Bread Chicken Kotthu

Inspiration for this dish comes from the famed ‘Motta Kotthu Parotta’ one of Tamil Nadu’s most loved non veg street food. I remember having Kotthu Parottas for dinner from one of the many Pandi Restaurants that do brisk business during evenings under the Chembur Bridge bang next to the Central Railway line. Those days I was a bachelor and used to binge extensively on the Mumbai Streets and in its many bars. This was my attempt to create something similar albeit, this one uses bread and barbequed chicken.

During the last weekend I had a drinks session with one of my very good friend and, when he came down, he got with him some of those barbeque chicken from Qatar’s famed Rotana Restaurant, which is famous for its very suprapungentopepperochillionimically spicy barbeque chicken. Since we couldn’t have all of it, he left some of it in my fridge. Two days later, I came up with this idea to use up this chicken. Here’s how I did it.

Serves Two

Calories 1450 (725 per serving) 

Preparation time:

Cutting/Chopping/Shredding – 15mins

Cooking time – 10mins 

Ingredients:

Barbeque Chicken breast (from Rotana Restaurant, Doha) - 1no.

Eggs (medium size) – 2nos

Milk Bread – 5 Slices

Tomatoes (small size) – 3nos

Onion (medium size) – 1½nos

Ginger chopped – 1tbsp

Garlic chopped – 1tbsp

Green Chilli – 2nos

Curry Leaves – 15nos petals

Coriander Leaves – 15nos petals

Whole Black Pepper – 1tsp

Ground Black Pepper – ½tsp

Cumin seeds – 1tsp

Red Chilli powder – 1tsp

Turmeric powder – 1tsp

Oil – 5tbsp

Salt 

How I cut them:

I shredded the chicken using a fork and separated it from the bones. It was easy to break off the chicken from the bone as it was still cold.

 

I cut the bread into medium size pieces.

I chopped the onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes finely.

How I cooked it:

Firstly, I heated a wok with 2tbsp of oil and added in it cumin seeds, whole black peppers and half of the ginger, garlic and green chillies.

When the peppers started to crackle, I added the bread pieces into the wok.

I fried the bread pieces till it had flattened and formed lots of bread crumbs. When it was done, I moved the bread and its crumbs into a plate, wiped the wok with a tissue and prepared it for cooking the Kotthu.

I put the wok back on the fire and poured in 3tbsp of oil, added mustard seeds, green chillies, ginger, garlic and onion into it.

When the onion was turning brown, I added the curry leaves, tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.

I cooked the mix till it became a paste like the tomato chutney.

In this paste, I added the shredded chicken.

I mixed the chicken so that all the chicken pieces were coated with the masala and cooked it till the chicken pieces became tender. (Remember, I had taken the chicken out from the fridge and they were still cold)

I added the fried bread pieces and its crumbs.

I mixed well and cooked the mix for two minutes till the bread pieces became soggy and soft.

.

In a glass I beat two eggs and poured in the beaten eggs into the wok, spreading it over the Kotthu that was being prepared.

I mixed all the contents for 1- 2mins till the egg started to thicken.

When it was almost done, I turned off the fire, added the coriander leaves, covered the wok with a lid and left it like that for a minute or so. The dish was done! 

The experience:

I had it with a large dollop of curd topped with some of that very spicy red chilli sauce from Rotana Restaurant.

It did take me back to the street.

Similar to ‘that yesterday’s leftover rice’ which makes excellent Fried Rice ‘yesterday’s leftover barbeque chicken’ makes excellent Kotthu.

In fact, for all my friends who unlike us gulfies don’t have the luxury of that ‘around the corner mallu cafeteria’ which gives you ready supply of parottas; the Bread Kotthu is a great alternative to the Kotthu Parotta. 

If you have a tongue for street food, I’d suggest you try this recipe. I am sure, you’ll like it.