Korean Chicken Bites

Asian cuisine is incredibly diverse—Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Malaysian, Korean—each with its own distinct flavors, yet somehow connected through similar ingredients and cooking styles. We’ve tried dishes from all of them, though only with seafood.

Being Muslim, it can sometimes be challenging to stick to the basics of eating only halal food, especially when so many amazing dishes are off-limits otherwise. I do have friends who are comfortable eating non-halal chicken or meat, but for us, that’s not an option. I truly believe that when there are ways and choices available for us to stay true to our beliefs, we should hold on to them.

But that doesn’t stop us from trying the dishes we love. That’s the beauty of having curious taste buds and a passion for cooking—you can always find a way to make something your own.

So here I am with another mouthwatering recipe, inspired by a dish I once tried with scallops and absolutely loved. I made a few tweaks, of course. The original version wasn’t marinated or batter-fried, which left the scallops a bit bland, with all the flavor coming only from the sauce. The sauce itself was good—mild, with just the right kick—but I wanted more depth.

When I decided to recreate the dish using chicken, I added some crunch and extra flavor. I marinated the chicken first, because chicken on its own doesn’t have much taste—it takes on whatever you give it. A little spice, a touch of seasoning, even just a bit of salt can make all the difference. Whether you’re adding chicken to noodles or tossing it in a sauce, never skip that first layer of flavor.

For the chicken, I marinated it in a mix of buttermilk, chili flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, oregano, and salt. Let it sit for at least an hour—longer if you can—for the flavors to really soak in. After marination, roll the chicken pieces in a mixture of flour, salt, and cornstarch, then fry them until golden and crisp.

The sauce is what ties everything together. It’s made with crushed garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang (a sweet and spicy Korean sauce that’s easy to find in most Asian stores), honey, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and red chili flakes. Once the sauce thickens, toss in the fried chicken pieces until well coated.

For garnish, I like using scallions and sesame seeds. You can add the scallions directly to the sauce, but I prefer sprinkling them on top—they stay crisp and give a nice contrast in texture.

Substitute for Buttermilk?

To make buttermilk at home, take the same quantity of milk as the buttermilk required and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to it. Mix well and let it rest for a few minutes before adding the chicken.

The flavor of this chicken is a perfect balance of sweet and spicy, making it an excellent choice for all taste buds—kids and adults alike—unless someone prefers completely mild food. I find this dish a great hit for playdates, family gatherings, or small get-together parties.

Cooking in advance

You can fry the chicken bites and keep them in the oven. The oven needs to be preheated. Keep it on warm or at 200°F. Anything above it would overcook the chicken, making it chewy or burning it.

Thai Chicken Curry

We’ve always loved Malaysian and Thai cuisine, but finding halal options has been a challenge. It was actually Mr. Parveez who first introduced me to both. What I love most is how familiar the flavors feel—there’s a comforting connection between Indian food and these cuisines.

Thai food, for example, often uses peanuts, red chilies, and coconut milk or coconut cream as its base, creating a beautiful balance of spice, sweetness, and creaminess that reminds me of home, yet with its own distinct character.

Since we only consume seafood, we often miss out on many flavors from different cuisines. So, trying them at home becomes our only way to experience them—and honestly, I think it’s a blessing in disguise. It’s not just about learning to cook something new; it’s also a healthier way to eat.

When you cook at home, you choose fresh ingredients, you control what goes into your food, and you serve it right away. That freshness doesn’t just elevate the flavor—it adds real nutritional value too. Every bite feels cleaner, brighter, and more satisfying.

This curry is quite simple to make. I used store-bought Thai red curry paste—since I wasn’t too sure about balancing all the flavors on my first try, I didn’t want my experiment to stray too far from the authentic taste.

For the vegetables, I used bell peppers, onions, scallions, and garlic. You can always add baby corn or any other vegetables you like. That’s the beauty of Thai curries—there’s so much flexibility, and every combination brings a slightly different flavor and texture to the dish.

Serve it with some boiled Rice and enjoy it warm.

Roti Anda Boti

We love the combinations of Chicken and Roti, basically a Chicken Roll. My Mom used to make these amazingly delicious Tikka Boti which were inspired by something similar she had a Persian restaurant in Mumbai. Chicken Roll is always an easy go to recipe when you are finding it hard to decide what to cook. It’s a delicious recipe that is loved by kids and is always fuss free.

A regular Chicken roll is always great but, if you get to make some experiments with it, a little twist and change then your palettes love it more. Its basically the same Chicken roll but just made a little differently. This Chicken roll is less of a wrap

I added onions to a pan and Sautee till they were brown in color, further adding ginger garlic paste along with tomatoes and green chilies. I further added red chili flakes, tandoori powder, cumin powder and salt. Once the tomatoes are soft, add the chicken and mix well and cook till the Chicken is well cooked. The eggs are just plain whisked with salt and pepper and make them like thin crepes.

