‎Schezwan‬ ‪‎Chiili Chicken‬

Garam Garam ‪#‎Panfried‬ ‪#‎schezwan‬ ‪#‎ChiiliChicken‬ ..Anybody??
‪#‎easytomake‬
‪#‎Healthy‬
‪#‎Chicken‬

Ingredients:

For Marination:
Boneless Chicken - 250 grams Cubed
Pepper Powder - 1 tsp (If you have schezwan pepper use that)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
red chilli powder- 1tsp
Salt to taste
Soya sauce - 1 tblspn
tomato ketchup- 1 tblsp
Cornflour / Cornstarch - 3-4 tblspn
Besan/ Gram flour- 2 tblsp
For sauce
Schezwan Sauce - 2-3 tblsp
2-3 dried red chillies
1tblsp Minced Ginger and garlic
onion, Green and red bellpeppers cut in cubes
1tblsp soy sauce
chilli flakes as per taste
Water - 3-4 tblspn
Oil 4-5 tblsp
chopped Scallion 2-3 tblsp
sugar- 1tsp
chopped Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Marinate chicken with all the marination ingredients. Mix well and let it sit for 30-35 mins.
Heat 3-4 tblsp oil in a non stick pan and pan fry the chicken for 4-5 mins till golden and completely cooked. Drain on a paper towel.
Now in the same frying pan add dried red chillies, minced Ginger, garlic, onion, bell peppers and saute for a min or two.
Add in schezwan sauce, soy sauce, chilli flakes, salt to taste, sugar and Mix well.
Now add in the chicken pieces and sprinkle a little water and toss well in the sauce to coat the chicken.
Now add chopped scallions and coriander leaves and mix well.
Serve hot with fried rice or noodles .

Homemade hot Chilli OIl

Chili oil can be easily prepared at home and enjoyed with stir fry noodles and rice, kung pao chicken and oriental soups. You can drizzle a bit in with hummus or mix with stir fried veggies to give it a bit of a kick.

1/4 cup whole dry red chilli
1 cup vegetable oil/ canola oil/ peanut oil

Method:

Dry roast the red chilies and let it cool completely. don't over roast it otherwise it will turn bitter.
Grind the roasted red chilies but keep it coarse.
Heat oil in a saucepan oil should be hot. Now put grinded chilies in to a bowl Pour hot oil into it.
Let cool completely .After the chili oil has cooled down completely, you can transfer to a lidded container and store at room temperature in a cool place.
The chili oil tastes better and more flavorful the longer it sits and has a chance to infuse.

Kung Pao Chicken

MY family love Kung Pao chicken.  So thought of giving a try at home.  Good thing in this recipe is you don't need to fry the chicken, U just need to marinate the chicken pieces  and  stir fry it . The recipe  calls for no. of veggies, roasted peanuts, water chestnut (I didn't have so i couldn't add) add some spices and sauces. I have  used homemade chilli oil
 in it. This is  Kung Pao chicken.So juicy and flavorful. Absolutely delicious! Goes very well with plain rice or noodles....


Ingredients
1 pound chicken breast, cut into chunks
3/4 cup diced color bell pepper
2 scallions chopped 
2 Tbsp cornstarch
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes 
3-4 Tbsp peanut oil/ refined oil
1 tsp homemade chilli oil  ( homemade-hot-chilli-oil )

3-4 dried red chili 
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped (approx 2 garlic cloves)
2/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

For the marinade:

salt to taste
1tblsp ginger garlic paste
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tblsp vinegar


For the sauce:
1 tblsp cornstarch with 1/4th cup of water
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2 cup water/ chicken stock


Directions

In a small bowl, mix the chicken with the marinade ingredients, and set aside for 1 hour.
sprinkle 2 tblsp cornstarch and mix well.Heat a wok with 1 tblsp of oil  and pan fry the marinated chicken at high flame for 2-3 min.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat, and when the oil is hot, add the Dry red chilies, chopped garlic, scallions. Now add colored bell peppers and saute for a minute.
Now add the fried chicken pieces and roasted peanuts and mix well.




