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Nauratan Chicken Recipe- Pakistani Chicken curry with vegetables and potatoes

Always the one to pat myself on the back, before anyone else does, but for this Nauratan Chicken recipe, you’ll want to pat me too 😀 (I said that on the expense of sounding like a total narc but it was totallyyyyy worth it)

Nauratan means colorful in Urdu, and I planned to name this dish, just that, owing to the colors that pop through the dish. From the spicy red gravy made from yogurt, tomato and roasted spices, to the greens and yellows from charred capsicum and potatoes, with the subtle white from chopped onions, and a peekaboo from browned chicken, it definitely is “colorful”.

It’s the perfecttttt amalgamation of veggies and chicken with the spice level that brown moms would be proud of! and OHHH so yum! The masala in this dish is towards the saucy side rather than thin gravy types. Let’s say similar to chicken karhayi in consistency.

nauratan chicken close up

Why you HAVE to try making Nauratan Chicken today!

  • It’s budget friendly because a 1/2 kg chicken can serve 4 to 5 people easily
  • Awesome dish to add as a side/ or as a dish with less gravy for elaborate menus.
  • Works well with alll carb sides, And i mean parathas, rotis, naans, breads, rice, pulaos and even spicy rices like Tahiris etc
  • Did I mention its ready in roughly around 30 mins ?
  • Also super easy! and has room for soooo many variations (see end of post for ideas)
  • p.s I’ve also had this with quinoa and couscous as a side, and lets just say….WOW!

The 3 main steps to make Nauratan chicken.

  • Making the spice mix
  • Making the chicken gravy
  • Preparing the vegetables.

Making the spice mix

whole spices including cumin seeds, coriander seeds and red chilies in a black pan

The spice mix is pretty simple to make. It has cumin seeds, coriander seeds and whole red chilies, similar to a Dahi bara masala but with a different ratio. You are simply going to roast all of these at medium flame until the coriander seeds turn to a nice golden brown color and your kitchen smells like a real chef is at work. Once you get to that stage, turn of the flame and run it through a chopper to get nice coarse spice mix. (semi-grounded)

coarsely grounded spice mix for nauratan chicken

That completes our stage 1 of launch preparations!

Making the chicken gravy

This part is going to start off as any other Pakistani or Indian curry does. With oil, chopped onions and whole cumin seeds.

finely chopped onion with cumin seeds in oil

Once you take your onions for a tan and turn them golden brown, go ahead and add the boneless chicken, ginger garlic paste, salt and the spice mix you prepared.

boneless chicken cubes tossed in brown onions and oil

Give it a nice toss and turn at medium high flame just until the chicken turns white. Next, drop in a generous quantity of tomato paste and yogurt. You can also use fresh tomatoes instead of tomato paste.

Tip: Always beat the yogurt before adding them to curries to avoid lumpy gravy.
yogurt and tomato paste added to sauteed boneless chicken

Add about 1/2 cup of water and cover your chicken and let it simmer at medium low flame for about 10 mins.

Chicken gravy ready for nauratan chicken

It will look something like this after 10 mins with a generous amount of curry in the pan as well. Turn off the flame and move on to the next step.

Preparing the veggies

Cut potatoes in medium sized cubes (similar to the size of your chicken cubes). Par boil these in salt water for about 5 to 6 mins (they should be 80% cooked)

Strain them and proceed to the second last stage of this misson.

parboiled potatoes in hot water ready to be drained

These are all the veggies that go into this dish. But by all means feel free to be creative, and try other combinations that your imagination inspires.

chopped capscium, onions and potatoes ready to go into chicken gravy

Toss in the capsicum, potatoes and onions in a frying pan with about 2 tbsp of oil and saute them at high heat until you get a nice caramelized color going on.

raw cube cut onions, potatoes and capsicum in a black frying pan.
Lightly charred onions, bell peppers and potatoes on black frying pan.

Toss these caramelized gorgeousss beauties into your chicken gravy and heat for about 2 to 3 mins.

vegetables added to chicken gravy to prepare nauratan chicken

Top with crushed black pepper and garam masala powder. You my friend have THE most versatile dish in your hand right now.

Nauratan chicken ready and sprinkled with coarse spices

Serve it warm with pretty much any carb side you can think. You can also smoke it from some extra kick.

Nauratan chicken curry with rice and roti

Alternates, Fixes and remixes

  • Tomato paste – If you don’t want to use tomato use, use tomato puree of fresh tomatoes (1/2 cup puree = 1 tbsp tomato paste)
  • This recipe is definitely on the spicier side, if it is too hot for you, here are 2 things you can do:
    1. Reduce the number of whole red chilies from the start.
    2. If you feel its too spicy AFTER completing the dish, just add 1/2 a cup of yogurt and don’t cook it for more than 2 3 mins. You’ll be set
  • I’ve made this recipe atleast 3 dozen times with sooooo many variations. I’ve made it with boneless beef chunks, mutton and minced meat as well (the coarsely ground type not the finely ground type)
    – If you plan to make this dish with beef or mutton, you’ll have to cook the meat and mutton for longer with water (for about atleast 30 to mins) before you can start adding veggies. And also double the quantity of tomato paste used in the recipe.
  • Smoke it up! Ok so on several occasions I’ve smoked the completed dish with a bit of coal and OH MY GAWD! phenomenal! I haven’t added coal to the main recipe because it tastes pretty darn good without the coal itself! But I’d definitely recommend you to try it with the smoke too! The spices just respond really well to the smoke.

What to do with left overs?

  • This left over curry goess realllyyy well in a sub! with a little mayo, salad leaves and Dijon mustard!
  • Use it as a filling for your tortilla wraps!

