Name: Hanger Steak with Spiced Bone Marrow
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: Juice of 2 limes, plus extra lime wedges to serve; 1 hanger steak (approx. 1kg/2lb 4oz), sliced down the centre into two long steaks; 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil Salt, to taste; FOR THE SPICED BONE MARROW; 2 handfuls of coriander; (cilantro), finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper; 4 canoe-cut marrow bones

Hanger Steak with Spiced Bone Marrow

April 19, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This is a hanger steak with a difference. We are talking top notch here and the recipe is so easy.

You can make this hanger steak really easy on yourself and just serve the steak without the spiced bone marrow. If you are a fan of bone marrow like I am, you won't want to do that though. The spiced bone marrow oozes flavour over those hanger steaks as it melts and it is out of this world delicious! This is a recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy BBQ' and you've really got to try it soon!

What is hanger steak?

Hanger steak is a cut of meat that until recently wasn’t used or seen much on restaurant menus. Word of mouth has made this cut of steak one that many people are eager to try. It is similar to flank steak or skirt steak and comes from the belly of the cow.

You might also see it referred to as the Butchers Cut as it was often the piece of the cow they could not sell so they took it home for themselves. Although hanger steak can be tough, if you cook it correctly, you will get a deliciously tender steak at a fraction of the cost of better-known cuts.

How do you cook a hanger steak?

This hanger steak recipe is perfect for the barbecue as hanger steaks need to be cooked over a high heat for a short period of time. The intense heat of a fire sears the meat perfectly. As hanger steaks are quite thin in comparison to other cuts, they do cook through quite quickly so you will want to keep an eye on the internal temperature.

Do not cook it more than medium rare as the meat will turn to leather! The perfect cooking of hanger steak is explained in the recipe below.

Where to you buy hanger steak?

This isn’t a cut you are likely to find at a supermarket. It just isn’t that well known yet. So you will need to find a good butcher and often you might need to order it in.

Is hanger steak tender?

It sure is! When you try this recipe, you might just liken it to fillet but with much more flavour. Just don’t overcook hanger steak or you will be left with a tough cut of meat.

What do you serve with hanger steak?

Anything you like really. If you want a more western experience, serve it with baked potatoes and a good salad. That is alway good.

You might also like to serve these steaks with hot naans and I have a lot of great homemade recipes for you. You could try instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans. If you want to make things even easier, try these homemade chapatis.

Yield: 4

Hanger Steak with Spiced Bone Marrow

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Juice of 2 limes, plus extra lime wedges to serve
1 hanger steak (approx. 1kg/2lb 4oz), sliced down the centre into two long steaks
1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil Salt, to taste
FOR THE SPICED BONE MARROW
2 handfuls of coriander
(cilantro), finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 canoe-cut marrow bones

Instructions

Squeeze the lime juice over the steaks, drizzle with the oil and season to taste with salt. Mix well and set aside while you prepare a direct heat fire). While the coals are heating up, mix together the coriander (cilantro), garlic, chilli powder, cumin, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
When the coals are white-hot and it is uncomfortable to hold your hand 5cm (2in) above the grill for more than 2 seconds, you’re ready to cook.
Lightly brush the cooking grate with oil and then place the bone marrow bones on the grate, cut side down, for 30 seconds.
Turn over and continue roasting the bones by moving them from side to side. As the bone marrow cooks, it will begin to break away from the bone and melt. When this happens, transfer the bones to a frying pan to continue cooking until the bone marrow is soft and oozing deliciousness. Brush each generously with the coriander mixture and wrap in foil to keep warm while you cook the steaks.
Place the hanger steaks on the hot grill and cook for about 5 minutes, turning every 30 seconds. I know that sounds like a lot of fuss but they cook better that way. Cook the steaks until they reach an internal temperature of 50°C (122°F) for rare or 56°C (133°F) for medium. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for a few minutes. If the bone marrow has cooled too much, return to the pan and place back on the grill to heat up.
Slice the steaks against the grain and serve with the bone marrow. You can dip the meat into the hot marrow or scoop it out and let it melt on top of the steaks. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Thai Fish Cakes

April 19, 2023 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

These Thai fish cakes are the best! I promise.

One of the most popular starters at Thai restaurants is Thai fish cakes. These little fish patties are packed with flavour and are so good dipped into a good Thai sauce such as sriracha. This Thai fish cakes recipe is from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai' which also includes some amazing Thai sauces that will go well with these fish cakes like the prik nam pla in the photograph.

Thai fish cakes served with a spicy, sweet, savoury and tart sauce.

About this Thai fish cakes recipe

This is a recipe I developed after trying many different recipes for Thai fish cakes. Most version include egg which is used as a binder. In this recipe, you have that option but personally I prefer the texture without the egg. Adding egg gives the Thai fish cakes a rubbery texture which some people like.

I recommend trying these fish cakes without the egg binder though. The fish patties stay together anyway so no binder is needed.

Working ahead

You can prepare the fish cakes a day or so ahead of cooking. That said, you will get best results using the freshest fish you can get your hands on so make sure your fish is really fresh before deciding to work ahead.

How do you prepare these Thai fish cakes?

It really could not be easier. Simply place all the ingredients for the fish cakes except for the green beans and spring onions. Blend for about 3 minutes to form a thick fish paste. Then you stir the chunky beans and spring onions into the fish paste.

Get a bowl of water ready before forming the patties. It's easier to form the patties with wet hands. Then form the patties and fry in a little oil for about 4 minutes. Brown both sides and you are on your way to Thai fish cake heaven!

Which fish do you use in this recipe.

You can use any meaty fish. Don't go for the expensive stuff like halibut though! Salmon, cod, codling, hake, haddock... Any of these will do.

You can use just one variety of fish or a selection. Just pick your favourites and you will love the results.

It is important which Thai curry paste you use?

Not really. I use Thai red curry paste for this recipe which I make myself. Homemade Thai curry pastes are always better. You could use another curry paste such as green curry paste or yellow curry paste if you like.

How long can you keep leftovers in the fridge?

These Thai fish cakes are much better served hot right out of the pan. If you do have leftovers, you can place them on a plate and wrap the tightly in cling film. Consume within 3 days.

To heat them up, you could simply place them in your microwave for a minute or so. That's the most convenient way but you could also fry them in a little oil to heat through.

Can Thai fish cakes be frozen?

Yes. In fact they freeze quite well. You should, however prepare and freeze the fish cakes before frying.

Then just let the fish cakes defrost and fry as in the recipe.

What do you serve with Thai fish cakes?

Thai fish cakes are great served on their own, simply with a dipping sauce or two like those in the recipe below.

You might, however like to make your Thai fish cakes part of a larger Thai feast. I have you covered! Why not follow your Thai fish cakes with a good curry such as Thai green curry, red curry, yellow curry, Massaman curry or panang curry. Just one of these would be good but you might want to try them all.

Do you like Thai noodles? Why not try Thai drunken noodles, pad si eew or the most famous of them all pad Thai?

A good steak is also nice. Give this weeping tiger steak a go! You might like to serve them with the crispy spinach (seaweed) shown in the photo.

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients for the fish cakes. — Get all your ingredients together before you start. It's easier that way.

The fish cake ingredients in a food processor. — Place all of the ingredients except for the green beans and spring onions in a food processor.

Blending the fish and aromatic ingredients in a food processor. — Blend the fish with the other ingredients for about 3 minutes or until you have a thick fish paste.

The fish paste with the spring onions and green beans in it. — Transfer the fish paste to a bowl and add the green beans and spring onions. Mix well to combine.

Forming the fish patties before frying. — Using wet hands, form the fish paste into about 12 patties.

Frying the fish cakes — Fry the Thai fish cakes in about 5 tablespoon rapeseed (canola) oil. Brown them on one side.

Frying the other side of the Thai fish cakes. — Then carefully flip them over to fry and brown the other side. The whole cooking process takes about 4 minutes per batch.

The Thai fish cakes served with a dipping sauce. — Serve hot from the pan with sriracha or another sauce such as the Thai sauce for fish shown in the photo.

Crispy Thai fish cakes — You are going to love these!

Love Thai Recipes? Give one of these other Thai recipes a try too.

THAI SOUPS

See more Thai Soups →

CURRIES

See more Thai Curries →

All Thai Recipes

THAI NOODLE RECIPES

See more Thai Noodles →

FRIED THAI

See more Fried Thai Recipes →

STIR FRIES

THAI BBQ

See more Thai Grilled →

Yield: 4

Thai Fish Cakes

These easy Thai fish cakes are even better with prik nam pla. That's the sauce in the photo.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

500g (1lb 2oz) meaty fish fillets, such as lemon sole, cod or salmon, skinned
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro) (optional)
1 tsp sugar (optional)
3–4 tbsp homemade Thai red curry paste or 2 tbsp
shop-bought paste)
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (gluten-free brands are available)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 medium egg (optional)
1 tbsp tapioca starch
3 lime leaves, stalks removed and finely julienned
2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
8 green (string) beans, thinly sliced
5 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil

Instructions

Place the fish in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients up to and including the lime juice. If you are using egg for a spongier fishcake, add it at this point too.
Blend until you have a fine fish paste. It is worth blending for a few minutes as the heat from your blender will help thicken the paste.
Transfer to a bowl and add the tapioca starch, lime leaves, spring onions (scallions) and beans and mix well with your hands.
Divide into twelve patties. I often fry a spoonful of the paste to test for seasoning, then adjust if necessary.
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the fishcakes, in batches of about three or four, for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip over to cook the other side until they are nicely browned and cooked through.
Each batch should only take about 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Recheado Masala Fish

April 19, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Recheado masala fish is a Goan classic. It can be prepared easily on your barbecue.

From start to finish, you can prepare this delicious Goan recheado masala fish in about 30 minutes. Recheado masala fish can be prepared with the fish of your choice such as snapper, bass, bream and mackerel. You might even like to cook a selection of different fish with this recheado masala for a seafood feast. This is a recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy BBQ' and you are going to love it!

What is recheado masala?

The paste used in this recheado masala fish recipe is ideal for stuffing fish, meat and vegetables but it can also be used as a marinade. Recheado masala is a Portuguese-inspired recipe from Goa, recheado meaning ‘stuffed’. It is much more common to fry recheado masala fish but I like to char it over the fire. If you would like to fry it, just cover the bottom of a frying pan with oil and fry over direct heat until cooked through and crispy on both sides.

Working ahead

You can prepare the recheado masala a good few days before using it to marinate the fish. It also freezes well so you might like to upscale this recipe and freeze some so that you always have it on hand.

When you try this recheado masala fish, you might just want to do that!

Yield: 4

Recheado Masala Fish

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2lb 4oz) fish such as sardines or mackerel, fins snipped off
Flake sea salt, to serve Lemon wedges, to serve
FOR THE RECHEADO MASALA
25 dried Kashmiri chillies, roughly chopped (remove the seeds if you don’t want it super-hot)
1 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp cumin seeds
6 cloves
6 fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
2 red onions, finely chopped
3 red bird’s eye chillies
5cm (2in) piece of ginger, peeled
and roughly chopped
10 garlic cloves, smashed and
roughly chopped
1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste (The ‘paste’
I use is labelled ‘concentrate’. 70ml (1⁄4 cup) palm vinegar (or white wine or cider vinegar)
Salt, to taste

Instructions

Place the fish on a board and scrape as much moisture out of the skin as you can using a sharp knife, then score the fish a few times on each side. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the marinade.
Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and toast the chillies for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Be sure to move them around in the pan so that they toast evenly, then tip into a bowl and cover with water. Let stand for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the whole spices until fragrant but not yet smoking and then transfer to a plate to cool.
Next, pour the oil into the pan and fry the onions over a medium heat for about 7 minutes until soft, transparent and lightly caramelized. Pour the fried onions, drained chillies, toasted whole spices and the remaining ingredients apart from the salt into a spice grinder or blender and blend to a smooth paste.
The recheado paste should be quite red. If you want it to be more red, you could add more paprika or even some more toasted chillies. Taste and add salt if you wish. You could also add a little more sugar if you want it sweeter.
Rub the paste all over and inside the fish, ensuring that you get the marinade right into the slits you made. Set to one side to marinate while you fire up the grill.
Many people use fish baskets to grill fish on the barbecue and if you have one, you could definitely use it here if you like. I have one, but it’s still in the packaging it came in. It just isn’t needed.
Prepare a hot, direct heat fire, lightly brush the cooking grate with oil and when it is uncomfortable to hold your hand 5cm (2in) above the grill for more than 2 seconds, place your fish on it. Grill on one side until the fish comes away from the grill naturally and without sticking. A good metal spatula will help with this but don’t force it. The fish will come away once the skin has charred a bit.
Flip and cook the other side until equally charred. Check, and if by chance the fish isn’t completely cooked through, just continue cooking for a couple more minutes. Depending on how charred the skin is, you might want to continue cooking over a cooler part of the fire.
Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt and serve with lemon wedges.

Reverse Seared Steak with Tomato Chutney

April 19, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Try this reverse seared steak recipe and it might just change how you grill steaks forever.

I'm a big fan of grilling steaks over hot coals or wood. The smoky flavour of those charred steaks just plain gets it! This reverse seared steak recipe is from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy BBQ', and it's really the only recipe you need for amazing char grilled steaks.

What is reverse sear cooking?

With this method, you first roast and smoke the steaks over indirect heat in your barbecue until the internal temperature is just under your desired doneness.

Then those smoky steaks are thrown either directly onto hot coals or onto a sizzling hot grate to char the exterior for a couple of minutes. As your steaks have already been resting in the barbecue, you can serve your steaks immediately off the coals.

Do you need a meat thermometer for this style of cooking?

Yes. It is essential that you watch the internal temperature carefully so that your steak is cooked to perfection. Any meat thermometer will do but you will love the one I use which is the Meater. All you need to do is stick the thermometer in one of the steaks. You can monitor the internal temperature via your mobile phone, so you never need to lift the lid of your barbecue while your steaks are cooking.

You might also be interested in checking out the Thermapen which is another meat thermometer I use often.

How do you make the dry rub for this recipe?

There are many good dry rubs for steaks at specialty shops and online. Below is my own steak rub blend which you can make quickly and easily. This recipe can be scaled down if you like as it makes more than needed, but it is good to have on hand so you might want to make it all.

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp salt
4 tbsp light brown sugar or grated jaggery 4 tbsp granulated garlic
3 tbsp granulated onion
2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
11⁄4 tsp ground cumin
11⁄4 tsp ground coriander

METHOD

Combine all the ingredients in a glass jar and mix well. Store in an air-tight container a cool, dry place until ready to use – it will keep for up to 3 months.

Can you use different cuts of steak for reverse searing?

Yes! In the recipe below, I used tomahawk steaks which are my personal favourite for flavour and presentation.

You can make this reverse seared steak recipe using other cuts such as ribeye and sirloin. They will be spectacular cooked this way.

Can you cook reverse seared steak in an oven and pan?

For best results, you are going to want to cook these steaks on your barbecue! That smoky flavour and beautiful char are what this reverse seared steak recipe is all about.

That said, you could do it in your oven and a hot pan too.

To do so, just follow the barbecue instructions below, setting your oven to the same temperature to cook. Then sear the steak in a flaming hot pan to finish it off.

What do you serve with reverse seared steak?

If you're going for a Western style meal, baked potatoes and a good salad are all you need. On the other hand, you might like to give your meal an Indian touch.

You can't go wrong making naans or chapatis. Wrap the meat in a naan or chapati with that delicious tomato chutney and you will be in food heaven. Here are a few recipes you might like to try, Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans. If you want to make things even easier, try these homemade chapatis.

Yield: 2 - 4

Reverse Seared Steak with Tomato Chutney

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 x 900g (2lb) tomahawk steaks
3–4 tbsp all-purpose rub (see recipe above), minus the sugar
Oil, for brushing
FOR THE TOMATO CHUTNEY
4 medium tomatoes
4 red bullet chillies
1 red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
Juice of 1 lemon Salt, to taste

Instructions

Rub the steaks with the all-purpose rub, coating both sides. Set aside while you set up your barbecue for indirect heat cooking. If using a normal kettle barbecue, place a drip pan with a little water in it opposite the coals. This isn’t necessary if using a ceramic barbecue. When the barbecue has reached a steady cooking temperature of between 110°C (225°F) and 120°C (245°F), you’re ready to get cooking. I tend to aim for the lower temperature for a longer cook.
Cover the long bone extending from the tomahawk steaks with foil and place them directly on the grill over the drip pan or opposite the coals and close the lid. You can maintain the cooking heat by adjusting the top and bottom vents.
Allow to cook until the steaks have reached an internal temperature of 47°C (116°F), then transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest. The residual heat will continue to cook the steaks before you finish them back on the grill.
Meanwhile, spread your coals out in the barbecue and add more charcoal if needed. You might like to get some charcoal fired up in a chimney starter so that it’s ready to add. At this point, you can open both the top and bottom vents wide open to get the grill as hot as possible.
Rest the tomatoes and chillies directly on the grate and cook for a few minutes, turning regularly until they are blackened all over. Remove to a board and finely chop, then add to a bowl with the rest of the chutney ingredients.
When the steaks have rested and you’re ready to finish cooking, open the lid and lightly brush the cooking grate with a little oil. I usually place the steaks back on the grill when they reach 53°C (128°F) for medium rare. Place the steaks directly over the hottest part of the fire and cook on one side for about a minute until nicely charred (flare- ups are fine as the steaks are only over the fire for a short time), then flip the steaks using tongs and char the other side.
This method generally achieves my preferred and recommended internal temperature of 56°C (133°F). Transfer to a plate to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the tomato chutney.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I hope you enjoy this reverse seared steak recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Chicken Pakora

April 18, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Chicken pakora makes a good starter or main. Here's how it's made at the best curry houses.

This is a chicken pakora recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy' and it's so good. You can make this at home in less than 30 minutes!

About this chicken pakora recipe

Chicken pakora is served in so many different ways at restaurants across the UK. The chicken breast meat can be cut into long strips or simple bite-sized cubes that are perfect served as finger food. Often, the meat is dyed bright red to make it look spicy hot, although usually it’s not very spicy at all.

In this chicken pakora, only a tsp of chilli powder is added which gives the pakoras a good spicy flavour but it doesn't take away from the other delicious spices used.

The chicken pakoras in the accompanying photo were made by cutting the chicken into very small cubes and then squeezing them together in the batter. These really went down a treat at the photo shoot once the photo was taken.

Working ahead

There isn't a lot to do in this easy chicken pakora recipe. You could, however cut the chicken a couple of days ahead of cooking.

You could also prepare the marinade but don't add the chickpea (gram) flour until you are ready to cook.

Can you easily upscale this recipe?

Yes! Just scale it up as you like. This chicken pakora recipe serve 2 to 4 but you could easily scale it up to serve many more

Make this chicken pakora recipe your own.

As with all of my recipes, this chicken pakora recipe should be used as a guide. I can assure you that if you make it exactly as written, you will love those chicken pakoras!

That said, feel free to add more garlic, chilli powder or whatever you like.

What do you serve with chicken pakaras

These quick and easy chicken pakoras are amazing simply served on their own. You might, however to make your pakoras as part of a delicious feast. Why not serve them with Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice?

The pakoras are also amazing wrapped up into hot homemade naans or chapatis. You will find some excellent recipes for both on this blog. Try Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans. If you want to make things even easier, try these homemade chapatis.

You might also like to serve this with a good and easy tarka dal or slowly simmered dal makhani.

Chicken pakoras are usually served as a starter. Why not serve them with fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.cipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

What else to serve with Chicken Pakora?

Pakora are perfect on their own but you might like to go all out though and bring some more flavours to the table.

If so, try a few of my raita recipes or chutneys.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Popular Favourites

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 4

Chicken Pakora

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

250g (11⁄2 cup) boneless chicken breast, cubed or sliced
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
1⁄2 tsp ajwain (carom) seeds
3⁄4 tsp garam masala
1⁄2–1 tsp chilli powder, to taste
1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
White of 1 small egg
65g (1⁄2 cup) chickpea (gram) flour
Sparkling water
Rapeseed oil, for deep-frying
Salt to taste
Lemon wedges, onion rings
and lettuce, to serve

Instructions

Place the chicken in a large bowl and mix with the turmeric, ajwain, garam masala, chilli powder and a little salt so that the meat is evenly coated. Let this sit for about 20 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste, coriander (cilantro) and the egg white. Now start adding the chickpea (gram) flour a little at a time, coating the meat, adding a splash of sparkling water from time to time. Continue until all the flour is used up and
it has the consistency of ketchup.
Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a deep, heavy-based pan or deep-fat fryer, to between 170 and 180°C (338–356°F).
Using a wire mesh spoon, slowly lower the pakora into the hot oil. You may need to fry in batches and cooking times will of depend on the size of your chicken chunks, but it should only take a few minutes to cook through.

Paneer Fry

April 18, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

So easy and delicious... Try this paneer fry today.

Paneer fry is a curry house favourite and there are many ways to prepare it. This is a simple paneer fry from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy' and it can be prepared in under 30 minutes. You can serve the paneer as is or add it to the curry sauce of your choice.

About this paneer fry recipe

As recipes go, they just don't get easier than this. This paneer fry recipe is simple because it is meant to be served both as a starter or added to a curry.

Just like when you go to a curry house and have a selection of different proteins that can be added to your favourite sauce, you can do that at home with this paneer fry. Add the marinated paneer cubes to the sauce of your choice and it will be amazing.

We're talking restaurant quality here!

Do you need to marinate the paneer before frying?

Not at all! The thing is, paneer is quite bland in flavour. So if you are serving this paneer fry as a starter without sauce, then it is best marinated. If, on the other hand you are adding the fried paneer to a curry, you could leave the marinating step out and just fry it.

Do you have to fry the paneer?

Absolutely not! The thing is, raw paneer has a tendency to fall apart when added to a sauce. By frying the cubed paneer, you create a crispy crust to the cheese which helps it retain its shape when cooked into a hot curry sauce.

How do you add paneer to a curry sauce?

Prepare the sauce and then add the fried paneer to the bubbling hot curry. Although fried until crisp, it is best to add the paneer fry to a sauce just before serving. It will then retain its shape and become soft and delicious in the center.

Working ahead

Although the paneer fry only needs to be marinated for about 20 minutes, you could make the marinade and add the paneer to it a few days in advance of cooking.

So if working ahead is more convenient for you, this is a good recipes for that.

What do you serve with paneer fry?

If you'd like to make you paneer fry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

If you'd like to make naans, why not try one of these? Hot paneer fry is so good wrapped up into a freshly made naan or chapatti. Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans. Oh, and really easy but just as delicious are homemade chapatis.

You might also like to serve this with a good and easy tarka dal or slowly simmered dal makhani.

If serving your paneer fry as a starter course, you might want to make some fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...

All Indian Vegetarian recipes

Have you tried this paneer fry recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

Yield: 6

Paneer Fry

This pan fried paneer is delicious served as a starter or it can be added to any curry house style curry.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
1⁄2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
200g (11⁄2 cups) paneer. cubed
3 tbsp rapeseed oil Salt

Instructions

Whisk the garlic and ginger paste, spices and yoghurt together in a bowl. Using a fork or toothpick, pierce the paneer cubes all over so that the marinade can penetrate.
Add the paneer and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes.
When ready to fry, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium- high heat. When it begins to bubble, remove the paneer from the marinade and add to the hot oil.
Fry until browned on one side, then flip the paneer over and fry on the other side. Only frying two opposite sides is enough to help keep the cheese together while cooking in a sauce, but if you like you can brown it on all sides, as I do (it just looks better).
Transfer the browned paneer cubes to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to absorb any excess oil, and set aside until ready to use.

Peri Peri Chicken Burger

April 13, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Looking for the best peri peri chicken burger out there? Here you go...

In my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Bible' I featured a peri peri chicken recipe that got top marks! People love a good peri peri chicken! In this recipe I changed the original some to come up with another favourite, the peri peri chicken burger.

You won't find a peri peri chicken burger this good anywhere else. I promise!

The origins of peri peri sauce...

You might think that peri peri and for that matter burgers like this peri peri chicken burger originated in South Africa.

That's a good guess but it was actually the Portuguese that first came across this delicious recipe when they colonised Mozambique. They brought this recipe to the wider world and yes it has become a South African specialty because of that.

Other versions of the sauce have also been developed like the Goan cafreal sauce. The Goans loved peri peri and decided to give it their own touch substituting green ingredients like green chillies, coriander and mint and leaving the red alternatives out.

Hot to make the best peri peri chicken burger...

If you want to make the best peri peri chicken burger possible, use the best quality ingredients you can get your hands on.

Although you can get away with just marinating the chicken for 30 minutes in the peri peri marinade, it will be much better if you marinate the meat overnight. Be sure to butter and toast those buns! It really does take this recipe to the next level.

When it comes to chicken, I used chicken breast. That's good and looks great too but if you want an even better flavour, use thigh meat.

Step by step photos...

Frying vegetables — Fry all the onion and bell peppers until soft. About five minutes should do. Then stir in the chillies and garlic and fry for a further minute.

Adding ground spices to pan — Stir in the ground spices and chilli flakes.

Blended peri peri sauce — Pour in the lime juice and vinegar and simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Allow to cool and then blend to a smooth paste.

