Spicy Chunky Oriental Sauce

It is for no reason why Kerala is/was called land of spices; well  more than the spices used, I am talking about our love for spicy food! Kerala cuisine brags about being one of the spiciest in India and coming from this tiny coastal land, it was imperative that I developed a taste for spicy food. Traditional Kerala cooking uses a variety of homemade masalas, most of which are hot for any non-Keralite to bear; however, we literally go by "Athidi Devo Bhawa" concept and whenever cooking for guests, we deliberately bring down the spice level. We hate bland food and people like me, love the spiciness to stay even when we are done with enjoying the food! 

Talking about this sauce - this is something I have been wanting to make for a while now, and I did make a mention of it in my Steam Shirmp & Sausage Wontons posting. So today, I finally made it and paired it with pancakes! Yes, that sounds weird but guarantees total enjoyment. 

This sauce is HOT, to be elaborate my lips were swollen after having my pancakes and the spiciness still stays (and I love that). It is chunky; use it as a spread or a dip for starters and above all, it has a hint of sweetness. I would call it an outburst of flavors!

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 2 small, chopped

Onion - 1 small, chopped

Dried red chilies - 3 (depending upon your spice tolerance level, you can reduce this to 1 or 2)

Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped

Soy sauce - 1 teaspoon

Ketchup - 1/2 tablespoon (if you want it sweet, make it 1 tablespoon)

Coriander leaves - a few springs

Salt - to taste

Olive oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation:

1. Heat up oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic and dried chilies. Saute for a while and add the tomatoes. Add salt and cook until it turns mushy.

2. Add the sauce sauce, stir for a while, followed by ketchup and sprinkle coriander leaves. Remove from heat and let it cool.

3. Transfer the content into a blender and process for half a minute. Leave it a bit chunky. 

4. Transfer to serving bowl and enjoy as a spread or dip.

Homemade Chicken Sandwich Spread

Goodbye to boring cheese spreads and jams!

Today I found out another good thing about experimental cooking; it really puts your brain to work, unlike the route dishes that come to you automatically. You have to check what is available, conceive an idea, execute it with improvisation and yeah, be totally contented at the result! And the best part, you get to name your project, you yourself evaluate it, approve it and then push it forward for more appreciation. Isn't that just wonderful!

Well, something like that created this chicken sandwich spread. I had a few pieces of chicken lying in the freezer (do not ask me for how many days it has been lying there, he alone knows) and was determined to use it up today before my dear hubby comes up with another grilled chicken plan. Apart from that, I had to cook something for dinner too and I had promised him a grilled sandwich and hence went ahead with this chicken spread plan. 

It is easy, you know what goes into it and that way perfectly safe and healthy way to munch your sandwich. You can leave it a bit watery and use it as a dip too! 

Ingredients

Boneless chicken - 3 medium pieces, cooked and shredded

Onions - 1 medium, chopped

Garlic - 10 cloves, chopped

Dried red chilies - 3-5, chopped

Cabbage - 5 tablespoon, shredded

Pepper - 2 tablespoon, ground

Coriander leaf - 3 springs

Fresh cream - 4 tablespoon (you can even use cheese spread or mayonnaise instead of this)

Milk - 4 tablespoon

Olive oil - 2 tablespoon

Preparation

1. In a mortar or blender, mix together onions, garlic and dried chilies into a coarse paste.

2. In a blender add the shredded chicken pieces, coriander leaves, fresh cream and milk and mix well. Fine chunks of chicken pieces can remain as that adds on to the beauty.

3. Heat up oil in a pan, add the ground onion, garlic and chilly mix and saute until oil separates.

4. Add pepper, the chicken mix and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Switch off stove.

5. Serve on bread or as a dip and enjoy!