If you try this recipe! Let me know what you think! you can also tag me with your recreations on my Instagram account @butteroverbae

More Chicken recipes

Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!

nauratan chicken close up

Nauratan Chicken

A quick and eclectic Pakistani chicken curry, made with boneless chicken, potatoes, bell peppers and onions in a tomato and yogurt based thick gravy, seasoned with roasted spices.
4.81 from 26 votes
Print Pin
Course: Pakistani / Indian food
Cuisine: South Asian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 452kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

  • 1/2 kg boneless chicken cut in cubes
  • 1 1/2 cup cube cut potatoes about 2 medium ones
  • 2 cups square cut capsicum about 2 medium ones
  • 1 1/2 cup onions cut up in squares about 2 medium ones
  • 1 big big onion finely chopped
  • 3 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp Coriander seeds
  • 8 to 10 whole red chilies
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste or tomato puree of 2 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
  • 1/4 cup oil

Instructions

  • In a pan roast 2 tsp of cumin seeds, with coriander seeds and whole red chilies for about 5 mins or until coriander seeds turn golden brown. Run the spices through a food process to get coarsely grounded spice mix
  • Add finely chopped onion and 1 tsp whole cumin seeds in a pot along with oil. Allow the onions to turn golden brown.
  • Toss in cubed chicken and garlic ginger paste into the onions. Add the grounded spice mix and salt as well.
  • Saute the chicken for 2 to 3 mins at high flame or until the chicken turns white.
  • Add 1/2 cup of water with tomato paste and whisked yogurt in the chicken, cover it and let it cook for 10 mins
  • In the meantime par-boil potato cubes in salt water for 3 to 4 mins.
  • In a frying pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and stir fry the parboiled potatoes, square cut onions and square cut capsicum.
  • Once the oil comes up around the chicken curry, add in the stir fried vegetables. Top it off with crushed black pepper and garam masala powder. Add more water if needed.
  • Serve with naan/roti or zeera pulao rice

Notes

You can add more tomato paste / yogurt if you want more gravy.
You can also use 2 medium sized tomato pureed instead of tomato paste
This curry is spicy, reduce the number of red chilies if you can’t eat spicy food.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 452kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 45gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 820mgFiber: 5gSugar: 16g
Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

Gajar ka achar – Spicy Pickled Carrots Recipe

You know how ketchup is pretty much a permanent on grocery lists? So are achar in brown homes!!! And this 20 min Gajar ka achar (spicy pickled carrots) has become a must in my house during winters.

Achar (or Pakistani/Indian pickles) are a spicier version of a regular pickle (basically like most Indian foods). It’s a spicy condiment that we loveeeeee pairing with rice and lentils or a good vegetable flatbread (paratha)! yums! And this Gajar ka achar is soo soo good!

My nani (grandma) used to make the long fermented version which takes a couple of days to make. And I mean I don’t check up on the plants in my house that often, how am I supposed to remember checking up on this? Entered a 20 min version. You will need a stove top, a glass jar, carrots and spices. That’s it! let’s begin!

A QUICK PICTORIAL GUIDE TO MAKING PICKLED CARROTS OR GAJAR KA ACHAR

bottle of mustard oil

So Pakistani/Indian pickles are mostly made using mustard oil. It enhances the flavor of all the spices and works really well as a preservative.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Mustard oil is very bitter in taste if used directly. So to reduce the bitterness, we preheat the oil before use. We heat it in the pan for 3 to 4 mins and leave it to cool down. Then this oil becomes ready to use.

Since mustard oil requires preheating, I usually start with this step and then move on to cutting my carrots.

blue bowl full of sliced carrots

This achar is usually made in winters when really nice red sweet carrots are in season back in Pakistan. (Also why you will see me posting a lot of gajar ka halwa in winters on instagram).

I fortunately had access to these Pakistani carrots which taste amazingggggg! Regardless, I’ve made this recipe with regular carrots as well and it turns out just as great.

A little tip here. I cut the carrots up into a thin slender french fry cut. But I also removed the central yellowish portion of the carrot. This part of the carrot is usually tasteless. You can keep this if you like. I usually just use the discard portion for my salads.
whole spices and seeds and chopped garlic in oil, frying in a wok.

Let’s start cooking the Achar. In the wok/pan which has the Mustard oil, add your curry leaves, cumin seeds, black and yellow mustard seeds, fennel seeds and chopped garlic along with whole red chilies. I know it sounds like a lot of ingredients, but you probably already have a lot of them in your pantry. We are going to fry this till the garlic gets to a nice golden color.

tempered spices in oil in a wok

Once we reach the nice golden color, we are going to chuck in all our carrots and powdered spices like salt, turmeric and red chili powder and flakes.

carrots in a wok for gajar ka achar

Can you imagine this was that easy? Go ahead and stir around those carrots in the wok with the spices. Cook it for a good 5 mins, for the spices to coat the carrots and the carrots to soften up.

Then add green chilies and cook for another 5 mins.

gajar ka achar - pickled carrots ready to serve

After 10 mins, we will turn of the flame and squeeze some lemon juice all over our carrots and cover them up.

The lemon acts as a preservative for the pickle and also adds that characteristic tart flavor that pickles have.

Once the carrots have cooled down, I am going to transfer them into an airtight glass jar and keep it in the fridge.

Serve with lentils and rice, or aloo ka paratha, yumm!!

gajar ka achar - quick pickled carrots
How long does the achar last for?

It can last indefinitely in the fridge but to give you a date, it can last for up to 3 months in the fridge. I am not very confident of leaving this outside as the oil quantity for this achar is quite low compared to regular achars.

Substitutes

  • You can use regular oil instead of mustard oil
  • You can use 2 tbsp tamarind pulp instead of lemon but you will have to add it with the carrots so that it cooks as well

RECIPE FOR GAJAR KA ACHAR – PICKLED CARROTS RECIPE

gajar ka achar - quick pickled carrots

Quick Pickled Carrots recipe – Gajar ka Achar

A tart condiment made with Sliced carrot pickled in Pakistani/ Indian spice infused oil without using vinegar
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dips & Condiments
Cuisine: South Asian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 cups of pickle
Calories: 468kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

  • 1/2 kg carrots 7 to 8 medium sized carrots
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds zeera
  • 1/4 tsp yellow Mustard seeds methi dana
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds rye dana
  • 1/2 tsp Nigella seeds kalonji
  • 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds saunf
  • 1/2 tsp of red chili flakes kooti wi laal mirch
  • 1 tsp of red chili powder pisi wi lal mirch
  • 6 whole round red chilies sabit lal mirch
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder haldi
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 8 to 10 Curry leaves karri patta
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 3 Green chilies
  • 1/4 cup mustard oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice or Juice of 2 small lemons

Instructions

  • Heat mustard oil in a pan and then let it cool down.* (see notes)
  • Slice your carrots into thin strips and remove central yellow part of the carrot**
  • Once the oil has cooled down, now heat it up again at medium flame. Add in all the whole spices, curry leaves and seeds along with the chopped garlic. Allow the spices to temper in oil.
  • Once the garlic turns golden brown, add in the carrots, salt, red chili flakes and powder and turmeric and green chilies. Let the carrots cook at medium flame for 10 mins.
  • Turn off the flame and add lemon juice. Cover the carrots and let it cool down to room temperature.
  • Store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge.
  • If you plan to leave it out, you have to shake the contents of the jar every other day.

