Chicken Kebabs in red curry sauce

By the second week of the cookery class at the Love Food kitchen in Barnard Castle, I was much more at ease and confident. 

Once again, it was a busy couple of hours and among the highlights were our chicken kebabs.

The feast we cooked up at the second cookery class

Preparation: 15-20 minutes

Cooking: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 6 people

Ingredients

Kebab

6-8 pieces chicken thighs

Salt & pepper to taste

Paprika

½ cup chopped coriander

½ teaspoon vegetable oil

1 slice brown bread

2 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying.

Red Curry Sauce

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon curry leaves

2 tablespoons ginger/garlic paste

1 ½ tsp turmeric

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon tamarind sauce

4-6 green chillies thinly sliced

Large bunch of coriander chopped

Method

• First put all the ingredients for the kebab in a blender till everything is minced.
• Put in a bowl and refrigerate.
• For the curry sauce fry curry leaves in vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat.
• Stir for a few minutes, then add the ginger and garlic paste cooking till the mixture starts browning – another couple of minutes.
• Now add coriander, cumin and tomato paste. Mix well and add a splash of water if the mix is too dry.
• This will take the powdery taste away. Now add yoghurt and mix in well.
• Bring to the boil then let the mix simmer on low heat adding the chillis, tamarind sauce and finally have of the chopped coriander.
• While the sauce is simmering (about 5-8 mins) take the kebab mix out of the fridge and shape into mini football shapes.
• Add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a frying pan and gently brown the kebabs on all sides. Put on a baking tray and in the oven at 200* for 10 minutes till the kebabs are cooked.

To serve, put the kebabs on a shallow serving dish, pour the sauce over them and garnish with the rest of chopped coriander.

Everyone loves an onion bhaji!

Another recipe from the first evening at the @lovedalesfood kitchen - quick and easy to make and a favourite to have as a snack or on the side of the plate.

Ingredients

For the batter:

1 ½ cups Gram flour

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp garam masala

Cold Water

Two large onions

Freshly chopped coriander

Method:

• Make the batter by first mixing all the dry ingredients together then add enough water to whisk into a thick batter, then let it rest.
  
  
• Slice the onions and mix with freshly chopped coriander. Mix in the batter and deep fry tablespoonfuls of the onion and batter mix in hot oil. Onion Bhajis are ready once they turn golden brown, but drain any excess oil before serving. 
  
  
  
  
  
  

Nargisi or Shahi Kofta

Been away from the kitchen for a few days - well, it was my birthday!

These tasty treats take a little time to make however they are a real treat and worth the time and effort that goes into making the “Royal” dish, as we used to call the koftas (scotch egg curry for the non Asian eaters) due to the name.

Preparation & Cooking 2 hours + overnight soaking

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 kg meat cut into cubes
half cup chana daal (lentil) soaked in water overnight
2 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon poppy seed
4 medium onions finely chopped
2 tablespoon peanut paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 table spoon garlic and ginger paste
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (for curry)
enough oil to deep fry egg koftas
salt to taste
½ teaspoon saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon rose water
10 eggs hard boiled and shelled
1 egg beaten
1 large bunch coriander finely chopped
4 green chillies

Method

• First boil the meat cubes in 2 cups of water. When meat has boiled for 5 minutes, put the chana daal, pinch of salt & 1 teaspoon garam masala and mix well.
• Cook in a medium heat until the meat and chana dal is fully cooked and water has dried. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then mix 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds in the meat and grind into a mince.
• Mix the beaten egg into the ground meat. This will help to bind when you are wrapping the meat mix around the eggs.
• Chill the mince mix in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up. Mix half the chopped coriander and then divide the mix into 10 parts.
• Now comes the fun bit. Flatten each mince mix to a patty shape, wrap around an egg and then gently fold the mixture until the whole egg is covered. Press to ensure there are no air pockets. Think scotch egg!
• Deep fry the wrapped eggs until light brown. Drain on kitchen paper and when slightly cooled (do not let it become cold) halve all the egg koftas.
• Put the halved egg koftas in the curry sauce, add rest of coriander and whole chillies, then simmer for 15 minutes before serving with plain rice and raita.

