Who doesn’t like Chinese food?
Please come forward if you don’t, because we’re going to have to have a conversation about this! Haha!
One thing that has really been a big favorite among Indian cuisine is “Indo-Chinese” cuisine. Basically, its a fusion of both East Asian and South Asian flavors and the variety of foods available in this type of cuisine is very different than what you’d expect.
Indo-Chinese food consists of “Manchurian style” dishes which are seasoned veggie or chicken meatballs in a spicy sauce. There is Haka Noodles, which is similar to Singapore Rice Noodles but with more masala and veggies in it. Then there are spicy Egg Noodles, Chili Chicken, Chicken Lollipops – which is are spicy Asian/South Asian spiced mini chicken drum sticks.
This Indian-Chinese fusion has been told to come from the small community of Chinese people who have lived in the South India, Kolkata region for many centuries. Their influence in Indian cuisine has resulted in so many amazing flavors and dishes that are still being enjoyed even today!
I wanted to share a delicious recipe for an Indo-Chinese influenced Szechuan Chicken dish. It is fiery & spicy with the chili, garlic and other fusioned ingredients and perfect with a bowl of fried rice or your favorite Chinese noodle dish. The chicken is coated in a batter of Indian spices and then fried till golden brown and crispy. This chicken is then added into a sweet & spicy Szechuan sauce and finally topped with fresh mint.
It is just a punch of flavors in your mouth that I’m sure will please you! But beware – this dish is HOT & SPICY!
This dish can be made with Cauliflower Florets or even chunks of Paneer for a delicous vegetarian option! And trust me – you will love the vegetarian version of this recipe just as much as with chicken. No sacrifice on heat or flavor happening here!
Here you go!
SZECHUAN CHICKEN (Indo-Chinese)
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of Chings Szechuan Sauce (Hot)
- 1 bottle of Chings Szechuan Chutney (Hot)
- 1 box of Chicken 65 Spice Mix (Banne Nawab brand)
- 5 to 2lbs of chicken (thigh or breast cut into small chunks)
- 1 medium onion (julienne cut)
- 5-6 scallions (cut in thin rounds)
- 1 Tbsp of minced garlic or garlic paste
- ¼ cup of ketchup
- 5 cup of water for sauce
- ¼ cup of water for making batter
- 1 Tbsp of salt
- ¼ cup of fresh mint (chopped small)
- Oil for frying (3-4 cups)
**NOTE: You can make this a Vegetarian option by using CAULIFLOWER FLORETS from 1 head of cauliflower OR with PANEER in place of the chicken.
Instructions:
- Cut up the chicken into small chunks and add in a large bowl.
- Take out the Spice Mix and Batter mix from the Chicken 65 box and add into the bowl with chicken, minced garlic and a ¼ cup of water.
- With your hands, mix all ingredients together till all pieces of chicken are fully coated in the spiced batter.
- Fry up all the pieces of chicken till golden brown (5-7 minutes) and then add directly into large wok or frying pan. (Fry about 10-12 pieces of chicken at a time)
- Once all chicken is fried, set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, add all contents of the Chings Szechuan sauce, ½ bottle of the Chings Szechuan Chutney, salt, ketchup and 1.5 cups of water. Mix all ingredients till fully mixed together and smooth. Set aside.
- Going back to the chicken in the wok/frying pan, add in 2 spoons of extra oil from the frying oil and turn stove to medium high.
- Once oil begins to sizzle, add in the onions and scallions and toss everything together. Allow to cook on stove about 5-7 minutes to allow the veggies to become a bit translucent.
- Once veggies are done, add in the Szechuan sauce mixture and mix everything together till each piece of chicken is fully coated.
- Allow to cook on stove on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. You will start seeing some of the liquid evaporate and the sauce will begin to thicken and coat the chicken even more. (Toss with spoon a few times to avoid any sticking to bottom of pan.)
- Once sauce has thickened a bit (don’t allow all the sauce to burn off.) Turn off stove and sprinkle the chopped mint on top.
- Serve hot with rice or any noodle dish.
NOTE: The Chings Szechuan Chutney is extremely spicy, so if you are not looking for an extra spicy dish, you can add just a ¼ cup of the chutney to make it a medium-spicy flavor. Add more than ½ cup if you want intense heat.
Here are the links for the sauces and spice packs I recommend using in this recipe:
Cool off from eating this dish with a cold Mango Lassi, Chickoo Milkshake, or beer/wine and you’ll be set for the evening!
Let me know your thougths on this recipe by tagging me on IG @cmspiceculture or feel free to leave a comment below!
Enjoy! :O)
