RubyDoo's review of and attempt at - Panpot's Ashoka JaipuriMy first impression of this was hey, quite straight forward, I have
the ingredients and no weird animal products to 'source'. On closer
view however it became apparent that the recipe lacks many measures;
chicken, onion, peppers, and base in particular. As it does not state
how many portions this is for I assumed ( backed by Naga ) that this
was for one so prepared chicken etc accordingly and had 300 ml base
ready. In fact I had two breasts defrosted so used more than a portion of meat.
Further, wanting ( and as recommended by Naga ) to stick to the recipe
as much as possible it was obvious that I needed to also prepare G & G
paste and the Bunjara (sic) to Panpot's original specification. Hence
additional work involved.
Ginger and Garlic PasteMay sound simple but a couple of comments.
1. I normally do a 50 / 50 mix. This is more 60 / 40 in favour of
garlic so that is what I did.
2. I am not convinced of the benefit to be had by adding turmeric then
frying until aroma arises as this would normally be fried in oil to
start anyway and the turmeric would also get some release within the
fry of the spices but......
I really (really) like the paste that this produced. I only made third
measure and literally fried it for a couple of minutes through fear of
burning but the end result, albeit thicker than my usual which would
have added water, had a fresher and more intense smell to it. I can
see this being harder to pour into cube trays like I normally do but I
think I will make more this way.
Onion BunjarraA first for me.
I used Indian bay - recipe does not clarify which type to use.
I had no problem , as reported by others, with browning the onion
although the bay in particular was a pain in the arse whilst stirring.
They were big leaves. This took around 30 mins. I don't know where
peeps get three hours from!
I used rapeseed oil instead of spiced as I did not want to add
unwanted flavours and it was the only unseasoned stuff I had.
For ease I removed the bay and cinnamon after browning onions and
prior to adding spices.
Nothing seemed to burn and the end result is a deep orangy red to mid
brown pickle like mixture that has fire due to the tbs of chilli. I
used Kashmiri Mirch.
Good strong sweetness to it too. I think I could do a fair bit of this
on pappadums etc like lime pickle etc.
Marinade chicken.Naga left it to me to use what chicken I wanted. Decided to stick
again to Panpot's original so marinaded as suggested by him. I think this is
probably the most unnecessary part of this recipe. No lemon or yogurt
in the marinade to tenderise and only four hours leaves me wondering
why? Only offers a touch more heat and salt. I was tempted to use
precooked tikka but resisted. Would work just as well with plain raw chicken I think.
BaseBasically a C2G TA base with a touch of methi powder ( Banga?) and infused with
a couple of star anise to 6 litres. I do also double up the green
capsicum. Very thin. Sieved to CT standards.
The mealPretty straight forward once the other preparation done. Bit like
everything really.
Only adaptation on my part was the use of coconut flour blended fairly
thickly with a little hot milk to replicate the coconut cream. Can't
see that being a major issue.
This took about 12 mins to cook the meal start to finish.
Only danger point here I think was the drying out prior to first half
ladle of base. The sauce is thicker than I expected but partly due to
me using more chicken than probs needed for a single portion. Would ideally
have a little more base to hand next time. My fault.
Verdict?This was very tasty ( yes that can mean anything ) but the expression
fresh comes to mind. Very fresh infact. The peppers and onion give it a varied texture
and there is a lingering tanginess from somewhere. The aroma is
excellent and very mouthwatering. Also a sweetness that comes more
from the Bunjarra than the coconut. In fact I would be hard pushed to
notice the coconut in there which suits me as I do not like things too
sweet. Really not sure what 2 teaspoons would do to this anyhow.
This is however, surprisingly, very mild and for my personal taste
needs a kick. That said, my missus will love it and the rest of the
gang here who often moan that I make things too hot. ( Buggers always seem to eat it all though ).
I have had some of this today with a naan bread fresh out of the ali pan. The rest will
'winter' over night and be produced tomorrow night at our usual '
sitting'. I will update with their comments later.
Chicken added. No gravy yet.
And who can resist a glass of Old Speckled Hen?
A BIG thank you to Naga for giving me this to do. It is a curry that I
will definitely make again yet one that I would have perhaps never got
around to doing on my own. This has taken me into a new era and given me the kick I need to try new things.
Edit and update. The rest never made the table tomorrow. Mrs RubyDoo came in, took one taste and demanded a reheat. We did the rest between us with some Naan (shop gear - sorry) , and pre cooked pilau rice. All gone and thumbs up from her I am pleased to say. I now have a request to replicate for four peeps tomorrow.
