Almond Chicken

Nihao, I'm Chef Shamsher. Just kidding, I'm just a man who cooks on the weekends.

Sometimes I wish there was a Chinese dish with ingredients like some of my relatives because I sure want to chop and stir fry them these days.

It's that time of the week when I make your life easier by telling you how to cook a certain thing you dummies.

This is Almond Chicken made from scratch with some vegetable fried rice that I have already told you how to make.

You need:

500 grams boneless chicken 1 inch cube cut

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon cornflour mixed in half a cup of cold water

1 cup chicken stock

150 grams roasted almond

Vegetables of your own choice but here I choose:

1 cube cut carrot

1 cube cut onion

2 diced spring onions

A can of sliced mushrooms

150 grams of boiled peas

Now on high heat put a tbsp of oil in pan.

Add the chicken, ginger garlic paste and stir fry it for 2-4 minutes. Then season it with salt and pepper. Half a teaspoon would be enough.

Add the carrots and mushroom and stir for 2 more minutes. Then add the peas. Remember,  hardest vegetable is always first one to fry. Repeat after me, THE HARDEST VEGETABLE IS ALWAYS THE FIRST ONE TO FRY.

Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce and almonds.

Stir and mix till every thing is coated properly.

Add the chicken stock and the onions. Bring to a boil. Cook for 2 more minutes.

Now it's time to thick the sauce by mixing the flour in a half cup of cold water and putting it in the boiling pan. Add the roasted almonds after words.

Taste the sauce. Adjust salt or thickness. It's ready now. 

Eat it with boiled white rice, vegetable fried rice or any kind of rice and noodles. YOU WILL LOVE IT. Almond Chicken is mild not spicy at all but if you want to add some spice to it by all means use 1 or 2 tablespoon of chili sauce, peri peri sauce or sriracha sauce.

I UNLEASH ALMOND CHICKEN !!!

Chicken Manchurian

I want to introduce you all to Hirra Pervaiz and her amazing blog.

Below is the link to her blog which I am sure will leave all of you foodies in awe and you will absolutely love it.
https://ticklethosetastebuds.blogspot.com

She is great in a lot of ways and YES she makes desserts. Everything she makes is beautifully photographed and I'm a huge fan.

Today I am making Chicken Manchurian and I took the recipe from her. So whatever you will read and see today is 99% of her recipe with 1% of my stuff. Below is the link to her recipe:
http://ticklethosetastebuds.blogspot.com/2015/02/chicken-manchurian.html

I'm not Chinese but I love Chinese food and the most eaten Chinese recipe is Chicken Manchurian.

The name is weird as hell. I mean I wouldn't even give this name to someone I hate but this is bliss to be honest.

Time to teach you all how to make the best Chicken Manchurian in the whole world.

Before I tell you the whole thing step by step let me explain this to you first.

Chicken Manchurian you eat in most of the restaurants is bogus. There are 3 phases in making Manchurian.

1. Frying the boneless chicken after coating it in batter.
2. Making or buying the chili paste.
3. Preparing the gravy.

For chicken batter you need

1 egg

500 grams boneless chicken

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon cornflour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Season the boneless chicken with salt and pepper. 

Put baking powder, flour and corn flour on the chicken and mix. Then add an egg and mix again.

Set it aside and let it marinate in peace.

Now let's start phase 2 which is the gravy part. You need

1 cup ketchup

3/4 cup chicken stock

5 garlic cloves chopped

1/2 cup chili sauce

1 tsp salt

1.5 teaspoon red chili powder

2 teaspoon Chinese salt

3 teaspoon brown sugar

4 green chilies sliced and deseeded

Now put some oil in a pan and deep fry the coated chicken until they are golden crispy. Take the chicken out when it's done and drain the oil. Figure yourself how to do it you are not kids.

Drain or dry the chicken. Fry the garlic cloves in 1 tablespoon oil for a minute and add the chicken.

Then add the chili sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add the ketchup, salt, spices and the sliced green chilies. 

Mix them together and cook till your desired thickness. Chicken Manchurian is ready to be served.

Serve it with noodles, boiled rice or fried rice. As I am a Kashmiri I would prefer fried rice. Chicken Manchurian ladies and gentlemen.

Fish Karahi

Sometimes I think about how great I am. I mean there is no limit to my greatness. I'm like the highest ranking Jedi from Star Wars.

Sometimes people bother me but I never want to show that(which I just did) because I am too cool for this nonsense.

Sometimes I do not know what the hell I am writing but I keep on writing because its amusing, at least for me it is.

Anyway

Winter is gone but not my love for sea food. Last week someone told me fish is too delicate for karahi but thanks to thechefinme.com I found the perfect Fish Karahi recipe which I will share with you all today. Thechefinme.com is run by a wonderful lady who bakes the most delicious custom cakes in Lahore and I've tried and tested that myself. She also shares some amazing recipes and Fish Karahi is one of them. Absolutely one of the most amazing fish recipes ever.

You need:

Around 1 kilogram of boneless fish fillets 1 inch cut.

Around 6 roughly chopped tomatoes.

1 teaspoon ginger paste

2 teaspoon garlic paste

2 teaspoon whole coriander

2 teaspoon whole cumin

A small piece of ginger julian sliced

4 sliced & de-seeded green chilies

3 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

5 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salt per taste

2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/4 cup cornflour (maeda)

1/2 cup flour (atta)

First for the fish:-

Mix cornflour with flour. Season it with a pinch of salt, chili powder and add chilled water to form a medium thick batter.

Coat the fish properly and deep fry it till golden brown. Take out and set aside to prepare the karahi now.

  

Roast the whole cumin and coriander on low heat in a separate pan. Grind the roasted whole cumin and coriander in a raw powdered form.

Heat oil in a non stick pan or wok. Saute ginger & garlic paste on low heat.

Add whole cumin & coriander. Mix every thing on medium heat for 30 seconds and add chopped tomatoes. 

Cook the tomatoes on medium heat until they are chunky soft. Add 1/4 glass water. Add salt, chili powder & turmeric.

Then throw in the fresh cut ginger, green chilies and coriander. Masala is done when the oil comes out from the sides.

Add the fish now with 1/4 glass water and cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

What you are about to witness shall change your life completely. People, I bring you Fish Karahi.