Preview: Almond Coriander Chicken

In the video the pappadams may appear to look like corn tortillas, but they're not.

Their flavour and texture is quite different, so make sure you do get the real pappadams.

Pappadams are soo good. They're a bit salty but very good. Dawn uses the grilling and tong shaping technique in the drill-down. My one advice is to triple the amount of pappadams that you make since the go really fast since people find that they just keep munching on the left overs even after the curry is gone. Or maybe that's just me.

This was my first major curry. It turned out pretty well. Some notes:

1) Ghee is clarified butter. I came back from the market and when I got back to my kitchen, I forgot to buy butter, to my horror. I used olive oil. The world didn't explode.

2) 2 chili peppers, while spicy enough for me, was too spicy for some of my friends and is still spicier than regular Indian restaurant curries (in the United States, anyway). De-seed if your friends are wimps.

3) I couldn't find blanched albums, so I bought a can of salted almonds and rinsed them in cold water. Again, the world didn't explode, and the curry was fine. (Poor Dawn would probably freak out if she read this, however.)

i tried making the pappadums in the oven and it didnt work. i also held them over an open flame (i have a gas stove) and i burnt them...i don't know how to make them if i dont have a grill...am i a dim bulb?

just curious: did the pappadums burn in the oven? I ask as I heard in the video that you should be able to make them in the oven?

I have to say that I just tested pappadums in the oven, gas and electric, in the microwave and on my gas burner and they all worked beautifully. The reason Lisa had a problem in the oven was because she put them on a tray (this I know because she told me). Pappadums need the direct heat so they should go directly on the rack and not onto a tray. Also watch them, you may need to turn them. Turn the heat to 375° degrees, and let cook for about 30 seconds, you can even leave the oven open if you like. For the burner, you have to be quick and move them around alot. But they totally work and will give you that nice charred color that is almost like doing them over a grill. For the microwave, place onto a plate covered with a piece of paper towel and cook for 40 to 60 seconds. Generally pappadums cook quickly and are best (at least easiest) if you only cook a few at a time!

OK , Dawn is right, I put the pappadams on a cookie sheet and literally nothing happened...I havent had time to try straight on the oven racks...but I can't wait! YAY! Thank you!

My husband made this dish yesterday and it turned out perfectly. I thought that it could have been a bit saucier and perhaps we'll have to adjust the water/cream amount next time, but overall it was a great success.

We served it with parathas instead of papadums and just plain basmati. I can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow.

Tonight, we're making the tortilla de patatas!

Tonight I made this vegetarian friendly by substituting tofu for the chicken, and I must say it was amazing! As usual, I always freeze my extra firm tofu first and then defrost it in the microwave until it's still just a little cold, but not frozen. Freezing it makes it much, much easier to drain and squeeze out the excess liquid. I chopped that up and threw it in the sauce for half the time that the chicken would cook. It really soaked up the flavor.

Also, I couldn't find any pappadams - is there anyone in Portland who can recommend a good place to find them?

On a last note, I have to say that neither my husband or I are cilantro fans, but I used it here in this recipe (in both the rice and the curry) and loved it. It really provided a freshness to the dish that was really unique.

This was quite simply one of the best dishes my wife and I have tried in a while. A complexity of flavours that lingered long after the last delicious mouthful.

More curry recipes please!

This will be a regular addition to the menu. Very easy to prepare. I made the Pilau rice - had to make my own crisp onions, as I could not find them in the grocery, glad I did, it was delicious too. I put the papadums in the microwave, lightly brushed with oil for 45 seconds - perfect.

Even without the fresh coriander it was so delicious! The coriander would have been an amazing finish, but I don't have a reliable supply where I live :( I put in a bit more cream as I like a very saucy curry.

I make Indian food regularly, as it is our favourite. Decided to try this one as it looked really good! I found that it was very very mild, so I added more chili and two fresh tomato and let it simmer on the stove for 30 mins. It turned out really amazing, so if anyone wants a more authentic Indian taste, this is a great way to do it. Overall the recipe was wonderful. I recommend going the extra mile to make the Pilau rice, as it a great addition to this dish!

Although involves curry,I think this recipe in not 100% Indian one,but more a Malaysian one.Anyway,o rich taste.I let myself to add 60ml (aprox 2 oz.) of coconut milk

Made this last night and really enjoyed it. Not difficult at all and has great spices. Will make again!

This was a wonderful taste but the sauce was a little to thick for us so I added about a cup of low sodium chicken broth. My onions may have been to large helping to thicken the sauce.

