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Curry Photos & Videos => Pictures of Your Curries => Topic started by: london on January 25, 2015, 07:04 PM

Title: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: london on January 25, 2015, 07:04 PM
I knocked up a Dhansak for dinner tonight served with pilau rice and mushroom bhaji.

Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on January 25, 2015, 07:17 PM
Nice rice !  (Which is not intended to reflect badly on the other two dishes; I simply thought that the rice was particularly worth singling out for praise).

** Phil.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Sverige on January 25, 2015, 07:18 PM
Nice. It seems to me the key to the dish is seasoning the lentils right when you precook them. It's easy to kill a dhansak when you add unseasoned precooked lentils. I've done it!
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Garp on January 25, 2015, 07:31 PM
Looks nice, London.

I've never made a Dhansak, but I fancy trying it having seen yours. Any chance of posting a recipe?

And, as Phil said, that rice does look spot on :)
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: london on January 25, 2015, 07:38 PM
The rice is CA's Pilau rice as posted on this forum. The Dhansak is Chewy's recipe which has a video on Vimeo.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Garp on January 25, 2015, 07:57 PM
Thanks :)
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: london on January 25, 2015, 08:02 PM
Here's a better picture of the rice.

Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Madrasandy on January 25, 2015, 08:10 PM
Excellent recipe for the Dhansak, you should try it Garp  ;)
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: chewytikka on January 25, 2015, 08:23 PM
Good looking meal there London. ;D

(Just a guess) Looks like you
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Gav Iscon on January 25, 2015, 08:45 PM
All looks very nice to me. Top marks.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Madrasandy on January 25, 2015, 08:57 PM
Making me hungry now, haven't had a curry since last night, great effort London  :)
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: london on January 25, 2015, 09:26 PM
Thanks everyone for your kind remarks, it means a lot to me as you're a tough bunch to please.

Chewy, I used red split lentils, I just don't cook the guts out of them as I like a bit of texture in a Dhansak.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: ELW on January 25, 2015, 09:27 PM
Good honest pic also London

ELW
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Invisible Mike on January 25, 2015, 09:39 PM
Rice does look good. What brand do you use?
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: london on January 25, 2015, 10:43 PM
MM, I use Tilda, I know it's not the cheapest, but rice isn't that expensive to buy @ about 2 pound 50 a kilo. I rinse then soak it for 30 minutes this cuts the cooking time by about half. Using CA's method my rice was cooked in about 4 minutes. I hope this helps.

London.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Invisible Mike on January 25, 2015, 10:59 PM
Might give that a whirl. I've been buying various Pakistani brands from Asian supermarkets. I'm using Laila aged basmati at the mo but using the absorbtion method and minimal water I still end up with porridge. I find some brands are like this, others are fine.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: chewytikka on January 25, 2015, 11:12 PM
Nice one London, just the way I like my Dhal. ;)
cheers Chewy
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Madrasandy on January 25, 2015, 11:17 PM
I'm using Laila aged basmati at the mo but using the absorbtion method and minimal water I still end up with porridge. I find some brands are like this, others are fine.

Never had a problem with Laila, put it in your pan cover with water and get your hands in and clean the rice, empty water repeat until clear. then absorbtion I do 2 cups rice, 3 water, always comes out good for me Mike
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: SoberRat on January 25, 2015, 11:20 PM
Might give that a whirl. I've been buying various Pakistani brands from Asian supermarkets. I'm using Laila aged basmati at the mo but using the absorbtion method and minimal water I still end up with porridge. I find some brands are like this, others are fine.

Have you ever seen Julian Voigt's method? I only ask and I know this is off the topic a bit, but I use Laila aged basmati and his method using a pressure cooker gives perfect results IMO. It's in his first ebook so I better not post the method but it works well with Laila rice. I have always had problems with the absorption method and basmati rice. I don't even wash it.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Invisible Mike on January 25, 2015, 11:29 PM
Madrasandy. Yep very similar to how I do it.

SoberRat. Yes think I've tried the C2go method. Is it the one where he says not to bother washing it then fry it dry in ghee etc? I think I ended up with underdone rice! Can't bloody win! :-) I find supermarkets own basmati the most user friendly. I keep buying the Asian stuff cos it's always on offer and temptation goes against my better judgement. :-(  Anyway sorry to send the thread off topic. I do love a dhansak. Looks great!
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: london on January 26, 2015, 09:29 AM
MM,

Give CA's recipe a go it's very easy and turns out perfectly cooked rice. I've tried the absorption method many times and alway mess it up.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on January 26, 2015, 11:32 AM
For me, the microwave/absorption method works every time.  1 mug basmati rice washed in a large sieve under hot water, with bowl underneath to catch water.  Turn on hot tap, keep swilling rice by hand until water comes over top of rice, turn off tap, empty bowl and repeat once.  Allow to drain and dry.  Put 1/3 ice-cream scoop of ghee into a Pyrex[R] casserole dish with lid.  Heat at 100% for 5 minutes.  Add spices to taste (star anise, torn Indian bay, broken cassia bark, crushed green cardamom, kala jeera, one clove, ...) and cook for a further 5 minutes at 100%.  Add rice, add a clove of garlic finely sliced or some fried-and-dried garlic, salt to taste, then cover with boiling water to an excess depth of 1/3".  Cook for 12 minutes at 100%, then remove, check, and adjust if necessary.  If colouring is desired, add a few widely separated drops of green, yellow and red food colourings, then either place in a warm oven at circa 80oC for 20 minutes or put back in the microwave at 10% and cook for a further 20 minutes.  Remove, fluff, remove large fragments of bay, cassia, etc., then serve.

(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/9299afde77c1dceb0c4346d70a93d89a.JPG)

** Phil.
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Edwin Catflap on January 26, 2015, 08:18 PM
Hi

This is my go to dhal recipe for dhansak, it great!!

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,7901.0.html (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,7901.0.html)

Ed
Title: Re: Chicken Dhansak
Post by: Naga on January 26, 2015, 09:07 PM
...This is my go to dhal recipe for dhansak...

Funny you should mention that, Ed. I made a load this very afternoon and delicious it is too! :)