Chef notes
While visiting Kashmir, I learnt so much about the food, people and the landscape. Although I had chicken on my travels, it wasn't widely served. I had a conversation about chicken dishes with Amit and Hayat, and they said people likely cook chicken at home with the same ingredients used in the lamb or vegetarian dishes. Using this as my inspiration, when I returned to the U.K., I made a whole-roasted chicken recipe using the Kashmiri spices for my family and friends to enjoy.
Technique tip: Checking cooking temp and time depending on your oven.
Ingredients
- 8 teaspoons sunflower oil or ghee
- 3½ ounces shallots, thinly sliced
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons saffron strands, soaked in 3 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1 (2¼-pound) whole chicken, skin removed
- chutneys, relishes and rice, to serve (optional)
- 2½ cups basmati rice
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons mustard oil or rapeseed (canola) oil
- 14 ounces apricots, washed, pitted and roughly chopped
- 1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3½ ounces shelled walnuts
- 3 red Kashmiri chiles
- 1-2 small green chiles
- 2½ ounces chopped onion
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 9 ounces small round shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup malt vinegar
- 5-6 bird's eye or small green chiles
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
Preparation
For the kong kokur:
1.Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2.Heat 5 teaspoons of the oil or ghee in a large pan, add the shallots and fry until golden brown, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, blitz to a paste in a food processor.
3.Place all the whole and ground spices, along with the salt, in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, and grind to a fine powder.
4.In a bowl, combine this spice powder with the shallot paste and saffron water, along with the remaining 3 teaspoons of oil or ghee. Mix together with a fork.
5.Apply this spice paste to the whole chicken, ensuring it is thoroughly covered, then leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6.Place the marinated chicken in a roasting tray (pan) and roast in the hot oven for 1 hour 20 minutes.
7.Turn off the oven and leave the chicken to rest in the oven while you preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
8.Place the chicken under the grill and cook for 15 minutes until browned on top. Serve with chutneys or relishes of your choice, rice and any vegetarian side dish.
For the taher:
Place the rice, ground turmeric and salt in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes until the rice is nearly cooked but still has a bite to it. Drain, cover the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Heat the oil in a separate pan, then pour it over the rice and mix it through.
For the chulli jam:
Place the roughly chopped apricots in a deep saucepan over a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the sugar and cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sugar is well dissolved, and the mixture is sticky. Finally, add the lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Unopened, the jam will keep for several months. Enjoy with a slice of toast.
For the doon chetin:
1.Soak the walnuts and red chiles separately in water for about 1 hour, then drain.
2.In a pestle and mortar, combine the soaked walnuts and red chiles with the green chiles, onion, and lemon zest and juice. Pound until you get an even consistency. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, use a blender.
3.Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then fold in the yogurt and salt and mix well.
4.We make our chutneys fresh and eat immediately with our food, but you can keep this in the refrigerator for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
For the gand chetin:
1.Place the shallots in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and set aside for 5 minutes.
2.After 5 minutes, wash the shallots under running water and drain.
3.Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine, then serve. You can keep this relish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for few days.
