The Aftermath!

7 dishes and 2 payasams later, I realised that my mini Onam sadya was a great sucess. And the neatly wiped-clean empty plaintain leaves that lay in front of me, stood proof of it.

Our DC friends, specially seemed amused and rather pleased by the sheer variety and concoction of flavors that came from the number of colourful coconut savories that stretched out from one end of the dining table to the other. For them, it was a feast like no other. For me, it was several hours of grating, chopping, blending, mixing and what not!

Though quite minamilistic by kerala standards and may not even earn the title of a 'sadya' for lacking some crucial elements, for a mommy like me, with a five year old, living in a place with zero help, even attempting to do an Onam feast, authentic or not, was a big deal. Because here you neither have aayas to chop the veggies, drivers to take you on your shopping sprees or errand boys to load up your car with groceries. This is the US and here, it's a one man show or in my case a one woman show. 

So the first step of the planning process began with deciding the guest list, which was directly proportional to the number of leaves I could manage to gather the very last minute. You see, unlike in mallu land where you could just go behind your house and take as many leaves as you needed from the innumerable banana plants that grew callously all over your backyard, here I had to manage with a single plaintain that my friend had specially positioned in her front porch to add the traditional aesthetics to her American home. 

Then came the menu, which had one major deciding factor. How to make it as grand as possible with the least amount of work and with the least number of ingredients. And to get that, a trip to the Indian store on the other end of the city, was inevitable. And that's when came the last minute panic...when I realized that I could not even get half the ingredients I was looking for. There was no string beans, no oblong cucumber, no sharkara chips, no baby bananas and no kerala mango pickle. But even without half the stuff, I knew with my special skills at damage control, I would definitely be able to pull off a sadya. As i walked out the store, substituting kerala mango pickle with Andhra achaar, i felt relieved that I had kept the guest list to just my North Indian friends who had never eaten a sadya before. With them, I could have easily passed off coconut chutney as an authentic part of sadya and they would have never known. Phew!

Anyway it had been five days since the sadya, the feasting and the festivities. And like after any big dinner/lunch parties, my referigerator remained packed with reminisence of the grand celebration, the neatly aligned containers of leftovers. Though in most cases, it maybe be a good thing, but when it came to leftovers from a sadya, it was quite the opposite. Because unlike a chicken or a biryani dish, that gets better with time and that I would have happily hogged on for the next couple of days, the different coconut flavored recipes that contributed to a sadya, in itself were quite blah. Without the whole parephernelia, it was quite boring, even a little depressing. So on the fifth day when my husband anxiously asked me what we were having for dinner, I just did not have it in my heart to tell him that we were going to have yet another round of thoran, sambar and Avial. It would have been cruel especially since he had been graciously eating it without any complaints for the past four days. I couldn't do it to him anymore. 'I will surprise you love,' I said.

But to be honest, I was clueless. The five days of not entering the kitchen had turned me into a slob. My legs felt heavy as I slowly made way into the kitchen and a strange lethargy overcame me. Even the fact that I had a blog to write, didnt seem to inspire. As I opened the refrigerator, to scan through what i was left with, I realized that I had used up most of it to prepare the feast. So I had no veggies, no enthusiasm and worst of all, no time. It was almost 8 and I knew it was only a matter of minutes before my daughter came barging into the kitchen, complaining she was hungry. The clock was ticking and I had to do something quick.

What I had

1 onion

1 tomato

2-3 green chillies

1 bell pepper

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 

Cilantro for garnishing

 

I heated oil in pan and spluttered some cumin and fennel seeds. Once the oil was hot, I added some pepper powder.

I, then added half of the onion that I chopped into big cubes, along with the ginger garlic paste, salt and sliced green chillies. The remaining half, I sliced it into thin strips and kept it aside.

Once the onion was nicely browned, I added 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder and roasted the masalas for a few minutes.

Then, I added the chopped tomatoes and bell pepper. ( Cut into big pieces)

I mixed them well with the masala and let it cook on a low flame.

Once the bell pepper and tomatoes were cooked, (not over cooked), I added the paneer cubes and the remaining sliced onions.

I let it cook on slow flame till the paneer was nicely browned on all sides. 

I finished by garnishing with some freshly chopped cilantro.

