Kung Pao chicken (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1. Boneless chicken ½ kg, cut to small pieces
2. Corn flour 2 TBSP
3. Garlic 4 pods
    Ginger 1 TBSP, finely chopped
    Onion 1 small, finely chopped
    Green bell pepper 1 small, finely chopped
    Green onion 5 stalks, chopped
     Dry red chilly 6 nos
4. Vinegar 1 TBSP
5. Soy sauce 2 TBSP
6. Sugar 1 tsp
7. Roasted peanuts ¼ cup
8. Salt as needed
9. Oil 2 TBSP

Preparation

• In a bowl, mix together chicken, salt and corn flour. Set this aside for 10 minutes.
• Heat oil in a nonstick deep pan and add the marinated chicken and cook well for 10 minutes at medium flame. Turn around the pieces 2-3 times so that it gets cooked evenly.
• Next add ingredients numbered 3 and sauté well for another 5 minutes.
• Now add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt and mix well to combine.
• Now reduce flame to simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes.
• Remove from flame and add the peanuts and serve warm…

Cheers!!!
Suji

Chilly fish (serves 4)

A great addition to your fish recipe collection. Easy to prepare with everyday ingredients and is a great party sidedish. Hope you all will enjoy making this delicious Chilly fish!

Ingredients

1. Fish ½ kg, cleaned and cut to medium size pieces (I used Tilapia)
2. Corn flour 2 TBSP
    Red chilly powder ¾ tsp
    Black pepper powder ¼ tsp
    Tomato sauce 2 tsp +1 TBSP
    Soy sauce 1 tsp+1tsp
3. Onion 1 medium, cubed
4. Green bell pepper 1 medium, cubed
5. Ginger, garlic 1 TBSP each, finely chopped
6. Green chilly 2 small, slit
7. Vinegar 1 tsp
8. Sugar ½ tsp
9. Salt as needed
10. Oil 1 TBSP + for deep frying
11. Water 1 cup
Green onions chopped to garnish

Preparation

• In a bowl, add ingredients numbered 2 and mix well to make a paste. Sprinkle water if needed. Add fish pieces and mix well to combine. Make sure all the pieces are coated well with the batter. Set aside for 15 minutes and deep fry in oil till deep golden color. Drain excess oil on a paper towel and set aside.
• Now in a deep bottomed pan/wok add 1 TBSP oil and sauté ginger, garlic and green chilly for 2 minutes.
• Add onions and green bell pepper and sauté at medium heat until the onions are translucent.
• Next add the vinegar, sugar, 1 TBSP tomato sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce and cook for another 4 minutes. Add 1 cup water and allow to boil. Adjust salt if necessary.
• Once boiling, add the fried fish pieces and cook at low flame for 10 more minutes.
• Serve this delicious chilly fish gravy with any kind of rice preparations or rotis…

Cheers!!!
Suji

Soya chunks fried rice (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1. Soya chunks/Nutrela 1 cup
2. Cooked basmati rice/any left over white rice 2 ½ cups, preferably refrigerated
3. Onion ½ cup, finely chopped
    Green bell pepper ½ cup, finely chopped
    Carrot 1, finely chopped
4. Black pepper powder 1 tsp, divided
5. Soy sauce 4 TBSP + 1 TBSP
6. Red chilly sauce (optional) 1 tsp
7. Salt as required
8. Oil/Butter 2 TBSP, divided

Preparation

• Wash the soya chunks 3 times under running water. Soak them in water for 20 minutes. Drain the water and then boil the soya chunks for 10 minutes on stove top. Drain the water again and allow to cool down. Squeeze out extra water, and add 1 TBSP soy sauce and ½ tsp pepper powder. Mix and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Heat a large wok or pan with 1 TBSP oil/butter at medium heat and roast the soya chunks for 5 minutes and transfer to a bowl.
• In the same wok or pan add rest of the oil/butter at medium heat and sauté ingredients numbered 3 for 5 minutes. Add salt and reduce flame to low.
• Next add the rest of pepper powder, soy sauce and red chilly sauce. Mix well and add the rice.
• Turn back heat to high and mix well until the rice get heated through. Add the soya chunks and mix well. Serve the soya chunk fried rice with chilly chicken or any of curry of your choice.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Chilly chicken gravy(No deep frying) (Serves 4)

