Going Indian III

When is hot outside, try this. If you are not living in a hot climate as Indians are, try this in cold weather and it will make you hot. And my guess is you will ask for more. It is a delicious recipe. So delicious that I tried it just once. Hahaha. I should try it several times as I like lamb and this is indeed something special. I have a déjà vu writing this. I also like the way it is constructed with all those ingredients, some of them rare and precious and full of flavour. What an exquisite aroma it spreads ! It whispers: come and taste me! And of course you come… Sit down at the table and enjoy it with naan bread (I miss naan bread sooo much) or basmati rice (Tilda brand – the best). I must cook this again. So, let’s see what I need, apart from Love and Understanding and Tenderness. And a beautiful and large kitchen where I will be the queen 😉 . I need … to add that the recipe is taken from a wonderful book, “Golden India – Indian Recipes” and the recipes is

Champ Masala

Lamb Chops in Spicy Marinade

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

And the ingredients are:

• 1 kg lamb chops 
• 12 almonds, blanched
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 2/3 tbsp (40 ml) butter or oil
• 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2-3 cloves, whole
• 2 tsp coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp ginger, chopped finely
• 2 red or green chillies, deseeded and sliced
• a few strands of saffron, dissolved in 1 tsp milk (optional)
• 2 onions, medium size, chopped
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (til)
• 3/4 cup yoghurt (I always go with my fav, the greek full fat one)

Method:

• Blend cumin seeds, ginger, garlic paste, cardamom seeds, cloves, almonds, sesame seeds, cayenne pepper, sugar and 2 tbsp yoghurt to a purée, adding more yoghurt if the mixture is dry. Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside. You have now a masala paste.
• Melt butter/ oil in a large kadhai (wok) or pan. Add onions and fry till golden brown. Stir in the masala paste and fry for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add a spoonful water at a time if the mixture becomes too dry. Add the lamb chops and fry 10 minutes on medium heat, turning chops frequently.
• Beat the remaining yoghurt and saffron together, pour it into the lamb and mix well. Bring to a boil the reduce heat to very low, simmer for 1/2 hour.
• Preheat oven to 150˚C/ 300˚F.
• Transfer chops into a casserole and put into the oven to cook for at least 25 minutes. After that you have a taste of India. 🙂

Bon appetite!

 

Chicken Badam Pasanda

Have you eaten this food? If not, you either don’t like Indian food, and you lose nothing or you do and lose one of the tastiest chicken recipes you have ever eaten in your life. I know you may not agree with me here, this is only my humble opinion. 🙂

I started writing about Indian recipes for the moment and I thought of some that are worth knowing about. Chicken Badam Pasanda is one of them. I have it from the cookbook “Golden India – Indian Recipes” 1996. I was told that this book has the recipes closer to the original in their native land. I guess that most of the time, the international recipes in cookbooks are adapted to reach more people. And probably, the tastes differ. Not much, but there is a difference.

But no food is worth anything unless you share it with someone. I saw yesterday “Woman on top” and I thought that she was right: “the last and most important ingredient is to share it with someone you love.” All this talk about food and recipes, tastes and flavours, they are just bed-times stories. 🙂 I let you try this wonderfully tasty dish and share it. Share it with all your heart. Sharing is the magic ingredient.

Chicken Badam Pasanda

Chicken Steaks In An Almond Flavoured Sauce

Serves 4-5

Preparation time: 2 1/2 hours

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 pcs chicken breasts (medium size), cleaned, flattened
• 50 g (1/2 cup) almonds, blanched and sliced
• 340 ml (1 3/4 cups) chicken stock
• 8 – 10 cloves
• 4 tsp coriander, chopped (optional)
• 1 tbsp corn flour (or plain flour if you don’t have corn flour)
• 3 tbsp garlic paste
• 3 tbsp ginger paste
• 5-6 green cardamoms
• 210 ml (1 1/4 cup) oil
• 2 onions (medium-sized), finely chopped
• 1 g saffron, dissolved in 1 tsp milk
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 cup yoghurt

Method:

• Keep aside 6-7 blanched almonds. Grind the rest into a paste and keep aside.
• Rub ginger and garlic paste into the steaks. Whisk yoghurt and salt together in a bowl and coat the chicken pieces evenly with it. Keep aside for 2 hours. It smells so cover the bowl with plastic foil. I would try to do this in the evening and keep everything for the next day or early in the morning. That way, the chicken breasts marinade better. But you do as you like.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the steaks till almost done. Remove and keep aside. At this time they smell like heaven. Try not to eat them yet. The best is yet to come.
• In the same oil, sauté onions, cardamoms and cloves. Stir in the almond paste, fry a while, then add white pepper powder, chicken stock and flour. Cook till the gravy is rich, smooth and thick.
• Remove from fire, strain the sauce to remove whole spices and reheat.
• Add the steaks to the gravy and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Add dissolved saffron.
• To serve, garnish with sliced almonds and chopped coriander (optional). Serve hot, accompanied by Naan or Parantha bread. I have it eaten Naan bread, it is soo delicious, but if you don’t have it go with basmati rice. You can never be wrong with this one. Just mix it after boiling, with butter or not.

Bon appetite!