Recipes: Four delicious Bengali and Indian dishes

Get your friends and family round to try out this feast courtesy of Bengali and Indian restaurant Voujon, based in Newington Road.

Chicken Tikka. Serves 2.

Ingredients

500g chicken cubed

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, grated

Pinch salt

6 tbsp yoghurt

Half tsp garam masala (warm spice mix)

Half tsp turmeric powder

Chili powder to taste

Fresh coriander, chopped

Tbsp lemon juice

Method

Mix the spices, lemon juice, grated ginger and finely minced garlic up into a paste with a little water and stir in well with the yogurt to make Tikka marinade.

Soak chicken in marinade for two hours, place in fridge. Preheat the oven to highest heat. Shake off excess marinade and place chicken pieces on skewers on a wire rack in the oven.

Cook for 15-20 minutes and check the chicken pieces are properly cooked throughout – if the juices run clear it’s cooked. Serve with mixed salad.

Vegetable Pakora. Serves 4.

Ingredients

10 medium potatoes peeled and cubed

5 aubergines, cubed

3 onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

4 eggs

Fresh mint, chopped

4-6 garlic cloves, minced

2 inch ginger, grated

Pinch red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup besan (bengal gram flour)

Method

Mix chopped vegetables, spices, flour, garlic and ginger together in a bowel. Then add eggs and mix. Add fresh mint last. Make mixture into ball shapes by rolling mixture with hands.

Heat a few inches of oil in a deep frying pan or prepare deep fat fryer. Heat oil in pan as hot as possible without burning the oil, place Pakora balls in hot pan for 6-8 minutes, turn often and supervise pan at all times. Serve with mint or sour cream sauce.

Chicken Korma. Serves 2.

Ingredients

450g cubed chicken

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic

2-3 tbsp tomato puree

Pinch of salt

Half pint fresh single cream

Fresh cilantro leaves

Half tsp ground coriander

Half tsp turmeric

Half tsp garam masala

25g creamed coconut

Method

Heat oil in pan to medium heat, add onions, garlic and fry until brown. Add spices and stir. Then add tomato puree and chicken. Add creamed coconut and a little water if paste becomes too thick.

Stir frequently until chicken is well coated and sealed. Cover and cook on low flame for 20-30 minutes.

Check that chicken pieces are cooked throughout. Turn off heat and fold in cream. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Kulfi (Creamy Almond Dessert). Serves 8.

Ingredients

2 litres milk

250ml of condensed milk

10g almond powder

5 cardamom pods, crushed

6 tbsp sugar

Method

Heat saucepan to medium heat and pour in milk and condensed milk. Add almond powder and sugar, stir until sugar has melted. Add cardamom pods and bring pan to the boil.

Cover pan and leave to cool, and then sieve out cardamom pods. Once mixture has fully cooled transfer to plastic container and freeze for at least 6 hours. Best served with strawberry sauce.