Notes

*Heating oil and cooling down before is important to remove its bitter taste.
**The central yellow part of the carrot is usually tasteless and for the quick pickle version, it’s best to remove this. But you can leave this if you don’t want to bother slicing it away

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 468kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 10gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 17gSodium: 3298mgFiber: 15gSugar: 42g
Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

Lab e Shireen – Creamy Fruit Custard

Not one to fall for most desi desserts, but this Lab e Shireen just gets me. If this is the first, you are hearing of this, let me fill you in. Lab e Shireen is a Pakistani creamy fruit custard, which has fruits, jelly cubes, cream and colorful vermicelli, all balanced in a sweet custard base. To put it simply its the Pakistani version of a trifle! (except that we mix everything together like savages ok?)

I laaaaavve how light and refreshing this dessert feels. Just like a good ol’ bowl of chilled Rasmalai. I mean, I am equally crazy for the more indulgent desi desserts like, gajar ka halwa, or shahi tukrey, but some days, you just need a nice airy light creamy dessert. oh and its also budget friendly! so win win!

The recipe is pretttttty straight forward, all the elements are prepared separately and then dumped in together to create something delicious! Let me walk you through this.

lab e shireen or creamy fruit custard

A quick step by step to make Lab e Shireen

Components of the dessert:

  • A custard base
  • Jelly
  • Colored Vermicelli
  • Cream
  • Cut up fruits.

All the components are prepared and kept in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours and then taken out to assemble.

Making the Custard Base

Custard base in a saucepan for lab e shireen

So with the custard for this dessert, you want to have like a nice smooth consistency and not a firmly set custard because this dessert has a more creamy consistency than a set one.

So I prepared the custard normally like I do, following the instructions on the packet. The only change I make is that I add all the sugar for the dessert in the custard itself.

It then goes in the fridge 2 hours. After I took it out, I used a hand blender to blend it out. This did make the custard a little thin but that’s OK, that’s what we want.

Prep the Jelly

Orange and cherry flavored jelly set in 2 rectangular plastic containers

This was also prepared according to the instructions on the packet. For one pack of jelly, most packets read 1 cup of water. But I’d suggest 3/4 cup of water. This way your jelly won’t be very soft and will sit well in your dessert without leaching any water out.

TIP: Use a large container to set jelly rather than a smaller one. The larger container will give you nice smaller thinner cubes.

Vermicelli

colored dry vermicelli for Lab e shireen

For the vermicelli I used the colored ones, but you can use the normal brown vermicelli as well. Just boil it in plain water since our custard has taken care of all the sweetness. Boil it for atleast 10 mins. Strain the water and dump the boiled vermicelli noodles into cold milk. Keep this in the fridge to cool down as well.

Assembling Lab e Shireen

Once all your components are damn right chilled, take out a big mixing bowl. Add in all the elements one by one. Add in the blended custard, then the vermicelli and milk. Mix them together with a whisk. Add in cream and fold it right in.

lab e shireen or fruit cream custard with colored vermicelli
  • jelly dropped in a bowl of Lab e shireen
    Add in Jelly and mix
  • cut up apples and bananas dropped into the bowl of lab e shireen
    Add in your preferred fruits and mix

I used bananas and apple as my fruit because I think they go universally well with all kinds of fruit desserts.

Once everything is mixed, dish it out in your serving glasses or a big serving dish, however you want to serve it. And top it off with some sliced almonds or cream.

It stays perfectly well in the fridge for up to 4 days

top view of 3 bowls of lab e shireen also know as pakistani Creamy fruit custard

ALTERNATES, FIXES AND REMIXES – FOR THE PERFECT LAB E SHIREEN

Substitutes.

You can use almond milk instead of regular milk if you are avoiding dairy or are lactose intolerant and skip cream.

Remixes

  • Try using a strawberry base custard instead of the regular vanilla one, that would taste yummm!!
  • You can also use some other fruits that you like or canned fruits would taste great too!
  • While soaking your vermicelli in milk, add 3 tbsp of chia seeds as well! It would go soooo well with all the other ingredients!

FIXES – What to do if one of these things happen?

  • Final mix NOT sweet enough – Add some condense milk in the end
  • Final mix too sweet for you – Add some more fresh unsweetened cream
  • Final mix too thick for you – Add in some milk to thin it out
  • Final mix too thin for you – Add in some heavy whip cream
  • Custard too firmly set in the fridge – Put it in a blender and blend it out

If you don’t plan on consuming it right away, or if you are making it for a party, assemble everything together EXCEPT the fruit. And add the fruit on the day of your event. This way you can even make this dessert 2 to 3 days in advance.

Lab e Shireen – Creamy Fruit Custard

lab e shireen in a bowl also known as creamy fruit custard

Lab e Shireen – Pakistani fruit custard

A Pakistani dessert which is a creamy blend of jelly, sweet vermicelli, fruits and custard
4.69 from 16 votes
Print Pin
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: South Asian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 340kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

  • 2 packets of different flavored jelly
  • 4 cups milk
  • 4 tbsp custard powder
  • 1/2 cup raw colored vermicelli
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2-3 drops vanilla essence
  • 2 cups of any chopped fruits of your choice apples/bananas or canned fruits
  • 1 1/4 cup thick cream 300 ml

Instructions

CUSTARD

  • Mix custard powder in 1/4 cup of milk to form a paste and make sure there are no lumps
  • In a sauce pan, add sugar, vanilla essence and 2 cups of milk, and the custard powder paste. Simmer at medium to low flame and whisk continuously. When the custard starts to thicken, keep whisking until it becomes nice and thick. Turn off the flame and allow the custard to cool down. Stir from time to time to avoid a top layer from forming on top of the custard.
  • When the custard comes to room temperature, put it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours

  • OTHER COMPONENTS
  • Follow the instructions on the packet of the jellies to make jelly and set both the jellies in the fridge.
  • Boil colored vermicelli in water for about 10 mins. Strain the vermicelli and dip it in a bowl of 2 cups of milk. Keep in fridge as well.
  • When all three components have been in the fridge for at least 2 hours, start assembling.
  • Assembling.1. Whisk the custard with hand whisk to make it smooth.
  • 2. Add in smooth cream and fold it into the custard.
  • 3. Add in the milk and colored vermicelli and use a whisk to make a smooth mix.
  • 4. Cut the jellies in small cubes and add to the mix.
  • 5. Add the fruits to the mix.
  • 6. Take out the serving dish, and chill for another hour
  • 7. Garnish with sliced almonds and serve cold.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 340kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 62mgPotassium: 207mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 608IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 0.2mg
Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

Chicken Tikka Nachos

This recipe for Chicken Tikka nachos was more of an experiment gone right rather than something that I started with full intention. These nachos are a spicy fusion snack made with all the Pakistani/Indian spices, a yogurt sauce, a mint sauce, some chopped up veggies, served with Mexican tortilla chips.

