It’s a funny thing. Chinese chicken curry is a bit addictive. There’s not much to it. A simple dish really. But somehow it just works. It tastes like China went to India on the way to the west. Except there’s nothing really Chinese here. Nothing particularly Indian either. I think it actually went from India to the UK to Hong Kong. Back to the UK and then off to the rest of the world....
Lamb madras. Done Indian hotel style. It’s one of the big ones. Truly great. At least for me. Madras is king to jalfrezi’s queen. So I had to get this one right. And I think I did. Bold claim. I know. But it’s good. Try it for yourself. It’s glebekitchen style though. No pre-conceptions. Just make it the best I can. So maybe a little different than what you’re used to....
Lemon thyme chicken. Some flavours just work together. You see them over and over. Nothing original here but it works. A bit of white wine and some crushed chili flakes round it out. Just tasty. This is a great place to use concentrated chicken stock if you have some on hand. If you don’t, consider it seriously… There’s not a lot of sauce though. Just a spoonful per serving. Leaves you wanting more....
This roasted cauliflower gratin is a mediterranean take on a gratin. It’s not completely drowned in cheese. Not swimming in a béchamel. It’s cleaner. About the taste of cauliflower. Briny olives. Some salty melted cheese goodness. A hint of heat. Sweetness from the shallots. I am a fan of vegetables. I am a big fan of roasted vegetables. Roasting concentrates the flavour. Pumps them up. You might not get that given the carnivorous bent of many of the posts here....
If you like lentils this is a dish for you. Bengali masoor dal belongs on the menu whenever you are cooking Indian for dinner. Creamy texture. Bold flavours. Who cares that it’s healthy? It’s just delicious. The Bengali in this dish comes from panch phoran. That’s a spice mix that figures highly in Bengali cooking. Mustard seeds are big in Bengali cooking too. Double blast. If you can’t get panch phoran you can make this a half and half mix of mustard seeds and cumin seeds....
I’m going to stop you right here. If you want soggy fried rice. Overloaded with stuff. Then this one is not for you. This is chicken fried rice like they serve at restaurants. No carrots. No peas. Just rice. And chicken. A few carefully selected seasonings. And the right technique. Fried rice is all about technique. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Simple. Amazingly addictive. The perfect side to any takeout restaurant style dinner....
Chicken shashlik is a great way to kick your chicken tikka up a big notch. Tandoori chicken on a bed of Indian spiced onion, green and red pepper. Simple ingredients. Explosive flavours. I love tandoori chicken. I grew up eating it. So I look for any way I can get more of it. If you are a fan too then chicken shashlik is for you. Chicken shashlik is like Indian fajitas Seriously delicious Indian fajitas....
Move over sriracha mayo. So long chipotle mayo. Here comes gochujang mayonnaise. Time to put a little Korean flair into your sandwiches. It’s the next big thing. Serve it with roasted pork. Bacon. Pork belly. Basically just about any pork works with gochujang mayonnaise. It’s a sandwich marriage made in heaven. OK. That might be a bit overstated. Sriracha mayo isn’t going anywhere. But gochujang mayonnaise is really good. So good I don’t know why it isn’t a thing....
Think beautiful, rare tuna. Little new potatoes. Market-fresh green beans. Perfectly cooked eggs. And a yuzu miso vinaigrette to tie it all together. That’s what Japanese tuna niçoise is all about. Simple. Clean. Fresh. Delicious. And dare I say it? Healthy. This dish would be on my dinner menu if I had a restaurant. And it would be the star of my lunch menu. And it would sell. Not quite signature dish level....
If you want crazy tasty rice to go with your curries, pilau rice is just the thing you need on the table tonight. And it’s easy. Really easy. Like no-brainer easy. If you can boil water, you can make pilau rice. OK – maybe it’s a little more complicated than boiling water. But not a lot. Seriously. Want to nail it every time? Read on. Foolproof basmati rice There are a lot of opinions on cooking rice....
