England - Chicken Tikka Masala


What could be more English!


Ingredients:
For the chicken:

8 boneless chicken thighs, skin removed
1 lemon, juice only

1/2 tsp red chilli powder


For the marinade:
1.5 tsp cumin seeds

4 large garlic cloves
4 cm root ginger

1 red onion
150ml low-fat natural yogurt

1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped


For the sauce:

2 tsp tomato puree
125ml single cream, or Greek yogurt

3 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
3 cm root ginger, grated

1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

100g butter


Directions:
Step 1

For marinating the chicken, make 2 slashes across each chicken thigh with a sharp knife. This helps the marinating ingredients seep into the meat. Place the thighs, in a single layer, in a ceramic dish
Mix the lemon juice and chilli powder and spoon over the chicken, coating well on both sides. Leave on one side for 20 minutes.

Heat a small heavy-based pan or griddle over a moderate heat and toast the cumin seeds, stirring all the time, until they give off a lovely nutty aroma – this doesn’t take long – about 30 seconds.
Tip the cumin seeds into a mortar and pound with a pestle until they are ground to a powder. Don’t worry if it isn’t too fine.

Roughly chop the garlic cloves, ginger and onion and grind in a food processor until smooth – you might need to add a spoon of yogurt to help it on its way.
Stir in the remaining yogurt, garam masala, coriander and half of the ground cumin. Reserve the remainder for the sauce. Season with salt .

Pour this yogurt marinade over the chicken thighs. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in a refrigerator. If you can, turn the chicken once while it’s marinating.
Step 2

The next day, preheat a grill to its hottest setting with the grill-pan in place.
Take the chicken out of its marinade and arrange the pieces on the preheated grill pan. Grill near the top of the grill for 3-5 minutes on each side – until tender and beginning to char around the edges. Remove from the grill, save any cooking juices, and keep warm while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, whisk the tomato puree with enough hot water to make up the volume to 200ml. Stir in the cream or Greek yogurt, coriander, ginger, sugar lemon juice and reserved cumin.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and pour in the sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring, and when hot, add the cooked chicken pieces and accumulated juices. Season to taste, reheat and serve with a stack of naans or freshly boiled rice.

Follow up:

Portugal - Bife à Micalense(Steak with a Creamy Onion-Mustard Sauce and Sautéed Bananas)
Serves 2-3


Ingredients:

2 strips bacon
1 porterhouse or sirloin steak

Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small Spanish onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons mustard

1/4 cup heavy cream
1 banana, peeled and cut in half lengthwise


Ingredients:


In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove to a brown paper bag to drain (paper towels tend to soften fried foods). Keep warm.

Season the steak with salt and pepper. Drain off the bacon fat from the pan and scrape out any burnt bits. Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter is melted and the fat is sputtering, drop in the steak and sauté to desired doneness. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the steak to a large plate. Cover loosely with foil and keep warm.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced onions and sauté until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté2 minutes longer. Add the mustard, cream and any liquid from the steak that may have accumulated on the plate, and reduce by a third. (Watch carefully because this can happen quickly. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin it with a splash of milk.)

Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat and cook the banana until just soft.
To assemble, plate the steak, blanket with the sauce and top with the sautéed banana and bacon. Serve with sliced fried potatoes.

This recipeis borrowed from: Leite's Culinaria - a site that's as good as they get, if you like Portuguese food.