oil for shallow frying the chicken in small batches.  Keep aside.

 

3.       Stir fry :   

 

a.       In a wide and open vessel heat some oil. Make sure the heat is always on maximum high.

 

b.      Immediately add some chopped garlic and dry red chilies and Ginger-Garlic paste.

 

c.       Add Sliced onions and mushroom.

 

d.       Let the Mushroom turn little brown then add Small Chunks of Green and Red bell peppers, Broccoli, Celery, Spring Onions (half of it )

 

e.      Stir fry for 5 -8 minutes on high.

 

f.        Add the Sauces( one at a time) and pre fried chicken pieces. Sauce should be enough to coat the chicken pieces.

 

g.       Stir fry for another 5 minutes.

 

h.      Add rest of the half of spring onion and peanuts. Mix well.

i.     Adjust Salt and pepper per your taste in the end. I wait to add salt until the end as all the sauces have some amount of sodium/salt in them.

 

 

     Serve hot with fried hakka noodles or fried rice.

 

Picture time:

 

Baigan Masala

Ingredients
15 babyeggplants (small size)
3-4 medium yellow onions (roughly chopped )
2 tbsp of grated coconut, khopra (dried)
5 whole garlic ,grated
2 inch of grated ginger
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
small lump of tamrind
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tsp jeera

Method

1.Take all the ingredients grind it at once in mixer, do not add water.
2.Add 2 tbsp of oil in pan and heat it, put the mixture in the pan.
3.Fry the mixture properly. Take of the pan from stove and let it cool.
4.Take the brinjal slit it in 4, fill the mixture in the brinjal.
5.Pour 2 - 3 tbsp of oil in kadai, heat it and then put the stuffed brinjal,
cook it.
6.Add little water to the brinjal. Put small piece of jaggery to taste if
required.
7.Let it cook for 15-20 minutes.
Your tikha brinjal masala is ready

Chicken Nihari: Muslim recipe of Meat Stew

DAASTAAN -E- NIHARI

Let me first take you all to the very meaning of the word, "Nihari":

Nihari (Urdu: نہاری) is an extremely popular national dish in Pakistan and also eaten among Muslims in India. The word Nihar (Urdu: نہار) means morning in Urdu and this dish was usually eaten in the late morning. It is one of the very popular breakfast stew specially eaten during the Id festival. Nihari are basic breakfast dishes, but can be eaten for dinner as well, accompanied with dishes such as chicken and mutton dum biryani.

More of a delicacy, it is very popular in Pakistan as well as in India for its unique combination of spices which lends a very good flavour and aroma to the dish. It is usually cooked overnight in a big earthern pots with tight lids, sometimes, even buried underground. Mostly the recipe calls for red meat, like goat and beef, but you can very easily make a easier and quiker version o fit by replacing them with chicken (bone-in) or even vegetables (even Kofta!!)!!

The bhaghaar(Tarkaa) is lightly fried in desi ghee to reduce the heat of red peppers and the "Tarkaa" is an additional oily chilli to spice up the flavour. Cooked brain and bone marrow are served alongside the stew. The Nihari is garnished according to individual tastes with cilantro leaves, crispy fried onions , green chillies, strips of ginger , and lemons . In addition, garam masala, a blend of powdered spices is sprinkled over the stew just before serving.

My enthusiasm for Nihari grew when I saw one of the video online, lol ,I have nothing but time on my hand . After doing much research, here is the ultimate recipe of it.

This is the recipe for 3 lbs of Bone-in Chicken, mostly thigh and drumsticks. If you want to replace it with mutton, buy big chunks with bones.

First step

Take two large yellow onions and slice it very thin.
Fry half of the sliced onion in ghee until crisp brown, as you will do for biryani.
Keep the other half aside for later use in taarka.

