Home style Chinese - Five Spice Chicken

We all love Chinese. It is one of that versatile cuisine that can lift up your mood anytime. These days with easy availability of ingredients its so easy to cook up some great Chinese food at home. I personally like experimenting when cooking Chinese at home and sometimes just throwing things in together impromptu can deliver yummy results. Like the other day I made this unbelievably easy Five Spice Chicken and served it with some home style egg fried rice. The result was a very happy husband and me!

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken - 300 gms - cut into small pieces

Baby corn - 7-8 small sizes

Mushroom - 1 cup - diced

Onion - 1 large - diced

Yellow bell pepper - half cup - diced - optional

Green chillies - 5-6 - chopped 

Garlic - 4-5 pods - crushed

Light Soy sauce - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp

Five spice mix - 1 tbsp

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Black pepper - 1 tsp crushed

Rice wine vinegar - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp - you can use normal white vinegar too.

Refined oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Method: 

Wash and clean the chicken , cut into small pieces and marinate with 2 tbsp light soy sauce,1 tbsp white wine vinegar, cornflour , Chinese five spice mix and crushed black pepper. Mix well and keep aside for half an hour.

In a non stick pan add the oil. Once it heats up add the diced onions ,crushed garlic and the green chillies.

Once they turn lightly brown , tip in the marinated chicken , baby corn,yellow bell pepper and the mushrooms. Fry for 2-3 mins and then add the remaining soy sauce , rice wine vinegar and give it a good mix.

Once the chicken is cooked through remove from heat and serve hot. I served it with some egg fried rice and it tasted superb.

Happiness on a plate - Grilled Aubergine on Garlic Toast with a Tomato Salsa

Brinjal/Aubergine is a very versatile vegetable..well I could be biased when I say that because I simply love it. Begun Bhaja and Baingan Bharta are my absolute favourite.But sadly the boys in my house are not fond of the vegetable at all.I am however always on the lookout for new and innovative way to try out the brinjal.On my last trip to Delhi , one of my fave aunts took me to a quaint little cafe somewhere in GK( sorry I don't remember the name ) for some coffee but the hungry (or greedy maybe) wanted to eat something. A dish on the menu appealed to me instantly - an open sub sandwich with grilled aubergines.The dish was innovative but it lacked flavour and was not seasoned right. I had thought of recreating the dish but forgot about it for a long time and remembered it again now.So today I made it at home my way - Grilled Aubergine on Garlic Toast with a Tomato Salsa. If brinjal appeals to you , you are surely gonna love this dish.

 Ingredients:

Brinjal/ Aubergine - 1 medium round - cut into thin round slices

Tomato - 1 large - finely chopped

Yellow/red bell pepper - 1 small - finely chopped

Garlic - 3-4 pods- crushed

Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped

Tomato puree - 2 tbsp - I used Dabur Homemade

Basil leaves - 4-5 - finely chopped + few for garnish

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Feta cheese - 2 tbsp - crumbled

Oregano - 1 tsp

Chilli flakes - 1 tsp or more if you like it that way

Black pepper - 1 tsp  - crushed

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 pinch

Garlic bread - few slices

Method:

For the salsa:

In a pan heat the olive oil , add the crushed garlic and the chopped onions. Saute till translucent.Tip in the chopped tomatoes and the bell pepper. Add the tomato puree , oregano and the red chilli flakes. Cook till the mix gets mushy , remove from heat and keep aside. Let there be a crunch in the salsa.

  Now getting on with grilling the  aubergines and the toast. Just season the sliced aubergines with salt and pepper and grill them on a very hot pan. Also slightly toast the garlic bread slices along with it. This takes about 2 mins on each side.

 Take the grilled aubergines off the pan and assemble on top of the garlic toast. Put a spoonful of salsa on the top and garnish with a generous crumble of the feta cheese.

Serve hot with a side of some extra salsa.

Chingri Maacher Chorchori ( Spicy Prawns)

Let me start by wishing all my readers Shubho Bijoya. I am sure each one of you had a splendid Durga Puja / Navratri celebrations. As for me I had a beautiful time with folks at home. There was a lot of bonding, adda and of course a lot of great food. The four days of Puja we eat vegetarian food but on Doshomi - the last day after bidding farewell to the goddess we simply binge on everykind of non - veg dishes. There is an array of fishes that is being cooked with prawns being one of them. This year I decided to cook a spicy prawn curry that would go well with rice and ended up making a chorchori. A chorchori in simple words would be a mish mash of spices.usually a mish mash of veggies..but there are many non- veg variants as well. Its very easy to make and is a bit spicy in nature. Here's my Chingri Maacher Chorchori recipe.

