Bombay Nights: Chicken Rogan Josh & Lamb Korma

There is nothing quite like a really good curry and I don’t think that there are many people who would turn their noses up at a selection of beautifully spiced, fragrant, rich curries.  I was very kindly given the most amazing kit of Indian spices for Christmas: a positive medley of flavourings each with their individual pots just waiting to be turned in to warming, melodic dishes.  I couldn’t have been happier to receive it and so decided that it was time for a curry night at my house.

The only question was which curries to cook?  I love a tomato based curry, the perfect blend of sweet and tangy, and nothing makes me happier than a bowl of rice with spiced lentils – the spiced lentils forming a kind of deconstructed dhal – their soft bite and mellow, caramelised spice giving an added oomph to some simple steamed white basmati; and I adore the delicious, slow cooked saag aloo with its soft, garlicky spinach and potatoes tenderly soaked in spices.  Finally, after serious thought and salivation, I decided on using the following two recipes as the base to my menu.  They come from sources long forgotten and I cannot tell you whether they are truly authentic, and if they are, what region they may come from.  What I can tell you is that after years of cooking them, experimenting with and tweaking them, I cannot recommend enough the serving of my Lamb Korma and Chicken Rogan Josh at any curry party, or indeed, on any Saturday evening.

Korma is quite often considered a very wimpy dish, incredibly buttery and overly sweet in flavour.  Not so this particular korma: it has got a mild flavour and is not heavy on the chilli but the blend of spices gives it a real intensity while the use of ground up cashew nuts produces a amazingly velvety and light sauce.  I love the combination of lamb, spice and cream but chicken works just as well, and it really lends itself to being converted to a vegetarian version – potatoes or squash, cauliflower, spinach and peas.

Rogan Josh is one of those wonderful curries that can be adapted to suit your particular palate.  By that I mean that if you like your curries hot, rogan josh lends itself to the addition of a few extra chillies without losing any of its complexity of flavour.  There is something reassuring about a sauce made up of tomatoes and onions: it can really hold its own with a whole array and intensity of herbs and spices.  I think there are endless variations as to how to make a rogan josh but I like to keep mine fairly simple, with a slightly alternative addition of some ground almonds at the end of cooking.  Trust me, they add a particular depth and body to the sauce that complements the dish perfectly.

Like all good curries and tagines, these are best made the day before serving so that the flavours have a chance to really develop.  If doing so, simply heat through and add the fresh coriander when you are ready to serve.    I like to serve these with a selection of accompaniments: steamed basmati rice, poppadoms (oh, the beauty of gram flour), an onion, tomato and coriander salad, sliced bananas (probably not authentic but a real tradition in my house) and if I am honest, more rice with spiced lentils, otherwise known as Khichhari.  A true feast.

 

CHICKEN ROGAN JOSH

Serves 4

6 skinless boneless chicken thighs

2 red onions

3 garlic cloves

1 red chilli (or more if you like it hotter)

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 large tomatoes

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp groundnut oil

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp soft brown sugar

2 tsp ground cumin

3 cardamom pods crushed

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp ground coriander

5 tbsp ground almonds

A small bunch of coriander

Begin by slicing the chicken thighs widthways in to ½ inch thick pieces.  Peel the onions and cut in

to half moon rings.  Crush the garlic and slice the fresh chilli in to fine rounds, keeping the seeds.  Cut the tomatoes into quarters and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan with a lid; add the onion and sauté gently until the onions are soft.  Stir in the chilli powder, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, ginger, brown sugar, 1 tsp of sea salt flakes, tomato puree, garlic and fresh chilli, and continue to sauté for a few more minutes.  Add the chicken and mix through so that all of the chicken pieces are coated in spices.  Pour over the chopped tomatoes and ¼ pint (150ml) of water, add the tomato quarters, cover and gently simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender. 

Once the curry is cooked, stir in the ground almonds and garam masala and simmer gently, uncovered until the sauce has thickened – around 5 minutes.  Finely chop the coriander, sprinkle over the top of the rogan josh and serve.  

 

LAMB KORMA

Serves 4

500g/1lb 2oz boneless lamb, cubed

60g/2½ oz cashew nuts

3tbsp groundnut oil

2 white onions

4 garlic cloves

1 inch piece of root ginger

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

2 tsp tomato puree

2 bay leaves

3 cardamom pods, crushed

1tsp ground coriander

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

A small bunch of coriander

Peel the garlic and ginger and then crush the garlic and finely grate ginger, mix together and set aside.  Peel and finely chop the onions.  Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan (I like to use a Le Creuset pan for this, or any other heavy based, stove top casserole pan with a lid), add the onion, cinnamon stick, cardamom and bay leaves and gently sauté until the onion is soft – around 5 – 10 minutes. 

Add the ginger and garlic, ground coriander, turmeric, chilli and tomato puree.  Mix well and then continue to sauté over a low heat for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the lamb, season well and mix together so that all of the lamb is coated in the spices.  Pour over ¼ pint (150 ml) of water, cover and simmer gently over a low heat for 30 minutes or until the lamb is tender.

 

Meanwhile, using a mortar and pestle, grind the cashew nuts with a little water, until you have a smooth, creamy paste.  Once the lamb is cooked, scoop out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and add the cashew paste, mix through and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Roughly chop the coriander, stalks and all, and sprinkle over the korma ready to serve.

Comments

[molly]

pippa this looks great!! and that spice kit looks gorgeous - i'm very jealous of your gift :)

[Julia]

delicious and easy to do, great for these long and horrible winter nights
THanks

[Naomi Rose]

I'm SO happy you commented on my blog! Now I've found yours and it's lovely! that top picture is GORGEOUS! xx

[The Intolerant Gourmet]

Thanks Naomi! I'm so glad you like it. I promise that their are lots more vegan friendly dishes to come so keep looking!
xx

[The Intolerant Gourmet]

Thanks Julia and Molly for your lovely comments, I swear, everybody needs one of these spice kits, they are amazing and also real priddy.
xx

[Patrick]

I tried your Korma and loved it. Normally I think of Korma as the equivalent of an alcohol free beer (a bit pointless) but this was really exciting for my tastebuds and left an amazing, spicy after taste. *licks lips*

[The Intolerant Gourmet]

That makes me very very happy Patrick
xx

[Gerovital]

1 tsp of sea salt flakes, tomato puree, garlic and fresh chilli, and continue to sauté for a few more minutes. Add the chicken and mix through so that all of the chicken pieces are coated in spices.