India Night - Chicken with Ajwain in Makhani Gravy & Potatoes with Kadhai Spices

Tonight was India night...it about time we tried a theme based on a country outside the Western Hemisphere! The only think about India food is that it takes time!!! Things stew for something close to eternity- perfect for the crock pot, but unfortunately I was not that organized today. There was nothing in the kitchen as I got back from Japan yesterday and we didn't have time to go shopping until the afternoon. But, by putting on my Rachel Ray hat, I was able to tweak some recipes that I got from an Indian cooking class that I took a few years ago, in order to speed up the process. The taste may not be completely authentic, but everyone ate it up just the same!

In addition to the liberties I took to shorten the cooking and prep time, I reduced the spice level to make it kiddie friendly and eliminated certain spices all together because they weren't available at the normal grocery store and I did not have time to make it to the Indian one. I'll try to note the major deltas in the recipe, in case you want to try the "real deal" one day but I'm typing in what I actually brought to the potluck since you all know what that tastes like. The deltas are marked in parentheses and italics below.

First of all, both recipes called for garlic and ginger paste. Traditionally both are made by mortar and pestle and in India that use a special high speed food processor that make quick work of it. Unfortunately I was stuck with an ordinary food processor and no time to make a paste from scratch. So instead I stuck a good sized chunk of ginger (at least 6 inches long) in a mini food processor with some light olive oil and water to make something like a paste (more like a fine mince) and did the same for the garlic. Not exactly the real thing... I think a paste tastes more gingery and garlicy, but the real deal is a real pain in the you know what.

********
Note that Makha means butter in Hindi, and even though I didn't have all the ingredients, how could you go wrong with a sauce made with butter and cream?? Note how empty the dish is below! People were practically licking the bowl.



Chicken with Ajwain in Makhani Gravy

Makhani Gravy

• 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (2 1/4 lb ripe tomatoes chopped -- yeah right)
• 2 tsp fresh "ginger paste"
• 2 tsp fresh "garlic paste"
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (6 serrano chilies)
• 1 tspn paprika (red chili powder - the paprika adds color & some flavor without the heat)
• 5 whole cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods (mine were old, so the real deal is more cardamom-y)
• 3 tspn butter (6 oz butter!!)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 tspn honey
• 1 tbsp julienned fresh ginger
• (2 1/2 tsp kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves- not available in local grocery store but adds a pungent depth to Indian dishes)

1. Place the tomatoes in a saucepan and add the ginger/garlic pastes, the jalapeno, the spices and salt. Bring to boil and reduce to the consistency of thick paste.
2. (Force through strainer into a clean saucepan and return to heat - step eliminated for obvious reasons.)
3. Lower the heat then stir/whisk in the butter. When fully incorporated in sauce, add cream and stir.
4. If the gravy is sour, add honey, a teaspoon at a time until you have a well balanced sauce.
5. Stir in the julienned ginger (and the kasoori methi).

The Chicken with Adjwain

• 1 lb cubed chicken breast (original called for 2 1/4 lb medium shrimp but at $18/lb I made executive decision to change recipe to chicken).
• 3 tbsp canola oil (4 tbsp ghee - too much trouble to make, but would have definitely tasted richer with ghee instead of oil)
• 2 tbsn ajwain (a seed that tastes like oregano, and I miraculously happened to have on hand as I like to use it in chili)
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeno (4 serrano chili)
• 1 tbsp "ginger paste"
• 1 tbsp "garlic paste"
• 1 tsp paprika (1 tsp red chili powder)
• Makhani Gravy above
• (1/3 C chopped cilantro - oops forgot to buy at grocery store)
• (1 tsp garam masala - didn't have time to make from scratch and forgot to buy at grocery store. Would have tasted must better with it)
• (2 tbsps lemon juice - only if you make the version with shrimp)

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the ajwain.
2. When the ajwain starts to sputter, add the onion, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, and salt and saute for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken & chili/paprika powder and stir fry until chicken is done cooking - about 5 - 8 minutes depending on size of cubes
4. Add the makhani gravy and deglaze skillet, coating the chicken.
5. Stir in garam masala and cilantro... dish definitely would have tasted better with those in it. Oh well!

*****************

A Kadhai is a wok-like cooking utensil with circular handles on either side, used for frying, tempering and cooking vegetable dishes. They are often used by Indian food stalls and are associated with a certain type of flavor/cooking style (at least according to my teacher). The list of ingredients is long, but the actual dish is quite easy to put together.

Sauteed Potatoes with Kadhai Spices

• 7 medium gold potatoes sliced thinly into rounds (new potatoes work, too. You can use any small to medium potatoes with thin skins that cook relatively quickly)
• 2 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced thinly into moons
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 tsp "garlic paste"
• 1 tsp "ginger paste"
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp kalonji seeds (black onion seeds)
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (more if you like it more spicy)
• 5 curry leaves - usually you need to ask for it behind the counter at most Indian grocery stores --I didn't have time to get any.. but they definitely add a lot of flavor! Worthwhile to get if you have the time.
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro - oops, forgot to buy some
• 3 tbsps canola oil

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet/wok/kadhai
2. Lower the heat slightly and add cumin and mustard seeds. Cover skillet immediately with lid as these will pop!! If not popping, oil is not hot enough. Watch carefully as they are easy to burn.
3. When done sputtering, throw in the rest of the spices, (curry leaves,) ginger and garlic.
4. Stir-fry for a minute, and then add the sliced onions and salt, then saute until onions turn golden brown.
5. Add the potatoes, cilantro, jalapenos and toss well.
6. Cover skillet tightly with lid (very important!) and cook over low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 15 -20 minutes. You'd think there isn't enough fluid for this to work, but the residual moistness from the onions is enough to steam the potatoes. Trust me!