How to cook… Chicken Pasanda

On August 29, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Pasanda is another dish from the famed Mughal-era, when dishes were rich and luxurious. Traditionally the dish is cooked with goat or lamb meat that is flattened, marinated then cooked in aromatic spices. This recipe uses chicken. Using a whole chicken breast makes a nice change from the bite-sized chunks found in most curry dishes and no-one can dispute that the yoghurt, nuts and pepper combination create a dish worthy of the famous royal courts from the 17th century.

What you need…
• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons ghee
• 2 cardamons, cracked
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick 5cm long
• 1 onion, pureed
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon cream
• 3 Tablespoons roasted sliced almonds (crush up 2 Tablespoons to be added to the curry and keep 1 Tablespoon for garnish)
• Salt to taste
• Few coriander leaves for garnish

Marinade
• 150g yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1.5 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt

How to make it…
1. Use a meat tenderiser or roller to flatten the chicken breasts so they are as even in thickness as possible (but don’t beat it to a pulp!).
2. Rub the lemon juice on the chicken breasts and leave for 15 minutes. This will remove the grease so the chicken absorbs the marinade fully.
3. Mix all the marinade ingredients well and cover the chicken breasts. Leave for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
4. Remove the chicken breasts and shake off the excess marinade.
5. Heat the ghee to a medium heat and fry the chicken breasts for 5 minutes on each side. Set aside. Add the cardamons, cloves and cinnamon stick to the pan and fry for 30 seconds.
6. Add the rest of the ghee to the pan, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the garlic paste and ginger paste and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add the rest of the marinade, the crushed almonds and salt, and when everything has mixed fully add the chicken, cover the pan and cook gently until the chicken breasts are cooked through fully.
9. Garnish with almonds and coriander, then add the cream on top in a swirl just before serving.

**CHEF’S TIP**
The best way to roast the almonds is under the grill but keep and eye on them as they roast very quickly.

**Chicken Pasanda**, rich with plenty of nuts.

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
An almond walks into a bar with his friend and asks for 10 beers, 6 shots and a bottle of vodka. … “Are you nuts?” asks the barman.

How to cook… Achari Chicken

On August 28, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Achari Chicken is for lovers of pickling spices. Take a good serving of the Base Curry Sauce, add some chicken, a bit of garlic and a sprinkle of spice for a great medium-strength curry. Just with salty, tangy pickles.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 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)
• 2.5 Tablespoons mixed or lime pickle, chopped
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• salt to taste

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

How you 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 Spice Mix paste 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 2 Tablespoons chopped pickle and mix well
7. Add the chicken, mix well and cook for five minutes.
8. Add the garam masala, salt (check carefully as the pickle is usually salty enough) and coriander stems and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked.
9. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves and the other half Tablespoon of pickle.

**CHEF’S TIP**
You can also try this with Shaktora a citrus that is native of Sylhet in Bangladesh.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
Why do pickles love being in a curry? …Because they relish it.

**Achari Chicken**, strictly for fans of pickling spices.

How to cook… Prawn Balchão

On August 27, 2020March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

For such a small state Goa has a rich and varied cuisine. Drawing on influences from Portuguese (who ruled Goa for 450 years until 1961) and Indian cooking and naturally using the the abundant fish and shellfish, Goa has produced some superb dishes. Prawn Balchão is one of them. The fiery prawn dish, considered a pickle by many, includes dried chillies, peppercorns and tamarind to create a hot but tart flavour.

What you need…
• 600g prawns, shelled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• knob of butter
• 1 Tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 2 Tablespoons vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1.5 onions, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon tomato ketchup
• Salt to taste
• 15 curry leaves

Spice Mix
• 2 peppercorns
• 12 dried, red chillies
• 2 cloves
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Shop now

How you make it…
1. Mix the turmeric and salt with prawns and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Dry roast the Spice Mix in a pan until they release their aromas (about 3 minutes).
3. Add together the roasted Spice Mix, garlic paste, ginger paste, vinegar and tamarind and blend to a paste.
4. Heat the oil in a pan to a medium heat and fry the prawns until they turn pink (about 3 minutes). Set aside.
5. Heat the oil to a medium heat and fry the onions until soft (about 5 minutes)
6. Add the tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes, mashing the mixture as it cooks. Add a little water as necessary to start creating a thickish sauce.
7. Add the tomato ketchup, Spice Mix paste and curry leaves, mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
8. Add the prawns and stir fry until they are all cooked through (about 3–5 minutes).

