Tandoori Chicken Tikka

To get the authentic taste in tandoori chicken or chicken tikka you really need that charcoal flavour, but getting out the BBQ every time is a faff, especially in the winter when it’s cold and dark. I’m gonna show you how to get that great flavour with and easy cheat.

Girabi - (BIR) British Indian Restaurant Base Sauce

This recipe is for the Indian restaurants base sauce natively know as Garabi. All Indian restaurants have a base sauce to make all their currys, in fact the same sauce is used for Madras and Korma, it's the spices and the additional ingredients that makes the dish but the base sauce is always the same. 

Ingredients 

6 Large Onions

1 Green Pepper

1 Red Pepper

6 Cloves Garlic

Large Piece of Ginger

1 Carrot

Bunch of FreshCoriander

2 Fresh Green Chillis

1/2 White Cabbage

1 Table spoon Garlic Paste

1 Table Spoon Ginger Paste

Vegetable Oil

Water

For The Mix Powder

8 Tea Spoons of Turmeric

5 Tea Spoons of Corriander Powder

4 Tea Spoons of Curry Powder

4 Tea Spoons of Cumin Powder

4 Tea Spoons of Garam Massala

3 Tea Spoons of Paprika

1 Tea Spoon of Ginger Powder

1 Tea Spoon of Garlic Powder 

Method

Roughly chop the onions and add to a large pan

Chop the carrot and add to the pan

Chop the peppers and add to the pan

Roughly chop and add the rest of the ingredients to the pan, that's the 6 Cloves Onions, Large Piece of Ginger, Bunch of FreshCoriander including the stalks, 2 Fresh Green Chillis, 1/2 White Cabbage

1 tablespoon of Garlic Paste, I table spoon of Ginger Paste.

Add 100ml of Vegetable oil and then add enough cold water to cover 1/3 of the pot the place on a very low heat for at least 1 hour.

After 1-2 hours your garabi should look like this

Let the mixture cool enough to blend.

Once cooled blend the ingredients together to make a really smooth mixture. Try to get this as smooth as you can, we will however be blending it again later.

Add the contents back to a pan and add the same amount of water of the mixture

Place on a low heat and add 4 tablespoons of mix powder and mix the contents together.

After 30 minutes to 1 hour blend the contents again and make as smooth as possible

Make sure you blend it really well then your mixture is now ready to use. Look out for my curry recipes which will use this base sauce.

Curried Goat

I've been a keen lover of Jamaican food for many years, actually anything with a big chili spice kick is good for me. Not long ago I went to Brixton market and had come curried goat, I've had it plenty of times in the past but not for a while and forgot how nice it was but strangely I've never tried to cook it until now.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds goat meat cut in chunks (Substitute for lamb if you cant find goat)
• 100 grams vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 4-5 Tablespoons medium curry powder
• 1- teaspoon white pepper
• Big handful of fresh thyme
• 2 spring onions sliced into rounds
• 2-3 medium potatoes
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (Add more if you like it more spicy)
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Add salt and pepper to the goat or lamb and set aside
2. Add the oil to the pan until hot then brown the goat or lamb
3. Next add the curry powder to the pan and stir together for around 2 minutes
4. Add the garlic, white pepper, onions,thyme, tomato paste, spring onions and scotch bonnet pepper stir for about a minute.

 5. Next add some water, just enough to cover the goat or lamb. Add the chicken stock and bring it to the boil then turn it down to a simmer and cover for 2 hours or until the meat is tender

 6. Add the diced potatoes and continue to cook for around 15 - 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked but not falling apart.

7. You can adjust the thickness by adding more water or adding some thickener at this point. If you are using cornflour to thicken make sure you mix water and cornflour together to create a paste before you add it to the pot, otherwise it wont dissolve properly.

8. Serve with regular white rice or rice & peas. Rice & peas recipe can be found  here

Enjoy

Pan fried Sea Bass with baby capers & buttered new potatoes

I love Cornwall and make frequent trips throughout the year, there are many things I like about CornwallI but one of the things I love is how fresh the seafood is. When I visited Cornwall the last time I ate at a restaurant called "The St Tudy Inn" http://www.sttudyinn , St Tudy is run by the brilliant chef Emily Scott who I have been following for years because of her beautiful food, below is a picture of the Sea Bass dish I was served for my main which is also my inspiration for today's recipe, I don't expect mine to look as professional as Emily's but I'll do my best.

Ingredients 

2 x Sea Bass Fillets

4 x New Potatoes

Handful of Capers

Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Method

1. Steam or boil some new potatoes until soft.

2. Heat a pan until hot on a medium heat

3. Season your Sea Bass with salt and cracked black pepper then add them to the pan skin side down

4. In the meantime cut your potatoes in half length ways and add them to a microwaveable bowl then add a good dollop of butter on the top and put in the microwave for 1 - 2 minutes.

5. When the fish starts to go white around the edges turn over in the pan for a further 1 - 2 minutes until cooked

6. Add the potatoes to the centre of the plate and drizzle some butter on and around the potatoes

7. Remove the Sea Bass from the pan and lay over the potatoes 

8. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and add some salt and pepper.

9. Place a handful of capers over the fish

10. Serve & enjoy.

Jerk Chicken Rice & Peas

I was quite a few years ago I went to Glastonbury festival for the first time which is where I first tasted Jerk Chicken with Rice & Peas. Me being someone who loves spice it was a perfect dish for me. After trying Jerk Chicken a few times at the festival I was mean to give it a go myself when at home, I believe this recipe is best Jerk a chicken recipe you will find out there, it's beautiful.

