Chicken Tangdi Kabab

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! You know how when you’re little, and you go to attend functions and parties in hotels, all you care about is the food? It doesn't matter if it’s a wedding or a reception or even a birthday; forget who the party is for, the most important person in the room is the waiter and all you’re interested in is, ‘Where is the waiter with those appetizers?!’. Heck, forget when I was little, I still look for the waiter with the appetizers within the first 7 seconds of entering a party venue!

I remember, years ago, when I was a little ankle-biter, my sister and I would go with my parents for weddings and parties and I would absolutely gorge on the hors d'oeuvres. Now of course, since these were (sometimes upscale) family events, maintaining the façade of being civilized was essential, so while I could surreptitiously follow different waiters around helping myself to food, it seemed rather ungentlemanly to be picking up more than 2 pieces of food at a time. But I was young and greedy and so I devised a clever little plan! (Clever for a 9 or 10 year old anyway!) My sister was about 5 at the time and didn't really have an appetite, but she was so adorable with her big eyes and shock of golden curls that passing waiters would stop and ask her very politely if she wanted anything to eat to which she would shake her head and direct them to me (always had my back, that one!). One day I figured, ‘Why not cash in on her cuteness?’, and so I instructed her to take the food anyway and then slip it me once the waiter had left. I must say she took to the plan rather well and even today, years and years later, we still run the take-the-food-and-give-it-to-me play. The only downside is, she has a slightly larger appetite now and shares my love for prawns so I still have to follow the waiters around!

Actually, come to think of it, lately, she’s gone to sitting back and making me run around fetching food and drinks for her. It's possible that she's trying to make up for all the years of starter stealing. I may have to pay closer attention to be doubly sure.

Today’s recipe is a very popular Indian appetizer that I have chased on several occasions in several functions and it is one of my absolute favourites. The best part is, it’s dead simple!

For my Chicken Tangdi Kabab, you will need the following:

Chicken legs	1 kg
Thick yoghurt	3 dollops
Ginger garlic paste	2-3 tsp
Red chilli powder	3-4 tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder	2-3 tsp
Garam masala	1 tsp
Salt	to taste

Prep:

1. Wash the chicken legs.
2. Toss the chicken legs in a bowl.
3. Gloop on the yoghurt.
4. Spoon in the ginger garlic paste.
5. Sprinkle in the red chilli powder.
6. Sprinkle in the dhaniya powder.
7. Sprinkle in the garam masala.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. Mix until the chicken is well coated with the (now red) yoghurt.
10. Cover the bowl up with saran wrap.
11. Stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grab an oven tray.
3. Cover the bottom of the tray with greaseproof paper.
4. Bring out your marinated chicken legs.
5. Pop the marinated chicken legs on the tray, each a few cm. apart.
6. Stick the tray into the oven for 10-15 minutes.
7. When the chicken gets the tell-tale black crust on the edges, take the tray out and turn the legs over. (At this point, pull a little piece off to see if it’s cooked on the inside.)
8. Stick the tray back into the oven for another 5-8 minutes.
9. Turn the oven off.
10. Serve with a sprinkling of coriander and a squeeze of lime. (Sliced onions are a bonus!)
11. Stuff face.
12. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: To ensure that your marinade has the oomph you want, you can mix the ingredients separately as you do a taste test and then drop the chicken in. Also, if you want to cheat, you can get the ready made masala to marinade the chicken in instead. But that’s no fun, is it?

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!

Dal Palak

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun. The past few days here have whizzed by in an array of colours, loud music, tireless dancing to dhols, excellent food, spirits, and the company of friends. First, one of my best friends got married in true Indian fashion with functions spanning over 3 days (not counting a slightly bigger than little post dance-rehearsal dinner), the first of which was the mehendi, followed by the sangeet (where a privileged few were fortunate to bear witness to yours truly and his friends shaking his hips to 'Baby Doll'.. don't ask!) and finally the reception. 3 days of madness preceded by a week of choreographed dance rehearsals to celebrate the union of 2 of the nicest people you will ever meet. The bride (who shall, rather unfairly, be referred to from this point on as Bridezilla), was kind enough to give us a years notice and only threaten me with mild bodily harm if I did not make it to the wedding. There was tense week before the wedding when it looked like I might be required to fly back to the UK on an emergency requirement for a project, but Bridezilla, being the delightful person that she is, only punched me thrice in the stomach (as my friend who resembles Jesus had my arms pinned behind my back) in retaliation. Fortunately, it worked out such that I didn't have to go and I was spared from using crutches for the next few weeks because Bridezilla would no longer need to break my legs. The functions themselves were absolutely wonderful, with gorgeous food and drink, and we made a bunch of new friends, which included 3 very lovely Australian girls and 1 recently-introduced-to-amchoor Australian guy who plans to grill steaks marinaded in the stuff that has lovingly been branded as the 'fart powder'.

