1,000 Indian Recipes (247 page)

5.
Add the coconut milk, cover the pan again, and continue to simmer until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter the fried almonds and raisins and the mint leaves on top, and serve.

Grilled Chicken in Spicy Sauce

Murgh Tikka Masala

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This dish, called
murghtikkamasala
, has multiple levels of delectable flavor. It is made with grilled boneless cubes of chicken
(tikkas)
simmered in a full-bodied and spicy curry sauce. I generally make the
tikkas
a day ahead—serve some with chilled beer or wine, then make this curry the next day. You can also make this recipe with any leftover grilled chicken, meat, or fish. If you're using fish, add it just minutes before serving or it will disintegrate in the sauce.

¹
⁄
₂
recipe
Basic Chicken Tikka Kabaabs
, made with
Mint Chicken Tikka Marinade
or
Creamy Chicken Tikka Marinade

¹
⁄
₂
cup (
¹
⁄
₂
recipe)
Fried Onion Paste

2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

¹
⁄
₂
cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems, + more for garnish

1 tablespoon coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 cup water

¹
⁄
₂
cup heavy cream

1.
Make the tikka kabaabs and cut them into smaller pieces if you wish. Then make the fried onion paste (reserving the ghee).

2.
In a food processor, process together the tomatoes and cilantro until puréed.

3.
Place the onion paste, along with 1 tablespoon of the ghee in which the onion paste was fried. Add the puréed tomatoes and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until all the juices evaporate, about 7 minutes.

4.
Add the coriander, cumin, fenugreek leaves, paprika, garam masala, and salt and stir about 1 minute. Then add the water and the grilled chicken kabaab pieces and simmer about 5 minutes. Add the cream and simmer another 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with some chopped cilantro, and serve.

Variation:
Substitute any of the
tikkas
in "Starters and Snacks" with different meats, paneer cheese, or vegetables, to create a new dish every time.

Butter Chicken Curry

Murgh Makhani

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Makhani
means with butter added, and as much as the (clarified) butter is important, the real trademark of this dish lies with tomatoes, green chile peppers, and whole garam masala spices, that are delicately balanced with the smooth sweetness of heavy cream and the smoky flavored chicken.

1 recipe
Grilled Tandoori Chicken

4 cups (1 recipe)
Butter-Cream Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks

2 to 4 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, split in half lengthwise

1.
Make the tandoori chicken, then cool and remove the meat in very coarse pieces from the bones.

2.
Make the butter-cream sauce and add the chicken pieces into it while it is still in the pan. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving dish.

3.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the ginger and green chile peppers, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the chicken and swirl lightly to mix, with parts of it visible as a garnish. Serve hot.

Chicken and Cracked-Wheat Curry

Haleem-Murgh

Makes 6 to 8 servings

This authentic Hyderabadi dish comes to me from my friend Bharti Mahendra, a native of Hyderabad. Her mother makes this dish with bone-in chicken pieces, and once they are tender, she shreds the meat off the bones and then proceeds with the recipe. Bharti makes hers with small pieces of boneless chicken. For more flavor, add part or all chicken broth in place of the water.

1
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

1 cup cracked whole-wheat

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 to 4 cups water

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

¹
⁄
₂
cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1 tablespoon chickpea flour

3 tablespoons peanut oil or ghee

1 medium-large onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, sliced diagonally

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems (reserve some for garnish)

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves (reserve some for garnish)

1.
Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Then, place the cracked wheat, half the chicken, and the water in a large saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Boil about 5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook until the chicken softens and starts to fall apart, about 1 hour.

2.
Let cool, mix in the lime juice, then blend everything in a blender or a food processor to make a smooth purée. Remove to a bowl and, in the same blender, blend together the yogurt and chickpea flour and keep separate.

3.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining chicken, and the ginger-garlic paste, cayenne pepper, and salt and cook, stirring, until the chicken is soft and browned, about 7 minutes.

4.
Add the blended yogurt and cook, stirring, until it the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Then mix in the puréed cracked wheat and chicken mixture and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer about 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

5.
Mix together the green chile peppers, cilantro, and mint leaves, and mix the remaining into the dish during the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the reserved cilantro and mint, and serve.

Goan-Style Spicy Chicken Curry

Murgh Vindaloo

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This unique vinegar-added chicken curry is a super-hot Goan specialty that, on first bite, sends "danger" signals through your taste buds. For those who want less of a challenge, go easy on the chile peppers and serve this dish with steamed
basmati
rice, soothing yogurt
raita
, and chilled lemonade.

1 tablespoon
Goan Vindaloo Powder

3 dried red chile peppers, broken (optional)

4 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

¹
⁄
₄
cup distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon garam masala +
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon for garnish

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

15 to 20 fresh curry leaves

1 (2
¹
⁄
₂
- to 3-pound) chicken, skinned and cut into serving pieces (discard the back and wings)

2 tablespoons peanut oil

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped cilantro

1.
Prepare the vindaloo powder. Then, in a food processor or a blender, process together the red chile peppers (if using), garlic, ginger, onion, and vinegar until smooth. Add the vindaloo and garam masalas, salt, and turmeric, and process to make a smooth paste. Remove to a bowl and then process the tomatoes and curry leaves until puréed.

2.
Place the chicken in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the chile pepper-onion-vinegar paste and mix well, making sure all the chicken pieces are well-coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 and up to 24 hours.

3.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the marinated chicken, plus all the marinade. Cook, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes.

4.
Add the puréed tomatoes and cook, stirring as needed, until the chicken is tender and the sauce thick, about 10 minutes. (Add up to
¹
⁄
₂
cup water for a thinner sauce.) Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with chopped cilantro and garam masala, and serve.

Variation:
To make a dry vindaloo, when you reach Step 3, cook the chicken until tender and completely dry, about 30 minutes. Do not add tomatoes.

Yogurt Chicken Curries