Fragrant Chicken Curry

In this curry, instead of starting with onions fried in ghee, 
which thicken the gravy, lentils are used as thickening. 

This fragrant curry can be served with basmati rice or with Indian flat bread.

Ingredients:

125ml red lentils

30ml mild curry powder

10ml ground coriander

5ml cumin seeds

500ml chicken stock

8 chicken thighs, skinned

225g fresh or frozen shredded spinach, thawed and well drained

15ml chopped fresh coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh coriander sprigs to garnish

Method:

Rinse the lentils under cold running water. Put into a large pan with the curry powder, ground coriander, cumin seeds and stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken and spinach. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the chopped coriander and season to taste.

Serve garnished with coriander sprigs and accompanied by rice or Indian flat bread.

Serves 4

Red Chicken Curry with Bamboo Shoots

This curry is made with a Curry or Masala Paste, which makes a thick gravy or sauce. The bamboo shoots have a lovely crunch, even if you use the tinned ones, which are crisper and of better quality than sliced shoots.

Ingredients:

1 L coconut milk

450g chicken breast fillets, skinned and cut into bite-size pieces

30ml Thai fish sauce (or soy sauce)

15ml sugar

225g drained canned bamboo shoots, rinsed and sliced

5 kaffir lime leaves, torn

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh red chillies and kaffir lime leaves to garnish

Red Curry Paste:

5ml coriander seeds

2.5ml cumin seeds

12-15 red chillies, roughly chopped (seeded if you prefer less heat)

4 shallots, thinly sliced

5ml crushed garlic

15ml chopped galangal (if unobtainable, use ginger root)

2 lemon grass stalks, chopped

3 kaffir lime leaves, chopped

4 fresh coriander roots

10 black peppercorns

2.5ml ground cinnamon

5ml ground turmeric

2.5ml shrimp paste (optional)

5ml salt

30ml vegetable oil

Method:

Make the curry paste. Dry-fry the coriander and cumin seeds for 1-2 minutes, then put them in a mortar or food processor with the remaining ingredients except the oil. Process or grind to a paste. Add the oil, a little at a time, mixing or processing well after each addition. Transfer to a sterilised jar and chill until ready to use. This paste can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Pour half of the coconut milk into a large, heavy pan. Bring the milk to the boil, stirring constantly until it has separated. Stir in 30ml of the red curry paste and cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the chicken pieces, Thai fish sauce or soy sauce and sugar to the pan. Stir well, then cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken changes colour and is cooked through, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the base of the pan.

Pour the remaining coconut milk into the pan and add the sliced bamboo shoots and kaffir lime leaves. Bring back to the boil over a medium heat, stirring continually to prevent the mixture sticking. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

To serve, spoon the curry into a warmed serving dish and garnish with chopped chillies and kaffir lime leaves.

Serves 4-6:

Brinjal and Courgette Chilli Bites

These chilli bites, also known as Bhajias or Pakoras, are simple to make and simply delicious as a snack or served as a vegetable dish with a curry. The aroma when cooking the vegetables in the oven is enough to draw crowds and it’s hard to wait for the little morsels to be fried in their batter. Golden and crispy, they crunch with every bite and everyone comes back for more.

Ingredients:

500g baby finger brinjals, stems removed and cut lengthways.

500g baby courgettes, topped and tailed and cut in half lengthways

*** If the brinjals or courgettes are longer than 3 inches, cut them into 2-3 inch lengths.

45-60ml olive oil (or sunflower oil)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hanneica’s Steak and Chops seasoning

Cayenne pepper or red chilli powder

1 packet Chilli Bite Mix

Oil for frying

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Soak the brinjal in salted water for 20-30 minutes to remove any bitterness. Rinse and dry on absorbent kitchen paper or on a clean tea towel.

Place the brinjal with the prepared courgettes in a large mixing bowl and pour over the oil. Mix them around to ensure all the pieces are covered with oil. Spread the vegetables over a baking tray and season with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle over steak and chops seasoning and cayenne pepper or red chilli powder. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes; the vegetables will be just cooked, but not too golden. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile make up your chilli bite mix by adding sufficient water to create a batter of the consistency of pancake batter, whisking to ensure the batter is not lumpy. When the vegetables have cooled, add them to the batter and mix through gently so as not to break up the pieces. With a spoon, select pieces one by one and drop them in hot oil to fry. This will need to be done in batches; don’t be tempted to add to many at once as this will drop the temperature of the oil and the bhajias will sauté, rather than fry crispy. Once the chilli bites are golden and crispy, remove them from the oil to a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to drain. Repeat the frying with consecutive batches in the oil until all the vegetable pieces have been made into chilli bites.

Serve hot and crispy as a snack with a dipping sauce or chutney, or as a side dish to a curry.

Punjabi Chana Masala Powder

This delicate masala is used for chickpea curry or for spicing up other dhal or lentil dishes.

Ingredients:
30ml Cumin Seeds
15ml Caraway Seeds
5 Dry Red Chilli
5ml Turmeric powder
15ml Coriander Seeds
7.5ml Ground Black Pepper
5ml Ground Cloves
15ml White Sesame Seeds
10 Green Cardamom

4 Black Cardamom
7.5ml Dry ground Ginger
15ml Dry Mango Powder - Amchur

10ml Ground Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
1 Star Anise
2.5ml Ground Nutmeg
15ml Rock Salt


Method:
Dry roast all the whole spices one by one and allow to cool.