This special peri peri mayonnaise sauce can be made ahead of time and keeps for at least three days.

Yield: 4

Peri Peri Chicken Burger

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

6 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
1 large red bell pepper
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 red bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
2 tbsp paprika, smoked or unsmoked
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
3 tbsp lime juice
70ml (1/4 cup) white wine vinegar
Salt to taste
4 large chicken breasts
FOR THE BURGERS
4 burger buns
125ml (1/2 cup) mayonnaise
3 tbsp reserved peri peri marinade (more or less to taste)
Lettuce to garnish
Onion slices to garnish
Sliced tomato to garnish
Pickled jalepeno slices to garnish
Hamburger cheese slices (optional)
More reserved marinade (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium high heat and when visibly hot, add the chopped onion and red bell pepper. Fry for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and chillies and fry for a further minute or so.
Stir in one tablespoon of the paprika, the chilli powder, black pepper and chilli flakes until the vegetables are nicely coated with the spices.
Pour in the lime juice and vinegar and simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Allow to cool and then blend to a smooth paste.
Season the chicken breasts with salt to taste and the remaining paprika and then cover with about half of the marinade and allow to marinate in the fridge for about an hour or longer if you like. Be sure to take out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.
When ready to cook, build a multi level direct heat fire. When the coals have ashed over and it is uncomfortably hot to hold your hand two inches above the grill for more than two seconds, you’re ready to start cooking.
Place the chicken on the grill over the hottest part of the fire and begin cooking. When it looks like the chicken has cooked up about half way from the bottom, which should take about 5 minutes, turn to cook the other side.
While the chicken continues to cook, butter the buns and toast them over a medium heat part of the fire. Be sure to watch them so that they don’t burn. The chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 74c/165f. Transfer to the cooler side of the cooking grate while you stack the burgers.
Mix three tablespoons of the reserved marinade with the mayonnaise and spread it equally on the bottom buns. Top with lettuce, onion and tomato and then place a cooked chicken breast on top of each.
Place pickled jalepeno slices to taste on top of the chicken and then cover with a slice of burger cheese. Cover with the top bun and serve.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Chicken Haleem

April 12, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Chicken haleem is the ultimate comfort food! You can make this easily at home.

What I have for you here is a traditional and authentic chicken haleem recipe. This is seriously comfort food at its best! If you ever go to a good Pakistani restaurant, chicken haleem will almost certainly be on the menu. Now you can make it at home with restaurant quality results. You will find step by step photographs of how to prepare one of the most popular Pakistani dishes around.

About this chicken haleem recipe.

Chicken haleem is actually only the second most popular haleem recipe with beef haleem taking first prize. That said, chicken haleem is still hugely popular and as my family prefers chicken, that's the recipe I decided to make today.

You will find chicken haleem to be lighter than the beef version and just as good. Haleem is a dish of lentils and meat that are slowly cooked for a couple of hours until it becomes sticky and gooey.

That may not sound appealing to you but believe me, once you try this chicken haleem, you are going to want to make it again often. It really is that good!

You are going to love the amazing flavour of the chicken, slowly simmered in all those different lentils and wheat. Chicken recipes do not get any better.

What do you serve with chicken haleem?

Naans and chapatis are always good with a homemade haleem. I have a lot of good recipes for you here. Why not try Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you’re cooking outdoors, karahi naans. You might also like to try these homemade chapatis.

Do you have to use so many different lentils in chicken haleem?

Each of the different lentils have their own flavour that they add to the dish so you will want to use them all if you can source them. They are all available online and at Asian shops.

You could cheat, however and omit one or two varieties and just top it up with one of the others. Chana dal is a must, however and as chana dal is one of the easiest to source, you shouldn't find that a problem.

I can't stress enough, however that from my experiments, you really do want to get all those different lentils into your chicken haleem.

Do you have to add the wheat?

You do need to add the wheat to make a proper chicken haleem. It is one of the ingredients that turns this from something similar to a dal to the gooey deliciousness it is.

That said, you could leave it out if you are gluten free and still have a delicious dish.

Do you really need to add that much ghee?

In the recipe card below, you will find the traditional way of making haleem which does call for a lot of ghee. That's how it's done and it's how I wanted to show the recipe to you.

You could, however reduce the amount of ghee to preference. Chicken haleem is a truely indulgent dish that's best served with lots of ghee for special occasions.

Can you prepare chicken haleem in advance?

Yes! In fact, as the flavours develop, your chicken haleem will get even better.

You can prepare the dish one or two days ahead of serving and then just heat it up. You should, however prepare and add the tarka just before serving.

Can you substitute beef or lamb in this recipe?

Yes! Just add beef stewing meat or lamb shoulder instead of the chicken and carry on with the recipe.

Haleem in step by step photographs.

Ingredients for chicken haleem — Get all your ingredients together before you start. It's easier that way and as you can see, there are a lot of them.

The lentils and wheat for the chicken haleem. — Not photographed above are the essential lentils and wheat. Let then soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Clockwise are moong, urid, massor, cracked wheat and chana.

Soaking the lentils. — Lentils soaking. You should soak the wheat separately.

Frying sliced onions in ghee. — Fry the sliced onions until golden brown and crispy. This should take about 15 minutes.

Cooking the chicken in the ghee. — Remove the fried onions from the ghee with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Then add the chicken to the onions seasoned ghee.

Cooked chicken in the ghee. — Cook the chicken until it is completely cooked through and can easily be shredded.

Shredded chicken — Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and shred it by hand or with a couple of forks.

How to use less ghee...

You could opt for not pouring all the ghee into the pan with the lentils. Use it to cook the chicken and then perhaps save a little for the tarka.

Chicken and fried onions in the pan with the ghee. — Once shredded, return the chicken to the pan with the ghee and add about 3/4 of the fried onions, leave some behind to garnish. Stir well and set aside.

Cooking the lentils. — Now take a large pot and add the lentils. Cover with water or chicken stock and simmer until you can literally smash them between two fingers.

The haleem spice blend — While the lentils are cooking, prepare your haleem spice blend. Toast the whole spices in a pan until fragrant but not yet smoking. Then grind to a fine powder and stir in the ground spices.

Adding the shredded chicken, fried onions and ghee to the pot. — Pour the shredded chicken, onions and all the ghee into hot lentils

Stirring salt and the haleem spice blend into the chicken haleem. — Stir in your prepared haleem spice blend and season with salt to taste. Keep simmering until the haleem is rich and gooey.

Preparing the tarka — Just before serving, prepare the tarka and then pour it over the top to serve.

If you like this chicken haleem from Northern India and Pakistan, you will most definitely want to try some of these too!

Do You Love Indian Chicken Recipes?

Why not turn your dish into a feast by serving it alongside another chicken curry or Indian Chicken recipe. Here are a few you might like to try.

See more Chicken Curry Recipes →

See more Chicken Tikka Recipes →

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Have you tried this chicken haleem recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

Yield: 6

Chicken Haleem

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

350g (2 cups) chana dal
170g (1 cup) masoor dal
85g ( ½ cup) moong dal
85g ( ½ cup) white urad dal
180g (1 cup) cracked wheat
Salt to taste
FOR THE HALEEM
250ml (1 cup) ghee
2 large brown onions, thinly sliced
2 generous tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tsp ground turmeric
1kg (2 ¼ lbs) chicken thighs, on the bone and skin removed
1 tsp salt
FOR THE HALEEM MASALA
1 ½ tbsp black peppercorns
4 black cardamoms, seeds only
4 green cardamoms, seeds only
1 ½ tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
5 cloves
¼ nutmeg or ½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 blade mace or ½ tsp ground mace
1 tsp fennel seeds
2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 – 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (optional)
250ml (1 cup) water
FOR THE TARKA
125ml (1/2 cup) ghee
5 tbsp julienned ginger
2 – 6 green finger chillies, thinly sliced

Instructions

Wash and soak the dals and wheat for at least 3 hours or overnight. The longer you soak these ingredients, the faster your haleem will cook to perfection. Once soaked, pour the lentils and wheat into a large saucepan and cover with about 1.5L (6 cups) water.
Bring to a simmer over a medium high heat, skimming off any foam that floats to the top. Lower the cooking heat to medium and continue cooking for about two hours or until you can easily crush all the lentils and wheat between two fingers. You might need to add a little more water as this cooks and be careful not to let the dal burn to the bottom.
Once cooked, add about 500ml (2 cups) water or chicken stock and simmer gently while you prepare the chicken. You want this blend to look creamy smooth like pea soup. Heat the ghee for the chicken in a large pan or wok over medium high heat.
When visibly hot, add the sliced onions and fry for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the fried onions to a paper towel to soak up any excess ghee.
Add the chicken and fry, stirring regularly for about 15 minutes or until the meat is beginning to fall off the bone. Start breaking it apart with a wooden spoon or spatula until all the meat is off the bones. Remove all of the bones and discard. Continue breaking the meat apart and shredding it until there are no big pieces.
Pour this into the pot with the lentils and wheat can simmer on a low to medium heat while you prepare the haleem masala. Although toasting the spices is not essential, it will give you a richer flavour. If roasting, pour all of the whole spices into a frying pan and toast over a medium heat until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking.
Transfer to a plate to cool some and then grind to a fine powder. Stir in the Kashmiri chilli powder and then mix with the water. Stir to combine and then pour this into the simmering pot of chicken, lentils and wheat.
Continue cooking the Haleem until it is creamy smooth and somewhat gooey. It should literally ooze off your spoon. Season with salt to taste. I usually add about 2 tbsp salt but how much is down to your personal taste preferences.
To finish, heat the ghee for the tarka in a small pan. When bubbly hot, stir in the julienned ginger and chillies and fry for a couple of minutes, until the ginger is about one tone darker in colour.
Pour about half of this over the haleem. The remaining tarka can be added to taste at the table. Serve with the lime wedges which can be squeezed over the haleem to taste.

10 Chicken Karahi Recipes You've Got To Try

April 10, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Karahi curries are so good! Here are 10 of the most popular chicken karahi recipes.

Over the years, I have been asked for karahi recipes many time. So here you have ten of the most popular chicken karahi recipes out there! While you're here, you might also like to try some of the following side dishes to enjoy with your homemade chicken karahi.

What do you serve with karahi curries?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go one of these delicious Indian rice recipes. You'll get perfect results every time!
If you'd like to make naans, why not try one of these? Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans. Oh, and really easy but just as delicious are homemade chapatis.

You might also like to serve up an easy curry house style tarka dal or slowly cook dal makhani.

Want to start your chicken jalfrezi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

10 Chicken Karahi Recipes You've Got To Try

Chicken Namkeen Karahi

You definitely need to try this chicken karahi! It's cooked in rendered chicken fat. We're talking indulgent here!

Chicken Karahi

You can make this chicken karahi as mild or spicy as you like it. Here you add fried chillies and garlic and the result is something close to a curry house style chicken chilli garlic curry.

Chicken Jalfrezi Karahi

The original chicken jalfrezis originated in souther India in the days of the British Raj. This is a northern India and Pakistani version that is one of my personal favourites.

Chicken Keema Karahi

Not your average chicken keema karahi! This is how it's made at the most popular karahi food stalls.

Chicken Bhuna Karahi

This chicken karahi has an superb thick sauce, perfect for dipping your naan in.

Black Pepper Chicken Karahi

If you like black pepper, this chicken karahi is for you. I add extra black pepper when I make it. So good.

White Chicken Karahi

Made with yoghurt and cream, this chicken karahi is too good not to try!

Butter Chicken Karahi

Butter chicken karahi is one of the most delicious karahi recipes on the planet. Make this in one pan (karahi) and you will be amazed at the amazing results.

Balochi Chicken Karahi

This is a good one! Quick and easy to prepare and so tasty.

Chicken and Chickpea Curry Karahi

Description is required.This is a thick chicken karahi with chickpeas that are left whole and also blended. So good scooped up with fresh chapatis or naans.

About these chicken karahi recipes

Karahi cooking is a lot of fun and gets great results. This is one pan cooking at its best.

The idea behind karahi cooking is to get your karahi really hot over a high heat. Once everything is added, you cover the karahi and simmer on low. This produces a rich and smooth sauce that is to die for!

Adjusting the amount of oil used

In authentic karahi cooking, lots of oil is used. That's the way it is. In these recipes, you will be using about 125ml (1/2 cup) of oil. That is far less than the amount of oil that is used at street stalls in Pakistan and northern India.

There, you would see more like 500ml (2 cups) of oil poured into the karahi. A lot of that oil is then transferred to another karahi to use in other karahi curries but there is a substantial amount that remains in the karahi.

For these recipes, you use far less but you could cook these with as little as 2 tbsp of oil. That said, the sauce will not be quite the same. The oil helps break down the ingredients in the sauce. When it's finished doing its job, it then floats to the top of the curry. Traditionally, this seasoned oil is left in the curry as it tastes great but you could skim it off if you like.

Tandoori Fish on the BBQ

April 8, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You can use any fish for this tandoori fish recipe. If it sounds good, cook it!

Today I decided to fire up my Kamado Joe and cook a whole tandoori fish directly on the grill. You might have had bad experiences trying to do this as if not done correctly, you will lose all that delicious crispy skin. Read on and see how it's done and I have also included a few links to side dishes that will go really well with your tandoori fish feast.

About the marinade

You will find this to be a simple marinade as you don't want to overpower the natural flavour of the fish. You can make the marinade in a couple of minutes. Just whisk it up and set aside.

How to apply the marinade

There are many recipes that call for smothering the fish in marinade before placing it in a fish basket to grill over fire. That works well and is a popular way of cooking tandoori fish. When you have a fish this big, however, small fish baskets aren't necessarily an option.

This time around, I had an amazing whole wild sea bass and didn't want to add too much marinade. You just can't beat the natural flavour of a whole wild sea bass, after all. You will also achieve a crispier skin when cooked directly on the grill if you don't apply the marinade to the skin.

So for this recipe, you only marinate the inside cavity of the fish. You then lightly brush the skin when the fish is almost cooked on the barbecue.

You might want to try some one of these popular sides with your tandoori fish.

Before getting into how you cook this tandoori fish to perfection, you might want to plan some good side dishes. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Dal is always nice so you might want to try tarka dal or the slowly cooked and rich dal makhani.

Want to start your tandoori fish feast off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Preparing the fish skin for cooking

You need to get the skin of the fish really dry. The best way for you to do this is to take a sharp knife and scrape it down the skin of the fish.

When you do this, you will literally see all the excess moisture in the skin come off. Do this a couple of times per side. Tandoori fish or any grilled fish will be much better when the skin is properly dried.

After you do this, make shallow slits down the length of the fish. This will help it cook evening and make it easier for the basted marinade to get into the flesh.

How do you prepare the grill for cooking a large tandoori fish

You want to build a hot, direct heat fire. Open the bottom and top vents of your barbecue completely and add sufficient charcoal. I use top quality lumpwood charcoal from Big K. You want to use that or something similar as good quality lumpwood produces the required high heat.

When your coals are white hot and it is uncomfortable to hold your hand 2 inches (5cm) above the cooking grate for longer than 2 seconds, the heat is perfect.

Take a cloth and dip it into some vegetable oil. You need to rub this hard all over the cooking grate. Do it once and then wait a couple of minutes and do it again. Repeat 3 more times. You will essentially be seasoning the cooking grate so that the fish skin doesn't stick to the surface.

Grilling the tandoori fish

Season the skin generously with salt and pepper to taste. You can now place the fish directly on the hot grill. The cooking time of your tandoori fish will depend on the size of your fish but it's easy to check for doneness.

Allow your fish to cook on one side until you can see the fish meat turning from a raw pinkish colour to white. Just lift the cavity and look close to the head. The tandoori fish will turn easily when the skin has crisped up.

Do not force the fish when you turn it over!! If you do, you are likely to lose all that delicious crispy skin.

How do you turn the fish on the grill?

You need two metal spatulas or one metal spatula and some tongs. Very carefully, begin to ease the spatula under the skin, pressing down hard on the cooking grate. When the fish is ready for turning, you will be able to get your spatula under the fish. If the skin is sticking at all to the grate, let the fish cook a little longer until it comes free.

Have patience! If you try to turn the tandoori fish too early, you will lose the skin.

Once you know that the fish is free of the grill and not sticking at all, you can turn it. Using two metal spatulas or one spatula and some tongs, carefully flip it over. You do not need to lift the fish. Just carefully fold it over to the other side to cook.

Finishing off the cook

At this stage, you can lightly brush the charred skin that is now facing upwards. Close the lid to allow the thin layer of marinade to cook. Do not add too much marinade as you want to be able to see that beautiful char.

When the underside of the fish comes free from the grill easily, turn the fish again and apply a thin layer of marinade to that side too. Cook for a couple more minutes and turn the fish again. All done!

Very carefully, transfer the fish to a serving platter to serve. I like to serve tandoori fish like this with coriander chutney and karahi naans.

Can you cook this tandoori fish in a pan instead?

Yes. You just need to follow all the instructions for ensure that the skin is really dry. This will produce a crispier skin when fried.

Then you just need to heat a frying pan over medium high heat and add a couple tablespoons of oil. Follow the instructions above for applying the marinade and place the fish in the pan.

Fry until the skin is crispy on the underside and then flip it over to continue cooking. Baste with the marinade each time you turn the fish.

Step by step photographs of tandoori fish on the barbecue

Ingredients for tandoori fish — Get all your ingredients together before starting. It's a lot easier that way.

The prepared marinade — Finely chop the chillies, garlic and ginger and whisk with the other marinade ingredients.

Scraping a knife over the skin of the fish to extract excess moisture. — Take a knife and scrape it down the fish to extract any excess moisture in the skin.

Fish with scored skin and seasoned with salt and pepper. — Score the fish several times on both sides of the fish. Then season the skin with salt and pepper.

Seasoning the inside of the fish with salt and pepper. — Season the inside of the fish with salt and pepper.

Inside cavity of the fish seasoned with salt and pepper and the marinade and sliced lemons. — Then rub with the marinade and add a few slices of lemon if you like.

Placing the fish on the grill — Place the fish over the hot coals. You can watch the progress by opening the cavity and looking at the meat near the head. It will first be opaque but will turn white as it cooks.

Turning the tandoori fish. — When you can easily turn the fish with your spatula, flip the fish over. Do not force this or you will lose the crispy skin.

Basting the fish with marinade. — Apply a thin layer of the marinade. Not too much. Just enough to make a thin coating.

Turning the fish again — When you can easily turn the fish with your spatula, turn it again and brush that side with marinade.

Covering the barbecue to bake the fish — Cover the barbecue to allow the fish to bake until completely cooked through. Then open the lid and turn one more time.

The charred skin of the tandoori fish. — The skin will be nicely charred and intact. No need for a fish basket!

Finished tandoori fish. — Great served with naans and coriander chutney.

Yield: 2 - 3

Tandoori Fish on the BBQ

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 large sea bass or other fish of your choice
3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tsp rapeseed (canola) oil
Juice of one lemon
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2cm (3/4 inch) ginger, finely chopped
2 green finger chillies, finely chopped or smashed into a paste
1 tbsp tandoori masala powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

Place all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk until creamy smooth. I like slightly larger chunks of garlic in the marinade as they do char nicely. Set aside.
To prepare the fish, take a sharp knife and scrape it down the skin a few times on both sides. This is important as you want to scrape as much excess moisture from the skin as possible.
Score the skin a few times on both sides and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then open the cavity and season it generously with salt and pepper too.
Apply a thin layer of the marinade inside the cavity. If you like, you can also add a few slices of lemon too.
Prepare a direct heat fire in your barbecue using good quality lumpwood charcoal. When it is uncomfortable for you to hold your hand 2 inches (5cm) above the cooking grate for longer than 2 minutes, your coals are ready for cooking.
Dip a clean cloth in some vegetable oil and rub the cooking grate hard, all over with it. Wait a couple of minutes and then do it again. Repeat three more times. This will season the cooking grate so that the skin of your fish does not stick.
Place the fish on the seasoned grate and cook until the bottom side has turned from opaque in colour to white. You can easily check this by opening the cavity and looking at the meat as it cooks between the head and body.
Using a metal spatula, carefully and gently start to move it under the fish, pressing down hard on the grate as you do. Do not force it under the fish. The fish will come free easily when it is cooked. If you rush this, you will lose the skin.
When you can easily do so, use two metal spatulas or one metal spatula and some tongs to turn the fish over. Lightly baste that charred skin with the marinade. Not too much!
Cover the barbecue to bake the fish and freshly applied marinade for a couple of minutes. Open the lid and when you can easily turn the fish without losing the skin, do so.
Apply marinade to the fish again and close the lid for a couple of minutes to bake. Lift the lid and check for doneness. Turn the fish once more and when the meat is white and not at all opaque, carefully transfer your tandoori fish to a serving platter to serve.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 175mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 25g

I use a Kamado Joe Classic 11 barbecue to cook this tandoori fish. The work surface around the Kamado Joe was supplied by Kamado Space and it really is an excellent addition to my outdoor kitchen. You can't go wrong with Big K charcoal.

Tandoori Beer Can Chicken

April 5, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Bring a bit of fun to your barbecue with this tandoori beer can chicken.

If you like cooking on the barbecue and tandoori chicken, then you really need to try this tandoori beer can chicken recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Easy'. It a great way to cook as the chicken meat remains really juice from all the steaming beer in the can.

About this recipe

This is one of my own creations using my tandoori marinade with the American technique of cooking chicken over a beer can.

So you probably won't see this being done in India.

Can you prepare this tandoori beer can chicken ahead of time?

Yes! You can make the marinade a few days before cooking. The chicken can be marinated for up to 48 hours.

If cooking on a charcoal fire, be sure to give yourself plenty of time for it to heat up.

What do you serve tandoori beer can chicken with?

You can serve this with pretty much anything you would normally serve chicken with. Roast potatoes or fries are good option.

Then again, you might like to serve your tandoori beer can chicken with instant naans and some salad, chutney or a good raita. Homemade chapatis are also good as a side.

Is there a specific beer you need to use?

Nope! Just cook this beer can chicken using the beer you prefer. You only need half a can so you can drink the rest.

Yield: 4

Tandoori Beer Can Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 19 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 29 minutes

Ingredients

100ml (scant 1/2 cup) rapeseed oil
440ml (15fl oz) can of your favourite beer or lager
900g (2lb) whole chicken
FOR THE MARINADE
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste (see p00)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 small bunch fresh coriander
(cilantro), blended with a little
water
salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Blend all of the marinade ingredients into a paste or pound them using a pestle and mortar. Slowly drizzle the rapeseed oil into the paste, whisking continuously until you have a smooth emulsion. Cover the chicken inside and out with the marinade and allow to marinate for 8 hours or overnight. I carefully rub about half of the marinade under the skin but don’t worry if you can’t be bothered.
When ready to cook, set up your barbecue for indirect cooking. Drink half the can of beer or lager and add 1 tsp of marinade from the chicken dish to it. The beer might foam up when you add the marinade but that isn’t a problem.
When your barbecue is good and hot you’re ready to cook. If you have a thermometer, aim for 190–200C/375–400F.
Place the chicken, standing on the beer can directly on the grill on the side with no coals. Cover and cook for about 1–1 1/4 hours until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when stuck with a knife in the thigh. You can’t be too careful with chicken so if you have a meat thermometer, check that your chicken is 82C/180F.
When cooked through, transfer to a serving plate and cover with foil to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
TIP: You can also cook the chicken in the oven. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/.Place the chicken on a rack over a roasting pan and roast for 60 minutes or until the juices run clear. Check for seasoning and add salt to taste. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

Notes

If you don't have time to marinate the chicken, go straight to cooking once you apply the marinade. It will be better though if you can allow some marinating time.

5 Recipes from The Curry Guy Thai Cookbook

April 5, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

100 of the most popular Thai recipes are featured in 'The Curry Guy Thai'.

If you like Thai cuisine, you are going to love the recipes in my book 'The Curry Guy Thai'. To write the book, I drew on recipes from growing up and learning Thai cooking in California and while travelling around Thailand. The book features all the favourites from Thai restaurant menus around the world.

About 'The Curry Guy Thai' cookbook

Following are just 5 of the popular recipes in this cookbook. You will find all the most popular Thai recipes in the book such as pad Thai, drucken noodles, Thai green curry, yellow Thai curry and beef massaman just to name a few.

You can easily prepare these recipes at home and feel like you're eating at the best Thai restaurants.

How authentic are these Thai recipe?

I personally traveled around Thailand and learned from some of the best chefs. You will be able to make these recipes exactly as they are made in Thailand. Special instructions are given so that you can prepare all the essential curry pastes. That said, you can cheat and make things even easier on yourself.

All is explained in the book!

5 Recipes from The Curry Guy Thai Cookbook

Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

This quick stir fry is perfect for days when you want to eat amazing Thai food but don't want to do a lot of cooking. You can make this in under 30 minutes!

How To Make Thai Red Curry

One of the most popular Thai curries! Thai red chicken curry is delicious and contrary to popular belief, not the spiciest. The spiciest is Thai green curry and there is a recipe for that in The Curry Guy Thai too along with all the other curry favourites.

Kanom Jeeb - Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumplings

These simple pork and prawn dumplings just plain get it! Great as a starter or main. This is Thai food at its best.

