©2017 Vivek Singh. All rights reserved
Jungle Curry of Guinea Fowl with Fresh Fenugreek_9230
Posted on January 6, 2015 by
No Comments

January- Guinea Fowl

Jungle Curry of Guinea Fowl with Fresh Fenugreek

This is a very basic, rustic curry that could be made with any kind of fowl but works particularly well with free-roaming, older birds. Their meat is slightly tougher than that of young birds but there is so much more flavour. I’m using guinea fowl but you could easily replace with chicken if you prefer.

In the past, when people cooked this outdoors over a wood fire with very basic implements, the spices would often be added whole and the vegetables roughly cut, hence the name jungle curry

Serves 4

 

5 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil

5 cloves

2.5cm (1-inch) piece of cinnamon stick, broken in half

2 green cardamom pods

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 x 1.2–1.5kg whole guinea fowl, skinned and cut into 8 pieces

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

2 teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons red chilli powder

1 teaspoon red chilli flakes

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 green chillies, chopped

500ml water

2 tablespoons chopped green coriander

¼ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled between your fingers

juice of ½ lemon

 

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan, add the whole spices and bay leaf and let them splutter. Once the spices change colour, add the onions and garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add the guinea fowl pieces and stir-fry for 6–8 minutes over a high heat, until browned at the edges. Add the ginger paste, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, chilli flakes, cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, over a high heat for 2–4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure that the spices do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

 

Once the oil starts to separate out from the masala round the edges of the pan, add the green chillies, and reduce the heat and cook, stirring frequently, till the liquid comes to the boil again. Add the water, bring to the boil, and then simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes or until the guinea fowl is fully cooked. Add the garam masala, dried fenugreek and lemon juice. Serve with rice or chapattis.

 

 

Spice-Braised Shoulder of Lamb_0075 (1024x683) (800x534)
Posted on November 25, 2014 by
No Comments

December- RAAN

The grandest of Indian dishes, this is curry but not as we know it. It combines two cooking techniques, braising and roasting, and the result is highly impressive.  Although the recipe calls for lamb, eel free to use hogget, mutton or even goat.

Serves 8-10

2 legs of lamb, weighing about 1.5kg each, trimmed of any surface fat

2 tablespoons red chilli powder

5 tablespoons ginger Paste

6 tablespoons garlic paste

250ml (1cup) malt vinegar

500g (2 cups) plain yoghurt

3 onions, sliced and fried until crisp

2 teaspoons royal (black) cumin seeds

1 tablespoon salt

6 bay leaves

3 cinnamon sticks, about 5cm (2 inches each)

5 green cardamom pods

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon chaat masala

4 tablespoons single cream

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

 

With the tip of a sharp knife, cut small incisions in the lamb legs at approximately 5cm (2-inch) intervals.  Mix together the red chilli powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, vinegar, yoghurt, fried onions, royal cumin and salt, then massage them over the legs, rubbing and pressing the spices into the gashes created by the knife. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Put the legs, drained of all marinating liquid, on an oiled baking tray, add the bay leaves, cinnamon and green cardamom, then cover the tray with foil. Place in an oven preheated to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and braise for 2 ½ hours, until the meat is very tender and ready to fall of the bone. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Remove the legs from the liquid and allow them to dry. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve and reserve to make the sauce.

Take the meat off the bone and cut into 5cm (2inch cubes).  Thread them on to 8-10 metal skewers and roast on a BBQ or under a very hot grill, basting frequently with the melted butter, until crisp and well browned. Finish with a drizzle of lemon juice, any leftover melted butter and the chat masala.

Or the sauce, bring the cooking juices to the boil in a small pan and simmer until reduced to a coating consistency. Correct the seasoning and stir in the cream, garam masala and fresh coriander. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve with a naan bread.