The difference comes in the Roti or the bread. Usually the Roti is cooked and then we add the cooked chicken to it. In this Chicken roll, I divided the dough to little portions, rolled it and then added the cooked chicken and added some dry cheese along with it. Wrap the dough and seal it from all sides and then pan fry it. As much as we feel that the taste might not be too different, it actually is and at the same time it is nothing close to the taste of samosa either. Its just completely different and outrageously delicious…The only way you find it is by trying it.

Murgh Zafrani Tikka

These kebabs were a fluke cum delicious, they are juicy and soft. These were made while I was thinking of making some Kebabs for lunch and I couldn’t decide on what to make and finally the idea of going a little different than usual gave birth to this scrumptious invention. These kebabs have a pretty simple marinade and are pretty impressive for the way they taste compared to the effort that’s put in.

Some dishes need be improvised where as some super fab one where you just follow your heart and make them trusting your taste buds. This is one of those fab recipes which were made just following my heart and turned out a keepsake. To start with I made these kebabs using Chicken Breast. I have mentioned in my other recipes as well that Chicken breast tend to make dishes a little dry, specially kebabs. So, the thing that you can you can do to make your kebabs moist using Chicken breast is to add more ingredients that are cream based. Ingredients like Yogurt, cashew puree, cheese, cream and even buttermilk. In some cases even adding a little extra butter adds a lot of moisture to the kebabs. Therefore, Murgh Zafrani Tikka, you can pick any Boneless Chicken Thigh and leg meat or Chicken Breast. Your kebabs will be juicy, moist and absolutely delicious.

Addition of different spices was a little adventurous and I just followed my taste buds. Initially I marinated the chicken chunks in Ginger garlic paste, green chilies, Lemon juice saffron and salt. I left the juices to mix in for 30 minutes, which added a perfect flavor to the Chicken. Saffron added a lot of fragrance along with flavor. I am in love with saffron. It happens to be my favorite spice and I love to add it to my dishes be it sweet or spicy. The spice just gives out an amazing fragrance when added to your dish.

I further added Yogurt and spices. Cumin Powder, Tandoori Powder, White Pepper and Turmeric Powder were what I used since I wanted the flavor to be not too spicy and not too mild either and something that would enhance and bring out the flavor of Saffron. To add a little crunch I added some Besan which was dry roasted before adding. Adding a little Kasoori methi adds a different flavor to the kebabs.

You can always cook them on the pan too by adding a little oil or you can also use the Oil spray. Kebabs are something that cross out all the restrictions and can be made anytime anywhere. I fail to understand recipes that only require an oven. That should never be the case. So, oven, no oven, grill, no grill…as long as you have these kebabs marinated the right way and have fire, these kebabs can be cooked in no time. I generally do not serve them with the stick unless I make them for a kid’s party. If you are using the wooden skewers, always soak them in water for 20 minutes before adding your kebabs to it. Soaking in water doesn’t let them burn in the pan or oven while cooking.

These kebabs are very easy to make and perfect for beginners. Since it doesn’t require any grinding or blending, they are prefect if you want to add an extra dish to your table without putting in too much time into making it. These Kebabs are on the milder side so if you aren’t a fan of something outrageously spicy, this is a perfect recipe for you.

Murgh Malai Tikka

These are most juiciest and softest kebabs I have ever made. Yet they are amazingly flavorful. My story for Murgh Malai Tikka is connected to my older son. My older son, who is a handsome teenager now used to have GERD as a kid. For those of us who have kids suffering from refluxes and unable to keep their food down, we know the pain. For those who have kids who are picky eaters, we know the struggle. Unfortunately, for my son, he was both a picky eater and suffered from a reflux and that continued for the first 2 years of his life. But, as they say there is always a ray of good hope and things started to get better once he turned 2.

Now once he started eating real food, his choices went more towards dishes that were spicy but considerable mild at the same time. That was when during one of our outings he tried Malai Tikka and he was so much in love that we placed another order of the dish, which of course he didn’t touch because we forgot that he was two and as much as we loved to feed our super fussy toddler, his tummy could only take so much. But, this was the time when I decided that I should start making my own Malai tikka kebabs at home.

And of course, like everything else dishes also require experiments and some times way too many. So, with this one my initial experiments weren’t that bad but they weren’t successful. The first try, I made them with Chicken breast. Although with some kebabs Chicken breast comes out dry, but honestly with this recipe make one of the most moist kebabs ever. Chicken breast is a great choice for curries and for dishes that require you to mince the chicken, but this is something tried and tested, while making Murgh Malai tikka, you can pick any Boneless Chicken Thigh and leg meat or Chicken Breast. Your kebabs will be juicy, moist and a taste to die for! The second mistake was to only rub in yogurt which didn’t make them too different from the other ones that I was already making.