Pad Si Eew

Famous for its deliciously charred noodles and a good dose of soy sauce, pad si eew is one you need to try!

Weeping Tiger Steak

Weeping tiger steak is delicious and so easy to prepare. You will find exactly how to do it with restaurant quality results in this recipe.

If you have any queries about the book or if you have the book and have recipe questions, please get in contact. I would love to hear from you and I'm always happy to help.

Chicken Jalfrezi Karahi

April 5, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This delicious chicken jafrezi karahi is just one of 10 popular chicken karahis on my blog.

If you like a good chicken jalfrezi, you are going to love this chicken jalfrezi karahi. Jalfrezi curries originated in southern India but they are popular all over the country now. This is a chicken jalfrezi recipe like you would get served in Pakistan and northern India.

You'll also find links to some of the most popular side dishes that you can make to go with your chicken jalfrezi karahi.

What is the difference between the original jalfrezi and this chicken jalfrezi karahi?

Chicken jalfrezi means quick stir fry. That is how it was first made in the days of the British Raj. A little oil was added to a pan and everything was stir fried until cooked through. The meat added to the jalfrezi was always pre-cooked leftovers from the night before.

This is similar to how jalfrezis are cooked at British curry houses, with pre-cooked meat. The difference is that instead of adding water to make the sauce, a base curry sauce is added.

With this chicken jalfrezi karahi, there is no need for a base sauce. The chicken is cooked in a good amount of oil and that oil helps break the ingredients down into a karahi style sauce. It is amazing!

Do you have to use that much oil?

Yes and no. If you want the real deal, you need to use at least 125ml (1/2 cup) oil. The oil helps break down the sauce ingredients until you have that traditional and much loved chicken jalfrezi karahi sauce.

Once the oil has don't it's job, however, you could skim it off the top. It is usually not skimmed though. If you really want to use less oil, go ahead and just use a couple of tablespoons. Your chicken jalfrezi karahi will still be delicious. You just might need to add a little water to assist cooking.

How long can you keep leftovers in the fridge?

You can store any leftovers you have in the fridge for at least 3 days. Just cover them tightly with cling film.

To reheat you jalfrezi karahi, heat your karahi back up over a high heat and toss the ingredients around in it for a few minute or until hot.

You can also heat up any leftovers in your microwave but your karahi pan is the best bet!

Can you freeze chicken jalfrezi karahi?

Yes but like most karahi curries, they are best served the day you make them, hot from the karahi pan.

You can freeze this karahi curry for up to three months. Then let it defrost completely and heat it up in your karahi pan or microwave.

What if you don't have a karahi pan?

You can still make this chicken jalfrezi karahi! Use a good wok or frying pan. A wok is the best substitute, preferably not non-stick. Not stick pans can be used over a high heat and it's the high cooking heat that makes chicken jalfrezi karahi what it is.

You get a smoky flavour that isn't possible using non-stick pans.

What do you serve chicken jalfrezi karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

If you'd like to make naans, why not try one of these? Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans.

Want to start your chicken jalfrezi karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Chicken jalfrezi karahi in step by step photographs.

Ingredients for chicken jalfrezi karahi — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Infusing whole spices into the oil in the karahi — Heat the oil in a karahi or wok over a high heat. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, stir in the cumin seeds.

Adding the chopped onions — Quickly add the chopped onions. This will cool the oil down so that you don't burn the cumin.

Adding the chicken to the hot oil — Add the chicken to the hot oil and stir well to combine with the other ingredients.

Adding the ground spices. — Once the chicken is cooked through, Add the ground spices and stir well to coat the chicken.

Adding the tomatoes to halved tomatoes to the curry — Add the whole tomatoes to the curry and cover the pan. Cook on low for 8 minutes.

Simmering sauce — As the curry simmers and the tomato skins are removed, the sauce will become rich and smooth.

Adding the chopped vegetables to the karahi — Add the bell peppers and red onion petals. Simmer uncovered or cover to cook the veggies through.

The finished Chicken jalfrezi karahi — Simmer the sauce down until you are happy with the consitency. Add the cherry tomatoes to cook lightly just before serving. Season with salt to taste

Finished chicken jalfrezi karahi — Dig in!

If you like this Chicken Jalfrezi Karahi recipe, you might like to try some of these too.

See more Chicken Karahi Recipes →

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Have you tried this chicken Jalfrezi Karahi recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Chicken Jalfrezi Karahi

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 large onions, very thinly sliced
1 kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs, on the bone and cut in half
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
1 – 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
6 tomatoes, halved
3 – 4 green bird’s eye chillies, thinly slice (or to taste)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium red onion, quartered and broken into petals
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper to taste
5cm (2 inches) ginger, julienned
5 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large karahi or wok over a high heat. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle in the hot oil, add the cumin seeds followed immediately by the sliced onions.
Allow the onions to fry for about 7 minutes, stirring often until they are soft and turning a light golden brown. Pour in the chicken and fry for a few minutes or until the exterior is turning white. Then add all the ground spices and stir well to combine.
Add the halved tomatoes and chopped chillies and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 8 minutes.
Lift the lid. You will find that the skin from the tomatoes is beginning to peel off. Peel the skin and remove it when it is easy to do so. You could use tongs to do this as it’s easier than using your hands. You might need to cook a little longer to remove all the skin, smashing the tomatoes into the oil as you do.
Add about 1 tsp salt and stir it in. Cover the pan and continue cooking over a low to medium low for about 8 minutes. Lift the lid again and stir in the bell peppers and red onion. Continue simmering over a medium high heat until the sauce has reduced down to your liking and the bell peppers and onion are just cooked through.
Add the cherry tomatoes to cook though lightly just before serving. Season with salt to taste and garnish with the julienned ginger and chopped coriander (cilantro).

6 Recipes from The Curry Guy Light Cookbook

April 5, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

The recipes in 'The Curry Guy Light' are not just for dieters!

One of the biggest misconceptions of 'The Curry Guy Light' cookbook is that it is a diet book. So many of the recipes in the book are naturally light where others were written to use less oil, butter or coconut milk. That should not stop you from making the recipes in the book exactly as you want them.

Make these recipes your own...

You are going to find some of my favourite recipes in 'The Curry Guy Light'. Some are quite famous and all are definitely worth a try. Please take these recipes as guides though.

If you want to use full fat coconut milk instead of light, do it! Want to cook with more oil? Why not? It's easier to cook with more oil so if you are not counting the calories, you can do that.

This cookbook features over 100 light recipes that can be made light or to your own preferences.

Who is The Curry Guy Light for?

The simple answer is that it is for anyone who loves Indian food. The recipes are delicious and authentic. What’s more, they are also quite easy to prepare.

So whether you are hoping to eat lighter or you just want to add a few new recipes to your recipe library, this book could be for you.

These are some of my personal favourite recipes that just happen to be on the light side.

6 Recipes from The Curry Guy Light Cookbook

Chicken Momos

Chicken momos are like lighter versions of samosas. They're steamed, not fried and so good simply dipped in soy sauce but the book features my favourite momo dipping sauce too.

Light Beef Croquettes

The perfect way to start a meal. You will see that you can make delicious beef croquettes with very little oil. Then again, if you want to deep fry them, you can do that too.

Light Tandoori Chicken Tikka

You won't taste the difference between this light tandoori chicken tikka and others! It can be made in under 30 minutes or you could marinate it for longer.

Grilled Chicken Cafreal

Chicken cafreal is so much better and lighter when you grill the chicken over fire. You could of course fry the chicken indoors if you like. This is from the barbecue section of 'The Curry Guy Light'.

Low Fat Chicken Jalfrezi

Curry house style chicken jalfrezi prepared with a low fat base curry sauce. You are going to love this. Want more fat? Just add it! All the most popular curry house curries are in the book.

Goan Beef Kofta Curry

Goan beef kofta curry is one of my all time favourites. You are going to love this one. It might be low in fat but its out of this world delicious!

Goan Beef Kofta Curry

April 4, 2023 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

When I was writing my cookbook "The Curry Guy Light", I didn't want to just write a diet book. I was looking for recipes that were naturally light in carbs and calories so that you could cook up a light meal that you actually want to eat! This Goan Beef Kofta Curry ticked all the boxes and yes, you can add more fat if you want. Enjoy!

Goan beef kofta curry in a serving bowl.

What Is Goan Beef Kofta Curry?

Let’s start with the basics about this curry I learned to make in Southern Goa on my first visit.

“Kofta” comes from Persian and Arabic origins, referring to ground meat that’s shaped into balls or patties. When the Mughals brought the concept of kofta to India, it evolved regionally. In North India, kofta often features lamb or chicken in creamy, nut-based sauces; in South India, particularly Goa and Kerala, it developed a bold, tropical twist with coconut, tamarind, and coastal spices. I don't add tamarind to this recipe but you can if you prefer a tart flavour.

Goan Beef Kofta Curry features:

Juicy spiced beef meatballs (koftas)
A coconut-rich, tomato-based curry
Aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves
often, tart notes from tamarind or vinegar, typical of Goan cuisine but not always added

It’s a hearty, comforting dish that balances spice, tang, and creaminess, perfect with steamed rice, pav bread and/or parathas.

A Bit of History: Why Beef Is Special in Goan Cuisine

Goa’s culinary history is fascinating. Once a Portuguese colony, the region absorbed influences from European, Arabian, and Indian cooking traditions. The Portuguese introduced ingredients like vinegar, tomatoes, and chillies, all of which are now essential to Goan food.

Unlike most of India, where the consumption of beef and/or pork is frowned upon for religious reasons, Goa’s Catholic Goan community embraced beef and pork as central to festive meals. These meats are often prepared in curries, roasts, and pickles, flavoured with bold spice blends and tangy marinades.

This Goan Beef Kofta Curry is a reflection of this cultural blend… Mughal-inspired koftas combined with a Portuguese-influenced curry base and local ingredients like coconut, tamarind, and Kashmiri chillies. The result? A dish that’s unmistakably Goan: rich, tangy, and delicious.

Ingredients

Fresh ingredients are key to getting the best flavour from this Goan Beef Kofta Curry recipe. You’ll find the ingredients listed below, while the precise amounts are provided in the recipe card at the end of the page. For smooth cooking and the best outcome, it’s a good idea to have everything measured and prepared before you begin.

See recipe card for quantities.

Lean beef mince
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Kashmiri Chilli powder
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic and ginger paste
Egg
Coconut oil or rapeseed (canola) oil
Black mustard seeds
Frozen curry leaves
Onions
Garlic
Green chillies, finely chopped
Ground turmeric
Chopped tomatoes
Light coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce or coconut amino
Salt, to taste
Coriander (cilantro)

Step by step photos

Below, you’ll see step-by-step photographs to guide you through this amazing Goan beef kofta curry recipe. I love it! At the bottom of the page, you’ll also find the full recipe card, which includes the complete list of ingredients and written instructions in an easy, printable format.

The meat and marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Step 1: Start by making the koftas. In a large bowl, mix the mince with the cumin, coriander powder, 1 teaspoon of the chilli powder, the salt, black pepper, garlic and ginger paste, and egg.

The meat and marinade ingredients all mixed up well in a mixing bowl.

Step 2: Knead well so that all the ingredients are mixed into the meat.

The meat mixture divided into 16 small, gulf ball sized balls.

Step 3: Form into 16 small, golf ball-sized koftas, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

The mustard seeds and curry leaves infusing into coconut oil in a pan.

Step 4: Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until visibly hot. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, reduce the temperature to medium–high, stir in the curry leaves and fry until fragrant – about 30 seconds should do nicely.

The onions frying in the pan with the curry leaves and mustard seeds.

Step 5: Add the onions and fry for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

Adding the sliced garlic, chillies and ground turmeric to the pan.

Step 6: Stir in the garlic and chillies and fry for a further minute or so. Add the turmeric and stir well.

Adding the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk and soy sauce to the pan.

Step 7: Pour in the tomatoes, coconut milk and soy sauce.

Adding the meat balls (kofta) to the pan.

Step 8: Place the koftas in the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes until cooked through.

The curry after the kofta have cooked for 10 minutes.

Step 9: Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Garnish with coriander and serve.

Two koftas in a spoon with the curry in the background.

Step 10: Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Garnish with coriander and serve.

Variations

There are so many popular variations of this recipe. Here are a few to consider...

Spicy: Most Goan curries are spicy. I have toned the spice down in this recipe but usually cook it with a lot more chopped chillies and chilli powder. If you are a fan of spicy curries, you can do the same.
Full Fat: This is the version from my book The Curry Guy Light and it is quite light! Feel free to add more oil and full fat coconut milk if you like.
No Koftas: The sauce for this curry is delicious. You can add small pieces of chicken thigh, prawns, tofu or whatever you like. The sauce is not just for koftas!

Useful Equipment

You don’t need fancy tools, but a few basics make cooking easier:

Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai – Prevents burning and ensures even cooking. If you are new to cooking, you might like to use a non-stick pan which makes it easier to cook with less oil.

Mixing bowl – For mixing the meat with the marinade.

A large plate - For forming and storing the koftas before cooking.

Slotted spoon or tongs – To handle koftas gently.

What do you serve with Goan Beef Kofta Curry?

The flavourful curry is of course delicious on its own. If you would like to make your curry into a curry feast, you might like to try some of the following with it. These are just suggestions as the curry goes well with so many things.

Curries: If you are serving a group, why not make a few other popular South Indian style curries such as Chicken Chettindad, Goan Chicken Curry, Kuzhambu Chicken Curry, Goan Chicken Vindaloo, Chicken 65, Kerala Lamb Curry, Kerala Fish Curry,

Rice Dishes: All of these side dishes will go great with Goan Beef Kofta Curry - Steamed Basmati Rice, Boiled Basmati Rice, Pilau Rice, Mushroom Fried Rice

Breads: Tandoori Naans, Tandoori Roti Chapatis Spiced Chapatis, Stovetop Naans

Dals: Chana Dal, Tarka Dal, Spinach Dal, Dal Makhani

Storing and Reheating

Storage:

Keep cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.

Reheating:

Stovetop: Gently reheat on low, adding a splash of coconut milk or water to loosen the sauce.
Microwave: Heat covered in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each round.
Do not overheat, as this can toughen the meatballs.

Like most curries, Goan Beef Kofta Curry actually tastes better the next day once the flavours develop.

Top Tip

Use freshly ground spices: Freshly roasted cumin, coriander, and cloves make a huge difference.

More Helpful Tips

Balance is key: Goan food is about harmony: tang, spice, sweetness, and richness. Taste as you go and don’t be afraid to adjust the flavours.
Add koftas gently: Don’t stir immediately after adding; let them firm up in the curry first.
Simmer, don’t boil: High heat can break the koftas. Gentle simmering ensures tenderness.
Rest the curry overnight: Like vindaloo and xacuti, it tastes even better the next day.

The Goan Beef Kofta Curry next to The Curry Guy Light cookbook.

This Goan Beef Kofta Curry and many other delicious low calorie and low carb curries is featured in my cookbook The Curry Guy Light. It's available on amazon and all good book shops.

FAQ

Do you have to make this a light curry?

Absolutely not! When I first tried it, it was at a restaurant and it was light. Add more oil and use fattier beef if you want but I don't think it will improve the flavour much if at all. You could also use full-fat coconut milk if that's what you want to do.

Coconut milk? Is this really a light curry?

You use light coconut milk in this recipe which still contains a lot of fat, unfortunately. That said, it's just a little and you could reduce it should you choose to do so.

Why do you need to grind the beef twice?

This help the koftas keep their shape especially since we are using lean beef. You could, however knead the meat to break it down for a while. That is the old way of doing it and it still works just fine.

Can you use minced chicken or lamb instead of beef?

Absolutely. The recipe works well with other meats. Feel free to experiment with anything from chicken to venison!

Why You’ll Love This Dish

Bold flavours – Tangy, spicy, rich, and balanced.
Comforting texture – Soft meatballs in creamy coconut sauce.
Versatile – Works with multiple meats or plant-based versions.
Authentic Goan taste – A slice of coastal India in your kitchen.

Whether you’re cooking for a family dinner or a special occasion, Goan Beef Kofta Curry brings the amazing flavours of Goa right to your table.

Final Thoughts

In a country as diverse as India, few dishes are as regionally distinctive as Goan Beef Kofta Curry. It’s a dish born of history, shaped by trade and colonisation, and carried through generations of Goan families who love it!

The combination of tender beef koftas, spiced coconut gravy and that signature Goan tang makes it unforgettable. And while beef might be rare in most Indian cuisines, here it’s a cherished part of the culinary identity.

So, next time you’re craving something rich, bold, and different, skip the usual curries and try this naturally light Goan classic. Pair it with steamed rice, pour yourself a glass of cold Kingfisher and enjoy a little piece of Goa at home.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these Goan favourites:

Pairing

Looking for a good side dish? Rice is always a great accompaniment!

Have you tried this Goan Beef Kofta Curry recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Goan Beef Kofta Curry

This Goan Beef Kofta Curry was featured in my cookbook The Curry Guy Light. It doesn't taste like diet food though! You are going to love the flavours that come out of your pan!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

500g (1lb 12oz) lean beef mince (ask your butcher to grind it twice)
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp flaky salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 egg
1 tbsp coconut oil or rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
10 fresh or frozen curry leaves 2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely sliced garlic
2 green chillies, finely chopped 1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder
400g (14oz) can chopped
tomatoes
400ml (scant 13⁄4 cups) light
coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce or coconut
amino
Salt, to taste
Coriander (cilantro), chopped, to serve

Instructions

Start by making the koftas. In a large bowl, mix the mince with the cumin, coriander powder, 1 teaspoon of the chilli powder, the salt, black pepper, garlic and ginger paste, and egg.
Knead well so that all the ingredients are mixed into the meat. Form into 16 small, golf ball-sized koftas, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until visibly hot. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, reduce the temperature to medium–high, stir in the curry leaves and fry until fragrant – about 30 seconds should do nicely.
Add the onions and fry for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and chillies and fry for a further minute or so. Add the turmeric and stir well. Pour in the tomatoes, coconut milk and soy sauce.
Place the koftas in the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Garnish with coriander and serve.

Grilled Chicken Cafreal

April 4, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

yYou are going to love this grilled chicken cafreal recipe! I promise.

This grilled chicken cafreal recipe is from the barbecue section of my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Light'. As you will see from the recipe, it is grilled chicken cafreal just like you will find at some of the best restaurants in Goa! Grilled chicken cafreal might be light but it most certainly doesn't taste like bland diet food!

About this grilled chicken cafreal

You may already know that the original cafreal was brought to Goa by the Portuguese. The Portuguese first learned to make it in their African colonies, and the Goans learned to make it from them and the African sailors who worked on their ships.

As with so many Goan recipes, I’m sure they made a few changes to the original to make it their own. Many say that it is a green version of piri piri, which also originated in Africa.

Do you have to cook this chicken cafeal on the barbecue?

Absolutely not! In fact you will find that in most recipes, the marinated chicken is usually fried. You could of course fry it or bake it in the oven. Just remember that if you are trying to cook light, the chicken cafreal will have more calories and fat if you fry instead of grill the chicken. If you like barbecue, you will most surely love the flavour of the chicken cafreal cooked over the coals.

Can you use the cafreal marinade in other dishes?

Yes! Although this is a very famous chicken dish, the marinade goes equally well with fish, vegetables and paneer. Taste the marinade when if is ready and you will see it's so good!

Use it as a marinade for whatever you like. You'll love it!

What do you serve this grilled chicken cafreal with?

In 'The Curry Guy Light', I suggested serving this curry with brown rice and/or a simple mixed green salad.

You might enjoy this with simple steamed basmati rice.

Yield: 4

Grilled Chicken Cafreal

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 generous tbsp black peppercorns
8 cloves
1⁄2 cinnamon stick, broken into
small pieces
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder
100g (31⁄2oz) very fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
5 green chillies, roughly
chopped (more or less, to
taste)
10 garlic cloves
5cm (2 inch) piece of ginger,
peeled and roughly chopped Juice of 1–2 limes
1.2kg (2lb 10oz) chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
1 tsp rapeseed (canola) oil or cooking spray
70ml (1⁄4 cup) coconut vinegar or malt vinegar
Salt, to taste
2 long red chillies, cut into rings 3 tbsp coriander (cilantro)
leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast the whole spices until fragrant and warm to the touch, but not smoking. Transfer the spices to a bowl to cool, then grind them to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Place the coriander, chillies, garlic, ginger and lime juice in the spice grinder or pestle and mortar and pound or grind to a thick green paste. If you need a little more liquid to help with the blending, add some of the vinegar.
Cut a few shallow slits in each piece of chicken using a sharp knife. Place the chicken in a large bowl and rub the coriander paste into it, ensuring it is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight – the longer the better.
When ready to cook, set up your barbecue for direct heat cooking. Brush the grill with the oil or spray it with cooking spray. When really hot, remove as much of the marinade from the chicken as possible, but do not discard the marinade. Grill the chicken pieces on one side for about 3 minutes, or until it begins to char, then flip over to char the other side.
When the chicken is nicely charred but not completely cooked through, place a saucepan or wok on the grill. Put the charred chicken pieces in the pan. Clean the bowl that the chicken was marinating in with about 125ml (1⁄2 cup) of water, mixing all the leftover marinade into the water. Add the vinegar, then pour this liquid over the chicken in the pan.
Simmer for 5–10 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through and you have a nice thick, green sauce.
To serve, place the chicken on a plate and spoon the cooking sauce over it. Season with salt and garnish with the chillies and coriander.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 239Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 207mgCarbohydrates: 4.6gFiber: 9gSugar: 16gProtein: 4g

I hope you enjoy this grilled chicken cafreal recipe. It is just one of over 100 delicious and light recipes from 'The Curry Guy Light' cookbook. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Chicken Momos

April 4, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Chicken momos make the perfect starter course and can even be served as a main.

These delicious chicken momos are one of the most popular recipes from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Light'. Actually, the recipe in that book is different but both recipes work spectacularly well. You can expect restaurant quality results though your first few attempts may not be as pretty. Making momos takes a bit of practice but it's delicious practice which is good.

Chicken momos recipe — You are going to love this recipe! Be sure to try it soon!

What are chicken momos?

These are bite sized snacks from Nepal and Tebet but they have made their way around the globe and are now popular everywhere. I like to think of chicken momos like chicken samosas but so much lighter.

The chicken momo wraps are similar to those used in samosas but chicken momos are steamed and much less calorific. Would you like to try another filling? Go for it! Make up your own or try my beef momos or vegetable momos. All momos can be used to make the now famous Indian fusion dish tandoori momos.

Working ahead

With this chicken momos recipe you can prepare the momo filling a good couple of days ahead of cooking. If you want, you can also prepare the chicken momos a couple of days before steaming.

To do so, lightly dust a plate with flour and place the finished momos on top. Then cover tightly with clingfilm and store in the fridge until ready to steam. This could make things a lot easier if you are serving a group of friends or family.

Can momos be frozen?

Yes, but I recommend preparing the chicken momos and then freezing them before steaming.

Then take them out of the freezer and allow the momos to defrost completely. Steam for 12 minutes and they are ready!

How light are these momos?

Well, as with pretty much everything, you don't want to go eating 30 of them in one sitting!

These are meant to be enjoyed as a light snack. Enjoy a few and you will still be eating quite light.

What do you serve chicken momos with?

This chicken momos recipe can be served simply with soy sauce and you won't be disappointed! The tomato and sesame chutney you see in the photo above is one of my favourites. You will find the recipe for that in 'The Curry Guy Light' cookbook.

Step by step photographs

Ingredients for chicken momos. — Get all your ingredients together. I used some prepared dough but have shown how the dough was prepared in the photos below.

Preparing the chicken stuffing for the momos. — Mix the chicken with all the other filling ingredients. I do this by hand and really knead all the ingredient to combine. Set aside while you prepare the dough.

How do you make the momo dough?

In the following photos, you'll see how to prepare the dough. To make things easier on yourself, you could use shop bought momo or Chinese dumpling wrappers.

Mixing the flours and water to make the dough for the wrappers. — Pour the flours and water into a large mixing bowl.

Kneading the dough for the wrappers. — Begin kneading and forming into a dough. It will be quite dry at first but will eventually form into a nice, soft dough.

Kneading dough for the momo wrappers — Take the dough out of the bowl and continue kneading for about 10 minutes until you have a soft, not sticky dough. Allow to rest, cover with a damp cloth for about an hour.

How should you slice the dough pieces for the wrappers?

Beef momos can be made large (3 bites) or small (1 to 2 bites). I usually go for the two bite option.

If you have a kitchen scale and want all your momos to be the same size, slice the dough into 13 - 14g pieces. You don't have to weigh it though. This can all be done by eye but I weigh them sometimes for perfection.

Weighing the dough pieces to make equal sized momos. — You can but do not have to weigh out the dough pieces.

Rolling out the dough to form wrappers for the momos. There is a ruler showing that the momo round is 9cm in diameter. — Flatten and then roll out each piece of dough into a round shape that is approximately 2mm thick and 9cm in diameter. This is for 13 to 14g pieces.

The meat mixture on top of a momo wrapper — Place a good tablespoon of the chicken on top of a wrapper.

Folding the chicken momos. — Fold the circular momo wrapper in half around the meat. Then pinch one side closed and pleat the dough to seal, forming a small moon shape.

