Chicken Karhai with Mint

This recipe comes from the wonderful cookbook 'At Home with Madhur Jaffrey' and is absolutely delicious and really easy to prepare.  A Karhai is an Indian wok and so this is basically an Indian stir-fry.  First you need to marinate the meat in the spices and then you cook it as a stir-fry.  I was amazed at how tasty it was and would love to try some of my own variations adding some vegetables as well.

What you will need for the marinade:

• 550 grams chicken thighs, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 tsp salt 
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (only if you like it spicy, I left this out of course)
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp olive or canola oil 

What you will need for cooking:

• 3 tbsp olive or canola oil
• 2/4 cup chopped onions
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint

What you need to do:

1.  Combine all the marinade ingredients in a glass bowl.  Mix, cover, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or as long as overnight.

2.  Heat oil into a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, stir-fry for a few minutes.

3.  Add the chicken with all its marinade and stir-fry another 3 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.

4.  Add the mint and stir-fry for a few seconds only.

5.  Serve with rice and vegetables.  In the photo below I have served this with a mushroom and pea curry.

Pumpkin Roasted with Cumin and Sesame Seeds

This is an easy way to make roast pumpkin a little more interesting.

Simply chop into 3 cm squares and place pumpkin in a baking tray.  Add about 1tsp cumin, 1 tsp sesame seeds and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt per serving.  Mix well and then add a good splash of olive oil until all coated evenly.  Roast until tender and browned.  Pumpkin can be served with rice and dahl, or as a side dish with meat and vegetables, or they can be enjoyed as a snack.

Yellow Split Pea Dahl

What I like about this dahl is that I can cook it so the peas still retain their shape and texture.  It's quite a different dish to a red lentil or mung dahl, which both have a more soupy consistency.  As with all dahls this one is high in both fibre and iron.  I have used it in this instance as a side dish served with my Delhi Style Baked Chicken Legs, some green beans cooked with garlic and cumin, and some basmati rice.  It can also be enjoyed as a meal on its own.

What you will need:

• 1 cup of yellow split peas, soaked if possible
• 2 small onions, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
• salt to taste

What you need to do:

1.  Any amount of soaking time will reduce the cooking time for yellow split peas.  If you don't remember to soak them overnight, even a few hours will help.  Cook the peas until the are soft, but still retaining their texture.  Once cooked, drain and set aside.

2.  Fry the onion over a medium heat until it begins to soften.  Add the garlic and fry for another minute.  Add the fresh tomatoes and stir until they begin to soften before adding the powdered spices.  Mix well and fry for another 30 seconds.

3.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Allow to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.

4.  Return the cooked split peas to the pan and mix well. Cook over a low heat for another 5 minutes.  You may need to add a little more water and salt to taste.

Delhi Style Baked Chicken Legs

I recently read in one of Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks that ginger and coriander are ingredients that remind her of eating in Delhi.  Using this idea as inspiration I have come up with the following dish that my whole family loved.  I used ten drumsticks for this recipe and the ingredient list below reflects that.  If you use more or less chicken then you may need to adjust accordingly.  I'm sure this recipe would work equally well other cuts of chicken also.

What you will need:

• 10 chicken drumsticks
• 2 - 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup chopped fresh coriander
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt (optional)

What you need to do:

 1.  In a small measuring jug or bowl, combine the olive oil, ginger, spices, pepper, salt and coriander.  Mix well.

2.  In a large baking tray spread out the chicken and then coat evenly with the marinade mixture.  Don't be afraid to use your hands to rub the mixture into the chicken.

3.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours but you can leave it overnight if you are organised.

4.  Place the chicken in an oven heated to about 190 Celcius for about an hour.  To be honest, my oven is barely working and so in a decent oven this time may be different.  Just keep an eye on the chicken.  After about 20 minutes, turn the pieces over.  At this stage a lot of juices will have run out of the meat and this can be collected with a large spoon and put aside to make a sauce.   After a further 20 minutes, repeat the process, turn the chicken and take out any extra juices.

 

5.  When the chicken is almost ready to go, skim the oil of the top of the collected juices and then put them in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and cook until they reduce to a saucey consistency.

6. Serve the chicken with rice, dahl and some green vegetables with the sauce on the side for dipping.

For this meal I cooked the beans by frying a small clove of garlic and half a teaspoon of ground cumin for about 20 seconds and then adding the beans and frying another 30 seconds.  I then added a small amount of water and covered, steaming until the beans were cooked.  The dahl is my yellow split pea dahl - recipe is coming soon.

White Beans with Spinach

I always struggle to think of what to eat for lunch.  I think it is the most difficult meal of the day if you are gluten free and I usually find myself at a loss when it comes time to eat.  This is an idea, rather than a recipe, for how to throw together something that is quick, easy, tasty and nutritious.  If you are eating at home then obviously it is a warm lunch, but it could also be prepared ahead and then eaten as a salad if you are packing lunch for work or school.

You will need only a few ingredients.

• A can of white beans such as butter beans (pictured) or any other bean or pulse that you enjoy.  Sometimes I'll just use half the tin one day and save the rest for the following day.
• Some English spinach, or baby spinach, or any other wilting green.  Rocket also works well.
• Some olives or something similar to add a bit of interest, capers also work well.
• Some kind of sauce or dressing such as a store bought pesto or stir through sauce, or alternatively a quick dressing made from either lemon juice and olive oil or balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Using a small saucepan add a splash of olive oil and the drained and rinsed beans and warm gently over a low to medium heat.  Add the spinach, chopped or torn, and your olives or capers and stir gently until the spinach wilts and the beans are warmed through.  Add your sauce or dressing, stir to mix and then lunch is ready to serve.

Chickpea, Zucchini and Mushroom Curry

This is another curry that is wonderful if cooking for children.  It's light and mild but also has lots of flavour and lots of nutrients too.  It's not exactly traditional as zucchini isn't really used in Indian cooking, but it does work well.  One thing to keep in mind is that both zucchini and mushrooms release a lot of water when cooking and so you may need to add a little salt or have the stock a bit stronger so that the flavour isn't too 'washed out'.

What you will need:

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ginger, finely grated
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 2 cups of mushrooms, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 - 2 tbsp chopped coriander stems
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander, plus more to serve

What you need to do:

1.  Fry the onion in a large pan over a medium heat until it begins to soften.


2.  Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute before adding the powdered spices.

3.  Add the zucchini and cook for a couple of minutes before also adding the mushrooms.

4.  A few minutes later, as both begin to soften, add the chickpeas and coriander stems.

5.  Add the tin tomatoes and cook about one minute, stirring.

6.  Add the stock.  Simmer over a medium heat for about 15 minutes until the zucchini is cooked.

7.  Add the fresh coriander and mix well, cook a further 5 minutes.

8.  Serve with basmati rice.