Chicken 65

This is an Indian dish that does not seem to have made it to the shores of Blighty.

I never came across Chicken 65 when I was in England, instead I came across it while in Silicon Valley where some of the Indian restaurants there would serve it in lunch buffets.  The name comes from the fact that was the 65th items on a very large menu on an Indian military base and it was easier to order by number, because of the large size of the menu.

Last summer a couple of Indian friends came to visit and they cooked this for me. 

Just because you may not have heard of this does not mean that you should not try it.  It's really quite simple to do and the red food coloring really makes it look appetizing.  This is am authentic Indian favorite and now it is one of my favorites.


Chicken 65
Ingredients
2 lbs chicken-dark meat(boneless thigh meat)
1/2 tsp MSG
2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
2 tsp corn flour
1 egg 
? bunch coriander leaves-chopped
? tsp each tsp cumin seeds, ground pepper, cumin powder chili powder, salt
1 tsp garlic-chopped
4-5  curry leaves-chopped
1/2 tsp ginger-chopped
Ginger garlic paste
Chili garlic paste (Vietnamese brand "tuong ot toi" http://www.thekitchenstore.com/tuottoivichg.html)
4-5 green chili
Oil
2-3 drops red colouring
Limejuice
Water

Steps
Begin by heating the oil, for frying.
Place the chicken in a bowl Add salt, MSG, ginger garlic paste, ground pepper and corn flour.  Mix it by hand.  Add egg and mix by hand.
Add to the hot oil (do not add too much chicken at once or all the chicken pieces will stick together.  Once browned remove the chicken from the oil and set aside.

Add oil to a hot pad.
One ingredient at a time add ? tsp cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds splatter add chopped ginger.
Next add 1 tsp chopped garlic and stir for 30-seconds.
Add chopped chilies, chopped curry leaves and stir for 30-seconds.
If you wish, add ginger garlic paste and stir.
Add ground pepper, ? tsp cumin powder, ? tsp chili powder, salt, chili-garlic paste and stir.
Add MSG and  (if you wish) red coloring.
Add a little water and stir before adding the chicken.
Stir everything to coat the chicken in the sauces.
Sprinkle with limejuice before serving.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8635456.stm

For those of you in the USA, Monday March 29th there will be an episode of Good Eats (on the Food Network, with Alton Brown) with the title "The Curious Case of Curry".

I seriously doubt that it will will reference BIR in any way what-so-ever, but it might be interesting (his explanation of the science behind the cooking is almost always insightful).

I found out about Gordon Ramsay's latest 3-part mini-series this evening, and downloaded the first episode where he visits northern India.

I am 20-minutes into it, and have just seen him cook a goat biryani, but have not seen any evidence of him giving any recipes, not have I been able to find any sign of him releasing a book with the recipes that he has come across.

Rick Stein also did a series on his trip around Asia and when in india he also witnessed a biryani being cooked in the same way (with saffron and in a pot sealed with pastry) for 25-minutes.

Does anyone in the UK know of any book with the recipes from this series coming out?

Having watched the finale of Gordon Ramsay's F-Word, last week, I decided I'd give Lasan's chicken tandoori a shot.  22 out of 25 diners said they would pay for it.

I'm not doing the salad that it came with, and I am only doing chicken thighs.  Also, I am being brave and instead of doing just 4 chicken thighs, I'm doing 15, so I have quadrupled all if the quantities of ingredients, given below.

I scoured Las Vegas looking for mustard oil, and would you believe that if I had gone to my source for ALL things Indian (The New India Market supermarket) then I would have saved myself a trip all over Las Vegas.

I have photos of the chicken drumsticks, at the start of the overnight marinating.  It looks (and smells) good.

Part two will be posted tomorrow and photos will follow.