Take a bowl add the sauce ingredients and mix well. 

Add the sauce to the chicken, salt to taste. stir-fry for 1 minute.sprinkle some scallion,freshly ground black pepper to taste, dried red pepper flakes and  Stir to combine.

 serve hot over rice or noodles..

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Perfect recipe for Meatless Monday ….Sweet and sour tofu.  You can also add broccoli pieces to this for better taste. As I’m not a broccoli fan so I didn't add.. Goes well with brown rice & stir fried noodles. So here is what I did….

Ingredients:
2 tblsp sesame oil
1tblsp Minced ginger
1tblsp Minced garlic
Minced onion- ½ cup
Sesame Seeds for garnishing

For Sauce
1 tblsp Vinegar
1 1/2 tblsp soya sauce
1 Tbs Ketchup
1/4 Cup Water

2 tsp Sugar & 1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Tbs Cornstarch + 2 Tbs water

How to proceed:


Wash the tofu & Slice the tofu into small cubes. Keep them on a paper towel.
Heat oil in a pan. Toss the tofu till they turn light brown in colour.
Heat a pan. Add minced onion, ginger garlic. Sauté for a min. 

Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl. Throw in the sauce. Mix well. 

Now mix cornstarch, sugar , honey, salt & water into a small bowl and whisk until sugar and salt is dissolved.
Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. If you leave the sauce unattended now it will thicken and burn, so keep an eye on it. When thick, place gently tofu in sauce and toss to completely coat.
Top with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Note. You can also deep fry the tofu (marinate the tofu pieces with the flour, soy sauce and salt) till they turn golden brown before adding them in the sauce.

Chilli Cholle (chick peas)

I luv to have cholle with paratha, puri or rice even though I can eat them with any other curry. 

CHILLI CHOLLE..Sounds Intresting!! Is n’t it?? This time thought of making some different with chick peas. My co-sister always makes this recipe. The touch of sauces and spices makes it little different & more delicious. What she does when she boils cholle is make two dishes! Portion of it she makes curry & the other portion she makes chilli cholle specifically for kids & no doubt kids just loves this over curry.
 For a while I was also thinking to try this. Finally I prepared it & it came out really nice. Goes well with paratha, chapatti & rice too as a side dish…

Ingredients:

1 cup chick peas (Kabuli chana)
1 tea bag
Oil- 2-3 tblsp
1tsp cumin seeds
2-3 red chillies
2 medium size onion- cut in cubes
10-12 garlic cloves chopped
Chopped ginger- 1tblsp
3-4 green chilles chopped
Dried fenugreek leaves- 1tblsp
Chole / channa masala- 1tsp
1tblsp- tomato ketchup 
1tsp soya sauce
Salt as per the taste
Sugar- 1 tsp (Optional)
Black pepper- 1 tsp

Method:

 Soak chick peas for overnight. Boil the chickpeas in a cooker with salt, water & tea bag. 
Pressure cooks it till they becomes tender. Drain all the water & keep aside.
Heat Oil in a pan. Add dry red chillies & cumin seeds, allow them to splutter. Add chopped green chillies, garlic cloves, ginger, Onion. Sauté till they turn light brown in colour. Add fenugreek leaves. Add the boiled chickpeas. Adjust sugar & salt. Add chole masala, black pepper, Tomato ketchup & soya sauce.  Mix well & stir for another 2-3 minutes till cholle & masalas are evenly mixed. Your chilli cholle is done. Serve hot as a side dish with rice/ chapati.

