Chinese Classics

The best takeaway while growing up was Chinese ...I would always wonder how would it feel to eat out of those paper boxes with my chopsticks that I would often see in the movies ...We still hadn't got those in India in the 80's . We were very fortunate enough to have Chinese takeaway treats often , thanks to my Dad , who would bring in some delicious food home, from some of Delhi's delicious Chinese restaurants.

So Chinese still remains our favourite takeaway and delivery option . Dedicating this post to the millions of people who gave us our favourite dishes , standing in solidarity in these times, I am cooking what we relish at home nowadays. There are many recipes for these floating around but I love these the best .

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati Rice

4-5 cups of water

1 tsp oil

Salt to taste

1/ 4 cup each of vegetables of your choice cut very finely , carrots, french beans, mushrooms , coloured peppers, green peppers, cabbage , broccoli and corn .

2 tblsps of chopped spring onions , can use a mix of red onions too

4-5 cloves of garlic

½ inch ginger

4 tsp of Soya Sauce , try using organic or Tamari , low sodium

2 tsp of rice vinegar

2 tblsps of sesame oil

1 egg, beaten(optional)

To Prepare :

1. Soak and rinse rice . Cook with the prescribed water , oil and salt . Keep aside .

2. In a wok or kadai, add sesame oil . Add the chopped garlic and let it brown .Ad the ginger.

3. Now half the chopped spring onions / red onions and cook till onions become translucent.

4. Now add chopped vegetables and the celery and stir fry well .See that it retains its crunchiness but doesn’t get burnt on a medium flame.

5. Add the soy sauce , rice vinegar and season . Check the salt content since soy sauce will impart some saltiness to the dish too.

6. Coat well with the vegetables and add the rice in the wok.

7. Mix very well.

8. Separately , in a frying pan ,heat oil and pour the beaten egg to a scramble. Top the rice with this egg and chopped spring onions.

p.s the Egg is optional. If you want to add chicken , boil some pieces and add with the vegetables.

Chilli Chicken

Ingredients

300 gms boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into small bite size pieces

Oil for frying

For the batter

2 tblsp corn flour

1 tblsp plain flour or quinoa flour

½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder or paprika

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper powder

1 tsp garlic and ginger paste, fresh

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp rice vinegar

3 tbsp water

For the sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil or sesame oil

4 spring onions finely chopped, the green part can be chopped and used for garnishing

1 no. green chilli cut in three

8-10 nos. garlic finely chopped

½ inch ginger finely chopped

2 nos. medium sized green peppers, diced

1 no. large red onion, diced

1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce

3 tblsp dark Soy sauce, Tamari , low sodium

50 ml water

1 tsp corn flour mixed with 2 tsp of water

Salt to taste

1 tsp of sesame seeds , for garnish

Method

1. Heat oil in a wide sauce pan or a wok to the level of 1 cm. In a mixing bowl add the corn flour, plain or quinoa flour, chilli powder, black pepper and ginger- garlic paste with the salt. Add the vinegar and water; mix to make a thick batter. Add the chicken pieces to it and mix well coating all the pieces with the batter.

2. Fry the chicken in the hot oil in batches for 1-2 minutes. They should have a slight colour all over. Drain the chicken on kitchen paper and set aside.

3. To make the sauce; heat the vegetable oil in a wok or kadhai on a medium heat. Add the white part of the spring onions and fry for a few seconds and then the green chilli, chopped garlic and chopped ginger. Fry for 10 seconds and add the green peppers along with the red onions. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until they begin to soften.

4. Add the chilli garlic sauce and the dark soy & stir well. Add the water and bring to a boil and simmer for a 1 minute on a low heat.

5. Add the corn flour water mix, season to taste and simmer for a further 2 minutes as it begins to thicken. Turn the heat off and cool the sauce slightly.

6. When you’re ready to serve add the fried chicken pieces to the gravy so that it coats all the pieces well.

7. Simmer the sauce on a low heat for a minute. Serve warm the fried rice with a garnish of green chopped spring onions and sesame seeds.

Chilli Chicken with red peppers

Tofu stir Fry

I bought pressed tofu from the store and cut it into cubes . Then baked it in a pre-heated oven for around 15 minutes at 170 deg C. or till the Tofu developed a light crust. Take it out to cool.

Use the same gravy as the Chilli chicken and add the tofu cubes in it . Simmer before serving and enjoy these with your family.