Cowgirls & Indians

"Howdy Pardners"

Despite a fear and mistrust of horses I’ve always fancied myself as a Cowgirl ever since I attended a Labour Day Rodeo in Montana years ago which I had assumed beforehand would be duller than Tesco value beans on toast, but it wasn’t, it was brilliant and it had the sort of food I’d describe as a mix up of Country Style/Tex Mex/Mid Western/American, the sort that sticks to your ribs (and unfortunately your thighs). After the Hoedown it was on to The Barbecue Bonanza, I love a good Barbecue at the best of times so a Bonanza version could have only been a good thing, as it was. The memory of the atmosphere of that day still excites me and from then on I became a Cowgirl Wannabe…

The Rodeo I expected to be dull but wasn't, it was brilliant

Fast forward a few years I find myself in India and aspiring to be a Hindu Wannabe. (A conflict of tastebuds if ever there was one) How could the Tex Mex Munching Minx and Barbecue Bonanza Chowgirl adapt to the mainly vegetarian and mainly beef free Hindu land? Well the truth is she didn’t, she just adapted and fused (I know, I know, the dreaded Fusion thing again).

So one day whilst we were driving through the mainly vegetarian and mainly beef free Hindu land I saw a sign that said Barbecue. Squealing with joy and delight I insisted we dropped in and went into an immediate rapture with thoughts of the meaty treats it would provide…..

Barbecue? Really?? Are you sure???

When will I ever learn?
So as ever I (trust me, really do never learn) went hungry, went home and cooked something myself proving the old adage “If you want something doing properly… well you know the rest”

But the cravings continued, nay intensified, so I set to work on creating my very own Cowgirl (& Indian) Cookout, having been inspired by a restaurant at the end of the universe (well my universe anyways) called Cowboys & Turbans whom apparently serve 'Indian Food with a Mexican Street vibe'. In our house that equation reads
Cowboys + Turbans = Nirvana.

Theoretically Tex/Mexican and Indian food should just *fuse (*apologies) effortlessly as there are so many dishes and ingredients that marry the two styles, throw in some traditional home on the range food and you’ve got some pretty fine ingredients to tamper with, so tamper I did.
I used left over keema matter curry in burritos, served a few sides of coleslaw and chilli beans (basically you take a tin of baked beans & add hot sauce & chilli flakes to them, Cowboy sides are a doddle)
Then I came up with...

Cowboy Curry

2 chicken thighs, skinned, boned & cut into chunks
marinate them in olive oil & wine with a splash of lime juice + S&P for a good hour
remove from marinade & rub spice mix on - equal parts cumin, coriander, garam masala, tandoori powder & paprika, add
CPTT* *chilli powder to taste (chilli powder taste chart is on Sound Bites)

Peel & cube a couple of medium potatoes & par boil until soft but still firmly in shape
In a large non-stick pan fry off a couple of rashers of chopped bacon (or if you're fancy Pancetta) toss the chicken pieces in seasoned flour & coat well, then add the chicken to the pan to sear.
(a splash of wine helps retain moisture & flavour) Remove bacon & chicken and set aside

Take 1 large red onion, finely dice half and cut the remainder into lengthway chunks
Place the diced onion, on a low heat in the pan with a little oil, sprinkle with salt & let soften (not brown) add 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander, garam, tandoor, paprika & CCTT, stir into the onions then add 1 heaped tsp of garlic & ginger paste, add a splash of liquid (wine, water or stock)
Diced 2-3 tomatoes and add to the pan, add a little more liquid if needed & simmer until the tomatoes breakdown, add a couple of tbsp of thick tomato paste then enough chicken stock (cube is fine) to make a rich tomato gravy

Return the chicken & bacon to the pan and add par boiled potatoes & green pepper. Place in a casserole dish, cover & bake for about 30-40 mins in a medium oven, take out, use your ENT specialist senses (Eyes, Nose & Tongue) adjust seasoning accordingly, add a small can of sweetcorn (alternatively you could always add beans)

Return to the oven (increase heat & remove cover if gravy needs to be thickened) and bake for about another 30 mins, but remember to use you ENT not your timer.