Lasan's with tandoori style masala
4 chicken supremes, skinned and scored
4 chicken drumsticks, skinned and scored

1st stage Tandoori marinade:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic puree
1/2 tsp ginger puree
1 lime juice

2nd stage Tandoori marinade
3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 handful chopped coriander
1 tsp black salt
3/4 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp tandoori masala
1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 pinch white pepper
50ml mustard oil


Directions
Trim the thin end of the drumstick by cutting the sinew, scraping the meat halfway down the bone towards the thick end of the drumstick.
Blanch the chicken in simmering water infused with turmeric, salt and mild red chili powder for 3-5 minutes and remove using a slotted spoon and let the meat cool down.

To then marinate the chicken, dry the pieces and sprinkle with salt. Rub with garlic and ginger paste and a squeeze of lime and leave to marinade for 30 minutes.

Add 3 tablespoons of yoghurt into a large bowl, add all the 2nd stage tandoori spice ingredients and massage into the chicken, then leave to marinade overnight.

To cook
Heat a frying pan with a small amount of oil then place the marinated drumstick in to seal for 1 minute on each side followed by the scored chicken breasts and again cook for a minute on each side. Place the browned chicken pieces in the pre-heated oven and roast for 6-8 minutes, turn the chicken pieces now and again to ensure they cook evenly.

This evening I went to my local (13-miles away) Indian food store, here in Las Vegas.  This guy has EVERYTHING I have ever asked him for - in 5-and-a-half years of going there (I usually go there once a week).
Tonight I asked him for "sliced creamed coconut block" and he had NO idea what it was.
Does this go by any other name, or, does any other ethnicity use it (so I can look in other stores, for it).

Thanks,

Peter

This is my first 'draft' of a lamb passanda.  All suggestions welcome.

This is the first lamb passanda I have had in 14-years (since I left England) so I am doing this from memory.  let me know what I can do to improve this.




300g boned lamb, cut into 1-inch chunks

FOR THE MARINADE:
1-inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1-heaped tbsp dried methi
2-tbsp chopped fresh coriander
? tsp lovage seeds (ajwan), optional
? pint plain yoghurt


For the curry/passanda
75ml spicy oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp chopped green pepper
Salt (to taste)
250ml of curry base
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 tbsp ground almonds
2?  tsp spice mix
2 tsp tomato pur?e
? tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sultanas
1 tbsp flaked almonds
4 fl oz single cream



Mix the ginger, methi, chopped coriander and lovage seeds into the yoghurt.  Put in the lamb and cover thoroughly with mari?nade.  Cover with cling film and chill for a minimum of 2 hours ? longer is better.

Add some spicy oil to the wok, and heat until starting to smoke.
Add the lamb and cook until white (sealed) on the outside
The meat should still be slightly pink in the middle.
Remove from the wok, and put to one side.

Heat the spicy oil in a large wok over moderate heat  and fry the lamb, so that it is colored on the outside, then removed and put to one side.
Add the garlic and fry until it starts to turn brown.
Put in the onions, green pepper, and fry until the onions are trans?lucent.
Add the salt and a ladle of curry base.
In quick succession, add the rest of the ingredients except the cream.
Stir well and add another 2 ladles of curry base.
Turn the heat to high and stir-fry for 10 minutes.
Add the lamb to the wok.
Cook for 7 more minutes or until the meat is cooked.
Add more curry base if necessary and three-quarters of the cream.
Garnish with a dribble of cream.

My local Indian supermarket owner (here in Las Vegas) has always been very knowledgeable.  However, I would like to double check on something that he has told me.

I have a few recipes that use both cloves AND lovage and he tells me that they are the same thing.

Is this true?  if it is not, do you have any idea what I should be asking for when I ask him for lovage?

Thanks.

I miss living in London.
I moved to the US on Christmas Day 1995.  the first thing I did was to scour the Internet for any local Balti.  The nearest I could find was in Toronto (I was in Boston).  Seeven years later I was in Toronto, and no  one had ever heard of the place.
Now I live in Las Vegas, where the Indian restaurants are well below average, so I have to find out the recipes to cook them for my self...which brings me here.