Nepali Style Chicken Curry With Basmati Rice Recipes

NEPALI CHICKEN TARKARI

Steps:

• Mix together the turmeric, pepper and salt.
• Rub the turmeric black pepper, and salt all over the chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes.
• In a small skillet over medium heat, dry-roast the mustard seeds for a few seconds, or until they are fragrant.
• Remove from the skillet and repeat with the fenugreek seeds.
• Be careful not to burn the spices.
• Combine the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind into a coarse powder.
• Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add the garlic, ginger, ground spice mixture, cumin, chilies, and bay leaves and stir to combine.
• Add the onion and saute until slightly translucent.
• Drop in the marinated chicken and stir-fry for 4 minutes, then add the stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro.
• Serve with cooked white rice.

JERK-STYLE CHICKEN WITH SPICED BASMATI RICE PILAF AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the chicken: put the butter, soy sauce, allspice, peppercorns, cinnamon, nutmeg, scallions, thyme, garlic, lime zest and juice, chile and ginger in a food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary with a rubber spatula, until a paste forms.
• Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking sheet, rub with the marinade and generously sprinkle with salt. Let marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat and brush lightly with canola oil.
• Place the chicken skin-side down on the grill pan. Reserve any leftover marinade on the baking sheet to use later. Cook until slightly charred and marked, flipping halfway through, 5 to 8 minutes total (the chicken will not be fully cooked, it will finish cooking in the oven).
• Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the chicken skin-side up on the rack, leaving ample space between each piece. Top the chicken with the reserved marinade from the baking sheet and bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the rice: Put the rice in a large bowl, cover with 4 cups cold water and soak for 30 minutes. Strain well, reserving the soaking liquid.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium. Add the butter and onions and cook until they are translucent but not brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds, cayenne and cinnamon stick and toast for about 1 minute. Add the drained rice and stir gently until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the reserved soaking water and gently stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the water has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then season with salt and fluff with a fork. Remove the cinnamon stick.
• For the green beans: fill a large bowl with ice water and set a colander inside the ice bath. Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a generous handful of salt. (The water should taste like sea water.) Add the green beans and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the colander ice bath.
• When ready to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and toss in the beans to warm them gently. Top with the lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt.
• For the honey glaze: Simmer the honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it foams and turns golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the vinegar and return the pan to the stove. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes more to allow the vinegar and honey to cook together. Season with salt and set aside.
• Place a large spoonful of rice on each plate and arrange the chicken and green beans around each portion. Drizzle the chicken with the honey glaze.

CHICKEN CURRY IN A HURRY WITH BASMATI

Steps:

• Gather your ingredients.
• For the curry spice: Add to a small skillet: cumin, coriander, mustard seed, fennel seed, fenugreek, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, curry leaves and cardamom. Heat and toast about 2 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a spice mill, zap it up and grind spices. Add turmeric and red pepper flake or powder and zap again. Reserve any extra in an airtight container.
• For the chicken and vegetables: Place a medium pot on stove with 2 quarts water and bring to boil.
• Heat a griddle pan or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for bread.
• Place a bowl on the counter. As you work, transfer your ingredients to a bowl. Trim the top and roots of leek and split it lengthwise. Fan it under cold running water to release grit. Leave on cloth to dry. Peel and chop onion. Slice chile peppers if using. Peel garlic. Rub skin off the ginger with the tip of a spoon. Peel apple then cut 1/4-inch slices around the core in slabs. Stack and chop into about 1/4-inch dice. Split the halved leek again lengthwise and slice 1/4 inch.
• Place a deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat and melt butter. Add the vegetables and stir. Grate garlic and ginger and add along with curry spice and curry leaves if using. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the flour and stir a minute or so. Whisk in broth, bring to a boil and reduce, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add rice to the boiling water. Boil 12 minutes, then rinse in a strainer under HOT water to serve.
• While the curry thickens, peel chicken of the skin and cut away meat. Pull into bite-size pieces.
• Stir chutney into sauce to combine, then add chicken. Adjust salt if necessary.
• Add a splash of water to griddle pan or skillet and place naan bread on to char both sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bread from griddle and cut into quarters.
• Pull cilantro and chop scallions, whites and greens.
• Serve curry in shallow bowls or dishes with a lip on or beside rice, with naan strips alongside. Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

BASMATI RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Heat chicken stock in a saucepan until boiling; keep hot until ready to use.
• Heat vegetable oil in a 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion and bay leaf in the hot oil until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir basmati rice into onion mixture until rice is coated with oil.
• Pour hot chicken stock into the rice mixture. Season with salt; stir.
• Bring rice mixture to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue simmering until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and discard bay leaf. Add butter and fluff the rice with a fork.

PULAU NEPALESE BASMATI RICE DISH

Steps:

• Wash the rice several times and let it soak for 30 minutes.
• Drain the rice well in a sieve.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook onion until soft.
• Add all ingredients & spices, (except salt) to the pan and stir fry for 2 minutes over medium heat.
• Add 2 cups of water to the pan with salt and bring to a boil then cover tightly and.
• turn the heat to low.
• Simmer for 20 minutes, adding additional water during cooking, if necessary, until rice is tender and fluffy and all the water is absorbed.
• Remove bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon sticks before serving.

INDIAN STYLE BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Place rice into a bowl with enough water to cover. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and cumin seed. Cook and stir for about a minute, then add the onion to the pot. Saute the onion until a rich golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the rice, and stir into the pot. Cook and stir the rice for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. Add salt and water to the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.

CURRIED AND HERBED BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• Heat medium 3-quart pot over medium-high heat with oil. Add minced garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Don't burn garlic. Lightly brown.
• Add rice. Constantly toss and stir to coat rice with garlic and oil and lightly toast rice.
• Add chicken stock, curry powder and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover on simmer til rice has absorbed liquid (about 20 minutes).
• During last 5 minutes of cooking rice, remove lid, add butter, rosemary and parsley. Stir. Recover.
• If liquid is absorbed, reduce heat to low and keep warm. If rice appears dry, add small amount of olive oil. I recommend doing this anyway, as the Extra Virgin Olive Oil adds wonderful flavor.
• Just before serving, add lemon zest to pot and toss to combine all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.