Chet Sharma’s recipes for Lahori chicken, mixed greens saag and roomali roti | Food | The Guardian — theguardian.com

Inspired by my grandfather’s stories about pre-partition Lahore and the innumerable kebab vendors of his youth, this chicken dish is a homage to him. In BiBi, both my grandmothers have a restaurant named after them, so I’m happy to have got at least one dish for him on the menu. These days, rib-sticking, buttery, Punjabi-style saag is more of a year-round dish, but traditionally it’s made around Lohri, the north Indian harvest festival in early January. The colder weather in the UK, however, means it’s suitable all the way through from autumn to early spring. Mixed greens saag (pictured top) The mix of greens you use here is important. Milder greens such as spinach may bring some body, but don’t really have a place in an old-school saag. Ideally you want tough, bitter leaves that take well to longer cooking. In India, that means native greens such as bhatua, radish leaves (with their stems) and lots of mustard leaves; in the UK, I use a mix of turnip tops, collard greens (or kale or spring greens) and cavolo nero to similar effect. Saag is usually served with fresh butter, yoghurt and a salad made of sliced onions, green chillies, mooli (AKA white radish or daikon) and Indian lemon juice, all of which you should be able to find in a south-east Asian grocer or supermarket.Prep 15 minCook 1 hr 10 min Serves 4-6For the greens 250g mustard greens, washed and coarsely chopped 250g mixed greens (see recipe introduction), washed and coarsely chopped 1 bombay onion (or 1 large white onion), peeled and finely chopped 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 2½cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2 green finger chillies, or to taste, chopped 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped 50g white radish (mooli), chopped 1 tsp red chilli powder2 tsp salt, or to taste 30g fine cornmeal (polenta)For the tempering 3 tbsp ghee¼ tsp asafoetida (AKA hing) 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped1 tsp cumin seeds 1 bombay onion (or 1 large white onion), peeled and finely chopped 2 dried red kashmiri chillies½ tsp coriander seeds, crushed ½ tsp garam masalaTo serve 2-4 tbsp unsalted butter, meltedPut all the ingredients for the greens except the polenta in a large saucepan, add 500ml cold water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and leave to cook for at least an hour, until the greens break down with little resistance when you pinch some between your fingers.Strain the mix, reserving the liquid, then return the greens to the pan and put it back on the heat. Pour in the polenta, stirring it in vigorously, then add the reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until everything is the consistency of a smooth puree.Now make the tempering. In a second large pan, heat the ghee on a medium-high heat, stir in the asafoetida, then add the garlic and cumin seeds, and cook for a minute or two, until the garlic turns a deep golden colour. Add the remaining tempering ingredients and cook until the onion turns translucent. Stir in the greens and check the seasoning.Serve hot with the melted butter poured on top and a roomali roti. Sharmaji’s Lahori spatchcocked chicken Chet Sharma’s Lahori spatchcocked chicken.At the restaurant, we make our own chaat masala (actually, a kebab masala), and a bespoke garam masala for the marinade, but a good shop-bought chaat masala and north Indian garam masala will make life a lot easier for home cooks.Strain OvernightPrep 15 minMarinate 1 hr 10 min Cook 1 hr Serves 4 as part of a meal1kg natural live yoghurt1 x 1½kg free-range chicken, spatchcocked (if need be, ask a butcher to do this for you, though all it involves is cutting out the backbone with kitchen shears and pressing the bird flat)For the first marinade 2 tbsp garlic paste3 tbsp ginger paste3 tbsp lemon juice1 tsp saltFor the second marinade 2 tbsp garam masala1 tbsp garlic paste1 tbsp ginger paste1 tbsp salt2 tbsp mustard oilFor the cashew sauce 300ml yoghurt whey, from straining the yoghurt above (see method) 150ml double cream 30g roasted cashew nuts2 green cardamom pods2½cm piece ginger, peeled and very finely chopped 2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves Coriander, ginger and green finger chillies, all chopped, to finish 1 tsp chaat masala 100g salted butterLayer up a few sheets of kitchen roll in a sieve set over a large bowl, pour in the yoghurt and put in the fridge overnight.The next day, weigh out 250g of the drained