Garlic Paste

Garlic paste

Garlic paste is what I use most often in my recipes. It’s easy to make. Simply take your garlic cloves and smash them a little. Then place them in a food processor with just enough water to blend to a smooth paste.

The resulting garlic paste is used both in authentic Indian and also British Indian restaurant style recipes.

Add a tablespoon to your marinades or spoon some into your curry sauce for a quite subtle garlic flavour. By subtle I mean you really can’t taste the garlic very much at all but you know it’s there.

Chopped Fresh Garlic

Two essentials! Chopped garlic and chopped ginger

British Indian restaurant style curries usually call for garlic paste but chopped fresh garlic can be used instead. Just like with garlic paste, chopped garlic will lend a subtle garlic flavour to your cooked dishes.

Used raw, it can be added to chunky raitas, pickles and raitas. It’s also nice mixed into side salads and can be quite strong in flavour.

Slow Cooked Garlic Slivers In Oil

Slow cooked garlic in oil

Slow cooked garlic slivers are often added to curries to give them a deeper more complex flavour. I use this preparation when I want a garlicky flavour in curries such as Goan vindaloo and chicken chilli garlic.

Preaparing your garlic in this way is easy but you do need to watch the garlic as it cooks quite carefully.

Heat about 250ml of olive oil or rapeseed oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Cut your garlic cloves into thin slivers and then add them to the simmering oil. You want to cook the garlic over low heat for about 30 minutes. Be sure not to brown the garlic or it will become bitter. You want the garlic to be soft and translucent. The longer and slower you cook the garlic, the sweeter it will become.

Dried Garlic Flakes

To be honest, I usually purchase my dried garlic flakes from my local Asian market. The quality is quite good and a lot less work.

That said, making your own garlic flakes is a great way to use up garlic cloves that would otherwise go off. To make them, simply skin the garlic cloves and slice the cloves into thin slivers.

Preheat your oven to 70c (About 150f)

Place the garlic slivers on a baking tray and allow to roast until nice and dry. You’ll know they are ready when the garlic becomes lightly browned and obviously dryer.

Use as they are of process further by grinding the garlic flakes in a food processor to a fine garlic powder.

I often use the dried flakes to spice up vegetable dishes or to decorate a dish in a tasty way.

I use garlic powder in my tandoori masala powder recipe and other spice blends.

Fire roasted garlic

Roasting garlic!

You may have seen me use this method in a few of my recipes. Place the garlic cloves in their skins onto skewers and the roast over a hot flame until the skins are blackened and the garlic is still crisp but tender in places.

These fire roasted garlic cloves can be used to add a nice garlic flavour to curries or even in salads such as my Bangladeshi tomato salad.

Chicken tikka can be used in so many different recipes!

Chicken tikka being cooked by chefs at Hasan’s

I remember last year’s World Curry Festival in Bradford. I was walking around checking out the food stalls and noticed a very long queue in front of Hasan’s stall. That day they must have served tons of chicken tikka to hungry visitors! I ordered mine served on fresh naans. Those succulent pieces of chicken were to die for.

The thing is, it’s not difficult to make chicken tikka at home. It’s nice to go out to dinner and get spoilt with gorgeous food but let’s face it… that’s a real treat. When at home I like to make chicken tikka for the family. The kids love it and as all the fatty skin is removed so it’s also quite good for you.

There’s nothing like firing up the tandoor oven – a little birthday surprise from my wife – and cooking the tikka until they’re just cooked through and lightly charred on the outside. This recipe could also be made on a barbecue or even in a hot oven.

The meat can be served on its own or used in curries. Chicken tikka masala anyone? I love the smoky flavour barbecued chicken tikka adds to my curries.

There are many different great chicken tikka recipes out there. Here is one of mine. Enjoy.

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Mint, coriander & mango chutney

I’m usually quite good and identifying flavours but with this mint, coriander & Mango Chutney I was stumped. Hasan from Hasan’s Restaurant in Leeds served it to me with a selection of tandoori dishes. I got the coriander and mint right but what was that other familiar ingredient?

The chutney was quite thick so I assumed yogurt even though it didn’t look or taste anything like yogurt. Silly guess I guess!

Hasan then told me it was mango chutney. Simple mango chutney that you can purchase off the shelf or if you’re so inclined make your own. This recipe is easy and worth the effort. It goes so well with tandoori dishes such as chicken tikka and lamb kebabs.

