Indian

Chicken in a Red Sweet Pepper Sauce

This is a recipe my dad taught me when I was 15. It is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery recipe collection. The peppers give the curry a natural sweetness, and the flavours between the ingredients of the curry paste are very well balanced. It is both delicious and healthy, and I enjoy cooking it often.

Ingredients

• 1kg chicken parts. Boneless and skinless thighs work best.
• 110g onions. Peeled and coaresly chopped.
• 1 inch cube of ginger. Peeled and coarsely chopped.
• 3 cloves of garlic. Peeled.
• 25g blanched almonds. Slivered or as a powder.
• 350g red sweet peppers. Trimmed, seeded and coarsely chopped.
• 1tbsp ground cumin seeds.
• 1tbsp ground corriander seeds.
• 1/2tsp ground tumeric.
• 1/2tsp cayenne pepper.
• 1/2tsp coarsely ground black pepper.
• 2tsp salt
• Cooking oil.
• 2tbsp lemon juice.

Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. Combine the onions, ginger, garlic, almonds and peppers in a food processor or blender. Blend, pushing down with a spoon until you have a paste.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, add the paste from the blender, cumin seeds, corriander seeds, tumeric, cayenne pepper and salt, then fry for 10-12 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and black pepper. Cook for 15-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
5. Add the lemon juice.

Sour Chickpeas

A tasty, hearty and healthy chickpea recipe. It is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery recipe collection.

Ingredients

• 400g canned chickpeas.
• 400g canned tomatoes.
• 275-300g onions. Peeled and very finely chopped.
• 2 fresh green chillis. Finely chopped.
• 4tbsp lemon juice.
• 1tbsp ginger. Peeled and very finely chopped.
• 1tbsp ground corirander seeds.
• 1tbsp ground cumin seeds.
• 2tsp garam masala.
• 1/2tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2tsp ground tumeric.
• 2.5tsp salt.
• Cooking oil.

Method

1. Set a aside 2tbsp chopped onions, 1/2tsp of salt, green chilli, ginger, and lemon juice in a small bowl or teacup.
2. Heat the cooking oil in a pan and add the remaining onions. Fry over a medium-high flame until the onion bits develop reddish-brown spots.
3. Add the tomatoes, cumin, corriander and tumeric. Mix to combine.
4. Add 2tsp salt, chickpeas. Mix to combine. Cook for 20 minutes on a simmer.
5. Add the garam masala, cayenne pepper. Add the mixture set aside in step one. Mix to combine, then serve.