**CHEF’S TIP**
You can use any vinegar in this dish but for an authentic taste use coconut vinegar which gives added sharpness.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
Check out 5 Best Goa Curries
Vinegar is always struggling through life… Whatever he does he ends up in a pickle.

How to cook… Murgh Nawabi

On August 24, 2020August 23, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

This is a dish from the predominantly Muslim city of Lucknow in North India and dates back hundreds of years to the era of the Nawab-Wazirs (who governed what was known as the state of Awadh at the time). The Nawabs were the royal leaders that followed the great Mughlai era and they were renowned for their great excess. This rich dish of yoghurt, cream, nuts and sultanas is that certainly one that fits the bill.

What you need…
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1.5 onions, pureed
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 150ml cream
• 1 Tablespoon sultanas
• 1 Tablespoon sliced almonds
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar (optional, if you like it sweeter)
• salt to taste (remember there is salt in the marinade)

Marinade
• 100g yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

How you make it…
1. Rub the chicken with the lemon juice and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade, add the chicken, mix well and leave for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oil in a pan to a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the curry powder and garam masala and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken and marinade and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add the cream, sultanas and almonds, mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add the coriander stems, (optional) sugar and salt if needed, mix well and continue cooking until all the chicken pieces are fully cooked.
8. Sprinkle the coriander leaves on top and serve.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This dish is also delicious with paneer instead of chicken.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
Why does the cream have so many friends? … Because it’s so cool.

**Murgh Nawabi**, rich in cream, nuts and sultanas.

How to cook… North Indian Handi

On August 15, 2020September 6, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 2 as a main dish

Handi refers to the broad-based pots in which the dish is traditionally cooked. Handi pots are used all over the sub-continent resulting in thousands of versions of this chicken dish. This is the archetypal North Indian Handi, courtesy of @thecurriedlondoner, producing a glossy, onion and tomato-based gravy, wrapped around boneless chicken thighs, finshed with a splash of cream.

What you need…
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
• 1 fresh long chilli
• 500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 Tablespoons Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 Tablespoons yoghurt
• 1 Tablespoon cream
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves
• 0.5 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 50ml water
• fresh coriander and cream to garnish

How you make it…
1. Set a large, lidded pan over a medium-high heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add finely chopped onions and tomatoes and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the ginger-garlic paste, crispy fried onions and fresh chilli and cook for 3 minutes more. Add a splash of water if needed.
3. Add the chicken, stir thoroughly and cook until selaed on all sides (about 8–10 minutes).
4. Add the chilli powder, coriander, turmeric and yoghurt, stir and cover the pan with a lid and cook over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Add a splash of water if needed
5. Add the cream, fenugreek leaves, garam masala and salt, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the water and cook, uncovered until the chicken is cooked and the gravy has thickened (about 10 mnutes).
7. Garnish with a generous spinkling of corinader and a drizzle of cream and serve.
• Recipe courtesy @thecurriedlondoner

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you are cooking the crispy onions yourself use a small amount of oil and keep turning them to ensure they are cooked evenly all over.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
You don’t have need a chef to cook this dish… you can just call a handy man.

Shop now

How to cook… Smoker Tandoori Chicken

On July 30, 2020August 16, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a starter

Classic Tandoori Chicken is great when cooked in a smoker. It’s a fairly long process and the final taste is way smokier than you’d get in a grill or a tandoor but it’s well worth it for tandoori lovers. Marinate the delicious spices in the Tandoori Marinade and then smoke away…

What you need…
• 4–6 deboned chicken thighs, skinned and trimmed of excess fat
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 recipe of Tandoori/Tikka Marinade

How you 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. Heat your smoker to 150 C. If using a manual smoker make sure the flames from your fire have died down and the wood/coals are just producing smoke.
5. Place the thighs in the smoker, keeping them at the farthest end from the heat source, and cook for 90 minutes, turning once.

