Oven ki murghi (chicken baked with green chillies and onions)

From BBC Food Recipes
Serves 4

Ingredients

For the sauce
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp chilli powder
100ml/3½fl oz single cream

For the curry
4 boned, skinned chicken breasts (weighing approximately 560g/1 lb 4oz in total)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tbsp vegetable oil
5cm/2in piece cinnamon stick
6 cardamom pods, cracked open
6 cloves
140g/5oz onions, cut into fine half-rings
2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into fine slices, then into fine strips
1-3 hot green chillies, cut at a diagonal into fine strips
½ tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
cooked basmati rice, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Put the tomato purée in a bowl and mix with one tablespoon of water. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients, in the listed order, mixing as you go.

Spread out the chicken breasts and season them generously on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Put three tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick frying pan and place over a high heat.
When hot, add the cinnamon, cracked cardamom pods and cloves.

After ten seconds, add the chicken breasts in a single layer and brown them lightly on both sides.

Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a single layer in an ovenproof dish.
Add the onions, ginger, and green chillies to the same frying pan and fry them in the residual oil until they are golden-brown in colour.

Remove with a slotted spoon and spread evenly over the chicken breasts.

Add the remaining one tablespoon of oil to the frying pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as they pop – this will be just a few seconds – add the garlic and stir.

As soon as the garlic starts to brown, pour in the sauce.

As soon as the sauce heats up and starts bubbling, pour it over and around the chicken without displacing the onion mixture.

Place the ovenproof dish, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Serve immediately with basmati rice.

 

Green coconut fish curry

From BBC Food
Serves 4 -6

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1⁄2 tsp brown mustard seeds
4 cloves
6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 large piece cinnamon stick
1 small onion, finely chopped
5cm/2in piece fresh ginger, peeled and quartered
2 large garlic cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
300ml/101⁄2fl oz coconut milk
2-4 green chillies, left whole
salt, to taste
100ml/31⁄2fl oz water
10 curry leaves (available from some supermarkets and Asian grocers)
1⁄2-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3⁄4 tsp garam masala
500g/1lb 2oz salmon or firm white fish fillets, cut into large pieces

To serve

2-3 tsp lemon juice
50g/2oz fresh coriander leaves and stalks, chopped

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the mustard seeds, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick and stir fry for 20 seconds (be careful, the seeds might pop). Add half of the chopped onion and fry for 4-5 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, place the remaining onion, the ginger, garlic, ground coriander and 100ml/31⁄2fl oz of the coconut milk into a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth purée.

Add this mixture to pan along with the whole green chillies and salt, to taste. Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 12-15 minutes, giving the pot an occasional stir.

Add the remaining coconut milk, the water, the currry leaves, black pepper and garam masala and the fish and leave to cook undisturbed for about 3-5 minutes, until the fish is opaque and cooked through.

To serve, stir in the lemon juice and coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then pour into bowls and serve with rice.

Southern indian rice and seafood soup

From Jamie’s Dinners
Serves 4

Ingredients
5 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil
3 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
1 handful fresh curry leaves, picked off their stalks
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1½ teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
3 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
2 large thumb-sized pieces fresh ginger, peeled and grated
6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 handfuls basmati rice
565 ml water
600 g fish, from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger, skinned, filleted and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
400 ml light coconut milk
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 2 limes
1 handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons freshly grated coconut

Get yourself a big pan and heat up your oil, then add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds, garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric. Cook for a few minutes and you’ll get the most amazing smells filling the room from all these spices. Then add the chillies, the ginger, the garlic and the onions. Continue cooking slowly until the garlic and onions are soft. Then add the rice and the water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add your fish and the coconut milk with a little more water and a pinch of salt. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for a further 10 minutes, then stir well to break up the pieces of fish. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, then just before you serve it squeeze in the lime juice and stir in half the coriander. Serve in warmed bowls, sprinkle over some freshly grated coconut, if you have it, and rip over the rest of the coriander.</strong

Anything with curry powder in it is normally good!

