Sometimes loads and loads of flavour is exactly what you need
People like fun looking food. So much so, that I really don't see the point of serving boring looking food to your wonderful, gorgeous, sexy friends.
This particular dish looks incredibly appetising but is really easy to make. It only takes an hour to cook, all in the oven, but you may want to marinate the chicken for a few hours if you have time. If you haven't the time, don't lose sleep over it.
For the chicken
- 1 Chicken (or more, if you have lots of friends)
- 1 tablespoon curry paste of your choice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots
- 1 lump fresh ginger (about a thumb size, peeled)
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
- salt
For the Hot Salad
- 1 large aubergine
- 1 large red onion
- 1 small red pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon panch puran (Indian five spice, whole spices)
- 1 small tin #Napolina chickpeas
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- small handful flat-leaf parsley
- Mustard Oil
- Salt
In a blender or blitzer of some sort, blitz up all the ingredients for the chicken, except the chicken, of course!
Spatchcock the chicken by cutting out the backbone and flatten.
With a very sharp knife, score the chicken a couple of times on each breast and on the legs, really deeply.
Work in the marinade with your hands, not forgetting the underside of the chicken. Put aside to marinate for however long you have.
Put the over on very hot, 220ºC. Put the chicken in a baster or in an oven pan and cover with foil - make it into a bit of a tent to let the air circulate.
Cook the chicken for an hour or until properly done - buy yourself a thermometer, please! 75° Celsius is what you are aiming for.
Now, onto the salad. I have no real idea why I am calling this a salad because it is basically roasted veg, but it looks salady!
Chop up the onions into big chunks. Chop up the aubergine and pepper into small chunks.
Finely chop the garlic and drain the chickpeas.
Put into an open oven pan and sprinkle over the panch puran and the salt. Add a couple of tablespoons of mustard oil or peanut oil and toss all together.
Put this into the oven. Remove and stir from time to time to make sure it is all being roasted and browned.
While it is cooking, quarter each of the cherry tomatoes and chop up the herbs.
Once the veg is cooked, remove from the oven and throw in the tomatoes and herbs and toss. Don't put it back in the oven. I suppose that is what makes it a salad!
All done!
Serve in huge bowls and let everyone just dive in and make a happy little mess. Serve with lashings of frothy beer, loads of hugs and kisses and unabated silliness.
Well, that goes for all meals, doesn't it?
Tell me how much you love it/me below.
CCH
