Zigeunerschnitzel - Gypsy Style Schnitzel

A few days ago I made Jägerschnitzel aka Hunter Style Schnitzel. Today I came up with another popular dish from Germany, which is also schnitzel, but it is served with a different type of sauce that is Zigeuner sauce, or gypsy style sauce. As the name suggests, the sauce is slightly more piquant and has appealing, bright, red colour. Very tasty and definitely worth a try!

Zigeunerschnitzel - serves 2

The Cutlets

• 2 chicken/pork/veal cutlets
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbs oyster sauce (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• Oil for frying

The Gypsy Sauce

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp ground paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne powder (or to taste)
• Beef/Chicken powder to taste
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 250 ml cream
• Sugar, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

The Cutlets

1. Set the eggs, flour and bread crumbs in three different shallow bowls.
2. Add oyster sauce, salt and pepper to the egg bowl and mix well.
3. One at a time, dredge the cutlet in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture and coat with the bread crumbs.
4. Repeat step 3 one more time (optional).
5. Deep-fry the cutlets until golden brown.
6. Serve with gypsy sauce, salad and fries.

The Gypsy Sauce

1. Sauté chopped onion and garlic with 1 Tbsp of oil.
2. Add tomato paste, ground paprika, cayenne powder and beef powder.
3. Pour the cream and mix well.
4. Add bell pepper slices and cook for 1 minute.
5. Dust with flour and season with sugar and pepper. Cook until sauce is thickened.

Jägerschnitzel - Hunter Style Schnitzel

Jägerschnitzel or Hunter Style Schnitzel is one of the most popular schnitzel varieties in Germany. It is breadcrumb-coated veal/pork/chicken which is served with creamy mushroom sauce. Since it's so well-liked over here, you can easily get instant Jägerschnitzel mixes in most German supermarkets, be they big or small.

I love to use panko bread crumbs instead of the usual western-style bread crumbs. Panko bread crumbs are much coarser and as a result, your schnitzel will be crispier and tastier :)!


Jägerschnitzel - serves 2

The Cutlets

• 2 chicken/pork/veal cutlets
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbs oyster sauce (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• Oil for frying

The Mushroom Sauce

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp chopped onion
• 8 -10 champignons, sliced
• Beef/Chicken powder to taste
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp white wine
• 200 ml cream
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

The Cutlets

1. Set the eggs, flour and bread crumbs in three different shallow bowls.
2. Add oyster sauce, salt and pepper to the egg bowl and mix well.
3. One at a time, dredge the cutlet in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture and coat with the bread crumbs.
4. Repeat step 3 one more time (optional).
5. Deep-fry the cutlets until golden brown.
6. Serve with mushroom sauce, salad and fries.

The Mushroom Sauce

1.  Sauté the chopped onion with 1 Tbsp of oil.
2. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Season with beef powder and dust with flour.
4. Add white wine, cream and pepper to taste. Cook until sauce is thickened.

Creamy Paprika Chicken

Paprika-Sahne Hähnchen is German for creamy paprika chicken. It is usually eaten with steamed rice or noodles - a simple yet delicious meal. The one I made today is using the same sauce but I made a few changes to my liking. The normal German paprika chicken is usually oven baked together with the sauce, but mine is cooked separately. I always love food which is coated with breadcrumbs or flour as these lend crispiness to the deep (or pan)-fried meat, poultry or vegetables. I still wanted this meal to be relatively healthy, so instead of deep frying the chicken fillets, I coated them with egg and flour before pan-frying them.

Creamy Paprika Chicken

Pan-fried Chicken

• 2 chicken fillets
• Salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1 egg
  
• Flour

Creamy Paprika Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  
• 1 sweet pepper, cut into long strips
• 1 - 2 dried chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon paprika powder
• Chicken or vegetable powder to taste
  
• 250 ml cream
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Some grated cheese - optional

Instructions

• Chicken: Rub the chicken fillets with salt and pepper. Coat with beaten egg and flour.
• Pan fry the fillets until cooked and golden brown. Set aside (I left them in the oven over low heat to keep them warm).
• Sauce: Sauté the minced garlic and chopped onion with olive oil until slightly brown.
• Add dried chili peppers, paprika powder, chicken powder, tomato paste and pour the cream. Cook and stir for a minute.
  
• Toss in the sweet pepper slices and cook for another minute.
• Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken fillets.
• Serve with rice, noodles or pan-fried potatoes.