Keyword asparagus, chicken, chicken and basmati, crowd pleaser, INdian
Prep Time 40 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Marinade 1 dayday
Total Time 1 dayday1 hourhour40 minutesminutes
Servings 10people
Cost £-££
Ingredients
6skinless, free-range chicken breasts
Chicken marinade
2lemons, finely grated zest and juice
2tspsea salt
9tbspplain yoghurt
25 cm pieces ginger, grated
5garlic cloves
1small onion
2tspground cumin
large pinch of chilli
1/2 tspgaram marsala
5tbspvegetable oil
Rice and vegetables
500gbasmati rice
30gunsalted butter
2tbspvegetable oil
3cloves
110 cm cinnamon stick
200gspinach
large bunch of mint
100gcoconut cream
250gbroad beans
350gpeas
1.5gnew potatoes, washed
1tbspsea salt
24asparagus spear, trimmed
bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
large bunch of mint, chopped
bunch flatleaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
Yoghurt chutney
100gcoriander
1green chilli
1juice of a lemon
1tspcumin seeds
150gplain yogurt
Instructions
Marinade chicken (the night before if you can)
Cut each breast into around 5 equal strips, then put them in a wide, deep dish and add the lemon zest, juice and salt, stirring to coat. In a mixing bowl, add the yogurt, grated ginger, garlic and onion. Add the cumin, chilli flakes and garam masala, stir to combine until smooth, then pour the mixture over the chicken, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Yoghurt chutney
Put all the ingredients except the yoghurt in a blender and whizz until smooth. Add the yoghurt to a bowl then stir in the herb mixture. Cover and keep in the fridge until needed.
Rice and vegetables
Optional: Soak the basmati for 30 mins in cold water. Then drain it well and rinse under cold running water. Drain thoroughly in a sieve and leave for 15 minutes.
Melt the butter and 1 tbsp of the sunflower oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Pick the balls from the top of each clove, then crush them using your fingers or the flat of a knife blade. Add the ground clove and the cinnamon stick to the pan, fry for 30 seconds, then add the drained rice. Stir to coat in the fat, then pour in 1 litre cold water. Bring to a simmer, then cover and gently cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to steam for a further 10-20 minutes (don’t lift the lid).
In a large frying pan, add some oil and the spinach and cook until it wilts, then add the mint, season and stir. Put this mixture into a food processor and whizz until it's a paste.
Return the pan to the heat, add the coconut cream and a splash of water and cook for a few minutes until liquid. Keep warm over a very low heat.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Plunge the podded frozen beans and peas into the boiling water and cook for 1 - 2 minutes, then lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 15 minutes or until tender, then drain with a slotted spoon and set aside separately to the peas and beans. (Keep the water over a low heat and covered to cook the asparagus just before serving)..
Once cooked, tip the rice into the coconut cream and add the spinach purée and salt. Mix lightly with a fork until the rice is coloured green. Put a lid on top with a slight opening.
In a pan over a medium-high heat add some oil and cook the chicken for 4 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer to the warm dish and cover with foil to keep warm.Finally, bring the pan of water back up to a simmer and add the asparagus. Cook for just a few minutes until tender, then drain.
Serve on a large platter and dollop some yoghurt chutney over top.