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The Advertiser
21-07-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
What exactly goes into making a stellar butter chicken?
For 10 years Sarina Kamini taught her Kashmiri Hindu family's kitchen secrets to people of all ages and cooking talents via her masala masterclasses. But the more she taught, the more she realised that masala spoke to everyone ... once they understood its language. Her latest cookbook, What We Call Masala is that code breaker. 1. To make the marinade, whisk the yoghurt with the water in a large bowl. This thins the yoghurt and draws forward its acidity, one of the power players in chicken. Add all of the marinade spices and the lime juice and stir them through. 2. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well. Marinate in the fridge overnight. If you forget to start the day before, marinate for as long as possible before cooking. 3. The best cooking vessel is a large cast-iron kadai or wok. You could also use a flat indoor grill plate or barbecue plate. It needs a cast-iron surface that will conduct high heat and char the chicken without oils or fats. I work in batches, spreading the chicken pieces in a single layer on the bottom and up the sides of the kadai and cooking them over high heat on the stovetop, without moving them, until they start to char. I then flip them and char the other side. This takes about five minutes per batch. When the chicken pieces are charred but not cooked through, I set them aside in a bowl. 4. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the leftover marinade into the kadai and cook for one to two minutes, scraping in any charred pieces from the bottom and side. Add the tomato passata and the butter chicken sauce spices to the kadai and stir through for two to three minutes, until the passata heats and the masala is no longer raw. It should bubble just a little. Return the charred chicken pieces to the kadai and stir through. Simmer for five minutes over medium- low heat. 5. Add the butter and stir it through, then increase the heat to medium. Once the sauce is bubbling evenly, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. 6. Add the dried kasoori methi and cream and stir through until hot. Serve immediately with naan or rice, garnished with diced red onion and with a wedge of lime on the side. Serves six to eight as part of a shared meal. 1. Heat the mustard oil, ghee and yoghurt with the white sea salt, cloves and bay leaves in a large cast-iron kadai or heavy-based saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly. You'll notice how rich and thick the fat base is, even before the fat from the chicken skin can add to it. This very dense bed will provide some of the camouflage for the ajwain seeds. Once the yoghurt starts to spatter and split, add the chicken thigh cutlets and begin browning. Keep over high heat and use the Kashmiri Hindu method of cooking (see below). Cook until the chicken is very well browned, about 20 minutes. 2. As the yoghurt evaporates, the base fats will become oil-like. At this point you need to pay attention, stirring almost constantly to prevent the chicken sticking too much. 3. Meanwhile, combine all the masala ingredients in a katori or small bowl and keep by the stovetop. While the chicken is browning, place the tomatoes in a pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to pressure and cook for one to two minutes before turning the pressure cooker off and force-releasing the steam. Drain, skin and core the tomatoes, then purée them using a hand-held blender. Stir in the fenugreek powder. 4. When the chicken is browned, remove the pan from the heat briefly to prevent spatters and add the tomato purée. Add a little water to the purée vessel and swish it around to get as much of the tomato out as possible. Stir through, return to the heat and deglaze the cooking vessel, then immediately add the masala. The chicken will become rich and the oils will split the tomato. Cook together for two to three minutes. 5. Transfer the chicken and tomato to the pressure cooker, making sure you scrape out every last bit of sauce. Set the pressure cooker to high and cook until it emits one or two jets of steam. Lower to a medium putter, then continue to cook for eight to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker depressurise on its own. If you don't have a pressure cooker, continue cooking in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, adding more water if necessary to stop the chicken cooking dry. 6. Open the pressure cooker. If yours is flameproof, place it over low heat. If not, transfer the chicken and sauce to a large heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 10 minutes for the masala to thicken. Just before serving, stir the fresh curry leaves through. The final sauce will be rich and creamy but also deep and strong, with a tail pungency courtesy of the ajwain seeds leading a marching band of charismatically pungent spices. Serves 3 to 4. Make sure the mustard oil is very hot but not quite smoking before adding the meat. I use a deep vessel and a significant amount