Topic: Ashoka Recipes

[Panpot]

Cheers Rallim,where are you in Oz? Joshallen2k use fresh Coriander when you can though when I cant get it myself I use pulped which is available here in France. I would however not prepare the Ashoka Kit without all the ingredients to hand.

flavorjunkie the pics look great and the Bunjarra definitely looks the part. Do you appreciate the marinaded chicken and cooking from fresh rather than precooked?

[Panpot]

Unclebuck, thanks for posting my photos again your a star.

[flavorjunkie]

I have just used the Ashoka kit to enjoy a Chicken Jalfrazi which I adapted from my usual recipe. Most enjoyable.

Here is the recipe...

Chicken Jalfrazi Ashoka
=======================
In this recipe I used my cut down version of the base sauce, onion/garlic paste and bunjara - Making no claims - it's simply what I previously made and it worked well with the Bhuna..
Variation: If you prefer your pepper cooked more add it at the same time as the chicken.

1 marinated cubed chicken breast - Ashoka style
1 tbspn oil
150 ml Ashoka base
1 tspn Ashoka garlic/ginger paste
1 tbspn Ashoka bunjara
0.5 green pepper
2 tspn green chilli
2 tspn fresh ginger
1 tspn medium curry powder
0.5 tspn coriander seeds
0.5 tspn ground cumin
0.25 tspn hot chilli powder
0.25 tspn salt
1 tspn tomato puree

Preparation
===========
Cube the chicken and marinate Ashoka style.
Grind the coriander seeds to a powder in a pestle and mortar. (freshly ground is much better)
Deseed the pepper and slice thinly.
Finely chop the ginger and green chilli.
Make a curry paste by mixing the curry powder, chilli powder, ground coriander and ground cumin with 3 tspn water.
Mix the salt and tomato puree into the curry paste and add another tspn of water to make a fairly thick paste.

Cooking
=======
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add the Ashoka garlic/ginger paste and cook, stirring, for 30 secs. (it will spit)
Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 30 secs.
Add half of the Ashoka base, green chilli and chicken and cook for 4 min, stirring as is usual.
(probably not necessary but add a little water if needed to prevent drying out)
Add bunjara and cook, stirring for 1 min.
Add rest of the base, ginger and green pepper and cook for 4 min - ensure chicken is thoroughly cooked.
(again probably not necessary but add a little water if needed to prevent drying out)

Pics as follows are...
(1) Ingredients
(2) The onion paste, curry paste and bunjara
(3) The finished dish

[Unclebuck]

Thanks flavorjunkie for taking the time for a detailed post also love your farm animal lap trays!! 
 

[Bobby Bhuna]

Great post FJ. That's a really tasty looking curry! ;D

[joshallen2k]

I was just searching for something specific from one of the Ashoka threads, and the search function turned up this message:

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=528.msg4843#msg4843

Its from Pete a few years back where he mentions that the Ashoka chain publish some recipes. Notable was the Pakora sauce, which is practically identical to Panpots....

So I then decided to do a little digging on the Ashoka, and came up with their menu:

http://www.harlequinrestaurants.com/restaurants/menus/ashoka_at_the_quay_alacarte.pdf

I can see why Panpot couldn't get a Madras recipe... they don't do one! nor a Vindaloo. They've got a good selection of British food and a great kids menu though.

I wonder "how BIR" the Ashoka is. Has anyone tried it?

Looks a little too 'Brewer's Fayre' to be the high street BIR I'm looking to recreate.

[rallim]

Cheers Rallim,where are you in Oz?

Hi Panpot

I'm in the Sunshine State Queensland residing in Brisbane. Nothing sunny about their restaurant Indian curries though 

[parker21]

hi guys there is a recipe for a chicken dhansak in pc's book the modern indian restaurant cookbook from the ashoka in belfast, the shish mahal in aberdeen and the taj mahal in leigh in essex. it serves 4!
chicken dhansak( chicken cooked with lentils and vegetables)

1lb chicken breast skinned and cubed
4oz red entils
4 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp turmeric
8tbsp curry masala gravy
2 tbsp curry paste
akhini stock or water
1-2 pieces canned pineapple drained and chopped
14 oz mixed vegetables
1 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp garam masala

sift through the lentils and rinse them then boil in an equal amount of water, for 30 minutes.

heat the oil in a karahi, stir fry the turmeric for a few seconds then add a spoonful of curry masala gravy, take a quarter of the chicken and stir-fry it sealing it and colouring it yellow. add more gravy, the next quarter of chicken and so on until all the gravy and chicken are used. add the curry paste and a little water or stock. simmer for about 10 minute the check to see if the chicken is cooked. when it is, combine with the remaining ingredients and mix well. when simmering it is ready to serve.

don't know if it is like a bir haven't tried it.

regards
gary

[Stephen Lindsay]

I wonder "how BIR" the Ashoka is. Has anyone tried it?

Looks a little too 'Brewer's Fayre' to be the high street BIR I'm looking to recreate.

The Ashoka is nothing like Brewer's Fayre, I have always had excellent curries from the Dundee one, both a la carte and takeaway, my main criticism would be that it tends to be a bit pricey compared to other curry houses locally.

[rallim]

The Ashoka is nothing like Brewer's Fayre, I have always had excellent curries from the Dundee one, both a la carte and takeaway, my main criticism would be that it tends to be a bit pricey compared to other curry houses locally.

Yes would agree with you. The Ashoka in Johnstone was excellent but it too was expensive compared to others around that area.