Madhur Jaffrey and Zahda Saeed’s chicken biryani
If you cannot get the egg yellow food colouring, use any other yellow colouring to get a strong saffron colour. The amount you need will vary. If you use liquid yellow food colouring, ½ teaspoon will do. Biryanis are traditionally served with a yogurt raita and a simple salad.
Serves 6
For the marinade
mint leaves, finely chopped 20g
yoghurt 160ml
chilli powder 1 tsp
hot green chillies 2, roughly chopped
salt 1 tsp, plus more to taste
garam masala 1 tbsp
For the biryani
chicken 1 medium-sized, about 1.4kg, skinned and jointed into 12 pieces
slightly salted butter 125g
onions 3 medium, finely sliced into rings
hot green chillies 3–4, halved lengthways
cassia bark or cinnamon sticks 2 x 10cm, broken up
black cardamom pods 5
green cardamom pods 3
cumin seeds 1 tbsp
black peppercorns 5
basmati rice 300g
dried aloo Bukhara Persian prunes 150g, stone in), or 75g dried cranberries
saffron threads ¼ tsp, soaked in 4 tablespoons of hot water
egg yellow food colouring 1 tsp mixed with 90ml whole milk
lemon juice 3 tbsp
Place all the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over the chicken pieces in a non-reactive bowl, turn to coat, cover and marinate overnight, or for at least three hours, in the fridge.
The next day, melt the butter in a large karhai or wok and fry the onions for five minutes. Add the halved chillies and continue to stir and fry for five more minutes, until the onions are brown. Set aside.
Bring 2.75 litres (5 pints) of water to a boil in a large, deep, heavy-based pan about 20 centimetres (10 inches) in diameter and 15 centimetres (6 inches) deep (it must have a tight-fitting lid). Drop in the cassia bark, both types of cardamom, the cumin seeds and peppercorns and boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes to infuse. Add the rice. Once it has returned to a boil, boil for about 1½ minutes, drain, and set aside with the whole spices. The grains of rice should still be brittle and not soft.
Clean and dry the pan and place the marinated chicken at the bottom. Spoon half the rice over the chicken pieces until they are just covered. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt, then layer in half the onions and some of the butter in which they were fried. Now arrange half the aloo Bukharas or cranberries over the top, and add some more of the butter. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt again, then cover with the remaining rice, then the remaining onions and prunes. Pour the saffron and water, food colouring and milk, and lemon juice over the top, distributing it evenly. Drape a clean, damp tea towel over the inside of the lid of the pan. Cover the pan with your tea towel-clad lid, pulling the ends of the towel out the way of the flame and over the lid.
Set the pan over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low for a further 10 minutes, then finally reduce the heat once more to very low for the last 20 minutes.
Mix the biryani very gently with a slotted spoon, and serve.
From Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation by Madhur Jaffrey (Ebury Press, RRP £20). Click here to buy it for £16 from Guardian Bookshop
Tom Kerridge’s sticky drumsticks
Serves 4
chicken drumsticks 12
garlic cloves 2, grated
ginger 3cm piece, peeled and grated
sesame oil 2 tbsp
sesame seeds 3 tbsp, toasted lightly in a dry frying pan
spring onions 1 bunch, trimmed and finely sliced
green chilli 1, finely sliced – seeds and all
For the marinade
runny honey 160g
dark soy sauce 160ml
chicken stock 300ml
malt extract 120g
To make the marinade, pour the honey into a small stainless steel saucepan (it helps if the pan has a light interior rather than a dark one, as it’s easier to judge the colour of the honey as it caramelises) and warm on a medium-high heat. Cook the honey until it starts to turn a deep, rich shade of amber, then pour in the soy sauce and chicken stock to stop it cooking further. Bring to the boil and whisk in the malt extract. Remove from the heat and cool.
Place the drumsticks in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Mix in the garlic and ginger, cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours; overnight is even better.
Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. Put the drumsticks in a roasting tin with their marinade. Cook for 45-50 minutes, basting 3-4 times during the cooking, until the chicken is cooked through and the meat comes away from the bone easily. The drumsticks should be glossy and sticky.
Remove the tray from the oven and immediately drizzle with the sesame oil and toss in the sesame seeds. Throw in the spring onions and the chilli. Roll the drumsticks around, making sure they are all evenly coated. Serve hot or cold.
From Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes (Bloomsbury, RRP £25). Click here to buy it for £20 from Guardian Bookshop.
13
Fischer’s chicken schnitzel
Serves 4
For the schnitzel
chicken breast (skin and bones removed) 4 x 200g
plain flour 60g
potato flour 6g
table salt 3g
eggs 8 large, whisked
breadcrumbs 200g, either stale bread or dried breadcrumbs
vegetable oil enough to cover the bottom of your pan
sea salt 2g
For the Parisienne jus
butter 30g
reduced chicken or veal stock (you can find this at any good supermarket) 200ml
lemon 1 small
For the Parisienne jus, add the butter to a pan and cook until golden brown (it should have a nutty smell).
Warm the stock in another pan, then pour the melted butter though a fine sieve and whisk into the stock. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Place in a food blender and mix for 30 seconds to emulsify the ingredients.
Butterfly the chicken breast and bash with a mallet until thin.
Mix the plain flour, potato flour and table salt together in a bowl and place mixture on a tray/plate. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl and place the mixture on a second tray/plate. Place the breadcrumbs on a third tray/plate.
