Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Tomato

In May we went to DC and before our flight from Dulles airport we had dinner at a tapas place in Georgetown where we had this dish. Back home I decided to try my experiment on a bunch of friends and judging by their response I’d say it was good :)
I used fully cooked chicken sausage in this case.

Ingredients:
Pre cooked chicken sausages – 5 (cut into chunks)
Red bell pepper – 1 (cut into chunks)
Green bell pepper – 1 (cut into chunks)
Tomato -- 1 ripe (finely chopped)
Onion – 1 small (cut into chunks)
Garlic – 1 clove (chopped)
Red or white wine – ½ tbsp (optional)
Olive oil

Procedure:
Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and fry the sausages. Set aside.

In the same pan (add oil if required) sauté the onions until translucent.

Next add the garlic, bell peppers and tomato and mix well.

Add the fried sausages and wine (if using) and stir all the ingredients together.

Cover and cook for 15 -20 minutes stirring so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Serve warm.

Chicken Meatloaf -- Desi (Indian) Style

Ingredients:
Ground chicken -- 1 lb
Grated ginger – 2 tbsp
Chopped garlic – 2 tbsp
Chopped green chilies – 6
Onion – 1 large (finely chopped)
Potato – 1 small (grated)
Fresh chopped cilantro – 1 cup
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Eggs – 3

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat one egg until fluffy and pour into a greased loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl knead together the chicken, ginger, garlic, half of the onion, cilantro, potato, four green chilies, turmeric and salt.

Put the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the remaining two eggs and add the remaining chilies and onion to it.

Remove the loaf pan from the oven and pour the egg mixture all over the chicken.
Return to oven and bake until the eggs have set.

Slice and serve with lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Chicken Manchurian

A friend was coming to dinner tonight and all I knew was that I would make chicken. Because that’s the one thing I had in the freezer in sufficient quantity. Also I wasn’t in the mood for fancy elaborate cooking in the middle of the week so I was trying to figure out what chicken dish to prepare. The battle was between chicken 65 and chicken Manchurian and Manchurian won because it opened up a whole bunch of student day memories.
There was this tiny Chinese eatery called Gunjan on Surya Sen Street (near College Street, Kolkata) which we used to frequent during our college and university days. People came to know of this place by word of mouth – the fame of Gunjan travelled from seniors to juniors and it thrived on that tradition. The place could hardly seat ten people at a time. I remember the first time we tried to go there we couldn’t find it because it was just around the corner of a lane so narrow that a car couldn’t go in, and we actually ended up eating at a place which was next to it but on the main road. During our college days birthdays and special occasions were celebrated at Gunjan when side dishes like Chili Chicken and Chicken Manchurian were ordered. Otherwise the favorite was Chicken Hakka Chowmein. Once our group of 12 (yes, we did manage to squeeze ourselves in) got kicked out of the place because people were waiting outside and we didn’t show any signs of leaving even though we were all done.
And during my Masters’ I and a friend AB, who’s a great foodie, frequented Gunjan so much that we ran out of money by the second week of the month. (It was a bit on the costlier side for a student.) That was when we made a vow that we would come to Gunjan twice a month. We did manage to stick to the self made rule for a few months, mainly because by that time another cheaper Chinese shack had opened up right in the University premises.
Now for my version of Chicken Manchurian. I used drumsticks because that’s what I had. Ideally small bite sized pieces (breast or thighs are best) should be used.

Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks – 8 pieces
Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Ginger paste – 1 ½ tsp + 1tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp + 1tsp
Hot sauce – 2 tbsp
Salt & pepper – to taste
Corn flour – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 small (cut into thick slices)
Green bell pepper – ½ (cut into big pieces)
Red bell pepper – ½ (cut into big pieces) (either one of these peppers is fine)
Scallions – 2-3 (cut diagonally)
Green chilies – 3-4 (chopped)

Procedure:
In a large mixing bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, salt, pepper, 1 ½ tsp of ginger paste and 1 tsp garlic paste. Now coat the drumsticks/ chicken pieces in the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

After an hour remove the chicken from the marinade and dust it with a tbsp of cornflour.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces on medium heat until golden brown and cooked. Set aside.
In the same pan fry the sliced onions, bell pepper and scallions and set aside.

Now add the chopped green chilies, a tbsp of the ginger paste and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone.

Add the reserved marinade, water and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning.

Add the chicken pieces and let simmer until the gravy reaches a consistency of your desire. If there is too much liquid add a paste of a tbsp of cornflour in a tbsp of water and let the liquid dry up.

