Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried rice that is super easy to make and delicious. Chicken fried rice is a popular dish at chinese restaurants, its indo chinese version has become one of the favorite of Indians. This is a complete meal recipe to make at home with leftovers such as cold rice, eggs, boneless chicken pieces and frozen or fresh vegetables. You can use beans, carrot, capsicum, white cabbage, red cabbage, green peas, corn, spring onions.
Following is the recipe for chicken fried rice. Meatless version is egg fried rice and vegetable fried rice. For Egg fried rice, just skip the meat and increase the number of eggs by 6. For vegetable fried rice, skip the eggs and meat by increasing quantity and variety of vegetables.

Ingredients :

• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Boneless Chicken - 150 gms or 1/2 cup diced
• Eggs - 2
• Onion - 1
• Beans - 6
• Carrot - 1 small
• Capsicum - 1/2 small
• Garlic - 1 tbsp chopped
• Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Pepper Powder as per spiciness
• Oil - 3 tbsp

Method :

• Step 1 : Wash and soak basmati rice for half an hour. In a vessel boil 2 cups of water. Add salt and drained rice. Cook till rice is 80% cooked. Strain and keep aside to cool down.

• Step 2 : In a bowl break eggs and beat them. Add salt, pepper powder and mix well. Pour the mix on a tawa and scramble the eggs. Take it out on to a plate. ( You can even add eggs to the vegetables when it is cooked and scramble it.)

• Step 3: Take diced chicken and season with salt and pepper. In a kadai heat 1 tbsp oil. Add diced chicken and saute it till chicken is cooked. Transfer it to a plate.

• Step 4 : In the same kadai heat 2 tbsp oil. Add chopped garlic and saute till raw smell goes away. Add sliced onion or white sping onion and fry till translucent.

• Add chopped beans and carrot and saute for 2 mins. Add sliced capsicum and fry for a minute. Vegetables should be cooked but still crunchy and not soft.

• Add salt, pepper powder, soy sauce and saute for a minute.

• Step 5 : Add scrambled eggs, cooked chicken, mix and saute for a minute for all the flavors to get combined.

• Add cooked rice and mix everything well. If using add green spring onions now.

• A pretty complete meal in itself is ready to be served.

Masala Egg Bhurji

Masala egg bhurji is an easy way of cooking scrambled eggs with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, chilies and spice powders which can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is great for days when there is no vegetables in refrigerator and it can be made in a jiffy on busy days. It tastes awesome with rotis or naan.

Ingredients :

• Eggs - 4 to 5
• Onion - 1 medium-sized
• Tomato - 1 medium-sized
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Green chili - 2
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
• Coriander Leaves - 4 sprig
• Turmeric Powder - 1/8 tsp
• Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
• Pepper powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2tbsp

Method :

• In a pan heat oil. Add finely chopped onions and fry till they are translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, slit green chilies, curry leaves, turmeric powder and saute till raw smell of the paste goes away.

• Add finely chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves and fry till tomatoes are soft. Add all the spice powders, salt and mix well.

• Break the eggs directly into the pan. Stir constantly and cook till the eggs dry up to the desired consistency.

• Serve hot with roti, naan or breads.

Ven Pongal (Ghee Pongal) - Tamilnadu Style

Ven Pongal/ Khara Pongal is one the simplest and traditional breakfast prepared in South India. It is also called as South Indian khichdi. Rice and moong dal are cooked together and seasoned with pepper, other spices and nuts in ghee.

Ingredients :

• Rice - 1 cup
• Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
• Peppercons - 2 tsp
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 2 sprig
• Green Chili - 3
• Cashewnuts - 10 to 15
• Ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Hing a pinch

Method :

• Heat a pan and dry roast moong dal till they are aromatic and slightly golden in color.
• In a bowl take rice and moong dal. Wash and soak them for half an hour. (Soaking is optional)
• Pressure cook rice and dal with 4 cups of water, 1tsp ghee and salt for 4-5 whistles on medium flame. The rice has to be cooked in such a way that it should be mushy. (Amount of water and duration of cooking depends on the rice used.)
• Once the pressure subsides, open the lid and mash the contents when it is hot.

• Meanwhile prepare the tempering.
• In a pan/kadai heat  2 tbsp ghee. Add jeera and let it splutter.

• Add broken cashewnuts and fry till they are crispy and golden in color.

• Add crushed ginger, hing, slit green chili, curry leaves and slighlty crushed peppercons. Fry till raw smell of ginger goes away.

