Better than take-out Chicken Fried Rice | Leftover recipes

We buy the fully cooked rotisserie chicken from walmart(read once a month) whenever we visit the place. I love it on my salads seasoned with some salt, pepper and garlic powder and then I love to make chicken salad with greek yogurt, pecans and cranberries which I have as it is or use it in sandwiches. This fried rice is my new favorite to use up the leftover chicken. Stir fried veggies, eggs, chicken and rice mildy flavored with soy sauce and loads of pepper ~ what more for a wholesome meal. I would recommend you to use sesame oil for the best results cos the nuttiness of the oil enhances the overall flavor of this dish.

Prep time: 20 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Rotisserie chicken - 1 cup, chopped Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Sesame oil - 2 tbsp Yellow onion - 1, small, chopped Carrots, beans - 1 cup, chopped Frozen peas - 1/4 cup Soy sauce - 2-3 tbsp Eggs - 2, lightly beaten Green onions - 1/8 cup, chopped Salt, pepper How I Made it: Heat sesame oil in a large pan or wok. Add onion and fry till translucent. Add the peas, beans and carrots and fry until tender. Move this to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables. Add the rice and chicken. Pour and gently combine. Add chopped green onions if desired.

Serve warm!!!

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Garam Masala Fried Rice

I am a true lover of garam masala. Not the ones that we get prepacked from the store. I am talking about the one that amma roasts at home and grinds fresh. Its got a unique flavor and aroma which the store bought ones can never acquire. Without doubt the first thing that I asked her when I started preparations to leave to the US was half kgs each of her homemade masala powders and an extra half kg of her garam masala. Now whenever I grab the garam masala powder from my pantry to flavor my curries, I always remember her and her varutharacha kozhi kuzhambu. It always tops my list of favorites and it can be made right by no-one else other than amma.

My love for garam masala is what made me to add the flavor to this fried rice and we totally loved it. If you are not in deep love with the spices then you can reduce the amount to 1/2 teaspoon or you could totally skip it. But then it would just be another regular fried rice.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 15 mins; Serves: 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Cooked Basmati rice - 2 cups Onions - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 6-7, finely chopped Cabbage - 1/2 cup, finely chopped Spring onions - a handful, chopped Salt, Pepper Oil - 1 tsp Low sodium soy sauce - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp How I Made it: Heat oil in a pan. Add the onions and saute till brown. Add in the chopped vegtables and saute till tender but crisp. Season with salt and pepper. Add the soy sauce followed by the garam masala. Once the raw smell goes off, add the spring onions and fry for 1 minute. Add the cooled rice and mix well.

Serve warm with any indo-chinese starters!!!

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Sriracha Egg Fried Rice | Easy Lunchbox recipes

Who all loves Sriracha??? Me and the huss are addicted to it these days. Our vegetable fried rice is never complete with a decent dose of hot Sriracha sauce. It all started after we had a take out from a nearby Chinese restaurant and the owner suggested we have it with some Sriracha sauce. Seeing the look on our faces he took the pain to pack us some sauce. The intensity of flavors and the chinese zing was enough for us to fall in love with the sauce and we grabbed our own bottle the next time we went shopping. Since then we have been using it to complete our chinese foods. To those who are not familiar with the sauce, Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in the Chonburi Province of Eastern Thailand, where it was possibly first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants.

This time when I was preparing fried rice, I thought of intensifying the flavors by adding a tablespoon of the sauce in the rice itself and both of us loved it to the core. To those who are not in favor of hotness, reduce the sauce per liking.

~*What U Need*~ Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Onion - 1, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 8-10, finely chopped Green peas - 1/2 cup Eggs - 2 Spring onions - 1/2 bunch Garlic clove - 2, finely chopped Soy sauce - 1 tsp Sriracha sauce - 1 tbsp Salt, Pepper Oil How I made it: Heat oil in a kadai and add the garlic cloves, fry till brown. Add the onions and fry till soft. Add the peas and cook till tender. Next add in the carrots and beans and saute for few mins. Add the soy and sriracha sauce and mix well. In another pan, scramble the eggs with some oil. Meanwhile to the veggies add the cooked rice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and then add the spring onions and scrambled eggs. Mix well and cook for another 2 mins.