Pretty good - cooked it for the extended family tonight with plenty of Pops and Pilau. Went down very well with several spice lovers.

Was worried initially that I'd left too many chilli seeds in and made it too hot but after I'd added the cream and almond sauce it took the edge off and smoothed everything out really well.

The detail of the flavours may have been a lot clearer if I'd found some Ghee but here in the UK it's hard to get and I didn't clarify the butter.

Eight out of ten I think - much praise heaped on the chef. Of course I never reveal my sources, only mu sauces!

S

Glad you had a great meal. Here is the ghee video for future reference. Easy to make and the nutty flavor of this cooked clarifies butter will add to this dish.

http://rouxbe.com/drilldowns/101

yom, yum,yum. So good. I substituted Veg oil for the ghee and also half and half for the cream. Will make this again for sure.

I'm planning on making this dish next weekend. It sounds great, but I have one small problem. I live in a remote area of Minnesota and have no ideal where I would find the pappadams. Would pita bread sliced in halved and toasted on the grill or in the oven work for a substitute? Do you have a better substitute?

Hi Beth,

Plain pita bread on the grill or in the oven would work just fine. I'd even brush it with a little butter, toast it on the grill and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Yummmm. Anything to soak up the curry would be fine. Happy cooking!

I appreciate the quick respnose....Can't wait to try the recipe.
Do you have anymore great recipes that use cilantro. I have a fresh herb garden and want to try new recipes.

Hi Beth,

I did a quick search on the site and here are a few recipes that take a good amount of cilantro.

http://rouxbe.com/recipes/56
http://rouxbe.com/recipes/59
http://rouxbe.com/recipes/64
http://rouxbe.com/recipes/70
http://rouxbe.com/recipes/828

Tonight I made this dish and used half chicken breast and half paneer. I added the paneer at the very end of Step 1. I covered the pot again and let it cook in the onion mixture for another 15 minutes or so for it to soak up all of the flavor. I also squeezed a bit of fresh lime juice over each serving at the end and served it with plain basmati rice and cumin pappadums.

This was a great recipe and made a lot of food! I substituted the heavy cream with Nancy's yogurt and it was delicious. I thought it could have been spicier but it was a good base for the taste buds of the masses. We served it with rice and veggies but next time we'll do quinoa and papadums. The cilantro was a key ingredient that really added that extra yumminess.

I made this tonight and boy was it a hit in my family! I love the almonds in it...the flavors are wonderful too. Thanks for the great recipe, as well as the comment above about substituting Tofu for chicken - I'll try that one next time. I LOVE Rouxbe! :)

Great recipe, tasted great!! what is the make of the knives used in this video??

The knife in the video is a Shun Knife - they are very good knives, I especially like that they can be ordered for left-handed people (like myself). Glad you liked the recipe!

I made this recipe before but I don't know what I did wrong the sauce was really great but the chicken was a bit bland and stringy any ideas ?

The chicken was likely just over cooked slightly. Chicken breasts become stringy and start to dry out if even slightly over cooked. You could also try brining the chicken if you like. This recipe would even be good with chicken thighs, which have more fat and connective tissue, which equals more taste.

After watching the poultry fundamentals I understood the stringy chicken problem and using chicken thighs is not a bad idea at all but what about the chicken flavor it didn't seem to have the flavor of the spices any ideas ? maybe I should try and rub the spices on the chicken then cook it !?

So I buy whole chickens and have used my breasts - can I use the dark meat for this recipe without much change? Just cook a bit longer?

You are correct Rylla, the dark meat will just take a bit longer...but it will be delicious.

Try using only chicken tenderloins they also work great in the chicken parm. I must confess, I didn't realize a chicken had a tenderloin until I watched the poultry session on Rouxbe. You can purchase a package of tenderloins at Walmart. They come about 6 to a package.

Chicken tenderloins are really nice to eat. Here's a good tip (not necessary though) to make them even nicer to eat.

http://rouxbe.com/tips-techniques/341

Thanks Joe and you are correct one must remove the silver.

You guys are great, I love this website! Just gave your site info to the Culinary teacher at our local high school; not to mention telling every good cook I know how cool this site is. Keep up the good work.

I am considering using yogurt instead of cream. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I heard that yogurt curdles faster than cream so make sure not to heat too much.

