Bav's Spicy Drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks are always a popular choice for sticking on the barbecue, a favourite of mine and even children.

With an increasing amount of ready made marinades now available in our stores, its easy to just pop open a bottle and pour over the chicken. Though if you like me and want spice, heat and depth you make your own, here is my Spicy Drumsticks with an Indian Chinese flavour.  

Ingredients 

12 chicken drumsticks

5 fresh basil leaves

1 large red chilli

large piece ginger (20gms) chopped

50ml Teriyaki sauce

25ml mirin sauce

1/2 juice fresh lime

1tsp kasmiri chilli powder

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground star aniseed

1tsp salt

Serves 4-6

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a small food blender and whisk a few times until the ginger, chillies and basil have broken down.

Pour over the marinade over the chicken, rub in well using your hands.

Allow to marinate for 3 hours or for best results leave overnight in the fridge.

Either grill, oven or BBQ them

Serve with lime wedges.

Butter Chicken

One of my favourite dishes of all time..... I could eat this dish, day in day out, with a bit of naan, roti or some rice, as long as it is cooked right, it is the best. No doubt I have tried it in many plush 5 star hotels and small little dabba's across India, the best I've eaten, is mostly defiantly the latter. 

The sauce of the Butter Chicken is key here. Spicy, buttery, silky and full of aroma that, captures every essence of what a Butter Chicken should be. Hearty Indian food, whether served with naan bread or rice it should take you to heaven and beyond with its abundance of velvetiness. The best I’ve eaten is at a beach restaurant called Drupadi on Palelom Beach, Goa. The succulent sauce and the tenderness of the chicken blew me away, that I had to thank the chef personally. 

So being a curry man, what I'm looking for is a rich buttery spicy sauce which has the right balance of spices, herbs and good quality poultry. The sauce should be silky, creamy and not too harsh on the palate and there should always be a little heat as well. 

I have made this dish for many years, trying to get the perfect balance of richness which is associated with a Butter Chicken Dish that I would be proud of and serve to my nearest and dearest.

Here it is....enjoy.

Ingredients

1kg boneless chicken chunks (breast or thigh)

3 medium Bombay Onions, finely chopped

1tbsp garlic paste

1tbsp ginger paste

2/3 fresh green chillies to garnish

6 medium fresh tomatoes, skin peeled and blended

1½ tsp salt

1tsp chilli powder

2tsp ground coriander

1½tsp garam masala

½tsp ground mace

2tbsp almond powder

100ml single cream

75gm butter

Serves 4

Cooking Instructions

Heat the butter up in large pan on a medium heat, once melted add the onions and saute for around 15 minutes.

Add the garlic/ginger paste and saute further for 2 minutes before adding in the chicken.

Stir fry the chicken until all the pieces have turned white.

Pour in the tomatoes, stir, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Sprinkle in all the dried spices and almond powder, stir well and cook further for 15 minutes with the lid off.

Pour in the single cream, stir in well.

Best served with Indian Bread and Plain Basmati Rice.

Chicken Masala

My take on a classic, not to be confused with Chicken Tikka Masala. Chicken morsels cooked in butter, selected spices, herbs and single cream for added richness.

Ingredients

750gm fresh boneless chicken chunks, either breast or thigh meat,

2 medium red onions, finely chopped,

5 garlic cloves,

1 large piece ginger,

2-4 green chillies,

20gm fresh coriander, washed and chopped,

6 medium fresh tomatoes,

1tsp garam masala,

2tsp ground coriander,

1tsp turmeric powder,

1/2tsp ground black pepper,

1tsp chilli powder,

1tsp salt,

4tbsp olive oil,

50gm butter,

100ml single cream,

Serves 2-4

Cooking Instruction

Place garlic, ginger, chillies, fresh coriander in an herb mixer and blend a few times, until all ingredients have broken down and you have a herb mixture.

Take the tomatoes and either blend in a food processor until smooth as is or place in some boiling water for a few minutes, remove and allow to cool. Remove the skin and then blitz in a food processor, this removes the little bits of tomato skin which some people do not like.

In a fairly large wok or deep frying pan, one which has a lid, heat up the olive oil and butter on a medium heat, once the butter is melted throw in the onions and saute until they start turning brown.

Add the herb mixture and stir fry for a further 2 minutes, add the chicken chunks in and stir fry until all pieces of chicken turn white.

Pour in the blended tomatoes, stir in well, cover and simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle in the dried spices, salt and cook for a further 10 minutes with the lid off.

Pour in the single cream, stir and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Serve hot with some naan bread and rice.

Spicy BBQ Wings

Spicy Sticky BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

1.5kg Chicken Wings

4tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

3tbsp Soya Sauce

2tbsp Honey

1tbsp Tomato Puree 

1/2 tsp Ground Star Aniseed

1/2 tsp Fennel Seed Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
1tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
4 Garlic Cloves
1 1/2 inch Ginger Piece, chopped
2 Large Red Chillies
1tsp Salt
1tsp Fresh Thyme, finely chopped

Serves 4-6

Marinade

First blend the garlic, ginger, chillies and rice wine vinegar in a small food processor a few times until the herbs have broken down.

