Thai Green Chicken Curry and Pepper Chicken with Fermented Beans

Looking for a change of taste? What we have here is Asian flavored Indian chicken recipes and Chinese chicken recipes. These recipes are also suitable for diabetics. Now, you can prepare more varieties of delicious and healthy food for your family. Below you will find a few different healthy chicken recipes.
Thai Green Chicken Curry
 


Serves 4-6
 10 meat, 4 fat, 2 vegetable
Protein 100g
Fat 86g
Carbohydrate 30g
Total Calories 1280
Ingredients:
1 small chicken (cut into large pieces)
Curry paste:
5 large green chilies
1 bunch spring onions (washed and trimmed)
1 bunch mint leaves
2 bunches fresh coriander including roots
2 stalks lemongrass (sliced)
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp shrimp paste or powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1 cup baby eggplants (optional) /lady fingers/orca
Citrus leaves or curry leaves
Fish sauce to taste
Garnishing:
½ cup chopped coriander
½ cup chopped green chilies
Cooking Methods:
Place all spice ingredients in a food processor and grind into a fine paste. Gently simmer the coconut milk in a non-stick pan until reduced to half. Add curry paste and stir-fry in the reduced milk for about 20 minutes until the paste is thick and the oil separates out. Add chicken pieces and eggplants/lady fingers, cook uncovered until chicken is cooked through. Season with fish sauce and curry leaves. Garnish with chopped green chilies and coriander before serving.
Pepper Chicken with Fermented Beans
 


Serves 6
9 ½ meat, 2 vegetable, 1 ½ fat, ½ starch, ¼ sugar
Protein 97g
Fat 60g
Carbohydrate 43g
Total Calories 1100
Ingredients:
800g chicken pieces
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped aged orange peel
2 Tbsp (30g) black fermented soya beans/miso
3 green peppers (cut into bite sizes)
2 red peppers (cut into bite sizes)
Seasoning:
1 tsp Chinese rice wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 ½ Tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tsp corn flour
3 Tbsp water
Chop chicken into bite-size pieces and rub in the salt, set aside to drain. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick wok until smoke forms. Add chopped garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Next, add chicken pieces and fry until they start to turn brown. Remove the chicken pieces, leaving some of the oil behind. Stir fermented beans and orange peel into the remaining oil. Stir fry for 1 more minute. Finally add in peppers and saute briefly until they are cooked buy still crisp. Return the chicken to the wok, sprinkle rice wine and pour in seasoning mixture. Cover and cook for 30 seconds over high heat. Serve immediately.

You can also do this recipe in an air fryer, Find out which are the best air fryers in India

