Friday Fakeaway: Chicken jalfrezi with fragrant basmati rice

In our weekly series looking at how you can make the best takeaway food, Brian Stormont looks to India to bring you a tasty chicken jalfrezi with fragrant basmati rice.

It’s Friday, work is finished for the week and you want to recreate that amazing takeaway dish in the comfort of your own home, so you cook up a Friday Fakeaway.

Move over chicken tikka masala, the jalfrezi is now the nation’s favourite curry! Not convinced? Wait until you try this version, served with fragrant basmati rice.

Jalfrezi is a tomato and green pepper stir-fry based curry with a little kick to it! This version from recipe box makers Gousto is loaded with succulent pulled chicken, and you’ll serve it with buttery, nigella seed rice.

Senior recipe developer at Gousto Jordan Moore’s top tip is: “To make your rice really flavourful, try adding some store cupboard spices to the water. Try a cinnamon stick, a few cardamom pods and a strip of lemon zest for a hassle-free way to add extra flavour.”

Chicken jalfrezi with fragrant basmatic rice

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 tomato
• 1 clove of garlic
• 15g fresh root ginger
• 320g chicken thighs
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 130g basmati rice
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 tbsp tomato paste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7.
2. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid), with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs and cook for five minutes until golden on both sides, then transfer them to a baking tray (reserve the pan) and put them in the oven for 10-12 mins or until cooked through (no pink meat).
3. Peel and finely slice the brown onion.
4. Once the chicken is in the oven, return the pan to a medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced onion with a big pinch of salt and two teaspoons of sugar and cook for five to eight minutes or until softened and starting to caramelise.
5. While the onion softens, boil a kettle.
6. Heat a pot (with a matching lid) with a drizzle of vegetable oil and a large knob of butter over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the nigella seeds and basmati rice and stir to fully coat the grains in oil
7. Add 350ml boiled water to the rice, increase the heat to high and bring back to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked. Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving – this is your fragrant basmati rice.

1. Meanwhile, boil your kettle again.
2. De-seed the green pepper (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and cut into thin strips. Add the sliced pepper to the softened onion and cook for a further five to eight minutes or until starting to brown.
3. Dissolve the chicken stock cube in 300ml boiled water.
4. Peel (scrape the skin off with a teaspoon) and finely chop (or grate) the ginger, peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Add the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chilli flakes (can’t handle the heat? Go easy!) and curry powder to the pan and stir until everything is coated in spice. Stir the tomato paste into the pan, then add the tomato wedges and  stock
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered for five to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has reduced.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a clean board and shred it apart, using two forks – this technique is known as “pulling”. Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and give everything a good mix up.
7. Fluff the fragrant basmati rice with a fork and stir in a knob of butter.
8. Taste for seasoning (add some pepper if you like it hot!) and serve the chicken jalfrezi with the fragrant basmati rice on the side.

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