Chilli Fish

The Chinese origins who have successfully settled in some parts of Kolkata have highly influenced the local community with their food. The early Chinese settlers adapted and cooked the dishes as per ingredients availabled in the local market which gave birth to Indian Chinese Cuisine. The Indian Chinese food which has less similarities with the original Chinese food is now very commonly sold at every corners of the street in Kolkata and spread across India.

Some of the common Indian Chinese dishes that are sold are chow mein,Hakka noodles, fried rice, chilli chicken or fish, manchurian,  Schezwan etc.

Last time when my husband and myself had been to the fish market, we had picked up various types of fish. After our trip back home, I found a packet of Bhetki fillets in the freezer.

My husband said, How about making Chilli Fish? - to which I agreed.

He too is a good cook, and loves to help me in the kitchen. He chopped all the vegetables required to make the dish and here is the recipe.....

For the Marinate and Fried Fish

Ingredients

400 grams Boneless Fish cubes

1 tbsp Garlic minced

Salt to taste

1/4 cup Cornflour

1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 Egg beaten

1/2 cup Oil to fry

Method

Marinate the fish cubes with garlic, salt and soy sauce. Keep it aside for 15 minutes. Add the egg and mix well. Add corn flour and all purpose flour and mix well until all the fish cubes are coated well in the batter. Add oil in to a fry pan and heat it. Add the marinated fish cubes in batches and fry them until golden brown. Remove the fish on the paper towel. Keep it aside.

For the Chilli Fish

Ingredients

Fried Fish

1 Onion sliced or cubed

1 Green Capsicum sliced or cubed

8 to 10 Green Chillies cut into halves

1 tbsp Garlic minced

1 small piece Ginger cut into julienne

1 tbsp chopped Spring Onion

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Green Chilli Sauce

2 tbsp White Vinegar

2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Cornflour

4 tbsp Same Oil in which the fish has been fried

Method

Take a pan, heat the oil. Add garlic and ginger, sauté for few seconds. Add the onions and capsicum and continue to sauté for a minute. Add 3/4 cup water and let it simmer for a minute. Meanwhile take the corn flour in a small bowl, add 2 tbsp water and mix it. Now add the salt, soy sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce and tomato ketchup into the gravy and stir. Let it simmer for a minute. Add the fish and let simmer for few seconds. Add the green chillies and stir. Add the corn flour mix into the gravy, continue to cook till the gravy thickens up. Switch off the flame. Garnish it with chopped spring onions. Serve it hot with  noodles or fried rice.

Sticky Pork Belly

This piece of pork belly had been in my freezer for some time now. Even though I love pork, but I  don't cook it frequently in my house. I wanted to make crispy pork belly, but I found that the recipe was a bit lengthy, since my husband wanted to have fried rice, I thought this easy recipe was ideal to go with the fried rice. 

Pork belly is very popular and it’s a delicacy in many parts of the world. 

Here I have cooked Chinese style Sticky Pork Belly using star anise.  It’s very easy to make and extremely delicious. I love the sweet taste in it and the flavour of star anise. 

I followed kitchen Sanctuary's recipe... But I have made few changes in the recipe. 

For the Sticky Sauce

Ingredients 

2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce 

2 tbsp Rice Wine (Optional) 

1 tsp Garlic minced 

1/2 tsp Ginger minced

1 tbsp Green Chilli minced 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Honey 

2 tbsp Oil

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl and keep it aside. 

To make the Sticky Pork Belly

Ingredients 

500 grams Pork Belly cut into pieces 

1 Star Anise

4 to 5 sliced Ginger

4 to 5 whole Garlic crushed

1 stem of Spring Onion cut into 2 inch’s and then cut into thin slices lengthwise 

Salt to taste 

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 cup Vegetable stock or Chicken stock

Sticky Sauce

2 tbsp Oil 

Method 

Take a wok and add  oil, add the Pork pieces and stir it on high flame for a minute. Add the brown sugar and salt. Stir it for another minute. Remove the Pork pieces. In the same wok add the stock, ginger, garlic and star anise, let the stock come to a boil. Add the Pork Belly pieces. Cover and let it slow cook till the liquid has evaporated completely. Continue to stir the Pork belly for a minute. Add the sticky sauce, stir and cook it till the sauce has coated well on the Pork pieces. Garnish with spring onions and few red chilli slices. Serve with fried rice or enjoy as a starter. 

