Saikat Chatterjee is a 25-year-old PhD candidate in astrophysics, but he is also passionate about cooking. Born in Calcutta, India, he has an international mindset and is extremely sociable with everybody he meets: he dances, sings and cracks jokes even while cooking Indian food for his housemates. His academic work focuses on the aging of galaxies and the mystery of black holes in the universe. In this episode, he presents a delicious dish typical of Calcutta, even though he says it will never taste as good his mother’s.

Dish: Indo-Chinese Chili Chicken
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Special considerations: Spicy, non-vegetarian and gluten-free

STEP 1
Chop the onions, peppers and chilis into small pieces. Mince the garlic and the ginger. Chop the chicken into medium-sized cubes.

STEP 2
Marinate the chicken with soy sauce and chili sauce, depending on how spicy you want it to be. If you hate spicy food, only add a bit of chili sauce. Add a bit of vinegar and salt. Mix everything with your hands and cover the pan with a lid. Let it marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. If you have time, it’s best to let the chicken marinate for one hour before starting cooking to let the flavors develop, but this recipe is the quick and easy version for busy students!

STEP 3
Warm a bit of oil in a medium-large, flat-bottomed pan. When it starts bubbling, add the ginger and the garlic. Stir it to prevent burning until it becomes golden in colour. After that, add the peppers, onion and chilis. Let it cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften. Once the vegetables are about half cooked, add the marinated chicken and mix together.

STEP 4
When you see that the chicken meat is almost white, add more sauce – you could also just add a bit more soy sauce or chili sauce if necessary. If you dare to go for the real Indian taste, add lots of chili sauce or powder. Add salt to taste, too.

Stir all the ingredients again to combine the sauce. Cover the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes. The sauce should start bubbling when it’s almost done (as shown in the video).
After 10 minutes, check the chicken to make sure it’s cooked. When it is, your dish is done!

Now it is time to try it: eet smakelijk!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Do you like cooking, too? If you are a RUG student, this is your chance to show off your culinary skills! Contact us at ukook@ukrant.nl with the name of the dish you’d like to make and your availability!