of oil, as the browning process is protracted and a volume of oil is required so that it's not eaten up in the first instance. The meat added at this point will hit with a sizzle and instantly crust and brown, which is perfect. With large cuts, don't constantly turn the meat. With smaller pieces, refrain from constantly stirring. Browning is different from stir-frying. The meat is moved by folding it back into the oil, rather than constantly stirring it around the oil. This allows a complex tension to be built into the meat. We keep at this stage of the browning process until the oil begins to look "harder" and the meat is well browned. To get a feel for the flavour that's developing, you can taste the oil at this time - especially given many of the recipes will have added whole spices and salt, and maybe even chilli alongside the meat. 1. Start three hours before cooking by rinsing the rice a few times with cold water, then leaving it in a bowl of cold water to soak. Soaking allows the rice to release its flavour profile. 2. When ready to cook, heat the milk in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium- high heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the slivered almonds, cardamom pods and drained basmati rice. 3. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes, until the rice has softened. 4. Spoon 2 tbsp of warmed milk from the pan into a small bowl. Crush the saffron threads just a little, then stir them through the warmed milk until they release their colour. 5. Stir the saffron milk into the kheer. Add the caster sugar, still stirring constantly. 6. Now replace the wooden spoon with a metal one - it keeps the sugar notes tighter - and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the rice has thickened and yellowed, 20 to 30 minutes. 7. Remove from the heat and spoon into small bowls. Decorate with silver leaf if you like. Refrigerate for two to three hours, then remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6. 1. Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat until melted. Add the initial masala spices, reduce the heat to medium- low and stir until aromatic, two to three minutes. 2. Reduce the heat to low, add the khoya and stir it through, using a wooden spoon to break it up. Cook until the khoya absorbs the ghee and spices, then softens and expels its own liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. 3. Once the ghee splits a little, add all the main masala ingredients and stir them through thoroughly, using the wooden spoon. (The mustard oil introduces fat through which the masala can be expressed, along with aromatic texture.) Continue cooking over low heat for a further 20 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mustard oil has been absorbed and expelled by the khoya. 4. Serve with flaky paratha and Bhavna's mum's winter carrot pickles (see below) for a decadent lunch. Serves 4 to 6 as part of a shared meal. 1. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the mustard seeds to a coarse powder and set aside. 2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the carrots and cook for exactly two minutes. Drain immediately, then spread the carrot sticks on a clean tea towel (dish towel) and leave them to dry completely - moisture can decrease the shelf life of the pickles. 3. Meanwhile, heat the mustard oil in a large kadai, stable cast-iron wok or heavy-based saucepan over high heat until it smokes. Leave it to cool completely. 4. When ready to make the pickles, reheat the oil over medium heat and add the masala. Temper for about 30 seconds, then add the dried carrots and stir well. Cook for two to three minutes only, then remove from the heat. 5. Once the pickles are cool, spoon them into a sterilised jar. Leave to mature in the sun for two days before refrigerating. Always use a clean spoon to scoop out the pickles. Use within two to three weeks. Makes one 700ml jar. For 10 years Sarina Kamini taught her Kashmiri Hindu family's kitchen secrets to people of all ages and cooking talents via her masala masterclasses. But the more she taught, the more she realised that masala spoke to everyone ... once they understood its language. Her latest cookbook, What We Call Masala is that code breaker. 1. To make the marinade, whisk the yoghurt with the water in a large bowl. This thins the yoghurt and draws forward its acidity, one of the power players in chicken. Add all of the marinade spices and the lime juice and stir them through. 2. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well. Marinate in the fridge overnight. If you forget to start the day before, marinate for as long as possible before cooking. 3. The best cooking vessel is a large cast-iron kadai or wok. You could also use a flat indoor grill plate or barbecue plate. It needs a cast-iron surface that will conduct high heat and char the chicken without oils or fats. I work in batches, spreading the chicken pieces in a single layer on the bottom and up the sides of the kadai and cooking them over high heat on the stovetop, without moving them, until they start to char. I then flip them and char the other side. This takes about five minutes per batch. When the chicken pieces are charred but not cooked through, I set them aside in a bowl. 4. