Shrimply Delicious, Chili-Garlic Prawn

Some days are such, I want dinner made under 10 minutes. This does not necessarily mean I pop in the microwave a TV dinner. By now, you know my habit of cooking fresh and homemade and from-the-scratch. Well, its not really a myth to do all that in 10 minutes. Or 20 maybe.

Here is something that will give Rachael Ray a run for her money – my Chili-Garlic Prawn, with an approximate cook time of 10.

Ingredients for Chili-Garlic Prawn are:

10 large shrimps, remove shell, keep tail and devein. I used the black colossal tiger shrimps from St. Lawrence Market.

For the marinade: 
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 heaped tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch of black pepper powder
Pinch of sugar
White of 1 egg

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and dunk the shrimps in it. Keep for 20-30 minutes.

For the sauce:
1 medium size onion, yellow or red, cut into quarters and petals separated
5-6 fat cloves of garlic, sliced
3-4 green chilies, sliced
3 tablespoons Sambal Oelek
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Pinch of sugar
3+3 tablespoons canola oil

Heat half the oil in a Chinese wok. Remove the prawns from the marinade and shallow fry them in the hot oil, turning them mid way. Give each side of the shrimp about 2-3 minutes in the heat, so that its tail curl up and it turns pink. Do this in batches if your wok is small. Keep them aside.

Start with a clean wok to make the sauce and finish the dish. Heat the remaining oil and add the garlic and green chilies. Sauté for a couple of minutes without turning the garlic brown. Toss in the onions. Sweat them on high for 3-4 minutes.
In a bowl, mix together the tomato ketchup, sambal oelek, soy sauce, and sugar. Pour it on the onions, etc. Give it a good stir and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add the vinegar. I did not add any salt to my dish as all the sauces have ample salt in them.

Now add the prawns to the sauce. Coat them well, cook for 2-3 minutes in the sauce and turn the heat off. Serve immediately with steamed rice or a fried rice you like.


Now who was keeping the time?

Sanjeev Kapoor’s Banarasi Chilli Chicken

There is nothing much to write about this recipe since it is not mine or my Mum’s. You go watch the video where Chef Sanjeev Kapoor demonstrates how he made his Banarasi Chilli Chicken.

Of course, when you come back, I will give you my measurements and pictures for his recipe.

Ingredients for Sanjeev Kapoor’s Banarasi Chilli Chicken are:

500 grams boneless chicken (I used thigh pieces, which are more tender than breast portions)
Quarter cup + quarter cup dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons green chili sauce
2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 medium size red onion, halved and cut into thick slices
1 medium size green bell pepper/capsicum, halved and cut into slices
6-7 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5-6 green hot peppers/chilies, chopped finely
Half teaspoon black pepper powder
Canola oil for deep frying
1 egg
Salt

 
Cut bite-size pieces of the chicken. In a bowl, mix together two tablespoons cornstarch, the chicken pieces, quarter cup soy sauce, two tablespoons green chili sauce and the egg. Both the sauce already have salt in them, hence I did not add it while marinating the chicken (unlike the Chef). Eating less salt won’t kill me, eating more might.

Sanjveev Kapoor suggests you marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, I left it for about an hour and a half.

Heat Canola oil in a wok until smoking. Release the marinating chicken pieces into the hot oil. Fry till they turn golden brown in color. Remove. Do it in two-three batches if your wok is small.

From the same oil which you used for deep frying, take a couple of spoons of oil and heat in the (same) wok. Add the chopped garlic first and sauté for a couple of minutes on high flame without browning the garlic.

Next, throw in the onions and toss them around to coat the garlic and the oil.

While the onions are still pink, add the sliced capsicum.

After a couple of minutes of cooking the capsicum with the onions and garlic, add the soy sauce and green chili sauce as the Chef suggests. Whisk the remaining cornstarch with half a cup of water and keep it ready. As the sauces start bubbling at the sides, add the cornstarch mixture little by little. Keep mixing continuously on high heat.

Now add the already fried chicken pieces into the saucy mixture. Coat well. Lastly, throw in the chopped green chilies and the black pepper powder.

Give it a taste test and if you think you want to add any salt, adjust it now. There should not be any extra sauce in the Banarasi Chilli Chicken when you finish cooking.

Turn the heat off and serve with paratha, roti, chowmein or fried rice. Or just have it on its own with a glass of chilled beer!

What’s your favorite thing to eat with the much-loved Chili Chicken?

My other Chili Chicken recipes are here and here.