SRI LANKAN CHICKEN MASALA TRAYBAKE
Using just one tray for a dinner party makes so much sense; it’s a stress-free way to deliver a crowd pleaser with minimal washing up. This is the perfect make-ahead dish, too. You can marinate and keep the chicken and curry sauce for up to 2 days in the fridge. Just bring it back up to room temperature before roasting.
SERVES 4
10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3 tbsp rapeseed oil 3 shallots, sliced 30 fresh curry leaves
HFor the masala curry
H 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
H 5 garlic cloves, crushed
H 1 tsp ground turmeric
H 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
H juice of ½ lemon
H 3 ripe vine tomatoes
(or 20 cherry tomatoes)
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 small onion, cut into chunks 20g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tbsp medium curry powder 1 tsp palm sugar (or honey) 400g can of coconut milk 1 tsp sea salt
1 In a food processor, blitz all the ingredients for the masala curry until smooth. Spread over the chicken thighs (in a nonmetallic dish) and marinate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight, in the fridge.
2 Transfer the chicken and sauce to a baking tray and bring to room temperature.
3 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast for 45-50 minutes until the skin has browned and the sauce has thickened. Remove and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the shallots and fry for a couple of minutes until crispy, then add the curry leaves and leave to sizzle for a few seconds.
5 Pour this over the chicken as a final garnish and serve with rice and Sri Lankan beetroot curry (see overleaf).
HARIYALI CHICKEN BIRIYANI
A whole roast chicken always indicates celebration and everyone thinks you’ve gone to so much effort. Most are familiar with orange-tinged tikka marinades. Here, I give the fiery hues a tranquil herby green makeover.
SERVES 4
For the marinade H
For the rice H H H H H
H
To garnish H
H
To serve H
H 1 Spatchcock your chicken by removing the backbone (I use kitchen scissors) and flattening the bird. There are YouTube videos if you are unsure how to do this, or you can ask your butcher.
2 In a food processor, blitz all the marinade ingredients except the onions, with salt to taste, until smooth.
3 In a baking tray that you will use for roasting, pour the marinade over the chicken and rub all over. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge, covered with foil.
4 Bring your chicken to room temperature if refrigerated
(it will take about an hour).
5 Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Remove the foil, sprinkle over the sliced onions and cover in foil again. Roast
COCONUT SAAG PANEER WITH PEAS
Paneer is often regarded as a celebratory ingredient and pairing it with creamy spinach makes it even more dreamy. I’ve also used peas because I love how they add sweetness. Serve with chapatis, naan or steamed basmati rice with poppadoms and salad for a dinner-party feast. No one will miss the meat, but, having said that, this works equally well with chicken pieces.
SERVES 4 squeeze of lemon juice small knob of butter (optional) sea salt, to taste
1 Put half the coconut oil or ghee in a pan over a mediumlow heat, add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick and cook until they fizz, then add the onion. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes until slightly brown, then add the ginger and garlic paste with the green chillies and sauté for a minute or so.
2 Add the tomato, spices, fenugreek leaves and salt to taste. Add a splash of water if needed, then the spinach. Stir
GINGER & GARLIC PASTE
There is one secret of Indian food – have a batch of ginger and garlic paste pre-made, frozen and at your fingertips. This will halve your time when making dishes. The shop-bought stuff isn’t the same at all.
MAKES 100G
60g peeled garlic cloves 40g peeled fresh ginger, in cubes to combine and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, heat the remaining coconut oil or ghee in a large nonstick frying pan. Add the paneer, avoiding stirring too much, and let each side catch some colour before flipping. This takes 3-4 minutes. 4 Remove the cinnamon stick from the spinach mixture and purée the mixture slightly with a stick blender until smooth but still with some texture. Add the coconut milk and tumble in the paneer cubes and peas. Simmer for 10 minutes. Finish with the squeeze of lemon and a knob of butter, if liked. splash of water drizzle of oil pinch of sea salt
1 In a small food processor, blitz the ingredients together until smooth – a little bit of texture is fine. Keep it refrigerated for up to 1 week in a screw-top jar. Or freeze in a zip-lock bag, flattened. Break off little chunks as needed. It will keep well for up to 6 months.