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Recipes – An Indian Feast of Food

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This is an Indian feast that I first put together as a demonstration for Yorkshire Ladies.  It requires a bit of preparation but is surprisingly quick to finish off.  The key is to make the Masala Gravy beforehand, divide it into smaller amounts and then to freeze it, and to marinade and pre-cook the Tandoori chicken bites the day before or in the morning.  We make a quick version of the Meen Papas regularly which I will explain in a subsequent post.

Masala gravy

 

  • 110g ghee (sunflower oil, if cannot get this)
  • 150g garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 110g ginger, finely chopped
  • 1kg strong onions, chopped
  • 600ml water
  • 250g masala paste, using Steenbergs organic Madras Curry Powder 

 

1.       Add 50ml water to 200g of Steenbergs curry powder and stir to thick paste.  Add a little more water if you want to.

2.       Heat ghee in a wok and stir fry the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes.  Lower the heat and add onions.  Don’t add all onions at once as they will reduce down in size as they cook.  Continue stir-frying until the onions become caramelized.

3.       Add the water, then using a hand blender or in a blender mash up the mixture to a smooth puree.

4.       Add the curry paste to the gravy and stir in.  Boil for about 10 minutes on a gentle simmer. 

5.       Take off the heat and put into 3 pots of equal size and freeze.

Red marinade

 

 

1.       Add a little water to the Steenbergs garam masala and tandoori powder and mix to paste.

2.       Put the paste and all ingredients into a blender and puree

 

Marinaded chicken

 

  • 20 4cm cubes of skinned chicken breast
  • 200g red marinade (½ the mixture above) 

 

1.       Put the chicken breasts into a non-metallic bowl and pour over the red marinade.  Mix well and leave in fridge for 24 hours.

2.       Preheat grill to medium (or ideally use a barbecue).  Skewer the chicken cubes and put on grill pan.  Grill for 5 minutes on each side.  Check that the meat has cooked through.  If it hasn’t grill for a little longer.

 

Chicken tikka masala

 

  • 20 cooked chicken tikka pieces
  • 2tbsp ghee
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 225g onions, very finely chopped
  • 2 ladles curry masala gravy
  • 1½tbsp organic tandoori masala paste
  • 6 canned tomatoes
  • 1tbsp white vinegar
  • 1tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 175ml canned tomato soup
  • ½ green bell pepper
  • 4 green chillies, chopped
  • 100ml single cream
  • 1tbsp garam masala
  • 1tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
  • ½ tsp chaat masala

 

1.       Heat oil in wok and stir fry garlic and onions until golden brown.

2.       Add pastes and gravy and cook for 2 minutes.  Add all other ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.  Add chicken pieces and cook for a further 5 minutes.

 

Meen pappas

 

  • 400g white fish
  • 2 tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 20 curry leaves
  • 2 green chillis
  • 2.5cm ginger sliced
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 1tbsp lemon juice
  • 1tbsp vinegar
  • ½ tsp salt

 

1.       Cut fish into cubes 

2.       Heat oil in frying pan.  Add tomatoes, onion, curry leaves, green chillis and ginger.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add turmeric and chilli powder.  Add coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.

3.       Add fish and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4.       Add lemon juice and vinegar.

 

French beans with cumin and tomatoes

 

  • 2tbsp oil
  • 3 – 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1tsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted and crushed
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • 250g slender French beans, trimmed
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1tbsp fresh coriander leaves
  • 1tsp chaat masala

 

1.       Heat oil in a wok.  Add garlic, onion and cumin and cook for 2 minutes.  Add chilli powder.  Cook until onions start going opaque.  Add beans and stir fry.  Cook for 2 – 3 minutes.  Add some salt and the tomatoes.  Checked if cooked.  Sprinkle over with Steenbergs chaat masala.

2.       Beans should be crunchy but you can add some water and make softer.