tiffin Archives - MyEdibleCravings

I am very partial to non-vegetarian dishes in general and chicken in particular. There are numerous ways to cook chicken, be it an appetizer or an entree or a gravy, you name it and there is a recipe out there. Today, I am going to give you the recipe of one of my favorite chicken dishes, the Chicken Frankie. Chicken Frankie is a popular street food item in India. I was introduced to this amazing food item during my college days (sweet memories :)) There are a number of things that I miss from India like family, friends, mom’s food, marina beach, shopping malls etc and Chicken Frankie is one among them.

Chicken Frankie is basically a type of stuffed roll made from chappati/paratha and chicken. I believe it has its origin from north India (not sure about the exact location but it might have been Mumbai) and is a recent entry to the street food scene in Chennai, India. Chicken Frankie is an easy dish to make. I would say the only time consuming part in the whole process is the slicing of chicken in to small pieces! You can customize Chicken Frankie to suit your own preference like substituting the meat with any vegetables or egg, altering the spiciness etc.

In the US, I am yet to have Chicken Frankie. Agreed, there are similar dishes but I haven’t seen them matching to the tastiness of Chicken Frankie. Interestingly, my HB has never had it back in India :). Hope you too would make it often after trying this delicious and tasty desi street food, the Chicken Frankie, in your home 😉

Frankie

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 6 frankies

Ingredients

for the stuffing:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Cumin seed – 1 tsp
Onion, medium, finely chopped – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Tomato, small, finely chopped – 1 no
Green chilli – 1 no
Sambar powder or red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Chicken, cut to small pieces – ½ kg (500 grams)
Cilantro, finely chopped – 1 tbsp

Other ingredients:

Uncooked Chapathi or rotis – 6 nos
Eggs, beaten – 1 no
Chilli sauce – 2 tbsp (optional)
Onion, slits, washed – 1 no (optional)
Oil to smear around rotis

Instructions

Heat oil in a tawa and add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle add in finely chopped onion and sauté until they turn translucent. Add ginger garli paste and sauté until raw smell disappears. Add in chopped tomato and sauté until they turn mushy and leaves oil. Add salt and chilli or homemade sambar powder and give a quick stir. Finally add in the chicken pieces and stir to mix. Cover the lid and cook until the chicken is well done. Open the lid and cook until the excess water evaporates. Garnish with cilantro.
Heat a flat griddle pan and cook roti on one side, apply or brush beaten egg all over using a spoon, smear oil on the sides and flip over. After a minute or two, flip over again (egg side) and place 2 tbsp of the cooked chicken, some onion slits and chilli sauce. Roll them over tightly and wrap aluminum foil on one end of the Frankie. Serve it hot.

Notes

1.Make chapathi dough with equal portion of wheat and all purpose flour.
2.You can make any stuffing of your choice. Vegetarians can make it with mushroom, cauliflower, paneer, etc.
3.Adding chilli sauce is completely optional.

Ven Pongal literally means white Pongal (Ven – white). It is a Tamilian dish very popular in my home state in India. Ven Pongal is a rice dish that is always served as a breakfast item (and occasionally for lunch). It is the opposite to Chakara Pongal (sweet Pongal) and is common in the sense that it is served on all days unlike Chakara Pongal which is mainly served on holidays and during festivals. Ven Pongal is one of my Mom’s and HB’s favorite dishes. He really gets excited when it is prepared at our home. Ven Pongal with Sambar (another south Indian dish), coconut chutney and Medu Vadai makes an awesome combination and the taste is to die for! In our family, we also refer Ven Pongal as sleeping dose 🙂 since it fills your appetite quickly and makes you feels lazy and drowsy, in a good way. I would suggest Ven Pongal as a weekend breakfast dish. Back in my home, my Mom always makes Chakara Pongal and Ven Pongal during Pongal festival. Pongal is a Tamil festival that is celebrated during the month on January in honor of farming and cows. I do miss those days where we celebrate this festival wearing new dress and having lip smacking servings of Pongal and sugarcane (called as Karumbu in Tamil). Here is the recipe for Ven Pongal, a popular dish from my beloved state. Do try it in your home and experience the same pleasure that I have every time when I make this dish 🙂

VEN PONGAL

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

Ven Pongal literally means white Pongal (Ven - white). It is a Tamilian dish very popular in my home state in India. Ven Pongal is a rice dish that is always served as a breakfast item

Ingredients

White raw rice – ¾ cup (I used sona masoori)
Moong dal – ¼ cup
Ghee – 3 tbs
Asafoetida – a pinch
Ginger, minced – 1 “ (optional)
Salt as required
Water – 3 (for 1 cup of rice add 3 cups of water)
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Crushed pepper – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - a sprig
Cashews – 1 tbsp

Instructions

Wash the rice and dal thoroughly in water and drain it completely.
Heat a tbsp of ghee in a pressure cooker, add the rice and moong dal and stir for a minute until the aroma spreads. Add asafoetida, salt, ginger and water. Mix well and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. When the pressure is down, mash the rice well adding a tbsp of ghee.
Heat a tbsp of ghee in a small kadai and temper with cumin seeds, crushed pepper, curry leaves and cashews. Add the tempering to the mashed rice and mix well.
Serve hot with sambar, coconut chutney and medu vada. Enjoy!