The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals (23 page)

Add the green chilies and tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add the lime juice, water and salt to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the coriander leaves and omelet strips. Cook for another 2 minutes over a very low heat until the sauce coats the omelet strips. Serve hot.

Mom’s Chicken Curry
Kori Ghassi

This is my family’s recipe. It is one of my personal favorites for many reasons—including that it reminds me of my mother’s home cooking and Sunday brunch back home. Sometimes I make this curry just for me when I am missing mom’s food. I can never get enough of it. This dish is best served over rice or served with bread.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
30 minutes

10 dried red chili peppers

1¼ cups (125 g) shredded unsweetened coconut (frozen or freshly grated)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

3 cloves

6 peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick, ½-in (1.25-cm)

3 green cardamom pods

1 piece fresh ginger, 1-in (2.5-cm), peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 onion (about 5 oz/150 g), coarsely chopped

⅓ cup (80 ml) oil

1 whole chicken (about 2½–3½ lbs/1–1½ kg), cut into bone-in pieces

2 tomatoes (about ¾ lb/350 g), finely chopped

Salt, to taste

3 cups (750 ml) coconut milk

Juice of ½ lime

½ teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

Soak the red chilies in a little water for 15–20 minutes to soften.

Place the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, garlic, onion, and the soaked red chilies into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste, adding a little water if necessary.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. When hot, add the spice paste and cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until fragrant.

Add the chicken pieces and fry them in the paste for about 5 minutes, until seared. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and leave to simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 10–15 minutes. Add the lime juice and Garam Masala. Season with more salt if needed. Add more water if you need more gravy.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Murg Tikka Makhni

Chicken Tikka Masala, or “CTM,” as it is popularly known these days, is the number one best seller at Café Spice. The CTM at Café Spice has a national popularity and has been a well-guarded secret all this time. For the benefit of the readers of this book, here is how you can get closest to the recipe! At Café Spice, the
makhni
gravy and the chicken are prepared separately. I have used an easier home version in this recipe that makes the CTM equally tasty.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes plus 2 hours for marinating

Cook time:
20 minutes

⅓ cup (80 ml) thick, Greek-style plain yogurt or sour cream

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground coriander

3 teaspoons Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste (page
22
)

1¼–1½ lbs (600–750 g) skinless, boneless chicken pieces cut into 2-in (5-cm) cube

Nonstick cooking spray or oil, to grease grill pan

2 tablespoons oil

1 large red onion (about 8 oz/250 g), minced

1¼ cups (300 ml) tomato purée

2½ tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

2 tablespoons softened butter (optional)

Mix together 2 tablespoons of the yogurt or sour cream, 2 teaspoons of the paprika, 1 teaspoon of the ground coriander, 1 teaspoon of Café Spice Garam Masala, and half of the Ginger-Garlic Paste in a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed chicken and mix until the chicken pieces are well coated. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat and grease with nonstick cooking spray or a little oil. Place the chicken cubes on the grill pan and cook all sides until well browned, about 4–5 minutes per side. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the remaining Ginger-Garlic Paste and cook until the mixture turns golden brown, about 1–2 minutes. Add the remaining paprika and ground coriander. Mix well and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add the tomato purée, tomato paste, and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until the oil separates from the
masala
, about 2 minutes. This technique is called
bhunao
. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the onion-tomato mixture to a food processor or blender and process to a smooth paste. Add a little water if the mixture gets too thick.

Pour the tomato-onion purée back in the skillet and set over medium heat. Whisk in the remaining yogurt or sour cream, making sure it is well blended.

Add the chicken and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and allow the chicken to simmer until it is completely cooked, about 7–8 minutes. Stir in the remaining Café Spice Garam Masala, the fresh coriander leaves, and butter, if using, and mix well. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve hot.

Tandoori Spiced Roasted Chicken
Murg Tandoori

Known as the “King of the Kebab,” tandoori chicken is the best-known Indian delicacy and the tastiest way to barbecue chicken. The chicken should be marinated for at least four hours, but the longer you marinate the chicken, the better it tastes. The use of red food coloring, which creates the unique red color for which this dish is known, is optional. I’ve included instructions for roasting the chicken pieces in the oven or grilling them on a gas or charcoal grill, which will create a more authentic flavor.

Serves
4

Prep time:
20 minutes plus 4 hours for marinating

Cook time:
30 minutes

1 whole chicken, approximately 3½ to 4 lbs (1.6–1.75 kg), skinned, or 3½ to 4 lbs (1.6–1.75 kg) bone-in chicken pieces of your choice, skinned

1 teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

3 teaspoons salt

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons malt vinegar

⅓ cup (90 g) plain yogurt

½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream

1 piece fresh ginger, 2-in (5-cm), peeled and coarsely chopped

4 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic

1 fresh green chili pepper, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1 drop red food coloring (optional)

1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) melted butter, for basting

4 lime wedges

Mint Chutney (page
27
), for serving

If using a whole chicken, cut the chicken into four parts, following the tip below.

Using a cleaver or a large chef’s knife, cut the legs into two pieces (thigh and drumstick) and the breasts into four pieces. If cutting the legs in two is too daunting, just leave them whole. Cut slits 2-in (5-cm) long, and deep enough to reach the bone, into each side in the leg pieces. Make similar slits on the breast pieces.

Mix together the Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, lemon juice, and vinegar in a small bowl to make paste. Rub the paste over the chicken pieces evenly and into the slits. Set aside to marinate for 15–20 minutes.

Place the yogurt, cream, ginger, garlic, green chili pepper, cumin, Café Spice Garam Masala, saffron, and food coloring in a food processor or blender and process to make a smooth paste. Rub the chicken pieces with this yogurt mixture, making sure the marinade goes into the slits in the chicken. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To roast the chicken:
Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Take the chicken out of the marinade and place it on a rack in a rectangular baking pan or roaster. Roast the chicken for 25–30 minutes or until done. This technique is called
bhunnana
. Baste the chicken pieces with the melted butter during the roasting process. Serve garnished with lime wedges.

To grill the chicken:
Set up the grill for cooking with two heat zones—high and medium—and preheat. (Note: The larger pieces of chicken will cook more slowly than the smaller ones. To have perfectly cooked chicken pieces that are all done at the same time, it is best to use two heat zones.) As the smaller pieces become cooked, move them to the low-heat side of the grill to keep them warm while the larger pieces continue to cook. If your grill doesn’t have the capability to create multiple heat zones, simply put the large chicken pieces on first, followed by the smaller pieces. Cook the chicken pieces for about 10–15 minutes, then turn and cook the other side. Baste the chicken pieces with the melted butter during the grilling process. In about 25–30 minutes, the chicken should be cooked.
As the chicken cooks, it becomes firmer. To judge doneness, look for good color and firmer meat on the bottom side of the chicken. To be completely sure of doneness, cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 F° (74°C).

TIPS FOR CUTTING WHOLE CHICKEN AND CHICKEN PIECES—
There are different ways to quarter a whole chicken, but the easiest and fastest is to start with the legs. Take a leg in your hand and feel along it until you find the upper joint between the thighbone and leg. This feels like an indentation in the bone. Using a sharp, large knife, cut at the joint. The leg will separate from the breast with ease. Repeat with the other leg. Cut the chicken in half down the center, through the middle of the breast plate. You will now have 4 large pieces.

CUTTING BONE-IN CHICKEN PIECES—
Cutting breasts, thighs, and legs into smaller segments isn’t difficult. All you need is a large, sharp knife. Legs, owing to their thicker bone, cause a greater challenge and can be more easily cut with a sturdy cleaver. If cutting the legs in two is too daunting, simply leave them whole.