Honey chicken with Chicken noodles

Honey chicken is a favorite of mine, Whenever I feel like eating Chinese food I will fast think about the hot n spicy honey chicken with warm Chinese rice. I am a big fan of tangy and savory dishes. So this Sunday I craved for Chinese food.  I had boneless chicken breasts in my kitchen, so I decided to make honey chicken & chicken noodles for our dinner.
So immediately I did research on the internet found this recipe. I rushed to kitchen & I made the chicken fritters & the honey sauce . I just added the sauce to the chicken fritters after chicken noodles was ready and I m telling  you it was super delicious, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The taste was amazing and the chicken was soft and tangy exactly what I wanted. U can also take 1 pound frozen popcorn chicken nuggets. But the taste will double if u make the batter & deep fry the chicken at home.

Ingredients for Honey chicken

3 chicken breasts (cut in to bite size pieces)
1tsp sesame oil
1tsp brown sugar
Oil (for deep frying)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tblsp flour
1tblsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp soy sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 ½ tblsp oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
3tblsp water  & 1 tblspoon cornstarch (mix well)

Method

Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, GG paste, salt and pepper and set aside for at least an hour. Just before frying add the flour to the chicken.Mix  until smooth. Cover and allow the batter to site for at least 30 minutes. Add the chicken to the batter tossing to coat.
Heat Oil & Deep fry the chickens till becomes firm. Drain on paper towels.
Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour it into the pan. Bring it to the boil and let the sauce thicken a little. Add the chicken in and mix gently until the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with noodles or Chinese rice.

For noodles:

Ingredients:
Noodles – 250 gram
2 boneless chicken breasts- washed & cut in to bite size pieces
2 eggs
Carrots - 1 no (cut into thin strips)
some brocolli florets
 Onion -1 no finely sliced
Spring Onions - 1 handful
Garlic minced - 1 tbsp
Black Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Vinegar- 1 tsp
 Soya sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt as per the taste
Oil

Method:

Boil water in a heavy bottom vessel, add noodles in hot boiling water and cook till its done. Strain water using a colander. keep the noodles aside.


In a wok, Heat oil Add garlic  and saute for a min. Add chicken pieces saute for 4-5 mins till done. Add salt & pepper to it. & saute for another 1-2 min till done. 

Then Add Onions, carrots, brocolli florets, spring onions and cook the veggies on high flame for 2-3 min. 
Add noodles and Mix well. Place all the noodles on one side of the wok ,add oil and break eggs ,add little salt and pepper and scramble the eggs. 
Add vinegar & soy sauce. Mix all. Stir for 2 minutes. Add some salt if required. Stir until the noodles is hot. 
Serve hot.

Gobi Manchurian

AnY Takers 4 Me? I m d bigest flower afterall. ...Gobi Manchurian 

MMmmmmm.... isn’t dat  the reaction of many of u dear readers..... Cooking restaurant style food at home has its own advantages.  You will get to eat tasty treats at home... our all time fav. Appetizer...Gobi Manchurian... Marinated cauliflower florets are deep fried & are tosses with spices & sauces.....

Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets of one medium size cauliflower
Corn starch – ½ cup
Maida – 1 cup
Ginger - garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Onions - 2 nos cut in cubes
Capsicum - 1 nos thickly sliced (optional)
Grated ginger -1tblsp
Chopped garlic-  1tblsp
Green chilly slit- 2 nos
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Black pepper -1 tsp
Corn flour- 1 tblsp
Soya sauce - 2 tbsp
Tomato ketchup - 1 tblsp
Chilli sauce- 1tblsp
Vinegar- 1tsp
Ajinomoto a pinch
Oil for deep frying
Chopped coriander leaves
Chopped Spring onion for garnishing

Method:
Take the cauliflower florets in a bowl. Add salt, chilli powder, black pepper to it. Mix well & keep aside for 20-30 mins.

Make a thick batter with water, maida, salt, Corn flour, Chilli powder, Ginger-garlic paste, Soya sauce & Ajinomoto. The batter should be like dosa batter consistency otherwise the batter will not coat properly on the cauliflower florets. Mix the cauliflower with the batter & keep aside.

By that time heat oil in a kadai for frying. Put the florets one by one in hot oil & fry them till they turns to golden brown & crisp. Remove in to an absorbent paper to drain excess oil.