Chicken tikka masala

From Gordon Ramsay’s best menus
Serves 4
Ingredients

Groundnut oil
1 large onion, peeled
2 fresh green chillies
1″ piece of ginger, peeled
3 garlic cloves, peeled
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp tomato puree
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
4 boneless chicken breasts (approx 150g each), cubed
10 dried curry leaves
4-6 tbsp natural yoghurt
Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
For the steamed rice
400g basmati rice, rinsed
600ml cold water
Salt and pepper
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 star anise

Heat two tablespoons of groundnut oil in a pan. Slice the onion and fry in the oil. Meanwhile, deseed and chop the chilli, chop the ginger and add to the hot pan, crush in the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.

Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes to the pan and allow them to cook for a further few minutes.

Transfer the sauce to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Add a tablespoon of fresh groundnut oil into the pan and fry the chicken pieces until lightly coloured. Pour in the blended sauce and add the curry leaves. Simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Place the rice in a saucepan, add the cold water and season with salt and pepper. Lightly crush the cardamom pods with your fingers and add to the pan with the star anise. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to steam for a further 5 minutes. Remove the cardamom and star anise. Fluff up the rice with a fork and set aside.

Stir in the yoghurt into the chicken curry along with half the chopped coriander and season to taste. Serve with the steamed rice and garnish with the remaining coriander.

Balti chicken in saffron sauce

Ingredients

50g Butter
2 Tablespoons Corn Oil
1.3kg Chicken, Skinned and cut into 8 pieces
1 Onion, Medium, Chopped
1 Teaspoon Garlic Pulp
1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Black Peppercorns
1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Cardamom Pods
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 Teaspoons Chilli Powder
2/3 Cup Natural Plain Yogurt
1/2 Cup Ground Almonds
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Saffron Strands
2/3 Cup Water
2/3 Cup Single Light Cream
2 Tablespoons Fresh Coriander (Cilantro)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Melt the butter and oil in a deep round bottom skillet or medium karahi. Add the chicken pieces and fry until lightly browned. This will take about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken using a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the fat as possible.

Add the onion into the same pan and fry over medium heat. Meanwhile Mix together the garlic, peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, chili powder, yogurt, ground almonds, lemon juice, salt and saffron into a mixing bowl.

When the onions are lightly browned, pour the spice mixture into the pan and stir fry for about 1 minute.

Add the chicken pieces and continue to stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a casserole dish and cover with a lid, or if using a karahi, cover with foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes.

Once you are sure the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and transfer to a frying pan and stir in the cream.

Reheat gently for 2 minutes, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with plain boiled rice.

Aloo gobi

From Jamie’s Ministry of Food
Serves 4
Ingredients

1 medium fresh onion
2-3 green chillies (to your taste)
a thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger
a small bunch of fresh coriander
1/2 a cauliflower
500g potatoes
oil
knob of butter
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 level tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 220 c, 425 f, gas 7

1. Peel, halve and finely chop the onion. Finely slice your chillies. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop the stalks.

2. Discard the outer leaves of the cauliflower, break into florets and cut the thick middle stem into cubes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2cm cubes.

3. Put a large ovenproof pan on a medium to high heat and add a couple of lugs of oil and the butter.

4. Add the onion, chillies, ginger, coriander stalks, mustard seeds, turmeric and cumin and cook for 7 to 10 minutes until softened and golden.

5. Stir in the cauliflower, potatoes and coconut. Season with salt and pepper and add 400ml of water.

6. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on until the veg are cooked and soft.

7. Check the curry regularly to make sure it’s not drying out, and extra water if necessary.

8. Give it another stir, then put the pan into the preheated oven for another 20 minutes.

SERVE with fluffy rice, sprinkled with coriander leaves and with some lemon wedges to serve.