It’s one of those fusion recipes, that just sticks with you once you make it. Just like Pakistani style batata harra, you guys are going to love this!

I am talking a blast of flavor happening right in your mouth. Without further ado, here’s the recipe

Putting together Loaded Chicken Tikka Nachos

When we talk about toppings, you know we are basically talking about dumping stuff on top of tortilla chips right?. Here’s a picture showing all the things you are going to be throwing in the mix. And since this is soooooo straight forward, I’ll just quickly use pictures to walk you through the process.

components breakdown needed to make chicken tikka nachos

There’s some cilantro in the picture, which I just use for garnish. The tortilla chips I used were low sodium low cal baked ones. And honestly they were almost insignificant because all that flavor coming from the toppings. So, you can totally opt for the tasteless “healthier tortilla chips” for this recipe. (Ya i find them tasteless ok? sue me :P)

Chicken tikka mix

chicken tikka mix

For the tikka mix, I used boneless chicken and cut it up into small chunks. Then I prepared my tikka marinade and reserved 1 tsp of mixture to add into the gravy later. I marinated the chicken for about 15 mins. Cooked the chicken on a pan along with some tomato paste, the reserved marinade mix and some cream. Viola! the chicken tikka mix was ready. The whole thing took me hardly 20 mins. And thiss was, The longest part of the whole recipe.

Veggie Mix

finely chopped onions, tomatoes and orange bell pepper in a blue bowl with a spoon in it

While the chicken waited, I prepared the veggie mix. Its a simple onion, tomato and bell peper finely chopped and seasoned with lemon, salt and pepper. (think Tikka pizza toppings). Done? ok set aside.

Mint sauce

mint sauce on a wooden spoon on a black background

For the mint sauce, I used mint leaves, some green chilies, lemon, garlic, salt, some avocado and water. Chucked everything in a blender and made a smooth rich creamy sauce.

This sauce is a creamier version of the Mint Chutney that is usually served with Chicken tikka. The only new addition is the avocado.

Disclaimer: This sauce is very spicy ( I mean, for brown folks too ok?) so go light on this sauce if you can’t handle spicy food very well.

Why the avocado?
– It gives the sauce some body and creamy consistency, so prevents it from become watery.
– It adds a healthy kick my friends!

Yogurt sauce

yogurt sauce in a wooden spoon

Moving on to yogurt sauce. Very basic. Very mild. Also very yum. This sauce just had yogurt, cream and a little seasoning. This sauce is the mild cool topping so it would work with everyone’s palate (by everyone I mean spicy and non spicy peeepss)

And that’s that! Then I started dumping all of this on top of a plate of plain tortilla chips…and MY friend….the rest……is history 😀 I did, veggies, chicken, sauces, and veggies again and cilantro. That’s the sequence I went with

loaded chicken tikka nachos

Alternates, fixes and Remixes

Substitutes

Avocado – If you don’t have avocado on hand, just use 1 tbsp of cream instead and add that to the mint sauce.

Less spicy – There is no denying these nachos are packed with heat! if you can’t handle spicy food, make the following changes to reduce the spice level of this dish:
– Use paprika instead of red chili powder and 1 tsp instead of 2
– Use 1 green chili instead of 3
– Use less green sauce on the overall dish.

Box masala – If you don’t feel like making your own spice mix, then go ahead and use any Chicken tikka masala mix from Shan, National etc.

More Fun Recipes you’d like

chicke tikka nachos

Chicken Tikka Nachos

A Pakistani/Indian twist on the regular mexican nachos
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack, Snacks, Sides and Starters
Cuisine: Fusion Food, South Asian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 549kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

  • A bag of tortilla chips.
  • Chopped cilantro for garnish

Yogurt Sauce

  • 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp of salt
  • 1/4 tsp of black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp of cream

Mint sauce

  • A handful of mint leaves
  • 3 green chilies with stems removed
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice or juice of half a lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 slices of avocado or 1/4th of an avocado
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup of water

Chicken tikka mixture

  • 2 chicken breast pieces cut up into small chunks
  • 1/2 tsp of turmeric
  • 2 tsp of red chili powder
  • 2 tsp of cumin powder
  • 1 tsp of coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp of garam masala or all spice powder
  • 2 tbsp of lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp of vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp of red color powder
  • 4 tbsp of tomato paste or ketchup
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • 1 tbsp of cream
  • 4 tbsp of cooking oil

Veggie mix

  • 1 medium tomato chopped up finely.
  • 1 big onion chopped up finely
  • 1/2 a bell pepper chopped up finely
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder

Instructions


  • Preparing
  • Prepare the chicken marinade by mixing all the dry spices, lemon, vinegar and ginger garlic paste. Once the mixture is ready, scoop out 1 heaped teaspoon of the mixture for later use. Marinate the chicken in the remaining spice mix and set aside for 10 to 15 mins
  • In the meantime, put all the ingredients for the mint sauce in a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Mix all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce and set aside.
  • Mix all the raw veggies, sprinkle some lemon juice and black pepper on it and set aside.
  • In a frying pan, add oil and marinated chicken. Stir fry for 3 mins at high flame till the chicken looks cooked. Add tomato paste, water, the spice mix that we had saved for use later. Cook for another 2 mins.
  • Add cream to the chicken mix and cook for another min. Turn off flame and cover with a lid until ready to use.
  • Assembly
  • Layer all the tortilla chips/nachos on the serving dish.
  • Add half of the veggie mix all over the nachos.
  • Add the chicken tikka mix on top of the veggies.
  • Layer out the mint and yogurt sauces.
  • Top it off with the remaining veggies and chopped cilantro.

Notes

Go easy on the red and green chilies if you can’t handle spicy food.
You can also use packet masala for chicken tikka and exclude all the dry spices from the chicken marination. Use about 6 tbsp of packet masala.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 549kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 21gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 491mgFiber: 14gSugar: 12g
Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

Dahi bara masala and Kaccha Masala

The beauty of Indian and Pakistani food are the aromatic spices that are tempered in oil to create an intense flavor that you still remember lonngg after finishing your food. Different spice blends are now easily available in the market which is great for us! But sometimes we still like to get down and make it our own way.

