SCBWPS (read the title, dude!), a dish served at Salt n’ Pepper (or SNP – one of the popular eateries) in Lahore (Pakistan), brings back a lot of fond memories from my post-grad days. I associate this phenomenal recipe with some of the happiest times in my life. I happened to visit Lahore a few months ago and luckily, SNP was just around the corner from where I was staying. Needless to say, SNP was my first stop after a long and tiring day of travel. As I took my seat in the restaurant, I couldn’t help but reminisce all the good times I had had with my friends. The table where we had sat numerous times, sharing jokes and jibing at each other, was empty, but I could clearly picture all my friends sitting around it as if it were only yesterday.

Try as I might, I couldn’t shake off the nostalgia even after my return to Karachi, so I coaxed my wife into attempting this feat at home; what can I say? A craving’s a craving. So what makes this recipe so special? Well, for starters, the pineapple sauce on top is divine, not to mention the crispy deep-fried chicken breast with stuffed-cheese that just oozes out as soon as you slice it open. I’m not a big fan of the pureed spinach on the side, but the fries and the coleslaw take the dish to an entire new level. Most of all, it’s the surprisingly refreshing sweet-tangy taste that blows your mind, a combination that you never-in-a-million-years thought would work with chicken, but it somehow does.

The Original SCBWPS

This one goes out to all my friends who live in and around Lahore for all the heartache your incessant gloating has caused after you’ve been to SNP for your SCBWPS fix; “Suck it people; I can have SCBWPS whenever I want!”

Apologies for taking some time out to get my gloat on (Oh it’s on, like Donkey Kong), let me dive straight into the recipe; but before I do, I’d just like to mention that I did spice things up a bit by adding some chili components to the chicken. So if you’d like to stick to the original recipe, you can leave the optional ingredients out of the recipe.

Ingredients

For Chicken Breasts

• 2 chicken breasts complete with wings (do not debone it)
• 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp cheddar cheese
• a pinch of oregano
• ¼ tsp + ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp chili sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp mustard sauce
• ½ tsp MSG (ajinomoto or Chinese salt)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup corn flour
• ½ tsp chili flakes or paprika for a milder flavor (optional)
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

For Pineapple Sauce

• 1 can of diced pineapples (Del Monte works best)
• ¾ tsp corn flour
• ½ cup water
• 8-10 carrot shavings (thinly-sliced squares)
• 8-10 cucumber shavings (thinly-sliced squares)
• ½ tbsp corn (optional)
• 1 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
• a pinch of black pepper
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp honey

Method

For Chicken Breasts

1. Clean and wash the chicken breasts; add ¼ tsp black pepper, chili sauce, soy sauce, mustard sauce, some salt and MSG and marinate it for 6-8 hours
2. Mix the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses with the oregano and set aside
3. Take each breast and make a small slit along the plastic bone (see drawing – stop judging me, people; I got my point across, didn’t I?)
4. Carefully stuff in the cheese mixture into the chicken cavity and press it all the way in so that it doesn’t run back out during deep-frying
5. In another bowl, mix in the all-purpose flour, corn flour, ¼ tsp black pepper, chili flakes (or paprika), and some salt to make the dry batter
6. Take each stuffed breast and coat it properly with the dry batter
7. Deep fry the chicken pieces in oil on medium-high heat till they are nicely crisp and golden; using a deep fryer here yields better results; set aside after frying

1. Boil the carrot shavings as well as the corn to tenderize them
2. Take a saucepan and add in all the liquid content of the pineapple can to it; let it simmer on a low-medium flame
3. In a bowl, take the corn flour and water and mix it well
4. Slowly add in the corn flour mixture to the pan, stirring it all the while to avoid lumps
5. Cook it for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and the whiteness of the corn flour vanishes completely
6. Add in the black pepper, salt and honey
7. Add in 8-10 chunks of crushed pineapple to the sauce
8. Let it cook for 3 minutes and then add in the carrots, corn and thinly-sliced spring onion
9. Add in the cucumbers last and take it off the flame immediately
10. In a plate, take one of the chicken breasts, top it off with a generous serving of the pineapple sauce and serve immediately with french fries, coleslaw and spinach puree

Here are the finished results.