Now I could have easily served this to my husband with fresh rotis or naan. But I felt guilty for feeding him with all the leftovers and I did say I would surprise him. I knew I had to make it more special than just paneer and naan.

So I first roasted some tortillas on a hot pan. Once I removed them, in the same pan, I smeared some oil and added a beaten egg, just like I would, to cook an omlette. But without flipping, I placed the tortilla for it to stick to egg. I removed it from the pan, spread a tsp of Maggi hot n sweet ketchup, along with some mint chutney and then added the paneer stuffing and some freshly sliced onions before rolling it up. And voila! I had my very own quick and easy paneer khati roll in less than ten minutes. 

 

Just brunchin!

The classic egg muffin. But I had to add my desi touch with some chopped onions, green chillies and cilantro.

GARDEN LITES TO DESI DELIGHTS

My mom and dad were finally coming and I was super excited! A lot had changed since the last time they saw me, which was almost two years ago. I had moved to the United States of America and I had gone from being a page three socialite with a cook, a cleaner and a baby sitter at my disposal to being the typical all-American mom. My typical day had gone from sipping coffee by the swimming pool to dropping my daughter to school, cleaning the house, cooking, trips to the grocery store, running behind public buses, multiple trips to the metro station and organizing innumerable play dates. Though things were a lot more hectic, I couldn't wait for my parents to see my new life. They would be so proud!

More than anything, I couldn't wait to show off America. So what if we didn't have a nanny or a cleaning lady? So what if my shoulders hurt from tugging along heavy shopping bags from Whole Foods? I still loved it here. I loved the independence. I loved that this country proved to me that I was indeed a super mom and could really do it all. I loved how everybody said 'thank you' and 'have a nice day' almost as if they meant it. I loved my shopping sprees. I loved how everything was so organized, each having its specific place. Even little things like the fact that I didn't have to boil milk anymore or scrub pesticides off of veggies gave me a strange sense of joy. 

I couldn't wait for my mom and dad to join me on one of my trips to the grocery store and show them how everything was cleaned, chopped and packed the way you wanted it. I couldn't wait to take them to the container store and show them how you could transform your sloppy cupboards into your dream walk in closets with a few shelves, frames, screws and bolts. I couldn't wait for them to have a taste of this fabulous country.

I still remember that morning after they arrived. I couldn't wait to cook for them the all American breakfast and make them fall in love with this magical place almost instantly. But the only issue was that my parents were pure vegetarians which meant no eggs, no sausages and no bacon. I could do pancakes, waffles and some warm cinnamon buns but my dad was diabetic and a sweet breakfast was not an option. But I still wanted to make it special and that's when we saw the 'Garden Lites' zucchini soufflé at the frozen section. 'Perfect!' I thought. It was vegetarian, it was American and fancy enough to make a great first impression.

                                                                       

   

The soufflé looked perfect. It was all organic, under 140 calories, and looked like a perfect blend between a quiche and a egg muffin. I anxiously waited for my dad to take the first bite but as soon as he dug into the crispy exterior and deeper into the white gooey filling inside, I immediately knew I had gone completely wrong in my choice. And the fake moans that followed only further reassured my fears. It was a complete disaster! You see, we are not just Indians, we are South Indians and we take special pride in having our own unique 30-something varieties of just breakfast dishes. So for us, a moist, mushy tasteless dish that resembles something that comes out of a newborn's mouth was not our idea of breakfast.

A few slices of toasted bread, a glass of orange juice and a bowl of honey nut Cheerios later, I realized that the all organic, all natural, under 140 calorie zucchini soufflé was a complete disaster. But despite the blandness, the mushiness and tastelessness, I still couldn't find it in my heart to chuck it in the dustbin especially since we had spent $25 and it felt like such a terrible waste. But I knew there was no way I could convince anyone to eat it. It was torture food and forcing anyone to even taste it was a crime. I had to think of a plan and I had to think of it fast...

3 To Tango!

So the ingredients on the box said, sweet corn, grilled zucchini, egg white, carrot, red and green pepper....and Voila I had it! Three perfect recipes to fix the $25 disaster. I could fry 'em, coz according to me everything tasted yum, crispy fried. I could curry 'em, coz a little bit of tadka could transform any mess into delicacies or I could soy 'em up, coz I just picked up a bottle and was desperate to use it.

