Wednesday 2 November 2016

Red Chilli Chicken Nuggets with Ginger Garlic Noodles.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

I think your Wednesday could do with some nuggets and noodles.
And, because it's suddenly freezing here, I've spiked the nuggets with red chilli powder and tossed the noodles with plenty of fresh ginger and garlic. Just what you need to ward off any impending colds.

I first made this dish for Sunday lunch a few weeks back. I kind of just threw things in randomly and miraculously, it turned out delicious.
Let's discuss what's going on here. First, we make some really simple chicken nuggets flavoured with red chilli and vinegar. Strange, but it works. I shallow fry mine but you may deep fry yours. There's no judgement here.
Because I hate washing up, I use the same chicken pan to make the noodles. The sauce has the most fragrant base including some of my favourites - garlic, ginger, soy and chilli garlic sauce. Cooked egg noodles and their cooking liquid are tossed in, turning everything into a very saucy stir-fry. Pile them high into bowls, top with nuggets and plenty more spring onion and chilli. Time to dig into my idea of a winter warmer.

Noodles, previously: spicy chicken noodles // spicy coconut + basil rice noodles // chicken veggie noodle stir-fry // chicken sizzler

Chicken Nuggets, previously: crispy chicken nuggets 

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Red Chilli Chicken Nuggets:
1. Plain Flour
2. Cornflour
3. Kashmiri Chilli Powder
4. Black Pepper
5. Salt
6. Ginger Paste
7. Garlic Paste
8. Vinegar
9. Water
10. Boneless Chicken Breast Pieces
11. Vegetable Oil

For the Ginger Garlic Noodles:
1. Vegetable Oil
2. Spring Onions
3. Garlic
4. Ginger
5. Green Chilli
6. Chilli Garlic Sauce
7. Brown Sugar
8. Soy Sauce
9. Water
10. Cornflour
11. Salt
12. Egg Noodles


Bismillah, let's begin!

We'll start with the chicken nuggets. Into a mixing bowl, place 2 tablespoons Plain Flour.

And, 2 tablespoons Cornflour.

These are red chilli nuggets and I used Kashmiri chilli powder but normal would do too. You could also use paprika if you don't want things too spicy.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or to taste.

I also threw in 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper.

And, 1/2 teaspoon Salt.

Give everything a whisk.


Next, the wet ingredients starting with 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Paste.


And, 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Paste.


Next, vinegar. A normal malt vinegar will do.


Pour in 1 tablespoon Vinegar.


Finally, pour in 3 tablespoons Water.


Grab a whisk ...


... and whisk everything up until you get a thick batter. If it's too thick, add a little water. If it's too thin, add a little flour.


Add in 1 pound Boneless Chicken Breast Pieces. Chicken thigh pieces would be delicious here too.


Stir the chicken in until it's well coated in the batter. You can let the chicken marinade for 30 minutes or like me, cook straight away.


I shallow fried my chicken but you may deep fry, if you wish. I used a large, deep frying pan which I used for the noodles afterwards too. Add in enough Vegetable Oil, to shallow fry, and heat over a medium heat.


Add the chicken pieces, one by one.


Shallow fry over a medium heat in a single layer. If all the chicken doesn't fit in your pan, fry the chicken in batches.


Don't be tempted to turn the chicken too soon. Once you see the bottom is turning to golden, flip.

Once the chicken is fully cooked and golden, it's done. Mine took around 10-12 minutes over a medium heat.


Drain the nuggets on paper towels and then remove to a plate.


Drain out the excess oil from the pan leaving behind a few tablespoons of Vegetable Oil over a medium heat. It's time to cook the ginger garlic noodles!



We start with 5 Spring Onions, whites and greens separate.


Slice the whites and add to the hot oil. We'll use the greens later.


Fry the onion for a minute.


Next, the ginger and garlic. I used 5 Garlic Cloves and 1/2 inch Ginger. Both were peeled and crushed in a pestle and mortar.


Throw them into the pan.