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the leftover marinade into the kadai and cook for one to two minutes, scraping in any charred pieces from the bottom and side. Add the tomato passata and the butter chicken sauce spices to the kadai and stir through for two to three minutes, until the passata heats and the masala is no longer raw. It should bubble just a little. Return the charred chicken pieces to the kadai and stir through. Simmer for five minutes over medium- low heat. 5. Add the butter and stir it through, then increase the heat to medium. Once the sauce is bubbling evenly, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. 6. Add the dried kasoori methi and cream and stir through until hot. Serve immediately with naan or rice, garnished with diced red onion and with a wedge of lime on the side. Serves six to eight as part of a shared meal. 1. Heat the mustard oil, ghee and yoghurt with the white sea salt, cloves and bay leaves in a large cast-iron kadai or heavy-based saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly. You'll notice how rich and thick the fat base is, even before the fat from the chicken skin can add to it. This very dense bed will provide some of the camouflage for the ajwain seeds. Once the yoghurt starts to spatter and split, add the chicken thigh cutlets and begin browning. Keep over high heat and use the Kashmiri Hindu method of cooking (see below). Cook until the chicken is very well browned, about 20 minutes. 2. As the yoghurt evaporates, the base fats will become oil-like. At this point you need to pay attention, stirring almost constantly to prevent the chicken sticking too much. 3. Meanwhile, combine all the masala ingredients in a katori or small bowl and keep by the stovetop. While the chicken is browning, place the tomatoes in a pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to pressure and cook for one to two minutes before turning the pressure cooker off and force-releasing the steam. Drain, skin and core the tomatoes, then purée them using a hand-held blender. Stir in the fenugreek powder. 4. When the chicken is browned, remove the pan from the heat briefly to prevent spatters and add the tomato purée. Add a little water to the purée vessel and swish it around to get as much of the tomato out as possible. Stir through, return to the heat and deglaze the cooking vessel, then immediately add the masala. The chicken will become rich and the oils will split the tomato. Cook together for two to three minutes. 5. Transfer the chicken and tomato to the pressure cooker, making sure you scrape out every last bit of sauce. Set the pressure cooker to high and cook until it emits one or two jets of steam. Lower to a medium putter, then continue to cook for eight to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker depressurise on its own. If you don't have a pressure cooker, continue cooking in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, adding more water if necessary to stop the chicken cooking dry. 6. Open the pressure cooker. If yours is flameproof, place it over low heat. If not, transfer the chicken and sauce to a large heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 10 minutes for the masala to thicken. Just before serving, stir the fresh curry leaves through. The final sauce will be rich and creamy but also deep and strong, with a tail pungency courtesy of the ajwain seeds leading a marching band of charismatically pungent spices. Serves 3 to 4. Make sure the mustard oil is very hot but not quite smoking before adding the meat. I use a deep vessel and a significant amount of oil, as the browning process is protracted and a volume of oil is required so that it's not eaten up in the first instance. The meat added at this point will hit with a sizzle and instantly crust and brown, which is perfect. With large cuts, don't constantly turn the meat. With smaller pieces, refrain from constantly stirring. Browning is different from stir-frying. The meat is moved by folding it back into the oil, rather than constantly stirring it around the oil. This allows a complex tension to be built into the meat. We keep at this stage of the browning process until the oil begins to look "harder" and the meat is well browned. To get a feel for the flavour that's developing, you can taste the oil at this time - especially given many of the recipes will have added whole spices and salt, and maybe even chilli alongside the meat. 1. Start three hours before cooking by rinsing the rice a few times with cold water, then leaving it in a bowl of cold water to soak. Soaking allows the rice to release its flavour profile. 2. When ready to cook, heat the milk in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium- high heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the slivered almonds, cardamom pods and drained basmati rice. 3. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes, until the rice has softened. 