Kadhai Murgh

This is 'Kadhai' (Kar-a-he) Chicken, which means its a curry made in a big cast-iron pan called a 'Kadhai', but you can use a well seasoned wok, or a large non-stick lidded pan. 

  

Serves 4 

Main ingredients

-1kg chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I prefer it with thigh meat)- cut into 1 inch pieces

-3 tablespoons oil

-1 medium onion - very finely chopped

-5 cloves of garlic - peeled and very finely chopped 

- 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger - peeled and very finely chopped 

- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

-3/4 teaspoon turmeric

- 6 tablespoons natural yoghurt

- 8 tablespoons tomatoes- chopped finely

for the final flavouring:

-big hand full of fresh corriander leaves - chopped 

-2-3 hot green chillies - either chopped if you like it hot, or just peirced a few times and left whole

- 1 teaspoon garam masala

- 7 table spoons fresh tomatoes chopped finely

Heat oil in your pan over a medium-high flame. When oil is hot put in onion, Garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. 

Add the salt, Cayenne pepper and turmeric. Stir once or twice, then put in the chicken. Stir and fry until the chicken pieces turn opaque on the outside. 

Add the Yoghurt and tomato. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the yoghurt mostly disappears. 

Cover and cook on a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stir now and then to avoid sticking. 

Stir in the final flavouring ingredients, cover again and reduce the heat right down low and cook for a further 3 minutes.  

Serve with boiled rice, chappaties or some nan. 

Super Salad

Taking Control 
Dinner today was a delicious salad - made at break neck speed and with very little thought required.
After coming home exhausted from work I switched the 'Telly box' on and fell onto a couch. “A taste of my life” was on BBC2 with Sue Johnston who's comfort food of choice is a fish finger sandwich, the thought of this childhood favourite (doused liberally in mayo and tomato ketchup) really got me hungry. I knew then that if I wasn't quickly inspired by something else the chances were that I would be having fish fingers for my tea - not something I would usually advocate. No, I'm not against the occasional drop in standards in favour of an 'easier options' or in this case a 'comfort food' or treat but I don't like the idea of this becoming the norm.
Yes, little self control goes a long way, but when lacking and hungry I'm saved by the fact that I know that I can have something equally as tasty easily on hand in a matter of minutes.
I don't know if too many other people share my sentiment on this matter and in fact I am now forewarned by some of my work colleagues to "turn away now, Ballal" when discussing their dinner plans; "Chips AGAIN!??!?".
Ah yes, there are a few people that I would love to make a good salad for - A save from yet another ready meal/takeaway/general stodge - I could wear a green cape with the Letter S on my chest - but I'm beginning to think that if I acted on this nutritional mission I would probably be feeding half the office and lots of my friends. That's a lot of lettuce.
But you don't need super powers to make a 'super salad'; so do it yourself (you know who you are).

I cooked a small chicken (breast) on a griddle pan after brushing it with a little olive oil and rubbing on a Moroccan herb mix  (go which ever way you like with flavour - but try and be consistent - unlike me).
The meat is very quickly done this way. I chopped it up and dropped it into a big bowl where your other ingredients will follow.
Your protein element could be prawns (ready cooked so even quicker) or squid or any other fish or meat.
I griddled some pepper strips and they too went in. Now all the 'cooking' part is over, anything remotely salad like can be thrown in. I used a can of mixed beans, pickled beetroot, sweetcorn, handful of cress leaves and stalk, cubed feta and bread croutons (instead of bread try grilling Pitta bread that has been slit in half (to get two full sized thin pieces) and when crisp, breaking into shards and adding to your salad). You could also use boiled baby potatoes for your 'carbs' .
Because my salad looked moist I didn't go to the effort of making a vinaigrette and instead just gave it a good glug of garlic olive oil over the top, a squeeze of lemon, a teaspoon of Harissa paste as well as a good sprinkle of coarsely ground salt and pepper.
This is about the most effort needed for a winning work day salad. So next time you're doing your weekly shop plan for a couple of salads and finally rid your world of those villainous cravings and bad eating habits.

If you do just love fish finger sandwiches join the Facebook group :) http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44884550346&v=info

Curry 1

Curry! #1

I've been roped into make curry for a bunch of friends and I'm a little worried. After one of them raved about my cooking a while ago, I'm now group chef. The truth is I'm not that experienced in making currys ( I plan on remedying this though). The curries that I do make are not the overly spicy, creamy fare that you get from most restaurants, but a more simple and quite likely more authentic curry that's based on what "me mum" makes. The stuff that Asians, (Pakistanis) eat day to day... the equivalent to the British hot-pot or casserole. This isn't a bad thing, not for me anyway and I hope my guests agree with me! Of course I could use my 'Asian credentials' and tell them that this is Indian haute cuisine, but unfortunately for me, curry being the nations favourite food, my guests may be more educated on the subject then me!
This is a little altered every time I make it because I have never written it down.
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbs oil
1 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
nob of Ginger, skinned and minced
2tsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric
½ - 1 tsp chili powder
4 cloves
6 whole black pepper corns
1 star anise
1 large black clove
2 tomatoes chopped or half a can
Water
Chicken whole chopped into small pieces
1tbs of cumin powder
1 tbs of coriander powder
Hand full baby potatoes
Garam masala
rice or chapattis to serve