Dahi bara / dahi vada / dahi bhalla are a popular Indian Pakistani snack made of fried lentils dipped in yogurt. The dahi bara masala mix is popularly used to top off this particular recipe for a long time, but it has since then been used for many different purposes. So I am going to show you how you can easily make this spice mix at home in about 15 mins. Bonus: Another spice mix with the same ingredients.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I promiseee it won’t take you more than 15 mins and the payout is going to be amazing!

We are going to use the same three spices to create 2 types of spice mixes, one is the roasted one which is the Dahi bara masala and the other one is Kaccha masala.

Where can Kaccha masala be used?

  • Kachcha masala is used in lots of Pakistani style cooking areas. Since it is a raw masala, it is never used for garnish or directly, it is always used in the earlier stages of cooking.
  • It is a part of chapli kebab masala
  • It can be used for marinating chicken and beef etc.
  • Can also be used for marinating veggies before roasting. e.g. roasted potatoes and carrots
  • Try adding this to your chicken karhayi next time and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Where can you use Dahi bara masala (Dahi bhalla/Dahi vada)?

  • Obviously on top of dahi bareys to begin with
  • Use it as a substitute for Chaat Masala
  • Its also very commonly used on mix chickpea chaats
  • I sprinkle it on top of my Spicy potatoes
  • You can add it to your raitas as well (yogurt sauce)
  • You can sprinkle it on any time of roasted chicken or beef to make it extra spicy

What do you need to make Dahi bara masala and Kachcha Masala

So both the masalas have the exact same ingredients and the exact same ratios as well. The only difference is that Kachcha masala is raw and Dahi bara masala is roasted, that’s literally about it!

  • coriander seeds for dahi bara masala
    Coriander Seeds
  • cumin seeds for dahi bara masala
    Cumin seeds
  • whole red chilies for dahi bara masala
    Whole red chilies

Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds and whole red chilies is all you need to make these spice mixes.

Kacchha masala or raw spice mix in a glass jar
Kachcha masala spice mix

For the kaccha masala you grind everything together in a food processor and put it in a jar. It’s going to be slightly lighter in color than the dahi bara masala.

Remember, this is raw spice so it can only be used in places where cooking is still left. for e.g curries and marinades etc.

Dahi Bara Masala

raw spices on a frying pan

Toss the same ingredients in a pan. At low flame roast these spices for 8 to 10 mins, stirring occasionally. When the color of the coriander seeds starts to turn brown, turn off the heat and allow the spices to cool down. Once cooled, grind it in a food processor! And you have your dahi bara masala! told you! 10 mins

Disclaimer: Just don’t rub your eyes after handling the spices, before washing your hands thoroughly. Don’t ask!

Dahi bara masala in a glass jar
Dahi bara masala

Store in a Jar and use wherever you like. Since this is a cooked version of the spice mix, you can use it as is, for on-top seasonings, sprinkling on your omelette etc.

How to store your masalas for longer shelf life

Both these spices can last indefinitely if kept in the right conditions.

  • Keep in room temperature away from direct sunlight or extreme heat (like not right next to the stove)
  • Use a glass jar to preserve your spices. Glass is inert and will not react with your spices, keeping them tasting fresh.
  • Use a jar with an airtight lid to prevent any moisture seeping into the spice mixes (moisture can lead to fungus etc)
  • If you are not going to use your spice mix regularly, put it in a zip lock bag and dump it in the freezer.
  • Assign a spoon for the spice mix which can stay inside the spice jar or use a dry spoon every time you use the spice.
  • These facts apply to practically every spice that you have at home.

Click here to browse through other
spice mixes and condiment recipes on the blog.

Dahi Bara Masala and Kaccha Masala Recipe

dahi bara masala and kaccha masala spice mix shown in 2 glass jars

Dahi bara masala & Kaccha Masala

Two popular Indian/Pakistani spice mixes made from red chilies, cumin and coriander seeds.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dips & Condiments
Cuisine: South Asian
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Cumin seeds zeera
  • 1 cup coriander seeds saabit dhaniya
  • 1 1/2 cup whole round dried red chilies saabit laal mirch

Instructions

  • FOR KACCHA MASALA (RAW 3 SPICE MIX)
  • Simply put everything in a food processor to get a coarse spice mix. Save in an airtight jar.
  • You can use this spice mix for marination and curries etc.
  • FOR DAHI BARA MASALA (ROASTED 3 SPICE MIX)
  • In a pan, add all the ingredients and roast them at low heat. Stir the contents of the pans occasionally to make sure all the seeds get evenly heated for about 6 to 7 mins.
  • When the color of the coriander seeds change from mustard to a golden brown color, turn off the heat and allow the spices to cool down.
  • Once cooled, use a food processor to grind the spices into a coarse spice mix. Preserve in an airtight jar.
  • This is a roasted spice version so it can also be used for directly sprinkling on top of food and is most commonly used with dahi bareys

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 200kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 22gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 21gSodium: 122mgFiber: 42gSugar: 9g
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Apple Cinnamon Latte

I’d love to take credit for coming up with the idea of Apple Cinnamon Latte. But the truth is I had it at an Arabian kiosk last year. They were hot mild shots of sweet cinnamony milk with a hint of apple. We came home dreaming about the drink all the way and of course I grabbed an extra cup to have some at home. 12 failed experiments later, I finally recreated the drink! And it seems only logical to share it with the rest of you.

Now, I am not sure if this drink is Middle Eastern in origin or just a drink they cooked up, so I am not going to comment on the roots of the latte. (Unlike Saudi Champagne, where the name itself tells you the origin). Or the delicious egg Shakshuka which has Midde East written all over it. But I can tell you this, its yum, its mild, its a great post-food drink for the guests in winters, and it most definitely is toddler approved (that’s coming from friends)

Let’s make the Apple Cinnamon Latte

This Latte was served to us in the form of shots so based on that, this recipe would give you roughly 4 shot glasses or 2 medium cups.

cooked apples with water in a sauce pan

The steps are pretty basic, but a little visual aid never hurts anyone. I cooked the apples first with honey, cinnamon, coffee and water. This is done to cook the Malic acid present in apples. Adding raw apples to the milk will cause the milk to seperate.

So I cook the apples for about 10 mins or until they soften.

handblending cooked apples in a black sauce pan

Then I hand blend them until I get a nice smooth apple sauce.

