Tonight I made my fantasized recipe . . . and it worked amazingly well! I tried to follow the score as faithfully as possible and didn't taste it until the very end. There were only a couple of points where I diverged from the method; namely, I upped the amount of spices, I sautéed the shallots separately from the onion as the pan seemed to be quite crowded with the shallots alone, and I added some cornstarch towards the end to thicken up the sauce. But other than that, it was a fantastic success, and extremely easy to make.
Next time I will put some bamboo shoots in it, perhaps, or some red pepper, or substitute shrimp for the chicken. However, all in all, it's a brilliant base recipe that proves I right the thongs that make the hole whirled thing. Or something like that.
Saffron Chicken
4 tablespoons ghee or peanut oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 large shallots, finely diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2 inch squares
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chile powder
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 tsp. salt
1 teaspoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon saffron threads
Juice of half a lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Method
Brine chicken in salt and sugar (about 1/4 C each per litre of water) for about 2 hours in the refrigerator. In a non-stick saucepan, sauté the shallots in 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or peanut oil on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until translucent. Remove from pan and sauté onions in another tablespoon of ghee for 8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another two minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add 2 more tablespoons ghee. Heat until sizzling, then add the chicken, cumin, coriander and chile powder. Mix well and sauté until browned on all sides, stirring frequently, about 8-10 minutes. Add back onion mixture, then coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
When sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (if at this stage it is not thick enough, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in water), add the palm sugar, tamarind paste and saffron. Stir well to combine. Simmer another ten minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Add lime juice and 1/4 cup cilantro. Stir well to combine. Serve on steamed basmati rice with cilantro garnish.
Hey Nick, this looks awesome, and I'm making it for dinner tonight.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: do you prefer to leave the chicken thighs whole, or do you cut them up into bits?
Blork,
ReplyDeleteCool, you won't be disappointed. I leave the thighs whole. They're not like breasts, which really maintain their integrity--if you cook it right the thighs will be practically falling apart (20+ minutes should do it)and permeated through and through with the flavor of the sauce. If there was one thing I'd do differently it would be to chop a nice spicy serrano chile into the whole thing, but understandably some palates are delicate.
However, I was amazed at the complexity of the flavors (and not amazed at the same time--it was what I was expecting!) and even though I couldn't have pointed out the saffron's role in the whole thing, I knew it was there and that's all that mattered!
Very, very good recipe and I'm quite happy that I've finally achieved a space where I can write it in my mind and it turns out to fulfill all expectations!
PS the thighs are special--this would not work with chicken breasts--but next time I would try it with shrimp and maybe a touch of yogurt or creme fraiche.
Well, I must say it was mighty delicious.
ReplyDeleteIn my case I did cut the thighs (about four chunks per thigh), and I used half of the chicken stock you called for (primarily because my pan was at risk of overflowing, but it also meant the sauce was thicker).
I used about 1/4 as much saffron, because that's all I had (I forgot to check the stocks first). Still, I found the saffron to be the dominant flavor. (But then, I have a particular sensitivity to saffron -- in a good way.)
Interestingly, mine was more brown/orange than yours appears.
Personally, I think the yogurt or creme fraiche would be sort of redundant given all the coconut milk that's in there. Sort of like having risotto with your pasta, no?
Blork,
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right about the creme fraiche or yogurt--I completely forgot about the coconut milk! Yep, it would be overkill.
But I just reheated some in the microwave (at 5:30 in the morning!) and it just reconfirms why I love chicken thighs as opposed to breasts . . . they reheat amazingly well and don't turn rubbery and tough the second time around.
It's great (and adventurous!) that you made my improvised recipe, and actually liked it! I would love to see you write something up totally from imagination, to see how developed your compositional skills are! I'm sure whatever you came up with would be outstanding. And I can confirm that it's great fun. I'll have to do it more often.
Speaking of which, I know you live not far from Ulan Bator, but when am I getting invited over for dinner?
Hey, I had such confidence that I made a double batch. We're having it again tomorrow! (Stuff like that keeps well for several days.)
ReplyDeleteHmmm. My compositional skills. Hmmm... Gotta think on that one. ;-)
Ha ha. The invitation is coming. No, really!
Yeah, that kind of stuff (no potatoes, no cheese) stays good in the refrigerator and also freezes very well.
ReplyDeleteGood, good, I'm dying to see the famous Blork mansion . . . :)
I am so glad it turned out to be excellent! Good imagination!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm already thinking of another one, but I don't want to be derivative. I can't just say "Okay, variation on garlic-dill shrimp in vodka cream sauce with bucatini (hmm . . . sounds good! Wonder if that exact recipe has ever been done?) so I have to put myself up a challenge!
ReplyDeleteI promise it'll be along shortly. It's going to be my birthday Friday and I have to reward myself!