1,000 Indian Recipes (249 page)

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⁄
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teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves

1.
Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Then, in a small bowl, mix together the dried mint and fenugreek leaves, garam masala, and salt. Place the chicken in a large non-reactive bowl. Add 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste, half the spice mixture, and 1 cup yogurt. Mix well, making sure all the chicken pieces are well-coated with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 and up to 24 hours.

2.
Heat the oil in an ovenproof saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring, until well-browned, about 10 minutes. Add the green chile peppers, the remaining ginger-garlic paste and the remaining spice mixture. Stir 1 minute, then add the remaining 1 cup yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, and cook until it comes to a vigorous boil.

3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix in the chicken, plus the marinade, and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover, first with aluminum foil and then with the pan cover, to seal the pan.

4.
Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake about 50 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and the sauce smooth. Lightly swirl in the ground cardamom seeds and mint leaves, with parts of them visible as a garnish, and serve.

Chicken Tenders in Creamy White Sauce

Murgh Sufaed-Saas

Makes 4 to 6 servings

From the British legacy comes this rich childhood favorite. It's a dish with a little chicken and a lot of mildly fragrant cream sauce, which is divine to dunk into with fresh
naan
(leavened oven-baked) and
parantha
(griddle-fried) breads.

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⁄
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cup
Basic Onion Paste
(or store-bought)

4 to 5 cups fresh or canned chicken broth

5 to 7 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

4 large cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped

3 bay leaves

6 cloves

1 teaspoon garam masala +
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⁄
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teaspoon for garnish

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teaspoon salt, or to taste

1
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pounds skinless boneless chicken tenders, tendons removed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

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⁄
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cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground paprika

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teaspoon ground nutmeg

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teaspoon ground mace

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

5 to 7 large cherry tomatoes, cut into wedges

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⁄
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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1.
Prepare the onion paste. Place the broth, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, cloves, 1 teaspoon garam masala, and salt in a large pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer about 10 minutes.

2.
Add the chicken, increase the heat to medium-high, cover the pan, and cook until the chicken pieces are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl. Pass the broth through a strainer and save for the sauce. (You should have at least 3 cups. If not, add some more chicken broth.)

3.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion paste, stirring, until transparent, about 5 minutes. (Do not increase the heat.) Add the cornstarch and continue to cook, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

4.
Add the coriander, paprika, nutmeg, and mace, then mix in the reserved chicken broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer about 5 minutes. (If the sauce seems thin, dissolve 1 to 2 more tablespoons cornstarch in about
¹
⁄
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cup of milk and stir it in.)

5.
Mix in the reserved chicken pieces and the cream and simmer, stirring as needed, until the sauce is almost like a thick custard and the oil separates to the sides, about 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cilantro and cook another 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the garam masala, and serve.

Parsi Peanut Chicken

Parsi Moong-Phalli Murgh

Makes 4 to 6 servings

The Parsis (of Iranian origin, now living in western India) make a special chicken curry flavored with tamarind, peanuts, and coconut. When made with a thick sauce, it tastes delicious with rice or perfect with any homemade or purchased Indian flatbread.

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cup
Meat Masala with Cumin and Peanuts

2 small onions, coarsely chopped

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cup grated fresh or frozen coconut or shredded unsweetened dried coconut

2 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

7 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

2 tablespoons tamarind powder

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teaspoon ground turmeric

1 large tomato, coarsely chopped

20 to 25 fresh curry leaves

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 pounds skinless chicken thighs, cut in half through the bone

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

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to 1
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cups water

¹
⁄
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cup peanuts,
dry-roasted
and coarsely chopped

1.
Prepare the meat masala. Then, in a food processor or a blender, process together the onions, coconut, garlic, ginger, tamarind, and turmeric to make smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and process the tomato and curry leaves until smooth.

2.
Place the onion-tamarind paste in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until most of the juices evaporate, about 1 minute. Then add the oil and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes.

3.
Add the chicken and salt and cook about 5 minutes, then mix in the processed tomato and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pans and cook until most of the juices evaporate and the chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.

4.
Add the meat masala and cilantro and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the cups water, with the amount based on how thick or thin you want the sauce to be, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 15 minutes, or until the sauce is as thick as you desire. Meanwhile, prepare the peanuts. Then, transfer the chicken to a serving dish, sprinkle the peanuts on top, and serve.

Nirmala's Sindhi Chicken Curry

Nirmala ka Sehal Murgh

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Sehal
is a Sindhi word meaning "cooked with tomatoes and onion." Sindhis, originally from northwest India (now Pakistan), are settled in the Mumbai (formerly Bombay) area and elsewhere in the world.

This is a garlicky dish from my friend Nirmala Bhamani—typical of Sindhi cooking—and is very easy to make, since you basically throw everything in the pot and forget about it. This dish can also be made with boneless lamb pieces, but increase the cooking time, because lamb is a tougher meat.

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1
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pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin 2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

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teaspoon ground turmeric

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teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 to 5 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger

6 to 8 large cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped

12 to 15 scallions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped

2 large onions, finely chopped

4 large tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems (reserve some for garnish)

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken, stirring, about 5 minutes.

2.
Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and cardamom pods, and stir to coat the chicken. Then add the ginger, garlic, scallions, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and green chile peppers, and stir about 5 minutes.

3.
Add the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, and cook over medium-high heat the first 2 to 3 minutes, then over medium-low heat until the chicken pieces are tender, about 30 minutes, Stir occasionally. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the reserved cilantro, and serve.