Next, I used a tea strainer to separate the apple pulp and apple syrup. You will get a nice brown colored liquid once you remove the apple pulp.

NOTE: I don’t throw the pulp away, in fact I use this as a face mask. It has all the right ingredients to make an awesome face mask! Read more about that here
apple pulp and apple liquid seperated. for apple cinnamon latte

In the sauce pan, I added milk at medium flame and whisked it a little bit to get a subtle foam going on.

milk in sauce pan

Then I went ahead, and added my apple syrup and whisked it for another 2 to 3 mins at medium flame.

frothed milk in a sauce pan for apple cinnamon latte

Once I was happy with the foam, I poured the latte in shot glasses, topped it off with some whip cream and more cinnamon.

apple cinnamon latte in 2 cups along with 2 apples on the side on a grey blue board.

ALTERNATES, FIXES AND REMIXES

You can make same recipe using apple or caramel syrup. In which case you can directly add all the ingredients in the sauce pan and whisk away directly. ( no need to break the recipe in 2 steps as there would be no raw apples)

All the flavors in this recipe are very subtle, if you want to overpower one, experiment and go ahead and increase the quantity of coffee maybe? or cinnamon.

APPLE CINNAMON LATTE

apple cinnamon latte in a glass topped with cream

Apple Cinnamon Latte

A mild form of latte, with subtle flavors of apple, cinnamon and coffee
4.88 from 8 votes
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Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 shots
Calories: 110kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

  • 1 medium medium apple sliced and chopped or 4 tbsp of apple syrup
  • 2 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 2 pinches of ground coffee granules
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

  • In a sauce pan, add apples, honey, coffee and cinnamon with water.
  • Heat the sauce pan at medium flame for 5 mins and low flame for another 5 mins.
  • Turn off the flame and hand blend the apples to form a smooth mixture.
  • Use a tea strainer to separate liquid and pulp.
  • In a sauce pan, add milk and at medium flame whisk it to form foam.
  • Add apple sauce to the milk and whisk again for 2 to 3 mins.
  • Pour into shot glasses. Top with whip cream and more cinnamon powder.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

If you don’t plan to consume it straight away, don’t mix the milk with the apple sauce. Whenever you are ready to drink, start with step. no. 5
If you chose to use apple syrup, you can add all the ingredients directly in the sauce pan and bring them all to heat together.

Nutrition

Serving: 1shotCalories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 1gFat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 32mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17g
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Pakistani street food style batata harra (Indo-Mediterranean spicy potatoes)

If you are into fusion cooking, or eating, or trying new things, or basically just want to experience a spicy ride, this Pakistani street food style Batata harra has to be the next thing you try!

Back in Karachi, Pakistan, there is this street food slash food truck kinda place called Al Arab. They serve these amazingggg fusion style Batata harras. Now batata harras are Lebanese spicy potatoes which are cut up in cubess and fried in olive oil along with garlic, peppers and cilantro.

And I mean I loveeeeeee Lebanese food but this fusion just had me going gaga all over it. They (the food truck) had this awesome yogurt sauce slathered all over the potatoes, some veggies and some desi spice mixes happening. Needless to say I’ve been cravingggg some fusion style potatoes since I’ve been back. So this is me attempting to recreate the same dish.

You are welcome to recreate it however you want, I mean its fried potatoes, how can it possibly go wrong?

Here’s a few Desi Pairing Ideas for your Batata harra platter

  • Pair this as a side with a Spicy chicken Tikka for dinner
  • Or serve it as a snack with your evening Chai/Tea
  • If you are having it on one of your meatless days, pair it with Tangy lentil oats to make an awesome meal.
  • Oh and you can also pair it with a Malai boti Pulao to make an awesome lunch meal.
  • Or just use it as one of the appetizers for your dinner menu if you are hosting a party.

Simple steps to make Pakistani street food style batata harra

4 whole unpealed potatoes in a teal tray

PREPPING FOR THE DISH

For this recipe you need 4 medium potatoes on average. I peeled them for the recipe but you can leave the skin on if you like that. Cut the potatoes in 1/2 inch cubes making sure they are all sized more or less the same.

peeled potatoes cut in 1/2 inch cubes on a blue tray

We are going to par boil the potatoes for 4 to 5 mins. And we are also going to add salt and vinegar in the boiling water as well.

Why do this step?

  • Boiling the potatoes is essential for 2 reasons. Firstly, it removes excess starch from your potatoes and makes it healthier to eat. Secondly it half cooks your potatoes and reduces roasting/pan frying time by half.
  • Salt adds flavor to the potatoes.
  • Vinegar helps keep the potatoes retain their shape even if they get a little overcooked.

After boiling the potatoes, strain them and spread them on a tray to dry them off. In the meantime we are going to prepare the spice mix which has sumac, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, a little bit of salt and white pepper. Sumac is an Arabian spice which has a really nice tart lemony flavor.

potato cubes in a bowl and a small bowl with a spice mix

Add the spice mix all over the dried potatoes, mix it up and get ready to cook them.

NOTE: If you are preparing these for an event, you can do this step a day or 2 days in advance. And keep the spiced potatoes in the fridge.
potato cubes rubbed with a spice mix

To cook these potatoes, you can chose to either pan fry them, deep fry them or roast them in an oven. I pan fry them on days when I can’t be bothered to turn on my oven. It’s the quickest of all the methods honestly.

On days we are feeling super indulgent, I do deep fry them but that rarely happens now since pan fried and deep fried taste almost exactly the same.

For pan frying, I just dump the potatoes in a frying pan with 3 tbsp of oil and fry them at high heat.

spiced batata harra on a frying pan

Remember to toss and turn them. I seared them for about 5 to 6 mins at high flame to get a nice crispy texture and dark brown color. You can stop at a light brown golden color if that’s what you prefer.

crispy golden brown batata harra on a fryin pan

ASSEMBLING YOUR FUSION STYLE POTATOES

Once you are happy with the color of your potatoes, dish them out on your serving platter directly. And sprinkle a generous amount of chaat masala or Dahi bara masala (also jam a few in your mouth before anyone sees you). This will you give you that really nice fusion flavor that is similar to the Pakistani street food style potatoes. If you aren’t a fan of either of the spices, go with a black pepper sprinkle.

spicy pakistani style batata harra dished out on a black plate

Putting together the yogurt sauce

These potatoes are topped off with a nice mellow sauce that just brings the wholeee dish together. This is the quickest and easiest dip/sauce to make. It just has 5 simple ingredients; yogurt, mayo, salt, lemon juice and garlic powder. Mix it up and move on to stage two: SLATHERINGGG.

white yogurt sauce in a white bowl with a steel spoon in it

After dishing out your potatoes, drizzle the sauce generously all over your potatoes. Don’t be stingy. Top it off with the final touches. Finely chopped tomatoes, spring onions and a little cilantro.

pakistani street food style batata harra on a black plate

Dig in that platter directly with forks and forget that you have smaller plates to serve this in. Also fight for the potato that has the most sauce on it, its tradition ok ?

