Chilli chicken and carrot rice

When my mother got married, my grandmother sent her off to her new life with a set of cookbooks. For Mum, who was only 21 and had never before been allowed into the kitchen, these books were a lifeline. As her family grew, so did her collection. Wherever we went in the world, however many houses we made home, they came with us. Over the years, they've become dog-eared, food-stained and torn but they are just as precious and useful now as they were then.

When I started living alone, I asked my mother if she could get me the same set of B F Varghese and Tarla Dalal cookbooks. I mean, why wait until I get married, right? Sadly, those books are now out of print. While the pages are still floating around my parents' house, I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite childhood recipes. 

Whenever I go to stay with my parents, Mum will always ask me what I want her to make - something of hers that I've missed. This pairing of chilli chicken and carrot rice is usually at the top of my list. The recipe is actually for a simple Szeuchan rice but I suppose 'carrot rice' is easier for kids to say. These two dishes are prime examples of Indo-Chinese cuisine, by which I mean, we order them in so-called Chinese restaurants in India but would never be able to find them in China. I remember the culture shock of coming from Bangalore and ordering a Chinese takeaway in London. It was completely different to what I'd grown up with. Indo-Chinese is deeply entrenched fusion food, but so very delicious. I urge you to give it a go if you're not familiar with these flavours.

Chilli chicken and carrot rice share many of the same components that make them so utterly addictive. The umami flavour of soy sauce, the sour tang of the vinegar, the slight sweetness of the tomato or carrots and the bright heat of green and red chillies. They tick all the palate boxes. I've tweaked the recipes to make them easy to make with what you hopefully already have at home, so get cooking. Just let me know what you think. 

Carrot (Szeuchan) rice

Adapted from Chinese Recipes by Tarla Dalal. Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked Basmati rice
• 1 cup grated carrot 
• 1/2 cup grated cabbage (optional)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons crushed red chillies
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (white, apple cider or rice)
• Salt, to taste

METHOD

Cook the rice in advance and cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 

Heat the oil on a high flame and fry the carrot and cabbage, if using, for 2 minutes. 

Add the rice, soya sauce, crushed chillies, vinegar and salt. Mix well until combined and hot through.

Check for seasoning, adding more soya sauce, chilli flakes, vinegar or salt to your taste. 

Chilli chicken

Adapted from Recipes for All Occasions by B F Varghese. Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 640g chicken, cut into small bitesize pieces
• 6 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• Oil, to fry
• 1/2 onion, cubed
• 1 green pepper, cubed
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 4-8 green chillies, finely chopped* 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 100ml passata
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup  
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
• Salt, to taste

METHOD

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, spices and salt. Add the chicken pieces and beaten egg and combine until the chicken is evenly coated. Marinate for at least half an hour but take it out of the fridge 10 minutes before frying. 

You can either deep fry or pan fry (in about 2 tablespoons of oil) the chicken, depending on what you prefer. It’s delicious either way. Fry the chicken, in batches to prevent overcrowding, until cooked through and golden all over. 

In a separate pan, melt the butter and sauté the ginger, garlic and green chillies for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and green pepper and stir for another minute. Pour in the tomato passata, soya sauce, ketchup, chilli powder and vinegar. Stir in the chicken pieces and let simmer until the sauce reduces to your liking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes: I tend to use bird eye green chillies where possible but it's no problem to use the bigger green chillies if that's easier to find. Try a little of your chilli to see how hot it is and then adjust the number of chillies you use accordingly. Scraping out the seeds will also make them less spicy. If you're using the bigger chillies, 3-4 chillies with the seeds in is plenty.