Cooks note: it is important to drain all the liquid from the legs before roasting them, in order to get a crisp finish.

curry 082
Posted on October 21, 2014 by
3 Comments

November- Pumpkin Pickle

This is my mother’s recipe of a sweet pumpkin pickle and I am a great fan of this rich, sweet and spicy dish with strong flavours. It’s fantastic with parathas and may even be used as a spread in sandwiches or to perk up wraps with.

Serves 4

 

4 tbsp Oil

½ tsp Fenugreek seeds

4 Whole dried red chillies, broken in 2-3 pcs each

700g Peeled and ½ inch Diced pumpkin

1 tsp Turmeric

2 tsp Salt

3 tsp Red chilli powder

5 tbsp Sugar

2 tsp Dried amchoor or Mango pickle masala

 

Peel, dice and wash pumpkin, drain and keep aside.

Heat oil, add fenugreek seeds and dried red chillies and allow to pop.

Add pumpkin and stir over high heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric, reduce heat, cover and cook until the pumpkin is soft and begins to get mashed. Add sugar to give sweetness which balances the heat and spice and also makes the pickle glossy. Finish with dried amchoor pieces or a couple of tsp of Mango pickle from the bottle

 

Tip

This pumpkin pickle makes an excellent accompaniment for game dishes such as grouse or deer etc.

 

 

 

cc - grouse 2
Posted on October 1, 2014 by
2 Comments

October- Roast Grouse with Black Lentils

This is the sort of dish that makes me feel fortunate about cooking in Britain. Although Indian food has a rich tradition of game cooking, it’s been lost due to the complete ban on hunting in India for over 60 years now and an entire generation of chefs have never cooked with any kind of game.

This is my effort to reclaim and preserve the lost art of game cooking in Indian food.

4 whole grouse

1 tablespoon corn or vegetable oil

For the marinade

1 tablespoon corn or vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and coarsely ground

8 cloves, roasted and coarsely ground

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

 

For the mince

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 whole dried red chillies

1 bay leaves

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste

1 onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon red chill powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tomato, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves

 

Remove the feathers and skin from the grouse, separate the breast and the legs and remove the bones from them. Clean and trim the breasts, mince the legs along with any other trimmings and set aside. If you don’t like your game too strong, then it advisable to bulk the mince with some lamb or other mince, or alternatively boil ity in salted water with pinch of turmeric and drain. This makes the mince milder.

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a mixing bowl and fold the grouse breasts in it. Leave the marinated grouse for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

For the mince, heat oil in a pan; add bay leaves, red chilli followed by the coriander seeds and sauté till it releases the flavours. Add the onions and sauté till it gets a golden colour. Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for a minute. Sprinkle the red chilli, coriander and cumin powders and stir for another minute. Now add the tomatoes and salt and cook for about 5 minutes until the oil starts separating. Stir in the leg mince and cook for about 5 minutes till the mince is done. Finish it with fresh chopped coriander leaves.

Heat oil in an oven proof pan, sear the breasts on both the sides for 30 seconds each side and cook under a pre-heated grill for 1 minute. Rest them for 5 minutes and serve with the mince.

Tip The grouse goes equally well with pumpkin pickle featured in the accompaniments section. The rich sweet flavours of the pickle work very well with the earthy, musky, gamey flavour of grouse.

Take care not to over cook the breast as it dried up very quickly. Grouse being a very lean meat cooks very quickly and best enjoyed cooked medium.

 

 

Posted on September 30, 2014 by
No Comments

September- Dry-Spice crusted guinea fowl with yellow lentil sauce

vivek day 2 587

Serves 4

4 guinea fowl breasts, boned, skinned and each cut into 3-4 pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable or corn oil

4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

 

For the Marinade:

1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red chilli flakes

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons plain yoghurt

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander stalks

For the coarsely round spice crust

2 teaspoons cracked black peppercorns

6 cloves, coarsely ground

2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely ground

 

For the yellow lentil sauce

120g yellow moong lentils

750ml (3 cups) water

1 teaspoon ground tumeric

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ghee

1 dried red chilli

a pinch of asafoetida

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 onion,finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

