What is Chicken Jalfrezi?
Plus 4 Delicious Weeknight Dinner Recipes
Hello friends!
I went on a glorious impromptu break last week. Seven days of no cooking, no emails and no Instagram! Just being a tourist in my own city, enjoying the brisk winter in the heart of Sydney, exploring hidden bars and trying out new restaurants and walking almost 20k steps every day. It was enriching and heartwarming and filled with sights, sounds and tastes that I have brought back into the kitchen with me for inspiration.
Today, I have a little weeknight dinner menu for you that I am cooking as well. Lots of variety - curries, soups, pastas to warm you up. And I have a bonus recipe for a dish you might not have heard of. I’ll be back a little down the week with a gorgeous new recipe for my paid members. Happy cooking! x
Bonus Recipe
Have you ever heard of Jalfrezi? It is an Indian dry curry (more like a stir-fry) that originated in Bengal in eastern India. This is a fusion dish with Indian and Chinese influences. A part of Indo-Chinese cuisine, it has trickled into India from the north-eastern borders, down from China through Nepal and made popular by the Hakka community settled in and around the area.
In Bengali jalfrezi or jhalfrezi, literally means “hot fry”. The dish is punctuated by chicken cooked in a screaming hot pan/wok with lots of red capsicum/bell pepper, onion and spices. It has base notes of tomato and chilli with a distinct sourness that comes from either lemon juice or vinegar. Saucier versions have a tomato curry base.
Our favourite is this quick and easy dry version that is utterly delicious with hot naan and raita. It is smoky and warm and makes your home smell like a fancy Indian restaurant (which only adds to its appeal). The aroma invokes scenes from the chaotic street stalls of India - smoke billowing from tandoors as meat and bread are cooked to charred perfection, the air heavy with spices; enough to make your mouth water. We often have it as an accompaniment to a slow-cooked dal makhani and rice.
I also make the same dish with paneer instead of chicken and it is incredibly delicious.
Chicken Jalfrezi
Serves 4 / gluten-free
2 chicken thigh fillets (300g) cut into strips
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp flaky salt
2 tbsps neutral oil
2 onions, sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece ginger, julienned
1 red and 1 green pepper (capsicum), seeds removed and cut into strips
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
Fresh coriander, chilli slices and lemon wedge – to serve
Add chicken, tomato paste, lemon juice, smoked paprika, turmeric and salt to a bowl. Mix well and marinate for 30 mins in the fridge.
Heat oil in a large wok on high. Add onion and stir-fry for 2-3 mins until starting to soften. Add cumin seeds, garlic, ginger and marinated chicken. Stir-fry on high for 3-4 mins until chicken turns opaque
Add peppers, garam masala, chilli powder, lemon juice and salt. Toss and mix well. Stir-fry for 3-4 mins until peppers have softened and everything is heated through.
Remove from heat. Garnish with coriander and chilli slices. Serve with a lemon wedge and some rice and yoghurt on the side.
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Delicious Dinners To Make This Week
During the weekend, I love visiting the 600+ recipes on the blog to map out a menu for the entire week. Weeknights are infinitesimally better when your dinners are sorted. This is what I am cooking in my kitchen ..
Palak Paneer
This is the original recipe from a gorgeous vegetarian restaurant that was immensely popular in my hometown. For almost two decades, I ate here every month. First with just my family when I was younger and then later after I met him, Nick and I would frequent it during our college days. We knew everyone at the restaurant, the chef, the waiters, the owner .. all super friendly. I have gleaned much “vegetarian” wisdom from the chef over the course of time. And this recipe for Palak Paneer (Vibrant Green Spinach Curry) was a favourite of ours. From the chef, I learned how to retain and amplify the gorgeous green of the spinach without using added colour and that delectable, luscious, grassy garlicky flavour. It is easy and so delicious.
Vegan Chinese Chilli Eggplant
With extensive tips on the amount of oil eggplant needs, to chopping it a certain way and a simple technique to making this delicious restaurant-worthy stir-fry in only 10 minutes, you must try this! Goes really well with my Veg Fried Rice.
Gnocchi Puttanesca
So much flavour in this one! I am a Puttanesca fiend .. I love that salty, briny, anchovy-caper-olive-chilli-garlic combo so much. This pasta sauce and the golden gnocchi swimming in it is incredibly rich in flavour. I also share easy tips to make this vegan with clever substitutions. A family favourite!
Green Minestrone Soup
This was another crowd-favourite recipe at my winter workshops. Packed with nourishing green things, everyone loved how different it was to the stock standard minestrone soup. Inspired by the gorgeous green Provencal cold sauce -pistou. In fact, I often make a version of this with my homemade Turmeric Chicken Broth too.
That’s all from me this week folks! If you have recipe requests, please drop me a line in the comments below. Feel free to ask questions, chat, leave feedback etc.
Eat well, Be well.
Much love! x