The finished chicken momos ready for steaming — Place the finished momos on a plate, covered until ready to steam.

Steaming the momos — Place the momos in a steamer over hot water and cover. Steam for about 6 minutes. You will need to do this in batches as the momos should not be touching when steaming..

Serving the chicken momos. — Enjoy with your sauces of choice. Soy sauce, sriracha and other hot sauces are all good.

Have you tried this chicken momo recipe?

If yes, please give the recipe a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too.

Yield: Makes 30

Chicken Momos

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 6 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE WRAPPERS (Or just use shop bought momo or Chinese dumpling wrappers)
225g (8 oz) plain flour, sifted
75g (2.6 oz) cornflour (corn starch), sifted
Water – about 170ml
A pinch of salt
FOR THE FILLING
300g (11oz) lean ground chicken
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2.5cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, thinly sliced and chopped
3 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 green finger chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Start by making your momo dough, if making. Sift the flours and salt into a large bowl.
Slowly add the water while mixing until you have a firm but soft dough. If the dough is too wet, add more flour. Too dry, add a little more water. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it is, add a bit more flour.
Cover the dough and place, covered in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes or overnight. A minimum of one hour sitting time will be best.
In a mixing bowl, mix the chicken with all the other filling ingredients together until well combined.
When ready to make your beef momos, roll the dough into a long snake shape that is about 2.5cm (1 inch in diameter.
Divide this dough into smaller pieces. For reference, I divide mine into 13 to 14g balls so that each of the momos are about the same size. You could just do this by eye though as shown in the photos above.
Keep the small balls covered while you work to avoid drying. Take one of the balls and flatten it some with your fingers and then roll out into a circle shape that is about 2mm thick and 9cm in diameter. This is assuming you are using 13 - 14g pieces so the size of your momo wrappers may differ.
Place a spoonful of the chicken mixture onto the wrapper and dampen around sides of the circle with water using your finger and fold it over into a half circle and the pinch one of the ends together.
Now press the rest of the half circle together while pressing with your thumb to make a moon shape and sealing by pleating the seam.
Cover and repeat with the rest of the dough. You may have some of the beef mixture left over but I'm sure you can find a use for it. Throw it into a pasta sauce for example.
Place the beef momos in your steamer and steam for 5 to 6 minutes. The dough will become soft. You may need to do this in batches as it is important that the momos not touch each other while steaming or they will stick together.
Eat immediately with soy sauce and/or chilli sauce.

Notes

The calorie and carb count is per momo.

Texas Chili

April 3, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Real Texas chili is like a spicy beef stew and one you need to try.

When I was young, my family used to go camping up in the Sierras in northern California. This Texas chilli would always be on the menu at least one day. Our Texas chilli would slowly simmer over the campfire and I remember it being very difficult to wait for the evening meal.

Finished Texas chili — Chili does not get any better!

What is Texas chili?

Unlike the chili con carne you might be familiar with which usually calls for ground beef, Texas chilli is prepared with bite sized pieces of beef chuck or brisket.

Another difference is that there are never beans or tomatoes added to the thick broth. Texas chilli relies on the delicious dried chillies to flavour what is essentially a beef stew.

Is this Texas chili recipe authentic?

You’d have to ask a real Texan to get that answer but I’m pretty sure it is. Quite a few Texans have tried my recipe and I've never had any complaints. The thing is, there are many different recipes for Texas chili. Mine includes a cup of coffee which might sound strange but believe me it is good.

That’s something my dad used to do. He’d add a cup of coffee to our Texas chili just like he was told to do by his real Texan cousin. Other versions call for dark chocolate which is good too.

From what I’ve been told, this Texas chili is as authentic as they come.

How to make Texas chili…

Surprise! You make it just like you would any beef stew but with different ingredients.

The dried chillies: First you tear open the dried chillies and remove most of the seeds. Then you toast them in a frying pan to soften until they turn fragrant. A couple of minutes will do. After that, you soak them in water for 20 minutes.

Any remaining seeds should fall out in the water. Take the soaked chillies and blend them with just enough of the soaking water to make a thick paste and set aside.

The Beef: It is important to sear the meat. Depending on the size of your pot, you should probably do this in batches to get a good sear.

Everything else: With the chili paste made and the beef nicely seared, you can just get on with the recipe by frying the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Then you add the chilli paste to the pan followed by the seared beef and the remaining ingredients except for the corn chips. You just need to let it simmer for a few hours until the meat is tender. You’ll be in Texas chili heaven!

Working ahead

This is a great recipe if you want to get things done early. The chili paste can be prepared a few days ahead of cooking and kept in the fridge. Even the beef can be seared a few days earlier!

For that matter, you could make Texas chili 3 days ahead of cooking. Then just heat it up to serve. The flavours will develop as it sits in the fridge and the flavour will be even better.

The chilies require for this recipe

Outside of the US and Mexico, these dried chilies may not be familiar. You can find them in the UK at supermarkets now and online pretty much wherever you are.

What do you serve Texas chili with?

You could just serve Texas chili on its own and not be disappointed. Corn or flour tortillas are always a good option.

Of course, you do want to top the chili with some nice and tasty garnishes such as cheese, sour cream, diced onion and coriander (cilantro).

Texas chili in step by step photographs

Ingredients for Texas chili — Get your ingredients together before starting. It is a lot easier.

Toasting dried chilies — Remove the seeds from the chilies and dry fry them for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Soaking the toasted dry chilies — Soak the toasted chilies for about 20 minutes to soften. Then blend them with the chipotles in adobo with a little water to make a thick red paste.

Searing the meat — Fry the meat to brown it. I recommend doing this in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan or the meat will not sear.

Frying onions, garlic and chili paste — Fry the onions and bell pepper for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and the prepared chili paste.

Adding stock and meat to the pot. — Return the meat to the pan and add the water or stock and coffee if using. Stir in the ground spices and bring to a simmer.

Adding corn chips to the pot. — Once simmering, you can add the corn chips. They will break down and thicken the sauce as it cooks. Cover the pan and simmer until the meat is tender. About 2 hours.

Texas chili simmering to thicken. — Once the meat is tender, uncover the pot and continue cooking to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the vinegar and oregano.

Yield: 6

Texas Chili

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 dried ancho chillies
4 dried guajillo chillies
2 chipotle chillies in adobo
2 tbsp of the adobo sauce
1.5 liters (10 cups) beef stock or water
1 cup of black coffee (optional)
2 kg (4 lbs) brisket, cut into bite sized pieces with most of the fat removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or beef dripping
2 onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 handful corn chips (crisps)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
TO SERVE
Warmed corn or flour tortillas
Grated Cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Jalapeño chillies, thinly sliced
Finely chopped red onion
Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Instructions

Tear open the dried chillies and remove as many of the seeds as you can. No need to work too hard on this as they will all come out later.
Place the chillies in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat and toast them for a few minutes, turning from time to time until fragrant and soft. Place the toasted chillies in a bowl and cover with water. Allow them to soak for 20 minutes. Any remaining seeds usually fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Remove the chillies and place in a blender with the chipotle chilies and adobo sauce and blend with just enough water to make a thick, red paste. Set aside.
Now place a large saucepan over a high heat and add the oil or dripping. When visibly hot, add some of the cubed beef and sear it for a few minutes or until nicely charred on the exterior. Do not overcrowd your pan or the meat won’t sear correctly.
Transfer the seared beef to a bowl and set aside.Pour the chopped onions and bell pepper into the pot and fry for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the chopped garlic and fry for another 30 seconds and then add the prepared chili paste and ground spices and stir it in to combine.
Return the beef to the pot and add just enough stock or water to cover. If using coffee, add it at this time too but you will not need to add as much stock or water. Bring this to a simmer and cover the pan. Simmer over a medium heat for about 2 hours or until the beef is tender and you have a nice thick sauce. If your sauce is still thin when your beef becomes tender, just take of the lid and cook it down. Stir in the corn chips by breaking them into small pieces over the chili and the oregano. Simmer for a further 10 minutes and then season with salt and pepper to serve.

Pad Si Eew

April 3, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Ever tried pad si eew? You're going to love this Thai noodle dish!

Pad si eew is famous for the way the noodles are stir-fried over a high heat until they are beginning to brown. This gives them a delicious smoky flavour that simply has to be tried. It’s also known for the amount of soy sauce used. Pad si eew means ‘fried in soy sauce’, after all.

This pan si eew recipe is from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai'.

Pad si eew is great on its own or served with another Thai dish or two.

If you love Thai food as much as I do, you might want to make this pad si eew recipe as part of a Thai feast. There are so many delicious recipes you can serve with it.

If you're after a good curry, why not try my Thai green curry, Thai red curry, beef massaman or panang curry recipes.

It can also be served with other Thai favourites such as pad Thai, drunken noodles and Thai basil chicken.

You will find a massive selection of Thai recipes here.

How do you make roasted dry red chillies?

Pad si eew, as with other Thai recipes is great topped with homemade, roasted Thai chillies. It's easy to make.

Take 2 large handfuls of dried red bird’s eye chillies and toast them in a dry frying pan until fragrant - about 30 to 60 seconds. Be sure to move them around in the pan so that they toast evenly. Tip the roasted chillies onto a plate and allow to cool slightly. Then transfer to a spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder. Don’t over grind; you want flakes, not powder. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.

Yield: 2 - 4

Pad Si Eew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

6 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil 5 garlic cloves, peeled and
roughly chopped
200g (7oz) skinless chicken
thigh or breast, cut into
2.5cm (1in) pieces
100g (31⁄2oz) Chinese broccoli,
stalks thinly sliced
300g ( 10 1/2 oz) dried wide rice noodles, soaked just before cooking as per packet instructions
2 large eggs
Roasted chilli flakes to serve
Thai pickled chillies to serve
1 tsp ground white pepper
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp white distilled vinegar (optional)
1 tsp oyster sauce*
2 tsp palm sugar or white
caster sugar

Instructions

Combine all of the sauce ingredients along with 2 tablespoons of water and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick wok or frying pan over a medium– high heat. Add the chopped garlic – no need to wait until the oil is hot – and fry for about 2–3 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Add the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes until it is about 80% cooked through. Then add the chopped broccoli and stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to low and add half of the noodles along with half of the sauce. Move the noodles around delicately to mix with the sauce. Don’t stir them vigorously or they may fall apart. Add the remaining noodles and sauce and again move them around in the pan or toss them if you can. Sometimes I use my hands for this. The noodles will clump together a little. That is fine – you just want to avoid them falling apart too much. If they do, it’s a cosmetic rather than a taste issue.
Lightly move the contents of your pan to one side of the wok/pan and crack open the eggs in the other side.
Turn the heat back up to medium–high and scramble them. Then carefully fold the noodles, chicken and broccoli over the eggs. Give the wok/pan a couple of tosses and allow the underside of the noodles to char lightly in the pan.
Using a spatula, or tossing or using your hands, try to turn the noodles over to char the other side. You will know your pad si eew is ready when the sauce is quite dry and some of the noodles have been seared crisp. They won’t all get crispy!
Serve on plates topped with roasted chilli flakes and pickled chillies and sprinkled with a little white pepper.

Kanom Jeeb - Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumplings

April 3, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Kanom jeeb are Thai dumplings that are the perfect way to start a Thai meal.

Influenced by Chinese Pork Siu Mai, kanon jeeb is a Thai variation on the famous dumplings. Kanom Jeeb is prepared with minced (ground) pork and prawns that are mixed with a selection of aromatic Thai ingredients. This recipe is perfect served as a starter or main course.

This is a recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Thai'.

What is kanom jeeb?

These small dumplings are perfect for picking up by hand or with chop sticks. Kanom jeeb means 'pleated dumpling' in Thai which is exactly what you are going to get here.

Although good on their own or simply with soy sauce, I have featured a recipe for my favourite sauce to serve with these.

What do you serve Kanom jeeb with?

This popular starter can be served with many different Thai dishes. You might like to try my Thai green curry, Thai red curry, beef massaman or panang curry recipes.

It can also be served with other Thai favourites such as pad Thai, drunken noodles and Thai basil chicken.

You will find a massive selection of Thai recipes here.

Working ahead

You can definitely prepare the stuffing for kanom jeeb a day or two ahead of cooking. In fact the flavours will develop and your kanom jeeb will be even tastier.

You can also completely prepare these dumplings. To do so, dust a plate with a little flour and place the finished kanom jeeb on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and bring out when ready to steam.

Can these dumplings be frozen?

You bet! You can prepare them and then freeze in an air tight container.

Then completely defrost before steaming. I don't recommend steaming kanom jeeb before freezing.

How do you steam the dumplings?

As you can see from the photo, a good bamboo steamer is the perfect steamer. Bamboo steamers are not expensive and can be purchased online or at specialty shops.

You could also just use a metal steamer. If you don't have one of those, use a large saucepan and place a metal plate inside. Put your kanom jeeb on top and add just enough water to steam, ensuring the the water is below your plate with the kamon jeeb.

If you like Thai Recipes, you might want to try some of these Thai favourites too.

THAI SOUPS

Thai Tom Yum Gai

See more Thai Soups →

CURRIES

See more Thai Curries →

All Thai Recipes

THAI NOODLE RECIPES

See more Thai Noodles →

FRIED THAI

See more Fried Thai Recipes →

STIR FRIES

THAI BBQ

See more Thai Grilled →

Yield: Makes 30

Kanom Jeeb - Steamed Pork and Prawn Dumplings

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

225g (8oz) fresh prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
4 garlic cloves, minced
A pinch of ground white pepper 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated palm sugar or honey 150g ( 5 1/2 oz) minced (ground) pork
1/2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) or tapioca flour
2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
30 wonton wrappers (round are best but you can use square wrappers with the corners chopped off )
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced, to garnish
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE
3 tbsp soy sauce
11⁄2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sriracha sauce (see page
145 or shop-bought) 2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Instructions

Put the prawns (shrimp) into a food processor and blend – you want a coarse paste but you should still see a few small pieces of prawn. Set aside.
Put the garlic, ground white pepper, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and palm sugar or honey into a bowl and whisk well with a fork to combine. Add the blended prawns and the pork and get in there with one hand to combine the marinade ingredients with the prawns and pork.
At this point the mixture will be quite wet. Add the cornflour (cornstarch) or tapioca flour and continue stirring until the mixture becomes drier to the touch. Mix in the chopped spring onions (scallions) and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the excess moisture.
Take a wonton wrapper and place a good tablespoon of this mixture in the centre. Work the wrapper up the sides of the filling, pleating it if you can (although this isn’t really necessary for delicious kanom jeeb). Leave the top open and sprinkle with the diced carrot. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Place your little kanom jeeb in a steamer and set that over the pan of boiling water. I have a multi-layer steamer but you might need to do this in batches. Steam the kanom jeeb for 10 minutes.
While these are steaming, make your dipping sauce. Combine the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sriracha sauce and vinegar in a small bowl. Taste it; some sriracha sauces are sweeter than others so add more sugar if needed or leave it as is.
Serve the kanom jeeb hot alongside the dipping sauce.

Chicken Karahi

March 31, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You can make this chicken karahi recipe as mild or spicy as you like.

What I have for you hear is a chicken karahi that can be tailored to your own personal spice preferences. If you like my curry house style chicken chilli garlic curry, you will want to try this one just as written. That or add chilli powder for an extra bit of heat. You could also leave out the whole chillies and make this chicken karahi mild. It's all in your hands.

What is chicken karahi?

Karahi cooking is different to other methods of cooking a curry. The idea is to cook in plenty of hot oil over a high heat. As you do this, it breaks down the sauce ingredients until they emulsify into that characteristic smooth sauce that every loves in a karahi curry.

Although the oil is usually served, you could skim it at the end of cooking for a lighter curry. The oil rises to the top when the curry is finished cooking so skimming is easy. That said, the seasoned oil tastes amazing in the sauce that is usually scooped up with naans or chapatis.

What do you serve chicken karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Working ahead...

The great thing about cooking karahi style is that just like most curries, the flavours develop and the curry becomes even better.

So you can make this chicken karahi a day or two ahead of serving. Then just heat it up and serve.

Do I have to use that much oil?

Yes and no. You could make this chicken curry using just 2 tbsp of oil. It won't be the same though as the oil helps break down the sauce in a way that water cannot do.

So if you want the authentic flavour of a karahi curry, use all the oil. If you just want a nice curry and you're not worried about authenticity, cook with less oil.

Make this chicken karahi your own.

I have added whole chillies and garlic to the sauce. This is a popular way of serving chicken karahi but you can and should adjust to taste.

Leave these ingredients out if you like. Or add more.

Pro Tips...

Be sure to follow the instructions exactly. It is important to cook this curry over a high and often low heat for best results.
Use all the oil called for. You can always skim it off at the end of cooking. The oil helps break down the sauce ingredients.
Stir often and hard. Scrape any sauce that caramelises to this side of the karahi back into the sauce for added flavour.

Chicken Karahi Step by Step Photos

Ingredients for chicken karahi — Get all your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's a lot easier.

Frying the chillies and garlic — Heat the oil in a karahi over high heat. Add the chillies and fry until blistered. Then add the garlic to brown lightly.

Fried chillies and garlic — The end result should look like this. Transfer the chillies and garlic to a plate and set aside.

Cooking the chicken — Add the chicken and fry for about 8 minutes or until white on the exterior. Be sure to stir often.

Adding tomatoes to the chicken and oil. — Stir in the tomatoes and push the right down into the oil. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.

Peeling the skins off the tomatoes. — After cooking the tomatoes for about 7 minutes, remove the skins using tongs and push the peeled tomatoes into the sauce.

Adding garlic and ginger paste, spices and water to the chicken karahi — Add the ground spices and garlic and ginger paste to the curry. Then add the water and bring to a simmer.

Simmering the sauce — Bring the sauce to a steady simmer over a high heat. Stir often!

Adding yoghurt to the sauce. — Stir in the yoghurt and then cover the pan. Simmer for a few minutes.

Adding the fried chillies and garlic to the pan — Return the chillies and garlic to the karahi.

Finished chicken karahi — Continue simmering over a high heat until you are happy with the sauce consistency. The sauce should be quite thick.

Like a good chicken karahi? Try some of my other chicken karahi recipes too!

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 4

Chicken Karahi

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs on the bone, cut into three pieces
8 bullet chillies
10 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
7 tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (Optional, more or less to taste)
250ml (1 cup) water
5 tbsp plain natural yoghurt, whisked until smooth
Salt to taste
TO GARNISH
4 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned

Instructions

Heat the oil over a high heat. When bubbling hot, add the chillies and fry them for a few minutes or until blistered and darkened in places. Add the garlic fry until the garlic is beginning to turn golden brown. Transfer the chillies and garlic using a slotted spoon to the plate and set aside.
Now add the chicken to the hot oil and fry for about 8 minutes, moving it around in the pan until white and just cooked through. Add the tomatoes and push them right down into the oil. Cover the pan and simmer on low for about 7 minutes. Remove the lid and you will see that the skin of the tomatoes is peeling off. Remove the
skins using your hands or tongs which is much easier. If using tongs, give the tomatoes a good squeeze when you remove the skins to help break them down. If the skin is not coming off easily, just continue simmering and it will. Push the tomatoes right down with the back of your spoon into the chicken.
Add the ground spices and garlic and ginger paste to the pan. Then stir in 250ml (1 cup) water and bring to a
rolling simmer over a high heat, stirring often and hard to move everything around in the karahi. If the sauce is caramelising to the sides of the karahi, scrape it back in for additional flavour.
Cover and simmer over a low heat for another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring from time to time. Lift the lid and stir
in the yoghurt. Raise the heat to high and continue stirring vigorously to break that sauce down and thicken. Stir in the fried chillies and garlic and continue simmering and stirring until you are happy with the sauce consistency.
Season with salt to taste and garnish if you like with coriander and julienned
ginger if you like.

Chicken Majestic

March 30, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Chicken majestic is a tasty fried chicken starter from Hyderabad

If you like a good chicken 65, then you are going to love chicken majestic. It looks similar to chicken 65 but it's prepared with a thick, yoghurt based sauce that is both spicy and deliciously tangy. This chicken majestic is a recipe you need to try soon.

About this chicken majestic recipe

Chicken majestic is a rather new addition to Indian menus that is most popular around Hyderabad. News travels quickly, however so it is making it's way throughout India and the world.

Although it looks a lot like that other popular chicken starter, chicken 65, it has a completely different flavour and texture. The yoghurt sauce makes this dish!

Working ahead

For best results, you can marinate the chicken a day or so ahead of time. You could even fry it up and then just add it to the sauce when ready to serve.

Although I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 minutes, you could just go straight to frying.

Chicken majestic in step by step photos

Ingredients for chicken majestic. — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

The chicken marinating — Place the chicken in the marinade batter. This should marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Frying the chicken — Fry the chicken in a little oil. You can also shallow fry the chicken be be careful not to burn it.

Fried chicken ready — Remove the chicken from the oil once it turns golden brown and crispy.

Frying aromatic ingredients. — In a wok, heat the oil over medium heat. stir in the fennel and cumin seeds followed by the curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the onion, ground spices and garlic/ginger paste.

Stirring in the ground spices — Give this all a good stir and add the chopped chillies and spring onions (scallions). Stir in the yoghurt and soy sauce and stir well to combine. Continue simmering until you have a thick sauce.

Adding the fried chicken to the sauce. — Return the fried chicken to the pan and stir well to coat.

The finished chicken majestic — The sauce should coat the meat nicely. This is a dry curry so you really want to cook that sauce down.

Yield: 4

Chicken Majestic

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE
3 tbsp butter milk (optional)
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 level tsp salt
1 level tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
40g (1/4 cup) cornflour (corn starch)
FOR THE FRIED CHICKEN
125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
600g (1 ½ lb) chicken breasts, sliced into long strips against the grain
FOR THE CURRY
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
½ red onion, very finely chopped
3 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
3 spring onions (scallion) cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 – 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or to taste)
70ml ( ¼ cup) plain natural yoghurt
1 – 2 tbsp light soy sauce or tamari (GF)
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
Juice of one lime

Instructions

Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl until creamy smooth. Add the chicken strips and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat. When visibly hot, Stir in the chicken and fry in the oil until cooked through. As you are shallow frying, it is important to stir regularly so that the chicken doesn’t scorch in places. You want the chicken to be light in colour with a crispy light, golden exterior. Transfer the cooked chicken using a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
To make the curry, wipe the pan/wok clean if there is a lot of lose flour in it. Then add oil and heat over medium high heat. Stir in the cumin and fennel seeds and temper them in the oil for about 30 seconds. Then stir in the curry leaves and fry for a further 30 seconds. Add the chopped onion and fry to soften for a couple of minutes before stirring in the ground spices and garlic and ginger paste. Give this all a good stir and add the chopped chillies and spring onions (scallions). Stir in the yoghurt and soy sauce and continue simmering until you have a thick sauce
Add the fried chicken and continue stirring until it is coated with the sauce. Add the chopped coriander and a little more soy sauce or tamari if you like. Squeeze in the lime juice and serve hot.

Chapati Recipe

March 29, 2023 By Dan Toombs 3 Comments

This homemade chapati recipe produces super-soft chapatis every time!

Stay away from those shop bought chapatis! You can make this homemade chapati recipe in no time and the results are out of this world delicious. This is a simple chapati recipe that only requires four ingredients. Chapatis are made with chapati flour which is a mix of white and whole wheat flour so they are healthy and perfect for serving with curries, tarka dhal and/or used as a wrap for meats and vegetable.

Finished chapati recipe — This could just be the perfect chapati recipe! I guarantee perfect results every time! Add a little ghee at the end and the chapatis are even more delicious!

What are chapatis?

When you try this chapati recipe, you will be preparing one of the most popular Indian flat breads around. In fact chapatis are so delicious, they have made their way into other cuisines around the world.

For this chapati recipe, you will be making chapatis as they should be, with chapati flour. You can serve your chapatis with curry, pickles, chutneys or dals. Another popular option is simply to enjoy chapatis drizzled with butter or ghee.

Is it difficult to make this chapati recipe?

Not at all though it might take some practice to get them perfect. Even if your chapatis don’t look like mine when you first try, I can assure you that they will still taste amazing! So what are you waiting for? Try this chapati recipe today!

If you have ever made tortillas, you’ll find that this chapati recipe is made in a similar way. The only difference is the type of flour used and where flour tortillas often include pork lard, chapatis can be made with vegetable or rapeseed (canola) oil.

How do you make chapatis?

After the dough has been prepared, you need to roll it out into flat round discs. It is important the chapati discs be as flat and round as you can roll them. This is probably the most difficult thing to do for beginners.

You could use a tortilla press if you have one as it make the job much easier.

How do you cook chapatis?

You can make chapatis in a frying pan or flat tawa. The flat chapati is first placed in the pan and cooked until light brown spots are beginning to form on the underside. You then flip it over to cook the other side until light brown spots colour the chapati. It is then flipped over again and pressed down with a flat spatula.

Doing this will cause bubbles to form. Continue pressing in the places where bubbles have not formed and eventually, the chapati should puff right up.

What you need for this chapati recipe.

Only four ingredients are required to make this chapati recipe.

Chapati flour: You need to look for chapati flour or atta flour which is a mixture of whole wheat and plain white flour.

