Chicken Lollypop ~ An Indian Spicy Appetizer

My husband is a big fan of Chicken and we both love Finger Food & Appetizers of different varieties. I was thinking of ways and means of killing two birds with a stone, this recipe was a good discovery. Chicken Lollypop is a modern discovery in the Indian Appetizer gamut, the flavours are spicy, extremely spicy if I could be specific and packs in the succulent meat which is tender and evenly spiced with the herbs and condiments. Primarily Chicken Wings or Wingettes are used for this recipe. I preferred using Wingettes since they are easy to dress and have more tender meat compared to Wings. Wings need more careful dress time and cleaning.

I like the Indo-Chinese version of Lollypop which has a dash of Soya Sauce and a pungent helping of Chilli-Garlic sauce thrown in. I have customised the recipe to a great extent to suit our taste and needs. We were all amazed at how easy it is to dish this out at home. This is a high calorie recipe which is spicy so weight watchers and sensitive taste bud owners use your discretion.

Preparation time: 24 hours (Includes Marinade time)

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Yield: 10 Chicken Lollypops

Ingredients:

Chicken Skinless Wingettes - 10 wingettes

For Marinade -

Ginger paste - 1 tablespoon

Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Green Chillies paste - 1 tablespoon

Soya Sauce - 1 tablespoon

Red Chilli sauce or Red Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon

Black Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt

For Batter -

Egg - 1

Corn Flour - 2 tablespoon

All Purpose Flour - 2 tablespoon

Black Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Bread Crumb powder - 3-5 tablespoon

Oil - For frying

Method:

Thaw the Wingettes at room temperature and clean them to expose the meat. Remove the skin if the wingettes are not skinless. Wash thoroughly and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Dress the chicken Wingettes to gently remove the smaller bone (discard it after removing it and separating it from the wing bone). Push the Chicken meat down so that the stick serves as a Lollypop and the meat accumulates at the top of the Lollypop. Wash your hands thoroughly after the dressing is done.

Make a fine paste of Ginger, Garlic and Green Chillies. Add Soya Sauce, Red Chilli powder and Pepper powder to this. Pour this marinade over the chicken wingettes placed in a non-reactive mixing bowl and mix well. Adjust salt. Remember Soya Sauce has fair amount of salt so use your discretion. Mix well. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for 24 hours. Next day remove from fridge atleast an hour before use.

Make a very thick batter of egg, corn flour, all purpose flour, pepper powder and salt (add little or no water). Mix some salt and pepper powder with the bread crumb powder as well. Heat oil in a deep thick bottomed deep frying pan. Once oil is ready (just hot and not smoking hot), dip the Lollypop one at a time in the batter and then roll them in bread crumbs and deep fry till golden brown on a low-to-medium flame. Serve hot with sauce/ spice powder of choice.

Mushroom-Peas Chinese Fried Rice

I am a big Rice fan. Of late, I have begun eating Brown Rice or Paez/Paej. It is healthy and wholesome. I also like the combination of any Konkani/ Konkan dish with rice. I made this on a whim, came out well. It is a simple recipe, but thought would blog about it for the benefit of my readers.

I would be cooking more of Low-calorie recipes, which have loads of health benefits. For this one, I chose Olive Oil and Mushrooms. Added Peas and Onion Greens for extra taste and health.

Preparation time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

Rice - 3 cups

Mushroom (sliced) - 3 cups

Peas - 1/2 cup

Spring Onion/ Green Onions (chopped - only the greens) - 1 bunch or 3/4th cup

Onions (diced and sliced) - 1 cup

Olive Oil - 3 tablespoon

Soya Sauce - 2 tablespoon

Salt - as per taste

Method:

Cook rice in water with 1:1 1/2 proportion. Add a spoon of oil and salt while cooking. Drain once cooked, and spread on a large plate. Separate with a fork if required. This will enable any moisture to go away and cool the rice.

