Chicken Dhansak Recipe

Living in Birmingham, famous for its Balti Triangle, sometimes made me wonder how the restaurants made the food so quickly…and most important: How did they manage to make that wondefull tasty sauce??

After a “dare” of the Canned Food UK, I realize how quick and easy is to make a high standard classical Asian recipe, and to say as well, that Birmingham is the City of Canned Food.

Don’t look horrified about canned food, everyone uses cans, absolutely EVERYONE!

But strangely no one says it… shame? Why??

The normal concept that Canned food is bad for your health is not true!

When you were living in 1940’s, maybe it would mean war time food and back then the laws to canning and the fact that hygiene wasn’t a controlled thing, meant that you could get sick.

Now that doesn’t happen!

Food in cans today means: Practical, easy, less time in the kitchen and more time with your family or doing what you like, and the most important thing:

When a company bottles or cans a vegetable (or other product) the main qualities and flavor gets inside of the can till the moment you use it.

So all the above qualities you can add: Flavor and the Nutrients. that are actually locked in the can because the fresh veg is cooked inside the can – sealing in all the vitamins and nutrients.

We live in the 21st Century not the past century.
Rules and standards are to be followed, and there are associations to control that.

Now back to the recipe:

For this Recipe you will need:

1 can of green Lentils (410gr)
1 can of Chopped Tomatoes (410gr)
500gr of diced Chicken Breasts
3 Tbsp of Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 Red Onion (I used onion powder since I can’t stand onions…specially the red)
3 Tbsp of curry Paste

Note: You don’t need salt because the curry paste has salt.

As side:

Basmati Rice

Chutney (I love Mango Chutney)

Steps:

add the oil to the pan with the garlic and onions and let it fry for a minute
add the chicken and let it fry till golden for a minute
add the curry paste, mix very well for a minute
add the tomatoes
add the lentils
mix everything really well and let it simmer for 20 minutes

(Your chicken is all done… See how easy?)

The Basmati rice:

add 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan
add the garlic and onion (I used the powder, you can add the real thing)
add 2 cups of basmati rice, mix but don’t fry the rice!
Add a pinch of salt
add 3 cups of water (instead of the 4 cups as normal: 1 cup of rice for 2 cups of water)
Let it boil, when you see the water is evaporating, turn the hob off and let it be covered for at least 10 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy!