Peppered to Perfection

Written by Meena Agarwal on January 9th, 2007 |

Pepper Chicken
Pepper Chicken

There are certain times in a year when all I want to do is nothing more than cuddle up with a great book and nibble on some extra-spicy food. Throw in a few cold winds my way, and the mood is set. With Hubby Dear out on one of his business tours, leaving me all alone to face the dilemma of what to pack for our upcoming tropical vacation, I was definitely in the need for some spiced up comfort.

While I successfully managed to pick certain favourites from my existing wardrobe, and shopped for what I deemed as must-haves for a holiday by the beach, I was still to face the toughest part - fitting it all into one lousy teeny-tiny suitcase. Okay, so maybe it’s not all that teeny-tiny, but it’s still too small for the 27 various outfit combinations I solemnly swear I need for the 7-day trip. And that’s not including all the coordinating shoes and accessories! Well, what can I say, I like to travel Bollywood style.

I suddenly realized as I emerged from the pile of clothes I was almost buried under, that I had spent the last four hours rummaging through my closet, getting all my “to-pack” things in order. Long past my regular lunch time, it had just occured to me how hungry I actually was. So I lazily stolled into my kitchen with no inspiration what-so-ever. Then, as if something called out to me, I recalled how I had left some chicken to defrost the night before. Okay, so I had chicken on my mind. What to do with it, I still had no idea.

And then I just began to play. A slight variation to this classic favourite, this recipe can leave you sprinting to the nearest bottle of cold water. But nonetheless, it’s a perfect call for a cold late winter afternoon. So ahead, don’t be afreaid, definitely give it a try. But then don’t go about saying I didn’t warn you!

PEPPER CHICKEN
Prep time: 20 min | Cooking time: 15 min | Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side

  • 2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 7-8 curry leaves
  • 3 green chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic, crushed
    		•
  • 1 tbsp soya sauce
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
  • 2 tbsp light cooking oil
    		•

    MIX chicken pieces with salt, turmeric and chilli powder and set aside to marinate for about an hour. In a non-stick pan, heat oil and fry chicken till brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

    IN the same pan, add more oil if necessary, and saute curry leaves, green chillies, garlic till fragrant. Add sliced onions and fry till lightly transparent. Add green pepper, salt, and pepper, a fry for another minute or two.

    ADD fried chicken pieces and soya sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes, allowing flavours to blend well.

    This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 9th, 2007 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Recipes: Gluten-free (naturally or easily adaptable), Recipes: Non-Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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