To accompany the mega-rich butter chicken, I wanted a veg-based accompaniment. I was in the mood for courgette so Googled Indian-influenced courgette recipes. Disappointingly there was hardly anything out there; it’s not a particularly Indian ingredient and the only recipe that seemed to crop up was one for “courgette with peas and tomato” which was moving away from the side-dish I was after. There was nothing left but to get creative. I thought about how I would prepare a courgette, and thinly sliced and griddled is one of my favourite. By adding a curry-flavoured oil I was pretty much there. I was really pleased with how they turned out and will stick them out front for another Indian meal some time.
Griddled tori masala:
2 courgettes, thinly sliced lengthways
100ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 cloves garlic, grated
Combine the oil with the garam masala and garlic and heat in a pan over a low heat. Once the garlic pieces start to fizz and bubble, turn the heat off and allow it to infuse the oil for 15 minutes.
Preheat a griddle to very hot. Brush one side of the courgettes with the oil and griddle the courgette oil-side down.
After a couple of minutes peek underneath. If the char-marks are starting to appear, brush the raw side and slip them over.
When griddled on both sides, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
I’ve recently discovered the charming site FoodForFriendsYeah! and have been enjoying the luscious photography and easygoing style. Last week a tantalising curry passed my RSS: butter chicken. Going a little curry gung-ho of late, I couldn’t resist. I had to try, particularly given it’s enthusiastic and passionate write-up. It’d come from a pretty authentic source too.
marinade
I set to marinating my chicken in what seemed like a little of everything of my spice drawer mixed with some yoghurt, and left it overnight to have a jolly good party. The real bonus is this is most of the work; next day is just frying onions and adding the chicken mix then baking. One line from the recipe did concern me though:
“Skim off the extra fat carefully (sometimes using kitchen rolls helps).”
What exactly was I dealing with here?! It was true to its word; I laid a piece of kitchen roll over the dish after it came out and within seconds it was sopping. God knows how much fat was left in it after adding a ton o’ cream, butter and yoghurt to it! To try and counteract this carb fest I invented some tori masala as an excuse to have some greenery.
tray baked butter chicken
The curry was very tasty but disappointing in some respects. I felt the chicken had toughened in the baking process. If I did it again I would brine the meat for a few hours beforehand to lock in moisture. The texture of the sauce was quite delicious though; creamy and sticking to the chunks of chicken and perfect to scooping up with warmed naan. The flavour itself was overwhelmingly saffron. While this wasn’t unpleasant in itself I felt I’d added a whole boat-load of other spices to no effect. I would be interested in trying it again without the saffron to see if the other aromatics had a chance to fight through. So on reflection a tasty curry, however I suspect with a couple of tweaks could be very great indeed.
P.S. Two days later I ate it warmed up for lunch, and the flavour had improved tremendously. The saffron had dulled and gave away to other spices, notably cardamom. I would recommend making it the day before and reheating for an enhanced dinner, as is so often the case with deeply spiced dishes.
Butter chicken:
For the marinade:
3cm long ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
80g ground almonds
¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 cardamom pods, seeds only, ground
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
A healthy pinch saffron
1 tin tomatoes
150ml thick, Greek style yogurt
1 kilogram chicken pieces, cut into chunks
For the sauté:
4 tablespoons butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
Handful of coriander leaves
1 teaspoon curry powder
5 tablespoons double cream
Combine the dry marinade ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Stir in the yoghurt and tomatoes and add the chicken. Refrigerate overnight and bring out of the fridge an hour before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a pan melt the butter and add a splash of oil. Sauté the onions until browned and add the curry powder. Stir for a minute then add the chicken mixture and coriander. Continue to fry for a couple of minutes until everything reaches a simmer. Transfer to a baking dish, cover with foil and bake for an hour.
Remove from the oven and skim off the excess fat. Serve with plenty of naan.
