Easy Indian Cooking (18 page)

The sweetness of cardamom and coconut milk give a very distinctive and appealing flavor to chicken. Add some commonly-available vegetables from the refrigerator, like carrots, potatoes, beans or even mushrooms, to create hearty stew. For a complete meal, serve it with a portion of hot basmati rice, or a flat Indian bread like Toasted Cumin Chapatis with Orange (page 72).

20 cardamom pods

3 lbs (1.5 kg) chicken, cut into 2-in (5-cm) pieces

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups (490 g) plain yogurt, whisked smooth

2 teaspoons freshly-ground black pepper

2 teaspoons freshly-grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons clarified butter

2 cups (500 ml) coconut milk

6 small fresh green chili peppers, slit in half and deseeded

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Salt, to taste

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1
Pry open the cardamom pods and extract the seeds. Grind the seeds to a fine powder using a spice or coffee grinder; discard the husks.

2
Place the chicken, ground cardamom seeds, ginger, garlic, yogurt, black pepper and lemon zest in a large bowl. Mix well until the chicken pieces are well coated. Cover and marinate for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator.

3
Heat the clarified butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes on both sides, until brown.

4
Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil, and then add the chili peppers and fresh coriander. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and stir in the lemon juice.

golden roast chicken with green chili and spices

Serves
6
Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
1 hour

The delicate flavors of the spices with the whole chicken make this a one-of-a-kind dish that is just right for a special occasion. Although it is somewhat labor intensive, the outcome and the visual appeal of this dish more than make up for the difficulty of its preparation. I used to make this for festive family gatherings, and sometimes wrapped the whole chicken in banana leaves. Serve this when you want to surprise and impress someone!

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon salt

1 (4-lb/1.75-kg) whole chicken

1 tablespoon oil

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

5 small fresh green chili peppers, deseeded and minced

3 tablespoons ground almonds

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala

3 cups (120 g) fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped

1
Combine the lemon juice and salt in a small bowl, and thoroughly rub the mixture over the entire chicken.

2
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add the onions and cook until they start to brown. Add the ginger, garlic and green chili peppers, and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the almonds, paprika, turmeric and garam masala. Cook, stirring frequently, for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and allow the onion mixture to cool completely.

3
Place the cooled mixture in a food processor along with the chopped fresh coriander, and grind to a smooth paste. Rub the paste thoroughly all over the chicken and inside the cavity. Tie the legs of the chicken together to keep them in place. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

4
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the chicken in a roasting pan and bake until the chicken is cooked and tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Make sure you turn the pan around halfway through baking, for even cooking.

5
Baste the chicken with some of the pan juices and return it to the oven for 10 minutes or until brown, with well-roasted skin. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Serve hot, and carve tableside.

grilled chicken with apple compote

Serves
4
Preparation
10 minutes
Cooking
20 hour

This dish was inspired by the flavor of kokum, a fruit very common to the Indian west coast, which is used in various dishes to impart a naturally sour taste. When this note of sourness is combined with apple compote, it gives an addictive sweet and sour taste to the dish. A trip to an Indian grocery store or an online source is needed to get the kokum. Although there is not a real substitute for the flavor of kokum, I suggest replacing it with raisins if necessary. I often like to pair this dish with Yellow Pear and Cherry Tomato Salad with Cumin (page 31) when I’m in the mood for a simple, yet exotic entertainment menu.

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds extracted from the pods

1-in (2.5-cm) piece cinnamon stick

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon peeled and chopped fresh ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon Asian chili powder or ground cayenne pepper

¼ cup (65 ml) oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt, to taste

4 boneless chicken breasts (about

1 lb/500 g total), trimmed of excess fat

Apple Compote

2 tablespoons butter

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

½ cup (125 ml) apple cider

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

2 tablespoons seeded and chopped kokum (or raisins)

1
Place a small, dry skillet over low heat and toast the coriander, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon until aromatic. Grind the toasted spices to a fine powder using a spice or coffee grinder.

2
Place the onion, ginger, ground cloves, Asian chili powder, oil, lemon juice and salt in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

3
Combine the ground, toasted spices with the onion paste in a bowl and thoroughly mix.

4
Slather the spice paste all over the chicken, cover, and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 to 4 hours.

5
While the chicken is marinating, make the Apple Compote: Cook the butter in small saucepan over high heat until golden brown. Add the apples and cook, stirring until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the apple cider and cook until the liquid had evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in the coriander, cumin and kokum and cook for 1 minute. Set aside until ready to use.

6
Preheat the grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken pieces for 5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is tender and cooked with the meat white in the center. Serve hot, topped with the compote.

CHAPTER FOUR

meat

 
 
To Westerners, India is thought of as being a largely vegetarian country, and yet this is not necessarily true. To a larger extent than in the West, religious beliefs, rather than personal preference, dictate what a person will eat. Meat dishes are eaten in almost all regions of India. Whereas meat-eating Hindus and Muslims like lamb and chicken, Christians prefer pork and beef.

Meat became popular within Indian society during the Mughal rule and later on during the British rule in India. Military invasions and India’s trade routes have left a marked foreign influence on the type of meat that is eaten and styles in which it is prepared—
vindaloo
from the Portuguese, kebabs and pilafs
(pulaos)
from the Greeks and Persians are examples of such influences. The methods of cooking meat in the south produce different flavors and use local produce, such as coconut, tamarind and curry leaves. Dishes from the south are hotter and spicier than those from the north. More often than not, these curries involve long and slow simmering to extract the juices from the meat.