Chili Chicken .... a foolproof recipe!

How to make restaurant style chilli chicken at home? Here’s my chili chicken foolproof recipe.

The most popular Indian Chinese style chicken recipe is a hit with kids and grownups alike. You don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant to enjoy it when you can very well make it at home.

This is such a simple recipe to cook that; one would actually enjoy putting it together. The chilli part of the recipe is totally to ones taste as is the sauce. You could have it dry or gravy style depending on when you plan to serve it.

It’s a winner of a recipe that has to be tried…believe me!

Click the link below for the video recipe:

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Chili Chicken                          Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

Chicken breast pieces (cut into bite sized pieces) – 2

Bell peppers and capsicum (cut into triangles) – ½ cup

Onion (cut into chunky pieces) – 1 medium

Spring onions (chopped finely) – 3 to 4

Green chilies (chopped) – as per taste

Celery stalk (chopped) – 1 tblsp

Garlic (grated) – 1 tsp

Oil – for deep frying

Corn flour – 3 to 4 tblsp + 2 tsp (for slurry)

Light soy sauce – 1 tblsp (for marinade) + 2 tblsp (for the sauce)

Red chili sauce – 1 tblsp or as per taste

Vinegar – ½ tblsp

Sugar – ½ tsp

Pepper – to taste

Salt – to taste

MSG/Ajinomoto – ½ tsp (optional)

Marinate for the chicken

Light soy sauce – 1 tblsp

Garlic (grated) – 1 tsp

Synthetic vinegar – 2 tsp

Pepper – to taste

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.    Marinate the chicken pieces for an hour (with Marinate for the chicken).

2.    Add in 3 to 4 tblsp of corn flour to the chicken pieces and coat them well. Deep fry till crispy. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

3.    Make slurry with 2 tsp corn flour and ½ cup of water. Keep aside.

4.    Add 2 to 3 tblsp of the oil in which the chicken was fried to a sauce pan. Add in the celery to the hot oil. Give it a mix and add garlic. Fry briefly. Add in the onions, bell peppers and green chilies.

5.    Stir fry for ½ a minute. Add in the red chili sauce, light soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix together to coat the veggies. Now, add in the fried chicken pieces. Mix well to coat with the sauce.

6.    Add in the spring onions (reserve some for garnish), sugar and the MSG. Cook briefly till the sugar melts before adding slurry. Bring it to a boil stirring continuously.

7.    Adjust the consistency by adding more water if required. Or add more slurry to get a thicker sauce. Once the sauce thickens to desired consistency, turn off the heat. Add in a tablespoon of vinegar and mix thoroughly.

8.    Garnish with chopped green chilies and spring onion. Serve hot with rice or noodles.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Crispy Corn Triangles .... tortilla chips

Who doesn’t like to munch on crispy corn triangle chips or tortilla chips? I am sharing my recipe of healthy corn chips all made from scratch.

These chips can easily replace the store bought packets for a healthier option. Nothing can beat homemade food.

I have tried several recipes over the years but for me this is the best one that I came up with. It has been with me for many years now.

The most important part of the recipe is to get the flat bread or tortilla rolled out as thinly as possible.

First cooking it on the griddle and then frying makes the chips soak up less oil. While frying, the only point to be kept in mind is to regulate the heat.

So, even though deep fried, the tortilla chips, are not oily at all.

Click the link below for the video recipe:

For more such recipes, check out my channel:  https://goo.gl/XBwLLc

Crispy Corn Triangle Chips           Makes about 128 triangles

Ingredients

Cornmeal – 2 cups

Caraway seeds – a pinch

All purpose flour – 1 cup

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Hot water for kneading – ¾ to 1 cup

Vegetable oil – 1 tblsp + for deep frying

For the Cheese topping

Processed cheese – as required (grated)

Mozzarella cheese – as required (grated)

Chili flakes – to taste

Roasted cumin powder – to taste

Method:

1.    Mix the two flours, season with salt. Add in the baking powder. Crush the caraway seeds by hand and add them in. Mix well.

2.    Add in 1 tblsp of oil and mix it in. Knead the dough by adding hot water a little at a time to get a smooth dough. Cover and rest the dough for 10 to 15 mins.

3.    Make small balls from the dough (about 16) and roll out each to a thin circle with a little sprinkling of flour. Use a fork to prick the rolled out circle all over.

