Butter Chicken, Chocolate Cake And African Chicken Stew by Zarnak Sidhwa

Ingredients for Butter Chicken:

• Garlic chopped  2 cloves
• Ginger 1 piece
• Green chilies 2
• Coriander leaves 1 bunch
• Oil 3 tbsp
• Onions 2
• Turmeric 2 tsp
• All spice 2 tsp
• Cumin seed 2 tsp
• Fenugreek ground 1 tsp
• Chicken breasts 4
• Cloves 4
• Cardamom pods 12
• Cinnamon stick 1
• Tomatoes 1 cup
• Yogurt 150 ml
• Cream  50ml

Method:

1. Place the garlic, ginger, chilies and coriander stalks in the small bowl of a food processor with a good pinch of salt and blend to a fine paste-or grind to a paste using a pestle and mortar.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the ghee or oil in a large pan,add the onions and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes until golden and caramelized.
3. Tip in the garlic ginger paste, add the ground spices and cook for 2 minutes more until fragrant.
4. Scoop the onion mixture out of the pan into a bowl.
5. Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the chicken until browned all over.
6. Tip into a bowl,cover and set aside.
7. Return the onion mixture to the pan along with the whole spices, tomatoes and water, bring to the boil,then cover and simmer gently until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
8. Stir in the yogurt and cream, garnish with coriander leaves.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake:

• Dark chocolate 20 gm
• Butter 200 gm
• Coffee powder 1 tbsp
• Flour 17 0gm
• Baking powder 1 tsp
• Sada bicarbonate 1/4 tsp
• Brown sugar 200 gm
• Caster sugar 200 gm
• Cocoa powder 25 gm
• Eggs 3
• Milk 75 ml
• Lemon juice 1
• Grated chocolate to decorate

For Ganache:

• Dark chocolate 200 gm
• Cream 284 ml
• Caster sugar 2 tbsp
  

Method:

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a pan, then mix 1 tbsp instant coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan.
2. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted.
3. While the chocolate in melting, mix 170gm flour,1/4 soda bicarbonate, 200 gm brown sugar,200 gm caster sugar and 25 gm cocoa powder in a big.
4. To make the buttermilk: Add juice of a lemon to the milk and let stand 10minutes.
5. Beat 3 eggs in a bowl and stir in 75 ml butter milk.
6. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, string just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth consistency.
7. Pour this into a 8 inch greased and lined in and bake at 160 degrees C for 1 hour 25 minutes - if you push a skewer in the center it should come out clean and the top should feel firm, cool on a wire rock completely.
8. When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three.
9. Make the Ganache: Chop 200 gm dark chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl pour a 284 ml cream into a pan, add 2 tbsp caster sugar, and heat until it is about to boil.
10. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth sandwich the layers together with just a little little of the ganache.
11. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife.
12. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls.

Ingredients for African Chicken Stew:

• Oil 1 tbsp
• Chicken 1 kg
• Garlic crushed 2 cloves
• Onion chopped 1
• Potato seeds 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds 1 tsp
• Black pepper 1 tsp
• Red chili crushed 1 tsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Water 1 cup
• Peanut butter 1/4 cup
• Chickpeas Boiled 1 cup

Method:

1. Heat oil, add chicken, and brown quickly.remove chicken from pan.
2. Add garlic, onion and potato to the pan ;saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Season with cumin, coriander, black pepper, red chilies and salt, mix in water and browned chicken ,and any accumulated juices.
4. Place lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Remove lid, and stir in the peanut butter and chickpeas.
6. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tenders.