Of Pencil Sharpeners and D7000s

Even a simple pencil sharpener looks exotic with the new D7000. My first photo with the new camera.

 

Stuffed Chicken Breast With Pineapple Sauce

SCBWPS (read the title, dude!), a dish served at Salt n’ Pepper (or SNP - one of the popular eateries) in Lahore (Pakistan), brings back a lot of fond memories from my post-grad days. I associate this phenomenal recipe with some of the happiest times in my life. I happened to visit Lahore a few months ago and luckily, SNP was just around the corner from where I was staying. Needless to say, SNP was my first stop after a long and tiring day of travel. As I took my seat in the restaurant, I couldn’t help but reminisce all the good times I had had with my friends. The table where we had sat numerous times, sharing jokes and jibing at each other, was empty, but I could clearly picture all my friends sitting around it as if it were only yesterday.

Try as I might, I couldn’t shake off the nostalgia even after my return to Karachi, so I coaxed my wife into attempting this feat at home; what can I say? A craving’s a craving. So what makes this recipe so special? Well, for starters, the pineapple sauce on top is divine, not to mention the crispy deep-fried chicken breast with stuffed-cheese that just oozes out as soon as you slice it open. I’m not a big fan of the pureed spinach on the side, but the fries and the coleslaw take the dish to an entire new level. Most of all, it’s the surprisingly refreshing sweet-tangy taste that blows your mind, a combination that you never-in-a-million-years thought would work with chicken, but it somehow does.

The Original SCBWPS

This one goes out to all my friends who live in and around Lahore for all the heartache your incessant gloating has caused after you’ve been to SNP for your SCBWPS fix; “Suck it people; I can have SCBWPS whenever I want!”

Apologies for taking some time out to get my gloat on (Oh it’s on, like Donkey Kong), let me dive straight into the recipe; but before I do, I’d just like to mention that I did spice things up a bit by adding some chili components to the chicken. So if you’d like to stick to the original recipe, you can leave the optional ingredients out of the recipe.

Ingredients

For Chicken Breasts

• 2 chicken breasts complete with wings (do not debone it)
• 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp cheddar cheese
• a pinch of oregano
• ¼ tsp + ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp chili sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp mustard sauce
• ½ tsp MSG (ajinomoto or Chinese salt)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup corn flour
• ½ tsp chili flakes or paprika for a milder flavor (optional)
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

For Pineapple Sauce

• 1 can of diced pineapples (Del Monte works best)
• ¾ tsp corn flour
• ½ cup water
• 8-10 carrot shavings (thinly-sliced squares)
• 8-10 cucumber shavings (thinly-sliced squares)
• ½ tbsp corn (optional)
• 1 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
• a pinch of black pepper
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp honey

Sidelines

• French fries
• Coleslaw
• Pureed spinach seasoned with some salt and pepper

Method

For Chicken Breasts

1. Clean and wash the chicken breasts; add ¼ tsp black pepper, chili sauce, soy sauce, mustard sauce, some salt and MSG and marinate it for 6-8 hours
2. Mix the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses with the oregano and set aside
3. Take each breast and make a small slit along the plastic bone (see drawing – stop judging me, people; I got my point across, didn’t I?)
4. Carefully stuff in the cheese mixture into the chicken cavity and press it all the way in so that it doesn’t run back out during deep-frying
5. In another bowl, mix in the all-purpose flour, corn flour, ¼ tsp black pepper, chili flakes (or paprika), and some salt to make the dry batter
6. Take each stuffed breast and coat it properly with the dry batter
7. Deep fry the chicken pieces in oil on medium-high heat till they are nicely crisp and golden; using a deep fryer here yields better results; set aside after frying

For Pineapple Sauce

1. Boil the carrot shavings as well as the corn to tenderize them
2. Take a saucepan and add in all the liquid content of the pineapple can to it; let it simmer on a low-medium flame
3. In a bowl, take the corn flour and water and mix it well
4. Slowly add in the corn flour mixture to the pan, stirring it all the while to avoid lumps
5. Cook it for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and the whiteness of the corn flour vanishes completely
6. Add in the black pepper, salt and honey
7. Add in 8-10 chunks of crushed pineapple to the sauce
8. Let it cook for 3 minutes and then add in the carrots, corn and thinly-sliced spring onion
9. Add in the cucumbers last and take it off the flame immediately
10. In a plate, take one of the chicken breasts, top it off with a generous serving of the pineapple sauce and serve immediately with french fries, coleslaw and spinach puree

Here are the finished results.

 

The Singaporean Rice Saga

Karachi wedding receptions are very different from those in any other region of Pakistan, as even though the bride and groom are (supposed to be) the main attraction, it’s the food that takes the limelight. A menu can either make or break a wedding, and you’d be darned if you selected something the guests end up hating; and don’t even get me started on the menu-bashing uncles and aunties who’ll torture you for weeks (and even months) to come!

Keeping in view the Karachiite’s mindsets, caterers try adding new and exciting dishes to their portfolios, giving the gossip-mongers something positive to talk about. ‘Fish with lemon sauce’ and ‘Chimichangas’ are two such recent inductions, but what really took the wedding world by storm a few years back was the in(ter)vention of Singaporean Rice (a.k.a. SR). Till today, seven out of ten weddings you go to will have this dish.

Since this dish is not available in mainstream restaurants, you either have to wait for the next SR wedding or make a batch at home; and then you turn to Google! Ever wondered why your Google search for a top-notch Singaporean Rice recipe always returns results from Pakistan? It’s because technically, there is not such thing as Singaporean Rice, at least not in Singapore! However during the course of my research, I did stumble upon a recipe for Hainanese Chicken Rice, a popular Singaporean staple dish that is miles apart, in taste as well as in presentation, from what we are led to believe is ‘Singaporean’ Rice.

