Grilled Chicken and Herb Fried Rice

I am a raving fan of Nando’s chicken.  I could eat the grilled chicken all the time. I think I'm more in love with the sauce that accompanies the chicken - love the spicy citric flavour! Nothing in the market matches it...

 

On Friday we got some grilled chicken home and they gave loads of sauce. Not knowing what to do with it I pondered and decided to use it to make more chicken! If you have ever wandered onto the Nando’s official website you can find a lot of recipes using their sauces and marinades. I decided I should have my own version as well with the left over sauce !  If it was the right season I would have loved to BBQ this recipe.

 

Ingredients
4 medium sized chicken breasts
Oil for pan grilling the chicken

For Fried Rice

3 cups steamed rice
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp vegetable cooking oil (you could replace this with olive oil if you prefer)
4 cloves of garlic finely sliced (round)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp red chilli flakes
2 tbsp tomato puree
¼ cup finely chopped fresh coriander
Salt to taste

For Chicken Marinade

8 tbsp Lemon Herb Nando’s Sauce
2 tbsp garlic paste
1-2 tsp red chilli flakes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5 tbsp tomato puree

¼ cup finely chopped fresh coriander
Salt to taste

Method

Chicken Preparation

·         Mix the ingredients of the marinade in a bowl and marinate the chicken for 3-4 hours

 

Marinating the Chicken

 

·         Heat a grilling pan, brush oil in it and cook the chicken breast about 2 minutes on each side of which the first 1 minute cook it with the pan lid on. To check if your chicken breast is done take a knife and push it through the thickest part of the chicken breast, if it goes through easily it’s done. Don’t be scared brushing a bit of marinade and oil on the breast whilst its cooking, it will help keep the chicken juicy.

 

Pan Grilling the Chicken

 

·         Once the chicken is cooked, you can heat the marinade in the same pan (ensure there are no burnt chicken pieces or marinade stuck to the pan, remove any without washing the pan) and add a splash of white wine and bring to a boil, to make a thick sauce which you could serve with the chicken.

 

Chicken on a bed of rice drizzled with the left over marinade sauce

 

 Fried Rice Preparation

·         Take a heavy bottomed pan and heat the butter. Add a quarter of the chopped garlic and sauté it till it changes colour. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 30 seconds on high flame. Add the lemon juice. Set aside.

·         In a small pan take the olive oil and heat it. Add the remaining garlic and sauté till its light-dark brown – crispy. Add in red chilli flakes before taking it off the fire.

·         Turn on the flame of the heavy bottomed pan, add coriander and salt and stir. Now slowly add in the steamed rice mixing continuously to avoid the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

·         Now add the burnt garlic and olive oil concoction. Switch of the fire and mix well. It’s ready to plate.

Plate the rice and chicken breast and enjoy. I had it with a little extra hot Nando’s Peri Peri sauce and it was lovely!!

Chicken With Herb Fried Rice before it was demolished !

 You could also serve this with a light salad - Mix finely chopped deseeded tomatoes, cucumber and red onions. Add lemon juice salt and pepper. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

Broccoli and Pepper Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

I know I have not been very regular writing, but with a baby and work I really was struggling. Being a long weekend I decided to get back to my experiments.

Let me talk about a very versatile cheese Feta, widely used in a variety of dishes. My love affair with Feta started when my flat mate made me try the traditional Greek salad or “horiatiki”. It is the only cheese used in the traditional Greek Salad; though many would tell you can replace it with Paneer but clearly does not work!  The word “Feta” means “a piece” or “and a slice”. It is a Greek curd cheese made from sheep’s or goat milk ripened in brine. Typically this cheese is crumbly in texture though you also get the creamy variants in the markets. The creamy version which I use in this recipe makes great dips and spreads as well. Both these versions (creamy and crumbly) are easily available in gourmet stores. This salad is inspired from the traditional Greek Salad. Hope you enjoy this summer salad as much as we do ! It goes really well with grilled chicken.

