Chicken Tikka

From Beyond Measure

Yield: 2–4 servings (as a starter or side)

Prep time: 60 minutes (up to overnight)

Cook time: 15 minutes

Whenever I go to a barbecue restaurant, I have a difficult time choosing between chicken or beef. I usually lean toward chicken and save beef for special occasions. You really can’t go wrong with a spiced chicken on the grill.

EQUIPMENT

• 2 metal or soaked bamboo skewers
• heat-safe basting brush

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless chicken thighs, cubed
• 1 heaping spoonful chili powder
• 1 heaping spoonful Kashmiri red chili powder, optional (see Tip)
• 1 spoonful Garam Masala (page 20)
• 1 spoonful dried fenugreek leaves
• ½ spoonful ajwain (carom seeds)
• 1 heaping spoonful salt, or to taste
• 3 heaping spoonfuls yogurt
• 2 splashes white vinegar
• 2 spoonfuls Ginger, Turmeric, and Garlic Paste (page 60)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

METHOD

• In a large mixing bowl, add chicken, chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, if using, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, carom seeds, salt, yogurt, vinegar, and Ginger, Turmeric, and Garlic Paste. Mix well to combine. Cover and transfer the bowl to the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.
• Remove the bowl from the fridge and place the chicken onto the skewers, evenly divided.
• Preheat your grill to high. Turn off one side of the grill, or if using charcoal, move the briquettes to one side leaving half of the grill empty.
• Place chicken skewers directly over the heat and sear on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Once the chicken is seared, liberally brush it with melted butter and transfer the skewers to indirect heat to finish the cooking process, about 7–10 minutes. Rotate the skewers frequently to ensure even cooking and brush with additional butter as needed.
• Remove chicken from the grill and carefully slide Chicken Tikka pieces off the skewers and onto a platter. Serve alongside Garlic Naan (page 51) and Mint Chutney (page 122)

Tip: When seasoning, a general rule is to ensure the ingredient is evenly coated. Sprinkle the spices over it to form an even layer on all sides. After it’s cooked make a note if you would want more or less next time.

Pani Puri (aka Golgappa)

From Beyond Measure

Yield: 4 servings (makes 8 pani puri)

Prep time: 35 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

This dish has two names: Pani Puri (meaning water, fried dough) and Golgappa. It’s one of the most popular snacks throughout Pakistan. When I’m in Pakistan I regularly see street vendors with carts full of prepared puris and bright spotlights shining down on them—at night the lights almost look like beautiful little lanterns. Filled with spicy and tangy toppings, Pani Puri is the ultimate one-biter. Think of it as a nacho with all the toppings, in one perfectly balanced chip. They are addicting, sorry not sorry.

EQUIPMENT

• rolling pin
• small, round cookie cutter or small-rimmed glass

INGREDIENTS

Puri

• ½ saucer semolina flour
• 1 heaping spoonful all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• ½ spoonful baking soda
• vegetable oil, for deep frying, plus extra for for greasing therolling pin

Pani

• ½ spoonful ground cumin
• ½ spoonful Chaat Masala (page 20)
• ½ spoonful mango powder
• pinch of ajwain (carom seeds)
• pinch of black salt
• 1 spoonful dried mint
• pinch of salt
• 2 spoonfuls Imlee Chutney (page 126)

Fillings

• handful of chickpeas (canned or soaked and cooked, if dried)
• handful of boondi (fried chickpea balls, they can be found at your local Pakistani or Indian market)
• plain yogurt

