Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Indian

Kadhai Chicken

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I strongly believe that every  brown guy and every brown girl should have a good Indian chicken curry recipe on hand. Whether it’s to give your mom a break from the kitchen, get through an excruciating finals week, or impress a crush who just happens to also be a major foodie – a recipe like this one always comes in handy.

A good chicken kadhai is all about balance.

It should have just the right amount of oil – too little and it’s on the bland side; too much and you’re giving your guests a heart attack.

It should have the right amount of spice. Add too much garam masala and it’s unbearably overpowering. Too little …well you might as well have said that a white person made it.

It should have the right amount of sweet and sour. Too much yogurt and your lips are puckering, too little onion and the curry is bitter.

But when you do strike that balance, you get absolute magic.

What makes my version of this specific curry different than other chicken curry recipes is that I don’t use any garlic – just ginger.  Secondly, I sear off the chicken first rather than merely adding it to the gravy. The browning of the chicken adds extra flavor.

I start off by flavoring my oil with some bay leaves and cardamom. After searing down my chicken, I remove the pieces from the pan (I don’t worry about fully cooking it just yet, for now I simply want it to develop some color)  and caramelize my onions and add in pureed tomatoes, chilies,  and the following spices – turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder, cumin, coriander.

I then softly stir in some yogurt, add my chicken back in along with some water, and allow it to simmer and cook down. Once the curry thickens, I add in a generous helping of kashuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves.

And that is as simple as it gets. Garnish with some cilantro and julienned ginger. Serve with some hot naan and basmati rice and your in for a real treat!

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Kadhai Chicken

A classic Indian chicken curry recipe consisting of onions, tomatoes, chicken, chilies, yogurt. 

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs chicken (bone-in)
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 2-3 cardamom pods
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 1 2/3 cups diced onion (about 1 1/2 medium onions)
  • 1-2 green chilies
  • 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 tomatoes (pureed)
  • 4 tbsp yogurt
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 2 cups water

Powdered Spices

  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 3/4 tsp sichuan peppercorn optional - if you don't have it, you can leave it out
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Instructions

  1. Make deep slits into your cleaned and washed chicken pieces. (This desi cooking tip will help the flavors of the curry penetrate the inside of the chicken.) Set aside. 

  2. Add your oil to a wide pan with a heavy bottom on medium-high heat. Toss in your bay leaves and cardamom pods. And cook for about thirty seconds. This will allow it to flavor the oil.

  3. Now add in your chicken and about a 1 tsp of the salt. Let the chicken brown for a few minutes on each side. Once it develops color, remove the pieces from the pan. 

  4. Now add in your onions. Allow them to caramelize (turn dark brown). 

  5. Once your onions have caramelized, add in your ginger. Allow it to cook down until it is no longer raw. 

  6. Then add in all your powdered spices (except the methi, we will add this at the end). Stir for about a minute or so.

  7. Now add in your tomatoes and remaining salt. Make sure they are pureed before you add them in as this will give a smooth texture to your curry. Mix well.

  8. Slowly stir in the yogurt. 

  9. Now add your chicken back into the pan along with your water. Allow the mixture to cook down and the curry to thicken. 

  10. Once the curry has thickened to your desired consistency, crush the kasuri methi in your hand and add it to the curry. Mix well. Taste and adjust for seasonings. 

  11. Garnish with fresh cilantro and ginger. Serve with naan or basmati rice. 

Chili Chicken

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Indo-Chinese is super popular in India; although I am not quite sure if it holds the same regard in China. In any case, this week-night chicken dish will knock your socks off. It’s savory, it’s bold, it’s hot, and the perfect thing to make when you are craving something that requires little effort.

Chili Chicken is actually an Indo-Chinese concept – you take the holy trinity of  traditional Indian marinade – ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, and chili powder – combine that with soy sauce and wok-cooking and boom! You’ve got yourself a match made in heaven!

I start off by chopping up boneless chicken thighs into bite-size cubes and marinating them in soy sauce, chilli powder, paprika, turmeric, and ginger-garlic paste. Since this is a chili chicken, be generous with the chili powder. If you are a bit of a wimp, you can of course decrease the ratio of chilli powder to paprika which will still give you intense color and flavor without the heat.

 

 

What makes my chili chicken different than some other recipes is that I also add in a finely diced bell pepper and serrano chilie. It adds a little bit of extra sweetness, plus sneaks in some veggies.

 

Next is ketchup. I know some people might find it weird and gross, but its sweetness balances out the rest of the flavors and it is in fact authentically used in several Indian street foods.

 

 

My secret ingredient is MSG. I always say, “A little MSG hurt nobody.” I know it’s got a bad rep but after doing some research, I am truly convinced that the negativity it has received has been truly overblown.

If you’ve ever watched “Ugly Delicious” on Netflix (if you haven’t, I highly recommend you do, it’s a great food docu-series) then you’ve probably seen the episode on Chinese food where David Chang completely rips apart the notion of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”  – a name given to attribute GI intolerance to supposed MSG used in Chinese cooking when the reality of the matter is that MSG is found in several products (such as chips, cheese, salad dressing) but people seem to only attribute it to Chinese food  – hence making you critically think about how racism has impacted the way we view ethnic food in American food culture.

After coating the chicken in the marinade, the rest of it is pretty straight-forward; you toss everything together and allow it to cook down until the coating on the chicken caramelizes, forming a lovely charred crust on the exterior of the chicken pieces.

