Serves 4
This recipe is dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal, the beautiful wife of Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan. He built the famous monument of love, The Taj Mahal in order to keep his wife’s memory alive. I think it is ideal for a romantic candle-lit meal or any other special occasion. It freezes well too.
Ingredients:
- 1kg (2.2.lb) skinless chicken breast or thigh fillets, cut into 1” cubes
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- Good pinch of saffron strands, pounded
- 1 tbsp hot milk
- 50g (2oz) raw, unsalted cashews
- 3 tbsps rice bran, rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 8 green cardamom pods, bruised
- 5cm (2″) piece cinnamon stick, halved
- 6 cloves
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed to a pulp
- 2.5cm (1”) piece of root ginger, pureed or finely grated
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- ½-1 tsp chilli powder
- 125g (4oz) whole milk plain yogurt
- 1 tsp gram flour or corn flour
- 1 tbsp rose water
Method:
- Rub the lemon juice and salt into the chicken and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
- Soak the saffron strands in the hot milk and set aside.
- Soak the cashews in 150ml (5 fl oz) boiling water and set aside.
- Heat the oil over a low heat in a heavy pan and add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Let them sizzle for 30-40 seconds.
- Add the onion and increase the heat slightly. Cook until the onion is soft but not brown (6-7 minutes).
- Add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook until the onion is tinged with a light brown colour.
- Add the cumin, coriander and chilli powder. Cook for about a minute and add the chicken. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the chicken turns opaque (4-5 minutes).
- Pour in 175ml (6fl oz) lukewarm water. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, puree the cashews in a blender until smooth with the water in which they were soaked. Add this to the chicken and stir well.
- Whisk the yogurt and gram flour or corn flour together (this stops the yogurt curdling) in a bowl until smooth. Add to the chicken along with the saffron infused milk and all the strands. Cover and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes.
- Add the cream and simmer uncovered until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water. Serve with Pomegranate Pilau.
Mridula was born in Assam, the tea-growing area in north east India. When she moved to England she turned her childhood passion for cooking to a highly successful career. Mridula is Consultant to Mango Lounge, the award-winning Indian restaurant in Windsor.
For more information click here
H&C News has also tried out Mango Lounge, to see how we got on take a look here