fresh coriander
serves 3-4

First I fry some whole spices in a clean pan, 1 tsp of cumin and about the same quantity of coriander seeds. When they start to give off a lovely aroma take off the heat and set aside. Heat 2 tbs of cooking oil in the pan and fry the onion until golden, add the garlic and ginger. Fry on a low heat for about 5 minutes more then add the salt, turmeric and chili powder depending on how much heat you like. This is the humble beginnings of many a curry. Add the remaining whole spices (cloves, pepper corns etc) and fry for a couple of minutes. Adding a splash of water to stop the spices sticking to the pan. Throw in two diced tomatoes or half a can of tomatoes, if using. Fry on a medium high heat. When the spices begin to come together and the oil begins to separate from the mixture, drop the meat into the pan and mix and coat it into the 'masala'. Fry this way for a few minutes until the meat is sealed and then add 1 tbs of coriander powder and another of cumin powder (sometimes I use whole, freshly crushed garam masala instead). Fry for further 5 minutes adding a little more water if the meat begins to stick or looks dry. Then add enough water to cover the chicken and give you plenty of gravy in the finished dish. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes on a low heat. After this point I like to add some quartered large potatoes or whole baby potatoes to the pan, cover again and cook for a further 15 minute or until the potatoes and meat are tender, towards the end of this time add a tea spoon of gram masala. When the cooking time is over sprinkle the curry with chopped coriander.

The curry is this picture is one where I did not add potatoes and didn't make it too saucy. Use a taller pan if making more gravy.

Thai curry

Make this when your short on time but still want something substantial. There's something remarkably comforting about this green curry; it ticks all the boxes in terms of comfort, its sweetened with coconut milk, warm and spicy, quick to make and the crunch of the green beans reminds you its healthy!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
2/3 spring onions shoots, chopped

1 tbsp mild green curry paste, (I use 'Thai Taste -Gang Keow Wan' http://www.thaitaste.co.uk/)

1 chicken breasts, boneless and skinned chopped into small pieces (sometimes I use chicken wings 5/6 pieces per person or boneless thigh meat, I prefer this more tender meat)

250ml coconut milk
100ml chicken stock

2 tsp Thai fish sauce
1 tsp sugar

Fine green beans or mange tout (as many as you like, and any other vegetables such as peppers cut into strips)

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil (sometimes I substitute basil with coriander- If thats what I have in the fridge!)

Heat the oil in a wok or pan and chuck in chopped spring onion and garlic if using. Add the curry past and then throw in the chicken pieces, mix until all the chicken in coated in the paste. Stir fry the chicken for a few minutes until sealed and then add the coconut milk and a little of the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer. If the sauce seems to be drying just a splash of stock. Add the fish sauce and the sugar. Continue simmering the curry for a further 6 minutes or until cooked.Add the basil and serve with boiled white rice.

Chicken Pie (Ballal's trick pie)
Ingredients:
boneless chicken meat 400g (I used thigh)
2x celery sticks chopped in to 3cm pieces
bouquet garni (or table spoon dried herbs)
salt
bay leaf
tbs cooking oil
1 large onion chopped finely
4 cloves of garlic minced
mushrooms (button, chestnut etc.) sliced
1 stick of celery chopped
½ carrot diced (optional)
25-30g butter
2-3 tbs flour
300ml stock (strained water the chicken was cooked in)
1tsp each dried herbs (parsley and thyme)
Flour 1tbs
1 egg beaten
puff pastry 250g
Serves 3/4
Preheat the oven to 220ºc.
Cut meat in to small pieces of about 2cm and put in to a pan of boiling water along with the the celery, bouquet garni (or herbs), salt and bay leaf. Use plenty of water as this will be used as the stock later. Keep the water bubbling and the pan partially covered, the chicken will need to be cooked in this way and will take between 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a pan and when hot add the onions and garlic fry them but do not let them burn or darken too much. Once the onions have softened add the remaining vegetables (if using) and gently fry until soft then remove pan from the fire and empty the onion/vegetable mix on to a plate and set aside.
Make your rue:
Pour the cooking water from the now cooked chicken pot through a sieve into a jug ready for use in the rue. Give the bouquet garni a good squeeze catching the flavoursome juices in the jug. Also discard the celery and bay leaf from amongst the chicken pieces.
Melt the butter in your pan and then add the flour and mix into the melting butter, you can now slowly add your stock to the pan whilst constantly stirring, keeping the heat very low. The trick with the rue / white sauce is that you can adjust the quantities as you wish in order to get the perfect consistency. It needs to be neither too thick nor to thin.
To you rue you may now add the cooked chopped chicken and the plate of softened sliced onions and vegetables, stir in so that every thing is coated.

Now comes the hard bit; trying not to eat this subtly fragranced, warming and delicious mixture, which now needs to be poured into a pie dish ready for the puff pastry covering.
Cover a clean cooking surface with the flour and roll out the puff pastry to a size that will cover your pie dish and a thickness of about ½cm. Place it over the dish and cut off the access edges. Push down the edges covering all the filling. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and pierce with fork to let out some of the steam.
Place your pie in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crispy.
Serve:
I had my pie with some minted peas and boiled potatoes;
cook frozen peas as per pack instructions pop into a bowl and stir in a knob of butter and a teaspoon of mint sauce.
Boil potatoes drain when cooked and drizzle with a little garlic oil, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.