1,000 Indian Recipes (250 page)

Ground Chicken Curries

Soft-Cooked Ground Chicken with Cardamom Seeds

Illaichi Keema

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Fragrant with cardamom seeds, this quick-to-make dish is made without any oil. Each of the cardamom seeds have a different flavor—the green ones are stronger with a eucalyptus-like aroma, and the black ones have a woody-smoky aroma with just a hint of eucalyptus. If the flavor is too strong, reduce the green ones by half, if you wish.

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds ground chicken

1 teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

1 teaspoon ground black cardamom seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cloves

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cinnamon

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons salt, or to taste

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 large tomatoes, finely chopped

2 large cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

¹
⁄
₂
cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon garam masala

1.
In a medium non-reactive bowl, mix together the chicken, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, and salt.

2.
Place the onion and tomatoes in a large nonstick wok or saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until heated through. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook about 5 minutes.

3.
Add the chicken with spices, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until all the juices are dry and the chicken is golden, about 20 minutes.

4.
Add the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, and simmer over low heat about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the green chile pepper and garam masala on top, and serve.

Diced Chicken with Pomegranate Seeds

Bareek Kattae Murgh ka Keema

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Keema
essentially means minced meat, so this dish made with diced chicken is not a true
keema
. But the pieces are so small that it almost looks like one. Make sure the pomegranate seeds are well ground, or they may get stuck in your teeth.

1 tablespoon
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

1 pound chicken tenders, tendons removed, cut into
¹
⁄
₄
-inch pieces

³
⁄
₄
pound potatoes (any kind), peeled and cut into
¹
⁄
₄
-inch pieces

¹
⁄
₄
cup canned tomato sauce

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks

2 (1-inch) sticks cinnamon

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons ground dried pomegranate seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

¹
⁄
₄
cup fresh pomegranate seeds or finely chopped red bell pepper

1.
Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Place the chicken and potatoes in a non-reactive bowl. Add the tomato sauce, ginger-garlic paste, cilantro, salt, and cayenne pepper, and mix well, making sure all the pieces are well-coated with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate about 2 hours in the refrigerator.

2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the ginger until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove to a bowl and reserve for garnish.

3.
Add the cinnamon and onion and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the marinated chicken and stir until the chicken is golden and all the juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes.

4.
Add the ground pomegranate seeds, coriander, and garam masala and stir another 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, lightly mix in the fresh pomegranate seeds (or bell pepper), scatter the fried ginger on top, and serve.

Chicken Kofta Balls in Kashmiri Cashew-Saffron Sauce

Kashmiri Murgh Kofta Kari

Makes 4 to 6 servings

As in other
kofta
preparations, there are three distinct steps to making this classic recipe from Kashmir: making the
koftas
(vegetable or meat balls), making the sauce, then simmering the two together until the meat balls soak up the fragrant sauce and become soft and packed with flavor. The cashew-and-saffron-enriched sauce, in turn, takes on the flavors of the chicken and turns into a luxuriant, delicately sweet purée that is delicious dippings for bread.

20 to 25 raw almonds, coarsely chopped

6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

¹
⁄
₂
cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 teaspoons garam masala +
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon for garnish

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 large egg

³
⁄
₄
cup raw cashews

8 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

3 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon saffron threads

¹
⁄
₂
cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon, broken lengthwise

2 cups finely chopped tomatoes

3 cups water

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems (reserve some for garnish)

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1.
To make the kofta balls: Place the almonds, ginger, cilantro, fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon garam masala, black pepper, and cardamom seeds in a medium skillet and dry-roast, stirring and shaking the skillet, over moderate heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool, transfer to a food processor, and process until finely ground.

2.
Add the chicken and
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt and process until minced. Add the egg and process once again. Remove to a bowl and divide the mixture into 25 equal but unevenly shaped balls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

3.
To make the sauce: In a clean food processor, process together the cashews, ginger, garlic, green chile peppers, 1 teaspoon garam masala, and saffron until minced. Add the milk and process again to make a smooth paste.

4.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium heat and cook the bay leaves and cinnamon about 30 seconds. Add the cashew paste and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.

5.
Add the tomatoes, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring, until all the juices evaporate and traces of oil are visible on the sides, about 7 minutes. Add the water and the remaining
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer about 10 minutes.

6.
Add the chicken kofta balls and simmer about 20 minutes, adding the lemon juice, cilantro, and ground fennel during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the reserved cilantro and garam masala, and serve.

Meat

A lot of Indians don't eat meat, yet it is a crucial part of the cuisine. Specialties include the
korma
(yogurt-braised) curries of Hyderabad, the coconut curries of Kerala in the south, the roasted
masala
curries of Punjab in the north, the
koftas (
meat balls) of Kashmir in the north, the super-spicy
vindaloo
curries of Goa on the southwestern coast, marinated whole leg or rack of lamb, and much more.

In India, the word "meat" loosely translates to mutton or goat meat. (Mutton is an English word and usually means an older lamb, but in India, traditionally, it refers to goat meat.) Finding goat meat in America is not easy, and even though some butchers can get it for you, for the most part it still remains just a possibility. With that in mind, almost all of the recipes in this chapter call for lamb, and even in the few in which I call for mutton, you can use lamb or beef. Beef, pork, and other red meats popular in the rest of the world are not universally accepted in India, but they are eaten in some parts of the country and because they are popular meats in the United States, I include recipes for them.