Alu Chingri Posto (Shrimps with Potatoes and Poppy Seeds)

I start with this recipe because this has two ingredients which I have loved ever since I was a kid. A traditional Bengali dish, best when served with rice. This can be cooked up as a partially dry side or as a curry.

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 3 to 4, cut into small pieces
Poppy Seeds
Medium sized shrimps: boiled and cooked, ready to serve
Black Caraway (Kalonji): 1 1/2 tea spoon
Chillies: 2 to 3, sliced
Turmeric Powder
Red Chili Powder
Salt


How do you go about it:
In a non stick pan add white oil. When the oil heats up, add 1 and 1/2 tea spoon of black caraway. Also add the cut potato slices on the pan and bring the flame down to medium. Add the sliced green chilies, salt and turmeric powder and fry the potatoes.

Grind the poppy seeds along with one fresh green chili and keep the paste ready. 

Once the potatoes get semi fried, add the boiled, semi cooked shrimps to the pan and stir so that the shrimps starts to fry. Shrimp when fried adds a beautiful flavor to the dish. Fry the mixture for about 5 to 10 mins on low heat. Add a little red chili powder if you like it spicy. Then add the poppy seed paste to the mixture and add very little water. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 10 mins. Every 3 mins, check for the water and ensure that the contents do not get too dried up.

If you want to serve this as a curry, add sufficient water and allow to cook for about 5 mins more. Otherwise, remove from heat and serve with white rice.

Chicken in soya-garlic sauce

I have been an absolute fan of Asian food since my taste buds started talking to me. So it wasn't a surprise that once I stepped into the world of cooking, I started trying to re-create several amazing Asian dishes that I have grown up savoring. This one in particular in super easy and becomes edible fast.

Ingredients:
Boneless Skinless Chicken - cut into small pieces
Onions - 2, not chopped, but torn into square shaped pieces by hand
Garlic - Chopped
Green Pepper (Capsicum) - 1/2, cut into big square pieces
Orange Pepper (Orange Capsicum)  - 1/2, cut into big square pieces
Yellow Pepper - 1/2, cut into big square pieces
Spring Onions - a bunch, 3 or 4, chopped
Eggs - 1 or 2
Ajino Moto
Corn
Flour
Corn Starch
Soya Sauce/Stir fry sauce
Chicken broth
Salt

The Actuals:
Clean the shredded/cut pieces of chicken. Take the cut pieces, the corn flour, salt and eggs in a bowl and mix. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken till they turn brown. Soak off the oil by placing the fried chicken in a tissue paper.

In a separate pan, heat oil and add the chopped onions, garlic, green, red and yellow pepper and fry lightly. Add some salt to taste and keep frying till the pepper starts turning light brown. Add the cut spring onions and add 2 tablespoon of stir fry sauce and keep frying the mixture. Add very little sugar. Add the fried chicken and stir for some time. Add a cup and half of chicken broth and let the fried chicken soak in.


Once the chicken pieces have soaked in the soya juice, mix some corn starch with cold water and add the paste to the chicken sauce. Keep stirring as it boils, else the corn starch would solidify. Let it bowl for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle a little Ajino moto on top. Serve hot.