Ingredients
1. Boneless chicken thighs ½ kg, cut to 1 inch strips
2. Corn flour 1 TBSP
    Red chilly powder 1 tsp
    Black pepper powder ¼ tsp
    Ginger ½ inch, julienned
    Garlic 3 pods, thinly sliced
    Tomato sauce 1 TBSP
    Soy sauce 3 tsp
3. Rice wine vinegar/ white vinegar 1 tsp
4. Onion 2 medium, diced
    Green bell pepper 1 medium, diced
    Green chilly 2 small, slit
5. Salt as needed
6. Oil 1 TBSP
7. Water 1-2 TBSP, to sprinkle while cooking
Preparation

• Clean and cut the chicken thighs to 1 inch strips.
• In a bowl with lid, add the chicken and ingredients numbered 2 and little salt. Combine well to coat the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil and sauté ingredients numbered 4 at medium high heat for 10 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and add the marinated chicken and sauté for 5 more minutes.
• Reduce flame to low and cook for 30 minutes mixing occasionally. Sprinkle water if necessary.
• At the end of 30 minutes, it will look like thick semi gravy consistency. Switch off flame and serve with fried rice or plain rice.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Vegetable Manchurian (Serves 5-6)

For the vegetable balls

Cabbage 1 cup, finely chopped
Carrot 1 medium, finely chopped
Green beans 5-8 nos, finely chopped
Onion ¼ cup, finely chopped
Celery ¼ cup, finely chopped
Spring onion 2 TBSP, finely chopped

Other ingredients

Green chilly 1no, slit
Ginger and garlic 1 tsp, finely chopped
Pepper powder ½ tsp
Cooked white rice ½ cup, mashed
Corn flour 2 TBSP
Salt as needed

For the gravy

Onion ¼ cup, cut into small cubes
Ginger 2 tsp, finely chopped
Garlic 1 TBSP, finely chopped
Green chilly 1 no, finely chopped
Pepper powder ¼ tsp
Spring onion 1 TBSP
Sugar ¼ tsp
Soy sauce 3 TBSP
Chilly sauce 2 TBSP
Corn flour 1 TBSP dissolved in ½ cup water
Vegetable oil to deep fry + 1 TBSP
Salt as needed

Preparation

Using a food processor, finely chop all the vegetables. Transfer this onto a pan and add about ¼ cup water and cook covered for about 10 minutes at low to medium heat. Switch off flame and allow to cool. Once cooled, Squeeze out the juices from the steamed vegetables using a cheese cloth. Transfer the dry vegetables onto another pan and save the broth for later use in the gravy.

To the vegetables, add green chilly, ginger, garlic, pepper powder, cooked rice, corn flour and salt. Mix well to combine using your palm. Now make small balls out of this mixture and roll them in corn flour to hold its shape. Deep fry these balls until golden brown. Drain excess oil onto a paper towel.

Heat 1 TBSP oil in a pan at medium heat. Add chopped ginger, garlic, onion and green chilly. When the onion turns translucent add pepper powder, soy sauce, chilly sauce, 1 TBSP chopped spring onions and sugar. Mix well and add the vegetable broth. Boil the gravy. Add corn flour in water, for about 3 TBSP. When the gravy starts to thicken, add the fried vegetable balls. Mix well and switch off flame. Garnish with chopped spring onion. Serve hot with fried rice or even white rice.

Recipe courtesy : Vah chef, Sanjay Thumma

Cheers!!!
Suji

Mixed fried rice (Serves 4)

Indo-chinese dishes are very popular in India. Mixed fried rice is one among those I crave all the time and what I miss so much living outside India. I still remember the restaurant “K R Bakers- HOT CHICKEN” in Coimbatore that served the best mixed fried I ever tasted. Here is my humble attempt to recreate that same delicious taste...Enjoy!!!

Cooked, refrigerated basmati rice or long grain rice 2 cups (refrigerated for at least 4 hours)
Onions ½ cup, finely chopped 
Green bell pepper/capsicum ½ cup, thinly sliced
Carrots ½ cup, finely chopped
Eggs 2 nos
Shredded chicken ½ cup
Cooked shrimp ½ cup ( I cooked it with a little bit of pepper powder, soy sauce and 1 cup water)
Green onions 2 stalks, green and white chopped separately
Soy sauce 3 TBSP
Tomato chilly sauce or green chilly sauce 2 TBSP
Pepper powder 2 tsp
Oil 2 TBSP
Salt as needed

Preparation

In a deep bottomed wok or pan at med-high heat, add little oil and sauté the onions and white bulb of green onions. When it starts to turn translucent add the eggs and scramble well. Next add in the shredded chicken, cooked shrimp and all the veggies. Sauté all these for 4-5 more minutes at high heat. Now add the soy sauce, tomato chilly sauce or green chilly sauce, pepper powder and sauté nicely for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and the chilled rice. Mix well and switch off the flame. Garnish with green part of green onions and enjoy with any curry of your choice or even by itself.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Egg Omelette fried rice (Serves 4-5)

Today I am here with a variety rice dish. This recipe is also my own creation which I did try out on one of those days, when I was in a really good mood for cooking. The final verdict was yummy and this is a one pot rice preparation with a very distinct flavor. Hope you guys will like it as much as I did..Enjoy!!

