Calypso Chicken
I have been cooking for a very long time, from something I never really took an interest in, to now, where I can’t imaging not being able to be creative. It’s my time to relax, unwind, be creative and let my imagination run wild with flavours, aromas and textures. Cooking is a therapy for me and for that time I am in the kitchen, I am free. I am like an alchemist and it pleases me to see family and friends I cook for, enjoy my creations. Food I cook from the heart, with passion, because for me love is the secret recipe. I always cook by eye and never recipes, as more and more people are asking for recipes, I have started to write recipes, document and take pictures.
This recipe has been in my laboratory, that is my mind for a couple of weeks, where I have been researching, playing with flavours and cooking styles. If I had a restaurant then I would have served the chicken on the confit vegetables, used a ramekins to shape the rice. Spoon the salsa over the chicken and drizzle with the mint sauce, like a priceless Picasso. But I’m not, so I won’t. Serve it how you like.
I have blended styles of cooking from around the world, Confit, Tandoori, Salsa and Sauce.
This recipe is all about prep and then bring together like a jigsaw. I will write it in the order of prep and cooking.
Chicken
Ingredients
Four skinless chicken breasts, thinly score lines diagonally to absorb the marinade. Four level teaspoons of tandoori spice mix.
Four tablespoons of natural greek yogurt.
One tablespoon of lemon juice.
One table spoon of veg oil.
Two table spoons of tomato ketchup. Pinch of red food colour powder.
Method
Mix all the ingredient well, in a bowl and cover with cling film or lid. Leave to marinade overnight. Remove from the fridge, at least two hours for the chicken to get to room temperature. When ready roast, three heat oven, and cook at gas mark 6, for about twenty minutes, covered with foil. Turn heat up to gas mark 8 and remove foil, for about ten minutes. Check, chicken should be just cooked and slightly charred.
Mint Sauce
Ingredients
30g coriander, including stalks.
30g mint, remove stalks and just use leaves.
One green chilli sliced.
One large clove of garlic crushed.
400g Natural greek yogurt (this will be form the 500g pot, where you sued 100g for marinade).
Two tablespoons of lime juice.
Half a teaspoon of salt.
Quarter teaspoon of white pepper.
Method
Blitz all the above ingredients with just 200g yogurt and blend. Pour in bowl and add 200g natural yogurt and mix by spoon. You can do this beforehand or even over night. Cover and place in fridge.
Confit of tandoori spices and veg
Ingredients
Three long red Turkish chillies, sliced thickly.
300g shallots, peeled and halved.
325g Baby plum tomatoes whole.
465g Maris piper potato (Large), peeled and diced about 30+mm size. 8 large whole cloves of garlic peeled.
25g Fresh Ginger peeled and julienned into thin sticks. Two star anise.
Two bay leaves.
One two inch by half inch cassia bark stick.
One tablespoon of coriander seeds crushed. One table spoon of Cumin seeds crushed. 200ml Extra virgin olive oil.
Paste
One tablespoon of concentrated Tomato paste. One tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder.
One teaspoon of salt.
Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Blend all of the above into a paste.
Method
Pre Heat oven to gas mark 4.
Place all the ingredients in a heavy casserole dish with a lid, stir well and place in the centre of oven for two hours and twenty minutes. Stir half way through.
Mango Salsa
Ingredients
One bunch of spring onions, washed, topped and tailed, then sliced.
Two mangoes diced.
One tablespoon of szechuan pepper corns, crushed.
Two table spoons of soy sauce. 200ml Coconut milk.
One tablespoon of oil.
Two table spoons of soy sauce.
Two tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce. Pinch of sea salt to taste.
Chopped coriander to serve.
Method
In a deep frying pan, heat oil and crushed szechuan peppercorns
For a couple of minutes. Add mango and spring onions and fry for a few minutes. Add coconut milk and all the other ingredients and cook out reduce to the desired consistency, increasing heat to do so. This took me about five to seven minutes. Take off heat and sprinkle with chopped coriander, stir in.
Assemble dish and serve, I served with plain boiled basmati rice. I hope you enjoy making this recipe, as much as I have putting it together.