 

Ingredients

1½ cups broccoli boiled
1 Red Bell Pepper cut into cubes
1 Yellow Bell Pepper cut into cubes
1 Tomato deseeded and cut into cubes

Dressing

1 tbsp thick yoghurt
6-7 tbsp Creamy Feta Cheese (add more if you like feta)
¼  tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Sumac powder or lemon juice
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped and browned in olive oil
Salt to taste

 

Method

Put the ingredients of the dressing in the salad bowl and whisk together.

 

 

Salad Dressing Ingredients stacked in the bowl

 

Whisked Salad Dressing

 Add broccoli, peppers and tomato and mix well. Keep the tossed salad in the refrigerator for an hour for the salad to chill and dressing to be absorbed.

Salad is ready to eat !!

You could even add other boiled vegetable such as carrots and beans or even sliced black olives. Just ensure if you’re adding more vegetables you increase the dressing accordingly.

In case you don’t get the creamy feta you could mash the block feta. Suggest to taste the dressing before adding salt as Feta is a very salty cheese.  

 

Information on Feta Cheese, sourced from Vefa’s Kitchen, Bible on Greek Cooking

Singapore Noodles

You would find this noodle dish in almost every Chinese restaurant in India. Not to anyone’s surprise it sure does appease our Indian pallet with the masquerade of spicy Indian flavours in a noodle dish. Traditionally, it is made with rice vermicelli, vegetables or meat and seasoned with curry powder and salt. In my version I replaced the rice vermicelli with egg noodles, as I enjoy the texture and taste of this noodle more.

 

Ingredients

2 cups cooked egg noodles (just follow boiling instructions on the pack)

1 cup julienned cabbage
¾ cup finely sliced onions
½  cup julienned carrots
¼  cup broccoli florets
¾ cup julienned green pepper (you could also add red and yellow bell pepper)
¼  cup mung bean sprouts (the long variety)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp hot curry powder
½ tbsp red chilly sauce (I use Chings)
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger finely julienned
3 dried red chilies
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Tip:

·         When boiling noodles always ensure to add a good amount of salt in the water and always add noodles to boiling water. When cooked always wash under cold water after draining.

·         Noodles are always stir-fried in a very hot wok and not for very long. Ensure the wok does not have a heavy base.

 

Method

·         In a wok (kadhai) 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, add dried chilies once the oil is smoking. Now add the onions and stir fry till it turns light brown. Add the garlic paste and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.

·         Add cabbage and stir-fry till it changes its colour and starts to brown slightly from the edges. Now to this add the carrots, bean sprouts, and broccoli and stir fry for about 2 minutes on a high flame.

·         To the vegetable mix add the bell peppers, curry powder, chilly sauce and stir fry for about a minute. Add salt to taste. Keep in mind that the noodles are boiled with salt and there is soy sauce being added to the dish as well.

Stir-fried vegetables before adding the noodles

·         Add the soy sauce to the noodles in a separate bowl and mix well and add the noodles to the wok stir for about 30 seconds. Switch of the flame and stir in the noodles well into the vegetables.

 

Mushroom Treasure Chicken

I enjoy Chinese food. Given a choice for a meal out or a take away I would usually opt for Chinese. Always Light on the tummy and such wholesome food with fantastic variety!

My all-time favourite pan-Asian ingredients are Sesame oil and Shitake Mushrooms. The nutty and woody flavour mingles well to enhance the taste of any dish. I recently learned that shitake mushrooms have been used by the Chinese for medicinal purposes for over 6,000 years; Never realised this fantastic tasting mushroom was packed with so benefits such as reducing cholesterol and is also an antioxidant.

In this dish I put together some of my favourite ingredients chicken, bell pepper, shitake mushrooms, garlic and sesame oil.