Second step:

Reconstructing spice mix: Take each of the spice and roast them one by one in hot tava.
2 tbs. Fennel (Saunf)
½ tsp black pepper (Kali Mirch)
½ tsp. cumin seeds (Zeera)
2 green cardamom (Chhoti Ilaichi) seeds
10 cloves (Laung)
2 black cardamom (Bari Ilaichi)
1 stick of cinnamon (Dalchini)
1 bay leaves (Tezpatta)
¼ tsp. nutmeg (Jaiphal)
and mace (Javitri)
2 tbs. coriander (Dhaniya) seeds
1 stick (Piplee)
1 aniseed flower (Badian)

cool them and grind them to fine powder. Sieve and store in an airtight container until ready to use. This is also a variation of Kashmiri Garam Masala and can be used in various other vegetarian dishes.

Ingredients:-
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp. Kashmiri chili powder
¼ tsp. turmeric (Haldi) powder
1 tbs. coriander (Dhaniya) powder
1 cup melted ghee or oil
3 tbs. all wheat flour
1 tsp ginger (Adrak) paste
½ tsp. garlic (Lehsan) paste


Steps:

• Take a heavy bottom deep pan or skillet. I use 6 quarts Dutch Oven.
• Pour 3/4 cup of ghee in it.
• Heat the ghee on medium heat and then add ginger and garlic paste.
• Dissolve 2 heaping Tbsp of the Nihari spice in water, along with , turmeric, chili ,dhaniya and garam masala.
• Add this concoction to the skillet and cook for 2 mins.
• Add chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes and then add salt.
• Cover with tight lid on a very low flame for 20 minutes.
• Side-by-side start browning the whole wheat flour. Dissolve this browned flour with water and make a smooth paste. People have used cornflour and maida for thickning the gravy, but the people who browned the whole wheat flour ( regular gehhu ka aata) stand by it anf really i have tried both, authencity is in wheat flour. If you dont dissolve the atta before mixing it in gravy it might form lumps and then the gravy will have a raw chunky lumps.
• Open the lid carefully and add this paste to the cooking chicken slowly and stirring it often.
• Now close the lid tight for the final time and leave the chicken to cook for another 45 minutes. Make sure the flame is still on very low setting . If you dont have a tight lid then you can use aluminium foil to cover the vessel and then put a lid on it by securing all the sides.
• Check for the doneness of chicken after 45 mintues.
• To Prepare Tarkaa: Take half of the sliced onion and fry it in ghee until brown. Add 1 tbsp of the nihari spice mix to it with chopped mint and cilantro leaves.
• Pour this tarkaa on the cooked chicken gravy and serve hot topped with thinly sliced onions and green chillies and lemon as garnish. I add grated cheese and sour cream to make it milder for my toddler. If you are serving kids just take out their portion before doing the Tarkaa.

Shahi Navratan Korma

Ingredients Used :

50 g pure ghee

20 g cashew nuts,

chopped 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped green and red bellpeppers mixed

1/2 cup chunks of mushroom

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup thawed, frozen peas

1/2 cup fresh beans

3 tsp paste of ginger and green chillies

1 cup of fried cubes of Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon of amchoor powder( dried Mango powder)

1 cup heavy whipping cream (else use half and half or milk for lighter version)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

Procedure :

• Heat the ghee in a pan and fry separately (one after another), the cashew nuts, chillies and tomato chunks, drain each, remove and set aside.
• Add the chopped onions,cauliflower, bellpeppers, mushrroms, carrot, beans and peas to the remaining ghee in the pan.
• Stir and add the ginger chilli pastes and stir-fry till the onions are tender.
• Add the tomatoes and cook till the oil separates.
• Add the salt, chillies, cream, turmeric and half the chopped coriander and simmer while continuously stirring. Once the cream is well blended, remove from heat and add half the quantity of the cashew nuts and mix well.
• Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves and cashew nuts and serve hot.

Authentic Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Mouth Watering Hyderabadi Dum Biryani: a successful


Just moments after coming out from oven...Laajawaab!

attempt to satisfy the exotic palate.

