Saturday, February 12, 2011

Chicken 65

A true favorite from South Indian cuisine. This immensely popular dish is probably the most ordered appetizer at non-vegetarian restaurants in Chennai (and elsewhere in South India).

You might be wondering - what the heck does Chicken 65 mean anyway? There are so explanations for this name, depending on who you ask. Some say it was named for the year (1965) in which it was invented, some say it was the cook's/inventor's street address.
While the name debate continues...I am enjoying my Chicken 65 for dinner tonight. Here is the recipe:

Chicken 65


You will need:
1 lb boneless chicken, cut into small pieces
4 teaspoons red chilli powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (available at any indian/asian store - or substitute with equal parts ground cinnamon and ground clove)
5 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
6 drops red food coloring
2 cups vegetable or canola oil to deep fry
optional - fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

In a bowl mix red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, lemon juice, yogurt, garlic, ginger, food coloring, and salt until it forms a thick paste. Add chicken to this and coat well. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Heat oil in a wok, or deep frying pan, and deep fry the marinated chicken on medium high for about six minutes on each side. (Cooking time may vary according to the size of the chicken pieces, my chicken pieces usually no more than a half-inch thick, so takes about 6 minutes frying time on each side to cook through.)
Drain on paper towels, garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges and serve immediately. Enjoy!

1 comment:

Steve said...

Hi there Niha!

My name is Steve Walters and I recently started blogging at http://www.eatingbangkok.com, which is currently being updated with recipes, but in the next few months will be my vehicle for covering the food and restaurant scene in Bangkok Thailand.

I am now in the process of meeting as many food bloggers as I can and I found your site Ramble On recently and was pretty impressed. I've added your site to my Foodie Blogs list here: http://www.eatingbangkok.com/foodie-blogs/ and would also like to add you to my blogroll.

If you could add my site to your blogroll and write back to let me know it has been added (foodie [at] eatingbangkok.com) I will add you to mine as well and the exchange would be greatly appreciated!

As you might imagine I am very excited to get moved to Bangkok and get started on covering the food scene there as I feel it is an area that isn't well covered by English speaking bloggers. I plan on adding loads of great reviews, pictures and even video and will be holding contests as well. It should be fun, entertaining and informative for everyone that visits.

Thank you so much in advance for adding me to your blogroll and I look forward to reading your posts (I've subscribed!) and maybe even featuring some of your own posts as I do plan on a weekly roundup of Thai themed recipes and posts from other food bloggers.

Warm regards,
Steve

P.S. If you are on Twitter I would love to have you as a follower and I follow back:
http://www.twitter.com/eatingbangkok