Chicken Jalfrezi

How to cook… Chicken Jalfrezi

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Jalfrezi has become one of the most popular curries with some Base Curry Sauce mixed with different coloured peppers, onions, tomatoes and chillies to create a lovely range of tastes and colours. In true British restaurant-style it has evolved into something quite different from the original Chicken Jalfrezi, where the ingredients are cooked in their own juices.

What you need…
• 3 Tablespoons ghee
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 cm chunk of ginger, cut into 2cm matchsticks
• 0.5 red pepper, cut into thin slices
• 0.5 yellow (or green) pepper, cut into thin slices
• 4 green chillies, chopped
• 600g Base Curry Sauce
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems and some of the leaves to add to the curry but set aside a few of leaves for garnish)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, cut into segments
• salt to taste

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

How to make it…
1. Heat the ghee to a medium heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Turn up the heat and add the peppers and chillies and cook for 2 minutes. You will soften the peppers and slightly char it (to mimic the tandoor taste).
4. Turn the heat down and add the Base Curry Sauce and Spice Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the coriander, onion, tomatoes and salt, and cook until the chicken pieces are all cooked through. The pepper, onion and tomato should be just soft but not mushy.
7. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

CHEF’S WARNING
There are a lot of ingredients in this dish so stir gently to avoid breaking them up.
With its tasty mix of onions, tomatoes and peppers Chicken Jalfrezi has become one of the most popular restaurant curries.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza

What was the Osmonds big curry hit in 1972? … Jalfrezi Horses.

Spice beyond the 472 bus

1. Reviews (London)

Curry Asia, Woolwich, SE18
(Review by @TOWI Woolwich) 

Curry Asia in Woolwich is a modest off-Broadway place that doesn’t give much away to passersby. It hides behind ’80s-style vertical blinds that are always at least half-closed, shielding the diner from the shivering gaze of the crowd waiting for the 472 bus.

Inside, however, it’s warm, friendly, and aromatic. An Indian television channel hums quietly away in the corner and the Curry Asia delivery lads scuttle to and fro with takeaway orders. The lighting is mellow — the sort of illumination a lady appreciates after sunset. Comfortably padded timber chairs signal that this is a place for settling in with a few mates, and being on first-name terms with the waiter well before the end of the evening.

You will be asked if you want poppadoms. Say yes, but be warned—these are almost a meal in themselves. They come with four generous accompaniments, which, if you’re only human and as greedy as me, you’ll hoover up with reckless abandon while you watch the tide go down on your first bottle of 2008 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet.

The menu offers more than enough choice for some serious dish-envy and fear-of-missing-out angst. To kick off, my partner and I settled on Onion Bhajees (£2.75) and Tandoori King Prawns (£4.95). The latter tantalised our taste buds like a troupe of well-rehearsed showgirls. Think plump and juicy morsels of prawn coated lavishly in a fragrant and smoky tandoori paste, carrying just a hint of citrus tang and served with a crisp, palate-cooling salad. The bhajees were light and crunchy on the outside, enveloping a ball of moist and fragrant oniony goodness. If you were a larger party you could add some tikka (salmon, duck, chicken, or lamb, £2.95 to £4.50) or garlic mushrooms, and really share the love.

For mains, Curry Asia offers a good range of curries with the usual choices of protein. Our King Prawn Dupiaza (£9.95) was well-rounded, aromatic, and mildly spiced, packed with fat king prawns and thick slices of onion and fresh green pepper. The Chicken Jalfrezi (£6.50) boasted more attitude in the heat department, while pulling up short of inducing a full sweat. We spooned raita over the soft pillows of chicken and let the spices mingle with the cooling yogurt. We talked so much we let both dishes go cold, and they were still good.

Little touches complete the experience in this 1962 established restaurant. There’s the Singapore Airlines moment at the end of the meal when the plastic-wrapped freshly-nuked face flannels comes out: perfect for wiping away any post-vindaloo perspiration or, indeed, actual vindaloo. If you become even a semi-regular, the owner will likely offer you a nightcap on the house, and will see you to the door and shake your hand when you leave. It’s that kind of place.

Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was £43.40.

Curry Asia, 40 Thomas Street, Woolwich Arsenal, SE18 6HT. Tel: 020 8855 2941/0144. E-mail: info@curry-asia.com. Open: Sun–Thurs noon-2.30pm, 5.30pm–11.30pm (midnight Fri–Sat).

Curry of Asia snapshot

Food ① ② ③ ④ ⑤

Decor ① ②

Value ① ② ③ ④

Atmosphere (Thursday night) ① ② ③

Service and friendliness ① ② ③ ④ ⑤