Chicken Kheema balls in Indo-Chinese Gravy

Like always...I overestimated how much Chicken Kheema (Ground Chicken) I would need for the Kabobs that I made for a party (http://www.my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2012/12/chicken.html) and bought like 3 lbs of it!! I had to use up the leftover Kheema...and well ....make up a yummy Lunch for the weekend. I made these delicious "Indo-Chinese Style" Curry/Gravy with Chicken Meat balls.The Spicy-Tangy Curry with the Chicken balls was a tasty lunch deal!
 "E" loves the meat balls and he had them with .any .guesses...YES.. his favorite NAAN!!

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Chicken Kheema balls--
1lb minced chicken/kheema
1 medium onion chopped finely
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tbsp chopped cilantro
2tsp Roasted sesame seeds
2tsp Kitchen King masala
1tsp Sambal Olek paste
1tsp Ketchup
2tsp chili powder
1/4tsp turmeric
1tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/4tsp black pepper
1 egg salt to taste
Oil for pan frying the Chicken balls
oil to brush hands

For gravy:
1/2 cup thinly sliced Green,Red and Yellow Peppers each
1 Cup thinly sliced onion
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2tsp ginger
2tbsp Ketchup
2tbsp Hot and sweet sauce
1tbsp Soy sauce
2tsp All purpose flour/maida(I ran out of corn flour)
1/2tsp Black pepper
1/2tsp Red chili powder(add more for spicier taste)
salt (in needed,Soy sauce is  salty)
oil

Method:
1)Gently mix together all the above ingredients for Meal balls.Do not over mix....otherwise the kheema balls come out tougher and chewy.Just mix till everything is combined well.
2) Brush  hands with oil. Keep a non stick pan with little oil on medium heat.
3) Take small amount of kheema mixture and roll into balls.Place the balls on the hot pan.Once they brown from one side, turn them.Keep a lid for 2 mins for them to cook.Turn from oil sides to brown them slightly. Drain well on paper towel.

 4) Heat 2 tsp oil. Fry the veggies in the oil along with ginger-garlic. Add 1/2tsp oil to the center of the pan, add the all purpose flour.Fry the flour in oil by stirring it for few seconds. Add water to the pan and add the sauces.
5) Add the rest of the spices and cook the Garvy till slightly thickened.
6) Just before serving, place the Chicken balls in the serving bowl and pour the curry on top.
Serve Hot with Rice or Rotis/Naan if you like!!

Chicken 'Rainbow' Kabobs with Chinese Dipping Sauce

So colorful, so tasty...you won't stop dipping and popping them in your mouth!

It was 'Diwali Firecracker Party" at 'J' kaka's house and the menu decided was 'Indo-Chinese". After much thinking...I decided to make my favorite "Baked Chicken Kheema balls" with a Chinese Dipping sauce.
 When entertaining a large crowd....I think..these work perfect as appetizers.You can make Indian, Italian, Chinese versions with the same recipe and just a few modifications.You can flavor them according to the occasion/theme and they will be mouth watering every time!!
For Indian version: Use Chicken curry masala, Ginger garlic paste
For Indo-Chinese version: Sambal olek paste, Ginger garlic paste, Kitchen King masala and serve with Chinese Dipping sauce
For Italian version: Italian herbs, cheese, crushed garlic

Recipe:
Ingredients:

1lb minced chicken/kheema

1 medium onion chopped finely
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tbsp chopped cilantro
2tsp Roasted sesame seeds
2tsp Kitchen King masala
1tsp Sambal Olek paste
1tsp Ketchup
2tsp chili powder
1/4tsp turmeric
1tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/4tsp black pepper

1 egg

salt to taste
oil to brush hands

For Kabobs:
Green.Red,Orange,Yellow Bell peppers cut into small squares
White onion cut into small squares
Toothpicks

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2)Gently mix together all the above ingredients.Do not over mix....otherwise the kheema balls come out tougher and chewy.Just mix till everything is combined well.