Curry

• Put oil in the pan and fry the chopped onions until golden brown. Add ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, cumin & chilli powder along with 1 teaspoon garam masala & peanut paste and cook on medium heat till the powder smell disappear and you have a thick gravy.
• Add half cup water and cook until it boils, reduce heat and add the rosewater/saffron mix in the gravy and mix well. Check seasoning before adding the egg koftas.

Note

If you do not have a large pan to accommodate all 20 egg halves then once the curry is made, pour half in a large baking dish, add the eggs and pour the rest of curry on top, add coriander and whole chillies. Bake in a very slow oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You will know the dish is cooked when some oil rises to the top of the dish.

Aloo gosht

That is beef & potato curry for everyone else! One of my favourite curries especially when Mom makes it, mmmmmm!

Preparation: 20 minutes                                Cooking: 45 - 60 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 kg rump steak

3 large potatoes, peeled & chopped into 2 inch cubes

2 medium onions thinly sliced

2 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika powder

2 ½ teaspoon coriander powder

1 ½ teaspoon garam masala

1 ½ tablespoon ginger paste

1 ½ tablespoon garlic paste

3 tablespoon tomato paste

1 large dollop full fat yoghurt

1 cup vegetable or beef stock

3-4 whole green chillies

1 bunch fresh coriander chopped

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)


Method

• Marinate meat in turmeric, paprika, coriander powder, garlic & ginger paste. Cover & place in fridge.
• Par boil the potatoes, drain and shallow fry in one tablespoon hot olive oil. Sear potatoes on all sides till brown. Turn out on paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Put rest of the olive oil in a pan and heat.  Add onions and cook till brown.  Add marinated beef and stir in high heat to sear all sides.
• Add any left over marinade, potatoes & stock. Put chillies in & reduce temperature, cover & simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, yoghurt & salt. Stir well & sprinkle fresh coriander on top.  Cover once more & simmer for another 15-20 minutes till oil comes to the surface of the pan.
• Serve hot with rice or naan bread & a yoghurt condiment.

Notes

• Use braising steak when you intend to cook this curry very slowly.
• Always put salt right at the end or after the meat is cooked - check flavour first and then season to taste.
• If you want a spicier version use chilli powder instead of paprika and add chopped green chilli as part of marinade.
• Onions can be chopped instead of sliced if you want a smoother finish to the curry.
• If you don’t have ginger & garlic paste handy you can get away with using powder however I feel it does not add the freshness you get when you make the paste on the day!
• I usually use stock granules as it does the same job.

Korma Sauce

This curry is dedicated to my vegetarian friends Raymond and Allison. Since I made this curry for them they have been asking me for the recipe so I have finally come around to doing it! I am just putting the basic curry mix so you can add vegetables, or chicken whatever takes your fancy.

This is a very mild and creamy curry so anyone who has a desire to have hot curries can add chilli flakes when the curry is simmering. In the vegetable curry I also added sultanas and pineapple to make it fruity!

Preparation: 20 minutes                      Cooking: 30-45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground garlic
2 onions finely chopped (use a chopper)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup ground almonds
1 ½ cups Greek yoghurt
½ cup creamed coconut
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
handful coriander leaves roughly chopped
salt to taste

Method

• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions, stirring till they start to getting a golden hue. Add garlic, ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, paprika and turmeric powder. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the oil comes on top.
• Add the almonds, stir in then add yoghurt & creamed coconut. Increase heat to medium and stir the mix till it starts bubbling. If the mix is beginning to dry just add a little water or the liquid from creamed coconut can. Reduce heat to low - at this point it should have a creamy texture.
• Taste the curry sauce and add a little salt (you may not need it). It is at this stage you can add the vegetables or chicken and simmer for 10-15 minutes with the lid on. Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander just before serving.

I hope you like this version of korma. There are many ways of making a creamy mild curry so as long as you stick to gentle spices you can create your own version! If you have a particular recipe which is a family favourite (and your own recipe), I will be happy to put it up.