Chinese Bird's Nest

Chinese Bird's  Nest

For the Nest

Ingredients 

1 bowl of Rice Vermicelli boiled (1/4 packet of Rice Vermicelli boiled in water with salt and 1 tsp Oil and drained )

Oil for frying 

Method 

Take a round steel strainer. Adjust the rice vermicelli  in the strainer. Press another similar strainer on top. Heat oil and deep fry the vermicelli till brown. Keep it aside till the filling is made.

For the Filling 

Ingredients 

3 Eggs boiled

1 cup Corn boiled

1 Onion cubes

1 tsp Garlic chopped 

1 Carrot roll cut

1 Green Capsicum cubes

1cup Cabbage shredded 

1/4 cup Spring Onions chopped 

2 tbsp Soy sauce 

1 tbsp Chilli sauce 

1 tbsp Vinegar 

1 tsp Honey 

1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Salt to taste 

2 tbsp Oil

Method 

Take a wok, add oil and heat it. Add the garlic and onion. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the vegetables one by one ( save little cabbage and spring onion for garnishing) and stir fry on full flame for a minute or two. Add the all the sauce, vinegar,  honey, ketchup and salt. Stir it for a minute and the filling is ready.

To make the bird's nest, take the fried vermicelli  bowl. Add the filling and decorate the egg to look like a bird and add the egg bird on top. Garnish with cabbage and spring onions. Serve immediately. 

Orange Prawns served with Prawn and Egg Fried Rice

Orange Prawns 

To a Marinate the Prawns 
Ingredients

1 bowl of medium size Prawns

1 Egg White 

1 tbsp Soy Sauce 

Salt to taste 

Method 

Take a bowl and combine all the above ingredients and keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes. 

For Frying the Marainated Prawns

Ingredients 

Marinated Prawns

1/2 cup Corn Starch

Oil for frying 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil and heat it. Add the corn starch in a plate. Take one piece of prawns at a time and coat it with corn starch. Add the coated prawns in the hot oil and fry till brown in colour. Keep it on a absorbent paper. 

For the Sauce

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Fresh Orange juice

1/2 cup Chicken stock

1 big size Garlic clove grated 

1 tsp Orange zest

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1½ tbsp Soy sauce

Salt to taste

2 tsp Brown Sugar Or Sugar 

1 tbsp Corn Starch dissolved in 1 tbsp of water 

1 tsp Sesame oil

Method 

In a mixing bowl combine all the above ingredients and keep it aside. 

To make Orange Prawns

Ingredients 

Fried Prawns

Sauce 

1 tsp Sesame oil 

1/2 tsp Spring Onions chopped  

Method

Take a wok, add the oil, let it heat, add the sauce. Stir it and on low heat cook the sauce till it starts to thicken. Add the prawns and stir it. Cook the prawns in the sauce till the sauce has thicken and incooperated well in the sauce. Sprinkle spring onion for garnishing. Serve with Prawn and Egg Fried Rice. 

Prawn and Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients 

4 cups cooked Rice

1/2 bowl of small size Fried Prawns ( Marinated with 1 tbsp Soy sauce and egg, coated with cornflour and fried) 

1 bowl of Fried Egg pieces ( 2 Egg beaten with salt and fried) 

2 tsp Garlic grated 

1 tsp Ginger grated 

1/2 cup Red , Yellow and Green Capsicum diced 

1/4 cup Cabbage shredded 

1/4 cup Mushroom sliced 

1 Onion chopped 

1 tbsp Spring Onion chopped 

Salt to taste 

2 tsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Fish Sauce

1 tsp Chilli Vinegar

2 tbsp Sesame Oil 

 

Method 

Heat the oil in a wok, heat the oil on high flame. Add  the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add the capsicum, cabbage, mushrooms, and onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar. Stir it. Add the prawns. Stir it and add the rice and the salt. Stir fry the rice  till  the rice has incoperated well with the other ingredients. Garnish with spring onions and fried egg pieces. Serve hot. 