yoghurt for the marinade (save any excess for another use; it’s very much like a light Greek yoghurt) and set aside the liquid whey for the sauce.In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the first marinade, then rub this all over the chicken, so it’s evenly coated, and leave to marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the second marinade in a second bowl. When the chicken has had its 10 minutes, rub the second marinade all over it, again coating it evenly, then leave to marinate at room temperature for an hour.Heat the oven to its highest setting, 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9 (at the restaurant, we use a sigree, or charcoal grill; you could by all means cook the chicken on a barbecue instead). Lay the chicken breast side down on an oven tray and roast for 20 minutes – the ribcage should blacken a fair bit during this time, which helps add flavour without overcooking the flesh. Turn the chicken breast side up and roast for another 20 minutes. Test that it’s cooked through by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh – if the juices run clear, it’s done (if you have a meat thermometer, it should read at least 70C).Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place while you make the sauce.Put the yoghurt whey, cream, cashew nuts, cardamom and ginger in a medium saucepan, bring to a rapid boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cashews are soft enough to mash. Remove and discard the cardamom pods, pour the sauce into a blender, add the fenugreek leaves, and blitz at the highest speed until very smooth, which may take up to five minutes. Adjust the texture to the consistency of double cream by adding hot water, if need be, then stir in the chopped coriander, ginger, green chilli, chaat masala and more salt to taste.In a small pan, melt the butter until it’s bubbling but not taking on any colour. Pour the cashew sauce over the chicken, top that with the melted butter, garnish with a sprinkle of chaat masala and serve hot with the saag below, an onion salad and roti. Roomali roti (pictured above) This is the only staple bread on BiBi’s menu, mainly because we wanted to explore alternatives to the naan. India has well over 100 types of griddled flatbreads before you even start thinking about the ones cooked in a tandoor. Roomal means “handkerchief”, so it follows that this roti is so thin that it drapes like a handkerchief (the origin of the name is thought to be based on the cloths the kebab vendors in Hyderabad used to clean their hands after work). The key to getting this bread right is to leave the balled dough to rest for as long as possible – even overnight – and to roll it at room temperature. We break with tradition by adding very fine wholemeal (paigambari atta) to the mix, which is often mistaken to mean wholemeal flour; if you can’t get a proper stoneground (or chakki) atta, stick to all plain flour instead.Prep 5 minRest 1 hrCook 15 min Makes 12, to serve 4300ml full-fat milk1 tsp salt1 tbsp ghee300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting100g stoneground wholemeal atta (or 100g extra plain flour)Put the milk, salt and ghee in a medium pan, bring up to a simmer, then take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.Meanwhile, mix the flour and atta (if using) in a large bowl. Knead the hot milk mixture into the flour with the heel of your palm for at least five minutes, or until you have a smooth-looking dough.Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, then roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a large baking sheet, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove at room temperature for at least an hour.Put a wok on a medium-high gas flame for five minutes (if you have an electric hob, put your largest frying pan on a medium-high heat for five minutes).Working with one dough ball at a time, dust the ball and a work surface with flour, then roll out into a 1-2mm-thick round.Turn the wok upside down, so the base is now facing up, and leave over the heat. Lay the flatbread over the back of the wok and leave to cook for 30 seconds, or until it takes on a few light-brown spots here and there (if you have an electric hob, cook the roti in the hot frying pan instead). Flip the bread over, fold it in half and cook for 10 seconds more. Fold the bread in half again, take off the wok and wrap in a clean tea towel while you repeat with the remaining balls of dough.Serve the rotis warm alongside the chicken and saag. Chet Sharma is chef-patron at BiBi, London W1

Read More