Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:54 pm
easy curry to cook (and tasty) without needing loads of ingredients:
Thariwala chicken
(serves 4)
A typical dish as eaten by families at the weekend - meat-eating British Asians tend to save such fare for Saturday night. The ingredients are easily available from any supermarket. A journalist recently asked me, earnestly and slightly eagerly, where British Asians do their weekly shop: 'Are there all these amazing, secret, hidden markets where you go and haggle for vegetables?' I had to restrain myself from replying, 'Yes, and we still live in huts, too.' We don't begin each day by grinding spices with a big stone, either.
2 tbsp oil (vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed or mild olive oil)
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
225g canned chopped tomatoes, whizzed in a mini-blender till smooth
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped, seeds and all
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
2 handfuls fresh coriander, chopped
4 chicken thighs, skinned
2 spring onions, very finely chopped
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the cumin seeds and, when they begin to sizzle, the onion and garlic, and fry until golden brown. Remove from the heat, add the tomato, ginger, chillies, salt, turmeric, garam masala and half the coriander. Cook, stirring frequently, over a low heat until the mixture becomes shiny and the oil separates out. This is very important.
Add the chicken and stir-fry for a few minutes, coating it in the sauce. Add boiling water just to cover, bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat and thicken the sauce for five minutes. Garnish with spring onion and the rest of the coriander.
Thariwala chicken
(serves 4)
A typical dish as eaten by families at the weekend - meat-eating British Asians tend to save such fare for Saturday night. The ingredients are easily available from any supermarket. A journalist recently asked me, earnestly and slightly eagerly, where British Asians do their weekly shop: 'Are there all these amazing, secret, hidden markets where you go and haggle for vegetables?' I had to restrain myself from replying, 'Yes, and we still live in huts, too.' We don't begin each day by grinding spices with a big stone, either.
2 tbsp oil (vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed or mild olive oil)
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
225g canned chopped tomatoes, whizzed in a mini-blender till smooth
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped, seeds and all
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
2 handfuls fresh coriander, chopped
4 chicken thighs, skinned
2 spring onions, very finely chopped
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the cumin seeds and, when they begin to sizzle, the onion and garlic, and fry until golden brown. Remove from the heat, add the tomato, ginger, chillies, salt, turmeric, garam masala and half the coriander. Cook, stirring frequently, over a low heat until the mixture becomes shiny and the oil separates out. This is very important.
Add the chicken and stir-fry for a few minutes, coating it in the sauce. Add boiling water just to cover, bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat and thicken the sauce for five minutes. Garnish with spring onion and the rest of the coriander.