**CHEF’S TIP**
When making your Tandoori Marinade you can omit the water to keep the marinade thicker. This helps the thighs retain their moisture.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
Why should you never smoke pickles? … Because they’ll make you dill.

Shop now

How to cook… Goan Fish Curry

On July 15, 2020November 28, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Goa’s location along the western coast of the country, by the Arabian Sea, means seafood naturally features prominently in its cuisine. Coconut milk, tamarind, juicy white fish and blazing heat from the chillies creates a delicious Goan Fish Curry.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 red chillies, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 150g coconut milk
• 4 Tablespoons fresh coconut, grated (you can use desiccated coconut but add another 50g coconut milk if you do)
• 1 Tablespoon tamarind chutney
• salt to taste
• 800g any firm white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces

Spice Mix
• 2 curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 turmeric powder
• 0.5 coriander powder
• 0.5 cumin powder

Shop now

How you make it…
1. Heat the oil to a medium heat and add the onions until they start to brown (about 5 minutes)
2. Add the chopped chillies and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add Spice Mix and the garlic and ginger pastes with a splash of water and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the coconut milk, fresh coconut and tamarind and reduce until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes).
5. Add the salt and the fish and cook until the fish is all cooked through (about 5–6 minutes).
6. Let the fish rest for 5 minutes before serving.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Monkfish has a dense texture and is perfect for this dish.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
Check out 5 Best Goa Curries
Do you want this fish dish sir? … Goan then.

How to cook… Malai Sag Muttar

On July 10, 2020July 9, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 2 as a side dish

Malai Sag Muttar is a popular dish all over the sub-continent but especially in North India. It is simple dish, with just a few spices added to wilted spinach, onions and peas, and a dash of cream added just before serving.

What you need…
• 100g spinach
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 0.5 chilli powder
• 0.5 garlic
• 0.5 ginger
• 0.5 fenugreek seeds
• 70g peas (frozen are good)
• salt to taste
• 1 Tablespoon cream

How you make it…
1. Wash the spinach with hot water in a colander. Drain.
2. Heat oil to a medium heat and fry the onion until it softens (about 3–4 minutes).
3. Add the chilli powder, garlic, ginger, fenugreek and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the spinach and cook for 10 minutes until it well softened and wilted.
5. Add the salt and the peas and cook until they are warmed through (about 3–4 minutes).
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and add the cream just before serving.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This is beat as a slow-burner but if you are really in a rush you can turn up the heat.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
What green and sung by the Beatles? … Peas, Peas, Me.

Curry Guide… Tandoori Chicken

On December 31, 2018 By Daniel FordIn Curry GuideLeave a comment

Tandoori Chicken is a now popular dish across the world but it has its roots in the region that today comprises Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India. The chicken is marinated in yoghurt and a mix of tandoori spices, then cooked in a tandoor oven, with the heat from the wood or charcoal giving the dish its trademark smokiness. The edges of the chicken are often slightly charred and the meat is scored (this was the allow the marinade to penetrate deeper).

Tandoori Chicken Gurkha's Inn The red colour of the meat comes from the cayenne pepper, red chilli powder and turmeric in the spice mix, although some chefs add food colouring. In recent years there has been a backlash against the use of this red colouring and the days of Day-Glo looking chicken are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

Tandoori Chicken is a popular starter with chutneys and makes a great snack with a Butter Nan.It also serves the base for a number of curries such as Butter Chicken. The chicken is often served to the table sizzling and for that reason it is sometimes called a Sizzler.

The Spice Card offers savings on curries, including on takeaways at many venues. You can get your Spice Card here.

3D card image

The Royal Curry Club

Tag: North Indian Food

How to cook… Chicken Pasanda

How to cook… Achari Chicken

How to cook… Prawn Balchão

How to cook… Murgh Nawabi

How to cook… North Indian Handi

How to cook… Smoker Tandoori Chicken

How to cook… Goan Fish Curry

How to cook… Malai Sag Muttar

Curry Guide… Tandoori Chicken

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: