Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Indian Fusion

Chicken 65 Bao

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This week I made a Tik Tok account (follow me: fatimasfabkitchen)!  My gen Z cousins – Afsah, Amena, and Ammaar (no they are not triplets), had been raving about how this was THE app to go viral on. At first I was skeptical; the 60-second phone-recorded videos don’t even compare to the high quality youtube videos that take days and weeks to painstakingly conceptualize, film, and edit – but I understand the appeal. Most of us don’t have the time, money, or tech knowledge to make high-end content that will get you thousands of subscribers on a highly saturated platform; also youtube did a great disservice to brilliant creators by demonetizing. (that’s a different discussion for another day).

My Chicken 65 video did receive quite a few views and likes, and I have to say it’s nice to finally get noticed after years of food blogging. Now that I’m on break and quarantine, I have all the time in the world to grow an audience on Tik Tok and drive my parents insane.  

The Chicken 65  (don’t ask me why it’s called that, I have no idea) is a spicy and crunchy deep-fried chicken dish seasoned with several spices and added to tempered curry leaves. Apparently it is Hyderabadi (usually served in weddings), but my mom never really made it growing up so I learned about it by eating out and word-of-mouth.

I thought the Chicken 65 would be perfect served in a fluffy bao bun and a carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and onion slaw with a kimchi mayo (it’s just kimchi juice and mayonnaise). It’s an adorable sandwich that packs a punch –spicy chicken, a bright and vibrant mayo, and a crunchy slaw.

For the bao buns, I am not even going to bother to try coming up with my own recipe because I just use Asian At Home’s Seonkyoung Longest’s recipe (she is AMAZING, please google her if you don’t know who she is). You can also save time and buy it at the store (you can usually find them in the frozen section).

This is the stuff I would serve in my hypothetical pop-up restaurant. This recipe has that Signature Food status. Go ahead and make these (I know most of you have that free time now), you won’t be disappointed!

****UPDATE: I have updated this post to a newer version of this recipe that doesn’t require deep-frying. It is much crispier and requires less oil. Enjoy!

*****A lot of people asked me how to make the Bao buns from scratch. I use Seonkyoung Longest’s amazing recipe. Here is the link – https://seonkyounglongest.com/bao-buns/

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Chicken 65 Bao

Chicken 65 (A Hyderabadi Indian fried chicken dish) served in fluffy bao buns with a tangy kimchi mayo and crunchy carrot, onion, cilantro slaw

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 8-10 Bao Buns (home-made or store-bought) *may substitute with Pilsbury Grands! Biscuit Dough

Chicken 65

  • 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp salt to taste; use less if using store-bought spice mix

Spices (May substitute with 2 Tbsp of store-bought chicken 65 mix)

  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

Bhaghar (Stir-Fry Ingredients)

  • 4 curry leaves
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 3 serrano chilies to taste, may de-seed
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste (or fresh garlic and ginger chopped)
  • 1 Tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tsp sweet chili sauce (to taste)
  • lime juice to taste
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro (garnish)

Sweet Chili Mayo

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce (or to taste) may also use kimchi to make kimchi mayo

Slaw

  • 1 carrot (shredded)
  • 1 small cucumber (matchsticks)
  • 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro

Instructions

Chicken 65

  1. Wash and cut your chicken thighs into cubes. Add your spices, corn starch, salt, and egg. Mix thoroughly. Do not add the yogurt or ginger-garlic paste at this step. We will be adding it later because we don't want the mixture to be too soggy and not crisp up. Note – if you are using a store-bought chicken 65 spice mix such as shaan, add only a pinch of salt since the spice-mix already contains plenty of salt.

  2. In a wide pan or skillet, add 1/2 an inch of oil or enough to shallow-fry. Once the oil is hot, add a handful of chicken pieces. Make sure not to over-crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown. Remove onto a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

  3. Wipe down the pan. And add another tablespoon of oil. Add in your curry leaves, mustard seeds and serrano chilies (cut into matchsticks). Cook for a few minutes. The mustard seeds should pop. Now add in your ginger-garlic paste, chili sauce, yogurt, soy sauce. Cook for a few minutes. Now add in your chicken. Stir and garnish with fresh lime juice and cilantro.

Bao Assembly and condiments (kimchi mayo and slaw)

  1. Steam your bao buns in a steamer according to package or recipe instructions.

  2. Mix together your kimchi juice and mayo – kimchi mayo. Combine slaw ingredients (onions, carrots, cucumber, cilantro) together. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

  3. Spread a little bit of kimchi mayo inside the bun. Then add your chicken and your slaw. Ready to serve!

Salted Jaggery Caramel Banana Pudding

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Banana pudding is one of my ALL TIME favorite desserts!