Ingredients

 

1¼ cup thinly sliced chicken breast (about one large chicken breast)

 

Marinade

½ tbsp garlic paste
½ egg beaten up
1tbsp corn flour
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce
 

Other Ingredients

¾ cup julienned red and yellow peppers

3 pieces dried black mushroom (wood ear)
4 pieces dried shitake mushrooms
3 tbsp ml Tomato puree
1½  tsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
1½ garlic paste (try using fresh garlic)
½ tbsp cooking Shao Hsing cooking wine
5 dried red chilies
½ tbsp chilly sauce
2 cups water
1 tbsp corn flour
Salt to taste

Any of these ingredients are easily available in gourmet stores. In Delhi the best place to shop for this stuff is INA markets. Always more economical !!

Method

Preparing the Chicken

·         Marinate the chicken in the marinade for about ½ hour

·         In a pan heat about 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Once its smoking, adds 2 dried red chilies and add the marinated chicken. Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes till the chicken changes colour, before it starts turning light brown. Remember, over cooking the chicken will make it chewy. Take out the chicken in a bowl.



The Chicken - just before taking it out in a bowl

 

Cooking the rest of the dish

·         In a bowl take about 1 cup of hot water and soak the shitake and black mushrooms. Once they have been re-hydrated finely slice them. Do not throw the water in which you soaked the mushrooms.

 

Top - Shitake Mushroom , Bottom - Black Wood Ear Mushroom

 

·       In the same pan add 1½ tbsp of vegetable oil, add the remaining dried chilies once the oil is smoking. Add the remaining garlic paste and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and stirfry for about 2 minutes.

·       Add the mushrooms and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Now add the left over water from the mushrooms and let it simmer.

·       Add chilly sauce dark soy sauce and cooked chicken.

·       Take one cup of water and mix 1 tbsp corn flour. Add this to the pan. Mix well. Add bell peppers and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Ensure that you don’t overcook the bell peppers, and they are a little crunchy. Cook on a low flame.

·         Finally, adjust salt and chilies (add more chilly sauce if you like) bring to a boil add sesame oil and rice wine. Your dish is ready to plate!

 

         Serve with either rice or noodles... Enjoy !!!

 

 

Chili Con Carne

Adding on to my last post on Mexican food, here is another favourite Chili Con Carne. In simple words it is a spicy stew containing chilli peppers, meat and beans. There are various stories and debates to where this dish originated. Some say that chili was invented in Mexico during the 1840′s, possibly in Chihuahua, as a complimentary dish served at cantinas for outsiders, who wanted something spicy and cheap. Others contend it was born in Ensenada, Mexico in the 1880′s as a way of stretching available meat in the kitchens of poor Tejanos. Many Texans maintain that it was the invention of Texas cowhands who ate it by the bucketful as the drove their herds across the plains. The most imaginative origin traces its roots back to pre-Columbian Aztec chefs.

 

If you search I’m sure you will find many versions of this recipe, some recipes even  use chocolate! Believe it or not chocolate is a very common ingredient in Mexican cuisine even in savoury dishes!

Well here goes my version of the Mexican Stew.

 

Ingredients

 

1½ cup mutton/lamb mince or minced beef

1½ cup boiled red kidney beans

1½  tsp ancho chilli powder (available in gourmet stores)

1 tsp red chilli flakes (adjust the heat to your preference)

2  tsp roasted cumin powder

1½ tbsp. garlic paste

200 ml Tomato puree

¾ cup finely sliced onions

2 inch cinnamon stick

4 tbsp neutral vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper cut into chunks

¼ cup finely chopped coriander

Salt to taste

 

Suggestion:

·         For a vegetarian version you could use soya keema

·         Ancho chilli powder is made from the sweetest dried chile, and has a moderately spicy but rich flavour. In case you don’t get ancho chilli powder you could adjust the red chillis to keep the heat to as much as you like it or to add a bit of a smokey tang you could add a about 1tsp of Smoked Chipotle Tabasco Sauce.

