recipes

Put 3 tablespoons oil in a pressure cooker and set over medium–high heat. When hot, put in the curry leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. Stir once and add the onions. Sauté for 1½ minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the meat, potatoes, carrots, turmeric, coriander, chilli powder, green chillies, salt and 250ml (8fl oz) of the well-stirred coconut milk. Cover securely with the lid and, on high heat, bring up to full pressure. Turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Lower the pressure with the help of cool water and remove the lid.

Cook, uncovered, over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring gently as you do this. Add the remaining coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat.

Coarsely chop the onions, ginger and garlic, then put them into the container of a food processor and chop finely.

Put 4 tablespoons oil in a wide, non-stick pan and set over a medium–high heat, When hot, put in the finely chopped mixture from the food processor. Stir and fry until it is somewhat brown. Add the chilli powder, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and turmeric. Stir once or twice. Now add the tomatoes and natural yoghurt. Stir on high heat until the tomatoes are soft. Add the meat, salt and garam masala. Stir, breaking up any lumps, for 2 minutes. Add 250ml (8fl oz) water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, green chilli, green coriander and peas. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

Cut the meat into 2½–4 cm (1–1½in) cubes and pat dry thoroughly with kitchen paper.

Peel the onions, cut in half, then slice thinly into half-circles. Peel and grate the ginger.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based cooking pot or flameproof casserole over a medium heat. When hot, add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until brown and crisp, but not burned. Lift out the onions with a slotted spoon and spread out on kitchen paper to drain.

Add all the cardamom pods, the bay leaves, cumin seeds, red peppers, peppercorns and the ginger to the oil remaining in the cooking pot. Stir for 1 minute until the bay leaves darken and the ginger is sizzling. Add the meat and ½–1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the liquid begins to bubble vigorously. Cover, lower the heat and simmer very gently for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Add the onions and cook, uncovered, over a medium heat for a final 3–5 minutes, stirring gently. Take care not to break up the meat. Any excess liquid should have boiled away, leaving the meat only with the sauce that clings to it, and the fat left in the pot. Serve as suggested above.

In a blender, combine the ginger, garlic, and green chillies with 4 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth.

Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy-lidded pan over medium-high heat.

Add the sliced onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until they turn medium brown.

Reduce the heat as needed to avoid burning.

Stir in the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and cook for 3–4 minutes.

Add 250 ml water, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, salt, turmeric, tomatoes, and yoghurt.

Stir well and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.

Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and oil separates from it.

Add the quail and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring gently.

Cover the pan tightly, reduce the heat to low, and braise the quail for 1 hour 15 minutes until they are tender.

Stir gently every 6–7 minutes.

If the mixture dries out, add a few tablespoons of water.

Five minutes before the cooking ends, sprinkle the garam masala over the quail and stir gently.

Serve hot with basmati rice or naan.

Brown the Duck: Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large, wide-lidded pan over medium-high heat.

Place the duck pieces, skin-side down, in a single layer and brown for 3–4 minutes per side.

Remove and set aside.

Repeat for all duck pieces.

Sauté the Spices: In the same pan, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and bay leaves.

Stir for 10 seconds.

Cook the Aromatics: Add the onions and fry until they begin to turn golden brown.

Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.

Build the Masala: Add the turmeric, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne, and garam masala.

Stir for 30 seconds until aromatic.

Add Tomatoes: Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened.

Scrape the pan to mix everything well.

Simmer the Duck: Return the browned duck to the pan.

Add salt and 475ml (16 fl oz) water.

Stir well, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Final Touches: Check for salt.

Add the ground cinnamon and nutmeg, then simmer for 5 more minutes.

Rest & Serve: Let the duck rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Fry the Onions: Heat enough oil in a large frying pan to a depth of about 3mm (⅛ in) over medium heat.

Add the sliced onions and fry for 8 minutes until they begin to brown.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir, and fry for 2 more minutes.

Lower the heat to low and continue frying until most onions turn a deep reddish-brown (about 12 more minutes).

Drain & Cool: Transfer the fried onions to a sieve over a bowl, letting excess oil drain.

Spread them on kitchen paper to dry.

Once completely cool, crumble them and set aside.

Prepare the Paste: Blend the remaining onions, ginger, and garlic in a blender with 3–4 tablespoons water until smooth.

Cook the Paste: Heat 4 tablespoons onion oil and 1 tablespoon ghee in a large, non-stick, lidded pan over medium-high heat.

Add the blended paste and cook for 5 minutes until lightly browned.

Brown the Chicken: Add the chicken pieces and stir for 1 minute.

Over the next 5 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of yogurt at a time while stirring, allowing the chicken to brown.

Simmer the Chicken: Add 175ml (6 fl oz) water, the crumbled onions, and salt.

Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally turning the chicken.

Final Touches: Add the chillies, sugar, and lemon/lime juice, stirring to mix.

Cover and continue cooking over low heat for another 10 minutes.

Serve Hot: Serve immediately with plain basmati rice or naan.

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl.

Add salt and lemon juice, then rub them in thoroughly.

Lightly prod the chicken with the tip of a knife and rub the seasonings in again.

Let it sit for 20 minutes.

Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, cream, and garam masala.

Mix well, ensuring the chicken is fully coated.

Cover and refrigerate for 6–8 hours (overnight for best results).

Preheat the grill or oven to high heat.

Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto skewers.

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes beforehand to prevent burning.

Brush the chicken lightly with oil and place the skewers on a shallow baking tray.

Grill for 6 minutes per side (about 12 minutes total) or until lightly browned and fully cooked through.

Ensure the internal temperature reaches 75°C (165°F).

Serve hot with naan, raita, or mint chutney.

Put the natural yoghurt into a bowl and beat it lightly until it is smooth and creamy. Add half the salt, some black pepper, the ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and green coriander. Mix and set aside.

Salt and pepper the chicken pieces on both sides using the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Put the oil in a wide, preferably non-stick pan and set over medium–high heat. When hot, put in the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Stir once and add some of the chicken pieces – only as many as the pan will hold easily in a single layer. Brown on both sides and remove to a large bowl. Brown all the chicken pieces in this way and remove to the bowl.

Put the almonds and sultanas into the same hot oil. Stir quickly. The almonds should turn golden and the sultanas should plump up – which will happen very fast. Now return the chicken and its accumulated juices to the pan. Add the seasoned natural yoghurt. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice during this period. Remove the cover, turn the heat up a bit and reduce the sauce until it is thick and just clings to the chicken pieces. Turn the chicken pieces over gently as you do this.