Heat a stock pot, add few spoons of Olive oil, saute and add mushroom and peas. Add Soya Sauce, adjust salt.

Add the cooked rice and give a gentle shake. Do not stir too much as the rice would turm lumpy. Serve hot with any Manchurian sauce based side dish. Garnish with chopped Onions greens.

Egg Fried Rice

A simple Indian Chinese favorite loved by most of my friends. Its easy to cook, can be done in a jiffy and the taste of Chinese Fried Rice is simply unbeatable. For a long time I began cooking Chinese with MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) however have stopped since last year owing to the health hazards it brings along. My Mom and Dad are not that great a fan of Chinese food so began cooking more of Indo-Chinese only after marriage.

Left over rice serves well for this dish since the rice needs to be well cooked and should be little more harder and raw than the regular rice used for daily cuisines.

Recipe is from my own kitchen creations

Serves ~ 3 to 4 individuals

Ingredients:

Rice - 4 cups

Egg - 2 (Large)

Spring Onions - 2 large sprigs

Soya Sauce - 3 teaspoon

Carrots (small bits sized) - 1/2 cup

Green Beans - 1/2 cup

Pepper Powder - 1/2 tea

Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons

Salt - as per taste

Contraptions suggested: A big pan called Wok is available nowadays which is best suited for Chinese preparations. It is very big hence I cannot fathom carrying one to US. But I bought one for my akka (konkani term for sister) from a market in Shivajinagar, Bangalore. Since they are big in circumference, have a good thin base they support stir fries, noodles and various Manchurian preparations quite well.

Method:

Heat olive oil in a wok, fry the spring onions, green beans and carrots. Stir well. Stir fry on slow flame. Beat the egg in pepper powder and salt. Pour over the vegetable mixture and allow to settle for some time. Once the egg begins to cook, stir well and add the rice. Add soya sauce and shake the wok frequently to allow the ingredients to blend well.

Maggi Noodles

India Independence was just around the corner. I was thinking about the good old days when we used to anxiously wait to go to school for Flag Hoisting ceremony. The star of the event was the Vada-Pav and Boondi Ladoo we got as kids. Fervently prepare your speeches, skits, mime content, dress like Nehru or Gandhi.

I believe little acts of random kindness, goodness or patriotism are taught at home. Who better teachers than your own parents. Even to this date, if there is "Jana Gana Mana" playing in the background on TV, Radio my parents still stand up, spend a minute in silence, take a moment or two to usher in the patriotic sprit and may be rekindle those memories of sacrifices, struggle and freedom.

I made Maggi, what better way to wish any Indian than with this humble 2-Minute Noodle which has been with me since my toddler nasty pursuits, prankmaster childhood days, confused teenage, adventurous youth and now that of marital bliss!

"Happy Independence Day To All Indians Across the Globe"

Recipe adapted and tweaked from Maggie Noodles recipe

Ingredients:
Onion (chopped) - 1 big
Water - 1 and 1/2 cup
Oil - for frying
Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Maggi Noodle - 1 packet
Salt (optional) - 1/3 teaspoon

Method:
Chop onions and keep aside. In a separate container, boil 1 1/2 cup of water. Heat oil in a saucepan and fry onions till they wilt and turn reddish. Add Maggi masala, salt and pepper powder. Stir well and add pre-boiled water. Add noodles and bring to boil. Simmer for around 5 minutes and you are done. Serve hot with evening tea

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I found an interesting post on Flower Fest posted by Manisha of Indian Food Rocks fame. I have this beautiful picture of Purple - Chicory Flower taken on one of very recent trips. Sending this as an entry to Flower Fest. I wish Manisha great success on the Flower Fest revival bit.

I am submitting my entry for Flower Fest - Purple Chicory Flower. This flower, is ground, pound and baked and is used a coffee substitute or as an additive. When I was a child I used to remember our coffee powder was blended with Chicory in 80:20 proportion. It serves as a good blending agent and neutralises the otherwise strong flavour of caffeine in coffee.

