Tandoori/Tikka Marinade is what you will need for all those delicious tandoori and tikka recipes, including everyone’s favourite, Chicken Tikka Masala, starter Tandoori Lamb and other popular dishes such as Butter Paneer and Tikka Shaslick.
What you needā¦ ā¢ juice of 1 lemon ā¢ 200g plain plain yoghurt ā¢ 3 Tablespoons oil ā¢ 2 teaspoon fresh garlic paste or very finely chopped fresh garlic ā¢ 1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste or very finely chopped fresh ginger ā¢ 2 Tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped ā¢ 1 Tablespoon mint, finely chopped ā¢ 1.5 teaspoon paprika
ā¢1 teaspoon chilli powder ā¢ 0.5 tsp turmeric ā¢ 1 teaspoon garam masala ā¢ 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder ā¢ 1 teaspoon salt ā¢ 30ml water
How to make itā¦ 1. Simply mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.
CHEF’S TIP If you are looking for that bright red colour for your tandoori dishes, as favoured the old-school curry houses, you can add a add in a drop of red food colouring..
Tandoori/Tikka Marinade, the key to all those delicious tandoori and tikka dishes.
Chicken Chilli Dry Fry is an Indo-Chinese stir-fry dish, combining flavours from both cuisines. It is a very hot, dry dish and should be always be served fresh.
What you needā¦ ā¢ 2 Tablespoons cornflour ā¢ 6 teaspoons soy sauce ā¢ 150g chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks ā¢ 3 Tablespoons oil ā¢ 1 small onion, roughly chopped ā¢ 0.5 green pepper, sliced into strips ā¢ 1ā3 green chillies (to your taste), chopped ā¢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper ā¢ 0.5 teaspoon red chilli flakes ā¢ 1 tomato, roughly chopped ā¢ 2 spring onions, chopped ā¢ a few coriander leaves, for garnish
How to make itā¦ 1. Mix the cornflour with 4 teaspoons of soy sauce and coat the chicken in the mixture. Marinate for 15 minutes. 2. Heat oil to a medium-hot heat. Fry the chicken until all the pieces are sealed (about 2ā3 minutes), then set aside. 3. Add the green peppers to the pan and stir-fry until they start to soften (about 3ā4 minutes). 4. Add the onions, chillies, pepper and chilli flakes and stir fry for another 2ā3 minutes. Add a tiny bit of water if needed but not too much as this is a dry dish. 5. Add the rest of soya sauce and mix in well. 6. Add in the tomatoes and chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked. 7. Garnish with spring onion and coriander and serve fresh.
CHEF’S TIP If you enjoy this dish then start looking out for other Hakka Chinese dishes, a distinct Indo-Chinese cuisine that developed from a small group of people who settled in Kolkota from China.
Bhuni Shakakandi (Roasted Sweet Potato) is a popular Punjabi street snack. It’s pretty simple to make yet tasty and filling with bread of your choice.
What you need… ā¢ 4 sweet potatoes ā¢ 1 teaspoon chilli powder ā¢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin ā¢ 1 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango powder) ā¢ 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste ā¢ juice of 1 lemon ā¢ 1 red chilli, roughly sliced ā¢ few sprigs coriander, torn ā¢ 2.5cm piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
How you make it… 1. Preheat the oven to 180Ā°C. Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and bake them in the oven for about 35 minutes or until tender. 2. Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into 2.5cm rounds. 3. Put the sweet potato in a bowl, add the chilli powder, cumin, amchoor and salt and mix well. 4. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then add the chilli, coriander and ginger. Serve warm. ā¢ Recipe from Food of the Grand Trunk Road by Anirudh Arora and Hardeep Singh Kohli, courtesy of New Holland Publishing.
Jeera Chicken (chicken cooked with cumin) is a simple and quick dish to cook so it makes an ideal starter or snack. It’s a dry dish, cooked in only its own juices and a small amount of oil and water and has a lovely golden colour from the turmeric. It’s delicious when served with chutneys and a bit of salad.
