These Masala Chicken Fried Steaks are marinated in Indian spices, ginger, garlic and coated in a seasoned flour before being fried to perfection. It's a fusion of a southern favorite with some spicy Asian flavors.
S
I remember the first time I had chicken fried steak, I was in college. My best friend and I went to a country diner and I could not figure what chicken fried steak was when I saw it on the menu. Was it chicken or was it a steak? My friend highly recommended it to me so I took her advice and ordered it. I was smitten with it at first bite. It was indeed a steak, but fried like southern fried chicken. Yipee!!
After that wonderful meal, I would order my beloved chicken fried steak with a heap of mashed potatoes and gravy when ever I dined at a southern style diner. Mmmmm! How I loved eating each bite of my meal and washing it down with some sweet tea or lemonade. I may not be southern, but this meal makes me a happy girl.
Of course, these days I love to experiment in the kitchen so I couldn't' just make a simple chicken fried steak. I marinated the cubed steak in some wonderful indian spices and then coated in a some seasoned flour. I highly recommend coating the steak twice in the flour. I waited 20 minutes between coating the steaks because the marinade in the steak will absorb some the first coating from the steak. The second coating gives the steak the much desired crunch.
My family loved my jazzed up Masala Chicken Fried Steak. I served with the required mashed potatoes and gravy and some lemonade. It was a wonderful meal and I hope it gives my kids the happy memories my first taste of chicken fried steak gave me.
Masala Chicken Fried Steak
Recipe by Ramona from Kitchen Simmer
Ingredients:
6-8 large pieces of cubed steak (marinated overnight)
1-2 cups canola oil for frying - you need about a 1/4 inch of oil in your frying pan
Beef Marinade:
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
2 cloves grated fresh garlic
1/2 Tbs garam masala powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder/cayenne
salt and black pepper to season beef
Seasoned flour:
2 cups AP Flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red chili powder/cayenne
1 Tbs dried parsley flakes (optional)
Directions:
Step 1: Marinate cubed steak with marinade ingredients overnight in fridge. I put marinade and beef in a large ziploc bag. Before breading, take out of the fridge for 10 minutes and lay flat on a dish or tray. 
Step 2: Make seasoned flour/breading. Mix well and coat each piece of steak with seasoned flour. Then let sit for 20 minutes. Dredge each piece in the seasoned flour a 2nd time just before frying for thickest coating on steak. Note: Keeping the meat out for 30 minutes (10 minutes before dredging and 20 minutes before 2nd coating) also helps bring up the temperature of the meat before frying so the meat cooks and does not make the oil cold. 
Step 3: Heat canola oil on medium high heat. Carefully place one piece of twice coated steak into frying oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes and then carefully flip over. Tip: I used a spatula and a fork to help flip them over gently. Fry 2-3 minutes on the 2nd side. Place on a baking sheet to drain. Serve hot with your favorite sides and some gravy. Enjoy. 
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