Chicken Tikka Masala
This is one of our favourite 'Indian' dishes. It's easy to make with readily available ingredients and it's always a crowd pleaser. We say Indian in inverted commas, as it's origins are not quite known. It's thought that it originated in Glasgow in the 1970's. The story goes: "On a typical dark, wet Glasgow night a bus driver coming off shift came in to the Shish Mahal restaurant and ordered a chicken curry. He sent it back to the waiter saying it was dry. At the time the owner had an ulcer and was enjoying a plate of tomato soup. So he said to the chefs why not put some tomato soup into the curry with some spices. It was sent back to the table and the bus driver absolutely loved it. He and his friends came back again and again and since then it was put on the menu."
Serves 4
Ingredients
sunflower oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
1 red or green chilli
5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 small tin tomato puree
2 tins peeled tomatoes
1 kg boned and skinned chicken thighs, cut into cubes
10 curry leaves (optional)
4-6 tablespoons natural yoghurt
bunch fresh coriander, chopped
steamed rice, naan bread and poppadums, to serve
Method
Finely slice the onion. Heat 2 tablespoons sunflower oil in a pan. Add the onions and fry on a medium-low heat for a good 15-20 minutes until they become soft and caramelised. In the meantime, deseed and chop the chilli, ginger and garlic. Add to the pan with the onions and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and sugar to the onions and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the the tomato puree and fry for a further 1-2 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Place the sauce in a bowl or a jug and blend with a Bamix (stick blender) until smooth.
Add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil to the same pan you cooked the sauce in and fry the chicken pieces until lightly coloured, about 5 minutes. Pour in the blended sauce and curry leaves, if using, and some salt and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the chicken in cooked through and tender.
Stir the yoghurt and half the coriander through the tikka masala. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with steamed rice, naan breads and/or poppadums.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Chicken and Aubergine Curry
Ingredients
2 onions, peeled and cut into chunks
5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
6 tablespoons sunflower oil
500 g boned and skinned chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tin chopped tomatoes
200 ml coconut milk
2 aubergines, cut into cubes
small bunch fresh coriander
Method
Place the onions, ginger and garlic in a Magimix (food processor) and blend until finely chopped.
Heat a heavy based casserole over medium heat with 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and sweat the onion mixture for about 10 minutes until it turns a light golden colour.
Add the chicken and fry for a few more minutes until lightly coloured. Add salt, to taste, the ground cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Fry for 1-2 minutes to cook the spices out.
Add the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the chicken has cooked through.
Heat a frying pan over high heat with the remaining 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and fry the aubergines until golden brown and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add half the aubergine to the curry about 10 minutes into the cooking time.
To serve, scatter the remaining aubergine and coriander over the chicken curry. Serve with steamed basmati rice, cucumber and mint raita, papadums or naan bread.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Hazenpeper - Hare Stew
Ingredients
4 hare legs
1, 5 bottles red wine
1 head of garlic, peeled
1 carrot, diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
200 g celeriac, diced
1 leek, finely chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary
8 cloves
8 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
olive oil
butter
salt
black pepper
flour
4 slices onbijt cooked (ginger or spice cake), crumbled
Method
Mix together the red wine, peeled garlic cloves, carrot, onion, celeriac, leek, thyme, rosemary, cloves, juniper berries and bay leaves. Add the hare legs and marinate the hare legs for 24- 48 hours.
Remove the hare from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade and keep the vegetables and herbs separately.
Heat a casserole or oven proof pan with some olive oil and a knob of butter. Brown the hare on all sides until nicely caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the strained vegetables and herbs to the pan and fry for about 5-10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon flour and fry for 1 minute. Pour in the reserved red wine from the marinade, the hare legs and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in a 140° C oven for about 3 hours until the meat is tender.
Remove the hare from the pan and pour the liquid through a sieve. Pick the meat from the bones.
Bring the sauce to a boil, whisk in the crumbled onbijtkoek (ginger or spice cake) and a knob of butter. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Return the meat to the sauce to reheat.
Serve the hare stew with creamy mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage.
The stew also freezes well and can be made ahead of time.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
De Volkskruidentuin - The Spice Garden
Situated on the Kinkerstraat, around the corner from Amsterdam's newest hotspot The Foodhallen, you'll find spice heaven.
As you walk in to De Volkskruidentuin, the heady aroma of exotic spices and rose water make you feel as if you've stept into a middle eastern souk. Spices, whole and ground, orange blossoms, rice and exotic ingredients jostle for space. The owner, originally from Afghanistan, has brought a part of his world to Amsterdam.
If, like us, you're a fan of Ottolenghi, but have difficulty finding some of the ingredients used in his recipes, then you'll probably find them here. Think date syrup, pomegranate molasses, sumac, za'atar, dried pulses and nuts. So spice up your life and pay this shop a visit!
