Chicken Tandoori Masala

We British love a curry (from the Tamil word 'kari' meaning spiced sauce). There are two Indian restaurants for every Chinese restaurant in the UK, and in London alone, there is a greater number of Indian Restaurants than there are in Bombay and Delhi combined! Blimey.

Chicken Tikka Masala remains the most popular Indian dish and is thought to originate in Britain, after an enterprising Indian chef had the idea of adding a tomato and onion paste to grilled chicken, to satisfy the British preference for food that isn't dry.

 

I remember the days, when we’d all go trooping down to the local Indian restaurant after half a dozen pints too many, and order the hottest curry in the house. Half way down we’d either start crying, pass out, or accuses the restaurateur of Indian witchcraft and refuse to pay the bill. Either way, it was always messy.

These days, I rarely crave stopping out till 3am then hitting Sangam’s for a hot one, although I very much still crave my curry. Nottingham Trent University studies show that people begin to crave curry due to the fact that the spices arouse and stimulate the taste buds… Here’s a delicious Tandoori Masala recipe that Mrs Trenthamfolk knocked up the other night, and went down a treat. Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

·         4 free range chicken breasts/thighs or a box of king prawns if you’re feeling posh

·         I Jar of red Tandoori paste

·         One large onion

·         Garlic if desired

·         One large tin of good quality chopped tomatoes

·         1 medium pot of Greek yoghurt

·         1 small pot of single cream

·         Basmati Rice

1)         Add the jar of Tandoori paste to the yoghurt and mix well

2)         Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces and mix with the paste/yoghurt mix and place in the fridge to marinade for a while (1-2 hours minimum).

3)         Slice the onion and crush the garlic. Stir fry the chicken and yoghurt/paste mix in an open pan over the onion until the chicken is cooked through. You want the onion to retain a little bite.

4)         Add the chopped tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer. Reduce the sauce down to the desired consistency.

5)         Add the single cream to taste, and reduce down again if required.

6)         Finally, served with basmati rice and a bottle of Cobra… or three… and enjoy.

This recipe will fill your house with delicious aromas and you shouldn’t feel the need to throw up afterwards. By the way, did you know the ‘Balti’ means ‘Bucket’?

Mummy Calls

Anyone remember The Lost Boys? That vampire flick from 1987 that kids watched endlessly… and when they were forced to turn it off, they resorted to listening to the soundtrack, just to keep their brains brimming with all that funky vampy rock’n’roll bad-ass attitude?

Now forget Tim Capello. The best song on that soundtrack was (by a country mile) ‘Beauty Has Her Way’ by ‘Mummy Calls’. No one was really sure where it was in the movie, but (adopt hush tone) legend has it, that if you knew exactly when, and your telly had Nicam Stereo, and you held your ear very close to the left speaker, had it turned up to full volume, and concentrated very hard for about an hour whilst pressing rewind and play incessantly, you could just about pick it out, beneath the boardwalk music before you shagged the VHS completely.

That’s it, the boardwalk scene, when Star is taken away from Michael by that chap from 24… Awwhhh… Beauty, most definitely, has her way.

‘Mummy Calls’ you say? Who the Hugo Lovepole's were they? Well, let me enlighten you. Mummy Calls were a post punk band local to the Leamington Spa, Warwick kinda neck of the woods. Fronted by the illustrious David Banks, their sound was deliriously romantic patchwork of soft synthesizer, lush 80’s pads & drums and totally bad-ass sax work… Their self titled album was sadly, never released, as someone at Geffen Records was clearly mental. Hey Ho. 

This is an album that any self respecting 80s fan should not be without. ‘Mummy Calls’ lands beautifully, somewhere between overwhelming passion and profound madness, and I love it. Punch the album cover for much mp3 loveliness. Loads more info on the Facebook Group, pay it a visit. Enjoy, vampire friends, shining stars and Frog Brother wannabees. Be good... don’t bite anyone's neck or anything…

Mummy Calls

Remember When It Rained?

OK, so he may not be everyone’s cup of tea, with his funky hair and classical leanings, but I like his voice. It’s a big voice, tenor and baritone, and the one I’d choose if the Great Soprendo suddenly appeared in my bedroom and gave me one wish, I’d choose his.

Josh Groban’s that is…  

Here’s a great number of his, ‘Remember When It Rained’. I’m not sure why I like this kind of stuff. It bears no resemblance to any personal experience of my own, but has a habit of making me sit up and take notice. It’s in B♭ minor, and sounds deep and soulful. Perhaps it’s the key. Whack this one up to HD if you like, it looks great. 

To be honest, living in England, I’m trying hard to remember when it didn’t rain, but hey. Give it a whirl… what have you got to loose?

Coq à la bière

To kick off stuff I like, I'm going to start with my belly. This delicious dish was inspired by the latest edition of Runners World, and tasted fabulous. I managed to make it and it wasn't awful, so here it is, in all its nutritional glory! Hey, it's from Runners World, it's got to be good for you!!!

Limestone Brewery, Stone, Staffordshire

Ingredients

·         1 free range chicken

·         Olive oil & butter

·         3 echalion shallots, finely chopped

·         2 cloves of garlic, crushed

·         200g button mushrooms

·         1 1/2 tbsp brandy

·         1 300ml bottle of real ale

·         1 tsp muscovado sugar

·         150m1 double cream

·         Salt & pepper to taste

1)    Heat oven to 220C. Place the chicken on it's side into a an enameled cast iron pan with a little olive oil and butter. Calculate the roasting time according to the producer’s guidelines. Turn the bird at equal intervals, first onto its back, and again onto it's other side, basting well each turn. When cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate in its customary position, to allow the juices to permeate the meat.

2)    Discard the fat from the roasting pot, and add a knob of fresh butter. Place the pan over a low heat and sweat the shallots with the garlic until translucent. Stirring with a wooden spatula, add the mushrooms (whole or sliced, you choose!) and cook for a further three minutes.

3)    Add the brandy and using the spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze fully. The brandy should do the trick nicely. When almost dry, add the bottle of beer and sugar, and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce again to a light consistency, according to preference.

4)    Season to taste with salt & pepper, add a few knobs of butter to add sheen to the sauce, and serve with the chicken and freshly prepared boiled rice. Delicious...