Biryani holds a special place in Mughlai food and is known for its aroma and rich taste.Many have asked me for the recipe of hyderabadi Chicken Biryani. The recipe is very generic and simple, but I would still say that getting a perfect biryani is an art. I agree to this 100% after I started making biryani and perfecting it every time I failed. Authentic hyderabadi Biryani is mainly made from gosht(leg portion of goat meat). There are many videos available online nowadays that give a very detailed and good demo of steps involved in the making to this delicacy. Here is the link that I first read: History of Biryani
My first attempt was to make Hyderabadi Lamb Biryani. It turned out into a gooey mess of rice as my rice was overcooked and also the masala had too much oil in it. In my next attempt, I kept the rice and lamb both uncooked and it turned out to me amazing. This is actually hyderabadi stlye Kachhi Biryani in which both rice and meat are layered uncooked.

Another good tip for making biryani is to use the best of the best basmati rice you can buy for money. Rub the grains of the rice between your palm and you should smell the aroma of rice. I have always used Tilda or any other dehradun basmati rice.

Another trick is to marinate the meat for atleast 8hrs for goat and 4 hrs for Chicken, before you put it in layers with rice. Dont forget to put tenderizer (raw papaya pulp) in the marinate for lamb/goat meat.

Authentic biryani calls for bone-in pieces of meat but if you dont have much time feel free to go for boneless.


Ingredients


Mutton pieces in chunks (avoid shoulder cut) ===2 pounds
authentic Indian Basmati rice ==============2 cups
Salt to taste
2 Bay leaves
10 Green cardamoms
25 Black peppercorns
3, 3 inch Cinnamon sticks
Oil ===1 tablespoon + to deep fry onions
Onions, sliced==5 large
Caraway seeds (shahi jeera)==1/2 teaspoon
10 Cloves
Ginger paste ==2 tablespoon
Garlic paste ===2 tablespoon
Red chilli powder =1 tablespoon
fresh whole milk Yogurt ==1 cup
Fresh coriander leaves, torn==1 cup
Fresh mint leaves, torn=1 cup
Pure ghee ==4 tablespoons
Black cardamoms=2
Saffron (kesar), mix in 1/4 cup lukeworm milk
drops pf rose water and kewara (screwpine) water
fried in ghee dryfruits for garnish


Method
For rice:-
Heat five to six cups of water in a deep pan. Add drained rice, salt, bay leaves, five green cardamoms, seven to eight black peppercorns, one cinnamon stick and cook till three fourth done. Drain and set aside.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep-fry half the onion slices till golden. Drain and place on an absorbent paper.

Grind caraway seeds, one cinnamon stick, remaining black peppercorns, cloves and remaining green cardamoms to a fine powder and set aside.

Take mutton pieces in a bowl. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and salt and mix. Add the spice powder, red chilli powder, half the fried onions crushed, yogurt, coriander leaves, half of the mint leaves and one tablespoon oil and mix. Let it marinate for about two hours or longer (8 hrs max.)in the refrigerator.

Heat two tablespoons ghee in a pan, remaining cinnamon and black cardamoms and sauté till fragrant.

Add remaining onions and sauté till light golden. Add marinated mutton, stir and cook on high heat for three to four minutes. Cover, reduce heat and cook till almost done.

Heat the remaining ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. Spread half the rice in a layer. Spread the mutton over the rice. Sprinkle remaining torn mint leaves. Spread the remaining rice. Sprinkle saffron milk. Cover and cook under dum( very low flame ) till done.

Ramzaan special: Shammi Kebobs

Finally I got some time to sit and write down something. What inspired me? Well, its the Ramadan's season going on and wherever I go for grocery shopping I can smell the aroma of kebabs. I have been wondering what is so special about these kebabs that everybody gets so attracted to it. I did some research on Internet and found out that it is a north Indian delicacy perfected over the ages. So, I accepted the challenge of making few of these. Here is the best way to make it.

What you need?