                      

FRY 'EM UP

Cook the zucchini soufflé as mentioned in the pack

Once ready mash it up and add cumin powder, red chilli powder,coriander powder, bread crumbs, freshly chopped coriander leaves

Make tiny balls out of the mix and deep fry. 

CURRY 'EM UP

In a wok, add oil and splutter cumin seeds

Add chopped onions (1), ginger garlic paste. -1 tbsp, green chillies and fry till brown

Purée three tomatoes and add to the onion mixture

Once cooked and dry, add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder and salt

Cook the spices for atleast 5 mts. Make sure they don't stick to the pan.

Add dried fenugreek leaves, and a little bit of sugar.

Pour 1 cup milk

Once the fried vegetable balls have completely cooled down, add to the curry. Simmer for 5 mts

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves

SOY 'EM UP

In a pan, heat oil, add pepper and green chillies.

Saute chopped onions, green (spring onions) chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies. Add salt

Once transparent add 1tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp schezwan sauce, 1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup

Add 1/2 tsp sugar. 

Add the veggie balls once completely cooled down.

Garnish with spring onions before serving

Home is where the sadya is!

Onam, the word brings back wonderful memories in every Malayali's heart. As if transported straight out of some coffee table book or a picture postcard, this ten-day festival is that one time when you can see this God's own country at its true best.

A time when every mallu woman eagerly bid adieu to her ill-fitting Salwar kameez to embrace the traditional mundu-naryathu. A time when even the most stubborn of kids willingly give up watching their favorite cartoons on tv to have a turn at the wooden swing specially put up for the occasion and cheerfully run around in the mangroves clad in their fancy silk pavadas ( long skirts). A time when the most modern facebook era teenagers who can hardly bare to stand the smell of jasmine flowers are all game to adorn layers and layers of it on their heads. A time when even the quintessential malayali men who would rather die of thirst than enter his own kitchen to get a glass of water, develops this special interest in helping out their women prepare the feast in all its grandeur- the Onam sadya.

Growing up, I never understood what the hype was all about. If we really did want to deck ourselves in silk saris and adorn our heads with garlands of flowers, couldn't we have done it any day? And as far as the feasting was concerned, wasn't sambar, parippu, thoran, avial and kichdi, anway an integral part of our daily Malayali diet?

For me, Onam was always about seeing my usually health conscious dad, having to eat sadya twice, first at his maternal house and then with us to avoid upsetting either of the two most important women in his life. It was always about seeing my mother and my grandma, slogging for hours and hours in the kitchen to prepare a meal comprising over twenty different types of dishes only to have it all disappear in just a matter of minutes. Or seeing my couch-potato brother suddenly take up this role of the 'karyasthan' (in-charge) of our little household, making sure that the sadya was served at the right time and in the right manner. In short a completely overrated festival!

But then...I moved to Nairobi and I still remember that very first Onam away from home. I had my own family now. My daughter roamed around in her pajamas as usual and my husband sat glued to the tv, lazily skipping through the endless channels. No new clothes were laid out and there was no sound of my mom, telling us that we were going to be late for the morning aarti at our family temple. There was no smell of fried poppadams and curry leaves coming from my kitchen and even with the loud noise of the tv and my toddler's pitter-patter everywhere, my house felt awfully quiet. I stood in my empty kitchen in my jammies, eating cold cereal at my kitchen counter top, going through the end number of Facebook pictures my friends had uploaded on Onam day. It showed them, all clad in their traditional mundu-naryathu, posing for the camera as they licked the payasam off their hands or crunching on the crispy banana chips, served on the side. It was only then I understood what it was that I was truly missing. And all of a sudden, everything seemed to make sense. 

Onam was special to me, like it was to every single Malayali. It brought back fond memories and a strange nostalgia that I rarely felt in my otherwise busy life. After all, it was that one day my otherwise health conscious dad eagerly agreed to eat two sadyas. It was that one day my mom and grandma  didn't mind working for hours and hours to put together a sadya, like no other, just to see the happiness on our faces as we devoured each and every morsel till nothing was left. It was that one day when their was no sound of television in my house, but the sound of my amma telling us to get ready to go to the temple as she laid out our brand new Onam kodis (new clothes), my grandma calling out to the crows (she believed to be our ancestors) to come have the first bite and my brother trying to teach me how exactly to lay out a sadya, educating me about its particular placement on the plantain leaf and its significance.