4.    Cook the flat bread on a hot griddle on each side briefly. Keep aside. Similarly cook the rest. Take stacks of 3 or 4 flat breads at a time and cut them into 8 wedges or triangles using a knife or a pizza cutter.

5.    Deep fry the triangles in medium hot oil till they are golden and crispy. Drain on absorbent paper. Once cooled completely, store in an airtight box.

6.    To serve, arrange the chips on a plate and sprinkle grated cheese of your choice on top. I like to use processed cheese and mozzarella. Microwave on high till the cheese melts. Sprinkle some chili flakes and roasted cumin powder on top. Serve immediately.

7.    The chips may be served plain or with a dip or chutney.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Pierogi Dumplings without eggs

Pierogi dumplings are the most popular Polish dumplings and find a place in my recipe diary. I just love to make and eat them!

There are several Pierogi recipes from sweet to savory. The meat Pierogi recipe is very popular as is the potato Pierogi. The fruit filled Pierogi are not far behind though.

This is an eggless recipe and features two types of savory filling…. The potato filling and the mushroom filling.

The recipe has 3 parts…the dough, the filling and the assembly of the Pierogi. The dumplings may be served boiled but if you go a step further and fry them, then they become nice golden and crispy too.

For more such recipes, check out my channel:  https://goo.gl/XBwLLc

Pierogi Dumplings                          Makes 30 to 32

Ingredients:

For the DOUGH

All purpose flour – 2 cups

Vegetable oil – 1 ½  tblsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Hot water – ½ cup + a little extra

For the CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Onions (finely chopped) – 4 medium

Oil – 2 tblsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

For the MUSHROOM FILLING

Button mushrooms (chopped finely) – 1 ½ cups

Shitake mushrooms (hydrated and chopped finely) – ¾ cups

Caramelized onions -  about 2 tblsp

Garlic (chopped finely) – 4 to 5 cloves

Pepper powder and Salt – to taste

Chili sauce – 1 tsp

Oil – 1 tblsp

For the POTATO FILLING

Boiled potatoes – 4 medium

Chives or onion greens (chopped) – 1 tblsp

Fresh cream – 2 tblsp

Caramelized onions – 1 tblsp

Salt and pepper – to taste

Cheese (grated) – 2 tblsp

To cook the PIEROGI

Water – in a large pan

Oil + Butter – for frying

Method:

1.    Take the flour in a large bowl and add in the salt and oil. Mix well. Add in ½ cup of hot water and mix well. If needed add in 1 to 2 tblsp of extra water and knead to form a smooth dough. Cover and keep aside for 10 to 15 mins.

2.    To make the caramelized onions, heat the oil and cook the onions on medium heat. Add salt and cook till they are lightly caramelized. Keep aside.

3.    TO make the mushroom filling. Heat oil in a pan and add in the caramelized onions and garlic. Cook briefly. Add in the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook till the mushrooms become tender. Add in the chili sauce. Mix well. Keep aside.

4.    To make the potato filling, mash the potatoes while still hot. Add in some chopped chives or onion greens, fresh cream, caramelized onions and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine thoroughly.

5.    To make the Pierogi, knead the rested dough lightly. Divide it into 3 parts and form balls. Roll out each ball very thinly. Use a cookie cutter or a bottle cap of 3 inch diameter to cut out circles.

6.    Place sufficient amount of filling at the center of each circle. Fold in half to form a half moon shaped dumpling. Press the edge to seal it then pinch or press with your fingers to give it a scalloped finish. You could use a fork to press and seal the edge as well.

7.    Boil water in a large pan, season  it with salt. Once the water comes to a roaring boil, drop in the dumplings one by one. They will sink at first and then float to the top. Once all of them float up to the top, cook for a minute and then take them out.

8.    Heat some oil and butter in a pan. Fry the Pierogi on both sides till golden and crispy.

9.    Sprinkle with chopped chives or onion greens. Serve with caramelized onion and a yogurt dip.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Honeycomb Hokey Pokey Recipe

If you want to have fun with sugar, then honeycomb or hokey pokey recipe it is. This is the recipe for an old fashioned puff candy.

Made with just 3 or 4 ingredients, this honeycomb toffee is used in many ways. It is often used to flavour ice creams and cakes. The hokey pokey ice cream is just delicious.