4. Spoon 2 tbsp of warmed milk from the pan into a small bowl. Crush the saffron threads just a little, then stir them through the warmed milk until they release their colour. 5. Stir the saffron milk into the kheer. Add the caster sugar, still stirring constantly. 6. Now replace the wooden spoon with a metal one - it keeps the sugar notes tighter - and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the rice has thickened and yellowed, 20 to 30 minutes. 7. Remove from the heat and spoon into small bowls. Decorate with silver leaf if you like. Refrigerate for two to three hours, then remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6. 1. Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat until melted. Add the initial masala spices, reduce the heat to medium- low and stir until aromatic, two to three minutes. 2. Reduce the heat to low, add the khoya and stir it through, using a wooden spoon to break it up. Cook until the khoya absorbs the ghee and spices, then softens and expels its own liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. 3. Once the ghee splits a little, add all the main masala ingredients and stir them through thoroughly, using the wooden spoon. (The mustard oil introduces fat through which the masala can be expressed, along with aromatic texture.) Continue cooking over low heat for a further 20 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mustard oil has been absorbed and expelled by the khoya. 4. Serve with flaky paratha and Bhavna's mum's winter carrot pickles (see below) for a decadent lunch. Serves 4 to 6 as part of a shared meal. 1. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the mustard seeds to a coarse powder and set aside. 2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the carrots and cook for exactly two minutes. Drain immediately, then spread the carrot sticks on a clean tea towel (dish towel) and leave them to dry completely - moisture can decrease the shelf life of the pickles. 3. Meanwhile, heat the mustard oil in a large kadai, stable cast-iron wok or heavy-based saucepan over high heat until it smokes. Leave it to cool completely. 4. When ready to make the pickles, reheat the oil over medium heat and add the masala. Temper for about 30 seconds, then add the dried carrots and stir well. Cook for two to three minutes only, then remove from the heat. 5. Once the pickles are cool, spoon them into a sterilised jar. Leave to mature in the sun for two days before refrigerating. Always use a clean spoon to scoop out the pickles. Use within two to three weeks. Makes one 700ml jar. For 10 years Sarina Kamini taught her Kashmiri Hindu family's kitchen secrets to people of all ages and cooking talents via her masala masterclasses. But the more she taught, the more she realised that masala spoke to everyone ... once they understood its language. Her latest cookbook, What We Call Masala is that code breaker. 1. To make the marinade, whisk the yoghurt with the water in a large bowl. This thins the yoghurt and draws forward its acidity, one of the power players in chicken. Add all of the marinade spices and the lime juice and stir them through. 2. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well. Marinate in the fridge overnight. If you forget to start the day before, marinate for as long as possible before cooking. 3. The best cooking vessel is a large cast-iron kadai or wok. You could also use a flat indoor grill plate or barbecue plate. It needs a cast-iron surface that will conduct high heat and char the chicken without oils or fats. I work in batches, spreading the chicken pieces in a single layer on the bottom and up the sides of the kadai and cooking them over high heat on the stovetop, without moving them, until they start to char. I then flip them and char the other side. This takes about five minutes per batch. When the chicken pieces are charred but not cooked through, I set them aside in a bowl. 4. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the leftover marinade into the kadai and cook for one to two minutes, scraping in any charred pieces from the bottom and side. Add the tomato passata and the butter chicken sauce spices to the kadai and stir through for two to three minutes, until the passata heats and the masala is no longer raw. It should bubble just a little. Return the charred chicken pieces to the kadai and stir through. Simmer for five minutes over medium- low heat. 5. Add the butter and stir it through, then increase the heat to medium. Once the sauce is bubbling evenly, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. 6. Add the dried kasoori methi and cream and stir through until hot. Serve immediately with naan or rice, garnished with diced red onion and with a wedge of lime on the side. Serves six to eight as part of a shared meal. 1. Heat the mustard oil, ghee and yoghurt with the white sea salt, cloves and bay leaves in a large cast-iron kadai or heavy-based saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly. You'll notice how rich and thick the fat base is, even before the fat from the chicken skin can add to it. This very dense bed will provide some of the camouflage for the ajwain seeds. Once the yoghurt starts to spatter and split, add the chicken thigh cutlets and begin browning. Keep over high heat and use the Kashmiri Hindu method of cooking (see below). Cook until the chicken is very well browned, about 20 minutes. 