I was miles and miles away from Kerala but it was Onam and I still had my home right here in front of me...One sat watching some Bruce WIllis movie for the umpteenth time and the other one was walking around with my scarf pinned to her curls, pretending to be Rapunzel. 'Veda,' I said. 'We have to get ready to go to the temple dear and while you get ready, I am going to tell you a special story of a great king called Mahabali.' 'And honey...,' I turned to my husband, 'I think u should iron that mundu.'

The Sadya

Though I could never manage to do a sadya as grand like my mom and grandma's. Here's my mini version...enough to bring the festive flavors straight to your home, no matter where you are.

Parrippu

Ingredients

1 cup moong dal (husked green beans or yellow lentils according to me)

3 cups water

Grated coconut-1 cup

Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp

Green chillies -2

Garlic- 3-4 

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Salt

Curry leaves

Ghee

Mustard Seeds -1/4 tsp

In a pressure cooker, add 1 tbsp ghee and add the washed lentils. Roast them for a few minutes.

Now add water and add salt. Cook for 5 mts after the first whistle. Remove from fire.

In a blender, finely grind coconut, cumin, turmeric, green chillies and garlic

Once the lentils have completely cooled down...and the pressure completely gone (no explosions please), add the coconut mixture.

In another pan, add 1 tsp ghee and splutter some mustard seeds and curry leaves...add to the lentil and coconut mixture.

Sambar (I like my sambar without veggies...but if you like it please feel free to add)

1/2 cup Split red gram or Tuvar dal (Red lentils according to me...)

3 cups water

1-2 tbsp of Sambar Powder ( You can make Sambar powder by heating gingelly oil (1 tsp), roasting 1/2 tsp asafoetida, 1tsp fenugreek seeds, 10 dry red chillies and 1tbsp coriander powder and grinding all of them in a blender.) 

Tamarind paste- 2 tbsp

Dry red chillies, curry leaves and mustard seeds

Asafoetida - a pinch

Tomatoes- 2 chopped into big pieces

Onions-  1 sliced

In a pressure cooker, add oil and splutter some mustard seed, curry leaves and dry red chillies

Add sliced Oniones and sauté 

Now add the washed lentils, water, tomatoes and salt, cover with the lid let it cook for 5 mts after the first whistle

Once the lentils are cooked, add Sambar powder, Tamarind paste and Asafoetida

Garnish with coriander leaves and Drizzle with some ghee before serving.

Thoran

3 cups of any chopped vegetable (Beans, cabbage, Spinach, or even a mix of beans and carrots,...)

1 cup coconut

2 garlic cloves

A pinch of turmeric powder

Salt

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 green chillies

Curry leaves, dry red chillies, mustard seeds

Coconut oil- 1 tbsp

In a pan, add coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds, dry red chillies and curry leaves.

Add the chopped vegetables, cover and cook on a low flame, sprinkle salt

In the mixer, coarsely grind coconut, turmeric, cumin, green chillies 

Add the mixture to the cooked veggies.

Avial

2 carrots

1/2 brinjal

1- yam

1 drumstick

1 raw banana

1/2 cup cononut

Green chillies -3-4

Curry leaves

A pinch of turmeric powder

Tamarind Paste 1/2 tbsp

Yogurt- 1 tbsp

4 button onions

Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves

Mustard seeds

In a pan, splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and add the veggies. Add salt, turmeric powder, slit green chillies  cover and cook on slow flame ( the veggies should not over cook)

In the blender, coarsely grind coconut, cumin and button onions

Add to the veggies along with the tamarind paste

remove from heat and once the vegetables have cooled down add the yogurt

Drizzle 1 tbsp coconut oil and curry leaves before serving

Kichdi

Okra 

Chilli powder 1/2 tsp

A pinch of turmeric powder

1 cup of yogurt

Salt

Curry leaves and mustard seeds

Add 1 tbsp oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves

Add the Okra, salt and cook till crisp

Let it cool

Whip the yogurt along with salt and turmeric and a few tbsp of water to get a flowey consistency

Once the Okra is completely cooled down add the yogurt mixture

Olan

1/2 cup black eyed beans

4-5 green chillies

1 cup thick cononut milk

Pressure cook the black eyed beans with green chillies and salt. 