You could serve the hokey pokey with a hot cup of coffee or even dip it into chocolate for an indulgent treat.

The honeycomb is formed when the baking soda reacts with the melted caramel to form a fluffy foamy cloud. Once cooled, the caramel toffee hardens and traps the air bubbles inside. This is how the honeycomb texture is formed.

Only important thing to remember is that the toffee is extremely hot and care should be taken to handle it.

Click the link below for the video recipe:

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Honeycomb or Hokey Pokey                  Serves    many

Ingredients:

Castor sugar or Superfine sugar – 1/2 cup

Honey or Golden syrup – 4 tblsp

Baking soda – 1 ½ tsp

Water – ½ tblsp

Method:

1.    Prepare a silicon mat by placing it on a metal tray or on your kitchen counter (made of granite or marble). You could directly grease the marble or granite top or use a greased tin or a greased steel plate. Do this before you begin making the toffee.

2.    Take a deep, thick bottom pan to make the toffee. Add in the sugar, honey and water. Mix thoroughly.

3.    Place the pan on medium heat and stir till the sugar dissolves. Remove the spatula. No more stirring now.

4.    Cook this on medium heat till the melted liquid looks dark like Maple syrup. This should take 2 to 3 mins. Remove it from the heat at once. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

5.    Add the baking soda all at once. Use a wire whisk and mix it in vigorously and thoroughly. The caramel will foam up.

6.    Pour it over your prepared surface. Be careful as the fluffy toffee will be extremely hot at this stage. Let it rest for 1 hour at least.

7.    It will harden once cooled completely. Cut it or break it into smaller pieces and store it in an airtight container.

8.    Serve the hokey pokey with hot coffee or use it as an ice cream topping. Goes well with cakes too.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Chicken Drumstick Curry with chutney

A tangy chicken drumstick curry made with green chutney and steaming hot rice can be the perfect meal on a cold day.

Again, this is a simple recipe with readily available ingredients. I find that making chutney with all the fresh ingredients, results in smooth gravy.

Green chilies, coriander leaves and lemon are good sources of vitamin C. These ingredients make the curry perfect for a cold day. It is actually good for someone who has the cold!

Click the link below for the video recipe:

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Chicken Drumstick Curry with green chutney                    Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

Chicken drumsticks – 5 to 6

Potato – 1 large or 2 small (cut into chunks)

Onion – 1 large (chopped finely)

Mustard oil – 4 tblsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/3 tsp

Green chilies – 2 (slit)

Salt – to taste

Butter – 1 tblsp

For the marinade

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tblsp

Vinegar – 1 tblsp

Red chilli powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Salt – ½ tsp

For the green chutney

Tomato – 2 medium

Coriander leaves – a small bunch

Garlic cloves – 4

Green chilies – 2

Lemon – ½ (squeezed)

Sugar – ½ tsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Method:

1.    Wash and clean the chicken drumsticks. Make 2 slits on each of them.

2.    Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Pour this over the chicken pieces. Rub the marinade on to the chicken drumsticks. Leave aside for at least an hour.

3.    Roast the tomatoes on a naked flame till charred completely. Rub the skin to remove it. Wash it with water and chop it roughly.

4.    Chop up the rest of the ingredients for the green chutney. Squeeze in the lemon. Grind them to a fine paste.

5.    Heat a tablespoon of mustard oil in a shallow pan. Fry the chicken drumsticks till they get a nice colour on the outside. Let them rest for 5 to 10 mins.

6.    In a deep pan, heat 3 tblsp of mustard oil. Fry the potato till they are golden in colour. Remove and keep aside. Fry the onion till they are golden brown.

7.    Add in the left over marinade into the pan and cook till oil separates. Next add in the green chutney and cook till the oil starts separating.

8.    Put the potato pieces back into the pan and cook with the masala for a minute. Add in the chicken drumsticks and cook on medium heat for a minute or two.

9.    Now, cover and cook on low heat for 2 mins.  Add in 2 to 3 cups of water into the pan and bring to a boil. Season it to taste. Add in some slit green chilies. Cover and cook on low heat till the chicken and potatoes are done. Add in a tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle some garam masala powder and mix well. Cook till the butter has melted completely.