Serve warm...

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Vegetable fried rice | Easy Lunchbox recipes

We are not very big fans of Chinese cuisine, to be frank the desire varies. There are days when we crave for nothing but Chinese and then there are days when Chinese seems like a distant world. Few days back I had this deep desire to have Chinese food and by Chinese, not the manchurian or schezhwan varieties. All I wanted was a simple fried rice ~ mildly flavored rice with lots of fresh crunchy vegetables. On first thought, I thought of packing some curd rice with potatoes for the huss's lunchbox and then preparing fried rice for me and pappu by around 12. But then the huss enjoys Chinese occasionally too and so I made this simple one pot meal for the three of us.

There are many versions of fried rice out there, it depends on individuals taste and what ur pantry carries too. Some use a wide range of sauces like chilli, light soy, dark soy, fish and many more while some keep it simple by adding just soy. I have even tasted fried rice with just pepper powder and that is how I like mine too. However I have given the amount of soy sauce that needs to be put in for your convenience.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cooking time: 20 mins; Serves - 2 ~*What U Need*~ Cooked basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups Onions - 1, sliced Spring onions - 2-3 stalks, chopped Carrot - 1, diced Beans - 4-5, diced Capsicum - 1/2, medium, diced Cabbage - 1/2 cup, shredded Peas - a handful Tomato ketchup - 2 tsp Soy sauce - 1 tsp(optional) Freshly ground pepper - 1 tsp, to taste Salt - to taste Oil - 1 tbsp Spring onions - to garnish How I Made it: Cook basmati rice and cool it for 1/2 an hour. Heat oil in a tawa, add the sliced onions and saute till tender but not soft. Add the veggies except the spring onions and saute till crisp and tender. Add the ketchup, soy sauce(if using) and mix well. Cook for 2 mins and then season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and spring onions and mix till evenly coated. Remove from flame and garnish with more spring onions.

Serve hot with side dish of choice... I served it with some chicken kebabs...

** My Notes:
** The rice should be non sticky and separated. You could use refrigerated rice too
** Donot overcook the veggies. It should be tender and crunchy.
** I skipped the soy sauce.

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Chilli Baby Corn ~ Gravy Version

Remember the chicken fried rice recipe that I posted some time back. Well this chilli baby corn was served as side with the fried rice. Both were not a striking combo, it would have been if it was chicken manchurian but that does not mean that the chilli baby corn was less by flavor. The dish was hot, saucy and so good. I made this gravy style but you can skip adding the water and make it dry. It makes a great accompaniment for naans, rotis or even chapathis.

One tip that I want to share is serve the dish immediately i.e., as soon as you add the fried baby corn to the prepared sauce. Allow it to rest for sometime and the corn loses that crispiness and starts getting soggy. Or else prepare the sauce, fry the baby corns and donot mix them. Just before serving, give it a stir, coat the baby corn pieces with the sauce and then serve.

As for this tip I got to know it the hard way. I made the dish, allowed it to rest for sometime and then gave it a quick re-heat and then served it. Thats why the baby corns look soggy and plump. Tastewise there was no difference, but visually the dish was a tad bit less appealing.

~*What U Need*~ Baby corn - 15 Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1 tbsp For Chilli Sauce Garlic - 6, finely chopped Ginger – 1" piece, finely chopped Chopped onions - 1/4 cup Capsicum, bite sized - 1/2 cup Chilli Powder – 1 tsp Green chilli - 2 or 3 Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp Soy sauce - 1 tsp Tomato sauce - 1 tsp Cornflour - 1 tsp, dissolved in water Red Food color – a pinch (Optional) Oil - tbsp + for deep frying For Batter: All Purpose Flour / Maida – 1/2 cup Corn flour – 2 tbsp Soya Sauce – 1 tsp Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Salt to taste Water - 1/2 cup

How I made it:
Cut the baby corn to bite sized pieces. Boil water in a pan, add turmeric powder and salt. Now add baby corn and parboil it. Drain and set aside. Heat oil for deep frying. Mix up the ingredients under batter list to a smooth paste. Dip the baby corn in the mixture till evenly coated. Fry till golden brown, drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai, add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min. Add onion and saute till glossy or 2 mins. Add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min. Add soy sauce, tomato sauce, chilli powder and chilli sauce. Mix well.