For making omelette

Eggs 3 nos
Green onions 1 TBSP, finely chopped
Onions 3 TBSP, finely chopped
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Fennel powder ¼ tsp
Ginger ½ tsp, finely chopped
Mushroom 2 TBSP, finely chopped (optional)
Curry leaves 1 TBSP, chopped
Salt as needed
Oil 1 tsp

Preparation

In a bowl, crack the eggs and add all the other ingredients except oil. Beat this well and set aside.

Heat a pan and add the oil. Add half of the egg mixture and spread it. Wait for 4-5 minutes and turn the omelette. Once cooked  on both sides remove and set aside onto a plate. Repeat the same with rest of the mixture. Stack the omelettes and cut the same into small cubes. Set aside.

For the rice

Basmati Rice 2 cups (any kind of long grain rice can be used)
Red Onions ½ cup, finely chopped
Cabbage ½ cup, thinly sliced
Carrots ½ cup, thinly sliced
Green onions 4 stalks (white bulb part and green part separated)
Tomato sauce 1 tsp
Green chilly sauce 1 tsp
Soy Sauce 4 TBSP
Black pepper powder 1 tsp
Chicken masala 1 TBSP  ( I used eastern brand)
Oil 2 TBSP
Salt as needed
Water to cook the rice

Preparation

Pre-cooking instructions..

Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 minutes. Cut the green part (diagonally) of green onions for garnish. Slice the white part to go into the rice. In a bowl, mix the tomato sauce, soy sauce and green chilly sauce and keep aside.

Cook the rice in 5 to 6 cups of water and drain in a colander when they are 80% done. Allow the rice to cool and stick in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes (this helps rice to hold its texture). Meanwhile heat (med-high) oil in a deep bottomed wok or kadai and add white onions, and chopped red onions. Sauté them well for 3 minutes and add salt and pepper powder. Give them another minute to sauté and add in the cabbage and carrots. Cook the veggies for 2 minutes. Add the cubed omelettes and add in the sauces and wait for everything to come to a boil. Simmer the stove and add cooked-cooled rice in batches and mix well. Turn the heat off and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with green part of green onions and enjoy this lovely vegetable fried rice with any kind of Indo Chinese curries or just by itself.

Tips
Add green beans (thinly sliced) or any color bell peppers (finely chopped) for more color to the rice.
Thinner the veggies, better the taste ...
Use butter for oil and get a richly flavored fried rice..

Cheers!!!
Suji

Tofu manchurian (Serves 4)

“Tofu” is definitely the “meat” for vegetarians. Even though a non veg, I prefer tofu to chicken if I am given an option. This is one easy recipe, in which you can give that “Indian twist” by spicing up the bland, tasteless tofu and enjoy with any kind of meal be it rotis or fried rice or plain rice. Enjoy!!!

Firm tofu 12 oz packet, cut to cubes
Yellow/white Onion 1 large, cubed
Green bell pepper 1 no, cubed
Garlic 2 TBSP
Green chilly 3 nos, chopped
Tomato ketch up 2 TBSP
Soya sauce 2 TBSP
Green chilly sauce 1 TBSP
Green onions 2 TBSP, chopped
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Oil 1 TBSP + more for frying

For the batter

All purpose flour 4 TBSP
Corn flour 2 TBSP
Pepper powder ½ tsp
Red chilly powder ¼ tsp
Salt as needed
Yogurt 2 tsp
Water ¼ cup

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, corn flour, pepper powder, chilly powder, salt and yogurt. Mix well and slowly add water to make a thick batter. Add the cubed tofu and mix well to coat with the batter. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat oil for frying. Deep fry the battered tofu and drain excess oil onto a paper towel. Set aside.

Heat 1 TBSP oil in a pan at medium heat. Sauté onions till translucent. Add garlic and green chilly. Sauté for 2 minutes. Next add the green pepper and mix well with onions. Cook this for another 5 more minutes. Add pepper powder, salt, tomato ketch up, soy sauce and green chilly sauce. Mix well and cook until it starts to boil and then add the fried tofu. Incorporate well with the onions and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Switch off stove and garnish with green onions. Serve with rice or rotis….