Once the beans are cooked, add coconut milk and let it simmer for 10 minutes

Drizzle cononut oil and curry leaves before serving

Vermicilli Payasam

1 cup Vermicilli

1 cup water

6 cups milk

1 cup of condensed milk

Cashew nuts -1/4 cup

Raisins- a few

2 tbsp Ghee

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp Cardomom Powder

Heat ghee and fry the cashews and raisins and keep it aside

In the remaining ghee, add the Vermicilli and fry till light brown

Add water and let the Vermicilli cook till soft.

Add milk, sugar and let it cook on slow flame

Add condensed milk and Cardomom powder.

Garnish with fried cashews and raisins before serving

Make sure you add banana chips, pappadoms, mango pickle and a baby banana on the side of the plantain leaf...they are all an integral part of the sadya.

(Will host my Onam sadya on the 30th....stay tuned for the latest pics...xx)

Baked!

Nothing says fall is here better than freshly baked hazelnut apple cake

Egglicious!

Within a few days of shifting to DC, I realized that hosting elaborate dinners was going to be a part of my existence. I did not mind. I even looked forward to it as it was an opportunity to make new friends and meet interesting people. So what if it meant, poor me slogging for hours in the kitchen with no help?

But to be honest, cooking was hardly the problem. The bigger issue was thinking of a different menu each time. Not really the main dish but thinking of the perfect sides to go with my Indian curries. I couldn't think beyond Pilau and store bought Naan. I could try pooris, bhatura but that would mean getting grease all over me while the others drank wine and made small talk in the other room. And there was no way I was going to ruin my pretty dress and mess up my painted nails. 

Now back to the issue...what to serve on the side? The saddest part of every dinner, was seeing the big bowl of expensive basmati remaining untouched amidst a bunch of empty dishes. Nobody really seem to want it, let alone notice it. My husband suggested I completely do away with it the next time. But what does he know about the pressures of being an Indian housewife. That not serving at least two sides for a dinner, is almost a crime by our desi standards. 

I could do a Biryani...maybe chicken. But two chicken dishes mean double the marinating, double the cleaning and double the work and what would happen to all the poor vegetarians? A veggie biryani then? But to be honest....apart from my infamous cauliflower manchurian and a few cliched paneer dishes, I didn't have many options when it came to vegetarian. 

So finally I decided to go for a Egg biryani. But I am a malayali at heart and for me, no dish is complete without adding a few of my mallu elements. So here goes...my version of what happens when the famous mutta (egg ) roast is incorporated into a North Indian Biryani dish. 

Recipe

Eggs-4 (boiled)

Onions 2-3 sliced finely

Ginger garlic paste (1tbsp)

Green chillies-3

Jeera-1/2 tsp

Yogurt-1tbsp beaten

Ghee

Fresh mint and coriander leaves chopped

Whole spices- 2-3 cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cloves 3-4

Spices- red chilli powder, pepper, turmeric, garam masala ( a pinch), coriander powder and jeera powder

Basmati rice- 2 cups

In a wok, add 1 tbsp ghee and add the whole spices including jeera and sauté till they begin to splutter.

Now add the rice and fry for a few seconds. Add water and cook the rice. Add salt and don't over cook.

In another pan, add ghee ( 1 tbsp) and sauté onions. Add ginger garlic paste, sliced green chillies and salt. Fry till it begins to change color.

Now add the spices- red chilli, turmeric, pepper, coriander powder and cumin powder. Roast them well for atleast 5 mts ( on low flame)

Once the onions are nicely browned...remove from flame. Take out a few and keep aside for garnishing, remaining goes into a blender to make a paste. ( Please wait for the mixture to cool. I was impatient once and blended them immediately and trust me the scene wasn't pretty)

Now on the boiled eggs, make a few slashes with a knife and sprinkle red chilli, pepper. In the same wok, in the remaining oil, splutter some curry leaves and sliced green chillies and cook it with the eggs. Let the egg roast and brown slightly on all sides.

Now add the blended onion mixture, yogurt, mint and dhaniya and let it cook to form a think gravy.

Once the gravy is thick, cook on low flame for 5 mts.

In a big wok, start layering the rice and the egg curry ( Meaning- first add ghee, then little bit of the rice, a few strands of saffron, color, the egg mixture, topped with fried onions, then again rice-fried onions, egg mixture and so on)

Close with a lid and cook on very very very low flame ( almost non existent) for 20 mts.