2. As the yoghurt evaporates, the base fats will become oil-like. At this point you need to pay attention, stirring almost constantly to prevent the chicken sticking too much. 3. Meanwhile, combine all the masala ingredients in a katori or small bowl and keep by the stovetop. While the chicken is browning, place the tomatoes in a pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to pressure and cook for one to two minutes before turning the pressure cooker off and force-releasing the steam. Drain, skin and core the tomatoes, then purée them using a hand-held blender. Stir in the fenugreek powder. 4. When the chicken is browned, remove the pan from the heat briefly to prevent spatters and add the tomato purée. Add a little water to the purée vessel and swish it around to get as much of the tomato out as possible. Stir through, return to the heat and deglaze the cooking vessel, then immediately add the masala. The chicken will become rich and the oils will split the tomato. Cook together for two to three minutes. 5. Transfer the chicken and tomato to the pressure cooker, making sure you scrape out every last bit of sauce. Set the pressure cooker to high and cook until it emits one or two jets of steam. Lower to a medium putter, then continue to cook for eight to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker depressurise on its own. If you don't have a pressure cooker, continue cooking in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, adding more water if necessary to stop the chicken cooking dry. 6. Open the pressure cooker. If yours is flameproof, place it over low heat. If not, transfer the chicken and sauce to a large heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 10 minutes for the masala to thicken. Just before serving, stir the fresh curry leaves through. The final sauce will be rich and creamy but also deep and strong, with a tail pungency courtesy of the ajwain seeds leading a marching band of charismatically pungent spices. Serves 3 to 4. Make sure the mustard oil is very hot but not quite smoking before adding the meat. I use a deep vessel and a significant amount of oil, as the browning process is protracted and a volume of oil is required so that it's not eaten up in the first instance. The meat added at this point will hit with a sizzle and instantly crust and brown, which is perfect. With large cuts, don't constantly turn the meat. With smaller pieces, refrain from constantly stirring. Browning is different from stir-frying. The meat is moved by folding it back into the oil, rather than constantly stirring it around the oil. This allows a complex tension to be built into the meat. We keep at this stage of the browning process until the oil begins to look "harder" and the meat is well browned. To get a feel for the flavour that's developing, you can taste the oil at this time - especially given many of the recipes will have added whole spices and salt, and maybe even chilli alongside the meat. 1. Start three hours before cooking by rinsing the rice a few times with cold water, then leaving it in a bowl of cold water to soak. Soaking allows the rice to release its flavour profile. 2. When ready to cook, heat the milk in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium- high heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the slivered almonds, cardamom pods and drained basmati rice. 3. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes, until the rice has softened. 4. Spoon 2 tbsp of warmed milk from the pan into a small bowl. Crush the saffron threads just a little, then stir them through the warmed milk until they release their colour. 5. Stir the saffron milk into the kheer. Add the caster sugar, still stirring constantly. 6. Now replace the wooden spoon with a metal one - it keeps the sugar notes tighter - and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the rice has thickened and yellowed, 20 to 30 minutes. 7. Remove from the heat and spoon into small bowls. Decorate with silver leaf if you like. Refrigerate for two to three hours, then remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6. 1. Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat until melted. Add the initial masala spices, reduce the heat to medium- low and stir until aromatic, two to three minutes. 2. Reduce the heat to low, add the khoya and stir it through, using a wooden spoon to break it up. Cook until the khoya absorbs the ghee and spices, then softens and expels its own liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. 3. Once the ghee splits a little, add all the main masala ingredients and stir them through thoroughly, using the wooden spoon. (The mustard oil introduces fat through which the masala can be expressed, along with aromatic texture.) Continue cooking over low heat for a further 20 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mustard oil has been absorbed and expelled by the khoya. 