Yum! Yum! Yum!

I love Kung Pao chicken as this is one Chinese dish loaded with spicy flavor on Chinese Menu that suits my Indian Tastebuds. :-) I always go for this dish on the Panda Express Menu for a take out. Though I love this dish, never experimented thinking the recipe might be complicated. But when I tasted this at one of our friends house, it was mind blowing and exactly tasted close to Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken. My friend is generous enough to share the recipe and assured it is very easy and perfect as quick appetizer on the menu to please your guests or crowd. This recipe calls for all simple ingredients that are readily available in your pantry, But Hoissan Sauce is the critical ingredient to get the authentic taste in this recipe. Make sure that you have that sauce handy before you try this recipe. Here is the recipe, Njoy!



Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts - 2 medium ( 1 lb)
Soy Sauce - 1 Tbsp
Corn Starch - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Sauce:
Soy Sauce - 2 Tbsp
Hoissan Sauce - 1 Tbsp
Red Chili Sauce - 2 tsp ( i have used sriracha)
Brown Sugar - 1 /4 tsp

Saute:
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Garlic - 1 tsp ( chopped, minced)
Ginger - 1 tsp (chopped, minced)
Green Chili - 3 ( chopped finely) - Optional
Whole Red Chili - 5 to 6 ( medium size)
Green Bell Pepper - 1/2 medium (2 Tbsp)
Red Bell Pepper - 1/2 medium ( 2 Tbsp)

Peanuts - 1/4 cup

Preparatory Steps:

• First cut chicken breast into small pieces, wash and add them to medium bowl. Add salt and black pepper rub it well to chicken pieces. Add 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce and 1 Tbsp Corn starch to the bowl, mix well until all chicken pieces are coated well. Cover the bowl with lid and let it sit aside allowing chicken to marinate.
• Take a small bowl, add all the ingredients under Sauce section in that order. Whisk well and keep it aside. Kung Pao sauce is ready.
• Mince Garlic and Ginger and keep them ready
• Chop green chili into small pieces.  Chop Green Bell Pepper and Red Bell Pepper into medium size cubes. 

Enjoy this exotic yet simple recipe,
take care until we meet here again
-Mythreyi

Making a Bread with Zucchini is pending on my 'Recipe to Try' list form long time. Finally one fine day, when I am set to empty the veggies in my fridge, then this recipe happened to make use of all of that zucchini. This loaf cake turned out super chocolaty, moist, delicious with very less effort. More over this recipe calls for minimalistic ingredients that are readily available in your pantry. I see this recipe happening many more times in my kitchen from now onwards (just like my eggless chocolate cake recipe), given that I have a house full of chocolate lovers! Here is the recipe, Njoy!

It is cold here, heart wants spicy and comforting food but body is lazy and couch potatoed, then mind is set to experiment with this Simple Egg Biryani in IP (Insta Pot), but it turned out as stunning and Spicy Egg Biryani. Love this version, keep sake recipe for rush times!

Spicy Egg Biryani in InstaPot!

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 4 cups ( I used 3 cups Basmati + 1cup Brown Rice)
Vegetable Oil - 3 Tbsp
Pulao Spices  - (Cinnamon -2, Clove - 4, Cardamom - 2, Star Anice - 1, Shazeera - 1 tsp)
Bay Leaves - 5
Red Onion - 1 mediumGreen Chili - 4
Tomato Puree - 1 cup ( I am out of tomatoes used 1 can roma dice potatoes)
Green Sweet Peas - 1/3 cup ( Frozen)
Salt - 2 tsp
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Everest Shahi Biryani Masala - 3 Tbsp
Coconut Milk - 1 can
Boiled Eggs - 4

Preparatory Steps:

• Wash Rice and soak for 15 min and drain in the colander and keep it aside.
• Chop onion and green chili lengthwise and keep it ready.
• Grind 2 cluster tomato in mixie and keep the tomato puree ready. ( if you don't have tomatoes, no need to be panic, you can use 1 can diced tomatoes like I did, today :-))
• Slice Boiled Eggs into halves and keep them aide in a wide plate.

Method:

1. Start the InstaPot (IP) in sauté mode.  Add Oil to the inner pot. Once oil is hot (in 1 min) add pulao spices, sauté for 30 sec. 
2. Next add chopped onion, green chili, frozen green peas and half of cilantro and mix with spices. saute for 1 min. Add 1 tsp of salt and mix it well.
3. Next add Tomato Puree ( or 1 can of diced tomatoes) to the pot and mix with onion mixture. Add 1 Tbsp Biryani Masala, mix it well with onion and tomato mixture. Close the lid loosely and let it simmer for 2 min ( until gravy comes together). 
4. Next add 1 can of coconut milk and mix well with onion tomato gravy, add 1 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp of Biryani Masala. Mix well everything and let it simmer for 2 min. 
5. Now add drained rice to the pot (Spread on top of gravy). Add 3 cups of water on top rice. Add 1 Tbsp of remaining Biryani Masala on top. ( DO NOT Stir or mix rice)
6. Now close IP with lid and secure/lock it. Change the IP setting to Manual/Pressure Cook mode and set it to 10 min. 
7. After 10 min do QR (Quick Release by wiggling the vent seal) to let the pressure out. Open Lid carefully, inside the pot rice is fully cooked now, add the boiled egg halves (facing yellow downside) on top of rice and sprinkle remaining cilantro and close the lid tightly and leave for 5 min. ( No need to ON now, the built-in inside pressure is enough to infuse eggs with masalas)
8. Now open the lid then fluff up the rice and transfer to serving bowl and serve hot with cucumber raita or onion raita on the side!

