Weave a Thousand Flavors

Pub Grub ~ Fiery Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is a popular chicken snack to come out of Madras in Southern India and is now popular all over the world with its tantalizing fiery hot flavors.

Boneless chicken is first marinated in ground spices, flour and ginger-garlic paste. It is then deep fried and finished when it is sauteed with curry leaves, 'as many chillies as your stomach lining can handle' and yogurt.

The result is a fun and what I like to call toothpick-party-snack. The spicy flavors as you can imagine does justice to tall glass of cold beer.

How the name chicken 65 came along is heavily steeped folk lore. Some say it has to do with the fact that it was created in a Madras restaurant in 1965 and some say 65 was the number of spices or chillies used.

How anyone lived to tell the tale after ingesting 65 chillies is anyone's guess!

Rest assured, chicken 65 by any other name would be just as scintillating, fiery and hot.

South Indian Style, Hot & Spicy Tomato & Garlic Chutney

 

 

I recently posted an incredible Bengali Tomato and date chutney from India. You could eat it by the bowlful.

This right here is diametrically opposite. Think Fifty Shades Of Grey. Oh! you'll want some - just not in bowlfuls.

The heat will hit you after the first bite, the spicy oil will continue the torment and the scented curry leaves and garlic will make you want more. So good with all kinds of dal-rice combinations, I adore a spoonful even on pan-fried fish!

Eaten in little spoonfuls, the asafoetida, mustard spices, hot peppers and tomatoes have all the making of a great chutney. A must-have with Bisi Bele Huliyanna rice, the secret lies in the slow-sauteing the tomatoes so they release all their juices and mush down to one intense heap.

Like many good things in life, slow and steady is the name of this game err..chutney.

Bisi Bele Huliyanna ~ A Signature Hot Lentil Rice from Karnataka, Southern India

 

Meet the Queen of rice dishes from Karnataka, India.

Unlike the North-Indian pulao, the rice does not make a stand of indivuality, nor  does it make a pompous appearance but rather concedes defeat for the greater good of the dish all around.

The consistency is very much between congee and breakfast oatmeal - thick and mushy.

This all vegetarian rice dish with a fun name like Bisi-Bele (pronounce like Pele the soccer player) Huliyanna simpply means hot lentil rice with Huliyanna spices. Except there's nothing simple about it. The flavors are complex with its palimpsest of flavors and the end result, explosive.

I have had even devout non-vegetarians swoon at it's feet.

As you scroll down the list of ingredients, you'll probably feel a migraine coming on and this especially if your idea of cooking is slapping on peanut butter on jelly on a slice of bread. Being funny aside, most of the dish can be prepared in advance so does it have a few steps? Yes. Is it hard to put together? No.

So let me see if I can break this down for you -

Cooked lentils - meet - vegetables - meet - rice and Huliyanna spices - meet -  tempering spices in hot oil - and dinner done!

In fact, this is a ideal dish for company and special occasions because it's a crowd pleaser and once it makes an appearance from the refrigerator from the day before, it will take a mere 10 minutes to set at the table.

Serve with this incredible hot & spicy tomato & garlic chutney and fried poppadoms and not only will you have one gorgeous feast but who ever is lucky enough to be invited will be talking about your culinary prowess for time to come!

Tellicherry Pepper Chicken From South India's Malabar coast

Here's a sign from a tiger sanctuary in Southern India....I figured we could all use a few laughs at the first of this week even though it has absolutely nothing to do with food!

Tellicherry Pepper Chicken ~ Succulent Chicken with Pepper, Spices & aromatic Kari leaves

My mother has always admired strong spirited women - being one herself & coming from a family of such women, this comes as no surprise.

I have always seen my mother heavily involved in community service. She once took on the daunting task of planting & maintaining 100 trees in the streets of our suburb in Mumbai.  One day I came home from school to find her knee deep in earthworms because she decided that the redundant triangular patch of dirt outside our kitchen window, in our apartment building would best serve as a vermicompost pit.

Needless to say, she's  also the one with the heartiest laughter in the room!

I would often hear her speak of a women she  admired one of whom was Thangam. E. Phillip who was best known for her role as the Dean of Dadar Catering College in Mumbai & her philanthropy as she worked  to launch the UN's Freedom From Hunger campaign

Her pinnacle of recognition was when she earned India's highest honor the Padmashree, for her service to the development of hotel and catering education & was honored with the Knighthood of the Order of "Cordon Bleu Du Sant Esprit' from France.

This is her recipe and has been a staple in my mother's kitchen and this recipe along with the memories of her story continue to reside in mine.