ALTERNATES AND REMIXES

Make it healthy

Here are the options you can use to make your dish 100% healthy

  • Oven roast the potatoes instead of deep frying them.
  • Leave the skin of the potatoes on.
  • Use olive oil/coconut oil for glazing your potatoes while roasting
  • Swap out the mayo from the sauce and substitute it with more yogurt.
  • Add more raw veggies to your topping, like chopped onions or cabbage etc.

Substitutes

  • Sumac -You might not have sumac at hand if you don’t do a lot of Mediterranean style cooking. That’s ok. Use lemon juice instead.
  • Dahi bara masala – Not always will you have this masala at hand, use chat masala powder instead to sprinkle over your potatoes. You can also skip this if you are not a fan of spicy food. Or use a little black pepper instead.

REMIXES

  • I mean its potatoes! There is no way you can possibly go wrong with these. Feel free to add or subtract any spices mentioned in the recipe.
  • Coat the potatoes with bbq sauce to get a yummy sweet and spicy bbq batata harra
  • Add or change the veggie topping according to your liking. On the top of my head I can think of cabbage, capsicum and olives that would go really well with this dish too.

More Recipes like this!

pakistani street food style batata harra on a black plate

Pakistani style batata harra

Street style food, made with Potato cubes rubbed with fusion style Arabian and Pakistani spices, fried to a golden brown color, topped with a yogurt mayo sauce, green onions and tomatoes.
4.70 from 13 votes
Print Pin
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Fusion Food, pakistani
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 302kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

For Spice rub

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
  • 1 tsp Sumac

For the Yogurt sauce

  • 3 tbsp yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp Mayo
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp lemon juice.

Other Important things

  • 4 medium potatoes peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 medium tomato finely chopped
  • 1/2 stalk spring onions. finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Chat masala or dahi bara masala optional
  • Oil – quantity according to cooking method

Instructions

  • Parboil potato cubes with salt and vinegar for 3 to 4 mins.
  • Strain the potatoes and spread them out to cool down.
  • In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
  • In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the spice rub and add the potato cubes. Coat all the cubes with the spice rub evenly.
  • Use one of the following methods to finish cooking the potatoes:
    a. Pan fry – Add 3 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and pan fry the potato cubes at high flame until they are golden brown. This will take roughly 6 to 7 mins.
    b. Deep fry – Add 1 tbsp of cornflour to the potatoes and coat them. You can now deep fry the potato cubes at high flame until crispy golden.
    c. Oven roast – Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil. Add the potato cubes and drizzle a few table spoons of cooking oil all over them. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF. Bake the potatoes for 30 to 40 mins or until you see a nice golden color on top.
  • Dish out the potatoes on your serving platter. Sprinkle some chaat masala or dahi bara masala for extra kick.
  • Drizzle the yogurt sauce all over the potatoes and top with tomatoes and spring onions.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Whichever method of cooking you chose, don’t overcrowd your pan or tray. Overcrowding the tray will trap the heat between the potatoes and they will be cooked in steam rather than roasted/fried.
  • The measurements for sauce are perfect for drizzling on the potatoes. If you would like a bowl of sauce on the side as well, double the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 9gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 940mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6g
Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

Easy Apple Chicken Stir Fry

If you’ve been adulting long enough, than you already have a quickie list! By that I mean a list of fast cooking meals that you whip up when you are feeling low on energy and neeeeed comfort food, but also conserve energy. Today, my friends, I am going to make your list a little longer. Presenting to you, this Apple Chicken stir fry recipe, that is a hassle free, comes under the category of 30 min meal, and is currently all I can think about atm.

This Apple Chicken stir fry is a combination of perfectly shallow fried chicken cubes, caramelized apples and onions, coated with a sweet and rich dark sauce made with apple juice and various spices, topped off with sesame seeds. I served it with steamed rice but man, fried rice would be sooooo perfect with it. If you’ve tried and liked pineapple chicken, or dragon chicken, or are a fan of Asian fusion flavors, this is the recipe for you.

I initially created this recipe a month ago for a challenge that I am hosting on Insta these days. But tbh, since then I’ve made it twice already, one for a dinner I was hosting and once because the husband requested it. It’s safe to say, that this meal has made a place on my monthly rotations and also Party menus

It is sooooooper easy but I still thought I’d throw in a couple of process pictures your way so there are no surprises. You can always click on the jump to recipe button above if you think you’ve got this.

Steps to make this yummm Apple chicken stir fry

Preparing the Chicken

boneless chicken cubes in a white rectangular dish

This recipe measurements has 2 to 3 servings. I used 2 chicken breast pieces and cut them up in about 1 inch cubes. Then I marinated the chicken in soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper powder and garlic paste.

Keep the marinated chicken in the fridge for at least half an hour. Some of my friends skip this step because…well they be hungry!

Keep in mind that most dark sauces are high in sodium so I haven’t added any salt in the marinade.
But if you are using low sodium soy sauce, then add a lil bit of salt.

marinated chicken cube in a white dish besides a plastic bowl containing corn flour

Add corn flour to your marinated chicken and coat them with it. It doesn’t need to be a perfect coat like we do while deep frying. So its ok if some bits and parts of chicken are not fully covered.

Marinated chicken cubes in a plastic bowl

Your coated chicken cubes are gonna look something like in the picture above. They are now ready to be stir fried in some oil.

Go ahead and add the 1/4 cup of oil to a frying pan. Throw in your chicken and toss and turn them at medium to high flame until they are golden brown in color.

