I ‘celebrated’ a nine-year friendship anniversary with my first cousin a few days ago. Considering she’s been a part of my life as far as my memory stretches, this friend-anniversary reminder by Facebook was rather amusing.
As someone who was smack in the middle of the Bhaumick sisters – three years younger to my elder sister and three and a half years older to me – she has been someone close to both of us. Ask our parents and they will entertain you for hours with tales of these three musketeers.
I was the rebellious younger sister who had to pull out all the stops when the two older sisters would gang up against me. But most times the three of us were a knit gang, especially when it came to escaping kitchen duties.
Such a turn of tide to see all three of us becoming kitchen-friendly – my elder sister is on the way to becoming the queen of quick and easy cooking; I am learning to cook while boring you with the stories and some recipes; the cousin settled somewhere in the United States and a mother of two adorable tots, has become a kitchen whiz and a genius at finding ways to make her kids eat healthily.
She can rattle off recipes on calls! In fact, ‘chatpata chicken’ literally meaning ‘tangy chicken’ was dictated over the phone. True to myself I forgot the recipe by the next day and had to ask her again.
With a cooking time of just 20 minutes and the flexibility of loading with as many vegetables as you want and seasoned with just two ingredients – turmeric and chaat masala, this is a winner. “I don’t remember where I learned this from but what I do know is that I love it and so do the kids. Makes that a win-win situation!” she says.
What is a chaat masala? The chaat masala – available in all Indian stores – is a mix of around eight spices, blended to perfection for a tangy lift to your savouries and even fruit salads. An aunt of mine makes this masala at home. Perhaps in the near future, I can convince her to share the secrets with my readers – through me, of course. #fingerscrossed
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Only two seasonings add a healthy zing to this dish, reminiscent of street-side Indian food and guaranteed to make your taste buds dance.
- 500 grams Chicken (boneless)
- 2 Onion (medium-sized)
- ½ Green Bell Pepper
- ½ Red Bell Pepper
- ½ Yellow Bell Pepper
- 5 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 Green Chillies (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon Chaat Masala
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Oil
Cut the chicken into thin strips and set aside.
Slice the onion and bell peppers into thin slices and set aside.
Heat oil in non-stick frying pan on low flame, add the garlic and sauté till it turns golden brown.
Add the sliced onions, green chillies and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for around 2 minutes. Do not allow the onion to turn brown or soften.
Add the sliced bell peppers and mix well.
Pour in the chicken, 2 tablespoons of chaat masala and mix thoroughly.
Cook for around 6-7 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked. Add more chaat masala if needed. DO NOT ADD SALT.
Serve hot with roti or use to make sandwiches and wraps.
- You can add other crunchy vegetables like carrots, zucchini, baby corn, etc.