It’s pretty standard wherever you go– vanilla pudding mix, sliced bananas, some type of cookie base – usually vanilla wafers – topped with fluffy whipped cream. It’s simple yet heavenly.

My version does something a little special – I incorporate a salted caramel made with jaggery, a molasses-like Indian palm sugar and top with some crunchy peanut chikki – a peanut brittle made of jaggery.

I keep the other elements the same (after all if it ain’t  broke don’t fix it), only I add some cream cheese to the pudding to help balance out the sweetness.

The salted jaggery caramel is simple enough – unlike making regular caramel which is very easy to burn, I make a sauce using butter, water, and some heavy cream yielding a thick and luscious result.

This Salted Caramel Jaggery Banana Pudding is perfect for your next summertime gathering and a fun version of your favorite classic!

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Ingredients

  • 2-3 Bananas
  • 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 15-20 cookie of your choice (nila wafers, ginger snaps, chessmans)
  • 1 5 oz vanilla pudding mix package
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 8 oz block cream cheese
  • 1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 peanut chikki bar optional

Jaggery Caramel Sauce

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1/3 cup jaggery (powder or cut very finely)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

Jaggery Caramel Sauce

  1. In a small sauce pan, melt your butter. Add your sugar, water, salt, heavy cream. Combine and stir on medium-high heat. Bring to boil then lower the heat. Cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken while it cools.

Banana Pudding

  1. In a large bowl, empty your pudding mix. Add milk according to package instructions. Combine. Beat in softened cream cheese along with sweetened condensed milk until mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

  2. In a separate bowl, whip up one cup of heavy cream until soft peaks are formed. Incorporate about a 1/3 of the whipped cream into the pudding mix. The rest of the whipped cream will be used to top the pudding at the end.

Assembly

  1. Line a large casserole dish (ideally around 13 X 8), with your cookies. Add your pudding mixture on top.

  2. Add your sliced bananas. Before adding them squeeze a little bit of lemon or lime juice. This will help prevent browning.

  3. Continue layering – I usually get about three. Once you get to your final layer, add your whipped cream. Top with your salted jaggery caramel. Add pieces of your peanut chikki. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours in the fridge before serving.

Calamari Pakora

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This week I decided to combine two of my favorite fried foods – pakora and fried calamari. Calamari dusted in flour, salt, and pepper and dipped in marinara is pretty heavenly as is but I thought we could up the volume a bit by dipping the squid rings into a flavorful pakora batter.

Instead of doing just AP flour, I did a 1:1 ratio of regular to rice flour. The rice flour helps the calamari be extra crispy. For my spice mix, I did a combination of kasuri methi, coriander, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chilli powder. I also added in a good amount of yogurt which you find in most pakora recipes along with a few curry leaves. I also chopped up a few serrano chilies to fry up along with the calamari rings.

These fry up super-fast and pair amazingly with a South Indian-Style Tomato Chutney – (my substitution for the marinara). I didn’t include the chutney recipe here but I plan to in the future. In any case, it’s made up of roma tomatoes, fresh tamarind pulp, cumin, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.

This calamari dish is a seafood lover’s dream. It’s the perfect summer appetizer that screams fusion food truck and pop-up appetizer all over it.

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Calamari Pakora

An Indian version of fried calamari made with a pakora batter

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 lb calamari squid
  • 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup Rice Flour
  • 1/3 cup yogurt
  • 1 1/4 cup water (or more)
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp kasuri methi
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Other Ingredients for the Fry

  • 2 jalapenos or serranos
  • 1/4 cup onion slices

Instructions

  1. Rinse your squid in cold water. Remove any dirt that may be lingering inside.

  2. Cut the squid into rings. Pat dry and set aside.

  3. Now start making the pakora batter. In a separate bowl, combine the AP flour, rice flour, and spices. Slowly mix in the yogurt and thin the batter out with some water. Start off with 3/4 cup and work your way up to 1 cup if needed. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter.

  4. Now add in your calamari along with any other vegetable you'd like to fry up into the batter. Combine well.

  5. In a pot or pan, add at least an inch or so of oil for deep-frying. Once hot, add a handful of calamari at a time. Fry until golden brown. This should only take a minute or two.

  6. Remove with slotted spoon and onto a plate lined with paper towel. Serve the calamari with chutneys and hot sauces of your choice.