Black Tellicherry peppercorns are some of the finest in the world with their large size and robust, pungent flavors & heady aroma. They reign supreme in the town of Tellicherry on the Malabar Coast of Southern India.

It would be best to seek Tellicherry peppercorns  for this recipe but you may substitute with regular peppercorns. Omission of kari leaves however, is not recommended. These are easily available at an Indo-Pak grocery store.

The ingredients for this dish are - young skinless chicken, yellow onions, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, Tellicherry peppercorns, kari leaves, vegetable oil & salt.

   

Chicken -  Skin the chicken & cut at all the joints. Cut the each breast into 4 pieces.  Cut & discard excess fat.

Garlic - Peel & set aside

Ginger - Peel & roughly chop

Cilantro - Wash leaves, discard stems & finely chop. Place in a bowl of water till ready to use. Discard water & drain before using as a garnish

  

Masala {Spice} Paste- In a mini chopper place the peppercorns and pulverize till the peppercorns have broken down into small pieces. Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt and finely chop for a few seconds. Add 6-8 tbs water and blend to a fine paste.

  

Place the chicken in a large pan. Pour the masala paste over the chicken. Rinse the mini-chopper bowl with 1/3 cup water and our over the chicken. Stir to mix.

Over medium heat, allow the chicken to cook, covered with a tight lid,  for 30 minutes.

In the meanwhile prepare the onions -

Yellow onions - Peel & roughly quarter. In a rinsed out mini chopper, chop till fine. Do not allow it to turn into a paste.

In a separate large saute pan (large enough to accommodate the chicken)  heat the vegetable oil till fuming. Add the curry leaves & as soon as it sizzles, add the chopped onions.

  

Saute over medium heat for 15-20 minutes till onions are soft and very light brown.

Once the chicken has been cooking for 30 minutes transfer the chicken to the onions and stir till well mixed.  Cook for about another 15 minutes covered with a tight lid till the chicken is soft & completely cooked.

Taste & adjust seasonings.  Remove to a serving bowl & sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves.

Indian meals are traditionally served in metal plates called thalis like the one in the pic above. These are made of metal - Gold for kings, stainless steel & brass for daily use. Silver thalis are reserved for special occasions.

Since this chicken is traditional to South India, it is eaten with plain steamed rice. The chicken is very tender & moist and the flavors of the peppercorns though robust, is subdued and adds just the right touch of heat without setting your mouth on fire. 

The flavors & aroma of the spices and the peppercorns is mouthwatering and savory. The meal was delicious & was devoured by the kids as well.

I also love how easy and uncomplicated a preparation it is for a weeknight dinner. A simple tomato, cucumber, cilantro salad  & a lemon vinaigrette on the side is a refreshing accompaniment.

Recipe for

TELLICHERRY PEPPER CHICKEN

Preparation time - 10 minutes

Cooking Time - 45 minutes

Serves 4

Shopping list

Young whole chicken, defrosted

2 small yellow onions

1 strand kari leaves  

4 tbs vegetable oil

1/3 cup water

4-5 sprigs cilantro

Masala {Spice} paste -

1/2 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbs Tellicherry peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

8 garlic cloves

1" piece fresh ginger root

1-1/2 tsp salt

6-8 tbs water

Preparation -

Chicken -  Skin the chicken & cut at all the joints. Cut the each breast into 4 pieces.  Cut & discard excess fat.

Garlic - Peel & set aside

Ginger - Peel & roughly chop

Cilantro - Wash leaves, discard stems & finely chop. Place in a bowl of water till ready to use. Discard water & drain before using as a garnish

Masala {Spice} Paste- In a mini chopper place the peppercorns and pulverize till the peppercorns have broken down into small pieces. Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt and finely chop for a few seconds. Add 6-8 tbs water and blend to a fine paste.

Yellow onions - Peel & roughly quarter. In a rinsed out mini chopper, chop till fine. Do not allow it to turn into a paste.

Cooking Method -

Place the chicken in a large pan. Pour the masala paste over the chicken. Rinse the mini-chopper bowl with 1/3 cup water and our over the chicken. Stir to mix.

Over medium heat, allow the chicken to cook, covered with a tight lid,  for 30 minutes.

In a large separate saute pan (large enough to accommodate the chicken)  heat the vegetable oil till fuming. Add the curry leaves & as soon as it sizzles, add the chopped onions.

Saute over medium heat for 15-20 minutes till onions are soft and very light brown.

Once the chicken has been cooking for 30 minutes transfer the chicken to the onions and stir till well mixed.

Cook for about another 15 minutes covered with a tight lid till the chicken is soft & completely cooked.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves.

Enjoy with steamed white rice !