About a minute or two before removing from the heat add the fried vegetables to the pan and let them sit. This way they retain their color as well as their crunch which I like.

Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.

Chicken Pulao

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces – 1 lb
Cinnamon stick – 1 + 1
Cloves – 4-5
Black Cardamom – 2-3
Bay leaf – 1
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Black peppercorns – 1 + ½ tsp
Onion – 1 small (quartered) + 1 large (thinly sliced)
Ginger – 1 inch piece (crushed) + 1 tsp paste
Garlic – 4-5 cloves (crushed) + 1 tsp paste
Green chili – 4-5 (slit)
Basmati rice – 1 cup (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
Saffron – pinch (soaked in warm milk)
Salt – to taste
Nutmeg
Oil/butter/ghee

Procedure:
Fill a large pot with 4 cups of water. To the water add the following:
•1 cinnamon stick
•coriander seeds
•cloves
•cardamom
•bay leaf
•cumin
•1 tsp whole peppercorns
•crushed garlic
•crushed ginger
•quartered onion
Bring to a boil. When water starts boiling add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken is tender.

With a slotted spoon remove the chicken pieces and set aside.

Strain the stock. Discard all the spices, retain the stock.

In a separate pot heat oil. You can use a combination of oil and ghee or oil and butter or use only ghee or butter. I used only oil.

To the hot oil add ½ tsp peppercorn and the green chilies.

Next add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown.

Now add the ginger and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone.

Add the chicken pieces and fry until they start browning.

Now add the basmati rice and gently turn to coat the grains with the masala.

Put in the saffron strands.

Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil on medium high heat. (If there is less than 2 cups of stock, you can use water or use a boxed one.)

When most of the liquid has dried up switch off the heat, cover with a lid and let sit until all of the liquid has dried up and the rice has cooked perfectly. The rice will cook in the steam.

Add a dash of grated nutmeg and fluff up the rice with a fork before serving.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro or mint. (optional)

Serve hot with raita.

Fajita Roll

All of a sudden I had this craving for some sizzling fajitas and so I thought…ok let’s make some fajita today. But to have a real fajita experience you need to have all the sour cream and the guacamole which I didn’t have and I didn’t quite feel like going out and getting the ingredients. So I decided to just make the sizzling filling of the fajitas. As I was cooking an idea struck me. What if I stuff this filling into an egg roll? So that’s how this dish came into being. When I finished assembling the rolls they looked like tacos because I stuffed them so much that it became a little difficult to fold them.
To make the egg rolls, I used tortillas because that’s what I had at hand, but you can use the frozen parathas. Without doubt they taste much better than the tortillas, which by the way ,are much more healthy. You can also use rotis or make parathas from scratch. Totally up to you.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast – 2 (cut into strips)
Eggs – 4
Tortilla – 4
Onion – 1 (sliced)
Red bell pepper – 1 (cut into strips)
Green bell pepper – 1 (cut into strips)
Green chili – 1 (optional)
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Salt and pepper – to season
Hot sauce – 1 tbsp
Tomato ketchup – 1 tbsp
Dash of lime
Cooking oil

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl add 1 tsp red chili powder to the chicken strips. Mix well and keep aside for 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat a cast iron skillet and fry the chicken pieces until they are golden brown.

While the chicken is being fried, season them with salt and add a tbsp of tomato ketchup and hot sauce each. When sauce dries up and chicken is cooked, remove from heat and keep warm.

In the same skillet (add oil if necessary) fry the bell peppers until the edges turn brown. Set aside.

Next sauté the onions and reserve with the bell peppers.

In a bowl beat an egg until fluffy. Season with salt and pepper.

Now heat a nonstick pan. Drizzle a little oil and pour the beaten egg.

When egg starts to set but is still a little wiggly in the middle, put a tortilla on top of the egg and let it set. When egg has set completely flip the tortilla and lightly fry the other side. (If using frozen parathas, fry the parathas according to the directions on the pack and keep ready before frying egg.)

Remove from heat and onto a plate. Follow the method for the rest of the tortillas and the eggs.

Now stuff the tortilla (egg side up) with the chicken, bell peppers, onion and chopped green chili (if using). Squeeze some lime juice on top.

Fold the tortilla like a roll/ wrap and grab a bite.