Guinea Fowl with Pumpkin Sauce and Roast Beetroot
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 guinea fowl breasts
olive oil,
salt and pepper
mixed cress to garnish
Beetroot
2kg mixed beetroot, washed
olive oil
garlic cloves, skin on
beriyani spices
coarse sea salt and black pepper
Pumpkin Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
500g guinea fowl trimmings or carcasses
1 shallot, finely chopped
300 g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into cubes
50 ml Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
200 ml sweet white wine
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf, celery)
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
3 star anise
500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
40 g butter
salt and pepper
Method
Peel the beetroot and lay in a roasting tray. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the beriyani spices and drizzle with the olive oil. Scatter over the garlic cloves.
Place in a 180°C oven for at least and hour, depending on the size of the beetroot, until tender. Keep warm.
Peel the beetroot and lay in a roasting tray. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the beriyani spices and drizzle with the olive oil. Scatter over the garlic cloves.
Place in a 180°C oven for at least and hour, depending on the size of the beetroot, until tender. Keep warm.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the guineafowl trimmings or carcasses and brown over a medium-high heat. Pour out any excess fat. Add the shallot and pumpkin and sweat over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and reduce by about half. Add the sweet white wine and reduce until only one-third of the liquid remains. Add the bouquet garni, vanilla pod, star anise and stock. Simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes. Work through a sieve into a clean plan, pushing the soft pumpkin through. Whisk the butter in over a low heat and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Season the guinea fowl with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the guinea fowl breasts, skin-side down, until golden brown. Turn over on to the meat side and fry for a further 1 minute. Transfer to an oven tray.
Place the guinea fowl in the oven for 10-12 minutes until just cooked. Remove from the oven and allow t rest, loosely covered with aluminium foil for 5 minutes.
Slice the guinea fowl breasts. Place a pool of sauce on each plate. Lay the sliced guineafowl on top and the beetroot to the side. Garnish with a few mixed cress.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Bobotie
This traditional South African Cape Malay recipe is a must to try!
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 thick slices of stale white bread
250 ml water
5 Tablespoons sunflower oil
4 Tablespoons butter
2 large onions, finley chopped
800g lamb or beef mince
3 cloves garlic, finley chopped
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 cloves
5 allspice berries
125 ml sultanas or golden raisins
2 Tablespoons fruit chutney or apricot jam
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6-8 lemon or bay leaves
250ml natural yoghurt or buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
Method
Soak the bread in the water. Heat a large heavy-based pot with 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and fry the lamb or beef mince until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
Fry the onions in 2 tablespoons sunflower oil and the butter until just transparent. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Add the spices and fry about 1 minute to remove their rawness and cook them out slightly. Add the meat, sultanas, chutney or jam to the pan and mix well together, ensuring that all ingredients are coated in the spices. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Squeeze out the water from bread and add to meat and mixing well. Grease and ovenproof dish and add the meat mixture, spreading out into an even layer.Roll lemon leaves into spikes and insert into the mixture or if you can only get bay leaves stick them in so that they are pointing out. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Lightly beat the eggs and yoghurt or buttermilk together, season with salt and pepper and pour over meat. Bake, uncovered, until egg mixture has set, about 20 minutes. You may need to increase the temperature to 200 C to ensure the custard colours to a golden brown. Serve with yellow rice (basmati rice with turmeric added to the water) and fruit chutney.
* We recommend Mrs Balls Chutney. A classic South African ingredient which is becoming more readily available in Holland. If you can't find it, use any another brand of chutney you like.
Wine Tip: Pepin Conde Cabernet Sauvignon
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Walnut Cake with Spiced Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
Cake
220 g butter, at room temperature
240 g caster sugar
4 eggs
160 g fine semolina
2 teaspoons baking powder
300 g walnuts
Caramel
300g caster sugar
300 ml cream
1 star anise
½ cinnamon stick
25g butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the walnuts on a baking tray and toast them lightly in the oven, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Grease a 24 cm round springform tin or small fluted tins, of your choice.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl of a mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time, until well combined.
Place the walnuts in a food processor and blend until finely ground.
Stir the baking powder through the semolina and fold through the egg and butter mixture, followed by the ground walnuts.
Spoon the batter into the greased cake tins and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes (large cake) or about 20 minutes (for the small cakes). Remove from the oven, cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before turing out onto a wire rack to cool completely before covering with the caramel.
For the spiced caramel sauce, heat the sugar in a pan until it turns golden-brown. Pour the cream in carefully and bring to the boil, stirring well. Add the star anise, cinnamon and butter. Cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened and smooth.
Strain through a fine sieve, cool completely and pour over the cake before serving.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
The Mighty Spice Cookbook
Spice up your life with The Mighty Spice Cookbook.
In this book, John Gregory-Smith has travelled through Asia and North Africa to bring us delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes.
John Gregory-Smith loves spices so much that a few years ago decided to establish his own business, The Mighty Spice Company. His aim is to show everyone how easy it is to cook with spices and above all, how delicious they are.
The use of spices requires a delicate touch, as they can so often over-power a dish or shift it's balance. The recipes in this book contain no more than 5 different spices each.
The book is divided into chapters covering soups & salads, meat, fish, through to desserts. Heat and spice levels are also indicated. The recipes are clear and concise and we like the addition of side dishes from the book to combine with each recipe. At the back of the book there is also a detailed overview of all spices.
Publisher: Veltman Uitgevers
Author: John Gregory-Smith
Price: 19,99 euro