METHOD

• Puri: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the puri ingredients. Fill a small jug or pitcher with water. Continue mixing the dough, while periodically adding splashes of water as needed, just until the dough comes together. Knead the dough into a ball. The end product should be quite dense, and similar in texture to modeling clay.
• Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Fill a large pot about 1⁄3 of the way up the sides with vegetable oil and set it over medium-high heat.
• Using an oiled rolling pin, roll out the dough until it’s thin enough to see through.
• Using a small, round cookie cutter or a small-rimmed glass, cut out 8 circles from the dough.
• One at a time, carefully transfer a dough circle to the heated oil and press down with tongs or a slotted spoon, which will allow the puri to puff into a ball. Flip the puri, and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 20 seconds total (see Tips).
• Remove the puri from the oil and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
• Repeat steps 6 and 7 to fry the remaining puris.
• Pani: Add the pani ingredients into a medium bowl and mix with water. The consistency should be water thin. Taste for seasoning and tanginess and adjust as necessary.
• Assembly: With your finger, lightly poke a hole through the top of a puri, and carefully crack of bits of the puri to create a hole just large enough to fill it with toppings. You’re essentially creating a little bowl, but it should be able to hold the watery puri mixture.
• Add a few chickpeas, a pinch of boondi, a dollop of yogurt, and a couple spoonfuls of the pani mixture.
• Immediately consume!
• Fill the remaining puris as you’re ready to consume them, or else they’ll get soggy.

Tips:

• Many times we would simply buy the puri (fried hollow dough balls) at our local Pakistani supermarket. Feel free to skip the process of making it at home and save some time!
• The first puri should be a test run; adjust the time and temperature accordingly.
• To test if the cooking oil is ready, you may either carefully drop a small piece of fl attened dough into it and see if the dough bubbles or dip a wooden spoon or chopstick and see if small bubbles form around it. If so, the oil is ready.

Make it Your Own:

• Many people have slightly different variations of what they like to fill their pani

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Spicy Mango Kulfi

From Beyond Measure

Yield: 4 kulfis (depending on the size of your moulds)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Freeze time: 8 hours

My first memory of eating kulfi was at a local Pakistani restaurant. I couldn’t have been more than 8 years old at the time. There was a deep cooler filled with kulfi in a variety of beautiful colours. All I had to do was slide the glass to the side and pick a flavour. It was magical, and the mango flavour I chose didn’t let me down. After one taste, I fell in love. There’s just something about the texture, chewiness, and sweetness that kulfi offers. Ever since that day, I’ve been hooked.

This recipe was inspired by the South American drink mangonada, which includes a type of spice blend called Tajin and a tangy, spicy sauce called Chamoy. When making kulfi, the main ingredient is whole milk, so ensure that by volume this remains the main ingredient.

EQUIPMENT

• blender
• freezer proof mould(s)or container

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ mugs of whole milk of choice (the fatter the better, preferably 8% buffalo milk)
• splash of heavy cream
• 2 heaping spoonfuls milk powder or thumb-sized knob of khoya (milk solids)
• sweetened condensed milk, to taste
• 1 large sweet mango (if in season), seeded and flesh reserved, or 1 mug of canned mango purée
• 1 spoonful Tajin seasoning
• drizzle of Chamoy
• ¾ habanero pepper, chopped (see Tips)

METHOD

• Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the milk, heavy cream, powdered milk or khoya, and the sweetened condensed milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring, for 2 minutes (see Tips).
• Add a pinch of Tajin and the habanero pepper. Mix well and continue cooking for for 20–30 minutes until the consistency is thick and smooth. Stir often and taste for sweetness. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture come to room temperature.
• Add the mango pulpa and a drizzle of Chamoy and mix well. Taste and adjust as desired, we want the main flavour profile to be mango with a kick of heat.
• Add the mixture to a blender and blend until thick and smooth.
• Pour the mixture into your selected moulds and freeze for 6 to 8 hours. Enjoy!

Tips:

• Habanero peppers are spicy! Be cautious with them. Try nibbling one to determine the heat and then add according to your desired taste.
• Be sure to scrape the pan while stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula or you risk burning the mixture.
• If your kulfi ends up too chunky after cooking it, you reduced it too much, leaving only milk solids. There’s a fine line between it being thick and smooth and turning into chunky solids. Be sure to stop the cooking process once it’s thick and smooth!
• When blending hot liquids, remove the middle plastic cap of the blender top to allow the steam to escape. If need be, wait until the mixture has come to room temperature before blending.