Moroccan Chicken with Couscous

Marinade
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 large skinless chicken breasts
8 wedges preserved lemons

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup slivered almond
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, halved, finely chopped
1 small red chile, deseeded, finely chopped
1 cup couscous or quinoa (needs to cook for 15 minutes)
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves, firmly packed

Directions
Combine the lemon juice, honey, garlic. turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a large glass or ceramic dish. Add the chicken and turn over so that it is thoroughly coated with the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours, preferably overnight, to develop the flavours.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Place the chicken and the preserved lemon in a roasting pan. Roast in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken and lemon to serving plate. Deglaze the pan with some of the marinade and/or chicken stock and sauce the chicken.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat, add the onion and chilli and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until both have softened. Add the remaining marinade and/or some stock (total 1 cup) and bring to the boil.Remove from the heat. Add the couscous and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to separate the grains. Garnish with the coriander and toasted almonds.

Tandoori Chicken

4 skinned Chicken Quarters

2 tblsp Lemon Juice

1 Garlic Clove

1 inch piece peeled and coarsely chopped Fresh Ginger

1 Green chilli 1 tblsp Water

4 tblsp Natural Yogurt

1 tsp Ground Cumin 1 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Salt 1 tsp powdered or 2cm of fresh Tumeric (or few drop of Yellow Food Colouring)

2 tblsp melted Ghee (or some vegetable oil)

For garnishing: Lemon Wedges and Onion rings

Make 3-4 cuts in each chicken quarter using a knife. Put the chicken in an ovenproof dish. Rub lemon juice into the incisions. Cover it. Let it marinate for about 30 minutes. Combine garlic, ginger, tumeric, green chilli and water in a blender. Grind to make a smooth paste like mixture. Combine the paste to yogurt, ground cumin, garam masala, paprika, salt, (powedered tumeric or food colouring if using) and the melted ghee. Mix all the ingredients well. Spread them over marinated chicken pieces. Coat the pieces with the yogurt marinade. Cover it. Let it marinate at room temperature for about 5 hours. Turn once or twice maximum. Place chicken in a oven at 325 F. Let it roast for 1 hour. Bast frequently and turn once. The chicken should be tender and most of the marinade should be evaporated. Then grill the chicken over hot charcoal. Garnish it with lemon wedges and onion rings.

Dhansak

You can make this with Chicken, Lamb, Beef or even Vegetables. I chose chicken as that was all we had in the freezer.

Sauce

1 small eggplant/aubergine

1 small butternut squash/pumkin

200 grams of mixed lentils

Tonight we are using some red lentils, mung dal and green lentils. I think you can use many types as it is the variety in texture that is good. Dice the vegetables and boil with the lentils until everything is soft. Transfer to a blender and puree. Leave aside.

You can also add to the sauce fresh Fenugreek Leaves, Mustard Greens, Spinach or Rocket. A very healthy addition.

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp star anise

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp peppercorns

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Fry the spices in a pan for a minute and then remove from heat. If you are using whole spices then grind with a mortar and pestle.

1 Brown Onion

2cm length of ginger

2 cloves of garlic

2 green chillies

300 gms lamb (or chicken or beef)

Cook the chopped onion in the pan until soft. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the finely chopped or paste of garlic and ginger. Cook for another minute. Add the spices and cook until fragrant. Now add enough water to cover half the meat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Then add your sauce to the meat and simmer until meat is tender

Finishing

100ml Tamarind Water

1 tsp palm sugar

Coriander and or Mint

Just before serving add the tamring water and palm sugar. This will give it a very sweet and sour flavour.

Serve with white rice and garnish with the coriander or mint.