This is one you are going to need to experiment with. If the chutney is too thick for your liking, add more lime juice or smooth mango chutney.  You really can’t go wrong as all of the flavours are good on their own. Just taste and adjust and you’ll soon have the perfect side dish for your favourite tandoori dishes and popadams.

For more British Indian Restaurant style recipes…

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Kingfisher tastes great ice cold and also in a curry!

Back by popular demand!

I have been a big fan of Kingfisher Beer since I can remember. You probably know as well as I do that it goes so well with a curry!

Once again I’m teaming up with my friends at Kingfisher to bring you this great prize!

This draw if for a 12 pack case of 500ml bottles of Kingfisher Beer! Assuming we have a few warm months on the way, this will be a welcome prize! Let’s hope for those warm months because at the time of writing, it feels more like Christmas!

So then… Are you ready to give it a go?

Dan

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Chicken Keema Aloo Balti

This is a nice one! It’s another of the recipes I learned when I visited Hasan’s in Leeds and definitely one you’ll want to bookmark. The recipe is easy and can be made in about half an hour. At Hasan’s Restaurant they only use the freshest ingredients and this recipe really lets those fresh flavours sing.

You could also make it with other minced meat such as lamb or beef but the lean chicken is much better for you and cooks faster too. Since cooking at Hasan’s, I’ve also made the recipe with turkey mince which worked really well.

My daughters really liked the aloo (potatoes) with the minced chicken. The soft texture of the potatoes together with the tender spiced mince worked great together.

In authentic Punjabi cookery, this dish would have been cooked with ghee. Most British Indian restaurant versions use vegetable oil which is lighter. You could also use rapeseed oil with good results. Hasan served this dish with fresh naans which we used to dip into the curry. I suggest doing the same!

The minced lean chicken is added after the onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes

Almost finished! Just need to ensure the potatoes are cooked through.

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This is British Indian restaurant (BIR) cooking at its best!

lamb koftas with chickpeas

I’ve been busy lately visiting some of my favourite Indian restaurants and learning their most popular recipes. Recently I was invited to Hasan’s in Leeds. Hasan, the owner and head chef taught me this lamb kofta recipe. It’s absolutely fantastic!

A couple of days ago, I showed you how Hasan prepared the minced lamb for his seekh kebabs. We used the same recipe for these koftas. I love the way they are steamed on top of the onion tadka giving them a completely different texture to the seekh kebabs.

The recipe was brought together in the end with the addition of chickpeas to the sauce which really made the dish memorable.

Each of the lamb koftas was meticulously prepared as you can see from the pictures below. A little oil was used when making the individual koftas to make rolling them into balls easier and more uniformed.

Lamb koftas ready for cooking

Once the koftas were ready, they were carefully added to the onion tadka and the lid was place over the curry to allow them to cook slowly over a very low heat.

Lamb koftas carefully placed on the onion tadka

It was important not to move the lamb koftas around much while they cooked or they would have fallen apart. When they were finished cooking, the rest of the sauce ingredients were added and the curry continued to cook for about ten minutes to give the ingredients a chance to get to know each other.

Steaming away!

Almost ready!

To finish, we checked the curry for seasoning and then stirred in the chickpeas.

I can assure you, this is going to be a regular in my curry pan!

For more British Indian Restaurant style recipes…

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British Indian Restaurant (BIR) spice selection

I’m often asked which spices are essential for good British Indian Restaurant (BIR) style cooking. Indian curry house cooking is different to more authentic styles in that it was adapted to make great tasting meals fast in a busy restaurant.

I have about every spice going in my spice larder but there are a few spices/ spices mixes (masalas) I use all the time. These are the spices I keep topped up for quick meals after work. They are the spices you will need to have on hand if you are interested in perfecting your BIR cooking skills.

Not everyone cooks as much BIR meals as I do at home so you may wish to prepare the spices in small amounts so that your meals taste exciting and fresh.

I also recommend sourcing an Indian spice container – such as a spice dabbas (pictured below) or perhaps something more modern like the nifty air-tight stainless steel spice jars that were sent to me by my friends at Brabantia. I love these containers and highly recommend them if you are using spices often.