How to Price a Restaurant Menu

One thing that restaurant owners often struggle with when they open a restaurant is menu pricing. There are some basic guidelines that you can follow to come up with the ideal prices for your restaurant concept and location. While you can learn a lot by observing the prices of your competitors, a large part of your pricing will come down to instinct. Find out exactly how to price a restaurant menu by reading the following article.
Pricing Just Right
It is important that you take the time to come up with menu prices that will optimize your profits. If you price your menu items too low then you will have trouble covering costs and you will struggle to make a profit. On the other hand, if you price them too high then you will scare away prospective diners and not get the volume of business that you need. It is crucial that you hit the target with prices that are competitive and profitable will still offering great value.
What are Other Restaurants Charging?
Visit a number of local restaurants, particularly those that are directly competing with you due to having a similar concept or being in the immediate vicinity of your establishment. Sample some of their dishes and check out what kind of service and atmosphere they offer in relation to their prices. These days you can also check numerous menus online by quickly going through restaurant websites.
Consider the number of competitors that are located around you. Other restaurants represent an alternative to customers who don't like the look of your prices. However if your restaurant is unique in your area or has a well established reputation then you may be able to get away with charging premium prices.
If there are two local options for Italian then customers may compare prices between the two. However, if you are the only Indian restaurant in town then customers may be prepared to pay a little more to dine with you if they just happen to feel like your specialty of cuisine.
Costs Affect Pricing
Keep in mind that some ingredients are subject to fluctuations in market prices, usually due to the fact that some items are seasonal. You can either limit these ingredients, add menu inserts with the latest prices for certain dishes or simply fix a price that you know will allow you to make a healthy profit most of the time. Some establishments, such as seafood restaurants have a chalk board where they can adjust the prices of menu items on a regular basis. Some menu items have to be priced differently due to the labor costs involved with their preparation if they take an exceptionally long time to prepare.
A Menu Pricing Formula
There are a lot of different menu pricing formulas that can help you set prices. Formulas offer a basic guide to get you started but you may have to make adjustments to the results as your unique situation will differ from other restaurants. Instinct and experience definitely count for a lot when it comes to pricing.
One common formula requires you to calculate how much a dish costs in terms of ingredients and then multiply that amount by three to allow for overheads, wages and profits. It is important to be aware of food cost percentages. This method automatically gives you a food cost percentage of 33.3% or one third.
This method can be a little overly simplistic though and non food related costs have risen a lot in recent years. However, many restaurateurs are able to get their food cost percentages much lower than this with some able to keep this ratio as low as 20%.
Price Promotions
Some customers are extremely conscious of price when they browse a menu. Market to this kind of customer by highlighting 'house specials' or 'chefs specials' that are discounted for a certain time period. You can also offer set menus that include a number of courses and beverages for a certain number of people for a fixed price. Discounts work well for most casual dining establishments and give people the perception that they are getting a great deal.
The Psychology Behind Pricing
Some consumers subconsciously respond to certain price points without realizing it. One example is how a price like $19.95 is considered by many consumers to be a much better deal than $20 would be.
Depending on your location and your concept some consumers may feel that main courses under $20 are a good deal and ignore those above that level. The key is in identifying the right price points for your target market.
Price Range and Minimums
Give some thought to the range of prices that your restaurant will offer and whether it will be perceived as being value, mid-range or expensive. Think about the minimum amount that you want to get out of each customer that comes through your doors. You may even go as far as having a minimum charge per head at times when your restaurant is really busy.
Once you know how to price a restaurant menu you will be able to find the perfect price points that allow you to fill your tables, offer value to customers as well as make enough money to be profitable.

Ways For a Healthy Night Out to Indian Restaurants

There has been all the time an issue about adjusting the Indian foods with your tummy and fitness. If you are not use to with the spice of Indian restaurant foods then it could be even worst for you.
So not all the Indian foods are bed for you and many foods are even good for your health. If you know what and how much to eat then you could still go out and take pleasure in your health. According to many Indian people going vegetarian is the best way for fit life style and it has also been adopted by many people in the Europe and America.
Vegetarian foods don't have any unnecessary fat or harmful oil and it has nearly all vital vitamins you need for livelihood. Some of the well-liked vegetarian foods in Indian restaurants that you can order are Alo govi, Bombay potato, Sag ponir, Brindle bazi, etc. This type of curries are great in taste and keep you free from any kind of food poisoning. you can also change the rice into Naan bread or Porata for a superior mixture. Naan bread has less fat than rice and doesn't make you feel lazy.
However, going vegetarian is not the only thing you can do for a healthy night out. Many people consume non-alcoholic drinks like lassi and borhani rather than bottle of Cobra. You can also ask the chef to use lees spice in your curry and avoid curries like Pal and madras.