Along with 1 Green Chilli, sliced.


Stir-fry for a few minutes until fragrant.


Next, chilli garlic sauce!


Add in 1 tablespoon Chilli Garlic Sauce or to taste.


To sweeten things up a little, add in 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar.


And, to give our noodles that distinctive salty savoury taste, in goes 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce.


Stir and let everything bubble together.


Next, pour in 150ml Water.


Stir and bring to the boil.


Next, to thicken the sauce, pour in 1 teaspoon Cornflour mixed with 2 teaspoons Water.


Stir again and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the noodles are done.


Speaking of, let's cook them!


I cooked 2 nests Egg Noodles according to packet instructions. Each nest weighed 60g.


Once the noodles are cooked, do not drain them.


Instead, grab them with a pair of tongs, and add to the sauce.


Once in, toss them in the sauce.


I prefer my noodles with more sauce so poured in a little of the cooking liquid. You may add as much or as little as you wish.


Bring everything to a boil and toss.


Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Stir in the sliced Spring Onion Greens from earlier.


The noodles are done!

Grab the golden chicken nuggets too.


Serve everything immediately.


I like to pile the noodles into a deep bowl along with their sauce. On go some of the chicken nuggets too.


For freshness and crunch, plenty of Fresh Coriander, Green Chillies and Spring Onions.


My current favourite cold-weather food. Enjoy!

Full Written Recipe:

Red Chilli Chicken Nuggets with Ginger Garlic Noodles.

Prep Time: About 15 minutes.
Cook Time: About 30 minutes.
Serves: About 2-3 people.

Ingredients

For the Red Chilli Chicken Nuggets
2 tablespoons Plain Flour
2 tablespoons Cornflour
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ginger Paste
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Paste
1 tablespoon Vinegar
3 tablespoons Water
1 pound Boneless Chicken Breast Pieces
Vegetable Oil, to fry

For the Ginger Garlic Noodles
Few tablespoons Vegetable Oil
5 Spring Onions, whites and greens separate + thinly sliced 
5 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
1/2 inch Ginger, peeled and crushed
1 Green Chilli, sliced
1 tablespoon Chilli Garlic Sauce
1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
150ml Water
1 teaspoon Cornflour mixed with 2 teaspoons Water
Salt, to taste
2 nests Egg Noodles (120g)

To Serve
Fresh Coriander, sliced
Green and Red Chillies, sliced
Spring Onions, sliced

First, mix together the chicken nuggets. Place the plain flour, cornflour, chilli powder, black pepper and salt into a mixing bowl. Whisk together and then add the ginger, garlic, vinegar and water. Whisk until you have a thick batter. Add in the chicken pieces and stir. You can let the chicken marinade for 30 minutes or cook straight away.

To cook the nuggets, over a medium heat, heat enough vegetable oil to shallow fry in a large frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces one by one. Fry them in a single layer until golden brown and cooked through. Don't be tempted to turn them too soon - this should take around 10-12 minutes. Drain on paper towels and then transfer to a plate until needed.

To cook the noodles, drain the oil from the pan leaving behind a few tablespoons. Add the spring onion whites and fry for a few seconds. Then, add in the crushed garlic and ginger along with the green chill. Fry for a few minutes. Add in the chilli garlic sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce. Stir and let everything bubble for a minute or two. Stir in the water and bring to the boil. Stir in the cornflour water mixture and bring to the boil again. Stir and turn the heat to low whilst the egg noodles cook.

Cook the egg noodles according to packet instructions but do not drain out the water. Once the noodles are cooked, add them to the sauce. Stir in and then add in enough of the cooking water, to taste. I like more sauce in my noodles so added around half of my cooking water. Bring to the boil and toss. Stir in the spring onion greens.

To serve, pile the noodles into a bowl, top with some nuggets and sprinkle on fresh coriander, chilli and spring onion. Dig in!

{nuggets adapted from maunika gowardhan}

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Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your noodles!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


Spice Enthusiast
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