a simple non-vegetarian menu
A simple non-vegetarian menu for first time users of this cookbook.
chicken
Chicken dishes are common. Mughlai cusine often used chicken or game fowls in their preparation. Any non-vegetarian regions will feature these extensively in their cuisine.
Most of these recipes feature long marination and quite short cooking times. In India, chickens can be quite dry and stingy and will require longer cooking times. You must always ensure that poultry is adequately cooked before serving.
We have left out the removal of pellets and other fowl cleaning requirements in these recipes. You should note that many of these recipes could be made with duck or other game fowls such as pheasant or pigeon.
butter chicken
This is the original Mughal butter chicken. Murgh makhani is not a curry, like restaurants serve, but is pieces of grilled or baked chicken coated in a sauce.
Chettinad chicken
Chettinad chicken, or milagu kozhi varuval, gets its heat largely from black pepper. It has a different flavour to dishes that predominantly use chilli for the heat.
chicken biryani
This chicken biryani, or murgh biryani is delicately scented with rosewater and cardamom, with hot and spicy chicken pieces.
chicken kathi roll
From the street food vendors of Kolkatta comes this spiced chicken, wrapped in an egg soaked flatbread. Kathi rolls are quite possibly the world's best snack.
chicken korma – andhra style
A hotter and spicier chicken korma than the northern style. Kozhi kurma is from the Andhra region of south India. It features coconut milk rather than dairy products.
chicken korma – awadhi style
This chicken korma, or murgh kurma is the definitive Mughal recipe - a mildly spiced, delicate and elegant dish.
chicken xacuti
Xacuti is a unique dish from Goa. It is made with chicken, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and a lot of Kashmiri chillies. It is hot, fiery and delicious.
claypot chicken
Chicken, marinated overnight, then baked in a sealed pot. A favourite of the British, claypot chicken, or murgh dum pukht is a great entertaining dish because everything is done the night before.
green masala chicken
This green masala chicken is a light chicken dish from Pakistan with a lot of coriander. Known as hara masala murgh, it has a fresh taste, with the lemon and ginger complementing the coriander and spices.
roast chicken
This whole roast chicken, murgh musallam, is very popular in the north and north-eastern parts of India. Another great example of Mughal cuisine, it is mildly spiced, with a thick and rich sauce based on yoghurt and tomato.
tandoori chicken
The classic North Indian way to prepare chicken. Originally from Persia, tandoori chicken is not hot, but has a gentle and subtle spice background. Part of the flavour comes from the slightly charred outside of the chicken.