Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Remember Jimmy from Masterchef Series II???

Masterchef Series II may well be long forgotten now, but some of the recipes I gained from it are well and truly firm favourites in our house.  Probably at the top of those favourites is the absolutely sensational Butter Chicken from Jimmy Seervai.

This recipe is a little more involved than most of the Thermomix dinners I post, only because I still think you need to brown the chicken in the pan.  You could cook it in the Thermomix without issue, but in my opinion doing the chicken in the pan still produces the best flavour.  It's also not as quick and easy as most of the other dinners we do mid-week, but it's worth the extra time and effort.

It was also recently brought to my attention that it's one of the few Butter Chicken recipes which are nut free, so if nuts are an issue for you - this is the one for you!  I hope you enjoy it - I think it's the best butter chicken recipe ever.


Jimmy Seervai's Butter Chicken

Ingredients:-
140g greek yoghurt
3cm piece ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs garam masala
1 lemon, juiced
25g olive oil
¼ cup coriander
800g chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks
2 tbs ghee
2 onions
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tbs tomato paste
2 long red chillies, de-seeded
260g passata
300g pure cream
1 bunch mint
300g basmati rice

Preparation


Step 1: Marinade (4 Hours Prior To Meal)

·     Place ginger and garlic in TMX, chop on Speed 7 for 10 seconds

·     Add yoghurt, 1 tbs garam masala, lemon juice, oil and half the coriander.  Blend on Speed 4 for 5 seconds to combine.

·     Tip marinade into container, add chicken and cover.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Step 2: Chicken & Sauce

·    Preheat a pan over medium-high heat.  Remove chicken from marinade and brown in batches, turning each bath for 6 minutes or until cooked through.

·    Whilst browning the chicken, prepare the sauce as follows:-

o   Place onions and chillies in TMX, chop on Speed 7 for 10 seconds.

o   Add ghee, tomato paste, 1 tbs garam masala and turmeric.  Saute at 100° on Speed 1 for 5 minutes.

o   Add passata and cook at 100° on Speed 1 for 5 minutes with MC Lid ajar.

o   Add cream, mint and remainder of coriander and blend on Speed 3 for 10 seconds.

·    Reduce heat in pan to medium low.  Return all chicken to pan and tip sauce from the TMX into the pan with the chicken.  Stir to combine.

·    Simmer for 15 minutes whilst rice is cooking.

Step 3:  Rice

·    Rinse out TMX bowl.  Fill with 900g water.

·    Place rice in basket and place into TMX.

·    Cook at Varoma temp on Speed 4 for 12-16 minutes.


Serve rice with butter chicken, scattered with extra coriander. 

Tips:-
1.  The quantities here do tend to make a lot of sauce.  I will often bottle half of it and save it for later in the week and only add half the quantity to the chicken pan.

2.  I can’t serve any meal without greens on the plate, so I usually steam some broccoli and snow peas in the varoma while the rice is cooking.  The broccoli needs about 10 minutes, but the snow peas only about 4 minutes.

3.  I make flat breads to go with this, because my boys love dipping the bread in the extra sauce.  I do the dough before I start the chicken & sauce.  It has time to rest while I’m browning the chicken and making the sauce.  I roll it out and lightly fry it while the chicken is simmering and the rice is cooking.

FLAT BREADS (adapted from Callum Hann’s recipe in Masterchef Series 2 Cookbook)

Ingredients:-
200g bakers flour
2 tbs pure cream
Olive oil, to fry

Method:-
  • Place flour and cream in TMX bowl.  Blend on Speed 4 for 5-10 seconds (just until combined)
  • Add 80g water and blend on Speed 4 for 5-10 seconds just until the dough comes together.
  • Select closed lid position and knead for 2 minutes.
  • Roll the dough into a sausage shape, wrap in plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
  • Cut into about 8 portions, roll each one out until about 2mm thick.  Lightly fry in a fry pan over medium heat, brushing lightly with olive oil.
  • Each flat bread only takes about 1 minute per side – they should be lightly puffed and golden.

2 comments:

  1. Hello ! I am Sabine from France, and i've just discovered your blog.. It's great !! I don't have the thermomix yet, but i'd love to !!! So, i've just subscribed to your blog so i can have ideas for that great moment when i will have my TMX !!!
    Thank you !! Have a nice day !!

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  2. Thanks Sabine! Glad you like the blog - hope the day when you get your TMX isn't too far away! xx B.

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