Ingredients:

Prawns (medium sized) - 500 gms - washed and deveined

Onions - 2 medium - finely sliced

Tomato - 1 medium - quartered

Potato - 2 medium - cut into cubes and lightly fried

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp - use more if you like the heat

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 pinch

Bay leaves - 2 nos

Coriander leaves - a handful - finely chopped

Green chillies - 3-4

Mustard oil - 2tbsp + 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash , clean and devein the prawns. Marinate with 1 tsp turmeric and some salt and keep aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan add 2 tbsp oil and saute the marinated prawns for 5-7 mins till they turn opaque in colour. Don't fry for too long or else they get overcooked. Drain the prawns and keep aside.

In another pan add 2 tbsp mustard oil. Once the oil heats up add the bay leaves. Add the sliced onions and the ginger garlic paste. Fry till the mixture gets a golden brown colour.
Now add the tomatoes , turmeric powder, red chilli powder , salt and sugar. Fry this mixture for 7-10 mins.Also add the fried potato cubes at this stage. Add a cup of water and let the gravy simmer for another 5 mins.

Lastly tip in the prawns and give it a good mix. Add the chopped coriander and the green chillies and serve hot with rice.

Know your Kolkata Food Blogger - My Favourite "A Homemaker's Diary"

Today I have a task at hand. This week at the Know your kolkata Food Blogger event it's Sayantani of A Homemaker's Diary. To begin with she is my most favourite blogger! Her blog is epic...it is truly an example of finesse and excellence. Long before I even knew her personally, I have been a fan of her blog.Her recipes , her photographs , her posts everything inspires me. And now that I know her personally I am more in awe of her. She is a fabulous human being - she's a powerhouse of talent but so down to earth. Always the one to encourage you, drop a line or two on every post that I publish - these are the little things that makes Sayantani the person that she is. 

Her blog is a treasure trove of recipes,amazing recipes and many other creative things that she does like pretty crochet work and painting too! The recipe that I have chosen today is a very easy one - the reason for choosing this being egg is a family favourite and a bit of a time crunch to try another recipe. But honestly I will keep trying her recipes regularly because there are so many of them. I have recreated her Dimer Dalna exactly according to her recipe and it was a big hit with the boys.
Here's my Dimer Dalna /Jhol for you all to try.

Ingredients:

Eggs: 4

Potato: 1 large

Onion paste: 3 tbsp (If you are using white onions then please chop 1 medium onion very finely or sauté roughly chopped white onions in a tsp of oil for 2-3 minutes and then make a paste. The reason being raw white onions when made into a paste tastes quite bitter)

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Tomato: 1 large

Chili powder: 1 tsp or as per your heat tolerance

Coriander powder: ½ tsp

Garam masala powder: 1/3 tsp or chopped coriander

Turmeric - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Oil: 4 tbsp (mustard oil or a mix of that and white oil)

Whole cloves: 2

Cinnamon: ½” piece

Green cardamom: 1

Method:

Wash and cut the potato in quarters. Boil the eggs and potatoes with a pinch of salt till the potato is cooked through. Drain the water and let it cool down in fresh cold water for 5-7 minutes. Peel carefully without breaking the white part and with a sharp knife make 3-4 cut marks on the eggs. Sprinkle salt and turmeric on both and keep aside.

Heat the oil and fry the potatoes and eggs till golden. Take out with a slotted spatula and keep aside.

Temper the same oil with the whole spices (lightly bruised to release the aroma). Once they start to splutter add the onion paste. Fry on low heat for 5 minutes or till you see oil oozing out from the onion. Mix in the ginger garlic paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Mix in the coriander and chili powder in 1 tbsp water and add in next, cook for 30 seconds and then add chopped tomato and little salt.

Cover and cook till the tomato is soft and mushy. With your spatula mix the tomato to the spice paste to get a smooth consistency. Cook for a minute and then add the eggs and potatoes. Give it a good mix and then pour in 11/2 cups of water.  Check the salt and adjust as per taste. Cover and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes till the eggs and potatoes takes on the flavour and taste nicely.

 

Sprinkle chopped coriander or garam masala powder and serve hot with steamed rice or roti or paratha.

Thank you Sayantani for such a wonderful easy recipe. This is what we need for busy days. My dear friends you MUST visit A Homemaker's Diary  if you haven't already! Till then...bye.

 

This one is a winner - Seekh Tawa Masala

Last night I was in a big dilemma about what to cook for dinner that would go well with rotis. My fridge was almost empty with few random stuffs lying in there. While rummaging through my freezer I chanced upon this packet of ready to fry chicken seekh kababs and a brilliant idea struck me. Why not make a tawa style gravy and dunk some of the kababs in - thats how this dish was made - Seekh Tawa Masala - for those weeknights when u don't want to cook elaborate meals but want to eat tasty food nonetheless. This is was surely a winner.

Ingredients:

Chicken seekh kababs - 4-5 nos ( cut into small pieces) - can use mutton too

Onions - 1 medium - finely sliced

Tomato - 1 large - finely chopped

Tomato puree - 1 tbsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 1 -2 finely chopped( adjust acc to your taste)

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Kashmiri red chillli powder - 1 tbsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Fresh cream - 2 tbsp

Refined oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp

Method: 

In a pan heat oil  and fry the kababs and keep aside.

