Chicken jalfrezi

Stargal

So as the rather self-explanatory title suggests, I'm planning to make chicken jalfrezi tonight. Still a bit of a curry novice so using a Patak's paste rather than making my own. I'm *fairly* confident about this but looking for any advice on this recipe - I'm working off a Jamie Oliver one and tweaking it a bit, but not 100% sure on cooking times...

This is the plan:

- Fry onion, garlic, ginger, a red chilli, coriander stalks until slightly softened
- Add the Patak's paste and then add the chicken
- Possibly add a red pepper and chickpeas too
- Cook for five minutes. Add a tin of tomatoes and some water.
- Cook on a high enough heat for 20 minutes.

Feel a bit like I'm missing out on something. Planning to make it for a few friends so obviously I'd like it to be perfect - and yeah, I know it's slightly insane to try a new recipe on other people first but meh, living dangerously today (plus I think they've already tried most of my other recipes!). Any tips or advice?

BengaLover

Tomatoes really boost a jalfrezi, so as well as the tin of tomatoes, add a small tin of the concentrated puree. I would leave out the chickpeas as they give a bit of a pasty texture when you get a mouthful. Try adding some tiny whole fresh cherry tomatoes about 5 mins before you finish cooking it.

Plazaman

Agree with Benga. Maybe replace your chickpeas with cous cous (with a spring onion mixed through) for some lovely non pasty soakage for your sauce. Otherwise if you want to keep it authentic Indian and not a rice fan, then stacks of naan bread (mix through red onion, garlic and coriander for a delish taste).

Sounds tasty.....


I'm starvin for an Indian now at 9am.....

huskerdu

Sounds good.
If you intend adding a full can of tomatoes, then add loads of Pataks paste.

I prefer a longer, slower stew.
If you have the heat "high enough" it might stick to the bottom of the pot.

The term " a stew boiled is a stew spoiled" applied to curries too.

Padraig Mor

There's a Jalfrezi recipe in the Cooking Club forum which is simple and delicious!

The Hill Billy

Cooking Club Chicken Jalfrezi.

Stargal

Thanks for all the tips, folks, some really useful advice. Will leave out the chickpeas, add some puree and a few cherry tomatoes that are sitting in the fridge, and keep it on a low heat for longer rather than letting it get too hot.

I'd already seen the rather lovely Cooking Club recipe but I don't have enough spices to make it exactly, hence the use of the Patak's. Going to try adding the chicken stock that it suggests though and see how that works out...

Got lots of naan, rice, poppadoms, mint raita, etc, so there's a limit to how wrong this can go but fingers crossed... *famous last words*

BengaLover

You can always do these in slow cookers or in the oven in decent oven dishes too.

Stargal

I got a really lovely casserole dish last week which is begging to be used so I was thinking of using that. Bit worried it'll be too small cos it's going to be for four or five people, but figure it'll work *continues to cross fingers*