• Creamy Grilled Chicken
• Tandoori Whole Fish
• Cornish Hens braised in a tangy plum and apricot sauce
• Lamb Chops
Creamy Grilled Chicken
• 2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup grated Baby Gouda cheese
• 4 tsp. chopped coriander greens
• 1 tbs. cornflour
• 1/2 tsp. mace powder
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder
• 1 tsp. white pepper powder
• 3 tbs. ginger paste
• 6 green chiles chopped very fine
• 7 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or hung yogurt
• oil / melted butter for basting
• salt to taste
Mix the ginger and garlic pastes, white pepper powder and salt. Rub mixture onto the chicken pieces. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Beat together egg, cheese, green chiles, coriander, cream ,mace, nutmeg and cornflour and rub onto the chicken fillets. Keep aside for 3 hours.
String together the chicken fillets on a skewer an inch apart. Roast on a charcoal grill for 5 minutes or in a preheated oven at 350û F. for 7 minutes.
Remove, hang the skewers for 5 minutes to let excess moisture drip off. Brush with oil or melted butter and grill for another 3 minutes.
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Tandoori Whole Fish
• 4 pompanos, Dorade or any small fish, each around 1 pound in weight.
• 2 tsp. carom seeds
• 3 tbs. cream
• 2 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 5 tsp. ginger paste
• 4 tsp. gram flour (besan)
• 3 tbs. lemon juice
• 3 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. turmeric, optional
• 1 tsp. white pepper powder
• 1/4 cup hung yogurt
• salt to taste
• oil / melted butter for basting
Clean the fish well and make 3 deep diagonal cuts on each side. Mix yogurt with cream, ginger and garlic pastes, carom seeds, gram flour, white pepper, red chile and cumin powders, lemon juice, salt and turmeric if desired.
Rub mixture on both sides of the fish. Set aside for 2 or 3 hours.
Skewer fish from mouth to tail and roast in a tandoor or grill for 6 minutes or in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
Remove from grill or oven and hang skewers to drip off excess moisture for 5 minutes.
Baste with butter or oil and roast again for 5 minutes.
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Cornish Hens braised in a tangy plum and apricot sauce
( Inspired by Julie Sahni's recipe for Apricot Chicken )
Photo by Liz Steger
• 4 cornish hens
• 2 cups dried apricots and plums
• 8 tbsp ghee
• 2 cups finely chopped red onions
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 cups finely chopped or pureed ripe tomatoes or 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 3 tsp kosher salt
Serves: 8
Cut the wing tips and neatly halve the cornish hens. Get the skin off, using a towel to get a better grip, and set hens aside.
Put apricots and plums in a bowl and add enough boiling water to cover them by an inch. Soak for 2-3 hours, and drain. Coarsely chop them in a food processor or electric blender. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add hens, 3 or 4 halves at a time, and sear them until nicely browned on all sides(about 5 - 10 minutes per batch). Take them out with a slotted spoon, and place them meat side up on a baking pan that can accommodate the eight pieces in a single layer. Continue with the rest of the hens and add more ghee if necessary.
Add the rest of the ghee to the pan and fry the onions till they are light brown (about 15 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add ginger and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the garam masala and stir for 5 seconds. Add the tomatoes, salt. Add the fruits along with 1 1/2 cups of water, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at a gentle bubble, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced to a thick puree (about 20 minutes).
Pour the sauce over the hens. Pour half cup boiling water down the sides of the baking pan, and cover tightly with foil.
Bake in the middle level of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees, and continue baking for an additional 25 minutes. Turn off the oven, leaving dish inside until you are ready to serve. The hens will remain warm for about 45 minutes.
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Lamb Chops
• 12 lamb chops
• 3 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Butter for basting, optional
• 2 tbsp, fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp, fresh ginger root, minced finely
• 1 tbsp, green chilees, chopped finely
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp mace
• 2 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp lemon juice
Clean the chops well and remove the two side bones. Set aside.
In a deep bowl mix the sour cream, heavy cream and lemon juice with all other ingredients thoroughly.
Add the cleaned chops into this marinade for at least 4 hours or keep overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roast in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes and if you want baste with melted butter.
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Photo, top, by Ben Fink.
