Chicken Curry & Tarka Dal
Anisha created this dish for MasterChef UK ™ Season 22. Her chicken and red pepper curry won praise for its fragrant green cardamom and green chilli set against the sweetness of the peppers, alongside a creamy turmeric red-lentil dal finished tableside with a sizzling roasted garlic butter tarka. This Fix-It version preserves every praised element and answers judge Anna Haugh's one request — a more generous, deeply golden garlic tarka.
- Time: 75 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- FOR THE BASMATI RICE
- Basmati rice — 1 cup , rinsed and drained
- Water — 1 3/4 cups
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
- FOR THE TURMERIC RED-LENTIL DAL
- Red split lentils — 1 cup , rinsed until the water runs clear
- Water — 3 cups , plus more as needed
- Ground turmeric — 1/2 tsp
- Salt — 3/4 tsp
- Unsalted butter — 2 tbsp
- FOR THE CHICKEN & RED PEPPER CURRY
- Vegetable oil or ghee — 3 tbsp
- Green cardamom pods — 5, lightly bruised
- Onion — 1 large, finely chopped
- Garlic cloves — 4, crushed
- Fresh ginger — 1 1/2 tbsp , grated
- Green chillies — 2, slit
- Ground cumin — 2 tsp
- Ground coriander — 2 tsp
- Chilli powder — 1/2 tsp
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs — 1 1/4 lb , cut into bite-sized pieces
- Chopped tomatoes — 1 cup
- Water or chicken stock — 3/4 cup
- Salt — 1 tsp
- Red bell peppers — 2, deseeded and cut into chunks
- Garam masala — 1 tsp
- Fresh coriander — small handful, chopped, to finish
- FOR THE ROASTED GARLIC BUTTER TARKA
- Unsalted butter — 3 tbsp
- Garlic cloves — 6, thinly sliced
- Cumin seeds — 1/2 tsp
- Dried red chilli — 1, broken
- EQUIPMENT
- Large heavy-based saucepan or casserole
- Medium saucepan
- Small saucepan or frying pan
- Lidded saucepan or rice cooker
- Fine grater or microplane
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle