CHICKEN

Method

• Place the yogurt, ground almonds, all the dry spices, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and salt in a mixing bowl and blend together thoroughly.
• Put the chicken into a large mixing bowl and pour over the yogurt mixture.
• Set aside. Melt together the butter and oil in a medium karahi, wok or frying pan.
• Add the onions and fry for about 3 minutes.
• Add the chicken mixture and stir-fry for about 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in about half of the coriander and mix well.
• Pour over the cream and stir in well.
• Bring to the boil. Garnish the indian butter chicken with the remaining chopped coriander to serve the chicken curry.

Method

• Clean the chicken and keep aside.
• Make a paste of all the ingredients and marinate the whole chicken well with this. Keep marinated for four hours.
• Grill in a tandoor (charcoal grill) till golden.
• Serve the murgh afgani hot with onion rings.

Method

• Grind the ginger, peppercorns, turmeric powder, onions and green chilies to make a coarse paste.
• Heat oil and ghee in a large pan and add mustard seeds.
• When it pops add cinnamon, bay leaves & cloves. When it turns brown add garlic and curry leaves.
• After a few seconds add the onion, ginger and chili paste. Fry for a couple of minutes.
• Then add the chicken pieces and fry. 
• Add potatoes, carrots, garam masala and salt.
• Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
• Then pour the coconut milk and add the green peas.
• Cover and cook until the chicken is fully cooked.

Method

• Thinly slice half the onions and set aside.
• Roughly chop the rest of the onions and put into electric blender with the chilies, garlic and ginger.
• Blend to a puree. Mix in the ground spices.
• Heat ghee and oil in a large saucepan and fry the sliced onions, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown.
• Remove onions from pan with slotted spoon.
• Add the blended mixture to oil remaining in pan mid fry, stirring until color darkens and oil appears around the edges.
• Add tomatoes, stir and cook until liquid from tomatoes is almost evaporated.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir well.
• Add water and salt, cover and cook for 35 minutes or until chicken is tender.
• Add reserved fried onions, cover and simmer 5 minutes longer.
• Serve with rice or parathas.

Method

• Dry roast the grated coconut in a non-stick pan on low heat stirring every now and then for about 3  minutes or till it is reddish-brown and aromatic.
• Remove onto a plate. In the same pan dry roast all other ingredients for the paste except the garlic briefly till they turn a shade darker and give off an aroma.
• Grind to a paste with the coconut, garlic and water as required to make a thick fine paste.
• Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan and add the onions.
• Saute on medium level for about 4  minutes or till they are browned
• Add the chicken pieces and fry on medium-low heat for about 5  minutes or till golden on all sides.
• Add the ground paste and turmeric powder.
• Fry on medium-low heat for about 5  minutes ot till oil separates
• Add water, salt and mix well. Bring to a boil.
• Add the tamarind pulp and the mace-nutmeg powders.
• Cover and simmer low heat for about 12  minutes or till the chicken is fully cooked and tender

Method

• Wash and dry the chicken well and with a very sharp knife make slits in the flesh of the breast, thighs and drumsticks to allow spices to penetrate.
• In electric blender grind almonds, chironji or pistachios, poppy seeds, caraway and cumin. Combine these with the chili powder, if used, and the ground coriander and turmeric. Pound saffron strands in mortar and pestle and dissolve in the boiling water, mix into yogurt together with ground spices. Add lei teaspoons salt. Rub this marinade well into the chicken, inside and out, and let it marinate for at least l hour in the refrigerator. Put the hard boiled eggs into the cavity of the chicken and truss the bird, tucking its wing tips under and tying the drumsticks together.
• In a large, heavy saucepan, with a tight cover, heat the ghee or oil and fry onion until golden brown. Remove onion from pan and reserve. Scrape excess marinade from outside of chicken, put chicken in pan and.fry on all sides by turning it, taking care not to let it burn. Add the marinade, coriander, mint and chilies, the fried onion and hot water. Allow to come to simmering point, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. While chicken is cooking, wash rice well and soak in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain in colander.
• Carefully lift chicken from pan. Measure stock in pan and add water to make up to 4 cups if necessary. Return to pan, add remaining 2 teaspoons salt and the drained rice and bring to the boil, stirring to scrape any spice from base of pan. Put chicken on top of rice, sprinkle sultanas and peas around it, cover tightly and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes without lifting lid. Serve chicken surrounded by rice and garnished with silver leaf and fried nuts.

Method

• Remove skin of chicken.
  
