Recipe - KFC Style Fried Chicken

Ingredients - 
1. Chicken pieces (small/medium) - 250 gms

For Marinade -
1. Chilli powder - 2 tsp
2. Salt - 1 tsp

For coating -
1. Egg - 1
2. Milk - 1 Tbsp
3. All purpose flour (Maida) - 2-3 Tbsp
4. Corn flour - 2-3 Tbsp
5. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
6. Red chilli flakes - 2 tsp
7. Oregano - 2 tsp
8. Thyme - 1 tsp
9. Dried basil leave powder - 1 tsp
10. Salt - 1 tsp
11. Bread crumbs - 1 cup
12. Oil - for deep frying

Method -
1. Coat the pieces in the chilli powder and salt marinade. Keep in refrigerator for 30 min.

2. Mix the remaining dry ingredients together and keep ready for coating
3. Beat an egg and add milk to it. Add a pinch of salt. Mix well

4. Heat oil in a deep wok. Ensure that it is hot before starting to fry
5. Take each piece of marinated chicken and drip in the egg mix
6. Put this piece in the dry coating mix. Coat it well with the mix
7. Deep fry the pieces
8. Serve with ketchup

Note -
1. Depending on the size of chicken pieces, the frying time can vary from 5 min to 10 min
2. The colour of this may not turn out to be as red as you want. You can use food colour in the mix if you want

Recipe - General Tso's Chicken / General Tao's Chicken

General's Tso's chicken or General Tao's chicken is available in many upscale Chinese restaurants. However, it's not a Chinese dish. It was invented in America. It still tastes and is made in a way that Chinese/Schezwan dishes are made.

Ingredients -

For Marinade
1. Dark soy sauce - 2 tsp
2. Sesame oil - 2 tsp
3. Egg yolk - 1

For sauce
1. Tomato paste - 1.5 Tbsp
2. Corn starch - 1 tsp
3. White sugar - 3 tsp
4. Dark soy sauce - 2 tsp
5. Rice vinegar - 1 tsp
6. Medium dry sherry - 3-4 tsp
7. Ginger chopped - 1 tsp
8. Garlic chopped - 2 tsp

Other
1. Chicken boneless - 500 gms
2. Onions medium - 2-3
3. Dried red chillies - 10
4. Oil - Enough for frying
5. Sesame seeds - 1 pinch

Method - 

1. Mix marinade & put chicken pieces (small) in it for 15-20 min.

2. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce well (except sherry). Keep covered.
3. Fry the chicken pieces and dry off the excess oil on kitchen paper.

4. From this oil, take about 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok. Heat it and put the dry red chilli pieces in it for 1 min.
5. Put onions in . Let them cook for about 5 min.
6. Put the fried chicken pieces in and cook for another 3 min.
7. Meanwhile, put sherry in the sauce and mix well. Put this sauce in the wok and keep mixing so that the corn starch doesn't stick to the wok.
8. Cook for 5 min.
9. Garnish with sesame seeds.
10. Serve with fried rice.

Additional tips - 

1. If you don't have say sauce, put salt to enhance the taste
2. 500 gms of normal chicken becomes about 350 gms boneless
3. To make more gravy, mix equal amount of water and sherry and put some soy sauce as well
4. Put the sherry in the sauce as late as possible. It evaporates quickly.
5. Saki can also be used instead of sherry. The taste differs a little.

Recipe - Chicken curry homestyle

Ingredients -

1. Chicken - 500 gms
2. Curd - 100 gms
3. Red chilli powder - 2 tsp (or as per taste)
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
5. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
6. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
7. Salt - 1.5 tsp (or as per salt)
8. Onion - 2 medium
9. Green chilli - 2 medium
10. Chana daal (split chikpea) - 2 tsp
11. Khaskhas (poppy seeds) - 1 tsp
12. Dry coconut - 4 1 inch pieces (optional)
13. Green coriander - 1/2 cup
14. Chicken masala - 2 tsp (or as per taste)
15. Oil - 1 or 2 Tbsp

Method -

1. Wash the chicken pieces well.
2. Mix the curd, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, Cumin powder, Ginger garlic paste and Salt.
3. Marinate the chicken in this mix and keep it in the refridgerator for an hour.

4. Dry roast green chilli, khaskhas, chana daal, (dry coconut) and onions separately. Cut and clean the coriander.

5. Grind the roasted green chilli, khaskhas and chana daal together to make a dry mix.
6. Make a rough paste of the onion and coriander in the grinder.

7. Heat oil in a pan. Put the dry mix in the oil. Let it cook for 2 min on low flame.
8. Put the onion/coriander paste in the pan and let it cook for about 5 min.