Cheers!!!
Suji

Pineapple-Chicken fried rice (Serves 5)

The idea of using pineapple or even any fruit in rice was never a thought to us. We discovered this pineapple fried rice in a Thai restaurant recently during one of visits. Woowww was our response and this was our first attempt to recreate the taste of the same. It came out so well and the blend of tangy pineapple with pepper and chilly sauce is unbelievable. Try it out and enjoy this delicious rice with any kind of dry curry preparations..

Basmati rice 2 cups
Pineapple ½ cup, finely chopped
Onions ½ cup, finely chopped
Cabbage ½ cup, thinly sliced
Carrots ½ cup, thinly sliced
Green beans ¼ cup, thinly sliced
Eggs 2 nos
Minced chicken ½ cup
Ginger n garlic 1 TBSP, each chopped
Green onions 2 stalks, green and white chopped separately
Soy sauce 3 TBSP, divided
Tomato chilly sauce 2 TBSP, divided
Pepper powder 2 tsp divided
Oil 2 TBSP
Salt as needed
Water 4 cups or to cook rice

Preparation

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Cook the rice with 4 cups water with salt and 1 TBSP soy sauce. Once cooked, cool and leave in refrigerator for an hour or until ready to use.

Meanwhile in a deep bottomed wok or pan at med-high heat, add little oil and sauté the onions and white bulb of green onions. When it starts to turn translucent add the ginger and garlic and sauté till raw smell goes off. Add the eggs and scramble well. Next add in the minced chicken and all the veggies. Sauté all these for 4-5 more minutes. Now add the rest of soy sauce, tomato chilly sauce, pepper powder and sauté nicely. Throw in the finely chopped pineapple chunks. Sauté for another 2 more minutes. Add salt and the chilled rice. Mix well and switch off the flame. Garnish with green part of green onions and enjoy with any curry of your choice or even by itself.

Tips

You can add as much or as less pineapple chunks, that is totally upto your preference

Vegetarians - you can skip adding chicken and egg and try with bell peppers, tofu or paneer

Substituting half of the water with pineapple juice to cook rice will add more pineapple flavor

Substitute chicken with shrimp or even make it a mixed fried rice with all three..

Chilly Chicken (Serves 4)

Chilly chicken is yet another Indo-chinese delicacy which makes us drool over its rich flavor and taste. Once exclusive to the restaurants, these dishes have slowly sneaked into the common household menu.... Here is a simple yet delicious variant of this ever popular dish........

For the batter

All purpose flour ½ cup
Corn flour 2 TBSP
Chilly powder ½ tsp
Black pepper powder ½ tsps
Soy sauce 1 tsp
Tomato sauce 1 tsp
Green chilly sauce a splash
Egg 1 no (optional)
Salt as needed
Water as needed to make a thick batter

Preparation

Mix together all purpose flour, corn flour, chilly powder and pepper powder in a medium size bowl. Add salt as needed, and egg to this. Now add in all the sauces and make a thick, no lumpy batter by adding water, little at a time. Keep aside.

For the chicken

Boneless chicken 1 lb
Red Onions 2 medium (diced)
Green chillies 4 to 5 nos, cut diagonally
Ginger 1 tsp, chopped
Garlic 1 tsp, chopped
Whole red chilly 2 nos
Black pepper powder ½ tsp
Soy sauce 5 TBSP
Tomato sauce 2-3 TBSP
Green chilly sauce 1 tsp
Red chilly sauce 1 tsp
Corn flour 1 TBSP (mixed with ½ cup of water)
Water ½ cup
Salt as needed
Oil for deep frying + to sauté

Preparation

Cut the chicken to medium bite size pieces and mix with the batter. Allow this to marinate for about an hour in the refrigerator.

Heat (med-high) oil and deep fry the chicken pieces until they attain a red color and keep aside. Combine all the sauces in a bowl and set aside.

Heat 2 TBSP oil in a wok and add the whole red chilly and onions. Sauté onions until soft. Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic one by one and sauté for another few minutes. Add salt and pepper powder and cook for 1 minute. Now add the sauce mix followed by water. Allow this to come to a rolling boil. Add the corn flour dissolved in ½ cup water to this. Lower the flame to low-med and add in the fried chicken pieces. Let it simmer for 10 minutes covered. Combine well until the chicken is coated with sauce and then take off from the stove. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy this delicious chilly chicken with any kind of rice or parotta or even with chappathi….

Tips

Try boned chicken for boneless. Chicken thighs will be best for chilly chicken.
Add in chopped carrots along with red onions for a vibrant color.