Tarka Dhal, Chicken (Turkey) Tikka Masala, Bombay Potatoes & Basmati Rice with Cumin

Tarka Dhal, Turkey Tikka Masala, Bombay Potatoes & Basmati Rice with Cumin

The Albion Tavern hosted a large family gathering on Boxing Day and I'd been having sleepless nights for, oh, several minutes, wondering what to dish up. The sheer numbers coming meant that a formal sit-down meal would be out of the question, unless people would be willing to bring their own chairs and sit in the garden (although they way some of my wife's distant relatives eat, that would probably be quite appropriate). The only alternative would be to prepare a buffet so people could help themselves, and the type of food to be served needed to be eaten easily, maybe with just a fork while standing up. So, after seeing the amount of leftover turkey prepared by my mother-in-law on Christmas Day, the obvious answer (after secretly stashing half a bird up my jumper on leaving said in-laws' house well-fed and watered), would be the traditional Boxing Day curry. Of course, me being me, as well as turkey curry we'd need rice and a couple of side dishes (and a veggie curry for the missus. And a milder curry for the kids) – and all cooked from scratch. Hungover. In about five hours.
Before moving to suburban bliss a few years ago I lived for several years in Tooting, South London, an area of the capital famous for being the setting of Seventies sitcom Citizen Smith and its proliferation of Asian restaurants, shops and markets. Buying a ready-made curry sauce was seriously frowned upon, so I got into making them from scratch, easily finding whatever weird and wonderful ingredients I needed with ease on the High Street. Even now I've still got a bag of curry leaves in the freezer. Anyway, these dishes are favourites of mine that I've cooked over the years, from the likes of Meena Pathak, Madhur Jaffrey and Anjum Anand. I can't vouch for their authenticity, except that they're better than any takeaway. I'll give the ingredients as serving 4 and substitute chicken for the mountain of turkey I used. Enjoy. All dishes serve 4.

Tarka Dhal
Ingredients:
For the dhal:
200g chana dhal lentils or yellow split peas
100g dried red lentils
1 tsp turmeric
6 fat garlic cloves, peeled and grated to a paste
20g root ginger, peeled weight, grated to a paste
handful of chopped coriander leaves to garnish

For the tarka:
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 rounded tbsp butter
4 long red dried chillies
2 rounded tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp garam masala, or to taste

Method:
1. Wash both types of lentils together in several changes of water. Place in 2 litres of water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, skimming off any scum that forms. Add the turmeric, garlic, ginger and a little salt and simmer, covered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. After about 30 minutes of cooking, heat the oil and butter for the tarka. And the whole dried chillies and cumin seeds and once they have browned, add the onion. Sauté until well browned, then add the tomatoes, garam masala and a little more salt. Continue cooking until the masala releases oil, around 10 minutes. Pour some of the lentil mix into the pan and scrape the base to extract all the flavours. Pour everything back into the lentils.
3. Cook over a highish heat, uncovered, for another 10 minutes. Add a little water if it becomes too thick. Adjust seasoning and serve scattered with chopped coriander.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:
For the tikka marinade:
3-4 tsp lemon juice
100g Greek yogurt
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and grated to a paste
10g fresh root ginger, peeled weight and grated to a paste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika, for colour
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the curry:
6 boneless chicken thighs (substitute for paneer cheese for the veggies)
20g fresh root ginger, peeled weight
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp vegetable oil
75g butter
6 green cardamom pods
2cm cinnamon stick
4 cloves
500g tinned plum tomatoes, puréed
1 tbsp tomato purée
2-4 whole green chillies, pierced
75ml single cream
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
small handful of coriander leaves to serve

Method:
1. Mix together all the marinade ingredients with 1 tsp salt. Add the chicken or paneer and marinate, preferably overnight, covered in the fridge.
2. Blend the ginger and garlic for the curry, using a little water to help. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large pan and add the spices. Sizzle for 15 seconds, add the ginger and garlic paste and cook until all the moisture has evaporated and the garlic looks grainy.
3. Add the tomatoes and purée and cook for around 20 minutes until the resulting paste releases its oils. Brown this paste over a gentle heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add 250ml water, bring the boil and pass through a sieve, extracting as much liquid and flavour as possible. Discard the solids and set the sauce aside.
5. Heat the oven to 240C/gas 9 and place the marinated chicken on a foil-lined baking tray. Cook for 8-10 minutes until slightly charred. Remove from the oven and cut the chicken into large chunks.
6. Heat the remaining butter in a large pan and add the green chillies. Add the sauce, salt and a good splash of water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken, cream, chilli powder and enough paprika to get a good colour, then add the garam masala. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is lovely and creamy. Sprinkle over the coriander leaves and serve.

Bombay Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 knobs butter
6 potatoes, peeled, parboiled and cut into cubes
4 tomatoes, cores removed and flesh diced
handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the spices and ginger for a few minutes. Add the butter, then the potatoes making sure they are completely coated in the spicy mixture. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and the coriander.

Basmati Rice with Cumin Seeds
Ingredients:
250g basmati rice
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Wash the rice in several changes of cold water and leave to soak.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the spices. When the cumin seeds crackle, drain the rice well and add to the pan (be careful here as hot oil and wet rice can spit). Fry over a gentle heat to coat the rice.
3. Add the salt and pour in 600ml of water and stir slightly. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes until the water has been absorbed. If water remains, remove the lid and allow to evaporate.