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Recently
Manju Mahli created a minor stir in Indian food circles by promoting
the virtues of a "new" dish called Chicken Chasni, said to
be the next Chicken Tikka Masala in the public's wish list.
Her attention
to the dish was apparently prompted by Sanjay Majhu's whose chain of
Indian restaurants in Scotland says it easily outsells Chicken Tikka
Masala 10 to one!
So just what
is in a Chasni?
Sanjay said: "It
doesn't taste like a curry. In fact it tastes like anything but a curry.
"In
fact, it is more like a sweet and sour chicken that the Chinese have.
"But
it is an absolutely beautiful dish because it has Indian spices
running through this sort of sweet and sourness.
It seems that
far from being new, this dish was created by a former chef, now a
restaurant owner, named Balbir.
After more
than 30 years he is still in the curry trade running a restaurant
called Balbir's. He said the Chasni came from catering for people who
did not think they liked Indian food.
"The
Chasni that is popular in Glasgow is my recipe. I created it in 1982,"
he said. "I tend to experiment a lot in the kitchen. There
were people who said, 'I can't eat Indian but I like Chinese', and
that's how the Chasni came about.
"I
tried a few different versions but the one that became the most
popular wasn't the one I liked, it was too mild for me."
If you want
to give your own verdict try one of the following recipes :
Chicken Chasni
Serves 2
Ingredients:
3 tbsp
sunflower oil
2 onions,
finely chopped
4 cloves
garlic, chopped
5cm/2 in
piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
½ tsp
ground coriander
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp
chilli powder
2 boneless,
skinless chicken breasts, about 125g each, cut into bite-sized pieces
100g mango chutney
100g tomato
sauce or ketchup
5-6 fresh
mint leaves, washed and chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
or
Ingredients
1 tsp
Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Mustard
Seeds (black)
1 tsp Paprika Powder
1 tsp Minced Ginger
1/2 can
(200gm) Chopped Plum Tomatoes
1/2 tsp Onion Seeds
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds
2 tsp Minced Garlic
2 tsp
Tamarind Concentrate
900gm (2lb)
Boneless Chicken (cubed)
3 tbsp Clear Honey
1 cup (200ml) Water
1/2 cup
(100ml) Natural yoghurt
1 medium
Onion (finely chopped)
A handful of
Fresh Coriander Leaves (finely chopped)
Salt to taste (optional)
Method
1. Heat a dry
frying pan until very hot. Dry roast the whole spices on a high heat
for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, grind and reserve.
2. Heat the
olive oil in a large pan. Stir fry the onions until they begin to
soften. Add the minced ginger and garlic and stir fry until golden
brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and freshly ground spices and stir
fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Mix in the
honey, tamarind, salt, water and chicken. Stir in well. Bring to boil
and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Add the yoghurt and fresh
coriander leaves mixing well. Cook for another minute and serve.
Or the
Glasgow Ashoka version :
Tumeric
Chilli powder
Mint
Lemon juice
Single Cream
Chopped Onion
Mango Chutney
Chicken
breast, chopped or sliced
Tomato Ketchup
1. Fry
chopped oinion, add teaspoon of tumeric and chilli powder.
2. Add chicken
3. Stir until brown
4. Add mango
chutney and ketchup, equal quantities (about 200g), plus teaspoon
fresh mint and teaspoon lemon juice.
5. Simmer
until chicken cooked, about 15 - 20 minutes
6. Add cream
to taste
7. Simmer for
about 15-20 minutes
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