Chicken cubes in oil on a frying pan
golden brown chicken cubes on a skillet being stir fried

Once they get their beautiful color (and you nibble on a few pieces), take the chicken out from the frying pan and set aside. Now crank up the heat to full and toss in some square cut onions and apple cubes in the pan with the remaining oil in it.

apple cubes and onion squares tossed in a black frying pan with some oil
caramelized apple cubes and onion squares tossed in a black frying pan with some oil

Keep the heat at a high level and let your onions and apples caramelize. The sugar in both the ingredients will allow them to caramelize and its up to you to decide what level of caramelization you want. I personally only go for 2 3 mins of stir frying which gives me a light golden coat on all of the apples and onions. Once you are happy with the level of browness (thats a word right?) on your fruit and veggie, go ahead and take them out from the oil and set aside.

stir fried chicken cubes, apple cubes and onion squares on a grey plate

Preparing the sauce and assembling the apple chicken stir fry

Now we are gonna start preparing the sauce.

Prepare the sauce when you are ready to eat. If you are preparing this dish for a party, you can fry the apples, onions and chicken before hand and prepare the sauce when its time to serve.

In the remaining oil, chuck in some good old finely chopped garlic and take it to a golden brown level. When your kitchen starts smelling like the garlicky goodness that this dish is, you are ready for the next step.

finely chopped garlic with oil on a frying pan
golden brown chopped garlic bits on a frying pan

This recipe uses apple juice as part of its sauce mix and I used the following one. But you can go ahead and use whichever apple juice you want, whether freshly squeezed or a bottled one like this.

a bottle of apple juice

I like to add all the ingredients for the sauce in mug and keep it ready so when its time to eat, I am not standing there measuring my ingredients.

a mug with dark colored sauce miixture and a spoon

Add all the sauce ingredients to the frying pan and let it simmer at medium to high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. After that, I used a little bit of corn flour as a thickening agent.

sauce for apple chicken stir fry bubbling in a frying pan
adding corn flour to the sauce for apple chicken stir fry

After adding corn flour, I stirred the sauce for about a minute or 2 and dumped in all my stir fried ingredients. Then I cooked for another 2 to 3 minutes at high flame to reheat all the chicken and apples. This is also a good time to check for seasoning. When I am happy with the consistency of the sauce, I turn off the flame and topped this gorgeous dish off with sesame seeds and some chopped spring onions.

apple chicken stir fry with onions in a dark sauce on a frying pan

We had it with some steamed rice but of course you can pair with chow mein or fried rice just as well.

ALTERNATES, FIXES AND REMIXES

Substitutions:

Healthier Substitutions

You can make this dish that much healthier by making the following substitutions:

1. Use 1 tbsp of apple puree instead of cornflour to thicken the sauce.
2. Skip the corn flour coat on the chicken cubes and stir fry directly.
3. Use 1 tbsp of oil to stir fry the chicken, 1 tbsp for onions and apples and 1 tbsp for garlic for a total of 3 tbsp of oil for this recipe.
4. Use low sodium soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce
5. Use freshly squeezed apple juice instead of the bottled version.

Hoisin sauce alternative

If you don’t have hoisin sauce on hand, don’t worry. Make your own hoisin sauce by mixing together the following ingredients.

  • 1 tbsp of barbecue sauce
  • 1 tsp of brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp of soy sauce
  • A pinch of cinnamon
  • 2 pinches of red pepper powder or cayenne pepper.

There are also tons of other ways to make your own Hoisin sauce. Click here for other Hoisin sauce substitutes.

Fixes

If you feel your sauce is too sweet for your liking, add a little vinegar to balance it out.

If you feel your sauce is very tart, add a little worcestershire sauce.

If your final dish is over salty, there are 2 things you can do to compensate for this. The first thing you can do is to skip salt altogether while making the rice that will go with this dish. The second option would be to add 1/2 cup of water to the sauce and throw some of the sauce away after diluting it. But keep in mind, this way you might have to adjust the other seasonings as well.

Remixes

For extra crunch, you can also add peanuts to this, or increase the level of onions in this recipe.

You can try the same recipe with pineapples, replacing apples and apple juice with pineapple and its juice.

Swap the chicken for turkey or beef. If you are going to try this recipe with beef, remember to boil the beef for 20 mins in salt and garlic water to tenderize it before proceeding with the recipe as is.

apple chicken stir fry topped with sesame seeds and spring onions on a black frying pan on top of a kitchen cloth

More Pan Asian Recipes

Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!

APPLE CHICKEN STIR FRY

Easy Apple & Chicken Stir Fry

A tangy sweet amalgamation of apples, onions and chicken, stir fried together in a rich dark sauce. Can be eaten with rice or noodles.
4.78 from 9 votes
Print Pin
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese/Indo Chinese, Continental
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Marination time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 3 Servings
Calories: 975kcal
Author: Wajiha

Ingredients

Chicken Marination

  • 2 piece chicken breast pieces cut up in 1 inch cubes 200 gm
  • 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp corn flour

Sauce

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 full tbsp honey or brown sugar
  • 1 cup of apple juice
  • 1 tsp white pepper powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper powder
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 3 tbsp vinegar

Other

  • 1 medium apple cut up in medium sized cubes
  • 2 medium onions cut in ½ inch squares
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 tbsp corn flour
  • sesame seeds for garnish
  • chopped sprin onions for garnish

Instructions

  • Prepare Chicken
  • Marinate chicken cubes in all the spices and sauces, (except for the corn flour). Refrigerate for 30 mins at least.
  • Add cornflour to chicken and coat evenly.
  • Add oil in a frying pan or wok, and stir fry chicken until golden brown.
  • Remove chicken from oil and set aside.
  • Preparing sauce and assembling
  • In the same oil, add onions and apples and stir fry at high flame. Allow the onions and apples to caramelize and get a nice brown edge.
  • Remove the onions and apples from the oil and set aside.
  • In the left over oil, add chopped garlic, and stir fry until they turn golden brown.
  • Add all the ingredients for the sauce in the pan and allow it to simmer for 3 to 4 mins at medium flame.
  • Mix corn flour with a little water to form a slurry and add it to the simmering sauce. Cook for 1 to 2 mins and dump in all the chicken, onions and apples.
  • Cook for another 2 mins to reheat all the ingredients and get the consistency of sauce you want.
  • Top with sesame seeds and spring onions. Serve immediately with steamed rice or stir fry noodles.

Notes

Substitutions for major ingredients are given right above the recipe card.
Most Dark sauces have a high level of Sodium, so preferably keep salt levels low for your dish and add salt later if needed.
If you are using low sodium options for your sauces, then add a bit of extra salt in the seasonings

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 975kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 171gFat: 154gSaturated Fat: 40gPolyunsaturated Fat: 34gMonounsaturated Fat: 68gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 668mgSodium: 2827mgPotassium: 2231mgFiber: 4gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 1310IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 179mgIron: 11mg
Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae