Slow Cooked: 200 exciting, new recipes for your slow cooker (30 page)

salt and pepper

Blend the garlic, chillies and the ginger together in a blender or use a pestle and mortar and stir it into the yoghurt along with the mustard and caraway seeds and vinegar.

Season the chicken well and then pour the spiced yoghurt all over it. Mix it well with your hands to coat both sides of the chicken. Allow to marinate for up to 10 hours.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the marinade and scrape any excess yoghurt back into the dish. Sear the chicken, skin side down, for 5 minutes in a hot frying pan on the hob.

When the skin is crisped up, place the chicken thighs in the slow-cooker crock and add the remaining marinade as well. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the chicken on low for 7–8 hours. About 20–30 minutes before you are ready to eat, sprinkle the garam masala over it all.

The chicken and yoghurt will give off quite a lot of liquid and fat that will essentially poach and steam the meat so that it falls cleanly off the bone. Eat this tender, juicy meat with flatbreads and some cucumber and mint chopped into yoghurt. It makes wonderful cold chicken leftovers.

Everyone loves this dish with its rich combination of spices. It’s particularly appealing on a Friday night when most people go out to eat it or dial in. This is a fabulous slow-cooker version that requires only slightly more effort than finding the takeaway menu. I can’t claim it’s super authentic, but it is so delicious no one has ever queried my methods when I’ve served it.

Ghee is basically clarified butter, which means butter that has been heated until the cloudy milk solids separate and can be skimmed off. This leaves a clear butter that solidifies when cooled and doesn’t go off when stored, allowing it to keep well. It is common in Indian cooking and it’s worth making one batch and storing it if you like your curries.

I use chicken thighs I’ve skinned and boned for this. This is the most economical way to buy chicken and you can freeze the bones to add to a stock or stew in the future.

SERVES 4 WITH LEFTOVERS

400g chicken thighs, skinned and boned

2 tablespoons ghee (see
note
)

2 teaspoons Garam Masala (see
here
)

60ml double cream (optional)

fresh coriander, to serve

salt and pepper

For the marinade:

5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 dried chillies

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon lemon juice

150ml plain yoghurt (see home-made Yoghurt
here
)

For the sauce:

1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons tomato purée

1 cardamom pod (optional)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

½–1 teaspoon chilli powder

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2–3cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

Place the chicken thighs in a bowl or freezer bag.

Put the ginger and garlic in the bowl of a hand blender or use a pestle and mortar. Add the dried chillies, 1 tablespoon water and the cumin, turmeric and lemon juice and blitz or pound into a paste.

Stir the yoghurt through and then coat the chicken with this spiced yoghurt. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or up to overnight.

I prepare the rest of the ingredients for the butter chicken sauce at the same time as they can be left in the fridge in a container until needed:

Purée the chopped tomatoes with the hand blender, making sure they are really smooth.

Add in the lemon juice, tomato purée and all the spices from the second list, along with the additional chopped garlic and ginger. Refrigerate until needed.

When you are ready to cook, put the chicken into the slow-cooker crock, leaving any excess marinade behind. Pour the tomato sauce over the chicken pieces and stir well to coat evenly. Add the ghee.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. The sauce will thicken and become glossy with the ghee, while the chicken becomes very tender.

Before you are ready to eat, tease the chicken apart slightly with two forks and stir into the sauce. This mimics the ‘chopped’ texture of traditional butter chicken and thickens the dish. Sprinkle the garam masala over it all this point too.

If you like your butter chicken really creamy, add the double cream and mix through. Check the seasoning. Serve the curry with rice and a sprinkling of fresh coriander if you have it. Enjoy!

Note:
To make ghee, heat about 200g unsalted butter in a pan over a medium heat until it is just starting to bubble. Pour it into a clean dish and allow it to sit for a moment or two. You’ll see some froth on the top. Skim this off with a spoon. You’ll also see some sediment gather at the bottom of the butter. Pour the clear butter into a clean jar, leaving the sediment behind, and allow to cool. This is ghee and it will keep for up to 6 months in the fridge.

Everyone sniggers at the korma when they go out for a curry. It’s become a byword for blandness and I’m not standing for it any longer. A well-prepared korma is absolutely packed with flavour and is a soothing, soul-enriching dish. I rarely order it when I’m out because of its reputation, but I have a real soft spot for it at home and love making this version. Not only does it taste fabulous, you don’t have to listen to anyone judging you for this guilty pleasure.

SERVES 4 COMFORTABLY

400g chicken thighs, skinned and boned

5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

100ml plain yoghurt (see home-made Yoghurt
here
)

2 red onions, chopped

1 dried red chilli

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

2 tablespoons ground almonds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

200ml coconut milk or 75g creamed coconut with 200ml warm water

1 tablespoon ghee (see
here
)

2 teaspoons Garam Masala (see
here
)

salt and pepper

Cut the thighs into 6cm pieces and put them in a bowl or freezer bag with the ginger, garlic, yoghurt and salt and pepper. Marinate overnight or for up to 24 hours in the fridge.

To make the sauce for the korma, purée your onions using a hand blender along with about 1–2 tablespoons water. They should be just thick enough to scoop rather than pour. Blitz the dried chilli in with them and add the coriander seeds to break them up a bit.