Had a lunch party with colleague and gf, and M. M cooked a huge pot of pork vindaloo and indian roasted vinegar chicken. My contribution was a aloo gobi as a vegetable dish to complement the meats. Turned out quite successful I must say, I can’t really remember what aloo gobi tasted like because I haven’t had indian for ages, but I think it was pretty close enough.

With M around, I eat a lot more spicy food as that’s the kind of stuff she cooks, and so I have quite a lot of indian spices around. Guess this means I will be cooking more of such stuff over the weeks!

Prawn pilaf

From Gordon Ramsay’s Best Menus
Serves 4

Ingredients

500ml light chicken stock
4tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1.5 tsp mild curry powder
10 cardamom pods
few thyme sprigs (leaves only)
200g basmati rice
sea salt and black pepper
20 large tiger prawns (in shells)

Heat oven to 200C. Cut a circle of baking paper big enough to cover an overproof pan. Cut a steam hole in the centre. Bring stock to boil in another pan.

Heat olive oil in ovenproof pan, add garlic, onion, spices and thyme. Stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then tip rice in and stir well. Add some salt and pepper and toast the rice for a minute. Pour in the boiling stock and arrange the prawns on top of the rice in a single layer.

Lay the baking paper on top to cover, then transfer pan to oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. Leave to stand, still covered with the paper, for 5 minutes before serving.

Rice was undercooked but the taste was pretty good! More practice required.

Indian chickpeas and vegetable soup

From BBC More One-pot recipes
Serves 4
Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion , chopped
1 tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
1 garlic clove , chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
850ml vegetable stock
2 large carrots , quartered lengthways and chopped
400g can chickpeas , drained
100g green beans , chopped

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, then add the onion, ginger and garlic. Fry for 2 mins, then add the garam masala, give it 1 min more, then add the stock and carrots. Simmer for 10 mins, then add the chickpeas. Use a stick blender to whizz the soup a little. Stir in the beans and simmer for 3 mins. Pack into a flask or, if you’ve got a microwave at work, chill and heat up for lunch. Great with naan bread

For a soup that’s a bit different and packs a bit of a kick, this is a pretty good recipe. And if you are like me and you love all things spicy, this is brilliant!

I didn’t use a stick blender to whizz the soup so it’s not as thick as it should be at least according to the recipe. Reason is simple. I don’t have one (which leads on to the next question which is should I get one? Jury is still out on this.) Anyway if you want something less thick, the obvious answer is don’t use a stick blender!

To make it a bit meatier and because I have leftover bacon from the coddled pork, I added two slices of bacon to the soup. FYI.

Chicken Saag

From Chicken – the best ever recipe collection
Serves 4
Ingredients
Ingredients

Fresh spinach Leaves, 200g, washed but not dried
8 chicken thighs, skinned
2.5 cm ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green chilli, roughly chopped
1 cup of water
1 tbsp oil
2 bay leaves.
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1 onion, finely chopped
tomatoes – 4, peeled and finely chopped
Curry powder – 2 tsp.
Chilli powder – 1 tsp.
Plain yogurt – 3 tbsp.
Salt as per taste

Cook the spinach leaves, without extra water, in a tightly covered pan for 5 minutes. Put the cooked spinach, ginger, garlic and chilli with 1/4 cup of the measured water into a food processor or blender and process to a thick puree. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large heavy pan, add the bay leaves and black peppercorns and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the onion and fry for a further 6-8 minutes or until the onion has browned.

Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder, salt and chilli powder. Cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat, stirring once or twice.

Stir in the spinach puree and the remaining measured water, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the yogurt, 1 tbsp. at a time and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them in the sauce. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until the chicken in tender.

Not too sure how authentic the recipe is but it tastes good to me – wonderful flavours coming from the spices and the chicken was so tender when I plated up. Definitely, one of the chicken dishes I will cook again. Added too little spinach, unfortunately and so the dish doesn’t look green enough.