 

Method

 

For the Salsa

·         In pressure cooker heat oil add cinnamon stick and add onions. Stir fry the onions till they turn light brown. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. (You could also use a regular pan, however the mutton would take longer to cook)

·         Add mince to the cooker and stir on a slow flame till the mince starts to change colour, say about 5-7 minutes

·         Add tomato puree and let it cook on a slow flame for about 5 minutes

·         Add cumin powder, chilli powder (red and ancho), bell peppers, coriander, and about 1 cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on a high flame till you hear two whistles and then cook on a slow flame for 10 minutes.

·         If you’re cooking in a regular pan, you may need to cook this for about 20-25 minutes (add water if you feel the stew is drying up in open cooking)

 

Serving suggestions –

·         You could serve this either with brown/white rice and a dollop of sour cream;  

·         a slightly dry version of the chilli can even be wrapped in a tortilla along with sour cream and Jalapenos;

·         You could take Nachos and spread a good layer in a baking bowl add chilli on top, grate some cheddar cheese and add some jalapenos and bake in a pre-heated oven at about 200C for 15 minutes till you see the cheese melt and brown slightly
 

 

 

Commentary on Chilli Con Carne sourced from: http://www.squidoo.com/

Mexican Wrap

I have always been very fond of Mexican food. The fusion of the earthy flavour from cumin with coriander, lime and sour cream is just out of this world. Recently I started to experiment some dishes and discovered they were really easy to rustle up and most ingredients were readily available in any Indian kitchen.

Chipotle chilies are commonly used in Mexican cuisine. The mild smokiness of the chipotle chilies adds depth to the flavours of any dish. In the absence of ready to use chipotle chilies here in India, I substituted the good old smoked chipotle Tabasco. It surely does do justice to the dish!

 

Ingredients

Chicken Preparation

2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces
(For a vegetarian version substitute the chicken with 200g Paneer)
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
½ tsp red chili flakes
½ tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
 
Kidney Beans Preparation
1½ cup boiled red kidney beans
5 cloves of garlic coarsely crushed
Salt to taste

Salsa
2 onions finely sliced
2 tomatoes cut into small pieces
1 red bell pepper julienned
½ green bell pepper julienned
1 tbsp smoked Chipotle Tabasco sauce (easily available in any gourmet store)
¼ cup finely chopped coriander
Salt to taste

4 tbsp sour cream

4 tbsp hung yogurt (you could replace this with sour cream)
Handful of sliced Jalapenos
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 tortilla wraps
 
Note: I have used yoghurt in the recipe to reduce the calories from the sour cream. You can choose to use only yoghurt, but then add a dash of lemon juice to add the tang to the mix.

Method

 
For the Salsa

·         In pan heat 1 tbsp oil, stir fry the onions till they turn light brown. Take them out in a bowl.

·         Now add 1 tbsp of oil in the pan cook the tomatoes till they soften. Add them to the onions.

·         Now add another 1 tbsp of oil in the pan cook the bell peppers till they soften. Add them to the tomato and onion mixture.

·         Add Tabasco, coriander and salt

·       Ensure you cook on a slow flame to retain the moisture of the vegetables. Should they start to dry, sprinkle a few drops of water

 

For the Chicken

·         In a pan add 2 tbsp of oil, add garlic and red chili flakes and stir fry for about 30 seconds, now add chicken and stir-fry on a high flame till the chicken is cooked. Add salt, roasted cumin powder and lemon juice and put aside.

For the Kidney Beans

·         In a pan add half a tbsp of oil, add garlic and stir fry for about 15 seconds now add the red kidney beans and stir fry for about a minute. Season with salt.

the cooked ingredients

 

Assemble the wrap

·         Lay out the tortilla on a plate, first put the Salsa, then chicken and kidney beans. Add as much jalapenos as you like. Top it with a mixture of sour cream and yoghurt. Roll it up and enjoy your meal.  You could also cheddar cheese to this wrap.