How to cook… Chicken Phall

On June 12, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a side dish

The Phall is the hottest curry you’ll find in most restaurants and many do not even put it on their menu. Expect rolling eyes from the waiter when you order it and watering eyes from yourself when you are eating it. Base Curry Sauce.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
• 3 dried red chillies
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Tablespoon garam masala
• salt to taste

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 2 Tablespoons chopped chilli pickle
• 4 teaspoons chilli powder

How to make it…
1. Heat the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Add the peppercorns and chillies and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one peppercorn.
3. Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.)
4. Add the Spice Mix and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the chicken, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the garam masala, salt and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked.

**CHEF’S WARNING**
Be very sure you can handle a lot of spice before eating curries this hot.

**Chicken Phall**, with chilli powder, chopped chilli paste, peppercorns and dried red chillies. Might just be hot then.

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
If you order a curry and it’s not hot enough it could leave you in a Phall mood.

How to cook… Lamb Bhoona

On June 8, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

The use of the whole spices produces an earthy and aromatic dish and work excellently with lamb. Lamb Bhoona is a dryish dish, with the chunks of meat coated in the thick sauce. This is achieved by using less Base Curry Sauce than with other dishes and by cooking the sauce in batches slowly to reduce and thicken it.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 800g lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 400ml Base Curry Sauce
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 2 Tablespoons yoghurt
• salt to taste

Spice Mix 1
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 cardamon seeds, cracked open but not crushed
• 2 cloves
• 5 curry leaves

Spice Mix 2
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

How to make it…
1. Heat the ghee to a high heat. Add the Spice Mix 1 and fry for 15 seconds. They whole spices should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one cumin seed.
2. Now add the lamb and stir fry until all the chunks are sealed. This should take 2–3 minutes.
3. Now add a quarter of the Base Curry Sauce and stir fry for 10 minutes. Add another quarter of the sauce and repeat. When you add the last quarter of the sauce also add the Spice Mix 2 and coriander stems. The sauce should be thick by the end of the 40-minutes process.
4. Add the yoghurt and salt, mix well and stir fry until the lamb is tender (about 5 minutes).
5. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you don’t like whole spices in your finished curry you can put them in a little spice bag before dropping them in the ghee. You then remove the bag just before serving. If using the spice bag, cook the spices in the ghee for an extra 5–10 seconds at stage 1 to ensure the flavours are released through the bag into the ghee.

**Lamb Bhoona**, chunky meat in a thick, dry sauce.

If you like this you should try our…
Butter Paneer • Muttar Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Prawn Madras • Prawn Rogan • Prawn Vindaloo • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Butter Chicken • Chicken Dopiaza
What’s your favourite curry?

How to cook… Medium Lamb Curry

On June 7, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Lamb Curry is a classic curry house favourite and this medium-strength recipe is easy to make, with some garlic and spices added to the Base Curry Sauce and simmered until the lamb is tender.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 800g lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• salt to taste
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

How to make it…
1. Heat the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
3. Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.)
4. Add the lamb and stir fry until sealed (about 2–3 minutes).
5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to avoid it sticking.
6. Add the Spice Mix and tomato ketchup, mix well and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Add the salt and coriander stems and continue cooking until the lamb is tender (about 5 minutes). Add water, as needed, to maintain the consistency.
8. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Keeping turning the lamb chunks during the cooking process to make sure they all absorb the flavours of the sauce fully.

Classic **Lamb Curry**. Dark, rich sauce with meaty chunks of lamb.

If you like this you should try our…
Lamb Madras • Chilli Paneer • Sag Paneer • Muttar Paneer • Prawn Madras • Prawn Rogan • Prawn Vindaloo • Prawn Dopiaza • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Butter Chicken • Chicken Dopiaza • Mushroom Bhajee
What do you call a quiet lamb? … One that is asheeeeep.

How to cook… Egg and Potato Curry

On May 23, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes1 Comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Egg and Potato Curry is a hugely popular dish in India yet it’s difficult to find outside the sub-continent. This Punjabi-style recipe is easy to make. Boiled eggs are sealed in oil then added to a tomato sauce that has been infused with aromatic whole spices.