Paella

Thinking of making paella for a while now. Finally it is time. Like my father says, “ajke din bhalo ache, kore phel” (Today is a good day to do it. And the ‘it’ symbolizes whatever it is that you are postponing.) So today it is paella day for me. But in making this dish I left out a few staple ingredients – the clams and mussels, primarily because I have never tried cooking them, and since a friend was invited for dinner I didn’t want to try my experiments on him, more so because this was the only dish. But I have to say even without the mussels the paella tasted fine. Next time will try cooking with them.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast – 2 (cut into cubes)
Spanish chorizo sausage – 1 (cut into thick slices)
Shrimp – ½ pound (peeled and deveined)
Scallops – 6
Red bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Green bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Tomato – 2 (pureed)
Red onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic cloves – 5 (finely chopped)
Frozen peas – ½ cup
Medium grain rice – 1 cup
Chicken stock – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Paprika – 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
Saffron strands – a generous pinch
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Olive oil
Fresh flat leaf parsley – ½ bunch (chopped)
Lemon wedges – for garnish

Procedure:
In a bowl rub the chicken pieces with a tablespoon of paprika, season with salt and pepper and set aside for at least 30 minutes to one hour.

Heat olive oil in a wide shallow skillet. When oil is hot add the chicken cubes and fry until browned evenly on all sides. Remove and reserve.

Next, fry the chorizo until browned. Remove and reserve.

Next, sear the scallops on both sides. Remove and reserve.

Next, sauté the shrimp until they turn pink. Remove and reserve.

Now in the same pan (add oil when necessary) sauté the onion, garlic and parsley.

Next add the pureed tomatoes and 2 tsp paprika and cook until the mixture caramelizes. This mixture is called a sofrito.

Meanwhile heat the chicken stock and water in a pot and keep it warm.

Now add the green and red bell peppers to the sofrito and cook for a minute or so.

Next add the rice and fry to coat the grains with the sofrito. Now add the saffron strands, chicken stock and water and cook the rice.

When the rice is cooked halfway add the chicken and sausage.

When the rice is almost done add the scallops and shrimp.

When the rice is cooked crank up the heat and let the rice toast at the bottom.

Remove from heat, add the frozen peas and keep covered for 5 minutes.

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

Slow cooked kidney beans and chicken

Ingredients:
Red kidney beans – 1 ½ cup (soaked overnight)
Chicken breast – 1 (cut into cubes)
Carrots – 2 (diced)
Celery stalk – 2 (diced)
Green bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Tomato – 1 (diced)
Onion – 1 (diced)
Garlic cloves – 5-6 (minced)
Jalapeno pepper – 1 (diced)
Bay leaf – 1
Italian seasoning – 1 tsp
Salt & pepper – to taste
Worcestershire sauce – 1 tsp
Chicken stock – one 14oz can
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Water

Procedure:
In a pan heat olive oil and add the onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper and garlic and sauté.

Next add the jalapenos and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soften.

Now add the chicken cubes and kidney beans and mix well.

Add the Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper.

Now transfer the mixture into a slow cooker.

Add chicken stock and water so that it just covers the beans.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf and give it a stir.

Cook on slow for 7-8 hours.

Garnish with sliced scallions and serve alone or with rice or bread.

Chicken Momo

I was introduced to momos in college at a place called Food Station in College Street, Kolkata. After that I was treated to homemade momos by my friend, Shradha. We (me and five other people) were staying at a hostel then where cooking wasn’t allowed. But we managed to sneak in an electric heater and we made everything from scratch – starting from the dough to the soup to the achar and of course the filling. To roll out the dough we made use of our steel plates and steel glasses. She had brought a momo steamer all the way from Kalimpong, her home town. And it was so much fun cooking and eating together. The pot stickers available here gave me the enthusiasm to make momos because making the dough and rolling them out is the scariest part. Though they don’t look as good as my friend’s its tasty nonetheless. Here’s to you Shradha.

Ingredients:
For the filling:
Ground chicken – 1 lb
Finely chopped cabbage – ½ cup
Onion – 1 (diced)
Garlic cloves – 2 (minced) + 2 (whole)
Finely chopped ginger – 2 tbsp
Canola/vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
Vinegar – 1 ½ tbsp
Salt – to taste
Wonton wrappers
For the achar:
Tomatoes – 2
Serrano chili – 3-4 (or according to taste)
For the soup:
Low sodium chicken broth – 2 cans (14oz each)
Scallions – 2 (chopped)
Fresh chopped cilantro – 1 tbsp

Procedure:
In a large mixing bowl mix together the ground chicken, cabbage, onion, minced garlic, ginger, salt and oil until well incorporated. Do not over mix. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile boil water in a pan. Put the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or so.