Zingy & spicy curry sauce

Preparation: 10 minutes                     

Cooking: 20 – 25 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium sized onions peeled and ground (use a chopper)

2 whole garlic peel and grind with the onion

2 large aubergines thick sliced lengthways (if using)

2 tablespoon oil

3 or 4 teaspoon grounded cumin

2 to 3 teaspoons red chilli powder

Juice of 2 large lemons

4 tablespoons coconut milk

3 teaspoon tomato paste

Salt to taste

Method

• Put oil in the pan and heat slightly, add the ground onion & garlic mixture, sauté till light brown.
• Add the cumin, chilli and stir till mixed well. Add a little salt to start with as you can always add more according to taste. Stir the mixture in medium heat for about 3 minutes.
• Add quarter of the lemon juice, coconut milk and tomato paste, cooking for a couple of minutes. Finally add rest of the lemon juice, put the lid on and cook in low heat for about 8 minutes or until the oil comes up.
• Add the aubergines and simmer in low heat for 15 minutes. Do not add water as the aubergine will release enough liquid to add to the curry sauce. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and green chillies right at the end.

Note

You can add meat or other vegetables if you don’t like aubergines. Cooking times will vary depending on the meat and vegetable used.

Karhi

I have finally found some time to put up a couple of curry sauces (of course nicked from my mother!). This one is quite different to most curry sauces you may have tried.

Preparation: 5 minutes                       

Cooking: 10-15 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup of yogurt

2 ½ heaped tablespoons gram flour

1 medium sized onion finely chopped

½ teaspoon chilli powder - you can put more or less according to taste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons cumin powder

4 curry leaves

salt to taste

1 litre water

Bunch of coriander roughly chopped

Method

• In a bowl, mix the gram flour with 2 tablespoons water (add a bit more if needed) until it is a thick paste like consistency. Add yogurt and the rest of the water – mix well. Strain the mixture through a sieve (to remove any lumps) into a medium sized pan.
• Add the onion, chilli, turmeric, cumin & salt to taste. Add more according to taste if needed.
• When you get the first boil let it cook on high heat for few minutes, then cook on low heat for up to 10 minutes, stirring all the time.
• Finally add the curry leaves then let it cook on a low heat until it thickens stirring from time to time. The thickness of the karhi is according to your taste. 
• You can make plain pakoras and add to the karhi or you can eat it without the pakora with rice.
• Add coriander once heat has been turned off so the flavours can infuse.

Note:

Plain pakoras are very easy to make. Just take 2 cups of gram flour, add ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon garam masala and enough water to make a very thick batter. Put tablespoon sized portions in very hot oil until the pakoras become brown and float on top. Drain on kitchen paper then add to the hot karhi. Add garnish on top before serving.

Friend of the stars!

I was rummaging about looking for something else when I came across these pictures of a couple of cooking holidays I have been on.
Anyone who watched the BBC's Island Parish series on the Scilly Isles will probably recognise the chap in these photographs. Tony Tobin-Dougan featured quite prominently in the series. He runs St Martin's Bakery on the island of the same name and in the winter runs bread and baking courses.
It was quite an adventure as to get to St Martin's out of tourist season involves travelling by helicopter and boat.
During my few days we made everything from Cornish pasties (of course) and pizza to croissants and all sorts of bread.
I can highly recommend it. Have a look at www.stmartinsbakery.co.uk for more details.

This was our merry band of bakers in St Martin's

Toby - master baker and TV star!

 Another birthday and this time it was off to Dorset and River Cottage to meet TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittinsgtall.This time it was a one day event - going out from Weymouth fishing in the morning and then back to River Cottage in the afternoon to cook - and eat - what we caught.

Hugh was a brilliant host and as well as leading a cooking demonstration he invited anyone who was interested to get involved. So, not being backward in coming forward, I headed into his kitchen and cooked a fish curry which seemed to go down well.

It was a pleasure to meet him and it was an excellent day. Have a look at what he's got coming up here: http://www.rivercottage.net/events/calendar/

Here I am in Hugh's kitchen at River Cottage.

And of course I had to buy the book (which he signed for me).http://www.rivercottage.net/events/calendar

Tarka Daal & Paratha

I have been meaning to put Tarka Daal & Paratha recipes which complement the Biryani recipe really well. Hope you enjoy making them and do let me know how you got on. These recipes are great when entertaining and the good part is the hard work is done before guests arrive so you can enjoy their company while final cooking is going on!