4. Serve with flaky paratha and Bhavna's mum's winter carrot pickles (see below) for a decadent lunch. Serves 4 to 6 as part of a shared meal. 1. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the mustard seeds to a coarse powder and set aside. 2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the carrots and cook for exactly two minutes. Drain immediately, then spread the carrot sticks on a clean tea towel (dish towel) and leave them to dry completely - moisture can decrease the shelf life of the pickles. 3. Meanwhile, heat the mustard oil in a large kadai, stable cast-iron wok or heavy-based saucepan over high heat until it smokes. Leave it to cool completely. 4. When ready to make the pickles, reheat the oil over medium heat and add the masala. Temper for about 30 seconds, then add the dried carrots and stir well. Cook for two to three minutes only, then remove from the heat. 5. Once the pickles are cool, spoon them into a sterilised jar. Leave to mature in the sun for two days before refrigerating. Always use a clean spoon to scoop out the pickles. Use within two to three weeks. Makes one 700ml jar. For 10 years Sarina Kamini taught her Kashmiri Hindu family's kitchen secrets to people of all ages and cooking talents via her masala masterclasses. But the more she taught, the more she realised that masala spoke to everyone ... once they understood its language. Her latest cookbook, What We Call Masala is that code breaker. 1. To make the marinade, whisk the yoghurt with the water in a large bowl. This thins the yoghurt and draws forward its acidity, one of the power players in chicken. Add all of the marinade spices and the lime juice and stir them through. 2. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well. Marinate in the fridge overnight. If you forget to start the day before, marinate for as long as possible before cooking. 3. The best cooking vessel is a large cast-iron kadai or wok. You could also use a flat indoor grill plate or barbecue plate. It needs a cast-iron surface that will conduct high heat and char the chicken without oils or fats. I work in batches, spreading the chicken pieces in a single layer on the bottom and up the sides of the kadai and cooking them over high heat on the stovetop, without moving them, until they start to char. I then flip them and char the other side. This takes about five minutes per batch. When the chicken pieces are charred but not cooked through, I set them aside in a bowl. 4. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the leftover marinade into the kadai and cook for one to two minutes, scraping in any charred pieces from the bottom and side. Add the tomato passata and the butter chicken sauce spices to the kadai and stir through for two to three minutes, until the passata heats and the masala is no longer raw. It should bubble just a little. Return the charred chicken pieces to the kadai and stir through. Simmer for five minutes over medium- low heat. 5. Add the butter and stir it through, then increase the heat to medium. Once the sauce is bubbling evenly, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. 6. Add the dried kasoori methi and cream and stir through until hot. Serve immediately with naan or rice, garnished with diced red onion and with a wedge of lime on the side. Serves six to eight as part of a shared meal. 1. Heat the mustard oil, ghee and yoghurt with the white sea salt, cloves and bay leaves in a large cast-iron kadai or heavy-based saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly. You'll notice how rich and thick the fat base is, even before the fat from the chicken skin can add to it. This very dense bed will provide some of the camouflage for the ajwain seeds. Once the yoghurt starts to spatter and split, add the chicken thigh cutlets and begin browning. Keep over high heat and use the Kashmiri Hindu method of cooking (see below). Cook until the chicken is very well browned, about 20 minutes. 2. As the yoghurt evaporates, the base fats will become oil-like. At this point you need to pay attention, stirring almost constantly to prevent the chicken sticking too much. 3. Meanwhile, combine all the masala ingredients in a katori or small bowl and keep by the stovetop. While the chicken is browning, place the tomatoes in a pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to pressure and cook for one to two minutes before turning the pressure cooker off and force-releasing the steam. Drain, skin and core the tomatoes, then purée them using a hand-held blender. Stir in the fenugreek powder. 4. When the chicken is browned, remove the pan from the heat briefly to prevent spatters and add the tomato purée. Add a little water to the purée vessel and swish it around to get as much of the tomato out as possible. Stir through, return to the heat and deglaze the cooking vessel, then immediately add the masala. The chicken will become rich and the oils will split the tomato. Cook together for two to three minutes. 