Wednesday, October 21, 2009

CHICKEN 65

Oh! Not again Chicken 65...everywhere it is Chicken 65..I am tired of the name.



But I am not , I love this dish. This dish is spreading like wild fire, from Kanya Kumari to Kashmir, in the Gulf , in London etc. The specialty  of this dish is, the taste is not the same in any two eating joints. So you eat a new type of Chicken 65 every time. In Kuwait it is very  bland to terribly spicy. Even while staying at  Golconda Hotel, Hyderabad, I had an opportunity to cook few portions of this, under the supervision of an expert chef...but over the time I cant reproduce the same taste anymore. (Lack of practice) 
There are many stories behind the name, some people say, the chicken has to be 65 days old, some say 65 types of spice required to cook it. The story which I find more logical or realistic is that it was the Chicken dish at item No  65 on a menu at Madras regiment mess. So people just used to order " Bring Chicken -65".
 THE RECIPE
Basically it is a boneless chicken dish colored red, with a high spicy note of fried garlic, ginger, Curry Leaves and quite hot (Chili), slightly tangy due to a tangy sauce and lemon juice added at the end.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken boneless 200 gms ( I always use thigh portion as it is juicy and soft, one can use the breast piece), cut to small pieces say 25 mm X 12 to 20 mm) approx..
For the marinade
ginger garlic paste 1 tsp heap
freshly ground Pepper 1/2 tsp ( or more)
Yogurt 2 tsp level
corn flower 2 tsp heap
flour 1 tsp
Azinamoto 1/4th tsp ( optional) ( Mono Sodium glutamate)
Salt
egg 1
for the dish
cumin seeds 1tsp level
dry red chili 1
ginger chopped 2 tsp

Garlic chopped 1 tbsp heaped or more the merrier.
Green chili long chopped, 4 number of more , about 1 cm long and slitted.
Curry leaves 10 leaves
ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Chili garlic sauce / spread 2 tbsp ( from the market any thing will do with a sour note, normally Tomato.) or I shall tell you how to make it. But buying it saves trouble.
Red chili powder 2 tsp ( or more)
Cumin powder 1 tsp level
Black peper powder 1/2 tsp or more.
Vinegar 2 tsp ( optional)
red color
Azina moto 1/4 tsp optional
coriander leaves chopped 1 tbsp
lemon juice 1 tbsp
salt
Oil for frying chicken
PROCESS
Wash chicken and cut into pieces



1st add yogurt , salt, ginger garlic paste, black pepper, Azina Moto ,mix well and leave aside for 20 min.
Add corn flour and flour (maida) , mix well and leave aside for 10 minutes.
Break egg into the chicken and mix .
Caution: Do not whip the egg, just mix it.
Heat oil in a KaDai or frying pan  and fry the chicken in batches. Immediately after adding chicken reduce heat and fry for 3-4 minutes. ( don't over fry, 5 minutes is more than enough to cook the chicken).
Keep the fried chicken aside. ( Dont worry, the chicken will not drink the oil)

In a deep frying pan, take 1 tbsp oil ( used in frying the chicken or fresh oil).
Give seasoning of Jeera and one red chili, add ginger and stir fry in low heat for 15 seconds
Add chopped garlic and stir fry to light brown, add curry leaves stir and add chopped green  chili.


Add ginger garlic paste followed by black pepper, cumin and chili powder stir ( remove from heat time to time to prevent burn out)
Add chili garlic sauce/spread and vinegar , keep stiring. Taste the sauce and add required salt to taste. ( The chicken already has some salt) 
add red color made in 1 tbsp water
stir and add 3 tbsp water or more to make a thick sauce. (This is the skill part to be acquired after cooking few times. The sauce consistency should be such that after mixing the chicken, it should not be too dry or too sticky and fluid.)


Stir the sauce well and with heat, add the chicken and mix well under low heat so that the sauce is well coated. Remove from heat and keep mixing.


