Asian Jalapeño Chicken

Making food for people is all about showing your love towards them, taking care of their emotions and feelings. I'M KIDDING who gives a crap about emotions and feelings these days. I don't have any.

So, in search of a new recipe I came across something very different and to my surprise it was of Chinese decent. It's called Jalapeño Chicken but that also sounds like a Mexican or Continental dish so, we name it Asian Jalapeño Chicken.

It's sweet, savory and spicy all in the same time. The best part is that it's super easy to make and only takes 5 minutes to prepare and 10-15 minutes to make depending upon how good you are with the stove or the gas cylinder because its winters and the GOVERNMENT is messing up gas supplies.

Ingredients:

500 grams boneless chicken cut in 1 inch long cubes

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sriracha sauce

juice of 2-3 lemons

1/4 teaspoon sesame seed

1 sliced jalapeño 

1 sliced lemon, pinch of sesame seeds, chopped coriander leaves and more sliced jalapeños for garnishing

First we season the chicken with some salt and pepper.

Then we heat oil in a wok or non-stick pan and start frying the chicken until its golden brown.

Set it aside.

Now in a bowl add honey, soy sauce, garlic paste, sriracha sauce, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and sesame seed.

Mix it to prepare the gravy mixture.

Chop slices of lemon and coriander leaves for garnishing later.

Now on a frying pan heat 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat and add the gravy mixture.

Bring it to a boil, add the chicken, jalapeño slices and some lemon slices.

Let it cook as the chicken absorbs the gravy and it will thicken in 5-7 minutes.

Asian Jalapeño Chicken is ready to serve.

Top it with more jalapeño slices, sesame seeds and coriander leaves. This is best eaten with plain boiled rice or even boiled bran rice.

Ladies and gentlemen, let go of your taste-buds for the SWEET, SAVORY AND SPICY Asian Jalapeño Chicken.

Mutton Pulao (Yakhni Pulao)

Nice people are underrated. You rarely find them. When you do, what do you do with them?

Yes, you break their hearts and you leave them alone. I have seen the most nicest people the most loneliest. Maybe that is life for them, a test indeed.

Just like nice people who are so underrated, Mutton Pulao (Yakhni Pulao) is also very underrated as the big bad Biryani takes over the rice recipe game BUT if made correctly and by using the right ingredients, you can make the best Mutton Pulao ever which can in my opinion wipe out any biryani by its succulent meat and heavenly mild taste.

This recipe is very close to my heart as its the exact same way my Mother (may ALLAH SWT bless her soul and may she rests in eternal heavens) used to make it and it took me quite sometime to remember all the ingredients and the way she used to make it.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice soaked in water for half an hour

1 kilogram mutton

1 big onion sliced in half

2-3 small garlic heads

1 piece of ginger

1 cup of yogurt

1 teaspoon of white cumin

1/2 teaspoon of black cumin

3 cinnamon sticks

1 star anise

3 big black cardamoms

5 small green cardamoms

1 teaspoon whole coriander

11 whole black pepper

5 cloves

10 cups water

3/4th cup of oil

salt to taste

Now you need to add the meat in a pressure cooker along the black pepper, star anise, garlic heads, onion, cloves, ginger, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, whole coriander and salt. (I added 2 tablespoon of salt here but please add according to your own taste)

Now add 10 cups of water.

Cover the pressure cooker and after you hear the whistle let it cook for 20-25 minutes.

After it cooks drain the yakhni/broth in a separate pan and take out the meat in a separate plate from all the other ingredients.

If the broth is 7-8 cups then its good. If it's less than that no worry, we can add water to it as it is concentrated.

Add 3/4th cup oil in a pan. Add white cumin, black cumin, star anise, cooked mutton and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add yogurt and cook for 4-5 minutes again.

Measure 7 and a half cups of stock. (If it is less then add water AGAIN the taste won't change as its concentrated)

Add the stock to the pan and then the rice.

Cook it on high flame for 5 minutes. Then on low flame 10 minutes. Then cover it and put it on damm for 5-6 minutes.

Mutton Pulao is ready.

You can crisp fry onions in oil and top the Pulao with  that and also chopped coriander.

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the heavenly mild and full of flavor Mutton Pulao.

Kashmiri Fish Curry

Winters have just started to hit me to a point where I have no option but to hide behind a blanket all day and everyday like I'm a rich millionaire but I really need to get out of the blanket and make some money because I am broke.

I don't even know why I said what I said above but this is fish season whether you like it or not I will give you a fish recipe and this time from Kashmir.

This recipe is called Kashmiri Fish Curry and though you'll see that it is cooked in many different ways if you try to search for the recipe I here by do not claim that this one is authentic or accurate by any means.

Ingredients:

500 gram boneless fish (I used red snapper) cut in cubes

2 medium onions finely chopped

4 medium tomatoes finely chopped

1 piece of ginger finely chopped

10 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1/2 cup yogurt

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon amchur or khatai powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

2 green chilies thinly sliced

7 cashews (grinded plus add water to make paste)
chopped cashew and coriander leaves for garnish

1/4 cup oil

Heat oil on medium high heat in a non-stick pan.

Put chopped onions, ginger and garlic in it and fry until they are brown.

Now you gotta add salt and rest of the masalas like you add masala to family politics and gossip about others.

After you add the masalas, grind the cashews make a paste of it by adding a little water and add it to the pan.

Mix the masalas well and add chopped tomatoes.

Fry the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes and then add yogurt and let it cook until the oil starts to come above.

Then add the green chilies.

Now its time you enter the fish in the dish but you should keep in mind that the fish should be dry before you cook it or else it will break as fish meat is very delicate after it gets cooked and its nearly effortless to break it like its effortless to break hearts.

Add the fish and let it cook on medium heat.

Give a gentle stir to see if all the fish is cooked.

Then cover it and cook it on low heat for 2-4 minutes.

Kashmiri Fish Curry is read to be served now.

Garnish it with chopped cashews and coriander leaves.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you from my mother land Kashmiri Fish Curry.