Tarka Daal (Lentil Curry)

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking:  1 ½ hours                

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup red lentil
1 cup yellow lentil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic powder (or paste)

1 tsp ginger powder (or paste)

1 large onion chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup tomatoes chopped

Tarka
3-4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation 

• Soak lentils overnight in cold water to allow them to swell up and soften.
• Wash thoroughly and drain before putting in a pan. Cover with cold water to come up half an inch above the lentils.
• Add onions, turmeric, garlic & ginger and stir to mix well. Bring to the boil & simmer in low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally.
• Add tomatoes and salt and simmer for another 15 minutes. By this time the whole mix will look mushy.
• Blend the mixture using a hand blender until it looks smooth & has a creamy texture.
• Now prepare the tarka.  Fry garlic in olive oil till dark brown.  Pour the daal in a serving dish and add the sizzling tarka on top.

 Notes:

• Use fresh garlic & ginger to have a lighter taste - just peel 2 cloves and press into a smooth paste and grate a small piece of ginger.
• Always put salt & tomato at the end to ensure lentils are cooked thoroughly.
• Add cumin seeds along with sliced garlic to make the spiced tarka.
• Extra garnish of chopped fresh coriander and 4-5 whole green chillies may be added on top of the tarka to give an aromatic finish.

Paratha

Bread is an essential part of Pakistani cuisine. Roti (chapatti) and Naan are the most widely eaten flat breads in Pakistan with Paratha a close favourite.  It is often made for breakfast and has variations to suit all sort of occasion.

Karachi the port city of Pakistan boasts of as many as 100 varieties of paratha!

The main difference between roti and paratha is that roti is made with flour and water whereas paratha usually incorporates ghee or oil. The dough is rolled out and brushed with ghee (clarified butter) or oil then folded again, brushed with more ghee and folded again. This is then rolled out to a circle and cooked on a flat hot surface. The heat makes the layers of dough puff up slightly, resulting in a more flaky texture.

They can be flavoured with different herbs & spices, rolled, stuffed or just eaten as an accompaniment to meat, fish and vegetable dishes and make an rich & luxurious addition/replacement to rice.

Time: 30 minutes plus preparation time 1 1/2  hours

Makes 6 large parathas (twice rolled bread)

Ingredients:

2 cups atta or plain white flour

½ cup wholemeal flour

1 cup lukewarm water

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil 

• First sift the 2 flours together, add salt and then add enough water to mix into pliable dough. You may need a little bit more than one cup of water but start with half the amount and see how the dough mixes. If dough is too wet then add some more flour.
• Keep aside for at least half an hour to rest.
• Divide the dough into 6 and roll in to smooth balls. Now roll each ball out to about 8 cm (about the thickness of a pound coin) and brush a little oil on top.
• Start folding from one side and once in the shape of a tube roll into a coil shape 
• Heat a dry non stick griddle pan or large heavy frying pan.
• Roll each coil shaped ball out to about 8 cm (round) and place on the heated pan.
• Turn over after about a minute (the cooked side will have started to go white) and while the other side is cooking brush some vegetable oil on the cooked side.
• Turn this side over to cook and brush the cooked side with some more oil.
• Press with a flat spoon to brown evenly and turn over a few times to ensure both sides are cooked.
• The paratha is ready when you cannot see any raw dough and it will turn a nice golden brown. Place on a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep moist.

Classic Biryani

My passion for food started in my mother’s kitchen when I was ten years old. I was fascinated by how easy everything was to make and the complex tastes I experienced from simple ingredients. This version of a classic chicken and rice dish – Biryani - is a mixture of mother’s version combined with my additions through the years.

Preparation:  45 minutes (+ marinate overnight)       

Cooking: 1 hour    Serves 6

Ingredients

Biryani with tarka dal and paratha

1 whole chicken (1200 gms) skinned and cut into 8 pieces
½ cup cooking oil
4 cups Basmati rice
¼ tsp haldi (turmeric)
2  tsp ginger & garlic paste
2  large potatoes

4 large tomatoes
1 cup yoghurt
2 large onions thinly sliced
4 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 tsp zafran (saffron) soaked in rose water

