The start of each year invariably sees most of us stretched to the limit after all the expenses over the festive season, the food, the gifts, the wine – it all adds up and still somehow it manages to be more than we originally budgeted for. I was fortunate enough to spend a few short days in Europe over the past month and swapping Rands for Euros is something that could make one quickly lose ones appetite. But it was wonderful and it was worth it. Just experiencing the different cultures, the history, the food and the flavours provides an inspiration that goes way beyond currency conversions! I have so much to write about from the simplest foods from the street restaurante and pastelarias of Lisbon to the simple sophistication of Parisian cuisine.
But more of this in future chapters…. One thing that remains universal is the budget-beating chicken. It remains a constant on any menu the world over and it is definitely the protein of choice in Europe at the moment. We all make the mistake of taking chicken for granted but we must always remember the many ways in which it is spiced-up, dressed-up or served up from countries in Europe + India + Mexico to the shores of Morocco. With a bit of creativity you can delve into the delights of chicken in a thousand different international ways without ever having to leave your kitchen … and to boot, you can beat the budget blues!
As a start I thought I would share my Indian chicken meatball recipe today. It’s really simple and the apple + cumin salsa makes this dish something extraordinary. I served it in a phulka but you can serve it in anything like a roti + pancake etc.
- 500g Minced chicken breasts (skinned, with any fat pieces removed)
- 1 Egg
- 1 Medium onion (grated)
- 4T Fresh coriander (chopped)
- 1t Red marsala (wet) - click here for recipe
- 2t Green marsala (wet) - click here for recipe
- 2t Fresh ginger and garlic mix - click here for recipe
- 1t Oil
- ¼ t Turmeric
- 1 t Salt
- 1 Squeeze of lemon juice
- For the tempering of spice
- 3T Cooking oil
- 3 Cloves
- 3 Cardamom pods
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- Put all the chicken mince ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix through.
- Taking a handful of the mixture at a time, roll in meatballs (about the size of a golf ball).
- Tip: Keep a bowl of water next to you – wet your hand in the water so that the meat does not stick to your hand.
- Heat the oil in the pan on medium heat, adding the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon sticks. Let it fry for about 3 minutes.
- Now add your chicken balls. Fry until cooked through and golden brown in colour.
- Tip: If you are in a hurry, add a dash of water to the pan and put the lid on.
- 1 ½ Green apples (leave the peel or skin on)
- 2t Fresh mint finely chopped
- ½t Cumin seeds
- 1t Green marsala (wet)
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of sugar
- Juice of ½ to a whole lemon (all depends how juicy it is)
- Chop the apples with skin still on into small little blocks.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- 500g Flour
- 1T Cooking oil
- 1t Cumin seeds
- 1t Salt
- 1T Sugar
- 10g Dry yeast
- 375ml Luke warm water
- Oil for frying
- Put flour, oil, cumin, salt and sugar in mixer. Mix for a minute or two.
- Add the dry yeast and mix through.
- Add the luke warm water slowly till it forms a dough.
- Knead the dough in the mixer for about 5 minutes till soft and elastic – it must still be slightly sticky to the touch.
- Put aside in a warm place and let it rise for +- 2 hours.
- Punch the dough down.
- Roll the dough out flat to approximately 2mm in thickness. Remember to sprinkle a little flour onto your work surface when you are rolling the dough out so it does not stick.
- Turn a drinking glass (tumbler) upside down and punch out circles of the dough.
- Heat the oil in a wok.
- Tip: To check whether the heat of your oil is right – stick the back end of a wooden spoon into the oil – if it bubbles and sizzles immediately around the spoon the oil is at the right temperature.
- Stick your dough circles into the heated oil for a minute or two. You will see it forms a bubble. Then turn it around till done - light corn-like colour.
- Take your deep fried dough circle out of the wok of frying oil and drain on a paper towel.
- To assemble - Open your little Phulka bread pockets.
- Add a meatball then add some apple salsa.
- I also like an extra squeeze of lemon juice just to give a fresh, zesty taste. Sprinkle with some coriander and enjoy.
I love the dry fry idea, thanks for the visit 🙂
thanks Nins!
…you at it with the meatballs again?? hehe!
That first photograph is simply stunning!!
This is a great idea and one we use often. An additional note is that chicken fillet is really healthy too. We just use spray and cook on a tray and then you can either bake them or dry fry in a hot pan – really delicious 🙂 Thank you for the lovely resepie, that salsa looks divine! xx