1cm piece fresh ginger, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

Juice of 1 lemon

 

For the marinade, mix together the ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilli flakes, chilli powder, allspice and lemon juice, then rub them over the guinea fowl breast pieces and set aside. In the meantime, mix half the coarsely ground spices with the yoghurt and coriander stalks.  Apply this mixture to the breast pieces to complete the marinade, thread the guinea fowl onto the wooden skewers and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

To make the lentil sauce, rinse the lentils under cold running water, then place in a pan with the water, turmeric and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils have thoroughly disintegrated.  Blend the mixture to a puree with a hand-held blender.

Heat the ghee in a heavy-based pan, add the whole dried chilli, asafoetida, and cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add the garlic, wait for it to turn golden brown, then add the onion. Saute over a moderate heat until golden.  Add the tomato and cook for 3 minutes, then pour in the pureed lentils.  Stir in the ginger and coriander and bring to thee boil. Adjust the seasoning and finish with the lemon juice.

To cook the guinea fowl, heat the oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan (big enough to accommodate the skewers) and sear the guinea fowl skewers for 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle the rest of the coarsely ground spices over the guinea fowl, then transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 and cook for 6-8 minutes. Serve on the lentil sauce, accompanied by bread or rice.

Spinach Dumplings & Lemon Rice
Posted on August 8, 2014 by
2 Comments

August – Spinach Dumplings And Lemon Rice

This is a very good vegetarian main course, and easy enough to put together – an ideal dish that allows for better appreciation of colours, flavours and textures.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 250g grated cottage cheese
  • 2 large boiled potatoes, grated
  • 100g spinach leaves washed, dried and shredded
  • 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger; peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ajowan seeds

For the batter coating

  • 50g (chickpea) flour
  • ¼ teaspoon ajowan seeds
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 70ml water
  • 150g spinach leaves cleaned, dried and shredded
  • oil for frying dumpling

For the sauce

  • 6 large tomatoes
  • 100ml water
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
  • 3 lime leaves, torn
  • ½ lemongrass stalk, outer layer removed and bruised
  • 2 green cardamom pods
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 50ml coconut milk
  • ¼ teaspoon Kadhai Masala
  • ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
  • ½ tablespoon sugar
  • 1 quantity of lemon rice

Method:

First make the dumplings. Mix in all the ingredients for the dumpling to form a smooth dough. Divide the mixture into 12 individual balls, the size of golf balls.

For the batter coating, make a smooth batter with the gram flour, ajowan, salt and water. Place the shredded spinach in a tray. Dip the balls in the batter and roll them in the spinach to form a good overall coating. The dumplings are now ready for frying. When you are ready to serve, deep-fry the dumplings at 180°C degrees for about 1½ minutes until crisp and golden green.

For the sauce, wash and cut the tomatoes in half, place them in a heavy-based pan on a medium-high heat and, as they soften, pour in water, add the garlic, crushed ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass and the whole spices and boil until the tomatoes have disintegrated. Add the bay leaf, salt and red chilli powder and cook for a couple of minutes, then pass the tomatoes through a sieve to get a fine tomato purée.

Bring the purée back to the boil, add the coconut milk, stirring constantly and, when the sauce turns glossy, add the kadhai masala and sprinkle in the garam masala powder. Check the seasoning and add sugar if required (sugar helps to balance the sourness of the tomatoes).

Divide the rice between 4 serving plates and serve with the spinach dumplings and the sauce poured around.

Posted on August 7, 2014 by
No Comments

August: Tandoori breast of squab pigeon

TANDOORI-STYLE PIGEON BREASTS

 

 

Although pigeons are eaten through out the sub-continent, you rarely see them on restaurant menus. I simply love the taste and texture of good quality pigeon, which is unusual and lot more interesting than the regular chicken you find on all menus!

