Tandoori Chicken Wings

 

 

Tandoori Chicken is the most famous Indian dish that it is embraced by most people in the world. This classic Indian recipe is really easy to make and the spices you need are available in almost every grocery store. If not go to any Asian or Indian grocery.  So in search for the most authentic Tandoori Chicken recipe, I turn to my favorite guru online Chef Vah. Who can cook a more authentic Indian dish than the people from India itself? So here, I gave it a try with my own twist of the recipe. I brought this dish to a potluck party and everyone loved it. The spices are in perfect compliment with each other. This is definitely a keeper, this is one of the most authentic-tasting recipes I've tried.

 

 

                            

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 lbs of chicken wings

½ teaspoon of dried red chillies

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of crushed ginger

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2 tablespoon of red chilli powder

1 tablespoon of pepper powder

2 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of garam masala powder

½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

½ cup plain yogurt

3 tablespoon rice flour

oil for deep frying

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Cooking Directions:

• Using a fork, prick holes in the chicken wings so that marinade soaks into the chicken.
• Place the chicken wings in a ziploc bag or non-reactive bowl.
• In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the chicken. Process until well blended.
• Pour the marinade over the chicken wings. Make sure chicken is well coated.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to 4 hours.
• Pre-heat oil or deep fryer to 350°F.
• In a mixing bowl, season the rice flour with salt and pepper. Drain the chicken wings and toss in rice flour mixture until well coated.
• Deep fry wings until crispy and cooked through ( juices run clear ). Drain on paper towels and serve.
• Enjoy and share!

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How to get started with Asian Cooking

Asian cooking is all about balance.  Just like yin and yang, the key to great Asian food is to balance out opposites.  All you need to do to understand this concept is look at a menu in an Asian restaurant.

One of the first things you are going to learn about Asian cooking is it is about 90% preparation and 10% cooking.  You will have to learn how to chop.

Also, in most cases, all you are really going to need in the way of cooking is one good skillet .  Preferably, you will use a special type of skillet called a wok.

Once your ingredients are prepared, the wok is heated and a small amount of oil is added.  A few seconds later, you are all done.

The staples of Asian cooking are easy to find.  Because of the migration of Asian people, supermarkets catering to this demographic are common.  But most of your ingredients can be found in any supermarket or fresh food store.

Then it’s just a matter of learning how to manipulate the ingredients with spices herbs and seasoning.  There are several cookbooks available, and there are many websites and blogs that will actually give you Asian recipes.  Soon, you will start having fun manipulating the recipes to your own tastes.

Adding Asian cooking to your diet will be a healthy lifestyle choice for your family.

Try a few asian recipes on this blog today.  You will be glad you did.  And let us know how it goes.

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Garlic Noodles

I just recently saw an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network Channel where they featured Garlic Noodles. I got curious how a simple noodle dish can be so good  to be featured on TV. Although, they did not reveal the secret, I found this recipe pretty easy to make. In search for the garlic noodles recipe online, I came across to Budget Bytes. But instead of using the angel hair pasta noodles, I replaced it with fresh chow mein noodles. I do not know if it is because I only made a small batch but it made my husband craves for more. He said it is addicting. Try it yourself  for you to decide.


Ingredients:

½ lb (8 oz) fresh chow mein or angel hair pasta noodles
4 cloves minced garlic
½ bunch of green or spring onions
4 tablespoon of butter
2 teaspoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoon of brown sugar
t teaspoon of sesame oil
2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2-3 tablespoon of hot water

Cooking Directions:

• Cook pasta as per box directions. If you are using fresh chow mein, no need to boil.
• Mix the oyster sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Make sure that they are all well incorporated. Set aside.
• On a medium skillet or wok, melt the butter under medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until soft but not browned.
• Add the noodles, stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoon of hot water to loosen the noodles up.
• Add the soy sauce mixture to the noodles. Make sure noodles or pasta is well coated.
• Serve hot. Garnish with spring onions. Enjoy!

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Panang Shrimp Curry

This easy Thai recipe is different from my previous post for Red Thai Curry.  The Panang Curry paste is fried with the thicker part of coconut milk.  The Panang Curry recipe usually calls for beef, pork or chicken. I decided to make this dish with shrimp, and I got the idea of using butternut squash instead of bamboo shoots from Kevin of Closet Cooking. This is  more a soup curry. The combination of sweetness and spiciness of this dish is really good over steamed white rice. The aroma of the Kaffir lime and fresh basil makes a perfect combination of spice and flavors. I just love this easy Thai recipe, the colors are so lovely and inviting. If you are craving for Asian recipe, this is worth trying.

Ingredients:

1 lb of shrimp ( peeled and deveined )
2 cups of butternut squash (cubes and roasted)
1 cup of string beans (cut 3 inches long)
1 red bell pepper (cut into bite size)
½ cup green peas
2 red chillies ( optional depending on how spicy you like)
5 kaffir lime leaves (sliced thinly)
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
¼ cup chicken stock or water
2-3 tablespoon of Panang curry paste (depending how spicy you like)
2 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
½ cup of fresh basil

Cooking Directions:

•  Pre- heat your wok or heavy sauce pan. Add 2-3 tablespoon of the thicker part of coconut milk to pan. See Note below.
• Add the panang curry paste, stir until oil surface.
• Add half of the coconut milk, chicken stock or water, kaffir lime leaves, roasted butternut squash, red bell pepper, sugar, string beans and fish sauce. Let is simmer until vegetables are tender, about 4-5 minutes. 
• Add the shrimp and peas and let it  cook for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp is cooked.
• Pour the remaining coconut milk, add the fresh basil and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Serve hot over steamed white rice. Enjoy !

(Note: if you are using coconut milk in a can, do not shake before opening, the thicker part of coconut milk is the one floating on top).

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