For making 30-35 kebabs:-
5 Lb Boneless Goat meat. ( You can also try this with minced meat but my experience tells that the patties are little dry with the minced one, ongoing rate is 3.99/lb)
2 packets Shaan's Shammi Kebabs mix ( Without these I am like oven without power!bg
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
2 chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 cups of soaked channa dal(soaked atleast for 4 hrs.)
5-6 cups of water

Put all the above ingredients in a deep soup vessel/ stock pot and bring to a rapid boil.Put the lid and let it simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it cool for few hours. In a food processor grind everything after the mix has reached the room temperature. Take:

4 egg whites , whisked
chopped mint (very necessary to balance the heaviness of the meat)
chopped cilantro (no stems at all)
salt (prefer kosher salt)
red chilli powder (Kashmiri)
amchur

and mix it with the mix of meat and channa dal. Make it into patties and shallow fry them in oil. Thats is it!!Enjoy it with pita bread or make a sandwich with green chutney, lettuce , and tomatoes. I promise you will love it:) .Serve these at Iftari or just as an appetizer for parties. You can also make them before hand and just fry them when needed.

Batata Vada

Spiced Deep Fried Potato Dumplings

Batata(potatoes) Vada (Dumplings) is traditionally a street food. It is also known as "Vada" or "Wada". Its a very popular snack in India, specially Maharashtra. If served with split bread or a roll the dish becomes "Vada Pav" which is a sledgehammer answer to the burger.

Serves 4
3 large potatoes, peeled , boiled , and semi-mashed
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp amchur powder( dry mango powder)
2 green chilies, finely chopped

For the batter:-
Besan Mix:-1/3 cup besan(gram flour) made into a thick batter with enough water
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 turmeric
For Garnish:-
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
oil for deep frying

Method:-
Take oil in a wok or deep skillet. Heat gently on medium heat and add mustard seeds. Add ginger garlic paste, chopped green chilies and fry for 30 sec. Add turmeric powder , salt , black pepper , amchur powder and mashed potatoes. Fry and mix. Keep the mix aside and let it cool.

Meanwhile prepare the dipping batter by mixing salt , turmeric powder and red chili powder to the besan mix. Remove lumps if any. The batter should not be too thick or too watery. It should coat and back of the spoon.

Heat some oil in a pan. To check if oil is properly heated, drop some batter in the oil. If the batter immediately turns solid and float on the surface of the oil, the oil is ready. Also make sure that the oil is not too hot. Otherwise , the vadas become dark from the outside before they are actually done from the inside.

Now dip each potato ball in the batter, letting excess batter drip off and slowly add the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, else the temperature of the oil reduces which in turn slows down the frying process. Like this, deep fry all the vadas until golden brown. Remove on a paper towel and let it drain for at least 5 mins. Batats vadas are ready. Serve it hot with chutney or with tomato ketchup for kids.

Khaman Dhokla

Steamed chickpea flour pancakes

Serves 4
2 cups chickpea flour (Besan)
1/2 cup plain full fat yogurt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 green chili, chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root , chopped very fine
salt to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
For Tadka:-
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
few curry leaves
2 whole red dry chilies
To Garnish:-
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut
To serve with:-
Tamarind Chutney
Fresh Mint Coriander Chutney

Another Recipe from my friend , Rajni :-), I bet you will love this too.


Serves 4
Ingredients :-

FOR DHOKLA:-
BESAN--250gms
LEMON JUICE--1/2 BOWL
1 inch piece of GINGER , grated
GREEN CHILLI, finely chpped
SALT
FRESH CORIANDER LEAVES
ENO

FOR TADKA:-
MUSTARD SEEDS--50gms
LEMON JUICE--2 BOWL
SUGAR--1 CUP
CURRY LEAVES
1 CUP WATER
GREEN CHILLI--15-2NOS.(split it into two pieces)
AND VERY LITTLE OIL.

Mix the besan with the yogurt and enough warm water to form a thick batter. Mix in the baking soda and turmeric and leave to ferment for about 1 hour in a warm place.
Using motar and pestle, crush the green chili and ginger to a fine paste. Add to the besan and yogurt mixture. Add salt and lemon juice and mix well.
Grease a shallow cake pan . Pour the batter into the mold and bake at 375F for 10 to 15 minutes. The batter will have risen to about 1 1/2 inches. Leave to cool and cut into large cubes. Arrange on a serving dish.
Heat oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, pour over the cooked Dhoklas.
Serve garnished with chopped cilantro, grated coconut and the green Chutney.