Gday a while ago , a small heart attack at the age of 40 , has made mend many of my evil,wicked,lifestyle choices. So i have done my best to try and develop a meal or two that isnt just healthy ,but also has a wee % of flavour to it..
This was initially a dry rub i was playing with it , then with the idea of cooking with fruit juices instead of oils came to mind , so after offering myself the position of test guniea pig , which i jumped at , i figured this is not an unhealthy way to eat chicken ( or what ever meat you wish) .
my utensil of choice was a coffee grinder.. ( i should have used gloves too )
3 x Pasilla Negro chillies (dried)
3 x Ancho chillies (dried)
1 x red Habanero (dried)
2 cloves
8 dried pimento balls
2 tsp Annato seeds(optional)
2 tsp Cummin seeds
1 tsp Corriander seeds
1-2 tsp dried oregano ( mex if possible, i just used homegrown, (this is Australia)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
one pinch of aniseed seeds..
Remove all the seeds, and hearts from the dried chillies, (keep the lower 1/3 of one habanero, and one ancho heart if u wish to add a touch more kick.)
cut the dried chilli flesh into pieces ,(Add the optional 1/3 hearts) & all the remaining ingredients into the grinder, close the lid and pulverise the chillies and other spices until the mixtures grain size is somewhere between table salt and talcum powder...
once you think you have ground it enough let it sit for a minute or two , before taking grinder lid off to check ( i didnt do this and i had the finest habanero molecules hit my face and eyes as the tasty scent of cummin drew me closer to the powder)
if it is still to coarse put lid on and grin again.. ( remeber to let it settle before inspecting it again)
once it is fine enough put it into an air tight jar.. as this is very porous it cakes up with a touch of air moisture , im not familiar with anti caking agents but i will do more research on them when i have time..
If you find that when you cut open the dried chillis that they are slightly tacky inside when removing the seeds , roast the chillies after cutting and de -seeding for 2-3 mins at 150 degrees C.
this will aid in the anti caking of the powder..
Now for fajita marinade , i use ... the juice of one slightly over ripe orange , and the juice of half a lime , and mix it with 3 to 4 teaspoons of this ground chilli mix....mix it together , ( this ratio is good for 1/2 kilo of chicken) add it to diced chicken in a bowl , cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour...
When ive cooked this ive just added 1/2 white onion cut into strips and 1/2 red capsicum cut into strips( again a good ratio for 1/2 kilo of chicken).. to the bowl brior to cooking.
The pan gets a quick squirt of aerosol vegie oil if its a regular type pan or no oil if its a non stick pan , and the contents of bowl are removed by tongs leaving any residual juice and seasoning behind as i want it cooked quickly, not slowly stewing( im impatient when i cook)..
My choices of chillies are based upon effect.. the ancho's and pasillas firstly warm the throat with their gentle nature and then the habaneros claim the rest of the areas the milder chillies miss. . . .
Annato seeds are optional , the jar of seasoning i have at the moment is without them ,when cooking the chicken it goes the red same color as if the Annato seeds were part of the recipe, due to the ancho powder..
Tweak it how u like it .
If u like fajitas, and have no dietary restrictions, go the whole hog with non lite tortillas , cheeses and sour creams..
Ive just been putting the finished product on top of a basic salad with no dressing as the chicken and its juices / marinade seem to dress the greens for me..
This was initially a dry rub i was playing with it , then with the idea of cooking with fruit juices instead of oils came to mind , so after offering myself the position of test guniea pig , which i jumped at , i figured this is not an unhealthy way to eat chicken ( or what ever meat you wish) .
my utensil of choice was a coffee grinder.. ( i should have used gloves too )
3 x Pasilla Negro chillies (dried)
3 x Ancho chillies (dried)
1 x red Habanero (dried)
2 cloves
8 dried pimento balls
2 tsp Annato seeds(optional)
2 tsp Cummin seeds
1 tsp Corriander seeds
1-2 tsp dried oregano ( mex if possible, i just used homegrown, (this is Australia)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
one pinch of aniseed seeds..
Remove all the seeds, and hearts from the dried chillies, (keep the lower 1/3 of one habanero, and one ancho heart if u wish to add a touch more kick.)
cut the dried chilli flesh into pieces ,(Add the optional 1/3 hearts) & all the remaining ingredients into the grinder, close the lid and pulverise the chillies and other spices until the mixtures grain size is somewhere between table salt and talcum powder...
once you think you have ground it enough let it sit for a minute or two , before taking grinder lid off to check ( i didnt do this and i had the finest habanero molecules hit my face and eyes as the tasty scent of cummin drew me closer to the powder)
if it is still to coarse put lid on and grin again.. ( remeber to let it settle before inspecting it again)
once it is fine enough put it into an air tight jar.. as this is very porous it cakes up with a touch of air moisture , im not familiar with anti caking agents but i will do more research on them when i have time..
If you find that when you cut open the dried chillis that they are slightly tacky inside when removing the seeds , roast the chillies after cutting and de -seeding for 2-3 mins at 150 degrees C.
this will aid in the anti caking of the powder..
Now for fajita marinade , i use ... the juice of one slightly over ripe orange , and the juice of half a lime , and mix it with 3 to 4 teaspoons of this ground chilli mix....mix it together , ( this ratio is good for 1/2 kilo of chicken) add it to diced chicken in a bowl , cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour...
When ive cooked this ive just added 1/2 white onion cut into strips and 1/2 red capsicum cut into strips( again a good ratio for 1/2 kilo of chicken).. to the bowl brior to cooking.
The pan gets a quick squirt of aerosol vegie oil if its a regular type pan or no oil if its a non stick pan , and the contents of bowl are removed by tongs leaving any residual juice and seasoning behind as i want it cooked quickly, not slowly stewing( im impatient when i cook)..
My choices of chillies are based upon effect.. the ancho's and pasillas firstly warm the throat with their gentle nature and then the habaneros claim the rest of the areas the milder chillies miss. . . .
Annato seeds are optional , the jar of seasoning i have at the moment is without them ,when cooking the chicken it goes the red same color as if the Annato seeds were part of the recipe, due to the ancho powder..
Tweak it how u like it .
If u like fajitas, and have no dietary restrictions, go the whole hog with non lite tortillas , cheeses and sour creams..
Ive just been putting the finished product on top of a basic salad with no dressing as the chicken and its juices / marinade seem to dress the greens for me..
lol. Hey, you made a wise decision and I think all of us (that don't already live a healthy lifestyle) should take this seriously and try to learn the EASY way. Thank you for the recipe. I like the fresh orange and lime marinade.