Soon after the wedding, was new years eve, which meant even more food and drink. After a raucous house party with about 20 other people (including a girl so beautiful I'm still kicking myself for forgetting to ask for her number) that went on until 4 am, was the dreaded hangover. As I lumbered around the house the following morning, sleepily eating leftovers, my mind kept going back to 2 things. One that I wanted copious amounts of dal chawal to soak up the alcohol in my system and two, the girl. Lady luck however, was probably still recovering from her own party, and I drew a zilch on both points.

Today's recipe is a variant of our traditional tadka dal, which apart from being mad delicious, if my memory serves me correctly, works just as well with hangovers. So the next time you plan to get sozzled, make a batch of this stuff and stick in the fridge for the morning after.

For Dal Palak, you will need the following:

Toor Dal                                 1 cup

Palak (spinach)                      300 gms

Dill                                         couple of handfuls

Onion                                     1 large

Tomato                                  1 large

Green chillies                         2-3

Ginger                                    1" piece

Garlic                                     3-4 cloves

Haldi (turmeric) powder        1 tsp

Red chilli powder                   2-3 tsp

Dhaniya (coriander) powder  2 tsp

Jeera (cumin) powder            1 tsp

Jeera                                      2 tsp

Tamarind pulp                        2-3 tsp

Salt                                         to taste

Oil

Prep:

1. Wash and roughly chop the spinach.
2. Wash and roughly chop the dill.
3. Slice the onion. (Thickishly.)
4. Chop the tomato.
5. Peel and julienne the ginger. (Basically cut it into straws.)
6. Chop the garlic.
7. Chop the chillies.
8. If you have the tamarind block instead of the ready pulp, tear off a handful and soak it in a cup of warm water. After a few minutes squeeze the piece to get the pulpy bits off into the water.

Method:

1. Grab a pressure cooker.
2. Plonk in the dal.
3. Rinse the dal 4-5 times with cold water until the water you pour away is cleanish.
4. Add water to the cooker until the dal is submerged about 3 fingers deep.
5. Splash in the onion.
6. Plop in the ginger.
7. Sprinkle in the haldi.
8. Add in 2 tsp of salt.
9. Stuff in the spinach.
10. Squeeze in the dill.
11. Shut the lid.
12. Turn on the gas.
13. Bung the pressure cooker on.
14. Crank the heat up to high.
15. Wait for 4 manly whistles. (And by manly, I mean proper loud whistles and not the half-hearted little squirts that cause water to come out the top and sizzle it's way down to the flame.)
16. Turn the gas off and wait for the steam to leave the pressure cooker. (Don't be the person that impatiently lifts the weight to manually let the steam out. Ever.)
17. While the steam is escaping, grab a pan.
18. Turn on a smaller burner.
19. Bung the pan on.
20. Splash in some oil.
21. Count to 20.
22. Pop in the jeera.
23. Roll in the chillies.
24. Toss in the garlic.
25. Deeply inhale the chilli ginger aroma and appreciatively go 'mmmm'.
26. Sprinkle in the red chilli, dhaniya and jeera powders.
27. Throw in the tomato and duck as all hell breaks loose with the oil spatter.
28. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and the oil has separated from the mixture.
29. Turn the gas off.
30. Pop open the pressure cooker and stir the contents.
31. Add a cup of water if required.
32. Turn on the pressure cooker burner.
33. Stir in the tomatoey contents of the pan.
34. Mix well and bring to a boil.
35. Add salt to taste. (You've got 2 tsp in already so do the taste test as you add it.)
36. Add in the tamarind paste/water to taste. (I like my Dal Palak tangy so I add more.)
37. Cook for a few minutes adjusting the consistency of the dal as desired.
38. Turn the gas off.
39. Serve with hot rice and crispy garlicky potatoes.
40. Stuff face.
41. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Tossing in a handful of methi (fenugreek) leaves with the spinach and dill would not be the worst idea. Just saying.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!