Add water and then add the cornflour slurry and cook in high flame till glossy. Add the fried baby corn, capsicum cubes and mix till evenly coated. Garnish with finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Serve hot with fried rice or any pulao varieties.

** My Notes:
** I skipped the green chilli as we are not that much into spiciness.
** U can skip the water and make this a semi-dry version.
** I skipped the red food color too and hence the mild color.

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Chicken Fried Rice

Have you tried the chicken fried rice from the Kaiyendhi bhavan's or mini hotels of "NAMMA CHENNAI". They taste too good and just right that you will want more. We have an occasional take-away from the mini hotel near our house or when the huss is in cooking mood, he makes this mixed fried rice. He sautes the veggies just right, adds the right amount of sauces and seasons it just the way it needs to be. Its his best dish till date.

We have been craving fried rice lately and since appa is away, we have no-one to get that take-aways for us. Finally we had to give in and so amma and me decided to make it at home. I always have those Chinese sauces at home and so putting them together sounded no big deal. In fact we thought it would be fun. What I have given below is the measurements that suited our palate, that which we came up with trial and error method. So do a taste check before you add some sauce or some pepper.

If you are a vegetarian then use crumble paneer instead of chicken, if you are an eggiterian then simply skip the chicken and if you are vegan, use just the veggies. Ajinomoto is a must for all fried rice recipes but lately a hell lot of research has been going on to ensure if it safe to use this in food... Why give it the benefit of doubt and so I never use it in my cooking... But if you are okay with it, then sprinkle a pinch of ajinomoto and mix well... I am not promoting the product at any cost here, but just telling that if u have used it in your cooking then add it when making this rice. They say it increases the flavor.

~*What U Need*~ Servings - 2 to 3 Cooked Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups For chicken fry: Chicken breast - 2 pieces Vinegar - 1 tsp Lemon juice - few drops Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch All purpose flour - 2 tbsp Cornflour - 1 tbsp Egg white - 1 Oil - to deep fry Onion - 1, sliced Beans - 7, chopped Carrot - 1, julienned Egg - 1 Green peas - 1/4 cup Soya sauce - 1 1/2 tsp Chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp Salt, pepper(2 tsp) - to season

How I Made it:
Cook your basmati rice with required water, cool and fluff with fork. Set aside. Mix the chicken with the ingredients given under chicken fry and marinate for 30 mins minimum. Deep fry in oil till cooked. Cool and shred or cut into pieces.

Chop onions and vegetables. Set aside. Heat oil, saute the onions for 2 mins. Move the onions to the other side of the pan, crack open the egg and scramble, mix with the onions.

Next add the vegetables and cook till tender but crisp. Add soya sauce, green chilli sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Add the shredded chicken and give it a quick stir. Add the rice and mix gently till well combined. Check for seasoning.

Serve warm!!!

** My Notes:
** The vegetables should not get fully cooked.
** Do the whole process in high or medium-high flame.
** Adding scrambled egg is optional.
** Similarly u can skip chicken and scramble 3 or 4 eggs to make egg fried rice.

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Spicy,Battered Prawn Fry ~ a perfect party pleaser

Imagine soft juicy prawns, enclosed in a spicy~crisp Indian styled batter. How good is that.. Yeah it was too good. The huss is a big fan of prawns and usually asks me to replicate the prawn thokku that MIL makes. Try how much, I never get that right. Mainly because I never add so much oil as she does, secondly there is this thing that they call kai pakkuvam which will take quite some time in the kitchen for me. After many failed attempts, I have started looking for new recipes with prawn and this is the first of the lot. Simple and finger-licking-ly spicy.

They make great party starters and you need just 15 mins to prepare them. Marinate the prawns and let them sit while you go about with the other preparations. When serving, dip in batter, deep fry and serve hot with your favorite dip. Yogurt-mint-coriander chutney serves best. To make them more appealing, serve them over a bed of julienne-d and assorted vegetables.

