Friend for Dinner

I have been having a bit of a rough pregnancy and so it is especially nice to have a friend come round to visit and to cook together.  OK, well maybe I did more cooking and my friend (and follower) Vicki did more playing with my 4 year old!  But every little helps as they say.

We made Madhur Jaffrey's Whole Chicken wrapped in foil.  I wish I had more photos.  We were having too much fun gobbling it down and playing with new Christmas toys.  It is somewhat unusual to find Indian recipes for whole chicken because like in much of the world, Indians often cut up meats and cook them on stovetops in casseroles or on the grill.

This chicken was marinated in a spicy yoghurt mixture for a few hours.  Well I did an hour because I ran out of time.  Then smothered in another onion spice paste.  The list of ingredients looks long, but it is mostly spices and very easy to put together.  What's more, it tasted DELICIOUS!  I really need to do it more often.  I served it with plain steamed vegetables and some small potatoes.  Although I love every vegetable dish I have cooked from this book, I ran out of energy and onions! 

This is the first Indian cookbook I have owned.  I have one more now from another author. I am tempted to put more of Madhur's books on my wish list.  Making spice pastes and measuring out a few extra ingredients might take a few extra minutes, but the flavours are amazing.  And they are certainly cheaper and healthier than getting a takeaway.  I use this book most often to make an interesting vegetable dish to serve with a plain roast chicken.  I have only ever received compliments!

Artwork by Vicki, mostly.