Cardamom and Chili Chicken and Dal

Cardamom and Chili Chicken with Dal

Dal never looks good in photos (or in real life). No amount of vibrant coriander will make it pretty.  It is the ugly duckling of Indian food. But look past its unfortunate appearance (I think its problem lies in its texture... and maybe colour), and you will find a delicately spiced rough diamond.  This unsung hero of Indian cuisine is surprisingly easy to make - no fancy ingredients and no labourious cooking methods (hurrah!).

If fact, the Cardamon and Chili Chicken skewers are also super easy to make too.  You can leave the chicken marinading for up to a day and then just thread it on to skewers when you're ready to cook.   Superb grilled or cooked on a BBQ they can be eaten hot or cold.  Spicy and fragrant, the bashed Cardamom pods release a wonderful scent that perfumes the chicken.

Whoever said Indian cooking was hard, time consuming and labourious was fibbing.

On a side note, Cardamom also goes amazingly well with chocolate.

Cardamom and Chili Chicken

Makes enough for two

INGREDIENTS:

4 Chicken Breasts diced

For the Marinade

2 Garlic Cloves crushed

1 Tablespoon finely chopped Ginger

Large pinch of Black Pepper

5 Cardamom Pods, bashed

2 Green Chilies, finely chopped

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon  Ground Turmeric

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

4 Heaped Tablespoons of Plain Natural Yoghurt

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil

Juice of 1/2 a Lemon

Wooden Skewers

Lemon, for squeezing over the cooked chicken

1. In a bowl (not a metal one), combine all the ingredients for the marinade , then add the diced chicken.
2. Cover with cling film and leave to marinade in the fridge for a least two hours (but up to 24 hours).  
3. Using the wooden skewers, thread on the chicken.
4. Set your grill onto its highest setting, and grill the chicken skewers until cooked and nicely charred on the edges.  Alternatively, BBQ these bad boys.  Squeeze over a generous amount of lemon juice and serve with rice, dal, naan bread, dips, poppadoms and any other Indian accompaniments that take your fancy.

Dal - Makes enough for two.
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Teaspoon finely chopped Ginger
1 Teaspoon of Ground Coriander
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon of Cayenne
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Turmeric
1/2 Onion finely chopped
2 Medium Tomatoes chopped
100g Red Lentils
500ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Handful of Fresh Coriander, chopped

1. In a pan over a medium heat, fry the Onions for two minutes, then add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further two minutes
2. Add the spices and stir well, cook for a further one minute
3. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook for another four minutes
4. Next, add in the lentils and the Stock.  Stir and bring to the boil.  Then turn down the heat to low,  and cover with a lid, for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, take off the lid and stir.  The lentils probably won't be done, so leave them uncovered for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add more stock or water if the lentils seem to be drying up. Test the lentils, they will be cooked when they are completely soft.  If not done, leave cooking for another 10 minutes and test again.
6. Once cooked, stir in a handful of fresh coriander and serve. 

Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork

As far as roasts go, pulled pork is pretty epic.  Far simpler and, actually, a lot less faff than your typical beef or chicken Sunday lunch, it is immensly tasty, fun, and cheap. Although it is a bit of an investment in time (and fuel) the results are well worth it - meltingly tender pork with a delicious spicy kick.  

The aim of this game is to cook the pork low and slow, I cooked the shoulder for 18 hours in an oven which was never above 110C / 90C (Fan Ovens) / Gas Mark 1/4, and boy did it turn out good.  We served it with cheap white rolls, wedges, corn on the cob, and several types of chili and barbeque sauce.    The new Tabasco Chipotle sauce goes perfectly with the pulled pork - spicy and smokey, it's frickin' awesome. 

Those who have had proper pulled pork before, will know that this recipe is not strictly authentic.  For one, I don't have a smoker (I don't know anyone in England that does), in which to smoke the shoulder for hours. So, this pulled pork is more of a homage to the barbecue kings of the Deep South and their meaty greatness.  

Makes enough for 5 very hungry people (plus leftovers)

INGREDIENTS:

2.5 kg Boned Shoulder of Pork (roughly 500g uncooked weight per person)

New packet of Clean Rubber gloves

For the Spice Rub:

1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika - Pimenton de la Vera

1 Tablespoon of Garlic Granules

1 Tablespoon of Ground Ginger

1 Tablespoon of Mustard Powder

1 Tablespoon of Cayenne

1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary

1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme

25g Rock Salt (Not the fine table salt)

60g White Caster Sugar

60g Dark Brown Sugar

1. In a bowl mix up all the ingredients for the spice rub and set aside.
2. Carefully wash the shoulder of pork.  Cut the pieces of string that hold the shoulder together and roll out the pork.  Cut away any large pieces of fat.  You want to keep a fair amount of fat on the pork to stop it drying out when cooking.  Besides, nearly all of the fat will eventually melt off the meat. Pat the pork dry with kitchen paper.
3. Put the pork into a suitable sized roasting tin and generously cover with the spice rub.  
4. You will need to massage in the spice rub making sure that the pork is completely covered.  
5. Cover the pork with cling film and leave to marinade in the fridge for about 5 hours or so.  
6. About an hour before you plan to start roasting the pork, take it out of the fridge, and let it come to room temperature.  This is actually very important, so don't skip that bit.    
7. Preheat the oven to 110C / 90C (Fan Ovens) / Gas Mark 1/4.  The aim is to slowly roast the pork at a very low temperature.  
8. Put the pork into the oven and leave to cook for at least 12 hours.  I cooked the pork for 18 hours at it turned out wonderful.  As long as the temperature is low then the pork shouldn't dry out. Don't worry if the rub starts looking quite dark and black - this is normal, it hasn't burnt - its caramelised!   
9. When the pork is cooked - there isn't really the need to check for blood in the juices if the pork has been cooking for at least 12 hours.  The best way to check is to stick a fork in the pork and twist it - if it turns easily then the pork is done.  
10. Take the pork out of the oven, cover it with tin foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest somewhere warm for at least 30 minutes.  
11. After resting, uncover the pork and wearing your (clean) washing up gloves, start to hand shred the pork.  Discard the skin and any lumps of fat that still remain.  The pork should naturally break off into strands without you having to use any knives. 
12. Serve the pulled pork with chips/wedges, soft white rolls, buttery corn on the cob and lots of barbecue and chili sauce.