• Make small slashes in the flesh of the breast, thighs and drumsticks.
• Combine garlic, ginger, onion, cardamom, turmeric, mace and salt.
• Dissolve saffron in boiling water and add. Rub the mixture well into the chicken, cover and marinate overnight in refrigerator or for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
  
• Fill the chicken with cooked and cooled stuffing, truss the bird and place in clay casserole breast downwards.
• The chicken breast must be at the bottom or downwards when cooking so that the breast is immersed in stock and remains moist.
• Melt the ghee or butter and pour over the chicken.
• Pour stock into the casserole and add the bay leaf. Cover with lid so that none of the fragrant steam is lost.
  
• Bake in a moderately slow oven 160 °C (325°F) for 2 hours or a slow oven 150C (300°F) for 4 flours if this is more convenient.
• Take the dish to table and uncover it there so that the guests have the experience of enjoying the aroma as it first escapes the clay casserole.

Stuffing:

• Heat ghee or oil and fry onion and garlic until soft and starting to turn golden.
• Add ground coriander and cumin and fry 1 minute, then add lamb and fry, stirring, until lamb is browned.
• Add all remaining ingredients except rice and water
• . Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add rice and hot water, bring to a boil, stirring.
• Then turn heat very low, cover tightly and cook for 20-25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed by rice.
• Cool before using.

Method

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove excess fat from chicken and season with salt.
• Combine rice, dried fruits, chopped onions, 2 tsp of the curry powder, sugar, salt and water in a 12 * 8 * 2-inch baking dish and stir well.
• Arrange chicken over rice mixture. Combine melted butter, paprika and remaining 2 tsp curry powder and brush on chicken.
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in 375 degrees oven for 1 hour, or until chicken is tender and most all liquid is absorbed.
Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Note: Serves 6

Method

• Wash the rice, drain off all the water and keep aside.
• Mix coconut, coriander and khus khus seeds, 2 cloves, 2 cinnamon, 2 cardamoms, 2 onions and blend them to a fine paste.
• Heat ghee in a pan, fry the remaining spices, chopped onions, green chilies and garlic for a few minutes.
• Cut the chicken into desired pieces and add to this mixture with coriander and mint leaves.
• Also add salt, chili powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste and cook the chicken by covering the pan. Add water if required.
• Now add ground paste to the pieces and cook until it is done.
• Boil water in another pan, add washed rice to the water with saffron and cook until it is tender. Remove from heat and drain off all the water.
• In a separate wide pan, place the rice at the bottom as a layer and above this, place the chicken pieces as another layer. Repeat this process until the rice and chicken ends.
• Sprinkle the lemon juice on top and allow it to cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Method

• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and fry the onions and whole spices until a sweet aroma appears or the onions are golden brown in color.
• To this, add ginger garlic paste, chopped tomatoes and fry for few minutes
• Then add yogurt and stir well. Also add chicken pieces, mint leaves and mix well so that the yogurt mixture coats the chicken pieces well.
• Cook for 30 to 40 minutes on medium heat or until the chicken is well cooked.
• Heat oil in another pan, add rice and fry the rice for 5-7 minutes, stirring continuously, so that the oil is coated all over the rice.
• Add half the chopped coriander leaves, one cup of gravy from the chicken mixture and two cups of hot water to the rice.
• Cook on slow heat with the lid on until the rice is cooked. Add a little hot water if the rice is not yet cooked.
• When the rice gets cooked, place the rice on a serving plate. On the top of the rice, arrange the chicken mixture.
• Arrange the remaining coriander leaves, mint leaves and lemon wedges on the top. Serve hot.

Method

• Cut chicken into curry pieces.
• Peel onions, chop 3 onions finely and slice the remaining 2 very fine.
• Heat ghee and oil in a large heavy saucepan and fry the 2 sliced onions, stirring, until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger to the oil left in pan and fry on low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and turning golden. Long, slow cooking at this stage is essential if the curry is to have good flavor.
• Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, fennel and chili powder and fry, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
• Add salt, tomatoes and half the fresh herbs, stir well and cook until tomatoes are pulpy. Cover pan to hasten this process, but uncover and stir now and then to ensure mixture does not stick to base of pan.
• Put in the chicken pieces and stir well so that each piece is coated with the mixture.
• Cover pan and cook on very low heat for 40 minutes or until chicken is tender
• . Meanwhile heat oil and fry half the almonds until golden.
• Grind remaining almonds. Beat the yogurt with a fork until it is quite smooth and stir into the curry together with the fried almonds.
• Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the garam masala, reserved fried onions, ground almonds and remaining chopped herbs.
• Heat through and serve.