A taste of the south-west

Braving the sandy weather outside, guests flocked into the Chili's Restaurant in Seef for a taste of authentic south-west American cuisine.

Chili's global culinary director and chef, Stuart Rackham, was showing off his skills at a cooking roadshow, the first of its kind for Chili's in the Middle East.

Chef Stuart said: "South-west American cuisine is one of the tastiest in the world and this is a brand Chili's is known for around the world."

He entertained a small crowd as he prepared the restaurant's brand new recipes to be released on the island this week; crispy honey chipotle chicken crispers alongside an appetiser of south-western egg roll and a refreshing drink.

He also explained about the company's upcoming plans, talked a little bit about Chili's history and shared a few pointers about Chili's south-west cuisine.

Chef Stuart, who is on a whistle-stop tour of Arabia as part of the Worldwide Chili's Culinary Roadshow, came to Bahrain from Dubai before flying off to Qatar.

He said: "I am really excited to be back in Bahrain! This is an amazing place and with so many Chili's outlets in the Middle East it was the logical place to bring the road show."

He explained that the road show is a way to give Chili's devotees an insight into how the restaurant's signature dishes are created.

He said: "Chili's south-western cuisine is inspired by the American south-west, which is made up of the states of New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.

"South-western cuisine is considered one of the oldest in the US, representing an eclectic mix of the Spanish, Latin and Native American heritage.

"Our food is a three-dimensional offer with a lot of flavours, sauce and fresh ingredients. Even our presentation follows the same trend."

The menu's most famous choices include ribs, fajitas, Big Mouth Burgers and steaks.

Chef Stuart who began his career with Chili's parent company Brinker International in Melbourne, Australia in 1996, today is based in Dallas, Texas and heads the global culinary team supporting the Chili's brand with over 160 restaurants in 25 countries.

He has participated in various international openings in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, the UK and Bahrain and will open the brand's first venture in India this year with an outlet in Banglore.

Culinary roadshow

Crispy Breading and Batter

To make the breading:

6 cups All-purpose flour

3 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp Ground black pepper

1 tbsp Garlic powder

1 tbsp Baking powder

1/2 tbsp Paprika

1/2 tbsp Cayenne pepper

1 Tsp. Onion powder

Pinch Thyme, ground

To make the batter:

2 cups Dry batter mix

2 cups Water

2 Egg whites

To make the breading, first, accurately measure out all the dry ingredients and place in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk to incorporate all the ingredients. Reserve half of the mix for the dry breading.

To make the batter, place two cups of the dry mix into a mixing bowl and slowly add two cups of water. Mix well with a wire whisk to form a smooth batter. Add egg whites and combine thoroughly.

To prepare the crispy chicken strips:

10 Chicken tenderloins (about 45 gm each)

2 cups Crispy breading

2 cups Crispy batter

Remove chicken tenderloins from refrigeration.

Stir batter. Using a pair of tongs, dip the chicken into the crispy batter, remove and drain excess batter.

Add a small amount of batter to the breading and using a whisk 'seed' the breading to result in small clumps of breading. This is for texture.

Place the battered chicken into the crispy breading. Cover the chicken strips with more breading and press down firmly to make sure each is covered with the breading. Remove from breading and gently shake off excess breading.

While holding at one end, dip battered chicken strips into the hot fryer oil. Cook for approximately three minutes.

Remove chicken strips from fryer, and allow to drain on some paper towel.

Honey Chipotle Sauce

2 cups Honey

1 cup White sugar

1/2 cup Water

1 tsp Fresh minced jalapenos

1 1/2tsp Black pepper

6 tbsp White wine vinegar

1 tbsp Kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp Chile powder

1/2 tsp Garlic powder

1/2 tsp Onion powder

1 cup Pureed chipotles in adobo sauce

1 tsp Cornstarch in 1 tbsp cool water

Ensure you hands, work area, and utensils are clean and sanitary.

Place the water and sugar in an appropriate saucepan and heat to dissolve sugar. Stir with a wire whisk to ensure there are no granules remaining.

To the saucepan add the honey, minced jalapeno, pureed chipotles in adobo, ground black pepper, white wine vinegar, kosher salt, onion and garlic powders, liquid smoke flavour, chipotle sauce, and chilli powder.

Constantly mix thoroughly with a wire whip.

In a clean container, make a slurry by combining arrowroot with a little water while whisking vigorously with a wire whip.

Add slurry mixture to the remainder of the sauce mixture while whisking vigorously with a wire whip and bring to a boil to thicken sauce. Simmer for five minutes and then remove from heat.

Yield: Makes about two cups.