Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
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Saffron
Saffron, long among the world’s most costly spices by weight, is native to Greece and Southwest Asia and was first cultivated in Greece about 3,500 years. Through all these years it has been priced as the costliest spice with bitter taste.
The best variety of Saffron comes from Kashmir, India and Spain. It has a wide use in the culinary world and is one of the most preferred spices for chefs and has been used extensively in lavish, exotic meals around the world.
It also contains a carotenoid dye which imparts a rich golden-yellow hue to dishes. Saffron is available in small bottles and is always sold by grams due to its high price. Saffron is mainly used for its characteristic taste and aroma and also finds its place in the medicine cabinet. The reddish golden threads were also highly prized by ancient kings. However, consumption of large quantity of saffron can be harmful for the human health.
Saffron when added with chicken in this recipe enhances the eye appeal and also imparts its taste and aroma.
Zafran Murgh Tikka
Serves 2
Ingredients
Chicken thigh boneless 600 gm
Ginger paste 2 tbsp
Garlic paste 2 tbsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Mustard oil 3 tbsp
Yellow chili 1 tbsp
Saffron ½ gm
Yoghurt 2 cup
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Cumin powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Mint powder ½ tsp
Chat masala 1 tsp
Garnish/ finishing
Butter 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves 1 tbsp
Lemon wedge 2-3 no’s
Onion rings as required
Mint sauce to accompany
Method
Wash and pat dry the boneless chicken thigh and cut into 1 ½ inch cubes.
Marinate it with ginger garlic paste lemon juice and salt and refrigerate at least for 2 hours (overnight marinating is the best).
Hang the yoghurt in a thin muslin cloth to remove the water and get thick yoghurt.
Soak the saffron strands in 2 tbsp warm water to extract the colour and aroma from the saffron strands.
Take the hung yoghurt in a bowl and add the remaining spices and the saffron water and mix well to make a smooth marinade.
Marinate the chicken morsels in the prepared marinade and leave them for another 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Heat the oven at 180 degree Celsius and skewer the chicken and cook evenly turning them so that they get evenly brown.
Once the tikka is half cooked remove from oven and allow it to stand for 5-8 minutes to allow the excess moisture to drip down.
Baste with butter and return to oven to get the desired colour and cook the chicken.
Once done the tikka should have a nice brown colour from outside and be soft and juicy from the inside.
Sprinkle some chat masala and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with choice of bread or rice.
Note: It is important to remove the tikka half way though and allow to rest as the meat will not get tough after cooking and also the tikka will be moist and well-cooked. Otherwise, direct cooking the tikka will shrink the meat and make it tough to eat. Also, the basting of the chicken tikka with butter will impart taste and help in giving a nice brown colour to the exterior. You can also cook this tikka over charcoal BBQ, as that will improve the taste of the tikka and impart a smoky taste to it.
Watermelon
The approaching summers brings the thought of refreshing red watermelons to my mind. One of the best and easiest recipes for a refreshing summer salad is the watermelon and feta salad with balsamic drizzle.
Watermelon is the only fruit that has around 90% water in it, making it one of the healthiest fruits with low calorie count. This is also a wonder fruit when it comes to blood pressure: one can drastically reduce the blood pressure level by sipping a glass of watermelon juice.
Watermelon
and Feta Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
Watermelon 800 gm
Feta cheese 60 gm
Balsamic vinegar ½ tsp
Mint leaves 4-5 prigs
Lemon wedge 2 no
Black pepper crushed To taste
Method
Cut the watermelon into 1-inch dices and place in a serving glass.
Cut feta cheese small into dices and place on the watermelon dices.
Chop some mint leaves and add to the salad.
Sprinkle some crushed black pepper and drizzle balsamic vinegar on top.
Garnish with mint leaves and lemon wedge and serve chilled.
Note: There is no need to add additional salt to the above recipe as the feta cheese used has a salty taste. Also you can replace the regular feta cheese with the low fat feta cheese to make this salad into a very low calorie salad.
Zafran Murgh Tikka.
