Indian Chicken with sliced lemon and fried onions

I cooked this last night and served it with the dahl recipe below, plus some steamed beans. It was sensational. Basically it is from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook I have.

Serves 4- 6 (everyone came back for seconds )

6-8 chicken pieces
3 medium-sized onions
1 inch cube of ginger,sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
1 Tbl tomato paste
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp chilli
1 whole lemon / preserved lime
1 Tbl sugar
pepper
2 Tbl yoghurt

Peel the onions. Chop two of them coarsely and put them into the container of an electric blender. Cut the third one in half lengthwise, then slice it into thin half-rounds and set aside.
Add 6 tablespoons of water, the ginger, and the garlic to the onions in the blender and blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.
Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a pot over medium-high flame. When hot, put in the sliced onions and fry them, stirring, until they are darkish brown and crisp, though not burned. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and leave them to drain on paper towels.
Remove skin from all chicken pieces. Divide legs into drum­stick and thigh, and quarter the breasts. In the same oil, brown the chicken pieces on all sides until they are golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon to a bowl or plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Pour in the paste from the blender. (Keep face averted.) Stirring, fry on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until paste turns a nice golden-brown. Now put in the coriander, cumin, and turmeric and fry, stirring continuously; after another 2 minutes add yogurt, a teaspoon at a time; after 2 or 3 minutes, the tomato puree, a little at a time, continuing to stir and fry. Finally, add salt, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and pint of water. Bring to the boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Cut the lemon into 4 or 5 slices, discarding the end pieces, and remove the seeds. Add lemon slices along with the chicken pieces, fried onions, sugar, and freshly ground pepper to the sauce, stir, and bring to the boil.
Cover, lower heat, and sim­mer gently for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is tender, turning the pieces every now and then. If chicken sticks to bottom of pot, add a little more water. You should end up with a very thick sauce.

MOONG DAHL
I used some dahl that Cath was also buying in Goodies and Grains a few weeks ago and I can't remember what they are called. I hope she will leave a comment and tell me. What a duffer I am. Anyway, moong or not, it worked well !
10oz moong dahl
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 Tbl chopped parsley
1 Tbl turmeric
¼ tsp chilli
1 tsp salt
1 ½ Tbl lemon juice
3 Tbl oil
1 pinch asafetida
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
Lemon / lime wedges

Clean and wash dahl thoroughly. Put into a heavy-bottomed pot, add 2 pints water, and bring to the boil. Remove the froth and scum that collects at the top. Now add the garlic, ginger, parsley, turmeric, and chilli. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, lower heat, and simmer gently for about 1½ hours. Stir occasionally. When dahl is cooked, add the salt and lemon juice (it should be thicker than pea soup, but thinner than porridge).
In a 4-6-inch frying-pan or small pot, heat the vegetable oil over a medium-high flame. When hot, add the asafetida and cumin seeds. As soon as the asafetida sizzles and expands and the cumin seeds turn dark (this will take only a few seconds), pour the oil and spices over the dahl and serve. (Some people put the dahl in a serving dish and then pour the oil and spices over it.)
To serve: Most meat and chicken dishes go well with this dahl. Since some people like to squeeze extra lemon or lime juice on their dahl, serve some wedges separately.

LEEK and BROCCOLI SOUP

Ingredients
1 leek
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
3 diced potatoes
4 cups water
4 cups broccoli pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped parsley

Method
Heat oil, add leek and garlic and cook for 5 minutes
Add potatoes and water and simmer until potatoes are tender
Add broccoli and salt and pepper and cook until broccoli is tender
Stir in parsley and serve.

SESAME BROCCOLI SALAD

Ingredients
3 cups lightly blanched broccoli
1/2 cup lightly roasted sesame seeds
1 or 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

Method
Combine all ingredients
Serve with lemon wedges

Food Forest Broccoli Fried Rice

Ingredients
4 cups cooked brown rice (organic short grain)
2 cups cooked peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 sliced spring onions
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped parsley
3 cups lightly blanched broccoli

Method
Heat oil gently, saute spring onions
Add rice, peas and tamari and heat gently
Stir in parsley
Add broccoli and serve.
Thank Diana and Jen for the seedlings and Food Forest for growing them.

ORANGE AND DATE CAKE

Cooked for Andrew and Claudia, July '07

Ingredients
150g fresh dates, pitted and finely chopped
Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
125g butter, melted and cooled
Syrup
Juice of three oranges (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup castor sugar, extra

Method
Preheat oven tol80°C and line a 23cm cake tin. Grease the sides of the pan and sprinkle flour evenly across the bottom and up the sides.
Pit the dates, slice finely lengthways into about 2mm widths, and then chop to an even dice. Combine the orange juice and orange rind in a bowl and add the dates. Soak for one hour prior to making the cake.

Pour the castor sugar over the egg yolks and beat until thick and pale. Add the baking powder to the flour and sift into the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Fold through.
Fold through the melted butter and date mixture.
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and whisk in 2 tablespoons of the extra
sugar. Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form and the sugar is dissolved.
Add to the cake mixture and fold through.

Pour the batter into the tin and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake is cooked if a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake and place into a shallow flan dish or similar. Combine the orange juice and the remainder of the extra sugar. Stir briskly until the sugar has dissolved. Puncture the cake all over with a skewer and spoon the syrup over the still warm cake.

