Monday, December 31, 2012

Basil Chicken





Ingredients:
10 oz boneless and skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast (ground)
4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 shallots (finely chopped)
1 1/4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 big bunch of  basil leaves (stems removed)
6 bird’s eye chilies (chopped and pounded with a mortar and pestle) or 1-2 fresh jalapeno cut into slivers
2 dashes ground white pepper
2 tablespoons oil
Method:
Add oil into a heated wok, follow by chopped garlic and shallots. Stir fry the garlic and shallots until aromatic, then add the chicken meat into the wok. Use the spatula to quickly stir-fry and break the ground chicken meat into small lumps. When the chicken meat changes color, toss in the chilies and the seasonings (fish sauce, palm sugar, and sweet soy sauce) and continue to stir-fry. Add in the basil leaves and do a few quick stirs until the basil leaves are wilted and you smell the exotic fragrance of the basil leaves. Sprinkle two dashes of pepper powder into the dish, do a final stir, dish out and serve immediately

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Kechki Macher Tomato Jhol (Minnow Fish Curry)




Ingredients:
  • Kechki mach (Minnow fish) - 500 gm
  • Boiled potato - 1
  • Tomato - 3
  • Chopped onion - 2 tablespoons
  • Chopped garlic - 1 teaspoon
  • Ground turmeric - 1 teaspoon
  • Chili powder - 2 teaspoons
  • Fried cumin powder - ½ teaspoon
  • Panchforon (a mixture of fennel, mustard, fenugreek, cumin and black cumin) - ½ cup
  • Sliced green chili - 4 to 5
  • Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons
  • Salt - as needed
  • Oil - 5 tablespo
Preparation:
  • Clean the fish carefully in water. Rinse and drain properly.
  • Heat a little bit of oil in a non-stick pan and add in the fish over low heat.
  • Once the water dries up, turn off the heat and keep the fish aside.
  • Peel the boiled potato and break it into smaller pieces.
  • Cut the tomato into small, thin pieces. Keep aside.
  • Heat oil in another pan and lightly fry the panchforon, onion and garlic.
  • Add the tomato, turmeric, chili powder and salt, and fry for another 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the potatoes with 2 cups of water.
  • Once the water stars boiling, add the fish, green chili and coriander leaves.
  • Keep over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
  • If the gravy dries up too much, add a bit more water.
  • When the water starts boiling again, sprinkle the cumin powder on top and serve.