Warm water: Room temperature or warmed water will suffice. You do not need to use hot water.

Salt: Add a little salt to taste to the flour.

Oil: I recommend using rapeseed (canola) oil. Just a little will do the trick.

Storing Cooked Chapatis

You can cook your chapatis up to 3 days ahead of serving. To do this, ensure they are tightly wrapped and placed in the fridge.

To warm them up, dampen lightly with a little water and place in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Pro Tips

Be sure only to use chapati or atta flour for this recipe. Other flours such as plain white flour can be used but they will not taste the same nor will they be as healthy.
Ensure your dough is soft and pliable. You should easily be able to make an indentation with your thumb.
Make sure that the dough is not too sticky. If it is sticking to your hands, then you have added too much water. Simply adding a little more flour will fix that problem.

Frequently asked questions…

Can cooked chapatis be frozen?

It is best to eat the chapatis made with this chapati recipe right out of the pan. You can, however freeze the cooked chapatis to enjoy later. They will still be delicious and much better than anything you can purchase from the supermarket.

How many days ahead of cooking can I prepare the dough?

You can prepare the dough up to 3 days before cooking. In fact, you might even get better results as the longer resting time will give the chapatis more flavour.

Why aren't my chapatis puffing up?

This will most likely be down to using a dough that is too sticky or you haven't rolled the dough out flat enough. Practice makes perfect! Roll your chapatis out as flat and uniform as you can. This is important as they will not inflate when cooking if not flat and will be much more stodgy in texture.

Chapati recipe in step by step photographs...

Chapati recipe ingredients — Get your ingredients together before starting. That should be easy. There are only four!

Adding the flour and salt to a mixing bowl. — Pour the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.

Adding water to the flour and salt — Slowly begin to add water. I only use about 3/4 cup but flours do vary. In should look quite crumbly at first.

Continuing to slowly add water to form a dough. — Continue drizzling in water until you can form a soft dough ball.

Adding oil and kneading the dough. — Knead it all into a soft dough ball for about 3 minutes. Wet your hands with the oil and continue kneading for a further 2 minutes.

Placing the dough ball back into the bowl. — Place the dough ball back into the bowl.

Dough ball in bowl covered with clingfilm. — Cover and allow to rest for about 30 minutes or longer.

Rolled dough. — Roll the dough into a rope and divide into about 8 pieces of equal size.

Dough balls — Then form the pieces into smaller balls.

Chapati starting to cook. — Roll into flat chapatis and place over a medium heat.

Chapati cooking with bubbles forming. — After about 40 seconds, small bubbles will begin to form on top. Flip it over.

Browning chapati — You will see brown marks where the chapati cooked. Cook on this side for about 30 seconds and flip over again.

Air filled chapati — Begin pressing the chapati down with a spatula or towel. As you can see, it will puff up a shown. The chapati will be light, flaky, chewy and delicious.

Yield: 6 - 8

Chapati Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

500g (2 cups) chapati flour
190ml - 250ml (3/4 to 1 cup) warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp rapeseed (canola) oil
Ghee (optional)

Instructions

Pour the flour into a bowl and then add the water a little at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until you have a soft dough.
Knead the dough for about three minutes and then wet your hands with the oil and continue kneading for another 2 minutes. Form into a dough ball and set aside covered to rest for about 30 minutes.
Dust the work surface with a little flour and divide your dough into about eight to ten smaller balls. Flatten each ball between your hands and then flatten them more with a rolling pin until they are about six inches in diameter and 3mm thick. Try to keep the chapati as round as possible by rolling from different angles. Dust off any excess flour.
Now heat a large frying pan or tawa over a medium heat and add one of the chapatis. Cook until bubbles
begin to form and then flip it over to continue cooking for 30 seconds. Flip it over again and begin pressing down on the chapati with a flat spatula or dish towel. Larger bubble will begin to form and then it should puff right up.
If cooking over gas, you could also place the chapati directly on the flame in it will puff up.
If you are cooking on an electric stove, turn the chapati over one last time and apply pressure to the surface, concentrating on the areas where there are no bubbles. It should puff up completely or at least look nice and bubbly.
For best results serve immediately. Chapati breads can also be warmed up in the microwave if necessary.

Chicken and Chickpea Curry Karahi

March 28, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Cooked in a karahi, this chicken and chickpea curry is hugely popular and easy to prepare.

This chicken and chickpea curry is cooked over a high heat in a karahi. The high heat cooking give the curry a delicious and smoky flavour. This is one you've simply got to try soon.

You will also find links to some of the most popular side dishes to enjoy with your chicken and chickpea karahi.

What is karahi cooking?

A karahi is a pan that is similar to a wok but usually has not handles or two. The rounded base maked it possible to cook over a high heat while stirring it all together to make a delicious sauce.

Cooking chicken and chickpea curry like this build flavour, with results that are far better than simply stewing the ingredients.

You might also like to try some other karahi style curries. I have the recipes for you. Try butter chicken karahi, black pepper chicken karahi, chicken bhuna karahi, white chicken karahi and chicken keema karahi to start! All of these curries can be served together with the chicken and chickpea curry as part of a big meal.

What do you serve chicken and chickpea karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your chicken and chickpea karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Dried vs tinned (canned) chickpeas

Although not necessary, you will get better results if you used dried chickpeas (chana) and cook them until tender. The texture is better to what you get in a can and you can use the cooking liquid to help flavour the curry.

That said, tinned (canned) chickpeas will work perfectly well and you will be able to prepare this chicken and chickpea curry much faster.

Working ahead

If cooking dried chickpeas, you can do this up to three days before cooking the chicken and chickpea curry. Just cover the cooked chickpeas and place in the fridge.

You can also blend the chickpeas required for this recipe at the same time. The blended chickpeas are added to the curry to thicken the sauce.

What to serve with chicken and chickpea curry?

Although this karahi curry is amazing served over rice or with naans, there are a lot of carbs in the chickpeas.

You can therefore serve chicken and chickpea curry on it's own with no sides!

Step by step photos of chicken and chickpea curry

Ingredients for chicken and chickpea curry — Get all of your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

blending the chickpeas — Blend half of the chickpeas to a thick paste and set aside for later.

Infusing the whole spices in the ghee. — Infuse the whole spices in the oil for about 40 seconds.

Frying the chopped onions. — Add the chopped onions to the pan and fry until golden brown.

Adding chicken to the pan. — Add the chicken and fry until almost cooked through. Stir often and hard to coat.

Stirring in the garlic and ginger paste. — Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and continue stirring to coat.

Adding the tomatoes to the pan. — Add the tomatoes. Cover the pan and simmer over a low to medium heat for 8 minutes.

Removing the tomato skins from the tomatoes. — Remove the skin from the tomatoes with tong. Squeeze the tomatoes as you do.

Simmering the curry over a high heat. — Over a high heat, continue stirring and breaking the sauce down. Then add the ground spices.

Adding the chickpeas to the pan. — Add the chickpeas and a little water and continue stirring. I add about 250ml (1 cup) water or the cooking liquid from cooking the chickpeas.

Adding the chickpea paste to the curry. — Add the chickpea paste. The sauce will become much thicker. If it is too thick for your liking, add more water.

The finished chicken and chickpea curry. — Continue simmering until you have a nice thick sauce, perfect for picking up with naans or chapattis. The ghee or oil will rise to the top when the curry is finished cooking.

Chicken and chickpea curry garnished with lemon, chillies, coriander (cilantro) and julienned ginger. — Serve garnished with julienned ginger, chillies, lemon and coriander (cilantro).

Yield: 4

Chicken and Chickpea Curry Karahi

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

250g (9 oz) dried chickpeas soaked in water overnight or 4 x tinned (canned) chickpeas (garbonzo beans)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (optional)
125ml (1/2 cup) ghee
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 x 5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3 cloves
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
3 medium tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp red chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
600g Chicken thighs, on the bone and cut into three pieces

Instructions

If using dried chickpeas, cook them first. Pour the washed and soaked chickpeas into a large saucepan with the bicarbonate of soda and cover completely with water. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and cook for about 70 minutes or until the chickpeas are soft enough to smash between your fingers. Strain but retain the cooking liquid for later.
Place roughly half of the cooked chickpeas in a food processor and blend to a thick paste. Set aside.
Put a karahi or wok over a medium high heat and melt the ghee. Then add the black peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and and cloves and let their flavours infuse into the ghee for about 40 seconds. Stir in the chopped onion and continue frying for about 8 minutes or until the onions are turning a light golden brown and then stir in the garlic and ginger paste.
Add the tomatoes and cover the pan. Let this all simmer for about 8 minutes over a medium heat. Lift the lid and give it all a good stir. The skins of the tomatoes will be peeling off. If not, simmer a little longer and they will. Remove the skins using your hands or tongs and discard. Stir in the chilli flakes, ground cumin, coriander.
Add the chicken and stir it right into the sauce. Continue stirring often to cook the chicken through. Then add the remaining cooked or tinned (canned) chickpeas with about 125ml (1/2 cup) of the cooking liquid or water.
Cover the pan. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes. Give it all a good stir and add the blended chickpeas.
The curry will look a bit dry so go ahead and add more of the cooking liquid or water. I usually add about 250ml (1 cup).
Cover again and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. The ghee will rise to the top and the flavour of it all will be incredible. If you prefer more liquid, just add it until you are happy with the consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and garnish with chopped coriander and/or julienned ginger.

Indonesian Fried Chicken

March 25, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

I learned to make this amazing Indonesian fried chicken recipe in Bali. It's really easy to prepare.

If you like your KFC, you are going to love this Indonesian fried chicken. It has so much more flavour and it's lighter too. Just enough flour is used to coat the chicken that is marinated with a tasty sambal.

What is Indonesian fried chicken?

There are many different recipes for Indonesian fried chicken. Some are heavily coated in flour, while others are coated in a batter before frying. In this recipe, you simply coat the chicken with aromatic ingredients to marinate along with a small amount of rice or cornflour (corn starch).

One thing they all seem to have in common is the use of a sambal marinade, just like the one you will be making for this recipe.

What flour?

Although you will find many recipes for Indonesian fried chicken that call for wheat flour, it is far more common to use rice flour. Rice flour gives the chicken a nice, crispy exterior.

In fact, the chicken will stay good and crispy for quite some time after you finish cooking.

Is this Indonesian fried chicken gluten free?

You bet! Whether you used rice flour, cornflour (corn starch) or a combination of them both, this fried chicken recipe is gluten free.

If you are not on a gluten free diet and only have plain (all purpose) flour, that will work too.

Working ahead.

The chicken can be season with salt and pepper a good day ahead of cooking. It will penetrate the chicken and add more flavour.

You can also marinate the chicken for 24 hours. The longer marination time will be beneficial to the flavour.

Marinating time...

You really can marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients and go straight to frying. For best results, marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or even overnight. The longer the better.

To cooking tips...

Ensure that you use bone in chicken with the skin on for the best flavour and texture.
Be sure that your oil is hot enough before adding the marinated chicken. If it is not hot enough, the chicken will become greasy.
Rest your Indonesian fried chicken for a couple of minutes after frying. Then serve immediately.

What do you serve Indonesian fried chicken with?

As there are no spicy hot spices in the marinade, you might want to serve Indonesian fried chicken with sambal oelek or another good hot sauce.

Fried potatoes, green salad or fried vegetables like this Indonesian green beans recipe are also popular sides.

Step by step photos of Indonesian fried chicken

Ingredients for Indonesian fried chicken. — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Blending the marinade ingredients — I usually blend the chunky ingredients first.

Preparing the marinade. — You can then add the ground spices which will blend well with the prepared marinade.

Seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. — Season the chicken with salt and pepper. This can be done a day ahead of frying.

Covering the chicken with the marinade and flour. — Rub the prepared marinade into the chicken. Then add the flour.

Chicken marinating. — Once mixed into the chicken, the marinade and flour should look like this.

Finished Indonesian fried chicken. — Fry until deep, golden brown and crispy. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

If you like this Indonesian fried chicken recipe, you might also like to try some of these.

Indonesian Chicken Sate
Soto Ayam
Sambal Oelek - Indonesian hot sauce
Chicken with Sambal Matah
Babi Kecap
Spicy Green Beans Indonesian Style
Indonesian Bakso
Ikan Bakar - Indonesian Fried Fish
Nasi Goreng
Mee Goreng
Sambal La La - Spicy Clams
Indonesian Blackened Fish
Seafood Laksa
Chicken Rendang
Beef Rendang
Butter Egg Floss Prawns
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Malaysian Devil Curry
Ayam Masak Merah - Malaysian Red Chicken Curry
Chicken Kapitan
Homemade Kecap Manis

Have you tried this Indonesian fried chicken recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Indonesian Fried Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs and legs on the bone
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
85g (1/3 cup) rice flour or cornflour (cornstarch)
Rapeseed (canola) oil for deep frying
FOR THE MARINADE
5 shallots, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, roughly chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) galangal, roughly chopped
2 makrut lime leaves, stem removed and roughly chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 stalks Lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped

Instructions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. This can be done up to
a day before you fry.
To make the marinade, place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor with just enough water to make a smooth marinade. Pour the marinade all over the chicken and add the flour. Mix well with your hands
to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. The longer the better.
When ready to fry, heat enough oil for deep frying over a high heat. You are aiming for a cooking temperature of 175c/350f. If you don’t have an oil thermometer, Test the oil by dipping one piece of the chicken in. If thousands of little bubbles form and bubble around the chicken like crazy on contact, you’re good to go. You can cook in batches if necessary.
Carefully add the chicken and fry for about 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Be sure to move the chicken around in the pan from time to time so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Transfer the cooked chicken to a metal rack to drip any excess oil and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Butter Chicken Karahi

March 25, 2023 By Dan Toombs 6 Comments

Butter chicken karahi is not like the butter chicken you might already know!

If you like a good butter chicken, you will love the butter chicken karahi recipe. This is how the curry is prepared at karahi street food stalls in Pakistan. Rather than the slowly stewed version that is so popular all over the west, you cook this butter chicken karahi fast over a high heat and the flavour is amazing!

You will also find links below to some hugely popular side dishes to serve with your butter chicken karahi.

What are karahi curries?

I must get asked for karahi recipes more than any other curry recipe. The thing is, a karahi is a round pan, similar to a wok. Some have handles and others don't. They usually don't call for many ingredients but they are the freshest ingredients available.

Cooking them over the smoky, high heat is what makes butter chicken karahi so out of this world gorgeous!

What do you serve with butter chicken karahi?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your butter chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

What is the difference between butter chicken and butter chicken karahi?

Butter chicken as you might know it is a slowly simmered, tomato based curry. You add cooked tandoori chicken to the sauce with all of its marinade. That is then topped with lots of butter, hence the name.

You will probably find butter chicken karahi quite similar but rather than using tandoori chicken, you shallow fry the chicken in oil. The oil is part of the sauce and it breaks down the tomatoes into a creamy sauce. Unlike the more famous butter chicken (at least in the west), butter chicken karahi does not include onions. Other than that, the ingredients are really quite similar. There's no reason you can't add chopped onions to yours though.

How much oil?!

Authentic karahi recipes use a lot of oil. The oil heats up and breaks down the other ingredients to make the sauce.

As the curry cooks, the oil begins to rise to the top once it has done its job. Usually that oil is served with the curry but you could skim it off the top at the end. That said, butter chicken with all its cream and yoghurt isn't really a light curry in the first place.

Top Tips...

Use a cast iron or carbon steel karahi if you have one. A good wok will also work. You really want to get in the and stir hard over the high heat so frying pans are not ideal but will work.
The sauce will begin to caramelise to the sides of the karahi as you cook, when it does, scrape that back into the sauce.
Use the freshest, bright red tomatoes you can get your hands on! I use vine tomatoes but large Roma tomatoes are also perfect.
Be sure to peel all the skin off the tomatoes as they cook. As the tomatoes cook into the butter chicken karahi sauce, it will be easy to peel the skins off.
Use tongs to remove the tomato skins. As you do, squeeze the tomatoes with the tongs to help break them down.

Step by step photos of butter chicken karahi

Ingredients for butter chicken karahi — Get your ingredients together before starting. It is easier that way.

Adding garlic and ginger paste to the pan. — Stir in the garlic and ginger paste.

Adding the ground spices and tomatoes — Add the ground spices to the chicken and stir well to combine. Then top with the tomatoes.

Removing the tomato skins — Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer covered for about 7 minutes. Then begin removing the tomato skins.

Adding yoghurt to the butter chicken karahi. — Turn the heat back up to high to allow the tomatoes to break down. Then stir in the yoghurt.

Adding cream to the sauce. — Continue simmering over a high heat to thicken the sauce for about 5 minutes. Then stir in the cream. The sauce will still be quite thin at this stage.

Adding butter and kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves). — Once the sauce looks almost thick enough to serve, stir in the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and butter.

Thickened butter chicken karahi sauce — Continue simmering over a high heat until you have a thick sauce and the oil is beginning to rise to the top. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Skim that oil or eat it!

Garnishing the curry with ginger, coriander (cilantro) and chillies. — Top with coriander (cilantro), chillies if you like and julienned ginger.

Finished butter chicken karahi — Dig in with a hot chapatti, paratha or naan.

If you like this butter chicken karahi recipe, you might like to try some of these too.

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Have you tried this butter chicken karahi recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Butter Chicken Karahi

Butter chicken karahi is a hugely popular chicken karahi dish served at street food stalls. It is easy to prepare and delicious too.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
700g (1 ½ lbs) boneless chicken thighs, skinned and cut into small bite sized pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
5 medium tomatoes, halved
75g (1/4 cup) plain natural yoghurt, whisked until creamy smooth
5 tbsp single cream (half and half)
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
TO SERVE
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned
3 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
2 green finger chillies, thinly sliced if you like a bit of spice

Instructions

Heat the oil or ghee in a karahi or wok over a high heat. Add the diced chicken and fry for about 5 minutes or until white on the exterior and almost cooked through. Season with the salt and pepper and add the ground spices. Stir this all together to coat the chicken.
Now add the tomatoes and push them down into the simmering sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Lift the lid. The skin from the tomatoes should be coming off, remove this with tongs or your hands. If using tongs, squeeze the tomatoes as you do to help break them down. The tomato skins should come off easily but if not, raise the heat again to high and simmer until the skin can be easily removed.
Push the peeled tomatoes down into the sauce, smashing them as you do. Then add the yoghurt and stir it into the sauce.
Reduce the heat to low again and cover the pan for about 5 minutes. Stir from time to time, pushing the tomatoes down and breaking them apart. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and turn the heat up again to high.
Add the cream and stir constantly, scraping any sauce that begins to caramelise to the side of the pan back in for additional flavour. Keep stirring. You want the tomatoes, cream and yoghurt to emulsify with the oil into a smooth sauce.
When you are happy with your sauce, add the butter and let it begin to melt into the sauce, while continuing to stir. Add the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) by rubbing the leaves between your finger. Although this is not butter chicken like you might have tried before, it should look like it. Keep stirring until the sauce comes together and looks like butter chicken! If serving with chapattis or naans, you want to continue cooking the sauce down until it is nice and thick!
Try the curry and add more salt and pepper to taste if you like. Top with the julienned ginger and coriander. If you like a bit of spice, top also with thinly sliced chillies.

Black Pepper Chicken Karahi

March 23, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Black pepper chicken karahi is so good! This recipe is one you've got to try.

The flavour and zap of black pepper is what makes this chicken karahi so good. If you love freshly ground black pepper, then black pepper chicken karahi is for you.

Below you will also find links to many popular side dish recipes that you can enjoy with your black pepper chicken karahi.

What are karahi curries?

I must get asked for karahi recipes more than any other. They are that good! A karahi, however is the pan the curry is cooked in.

It's similar to a wok and is the perfect pan for karahi style cooking. Karahi curries, which originated in Pakistan and northern India are usually quite simple with far fewer ingredients that other popular curries.

The flavour comes from cooking those ingredients in the right way.

What do you serve black pepper chicken karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your black pepper chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Getting this black pepper chicken karahi right.

Karahi curries are cooked over a high heat. As the sauce cooks, it caramelises to the side of the karahi. This is scraped back in for more flavour. So although you can cook on a lower heat, it is best to get that heat as high as you can.

Be sure to use the freshest ingredients you can get. In this case, it is really important to use freshly ground black pepper!

Although there is a lot of oil in this black pepper chicken karahi, it is needed for flavour and texture. The oil helps produce the sauce and when it's finished doing its job, it floats to the top.

What type of tomatoes are used in a chicken karahi?

Nice big and delicious tomatoes! I prefer fresh vine tomatoes but you could also use plum tomatoes. As they break down in the oil based sauce, they become richer and even more delicious.

In the winter months, when bright red tomatoes are difficult to come by at times, you could use tinned (canned) tomatoes. I recommend using fresh when you can but a can of chopped tomatoes will do nicely.

Do Chicken Karahi curries include onions?

Some do but usually not. You could always add a finely chopped onion and fry it for a thicker sauce but onions are not normally in an authentic chicken karahi.

Do you have to use that much oil?

No. That said, if you want an authentic karahi sauce, the oil is a must.

As it floats to the top when the curry is finished cooking, you can skim it off if you like. Karahi curries are usually served with all the oil though. You can dip your naan in the sauce and seasoned oil and it is amazing!

Step by step photos of black pepper chicken karahi

Ingredients for black pepper chicken karahi — Get all your ingredients together before starting to cook. It's a lot easier.

Adding the tomatoes to the karahi pan — Add the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low or medium and cover the pan to cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

Stirring the sauce — Raise the lid from time to time to stir and smash the tomatoes into the chicken.

Removing the tomato skin from the cooked tomatoes. — After steaming covered for 5 - 7 minutes, remove the tomato skins with tongs or your hands.

Adding the yoghurt to the pan — Once the tomatoes have broken down into the sauce, add the yoghurt.

Stirring the yoghurt into the sauce — Simmer, stir and scrape the sides of the pan to get all that flavour from the caramelisation into the sauce. Add the freshly ground black pepper.

Reducing the sauce. — Continue simmering over a high heat to reduce the sauce until thick.

Want to try some other chicken karahi recipes? Here you go...

Karahi

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Yield: 4

Black Pepper Chicken Karahi

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

125ml rapeseed (canola) oil
1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs, skinned and cut into three pieces
1 tsp salt
5 medium tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain natural yoghurt, whisked
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
More salt and pepper to taste
TO GARNISH
4 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
3 – 4 green finger chillies, thinly sliced

Instructions

Heat the oil in a karahi or wok over a high heat. Add the chicken and salt and fry for about 5 minutes or until white on the exterior and nearly cooked through. Add the halved tomatoes and stir them into the chicken.
Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, lifting the lid from time to time to stir.
Remove the lid and you will see that the tomato skins are coming free from the tomatoes. Using your hands or tongs which is easier, remove the skins and discard. If the skins are not coming off easily, just simmer and stir a bit longer and they will.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and the freshly ground black pepper and stir well to combine. Then add the yoghurt and again stir well so that the chicken is completely coated.
Turn the heat up to high and stir, stir, stir! If the sauce is carameling to the sides, scrap it back into the sauce.
Now add the ground coriander and cumin and stir it into the sauce as well. Give it all another good stir, scraping the sides of the karahi as you do and then reduce the cooking temperature to low and cover the pan. Simmer covered for another 5 minutes.
When you raise the lid, the oil will have risen to the top. This is a good indication that the curry is ready to serve. Try it and add more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped coriander (cilantro) and thinly sliced chillies if you like.

White Chicken Karahi

March 21, 2023 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

This white chicken karahi is close to a British style korma. It does have chillies but they can be left out.

I'm currently writing a new cookbook featuring 80 chicken curry recipes and this white chicken korma will most definitely feature. This is an authentic white chicken korma, made just as they do at the best karahi food stalls but developed for the home cook. You might also like to try other chicken karahi recipes such as my chicken bhuna and chicken keema karahis.

What is white chicken karahi?

A white chicken karahi is cooked similar to all authentic karahi curries but it is made with white sauce ingredients such as yoghurt and cream.

Although this curry can be spicy, it usually isn't. The recipe was probably first made long before chillies made their way to the Indian subcontinent. Nowadays, mild, seedless chillies are often added but they are there more for colour than spice.

What do you serve white chicken karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your white chicken karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

How to get this recipe just right

When cooking karahi style, it is important to cook over a high heat. When you do this, the sauce will begin to caramelise to the sides of the pan. Scrape this in for additional flavour.

You want to stir and scrape often as this is an oil emersion sauce. Stirring will ensure it becomes creamy smooth.

How much oil?!

Yes, there is a lot of oil being used when you cook an authentic chicken karahi. This white chicken karahi is no exception.

The oil helps break down the sauce and when it's finished doing it's job, it floats to the top. Traditionally, the karahi would be served with the floating oil but you could skim this off the top if you want to make a lighter version.

Ingredient for white chicken karahi — Get your ingredients together before starting. It's a lot easier that way.

Simmering the chicken — Cook over a high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Adding the spices and yoghurt — Stir in the ground spices and yoghurt. Be sure to stir well so that there are no lumps.

Adding chillies to the pan — You can add a few chillies to the sauce if you like for colour. Keep simmering and scraping the sides of the pan.