What you need…
• 8 eggs
• 3 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• salt to taste
• 3 Tablespoon oil
• 1.5 onions, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon garlic, roughly chopped
• 2–3cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• small handful coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish if you want garnish).

Spice Mix 1
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods (cracked open but not crushed)
• 6 peppercorns
• 3 whole dried red chillies (or a teaspoon of crushed dried chillies)
• 1 bay leaf

Spice Mix 2
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder (more if you like your curries hot)

How you make it…
1. Hard boil the eggs and remove the shells. Set aside.
2. Pat dry the potatoes with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
3. Heat the oil to medium-hot in a pan and fry the potatoes until they are cooked through and just start to brown. Set aside.
4. Fry the eggs in the same oil for about 5 minutes, rolling them frequently to avoid them crisping. Remove eggs and set aside.
5. Turn up the heat to ensure the oil is piping hot. Add the whole spices and cook for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding a cardamom pod. You want to infuse the oil with the flavours of the whole spices but if they burn you will have to do stage 5 again.
6. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, mix well, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the tomatoes, Spice Mix 2, coriander stems, mix well and cook for 10 minutes. Add water, as needed, to keep the sauce pourable.
8. Add the potatoes and eggs. Make sure the eggs are coated with the sauce but be careful not to break them up. Heat through for about 5 minutes.
9. Serve, garnished with the (optional) coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
We’ve worked on two eggs per person. If people with larger appetites are coming for dinner then simply boil extra eggs.

If you like this you should try our…
Sindhi Biryani • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
Why did the chicken cross the road? … To chat to the egg and see who crossed first.

How to cook… Prawn Dopiaza

On May 23, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Originally a dish from Persia, Dopiaza means “two onions” and gives it name to this curry because onions are used twice in the recipe (in the Base Curry Sauce and towards the end when the fried onions are added). You’ll need to quickly seal the prawns in butter and brown the onions first, then create the sauce before re-adding the prawns and fried onions again at the end.

What you need…
• small knob of butter
• 800g prawns, shelled and deveined
• 3 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• salt to taste

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

How to make it…
1. Heat the butter 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 prawns to the butter and stir fry until they are pink. This should take about 2 minutes. Remove the prawns from the pan and set aside.
3. Heat 1 Tablespoon ghee to a medium heat and stir fry the onions until they are starting to brown. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
4, Heat the rest of the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste.
5. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
6. Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.)
7. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
8. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Add the prawns, mix well and cook for five minutes.
10. Add the garam masala, salt, coriander stems and prawns and cook for 2 minutes.
11. Add the fried onions and continue cooking until the prawns are fully cooked.
12. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Caramelising the onions creates a sweet and slightly sticky dish so it’s complemented nicely with a spicy chilli pickle or tart lime pickle on the side.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
Last time I was in a fruit and veg shop the owner told me that his onions could sing a Bee Gees song. I had to stay a bit longer to listen but then I noticed it was just the chives talking.

How to cook… Prawn Korma

On May 19, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes4 Comments

Serves 4 as a main dish

The beautifully mild Korma is a delicious dish when cooked well. This recipe avoids the sickly sweetness and coconut dished up by some restaurants and concentrates on the creamy, smoothness of a great dish served with plump prawns.

What you need…
• 1.5 onions
• 3 Tablespoons ghee
• 4 Tablespoons ghee
• 4 Tablespoons milk
• pinch turmeric
• 800g prawns, shelled and deveined
• 1 Tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 Tablespoon garam masala
• 100g yoghurt
• 150ml double cream
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon almond flakes
• few coriander leaves, for garnish

How to make it…
1. Chop the onions and blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes. This removes the bitterness. Purée the onions in a blender.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon ghee in a pan to a low-medium heat. Add the milk and the turmeric and once warm add the prawns to colour them. This should take 1-2 minutes. Remove the prawns and set aside.
3. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the rest of the ghee. When hot add the onions and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the garam masala, yoghurt, cream and salt, and cook for 3 minutes.
6. While it is cooking turn the grill to a high heat and roast the almonds. This takes less than a minute so be careful not to burn them.
7. Add the prawns until cooked.
8. Serve, garnished with the roasted almonds and coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
The smoothness of this dish means you’ll be able to actually taste a delicate accompaniment such as Saffron Rice or Lemon Rice.