Ingredients 

Chicken Portions - Legs / Thighs / Drumsticks / Breast (Your Preference)

Large bunch of Thyme

4 x White Onions

100g of Fresh Ginger

4 x Garlic Bulbs

100ml Dark Soy Sauce

100ml White Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Grounded Allspice

1-6 Scotch Bonnets (1 Spicy, 6 Blow you head off!)

For the Rice & Peas

200g Basmati Rice

200g Kidney Beans + The Water

Thyme

1 Chili

1 400g Can of Creamed Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream with water 

2 x Sliced Spring Onions

Method

1. Using a blender & blend the thyme, white onions, ginger, garlic, scotch bonnets, allspice, white wine vinegar & soy sauce and blend into a paste.

2. Poor the marinate over the chicken and leave it for at least 2 hours but better if left overnight. Try to save some marinate to serve with the dish.

3. After the marinade period place the chicken including the marinade on a baking try  with the chicken covered and place in the oven on 180 for 40 minutes or so. If you have the opportunity finish the chicken off on the BBQ to get that lovely taste, I buy a few disposable ones to use for these occasions.

Now its time to make the rice and peas

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil then add the rice, let the water come back to the boil and leave boiling for 7 minutes. Use a bigger pan as we are going to add more ingredients to it once the rice is done.

2. Drain the rice then add it back to the pan, add the creamed coconut  and stir together.

3. Add the thyme, spring onions, chili & kidney beans and mix together, Stir every now and again for 5 - 10 minutes.

Serve

Serve the chicken & rice and peas with a classic salad (Lettuce, Cucumber & Tomato) + a small pot of the left over marinade and some hot pepper sauce, I use Encona or  Walkerswood Jamaican Scotch bonnet sauce.

Enjoy

Chilli Pickle

Ingredients

20 - 30 Chillies

3 Tablespoons of Mustard Seeds

2 Teaspoons of Tumeric Powder

2 Tablespoons to Fenugreek Seeds or Leaves

50ml White Wine Vinegar 

25ml Chilli / Mustard Oil

2 Limes

Salt

Method

1. Chop the Chilies up into bite sized pieces around an inch long and place in a mixing bowl

2. Add the white wine vinegar and add some salt and mix together

3. Leave the chilli mix for at least 2 hours

4. In the meantime roast the Mustard seeds and Fenugreek in a frying pan dry for 2-3 minutes

5. Transfer your roasted seeds into a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder

6. Now add the oil, Tumeric, juice of 2 limes and your mix powder into a saucepan and mix together for around 3-4 minutes, add more oil or lemon juice if required.

7. If your chillies have been in the white wine vinegar mix for at least 2 hours then add this to the pan and mix together

8. Cut your limes into chucks and add to the mix and mix together

9. Transfer the contents back into your mixing bowl

9. Let it cool then add to glass jars

Enjoy!

Beautiful Fresh Coriander Chicken

This dish is so simple and tastes like summer in your mouth, it's really fresh and really easy and perfect for a mid week meal if your pushed for time.

Ingredients

Bunch of Fresh Corriander

6 Vine Ripped Tomatoes

1 Medium Red Onion

4 Chicken Breasts

Good Glug of Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Garlic Paste

1 Lemon

1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika

1 Tablespoon of Chipottle Sauce (Optional)

Salt to Taste.

There are two methods to this meal, the first method is for a bright vagrant looking dish packed full of colour, the other method is for a quick dish but not so beautiful looking. In summary to show off or just eat. They both taste nearly the same anyway and are both gourgous.

I have more pictures to add to this but due to demand I have posted this recipe to my blog early without the pictures but will add them a little later.

Beautiful Method 

1. Chop around half the corriander that you have, Half the lemon juiced & olive oil and blend until you get a green paste.

2. Score the chicken

3. Rub the mix all over the chicken and place on a baking tray

4. Place the chicken in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes on 180c until nice and succulent 

5. Chop the tomatoes and Onion finely into small sized chunks

6. Chop the corriander and add together with the tomatoes and onions to a saucepan. Leave a small handful of corriander for serving.

7. Add the rest of the lemon juiced, Balsamic, Garlic, Paprika and Chipottle and mix well. Add a little more olive oil if needed.

8. After the chicken is done add it to to mix and place on the hob for 5-10 minutes until warmed through but not cooked enough that it loses it's colour.

9. Taste and add salt if required

10. Serve with rice or new potato's and a little rocket.

Quick Method

1. Chop around half the Corriander that you have, Half the lemon juiced & olive oil and blend until you get a green paste.

2. Score the chicken

3. Rub the mix all over the chicken and place in a oven proof dish

4. Chop the tomatoes and Onion finely into small sized chunks. You can also use good chopped tinned Tomatos.

5. Chop the corriander and add together with the tomatoes and onion to the oven proof dish with the chicken. Leave a small handful of corriander for serving

7. Add the rest of the lemon juiced, Balsamic, Garlic, Paprika and Chipottle and mix well. Add a little more olive oil if needed.

8. Place in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes until cooked

9. Taste and add salt if required

10. Serve with rice or new potato's and a little rocket.

The only reason why this method is not as beautiful is because it loses some of the vibrant colours during cooking but does taste as good maybe a little better.

Enjoy.