DELICIOUS HOME COOKED FOOD FOR BONFIRE NIGHT

There is nothing I love more than some of the famous fried chicken with some bits and bites to go alongside them but since changing to using an air-fryer, instead of a deep fat fryer, I was under the impression that this would no longer be an option – how wrong could I be. These recipes have been tried and tested by my family several times. These recipes give both ‘The Colonel’ and the local takeaway a run for their money.

SPICY SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

8 chicken legs (portioned into 8 drumsticks and 8 thighs)

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs Italian seasoning (if not available, use half teaspoons of basil, marjoram, oregano, sage and thyme)

1 tsp hot chilli powder

½ tsp all spice

2 tbs milk

1 tbs water

4 oz flour

2 oz cornflour

3 egg whites

1 tbs hot sauce

Spray oil

Method

Combine all the dry spices/herbs in a dish. Take the chicken portions and using around 1/3 of the seasoning mix, put it over and set aside for at least an hour. Once fully marinated, take the flour, cornflour and remaining seasoning and pop into a large plastic bag. 

Put the egg whites into a bowl and lightly whisk with a fork. Add the water, milk and hot sauce and mix together.

Take each piece of chicken and dip into the egg mixture, then drop into the seasoned flour mix and shake till coated. Knock off the excess and put onto a tray until you have coated all the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture. 

Put the air fryer onto pre-heat for 3 minutes. When hot, pop half a dozen pieces of chicken into the fryer, spray with oil and cook for 20 minutes in the air fryer (cook for 10, check and turn over the chicken pieces and re-spray with oil before popping back in for remainder of time). Put the oven on low and pop the cooked pieces into the oven to keep warm whilst you carry on with the next batch. If you are not keen on spicy chicken, just leave the hot sauce and chilli powder out of the recipe. Delicious, crispy fried chicken.

CAULIFLOWER BHAJIS with MANCHURIAN SAUCE

1 large cauliflower cut into equal florets

12 oz chickpea flour

6 oz cornflour

1 tablespoon of paprika

½ tablespoon onion powder

½ tablespoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon of black pepper

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp garam masala

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 inch of ginger, finely minced

2 teaspoons of salt

Water

Sauce:

4 fl oz tomato puree

2oz finely chopped celery

2 oz finely chopped spring onion or shallot

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

1 tablespoon finely grated garlic

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 tablespoon red chilli paste or hot sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tsp salt

2 tsp of white vinegar

2 tablespoons oil

Water

Method

Start by making the delicious dipping sauce. In a frying pan, heat the oil, add the spring onion (or shallot) ginger, garlic, salt and celery and soften gently without colouring. Once softened, add the chilli paste, tomato puree, soy sauce and vinegar and give it a good stir. Cook till the oil starts to separate. Mix the cornflour with 4 tablespoons of water to dissolve and add to the pan, stirring continuously until thickened and cooked through gently. Set aside – its ready!

For the cauliflower bhajis, mix the dried ingredients together and add water until you have a thick batter (like a Yorkshire pudding batter) and then add the cauliflower florets and toss to coat each piece. Pre-heat the air fryer at 200° for a couple of minutes and then spray the inside of the basket to avoid the wet mixture from sticking. Pop a single layer of the cauliflower into the air fryer and again, spray with oil. Cook for 15 minutes in total but remove halfway through to turn and re-spray the bhajis. Crispy, spicey and delicious Gobi Bhaji with a Manchurian dipping sauce … mmmmmm

You can also use the same method for Onion Bhaji – just make the same batter and instead of pieces of cauliflower, you can add finely sliced onions to the batter and then form into little bhaji. 

SPICED SWEET POTATO FRIES

4 sweet potatoes

For the seasoning mix:

4 tablespoons of cornflour

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Oil for cooking

Method:

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into equal pieces.  Sprinkle with salt and leave to one side

Mix together all the dried ingredients

Rinse the sweet potatoes and pat dry. In batches, pop a few in a bowl, sprinkle with the seasoning and pop into your pre-heated air fryer (200°) for around 8 minutes – remove basket, give them a shake and a spray with oil and pop back in for another 8 -10 minutes until crispy and golden. Repeat till you have done all the fries. These are delicious served with either the Manchurian sauce or a nice garlic mayo or aioli.

So, there you have it, delicious food for your family and friends to enjoy this Bonfire Night. For all your firework needs, you can view our huge selection of goodies online at www.epicfireworks.com :)