Now that I have calmed down a little, after winning the title, I have decided to publish the winning recipe of the main course; it has already done the trick for me, I think it’s your turn now! This will be followed by the side dish and finally the rice, so please watch the space!

I have used the same language as if I am making  it myself, rather that instruction style. At the end, I have also provided the nutritional information, as I believe a curry shouldn’t be unhealthy! I am sure that you will enjoy making and savouring it:

Shimla Chicken (Bone-in) – medium hot (GF)

Moving away from the usual boneless British curry scene, I have gone for on-the-bone chicken! It is a traditional, rustic, very spicy and delicious curry. Shimla is a northern Indian city, which also was the summer capital of British India. This curry is inspired from this city and the green pepper used in it is also called ‘Shimla Mirch’.

It is prepared with an array of different fragrant spices and with little oil.
Equally delightful with Pullao, naan or roti!

Ingredients

• 425g whole bone-in chicken; disarticulated at joints (as I do them myself). You can buy it already pieced
• 2 large onions, 3 Tomatoes, 1 green pepper (Shimla Mirch), 3-4 Green Chillies
• 2 sq cm piece of Ginger julienned, 4 cloves of Garlic crushed
• ½ teaspoonful of ground turmeric
• A small pinch of cumin, nigella seeds, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, aniseeds
• 2-3 cloves, small cinnamon stick, few chili flakes
• Salt (to taste); roughly two pinches (800 mg of sodium chloride or 1/8 teaspoon)
• Finely chopped fresh coriander, freshly milled Black Pepper for garnish (Trivia: it is the world’s most traded spice)
• 20 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Procedure

My health tip: I painstakingly remove all visible fat from the chicken, to keep it as lean and healthy as possible. With a pair of forceps, I pick up every little bit of fat and even fibrous connective tissue between muscle compartments and using the sharpest knife in my kitchen, I carve it off! It can be a little tedious, but is worth the effort.

My taste/appearance tip: I thoroughly and scrupulously wash it, up to a dozen times! This helps in eliminating most of myoglobin and haemoglobin, the red pigment contained in the muscle fibres!

1 I seal the meat in hot oil, in a pan, for about a minute or two. Once sealed, I remove the chicken, add onions, garlic and half of the ginger; sautéing it for about 5 minutes

2 I add the turmeric, salt and all the spices cooking ‘til almost a sauce is formed. I roast the pepper separately, on an open flame

3 Then I add the chicken and tomatoes. I cook it further, until tomatoes soften. At this stage I add pepper and green chillies; half the fresh coriander and rest of the ginger, saving a few for garnish.

4 I lower the heat and with the lid on, simmer for another 5-10 minutes, or until the right consistency is achieved.

5 I rest it in the pan for at least 15 minutes before serving. My garnish is a little freshly milled black pepper, couple of remaining green chilli slices and the few ginger juliennes.

Nutritional facts

Calories: 620 (24% men; 31% women), protein: 53g (100% RDI), fat: 20g (27% RDI), saturated 4g, polyunsaturated 17g, carbohydrate: 14g (5%), Cholesterol 78mg (24% RDI), fibre: 7g (28%), (Sodium: 950mg (41%),

Potassium: 990mg (21%), Phosphorus: 70mg (7%), Magnesium: 35mg (8%), Calcium: 30mg (3%), Iron: 2.2mg (13%), Zinc: 7mg (46%), Vit A: 2,500 IU (50%), Vit B12: 4.2microg (70%), Vit C: 42mg (70%), Vit D: 2.8mg (100%)Based on portion of 180g meat (rest is bone!), 20 ml olive oil and the other uncooked ingredients

RDI: Recommended Daily Intake. GF: Gluten Free

Please note: Although all values are rounded up to the nearest decimal point, extremely careful and rather exhaustive mathematical calculations have been undertaken to achieve as accurate values as possible, per gram of each ingredient.

No direct chemical examinations have been performed on this dish!