The water in sauce will percolate into the chicken to some extent. So wait for some time to assess if you need more heating to drive some extra moisture out.
Please be assured the taste will not be affected if you don't fine tune the moisture.
Garnish with chopped corander and lemon juice ( optional) 
Eat as a starter, snack or with roti, rice.


NOTE: Dont over fry chicken. This size of the pieces should be tender within 3 minutes and one can eat straight after frying. Unnecessary frying will make the chicken hard and  dry.
You can fry excess amount of chicken and store in deep fridge for future use, not only for this also for all kinds of Indo-Chinese chicken dishes.
Add as much chili as you want. The red color is a traditional addition to dish and has nothing to do with the taste. But without the red color, no one will recognize it as chicken 65 


Happy Eating 


AWARDS


Dear Prasu , (http://myculinaryworld-prasu.blogspot.com/)
I am overwhelmed to receive so many awards from you. It is a great recognition from a great foodie like you..Thank you so much ....






Dear Sangeetha  ( http://kothiyavunu.blogspot.com/)
I am so happy to receive this award from a great cook like you ..Thank you so much!!! I think I will have more awards on this page than recipes, Ha  ha 



42 comments:

Sharmila said...

Looks wonderful! Am against the colour and the deep frying ... and am allergic to MSG .. so omitting these will it still be a Chicken 65? :-)
I thought corn flour was used to thicken the gravy.

sangeeta said...

mmm...
as a snack with drinks is the best way to have it...
but it bathes in the oil if not drinking it...no!!

the more i want to avoid such recipes the more A wants them...what to do??

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sahrmila
You can eliminate the MSG and color. I normally don't use MSG because I have doubt if it really plays any role in flavor boosting, specially in a high spice garlic.ginger media.
Corn flour is used as a sealant on meat surface in almost all Indo-chinese dishes. In high ended eating joint, it could be just dusting with corn flour fast fried or steamed then taken for subsequent preparation.
The surface coating may vary from almost invisible to thick fried batter layer to increase the size and volume of chicken, prawns etc.A thick batter of egg-corn flour and maida will drink a bit more oil.
Here I have suggested a coating which will make a thin layer to pick up the gravy a bit.see my comments @ Sangeeta

Ushnish

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sangeeta
Many thanks. See my comments at Sharmila. Don't worry about the oil.
Reduce the corn flour by half and don't use Maida. use half egg. Lightly mix the egg and take half of it.( DO NOT WHIP THE EGG), I guess it will not pick up much oil and drain on adsorbent paper. If you have been eating at a Chinese joint, most of the fish, meat are lightly fried.
So make and eat...

Ushnish

sangeeta said...

nice chemistry of the process.......
i do it this way...made indochinese prawns Y'day night..
i like digging into the chemistry to get better results with a lightly modified process .
thankyou.

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Actually, chicken is a stupid meat. Nothing goes inside or nothing sticks to eat. If you cook Chicken 65 with out coating ( for that matter most Chinese ones), it will be like eating a piece of boiled chicken with a nice 65 gravy.:-)

prasu said...

Hi Ushish.........such a colorful and yummy dish, love coooking and eating this dish. my all time fav(I'm a big foodie). but I do it totally different, but ur recipe sounds intresting and yummy yum, so sure will try ur method after completion of Karteeka Mas(we don't take non-veg this month), so be prepared to see it on my blog:)bye

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Prasu
I am delighted to read your note...it is like an award from a great cook and foodie like you.
Great foodies eat chicken 65 always ha ha.
Hey..I am interested to learn your recipe of chicken 65 before you cook my recipe..
Pesarattu remains a dream still. The other day I soaked Mung dal and I found it missing. Today only I found it on my table as "germinated Mung dal" Courtesy my wife. These are the hazards of having a doctor as wife.."healthfood", a big hazard for healthy living. By the way my wife sends a special thanks for that wonderful Upma recipe.