9. Put the chicken in the pan and mix well. Let it cook for 2-3 min. Mix well again.

10. Put chicken masala in it and also pour a cup of water.
11. Cover the pan and let it cook till the chicken is tender and cooked.
12. Serve with chapati and raita

Recipe - Garlic Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

1. Whole chicken (with skin) - 1 kg
2. Garlic cloves - 20
3. Garlic paste - 4 tsp
4. Ginger paste - 2 tsp
5. Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
6. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Potato - 3 medium
8. Tomato - 1 medium
9. Onions - 3 medium
10. Salt - as [er taste
11. Red wine - 3 tablespoon (at least)
12. Vinegar - 2 tsp
13. Lemon juice - 2 tsp
14. Lemon - 1 whole
15. Olive oil 

Method

1. Wash the chicken with clean water and pat dry
2. Slowly separate the skin of the chicken from the body (without removing it). Make as much space as possible between the body and the skin
3. Apply the garlic paste and ginger paste to the chicken skin and also on the body beneath the skin. Apply on the insides of the chicken as well
4. Sprinkle the red chilli powder and cumin powder on the chicken and spread it around using your fingers
5. Sprinkle a little salt on it and also a little olive oil
6. Prick a lemon with a small knife and place it inside the chicken cavity
7. Pre-heat the oven to 240 C.
8. Roughly cut all the vegetables into around 1/2 inch pieces and spread them around the baking tray
9. Sprinkle olive oil and lemon juice on the veggies and place the chicken on top of the veggies
10. Put in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200C for 1 hour (1kg->1hour)
11. Once done, take out the chicken and let it rest for at least 15 min before serving

For the gravy

1. After taking the chicken out of the oven, put the baking tray with the baked veggies on a burner with medium to high heat
2. Put some water in it along with vinegar, and red wine
3. Mix a little salt and mix it and let it cook for some more time till the veggies are soft
4. Mash the veggies using a potato masher and let it all cook for some more time
5. You can eat the gravy as it is now or pass it through a sieve to make make it more consistent - the taste is amazing either ways
6. Serve the roast with the gravy

Tip

1. Keep tasting the gravy to adjust the amount of salt, vinegar and red wine
2. The type of red wine used makes a difference to the taste. I prefer a very smooth merlot + shiraz

Recipe - Spring Rolls (Chicken/Lamb/Beef/Vegetable)

So today, I decided to make something that I have never made before. Suddenly remembered that I bought Japanese rice paper last week. The decision to go for spring rolls was a logical one then :)

Ingredients: Makes about 12

1. Japanese rice paper (refined wheat flour based dough can be made - but I was lazy)
2. Chicken - 500 gms (including bones)
3. Onion - 1
4. Cabbage - same quantity as sliced onion
5. Capsicum  - 1
6. Ginger/Garlic chopped - 3 tsp
7. Carrots - 1 small (if you like it)
8. Sprouted beans (if you like it)
9. Bamboo shoots (I love it, but couldn't get it)
10. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
11. Dark soy sauce - 2 tsp
12. Chilli vinegar - 2 tsp
13. Salt - To taste
14. Oil - LOADS

Method:

1. Cook the chicken in a pressure cooker. 3 whistles of the cooker should do the trick and then let it cool down. Take the meat off the bones and use the bones (and the water in the cooker) to make chicken stock for use in other dishes. Make small (and if possible long) pieces of the meat. Any meat can be cooked in the same way.

2. Chop the onions, capsicum, cabbage and other veggies in long thin slices.

3. In a wok, heat some oil and put the garlic and ginger in it. After about 15 seconds, put the onions in and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then put the other veggies and let them cook for another 3 minutes. Put the chicken pieces in and mix well. Put some salt, red chilli powder, vinegar and soy sauce and mix. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and take off the stove.

4. For making the rolls from the readymade rice paper, some things need to be made ready first. Take a metallic sieve and keep it inverted. Take a flat pan or metallic box lid and fill it with water. Start heating the oil in the wok for frying.

 

5. This is how a rice paper will look before doing anything

6. Immerse one rice paper into the water in the pan with your hands, and hold it there for 5 seconds. Keep one finger below one edge of the paper so it's easy to take out. Take it out and put on the inverted sieve for 10 seconds till it becomes soft.

7. Put some of that filling that we made on the rice paper below the center horizontally.

8. Roll the lower side of the rice paper over the filling.

9. Then roll the mixture towards the top of the rice paper, thus making a nice rolled up rice paper with the filling.

10. Fold the sides on to the roll and stick them properly with your finger using a little water.

11. Put it in the hot oil for frying slowly. As soon you put it in, immerse another rice paper into the water for 5 seconds and put it on the sieve for softening. The roll takes about 20-25 seconds to cook. Be careful not to over cook it.

12. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

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It turned out to be quite good. A couple of the rolls did break while frying, but overall all the rolls turned out quite well. Next time, I am planning to make the wrappers using wheat flour myself.