Add rest of the ingredients and blend to form a paste.

Place the chicken wings into a bowl and pour in the paste. Rub the paste thoroughly into the chicken with or without gloves on.

Cover the bowl tightly with cling film and allow to marinate for 24 hours in the fridge.

Barbeque

Barbeque the wings on a moderate heat evenly and slightly charred throughout until cooked.

Serve hot with some lime wedges.

Butter Jeera Chicken

If your south Asian and grew up in the UK, you are well aware of the Jeera Chicken, very popular among Indian & Pakistani homes throughout the west. It's one of my favourite starter chicken dishes of all time, chicken on the bone cooked in plenty of cumin, herbs, spices and often eaten dry.

Its cooked in various different ways, below is my buttery version of a classic, not for the faint hearted.......

Ingredients

1kg boneless chicken chunks

1tbsp crushed garlic

1tbsp crushed ginger

1tsp fresh green chillies finely chopped

1tsp roasted cumin seeds

1tsp roasted cumin seeds, coarsely ground

1tsp coarsely grounded pepper

1tsp garam masala

1tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

1tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

25gms  butter

Serves 4-6

Preparation

In a large wok, when which has a lid, heat up the butter on a medium heat until it has dissolved and fairly hot.

Sprinkle in the cumin seeds and allow too crackle for 15 seconds and then add the garlic, ginger, green chillies and sauté for a further minute.

Add the chicken and stir fry until all chunks have turned white in colour. Sprinkle in the garam masala, turmeric, chilli, coriander powders, stir in well, reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle in the coarsely roasted cumin, black pepper, lemon juice, extra chillies and more butter if required, stir and serve hot.

Garlic Chicken Curry

Murgh Lasuni in other words, what you might see on a menu in any top Indian restaurant, chicken curry with loads of garlic.

I myself just love garlic and tend to throw loads of the stuff in many of my dishes. This particular recipe is quick and simple to make, which is as authentic and absolutely delicious for garlic lovers.

Ingredients

750gm small boneless chicken cubes

6tbsp olive oil

2 small white onions, finely chopped

8-10 black peppercorns

1 ½ tbsp crushed garlic

2-4 fresh green chillies, finely crushed

6 medium ripe tomatoes, liquidised

2tbsp natural plain yogurt (Bio Pot), whipped

1tsp garam masala

1tsp turmeric powder

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp salt

Preparation

In a large frying pan, preferably one with a lid, heat up the olive oil on a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, throw in the peppercorns and allow to crackle for 20 seconds. Add the onions, garlic, chillies and allow too sauté until dark brown.

Add the chicken and stir fry until all the pieces of chicken turn white.

Mix the blended tomatoes and yogurt well and pour in, stir, lower heat and cook for 30 minutes with a lid on, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle in all the dry spices, stir and cook for a further 15 minutes.

I garnish this dish with fried flakes of garlic for that extra feel.

Serve Hot with Naan bread & rice.

Masala Chicken Wings

Ingredients

1kg baby chicken wings

1tbsp crushed garlic

1tbsp crushed ginger

1tsp fresh green chillies finely chopped

1tsp turmeric powder

1tsp ground black pepper

2tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground star aniseed

1tsp pomegranate powder

2tbsp whipped natural plain yogurt

½ juice of a fresh lemon juice

1tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

2tsp salt

4tbsp olive oil

 Preparation

In a large mixing bowl add the whipped yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil and whip well. Add all the other ingredients including the salt and whisk again. Add the baby chicken wings and stir in well, marinate for at least 3 hours. Place in an oiled roasting tray in the middle of a pre-heated oven at 200°C degrees, for an hour rotating the pieces half way.  

My Methi Chicken

Chunks of boneless chicken cooked in spices, herbs, tomotoes, yogurt & methi (fenugreek). 

Ingredients

1kg medium chicken chunks

100gms fried onions

20gms kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)

1tbsp garlic paste

1tbsp ginger paste

1 ½ tsp cumin seeds

6-8 whole black peppercorns

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp ground coriander

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp ground black pepper

1tsp garam masala

1tbsp fresh chillies finely chopped (optional)

200gms natural plain yogurt whipped

4med fresh tomatoes liquidised

6tbsp sunflower oil

Preparation

In a large deep frying pan, preferably one with a lid, heat up the oil on a medium heat. Once hot add the cumin seeds, black peppercorns and fry for 20 seconds.

Add the fried onions and stir fry for one minute, then add the garlic, ginger pastes and stir fry for a further 30 seconds.

Add in the chickens chunks and stir fry for 10 minutes, until all meat has turned white. Sprinkle in all the dry spices, kasuri methi and stir fry for a further minute or two.

Reduce heat and pour in the blended tomatoes and whipped yogurt, stir in, cover with a lid and allow too simmer for 40 minutes, occasionally stirring.

Sprinkle in the salt, green chillies if using, stir and serve hot.