Favourite Indian Dishes: Methi Chicken & Indian Bread (Plus Recipes)

If you have been a regular reader of Culinary Bonanza, you would know very well that I rarely post about recipes. However this time, after my personal experience cooking the below dishes at Pullman Jakarta Central Park's cooking theater specially arranged for the cooking class, I'm confident that the recipe would work wonders.

Ranjit Debnath hailed from India not so long ago and joined the Pullman Jakarta Central Park as Chef de Partie. It was only appropriate to have him as our cooking class supervisor, because what we cooked were the all-time favourite Indian dishes: Indian Bread and Methi Chicken (a type of chicken curry). So without further ado, I'll share the recipe with you and happy experimenting with these in your own kitchen!

Indian Bread

Ingredients:

- 250 gr Whole-wheat flour

- 4 gr salt

- 15 ml vegetable oil

- 125 ml water

- Butter

Preparation:

- Sift the flour & salt together. Mix in oil & water, knead to make a soft dough. Cover with moist cloth and keep at the side for 30 minutes

- Divide dough equally into 5 balls & dust with flour

- Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F, flatten the balls and roll each out to an 8" disc. Place the discs on a greased tray and bake for 3 minutes until pale brown in colour

- Ready to serve with curry

Methi Murg / Methi Chicken

Ingredients:

- 800 gr boneless chicken, cut into desired sizes

- 100 ml vegetable oil

- 2 bay leaves

- 6 green cardamoms-cloves

- 150 gr onion paste

- 36 gr ginger paste

- 36 gr garlic paste

- 1 tsp coriander powder

- 75 gr cashew nut paste

- 200 gr yoghurt, whisked

- salt

- 2 gr white pepper

- 150 ml cream

Preparation:

- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, add bay leaves, cloves and green cardamoms, saute until the cardamoms change colour

- Add onion, ginger and garlic pastes, stir fry until the oil separates

- Add coriander powder and cashew nut paste, stir fry for 2 minutes

- Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Mix in yoghurt, salt white pepper and methi. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken becomes tender

- Fold in the cream. Serve hot, accompanied by the Indian bread.

Voila! I was lucky to pair with Natasha who often cooks herself. Our Methi Chicken, was apparently the best tasting among all those by other participants haha...No, I don't make this up, as Mr. Sunardi Song, the F&B Director of Pullman Jakarta Central Park confessed to me when I met him at a function a few weeks ago. Yay! But of course taste buds can't lie, I personally loved the Methi we cooked.

Thank you Ms. Rita from Pullman Jakarta Central Park, Chef Eric Baudru & Chef Ranjit Debnath and the culinary team who patiently assisted us with our lackluster cooking abilities and for not laughing at us during the cooking class.  After the cooking class, we were invited to Collage for a lavish lunch, however, as I had to zoom to the airport to catch my flight, I had to miss this part. No regrets though, as I had such a great time already. =)

Natasha's version