My daughter’s spice dabbas which I borrow from time to time

My BIR spice containers supplied by Brabantia

I visit quite a few Indian restaurant kitchens and most have a nice line up of spices at the ready. I’ve copied these spice collections for my British Indian restaurant selection at home.

So here you go. I do roast all of my spices to release the essential oils. You should do the same. To do so, simply add the whole spices to a dry frying pan and roast over medium heat until the spices are fragrant and warm. Be sure to remove them from the heat to a cool container just before they begin to smoke.

Then grind them and store as discussed above.

My British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Essential Spices

My garam masala roasting in a pan

• Garam Masala – This is my curry powder. I have many different recipes that I use. Currently I’m using this one
• Tandoori Masala – This is a very useful spice blend for you tandoori fans out there. I tend to go from this recipe to a rather more simple version which is just my garam masala recipe with a nice big pinch of citric acid powder. Both work really well.
• Turmeric – I purchase this in powdered form. Generally speaking, I use about a teaspoon or so per for person curry. You don’t need a lot.
• Cumin – I purchase the seeds and then roast them. The flavour is so much nicer than the stale ground cumin you find at most shops.
• Coriander – Look for small coriander seeds that look fresh. Coriander seeds begin to look and taste a lot like sawdust when too old.
• Red Chili Powder – I use a spicy Kashmiri powder and also a mild smoked paprika.
• Salt and pepper – I use my spiced salt blend. You can find the recipe here but plain flaky salt and black pepper will do the job just fine.

<strong>Disclaimer:</strong>Brabantia supplied me with my new spice containers free of charge. I highly recommend them.

This lamb seekh kebab recipe is from Hasan’s in Leeds

Lamb sheek Kebabs

I must have tried hundreds of recipes for lamb seekh kebabs over the years. Most seem to have twenty or more ingredients and take quite a while to assemble. I just love them but sometimes the recipes, including some of my own can be a bit over the top.

I met Hasan Chaudhry, owner of Hasan’s in Leeds at the World Curry Festival in Bradford last year. Hasan had a food stall at the show and handed me one of his grilled lamb kebabs wrapped in a freshly baked naan and topped with salad and a homemade raita. It was one of the best I’d ever tried.

Last week he invited me to cook at Hasan’s Restaurant where he showed me a few of his popular dishes. There was no way I could go without learning his lamb seekh kebab recipe! I have to say I was very surprised at how simple it was.

Hasan explained how he likes to keep the recipe simple so that the flavours of the chutneys and raitas and other sides that the kebabs are served with don’t have to compete with each other. So true! Try this recipe and serve the lamb seekh kebabs with a few fresh raitas or chutneys and you’ll most certainly be glad you read this post.

Before you start, however I’d like to draw your attention to the picture below of the raw lamb mince. Can you see where the meat has been smashed against the bottom of the bowl? This is what Hasan calls “lace” and it is very important to do this to achieve the right texture.

Lamb mince being prepared for seekh kebabs

While preparing the meat, Hasan worked the mince as if he were kneading dough. As he did, he smashed the meat against the bottom of the bowl. This was done for about five minutes.

I tried it myself when I got home and what a difference it makes! I’ve never read this tip in any cookbook nor learnt it from any other chef. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Hasan’s restaurant is so popular.

Lamb seekh kebabs on the grill at Hasan’s

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Note: This recipe could also be used to make koftas and kheema naans.

Free range meat curries

I wouldn’t be able to write my blog on a regular basis if it weren’t for my great sponsors. Farmer’s Choice is one of the sponsors that has supplied my with top quality meat for my recipes. Their support has made it possible for me to cook a lot more and experiment with different recipes.

Farmer’s Choice are specialist in free range meat which they can deliver right to your door.

Together with Farmer’s Choice I will be giving away their LARGE Family Essentials Meat Pack filled with free range meat worth over £125.00.

Using my recipes and their free range meat, you could make all of the curries and tandoori dishes above!

This is what the WINNER of this prize draw will receive FREE OF CHARGE!

Topside 1400g x 1
Diced Beef 750g x 1
Steak Mince 750g x 1
Chicken Large x 1
Diced Turkey Breast 750g x 1
Diced Lamb 750g x 1
Minced Lamb 750g x 1
Leg Lamb Half B&R 1400g x 1
Diced Pork 750g x 1
Leg Pork B&R 2000g x 1

HOW TO ENTER…

Good luck!

Dan

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