This was one of the first dishes that I rustled up when I began cooking. Like my Maximum Chicken (chicken inspired by Mumbai) it is based on a theme of ingredients, rather than a recipe per se. In this case the them is continental. What I like about this is that you can use a microwave (don’t need an oven) and ingredients likely to be lying around at home, to make an exotic, continental tasting dish. This dish is one of Kainaz’s favourites and I would recommend it as option from daily Indian recipes. The dish requires a cooking time of about 25 minutes which require your involvement through most parts.
Ingredients:
- 500 g chopped chicken (boneless, or on the bone)
- 3 tea spoons of mayonnaise (I use the one my mom in law makes for us. You can buy it easily in most stores and use the rest as a sandwich filler)
- 1 cube of cheese/ 2 tea spoons of cheese spread (I use Britannia’s slim cheese)
- 1 tea spoon each of oregano and red chilly flakes (you get these sachets when you order pizzas or can buy them) and a tea spoon of crushed pepper and salt
- 2/3 chopped green or red bird chillies (the latter look more dramatic)
- 0.5 chopped onion + 0.5 chopped tomato + 0.5 chopped capsicum/ bell pepper
- 2 tea spoons chopped fresh basil (optional, but recommended. a recent addition to the recipe)
- 1 tea spoon butter (optional)
- 2 sliced potatoes (parboiled for three minutes and poked with a fork)
Recipe
Stage 1
- Put the chicken on an open microwave dish. the dish should be a bit deep and yet flat so that most of the meat is exposed
- Add the potato, mayo, butter, herbs (oregano, pepper powder, chilly flakes, salt), onion and tomato and gently mix
- Switch on the micro on high flame for 6 minutes
Stage 2
- Carefully take the dish out of the micro (use cloth mits, hand towels)
- Gently add in the basil, chillies, cheese (chopped and put on top), capsicum. Put some more crushed pepper on top
- Put it back in the micro and put it on combi (cook+grill) for six minutes and just grill for four minutes
- If you don’t have a grill mode then just put it on ‘cook’ for six more minutes. Grill helps to brown the dish a bit
You can play around with this and add chopped boiled egg whites, chopped cold cuts or chopped mushrooms in stage 2.
The end result is a fairly cheesy and creamy continental dish which is quite different from the usual Indian fare.
This dish is best had with crisp toast or soft dinner rolls.
