The Most Royal Fried Version Ever: Andras Chicken Majestic

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Say the words, “Fried Chicken” in any language and you have an instant favorite. Like the Chicken Majestic, new on the menu at Banana Leaf in Culver City. We use the term, “wildly popular” throughout this report because it IS accurate for all of the fried chicken dishes here. And the scrumptious piles are considered appetizers!

Fried chicken continues to be one of the top five most popular dishes in almost any country that serves it. And what’s not to like in any form of it, from buttermilk coated to extra spicy battered?

At Banana Leaf, colorful Chicken Majestic starts with top of the line protein for this refined version of fried chicken. Then the chicken is coated in a tangy yogurt based sauce with a carefully thought out combination of spices. Cumin, coriander, garam masala are classic. Ribbons of red and green pepper are sautéed just enough so that they are tender and still have a crunch.

Double textures kick in from the very first bite with the oh-so-lightly crispy chicken that’s tender and juicy inside. 

Look closely and you will see that the chicken strips are first marinated and then fried. The final step is to saute them in a special sauce. sauce.

Chicken Majestic, a wildly popular regional dish from Hyderabad in the André Pradesh state. Southern dishes tend to be more spicy than in the north but Chicken Majestic has more heat than prickly spice shards.

Chicken 65, so beloved that there are numerous variations each South Indian state has its own version! Although all are commonly served with hot, red chutneys, in Karnataka, the dish is garnished with grated coconut, and in Andhra Pradesh, the chicken is cooked instead of fried.

Indian appetizers are described as “wet” with more of a sauce, or “dry,” which describes this chicken appetizer recipe that is wildly popular in Hyderabad, India. It’s your choice: the final call is divided on the subject with “wet” and “dry” chicken 65, another version of Indian fried chicken, so popular it is served all over the country. One is more of a finger-food (dry) and one more of an appetizer dish (wet).

Chicken 65, the now classic poultry dish, originated in Chennai, India. The deep-fried chicken marinated in ginger, lemon, red chiles also includes a variety of other spices. There are a few theories about the origin of chicken 65. The most popular one speculates that it was created in Tamil Nadu by A. M. Buhari in 1965.

Another one says that the original dish was made with 65 hot chili peppers, as a testament of manliness. There are also some unlikely theories, such as the one claiming that the chicken was cut into 65 pieces, or that the chicken was 65 days old when the dish was prepared.

Banana Leaf,  10408 Venice Blvd Suite: B, Culver City, CA, 90232, (SW corner of Venice & Motor, (310) 838-2130 (www.bananaleafla.com)