Lemony Chicken With Fresh Coriander Madhur Jaffrey Food

LEMONY CHICKEN WITH FRESH CORIANDER (MADHUR JAFFREY)

Steps:

• Put the ginger and 1/4 cups water into a blender or processor. Blend until you have a paste; set aside.
• Note: The original recipe doesn't call for seasoning the chicken prior to browning, but I prefer the way the salt and pepper penetrates at this level. Also, I cut the breasts in half. Proceede by putting the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in as many chicken pieces as the pan will hold in a single layer and brown on both sides. It's not necessary to deeply brown because of the additional cook time later and they may become dry. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Sear all the chicken pieces this way.
• Add the garlic to the hot oil. As soon as the pieces turn a medium-brown color, turn heat to medium and pour in the ginger paste. Stir-fry it for a minute. Add the fresh coriander, jalapeno, cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Stir and cook for a minute.
• Put in all the chicken pieces as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the chicken bowl. Add 2/3 cup water and the lemon juice. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
• Turn the chicken pieces over. Cover again and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. If the sauce is too thin, uncover the pan and boil some of it away over a slightly higher heat.
• Serve with basmati rice.

CHETTINAD PEPPER CHICKEN RECIPE COURTESY OF MADHUR JAFFREY

Steps:

• Make the spice paste: In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over a medium-high heat. When hot, add cumin seeds, chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and poppy seeds. Stir and fry briefly until lightly roasted. Put these into a large coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Empty into the container of an electric blender. Add garlic, ginger, tumeric and salt to the blender as well, along with 6 to 8 tablespoons of water. Process until you have a fine paste, pushing down with a rubber spatula if needed.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over a medium to high heat. When hot, add bay leaves, cardamon pods, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves and urad dal. Stir and fry briefly until urad dal turns red, then add curry leaves, if using. Stir once or twice and add onions. Fry onions until they are soft and lightly colored. Now add the spice paste. Continue to stir and fry for about 4 to 6 minutes, adding a little water to prevent sticking. Add the tomato and stir and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces to the onion and spice mixture. Stir until they are well coated then add 2 1/2 cups water, just enough to cover. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is almost cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken pieces. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and reduce the sauce until very thick. This should take about 6 to 8 minutes. Replace the chicken, fold gently into the sauce, and cook for a further 5 minutes before serving.
• *urad dal is a small, pale yellow split pea.
• Suggested wine: Rosemont Estate Shiraz Cabernet 1997.

LEMONY CHICKEN WITH BELL PEPPER

Steps:

• Marinated shredded chicken with egg yolk, cornstarch, lemon juice and few drops of oil for 30 minutes.
• Heat a cup of oil, deep fry chicken and set aside.
• Heat another tablespoon oil, saute garlic until fragrant, add sliced bell pepper, stir for 1 minutes. Stir in chicken and add half cup of water. Turn to high heat and stir for another 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.