Chicken 65 is a starter I used to have in my favourite Curry house back in the UK (the sree krishna in sw17) - It's a southern indian restaurant and this is a recipe that is aparently popular as a bar-snack in southern india. (Think of it as an alternative to a chicken tikka starter crossed with popcorn chicken - Although much much tastier than that sounds)
The recipe is based on one I found online somewhere that has been modified according to my taste via experimentation and what the owner of the restaurant told me when i told him we were moving to canada and I'd miss his establishment. He even gave me an uncooked portion in the marinade so we could have it one more time before we left the country.
I made this dish a couple of days ago, but forgot to take pics - I'll try and add some next time I make it
Makes a starter for 2
For the marinade:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - 1 lb (cut into bite size pieces)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Very Hot Chili Powder 0.75 tsp (vary depending on the potency of your chilli powder)
Cumin Powder 0.25 tsp
Turmeric powder 0.5tsp
Garam Masala 0.25 tsp
Cornflour - 2 tsp
Rice Flour - 1 tsp (chickpea flour would also work)
Natural Greek Yoghurt 2 tbsp
Red Food Colour - 0.25 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Egg - 1 (beaten)
Salt pinch (to taste)
Other ingredients:
Oil - for frying
Curry Leaves - a decent stalks worth
Green Chilies - 2 halved
Raw onion slices - few just to garnish
Half a Lemon cut in wedges
Shredded lettuce to garnish
Method:
1.Mix all the ingredients listed under 'For the marinade' and mix well. Add the chicken
2.Allow it to marinade for a minimum of 2 hours at least - the more time the softer the chicken 65 will be - I usually go overnight.
3. Heat about 1cm of oil in a pan and fry curry leaves and green chillies till crisp and set aside. (You can also include pieces of ginger and garlic with the tempering ingredients).Then add the chicken pieces in batches and fry until crispy.
The batter should form a thin crisp delicious shell around the chicken
Serve immediately with the same sort of things you would with a chicken tikka - (on a sizzling cast iron platter if you have one) with raw onion,lemon wedges,shredded lettuce etc and raita to dip/pour on top.
you can also garnish with the chilli/curry leaves if you want.
The raita I use is based on one from this site that I modified slightly
1 cup natural greek yoghurt
2 tsp mint sauce
1 tbsp mango chutney (with the chunks mashed)
couple squirts lemon juice
1tsp runny clear honey
a few drops of the oil off the top of lime pickle
couple of drops of green or yellow food colouring if you want
mix thoroughly then let it sit for at least an hour then adjust according to taste -
milk to thin, extra yoghurt to thicken, extra mango chutney for sweetness, extra lemon for tartness
Topic: Chicken 65 (Read 19449 times)