In a pan heat oil on high flame, fry onions along with grated ginger-garlic, green chillies for a min. Add capsicum & fry for 2-3 min on a medium flame. In a small bowl mix tomato ketchup, vinegar, soya sauce & chilli sauce. Add fried cauliflower florets. Mix well. Then add mix sauce to it and stir properly. In a bowl add corn flour with 2 tblsp of water & mix well to avoid lumps.Then add the mix to the cauliflower & stir well so that the pieces will be well coated. Add black pepper powder, check the salt, toss it well for another 2-3 min till done.




 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves & chopped spring onions. Serve piping hot.

Baby corn Manchurian...:)

Ingredients

10-12 baby corns ( ucan put whole or u can cut them in to large bite size pieces)
1/4 cup corn flour
 2tblsp maida
 red chilli powder
 1/2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
 1/2 tsp green chilly paste
 1tsp soya sauce 
salt as per the taste
refined oil for frying

capsicum- 1 cup cut in cubes
onion 1 cup cut in cubes
carrot- 1/4 cup cut in cubes
corn kernels- 1/4 cup optional
refined oil- 1tblsp
chopped garlic & chopped ginger- 1 tblsp each
 soya sauce- 1tsp
tomato sauce - 1tblsp
vinegar- 1tsp
spring onion greens  & coriander leaves for garnishing.




Method:


Mix 1/4 cup corn flr, 2tblsp maida, red chilli powder, GG paste, salt , 1tsp soya sauce & water & make a batter. The consistency should b like pakoda batter.

 Deep the baby corn in the batter & fry them until golden brown. Now heat a pan. add 1-2 tblsp oil into it. Add whites of spring onion, chopped green chillies & 1tblsp of chopped garlic, & chopped ginger. saute well. Add the diced capsicum, carrot & green chilli ,corn kernels..saute it till they turns to light golden brown. 

They should retain their crunch. Add soya sauce, tomato sauce , vinegar and salt. Mix everything well and add the deep fried baby corn and combine. Toss on high flame for 1-2 mts. Turn off heat. Garnish with the chopped spring onion greens and coriander leaves.

Gobi Manchurian dry

Gobi Manchurian is a delicious appetizer ,has a very crispy coating on the cauliflower and is tossed with a spicy sauce. I tried this the previous weekend and it came out absolutely wonderful, better than expected J.. I never thought it will be so great in taste and it had the same flavour which we get in any good restaurant ...It doesnt take too long to make as well. my husband was zapped J &  had almost 3/4th of it nd still he needs. Hehhehe.. Now he has asked to prepare again J .I never thoght it would be so easy..so friend without much ado lets start the recipe.....

 Ingredients:

Florets of 1 medium size cauliflower

3 tblsp maida

1 tblsp corn flour

¼ tsp baking soda

1tsp coriander powder

1tsp cumin powder

1tsp red chilli paste/ you can simply add red chilli powder

½ tsp soya sauce & ½ tsp vinegar

1tsp chopped garlic & 1tsp chopped ginger

Oil for deep frying

Green onion chopped for garnishing

Method:

Heat sufficient oil in pan. Add all the above ingredients except cauliflower florets in a bowl & mix well. Add water & make a smooth batter. Add 1tblsp oil & mix it again.

Then add cauliflower florets & let them get well coated with the batter.

 

In hot oil deep fry the cauliflower florets by adding one after another till they are lightly browned.

 Sprinkle some chat masala & toss. Serve hot immediately with spring onions.