India-British food link

One cannot think of the India without thinking of their diverse food variety, commonly known as the Indian Cuisine. The traditional Indian Cuisine is perhaps one of the most varied cuisines that there are in the world. Each of the various provinces of India has unique traditions and distinctive food choices. The common ingredients used for cooking in these provinces also vary besides their cooking methods and mediums.
It takes years for an Indian caterer to master the many different dishes which together make up the Indian cuisine. Besides the countless appetizers, there are vegetable dishes, lentil dishes, meat dishes and then of course there are many snacks and desserts which make up the delicious and rich Indian food.
Traditional Indian food cannot be cooked without the right and extensive use of the numerous spices. From cardamom, chillies, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander, cloves to cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron, Indian Cuisine has it all. There are many ways these spices can be used and these different ways bring out the different tastes in each of the different meals. It is not easy to learn how and how much each spice has to be used in a dish.
The traditional Indian cuisine is very different from the English cuisine that is a part of British history. However it is true that their long association in the past has led to each other's influence on both the cuisines. Now Indian food is fairly common in Britain. But is the British Indian food and traditional Indian food the same? The simple answer to this question is 'No.'
There are many reasons why British Indian food and traditional Indian food are not the same. Some of these are listed below.
• First of all, many of the traditional Indian dishes are quite hot and spicy whereas the English cuisine isn't. Therefore when Indian Cuisine became popular in Britain it had to amend itself in order to be widely acceptable with the Britons. The Indian food found in Britain is not spicy as back home.
• Most of the Indians are vegetarians which is why meat is excluded from most of the dishes. There is no such restriction in Britain and therefore many of the Indian curries which are becoming popular in Britain include chicken and other meat.
• Some of the dishes, like Chicken Tikka Masala, are entirely new Indian dishes that took birth in Britain. Because the BBQ Chicken Tikka is a popular yet spicy food in India, the Britons made a few changes to it and added a bit of gravy to it to cut down on its spice.

How indian restauruants emerged in uk

Indian food is one of the very popular choices of cuisines that can be found in respectable restaurants in the United Kingdom. All kinds of typical Indian dishes can be found in Indian restaurants there; from Mutton Quorma and Biryani to Gulab Jamun and Palak Paneer. But how did this Cuisine gain such acceptability in a land that was once not familiar with such rich spices?
Perhaps the foundation for Indian food in Britain was laid almost 4 centuries ago with the formation of the East India Company. East India Company was formed to encourage trade between Britain and Indian Subcontinent. This led to the dual exchange of cultural influences on both cuisines. The British troops and traders who went back home desired to have more of the delightful Indian food that they had tasted in India.
Seamen from Bengal who manned the British ships also played a vital role in taking the Indian Cuisine to the United Kingdom. Many of these seamen dropped out in London in search of better work opportunities; these also included cooks who used to prepare meal for the other seamen. One of the first results that came out of this travelling was the publishing of Indian recipes and the commercial distribution of the famous curry powder in the late 18th century.
History tells us that the first appearance of the Indian curry was at the different coffee houses in London. Later however an Indian entrepreneur launched the first Indian restaurant in the early 19th century. This was the first Indian coffee house in London that was meant to serve quality Indian dining experience to the nobility.
It is true that this first Indian restaurant didn't survive for more than three years, it did however set the trend and later in that century many Indian restaurants of modest nature grew in order to cater for the growing Indian community. The first proper Indian restaurant to reach great heights of popularity was built in 1926 at the Regent Street area. Chefs in this restaurant were specially hired from back home to provide authenticity to the cuisine.
In 1950s the Indian sailors introduced the 'bombed-out' chip shops and cafes where they altered the Indian curries to meet the British tastes and this is how curry and chips came into being and how the British mainly became aware of the Indian Cuisine.
Indian Cuisine has only grown in the UK since then and now shares an integral part in the UK's food industry. The birth of the Chicken Tikka Masala in the British Indian Cuisine is one example of the wide acceptance of this kind of food over there.

Cookery of india

Indian cookery has become increasingly popular over the last few decades for a number of reasons. Primarily as a result of the popularization of Indian culture and migration, Indian cuisine is now a firm favorite almost universally. Centrally the curry, Indian food has taken off in Western society, and is something which many of us now like to try in our own kitchens.
One of the greatest myths about cooking is that before you can make something, you need a recipe. This is certainly not the case. Indian cuisine has remained largely similar for centuries, and you can bet your bottom dollar that families haven't always used recipe books. The curry is a style of preparing rotting meat in spices to avoid the taste. The early proprietors didn't have the advantage of refrigeration, but they managed round the issue by preparing curries. Thankfully today we don't have to eat rotten meat, but we can still use a variety of standard curry ingredients to improve the taste.
If you're looking to try Indian cookery, you need to get your hands on some spices. Turmeric, Cumin, Chili Powder, Garamasala and other spice blends are the best starting point. Throw these in with any meat and sauce and you're creating a top meal with a bit of a kick. Additionally, you should think about onions, yogurt and butter to add to the basis of a sauce. Alternatively, tomatoes finely chopped and blended can be a good foundation piece.
Indian cookery isn't specific to certain meats either, and you can make great meals out of beef, chicken and even fish. If you're preparing meat for use in a curry, you might like to try a quick marinade to add more intense flavor. Fill a mixing bowl with natural yogurt and throw in your spices mixture. Stir through the yogurt to create the desired marinade. Pop your meat (raw) into the marinade and leave overnight, simply cooking through the next day to eat. This absorbs all the spices and flavor into the meat, and will leave it tender and tasty in your curry.
Indian cooking lends itself to improvisation. New ingredients can add whole new dimensions to old favorites, and it's a great way to learn new techniques in the kitchen. What's more, you can prepare a curry in literally no time at all, making it a quick and easy meal for any occasion.

