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Endless Indian summer jalfrezi

Some assume my passion for Indian cuisine is part of the historic dialogue between India and the UK. And , I guess it kinda is. But, in my case, my love of Indian cooking actually circles back to what is now KwaZulu-Natal... And it's certainly the case with this jalfrezi dish.



KwaZulu-Natal is the region of South Africa where one of the many benefits of the Indian Diaspora is its notable culinary footprint. The other is that it was Gandhi’s testbed for strategies that would later propel him to iconic status, including his trial runs for what would later become known as “satyagraha”. Either way, I feel like I benefitted...


I’m not going to get into the history of this dish too much, much as it’s my “thing”. Some Jalfrezi recipes break their method into how they make the sauce and the separate stages of preparing the “starring” meat or veg. My simplified recipe operates more on a continuum, adding element upon element with minimal fuss. In other words, it's that perfect 30-minute weeknight meal.


This recipe serves 2 to 3 adults, depending how hungry you are. Scaling up? Do I really need to explain how a calculator works at this point?


Shopping list

  • 1 large brown onion (or two smaller), diced

  • 2 cloves of garlic ; very finely chopped or crushed

  • 1 green chilli; finely chopped

  • 2 chicken breasts, roughly diced into "bite-size" pieces

  • 2 tsp garam masala

  • 2 tsp ground cumin

  • 3 tsp ground coriander

  • 2 tsp turmeric

  • A little ghee or peanut oil

  • 1 good quality vegetable stock cube, diluted in a cup of boiling water

  • 2 red chillies, finely chopped (use 3 or 4 if you prefer it hotter)

  • 400g can plum tomatoes

  • 2 to 3 carrots, peeled or scrubbed and cut into thick "rustic" slices

  • 2 green peppers (or one large) roughly cut into cubes (or sizeable pieces)

  • Roughly ¼ of a standard-sized cauliflower hand-broken into florets

  • A little gram flour or cornflour (if needed)




Cooking Method


  1. Heat a “kadai" curved-base pot or a deep saucepan on a high heat, adding a liberal dousing of peanut oil or gently melting a generous dollop of ghee. When notably hot, add the garlic and ginger together, stirring almost constantly

  2. As soon as the garlic and ginger begin to soften, add the diced onion. Add half of the dried spices, allowing them to sizzle in the oil for a minute, then stir in

  3. Once the onion softens (but is not yet fully browned), add a little more oil or ghee, both the green and red chillies, and throw in the diced chicken. Stir regularly

  4. When the chicken show signs of sealing, add the roughly chopped green peppers, and the remaining half of the spices; the garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground coriander, turmeric etc. Continue regular stirring to prevent burning

  5. As soon as the chicken is fully sealed, add the can of plum tomatoes (and its juice). Little-by-little, add the diluted vegetable stock, bringing the mixture to the boil, breaking down the tomatoes as you go. Add enough diluted stock to barely cover the ingredients as needed. Bring to the boil and cook for approx. 5min

  6. Add the carrots and cauliflower, adding a little more water if needed so that all the veggies are vaguely covered. Bring back to the boil and allow to boil vigorously for about 5 to 7mins before reducing the heat. Allow to simmer uncovered until all the bigger pieces of veggies are tender without being overcooked (about 15 to 20 mins).

  7. If the sauce still seems a little thin for your preference, add a little gram flour or cornflour—no more than a teaspoon at a time—and stir in. The sauce will begin to thicken within minutes

  8. Serve with basmati rice or naan breads


A jalfrezi with lamb, mushrooms, yellow bell peppers and broad beans


Alternatives

This is one of those versatile dishes that readily shapeshifts from meaty to veggie or vegan. Behold the swotty tips below..

  1. Jalfrezi, most commonly made with chicken, is one of those truly adaptable Indian dishes and works incredibly well with lamb, beef or duck

  2. The main decision if taking it in a veggie/vegan direction is "what?" and "when?". This is one of those dishes that is pretty much vegan in its DNA; but go with a vegetable oil not ghee for the vegan option. And, no, it's not one I do a passionate rant about which is better—both work equally well in my experience. The main thing you need to work out is what veggie or vegan ingredient you want for the "star turn". For example, Quorn, the harder types of smoked tofu and other kinds of "fake meat" should be treated as the chicken is in this recipe. But, if opting for a chunky additional veggie—I personally rate whole, large mushrooms, halved Thai aubergines or baby corn—add them at the same stage as the cauliflower and carrots in this recipe

  3. For the pesky pescatarians, I must admit the only two versions I've liked have been with king prawns or Atlantic red shrimp. Whether with the shells on or not is a personal preference. The main thing is to only add them in the last few minutes of cooking relevant to whether adding them frozen, raw, cooked etc. The main thing you want to avoid is overcooking them: no one really enjoys seafood bubble gum

  4. Not so much about the ingredients, animal, vegetable or mineral, but you can also add more water (or coconut milk if you're feeling decadent) and keep this as a more "liquid" dish that requires no carb sidecar; a "meal soup" version, if you like


Pairings

This dish is another in the queue that deserves Karel's attention. In the interim I suggest the "old reliable" of an IPA, a little mango juice mixed with soda water or other tropical juice mixes that touch on this dishes inherent sweetness without being too sweet themselves. Knock yourself out.

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