Take each chicken breast in turn and dip both sides in the flour mix, then dip both sides in the egg mix, shaking off any excess. Then place in the breadcrumbs and ensure the entire piece of meat is well covered with the crumbs. Follow this procedure for each chicken breast.
Heat a frying pan first, then add enough vegetable oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. When the oil starts to smoke slightly, add the schnitzels. Fry the schnitzels for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown (ensure there is no pink meat.)
If you are using a deep fat fryer, the schnitzels will take 3 to 4 minutes in total (again ensure there is no pink meat.)
Garnish the schnitzel with sea salt and place the Parisienne jus either on the plate or on the side.
Fischer’s is a classic Viennese cafe in London W1
Nigel Slater’s hearty pie of chicken and leeks
Serves 6
chicken thighs on the bone 350g
chicken breasts 350g
onion ½
peppercorns 8
bay leaf 1
milk to cover
butter 30g
smoked streaky bacon rashers 6
leeks 2, medium-sized
plain flour 3 lightly heaped tbsp
Dijon mustard 3 tsp
salt and pepper
puff pastry a 375g sheet
beaten egg and milk a little
grated Parmesan
Put the chicken pieces into a large saucepan, together with the half onion, peppercorns, bay leaf and enough milk just to cover the chicken. Bring to the boil, then, just when it starts to bubble, lower the heat and leave to simmer, partially covered by a lid, for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, reserving the milk, and pull the meat from the bones. Cut it into small, plump pieces.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the bacon, cut into small pieces and let it soften without colouring over a moderate to low heat. Slice the leeks into pieces roughly 1cm thick. Wash them very thoroughly, then add them to the bacon and continue cooking for about 15 minutes, till they are totally soft.
Stir the flour into the leek and bacon, continue cooking for a couple of minutes, then strain in enough of the warm milk to make a thick sauce. Fold in the chicken and check the seasoning, adding the mustard and a generous grinding of salt and pepper.
Roll one half of the pastry out into a rectangle 27cm x 37cm and transfer it to a baking sheet. Spoon the filling on to the pastry, leaving a wide rim round the edge. Brush the rim with beaten egg and milk. Roll out the second piece of pastry to the same size as the base and lower it over the filling. Press and crimp the edges together firmly to seal them. It is worth making certain the edges are tightly sealed, or the filling may leak.
Brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg wash and scatter a handful of grated Parmesan over the surface. Bake for 25 minutes or till golden.
Vivek Singh’s Old-Delhi style butter chicken
Serves 4
free-range young chickens (poussin) 2 x 750g, skinned and cut in half along the backbone (alternatively, use 800g boned chicken thighs, cut into two)
For the marinade
full-fat Greek yoghurt 80g
ginger and garlic paste 1 tbsp (see below)
vegetable oil 1 tbsp
salt 1 ½ tsp
lemon juice of 1
red chilli powder 1 tbsp
ground cumin 1 tsp
garam masala ½ tsp
For the sauce
tomatoes 1kg, halved
ginger 5cm piece, half crushed and half finely chopped
garlic cloves 4, peeled
green cardamom pods 4
cloves 5
bay leaf 1
red chilli powder 1 tbsp
butter 80g, diced
green chillies 2, slit lengthways
single cream 75ml
salt 1 tsp
garam masala ½ tsp
dried fenugreek leaves 1 tbsp, crushed between your fingertips
sugar 1 tbsp
For the ginger and garlic paste
ginger 100g, peeled
garlic 75g, peeled
First, prepare the chicken. Make small cuts all over the chicken pieces with a sharp knife to help the marinade penetrate. To prepare the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a deep ovenproof dish.
For the ginger and garlic paste, chop up the ginger and garlic. Blend it to a fine, thick paste with 175ml water. (This will make about 8 tbsp which will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week).
Smear the cut chicken with the marinade, cover and set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Cook the chicken in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. You may need to turn the pieces after 8-10 minutes to ensure they colour evenly on both sides. The chicken does not need to be completely cooked at this point as it will continue to cook in the sauce. Cut the chicken halves into smaller pieces.
Strain off the juices through a fine sieve and set aside.
For the sauce, place the tomatoes in a pan with 125ml water, the crushed ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf and simmer for about 10 minutes over a medium heat until the tomatoes have completely disintegrated. Pick out the larger spices, then blend the tomato broth with a hand-held blender and pass it through a sieve to obtain a smooth purée. Return the purée to a clean pan, add the chilli powder and simmer for 12-15 minutes. It should slowly begin to thicken.
When the sauce turns glossy, add the chicken and the reserved roasting juices. Then add 200-250ml water and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce turns glossy again and the water is absorbed (for a thicker sauce, add slightly less water or simmer for a little longer).
Slowly whisk in the butter, a couple of pieces at a time, and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is beginning to acquire a glaze. Add the chopped ginger, green chillies and cream and simmer for a minute or two longer, taking care that the sauce does not split. Stir in the salt, crushed fenugreek leaves and garam masala, then check the seasoning and add the sugar. Serve with naan bread or pilau rice.
Eat what you can, then store any leftover chicken and sauce in the fridge. Leftovers make a great filling for ravioli.
From Spice at Home by Vivek Singh, (Bloomsbury, RRP £25). Click here to buy it for £20 from Guardian Bookshop