Myths and truths about indian food

 

Many first-timers to Indian food and cuisine carry age-old thoughts (read myths) about the food of India. In the article below, get to know the facts and background of some myths and some truths about Indian food.
All Indian food is spicy
Though Indian cooking is hot and spicier compared to European or Western cooking, there are many regions in India where the food is bland, even sweet. If you to try something less-hot, go taste some Gujarati dishes.
Gujarati cuisine has a touch of sweetness in almost all of its dishes. Traditional South Indian cooking (except Andhra Pradesh) is generally less-spicier than other regions in India. Kashmiri cuisine also incorporates sweet tasting dishes in its menu. So when someone tells you Indian cooking is spicy, don't entirely believe them.
Indian food is only vegetarian
This is partly true. Hindus, being the majority community in India, are mostly vegetarian. However there are so many different sub-sects with the Hindu religion, that many of them follow their own food practices.
Contrary to popular belief, many Indians are meat-eaters and cook them well too. Chicken dishes are perhaps the most popular meat in India. Cow is considered a sacred animal and is avoided by Hindus though Muslims and Christians eat beef. Sea food is also popular in coastal regions like Goa, Mangalore, Kerala, West Bengal and others.
There is no variety in Indian cooking
Many, especially foreigners and first time visitors to India, are of the opinion that Indian food doesn't have so much of choices. Indian cuisine is perhaps the most varied food-culture in the world!
With more than 29 states (counties), each region in India has its own unique style and flavor. Add to this, the many ethnic groups that have their own recipes for generations. While North Indian regions prefer Roti (Indian bread) as their staple dish, South India has rice as a must in the daily menu. Some specialty regional cuisines of India include Udupi cuisine (from Karnataka), North-eastern cuisine, Chettinad cuisine (from Tamil Nadu) and Marwari cuisine, to name a few.
Indian food = Chicken Tikka
This is a popular myth made famous by ethnic Indians in England. Chicken Tikka was originally a Persian dish brought to India by the Mughals. This was later adopted by the people of Punjab (in India and Pakistan). They created their own version of Chicken Tikka and took the recipe with them when many of them migrated and settled in Britain. Though it is highly popular in UK, it is not so much in India where it has to compete with hundreds of other local dishes.
Indian food is all about Curry
Curry is something that was again made popular by British-South Asian ethnic groups. in While Curry abroad may refer to a thick and spicy gravy dish, India takes a different meaning altogether. In South India, Curry may refer to a vegetable side-dish that is often served with rice.
These are generally fried vegetables without the gravy. Curry, in Tamil Nadu, South India actually means meat - either as a gravy or as a fried dish. Origins of British curry come from the Tamil word for Kari. In North India and other popular forms of Indian cooking, the word curry is not as popularly used. Sabji or Masala are common terms for gravy dishes in Indian cuisine.
Indians eat food with their hands
Sometimes shocking to a visitor to India is the practice of eating food with hands. This is true as Indians consider eating with their hands as tastier as well as ritualistic. Also, most Indian dishes are difficult to be eaten with forks and spoons. Many Indians today use their hands as well as forks & spoons.
You will also find that in certain Indian regions, food is served on a banana leaf or an areca nut leaf. These traditions have been passed on to families since many generations and many modern Indian continue to follow then regardless of caste differences.