I think yogurt would be a nice substitute for the cream. Just make sure to use a full fat yogurt or even drain the yogurt through cheesecloth overnight to get rid of excess water. You are correct, yogurt that is brought to a boil could potentially curdle, so it's best to add it and just heat the dish through. Try it out and let us know how you like it!

Love the way you grilled and twisted them! Very innovative! To update you, now there are 100s of flavours in papads available and they are also made out of many more ingredients other than lentil. Tough to choose, so I pick up a different flavour everytime.

Is there a recipe on site for Pappadums? I searched but could not find. Would like to make this weekend for the BF and friends.

There is no recipe for pappadums, but there is a Drill-down (or tip and technique video) called "What are Pappadums"? that shows you how to prepare them. Cheers!

I checked it out; I have an Indian cookbook, maybe it will be there. Otherwise, I'll guess as I go recipe with lentil flour, salt, pepper, and water with oil for grill. And take it from there.....

Wow, julie you are really going to make your own pappadums...cool. I have only ever bought them, as they are about 99 cents for about 100. Good luck and let us know how they turn out. Cheers!

I wouldn't know WHERE to purchase them up in Montreal, let alone here in NYC. It seems simple enough; I use to make manicotti crepes with my mom growing up so...it doesn't seem much different, except these will end up crisp, yes? I have the grill and will test the recipe, but go to my favorite Indian place here in NYC and see if they will give me a heads up on a recipe first. Sounds like a start. I do not fear my kitchen, we love one another quite a bit hee hee hee.

I was wondering if you guys have a good recipe for naan and if you could post it.

We don't currently have a recipe for naan, but there is this recipe for naan in one of the forum threads. Cheers!

Merely lentil (or chick pea, black gram, or rice flour) flour, salt and peanut oil, which can be seasoned with chili, cumin, garlic or black pepper. Mix together, let it rest, apportion and roll. Then you can fry or grill. not so hard. I think I might give it a go.

Would love to try this recipe, but I'm allergic to dairy. Anyone have a good non-dairy alternatives for the cream? (Actually would really appreciate any thoughts on this as it comes up often and I generally just abandon such recipes, but this one looks so good.) Thanks much!

You could try a product called Oak Supreme non-diary cream and/or Soy cream. I do not have an allergy but he prefers the Oak Supreme. JHO (just his opinion).

I replaced most of the chicken with a small head of cauliflower.
It turned out great. The first time I parboiled the cauliflower and then incorporated it into the dish in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

The second time around, I roasted the cauliflower and folded it in during the last minutes of cooking.

My wife preferred the parboiled cauliflower while I preferred it with the roasted cauliflower.

Thank you for the recipe

This would also be great with coconut milk - don't you think?...

Coconut milk is not typical in this dish, but you can give it a try if you like. Cheers!

I just finished making and eating this chicken and Wow it is delicious! It took me a good bit longer than 25 minutes to get the onions golden but I used really low heat and it turned out perfect. I could not find pappadums and used naan to soak up the wonderful sauce. This recipe alone is worth the price of admission.lol

And nothing wrong with Naan bread.

Is there and acceptable substitute for the yoghurt and cream when making Indian chicken or meat dishes?

You might want to experiment with some of these non-diary substitutions. Alternatively, you can omit the dairy in many Indian recipes.

Also, here is another thread from Bob's Red Mill that you might find helpful. And here is yet another link to a site called "Eating With Food Allergies" that you might find interesting. Hope this helps. Cheers!

is heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are same?

As long as it contains a minimum of 33% milk fat, you will be fine. For more information, search "heavy cream" in the search bar at the top right of any page and click on "Forum Discussion". Cheers!

I wonder if the water could be replaced with chicken stock to good effect. What do you think?

Of course you are free to try it if you like but honestly it is not necessary with this dish. Many Indian recipes do not call for stock as the spices and other aromatics lend so much flavor to the dish but as I said, you are free to try it. Cheers!

I will use water.

Every bite was followed by umm. I was so pleased with the results! You were not kidding about the onions cooking down Question: Could you provide a weight suggestion for the chicken? It seemed chicken heavy - wondering if I used too much.

I want to slice the almonds so can I do it after skinning it before drying then let it dry? Or should I wait till it's dry?

Are you looking to slice or chop almonds? I have never (and would never) try to slice almonds by hand. However, if you are looking to simply chop them, then I would say that they can really be chopped either before or after drying (or do you mean after they have cooled off?). I would suggest you try chopping some before and then some afterwards and then you will see which way works best for you. Cheers!

Thanks :)

What would a be a good vegetable side for this dish?

