Best 4 Madhur Jaffrey Chicken Curry Recipes

MADHUR'S CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Steps:

• Start by marinating the chicken tikka. Put the chicken in a non-reactive bowl and rub in the salt and lemon juice. Prod the chicken pieces lightly with the tip of a knife and rub the seasonings in again, then set aside for 20 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, cream and garam masala. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for six to eight hours (longer will not hurt). When you're ready to cook, make the masala: pour the 4 tablespoons of oil into a large, preferably non-stick, lidded pan and set it over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the onions. Stir and fry until they brown, six or seven minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and continue to fry, stirring, for a minute. Add the ground coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and paprika. Stir for 10 seconds, then add a tablespoon of the yoghurt. Stir and fry until it is absorbed. Add the remaining yoghurt in this way, a tablespoon at a time. Now put in the tomatoes. Fry them for three or four minutes, or until they turn pulpy. Add the stock and salt, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. The sauce should turn thick. Stir in the garam masala and coriander leaves, taste for balance of seasonings and add more salt if you need it. Shortly before you eat, preheat the grill to its highest setting. Thread the chicken on to two to four skewers (the flat, sword-like ones are best). Brush with the 3 tablespoons of oil and balance the skewers on the rim of a shallow baking tray, so that the meat is suspended and does not touch the tray. Place about 13 centimetres (5 inches) from the source of heat and grill for six minutes on each side, or until lightly browned, cooked through and charred in places. (Cut a large piece of chicken to the centre to check there is no trace of pink.) When the tikkas are cooked, reheat the sauce and fold in the chicken. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN WITH ROASTED CORIANDER IN COCONUT-CURRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Place a small, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes. Add coriander, fenugreek, and peppercorns. Cook, swirling pan, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; let cool completely. Grind in a spice grinder.
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add mustard seeds and cinnamon. As soon as mustard seeds pop, add chicken in a single layer (work in batches, if necessary). Cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Set pieces aside on a plate as they are done.
• Add onions and garlic to pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add ginger and tomato. Cook until tomato is soft, about 3 minutes. Add ground toasted spices, turmeric, cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and lemon juice. Return chicken to pot, along with any accumulated juices.
• Remove thick coconut cream from top of coconut milk; set aside. Stir remaining contents of can into pot. Add enough water to fill can again (1 1/2 cups) and add to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, and stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Stir reserved coconut cream; add to pot along with chiles. Stir once or twice to warm through; remove from heat. Remove chiles and cinnamon stick, if desired. Serve, with rice, yogurt, and chutney.

LEMONY CHICKEN WITH FRESH CORIANDER (MADHUR JAFFREY)

Steps:

• Put the ginger and 1/4 cups water into a blender or processor. Blend until you have a paste; set aside.
• Note: The original recipe doesn't call for seasoning the chicken prior to browning, but I prefer the way the salt and pepper penetrates at this level. Also, I cut the breasts in half. Proceede by putting the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in as many chicken pieces as the pan will hold in a single layer and brown on both sides. It's not necessary to deeply brown because of the additional cook time later and they may become dry. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Sear all the chicken pieces this way.
• Add the garlic to the hot oil. As soon as the pieces turn a medium-brown color, turn heat to medium and pour in the ginger paste. Stir-fry it for a minute. Add the fresh coriander, jalapeno, cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Stir and cook for a minute.
• Put in all the chicken pieces as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the chicken bowl. Add 2/3 cup water and the lemon juice. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
• Turn the chicken pieces over. Cover again and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. If the sauce is too thin, uncover the pan and boil some of it away over a slightly higher heat.
• Serve with basmati rice.

CHICKEN MADRAS

Steps:

• Blitz 1 quartered onion, 2 garlic cloves, a thumb-sized chunk of ginger and ½ red chilli together in a food processor until it becomes a coarse paste.
• Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large saucepan and add the paste, fry for 5 mins, until softened. If it starts to stick to the pan at all, add a splash of water.
• Tip in ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1-2 tsp hot chilli powder and stir well, cook for a couple of mins to toast them a bit, then add 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks. Stir and make sure everything is covered in the spice mix.
• Cook until the chicken begins to turn pale, adding a small splash of water if it sticks to the base of the pan at all.
• Pour in 400g can chopped tomatoes, along with a big pinch of salt, cover and cook on a low heat for 30 mins, until the chicken is tender.
• Stir through small pack of coriander and serve with rice, naan and a big dollop of mango chutney.