 

This recipe uses most of the flesh on the squab but requires a friendly butcher to take the pain out of the preparation. The breast of the pigeon gets the tandoor treatment and the rest is minced into a stunning kebab. This is a user-friendly way of eating such a small bird that many are put off by because of dealing with the bones.

This version may be served with a little salad as an accomplished starter or with small quantities of black lentils and pilau rice as a stunning main course.

 

Serves 4 as a starter and 2 as a main

 

2 pigeons, breasts de boned but with the skin and the leg, liver and heart minced

 

For the breasts

5g ginger paste

5g garlic paste

3g salt

5g chilli powder

15ml lemon juice

30g crisp fried onions, blended into a paste

15g yoghurt

3g garam masala

15ml oil

 

For the kebabs

15ml oil

2g royal cumin seeds

50g onion, finely chopped

2g chilli powder

2g cumin seeds, roasted and ground

30g beetroot boiled, peeled and cut into ½ cm dices

10g ginger, finely chopped

5g green chillies, finely chopped

3g salt

5g fresh mint, chopped

2g garam masala

1 egg

100g golden breadcrumbs

Oil for frying

 

For the smoked paprika raita

100g cucumber, deseeded and cut into ½ cm dices

50g red onion, finely chopped

500g Greek style yoghurt, drained overnight in a muslin

5g fresh mint, chopped

2g sugar

5g salt

3g smoked paprika powder

 

 

Method

Pat dry the breasts and marinate with ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder, salt and lemon juice and leave aside for 20 minutes.

Then add the rest of the ingredients and set aside for another 10 minutes.

 

To make the kebabs, heat the oil in a pan, add royal cumin seeds and when they splutter, add the chopped onions and sauté till golden brown. Add the minced pigeon and beetroot and sauté for about 3 minutes. Now, add the red chilli powder and cumin powder and cook further till the mixture is almost dry. Add the ginger, green chilli, mint and salt. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.

 

To prepare the smoked paprika raita, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and refrigerate until use.

 

Cook the pigeon breasts in a hot tandoor for 2-3 minutes, or alternatively in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for 5 minutes. Allow it to rest for a couple of minutes.

 

Shape the cooked pigeon mince into four cakes. Dip them in beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs and deep fry till golden brown.

 

Serve the pigeon breast along with the fried kebab, smoked paprika raita.

Posted on August 6, 2014 by
2 Comments

July: Lamb Galouti Burger

CC Soho 108

Galouti kebab

This tender lamb kebab is famed for its melt in the mouth texture, which is essentially down to very tedious butchery of removing all sinews from the leg muscles, then multiple stages of chilling and mincing.

Here I suggest using mince instead of the tedious breakdown of a leg, then mixing all the other ingredients and chilling in a freezer for 30 odd minutes. Then blending for a few seconds a time in a food processor to get a fine mince texture.

Blend a little more and makes it a pate that you can simply serve over brioche!

500g lean lamb mince

3 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1.5 tablespoon red chilli powder

3 tablespoons ghee, melted

1 pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tablespoons of water

1 tsp of fresh pineapple juice

1.5 tsp salt

4 tablespoons dried onions, fried

2 tablespoon fried cashew nut

Mix together the fried onions and cashew nuts and blend to a smooth paste in a blender

4 drops of rose or kewra water

Ghee to shallow fry

 

 

For the spice mix

½ tsp cumin, roasted and cooled

4 green cardamom

1 blade of mace

Seeds of 1 black cardamom

½ tsp black peppercorns

1/8 nutmeg

4 cloves

 

Mix together all the above spices and grind to a fine powder in mortar and pestle.

Take the minced meat in a mixing bowl, add the spice mix and all the other ingredients into it and mix well. Add the ghee into the mince and chill in the freezer compartment for 20-30 minutes.

Take the chilled mince and blend in a food processor pulsing slowly at first then for longer durations as the machine eases off. Blend for 2-3 minutes until the mix acquires the texture of a fine mince. Now add the remaining tablespoon of ghee, rose or kewra water as you may be using, mix thoroughly and refrigerate again to chill for 15-20 minutes.