Plate up, top with tortilla chips, grated cheese & or fresh coriander/sour cream/salsa/guacamole/it's your call**

I also served with rice as I tend to ridiculously greedy when it comes to carb portions


**A Cowboy Hat and Bindi are also optional extras

The Jewel In The Crown

"The British Empire once held absolute power in over 52 countries. About two-fifths of the world. But there was only one Jewel in the Crown" - India

There is a lot of shouting/cheering and general flag waving going on outside. (I've omitted mentioning the drum banging & fireworks as they are day to day noises going on outside) This, therefore can only mean one thing... It's Independence Day. Yes it's is a big public holiday where Indians revel in the overturning of British Rule and the dawn of the World's largest Sovereign Nation , so it's always a little awkward, nay embarrassing, to be English here today so I tend to stay in and quietly celebrate one of the 52 days a year I like to call "Loss Of A Colony Day."

When random strangers come up to me in the street and ask me where I'm from (this happens on a daily basis as for some unfathomable reason there is a great fascination with the colour of my hair) I'm often wary of saying England and sometimes opt for Austria/Sweden/Switzerland or whatever other neutral non-colonizing country that I call to mind, as being a Brit in India can go two ways...
1) Intense fascination, particularly with my hair/eye/skin colour
2) Wariness and mistrust that I may have the possible power and inclination to recreate those oppressive times (luckily for all involved, I possess neither).

However, whether you like it or not, the two countries are indelibly fused by history and more importantly (well as far as I'm concerned anyway) indelibly fused by cuisine. This is doubly so in our Anglo-Indian household, where as far as we're concerned the past is the past and the future is Bangers and Mash Masala (maybe? maybe not, I'll get back to you on that one).

Anglo-Indian cuisine came about during those years which are referred to as

'The Raj Years' The name given to the period of British colonial rule in South Asia between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the dominion itself and even the region under the rule. The region, commonly called India in contemporary usage, included areas directly administered by Britain, as well as the princely states ruled by individual rulers under the the British Crown.
(many thanks to Wiki for it's laymans terms)

Back to the future and we have hopefully/mainly been forgiven for this period in history and we can all look back and good laugh about it (well not so much laugh) but hopefully forget (well not so much forget, oh, you know what I mean) all the negative aspects of this time and focus more on the positive ones instead, which neatly brings me back to the food (which is what this blog is theoretically supposed to be about).

So back to Anglo-Indian Cuisine, back in the day the ladies of England packed their cookbooks in their trunks and set off for India, with the promise of all the new vegetables, crops and spices. They became exposed to the exotic and tantalising flavours of this 'New Land' and before anyone corrects me, I am aware of the fact that India wasn't a New Land, but it was to them (like it was to me). As they employed local cooks they started to get a taste for the regional foods and it was then that the British Curry Love was born.

Over the years new dishes were created for state occasions or dignitaries which have imprinted into both cultures and cuisines over time, then 'along came Katy' and before you know it she's doing it all over again (without the state occasion/dignitary element obviously).

So I thought what better way to celebrate this day than a traditional old Raj Roast Dinner, so it's out with the old and in with the new, let's celebrate our modern day unity between these two great lands, two great cultures and two great cuisines with one flag of unity

"Happy Independence Day"

Raj Roast Chicken

I medium size chicken (marinated for a minimum of 1 hour with a good glug of wine, a decent splash of lemon juice & slathering of olive oil, massage onto bird & sprinkle a spice mix of equal parts cumin, coriander, garam masala, tandoori &onion powder, Use chilli powder, salt & pepper to taste)

After marinating take some chilled garlic butter and carefully slip under the skin, pierce random parts of the birds flesh and insert slithers of garlic (this not only flavours but keeps the meat succulent)
Liberally pour some of the marinade over the bird and pre heat the oven to a medium hot setting (I never give temperatures as all ovens are different, mine can only be described as 'Unique')

Place on a roasting tray in the centre of the oven, uncovered for about half an hour. When the skin starts to brown baste again, cover with foil and cook until the juices run clear and the internal temperatures is at least 22C, if the skin needs further browning remove foil accordingly
*guideline should be about an hour per kilo + 20 mins, but don't follow guidelines become an ENT specialist (follow your eyes, nose & tongue)

I carved it and served it with my Bombay Bomb potatoes, (recipe can be found by clicking on the Sound Bites) mixed steamed vegetables and good Old Blighty Yorkshire Pud. I like to tamper with pretty much EVERY recipe I encounter, my Grandmother's yorkshire pudding recipe however, isn't one of them. Bathe it all in a rich gravy and
Jai Ho There You Go