Filipino Style Chicken Curry

Filipino  Style Chicken Curry
Ingredients
500 grams Chicken cut into pieces
2 medium size Potatoes peeled and cut into 4 pieces
1 Big size Onion cut into cubes
1 Big size Carrot cut into medium size pieces
1 Green Capsicum cut into cubes
1 Red Capsicum cut into cubes
6 Garlic cloves chopped
1 small piece of Ginger chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper crushed
2 tbsp Curry powder
1 tbsp Fish sauce
2 cups of Water
1 cup Coconut milk
2 tbsp Oil

Method
Take a wok, add oil and heat it. Fry the potato pieces till light brown in colour. Remove it from the oil and keep it aside. Add the chicken and fry till brown in colour. Add garlic, ginger and onion together. Let it sauté for few minutes until soften.Add the fish sauce, salt, pepper and curry powder. Stir it until properly mixed. Add the water. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Lower the heat and  add the red and green cupsicum, potatoes and carrots. Simmer till the potato pieces are almost done.  Add coconut milk and stir occasionally and cook for 5 minutes. Serve it while still hot.

P.S. I did not have red capsicum so I added red chilli sliced

Egg and Prawn Fried Rice served with Sweet and Sour Prawns

Egg and Prawn Fried Rice served with Sweet and Sour Prawns

For making Fried Prawns
Ingredients
2 cups medium shelled Prawns
1/2 cup Corn starch
1 Egg
1 tbsp Garlic minced
1/4 tsp Chilli minced
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
Oil for frying

Method
Take the Prawns in a bowl, mix in all the above ingredients except oil. Mix it well. Heat the wok. Add oil for frying. Heat it. Add the prawns and fry it till light brown, drain the oil and keep it on a absorbent paper.

For the Egg and Prawn Fried Rice
Ingredients
3 cups Rice cooked
1 cup fried Prawns
1 tbsp Garlic minced
1/4 tbsp Ginger minced
1/4 tbsp Chilli minced
1/4 cup Carrot and Capsicum minced
2 tbsp Spring Onion finely chopped
2 Eggs beaten
2 tbsp Soya sauce
1 tbsp Vinegar
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
2 1/2  tbsp Oil

Method
Take a wok, add 1/2 tbsp oil. Heat it, add the beaten eggs, sprinkle salt. Stir the eggs, make scramble eggs, take it out from the wok and  keep it aside. Add the remaining oil, heat till the smoking point. Add the garlic,ginger and chilli minced. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and capsicum minced. Sauté it for 2 minutes more. Add vinegar, soya sauce, salt and pepper powder. Stir it, Add the rice, keep on stirring for 2 to 3 minutes till the sauce and the rice had incorporated well. Add the fried prawns, eggs and spring onions before serving.

Sweet and Sour Prawns
Ingredients
1 cup Fried Prawns
1 cup Pineapple cubed
1 tbsp Garlic Minced
1/2 tsp Chilli minced
1 tsp Ginger minced
1 tbsp Spring Onions finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
1 tbsp Vinegar
1 tbsp Soya sauce
1 tbsp Hot Basil Stir-Fry Sauce (optional)
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Corn Starch
1 tbsp Roasted Seseam seeds
2 tbsp Sesame seed Oil

Method
Take a bowl, add the corn starch, vinegar, soya sauce, basil sauce, honey,pepper, salt and 1 cup water. Mix the sauce and keep it aside. Take a pan, add the oil. Heat it.Add the Garlic, Ginger and chilli minced, sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the pineapple and the prawns, saute it for 2 minutes more. Add the sauce mix. Stir it. Let it simmer  on a full flame till the gravy thickens a bit. Sprinkle spring onions and roasted sesame seeds. Serve it hot.