 

 

Tofu with spring onion stir fry (chinese style)

The health benefits of tofu as a meat substitute are numerous. Consuming tofu regularly helps lower bad cholesterol, alleviates symptoms associated with menopause and even lowers the risk of cancer. Other major health benefits of tofu compared to meat include making middle-aged bones stronger and delaying the ravages of age. Tofu has been found to be a great source of calcium and vitamin E as well. Tofu or soybean curd is produced by grinding soybeans to form a milk-like substance, which is then compressed and left to coagulate. After the mass has dried into a gelatinous solid, it is cut into palm-sized cubes. Since soybean is cheap and abundant, but rich in protein, the popularly known benefit of tofu is that of being the “poor man’s protein.”


so today we are going to make TOFU with spring onion stir fry..which is soo delicious, healthy & easy to make....:) so friends with out much ado lets start the recipe..:)

Ingredients:


Tofu- 250gm (cut in cubes)
spring onion 1/2 cup chopped
hot nd sour sweet sauce 1 tblsp or as per tour taste
til / sesame seeds- 1tblsp
soy sauce- 1tblsp
minced garlic- 1tsp
cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
green chillies chopped- 2 nos
salt as per the taste
sesame seed oil- 2 tblsp




Method:


add 1 tblsp oil in the nonstick pan..when oil is hot add tofu pieces.Stir fry the tofu for 1-2 min till light golden in colour. keep aside.


Again add 1tblsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds.let it splutter.


Add the green chillies & stir for some time. Add minced garlic. Fry for 2-3 min.
Add sesame seeds. stir for 1-2 min. Add the fried tofu.  Mix well. Then add the soya sauce, hot nd sour sauce, salt as per the taste & stir for 1 min. 
 Then add the chopped green onions. stir fry for 2-3 min till soft. Now switch off the flame & serve hot with roti/ naan/ pullav.

sending this to Herbs and flowers - Spring Onions 

sending this to Cooking with Whole Foods [CWF] : Sesame seeds hoasted by Kaarasaaram 

My yuum colourful veg noodle...:)

This is a comfort food from my childhood .This dish is full of noodles, vegetables,  a satisfying perfect one-dish meal, needing only a small salad / SOUP  to complete ... This recipe is very easy and fast."

Ingredients:

1 packet  noodles (boiled, drained in cold water and tossed in 1-2 tsps oil)

1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped

1 onion sliced

2 cups sliced vegetables (carrots, cabbage and red bell pepper, broccoli florets)

U can add green & yellow bell peppers, beans ( as i didn't have the green & yellow bell peppers in my kitchen so i cld nt able to add these) :(:(

1 tsp soya sauce

1/2 tbsp vinegar

2 garlic cloves chopped

pepper pwd as required

salt as required

a pinch of ajinomoto

1 1/2 tbsps  veg oil

Method:

 Heat  oil in a large wok and add the chopped garlic cloves ,spring onions and sliced onions and saute till translucent. Next, add the broccoli florets along with salt to taste. Cover and cook for 3 minutes until soft.

Add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry for around 5-7 minutes till it almost cooked but crispy. Add salt, pepper pwd, soya sauce and combine. Add the drained noodles and mix well.

 Add vinegar , 12.Sprinkle a pinch of ajinomoto for more taste. (optional) and Stir in the cooked noodles and toss everything on medium-high heat for around 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat. Garnish with chopped spring onion greens and serve hot .

Tips: U can add fried tofu (It is high in protein and low in fat)in the noodles for more taste.Drain the Tofu and dice it into bite sized cubes. Marinate Tofu with salt and 1 tbsp red chilly sauce for 15 min. Stir fry over medium heat for around 5-7 minutes until the tofu is browned on all sides.Then add the pieces to the noodles.

Veg noodles

Ingredients:

Noodles – 250 grams

Carrots - 1 no (cut into thin strips)

Lagre Onion -2 no sliced

Cabbage  ½ cup thinly sliced

Spring Onions - 1 handful

Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Black Pepper powder - 1 tsp

Vinegar/ Soya sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt as per the taste

Oil

Method:

Boil water in a kadai, add noodles in hot boiling water and cook till its done. Strain water using a colander. keep the noodles aside.

In a wok, Heat oil Add garlic paste and saute for a min. add Onions, cabbages, carrots, spring onions and stir well. Add soya sauce, pepper powder, and stir again. Add noodles and Mix well. Add some salt if required. stir until the noodles is hot. Serve hot.