If you like this you should try our…
Prawn Madras • Prawn Rogan • Prawn Vindaloo • Prawn Dopiaza • Mughlai Malai Kofta • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Butter Chicken • Chicken Dopiaza
What’s Boy George’s favourite curry? … Korma Chameleon

How to cook… Tandoori Chicken

On May 14, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a starter

It’s hard to resist this classic Indian dish. Marinated in the delicious spices of the Tandoori Marinade and then cooked in a tandoor, Tandoori Chicken makes a great starter with salads and pickles. You can create this classic dish at home using your oven – even down to the iconic charred edges.

What you need…
• 4 chicken thighs, skinned and trimmed of excess fat
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 recipe of Tandoori Marinade

How to make it…
1. Make 2–3 small cuts about 3mm deep into the flesh of each thigh. This helps the chicken absorb the the marinade and gives the cooked thighs a nice look too.
2. Squeeze the lemon over the thighs, rub it in well and leave for 15 minutes. This will degrease the chicken and also helps the chicken absorb the marinade.
3. Shake off the excess lemon and coat the thighs in the Tandoori Marinade. Leave for at least 15 minutes but preferably 24–48 hours.
4. Preheat your oven to 170 C. Place the thighs on a baking tray, ensuring all the pieces are kept well apart and cook for 25 minutes.
5. Turn the thighs over and turn the heat up to 240 C. This will blacken the edges of the thighs, creating the same effect achieved by the tandoor.
6. Serve with salad and pickles.

**CHEF’S TIP**
You can mimic the smokey taste of the tandoor by using a small amount of smoked paprika in the Tandoori Marinade.

**Tandoori** **Chicken**, just add salad and pickles.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Tikka • Butter Chicken • Chicken Rogan
Why did the duck cross the road? … The chicken was on holiday.

How to cook… Chicken Bhoona

On May 5, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes17 Comments

Serves 4 as a main dish

Bhoona is a dryish dish, with the chicken coated in the sauce rather than swimming in it. This is achieved by using less Base Curry Sauce and by cooking the sauce in batches to reduce and thicken it. The use of the whole spices produces an earthy and aromatic dish.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• pinch turmeric powder
• 400ml Base Curry Sauce
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons yoghurt
• salt to taste

Spice Mix 1
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Spice Mix 2
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 cardamon seeds, cracked open but not crushed
• 2 cloves
• 5 curry leaves

How to make it…
1. Heat 1 Tablespoon ghee to a medium heat and add a pinch of turmeric.
2. Now add the chicken and stir fry until all the chunks are sealed. This should take 2–3 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.
3. Heat the rest of the ghee to a high heat. Add the Spice Mix 2 and fry for 10 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
4. Now add a quarter of the Base Curry Sauce and stir fry until it thickens. This should take 3–5 minutes. Add another quarter of the sauce and repeat. When you add the last of the sauce also add Spice Mix 1, the coriander stems and salt. Stir fry until it thickens.
5. Add the chicken and mix well to ensure all the pieces of chicken are nicely coated in the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the yoghurt and salt, mix well and stir fry until the chicken is cooked. Ensure the chicken pieces are coated in the sauce not swimming in it.
7. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**Chicken** **Bhoona**, the dry and aromatic dish, is an ideal and simple after-work curry.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Butter Chicken • Chicken Rogan • Chicken Tikka Masala • Chicken Dopiaza • Chicken Dhansak
This is the favourite of rock music fans, who love to belt out, “Bhoona to be Free”.

The Royal Curry Club

Tag: Cooking

How to cook… Chicken Phall

How to cook… Lamb Bhoona

How to cook… Medium Lamb Curry

How to cook… Egg and Potato Curry

How to cook… Prawn Dopiaza

How to cook… Prawn Korma

How to cook… Tandoori Chicken

How to cook… Chicken Bhoona

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