Serve warm, with yoghurt.

African Black-Eyed Beans

Ingredients
3 to 4 cups of cooked black-eyed beans
2 chopped onions
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoons dried coriander(or use fresh)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bayleaves
1 tablespoon paprika
3 cups of chopped tomatoes or bottled tomato puree
salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander
fresh chilli to taste.

Method
Heat the oil
Add the onion and cumin seeds, cook until onion is soft
Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently to develop the flavours
Remove the bayleaves
Serve with yogurt and chopped coriander or parsley
Traditionally this recipe has spinach or swiss chard added and cooked in at the end.
I prefer to serve the greens as an accompaniment or stirred into cooked brown rice.
Adding herbs, spices and chilli can always be changed to suit who your taste.
Black-eyed beans are great!.

Spanish Chicken

Ingredients
1 kg sliced organic chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 sliced onions
3 cloves garlic
3 cups organic tomato puree
2 cups sliced celery
2 cups corn kernels
2 cups peas
2 cups cooked lentils or beans
2 tablespoons chopped oregano
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons paprika
1 cup chopped parsley
ground black pepper, salt to taste
chilli to taste and chopped coriander (optional)

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan
Lightly brown the chicken (a little at a time)
Cook onions and garlic
Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently until chicken and vegetables are cooked
Serve with brown rice and chopped parsley

Irish Potato and Kale Soup

Ingredients
1 diced onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
5 large potatoes
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
6 small kale leaves
2 cups of cut broccoli
3 sliced spring onions
1 cup roughly chopped parsley
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup snipped chives
water
Method
Heat oil, add onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes
Add diced potatoes and sufficient water to cover potatoes. Cook gently until potatoes are tender
Add remaining ingredients and cook for a few minutes until vegetables are just tender
Serve as is or add a spoonful of butter or cream or grated pecorino cheese.

Peruvian Lima Bean and Pumpkin Stew

Ingredients
2 to 3 cups of cooked lima beans(or butter beans) or Kate's scarlet runner beans
1 cup of diced onion
2 cups of partially boiled 3cm cubed potatoes
2 cups of partially boiled 3cm cubed pumpkin
2 cups of diced tomatoes
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
1 cup peas
1 cup corn kernels
salt and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chilli paste
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 cup roughly cut parsley
125 grams fetta cheese
chopped coriander (optional)
2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Method
Fry onion, garlic and cumin seeds in oil
Stir in the thyme, tomatoes, chilli, salt and pepper.
Stir in beans and vegetables.
Simmer gently until vegetables are just cooked.
Stir in the parsley.
Serve sprinkled with crumbled fetta and coriander.

This deserves a boxful of gold stars. Very popular with my family.
I served it with some yoghurt mixed with crushed garlic and mint and a side salad of mizuna dressed with peanut oil and verjuice.

Thanks Maggie,
from Kate

TURKISH SPINACH SOUP

After a lovely soup lunch at the Organic Market Cafe, back in 1998, I came home and wrote down what I thought was in the soup. It has become one of our favourites. Feel free to change it, as I do, to suit the mood.

fry gently : 1 large onion, sliced

1 - 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

crush, add to pot, mix well and fry for a minute or 2:

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cardamon seeds

pepper

add and simmer 15 - 20 mins or longer :

1 tin tomatoes

1 Tbl tomato paste or some curry paste

4 - 6 cups stock

a sprinkling of red lentils

a sprinkling of couscous

5 mins before serving add :

2 cups chopped spinach

a handful of chopped parsley

some lemon juice

Serve immediately and sprinkle over :

chopped fresh coriander (this is a recent addition since Maggie gave me so much

coriander !)

Perfect eaten with fig and fennel bread, toasted and buttered.

Kukuye Sabsi (Persian Herb Omelette)

Ingredients
6 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup of sliced spring onions
2 cups of roughly chopped parsley or other greens
3 slices of rye or sprouted grain bread (made into crumbs)
2 cloves of crushed garlic
2 teaspoons of paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
olive oil

Method
Mix all ingredients (except oil)
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan
Cook as small fritters or 2 large omelets
Serve hot with yoghurt ( flavoured with garlic and chopped mint)
and a green leaf salad.

Chinese Egg Rice

Ingredients
4 cups of cold cooked rice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 lightly beaten eggs
4 sliced spring onions
2 cups of shredded chinese greens or silverbeet
a good handful of herbs (parsley, coriander and chives)
2 tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce

Method
Heat oil in pan. Lightly saute the spring onions and greens. Remove from the pan.
Heat a little oil in the pan. Add the eggs. Heat gently to make an omelet. Remove from the pan.
Heat a little oil in pan. When hot add the rice and tamari.
Stir in the chopped herbs, sliced omelet and greens.
Heat gently and serve.

Rotegrutze (Red Grape Sago Pudding)

Silesian migrants brought this recipe to the Barossa Valley.

2 cups of freshly extracted juice from delicious red grapes
2 Tablespoons of sago
Method
Simmer the juice and sago gently until clear and pearl like.
Allow to cool.
Serve chilled with fresh yoghurt or cream.