Notes:

• For more flavor you can add 1 Tbsp butter + 2 Tbsp Oil in place of 3 Tbsp of Oil
• You can add some more sliced red onions on top while serving for extra zing
• If you are not using coconut milk you can add 1/4 cup hung/greek plain yogurt to the gravy and adjust the water accordingly ( for 4 cups of rice - 5 cups of water, 3 cups of rice - 3 cups of water). This measure helps you to get the consistency that each grain is separate from each other.
• Onion Caramelization and Coconut milk cream subtle the biryani masala spices in this recipe.  Cream and Caramelization is key to balance the spices in this recipe, otherwise it will turn out super spicy and ruins the flavor and taste.
• You can try the same recipe in Pressure Cooker on stove top, make sure after 2 whistles switch off the stove, to get the perfect textured biryani rice.

As my garden yield so many fresh green chilies in different shapes (fat, short, long chilies), I couldn't resist to make some special dish with these. I have already tried popular Hyderabad recipe Mirchi ka Salan before, but this time i am in search of new flavor and variation for this Stuffed Green Chili recipe. I have browsed several recipes and regional styles, and finally settled on this version. Sesame and Coconut stuffing in this recipe gives such a creamy taste to this dish, I bet you wouldn't stop eating with one stuffed green chili. Hubby also gave thumbs up for this dish, now i can easily put those fresh organic home grown chilies for good use with this simple recipe. Here is the recipe for you, njoy!

• Dry roast sesame seeds and coconut powder for 1 min and keep them aside. Grind these in a small mixie jar or nut grinder to make it into fine powder.
• Saute chopped onion and tomato in a pan for 3 min. Let it cool and grind it in small mixie jar to paste. To this add sesame and coconut powder and grind one more time until every thing is mixed together becomes a thick paste. To this paste add salt, coriander powder and green chili powder mix well.

• Wash Green chili and tap them with paper towel to dry. Carefully make a slit in the middle and tap it down facing the slit down, to remove all the seeds. Repeat this for all the green chili and keep them aside in a wide plate.
• Fill each green chili with the sesame & coconut masala stuffing

If you are from South India and especially from Andhra region, I bet you never say NO to Bajji! Bajji is spicy or savory snack item that is popular as fantasy street food. There are several variations in making bajji or it can be made with several vegetables, but Mirapakaya Bajji is the most popular and favorite to everyone in spite of it's SPICYness (as it is made with green chili). There is a reason why I am giving you the history of Bajji, that is my Beerakaya Harvest! Confused...! Let me explain :-) My turai/beerakaya plant has given abundant harvest this season, I almost got 100 beerakaya/turai from my garden this year, after distributing to friends, colleagues and in community, I am still left with lot of Beerakaya, well that is a pleasure problem to have. :-) So I am in search of beerakaya recipes and started exploring every single one. A few I have tried so far are Beerakya Pachadi, Beerakaya Perugu Chutney, Beerakaya Pala kura, Beerakaya Nuvvula Kura! And today I made these Beerakaya Bajji, sine the beerakaya used in this recipe are home grown, they are very tender and gave superb fresh taste to these bajji. Here is the recipe, Njoy!



Ingredients:
Beerakaya - 2 Small
Besan Flour / Chick Pea Flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Ajwan seeds / Vamu - 1/4 tsp ( optional)
Paprika - 1/4 tsp ( or pinch of red chili powder)
Water - 1/4 cup
Oil - for deep frying


Method:

1. Trim the edges of beerakaya/turai and peel and wash them. Chop them into round slices and keep them side.
2. Take a medium size bowl, add besan flour, salt, paprika. crush Ajwan seeds roughly between your palms and add to bowl. Mix everything well. Add water slowly in increments and keep mixing until it forms like batter. ( it should be like dosa batter consistency).
3. Heat Oil in Kadai for  5 minutes or until oil is hot (for deep frying).
4. Once the oil is ready, dip the Turai rounds / Beerakaya slices in the besan batter and drop them gently in the hot oil. repeat this for all the rounds and deep fry these until they turn to golden color on both sides. 
5. Take the fried bajji on to a wide plate with kitchen towel spread (to remove excess oil) and let them cool for few minutes.
6. Transfer to serving bowl or plate and serve them warm with spicy hot sauce or ketchup. 

Notes:

• For this recipe, you need to pick tender beerakaya than ripen one. Pick about I foot long beerakaya that is usually tender. 
• Always taste one slice from beerakaya, there is a possibility that some times you can get bitter turai. You don't want to mix the good ones with bitter ones when you slice them.
• When dropping turali slices in oil, be careful, oil will be very hot and it can spill on your hands if you throw these into kadai.
• I don't like lot of besan coating on veggies, hence I mix the batter little runny, if you prefer thick bajji, you need to make the batter little thick.
• Ajwan seeds are optional, but usually these are good and pairs well with besan flour of health benefits. Ajwan will help to avoid the gas formation in tummy that besan flour can cause. 

Will be back with another simple fantasy recipe
take care until then
-Mythreyi