• Add the mashed rice to the tempering or vice-versa and mix well. Check for salt.

• Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar.

Tips & Variations :

• Add whole peppercons if you want spice to be less or serving to kids.
• We should be generous in using ghee for this recipe. The flavor of ghee with pepper is the unique taste of pongal. Hence the name Ghee Pongal.

Potato Carrot curry - Poori curry

Potato Carrot Curry is andhra style curry usually served as an accompaniment with poori. Its a twist to the Bombay potato sagu posted earlier where in potato is pre-cooked and green chili is the only spice element. In this recipe potato and carrot are cooked with the onion-tomato mix and masala powders. Cooking potato and carrot with the masala gives a different texture and taste to the curry. This curry also goes well with rotis, phulkas, rava idli, set dosa.

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 2 
• Carrot - 1
• Onion - 2 medium-sized
• Tomato - 2 medium-sized
• Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
• Green chili - 2
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal - 1 tsp
• Tumeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Masala Powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Besan (Gram Flour) - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Peel potatoes and carrot. Wash and chop them into small cubes.
• Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot enough add jeera, urad dal and fry till they are golden color.

• Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, slit green chilies, chopped ginger and fry till raw smell of ginger goes away.

• Add turmeric and mix. Add chopped onions and fry till they are translucent.

• Add chopped potatoes, carrots, salt and saute for a minute.

• Add chopped tomatoes and saute till they are soft.

• Add masala powder, garam masala and saute for a minute. (Masala Powder is equal amount of chili powder and coriander powder. Add 1/2 tsp each).

• Add water and cook covered on medium flame till the vegetables are cooked approximately for 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile in a bowl take besan, add 1/4 cup water and make a smooth paste with out lumps.

• When the vegetables are cooked, add besan paste and mix well. 

• Let it come to boil and raw smell of besan should disappear.

• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Give a stir and switch off the flame.

• Potato and carrot curry is ready to be served.

Tips & Variations :

• Pre-cooking potatoes and carrots and then adding them to the curry gives a different texture. You would lose the starch from the potatoes if they are pre-cooked which will give a different taste and texture. So I would recommend to cook the veggies together in onion-tomato mix.
• You can skip carrot. Or even add fresh or frozen green peas along with potato.

Chicken Pepper Masala Fry

Chicken pepper masala fry is a yummy and spicy flavorful chicken recipe. I love to try variety of recipes with chicken especially spicy recipes with pepper. So here is a easy and delicious chicken pepper masala fry with onion, tomato, spices and robust peppercons. Capsicum is added to give crunch to the recipe. Serve it as a appetizer or as an accompaniment with steamed rice, dosa, roti or biryani.

Ingredients :

• Chicken - 500 gms
• Onion - 2 medium-sized
• Tomato - 2 medium-sized
• Capsicum - 1 medium-sized
• Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
• Garlic - 2 tsp finely chopped
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Green Chili - 2 finely chopped
• Pepper Powder - 2 tbsp
• Spice Powders :
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves - 4-5 sprigs
• Oil - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
• Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method :

• Wash chicken and keep aside.
• In a pan heat 1 tsp oil. Add diced capsicum and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. (Capsicum should be crispy. Don't fry them till soft) Transfer to a plate and keep aside.
  

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan. Add fennel seeds, when it splutters add curry leaves. Add finely chopped garlic, ginger, green chili and saute lightly. 

• Add 1 tbsp pepper powder and let it sizzle. 

• Add finely chopped onions, sprinkle little salt and saute till they are golden brown.

• Add chopped tomatoes and saute till they are soft and mushy.

• Add all the spice powders mentioned and saute for 1-2 minutes. (sprinkle very little water if powders is getting burnt)

• Add chicken pieces and salt, mix well and fry for 1-2 minutes. 

• Cover with lid and cook till chicken is soft and tender. Don't add water, water oozing out from chicken is enough to cook it.

• Add fried capsicum and stir fry for 1 minute. Meanwhile extra water will also evaporate.

• Add another 1 tbsp of pepper powder and mix well.

• Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

• Hot & spicy chicken pepper masala fry is ready to be served.

Tips :

• This is a semi-dry chicken recipe. U can skip tomato and make it dry pepper chicken.
• If you want more gravy texture, add water while cooking chicken.
• The above spices quantity gives a moderate spice level. Increase or decrease quantity of pepper powder to adjust to your spice level.
• For vegetarian version, try it with potatoes, mushroom or paneer.