Stired Fried French Beans with Chicken

Stired Fried French Beans with Chicken
Ingredients
250 grams French beans cut into 2 halves
1 cup Boneless Boiled Chicken flakes
1 tsp Garlic minced
1 Onion sliced
1/2 tbsp Soya sauce
1/2 tbsp Oyster sauce
1 tbsp  Red chilli sauce
1 tbsp  Rice vinegar
1 tsp Honey
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Roasted Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Oil
Method
Boil the French beans till half cooked. Take oil in a pan, heat it. Add garlic and sauté it for few seconds, add onion and fry till translucent. Add the beans and chicken, stir fry on high flame for 2 minutes, add soya sauce, oyster sauce, chilli sauce, rice vinegar, honey and salt. Stir fry the beans for 3 minutes. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and serve hot with rice.

Kolkata style mixed Chow mein

Kolkata Style Mix Chow mein -

Chow mein has originally come from the Chinese and is spread by them in Kolkata and is a very popular street food of Kolkata. It means stirred Fried Noodles which is made in various ways. 

Ingredients:

1 Packet Egg noodles 

1/2 cup Chicken boiled and shredded 

1/2 cup Prawns 

2 Eggs

1 Carrot cut into fine strips

1 Capsicum sliced 

1/2 cup Cabbage sherdded 

1 onion sliced

1 tbsp chopped Garlic and Green Chillies 

1/2 cup chopped  Spring onion 

1 tbsp Soy Sauce 

1 tbsp Chilli  sauce 

1 tbsp Vinegar 

3 tbsp Oil

Method 

Boil the noodles and keep aside.

Now heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the  prawns, sprinkle little salt and keep aside. After that beat 2 eggs and fry them as scramble egg,  sprinkle some salt and keep them aside too.

Now heat some more oil and fry onion and garlic - chilli chopped. Now add all the other vegetables except spring onions. When the vegetables are half cooked add the boiled shredded chicken, prawns and scramble egg, salt to taste, boiled noodles, soy sauce, vinegar  and chilli  sauce and stir fry for few minutes. Now add spring onions and mixed chowmein is ready to serve.

For vegetarian - It's the same process, just remove the non veg from the ingredients.

General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's Chicken
It is a sweet, slightly spicy, deep-fried chicken dish that is popularly served in most Chinese and Asian themed American restaurants. The dish is most commonly regarded as a Hunanese dish.
The dish is named after General Tso Tsung-tang, or Zuo Zongtang, a Qing dynastygeneral and statesman, although there is no recorded connection to him.
Informative source Net..

For Chicken Marination and Frying
Ingredients
500 grams boneless chicken cubes
3 tbsp Soy sauce
1 Egg beaten
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
5 tbsp Cornstarch
All purpose flour as needed
Salt as required
Oil for fry

Method
Combine the chicken cubes with the egg, soy sauce, and pepper. Add  cornstarch to coat the chicken. Take all purpose flour give second coat to the Chicken cubes. Heat oil in a wok and fry the chicken cubes.

For the Sauce
2 tbsp  Soy sauce
1 tbsp  Rice vinegar
1 tbsp Oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp Sesame seed Oil
1 tbsp Sugar
3 tablespoons Water
1 tbsp Ginger minced
2 tbsp Garlic minced
2 tsp  Cornstarch 
2 tbsp spring onions chopped for garnishing
5 small Dried red chilli for seasoning
1/2 tbsp oil for seasoning
Note: As soya sauce is salty add salt as required..

Method
Combine the sauce ingredients in the bowl, stir to mix the ingredients. Add 1/2 tsp oil in a wok. Add red chillies. Sauté it for few seconds. Add the sauce. Cook it till thick. Add the fried chicken cubes and mix it. Add the chopped spring onion for garnishing. Serve hot.