In the same pan add another tbsp of oil .Tip in the sliced onions, ginger - garlic paste.

Fry till light brown in colour. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for another 2-3 mins.

Next tip in the tomato puree , turmeric powder, red chilli powder , coriander powder , salt and sugar and roast the masala paste very well. Adding a little water if reqd.

Once the oil seperates from the masala mixture add the fried kababs. Cover and cook for 2 mins.

Finish with some chopped green chillies and fresh cream.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

 

Know your Kolkata Food Blogger - Lazy Tart from Antypasti

This week it's Antara Ray of the blog Antypasti. I first got to know Antara through a very popular and huge foodie forum CAL. We would interact on and off through the posts there and that was about it.. then she got married and shifted base to our very own Kolkata. She helped with the formation of the Kolkata Chapter of the Bloggers Table of Chef@Large and  also became a part of Kolkata Food Bloggers. Now coming to her blog - I find it one hell of a fun blog. The way she writes along with her easy recipes is something that appeals to me. There is this spunk in her blog ( as well as her) that makes almost an immediate connection. I met her recently and found her to be exactly the way I thought she would be - vivacious , sensible and someone who is not afraid to stand up for something she believes in!

Her blog has some very easy fun recipes that you can try anytime. And that is what we want when we are hard pressed for time and cant do elaborate stuffs. Coming to the matter of time management, life has been too hectic for me of late. But I had made up my mind of recreating one of her recipes..so chose the Lazy Tarts. This one is so simple and easy to make but the end result just so amazing. I had to modify it a bit keeping in mind my 5 year old at home. Here's my version - Mini Lazy Tarts

Ingredients:


Bourbon biscuits - 6 nos

Dark Chocolate - 1 cup ( melted in a microwave or double boiler)

Fresh cream - half cup ( I used Amul)

Butter - 1 tbsp ( at room temperature)

Whipped cream - 2 tbsp ( for decoration)

Sprinkles - 1 tsp ( for decoration)

Method:

Grind the biscuits in a grinder and mix well with the butter. Press this mixture tightly into mini tart moulds. Refrigerate for half a hour.

In a separate bowl , take the melted chocolate and add the cream in it. Mix well. Pour into the biscuit coated moulds and chill for an hour.

Take them out and decorate with whipped cream and sprinkles. It surely cant get easier than this.

Enjoy this tasty tart and think of  Antara! Do visit her blog Antypasti for some fun recipes , you are sure to love it!

 

Know your Kolkata Food Blogger - Meet Jayati of Jayati's Food Journey and create one of her recipes!

And here I am..back again with a new post. This week it's Jayati who is getting featured in the Know your Kolkata Food Blogger Event. Jayati is one of the new members of KFB but she is a veteran in the food blogosphere. Her blog Jayati's Food Journey is a treasure trove of recipes. What i liked most about her blog is her focus on traditional bengali recipes. Recipes that are not regularly created in Bengali kitchens anymore -Kumro Fuler Bora(Pumpkin Blossom fritters) or Laupatay Puti Maach(Small fish wrap) are all heritage dishes.
I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting her personally but hope to do so in the near future. I had initially thought of trying out one of her traditional recipes but because of time crunch - am having to pick up one easy recipe from her blog. Now egg is an all time favourite with the family and she had blogged about the Spanish Omlette sometime back.
I almost instantly picked it up and recreated that into a Spanish Pancake . The spanish pancake originally is mostly sweet, but i thought that a savoury version would turn out just as good. It is loaded with the goodness of veggies - you can add just about anything you want and is very very tasty. 

Ingredients:

Egg - 3 nos

Flour - 3 tbsp

Milk - half a cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Potatoes - 1 small - thinly sliced

Onion - half an onion - thinly sliced

Green peas - a handful

Chicken sausages - 2 - roughly chopped

Coriander leaves/cilantro - a handful - finely chopped

Chilli flakes - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Crushed pepper - 1 tsp

Butter - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Method:

In a bowl , whisk the egg with salt and pepper. Add the flour and the milk and mix well into the egg mixture. Keep this aside.

In a small non stick pan , heat the butter and the olive oil.
Tip in the onion ,potatoes , sausages and the peas.
Saute till it turns light brown in colour.

Add the chilli flakes and the salt to taste. Keep a check on salt as sausages can get too salty.

Next add the egg-flour mixture into the pan, sprinkle the chopped coriander on top and cover with a lid. Keep on low heat.

After 5-7 mins - turn it around with a flat spoon/spatula.

Cook for another 2-3 mins. 
Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Jayati,I hope you like my version of your recipe. And folks don't forget to visit Jayati's Food Journey for some great recipes. Till then enjoy this dish!