They get some stick, but apart from the odd over-produced segment the Hairy Bikers collate an awful lot of good recipes. And always make it look dead easy. One series Mums Know Best, an attempt to ensure family recipes stay in the loop, had a great selection of dishes framed with a gaudily awful village fete theme. One recipe really made me sit up though – a Key Lime Pie but with the crucial twist of an Oreo biscuit base.
Oreos have been a thing in the UK for around 20 years, so we’re just about now getting a generation who have always known them. I a fan so using them as a base instead of borin’ old digestives meant I had to try it out. It breaks down to an Oreo base, a limey sweet filling and a dense baked meringue topping.
I’d read on this blog that the filling could be quite tart, so I took heed and tasted before baking and added a dash of sugar as required. I think even without it wouldn’t be too sour so watch for the strength of the limes you buy. Out of the oven it was delight though: crisp, fluffy meringue; tart, citrussy filling and a moist, rich dark biscuit base. It was a real sweet-tooth’s joy and I’ll certainly bring it out again.
The origin of Key Lime Pie is often debated, but it is generally believed to have originated in the Florida Keys, a chain of islands off the southern coast of Florida. The dessert has been a favourite in the Florida Keys for over 100 years. Some sources attribute the invention of Key Lime Pie to sponge fishermen in the Florida Keys who used the ingredients they had on hand to create a simple yet delicious dessert. Others suggest that the recipe was created by early settlers in the area, or by cooks in the local hotels and restaurants.
Regardless of its origins, Key Lime Pie has become a beloved dessert in Florida and beyond, and has even been designated as the official state pie of Florida.
What makes Key Lime Pie so special? For one, it’s the tangy flavour of fresh key lime juice that sets this dessert apart. Key limes are smaller and more tart than regular limes, which gives the filling of the pie a unique and refreshing flavour. Additionally, the creamy filling and crumbly crust create a perfect balance of textures.
Mix the biscuits and butter together thoroughly and press into a cake tin. Leave in the fridge to harden while you do everything else.
Whisk the egg yolks until light and fluffy, then add the lime zest, the juice and the condensed milk. Whisk a little more to loosen and combine, then pour this on top of the biscuit.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add the sugar, vanilla and cream of tartar. Continue whisking until it reaches firm peaks.
Spoon the egg white on top of the pie and use a spoon or fork to raise ribbons on the surface. Chuck in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool and refrigerate until needed - the flavours are much better cold.
Video
Notes
Arguably better made the day before and eaten cold.
This is a recipe I’ve plucked from the pages of the April delicious magazine. I seem to be drawn to each every curry-style recipe at the moment – I’ve another planned for Sunday! This one seemed utterly irresistible, with spicy, rich lamb combined with a crisp potato topping.
I decreased the chilli for my version – we prefer it a little milder – and I’ve been off sweet potatoes since the awful barefoot contessa persuaded me that combining them with orange juice would be a good idea. Those changes made, the cook was on. I begins as a pan stir-fry, then finished in the oven to cook out the potato topping. The trickiest bit is draining the potato of excess water – I need to think of a way to squeeze them out without scalding myself. That aside, this was enormously satisfying. Filling, savoury, meaty and a dense mouthful on every fork. Very tasty indeed.
Lamb keema sag with rosti topping:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ chilli powder
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
500g lamb mince
300ml lamb stock
1 tin tomatoes
300g spinach
1 teaspoon garam masala
Juice of ½ lemon
2 maris piper potatoes, grated
Fry the seeds in a dry pan for 1 – 2 minutes until fragrant. Grind to a powder and mix with the turmeric and chilli.
In the same pan fry one of the onions with the garlic and ginger for a few minutes until softened. Tip the ground spices into this.
Fry the lamb until browned. Tip away the excess fat and add the stock and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Wilt the spinach in a colander by pouring over boiling water. Immediately run under cold water and squeeze off excess liquid. Add this to the mince with lemon and garam masala. Check for seasoning.
Back in the colander repeat the boiling water trick with the potatoes and other onion. Tip onto a tea towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Mix with a little oil and season, then spread on top of the mince.
Put the pan into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until browned in top.
