RECIPE INSPIRATION
Four of London’s leading Indian chefs help capture the last of the summer sunshine with gentle heat and delicious spice
SERVES 4 GF DF HANDS-ON TIME 45 mins TOTAL TIME 2 hrs 45 mins, plus overnight soaking
LAHORI MURGH CHOLAY
Only £1.98 PER SERVING
‘Lahori murgh cholay was a dish often served in my grandfather’s house. He was part of the generation that suffered through the partition of India, so cooking dishes of what is now the Pakistani city of Lahore was always his way of revisiting his ancestral home. Full disclosure: while I was never the biggest fan of the boiled egg, this is a traditional addition my late grandfather would certainly appreciate. Better yet were the street vendors who would boil and then deep-fry the egg in “rogani oil” – the deep red fat which separates out of curries like this one towards the end of the cooking time.’
Chet Sharma
A former development chef at acclaimed restaurants Moor Hall and L’Enclume, Chet opened Bibi, in London’s Mayfair, last year to huge acclaim. His menus focus on lesserknown Indian dishes, presented with a very modern twist. bibirestaurants.com
◆ 250g dried chickpeas
◆ 2 tbsp dried red lentils
◆ ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
For the ginger paste
◆ 5cm root ginger, roughly chopped
◆ 5 garlic cloves, peeled
◆ 4 green chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
◆ ½ tsp ground turmeric
◆ 1 tsp chilli flakes
For the curry
◆ 125g vegetable oil (or ghee*)
◆ 1.35kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
◆ ½ tbsp sea salt flakes, plus extra as needed
◆ 3 red onions, sliced
◆ 3 cardamom pods
◆ 2 cinnamon sticks
◆ 1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground
◆ 2 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely ground
◆ 1 tbsp garam masala
◆ 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved or quartered (optional)
◆ small handful coriander leaves, chopped
1 The day before cooking, rinse the chickpeas and lentils, place in a large bowl and soak in cold water overnight.
2 Rinse the pulses thoroughly and drain. Add to a large saucepan with 1 litre cold water and the baking powder and bring to the boil. Cook on a low simmer for 1 hour 15 – 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender but not starting to break down (the lentils will break down). Add more water if required.
3 Place the ginger paste ingredients in a small food processor with 125ml water and blend until smooth.
4 Add the ghee to a large saucepan or sauté pan and heat over a high heat until beginning to smoke. Season the chicken with flaky salt, t