Squeeze lemon on top and garnish with sliced lime, green chillies, fried onions and fried cashews (sorry I was out of them and hence missing from the picture)

From disaster to delicious!

I always wanted to do a cooking blog...since the time I made my first dish of cauliflower manchurian, almost eight years ago. I thought it was the best manchurian I had ever eaten and if I don't blog the recipe...I felt I might be doing a sin to others who haven't been lucky enough to taste it. But the blog never happened. A) because that was the only dish I knew back then and secondly I  had just gotten married and didn't want to be stereotyped as the domesticated ideal wife. I was a working girl and it was harmful to my image.

Seven years later, today as I stand in my kitchen, the smell of masala chicken smeared all over me, I feel like I am so ready to start what i had always wanted.

So the first step was to think of a title... Okay, so wooden spoon, show me the curry and masala magic were all taken. I wanted something different, something me. I was no master chef. I was just a working girl who entered the culinary world by mere desperation. I had bid adieu to the land of cooks and cleaners and come to the United States of America and off went all the perks that came with living in a developing country. 

So as I sat down, thinking of a perfect title for my blog, the term 'damage control' kept popping up in my mind. It was perfect for a first time food blogger like me. After all, each and every single dish I made were often the end result of my attempt to manage the disasters I had initially made in the process. Be it pouring coconut milk to fried chicken that I had over spiced ( cos everything tasted good with coconut milk) or transforming my attempt at pav bhajjj to an impressive casserole dish. So there you have it! Specially dedicated to all those women who thought they were going to be the next  Giada De Laurentiis the first time they made a meal for their husbands and to those men who had to eat it and pretend it was the best dish ever!

CHILLI CHICKEN 65

So it all started with my trip to the grocery store and finding out that the whole rotisserie chicken was on sale. Every time I had seen the golden glazed full chicken rotate in the oven at the Deli, I had always wanted to give it a try. But was worried that like most of the other American dishes, it would be rather too bland for my Indian palette. But for just $5, I thought it was worth giving a try.

I reached home and tore out a piece of the tempting leg. But unfortunately all I could taste was salt and pepper. How these goras could survive in a world deprived of garam masala was beyond my understanding? There was no way I could eat it.

Though it was only $5, I still didn't want to throw it ruthlessly away. After all a chicken did sacrifice its life. How could I just let it go to waste? Maybe I could give it a desi touch. Maybe add some tomato purée, spices, milk and cream and turn it into a Murgh Makhani. But the ingredients mentioned lime and the combo wouldn't work. Maybe I could try chilli chicken. But that would mean I have to make a bowl of noodles to go with it...and I had already done the rotis. So maybe something North Indian then. I thought of transforming the rotisserie chicken into a chicken 65. But the recipe on YouTube said I would have to deep fry. Now I didn't have a gall bladder and my husband was on a diet. The only one left was my daughter and it just felt like too much of cooking for a five year old who would equally be happy with just plain Mac n Cheese. 

Few minutes of staring blankly into my refrigerator and a couple of YouTube videos later, I came up with a plan. How about a chilli chicken 65. I wouldn't have to fry it and I could eat it with my rotis...the best of both worlds.

Recipe

Chicken (cooked, uncooked, with bone, without it...whichever way you like it)

Onions- 3 to 4 sliced

Ginger, garlic- cut into thin strips

Green chillies

Curry leaves

Soy sauce -2tbsp

Tomato ketchup -1tbsp

Honey just enough to drizzle

Sugar - 1 tbsp

red chilli powder, pepper, garam masala, salt

Red Color

Spring onions to garnish

Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, lemon red chilli powder and garam masala...

Cook it any way you want it. Either you can slow cook it on a stove top or oven cook. (Since mine was already done, I just put it on High broil for 6 mts).

In a wok, add sliced onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies, salt and fry till brown

Add ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, a little bit of red chilli powder and pepper ( And don't worry if you over spice it. I am sure we can transform our Chilli Chicken 65 into something else)

Sauté for 5 mts

Now add the chicken and let it coat well in the mixture. (Add colour, only if you want to).

Drizzle honey and cover the wok with a lid. Lower the flame and let it be for 2-3 mts. 

In a wok deep fry some sliced green chillies and curry leaves and add to the chicken. 

Garnish with spring onions.

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