 

 

 

And there you have it! An amazing Indo-Chinese chicken dish. You can eat this up with naan, toss it in noodles, or even roll it up in a paratha like I did here for a killer lunch!

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Chili Chicken

An easy to make Indo-Chinese chicken dish that combines the holy trinity of Indian cooking - turmeric, chili powder, ginger-garlic paste with soy sauce, msg, and wok cooking.

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Chili Chicken

  • 1.5 lb boneless chicken thigh and/or breast
  • 4 tsp soy sauce
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1/2 bell pepper (finely diced)
  • 1 small green chilie
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 3/4 tsp msg or to taste
  • 1-2 tsp lime juice (or to taste)
  • 2 1/2 tsp oil
  • 2 tsp hot sauce (such as Frank's) optional

Instructions

  1. Begin by marinating your chicken. Combine soy sauce, turmeric, chilli powder, paprika and add to chicken. Mix well. Let sit for 30 minutes or keep in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

  2. Add oil to a frying pan or wok on medium-high heat. Add and sautee the finely diced bell pepper for a few minutes. 

  3. Now add chicken. Toss and cook for a few minutes. Then add in ketchup. 

  4. Allow liquid to evaporate. With time, the ketchup will caramelize and form a nice charred coating on the chicken. This process should take about 15 minutes. 

  5. Add in your lime juice, hot sauce, and salt. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Dahi Vada

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Dahi vada is the quintessential desi iftar comfort food; you’d be hard-pressed not to spot it at least a few iftar parties that you go to. It’s tangy, cool, fried yet not heavy, and full of amazing aromatics – thus making it the perfect dish to break a long day’s fast with.

There are different variations on the dish depending on where you are from. This is a Hyderabadi version and is my mother’s recipe.

As the name indicates, there are two key components to this dish – the dahi (yogurt) and the vada.

I start off by making vada. Vada are essentially soft fried little fritters. There are two main types of vada – one made with urad daal (lentil) and the other with besan (chickpeas flour). This time around I used chickpea flour, although urad daal makes a killer vada as well.

I take some chickpeas flour and add in some spices/salt (cumin, coriander, chilli powder, fennel powder), ginger-garlic paste, along with some cilantro, green onions, and curry leaves. I mix in some water along with a pinch of baking powder until I get the consistency of thick pancake batter.

I then take spoonful’s of the batter and fry them up until they are a lovely golden brown.  They will puff up and should be airy and light in texture. I then add the vada into dahi that has been thinned out with water.

But this dish is not just fritters dipped in yogurt. Instead, I add in a bit of garlic and temper some oil with some brilliant aromatics – mustard seeds, cumin, dried chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida. I then add that on top of the yogurt. This step right here is what makes this dish so phenomenally, mouth-watering good.

This dish is special in my household because it is only made in Ramadan. It’s delectable and comforting and if you plate it right, it can definitely be a visual show-stopper as well!

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Dahi Vada

Ingredients

Vada (fritters)

  • 1.5 cup chickpea flour (besan)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 3/4 tsp fennel powder
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 green onion
  • 3-4 mint leaves optional
  • 1 - 1 1/4 cup water
  • 3-4 cups oil for frying

Dahi (yogurt)

  • 3 cup yogurt
  • 2 1/2 - 3 cup water (or to taste)
  • 1 tbsp salt (or to taste)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 serrano pepper (optional)
  • 1.5 tbsp oil
  • 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • 6-7 dried ancho chilies
  • 6-8 curry leaves
  • 1 pinch asoefitida

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, add in your chickpea flour along with your spices and salt. Whisk and combine. (Don't add the baking soda just yet.)

  2. Chop your cilantro, mint, green onions, and curry leaves. Add and combine to flour. 

  3. Slowly add in your water and mix. You want the mixture to attain the consistency of pancake batter (thick but still a little runny). 

  4. Let batter sit for 30-40 minutes. Before frying, mix in the baking soda.

  5. In a wok or heavy-bottom pot, add in your oil. Allow it to reach a temperature of about 350 F. 

  6. Add a few heaping tablespoon full of batter to your oil at a time. Fry until golden brown. The vadas should puff up. If they are taking too long, increase your heat and add less. If they are frying up quickly they will be raw on the inside. Lower the heat and/or add more vadas to the pot. 

  7. Remove with a slotted spoon and let it sit on a plate lined with paper-towel. 

  8. Add vadas to some warm water for 10-15 minutes. Let them soak a bit so they turn soft.

  9. Now work on your dahi (yogurt). Add your yogurt to a large serving bowl or tray with higher sides. Add water depending on how thin or thick you want your dahi mixture to be. Add salt to taste (this will depend on how much water you add as well - thicker mixture will require less salt). 

  10. Finely mince the serrano chili and garlic and mix. (You may also whiz it up in a food processor or electric grinder.) Remove vada from water and add in to the yogurt and make sure each one is soaked. 

  11. Before serving, temper your oil. Start off by having all your ingredients ready - curry leaves, dried ancho chilies, mustard seeds, and cumin seed- and set them aside.

  12. In a small frying pan or pot on medium heat, add in your oil and then your cumin and mustard seeds. Once they become fragrant and start to pop (after a minute or two), add in your dried chilies and curry leaves. Remove off heat and stir around for thirty seconds. Make sure nothing burns. 

  13. Spoon immediately over the dahi vada. Be careful not to let the hot oil splatter on yourself.

  14. Your dahi vada is ready to serve!