Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 35 minutes
Serves : 5-6 members
Description
Deconstructing a dish…. I did get to hear this for the first time watching master chef Australia. Took me time to know what it means and how. Well it’s no high end mathematics but the regular cheats way we home chefs do to represent our regular dishes in a new avatar. This birds nest as well is just a deconstruction done to my regular cutlets when I had to host a special feast for guests at home. It’s always a joy to do dishes that are with in your comfort zone when pressed for time to entertain. Your entire system just works fine like a computer knowing what to do exactly even when blind folded. So this was the best option I had in mind to cheat the guests and all at home with this new thrillingly innovative reconstructed dish. I was blown away to watch it transform into some thing beautiful. Tasted it and was a pleasing mix of textures, Devine with the crispy vermicelli and a bite of the green peas. This dish sure has taught me that taste does matter but the visual look and presentation of any dish matters equally. As , if I had made these into cutlets I should have sure had left overs but with its new deconstructed look it was all let to graze, vanishing in seconds which made me smile with this sure fire crowd pleasure.
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Potato | 1/2 kg ( boiled , peeled and mashed ) |
| Boneless chicken | 200 gm ( optional ) |
| Turmeric powder | 1/4 tea spoon |
| Onion | 3 chopped |
| Garam masala powder | 1/4 tea spoon |
| Green chillies | 4 crushed |
| Ginger garlic paste | 1/2 tea spoon |
| Red chilli flakes | 1 tea spoon |
| Coriander leaves | 2 table spoon chopped |
| Mint leaves | 1 table spoon chopped |
| Pepper and salt | to taste |
| Lime juice | 1/2 lime |
| Egg | 1 beaten with salt and pepper to taste |
| Fried vermicelli | 2 cups |
| Oil | 2 table spoons and to deep fry |
| Boiled green peas | 1 cup |
| Boiled sweet corn | 1/4 cup |
Method
- Boil chicken with turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt to taste. Cook till dry n shred the chicken.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non stick kadai. Add onions and green chillies and fry to translucent. Add all the other ingredients one by one except for egg, vermicelli, lime and oil to shallow fry.
- Sauté till all the flavours infuse together. Remove from flame add lime juice. Mix well taste and adjust seasoning and cool.
- Make equal goose berry sized round balls of the potato – chicken mixture.
- Insert your thumb into the center and just widen the sides to get a shallow dent like a nest .
- Dil the nests into beaten egg. Then place over the vermicelli and make sure it sticks all around with out the nest shape being spoiled. Do the same to all the nests .
- Heat oil to medium high and deep fry the birds nests in batches of 3-4 on both sides for 2 minutes on each side to a golden brown in colour gently.
- Drain over absorbent paper. Fill the crisp nests with boiled green peas and sweet corn ( I was out of stock in my pantry and just had to go ahead with green peas alone ).
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup .
