Wheelie Tasty Recipes

This one possibly may need to come with a Government health warning. It developed from my love of Chicken Jaflong which I always have when I go to our local tandoori restaurant. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the chef to part with his precious secret recipe so I hit the Google trail and did some research into the cuisine of this area. Two ingredients that kept popping up was this Naga chilli pickle  and mango powder which is known as amchoor powder. As I wanted to try and achieve the tangy taste of a Pathia I decided to use this as a base and add these two new ingredients quite liberally; Big Mistake, Big! Huge! Well to cut a long story short, shall we just say it was a little bit on the hot side but then a star dish was born. The addition of a tin of low-fat coconut milk and a bit of extra sweetener mellowed out the spices resulting in a tasty curry with a kick. I’ve reduced the amount of this chilli paste to half a level teaspoon just to make it more palatable if you don’t like it too spicy, you can always add more if you are feeling brave. It’s still not quite a Chicken Jaflong but it is still really tasty.  It looks like a lot of ingredients but it really is worth giving it a try.

Ingredients

For the sauce/base gravy

1 large onion; (chopped)

1 tablespoon garlic; (minced)

1 tablespoon ginger; (minced)

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves (Methi)

2 Cooked beetroots

Tablespoon tamarind paste or fresh tamarind

1 400-g can plum tomatoes

250 ml water

1 heaped teaspoon of amchoor (Mango) powder (widely available in supermarkets, Asian supermarkets or online)

Half a level teaspoon of Naga chilli paste (please be warned this is very hot so be careful) ! (available from Asian supermarkets or online)

For the curry

1 large onion; (chopped)

1 green pepper; (chopped)

1 teaspoon garlic; (minced)

1 teaspoon ginger; (minced)

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 handful fresh coriander; chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Sweetener to taste

4 chicken breasts/thighs; (cubed)

250 ml chicken stock

1 tin reduced fat coconut milk

Method

Begin making the sauce/gravy by frying the minced garlic, minced ginger, coriander powder, paprika, mango (amchoor) powder and turmeric for about a minute to release the flavours.

Add the onions and fry for a further 10-15 minutes or so until lightly caramelised.

Add the tomatoes, tamarind, Naga chilli (careful!) paste or whatever chilli paste you are using, beetroot and water and simmer for approximately 1 hour until the mixture is thick and most of the water has evaporated. Blend the mixture until it becomes thick and velvety.

CURRY

Begin to make the curry by frying the onion, green pepper, minced garlic, minced ginger, cumin powder and coriander powder for around 10 minutes.

Add the sauce you prepared earlier, along with the chicken stock, cinnamon powder, white wine vinegar, sweetener and salt to taste. Give everything a good mix and add the coconut milk.  Allow to simmer uncovered over a medium heat giving it chance to thicken.

When you have reached your preferred consistency add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes until it is soft but cooked through.

Add the chopped coriander and serve with rice or naan bread.

Simmer for another 20 minutes until the curry has reduced and serve with rice.