Beef, mushrooms, white wine, cream and a bit of dijon mustard. Steak with mushroom cream sauce is a classic restaurant dish. Shallots lend a hint of sweetness countered by the bite of dijon. Nicely balanced against the earthiness of the mushrooms and steak. There’s a few things to keep in mind. Cook the mushrooms before you cook the steak. Do it the other way around and you’re eating cold steak for dinner....
Chicken bhuna is a well spiced curry in a thick, rich sauce. Big tastes of Indian spice, onions and tomatoes. It’s just good home cooking – Indian style. It’s a little different though. Almost a dry curry. Chicken coated in sauce. No gravy really. Think chicken dunked in a spicy tomato puree. Chicken cooked in its own juices. Terrible description. I know. But it’s the best I can come up with....
Garlic ginger paste is easy to make at home. And it is way tastier than anything that comes in a jar. Seriously. If you are looking to turn up your Indian cooking you need to start making your own. Garlic ginger paste speeds up Indian cooking Indian cooking is not trivial. Not easy. Real work. Those incredible flavours don’t come for free. There’s a big difference between opening up a jar of pre-fab chicken tikka masala curry mix and making it yourself....
Indian restaurant chicken jalfrezi. Big, bold flavours. Just like they serve at your favourite Indian restaurant. Except this is one you can make it yourself. This isn’t one of those recipes that promise to come close to Indian restaurant jalfrezi. This is the way they do it in restaurants. Seriously. Exactly like they make chicken jalfrezi in restaurants. The whole approach might seem a little different from what you’ve seen before....
I’ve always loved Japanese gyoza. Something I always order when I go out for sushi. Gyoza or shumai – I can’t get enough. Something about that little fried and steamed dumpling dipped in a simple soy rice wine vinegar mix just makes me smile. If they make you smile, read on. They aren’t that hard to make either. Only problem is when you’re making them you wind up making 30 or 40 of them so it’s not a bad idea to have a few friends over to help you eat them....
Malaysian curry chicken or kari ayam is what happens when India goes traveling. Familiar spices slammed up against the flavours of south east Asia. Just. Good. Eating. Never heard of kari ayam? Time to change that. It’s addictive. Think curry flavours with even more flavours. Coconut milk. Haunting notes from star anise. And lemongrass to really mix things up. Puts a smile on your face and a glow in your stomach....
Mint coriander chutney is a great all purpose Indian dipping sauce. Use it with samosas. Spoon it on pappadum. Dip pakora. Or use it as an ingredient in other dishes. Hariyali chicken. Lentil dishes. Even on grilled chicken – like an Indian chimichurri sauce. All sorts of possibilities. You can buy pre-made mint coriander chutney at most Indian supermarkets. That’s what I used to do. I thought it was pretty good....
Have you heard about reverse sear steaks? Ever wonder how they get steaks perfectly evenly cooked in restaurants? How it’s pink from edge to edge? If you already know how to reverse sear steaks there’s nothing new in this post. It’s a technique. If you know the technique you are golden. But if you haven’t yet jumped on the reverse sear steak bandwagon then please read on. This is how to cook your steaks perfectly every time....
If anyone is maintaining a list of phrases that just don’t make sense please add “hot and fast BBQ brisket”. That just goes against everything anyone ever suggested. In this context though hot means 300F and fast means around 7 or 8 hours so it’s not as crazy as you might think. Not much to a Texas style BBQ brisket really. A simple rub, meat and smoke. Sauce is to hide failures....
Chicken pathia. Like they make in the best restaurants. Hotel style. Spicy. Sweet. Sour. A little magic in every bite. Chatpata. That’s a word I didn’t know. Learned it watching Chef’s Table. Gaggan Anand. Four elements in harmony. Sweet, sour, salty and spicy in perfect balance. Indian umami. That describes chicken pathia perfectly. Like textbook perfect. Maybe it should be called chicken chatpata. He’s talking about it at his level. And his level is so far above mine it’s not even worth measuring....