What you needā¦ ā¢ 1 Tablespoon ghee ā¢ 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds ā¢ 300g chicken, cut into small bite-size chunks (the chunks should be a bit smaller than the ones you use for main dishes) ā¢ 0.5 onion sliced ā¢ 1 Tablespoon water ā¢ salt to taste
How to make itā¦ 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 cumin seeds to the pan and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed. 3. Add the Spice Mix and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy. 4. Add the chicken and stir fry for five minutes, ensuring all the pieces are nicely coated in the spices. Keep stirring as it will be very dry. Add the water if needed but keep it as dry as you can. 5. Add the onion and salt and continue stir frying until the chicken is fully cooked. 6. Serve with chutneys and salad.
CHEF’S TIP Jeera Chicken also makes an excellent main dish for people who like dry dishes. Simply double the quantities shown above..
Lighly spiced, Jeera Chicken is a quick and simple dish to make.
This guy who comes into our local restaurant is always being rude. One day the waiter had had enough and tipped a bowl of curry over his head. He never saw that cumin.
Dal Makani is a superbly rich dish, packed so full of energy that it’s been dubbed the marching food of the troops heading into battles. Preparation and patience are the key to this dish as the lentils have to be soaked for hours and then cooked until soft. But you’ll be rewarded with a luxurious dish of spices, ghee, cream and butter.
How to make itā¦ 1. Wash all the lentils (urad, rajma and chana dhal) in water. You will need to rinse through them a few times until the milkiness clears. Now soak them for at least six hours or preferably overnight. 2. Boil the lentils in fresh water with the salt. Simmer on low heat until lentils are well cooked and soft. This will take three to four hours, although you could use a pressure cooker to speed up the process. 3. Drain off the excess water and mesh the lentils lightly. If they are not soft enough you will need to cook them for longer. 4. Mix the Spice Mix with enough water to create a sloppy paste. 5. Heat the ghee in a pan until hot. Add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and stir fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed. 6. Add garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop it burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.) 7. Add Spice Mix and tomato puree and stir for 1 minute. 8. Add the cooked dal, 1 Tablespoon of butter and the cream (keep a tiny bit back for the garnish) mix well and warm though. The dal should be the consistency of a thick but pourable soup. Add hot water to achieve this consistency if needed. 9. Serve with a swirl of cream as garnish and the rest of the butter in the middle (this will quickly melt). ā¢ Recipe and photos courtesy of Gurkha’s Inn, Greenwich.
CHEF’S TIP Dal Makhani is delicious spooned over white rice or mopped up with a nan bread.
Shellfish lovers just can’t resist an Indian restaurant’s Prawn Curry. Take a good serving of your Base Curry Sauce, add some plump prawns, a bit of garlic and a sprinkle of spice for a great medium-strength curry. Garnish with fresh coriander.
What you needā¦ ā¢ small knob of butter ā¢ 800g prawns, shelled and deveined ā¢ 2 Tablespoons ghee ā¢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ā¢ 1 teaspoon garlic paste ā¢ 600ml Base Curry Sauce ā¢ 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup ā¢ small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish) ā¢ 1 teaspoon garam masala ā¢ salt to taste
How to make itā¦ 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. Add the ghee to the pan and het to a high heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 10 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed. 4. 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.) 5. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy. 6. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato ketchup and cook for 2 minutes. 7. Add the coriander stems, garam masala and salt, and cook until for 5 minutes. 8. Add the prawns and stir fry until the prawns are cooked. 9. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.
CHEF’S TIP Always use fresh prawns instead of frozen when you can.
Prawn Curry, the classic choice for shellfish lovers.
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 needā¦ ā¢ 2 Tablespoons ghee ā¢ pinch turmeric powder ā¢ 400ml Base Curry Sauce ā¢ small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish) ā¢ 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces ā¢ 2 Tablespoons yoghurt ā¢ salt to taste
Spice Mix 2 ā¢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ā¢ 2 cardamon seeds, cracked open but not crushed ā¢ 2 cloves ā¢ 5 curry leaves
How to make itā¦ 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 2ā3 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 3ā5 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.
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 to ensure the flavours are released into the ghee.
ChickenBhoona, the dry and aromatic dish, is an ideal and simple after-work curry.
The staple of every Indian restaurant: the classic Chicken Curry. Take a good serving of your Base Curry Sauce, add some chicken, a bit of garlic and a sprinkle of spice for a great medium-strength curry. Garnish with fresh coriander.