Secondly the addition of different spices also was a little adventurous but finally a few experiments later I discovered that the key to a perfect Malai Tikka wasn’t just Yogurt and cream but also cheese. A little bit of shredded cheese might sound weird and you might feel that cheese is the last flavor you want to taste in you desire when you bite into your Malai Tikka, but trust me, no one ever knows. I guess its a pretty well guarded secret…LOLzzz. Well, now you know. The cheese needs to be shredded and you can only add Mozarella which isn’t too strong in taste. Adding anything like Cheddar will definitely ruin the taste.

I make these tikkas by marinating them in Yogurt, Cream, Ginger garlic paste, Shredded cheese, Black pepper, White pepper, Cumin powder, Red chili powder, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Tandoori Powder and cashew paste. Besides that I also add some fresh chopped Coriander leaves and Green chilies. I believe there is nothing that can enhance the flavor of spices more than fresh herbs. Though I make these kebabs in the oven, but they have been grilled to perfection on our outdoor grill as well by Mr. Parveez and they come out perfectly juicy and delicious. You can always cook them on the pan too. Kebabs are something that cross out all the restrictions and can be made anytime anywhere. I fail to understand recipes that only require an oven. That should never be the case. So, oven, no oven, grill, no grill…as long as you have these kebabs marinated the right way and have fire, these kebabs can be cooked in no time.

I generally do not serve them with the stick unless I make them for a kid’s party. If you are using the wooden skewers, always soak them in water for 20 minutes before adding your kebabs to it. Soaking in water doesn’t let them burn in the pan or oven while cooking.

These kebabs are very appealing and inviting and an instant hit. They melt in the mouth, while the spices give you a light kick, the cream base cools your taste buds down making these irresistible little chunks soft and juicy and delicious enough for you to lose the count of how many you relished.

Hyderabadi Lukhmi

Hyderabad is also popular for its Biryani and Khubani ka Meetha. Along with that, there are loads of other popular Muslim dishes that are very popular in Hyderabad but probably not that popular outside Hyderabad. One of those dishes is Lukhmi. It is a typical rectangle/square samosa kind, which has a filling of mince meat or Chicken. Its regarded as savory or starter of the cuisine of Hyderabad. It is a local variation of samosa.

I though have never visited Hyderabad, but I do want to visit it one day. 2 simple reason to it, one of course is Hyderabadi cuisine and second is the Falaknuma Palace that simply became more popular after my favorite Bollywood actor’s sister got married there…LOLzzz. I know sounds crazy, but speaking my heart out is what I do on my blog and it is what it is. So, going through popular Hyderabadi cuisine is when I came across Lukhmi and that’s when I decided to make it. My boys who are big fans of Samosas, I was kind of unsure if they’d enjoy Lukhmi. Honestly, since none of us had ever tried it before, I wasn’t even sure how it will turn out to be. But, to my amazement, not only did they love it, they went a step further by asking me to make this more than samosas, which honestly is a shock to me because my kids can kill for my chicken samosas…Okay!! May be not kill, but definitely injure someone enough if anyone dares to even look at their samosa, forget eating…LOLzzz.

Hyderabadi cuisine has a variety of scrumptious snacks, and Lukhmi, the flaky savory stuffed with spicy minced meat/chicken is definitely one of them. A popular starter at Hyderabadi marriages, this dish also works well for a quick pair for teatime with family or friends. The name lukhmi originates from the word luqma, which means a small bite in Urdu. Unlike the samosa, lukhmi is usually a flat square/Rectangle shaped flour parcel with a flaky and crisp upper crust and stuffed with beef, chicken or mutton-based filling. You have the snack in other shapes like triangles in some cafes and a vegetarian version mostly  with potato filling is also available.

It is usually served with chopped onions and green chilies or chutney. To prepare lukhmi, all purpose flour/ Maida is kneaded with milk, butter and a little water. The mince or vegetarian filling is cooked separately, with turmeric, onions, ginger, garlic and spices. After resting, the dough is rolled out into a huge rectangular roti. More butter is added in between rolling the Roti and refrigerating it for 20 minutes or a little more. This process is repeated 3-4 times in order to create more flakes or layers to the Lukhmi. After the final process, the Roti is cut to multiple squares. Finally, these multiple small squares each housing a filling pocket forming a Lukhmi.

The edges are closed by pressing them often with a fork, and the stuffed parcel is deep fried in oil. As the color of the patty changes to golden while frying, the lukhmi is ready for consumption. The snack had lost some of its popularity over several decades, as many places in the old city stopped serving it. However, it has made a comeback of sorts in the last few years with an increased interest in lost Hyderabadi recipes.