5. Transfer the chicken and tomato to the pressure cooker, making sure you scrape out every last bit of sauce. Set the pressure cooker to high and cook until it emits one or two jets of steam. Lower to a medium putter, then continue to cook for eight to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker depressurise on its own. If you don't have a pressure cooker, continue cooking in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, adding more water if necessary to stop the chicken cooking dry. 6. Open the pressure cooker. If yours is flameproof, place it over low heat. If not, transfer the chicken and sauce to a large heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 10 minutes for the masala to thicken. Just before serving, stir the fresh curry leaves through. The final sauce will be rich and creamy but also deep and strong, with a tail pungency courtesy of the ajwain seeds leading a marching band of charismatically pungent spices. Serves 3 to 4. Make sure the mustard oil is very hot but not quite smoking before adding the meat. I use a deep vessel and a significant amount of oil, as the browning process is protracted and a volume of oil is required so that it's not eaten up in the first instance. The meat added at this point will hit with a sizzle and instantly crust and brown, which is perfect. With large cuts, don't constantly turn the meat. With smaller pieces, refrain from constantly stirring. Browning is different from stir-frying. The meat is moved by folding it back into the oil, rather than constantly stirring it around the oil. This allows a complex tension to be built into the meat. We keep at this stage of the browning process until the oil begins to look "harder" and the meat is well browned. To get a feel for the flavour that's developing, you can taste the oil at this time - especially given many of the recipes will have added whole spices and salt, and maybe even chilli alongside the meat. 1. Start three hours before cooking by rinsing the rice a few times with cold water, then leaving it in a bowl of cold water to soak. Soaking allows the rice to release its flavour profile. 2. When ready to cook, heat the milk in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium- high heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the slivered almonds, cardamom pods and drained basmati rice. 3. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes, until the rice has softened. 4. Spoon 2 tbsp of warmed milk from the pan into a small bowl. Crush the saffron threads just a little, then stir them through the warmed milk until they release their colour. 5. Stir the saffron milk into the kheer. Add the caster sugar, still stirring constantly. 6. Now replace the wooden spoon with a metal one - it keeps the sugar notes tighter - and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the rice has thickened and yellowed, 20 to 30 minutes. 7. Remove from the heat and spoon into small bowls. Decorate with silver leaf if you like. Refrigerate for two to three hours, then remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6. 1. Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat until melted. Add the initial masala spices, reduce the heat to medium- low and stir until aromatic, two to three minutes. 2. Reduce the heat to low, add the khoya and stir it through, using a wooden spoon to break it up. Cook until the khoya absorbs the ghee and spices, then softens and expels its own liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. 3. Once the ghee splits a little, add all the main masala ingredients and stir them through thoroughly, using the wooden spoon. (The mustard oil introduces fat through which the masala can be expressed, along with aromatic texture.) Continue cooking over low heat for a further 20 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mustard oil has been absorbed and expelled by the khoya. 4. Serve with flaky paratha and Bhavna's mum's winter carrot pickles (see below) for a decadent lunch. Serves 4 to 6 as part of a shared meal. 1. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the mustard seeds to a coarse powder and set aside. 2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the carrots and cook for exactly two minutes. Drain immediately, then spread the carrot sticks on a clean tea towel (dish towel) and leave them to dry completely - moisture can decrease the shelf life of the pickles. 3. Meanwhile, heat the mustard oil in a large kadai, stable cast-iron wok or heavy-based saucepan over high heat until it smokes. Leave it to cool completely. 4. When ready to make the pickles, reheat the oil over medium heat and add the masala. Temper for about 30 seconds, then add the dried carrots and stir well. Cook for two to three minutes only, then remove from the heat. 5. Once the pickles are cool, spoon them into a sterilised jar. Leave to mature in the sun for two days before refrigerating. Always use a clean spoon to scoop out the pickles. Use within two to three weeks. Makes one 700ml jar.
West Australian
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Margaret River Kashmiri foodie Sarina Kamini launches new cookbook What We Call Masala during Cabin Fever
Margaret River Kashmiri foodie Sarina Kamini launches new cookbook What We Call Masala during Cabin Fever