Unknown said...

Wow...one of daughter's favourite snacks featured here!!Looks amazing!!Nice presentation..Ur making me hungry?but I have a different version. This one seems to be interesting...I will try this version soon...y'day i did chilli chicken for dinner...he he he..:)

prasu said...

Hi Ushnish........it's my pleasure,that ur wife liked it...thankyou

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Sangeetha
Thanks.I feel great!!! Try it it is quite good. To be very frank, I posted this recipe to find out other variations, from my foodie friends here.
Next time you make your version please post and also the chili chicken you mentioned. If it is already there in your blog I will find out.
best wishes

Ushnish

Namitha said...

I too believe the same story like you :D Your version looks great..Thanks for sharing :-)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Gulmohar
Many thanks for visiting my space and your appreciation. Will visiting your blog shortly.

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Wow - looks so wonderful... Its true - it tastes different in each restaurant, but always yum! Yours looks so good....

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Atakali recipe - we have to wait for my Sasu to come in a few months. She will certainly know... She has written a book only on festival foods, I think...

prasu said...

collect ur awards from my blog dear.

Vrinda said...

My first visit here..g8 blog,Thats a spicy and colorful chicken 65...lov it

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Vrinda
I feel good that you appreciated the dish..try it sometimes.
I just visited your page ...its great specially the shrimp in wine, orange juice.
Do visit when I put some thing here

Malar Gandhi said...

I am die hard fan of Chicken 65. This is way too different from mine, looks very appealing...can't wait to try this in my kitchen. Nice step by step instructions.

Unknown said...

Hello Ushnish,
I'm stopping by again to inform that you have been bestowed a "kreativ Blogger" on my page.Pls Do come by to collect them when you have the time.

Neha said...

Nice step by step insrtuctions, ...
dish looks lovely...

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Malar
Fans of the Chicken 65 flock together!!! Try this version, U will like it.
I will be eagerly waiting for your version of the dish.
Thanks for visiting.

Preeti Kashyap said...

its come out so perfect!!!! I love the step by step pictures and I love the recipe.I have given up non-veg almost a year back, but i know when a dish is perfectly cooked. Love your prelude too..the story..the recipe...Nice!

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Preeti
I feel good, you liked the recipe and the description. Doesn't matter if you have become vegetarian. Try with Paneer or small veg. pakodas. If you have given up egg too, don't worry...mix 50:50 of corn flour and Maida ( wheat flour), take 3 level tsp of it in 200 gms paneer pieces, sprinkle water and mix. Fry it out and proceed. The sauce is the main thing. It will be great taste.
Will be visiting your space shortly...Must be some exciting recipes waiting for me..
best wishes and happy cooking

Preeti Kashyap said...

Hey thanks Ushnish! I shall try it. I do eat eggs though.

Sharmistha Guha said...

I was introduced to Chicken 65 almost 10 yrs back when I first started staying in Andhra (Vizag)...tarpor theke onekbar kheyechhi! love the spicy flavour!

San!!! said...

Chicken 65 is so adorable and iam dumb struck.Perfect color n tempting.

gtyuk said...

Dear Ushnish Gosh,

welcome back to the "REAL " world :):)

I'm sure you've fetched us some unforgettable moments from the great mountains.... will check back for the clicks...

well, I tried your chicken 65 recipe for some of my lucky guests, it came out perfect, so perfect that it was all over the same night...

I did with the thigh portions and it came out so juicy in the interior and succulent; and the scoop is that I didn't have time to picture them, I was in a hurry & all and as I wanted to do it really at the last hour to appreciate it fully, I couldn't take photos....

but the dish is so wanted by all at home that I think I'll re-do it once again very soon ... thank you very much for the recipe and the precious tips...!!!

