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Saturday night curry.

We stayed in on Saturday, Joe had been playing football, the storm was heading in our direction. It felt like a curry night.
I made three dishes; Chicken, daal and prawns with the addition of some plain boiled  rice plus shop bought popadoms and naan.
The recipes were from Atul Kochhar's book and although there was a fair amount of preparation they were pretty damn tasty..... even though I do say so myself
I also bought some nice bottled ales from Waitrose so it could be a beer and curry night (Martha had some Crabbies. Lisa had the less traditional accompaniment of prosecco) Our favourite was the Duchy Originals organic golden ale.
It may not surprise you to know that I couldn't even make it to the end of Match of the Day before my eyelids started to droop and bed called.

 Ginger garlic paste (ingredient for the chicken)

100g garlic, peeled and chopped
100g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil (if you’re not using the paste straight away)
1 tbsp lemon juice (if you’re not using the paste straight away)
Blitz the garlic and ginger with 100ml water until smooth. If you’re not using the paste straight away, add the oil and lemon juice as you blend so the paste can be kept for longer.
Store the paste in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week. You can also freeze the paste in an ice cube tray to use later.


Home style chicken Curry

Ingredients

4 cardamom pods
2½cm cinnamon stick
10 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
100ml vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
15g ginger-garlic paste (see separate recipe)
600g boneless chicken thighs, diced
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
¾ tsp turmeric powder
1 large vine tomato, roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

Method

Lightly pound the whole spices in a mortar. Make sure you split the cardamom pods to stop them popping in the pan. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan then add the pounded spices and bay leaf; stir until the spices crackle and change colour.

Add the onion. Sauté until golden brown, then add the ginger-garlic paste. Stir continuously and keep scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent the mix burning.

Add the chicken thighs and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until evenly browned.
Add the powdered spices (except the garam masala). Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring quickly so the spices don’t burn. Season then add the tomato and purée. Cook on a low heat, stirring, for 12-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. 

Sprinkle in the garam masala and simmer for a few more minutes to finish cooking. 
Serve garnished with the coriander and ginger

Tadka daal 

 Home-style lentils
This is a highly seasoned dish, which is very easy and needs no forward planning.
Serves 4
300g yellow pea split peas or toor or chana lentils 
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp turmeric 
1 tbs vegetable oil 
1 tsp finely chopped garlic 
1 tsp red chilli powder 
2 medium tomatoes, chopped 
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
Put the lentils, salt and turmeric into a thick-bottom pan with a litre of water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft and cooked. 
In a sauté pan, heat the oil and fry the garlic to a light brown colour, add the red chilli powder, sauté for a minute. 
Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the cooked lentils and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.


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