10. Sprinkle some garam masala powder on top and serve the curry with steaming hot rice.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Cheesy Broccoli Florets

Broccoli florets cooked with cheese tastes yummy. It hardly takes any time to cook.

This is my mom’s recipe. She loved cooking it with fresh broccoli from her kitchen garden.

I have used 2 cheeses for this recipe. You may use more cheese types in yours or go with only one.

Just the combination of cheese, broccoli and garlic is devine!

While cooking, take care not to overcook the broccoli. The stalk should retain a slight crunch.

Serve this as an appetizer or snack. You could even use it as filling for sandwich.

Click the link below for the video recipe:

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Cheesy Broccoli Florets                 Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

Broccoli – 250 g (cut into florets)

Sweet peas – ½ cup (shelled)

Coriander leaves – 1 tblsp (chopped)

Processed Cheese – ¼ cup (grated)

Mozzarella Cheese – ¼ cup (grated)

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Roasted cumin powder – 1 tsp

Garlic – 2 to 3 cloves (chopped finely)

Red chili flakes – to taste

Olive oil – 1 tblsp

Butter – 1 tblsp

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.    Wash the broccoli florets with boiling hot water. Drain and keep aside.

2.    Heat the oil in a pan. Add in the butter. Once the butter has melted, temper with cumin seeds.

3.     Lower the heat and add in the garlic and the chili flakes. Cook briefly. Add in the broccoli. Cook stirring continuously for ½ a minute. Add in the peas. Season with salt. Give it a mix.

4.    Cover and cook on low medium heat. Stir it from time to time. Cook till the broccoli is almost done. DO NOT overcook.

5.    Add in some chopped coriander leaves and the cheese. Mix thoroughly. The cheese should melt into the broccoli florets. Turn off the heat.

6.    Sprinkle the cumin powder on top and serve it hot as an appetizer or starter. Goes well as a sandwich filling too.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Chilli Paneer Dry

Indo Chinese recipes are really quick to make and enjoyed by all. My Chilli Paneer dry with green chilles is quite popular with my folks. 

I have had a lot of requests for this recipe. So, finally here is one of my quickest recipes for you.

The preparation time is just about 20 mins. You can cook the dish right before serving if you have prepped for it.

Very few and readily available ingredients are used in the dish. The cottage cheese cooked with green chillies can be served up as an appetizer or starter. It can very well be combined with fried rice or noodles.

My tip: try it with instant noodles sometime.

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Chilli Paneer Dry (with green chillies)              Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:

Paneer/Cottage Cheese – 250 g (diced)

Corn flour – 3 tblsp + ½ tblsp for slurry

All purpose flour – 2 tblsp

Green chilies – 2 finely chopped

Garlic – 1 tsp finely chopped

Celery (stalk) – 1 tsp finely chopped

Capsicum – 1 big cut into square pieces

Shallots or baby onions – 8 halved

Green chili sauce – ½ tblsp

Dark soy sauce – 1 tblsp

Synthetic vinegar – 1 tblsp

Sugar – ½ tsp

White pepper powder – to taste

Salt – to taste

Ajinomoto or MSG – a large pinch (optional)

Oil – for shallow frying and cooking

Method:

1.    Cut the paneer into cubes. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tblsp of corn flour and 2 tblsp of all purpose flour over them. Toss gently to coat the paneer pieces. Keep aside.

2.    Mix ½ tblsp of corn flour with ½ cup of water to make slurry. Keep aside.

3.    Heat some oil and shallow fry the paneer pieces till they have a light colour on them. Drain and keep aside.

4.    Reduce the oil in the pan to about 1 ½ tblsp. Add in the garlic and celery, fry briefly. Add in the capsicum and onions and fry them for a minute.

5.    Add in the chopped chilies and fry briefly. Add in the sugar, salt and pepper and mix well.

6.    Add in the chili sauce and the soy sauce. Mix thoroughly. Now, add the fried paneer pieces into the pan and mix well to coat them with the sauce.

7.    Pour in half of the slurry. Mix well to coat the contents of the pan. Add the rest if desired. This should be a dry preparation. (If you want gravy, then add ½ cup of water and more slurry till you get the desired consistency.)

8.    Once the slurry has set, turn off the heat. Add in the vinegar and Ajinomoto (optional) and mix well. Serve immediately.

© Rinki’s Kitchen