Adding the cream to the pan. — To finish, stir in the cream. Try it and add salt to taste.

Finished white chicken karahi — Top with the lime slices, julienned ginger and coriander (cilantro) if you like.

Finished white chicken karahi with garnishes — Dig in!

Chicken white karahi served with chapattis — So good served with chapattis.

More Karahi Recipes

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Yield: 4

White Chicken Karahi

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

375ml (1 1/2 cups) water
125ml (1 /2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tbsp ghee
1 kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs on the bone, cut in half and skin removed
250g (9oz) plain natural yoghurt
3 tbsp milk
3 banana chillies, halved, lengthwise down the centre or other green chillies
1 tbsp coconut milk powder (optional)
½ tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
125ml (1/2 cup) single cream
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 lime, sliced into about 6 thin rounds
Salt taste

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil in a karahi or wok and add the oil, ghee and chicken. Simmer over a high heat, string often until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the chicken is white and cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, whisk the yoghurt and milk together with the coconut milk powder and ground spices so that it is smooth and thin enough to pour.
Add the yoghurt and milk mixture to the pan along with the chillies and stir well to combine. Yoghurt has a tendency to curdle so really get in there and move the sauce around to keep it smooth. If your yoghurt does curdle, it isn’t a big problem as the lumps should eventually emulsify into the smooth white sauce.
Continue simmering to thicken the yoghurt sauce. The sauce will become quite thick, clinging to the meat after a few minutes. When it does, pour in the cream and continue simmering and stirring it all together in the hot karahi (pan).
Once you have a sauce consistency you are happy with, season with salt to taste and garnish with the julienned ginger, coriander (cilantro) and lime slices.

Chicken Bhuna Karahi

March 19, 2023 By Dan Toombs 10 Comments

A delicious and thick sauce! This chicken bhuna karahi recipe is one you need to try soon.

This is a chicken bhuna karahi recipe that is just like you'll find in northern India and Pakistan. I know because I watched them being made and took notes. You are in for a treat with this chicken karahi!

How much oil?!

Street food style chicken bhuna karahi is cooked with a lot of oil. At street food stands, the chicken is first deep fried to cook. You could used less oil for this step or go authentic and deep fry.

When it comes to preparing the chicken bhuna karahi sauce, you will pour most of the oil out of the pan but at least 80ml (1/3 cup) is left in. Usually more like 125ml (1/2 cup) but I use less.

The oil helps break down the sauce and it does rise to the top at the end of cooking. So you could skim it off if you like or leave it for a more traditional look and flavour.

What do you serve chicken bhuna karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your chicken bhuna karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Can I make chicken bhuna karahi with less oil?

Yes, but it will not be quite the same. You will need to add about 125ml (1/2 cup) of water to help make the sauce.

The resulting sauce will be thinner and it will not be authentic but it will still taste good.

So if you are on a diet, try another recipe or use about 2 tbsp oil and wing it.

Do I have to cook the chicken on the bone?

Absolutely not! That said, you will get more flavour if you use bone in chicken pieces.

Karahis are meant to be eaten by hand. The bone in chicken pieces are picked up and eaten and the sauce is usually scooped up with hot chapattis or naans.

Chicken bhuna karahi in step by step photos...

Ingredients for chicken bhuna karahi — Get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Chicken marinating in chilli powder, salt and turmeric — Apply the chilli powder, salt and ground turmeric to the chicken and set aside. This can be done a day ahead of cooking.

Ground bhuna spices — Roast the whole spices over a medium heat until warm to the touch and fragrant. Then grind to a fine powder.

Frying the chicken in oil. — Fry the chicken in the oil over a high heat until just cooked through. Then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. You could deep fry the chicken too as I did above.

Adding tomatoes to the karahi — Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and pour out most of the oil. Fry the chopped onions for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and chillies. Then add the tomatoes.

Returning the chicken to the pan — Return the chicken to the pan and add the prepared bhuna spice blend. Cover and simmer on low for 7 minutes.

The thickened bhuna sauce — Remove the lid and continue cooking to thicken the sauce over a high heat. To finish, season with salt to taste and squeeze in the lemon juice.

Do You Love Karahi Recipes?

Why not turn your dish into a feast by serving it alongside another Karahi or Indian Chicken recipe. Here are a few you might like to try.

See more Chicken Tikka Recipes →

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 4

Chicken Bhuna Karahi

There are some amazing flavours in this recipe. If you like a bhuna curry, turn up the heat and make it a karahi! You will love it.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 x 1.5kg (3 lbs) chicken, skin removed and cut into 10 pieces
FOR THE MARINADE
2 - 3 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lime or lemon juice
FOR THE CURRY
125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
3 large red onions, very finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
6 tomatoes, halved
5 green finger chillies, slit lengthwise down the middle
4 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek powder)
Salt to taste
1 lemon, sliced to garnish
FOR THE BHUNA SPICE BLEND
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 star anise
4 black cardamom pods, seeds only
3 cloves
1 x 5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds

Instructions

Put all of the bhuna spice blend spices in a frying pan and roast them over a medium high heat until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking. This should take about 3 minutes. If your spices begin to smoke, get them off the heat. Pour onto a plate to cool some and then grind to a fine powder using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Pour the chicken pieces into a mixing bowl and sprinkle the chilli powder, turmeric, salt and lemon juice over the top. Mix well with your hands or a spoon to coat. Set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes or just start cooking. The longer marination time will help intensify the flavours.
When ready to cook, heat the oil over a high heat and when visibly hot, add the finely chopped onions. Fry, stirring often for about 7 minutes or until the onions are beginning to turn a light, golden brown. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for a further 30 seconds. Lower the heat to medium and add the diced tomatoes and chillies and the chicken.
Stir well to combine and continue stirring for a couple of minutes. At this time, your pan might be looking a bit dry. That is what you are looking for as bhunas are dry curries. Lower the heat to low and cover the pan to simmer gently for 8 minutes. Lift the lid and give it another good stir and then stir in the bhuna spice blend, chilli powder and turmeric.
The onions, chicken and tomatoes will have released liquid into the sauce and your bhuna will look nowhere near as dry as earlier. Cover the pan again and continue cooking over a low heat for another 5 to 6 minutes.
Lift the lid again and your bhuna will be much more liquidy.
Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for a further 7 to 10 minutes to thicken the sauce. When the sauce consistency is to your liking, try the curry and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers and garnish with coriander and sliced lemons to serve.

Chicken Keema Karahi

March 18, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This dabba style chicken keema karahi is one you've simply got to try!

Chicken keema karahi is a firm favourite around out house. This is a street food version and it's up there with the best! I must get asked for karahi recipes more than any other and this chicken keema karahi is a good place to start.

Below you will also find links to some fantastic side dishes you can serve with your chicken keema karahi.

Cooking karahi style

Karahis are cooked over a high heat at the beginning and end. This helps intensify the flavour and as so much oil is used, it shouldn't cause any issues such as burning.

As the sauce simmers and breaks down, the karahi is cooked over a low to medium heat, covered. This step also builds flavour and makes a smoother sauce.

What do you serve chicken keema karahi with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

Want to start your chicken keema karahi meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

How much oil!?

To make an authentic street food style chicken keema karahi, you need a lot of oil. That's just how it works!

You could of course use as little as a couple tablespoons oil but the result would not be the same as you would need to add water or stock to make the sauce. The oil based sauce is amazing!

How to prepare the chicken

Although you could use minced (ground) chicken, that isn't how it's normally done.

The chicken is cut into very small pieces. It really is a game changer!

Do I have to cook this in a karahi?

No. A good wok will work fine. I do prefer using a heavy cast iron or steel karahi though.

Cooking in a normal frying pan will work but it is more difficult to get right in there and move the ingredients around in the pan.

Chicken keema karahi step by step photos.

Ingredients for chicken keema karahi — Be sure to get all your ingredients together before starting. Karahis are cooked over a high heat so have everything in place before cooking.

Deep frying chicken keema — Deep fry the chicken keema until white and cooked through.

Frying the chicken keema — Pour out all but about 125ml (1/2 cup) of the oil and bring to a sizzling simmer.

Adding garlic and ginger paste to the karahi — Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir it in. Fry for about 30 seconds, stirring continuously.

Adding ground spices to the pan — Stir in the ground spiced and chillies and continue stirring.

Adding tomatoes to the pan — Add the quartered tomatoes and move all the ingredients around in the hot karahi.

Covering the pan — Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan. Simmer covered, stirring a couple of times for about 5 - 7 minutes.

Peeling the tomatoes

When you lift the lid, you will find that the skin of the tomatoes is coming off. Pull the skin off with your hands or tongs. Using tongs is easier. This will help produce a smoother sauce.

Smash the peeled tomatoes into the sauce and it will become thick and smooth without adding any water.

The reduced tomato sauce for the chicken keema — Smash the skinned tomatoes down into the sauce and add some chopped coriander (cilantro) and a few chillies if you like. Continue simmering over a high heat.

Oil rising to the top of the curry — Continue simmering and scraping the sides of karahi to get all that flavour in. Oil will begin to rise to the top which is a good indication the curry is ready. Stir in the julienned ginger.

Chicken keema karahi wrapped in a chapatti — So good wrapped in a hot chapatti!

Scraping the karahi

In order to get this chicken keema karahi to look and taste street food style, you need to cook over a high heat.

As you do, some of the sauce will caramelise or cook onto the karahi. Scrape this back in for more flavour.

Do You Love Chicken Karahi Recipes?

Why not turn your dish into a feast by serving it alongside another Karahi or Indian Chicken recipe. Here are a few you might like to try.

See more Chicken Tikka Recipes →

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 4

Chicken Keema Karahi

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

500ml (2 cups) rapeseed (canola) oil
700g skinless chicken thighs, finely minced with a sharp knife
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 – 4 green bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
5 – 6 tomatoes, quartered
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock or water
5 green bullet or finger chillies, roughly chopped or in half
Salt and pepper to taste
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, julienned
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large karahi or wok over a medium high heat. When visibly hot, add the finely chopped chicken and move it all around in the hot oil. Fry for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and just
beginning to get crispy in places. Pour out all but about 70ml (1/4 cup) of the oil. You can discard the oil or strain and use it in another dish.
Stir the garlic and ginger paste into the chicken and continue frying and stirring for about a minute. Add the bird’s eye chillies and ground spices and stir well to combine. Then add the quartered tomatoes and chicken stock or water. Bring to a simmer and then cover the pan to continue simmering for about 5 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan and continue cooking. As the sauces simmers and thickens, the tomato skins will begin fall off. Fish them out. It is not hugely important that you do this but that is how it’s done at dabba restaurants for better presentation. As the curry continues to cook, the remaining oil will begin to rise to the top. If you wish, you could skim this off the top or leave it in which is more authentic and delicious too.
Stir in the bullet chillies and let them cook in the hot keema for a couple of minutes. They should look fresh and not completely cooked.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and then garnish with the julienned ginger and coriander (cilantro) to serve.

Jamaican One Pot Chicken and Rice

March 9, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This is a fantastic one pot chicken and rice meal that can be made really quickly.

You're in for a real treat with this one pot chicken and rice recipe. It's one of the new recipes that will feature in my next book 'The Curry Guy One Pot' and it's so easy to prepare.

The finished dish — The finished chicken and rice in the one pot.

Can I make this one pot chicken and rice ahead of time?

Yes! The chicken is better marinaded for up to a few days so why not? Then all you need to do is fry up the chicken, mix in the simple ingredients and whack in the oven for the perfect weekday meal!

You will probably even have leftovers for further delicious meals as this recipe is particularly filling. I promise, you'll love this simple one pot chicken and rice recipe

This is a perfect dish to prepare early but you could also cook it a day before serving. You can heat it up in the microwave and have a spectacular dinner in minutes.

What sort of pot should I use?

You need to use a pot that is suitable for use on the oven top as well as being appropriate to use for oven baking. The great thing about this one pot chicken and rice dish is that you can take the pan straight off the stove top to finish baking in the oven.

What if I don’t like kidney beans?

There is no reason why you couldn’t substitute kidney beans for chick peas or even black beans. Just make sure they are pre cooked so the canned variety would do unless you are organised enough to soak the beans over night. You could of course leave the beans out.

How necessary is it to make my own stock?

This is not really necessary at all. If you have some fresh stock on hand it will add an extra dimension of flavour but a good quality stock cube works well. Water can even be used instead of stock as the chicken and spices used impart enough flavour into the broth.

Can I make the one pot chicken and rice spicier?

In the recipe I call for one habanero chilli which is a very hot chilli. Unless you are a big lover of hot, spicy food you probably won’t want to eat it. The flavour will diffuse into the broth in the oven to give a mildly spicy taste to the broth.

Saying that, if spicy food is for you, go ahead and add more chillies. I would suggest finely chopping some green or red chillies and adding these to the broth if you really want to spice things up.

As with all of my recipes, add or reduce ingredients like hot spices to your own taste as everyone has different levels of heat and spice tolerance.

Step 1

Laid out ingredients. — Measure and lay out your ingredients to make your job easier.

Step 2

Marinade in blender — Put the marinade ingredients in the blender.

Step 3

Marinade over the chicken. — Pour the marinade over the chicken.

Step 4

Mixing marinade into chicken — Coat the chicken well with the marinade.

Step 5

Marinaded chicken in the pot. — Place the marinaded chicken skin side down in the pot.

Step 6

The flipped chicken. — Once the chicken is browned on one side flip them over.

Step 7

Beans,rice and marinade being added. — Once the fried chicken is removed from the pot add the marinade, beans and rice.

Step 8

Added coconut milk — Pour in the coconut milk to your pot.

Step 9

Adding stock. — Now pour in your stock or water and bring to a simmer.

Step 10

Putting the habanero chilli in — Place the habanero chilli in your one pot and start adding the marinaded chicken.

Step 11

Adding chicken — Finish adding all of the chicken ready to place the pot in the oven.

Step 12

The baked chicken — Once baked the chicken will look like this. Season to taste and garnish with spring onions.

Step 13

Finished chicken and rice — Time to plate up your one pot chicken and rice.

Here are a few more one pot recipes you might like to try...

Jamaican Oxtail Stew
Beef Pho
Chili con carne
Seafood Laksa Soup
Korean Braised Beef Stew
Cajun Macaroni and Cheese

Yield: 4 - 6

Jamaican Chicken, Rice and Peas

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

8 bone-in chicken thighs
FOR THE MARINADE
1 large onion
2 jalapeño chillies or green finger
chillies, roughly chopped
1 habanero chilli, roughly chopped 5 garlic cloves, smashed
4 spring onions (scallions), roughly
chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp allspice
1⁄4 tsp nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp light brown sugar 70ml (1⁄4 cup) light soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
FOR THE CHICKEN AND RICE
4 tbsp rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
400g (2 cups) basmati rice, washed in several changes of water and then soaked for at least 30 minutes in fresh water
600ml (21⁄4 cups) chicken stock or water
400ml (14oz) tinned (canned) coconut milk
400g (14oz) tinned (canned) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 red habanero chilli, left whole
3 spring onions (scallions), thinly
sliced to garnish

Instructions

Place all of the jerk marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend to a paste. Cover the chicken with the marinade and place, covered, in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. If in a real hurry, you can forget the marinating and just get cooking, but the longer the chicken marinates, the better.
When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 170°C (350°F/Gas 4). Scrape as much of the marinade off the
chicken as you can and retain the marinade. Heat an ovenproof frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of the oil.
Place the chicken thighs in the pan skin-side down and brown the skin for about 3 minutes. Then flip the chicken over to cook the other side for about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and pour in the marinade. Fry this over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes and then add the rice and stir it into the marinade to coat. Now add the chicken stock or water, the
coconut milk, kidney beans and habanero chilli and bring to a rolling simmer.
Place the browned chicken thighs on top, skin-side up, and put in the oven to bake for 30–35 minutes, uncovered, until the chicken and rice are cooked. Depending on your pan some of the chicken might sink into the liquid, but as the rice soaks up the liquid the chicken will rise to the top and crisp up.
Remove the pan from the oven. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed, and then garnish with the spring onions (scallions) to serve.

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

March 7, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You are going to love this Jamaican oxtail stew! It's a one pot meal that's packed with amazing flavours.

Growing up in California, I used to love going to San Francisco and dining at one of the many Jamaican restaurants. Jamaican oxtail stew was one of my favourites. It's one of the first Jamaican recipes I learned to make and now I'm happy to have the chance to share it with you.

What's makes this Jamaican oxtail stew so good?

You will see in the recipe card below and the step by step photos that there are a lot of ingredients. Don't let that scare you off though as these ingredients are needed and they go so well together.

Marinating the meat in the rich marinade and then frying and simmering it for hours makes this Jamaican oxtail stew one that is simply not to be missed. So yes, there are a lot of ingredients but the actual cooking of the dish is super easy.

Well, that said, I should probably say it's almost easy to make as when in that last hour of cooking, it the aroma is so amazing and it's really difficult not to dig in before it's finished cooking.

Are there any difficult to find ingredients?

Not really. In fact, most you might already have in your cupboard or fridge. Those that are perhaps a bit difficult to find can be purchased online.

One of the ingredients that is difficult to find where I live in the UK is browning sauce. You'll find that online even if it isn't at your local supermarket. It's easy to make though if you must. That, or just leave it out.

The browning sauce adds flavour but you don't want to use too much of it or your stew might taste bitter.

Can Jamaican oxtail stew be cooked in a countertop pressure cooker?

Yes. If you cook as I've done in the recipe below on the stove, it takes about 3 hours.

Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker, set to high and you can cook this Jamaican oxtail stew in about an hour. You might, however need to cook it down some at the end to thicken the sauce.

Is Jamaican oxtail stew spicy?

It can be. The recipe below is mildly spiced as I used two scotch bonnet chillies. If you would like it spicier, use more or leave them out for a milder stew.

Is there a substitute for the scotch bonnet chillies?

Yes. You could use habanero chillies instead. If you can't get hold of those, you could use other chillies. Just remember that chillies vary in how spicy they are so consider this when adding. The scotch bonnets and habaneros are very spicy but they have a delicious flavour too.

If you would like the flavour of those chillies without all the heat, remove the seeds and membranes.

Step by step photos with instructions.

Ingredients for Jamaican oxtail stew — There are a lot of ingredients. Get them together before starting! It's easier that way.

Blending the green paste ingredients — Blend the green paste ingredients first. This can be done a couple of days ahead of cooking if more convenient.

Marinating the oxtail in the dry and wet marinades. The beef needs to marinate for at least an hour or overnight. The longer the better.

Frying the oxtail. — Wipe off the excess marinade and retain it. Then fry the meat in batches to brown.

Adding the stew ingredients to the pan. — Place all of the browned meat, the retained green paste, ketchup, chopped tomatoes, soy sauce and browning sauce in the pan over a medium high heat. Then add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, chopped ginger and garlic.

Adding the chilli and beef stock to the pan. — Add the sliced habanero chilli to the pan and pour in just enough beef stock to cover.

Simmering the Jamaican oxtail stew. — Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 3 hours. When the meat is tender, stir in the butter beans and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Be sure to try the Jamaican beef stew before serving!

Once the meat is tender, go ahead and try it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Is it spicy enough? This recipe is quite mild but you could add chilli powder or chopped chillies to spice it up if you like.

Here are a few other spicy recipe you might like to try...

Pork Vindaloo
Korean Fried Chicken
Korean Braised Beef Stew
Beef Pho

Yield: 4 - 6

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

FOR THE GREEN PASTE
½ cup fresh coriander
1 cup fresh parsley (leaves and tender stems), roughly chopped
10 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from the stems
2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 scotch bonnet pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
10 clove cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 in) ginger, roughly chopped
¼ cup olive oil (or more if needed to blend)
Juice of 2 limes
FOR THE STEW
2 ½ kg (5 lb) oxtail
1 tbsp salt
Juice of 2 limes
12 allspice berries or 2 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp black pepper
3 generous tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp browning sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, finely chopped
1 scotch bonnet chilli, slit down the middle
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
400ml tinned chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp ketchup
Water or beef stock to cover
1 tin butter beans
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
4 limes

Instructions

Place all of the green paste ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend to a smooth but still a bit chunky paste. Set aside.
Now put the oxtails in a large bowl and cover with water. Move the around with your hands to wash off any blood and other impurities. Place the oxtail pieces on a paper towel and tap dry.
Pour the dried meat into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and the juice of two limes, the black pepper and allspice. Mix well to coat the meat and then cover with the green paste stirring well to combine. Allow to marinate for at least an hour or overnight. The longer the better.
When ready to cook, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When visibly hot, scrape off as much of the marinade as possible and retain the marinade. Add the meat to the pan and cook in batches to brown it for about 5 minutes. I like to see a nice char on both sides of the meat.
Add the retained marinade and stir well to cook out the rawness and then add the remaining ingredients up to and including the ketchup. Stir well to coat and the add just enough water or beef stock to cover. Bring to a simmer over a medium high heat and the lower the heat to medium, cover the pan and allow to simmer gently for 3 hours.
After three hours of simmering, the beef should be fall off the bone tender, if it isn’t, continue simmering with the lid off until it is tender to your liking. Stir in the butter beans.
This stew should have a nice thick sauce that clings to the meaty chunks of oxtail. If the sauce is too thin, you can make a slurry with the cornflour and water and then add it in small amounts to the simmering sauce to thicken some.
Taste the broth and add salt to taste if needed and a few cranks of finely ground black pepper. Add more lime juice to the finished sauce for a tarter flavour if you like.

Spicy Green Beans

January 31, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

My spicy green beans recipe works so well as a side with a spicy meat dish.

Vegetables don’t have to be boring and this recipe certainly isn’t. It is really quick and easy to make and calls for ingredients such as galangal which you may have in anyway after making my other Asian dishes. You should try these spicy green beans with Balinese fried duck! The perfect combo.

My served up spicy green beans. Delicious!

About this spicy green beans recipe...

This is a dish I discovered on a recent trip to Ubud on Bali, Indonisia where it is very popular and appears on a lot of menus.

Its Indonesian name is Lawar Kalasan, Lawar means originating from Indonisia and Kalasan basically described the lovely mixture of vegetables, coconut herbs and spices. It sometimes also has minced meat mixed into it which would be good if you intend to serve the spicy beans as a main course and not just as a side as I do.

The spicy green beans or any other readily available vegetable you choose to use with the Kalasan dressing is often served cold but I prefer it served hot.

Do I have to use green beans or will other vegetables work?

I think the dressing would work really well with cauliflower as that vegetable which stand up to the powerful flavours. It would also work well with squash or even broccoli. Just part cook the cauliflower and broccoli for a few minutes as the beans but the squash will need a longer initial cook.

Is jack fruit a crucial ingredient to the recipe?

I state in the method that jack fruit is optional and as you can see I didn’t use it this time as I couldn’t get any.

Jack fruit is a very distinctive fruit, common and readily available freshly in Asia but not so much in the west. It has the consistency of banana or pineapple and many say it’s sweet but I have also heard others opine that it can even have a meaty flavour.

It is used in quite a few recipes as a meat replacement and I have to say it does work well on the few occasions I,ve tried it in these kind of dishes.

Why is shrimp paste used?

I have to admit that this does sound like an odd ingredient to add to a bean dish. It actually tastes nice than it sounds, believe me!
Only 1/2 teaspoon is used so a very small amount but this does make a big difference to the dish.

Just be really careful not to add any more than 1/2 teaspoon as too much makes the recipe inedible and gives and overpowering fishy taste. Whereas 1/2 teaspoon is subtle enough to work really well with the flavours.

I have also seen lots of recipes with dried tiny prawns added to vegetable dishes so the use of small amounts of prawns or paste is not entirely uncommon.

What is the difference between ginger and galangal?

I have seen some people say that these are interchangeable but they aren’t. Galangal has a woody and slightly citrusy flavour and is a sharper flavour than ginger. It is definitely worth getting hold of it if you can find it because it adds a further dimension to this dish.
Ginger has a sweet yet spicy taste so lacks some of the flavours of galangal.

If you definitely can’t get hold of galangal try adding some lime zest with a bit of extra ginger to make up for the distinct flavour.

Galangal does freeze quite well so if you can find it maybe buy as much as you can and freeze it.

Step 1

The weighed out ingredients. — I like to line up all the ingredients for my spicy green beans before I begin to cook.

Step 2

Blanching the beans. — Blanch the green beans for around 30 seconds.

Step 3

Frying the shallots, garlic and chillies. — Frying the shallots, galric

Step 4

Frying until golden brown. — Fry the shallots, garlic and chillies until a nice golden brown but be careful not to burn the garlic.

Step 5

Adding the shrimp paste and lime leaves. — Spoon in the shrimp paste and lime leaves.

Step 6

Dressing ingredients in the blender. — Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend to a fine paste.

Step 7

The dressing on the beans — Pour the dressing over the beans and at this stage also add the Jack Fruit if using. Warm through.

The finished spicy green beans. — The finished spicy beans in my serving bowl.

If you like this spicy green beans recipe, you might also like to try some of these.