When the skin starts to peel off, remove from heat and let cool. When cool peel off the entire skin and put it in a food processor.

In the processor add 2 cloves of garlic and the Serrano chilies and blend into a puree.

Season with salt and set aside in a dipping bowl.

Arrange the wonton wrappers on a flat surface.

Spoon in 2 tsp of the filling onto each wrapper.

Brush the edges of the wrapper with water and seal them tightly.

Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.

Now brush a bamboo steamer liberally with oil (so that momos don’t stick).

Arrange the momos on the steamer so that they don’t touch each other.

Put the steamer on top of the pot of boiling water and steam the momos for 12-15 minutes.

Serve immediately with the tomato achar and soup.

For the soup:
Heat the chicken broth with ½ cup of water. When it comes to a boil remove from heat, adjust seasoning, garnish with scallions and cilantro and serve.

Chili Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken – 1 lb (cut into bite sized pieces)
Egg – 1
Green bell pepper – 1 (cut into cubes)
Scallions – a bunch (finely chopped)
Green chilies – 3-4 (finely chopped)
Onion – 1 small (cut into cubes)
Garlic – 2-3 cloves (minced)
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Sugar – 1 tsp
Cooking oil

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl take soy sauce and vinegar and marinate the chicken pieces for 15-20 minutes.

In a separate bowl beat one egg. After the chicken is marinated transfer them to this bowl.

Meanwhile heat cooking oil in a pan. When oil is heated throw in the onion and the green bell pepper and fry them on high heat till they just start to soften but still retain their color. Remove from pan and keep aside.

In the same pan fry the chicken pieces coated with the beaten egg until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

In a separate pan heat 1 tbsp oil and add garlic, green chilies and scallions and fry for a few seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic as it will taste bitter.

Now add the fried chicken pieces, salt and sugar, and the leftover marinade of soy sauce and vinegar. Mix well.

Add water so that the chicken pieces are 3/4th covered. You can use chicken broth instead of water, makes it tastier.

Cook until the chicken is done and the gravy starts coating the chicken.

Add the onion and bell pepper at this time and mix well. Cook for another minute or so.

Serve hot with steamed rice or fried rice.

Chicken Meatloaf

I was armed with all the ingredients for making fried chicken balls and later putting them in gravy. I started out that way but when the time came for frying I just felt lazy. So I dumped the entire mixture into the oven and out came a baked chicken meatloaf!

Ingredients:
Ground chicken – 1 lb
Carrot -- 1
Bell pepper -- 1
Scallions – a bunch
Garlic – 2 cloves
Ginger – 2 inch
Egg -- 1
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
Vinegar – 1tbsp
Tomato ketchup – 2 tbsp
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Bread crumbs – 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper – to taste

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking tray with foil and keep aside.

Finely chop the carrot, bell pepper and scallions, ginger and garlic. I use a food processor. (I add the carrots and bell pepper to make it a little healthy.)

In a large bowl put the ground chicken. Add all the chopped vegetables and the rest of the ingredients.

Season with salt and pepper.

Mix all the ingredients until all of them are incorporated into the meat. I use my hands, but you can use a fork.

Now arrange the mixture into any shape you please in the foil lined tray. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove cover and bake for another 15 minutes.

Cut into bite size pieces and serve as an appetizer.

You can use any leftover as a sandwich filling. Tastes yummy.

Shorshe Chicken -- Chicken with mustard

Ingredients:
Chicken (cut into bite size pieces) – 2 lb
Onion (finely sliced) – 1 cup
Ginger paste – 1 tbspn
Garlic paste –2 tbspn
Turmeric powder – 1 tbspn
Mustard paste – 3 tbspn
Yogurt – 3 tbspn
Mustard oil – 2 tbspn
Green chili (slit) – 8-10
Cooking oil – 2-3 tbspn
Procedure:
In a heavy bottomed pan put oil and heat it.

When oil is heated enough add a tbsp of sugar. Stir the sugar till it reaches a dark brown color.

Now add the garlic paste, ginger paste, sliced onions, turmeric powder and start frying the mixture until it takes up a brownish color, approximately 10-15 minutes.

When oil starts coming out from the fried mixture, add the chicken pieces and stir. Add water and let the chicken cook until tender.

Meanwhile mix the mustard paste and the yogurt together.

When chicken is fully cooked, add the yogurt mixture and mix well with the chicken. Do not let the pot sit on heat for long after you have added the mustard paste, as this will make it bitter.

Remove from heat and drizzle the mustard oil on top.

Garnish with the green chilies and serve hot with steamed rice.