Our caterers know that associating the word ‘Singaporean’ with a dish gives it an exotic, oriental twist, no matter how mundane it really may be. But origins aside, this is one mean rice platter, with each aromatic and creamy spoonful resulting in a taste blast, a wave of pure unadulterated pleasure, leaving your heart wanting more even if your stomach’s had had enough. Being an SR connoisseur, you have to take my word for it; this recipe that I’m about to share with you is perhaps the best SR recipe around and I’m sure you’ll believe me once you give it a try.

Ingredients

• 1 kg rice
• 1 bowl macaroni
• 4-5 boneless chicken breasts (cut in ¾ inch cubes)
• 1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
• 6 tomatoes (ripe and medium-sized)
• 3 carrots (medium-sized)
• 3 capsicums (large)
• ¹⁄₄ kg cabbage
• 7 stalks of spring onion
• 20 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
• 3 onions (medium-sized and chopped)
• 3-4 green chilies (thinly sliced vertically – remove seeds)
• 8 tbsp chili sauce
• 10 tbsp soy sauce
• 8 tbsp chili garlic sauce (only Knorr works best)
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Chinese salt (msg/ajinomoto)
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground red chilies
• salt to taste
• cooking oil (for frying and cooking)

Method

• Fry thinly sliced garlic in oil on medium flame till golden; set aside on a plate with a tissue to absorb excess oil
• Fry sliced green chilies in oil till they have a nice and crispy coat; keep it with the fried garlic – let’s call this component A
• Put 4 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions till it becomes translucent
• Add cubed tomatoes to the onions, along with the ginger/garlic paste
• Add in 3/4 of the soy sauce, the chili sauce, 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce, red chili powder, ground red chilies, Worcestershire sauce, Chinese salt, and some salt to the mixture
• Cook this mixture until oil surfaces
• Add all the chicken to this mix and cook till the chicken is tender
• Add in diced carrots, capsicum, cabbage, and spring onions and cook till the vegetables are slightly tender; this is now ready – this, we’ll call component B
• Boil the rice and strain it
• Put 3 tbsp oil in a utensil and add the boiled rice to it
• Add the black pepper and some salt, the remaining soy sauce and a dash of Chinese salt to the rice, and mix well; take it off the stove once ready – we’ll call this C
• Boil macaroni and set it aside in a bowl – let’s call this D
• In a separate bowl, add the remaining chili garlic sauce to the mayonnaise – we’ll call it E
• Once you have all the components from A to E ready, take a deep serving dish and add a layer of the rice (component C) at the base
• Cover this rice layer with the gravy (component B)
• Add a generous amount of macaroni on top of the gravy (component D)
• The mayo-sauce comes next (component E)
• To finally bring the dish together, sprinkle some crispy garlic flakes and some fried green chilies on top of the sauce (component A)

Your Singaporean rice is ready to serve! As always, I hope you try this dish at home and enjoy it thoroughly. Also, it does have a slightly high chili content so you may adjust the spices according to your taste.

Ciao!

 

Nando’s Peri Bites

Nando’s has taken grilled chicken to a whole new level and the secret’s in their sauce. But eating at Nando’s can put a nifty dent in your pocket. Thankfully, the sauces are readily available at any good grocery store and/or hyper market.

Like my fellow bird lovers, I go to Nando’s for the best grilled chicken on the planet, but to truly whip up an appetite and to get the taste of what’s to come, you have to order the Peri Bites. These mouth-watering chillies are deep-fried with a crisp coat, and have a cheesy centre with a little chunk of their famous peri-basted chicken. For those unlucky few who live in a country where Nando’s doesn’t serve these treats, here’s a pocket-friendly way to try these out within the confines of your own homes.

Ingredients

• ½ chicken breast
• 2 tsp peri-peri sauce (hot or wild flavor)
• ½ tsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp grated cheese (cheddar or mozzarella or one tbsp each)
• 8-10 green chilies (approx. 3 inches in length)
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 cup bread crumbs (for coating)
• 1 cup milk (for coating)
• A piping bag with the long nozzle (thin opening) or a sterile syringe (with the needle removed)

Method

1. Take the chicken breast and cut it into small ½ inch pieces
2. Put cooking oil in a frying pan, add the chicken and the peri-peri sauce, and cook until the chicken is tender (approx. 80% cooked)
3. In another sauce pan, heat the milk and add the cheese to it; when the texture is nice and smooth, let it sit till it reaches room temperature
4. Mix in the mayonnaise to the cheese sauce and fill it up in the piping bag or syringe
5. Using a knife, carefully make a cut perpendicular to the base of the chilies, 1 to 1.5 cm in length; remove the seeds with caution without tearing the chili surface
6. Insert one chicken chunk into each chili followed by a small quantity of the cheese sauce using a piping bag or syringe
7. Keep these chilies in the freezer for 1 hour
8. Now mix the egg white in a separate bowl and pour it on top of the chilies; also mix in the flour, salt and pepper into the mix and coat all the chilies evenly
9. Roll each chili in bread crumbs, followed by a dip in the milk and back into the bread crumbs for a nice, thick coat
10. Once all chilies are done, put them in the freezer for another 15 minutes so that the coating can settle properly
11. Deep fry in very hot oil until they have a nice golden coat
12. Serve immediately with peri-peri sauce, tomato ketchup or mayonnaise

The image above shows the results I got from my first attempt and I know I did a sloppy job on the coating, but you can do better; believe me. I hope you enjoy these insane appetizers as much as I did deconstructing them.

Cheers!