I really enjoyed making these beautiful and scrumptious pockets of goodness and these are now a family favorite for me. I hope you like them too. If you need help with variations, please feel free to ask. Enjoy!!!

Haala’s Zingers

My boys prefer home lunches and also love varieties for their lunch. When I use the word variety, I mean that they would not want a dish to be repeated in 2-3 weeks and believe it or not, its a lot of pressure to make something that tastes great and that they would love it as well.

These chicken burgers are a very close copy to a famous food chain. These are easy to make and can be easily made by beginners as well. The chicken does not have to marinated for too long and even the process of marination is with pretty simple ingredients. This is great dish if you have boneless chicken available and haven’t thought of anything in mind, and need to get things ready in a rush.

My boys love these zingers and believe these are one of my best creations. Since its not possible for us consume Chicken outside in USA, trying to come up with our own is the only option. But, since India has a halal option for almost all food joints, we have tried the burger and my kids actually told me that this tasted way better [I know, I am raising them well to please their mother]. But, I like the fact, that its fresh, homemade and you know what you are putting in your child’s plate. You might be able to air fry the burger. Though I have an air fryer, I always feel that it makes food extremely chewy. And then again, when you are cooking at home, ingredients are more fresh, no preservatives are added so, cooking things the way they should be cooked makes kids happy too. I am against messing up food giving it the label of being healthy. You don’t want your kids to go off basic food. You just teach them to make healthier choices and eat well.

I usually make this and serve it with a different spicy sauce . The recipe for the spicy sauce is in the sauce section. A blend of mayo, ketchup, hot sauce and mustard sauce goes perfectly with this spicy zinger chicken burger to give that kick to this sandwich.

Philly Chicken Steak Sandwich

On one of our trips to Florida, we ate at a restaurant that serves Halal sandwiches, basically Halal American food. For people like us, it feels like hitting a jackpot. As much as we feel like trying the american food, unfortunately we do not have American restaurants in New Jersey that would serve halal food. I am pretty sure that will change with time, with the increasing Muslim community and their demands to try out new cuisines, but for now, we get excited each time we find a restaurant serving non Indian/ Pakistani halal food.

So, going back to us trying the American chicken sandwich, we tried a Philly chicken steak sandwich which was absolutely delicious. The sauce, the marination flavor of the chicken grilled with cheese that melts in the mouth and all the flavors mixed with crunch of grilled bread.

The sandwich is something you fall in love with, specially the kids. The spice levels are moderate which makes it easy for people who do not enjoy a lot of spice. So, after we returned home, I had to give this lovely sandwich a try. The few things that I changed included the spice level [which is optional] and the size of the bread. The sandwich we had was a part of french long bread and I find that a little hard, since it gets more crunchy and a hard texture once it is grilled. swapped the Long French bread with the hot dog buns, they kind of make it easier for kids to hold, and also the softness of the bread soaks more juices from the chicken making the sandwich more flavorful.

Murgh Saunfiya Tikka

This dish is from the region of Kashmir. Its fascinating to see how produce from a region makes fabulous dishes that are heard to imagine. We all, as Indians use fennel in food in some way or the other. But, before I came across these kebabs, I never knew that fennel seeds can be used as the main ingredient and make kebabs that taste so delicious.

The taste of fennel bulbs or aniseed adds a lot of freshness to the flavor and the flavor stands out, no matter what other spices you add to the dish. This dish is mild, flavorful and easy to make.

KFC Masala fried Chicken

We live in New Jersey and its a land of snow storms and regular snows that go up to 5-6 inches, and we get stuck at home. To most people, snow days are boring but, for us its a fun day at home. My boys love demanding for warm soups and breads and sometimes they even join their mom in the kitchen and we cook together.

So one such day, we were surprised by day off at school due to snow. I believe it was the prayer before bed that my boys made…LOLzzz. Its funny how much they love school but more than that they love the surprise holidays due to snow. Anyways, so my boys wanted some wanted some nice kebabs and then they came up with how much they miss eating KFC in India and the spicy chicken wings in India are their absolute favorite comfort food.

So, we got down to making everyone happy. Its a snow day and you are stuck, you cant step out and we all need something to warm up our heart and soul 😉 . So while, boys go out to play in the snow, I started marinating the chicken and preparing the powder to the best of my ability to make it taste close to KFC if not better.

See, KFC in India serves halal food. I do not know about other places but the one in Bangalore definitely does. They have improvised the recipe by adding spice to the chicken and the flavors are fabulous. So when you have boys who are blessed with awesome taste buds, it gets pretty competitive for a mom, trust me and the fact that Indian moms are always trying to prove to be super cooks to their children and I am no different.

After playing in the snow for a couple hours when my tired and hungry boys came in to grab a bite, they were not just surprised but also very satisfied and loved this dish. Its a must share for all those of you like me who are far from home and need the kick in your regular fried chicken.