3) Brush  hands with oil
3) Take small amount of kheema mixture and roll into balls. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
4) Place onto baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray
5) Bake for 30-35 mins till cooked through
6) Broil for 2 mins to get nice golden brown color on top.

 For serving: Place a Chicken Kheema ball,bell pepper and onion on each toothpick

Chinese dipping sauce

1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Maggie hot and sweet sauce
2tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1/2tsp sugar
Some toasted sesame seeds.Mix the sauces and chili powder together.Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.

"Everyday Cooking"- Chicken meat ball curry/ Kheema ball curry

We have a little 'Dinosaur" or to be precise "Triceratops" at home and he has been liking 'Dinosaur food" lately!! Yeah..that's what my 4.5 year old 'E' has been telling me. Since Dinosaurs ate 'meat'....he loves anything with the word 'meat' in it.
The other day I made these as appetizers and he gobbled like 4 of them...which is very unlikely of him. He said he lovedddd the 'Meat balls'.
http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2009/11/appetizers-chicken-kheema-balls-minced.html

Other one of his favorites for a long time now is.. 'Naan' and 'Orange bhaji' (that's what he calls the red colored Punjabi curries')
I made this 'Meal Ball Curry' to go along with his favorite Naan...

Ingredients:
Chicken Meat balls :
2 cups Ground Chicken
1 small onion chopped finely
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp  Chicken masala/garam masala/kitchen king masala
1tsp Chili powder
2tsp chopped mint
4tsp chopped cilantro
1/2tsp cumin
1/2tsp turmeric
salt
1tbsp oil to fry
Baked version of meat balls:
http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2009/11/appetizers-chicken-kheema-balls-minced.html

Curry:
2 large onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp chicken curry masala
1tsp chili powder
1/2tsp turmeric
1/2tsp shahi jeera
1 bay leaf
2-3 cloves
4-5 Black pepper corns
salt
oil
Cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1) Mix together ground chicken, onion, mint and all the above ingredients. Mix till well distributed.Make small lemon size balls.
2) Heat 1 tbsp oil in non stick skillet. Place the balls and fry til brown on one side. Turn/ flip the balls gently and fry till golden on all sides.Drain and keep aside.
3) In the same pan ( with the left over oil of the meat balls), add the shahi jeera, pepper, bay leaf and fry for few seconds. Add the onions and cook till tender and browned.Add the tomatoes and ginger garlic paste. Fry till cooked.
4) Add the dry masala powders, salt and water and boil.
5) Add the meat balls and boil for 2-3 mins. Garnish with lots of cilantro.

Serve hot with hot Naan/Roti or Rice

" Everyday Cooking"- Pulav with Chicken Kheema balls( Kolhapuri Goli Pulav)

I wanted to try this 'Goli Pulav' out for so long!!! Finally last night for dinner I made it and it was a biggggg hit!!!Even my little 'E' and 'A' had it!!! I had 'Goli Pulav' once when I was in Kolhapur and that too many years ago... but the  taste still lingers in my mind!!!
 There they make the Goli /Kheema balls with Mutton Kheema and cook them along with other spices with the rice.I made it with chicken kheema and cooked the kheema balls and rice separately. It came out really well and was lip smackingly tasty!

 

For Pulav:

1 and 1/2 cups basmati rice

2 and 1/2cups water

1/2tsp Shah jeera

2tsp dried mint leaves

1/4tsp whole black pepper

1 stick cinnamon

4-5 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 star anise

1 tsp turmeric

1/2tsp Chili powder

salt

1 tbsp oil

Sliced almonds

1 Finely sliced onion, fried till golden brown and kept aside.

1) Wash the rice and keep aside for 30 mins.
2) Boil the water.
3) Heat 1 tbsp oil, add the spices and fry few seconds.Add the washed rice and stir for 1 min.
4) Add the boiled water, salt etc and cook for 10-15 mins till the rice is fluffy and cooked. Keep aside.