Gobi Manchurian

My brother, P recently had come down to visit us. He also happens to be a "F.O.O.D.I.E" like yours truly. He visited a dear one of ours who pampered us with Gifts and Goodies: Russel Stover Chocolates and Sinfully rich Pistachio Cakes. Thanks to our dear one for this kind gesture. Along with that came a Knorr Chinese Manchurian Recipe Mix. I had asked him once what is his all time favorite dish which he can be caught eating morning, noon and night, 24 x 7. He quipped, "Gobi Manchurian".

I was delighted when I saw this packet as Gobi Manchurian has been a recipe which has taught me a lot of things, be it perseverance when your dishes spell a disaster, patience when you just want the right taste and do not seem to be satisfied with what you've created. Finally after 15-20 odd trials of this recipe as a teenager probably when I was 15 year old, I discovered the right approach. I began my trials at the age of 12 for this tasty dish.

Anyways, coming back to Machurian, I regret I could not make this dish as promised to him when he was here. This dish is for your, P. Enjoy the visual treat! :)

Recipe adapted as given on Knorr Ready Recipe Mix, I tweaked it a little to suit our spicy taste buds

Serves: Around 6-8 people

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 Large Head (chopped into medium floret pieces)

Corn Flour - 1 cup

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

Rice Flour - 2 teaspoon

Soya Sauce - 3 teaspoon

Ginger-garlic-coriander stem-chilli paste - 2 teaspoon

Salt - as per taste

Vegetables (chopped and diced) - 1 Carrot, 1 Onion, 1 Capsicum

Vegetable Oil - For frying

Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilli flakes - Just a little sprinkle for extra zing

Method:

Make a thick batter out of Maida, Corn flour, Rice Flour, salt and keep aside. Wash the florests thoroughly and give a nice stir with the paste and soya sauce. Mom suggested I do that since the Pakoras (Batter Dipped Fried Dumplings) would otherwise turn bland and albeit less tasty. Dip the florets in this batter and deep fry in vegetable oil and keep aside.

The best judgement for crispness in Pakoras is a gentle tap on the fried delight as per Anjum Anand. If you hear a firm sound it implies the Pakoras are crisp.

For the sauce, pan-fry vegetables in oil, around 2 tablespoons. Once wilted and crisp, add 4 cups of water alongwith this recipe mix and stir well. Add salt if desired and additional pepper powder and chilli flakes for extra zing. Add the fried Pakoras and voila! You are set for a Mandarin banquet!!

Vegetable Noodles

There are some days when you are just down with a flu and you want some yummie spicy dish to pep you up and add some punch to your already dead taste buds. DH and I are down with flu, stuffy nose and little bit of fever. Both of us wanted something spicy and nice. I checked the pantry and it was stocked up with vegetables - mushrooms, french beans, spring onions. What better dish than Chinese noodles. This one is ideal for any bachelor cooking coz its easy to make and has a nice punchy flavour to it. DH loved the final taste and wanted some for his lunch box as well. Needless to say I am beaming with happiness!!!

Serves: 2-3 individuals

Recipe source: Ashwini

Ingredients:

Mushrooms - 6-10 of them sliced

French beans(green beans) - 8-10 (1 inch chops)

Spring onions - 2-3 shoots - finely chopped

Noodles - 1 packet

Stir fry sauce - 1 T

Soya sauce - 4-6 drops

Salt - As per taste

Method:

Boil around 3 cups of water. Once boiled, put off the stove and add noodles to it and add a drop of oil abd mix well. Drain after 3 minutes and add cold water and keep aside.

Fry spring onions, beans and mushrooms in oil for around 5-10 minutes till they are well cooked. Add soya sauce and stir fry sauce. Mix well after adding salt. Now add the cooked noodles and give a gentle stir. Do not stir much after adding noodles because the dish can turn soggy and the noodles will get a mashed look. Serve hot with stir fry curry or gobi manchurian.