~*What U Need*~ Prawns - 1/2 kg, shelled & de-veined For batter All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Corn flour - 2 tbsp Soya sauce - 1 tbsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - to taste Water - as reqd For marination Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Oil to deep fry Toothpicks - as needed

How I Made it:
Marinate the prawns with the ingredients listed under to marinate for 30mins to 1 hr. At the time of frying, mix all the ingredients mentioned under "for batter" and bring it to dosa batter consistency (if you dip the prawns in it, it should form a coating). Heat oil till hot, dip the prawns in the batter and deep fry till done. Drain on to paper towels. Insert toothpicks and serve in platter.

Serve with dip of choice.

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Chilli Gobi ~ Dry

Okay now that all the celebrations have settled ~ Diwali, Christmas and finally Pongal is done ~ its time to settle and move over to everyday dining. We have Valentine's day next month but other than that there is no other festivity around the corner. So lets move on and have some Indo-Chinese dish like this spicy Chilly~Gobi.
I love to explore new cuisines ~ Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Arabian ~ name it and I would love to try a new dish from their culture. But the huss is just the opposite. Kebabs, tandooris and samosas are his things. One cuisine which both of us like to explore is Chinese. And that too he restricts to the Indo-Chinese combo. Gobi manchurian is one among the few Indo-chinese dishes that we have often and of the many I have tasted, I love the one that Wang's kitchen serves. They are crispy, chewy and tastes just right.
Disclaimer: This line is not a paid review. I have put it here out of my own interest.

Its the season of cauliflower here and the market is filled with fresh cauliflowers and the price is so cheap. Open my fridge at any point of time, this season and you can see a cauliflower peeping out. I love to include them in my salads with a simple mayo dressing and I just parboil them after good cleaning. That way they are crunchy and fresh. And for the huss, I make these cauliflower pakodas for his evening tea.

I generally don't prefer to include deep fried dishes in our meal but I break the rules once in a blue moon. Home-made rather than outside food sounds better to me. Atleast we could limit the oil and we can have a clean conscious that we are using ingredients which we know and which we handle. And it makes for a lunch which pleases your dear ones which gives you a satisfaction.
Now coming to the recipe, its hot, spicy and more hot with a slight hint of sweetness thus making it a perfect accompaniment for veg fried rice. You can add 2 or 3 chillies depending on the preferred spiciness but do keep in mind that we are adding chilli powder and green chilli sauce.

~*What U Need*~ Cauliflower florets - 2 cups Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1 tbsp For Chilli Sauce Garlic - 6, finely chopped Ginger – 1" piece, finely chopped Chopped onions - 1/4 cup Chilli Powder – 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp Soy sauce - 1 tsp Tomato sauce - 1 tsp Cornflour - 1 tsp, dissolved in water Red Food color – a pinch (Optional) Oil - tbsp + for deep frying For Batter: All Purpose Flour / Maida – 1/2 cup Corn flour – 2 tbsp Soya Sauce – 1 tsp Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Salt to taste Water as needed

How I made it:
Boil water in a pan, add turmeric powder and salt. Now add cauliflower florets and parboil it. Drain and set aside. Heat oil for deep frying. Mix up the ingredients under batter list to a smooth paste. Dip the cauliflower in the mixture till evenly coated.

Fry till golden brown, drain and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai, add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min.

Add onion and saute till glossy or 2 mins. Add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min. Add soy sauce, tomato sauce, chilli powder and chilli sauce. Mix well.

Finally add the cornflour slurry and cook in high flame till glossy. Add the fried cauliflowers and mix till evenly coated. Garnish with finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves and serve.

Serve hot with fried rice or any pulao varieties.

** My Notes:
** I skipped the green chilli as we are not that much into spiciness.
** You can also make this as a gravy version.Add 1 cup water after adding the cornflour, and increase the cornflour to 2 tsp.
** Its hot with a mild sweetness which makes a perfect side for fried rice.
** Add salt if needed after doing a taste test. I skipped it cause the salt from the soy and chilli sauce did the business for me.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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