Lou's Easy aromatic Chicken Jalfrezi with Pilau Rice and tasty Naan

Name: Lou's Easy aromatic Chicken Jalfrezi with Pilau Rice and tasty Naan
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250g strong white bread flour; 4g salt; 8g easy bake yeast; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp caraway seeds; 150ml water; olive oil for frying; Splash olive oil; 1 large onion; 2 green peppers; 6 chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite sized pieces; 2 tsp turmeric; 2 tsp chilli powder (your choice of mild or hot!); Pinch of salt; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tin chopped tomatoes; Splash of water (if required); 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; 2 tsp ground ginger (can also use fresh grated); Fresh coriander, chopped; Splash olive oil; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 stick cinnamon (if you can find it, use the woodier cassia which has a deeper flavour); 1 tsp cumin seeds, dry toasted and crushed; 3 cardamom pods; 4 cloves; 1.5 tsp turmeric; 200g long grain rice; 400ml water

16 steps

Prep:20minCook:40min

I won't boast that the jalfrezi or pilau are the absolute authentic thing - but they are really tasty! This recipe is cobbled together, revised and amended from a number of different recipes I've tried over time - I have picked and chosen what I liked best. The naan recipe, very slightly adapted, is from Paul Hollywood's "100 Great Breads" book. If you decide to make the naan in advance, it can be reheated with a sprinkle of water under a medium grill (as you would a shop-bought one). None of the components take that long to prepare (and you can make the jalfrezi and naan in advance), and don't let the number of ingredients faze you. You can pull this dinner together pretty quickly, and many of the spices you'll already have in your store cupboard (and they are all worth buying). Even if you don't have all the spices, you'll still end up with a satisfying meal, and you can add to it as you like - add in hot chillis, extra tomatoes - make it your own. I make my jalfrezi with chicken, but you could try other meats such as lamb, or make it a veggie one, using aubergine or similar.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 12:55:57 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Moderate

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories741 kcal (37%)

Total Fat15.3 g (22%)

Carbs104.3 g (40%)

Sugars6.9 g (8%)

Protein46.3 g (93%)

Sodium784.7 mg (39%)

Fiber7.7 g (28%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Instructions

For the naan (start about an hour before you want to eat)

Step 1

Lightly oil a baking tray.

Step 2

You can either mix the dough by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook. Put the flour in a bowl along with the cumin and caraway seeds. Add the salt on one side of the bowl, and the yeast on the other. Avoid putting the yeast in the same place as the salt, as the salt will deactivate the yeast if directly in contact.

Step 3

Add about 3/4 of the water and mix together, adding a little more water in stages, until you begin to have a soft dough. You don't want it to be too wet, but if you find you've added too much water, you can always sprinkle on a little more flour as you work it. If you're using a mixer, the dough will be about right when the dough hook grabs all the dough and begins to move it around the bowl in one big blob. Turn out the dough and knead it gently for a two or three minutes to ensure it's mixed together, adding a little more flour if you need it.

Step 4

Divide the dough into four pieces and place them on the baking tray. Cover it with a tea towel, tucking in the edges (I sometimes use clothes pegs!) and leave it somewhere warm for about an hour. Leaving it for a bit longer than this is fine.

Step 5

When you're ready to cook the naans, warm a plate in the oven. The dough should have increased in size as it has risen. One at a time, turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to flatten it either in a circle or an oval as preferred - about a little bigger than the height of a £1 coin, but don't worry about being too precise. Put them back on the tray to rest for about 5 minutes.

Step 6

Heat a frying pan on a medium heat with a good splash of olive oil, and shallow fry each naan on both sides until golden (I turn mine and cook mine a couple of times on each side). As you fry them, you'll see the bread puff up as air pockets form in the middle, and probably some little streams of vapour as the hot air tries to escape.

Step 7

Line your warm plate with some kitchen paper (you may want to place a piece between each naan too to mop up any remaining oil) and leave your naans to cool a little and soften (when you remove from the frying pan they may look a little stiff). Tear, share and enjoy!

For the jalfrezi (about 40 mins before you want to eat)

Step 8

Soften the onion and peppers in a splash of olive oil for a few minutes until soft.

Step 9

Add the diced chicken, turmeric, chilli, salt and garlic and stir together, frying gently for another few minutes until the chicken is sealed.

Step 10

Add the tin of tomatoes and stir together. Add a splash of water into the can (maybe a couple of tablespoons), swirl it around to capture the remaining tomato juice and add this in. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 11

Uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes to reduce the liquid a little.

Step 12

Add in the cumin, coriander, ginger and half of the fresh coriander, and simmer for about another 5 minutes.

Step 13

When ready to eat, serve garnished with the remaining fresh coriander.

For the rice (about 20 mins before you want to eat)

Step 14

In the pan you're going to cook the rice, dry toast the cumin seeds for a few minutes. You'll know when they're done when they start to darken in colour and give off a beautiful aromatic smell. At this stage, take them off (before they catch and burn!). Using a pestle and mortar, crush them to a powder. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, use a small bowl and a wooden spoon to crush them as best you can. It doesn't matter if it's a bit rough - you're doing this to release the flavour and aroma.

Step 15

Soften the chopped onion in a splash of olive oil. Add in all the spices (the cinnamon, crushed cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves and turmeric) and let them cook for a minute or so.

Step 16

Add in the rice and coat it with the oil and spices. Add in the water, stir it all together and bring it to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer it with the lid on, stirring once or twice. After about 12 minutes, check it and remove the lid. If all the liquid is gone, remove from the heat, let the vapour dry off a bit, and fluff it up. If there is still some liquid, keep cooking with the lid off for another few minutes, stirring occasionally to stop anything catching and burning on the bottom of the pan.