Whether you are new to Indian food or you are a long time lover of the cuisine, you certainly can't deny the dishes are delicious. Yet, for many people from Western cultures, there are a lot of mysteries about Indian food. Indeed, there are also many myths. From the complexity of preparation to the healthiness of Indian meals, misconceptions about this cuisine abound. Here are some of the top myths about Indian food debunked.
Indian Food is Best Left to Expert Chefs
Because of its rich, complex flavours, Indian food seems like it would be incredibly difficult to cook, or at least difficult to cook well. While a beginner cook might face a few challenges when attempting to conquer Indian cuisine, this is probably true of most major cuisines in the world. For example, some Italian dishes take hours to prepare properly, but we don't normally hear people lamenting how difficult it is to make an Italian meal. So, if you are interested in whipping up some Indian delights, start by familiarizing yourself with the ingredients and the basic cooking techniques, and you'll find this food as easy (or complicated) as any other type of food to prepare.
Indian Food is Unhealthy
Some Indian dishes have a fair amount of oil, but like with other dishes you can adapt your recipes to your tastes. Moreover, rich, oily foods are not the only options available on an Indian menu; in fact, Indian cuisine is incredibly diverse. Depending on the region of Indian, you will find that the style of cooking and ingredients used will vary significantly. Many dishes are prepared by boiling, steaming, roasting, or grilling which are all considered healthy means of preparation. So, when it comes to whether Indian cuisine is healthy or not it really depends on what you are eating. Certainly, there are dishes that you do not want to eat for every meal, but there are many interesting, delicious, and healthy Indian foods that you can add to your diet guilt-free.
Indian Food is Too Spicy
Again, Indian dishes are very diverse, so while some dishes are very hot this does not mean that all Indian food is spicy. Plus, if you are cooking at home, you can adjust the spice level to your personal taste; if you prefer, you can leave the spicy ingredients out entirely.
All Indian Dishes Contain Curry
Finally, many foodies who are not familiar with Indian cuisine often believe that curries are synonymous with the cuisine. While curries are an important feature of Indian dishes, they account for a very small fraction of the styles of food available in India. Moreover, curry powder is actually not a common ingredient in Indian dishes, instead, many homes create their own unique spice blends that appeal to their individual palates.

Incredible things about indian cusine

Indian food/cuisine and the variety in it is a true reflection of the country's essence of being and its unity in diversity. Its cuisine (comprising curry, dessert dishes and the like) is therefore an amalgamation of a number of regional cuisines which are known for their respective gharanas with distinctive flavours and style of cooking
Coming to think about it:
• Most of these Indian curries have the reputation of being spicy and rich, and are famous all over the world for their unique taste. This is so because these various types of curry and dessert dishes incorporate the use of curry powder (mixture of spices belonging to South Asian cuisine) and a list of exotic ingredients to infuse the delicacies with piquancy that is way above the ordinary and exclusively Indian.
• The curries and dessert dishes can be enjoyed at several restaurants, food joints, eateries and roadside 'dhabas' that promise to offer the real taste of Indian cuisine. You can even prepare the various types of curry or dessert dishes at home with the careful use of ingredients sauteed/ simmered/ roasted with the choicest curry powder renditions to help you bask in the glory of the ultimate culinary delight.
• Or you can simply get the dishes on the internet and desserts online. For, with the advent of the digital revolution and a mushrooming number of online stores, you can buy the various types of curry, curry powder or paste and dessert dishes online without having to cover the extra mile or run to the store in the middle of a busy schedule and savour that quintessential taste that the world is fond of. You can order several types of curry or desserts online from the comfort of your home or office and give your family an evening to cherish
• This may include delicacies like dal bukhara, paneer darbari, mirch ka salan, mughlai paneer, paneer malai, chicken darbari, murgh methi, chicken chettinad, malabari chicken stew; butter chicken curry, fish curry, Hyderabadi Biryani and other such pastes; and Jodhpuri moong dal halwa, hazoori petha halwa, white pumpkin & milk pudding, gajar ka halwa, etc.
So book your date with the great Indian cuisine and get ready to indulge. Bring home a basket full of curry powder, condiments, chutneys and conserves to add a twist to your daily meals or the 'ready to eat meal' versions of the various types of curry and dessert dishes online and enjoy the extravagance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7407253