Shape the minced meat into patties of about 40 to 50gms each and 4cm in diameter. Heat the ghee for shallow frying in a heavy-based frying pan and shallow fry the patties over low heat for about 1-2 minutes on each side until they are well cooked. Remove from the pan and place them on kitchen paper to get rid of the excess fat. Serve hot with sheermal, naan bread or even a slice of toasted brioche.

 

 

 

Posted on June 6, 2014 by
No Comments

Shrikhand Cheesecake with fennel and coriander strawberries

Shrikhand Cheesecake with Fennel- & Coriander- Strawberries_

For the Cheesecake:

250g strained Greek yoghurt (500g yoghurt that is left to drain overnight)

100g Mascarpone cheese

100ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks

50g caster sugar

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

 

For the crumble base:

250g plain white flour

250g caster sugar

180g ground almonds

250g cold salted butter, diced

 

For the fennel and coriander flavoured strawberries

250g strawberries, hulled and some sliced and some left whole (or use any other berries in season)

Grated zest and juice of half a lime

2 mint leaves, finely shredded

1 teaspoon. fennel seeds, roasted and crushed

1 teaspoon. coriander seeds roasted and crushed

A pinch of salt

A pinch of sugar

 

 

Method:

To make the crumble base, mix together the flour, sugar and ground almonds, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake in an oven preheated to 180C/Gas Mark 4 for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and leave to cool, then use your fingertips to break into fine crumbles.
For the cheesecake, gently fold together all the ingredients and chill for 20 minutes.

 

To assemble the cheesecake, press a layer of the crumble about 1.5cm thick in a 15cm springform cake tin. Add the cheesecake mixture, smooth the surface and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

 

Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries. Put the strawberries in a non-metallic bowl, add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Leave to macerate for 10-15 minutes.

 

Slice or scoop he cheesecake onto serving plates and serve with the strawberries dotted around. In the restaurant we add strawberry caramel tuile.

 

asparagus
Posted on April 23, 2014 by
No Comments

May: Asparagus in kadhai spices with curried yoghurt

Often people point to us that Asparagus isn’t exactly Indian, so why we use it on the menu… I point out that strictly speaking even tomatoes and chillies aren’t exactly Indian but can we imagin our cooking without these two main-stays?

That aside, I love them and our guests love them, so what more can one ask for? Short as it is, we waste absolutely no time and put Asparagus on our menu as soon as it arrives. This recipe will give you ideas for a different take on Asparagus.
SERVES 4

20-24 green asparagus, trimmed from the bottom and peeled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon. rock salt (for texture)
1 teaspoon. butter
1 teaspoon black onion seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

For the kadhai spices:
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon. cumin seeds
1 teaspoon. coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper corn

Dry roast all the spices on a dry pan for 30 seconds to a minute until the spices are toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat, allow to cool then pound coarsely. Store in an air-tight container and use to finish stir-fries, as a finishing spice or for texture and bite.

For the curried yoghurt:
1 tablespoon. vegetable or corn oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon. turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon. salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2.5cm/1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
250g/8oz Greek yoghurt

For the curried yoghurt, heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they start to crackle, quickly add the turmeric powder, sugar and the salt. Add this tempering to the yoghurt along with the ginger, chillies and mix well. Adjust the seasoning to serve with the asparagus.
Sprinkle the asparagus with the oil and black onion and fennel seeds. Cook on a hot barbecue for about 1 minute on each side, until just tender. Drizzle the asparagus with oil and sprinkle over the kadhai masala.

Alternatively, add the butter and the kadhai spices a pan. Place the pan under a grill for one minute, or until the asparagus spears are cooked.
Sprinkle over the coriander leaves and the lemon juice and serve with the curried yoghurt on the side.

Vivek’s Tip: one good way of judging where to cut an asparagus spear from is to snap it, wherever it breaks is the point at which to cut, except you don’t need to anymore!

Newer Posts
Older Posts