Chicken 65

Anyone who is interested in a home based, bakery business in Colorado, knows that yesterday, Governor Hickenlooper signed the Cottage Food Law bill. What that means is that many bakers with a knack for churning out edible works of art can now sell straight from their home kitchens without breaking the law. There is, of course, a set of rules you have to follow and have your business registered, product labelling, disclaimers etc.

This is great news for many who just want to make a cake or two for friends and family and get a bit of money for doing it. There are many who are not happy about this law, businesses and consumers alike. The businesses who have commercial kitchens or work out of a rented one, are obviously not keen about this law. Not having to work out of a commercial kitchen greatly reduces overhead and they want everyone to have this overhead. But they have to realise that not everyone wants to own a bakery or can afford to do so at the very beginning. Some just want to get paid for what they love to do without having to leave home or their family to do it.

There are also some consumer concerns since the home kitchens are not officially inspected. I have seen the state of some commercial kitchens in restaurants and I wonder how they pass the inspections. I will bet my kitchen is cleaner than some commercial ones and I am sure others will agree. My only concern about this is with the homes that include pets. However, the non hazardous products that will be allowed to be sold from the home kitchen will have to state all ingredients, and the fact that it was produced in a non licensed kitchen and be sold directly to the consumer.

My concern with the whole home kitchen disclaimer is that the home baker will be under a microscope. Even if there is nothing wrong with their product, I can see people jumping the gun to point fingers. Hopefully, if you sell mainly to your friends and long time clients, they won’t sue you! At the same time, I am sure that the home bakers will take extra care to prepare their products in exceptionally, sanitary conditions and follow all the Colorado Health service laws. Liability insurance is a must.

For me, this law is great. I know my end goal is to own a bakery/restaurant, but that won’t happen overnight. Right now, being able to work out of my home and build a small clientèle is a perfect opportunity to work towards that end goal. It allows me to create and experiment without losing all my money to licensing and overhead. I can sell a little or a lot, it will be up to me. I don’t have to leave my home to drive to a commercial kitchen to bake a half dozen cupcakes. I can advertise small and build a small base and expand from there. By that time, I can decide if I have outgrown my home and then move into a retail location. So, I don’t think all these home bakers are going to send big bakeries out of business but they can definitely revive the local economy and their pocket books. If you live in Colorado and have a local home based, bakery business in your neck of the woods, support them!! If you live in Broomfield and the surrounding areas, support me!! I thank you in advance 🙂

If you want to learn more about the Colorado Cottage Food Act, check out their Facebook page here

Now, what have I been doing other than watching the Cottage Act be signed into a Law? Lots of things. It has been busy for me with the children, hubby, schools, conferences, volunteering, cooking and finding time to bake and create. Our local Islamic Centre of Boulder, just added a Sunday School and though it’s a great thing, it is really tiring! Sunday used to be one day where my husband was off and the children slept in; and we would have a leisurely breakfast and coffee in bed. Now, it’s just as hectic as any other day of the week. I can’t seem to catch up with my exhaustion.

I am running a volunteer Coffee Shop at the Centre for the Sunday School parents and children. We sell snacks and coffee to the children and parents who are taking Islamic classes. All my children are enrolled and also, my hubby who is taking an Arabic class and Islamic Studies course. I am so proud of him!

The Coffee Shop has given me a great opportunity to introduce people to my business. Coffee and Crumpets Confections donates a cake/pastry every Sunday. I have a great time thinking about what to make every week. I am hoping my hard work will pay off with some orders in the near future.

I have been baking quite a few things and though I don’t always blog about them, they are posted on my Facebook page, to see what I have been up to, check out my Facebook page and, while you are there, please “LIKE” my page!

Now onto the recipe itself, Chicken 65, don’t ask me how it got its name. Those stories are as many as there are ways of making this dish. The most common story I’ve heard and to me, seems the most credible, is that it was the 65th dish on a menu and that’s how people ordered it, but what do I know. It is a Hyderbadi dish, though I don’t ever remember eating it in all my visits to Hyderabad. I have not tasted an authentic version, and looking at all the variations on the internet, I don’t even know what the authentic version is!

I happened to eat it for the first time at my aunt’s house. I had heard about this Chicken 65 but really had no idea what it entailed. After some research and many cooking attempts, I finally have a version I like. You will find many versions if you search it, some have yoghurt, some have egg and cornstarch, some are bone dry and on and on. I don’t like the yoghurt version, especially when the chicken is coated with egg and cornstarch. The whole dish feels slimy to me and I really don’t care for the texture. One common mistake is also frying the boneless chicken to death. Boneless chicken breast is dry to begin with and, if you fry till there is no life left in it, you will have Shoe Leather 65.

The curry leaves and mustard seeds are a must. Don’t leave them out. Don’t overcook the chicken since it will be cooked twice. Just brown it in the first step and by the time you cook it again, it will be cooked through. Most importantly, make lots, it is delicious and you won’t be able to stop eating it. Great for appetisers or cocktails.

Chicken 65

 

MARINADE:

3lbs/1.36kg boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut in small cubes

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon red chilli powder (cayenne)

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

 

MARINADE 2:

1/4 cup tomato ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon white vinegar 

red food colouring (optional)

hot sauce (optional)

 

TEMPERING OIL:

2 tablespoons Canola oil or other flavourless oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

2 large sprigs curry leaves

2 green chillies split in quarters or halves

 

oil for deep frying

 

Mix the boneless chicken pieces with all the ingredients in marinade one. Leave to marinate for a few hours but at least 30 minutes.

Heat a frying pan filled with enough oil to deep fry. Heat on medium high and have the oil hot to brown the chicken quickly without cooking all the way through.

Have a bowl ready nearby with the ingredients for marinade 2. I don’t use the red colouring but the Chicken 65 is supposed to be a searing, red colour. It’s up to you. The hot sauce is optional too, I don’t use it but if you like an extra kick, go ahead and add it.

Quickly fry the chicken pieces till brown and crispy but still slightly underdone. Remove the cooked pieces to the bowl with marinade 2. Continue to fry all the pieces and add to the bowl.

Mix the marinade 2 into the cooked chicken pieces. Set aside as you heat the tempering oil.

Heat another fry pan on medium high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the green chillies. When the spluttering subsides a bit, and you can smell the mustard seeds, drain the chicken from marinade 2 and add to the pan. Stir fry the chicken till the pieces are almost dry, cooked and crispy. Remove to a serving dish.

You can serve this as an appetiser or as a meat side dish to accompany rice and a vegetable curry. I served mine alongside a vegetarian version of my khichri and a salad.

Hope you try making this incredibly delicious and popular chicken dish. It’s not available in many restaurants here, at least none I’ve seen, so you will have to make it. The curry leaves can be hard to find in some places but many Indian stores will carry them. If you live in Colorado and can’t find them, email me or comment and I can direct you to a few shops here that have them.

Have a great weekend! I am off to think about what cake to make for Sunday, I want to do a Black Forest Gateau but that would involve me getting out of bed and going to the store for black cherries. I’ll think of something. Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead!