Chicken, rice and beans the Anglo/Indian way

There comes a time when a girl cannot face chicken rice and beans anymore! It is the staple Dominican diet, and in my house we have it at least 3 times a week if not more. Being English, and being that our national food has changed over the decades from roast beef and fish and chips to Indian curries, I have managed to morph Dominican chicken rice and beans into Indian chicken curry with lentil dahl and rice. Not only do I love it, but so do my Dominican family, so everyone is happy.

If I was in England I would just pop down to my local supermarket, buy a packet of chicken curry and stick it in the microwave.  No packets here so we have to start from scratch and adapt as necessary to what is available here. So here is my recipe for Chicken Dopiaza which means Chicken double onion.

1. Slice up six (yes six) large onions and fry in some oil until soft.
2. Add six or more cloves of garlic crushed and around an inch of fresh ginger cut up finely and fry a little more.
3. Add two teaspoons each of turmeric, coriander and garam masala spices. If you can't get garam masala then add two teaspoons in total of a mix of cloves, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin.
4. Add a whole chicken cut up into about 6 pieces with the skin taken off - feet and all if you like.
5. Cover with chicken stock, or water and a couple of Maggi stock cubes.
6. Simmer for around 2 hours with no lid on until the chicken falls off the bone and there is only a little thick sauce left.
7. Add salt if needed (you won't need it if you have used Maggi stock cubes) and I add 4 or 5 chillis.
8. If Dominican and can do mouth aerobics with chicken bones and pick them clean whilst inside mouth then leave on bone. I take the chicken off the bone!

Chicken Dopiaza

While the chicken is cooking make your Indian dahl.

1. Take a 1lb bag of lentils (red if you can get them, but I use brown ones as can't find red ones) and simmer in lots of water with 2 teaspoons turmeric, 2 teaspoons coriander, 1 teaspoon sugar, half teaspoon salt and 6-10 chillis cut up small. Use less chillis if  you don't want it too hot.
2. Top up water as necessary until lentils are nice and soft and just a little water left, around 45 minutes.
3. In a frying pan melt around 4 oz butter, and fry a couple of onions and some garlic until brown.
4. Then add to the frying pan 3 or 4 tomatoes cut up small, plus a big handful of fresh coriander (cilantro in American I think), also finely chopped.
5. Add a teaspoon of chilli powder and a teaspoon of garam masala if you have it.
6. Mix in with the lentils.

Dahl

Serve with rice and also wraps which you can pretend are chapatis! Or you can try and make Naan bread.

It really is a lovely alternative to chicken, rice and beans, and I have found that Dominicans love it, and you can leave the chillis out or put less in for those who don't like spicy food.