Chicken Mania

Almost all of us love to devour chicken in any form. Be it a typical local dish of karhai or biryani or Turkish Kebabs or Malaysian Satay. Chicken has become like a staple food in most homes.

Fashion Collection brings some interesting dishes to try this winter.

Malaysian Chicken Satay

The mere mention of the two words conjures up a mental picture of perfectly grilled and nicely charred chicken skewers with mouthwatering peanut sauce.
The marinade is the most important part of the recipe. The best satays are marinated with lots of spices and ingredients, such as lemongrass, garlic, shallots, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, salt and sugar. Traditionally, home cooks pound all the ingredients above with a mortar and pestle until it becomes a fine paste. Mix the meat with the marinade overnight; this will ensure that every piece of the meat is bursting with robust flavors.

You can use a combination of chicken breasts, chicken thighs and legs. Just remove the skin and cut each piece of the chicken meat into uniform pieces. For the best results, marinate the chicken overnight. Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least two hours. This will prevent the bamboo skewers from burning.

Take two pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thigh and leg meat and cut the chicken meat into small cubes. Set aside. Blend all the he Marinade ingredients in a food processor. Combine the chicken and the Marinade together, stir to mix well. Marinate the chicken for 6 hours in the fridge, or best overnight. When ready, thread 3-4 pieces of the chicken meat onto the bamboo skewers. Grill the chicken satay skewers for 2-3 minutes on each side until the meat is fully cooked and the surface is nicely charred, on both sides. Baste and brush with some oil while grilling. Serve hot with the fresh cucumber pieces and onions.

Moroccan Chicken Brochette

Prepare the garlic sauce by placing garlic in a mortar; season with salt and pound to a very fine paste. Transfer garlic paste to a small bowl and gradually whisk in oil. Very gradually whisk yogurt into garlic mixture until emulsified. Garlic sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Toss chicken, garlic, parsley, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl; season with salt. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Prepare grill for medium-high heat and oil grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 8–12 minutes. Serve with garlic sauce, pita bread, labneh, tomatoes, and mint. Chicken can be marinated 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Finding food

Miso: Miso is traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and the fungus and sometimes rice, barley and seaweed. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with soup stock to serve as miso soup. Miso is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals. Miso is still widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining worldwide interest. Typically, miso is salty, but its flavor and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory.

Sambal: Sambal is an Indonesian hot sauce made from a mixture of chili peppers and secondary ingredients such as tomato, red onion, garlic, shrimp paste and salt. The later ingredients serve as the seasoning to make the hot sauce even tastier. Sambal is usually served in a small bowl, as spicy condiments for dishes such as meatball soup, chicken noodles, chicken soup or fried chicken. A lot of Indonesian dish can be eaten with hot sauce but it’s mostly fried and soup dish. Hence, every restaurant, even those that didn’t specialize in spicy foods, always has Sambal on their menu.