What you needā¦ ā¢ 2 Tablespoons ghee ā¢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ā¢ 1 teaspoon garlic paste ā¢ 600ml Base Curry Sauce ā¢ 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup ā¢ small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish) ā¢ 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces ā¢ 1 teaspoon garam masala ā¢ salt to taste
How to make itā¦ 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 10 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 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 five minutes. 7. Add the garam masala, salt and coriander stems and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked. 8. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.
CHEF’S TIP There’s loads of flavour in the stems of the coriander, so add them to the sauce when cooking and keep the leaves for garnish. To release the aroma from the leaves bruise them by gently rubbing them between your thumb and forefinger.
Chicken Curry, the staple dish of all Indian restaurants.
The Vindaloo is for curry lovers who are after some serious heat. Originally a pork and vinegar dish from the tiny state of Goa, restaurants took the name to represent a super spicy curry. The restaurant-style Vindaloo has heat from the peppercorns and chilli powder, sourness from the vinegar and includes its trademark chunks of potato. You’ll need to make our Base Curry Sauce first to cook this dish.
What you needā¦ ā¢ 1 large potato cut in chunks of 5cm in size (you should have 6-8 of them) ā¢ 2 Tablespoons ghee ā¢ 1 teaspoon garlic paste ā¢ 600ml Base Curry Sauce ā¢ 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup ā¢ 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces ā¢ 1 Tablespoon garam masala ā¢ salt to taste ā¢ 0.5 onion sliced ā¢ 1 Tablespoon vinegar
How to make itā¦ 1. Boil the potato chunks in water and pinch of salt until cooked. While it is boilingĀ mix the Spice Mix 1 with 1 tablespoon vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste. 2. Heat the ghee to a high heat. Add the Spice Mix 2 and fry for 10 seconds. The spices should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one cumin 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 throw it away and start again.) 4. Add the Spice Mix 2 and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy. 5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and tomato ketchup and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, mix well and cook for five minutes. 6. Add the garam masala, salt and mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes. 7. Add the onion and the tablespoon of vinegar and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked. 8. Finally, add the cooked potato pieces, mix in well and serve.
CHEF’S TIP You might want to order a cold beer or icy mango lassi to wash down a hot dish like a Vindaloo.
Chicken Vindaloo, the hot and sour favourite for heat lovers.
A customer in an Indian restaurant just canāt make up his mind what to order. Eventually the staff are getting impatient. āShall I have the Butter Chicken or the Vindaloo,ā he asks for the umpteenth time. āAnd the rice or the naan?ā āSir,ā replies the waiter. āWe have many dishes and we can advise you, of course. But the final choice of what you want to eat is en-Thali up to you.ā
Madras is the go-to choice for heat fans and chicken tops the list. Named after south India’s hot, sweltering city (now called Chennai) a Madras offers a great heat kick without going too crazy. Heat lovers would say it dishes up the perfect balance of spice and heat ā just add Base Curry Sauce, some extra spices plus a little onion and tomato.
What you needā¦ ā¢ 2 Tablespoons ghee ā¢ 1 teaspoon garlic paste ā¢ 600ml Base Curry Sauce ā¢ 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup ā¢ 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces ā¢ 1 Tablespoon garam masala ā¢ salt to taste ā¢ 0.5 onion sliced ā¢ 1 tomato, cut into segments ā¢ lemon juice (optional)
How to make itā¦ 1. Heat the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix 1 with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste. 2. Add the Spice Mix 2 to the ghee and fry for 10 seconds. The spices should sizzle immediately. You can test it is hot enough by adding one cumin 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 Spice Mix 1 and stir fry for 2 minutes. The mixture should now be thick and gloopy. 5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and tomato ketchup and cook for 2 minutes. 6. Add the chicken, mix everything well and cook for 5 minutes. 7. Add the garam masala and salt and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. 8. Add the onion and tomato. Continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked. 9. A Madras tastes great with a squeeze of lemon on top just before serving.
CHEF’S TIP The onion and tomato segments should be cooked just enough that they are soft but still intact.
With its great heat kick Chicken Madras is one of the most popular curries in Indian restaurants.
A man visits his local library and asks for a Chicken Madras. “This is a library,” says the librarian. “Oh, sorry,” whispers the man, “can I have a Chicken Madras.”
The Royal Curry Club 