Tip the chicken pieces into the slow-cooker crock, leaving any excess marinade behind. Cover with the onion and spice mix and sprinkle the ground almonds over them. Mix well to coat the pieces, adding the turmeric. Grate the creamed coconut over it all, if using, and add the water or pour the coconut milk into the crock. Add the ghee.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the chicken for 8 hours on low. The sauce will thicken and the flavours will intensify. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, add the garam masala over the top of it all. Serve with rice or a hot fluffy naan bread and rediscover the joys of the korma.

I had a friend who always used to order this when we went out for Indian food and I used to sneak a very large taste when they weren’t looking, but never ordered it myself because it was ‘their’ dish. When I got the slow cooker, I realised this dish, with its onions two ways, could be enhanced by using the super-slow-cooked Caramelised Onions
here
, which the slow cooker does so well, and now I like to think this is ‘my’ dish…

SERVES 2–4

3 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

5cm piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon sea salt

500g lamb chops

2 onions, caramelised (see
here
)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 heaped tablespoon cornflour

250ml cold water

2 teaspoons Garam Masala (see
here
)

This is one of the easiest curries around. Lightly toast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan for 1–2 minutes until they become very aromatic. Watch them closely so they don’t burn.

Take them off the heat immediately and put them in the bowl of a hand blender, or use a pestle and mortar, along with the garlic, ginger, turmeric and sea salt and blend to a purée.

Place the lamb chops in the slow-cooker crock. Pour the garlic and ginger paste over the meat and mix well. Add the caramelised onions and the chopped onion.

Mix the cornflour with about a tablespoon of cold water and add it to the slow-cooker crock along with the rest of the water. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the lamb on low for 7–8 hours.

About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, sprinkle the garam masala over the curry and put the lid back on to warm it through. Serve with rice or hot chapattis and a cucumber salad. It’s onion heaven.

As I’ve mentioned before, frozen lamb works very well in the slow cooker. Here I’ve used lamb chops, which I always keep a bag of in the freezer as they defrost quickly and are surprisingly flavoursome. They have just enough bone to make this dish velvety smooth. I also tenderise it all by using any whey I have left over from straining yoghurt. Don’t worry if you don’t have any whey, the meat will still be fabulous without it.

This dish is so well suited to the slow cooker that it was the very first dish Mister North suggested to me when I got mine. He’s got very good taste…

SERVES 2–4 DEPENDING ON SIDE DISHES

500g lamb chops

2 onions, cut into half moons

5cm piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 tablespoon ghee (see
here
)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

¼ nutmeg, grated

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

150ml whey (see
here
) (optional)

1 tablespoon cornflour

350ml water

1 tablespoon Garam Masala (see
here
)

squeeze of lemon juice

fresh coriander, to serve (optional)

salt and pepper

I cook my chops whole on the bone to allow them to be very tender and, of course, to save on preparation time. Put them into the slow-cooker crock and add the onion, ginger and ghee. Toss the chops to coat it all well.

Add in the fennel seeds, nutmeg, cinnamon and cayenne and mix well. Add about a tablespoon of the whey or water to the cornflour to make a loose paste. Add to the meat. Pour the remaining whey and the water over the spiced meat. If you don’t have whey, make up the liquid with more water. Season well.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook the meat for 7–8 hours on low. About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, sprinkle the garam masala over the lamb and warm through with the lid back on.

Serve the lamb with rice and a squeeze of lemon juice to lift all the flavours. A scatter of fresh coriander also works well.

I think I’ve spoken before about my love of mince and it was a happy day when I was introduced to keema at a local Pakistani restaurant, Elephant, to expand those horizons. Lamb mince cooked with spices and peas is perfect ‘Friday night food’. It cries out to be eaten from a big bowl while wearing your pyjamas and knowing you don’t have to get up early the next day.

It’s also simple enough to pop in the slow cooker before work on Friday morning, so you can get home to dinner without being tempted to get a takeaway. If a meal could be described as relaxing, it’s this one.

SERVES 2 AS A MAIN OR 4 AS PART OF A MEAL

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

5cm piece of fresh ginger

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 green chillies, chopped

500g lamb mince

2 cardamom pods

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 small cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons tomato purée

200ml water

½ teaspoon salt

200g frozen peas

1 tablespoon Garam Masala (
here
)

This is so simple to make. Using a hand blender, purée the onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, cumin and chilli. Stir through the lamb mince and add to the slow-cooker crock.

Add the cardamoms, cloves, black pepper and the cinnamon stick along with the tomato purée and water. Season well with salt.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook it for 7–8 hours on low or 6 hours on high. About 30 minutes before the end of cooking, when you go to put the rice on, add the frozen peas and sprinkle the keema with your garam masala. Replace the lid and cook for another 30–40 minutes.

Serve with rice or hot fluffy naan bread to make sure you don’t miss a drop of the tasty spice-infused juices this lovely dish makes.

As I’ve mentioned earlier in the book, slow cooking is what’s made me a fully fledged aubergine fan after my prior indifference. Cooked until they are soft and silky, they are a wonderful alternative to meat, especially when teamed with their nightshade cousin, the tomato, for a deep savoury flavour. I’ve brightened the curry with some spinach stirred in at the end and while it’s not a showy dish, it’s one you’ll make time and time again.

SERVES 2–4 AND MAKES GREAT LEFTOVERS

1 large aubergine

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 curry leaves

4 cloves of garlic

1 onion

4cm piece of fresh ginger