Country Style Chicken Curry With Dhal Food

CURRIED CHICKEN & BAKED DHAL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Grate the garlic and ginger into a large roasting dish. Add the lentils, onions, cauliflower, turmeric and cumin seeds. Pour over 500ml boiling water and give everything a good mix. Rub the chicken thighs with the oil, curry powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Nestle these into the lentils, then cook in the oven for 40 mins until the lentils and chicken are cooked through.
• Add the spinach and tomatoes to the dish, remove the chicken and return to the oven briefly for a couple of mins until the spinach has wilted. Season to taste. Serve with the lemon wedges and yogurt.

COUNTRY STYLE CHICKEN CURRY WITH DHAL

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and 2 tsp garam masala. Fry till the onions just start to colour.
• Add the ginger, garlic, tumeric and chicken. Stir to coat the chicken with the spices.
• Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, coconut, water and stock cube.
• Place lid on cooker and bring up to presure, cook for 10 minutes.
• Release the pressure, add the lentils, stir through to allow the lentils to warm, add the last of the garam masala stir. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
• Serve garnished with the chopped coriander leaves.

DHAL CURRY WITH MEAT (GOSHT DHAL)

Steps:

• Rinse dhal and lentils in some lukewarm water. Soak overnight if you have the time otherwise not necessary. Pour in to large saucepan cover with water, 1 tsp each of the salt and tumeric. Boil like you would do for beans until soft and mushy.
• In a separate saucepan, saute onions, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds in oil till a pale gold colour .
• Add meat and the spices. Stir a few times without adding water.
• Gently cooking the spices, by adding water you don't give the spices a chance to cook, and then you will have a tasteless curry remember this with all Indian food.
• When it starts sticking to the pot add the tomotoe and about half a cup of water.
• Simmer slowly till well blended and the water has dried up.
• Liquidise the dhals and add to pot and some water to the consistency you would like the dhal about a cup of water should be enough. Bring to boil and then simmer slowly till dhal is well blended in, about half an hour. Adding water if becoming to thick.
• When done, make your tempering, heat your ghee in a pan add onion, cumin and mustard seeds and garlic cloves,and fry till nice golden brown. Add to pot of dhal and close lid tightly.
• Just before serving add your chopped cilantro and your gharam malasa. (In Indian cooking gharam masala is always added just before serving as it is a pepping up spice. Stir and serve with white rice/roti etc.

NEXT LEVEL DHAL MAKHANI

Steps:

• Tip the dhal into a sieve and rinse under cold water several times until the water runs clear. Put in a large bowl or pot and cover in double their volume of warm water. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and leave to soak at room temperature for at least 12 hrs.
• Drain the dhal (but don't rinse), tip into a pan and cover with 1.5 litres water. Add the sliced ginger, whole chilli and turmeric, then bring to the boil, skim off any scum that rises to the top and reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered for 1 hr until very tender, or cook in a pressure cooker for 20 mins. Remove the ginger and chilli.
• Heat the butter in a separate pan over a medium-high heat until it has foamed up and turned nut-brown. Pour half into a small container and set aside. Return the pan and remaining butter to the heat and add the cumin seeds, fenugreek leaves, ground coriander, garlic, grated ginger and tomato purée and cook for 2 mins more. Stir the spice mixture into the cooked dhal, then add the kidney beans along with the liquid from the can and season generously with salt.
• Roughly mash the dhal mixture with a potato masher until some of the pulses are crushed. Cook, stirring, over a very low heat for 15-20 mins until the dhal is thick and creamy. Stir through most of the reserved brown butter, the garam marsala and half the cream. Tip the dhal into a serving dish and drizzle over the remaining cream and brown butter. Scatter over the chopped chilli and ginger matchsticks and serve.

BALTI CHICKEN WITH TARKA DHAL

Steps:

• Mix together the split peas and the lentils, cover with water and cook till soft and mushy.
• In the meantime heat the oil in a wok and fry the onions till golden. Stir in the garlic, ginger , turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, ground coriander and salt.
• Stir well and add the chicken and fry for 6 mins.Add 11/2 tbsp of the fresh coriander leaves, green chilli, lemon juice and the water cook for 5 minutes.
• Mix in the lentils (dhal),tomatoes and the remaining coriander leaves. Turn off the heat.
• Heat the oil in a small pan and add the cumin seeds, when they start to pop add the garlic, red chillies, and the curry leaves, cook for 1 minute Pour over the the chicken and lentils and serve.

HOME-STYLE CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• Roughly chop 1 large onion, transfer to a small food processor, and add 3 tbsp of water - process to a slack paste. You could use a stick blender for this or coarsely grate the onion into a bowl - there's no need to add any water if you are grating the onion. Tip into a small bowl and leave on one side.
• Put 6 roughly chopped garlic cloves and 50g roughly chopped ginger into the same food processor and add 4 tbsp water - process until smooth and spoon into another small bowl. Alternatively, crush the garlic to a paste with a knife or garlic press and finely grate the ginger.
• Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or sturdy pan set over a medium heat.
• Combine 2 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp fennel seeds with a 5cm cinnamon stick and 1 tsp chilli flakes and add to the pan in one go. Swirl everything around for about 30 secs until the spices release a fragrant aroma.
• Add the onion paste - it will splutter in the beginning. Fry until the water evaporates and the onions turn a lovely dark golden - this should take about 7-8 mins.
• Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another 2 mins - stirring all the time.
• Stir in 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric, and 1 tsp caster sugar and continue cooking for 20 secs before tipping in a 400g can chopped tomatoes.
• Continue cooking on a medium heat for about 10 mins without a lid until the tomatoes reduce and darken.
• Cut 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs into 3cm chunks and add to the pan once the tomatoes have thickened to a paste.
• Cook for 5 mins to coat the chicken in the masala and seal in the juices, and then pour over 250ml hot chicken stock.
• Simmer for 8-10 mins without a lid until the chicken is tender and the masala lightly thickened - you might need to add an extra ladleful of stock or water if the curry needs it.
• Sprinkle with 2 tbsp chopped coriander and serve with Indian flatbreads or fluffy basmati rice and a pot of yogurt on the side.