Hellooo, how are you? Yep, its been almost a month since we met. First things first… we went to India for a small holiday. However this gap between us wasnt planned. I was hoping to catch up with you in between, but it didnt work out. Anyways, now I’m back in Bahrain & the first thing I wanted to do was to just pop in here & say a quick hi to you. I’m sure you are in a joyous mood with all the festive celebrations. We also had a gala time back home, though it was a very hectic trip. I wanted to collect some recipes for you as well, but all I did was eat, eat & eat more! Haa… how I like it when somebody else has to bother about all the cooking nuances & my role is to just relish those wonderful dishes. Just thinking about it now, makes me hungry & miss all those home cooked food :(
Ok, now let me ask you something…. Was chilli chicken the first thing that you used to order in a restaurant during your school/college days? During my school years, fried rice & chilli chicken was the most happening couple. So whenever we dined out, it used to be the standard menu. I remember my brother even getting angry at us, me & my cousin sisters, for ordering the same thing again & again, instead of trying out something new. Fast forward to present, my preferences have changed, but I still miss those deep dark red coloured chilli chicken that I used to have from Kerala hotels.
Btw, I’ve noticed something, most of the newly married girls, at least the ones I know, learn to cook fried rice & chilli chicken even before learning how to cook the basic everyday stuff. I was also included in that category ;) Were you also like that or are you planning to be like that? I’ve tried different versions of chilli chicken, but I wasn’t completely happy with any particular recipe. I always compared it to the taste of chilli chicken during my childhood days & I felt something was missing. Finally I got this recipe from one of Jose’s aunt. Its not exactly like what I used to have, but we both liked it very much.I think the ground green chilli gives a distinct flavour to this dish. So for the time being, I’m ending my search for chilli chicken recipe here.
Hope you too will like it, here is the recipe:
Above is the picture of Chilli Chicken made by Ramya, based on the above recipe. Thanks dear :)
- Chicken – 450 gms, cut into thin strips (I used boneless)
- Ginger & garlic – 1½ tbsp, chopped
- Green chilli – 3
- Kashmiri chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
- Egg white – 1, beaten
- Cornflour – 2 tbsp
- Soya sauce – 1½ tbsp
- Salt (refer notes)
- Onion – 2, chopped
- Capsicum 1, chopped
- Ginger & garlic – 1 tsp each, chopped
- Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Water – 1 cup
- Soya sauce – 1 tbsp
- Tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
- Oil – (I used Sunflower)
- Salt (refer notes)
- Grind together ginger, garlic & green chilli, listed under marination, together to a fine paste by adding 1 tbsp water. Marinate the cleaned chicken strips with the ground paste & other items listed under marination. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, overnight refrigeration is the best. Heat oil in a pan & deep fry the chicken pieces till it becomes golden brown.
- Sauce Preparation:
- Heat some oil (you can use the same oil, which is used for frying chicken pieces) in a deep pan. Add chopped onion, capsicum & salt. When it becomes soft (onion doesnt have to change colour), add chopped ginger & garlic. Saute for 2-3 mins. Mix Kashmiri chilli powder in 1 cup water. Add this to the sauce mixture. When it starts boiling add soya & tomato sauces. Mix well. Add fried chicken pieces. Mix well. Cover & cook till the sauce is reduced & chicken pieces are coated well with the sauce. Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.