Cool all the ingredients and grind into smooth powder using spice mill. Cool powdered masala, and store in air tight container.

Chick Pea Curry or Chana Masala

Chana Masala is a really easy to make Indian Curry. Channa, or chickpeas, are a good source of protein , zinc, folate, vitamin E, potassium , dietary fibre & iron. Most of their fibre is soluble fibre, which helps in lowering cholesterol and stabilizing blood sugar.

In this recipe I use tinned chickpeas, which are already cooked. These are added to freshly ground spices, onion and tomato to make a tangy and pleasantly spicy curry, which makes a great side dish for chapatis, rotis, or to accompany a main course.

Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped

1-2 firm, ripe tomatoes, skinned and deseeded

1-2 green chillies, deseeded

10ml garlic and ginger paste

30ml ghee

2.5ml cumin seeds

3-4 bay leaves

5ml ground coriander powder

2.5ml turmeric

2.5ml dry mango powder

2.5ml chilli powder

2.5ml salt

5ml garam masala powder

5ml chana masala powder

1 x 400g can of chickpeas, washed and drained

chopped fresh dhania leaves to garnish (coriander or cilantro)

Method:

Place the onion, tomato, green chillies and ginger garlic paste into a food processor or blender and blend to a paste. 

Heat the ghee in a frying pan and add the cumin seeds. Fry the seeds until the begin to jump and give off a delicate aroma. Add the bay leaves and fry gently for about 30 seconds, then add the tomato and onion paste. Fry gently until the mixture begins to go golden brown.

Add the ground coriander, turmeric, dried mango powder, chilli powder and salt and mix into the vegetables, frying for a minute or two to blend the flavours.

Add the garam masala and chana masala, mixing into the gravy and frying for about 5 minutes, stirring all the time. It may be necessary to add a little water if the mixture becomes dry or sticks to the pan. A thick gravy should now be formed.

Add the washed and drained chickpeas and simmer these in the gravy for 5-10 minutes to cook in the spicy flavours, stirring from time to time.

Transfer the chana masala to a serving dish and garnish with fresh chopped dhania (coriander or cilantro).

Mutton Curry with Mangoes

This is one of those recipes passed down from mother to daughter. I have been lucky enough to find a friend who was prepared to share it with me.

When cooking this curry, peel and keep the mangoes whole. Select the best mangoes and take care that they have not become overripe inside. Ripe mangoes tend to be quite sweet, which is why the quantity of chilli powder seems exorbitant. Feel free to reduce it if you prefer a milder flavour. It might seem a lot of onions, but use the quantity of onions specified as the onions will contribute to making gravy. 

Ingredients:

500g mutton, cleaned and cut into chunks
4-5 large onions, finely sliced
5 ripe mangoes, peeled
4 cardamoms
1 inch cinnamon
4-6 black pepper corns
2 cloves
2.5ml cumin seeds
2.5m ginger-garlic paste
2.5m turmeric powder
10-15ml red chili powder
2.5m Parsee Sambhar masala
Salt, to taste
5ml sugar
60-75ml sunflower oil

Method:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds, cardamoms, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves and allow to splutter.

Add the onions and fry till golden.


Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté till it gets aromatic.


Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, Parsee Sambhar masala and sauté.


Add the mutton pieces and sauté till well roasted and mixed with the masala.


Add salt and sugar and sauté till well blended.


Add the whole, peeled mangoes and gently sauté them for a while. Ensure they don’t break.


Add ¾ to 1 cup of water and pressure cook the meat and mangoes. If you own a cooker that whistles, then cook for two whistles and then lower the heat and cook for 7-9 minutes more. Allow the cooker to cool down and release the pressure on its own.


Open the cooker when all the pressure is released. If there is too much water simmer till the gravy is semi-thick and sufficient enough to ‘sop-up- with bread.

Enjoy!

Parsi Sambhar Masala

Parsi Sambhar Masala

When I was taught to make curry many years ago by Ramola Makan, she taught me that before you can make a curry, you need to have a masala. Most Indian cooks have their own recipe for a masala, which in English terminology is a curry powder. Masalas can vary widely, but this is the mix I found for Parsi Sambar Masala. 

When making up a spice mix like this, wear rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin.

When looking for sesame oil, make sure it is the untoasted variety, which is light in colour. Don't use the toasted variety as this will give the wrong flavour to the mix. If you are not able to find untoasted sesame oil, substitute a teaspoon of white sesame seeds, which can be ground with the whole spices, then add a little sunflower or peanut oil at the end of the mix.

Ingredients:
Makes about 2 cups

200ml red chilli powder
30ml salt
15ml ground turmeric
10ml ground Asafoetida
125ml fenugreek seeds
30ml brown mustard seeds
5ml black peppercorns
5ml broken pieces of star anise
5ml cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
15ml untoasted sesame oil


Method:

Mix the chilli, salt, turmeric and asafoetida together in a bowl.

In your spice grinder, grind the rest of the whole spices together. Mix the ground since with the chilli-salt mixture.

In a small pan, heat the sesame oil until it shimmers.

Take the oil off the heat and pour into the center of the ground spices. Mix together with a fork until the oil is swirled in thoroughly and the spice mix loses its powdery look.




Original recipe as per Niloufer Ichaporia King’s My Bombay Kitchen