Method

• To marinate the chicken put the yoghurt, haldi & saffron in a bowl & mix them with the chicken. Leave to marinate either overnight or for at least 3 hours.
• Wash the rice and then soak it in water with 4 tsp salt and let it soak for 3 hours.
• Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the sliced onion till brown, not golden but slightly dark brown, take this out and put it on a paper towel so the oil is soaked in. Then crush the onions and keep to one side.
• In the remaining oil put the chicken first and cook in high temperature until all the water has dried then put the remaining yoghurt in along with salt, cover the pan for 5-10 minutes until the chicken is done and you have a curry mix. The oil will have separated and risen to the top.
• Boil the rice until half cooked, strain. When all the water has strained, mix the fried crushed onions and garam masala.
• Cut the potatoes into thick slices. Put some of the oil from the chicken curry in the bottom of a wide pan and layer the potatoes on top followed by a layer of tomatoes. Then put half of the rice, followed by chicken curry. Put the rest of the rice on top to cover completely.
• Make 5 holes on top of the rice and put the zafran/rose water mixture.
• Cover this tightly by putting a cloth on top of the pan then tie a knot over the lid.
• Let this cook for ten minutes in high fire, open the cover slightly, when you see steam come out, then lower the fire and let it cook (dum) for another 30 minutes.

Note: If you don’t like chicken on the bone then get 6 large breast pieces which you can cook either whole or cut each piece into two making 12 generous sized pieces.

Aloo Gosht

A tasty treat today - beef and potato curry!

Preparation: 20 minutes                         

Cooking:      45 minutes

Serves:        6 - 8

Ingredients

1 kg rump steak

½ kg potatoes, peeled & chopped into 2 inch cubes

2 medium onions thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ turmeric

½ tsp paprika powder

2 ½ tsp coriander powder

1 ½ tsp garam masala

1 ½ tbsp ginger paste

1 ½ tbsp garlic paste

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 large dollop full fat yoghurt

1 cup vegetable or beef stock

3-4 whole green chillies

1 bunch fresh coriander chopped

Up to 1½ tsp salt (to taste)

Preparation

• Marinate meat in turmeric, paprika, coriander powder, garlic & ginger paste. Cover & place in fridge.
• Par boil the potatoes, drain and fry in hot oil. Sear potatoes on all sides till brown. Turn out on paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Put olive oil in a pan and heat.  Add onions and fry till they are browned.  Add marinated beef and stir in high heat to sear all sides.
• Add any left over marinade, potatoes & stock. Put chillies in & reduce temperature, cover & simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, yoghurt & salt (taste seasoning and add salt as required). Stir well & sprinkle fresh coriander on top.  Cover once more & simmer for another 15-20 minutes till oil comes to the surface of the pan.

Serve hot with rice or bread & a yoghurt condiment.

Extras:

• Use braising steak when you intend to cook this curry very slowly.
• If you want a spicier version use chilli powder instead of paprika and add chopped green chilli as part of marinade.
• Onions can be chopped instead of sliced if you want a smoother finish to the curry.
• If you don’t have ginger & garlic paste handy you can get away with using powder however I feel it does not add the freshness you get when you make the paste on the day!
• I usually use stock granules as it does the same job.

Chicken curry and savoury rice

Someone at work asked me for a simple curry recipe so I made this one up for them on the spot.  He liked it so much he passed it on to other people.  I was of course obliged to put it on my website!  Hope you like it as much as everyone else.

Marinade

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Splash of white wine vinegar

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

	Mix all the above ingredients together and rub thoroughly on chicken breast fillets.
	Cover & leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.

Curry Sauce

1 large white onion thinly sliced

1 green chilli chopped finely

1 tsp garlic & ginger paste

3-4 tbsp yoghurt

1 tbsp tomato puree

Garnish

4 green chillies (whole)

Handful of fresh coriander washed and roughly chopped

Method

	Put olive oil in pan and heat.
	Put onions and stir till brown.
	Take chicken fillets from marinade and cook till each side is browned off.
	Add garlic & ginger paste, stir well and then add rest of marinade, tomato puree and yoghurt.
	Cook in medium heat ensuring the mixture blends in well till the sauce is bubbling.
	After about 5 minutes, put chopped chillies, whole chillies and coriander leaves.
	Leave to simmer for 20 minutes till oil comes on top.  Serve with savoury rice and crisp salad (sliced radish, cucumber, onions & tomatoes in vinegar).

Savoury Rice

2 cups basmati rice

1 cup cashew nuts, sultanas and sliced dried apricots

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garam masala

Salt & Pepper to taste

4 cups hot water

	In a pan heat the oil and add nuts & dried fruit along with garam masala.
	Stir till cashew nuts have browned. Add salt & pepper to season followed by rice stirring to mix well.
	Add water, bring to the boil.  Reduce temperature, cover with lid and simmer till rice puffs up.  This should not take more than 15 – 20 minutes.