Indonesian Chicken Sate
Indonesian Fried Chicken
Sambal Oelek - Indonesian hot sauce
Chicken with Sambal Matah
Babi Kecap
Soto Ayam
Indonesian Bakso
Ikan Bakar - Indonesian Fried Fish
Nasi Goreng
Mee Goreng
Sambal La La - Spicy Clams
Indonesian Blackened Fish
Seafood Laksa
Chicken Rendang
Beef Rendang
Butter Egg Floss Prawns
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Malaysian Devil Curry
Ayam Masak Merah - Malaysian Red Chicken Curry
Chicken Kapitan
Homemade Kecap Manis

Have you tried this spicy green beans recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Spicy Green Beans

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

300g (10.5oz) fresh green beans, slit down the middle and cut into 1.75cm (1/2 inch) pieces
2 ½ tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
3 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
3 tbsp garlic, roughly chopped
50g fresh or frozen coconut, grated
100g cooked jackfruit (tinned or fresh), minced (optional)
FOR THE SAMBAL
1 x 1.25cm (1/2 inch) ginger
1 x 2.5cm (1 inches) galangal
2 makrut lime leaves, stems removed and finely julienned
1/2 lemongrass stalk, white part only, peeled and thinly sliced
5 green bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 candlenuts
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 – 2 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp shrimp paste

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a frying pan and add the beans. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until tender and cooked and to your liking. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Dry your pan and then add 2 ½ tablespoons oil over a medium heat and fry the shallots and garlic until they are a light, crispy brown. This should only take a couple of minutes and be careful not to burn the garlic and reduce the heat if needed.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the plate with the beans.
Add the grated coconut to the oil and fry for a few minutes until it is turning a light brown. Then transfer with a slotted spoon to the plate with the other cooked ingredients.
Place all of the sambal ingredients up to and including the lime juice in a blender or food processor and blend to a semi-smooth or smooth paste.
Returning to your pan, heat the remaining oil over a medium high heat. You can add a drop more oil if needed and fry the sambal for about 2 minutes. Stir in the shrimp paste and continue cooking for about 30 seconds to cook out the rawness of the paste.
Add the cooked jackfruit, if using to the sambal and stir it all together. Then return the cooked beans, garlic, shallots and coconut to the pan to heat through. Taste it and add more lime juice if you want a tarter flavour and season with salt to taste.

Korean Pork Chops

January 24, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

My spicy Korean pork chops are a great change to the standard grilled pork chops.

This recipe is so easy yet gives great results. Give it a go! Pork chops don’t really get any tastier than this. They are so quick to make, I suggest marinading the pork chops in the gorgeous sticky, spicy marinade overnight but if you’re short on time just marinade for as long as you can manage. Half an hour will impart some of the flavour into the juicy chops.

I always buy pork chops from my local butcher as I find them far superior to those found in the supermarkets and generally not any more expensive. The supermarket chops always seem to be too thinly cut and lacking in flavour.

My finished spicy Korean pork chops.

About this recipe for Korean pork chops...

This was really just a bit of an experiment that worked! I love cooking pork chops in this way regardless of the marinade.

As the chops are quite thick, you need to get a good char on them before placing them in the oven to finish cooking. You just want a nice char but cooking them just in the pan would mean blackening them too much before the interior is properly cooked through.

What is gochujang paste and gochugaru?

Gochujang paste is commonly found in Asian shops and is readily available on line. It is crucial for this Korean pork chops recipe and there is not really a substitute. It is a red chilli paste, being both savoury and sweet in flavour.

Gochugaru is a Korean chilli powder and is used in a lot of Korean dishes. Meju powder is dried, fermented soya beans and yeotgireum is malt powder. These uncommon ingredients in the west give the marinade the great, unique flavour.

Can I use beef or lamb chops instead?

I think this recipe works best with pork chops as the marinaded seems to go well with the consistency of pork meat. By all means give the recipe a go with other meats as I’m sure it will still taste great but my preference for this recipe is pork.

Why do I rub most of the marinade of the Korean pork chops before frying?

As the paste has a lot of sugar in it, it's a good idea to remove it. Reserve the leftover marinade for later and rub it all over the pork chops before baking them and then you won’t lose any. It’s far too good to waste!

What to serve with the spicy Korean pork chops?

There is so much flavour in this meat dish I would serve with something fairly bland. Maybe go with some boiled white rice or you might like to try making these Korean savoury pancakes.

I like to serve them with some plain broccoli or just a simple side salad.

Step by step pictures and instructions ...

Step 1.

Lay out your ingredients to simplify your work.

Step 2

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl big enough to fit the pork chops.

Step 3

Add the pork chops to the marinade and coat them well with it.

Step 4

Place the Korean pork chops in the hot pan.

Step 5

Fry for about 4 minutes each side

Step 6

Cover the pork chops in the excess marinade before placing them in the oven.

Step 7

Remove the pork chops from the oven to serve up!

If you like these Korean pork chops, you might like to try some of these too...

This Korean braised beef stew is to die for!
Kimchi Jjigae is a Korean favourite and it's so easy to prepare at home too.
Who doesn't like a good beef bibimbap? Try this one... You'll love it.
If you want to cook up a Korean feast, you'll want this Korean fried chicken on the table!

Yield: 2

Korean Pork Chops

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 x 2.5cm (1 inch) thick pork chops on the bone
FOR THE MARINADE
2 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp light brown sugar
3 clove garlic - minced
1 x 1.25cm (1/2 inch) ginger, minced
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
sesame seeds - for garnish

Instructions

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl and add the pork chops. Ensure they are thoroughly covered with the marinade and allow to marinate for about 30 minutes or overnight. The longer the better. If you must, you could just get cooking right away as the flavour of the marinade will still taste amazing on the pork chops.
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Heat a cast iron or stainless steel pan over a medium high heat. When hot, rub as much marinade off the chops as you can. Add the oil to the pan and when sizzling hot, carefully add the pork chops. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes without turning. Then flip them over and baste generously with the leftover marinade. Place in the oven to roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 63c/145f.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Tonkotsu Broth

January 23, 2023 By Dan Toombs 8 Comments

Tonkotsu broth is a must for tonkotsu ramen and can be used in other ways too.

If you want to make the best tonkotsu ramen, you need to first prepare a tonkotsu broth. It isn't difficult but it does take some time. Just over 13 hours to be exact but it's easy work and you will be rewarded in the end for your efforts!

Are you ready to become a tonkotsu ramen master?

If you’ve ever gone out and tried a bowl of steaming hot tonkotsu ramen, you’ll know why I had to do some research and figure out how to make it myself. Perhaps that’s why you found this recipe and I promise, my version of tonkatsu broth, the backbone of an authentic tonkotsu ramen won’t let you down. By the time you finish this tonkotsu broth recipe you will be a master of the art!

To begin, let’s start by defining exactly what tonkotsu ramen is. Unlike most ramen recipes, tonkotsu ramen doesn’t take its name from what is added to the broth and ramen noodles but instead the pork broth itself.
‘Tonkotsu’ means ‘pork bones’. It’s the way you prepare the pork bones and cook the amazing pork stock that makes tonkotsu ramen so special.

Why does it take so long to make the tonkatsu broth?

The pork bones are first prepared as you would most Asian meat stocks. You start by rinsing any impurities off the bones. When I say to scrub those bones clean, I mean it! Get them sparkly clean. Actually, pork bones can’t get sparkly clean but I’m sure you get the idea.Then the pork bones (tonkatsu) are boiled for about ten minutes.

While the bones are boiling, you need to skim off any foam and other impurities that rise to the top. If you cleaned your bones as well as I told you to, you will have very little to skim. If you didn’t you have a big job ahead of you.

This process is a typical first step of preparing Asian meat stocks. The bones are then poured into a colander and rinsed some more to get them as clean as you can. The cooking water is discarded. Then the bone are boiled in sufficient water for 12 hours. This long boiling time is what makes the tonkotsu broth creamy and delicious.

Which pork bones are best for this broth?

The bones you use are also very important. I use a mixture of pork trotters and necks. The trotters need to be cut across the bone into about 5 pieces so that you get the full benefit of all that fat, marrow and collogen that flavours and colours the broth. I usually ask my butcher for a 50/50 mix of pork trotters and meaty neck bones.

This makes a lot of broth. Can I downscale the recipe?

Yes. You can downscale or upscale the recipe. I rarely make less than this as it takes so long to make. In fact, I usually double or triple the recipe as I did in the step by step photos below. If you have a large enough pot, I suggest doing the same.

Although you can halve this recipe, it takes just as long to make a small amount as it does a large amount.

How to decide how many bones to use in the tonkotsu broth...

As mentioned above, it is a good idea to make as much tonkotsu broth as you can fit into your pot. You just need to ensure that the bones are always covered with about 5cm (2 inches) of water as it boils.

In the photos below, I used 10kg (about 20 lbs) of pork neck and trotter bones, all cut into small pieces. You could of course use fewer or more depending on how much tonkotsu broth you want to make. The recipe card below is for a much smaller amount of broth.

For your information, in the photos below, I used a 20 liter pot and with the bones in, I was still able to add 14 litres of water. As the water evaporated away during the cooking process, I needed to add another 15 litres of water!

So don't worry about adding too much water and making the broth flavourless! The whole idea behind boiling the bones for so long is to suck every last bit of flavour out of them. Keep the bones covered with 5cm (2 inches) of water at all times and your tonkotsu broth will be amazing!

Covered vs Uncovered Pot...

When I was younger, living in San Francisco, there was a place that specialised in tonkotsu ramen. That is all they made and it was always packed. They had two massive pots of pork bones on the boil at all times and they were uncovered.

The chefs kept a close eye on the broth and added more water as required. At home, you will probably find it easier to cover the pan so that the liquid doesn't evaporate as quickly. That said, you still need to watch it closesly.

Can Tonkotsu broth be made in a pressure cooker?

Not really. I did try. Following my recipe below exactly but in a countertop pressure cooker, I closed the lid and set it to pressure cook on high for 2 hours. The stock it produced was good and usable but it was not a tonkatsu broth. The steady boiling of the bones for 12 hours or longer causes the collogen, marrow and fat to emulsify into the broth slowly over time. This does not happen in a pressure cooker.

UPDATE: Since my first pressure cooker experiment, I decided to try my pressure cooker a couple more times. Once cooking it or just an hour and another cooking the broth for 3 hours. Both times, I got the same result as the first time I tried pressure cooking. Stick to the stovetop method for a good tonkotsu broth for tonkotsu ramen.

Surely not all Tonkotsu ramen has broth made like this?

That's right. There are tonkonsu stock cubes you can purchase. Unfortunately, this is what most restaurants use as it is quicker and easier to prepare. So by following my recipe, you'll get the best tonkotsu broth out there. Some restaurants specialise in nothing but tonkotsu ramen and it is the quality of tonkotsu broth you get at those restaurants that I am aiming for here.

Making Tonkotsu broth in step by step photos...

Ingredients for tonkotsu broth — Be sure to get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way. I used a lot more pork bones than photographed.

Step 2.

Wash the bones thoroughly and then place them in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Then boil the bones for 10 minutes, skimming any impurities that rise to the top.

Step 3.

It's important to skim as much goop off the top as you can during the first cooking process.

Step 4.

Once the bones have boiled for 10 minutes, strain through a colander. The cooking liquid can be discarded. Be sure to wash each individual bone of any impurities such as blood or white and black gunk that is on them.

Step 5.

You can use a chopstick to get right in there and clean those bones. The cleaner you get them, the less you will need to skim and the better your tonkotsu broth will look when finished.

Step 6 - Time to heat start cooking again!

As the water heats up, be sure to skim any impurities that rise to the top again. If you washed your bones thoroughly, you should have very little to skim. Bring to a rapid boil and continue boiling for 12 hours. Add more water as needed. The bones need to be covered with water for the whole 12 hours so don't be afraid to add water as required.

Step 7.

Adding aromatic vegetables to the tonkotsu broth is something I like to do for additional flavour. It is not necessary though. Many chefs don't add aromatics to their tonkotsu broth. You will get even better flavour by frying the aromatics

Step 8.

Add the aromatics and mushrooms to the broth and bring to a boil.

After 2 hours of boiling...

After the tonkotsu broth has been boiling for two hours, it will start to become cloudy. It will still be quite clear though.

After 6 hours of boiling...

After six hours of boiling, the tonkotsu broth will be very cloudy. Don't stop there though! You still have six more ours of cooking to do.

Almost done!

After 12 hours of boiling the broth will be creamy and taste amazing.

To finish...

Strain the broth through a fine sieve and perhaps a cloth too.

Check out these bones!

After 12 hours of boiling, there is very little left of the bones! All that deliciousness has oozed into the broth. You can discard all this.

What the tonkotsu broth looks like when placed in the fridge.

After over 12 hours of cooking, I was in no way ready to start preparing the tonkotsu ramen. So I placed it it all in the fridge overnight. When taken out to heat up again, you can see the beautiful colour of the broth. It isn't dark as a western stock would be. You are going to love this! Once reheated, you can add soy sauce to taste.

If you like this Japanese tonkotsu broth, be sure to try some of these recipes too...

Tonkotsu Ramen: - Once you make this tonkotsu broth, making tonkotsu ramen will be a breeze!
Japanese Chicken Curry: Creamy and mild, this one is really east to prepare and it a very authentic recipe too.
Katsu Chicken Curry: Who doesn't love this one?
Curry Doria: A popular curry, rice and cheese dish in Japan.
Chashu Pork: Perfect served on top of tonkotsu ramen and other ramen dishes.
Chashu Rice: A nice and easy meal that uses up leftover chashu pork.
Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken Yakitori
Chicken Curry Ramen
Birria Ramen
Korean Ramen
Japanese Coleslaw
Japanese Chicken Curry
Chinese Chicken Curry
General Tso's Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Black Bean Sauce
Beef in Black Bean Sauce
Black Bean Noodles
Bam Bam Chicken
Soy Sauce Chicken
Hainan Chicken
Sesame Chicken
Cashew Chicken

Yield: 10

Tonkatsu Broth

Once you prepare this tonkotsu broth, you can make the most amazing tonkotsu ramen on the planet! It might take a long time to make but it's so worth it!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 13 hours

Ingredients

5kg (10 lbs) pork trotters and/or pork neck bones
1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 medium onion, quartered
2 bulbs garlic, divided
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, cut into rings and smashed
8 spring onions (scallions) roughly chopped
4 shallots, peeled and sliced lengthwise in half
5 dried Shitake mushrooms (rinsed) and /or 170g (6oz) button mushrooms
Soy sauce to taste

Instructions

Rinse the bones thoroughly with water and then place in a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat and then boil for ten minutes. Skim off any foam or other gook that rises to the top.
After ten minutes of boiling, pour bones into a colander. You can discard the cooking water as it has served its purpose. Rinse the bones again under cold, running water to remove any blood or other impurities that came to the surface while boiling.
Wash your stockpot with water and then return the bones to it and cover with fresh water. I usually start by submerging the bones with water so that the water level is at least 5cm (2 inches) above the bones. You will need to add water regularly as the tonkotsu broth cooks.
While the water is coming up to heat, fry the onion, garlic, ginger, spring onions and shallots in the oil to char some. This should only take about 5 minutes. Take off the heat. Once the broth is boiling, add the charred aromatic ingredients along with the mushrooms.
Cover the stockpot and continue boiling for 12 hours. It is essential that the bones remain submerged during cooking so be sure to check the stock every half hour or so and add water if required. By boiling and not just simmering the bones, the stock will turn a milky beige.
After 12 hours, remove the bones with a slotted spoon and then pass the stock through a sieve.
The stock will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days and it can be frozen. If freezing, think about the portion sizes you will need so that you can simply remove what is required and not have to defrost a huge frozen tonkotsu stock cube! My tonkotsu ramen recipe should give you a good idea about freezing.

Tonkotsu Ramen

January 21, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This tonkatsu ramen recipe will get you restaurant quality results!

The sign of a good tonkatsu ramen is a properly prepared, creamy tonkotsu broth and lots of delicious chashu pork on top. There are restaurants that cheat in one or both of these areas but when you make tonkotsu ramen at home, you can ensure that only the best goes in those serving bowls.

What is tonkotsu ramen?

In my personal opinion, there's ramen and then there's tonkotsu ramen: the king of ramens! Where other ramens can be whipped up in a very short time, tonkotsu ramen needs special pork tonkotsu broth that takes about 13 hours to make. You'll find my tonkotsu broth recipe for that here.

Don't let that scare you off making tonkotsu ramen though. The broth is really easy to make and most of the time you won't need to do anything other than let your broth boil.

Then there is the specially cooked chashu pork that is thinly sliced and served on top of the ramen noodles and broth. This is also simple to make.

What other things can you add to a tonkotsu ramen?

Tonkotsu ramen is all about that delicious and creamy tonkotsu broth. You could just pour some of the broth over ramen noodles and not be at all disappointed. The broth is that good!

In fact, you could make this tonkotsu ramen recipe using a shop bought tonkotsu broth but it just won't be anywhere near as good. The shop-bought stuff isn't bad though if you want some tonkotsu ramen right now.

In addition to the chashu pork and broth, you can also add other fresh ingredients such as mushrooms, soft boiled eggs, bak choy and spring onions (scallions). If it sounds good, it probably will be.

How much tonkotsu broth is needed for each serving?

I generally add 500ml (2 cups) boiling hot tonkotsu broth to each bowl. You could of course add more or less.

This is really the same for all of the ingredients. The noodles, veggies, meat... Add as many or as little as you like.

Are there any cheats to make the cooking process quicker?

Of course! But I don't recommend doing this when making authentic tonkotsu ramen. This is a labour of love. If you like cooking, you're going to have fun assembling all the prepared ingredients.

If you don't like cooking, you might like to go for a quick and easy ramen like my quick and easy curry ramen here.

All of the topping shown in the photos are optional so you don't have to make the chashu pork but I hope you do!

How do you make the tonkotsu broth?

Most restaurants will use a few tonkotsu stock cubes. In my opinion, this is not tonkotsu ramen. If you want the real thing, you're going to have to make the stock yourself.

Making the broth brings back memories of living in San Francisco where hot bone broth was always on offer. Huge pots of tonkotsu broth would be on the boil at all times and the tonkotsu ramen was always amazing!

You are going to need to put aside a good 14 hours to make it though. I warned you. It will be worth it in the end though. I promise.

Why is homemade tonkotsu broth so much better?

There are many reasons for this. It is a really simple stock as far as ingredients are concerned. Nothing more than you would put any any stock really.

It becomes spectacular during the cooking process. The bones are first boiled and then thoroughly cleaned. Then they are covered with water and a few aromatic ingredients to boil for 12 hours. That's right... the broth is boiled not simmered. After 12 hours of boiling, there is very little left of the bones as all of their goodness has literally oozed into the creamy broth.

My tonkotsu broth recipe shows this process with step by step photographs.

Is tonkotsu ramen really worth all the fuss?

You bet! Whoever came up with the idea of boiling pork bones for 12 hours was a genius! There is a reason why tonkotsu ramen is the only thing served at many restaurants. You need to specialise in it because it's so fussy to make!

The thing is... anything a good tankotsu ramen chef can make can also be prepared at home with equally good results. Put in the effort and enjoy the rewards!

Does it matter which type of ramen noodles I use?

Yes! When cooking tonkotsu ramen, be sure to go for the best you can find. Often when I prepare other ramens, I just use instant ramen noodles.

With tonkotsu ramen, however I always use fresh or excellent quality dried ramen noodles. These are available at Asian grocers and on specialty shops online. When you put this much time into making a noodle soup, only the best will do.

What is chashu pork?

This is a tasty and sometimes crispy pork that tastes amazing on top of tonkotsu ramen and other ramens.

It can be made in a dutch oven or if you have an Instant Pot or similar, you could save yourself a few hours by pressure cooking the meat on high for 90 minutes.

It can be prepared using pork belly or pork shoulder. My authentic chashu pork recipe is here but if you live near a Japanese grocer or restaurant, you might be able to purchase some.

Adding sliced chashu pork to your tonkotsu ramen is not essential but it is very nice!

How long does it take to make Tonkotsu Ramen?

Once you prepare the broth, it only takes minutes to put together. Really all you need to do is heat it up and you're ready to serve with whatever else you want to add to those tonkotsu ramen bowls.

Step by step photographs

(These photos are from the tokotsu ramen stage. You need homemade tonkotsu broth or a good quality shop bought tonkotsu broth).

Pouring soy sauce into tonkotsu ramen broth — Bring your tonkotsu broth to a simmer and allow it to simmer and thicken for a few minutes. Then add the soy sauce to taste.

Tonkotsu ramen broth. — Continue simmering for a few minutes. If you look at how the broth from the ladle hits the broth in the pan, you'll see how naturally creamy this pork bone broth is.

A note about the chashu pork in the tonkotsu ramen below.

When you braise the pork, it can simply be sliced thinly and added to your tonkotsu ramen. I like to place it under the grill (broiler) to crisp it up. This process is demonstrated in my chashu pork recipe.

ramen garnished with chashu pork, boiled egg and veggies. — Divide the noodles between 4 bowls. Top with the seasoned tonkotsu broth and any other garnishes you prefer.

If you like this tonkotsu ramen recipe, you might like to try some of these too.

Korean Ramen
Chicken Curry Ramen
Birria Ramen
Japanese Chicken Curry
Chicken Katsu Curry
Chinese Chicken Curry
Chashu Rice - Fried rice made with leftover chashu pork
Chicken Teriyaki
Chicken Yakitori
Japanese Coleslaw

Have you tried this tonkotsu ramen recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do to. Thank you

Yield: 4

Tonkotsu Ramen

Tonkotsu ramen is one of the best if not THE BEST ramens out there. It is made with pork bone tonkotsu broth and other toppings can also be added. If you would like to serve this with delicious chashu pork, you will find my recipe above.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 hours

Additional Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours

Ingredients

2 liters (8 cups) homemade tonkotsu broth
70ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce (or to taste)
400g (16 oz) top quality dried ramen noodles
4 spring onions (scallions) green parts only, thinly sliced
85g (3 oz) wild mushrooms (optional)
85g (3 oz) bok choy (optional)
8 slices or chashu pork (optional)
Soft boiled eggs (optional)

Instructions

Heat about 2 1/2 liters of homemade tonkotsu broth over a high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer it down to thicken some and then add soy sauce to taste. I recommend adding this in small amounts until you are happy with the flavour.
Cook the ramen noodles per the package instructions. This usually only takes about 5 to 7 minutes.
Divide the cooked ramen noodles between four heated bowls and top equally with the hot broth.
Add whatever topping you like and serve immediately.

Notes

You will find my recipe for the chashu pork in the post above.

Sri Lankan Fried Calamari

January 15, 2023 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Seriously delicious! Give this Sri Lankan fried calamari a try!

Sri Lankan fried Calamari simply doesn’t get any better than this! I learned this recipe at a restaurant called Refresh in Hikkaduwa, on the south west coast of Sri Lanka. Refresh specialises in fresh seafood and I got to watch the chefs prepare many different dishes one afternoon. Having tried their hot butter calamari the day before, I simply had to know how it was done.

The plated up finished fried calamari.

About this recipe

Often called Sri Lankan Devilled Calamari, this recipe is a bit of a mix between my own way of preparing calamari for cooking and the recipe I learned at Refresh for their amazing garlic and butter sauce. When I learned the recipe, they prepared it with cuttlefish that had just been brought in from the sea. It was extraordinary.

One of the best ways to ensure that your squid is a tender as can be, is to soak if overnight in milk. Yes, I know this sounds a bit strange but believe me, it works. There's no point going to the work of preparing the delicious sauce if your calamari is tough. and chewy. This recipe will ensure perfection.

How to make this fried calamari recipe your own...

There are a number of ways that you can tailor this recipe to your own preference.

I use a lot of chilli paste as I like my recipes spicy. This can of course be toned down or even upscaled depending on your spice preferences.

You could add more or fewer of the peppers and garlic too. I recommend tasting the sauce as you cook it and adjusting to taste. You really can't go wrong.

Step by step photos...

Step 1.

Measure out your ingredients as this makes things easier.

Step 2

Mix the flour, chilli powder, salt and pepper together.

Step 3

Dip the squid in the egg mixture.

Step 4

Cover the egg washed squid with the flour.

Step 5

Put a chop stick in the oil, if the oil is hot enough the oil will bubble around the chop stick.

Step 6

Fry the squid in batches, around 1 minute per batch.

Step 7

Melt the butter in the wok.

Step 8

Swirl the garlic in the butter.

Step 9

Add the chilli paste to the butter and garlic.

Step 10

Stir the chilli paste into the butter.

Step 11

Add the spring onions and bell pepper to the butter.

Step 12

Add the spur chillies to the wok and fry for a few minutes.

Step 13

Toss the calamari in the wok.

Step 14

Coat the calamari in the vegetables and sauce.

Step 15

Plate up your dish!

If you like this Sri Lankan fried calamari recipe, you might like to try some of these Sri Lankan dishes too...

Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry is one of the most popular Sri Lankan curries. Dark curry powder is used to make it darker and I have a recipe for that too
This delicious Sri Lankan Beef Curry is so easy to prepare. It tastes amazing and is super popular all over the island.
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry With Black Pepper - you are going to love this one!
If you like prawn curries, you are going to love this Sri Lankan prawn curry!