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Akal
You made my day!!I feel good that you all liked it. In fact I am going to make it today Ha ha.
I will try to make a minor variation in future, by adding curd in the final sauce. I vaguely remember the recipe but will try.
I shall post Photos of my trip soon.
Have a nice weekend

Muraligeetham said...

hi,,your chicken 65 is awesome..it is quite different from the normal recipe which I had gone through..I shall try this and let u know...thanks for sharing ..

Shabs.. said...

Hi Ushnishji,
U have stopped by my blog sometime back when i was away and left a beautiful comment there....Came here to thank u as soon as i returned, but,I face problem in the comment section of many blogs and it happened in ur space as wel....I couldnt drop the comment...so tried again today, It worked!!

I am a hardcore fan of chicken 65 and wanted to prepare it ever since i saw it at www.vahrehvah.com. The video clip was superb.....I looooooooved the look of curry and the step by step procedure is very informative...LOve reading ur write ups..and also teh title of many of ur dishes.....They are quite funny:)

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Shabs
I am delighted that you visited my post. Please do visit again.
Out of many chicken 65 methods I have, I posted this one because this was appreciated by many and reasonably quantitative,
Shortly I will post the one I learnt at Golconda Hotel Hyderabad.
This recipe is based on Baahrebah to some extent.
The problem with commercial cooking video is that they hide some critical information. If you rerun the video of Bharebah, you will see , he has not mentioned about the quantity of chicken he has used. If you dont give a critical ingredient quantity , it is a useless recipe.
secondly he has tried to promote a Vietnamese sauce without considering where an Indian wd get that !!! He is a great chef no doubt but he has to look after his interst !!!
I dont read even the commercial cook books, I always cook recipes written by armatures. I can cook any of your recipes with eyes closed.
Just to summarize , chicken 65 needs a strong flavor of garlic , ginger, curry leaves, as much chili as u can tolerate and a slight sour note from Tomato or Curd..thats all.
Go ahead and cook as much 65 as you want and with variations. The coating is a must ( for this dish or any Indo chinese dish)
Happy cooking and I am going to follow your blog :-)

Prasukitchen.blogspot.com said...

Hi Ushnish...chicken 65 i remember my mom version she used to do the smae way except wheat flour she didnt add to her recipe i used to follow her recipe till now
wanted to give a try of ur recipe as well ..
the color looks amazing ..
drop by at my blog when u get a chance !!

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Prasu-K
I am delighted , you visited here and left this valuable note.
Hey that Maida will not make any difference. Some where up , in my comment I have written this. Maida and corn flour coating may absorb slightly more juice, thats all.
ANd also if you need slightly thicker coating it will be useful.
I am going to follow your blog and let me see what all you have for me
Have a nice sunny Sunday
Ullash!!!( cheers)

susan said...

Great looking recipe ! Have you considerd baking this chicken instead of frying it to reduce the fat content ? Will try it and let u know.

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear susan
Baking is not allowed in this dish. Of course if you bake it will be nice, but wont be chicken 65....there wont be much of oil if you follow instruction here.
Have a nice day

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Ushnish-da,
I checked out your version of chicken-65 and I will definitely make this one and do a post about it. It certainly is a drool-worthy post!

Hyboin said...

WoW! Your explanations are superb ;)

Last time I made Chicken 65.. the chicken went hard and dry.. the taste was great though. So I checked for tips to undo my mistake and found your blog. No doubt about your elaborate explanations.. I instantly HAD to become your blog follower :)

Thanks again ;)

subhashini said...

My memories are not givingany answer about the taste but it is colourful.

J Gupta said...

Ushnish, i donot have red coloring - what could I do?

Unknown said...

Dear Ushnish,
thank you for this recipe. i am new to your blog. Tried it the way you mentioned as best as I could. My wife says it was delicious and the 'best chicken 65 ever eaten.' thank you so much for sharing this with all of us.

Raksha said...

I got this while searching in google. u have a great blog.
following u.

http://rakshaskitchen.blogspot.com