For the Kheema Balls:

1lb minced chicken/kheema

1 medium onion chopped finely
 1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tbsp chopped cilantro
1tsp chicken curry masala
1/2tsp Kolhapuri Kanda Lasun masala/Garam masala
1/2tsp chili powder
1/4tsp turmeric
1/2tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/4tsp black pepper
1tbsp chopped cilantro

salt to taste
oil to brush hands
 Oil to fry
Optional- 1tbsp chopped mint

1) Gently mix together all the above ingredients.Do not over mix....otherwise the kheema balls come out tougher and chewy.Just mix till everything is combined well.
2) Brush  hands with oil
3) Take small amount of kheema mixture and roll into cherry sized balls.
4) Shallow fry the kheema balls till golden brown from all sides and cooked through. Drain the oil well and keep aside.

For the baked version:
http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2009/11/appetizers-chicken-kheema-balls-minced.html

5) These Kheema balls can be served by themselves as appetizers along with some fried onions...

6) While serving- Mix together the Pulav, the kheema balls, fried onion and garnish with sliced almonds and cilantro.

"Appetizers"- Baked Chicken Kheema Balls ( Minced Chicken balls)

One of my favorite non veg dishes, back in India,was 'Kheema' .There, we could mostly get 'mutton' kheema.Chicken kheema wasn't so popular or not so much readily available.My mom made number of tasty dishes from kheema....she made kheema curry, kheema pattice (potatoes stuffed with spiced kheema), Kheema pav (bread stuffed  with kheema).I remember how much I liked those....and wished we could have them everyday!

Another thing about kheema is....it is very versatile.You can use it in number of ways.Like I mentioned before, in curries or as stuffing for appetizers or parathas.Couple years ago when I visited a friend in NJ,she had made some kind of kabobs...she had coated boiled eggs with kheema and then fried those.

In Kolhapur (city in Maharashtra,India),they make 'Goli Pulav' i.e Spicy rice with kheema balls.Kind of like Biryani,but they cook the kheema balls along with rice.I haven't made it myself, but want to give it try some time.

Over the weekend..... when I was thinking about what to make for my friends (who were visiting us for the weekend)....I thought of making something out of kheema ....for appetizers. First I thought about making kabobs.....but ran out of colorfull veggies to put on the skewers along with the kabobs. Did not want to bother 'M' with another trip to the grocery store.So just made these spicy kheema balls and layed them on bed of fried onions and fresh green onions levaes for garnishing.They turned out very delicious and tempting and the smell when they baked in the oven  was..just heavenly...we could hardly wait to pop these in our mouth!

Ingredients:

1lb minced chicken/kheema

1 medium onion chopped finely
2tsp mint paste
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2tsp chicken curry masala
1/2tsp garam masala
1/2tsp chili powder
1/4tsp turmeric
1/2tsp cumin-corainader powder
1/4tsp black pepper
1/4 cup Bread crumbs

1 egg

salt to taste
oil to brush hands

For garnishing:
2 medium onion sliced and fried in oil for 2-3 mins.Just till they loose their raw onion flavor but retain their crunch.
Chopped green onion leaves.

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2)Gently mix together all the above ingredients.Do not over mix....otherwise the kheema balls come out tougher and chewy.Just mix till everything is combined well.

3) Brush  hands with oil
3) Take small amount of kheema mixture and roll into balls
4) Place onto baking sheet lined with aluminum foil
5) Bake for 30-35 mins till cooked through
6) Broil for 2 mins to get nice golden brown color on top.
7) To serve- place on bed of fried onions and sprinkle green onion leaves.

Variations:

1) Place the balls on skewer sticks/ toothpicks along with other veggies like cherry tomatoes,green/red peppers, onions etc

Note:
I am sending this recipe as entry for "Think Spice: Think Turmeric" event hosted by http://bengalicuisine.net/