Rouxbe is more about helping users learn the techniques behind cooking and not necessarily about what goes best with what. But with that said, any vegetable that you like would go well with this dish. Personally, I am always a sucker for steamed broccoli or a nice bowl of peas :-) You might just want to keep it more neutral in flavor (meaning don't make an Italian veggie dish to serve with and Indian main). You could try something as simple as roasted or steamed carrots. You could also make a side that is more indian in flavor. Again, it depends on the vegetables that you like and what you are looking for. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Hi Dawn,
If you were going to freeze either this or the chana masala, you would just omit the cream/yogurt/dairy components, wouldn't you? I will have tonnes of left overs and want to be able to freeze them successfully.
Thanks!

Yes, it is best to freeze the dish and then add the dairy component once it has been reheated. This prevents any potential splitting. Cheers!

I have always cooked my pappadums by running them through a layer of hot oil in a low-edged skillet or fry-pan. Heat about 1/4 inch of grapeseed oil, and with a pair of chopsticks or tongs carefully slide one pappadum at a time under the surface of the hot oil. The pappadum will bubble and soften and curl within seconds, so be prepared. Make sure the oil is deep enough so the pappadum is completely immersed. That way, you won't need to turn them.

Toss into a large bowl or platter, where they will dry and crisp within seconds. It is a spectacular presentation. They are great with Mango Chutney.

This dish disappointed both my wife and I. We found it way too greasy, and it lacked the "mmm" factor of other Indian dishes we've had, both in flavour and texture. We would have had a hard time identifying anything "almond" about it.

Not wanting to waste my efforts I decided to try to "rescue" it. I noticed that it consisted of many of the same ingredients as butter chicken, including, what seemed like a lot of extra butter. I picked out the pieces of chicken and set aside. I put the remaining sauce back into a large saute pan, added two diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp of sambal oelek, a teaspoon of sugar, some additional cream and simmered the whole works until the tomatoes were softened and incorporated into the sauce. Then I put the hot sauce into a blender (careful ** HOT **) and blended it until smooth and silky. I put the blended sauce back in the saute pan and folded in the chicken that had been removed earlier. It made a pretty good butter chicken :-)

Personally, I love this dish and its mellow flavors but good for you for doctoring the dish to suit your tastes - that's what cooking is all about. Sometimes when you have certain flavors in your mind and a recipe doesn't match up it can be disappointing but with good cooking skills behind you, you'll be able to adjust to suit your tastes. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers!

I've made this dish several times and love it more each time I've made it, just fantastic!

I would like to try this recipe out, but I'm a little wary of using paprika because paprika (as far as I know) is not a spice used in Indian cuisine. By any chance, is paprika a substitute for garam masala? Or does paprika go by another name in India. I'd like to make it as authentically as possible (though I think fusion is also great).

Recipes are a guideline; if you you don't want to use Paprika, don't! With that said: "the king of all spices" in Indian food is red chili powder or cayenne pepper (paprika) and is prominent in Indian curry dishes. It depends on the spicy kick you want in your dish; after all, it's your dish. I made this recipe as is and it's perfect. I also experimented to give it a Mexican flare. I velveted the chicken which helped thicken to serve in Gorditas and so that it would hold in the steam table. I used Serrano peppers and also added a bit more chili powder, cumin and coriander and dropped the paprika. I served this in hand made Gorditas fresh from the hot plate with the usual Mexican sides of pico de gallo, cubed avocado, cilantro etc... I made Ms.Dawn T's recipe mine, that's the way it works
Hope this helps.

This is the beauty about cooking. Every recipe and each person's taste buds are different so you are free to experiment and change up the flavors to suit your own tastes. The paprika used here is very mild, so garam masala will give the dish a different flavor. If you like garam masala, by all means add a bit, but it isn't necessarily a substitute for paprika (see link). You may also want to bookmark this site for future substitution reference. You could try adding cayenne instead but this will give the dish more heat. Cheers!

Hi Myles S and Kimberley S thanks for your advice. I do appreciate it!

I'm eating this dish right now, and in spite of burning some of the onions the flavor is (to me) simply amazing.

I substituted almond meal for ground blanched almonds. After looking in the cook's thesaurus, is it right to assume the only difference is that the almond meal included the skins? The granularity of the almond meal looked similar to what was shown in the video.

Thanks!

Yes, Laura- You are correct, the almond meal has skins and will be a bit less refined as a result. They are used similarly and the blanched product is preferred on many pastry applications due to the color. Enjoy!