Yield: 4

Sri Lankan Fried Calamari

Ingredients

900g (2 lbs) baby squid tubes, cleaned and cut into small bit sized rings
500ml (2 1/4 cups) full fat milk
2 eggs
120g (1 cup) cornflour (corn starch)
120g (1 cup) rice flour or more cornflour (corn starch)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp red chilli powder
Rapeseed oil for deep frying
TO FINISH
5 generous tbsp butter
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp chilli paste (see page 00) or any good quality Chinese chilli paste
2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced at an angle
3 dried bird’s eye chillies, roughly cut and soaked in water for 30 minutes
6 spring onions (scallions), cut in half and sliced into thin strips lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips to match the spring onions (scallions)
Juice of one lime

Instructions

Place the squid in a bowl and cover with the milk. Milk is a natural tenderiser which gives the squid a perfect texture when fried so be sure the squid is completely covered.
Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the fridge overnight to marinate. The milk will turn pink which is natural and fine.
When ready to cook, remove the squid from the milk marinade and discard the milk. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and place the squid in it.
Now mix the two flours on a plate with the salt, pepper and chilli powder. Dust the egg coated squid thoroughly with the flour mixture and shake off any excess flour. Set aside.
Heat about 500ml (2 cups) of oil in a wok and heat to 190°C (375°F) over medium high heat. If you don’t have an oi thermometer, place a wooden chopstick or spatula in the oil. If thousands of little bubbles form and sizzle on contact, your oil is ready to cook.
Cook the squid in small batches until crispy and lightly browned which will take about 1 minute per batch. Do not overcook the squid or it will become chewy.
Transfer the cooked calamari to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Discard the cooking oil.
Wipe your wok clean and add the butter. Melt the butter over a medium high heat and add the chopped garlic. Swirl the garlic around in the butter for about a minute and then stir in the chilli paste.
Let this all sizzle for about 30 seconds and then stir in the spur chillies, spring onions (scallions) and bell pepper. Fry for a further minute or so and the pour in the fried calamari.
Toss the calamari into the sauce to coat and then pour it all onto a serving plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste and squeeze the lime juice all over it.

6 Recipes for Leftover Christmas Turkey

December 21, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Here are some of my favourite ways to serve leftover Christmas turkey...

If you're looking for a few delicious ways to use your leftover Christmas turkey, you won't be disappointed with these recipes. The thing is, my blog is packed with curry house style recipes that call for pre-cooked chicken and you can substitute turkey in those recipes too. If you don't have any prepared curry house base sauce, you could use your turkey in these no-base recipes. So really... if you're looking for a tasty way of using up leftover turkey meat, you'll find literally hundreds of recipes on this site that might be just what you're looking for.

Note: Some of these recipes were made using raw turkey. They work just as well with leftover turkey!

Leftover Christmas Turkey Recipes

Here are my top six! But be sure to explore my blog a little deeper. You can use leftover Christmas turkey in any chicken curry recipe or add it to a prepared curry sauce.

Leftover Turkey Soup

Perhaps a bit spicier than other turkey soups but this one is one of my favourites. Really easy to prepare and, in my opinion a lot better than more traditional turkey soups out there!

Total Time 30 minutes Yield 4

Turkey Tikka Masala

This curry is mildly spiced and tastes amazing. It can be made in under 30 minutes too!

Total Time 20 minutes Yield 2

Turkey Curry With An Easy BIR Homemade Curry Sauce

Jalfrezi curries are quick and easy stir fries. To make them, you need precooked meat so why not use that leftover turkey. It works a treat here!

Total Time 1 hour Yield 6

Leftover Turkey Jamaican Rice

I'm a big fan of Jamaican rice with peas. This one using leftover turkey is so good!

Total Time 30 minutes Yield 4

Malaysian Devil Curry

Malaysian Devil curry is hugely popular with the Christian community of Malaysia. It is traditionally prepared at Christmas using leftovers. In this recipe I used chicken but leftover turkey works here too. You can even throw in any leftover sausages or roast potatoes you might have.

Total Time 30 minutes Yield 4 - 6

Peshwari Turkey Curry

Have some leftover turkey? Why not try this Peshwari style turkey curry. It's quick and easy to make and tastes amazing!

I hope you enjoy browsing this list of leftover Christmas Turkey ideas. If you do try one, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Cajun Mac and Cheese

December 4, 2022 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Cajun mac and cheese is amazing! Give this easy recipe a try.

When my kids were growing up, Cajun Mac and Cheese was the meal they requested for every birthday or other special occasions. I cooked curries most days, as I had to while writing my cookbooks but this Cajun mac and cheese is what they really wanted. When you try it, I think you'll agree that it should be called Cajun Cheese and Mac because there is so much cheese in it. This cheesy pasta is to die for!

About this Cajun mac and cheese recipe.

Everyone has there own taste preferences and my family is no different. When I prepare this creamy Cajun mac and cheese for my daughters, they always ask for Cajun seasoned prawns to be added. So I have given instructions for those below too.

When I made it for my son, he always requested no prawns. He hates them. So you could make this Cajun mac and cheese without the prawns if you like.

How much cheese!?

Yes, there is one heck of a lot of cheese added to the sauce. That's one of the reasons it's so good!

You could, however use less if you like. You can also decide which cheese you want to add. I love it with sharp cheddar but you might prefer a milder flavour.

Working ahead...

When you make this one pot version of Cajun mac and cheese, it is best to serve it right when it's ready.

We have made this many times for big groups, often doubling or even quadrupling the recipe. When we do this, we prepare it all ahead of time and then bake it before serving.

We add crumbled cheese crackers to the top and bake it to heat through for about 30 minutes, covered. Full instructions for doing this are in the recipe card below.

How to make Cajun Mac and Cheese

Get all of your ingredients together before starting. It's a lot easier that way.

Step 1.

If using prawns, season them with the Cajun seasoning and set aside to marinate. This step is optional.

You can use shop bought cajun seasoning or make your own. I have a recipe for that you here.

Step 2. - Preparing the macaroni

Cook the macaroni as per packet instructions. Drain and rinse and stir in butter so that the pasta doesn't stick together.

Step 3.

Add a handful of cheese to the pasta while it's still hot and mix it in.

Step 4.

Blend the onion and garlic to a smooth paste.

Step 5.

Step 6.

Stir in the cream, milk and sour cream and bring to a light simmer. Time to add that cheese!

Step 7.

Add all of the cheese to the pan, one handful at a time. When you do this, it will still look quite soupy, so you want to stir continuously so that the cheese emulsifies into the sauce instead of becoming clumpy.

Step 8.

Stir the cooked macaroni into the sauce. I usually add it slowly and to preference.

Step 9.

Above is the Cajun mac and cheese with prawns. You can leave the prawns out if you like. Garnish with the spring onions (scallions) to serve.

Yield: 8 - 10

Cajun Mac and Cheese

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

225g baby prawns or medium prawns chopped, deveined and peeled
4 generous tbsp Cajun seasoning or good quality shop bought
1kg (2 ¼ lbs.) dry macaroni
720g (9 cups) grated sharp and/or medium Cheddar cheese
240g (3 cups) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
115g (4oz) butter
1 large onion - finely chopped
12 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
500ml (2 cups) milk
425ml (1 1/2 cups) double cream
250ml (1 cup) sour cream
3 egg yolks
Salt to taste

Instructions

Place the prawns in a bowl and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning. Mix well and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. When boiling, pour in the macaroni and cook for about 15 minutes or until the texture is to your liking. Strain the macaroni and place it in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of the butter and about 3 large handfuls of the Cheddar cheese. Mix well and set aside.
Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Now melt the remaining butter in the same pot you used to cook the macaroni and add the remaining cajun spice blend. Stir to combine and then add the onion and garlic mixture. Allow this to sizzle for about two minutes.
Pour in the milk, cream and sour cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cheese to this sauce one handful at a time while whisking constantly until you have added all the cheese.
Simmer for about five minutes to thicken the sauce while continuing to whisk. Don't stop whisking! Reduce the heat a little and stir in the beaten egg yolks and prawns. Then slowly pour the prepared macaroni into the sauce, continuing to stir as you do.
At first it might look like the macaroni is drowning in the sauce. No worries, you're on your way to cheesy, macaroni heaven. Once all of the macaroni is coated with that thick cheese sauce, turn off the heat and serve, garnished with the spring onions (scallions) and a little more cajun spice blend if you like.
Recipe variation: When we make this recipe ahead of big parties, we find that it’s easiest to make the cheese and macaroni early, leaving out a little of the cheese. We only cook the pasta until al dente, before adding to the sauce. Then we pour it all into one or a few casserole dishes.
We then place a pack of cheese crackers in a food processor until we had nothing but crumbs. To finish, dust the top of the macaroni with the cheese cracker crumbs and a bit of grated cheese.
Cover the casserole dishes tightly with foil and place in the oven at 200c/400f for 30 minutes. Take it out of the oven and allow to sit for ten more minutes, covered with the foil.
Remove foil and dig in!

Notes

The calorie count and other nutritional information was added with an app. It may not be accurate.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I hope you enjoy this Cajun mac and cheese recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Cajun Seasoning Recipe

December 4, 2022 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Make this Cajun seasoning recipe. It's great to have on hand.

There are so many ways you can use Cajun seasoning recipe. Many people simply purchase ready-made Cajun seasoning but it is so easy to make at home and a lot more cost effective. You can literally prepare this Cajun seasoning recipe in minutes and it keeps for a very long time.

What is Cajun seasoning?

There are of course many different blends that you can prepare. This Cajun seasoning recipe is used as a flavouring for sauces, pastas and rice and is also a key ingredient in Cajun blackened fish and chicken.

Many people falsely assume that Cajun 'blackened' fish and chicken are burnt. They aren't. It's the heavy use of red spices such as paprika and chilli powder that give the chicken and fish their blackened appearance when fried or grilled.

How long will Cajun seasoning last?

That's down to how fresh your ingredients are when you make it.

Usually, your seasoning should last a good 6 months without much loss of flavour. You need to store it in an air-tight container in a cool and dark location such as a cupboard.

How to use this Cajun spice blend.

I will be adding recipes shortly that call for this Cajun seasoning recipe. You really can wing it though when it comes to using it.

Try mixing a couple of tablespoons of the seasoning with a little oil and using it as a marinade for chicken or fish. Then, when ready to cook, fry the chicken or fish in some oil until cooked through and you have a delicious looking crust.

The seasoning can also be added to sauces to taste.

How to prepare this Cajun seasoning recipe...

Get all of your ingredients together. This should only take a couple of minutes.

Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix and break down any lumps.

At this point, you can taste a little and adjust the flavours. If you like more garlic, go for it. More chilli powder? Just add it.

Your Cajun seasoning should look like this when finished.

It is important to store this Cajun seasoning recipe blend in a container that has a tight fitting lid. Then just take it out and use it when needed.

Most commercial brands include anti-caking ingredients which are not really all that good for you. They do stop the Cajun spice blend from caking though.

So you might need to give it all a good stir from time to time to stop it from hardening and caking.

Yield: 14 Tablespoons

Cajun Seasoning Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp smoked paprika
1 ½ tbsp cayenne chilli powder (more or less to taste)
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a storage jar with a tight-fitting lid. Mix well with a spoon and screw the lid on until needed. Depending on the freshness of the ingredients you used, this cajun seasoning should last for about a year.

Korean Braised Beef Stew

December 2, 2022 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

Beef cooked until super tender, this Korean braised beef is amazing!

I absolutely love Korean food. Living in North Yorkshire as I do, it's not all that easy to come by at restaurants so I need to make recipes like this delicious Korean braised beef myself. That's not a bad thing as this homemade Korean braised beef is most definitely restaurant quality and you can made it easily at home.

About this Korean braised beef recipe

Like so many Asian recipes, the meat for stews and soups is usually brought to a boil in sufficient water for about 10 minutes. Then it’s strained and all the blood and other impurities are cleaned from the meat. I’d like to stress that this step isn’t essential but it will benefit the appearance of the final dish.

Juicy and tender Korean braised beef short ribs are amazing. They’re spicy, sweet and just a bit sticky: I simply can’t get enough of them and I hope you love this recipe and want to make it often like I do. Ask your butcher to cut the short ribs into small 5cm (2 inch) chunks. Failing that, just use larger western style cuts of beef short ribs.

Which cut of beef is best?

Look for Korean cut beef short ribs. The ribs are cut into small chunks that are perfect in this Korean braised beef stew.

I tried to get them lately but couldn't so I used beef ribs from my local supermarket and cut the meat off the long ribs. Then I cut the meat into large pieces for the stew and threw the bones in for flavour. That worked find so if you can't get your ribs cut Korean style, just do as I did an you will still get a Korean braised beef stew that is out of this world delicious.

Working ahead...

If you are interested in working ahead, you could prepare and cook this Korean braised beef stew a day or two ahead of cooking.

It keeps well in the fridge and actually gets better from sitting a couple of days. Then all you need to do is heat it up and serve.

Can this Korean braised beef be frozen?

Most definitely yes! This stew freezes really well up to six months.

As it takes some time to cook, I often double the recipe and freeze what we don't eat.

Why is the meat cooked twice?

It really isn't though it might seem like it is. Some people think the authentic way of cooking Korean beef stock is wasteful because the first broth all goes down the sink.

It really isn't wasteful at all! The meat and bones are brought to a rolling simmer for about 10 minutes. During that time, you skim any impurities that float to the top and then strain it all.

This helps make a clear stock which is important in Korean stews. Then the meat is washed thoroughly before cleaning your pot and bring the meat to a simmer again. Believe me... it makes a difference and you should not miss this step.

You can also serve this as a Korean beef bowl.

I served this as a stew. You could also place a scoop or two of rice into 6 bowls and add the stew to it, creating a delicious Korean beef bowl.

Other vegetables could also be added to your Korean beef bowl such as sautéd courgette, mushrooms and bean sprouts. You might also like to make Korean savoury pancakes which are a delicious addition.

How to make Korean braised beef stew...

Ingredients for Korean braised beef stew. — Get all of your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

Step 1.

Place the beef and beef bones in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a rolling simmer.

Step 2

As the water simmers, foam and other impurities will rise to the top. Skim this off. Once the water comes to a rolling simmer, allow the beef and bones to simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 3.

After 10 minutes of simmering, strain the beef and bones. You can discard all of the cooking water. Then wash the meat and bones, removing any blood and other impurities that are on them.

Step 4.

Clean your cooking pot and place the cleaned meat and bones back in it. Then cover with water and add the soy sauce, honey and Chinese rice.

Step 5 - Your work on this Korean braised beef is almost complete!

Bring to a rolling simmer and skim off any more impurities that happen to rise to the top as you do.

Step 6.

Stir in the gochujang and gochugaru and stir well to combine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 7.

Lift the lid after 30 minutes and add the potatoes and carrots. Cook uncovered for about another 30 minutes or until the beef is super tender and the carrots and potatoes are cooked through. You can add a little water or beef stock if the pot is looking dry.

Just don't rush things! The beef is ready when it's tender.

Step 8.

As it cooks with the lid off, your Korean beef stew will thicken and become amazingly delicious.

Step 9.

To finish, stir in the onion petals and spring onions and give them a couple of minutes to soften in the hot stew.

Try this Korean braised beef stew with finely chopped red chillies.

Dig in! You're going to love this one.

Here are a few Korean main course recipes you might like to try...

Korean kimchi jjigae - A one pot masterpiece with sweet, sour and savoury flavours.
Korean baked salmon - This spicy salmon is so good rolled into Korean pancakes!
Beef Bibimbap - You can really get creative with this delicious one pot Korean beef bowl.
Korean style fried chicken - Crispy fried chicken in a sweet, sour and spicy sauce!

Yield: 4 - 6

Korean Braised Beef Stew

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

1.5kg (3 lbs) beef short ribs, cut into 5cm (2 inch) pieces
½ tsp salt
1 litre (4 cups) approx. unsalted beef stock or water
175ml (3/4 cup) light soy sauce or tamari (gluten free)
125ml (1/2 cup) Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp gochujang
2 – 4 tbsp gochugaru
2 tbsp sesame oil
15 cloves garlic, minced
1 x 5cm (2 inch) ginger, minced
2 large carrots, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks
2 large potato, cut into large bite sized pieces
5 red bird’s eye chillies, cut at an angle in half, seeds removed for less heat
12 spring onions (scallions), sliced lengthwise down the centre
2 medium onions, quartered and divided into petals
4 tbsp toasted or untoasted sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the short ribs. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming any impurities that rise to the top. After 10 minutes of boiling, strain the meat into a colander and rinse it with cold water. Wipe your pot clean and then wash each piece of meat to remove any blood or other impurities and return them to the pot.
Pour the soy sauce and Chinese rice wine/sherry over the meat and then add just enough water or unsalted beef stock to cover and bring to a rolling simmer over high heat. Stir in the honey, gochujang and gochugaru. If you are not sure about the spiciness, add less of the gochujang and gochugaru. You can always add more later to taste if needed.
Simmer, covered over high heat 30 minutes and then uncover and continue simmering over a medium heat for an additional 30 minutes or until the meat is fall off the bone tender.
To finish, stir in the chopped garlic, ginger, carrots and potatoes. If needed, you can add a drop more water if it is looking too dry. Continue simmering over a medium heat until the carrots and potatoes are cooked through.
Stir in the spring onions (scallions) and onion petals and let them cook in the hot sauce for about a minute. Your braised beef ribs are ready when everything is cooked through and you have a thick but still liquidy sauce. Season with salt if needed and freshly ground pepper to taste.
To serve, divide between 6 bowls and garnish with the sesame seeds and more thinly sliced spring onions (scallions) and red chillies.

Air Fryer Chicken Tikka

December 1, 2022 By Dan Toombs 6 Comments

You will get fantastic results using this air fryer chicken tikka recipe.

Ever thought about making tandoori chicken tikka in an air fryer but weren't sure if it can be done? I can assure you it can. Air fryers are becoming very popular these days. The things you can cook in them without having to heat up your oven makes them a cooking accessory that millions of people use daily. In this recipe, I use the same tikka marinade as I do in my sheet pan chicken tikka recipe but cook the chicken in 20 minutes in an air fryer. Any good tikka marinade will work with this recipe though.

How this air fryer chicken tikka recipe works...

The problem with air fryers is that the cooking area is rather limited. Placing this much chicken tikka directly into the basket would mean cooking in several batches so as not to overcrowd the cooking surface.

So I prepared the chicken tikka by skewering the tikka onto wooden skewers. Not only does this mean you can cook a lot more chicken tikka in one go, it also adds to the presentation when served.

To do this, be sure to soak about 20 wooden skewers in water before skewering the chicken.

About the marinade.

The tikka marinade used for this air fryer chicken tikka is one I have been using for many years. It's simple but gets excellent results.

Many tandoori chicken tikka marinade recipes call for quite a lot more yoghurt. The yoghurt is used not only as a flavouring but to tenderise the meat.

In the west, tenderising the meat is not as important as it is in India as our farmed chicken is already very tender. So marinades are used more as a flavouring than a tenderiser in most cases.

For this reason, you will use only a small amount of yoghurt in this air fryer chicken tikka. It is still be enough to flavour the chicken. When large amounts of yoghurt are used in an air fryer, it has a tendency to cake some as it cooks. That won't happen with this air fryer chicken tikka recipe.

Can the air fried chicken tikka be frozen?

Yes. Once the chicken has been air fried, you can freeze it for later use. This is especially so if you plan to use the chicken tikka in one of my curry house style recipes. Adding prepared and nicely charred chicken tikka adds another delicious layer of flavour to a curry.

I don't recommend freezing the marinated chicken before cooking. The yoghurt does not freeze well so be sure to cook it up in your air fryer and freeze if that is convenient for you.

What do you serve air fryer chicken tikka with?

In addition to being the perfect chicken for use in curry house style curries, this air fryer chicken tikka is excellent served as a main or starter on its own. It is delicious wrapped into homemade chapattis and naans which can be prepared using the pan method on the stove.

You might also enjoy this air fryer chicken tikka with coriander chutney or raita.

Working ahead.

This air fryer chicken tikka recipe is one that can easily be prepared a couple of days before cooking. In fact, if you prepare the marinade 2 days ahead of cooking, the chicken will be much more flavourful.

So this air fryer chicken tikka is a good one to prepare ahead of time. Once marinated, you just need to skewer and air fry it for 20 minutes and that's job done! You do not need to marinate the chicken that long though. You can get away with marinating the chicken for just 30 minutes.

Can other ingredients be added to the chicken skewers?

Yes, absolutely. Just like I did in my sheet pan chicken tikka recipe, you can add vegetables to the skewers.

Marinate the vegetables with the chicken and skewer them up too. Vegetables such as red onion, tomatoes, chillies and bell pepper all work well and will cook to perfection in the air fryer.

Will this air fryer work with other meats and paneer?

Yes. Paneer works perfectly well and will get a nice char to it. If using red meat, I recommend using leg of lamb or sirloin/ribeye of beef as these cuts are quite tender and will cook well in the air fryer in 20 minutes.

How to make air fryer chicken tikka...

Get all of your ingredients together before you start preparing the chicken. It's a lot easier that way.

Step 1.

Chicken tikka marinating in the first marinade

Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and add the mustard oil, garlic and ginger paste, salt and lemon juice. Mix well with your hands so that it is all equally coated. Set aside.

Step 2.

Whisking the second marinade ingredients together

In another bowl, whisk the ingredients for the second marinade together.

Step 3.

Stir the chicken into the second marinade, rubbing the marinade into the flesh.

Step 4 - Your air fryer chicken tikka is almost ready!

When ready to cook, thread the chicken tikka onto wooden skewers.

Step 5.

Place the skewered chicken into your air fryer and place secure the top. Cook on the highest heat for 20 minutes.

Step 6.

Baste the chicken a couple of times as it cooks toward the end of cooking.

Step 7 - Time to eat delicious air fryer chicken tikka.

Air fryer chicken tikka cooked to perfection.

After 20 minutes of cooking, the chicken tikka should be cooked to perfection. If you want to char it a bit more, go for it. But remember that good chicken tikka is a mixture of charred exterior and juicy centre so don't overcook that chicken!

Step 8.

Enjoy! Your air fryer chicken tikka is ready and you didn't even need to heat up your barbecue or oven. 20 minutes and the flavours are amazing!

Dipping chicken tikka into a coriander raita.

Try it with coriander chutney. Amazing.

Or make a wrap! You are going to love this chicken tikka recipe.

More Chicken Tikka Recipes

More Air Fryer Recipes

See more Air Fryer Indian Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Yield: 6

Air Fryer Chicken Tikka

This air fryer chicken tikka recipe gets fantastic results. You can cook the marinated chicken in about 20 minutes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 ½ lbs) chicken breasts or thighs, but into bite sized tikka
FOR THE FIRST MARINADE
Juice of two lemons
Salt to taste
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tbsp mustard oil or rapeseed (canola) oil, I use mustard oil
FOR THE SECOND MARINADE
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 generous tbsp thick full fat yoghurt
TO SERVE
8 chapattis
2 tbsp melted ghee or butter
Lime wedges

Instructions

Soak about 20 wooden skewers in water for at least 30
minutes.
Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, salt, garlic and ginger paste and
oil. Mix well with your hands or a spoon and set aside for about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients up to and including the yoghurt and mix well to coat the chicken pieces equally. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to cook, thread the chicken onto the wooden skewers and place in your air fryer. Secure the top and cook on the highest temperature for 20 minutes. Toward the end of cooking, baste the chicken a couple of times.
Season with salt to taste if needed and serve.

This is a hanger steak with a difference. We are talking top notch here and the recipe is so easy.

What is hanger steak?

How do you cook a hanger steak?

Where to you buy hanger steak?

Is hanger steak tender?

What do you serve with hanger steak?

Ingredients

Instructions

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Did you like this recipe?

These Thai fish cakes are the best! I promise.

About this Thai fish cakes recipe

Working ahead

How do you prepare these Thai fish cakes?

Which fish do you use in this recipe.

It is important which Thai curry paste you use?

How long can you keep leftovers in the fridge?

Can Thai fish cakes be frozen?

What do you serve with Thai fish cakes?

Step by step photographs.

Love Thai Recipes? Give one of these other Thai recipes a try too.

Ingredients

Instructions

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Did you like this recipe?

Recheado masala fish is a Goan classic. It can be prepared easily on your barbecue.

What is recheado masala?

Working ahead

Ingredients

Instructions

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Did you like this recipe?

Try this reverse seared steak recipe and it might just change how you grill steaks forever.

What is reverse sear cooking?

Do you need a meat thermometer for this style of cooking?

How do you make the dry rub for this recipe?

Can you use different cuts of steak for reverse searing?

Can you cook reverse seared steak in an oven and pan?

What do you serve with reverse seared steak?

Ingredients

Instructions

Recommended Products

Did you like this recipe?

Chicken pakora makes a good starter or main. Here's how it's made at the best curry houses.

About this chicken pakora recipe

Working ahead

Can you easily upscale this recipe?

Make this chicken pakora recipe your own.

What do you serve with chicken pakaras

What else to serve with Chicken Pakora?

Related

Related

Popular Favourites

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Ingredients

Instructions

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Did you like this recipe?

So easy and delicious... Try this paneer fry today.

About this paneer fry recipe

Do you need to marinate the paneer before frying?

Do you have to fry the paneer?

How do you add paneer to a curry sauce?

Working ahead

What do you serve with paneer fry?

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...